More Of Miss Jillian

What a truly spectacular day today was. Hard to believe it's already mid November and today the weather was perfect. Which is a dramatic change from just 2 days ago when I thought we were going to have to trade in our minivan for an Ark! Anyway, Abby and I headed over to say "Hi" to the horses at CW and today we got lucky and one happily trotted over to greet Abby. I can't even tell you how excited she was. Some days they will come over to say "hi" and others they wont...today we got very lucky!

This "Jillian" was made up with some of my treasured chocolate roses fabric and I love how it turned out. Sometimes it really is good to hang on to fabrics until just the right design comes along to showcase it and I think this was one of those cases. The underskirt is a coordinating pink with tiny chocolate pin dots. Topped off with a little long sleeved pink T, chocolate brown boots and a little hat that I crocheted for her last winter with a pink ribbon tied in a bow...whaa laa!

Dawn

Introducing "Jillian"

Yes, I have really gotten back into the swing of things and I am almost ready to release my next pattern to my wonderful testers. I actually designed this one last year and recently found it in the depths of Abby's closet and I fell in love with it all over again. So, I thought it would be fun to make this the next pattern in my collection. "Jillian's Jumper" is a very twirly, very girly jumper! It has a double layer skirt and of course I couldn't resist adding a ruffle to the bottom of the under skirt. The bodice is slightly over sized for a more relaxed look and it has shoulder straps to keep everything in place. As you can see i really had fun with this one and added all kinds of fun touches and played around with it a lot. One strap buttons in the front and the other in the back. How cute is that? It also has a sweet little pocket on the bodice for keeping "girly treasures" in. Abby says, "It's the perfect size pocket for diamonds"...only she could come up with that one!

One of the things I really love about "Jillian" is that it is truly a 4 seasons jumper. Perfect in the fall/winter with a long sleeved-T or turtle neck and adorable in the spring/summer with a tank or T-shirt. I really think this little jumper is a perfect addition to any little girls closet.

Remember you can always double click on my photos to enlarge them so you can see more detail.

Dawn

Annikka Is In The Shop!

Just wanted to let you know that my latest pattern "Annikka's Dress" is in the shop! My testers had so much fun with this one and the reviews were wonderful. One of them even said..." I would go so far as to say you're teaching me more about sewing, inspiring me to dream about pattern-making (and feel like maybe I could do it myself!) and generally encouraging me to get WAY into children's clothing." Thank you so much Beth! To me this is what it is all about....when I inspire you to have fun creating beautiful clothing for your little girls. You all know how much fun I have making things for Abby...so if even a little of that rubs off on someone else I'm tickled pink!

Oh, be on the lookout I will be announcing my latest pattern to go out for testing very soon. It's basically ready to go except for the fact that I need to take pictures of Abby in it and currently we are in the middle of a hurricane and we can't go outside for a photo shoot. So, as soon as the weather clears we will go out and hopefully get some great shots of the latest creation from my sewing room. So, keep checking back for the official announcement.

Dawn

The Results Are Coming In!!

I have started receiving the cutest pictures in my e-mail box from my testers of my latest design...Annikka! Looks like this one is going to be a big hit. So, far everyone is having a lot of fun with the pattern and several of my testers are already working on their second dress because the first one was so much fun! I just love it when that happens! So, without further a do, here are just a few teaser pics of some of the adorable Annikka's that have been made so far!

I will post more photos as they come in!

Dawn

4

Yesterday was my baby's Birthday! 4 years old...how is that possible that Henry has been in our lives for 4 whole years? This little guy has brought so much joy into our lives I cannot even begin to tell you. He is so stinkin' cute, so full of life, so smart and so funny! We all just adore him. He is without a doubt our baby... blanket toting, thumb sucking little dote! But don't let that adorable crunchy coating on the outside fool you he is a little imp. If there is trouble to be found, Henry will find it. That little booger has gotten into more trouble than the other three combined. Thankfully, he is starting to outgrow some of the mischief, but he still manages to find it from time to time. Yes, he gets away with way more than the other three ever did, he also knows he's adorable and boy oh boy does he work it. He charms women everywhere we go and he will be a heart breaker. So here's to you my sweet baby...Happy Birthday!

Kids Really Do Say The Funniest Things

I have to say that one of the best parts of being a parent is all the wonderful and silly things your kids do and say all the time! My 4 kiddos are no exception to this...infact they are professional comedians without even trying to be funny! So here is today's funny....

Scene: In the car on the way to school me, mom driving, Oliver happily sitting next to me in the front seat and Abby chatting away in the back of our minivan.

Me: "Oliver , could you go in my bag and get my cell phone for me?"

Oliver: "Sure mom!" dig dig dig "Mom, I can't find it in here."

Me: "Look in one of the pockets on the side."

Oliver: dig dig dig "Ahh...here it is! It was buried under those giant Pixi Sticks in there. By the way were did you get those?"

Yup...just use your imagination as to what he was talking about

Me: tears rolling down my face trying desperately not to burst out laughing.

Absolutely Priceless!!!

Dawn

Gearing Up For Turkey Day!

The other day I disassembled Halloween and started bringing out all of our Thanksgiving finery. Each and every year I am adding to our holiday decorations to make the season that much more special. Last year I created an adorable stuffed turkey named "Tom" as some of you may remember and I also made leaf garlands. I have been busy thinking what might be fun to add this year to our Thanksgiving decor and I knew I wanted to do something with Pilgrims and Native Americans, but I wasn't sure how I was going to pull that one off. Then I started browsing Etsy, which as I'm sure you all know is a very dangerous place to go looking and I found an artist who created the most adorable little people. Geoffery and Elizabeth are the perfect Pilgrim couple and then there are Ahote and Talasi the Native American couple. Needless to say I bought all 4! Now, I need to put in a call to a friend to see if I can commission him to create a rustic table and benches for them and then I am going to create a feast for our new friends out of polymer clay. The kids are going to be so excited about this and what a great homeschooling lesson to teach them about the first Thanksgiving.

Dawn

My Kids Refuse To Wear Homemade Costumes!!!

Doesn't it just figure... the kids of the mom who loves to design and sew would refuse to wear something homemade! I had such high hopes this year that my little munchkins would let me create some amazing costumes for them but alas...they had to have store bought costumes once again. I was so disappointed, but I can remember feeling the exact same way. My mom and grandma would make these amazing costumes for me when I was little and I remember wanting to have really hideous costumes like all the other kids. Gosh...do you remember those? I can vividly remember all those with those horrible masks. At least the store bought costumes nowadays are a little better. This year was Henry's first year for trick or treating and he went as a little farmer. Abby opted to be Little Red Ridinghood and Elliott went for the evil Spiderman. Oliver passed this year thinking he was getting too old to trick or treat...after all he is double digits now! So he is the official "candy passer-outer" this year. Hope you all had fun this Halloween!

Dawn

Guess What We Did Today?

I decided to surprise Oliver and Elliott with a trip to Busch Gardens for a day of extreme rollercoaster riding! Yes...a little known fact about me....I LOVE THE THINGS!!! My dad got me hooked on them when I was about ten and I've been addicted ever since. One of the great perks about living here in Williamsburg is that Busch Gardens is just down the street from us. This is the last weekend that the park is open this year and they do it up big for Halloween so I thought we'd have a special mommy-and-boys day out!

I didn't tell them where we were going so it was an extra big surprise when we got there. This was actually the first time that the kids had been so it was a really big deal!!! I had been waiting for the perfect day and opportunity to go and today was the day! They were so excited they were jumping out of their skin. Once we were through the gate we grabbed a map and plotted our course of attack. Oliver was up for it all but Elliott was a little reluctant but Oliver and I managed to muster up his courage and try....needless to say, he Loved it!!!

Here's a peek at a few of the monsters we conquered today!

"The Loch Ness Monster"

"Griffen"

"Alpengeist"

"Apollo's Chariot"

Best Friends

This summer we had a wonderful new family move in just down the street from us and I cannot tell you how thrilled we are to have them as neighbors. Not only are they a wonderful family but they have two great kids too! Their daughter Sabrina is the same age as Abby and the girls are in the same Kindergarten class together. We knew right from the very beginning that these two were destined to be best friends! I cannot tell you how cute they are together. The other day they were holding hands and skipping down the street singing "lolliPop". I just about melted. I am so thrilled that they have each other...although, I am not sure how thrilled their teacher is. Just today they told us they got a warning in class because they were "talking too much"....imagine that! Abby...talking too much. Now each and every day they play together after school and they are having the best time together. Today they were riding in one of our kid vehicles and I managed to get them to slow down for just a minute so I could snap a few pictures of them together. They really are two peas in a pod!

They even had on matching outfits today...and No! We didn't plan it.

Dawn

Re-Creating My Childhood Memories

Growing Up was a truly magical experience in my house. My mom and grandma really went the extra distance to create special memories for my sister and myself when we were little. I will never forget one Fall when my grandmother brought out a special something she had made for our Thanksgiving table. She had found an adorable miniature cast iron stove with little pots and pans and she also had made beautiful little Corn Husk dolls to look like us. Then she also made a little braided rug to set the stove on and create the perfect little scene. Of course she didn't stop there...she even baked tiny little loaves of bread to put in the oven. I played with that little stove and those dolls for hours that year and for many years after that. I was always so excited when mom brought out the box at Thanksgiving time that contained all the pieces to create that little scene. Sadly, somehow that box has come up missing after so many years. But thanks to the internet and a few mouse clicks I have been able to find an exact replica of that little stove and all it's accessories. I also found a wonderful resource for beautiful corn husk dolls which have been added to my cart. I can't wait for these treasures to arrive and to set up the little stove and the dolls. I know a certain little girl who is going to have a blast with it....just like her mama did a long time a go! Now I just need to make a little braided rug just like my grandma did....There is nothing quite like keeping family traditions alive.

Dawn

Calling All Tester Wannabes

It's that time again... my latest pattern is almost ready to go out to testers and I would love to call on all my bloggy friends wondering if any of you might be interested? I need testers of all levels of experience, everyone from beginner to pro! Like all of my other designs this little dress fits sizes 3-8. It has a double layer skirt and long sleeves which are perfect for the cooler weather that has finally arrived. If you are interested please email me at Dawn@Olabelhe.com for more information.

Update... Wow, I can't thank you all enough! My mailbox was just filled to the top with excited tester wannabes. So, for now, I think I have plenty of people for this round. Thank you for all of your support and enthusiasm about my designs!

Dawn