The Marimekko Shop!

Ever since my mom designed my little sister's room using Marimekko fabric and wall designs, I have been a huge fan. So, since they opened a Marimekko Shop at my local Crate & Barrel (2 blocks from my house which is VERY dangerous!) I just had to give a visit. They have lots of eye pleasing products from goodies for the little one to kitchen gear to bedding. And yes, they do sell fabric by the yard if you want to make your own Marimekko creations!


Of course, my favorite was their bedding collection. Fun designs with bold colors!

Marimekko Suudelma Bed Linens

Or, for a more natural look...

Marimekko Madison Taupe Bed Linens

 

 

 

Now, the item I was least impressed with were the handbags. If I'm going to spend $85 on a bag I want it to be sturdy and well-made. As cute as they are, when I checked out these bags I found them to be flimsy.

Great fabric design, but it wasn't even lined! NOT worth $85 in my opinion. Seriously, you could buy the fabric and make a great bag for well under 85 bucks.

So, if you're going to check out the shop, or the website, I would go directly to the kitchen and bath wares, the bedding (obviously) and the kid's items. Really cute stuff!!!

Good Eats For Baby!

So, I was one of those women who said (when I was pregnant) that I wasn't going to make my own baby food. It seemed like a huge time commitment and the organic jar food was just fine. Well, I am also one of those moms who has to eat her words. I've found a great pleasure in making Betty Jane's baby (now toddler) food and surprisingly it really doesn't take a whole lot of time. I just needed 3-4 baby-free hours in the afternoon and I could whip up enough baby food to last me at least 6 weeks. I know this isn't for every mom or dad out there, but for me it was really doable and I felt better about what Betty Jane was eating.

I use 2 resources for recipes and nutritional information. One is a website called Wholesome Baby Food. This is a quick and easy website to use for information on recipes, what foods can make your baby a bit gassy, nutrition info, how to store your baby food, allergy information plus a great timeline about what foods your baby can eat at a particular age. Definitely worth a gander!

The other resource I use is a book called Cooking For Baby by Lisa Barnes. This is a really wonderful book to get you started on your purees and then branch off into more exotic dishes to introduce to your baby's palette. This truly is a terrific cook book!

"Cooking for Baby" by Lisa Barnes

Some of my favorite dishes are the Baby Guacamole, Green Beans with Mint and the Aromatic Couscous.

À votre santé!

Sneak-Peek!

I don't have the proofs yet from Betty Jane's Classic Kids 1 year photo shoot, but my cousin sent me a little sneak peek. I can't wait to see them all!!!

 

She did some photos with Betty Jane in a tutu. I don't know if I'll be able to contain myself.

À votre santé!

"1" Year Photo with Classic Kids

While we were on our adventure packed trip to Chicago for Betty Jane's 1st birthday, we worked it out so that Betty Jane could get some beautiful and artistic pictures taken. My cousin is the head photographer at Classic Kids (Hinsdale, IL location) so, of course, we went to her. I know her work well since she did my pregnancy pictures. I must say that I was so impressed with how well they worked with kids. Betty Jane was all smiles and she even gave a pout-y look or 2. I have plans for her to be a super-model/rocket scientist (wink, wink) and it looks like she's on her way!

Betty Jane and my cousin, Jamie Polowy, Head Photographer Classic Kids, Hinsdale, IL

I don't have the proofs back from the shoot yet, but here are my favorites from my pregnancy shoot. They are absolutely beautiful!!!

My favorite!

Ok, so here's the plug! If you're considering professional pictures for your child, check out Classic Kids. They really do such wonderful work!

Betty Jane's 1st Birthday Party!

It's true! My sweet little baby girl is turning "1"... sniff, sniff. It's been such a crazy year that I wanted to not only celebrate the fact that Betty Jane is 1 year old, but also the fact that Mommy and Daddy made it through the first year with their sanity in tact. At least, I THINK I still have my sanity. The hubby may beg to differ. Anyhoo... On with the festivities! As I mentioned in a previous post, I purchased a digital party package from Etsy. I chose a "Sweet Monkey" theme for my little monkey with pink and yellow accent colors. The Digital Party Packages are great because you only print up and use what you need. Yes, it's a little extra time and effort with all the cutting and assembling, but in the end it was a lot less waste. Plus, I had a blast putting everything together!

Here is the banner I made. I printed everything on white cardstock and used a yellow satin ribbon (which I purchased for 15 cents a yard) to string it all together. I love that "Happy 1st Birthday Betty Jane" fit perfectly across my living room.

 

I had a greeting table where I placed flowers, Betty Jane's Birthday Hat (which she hated wearing), party favors and a picture of Betty Jane for everyone to write her a birthday wish.

 

For the party favors, I made glass marble magnets. I decided to get really original and design the animal graphics myself. I know... I'm nuts. But I just can't pass up an artsy-craftsy project when I see the opportunity. Anyhoo, they turned out super cute!

The party was at 1:30pm so I wasn't preparing a full lunch. I put out some yummy hummus with veggies and pita chips and then made a couple of salads. The Chicken Curry Salad with raisins and cashews was pretty great. I also made a Quinoa Cranberry Salad with celery and sunflower seeds which was so refreshing for our beautiful Spring day. For the adults I baked banana/chocolate chip muffins with chocolate frosting on top. As for the Betty Jane and the other little babes, I made them a sugar free Apple Spiced Baby Cake. Yummies!!!

 

The party was a huge success! Everyone, especially the Birthday Girl, had a wonderful time. Cheers!