Baby Essentials

I can't quite believe it but I am already almost 6 months pregnant. So far we haven't really got anything sorted, as we're planning on moving house before the baby is born and we don't want to fill our flat with things when we're having viewings.

Luckily, my ever stylish friend Amber who writes the Theatre of Fashion blog bought our son his first tuxedo...

And Daddy-to-be bought him a Moustache dummy...

And that's pretty much all we've got so far but surely that's all the Spring/Summer 13 essentials sorted?

Orla Kiely Excitement Overload

It was actually quite a few weeks ago now when I walked past the Uniqlo window and did a double take. Was it… could it be… Orla Kiely prints in Uniqlo? Why hadn’t I heard about this? I raced in, convincing myself that the stuff would probably all be really expensive but I was wrong. Not only was there a whole range of scarves, dresses, jumpers and tops in the instantly recognisable print but they started at under £10!

So I guess I’d better get this out of the way early, I went a bit nuts. I bought a hoodie (so nice, so soft, so cheap!), a top and LOADS of scarves. Admittedly I justified the huge initial outlay (credit card) as most of the scarves were gifts (October and November are busy birthday months) but obviously I bought plenty for myself. And I figure I can always sell them on eBay where the scarves alone are currently selling for twice the original price.

Of course, I’m sure I’ll find it hard to actually part with any extra stuff and I’m already thinking about crafting projects that I can make with the lovely soft scarves. A skirt or dress for a toddler would look cute but can I part with them…?

I Heart You

I knew that making a New Year's resolution to sew more would be pointless, at least until the day job calms down. However, I am determined to craft something for Valentine's Day rather than pay over-inflated prices for something "romantic" but tacky.

As ever Etsy is a great place for inspiration, so I thought I'd share some heart-themed ideas from my treasury list.

I love the simplicity of this handmade card by RainyDayColors:

  (Photo via http://etsy.me/xAJ7VC)

These Lego heart necklaces from Luv4Sams are also simple but sweet:

(Photo via http://etsy.me/yE0i3I)

And these hand-carved heart stamps from MemiTheRainbow look like loads of fun:

 (Photo via http://etsy.me/Ab3QEo)

You can see more heart-themed gifts for Valentine's Day and beyond at my Etsy treasury list.

Another happy customer...

I can't resist sharing this adorable picture of Leonard. He looks very happy to be modeling the Happy Hedgehog bib that his proud godfather Tom bought him as a christening gift.

Shop Talk

Exciting news this week as my bibs are going to be stocked in a real life shop! Kirstin from Rocket and Fairydust is setting up her very own shop in Merstham, Surrey. Alongside the hand-painted furniture that she produces, she'll be stocking lots of lovely gifts and homeware for children including my Stars and Buttons bibs. I've been building up my stocks so I can send a load down to Surrey for the shop opening. Will try to post some photos of my stuff in the shop when I make it down there.

 

 Rocket and Fairydust opens from midday on 11th June.

38 Nutfield Road, Merstham, Surrey, RH1 3EW

 

Marvellous new material - a birthday bonanza

It was my birthday this week and I was lucky enough to get lots of great presents. Included in my pressie stash were lots of new fabrics from my generous friends and family.

This beautiful selection is part of the limited edition collection of printed fabric from the Victoria & Albert Museum. They're available from the Victoria & Albert Museum shop online.They were given to me by my lovely friend, fashion blogger and V&A expert Amber Jane. (Read her insightful fashion history blog at Theatre of Fashion.)

My thoughtful sister brought these two pieces all the way from Singapore for me. I think they're perfect for all the bright, colourful kids clothes that I make.

And this is some hand-printed batik fabric that my mum bought from a little batik workshop in the East Coast of Malaysia. Perfect for something summery...now I just need to start planning some new things.

Open For Business!

Finally! Today I am flinging open the virtual doors of my online shop and inviting you all to come on in and have a look around. I hope you like it.

You can find the Stars and Buttons Etsy shop here.

When some of my close friends started having babies, I spent quite a lot of time looking for original yet trendy little gifts. That's more difficult than it sounds when you throw in the word 'affordable' so I decided to make my own and Stars and Buttons was born. Now I'm selling my homemade bibs and burping cloth gift sets online which I'm very excited about. I love sourcing lovely printed fabric to turn into bibs, burp cloths and lots of other handmade things. Watch out for a wider range of fabrics and gifts which I'll  be listing in my Etsy shop soon. There'll even be pretty things for grown-ups.

I want to say a quick thanks to the lovely Amy who runs the excellent Robin & Mould Etsy shop for her advice and for providing the motivation to stop worrying about the details and just start selling! And to my lovely model Eléna, who was one of the first to road test the bibs and who is already proving a great bib saleswoman!

You can follow me on Twitter @starsandbuttons.