boo...

I started and finished Little V's Halloween costume while she was taking her morning nap, which means it took less than 30 minutes to crank out! It's the first thing I've sewn since she was born, so I'm glad it was painless. She'll wear it with a little white hat. Happy Halloween!

nursery mini tour

In between the activities associated with taking care of a three month old (so much laundry!), I managed to find five minutes where Little V's nursery was clean, and snagged a few pictures, as promised in this post. Here's a peek:

Since we didn't know whether Violet was a he or a she until she was born, we painted the walls grey and now I want to paint every room in our house this color. It's so soothing! Her dad and I had a great time putting together this room for her, and hunting down things that were in our own rooms when we were little to include. We're also glad her room includes lots of things bought and made by the people who love her. She hasn't told me so, but I'm pretty sure she likes it!

new to the shop...

I've listed a few new tee designs in the shop. They're also available in a few other sizes, which I'll be updating soon. I'm also working on photographing some new dresses and shirts for the shop as well. All in good time...

a birthday cupcake for me...

I've blogged before about Anthropologie's birthday coupons/giveaways, and how they inspired me for a little L+L giveaway. So I was really excited when I saw this year's birthday coupon arrived in my mailbox. The little birthday candle is actually attached to a necklace, but what I found most inspiring was the cupcake punched into the card stock with a needle. I'm thinking a punched shape or logo would be a fun addition to a business card or hangtag. The wheels are turning...

baby gear: puj tub

Well, not much is going on in the world of L+L here since I'm just trying to keep this baby fed, diapered and napped, so this blog may get a little baby centric for a while. My apologies if this doesn't interest you and you'd rather hear about the stuff I'm sewing! So, I decided to post about some of the gear that I've found helpful so far in taking care of Miss Violet.

I had originally registered for a larger plastic bathtub, but browsing around one of my favorite blogs, found this post about the Puj Tub. I had read some about this tub, but the free shipping to readers of the blog sold me, so we ordered one, and I have to say I love it. It disassembles and stores flat, which is great for our small house, and the soft sides seem to cushion the Little Miss during bath time. I also like that she doesn't slide around in the tub like babies seem to do in plastic tubs. Keep in mind that this tub only works in a pedestal or bathroom sink, not a kitchen sink, but it's perfect for us right now. See a video about the tub here.

counting up....

I got the idea to photograph Violet weekly against a fabric backdrop from these guys, who I tell my husband are my "blog friends" (people you creepily know everything about through their blog, and feel like their friend, but they have absolutely no idea that you exist.) I knew all that fabric I've collected through the years would come in handy!

LOOP + LIL related posts will be scant through the upcoming weeks, because I've got my hands a little full. I hope you understand!

and everything nice...

It's a girl!

Violet Louise was born July 7 at 5:18pm.

There are no words...

fun this weekend: supplies me!

If you're a crafter/creative person who lives nearby, you should head this Saturday to the Supplies Me craft supply destash sale at South Side on Lamar. Members of Etsy Dallas will be unloading some of their stashes of craft supplies, so there should be jewelry supplies, fabric, and lots of other treasures for your crafting needs.

More details here.

feathering our nest...

I'm still practicing with my new camera, so here's a little sneak peek at the baby's room.

I made the crib sheet, crib skirt, and you can also see a bit of my very first attempt at making a quilt. I made all of the bedding using tutorials I found online, which I've linked to at the bottom of the post. We'll be adding a few more touches after the baby is born, and then I'll post a full "nursery tour". I have to say we've had more fun putting together this room than any other in our house.

All of the fabric is from the Denyse Schmidt Hope Valley line, which I picked up at City Craft, a fantastic fabric boutique and sewing lounge here in Dallas.

Tutorials I used:

Quilt Tutorial

Crib Sheet Tutorial

Crib Skirt Tutorial (I made a few modifications to make a false pleat with contrasting fabric in the center. Hard to see in this pic though.)

counting down...

We finally upgraded our camera here, so we've been having a lot of fun/frustration learning how to use it. Any tips are appreciated! Here's a ubiquitous belly shot. I have two more weeks until my due date, and I can't believe how fast time has flown by.