Recent Handmade Purchase - Ballet Recital Outfit for American Girl Doll

It's time again to brag about a recent Etsy purchase that I'm VERY happy with...or rather my 4-year-old niece is.  Christmas 2009 saw the arrival of American Girl dolls to my three nieces and ever since, it's been a joy to find cute handmade clothes for them on Etsy.  This time I bought this adorable ballet recital outfit because my niece is all about dance.

The dress comes from Polkie Dot Designs and it's even prettier than the picture.  The little tights and ballet slippers really make a niece touch.  I'll definitely keep this shop bookmarked and come back for more.  Kathy (the shop owner) has some really cool outfits!  Here are a couple of my favorites:

 Custom Cheerleader Set, $19.99

Red with Roses Circular Dress, $16.99

Hope you like this peek at what I bought. Stay tuned for me and be nosy and see what else I've bought and bragged about!

~Lori

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Vacation Pictures-Lots of Sun and Fun

I went on Vacation over Memorial Day weekend and got to go see my adorable nieces. The youngest, Reese, had a ballet recital. If you follow my blog, you know that I love to shop handmade for my nieces, so in addition to going to the recital and swimming at the pool, we also played with the ribbon wands I bought for them a while ago. So here are some pics from my vacation...

The girls after the recital:

A close-up shot of little Reese...4 years old but still tiny:

Of Riley, who's 6...

And Addison, who's 7:

And here they are having lots of fun with the ribbon wands:

We played a game they had called Pictureka! which was a lot of fun, as was Twister Hopscotch. It's a variation of Twister that involves hopscotch, but you can make your own layouts and your own rules and our game ended up becoming, "Don't Get Eaten by the Alligator." I used to teach young children, so I always look forward to seeing my nieces and playing with them. I'm amazed by how smart they are, they're reading and math levels are amazing. Even little Reese tries to read and spell right along with the big girls. She can't STAND IT when they can do something she can't! We were playing at the pool and she dipped a paintbrush in the water and proceeded to spell her name for me upside down because we were facing each other. She didn't have a hard time picturing it that way, and I was pretty amazed that she could do that. She can swim like a champ, too.

I'm sure I'll see them again this summer. According to my sister, Reese is already asking when I'm coming back. "Tomorrow?" she wants to know...

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What Little Girls Are (Hand)Made Of?

One of the biggest joys in my life are my nieces. Three of them are 7 and younger, so I have a blast buying them unique, fun, handmade gifts for every holiday and sometimes just for fun! Here's a peek at some of my most favorite purchases:

Ribbon Wands!

My nieces now have 2 each, and they absolutely LOVE these things. It's a great way for them to burn off some energy while pretending to be beautiful fairies or princesses or dancers. We play with them every time I visit them, and we wear ourselves out! As a former teacher, I really appreciate the 'open-ended' play these wands inspire. It's so much fun to see how creative the girls get.

American Girl Ponchos with matching hat and purse!

My nieces are each getting an America Girl doll this Christmas, and boy was I excited when I found this handmade doll clothes seller on Etsy! Christine from Lavenderlore does amazing work! She's great to work with, and I know I'll be back in her shop soon! I want my own baby doll now. :-)

Crocheted Cupcakes by Crocheted Little Things

Aren't these the sweetest things? Luisa, at Crocheted Little Things, whipped these up for me. They open up like a little box so I can put some extra goodies in there for the girls!

Suzie the Grass Gal by ARTechniques - Before

After!

These little cuties were a summertime gift. Each one of my nieces got their own grass head and together we soaked them in water and then put them in little bowls near a window so they could start growing some hair! This was a fun and easy project and they loved it!

Fun Popcorn Soap by LoveLeeSoaps

I adore handmade soap, and I'm always sending the girls different funny soaps I find on Etsy. This whole trend started about 2 years ago with Karen's Soaps Fish In A Bag:

Aren't they hilarious? (I'm easily entertained, lol!)

Wee Vermont Fairies - Sea Fairy Mermaid Doll

No little girl's life is complete without mermaids! This little angel was a birthday gift for my youngest niece last year. She loved it!

Well, I could go on ALL day about the wonderful handmade toys you have a your disposal! I don't ever set foot in a 'real' toy store anymore. My nieces love knowing that something new and neat-o is always on the horizon. My 7-year-old niece knows how to surf Etsy now and bookmark her favorites, lol. You gotta get 'em handmade and start 'em young!

~Lori

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