hello friends,

are you ready for the weekend ahead? i will be busy continuing my prep for baby three’s nursery design and sewing and finishing my back to school shopping for the other children.

things are a changing….

the last two weeks, i have been offered a seat to sit on while traveling on the train, have received those “she’s about to pop” looks from strangers and have stopped in my tracks by my own glances in the mirror. my youngest swears there really is a basketball in there. i realized i had to snap a self portrait with the iphone. until my good friend and photographer makes a visit in the coming weeks for pregnancy photos, images like this will have to do (and those i have my husband take, while coaching him how to use my dSLR). the changes must be recorded.

while this is the third pregnancy for me, in many ways it feels like the first. other than the few years gap between children, i feel more aware of this one, each day that goes by, each change, each kick. how have you recorded your pregnancy?

with anticipation and a mile long to-do list, joya

p.s. we had a great joyababy sale last week! thank you for all your support. we look forward to all those babies and parents who will be stylin’ in joyababy! please send your fan photos to us to share on our fb fan page!

a simple sewing project: an embellished burp cloth for baby

all babies need burp cloths. this is a simple twist on a classic concept. i chose a crisp gray and white pinstripe cotton fabric and a curry yellow trim. stitch up a set of two for a quick gift, or stitch up several and stock your nursery.

materials: 1-2 cotton white prefold diaper cloths, 1/2 yd cotton fabric, bobble trim (found at local fabric store), pins, sewing machine & matching thread.

step one: wash and dry prefold and cotton material. iron both.

step two: prepare cotton material by cutting a piece slightly larger than the prefold diaper. i like to give myself 1/4-1/2 inch on all sides. then i simply fold this extra selvage and iron. set aside.

step three: pin bobble trim to bottom of one side of the prefold white diaper cloth. straight stitch this with white thread using your sewing machine (or hand stitch).

step four: place cotton material over diaper cloth and pin. top stitch the fabric with your sewing machine. i used a straight stitch on the trim side, and a zigzag stitch on all three other sides.

step five: (optional) you can also top stitch two vertical lines down the finished cloth to create the classic look and shape of a burp cloth. i paired the embellished one with a coordinating burp cloth, which makes a great gift. these pictured here are for my baby’s nursery. you can never have enough! happy sewing.

our summer sale is here. you do not want to miss it!

for a limited time only, items are 50% off! think of all the stylish gifts you can give and receive at an incredibly low price. tell your friends and family!

and the bgreen 2-1 reversible bib above is perfect for all sorts of messy meals in addition to being eco-friendly, machine washable, reversible and stylish!

now go shop!

i know, i know- another birthday post! what can i say, we all celebrate birthdays right? believe me i am working on a framework for this blog that makes it organized and relevant to joyababy and my projects as well! as the designer, i have sort of taken over with my own projects here and there, maybe it should be the “blog FROM the designer at  joyababy” ?… ok back to the mystery…

i have an avid reader who loves a good mystery. (same boy who loves to write his own stories and had the harry potter party last year) he also loves to challenge his mom’s birthday party design skills by choosing such themes. you know the kind where you google the term and nothing comes up…well nothing relevant to a child’s birthday anyways. for this hardy boys theme, i took the basics and made them a little more creative as best i could.  first i did google “nancy drew party” and there were great ideas out there for that theme, like this and this and this, which inspired me for the invitations. i also included my son in his party details and he wanted things like “top secret” stamped on the envelope and fingerprints. you should have seen the sales person’s reaction at staples when i asked if they had a “top secret” stamp to purchase!(they don’t)

for the invite: we typed a very small font size letter with the details onto old typewriter paper. we then attached a small magnifying glass to read the secret message. all of these “clues” were then paper clipped together and slipped inside a manila envelope.

for the party decor: i found images on flickr for the “bookshelf of hardy boys mysteries” for our mantel and for the bookmarks we made for everyone (adults and kids). basic streamers and fun plaid retro paperware were added for pops of color next to the cupcake stand-yum! on the table was a vintage journal for the birthday boy and guests to sign made from an actual book cover i bought here.

for the favors: we made homemade chocolate chip cookies and packaged them individually for his classmates. each bundle was topped with a mini hardy boys book illustration. for his party, we considered there were kids of all ages, so instead of getting them their own hardy boys mystery to read, we opted for small lego spy sets wrapped “like” a hardy boys book. slipped these into the hardy boys perfect blue bags (not sure how i lucked out finding those at a local store) with a note from “frank and joe hardy” thanking the guests for solving the mystery!

this weekend ahead i plan to:

get started on a new slipcover for the baby’s nursery. luckily the chair already has one on it and i am using that as a pattern. i found this link and image above about how to estimate for fabric, which is helpful. i have some good solid experience dating back to college dorm days. since then i have made a few slipcovers and reupholstered a few chairs. something about the clean white lines of the sofa in the image above, with that fun pleat is what i’m leaning towards. my design ideas for the baby 3’s nursery keep evolving.

my youngest has severe food allergies and just recently went through a couple of food challenges with success! so with the additions of corn and tomato to his diet- i am so excited to make for him his FIRST pizza ever! cornmeal crust, homemade sauce and soy cheese. i hope it turns out.

what else?

visit with my sister, brother in law and niece who are visiting the city, welcome in the third trimester with hopefully some new remedy for heartburn (suggestions anyone?), spend some time looking at the design board for the next collection of joyababy, help a friend who is throwing a bachelorette party with some creative details, relax and enjoy another summer weekend before they are over.

what fun do you have planned for the weekend ahead?

got creative kids? have a bunch of stacked up artwork, drawings and stories saved that need a home? we have both. last year my six year old started a journal of creative writing full of stories, drawings and facts (him above in my office and one of his stories). he also had a school project where he created 100 inventions of his very own (which are simply amazing) and we were brainstorming of how to “collect”, “showcase” and “store” all these treasures.

enter mod podge. i think the last time i used mod podge was in college, to make a “memory jar” for my boyfriend (now mr. joyababy) covered in photos of us together! knowing that mod podge is sticky, goopy and slightly messy seemed an appropriate craft tool for my boys. so with the mod podge, a brush and a recyclable plain brown binder, we created this one of a kind book. my son (on the science and inventor kick he was on) decided to print/cut/paste other inventors onto his binder. he even included a photo of himself along with inventors who created/discovered things he loves like: the macbook, harry potter, ancient egyptians, science theories, the jet, legos and the magnifying glass!

really it could be anything though: does your child like flowers or nature? bugs, cars or superheroes? or even just get a stack of kids magazines, comic books or national geographic to personalize. i personally create design and vision boards regularly-so this could apply to adults too. store your ideas, journal entries and clippings. just three-hole punch the content and slip inside.

finished product not only looked super cool but stored a bunch of work inside. we are working on adding more to the collection. then i’m thinking: stack them up on a shelf like a cool display of books. i’m going to call this a “green craft” too- using up old magazines or paper products, picking a recyclable binder and storing artwork in this rather than one more clear plastic tub.

definitely will spark conversation, sharing and a sense of pride! do you mod podge? what other creative ideas do you have for storing kids artwork and stories?

yesterday i posted about a fun ladybug garden party…maybe i should declare this birthday idea week. i have a bunch to share from over the years!

another fun summer party (as the summer wraps up in a month or two) is a fun cherry theme. i am lucky to have nieces to share in the creative process for their birthdays (as i am in a house full of adorable boys). again, one of my favorite parts of the birthday table are the custom party hats that i enjoy making. these were simply cut out and attached with ribbon. then i used scrap paper in the color scheme to cut out paper cherries to glue on the fronts! simple and cute.  with the left over scraps of paper, i decorated the gifts after wrapping in classic white paper. i could see this being a perfect party with a picnic location on a green summery lawn. ooooh and fresh cherries for everyone!

my sister put together an adorable ladybug garden party for my niece! she asked me to design party hats, cupcake toppers and favor tags to coordinate the theme. shades of fuchsia, light pink and green made it bright and summery. i designed a modern ladybug silhouette on a party hat template i made. after printing these out on heavy card stock, i cut them into their party hat shapes and attached pink ribbon long enough for the children to tie on. a circle punch and white candy sticks made the cupcake toppers the perfect size to insert into yummy frosted cupcakes. fresh flowers, balloons, artwork by a friend and fun favors decorated the table. the perfect location was their beautiful garden and lanai.

my grandmother in india used to spend hours knitting, in dim lighting might i add. she would knit up sweaters and footies, overalls and hats, even clothes for our tiny dolls. the sweater i wore home from the hospital was one she knit and my boys both wore it home from the hospital in recent years.

something about expecting a baby makes me want to knit (nesting anyone??). i first attempted knitting while waiting for my second baby to arrive. i knit up a few pairs of booties and a hat. i didn’t learn about gauge and types of yarn, instead i just went to a local craft store and bought whatever looked good. the baby arrived five days late and about three pounds heavier than his older brother and needless to say, the booties and hat would not fit him at all. this is why gauge, needle size and yarn all matter.

this time, i decided to do my research. i spent some time reading about the various yarns, fibers and needles. i  decided to buy quality yarn and needles at purl soho (a must visit for all crafters if you are in NYC or if not, online). i even watched countless videos on youtube showing me knitting techniques that i had not mastered before. i highly recommend this for self-teaching. next, i ordered a few books with patterns that i loved and would actually buy even if i wasn’t knitting them, like: vintage knits for the modern baby by hadley fierlinger and baby knits for beginners by debbie bliss. for free patterns, check out thepurlbee.com, tipnut.com and craftzine.com among others.

if you shy away from knitting because you think its old fashioned or too vintage for your tastes, take a look around purl soho and see the array of colors and types of yarn that you can create from. also, shop around for clean lines in patterns and simple silhouettes. and if you are not expecting a new bundle of joy any time soon, knitting up gifts for a child, a friend or for yourself can be just as fun and rewarding!

i do want to share a few tips, one of the most important being that if you are like me in any way (have a house full of noisy little ones and own your own business-which means answer all emails and calls) you will need quiet time for knitting. there is a lot of counting and memorizing involved. i also recommend that if you are taking on the challenge of a more complex pattern, that you right down which rows you have completed as you go along. also use those nifty yarn markers or pins to help you remember when to switch a stitch, a change in pattern etc.

there is a peaceful and relaxing side to knitting. like anything handmade, it is amazing to see something take shape right before your eyes as you create it. and if at the very least, it reminds you of why a cashmere, hand knit sweater costs so much the next time you are shopping!