Lazy Summer Day

I had planned to do a post today with lots of pictures of the *gasp* fall lines I’m working on. Fall! Do you know Michael’s already has some Christmas out? One of the things I have the most trouble adjusting to in this business is getting the products made and listed far enough out. It feels so weird to make sun hats in the snow and pumpkins by the pool!

 

But… I shant be posting all of those pics (today), because we are having a super sweet afternoon. All three littles are asleep, the big is at camp, the dishes are done, dinner is in the crock pot and things are just chill around here today. So, I’m hooking a booby and making some fall hats and will work on photography tomorrow

 

What are you up to this super hot afternoon?

Turning Two

My “baby” is turning two in exactly two months (well, two months and two days…). Those of you who know the history of how Graham came to be know that he is very likely to be my only baby. So, we kind of go all out for birthdays. His first birthday was an all out Cat in the Hat extravaganza. Because he loves that book.

 

This year, though, he is Elmo crazy. Well, Sesame Street crazy, really. He LOVES Sesame Street. Obviously, he must have a big ol’ Sesame Street blow out (which I started planning on Pinterest like 10 months ago)! Being an Etsian myself, I’m also scoping Etsy for birthday party must-haves.

So, here is a list of the Top 5 Sesame Street Birthday Party Must-Haves:

1. DIY Printables: Includes invites, the banner, favor boxes, party hats and cupcake liners. All in PDF so you can print at home. 
2. Character Pom-Poms: You may have noticed that I went a little pom-pom cray-cray with the last party. Expect that trend to continue. Especially with these cuties on the market.
3. Jumbo Confetti: Because nothing says mess like letting toddlers play with little bits of paper! But, seriously, I love me some confetti on the food table. It’s one of those little things that just steps the party up a notch.
4. Party Favor Fish Bowls: You could load them up with traditional favors… but, you know, “Elmo loves his goldfish.” 
5. A special shirt for the birthday baby!

As much as I am NOT in a hurry for this little man to grow up, I do LOVE planning his parties.

Baby Beach Hat–Giveaway!

So, one of our newest hats is the Beach Ball Hat, and I love it. Well, I love beach balls. I also love anything that can be worn by either baby without someone making a comment as to whether or not it’s appropriate for that child’s gender. But, I know sometimes girls want their pink and boys want… Well, boys don’t really care what we put on them, do they?

 

My original inspiration was a traditional mutl-color ball from the garage. It looks much like this… only not so shiny, clean and new. Imagine this one, after sitting in the garage for 3 years!

 

My point? Oh right! I’ve been toying with the idea of two toned beach ball hats. Also, I’ve been wanting to do another giveaway (I’m nice like that, please don’t listen to anyone who says otherwise ). So, I thought, I’d let you guys tell me what colors you’d like to see on a beach ball hat and the winner will get one in their chosen color! (And of course the colors will be tallied and at least the top two will be made and listed…) Now, I’m sure ya’ll know this by now, BUT… if the color you just love the most doesn’t end up getting listed you can still order it! Just send me a note and we’ll make it happen!

 

I’ve been toying with:

• Red, Blue, Yellow and White (another traditional look)
• Red and White (maybe the “true” traditional beach ball, just not what was in my garage)
• Lime Green and White
• Hot Pink and White
• Orange and White

 

Now, it’s your turn! Either vote for a color combo above OR make one up. To vote leave a comment on this post. If Blogger is not being nice to you, there will be a place for comments on Facebook, too. Leave your comment by Sunday 10pm and the winner will be announced on Monday.

The Summer Collection

These crochet baby hats are all designed to be worn in the sun! Whether you're headed to the beach or pool, or just spending the afternoon at the park, it's important to remember to cover baby's sensitive skin. All  of these summer hats are designed to protect the top of baby's head, her face and the back of his neck. Because these baby sun hats are 100% cotton they are very breathable and cool.

 

Baby Sun Hat – Yellow	Baby Sun Hat – Purple
Baby Beach Ball Hat – Multi	Baby Bucket Hat – Denim

 

Of course, summer wouldn’t be summer without sandals! Well, barefoot sandals, to be exact.

Baby Barefoot Sandals – Red, White and Blue	Baby Barefoot Sandals – Red

Project Starter

How do you guys feel about starting new projects?

 

It’s awesome, right? The thrill of endless possibilities ahead and charting your course for how to get there! No, not everyone feels that way?

 

Where is this coming from?

 

Well, we’ve been having some talks around here about priorities, because I LOVE to start projects. But, have a bad habit of biting off maybe a little more than I can chew. So it’s time to let go of some things that aren’t lighting the fire anymore to make time for the projects that are important to me and my family, and maybe a new project or two. We’ll see.

 

What does that mean for Baby Hooked Boutique? It means I’m going to have more time to devote to new designs and pattern writing! One thing that occurs to me is that I mostly work in small pieces because I love the instant gratification. I super love being able to go from original idea to finished good in the course of a day or two (you would believe how many times I ripped out that beach ball hat). Since new ideas and patterns are important to me, I’m re-prioritizing to make sure they get worked on most days. Yay!

 

And in non-business news, it means the kids are going to get some more projects, too! Another thing that both Gar and I feel is missing from our daily priorities is more planned projects with the kiddies. The boys say they want to learn French! I was thinking something more like make a planned craft once a week. French crafts?