Have you entered our contest yet? You could win an outfit from either Candy Stick Lane or The JumpOff. I’m so excited about this contest because I bought this cute custom onesie from Renee months ago (and previously blogged about it here) and I think it’s the greatest thing ever. I was thrilled when she agreed to do a contest and I was dying to know more about her so I asked. She answered. Here’s what I learned:

How long have you been sewing?
~I started sewing clothes for Barbie in elementary school but I really took interest after my daughter was born- 16 years ago.

How’d you learn?
~I bought a pattern and cheap fabric, cheap machine (all from Wal-mart) and went to town. I made over 300 pieces of clothing my first year and kept a journal – making notes about what worked and what didn’t.

What inspired you to start?
~I was antique shopping in Greenville, SC and saw this adorable Christmas jumper made from gingerbread man fabric – I bought it for a dollar and decided I would make one for my daughter for every holiday and occasion – and I did – I even made matching ones for her teachers when she started school!

You have two Etsy shops? What’s the difference between the two? When did you open them?
Candy Stick Lane (9/28/06) – is a clothing boutique mainly for little girls – its full of things that I would still be making for may daughter if she would wear them. I only make things that I would put on a child. I never make things just because they’re easy, quick or big sellers – no trendy-ness in CSL – all about classic style.

The JumpOff (11/16/07) – is a recycle shop I opened b/c I love tees! Good will has so many awesome ones – I just had to. I acquired a Luellas BBQ tee before I even opened TJO – cut it up and used the pieces for patches on a denim jumper – it sold as soon as I listed it- so then I did a Hard Rock tee into a onesie and it too sold as soon as I listed so – I knew there was a market.

What are some memorable custom designs you’ve done?
I think the most touching custom design was a woman whose brother died tragically and she had me make two of his favorite tees into onesies for her son.

I also transformed a grandfather’s work shirts into jumpers for the granddaughters to pass down.

How did you get the idea to recycle the t-shirts into onesies and baby dresses? What’s your creative process? Where do you get your ideas?

Well, I started making onesies forever ago for our local hospital – the issue with that is – there just aren’t cute knits out there – I mean there are ‘babyish’ ducks and sheep – but being an 80′s dweller – I needed some pop culture flair – and t-shirts were an obvious choice – they are knit – they have great graphics and b/c you’re making little clothes from them, you have plenty of fabric! My creative process is I find a tee a like and just start cutting! LOL!

Ready for an outfit for your little one? Win one! Click on yesterday’s post, follow the rules and enter to win by midnight on Wednesday, September 9, 2009. We’ll randomly select a winner using Random.org. Be sure and include an email address in your comment so we can notify you if you win. And don’t forget to follow us on Facebook for a whole other contest – a chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card!

 

I’m so excited about our first contest! I first discovered Renee’s Etsy shops, CandyStick Lane and The JumpOff, last year before my son was even born. CandyStick Lane is her original designs boutique; The JumpOff features clothing made from recycled t-shirts. You can win your choice of an outfit from CandyStickLane or a custom made onesie, t-shirt or dress from The JumpOff. I’m going to tell you more about Renee in just a minute. First, here are details on how you can win.

1)      Go check out her Etsy shops (CandyStick Lane and The JumpOff), then come back here and leave a comment telling us what your favorite thing is. If you win, you’ll win that!

2)      Subscribe to my RSS feed or follow me on Twitter, then come back and leave another comment telling me you have and you’ll get a SECOND entry.

3)      Follow Candystick Lane on Twitter, leave me another comment and you’ll get a THIRD entry.

The contest is open to U.S. residents only. Get your entries in by midnight Wednesday September 9, 2009. We’ll randomly select a winner using Random.org. Be sure and include an email address in the comment form (which only we can see and we never share; see our Privacy Policy) so we can notify you if you win. And don’t forget to follow us on Facebook for a whole other contest – a chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card!

All right, now let me introduce you to Renee. She has, like, four jobs: 1) a single mother (which counts for two right there); 2) a “day” job in healthcare and 3) kids clothing designer for two- count them -TWO, boutiques. Her first boutique, CandyStick Lane, was started in 2006 and features clothing mainly for little girls (but I’m working on her to add more things for boys). Her other shop, The JumpOff, started a year later and features designs recycled from t-shirts. She also makes custom shirts, dresses, and onesies from your favorite t-shirt. Cute stuff!

I loved that whole recycle idea so I sent her one of my husband’s softball team shirts to make into a onesie for my son. It turned out AWESOME and that’s what he wears to go watch his dad play. He’s the little team mascot! (I love it when people ask me if I made it. Ha! I took Home Ec in 8^th grade and sewed my skirt to my jeans when I was trying to hem it on my lap. Noooo, I do not sew.)

I asked Renee about some of the most memorable custom outfits she’s ever made. “I think the most touching custom design was a woman whose brother died tragically and she had me make two of his favorite tees into onesies for her son. I also transformed a grandfather’s work shirts into jumpers for the granddaughters to pass down.”

How awesome is that? What special t-shirt have you been hanging onto that might be perfect to turn into something “new” for your little one?

Tomorrow, I’ll have snippets from my interview with Renee. In the meantime, be sure and check out her  shops (CandyStick Lane and The JumpOff) and leave us a comment telling us what you’d like to win. You must have your entries in by Wednesday, September 9^th, at midnight. Good luck!

This is something I wish someone had told me. I had no idea how many bibs I would need before the baby started eating solid foods! When my sister gave me a bunch of hand-me-downs, I went through and boxed up half of the stuff for Goodwill, including a lot of bibs. Thank goodness I saved some! I remember thinking, why did she send me so many bibs? If you have a spitter or a drooler (I had both), you’ll find it’s a lot easier to change a bib than an outfit. In the heaviest drool months, my son would literally soak 4-5 bibs a day.

So let’s talk about bibs. You’ve spent all this time and money buying cute clothes, only to cover them up with an enormous, ugly bib. Cuz most of them are ugly. Or have dumb sayings on them. So buy matching bibs whenever you can. Or mix-and-match them. (Zutano is great for this, too.) Buy more than you think you’ll need. Repeated washings will wear out the Velcro closure tabs.

Some manufacturers make teeny tiny newborn bibs. Those are great for about 3 months, but then you’ll need regular sized bibs. And when they start solid foods, you’ll want plastic-y bibs for easy wipe downs after meals. Most of those plastic bibs are HUGE and I think are made for toddlers. I found an Etsy seller who makes laminate-covered bibs that are just the right size for an infant. She doesn’t have a lot listed in her shop; just email her and she’ll tell you what fabrics she can make them in. She’s made two for me.

So Kate, next time you’re at the store, BUY BIBS. Trust me on this one. All right, let’s roll the bib photo show, shall we? Happy Monday!

See the drool on the chin? About to soak his bib!

Just saw this at TheJumpOff and CRACKED up. Renee continues to crank out awesome “upcycled” clothes made from used t-shirts. How funny is this onesie?

Saw this GORGEOUS aqua and orange Moroccan-inspired party idea at Hostess with the Mostest (love her site y’all!). This makes me want to have a grown-up party that involves cake even though I don’t like cake. I’ve also been thinking of doing my son’s room in orange and aqua if we move (trying to sell our house now) but my husband can’t get past thinking “Miami Dolphin colors” and I guess he thinks that’s a bad thing. I dunno. I love it and all things orange lately.

And check out the Back-to-School Guide over at Cool Mom Picks. So many great ideas and they’ve secured LOTS of discounts for you. Discount codes galore. Oh happy day! Or Oh Happy Weekend cuz I will totally be clicking up a storm. I have a nephew and niece who both have big “firsts” (first day of kindergarten; first day of first grade) and those backpacks are tempting. . .

The folks over at WeAreThatFamily are hosting a special themed edition of their “What Works for Me Wednesday” series. Today’s theme is Back-to-School tips, and while my munchkin is certainly advanced, he’s not quite ready for school yet. But that doesn’t mean I’m completely tip-less, or without an opinion on something I’m clearly unqualified to speak on.

I’m thinking back-to-school, packing lunches, cute lunch boxes, environmentally friendly water bottles (like Sigg which we’ve blogged about before), and heck, why not try those reusable sandwich bags. My husband takes his lunch to work frequently and I’ve been thinking of getting him some of these. I love that they’re reusable, non-toxic, and can be washed in the dishwasher! Lots of folks selling them online. Here are a few I’ve found.

SnackTaxi (formerly Happy-Sacks) - these folks were featured on the Queen of All Media (Oprah).

Fly-by-Night sandwich bag from Snack Taxi ($8.95/ea)

3GreenMoms – I like their simple, bold, repeating patterns. Plus, they have a plain white version you can decorate yourself with permanent markers. Or better yet, let the kidlets do the decorating!

White Lunch Skins (customizable) from 3GreenMoms ($16 for a set of 3)

FoodStuffs Etsy Seller – in honor of my nephew, I’d have to get the Pirate design!

FoodStuffs Reusable Sandwich Wrap in Pirates ($8/each)

If I packed my own lunch, I’d get the orange mosaic from FoodStuffs. Isn’t this CUTE?

OK, all this talk about sandwiches is making me crave a BLT.

My nephew (almost 5 years old) loves pirates and has since he was 3. My niece (5, going on 6) loves fairies and has for as long as I can remember. I bought them both personalized placemats from this Etsy seller. When I first contacted her, she didn’t have a fairy design so she custom made one for me. The kids went WILD for these. My niece wanted to hang hers up as art in her room. They’re only $15 so they won’t put much of a dent in your wallet. Might make a good “half-birthday” gift. Remember how you used to count those as a kid? “I’m six . . . and a half,” we’d brag. Now, I’m merely “in my early 40′s.” OK, mid-40′s, but who’s counting?

I have web wanderlust . . . here are some of the random things I came across this week that I thought you might dig.

Safe Mama’s Safer Dishware Cheat Sheet — I was getting ready to buy some new baby bowls and spoons and thought to myself, “hey, maybe I should be looking for BPA-free stuff.”  Any time I have a question like that, I head straight for Safe Mama. She’s done all the homework so I don’t have to.

One Year Birthday Party Ideas. Four months to go and I’m already trying to figure out what to do for my son’s first birthday. Did I mention my husband calls me “Planner Girl/Research Girl” when he’s not rolling up his eyes at me for thinking so far ahead. (Hey, his family would never have a birthday gift if it weren’t for me.) So I came across these cute party favors/cupcake toppers on Etsy and really like these owl and circus designs . . . giving me ideas . . .

Pirate Gifts. Speaking of Etsy, my 5-year old nephew is coming for a visit and he’s into pirates. He also likes to help his momma in the kitchen. How cute would this little Pirate Chef Hat and Apron be?

We’re also going to go swimming at my dad’s so I got him this pirate float (complete with water gun to shoot down those enemy pirates) from Amazon.

We Love Dance. Last, but not least, Brandon and Janette’s Argentine tango Wednesday night on So You Think You Can Dance was flawless. My husband and I saw a professional tango troupe perform at the Fox two years ago and Brandon and Janette were just as good. Enjoy and have a great weekend!

Many of you know that my day job (well, day, night, occasional weekends) is marketing consulting. We stay on top of a lot of trends which is why this blog is so random-y.  And in my “spare” time, I like to pretend to be a decorator with my own HGTV show (“Decorating for Beginners with Supportive Husbands”).  It’s in that spirit that I offer you a hot, trendy color combo:  orange, green and yellow.  Or sienna, moss and saffron if you want to speak decorator-ease.

It’s everywhere!

Sunburst pillow from Pottery Barn (on sale for $24.99; originally $42) and a tissue box holder from Etsy:

Hudson Pillow from Target

Rectangular trays from MOMA, Festival rug from Anthropologie

 

My best friend, Terri, saw that I’d bought these for my puddin’ pop and can’t stop talking about them. For those of you without kids, it’s not uncommon for parents to take a monthly birthday photo the first year of their child’s life. Often, parents will prop the baby up next to the same item each month to provide scale to show the baby’s growth.  (We use this HUMONGOUS teddy bear my Dad gave us.) Usually, they mark the age by scrawling on a piece of paper or chalkboard or similar marker and sticking that in the shot.

I was planning to do the same thing until I saw these onesies on Etsy and thought this was a much simpler and cuter solution. These are hand-made. You can buy a set of six or the full first year set. She sizes them appropriately so as you get into the higher months, the onesies are bigger sizes. I’d call these gender-neutral and a perfect baby shower gift.  I paired them with the Trumpettes dots socks, which match great!

Trust me, this is one gift that will make you the hit of the shower. If you’re competitive about these things.

 

Recycle one of his favorite old shirts

I like personalized gifts (if you hadn’t noticed). If you have a wee one at home, how about this? Send one of your hubby’s old t-shirts to Rene at the JumpOff and she’ll turn it into a onesie or dress for your little one. I had her take my husband’s softball t-shirt and make a matching onesie for my little guy. You could also do this with a sentimental shirt from your dad and make something special for your baby. The possibilities are endless. Maybe your husband was a Dead Head. Got an old concert t-shirt hanging around? Recycle it into a cute outfit for your cutie.

Make him a Father’s Day Photo Book or a Mug (great for Grandpa)

OK, not exactly original but you can make it original! My sister staged a bunch of fun photos with her 3-year old, wrote great captions and made an adorable photo book for my brother-in-law. It was all the stuff that his “Dad-o” was teaching him. My sister took pics of my nephew pretending to read the paper, wearing his dad’s favorite sports team shirt, pretending to work the remote, etc.

I use Shutterfly but Snapfish and others have similar services.

They also make photo mugs. I’m going to make one for my dad and my father-in-law. I have a great photo of each of them holding my son that I’m going to put on their respective mugs. Shutterfly has a nice gift package where they send a mug and Ghiradelli chocolate or a mug with a $10 Starbucks card. The mug/chocolate set is on sale for $15.99 right now.

If your dad (or husband/father of your children) is a baseball lover, consider a personalized Louisville Slugger baseball bat, which we’ve blogged about before.