renegades...

One of my booth helpers and I took a break from helping customers to sport some ironic mustaches at the Magnolia Photo Booth at Renegade Austin. It was a fantastic show, and I really hope they decide to do it again next year. Besides having a great time at the actual show, I was also able to work in visits to one of my favorite Austin patios! I can't go to Austin without taking in at least one meal there.

I'm now t-minus 35 days until the arrival of our little one, so updates could be sparse, or could be plentiful, we'll just have to see!

deep in the heart...

We're in the final stages of preparing to head down I-35 to Austin for the first ever Texas edition of the Renegade Craft Fair. We've had a fantastic time in Los Angeles and Chicago doing the Renegade shows, and are super happy we've just got a 3 hour drive to this one, especially with the little one on the way and me as big as a house!

I am hoping we'll have time to grab some breakfast tacos from here, our absolute favorite taco place in Austin.

We'll be at Booth #24 for the show (near the entrance it looks like), and would love for you to stop by!

mark your calendar...

This Saturday, I'll be setting up shop at the Etsy Dallas Spring Bash at South Side on Lamar. And I would love for you to visit me. Mention this blog entry for 20% off your purchase!

Details here.

readymade for my closeup...

I'd like to extend congrats to fellow Etsy Dallas members Jeff Barfoot and Shay Ometz from bee things, for their feature in April/May issue of ReadyMade magazine, and also give them an enormous thanks for outfitting their little one in a Loop and Lil tee shirt for the pics!

I started Loop and Lil with mostly sewn garments – dresses, skirts, pants. But after requests from customers for more clothes for boys, I made a few screenprinted and button embellished tees. Those met with a lot of success, so I talked to some good friends who were screenprinting posters about screenprinting tees for Loop and Lil. The red shirt pictured in this article, designed by Rob Wilson, as well as the other screenprinted shirts in the Etsy shop, are a product of that partnership.

To see full scans of all the spreads and get a peek at their cool pad in East Dallas, check out Shay's blog here. (Just a warning that their studio is pretty jealousy-inducing.) Or better yet, pick up a copy of the April/May issue of ReadyMade with the delicious strawberry tart on the cover. And if you've never screenprinted before, the article has a great tutorial that will make it easy to try!

on the wall...

We're getting the nursery ready for our new addition, so I've picked up some artwork from Etsy to spruce up the walls. I'm so excited about this print from the shop Megan creates, which I thought had the perfect message for the little one!

Image from Megan creates

countdown...

The blogworld is abuzz in anticipation, and I'm counting the days until the Liberty of London for Target line debuts on March 14! There's a fabric store down the street from me that carries Liberty of London, and each time I go in, I longingly touch the fabrics, wishing I could just go ahead and win the lottery and buy a few hundred bolts. It's just so soft!

The line includes home accessories, clothing, and I've even seen pictures of a bicycle! And prices look pretty affordable, starting at $3.99 for a headband. If you love Liberty of London too, there's a fun Facebook quiz here to help you figure out what pattern you are. I was Maddsie Green - Subdued exuberance, like fresh-cut flowers bought at the farmer's market. A little, innocent, but very, very real.

Beautiful Liberty of London fabric image from The Purl Bee.

on my nightstand: artisan bread in five minutes a day

I was on the library wait list for this book, which I've been eyeing for a while, and picked it up yesterday! I've attempted homemade bread many times, but I never seem to be able to get it quite right. Sure, I can bake cookies, cakes and other baked stuff with no problem, but once you throw yeast into the picture, it usually ends up a failure. So I'm hoping that this book, which promises that "bread baking can be easier than a trip to the bakery," can deliver. We'll see...

we now return...

Many apologies for the blog absence. You see, we here at Loop and Lil are expecting our own little Loop or Lil in June, so I've been a little under the weather the past few months. That coupled with the craziness of the holidays added up to the perfect storm of  blog neglect. But I'm feeling much better now, and springtime promises to be an exciting time for us! Stay tuned!

merry christmas...

It's been a very busy year at Loop and Lil world headquarters, and I'd like to thank everyone who has helped make this year so successful for my little business! I would never have been able to make a go at this without the support of my friends, family, and our great customers! We've been so many fun places and met so many fantastic people this year, and I hope everyone has a peaceful and joyous holiday. 

Oh, and Pete would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas too!

holiday road...

It's here! We're getting ready to head way north for Renegade Craft Fair in Chicago at Pulaski Park Fieldhouse this Saturday and Sunday. We'll be at booth #97 (near where the food is!) so stop by and see our new designs (cute new tees) and Christmas goodies!

Our last Renegade was such a blast, and we're so excited to return to Chicago, even if we're a little nervous about braving the cold. See you there!