At first I had the full co-operation of Isaac.

But after not very much time at all the smile turned upside down and I was competing with full on wailing.  Which is when I decided to embark on making my own party rings.  In hindsight, perhaps the sensible thing would have been to accept defeat and go to the shop, part with 79p or thereabouts and buy a ready-made packet, but i’m not known for choosing the sensible option.  So we ploughed on-him with the crying, me with the icing. and the result was something that pretty much resembled that 79p pack of party rings.

Keen to be ahead of the game, baby Isaac has been pestering me to sort out his Jubilee outfit – it was a no brainer to kit him out in the Union Jack Booties! I also pimped up a W.I. knitted cardigan a friend bought Isaac from a trip up north. I’ve turned a girly looking cardigan into a more respectable manly creation:

He can’t wait for Queenie to come for tea to show off his new regalia:

To buy the Union Jack booties check out:

http://www.bootieboutique.com/#/jubilee-jacks/4563569852

Next on baby Isaac’s dressing agenda is the Olympics…

Alongside juggling a newborn, I’ve been working on production of Bootie Boutique’s newest product- bold printed pram hoods.  These are causing a mini storm in our corner of south London, turning heads with the stand-out prints and saturated colours.  They bring a smile to people’s faces and brighten up the dullest of days.  Transform your buggy into a mobile urban safari for you and your baby without even getting on a plane. Buggy fashion has never been hotter. 

Here’s the Zanzibar hood.

These unique and stylish hoods are available to buy online at www.bootieboutique.com

Here’s the Serengeti hood.

The hoods are also featured on the Africa Fashion Guide blog:

http://www.africafashionguide.com/2012/04/african-print-takes-up-fashion-for-the-buggy/

“Now this is a new one for Africa Fashion Guide!

On and off the catwalk, bold African prints are a current strong fashion trend and now your baby buggy can also join in the fashion adventure.  Making your buggy stand out from the crowd has never been easier or more fun now that Bootie Boutique has launched a stylish collection of interchangeable buggy hoods in bold prints.

We have had wax print used for shoes, mens hats, baseball caps and even umbrellas but when we came across this modern usage of the fabric we just had to feature it. Love this idea.”

Here’s a little peak at what I have done.  After receiving a whole car load of baby hand-me-downs (why do babies need so much stuff?), I thought a trip to Ikea was in order to create somewhere to put it all.  I’ve customised this 16-hole cubby unit, raiding my fabric stores and buying a few bits of patchwork quilt fabric.

Finally this retro children’s print I bought on Ebay years ago has a home.  I love the un-pc farmer out with his gun! (best not give the child any ideas!)

This block printed fabric I carted back from Nepal has been put to good use.

Aslan, a retro 70’s flower print lion has taken up residence.  He’s made by a brilliant Dutch company called Inke (www.inkeheiland.com).  Silhouette lions, monkeys, giraffes, birds, and practically the whole of Noah’s ark are available in a host of retro wallpapers.  He reminds me of our kitchen curtains when I was young, and the cast-off curtains we used to make camps with.

Bruce’s obsession with the solar system spills into the nursery.  His view is that no child should have to come into the world without a full constellation of glow-in-the-dark stars positioned above its cot to welcome it.  Much (too much?!) discussion and planning went into exactly which constellations should be used, and their precise positioning.  So the final line-up I’m told is:  Orion the hunter with his two dogs Canus Minor and Canus Major and Sirius the Dogstar, going after Taurus the bull, with Lepus the hare and Leo the lion constellations thrown in for good measure  (and here was I thinking it was just a jumble of stars….).  I hope all this does not go over the child’s head.

And finally, following the stellar theme, I made this high contrast black and white mobile for the little one which will hopefully keep it quiet and entertained for hours (whole days even?!) at a time.

In an effort to make time fly past while I wait for the arrival of Mini Kissell, I’ve been busy remaking the website for Bootie Boutique.   The old one has served me well these past few years (built by trusty friend Sam  (www.sammi-richardson.com) and paid for in the lesser known currency of dresses!), but like all good things it had to come to an end to make way for a site that could do e-commerce, and bring Bootie Boutique to a wider audience.

The new site has a lot of the old favourites, like these personalised ‘Pimlico’ booties in Pink Smoothie colour, knitted in organic cotton and wool blend.

And these cosy ‘Marylebone’ booties, made for a little Amber Rose.

And then there’s these new flag booties which are proving a big hit, and show that you’re never too young to be patriotic!

And new to the site is this Vintage Name Bunting, personalised with a name of choice and crafted in mix and match fabrics- certain to brighten any nursery or kid’s bedroom.

Have a look for yourself and let me know what you think.  www.bootieboutique.com

Keep me busy in the run up to Christmas-put your message to a loved one on a pair of silk knickers (price from £55).

Make it personal- a gift they’ll never forget, but keep it brief (15 characters or under please- space is limited!)

In the main this can be boiled down to the newfound ability to freestyle cut out various body parts.  I’m not sure how relevant this skill is for wider life, but it came in pretty handy when installing the Christmas window with these erotic snowflakes (note to self: must get this out of the system before joining any local children’s playgroups).

My embroidery skills have also come on no end- give me a Christmas stocking, a cushion cover, or a  pair of knickers, leave me alone with some needle and thread and I’m away!

Merry Christmas everyone! Ding Dong!

Having finished him, I couldn’t stop. A curtain of horrendously bad taste, showing motifs of cats in various poses had been hanging around since my Fashion Faux Pas Party (this curtain definitely wouldn’t cut it alongside the likes of Designers Guild, and would be slung out of the John Lewis Fabric Department quicker than you could say ‘whiskers’). So it seemed the perfect material to make a cat shaped cushion.

Halfway through I seriously started questioning what I was doing, and a friend pointed out I didn’t have to continue. However, I’m not one to leave a project in the lurch and abandon my cat (and risk being chased down by the NSPCA) so I added a bell and a bow for magic jingle effect/authentic cat likeness:

Amazingly, when I’d turned it over to the back it looked uncannily like a Diplodocus. I accentuated the features by embroidering a mouth and eyes:

Friends we were with at the time pointed out that it could also double up as a genie’s lamp and a flying bird. This is truly a magical cushion, and has been a catalyst for thoughts of other animal-object-hybrid cushions that could be created in the future. Bring on story time.

Carrying on the SW8 Craft Zoo theme, I recently made this owl apron for 2 year old Lux’s birthday. We like owls, but I’m not sure she does? Hope so…

Mask making with a twist:

Rainbow fish:

Monster finger puppets:

Spinnning tops:

Here’s to more craftiness in 2012