first haircut

LM gave herself a haircut, her first one ever, in fact. I guess that's what I get for trimming my own bangs. Listen to your stylist, never trim your own bangs!! Your child will watch you and ask to cut their hair too, which of course you will strictly forbid, and then one day you will find them being 'too quiet' in the bathroom snipping away at their ringlets... Oh three-and-a-half, why do you have to test my patience and make my daughter's hair look bad!

(It's actually not a total hack job, thank goodness)

Lately, I have found myself more frequently than ever using words like consequences, privileges (as in lost ones), polite/impolite, obedient/disobedient, one...two...three... and you guessed it - time out. Parenting this age is not easy. It is all sorts of teaching, and stretching, and learning, and deep breathes for the both of us. But what I am grateful for, among all the smiles and the tears, is as she is growing, so am I. At least I hope so. And I try to remember that as I am chasing her down to get dressed so we won't be late. Or pleading with her to sit in her car seat so we can get home and put a tired Lark down for a nap. Growing. Learning. Everyday. The both of us, just in different ways.

More importantly, I've also found myself frequently saying words like sorry, I love you, good job, hugs, and YES. Most of the time she's not so bad, this three-and-a-half-year-old. And I feel pretty lucky to be her mama at the end of every good and bad hair-day.

Also, who am I kidding, I am going to trim my own bangs again. In secret, with the door shut.

shop update

The shop has some new fancy party dresses and pretty frocks perfect for your sweet little Valentine! Head on over for a closer look.

   

lark// 10 months

Lark turned 10 months old on the 11th and I swear she pushed some kind of developmental warp speed button, hitting several major milestones in the same week - she started walking (!), cut her first teeth, and said her first word (officially). Needless to say, she has been keeping us on our toes!


She took her first tiny baby steps the end of December, but really took off this past week dropping crawling altogether. I feel like my baby was replaced by a toddler overnight and I have to remind myself she is not even a year old yet, it is so crazy! And also, so cute because she looks way too tiny to be padding around the house while simultaneously drinking out of a sippy cup. Girl can multitask.


Also, her two bottom front teeth broke through the end of last week which thankfully she wasn't too fussy about, and she said her first word - Mama!


My heart is one giant puddle these days, goodness I love her.

a summary

Our weekend can be summed up by these two pictures - Lark had congestion and wanted to be held constantly, and LM was a monkey jumping on her new twin bed.

Thankfully, Lark's sniffles are almost gone. I don't think LM will stop jumping on the bed anytime soon however. (and, yes, we will eventually get around to buying her some sheets ;))

shop update

I updated the shop with a bunch of new stock! Mostly casual everyday wear this time - more fancy dresses and such will be coming up next. Head on over for a closer look. Thanks!

made: 1950's jagged yoke dress

If you can stretch your memories back to October and November then you will remember when I started making the little red dress on the pattern below... I am happy to say I did finish it! Quite some time ago actually, but I am just now getting around to sharing it after the busy holidays.

 As you can see, it's a little big for LM across the shoulders which I thought it would be. I have found that vintage sewing patterns tend to be pretty true to size or even a little bigger, whereas actual vintage clothing tends to be on the small side - anyone else experience this? Of course, it's fine since that just means she won't grow out of it as fast!


The hemlines in vintage patterns, however, are always short - which is good if you want some cute ruffled bloomers to peek out, not so good if there's a princess pantie peep-show going on... I lowered the hemline on this dress, first, because LM is tall for her age, and second, to save me the work of lowering it later if/when she has a growth spurt.

I really love the jagged yoke with the buttons. The method was so simple, I think I'll post a tutorial on how to do it soon. It's these little unique details in vintage clothing that really get me - the yokes, the collars, the pockets!

Have you been sewing lately?

thrift therapy

I love a good read, and when my dad handed me The Maze Runner I dove right in late that night, immediately becoming equally intrigued and confused because, really - what the heck is going on in that book?! (don't tell me). I stayed up too late for a mama of two girls who rise with the birds, thus this morning I found myself in a foggy stupor. Literally trying not to cry over spilled milk (LM bailed last minute on the cup hand-off), and kicking myself for missing yoga (which I'm sure would have successfully reversed the effects of my slow start).

I know better than to stay up that late. I need sleep like I need a good thrift trip. So, since I couldn't put myself down for a nap, a thrifting we would go... 

A few fun finds (say that three times fast) later, we spent a nice afternoon playing an awesomely illustrated matching game while listening to new records that were added to the girl's collection. I was feeling much better.

Thanks thrifts, I knew I could count on you.

I feel like my year, like today, is off to a slow start. I do have some ideas swimming around my head of fun projects and DIY's I want to try out and share with you, but apparently I've got two other books to read after this one, so... let's just say, stay tuned ;)

And, some links I wanted to share with you:

- I highly recommend all of you mamas read this - it made me laugh and cry. (thanks Val for sharing the link with me!)

- Also, I completely forgot to mention an interview I did the end of last year for Heather Marie's inspiring blog Paper Doll Smile - isn't that such a lovely name? You can read it here.

Pictures from my Instagram feed, you can follow me at stacyhartsew

shop update: LOTS!

No closet is safe in my house this month - and especially not the one where I stash my vintage clothes for the shop. I was way past due for a good inventory check, and I couldn't believe how many pieces I unearthed from its depths! A good portion of my time the last two weekends has been spent sorting through these clothes and taking photographs for the shop. I am happy to say that I have so many amazing items ready to list!

To begin with, I decided to sell some of the smaller baby dresses and boy sweaters as lots to clear out some much needed space. There are some really cute tiny dresses for a great deal! Get a closer look over at the shop.

Hope you are having a great weekend!

project run and play

Have you heard of Project Run and Play? It's a blogging competition for talented sewers with a basis similar to Project Runway, except designing exclusively for kids. It kicked off today with the designers challenged to remix the same dress pattern. All of the designers did such a fantastic job, you can tell the competition is going to be stiff, but I am completely blown away by my friend Danielle's Every Color in the Box Dress. Isn't it absolutely stunning?

If you have a chance head on over and see all of the amazing designs to vote for your favorite on the sidebar - I can't help but hope it will be Danielle's colorful creation ;) This will be a fun competition to follow!

2011: year in review

I like to take time to look back and reflect on the past year, especially when it seems to have passed by so quickly, so I hope you'll indulge me in a little (or a lot of) reminiscing. If you're new, welcome, and I hope you find something you may have missed. If you've stuck with me this past year, thank you so much for coming along for the ride. It wouldn't be nearly as fun without all of you. Here we go...

In January, I shared the Doll Suitcase I made LM for Christmas. I am sure this is how a lot of you found me since it continues to be one of my most popular posts. Later in the year, I shared the full tutorial on Prudent Baby. We also got a new cat, and I needed some silly.

In February, I shared an easy triangle pocket tutorial and pattern, did my first guest post ever for VHVT mama series, and we finally finished the dresser redo for the nursery.

In March I made a trio of doily clouds, ended the documentation of my baby bump, and the best part of the whole year - we became a family of four! I also shared my experience giving birth naturally and pain-free.

In April I adjusted to being a mama of two, LM dropped her nap so I found a creative way to keep her occupied, and I started Little Vintage Style.

In May I was tricked by a two-year-old, I appreciated my role as a mother even more, and refashioned a dress I thrifted that was 'meh' but had potential. 

In June, we blessed Lark, enjoyed our summer with shoes and without, and I turned 28 and realized there was nothing more I wanted or needed in life at that moment. 

In July, we celebrated the Fourth in non-traditional colors, I fell in love with a little feather-print dress, and I wrote a long and detailed post on making your vintage last: fabric care.

In August, we enjoyed family date nights and lazy sunday afternoons, LM turned three and we threw her a puppet shadow birthday party, I finally finished the girl's room and gave a full nursery tour, and was amused to find LM sleeping in odd places.

In September, I melted, revealed my secret to leaving the thrift without unwanted toys, LM conceptualized and helped make her first sewing project, I made 1920's felt cloches, and shared a peek into our favorite summer haunt.

In October, there were lots of pretty vintage frocks getting soaked, Lark was almost crawling, I was honored to join Ohdeedoh's Big Blog Family, and we had a darling butterfly and a cute caterpillar on Halloween.

In November, we had our family of four pictures taken, I had so much to be thankful for, the blog and shop got a new look that I LOVE, and we enjoyed a nice Thanksgiving with family. 

In December, I gave an update on LM's dance class, then I disappeared for awhile, Lark turned 9 months old and slaps people in the face, and I decided to end LVS with the closing of the year and our Christmas. Which was pretty great.

I know that was really long, but what a year! So many good memories in 2011. I also wanted to give a BIG THANK YOU to everyone who supported my shop this past year. It means the world to me.

Goodbye 2011, hello 2012!