Almost 2 years ago, I began my most cherished journey. Becoming a mother has changed the way I look at everything. My sweet Charlotte inspires me to walk with a huge swing in my step, stop and smell every rose, and love like I never imagined I could love anyone before! Throughout my blog journey, I will share my journey of motherhood with you. I couldn't keep such sweetness out of Sweet on Style!
The Pure Joy of Getting Dressed Up
As soon as we got back downstairs, she put both her little arms up in the air to put the dress on over her clothes. I couldn't button it and tie the bow fast enough. I wish I could have captured the wonder in her eyes and face on camera at the moment she looked at the beautiful dress she was wearing. Charlotte was nearly running to her little pink kitchen to start playing. Why dress up if you can't have a tea party? We gathered her little plastic tea cups, cupcakes, tea pot and, of course, her animal friends. She served them tea and cupcakes and hugged her dolly. Then, I brought out my pink ballet dance shoes for her to wear. She proudly stood in her little kitchen in her light blue dress and enormous pink ballet slippers as happy as someone could possibly be. It was a magical moment.
I cannot keep thinking about the wonder and amazement in Charlotte's face with every new experience. Seeing and putting on a new "dress up" dress is like winning the lottery to an adult. But it's better - it's pure, innocent unfiltered joy.
It makes me think not only about how I greet new experiences but also everyday life. Something as magical to Charlotte as putting a special dress on has, unfortunately, become a chore to most of us. Even though I love fashion, getting dressed can be a headache. "My stomach doesn't look good in this." "This doesn't look right on me either." "This is too old." "This color looks louder than it did on the rack." This negative flow of thoughts is something that would never occur to my sweet baby girl. She is too busy bursting and squealing with excitement. Her moment of unfiltered joy reminded me that I've lost some of that. I'm sometimes too busy being hard on myself to enjoy putting on a beautiful garment.
I need to rekindle the wonder of putting on a special - or even everyday - outfit. I know have to identify those pieces in my closet that make me feel absolutely magical and wear them more often. Getting dressed isn't just about how you look - it's also largely about how you feel. It really is about the simple things - putting on a beautiful piece of clothing or an accessory and bursting with joy as Charlotte did so sweetly! As Kate Spade said, "Playing dress up begins at age five and never truly ends."
Valentine's Day
Our Valentine's week was filled with fun projects together. Especially on this highly commercialized holiday, I like to create projects for my husband, our parents and grandparents. Plus, Charlotte surprisingly seems to really enjoy dipping her feet in paint! And she definitely enjoys making (and eating) cookies :) So do I!
The Pure Joy of Getting Dressed Up
It was one of those moments I will remember forever. Charlotte and I were sitting together watching Sesame Street. She wanted to see what she calls "dress up," which is Katy Perry and Elmo singing "Hot N Cold." Then it occurred to me, why don't we play dress up instead of just watching it? We walked upstairs to her closet and pulled out a blue antique dress a family friend gave me when she was born. She was absolutely over the moon when she saw it.
As soon as we got back downstairs, she put both her little arms up in the air to put the dress on over her clothes. I couldn't button it and tie the bow fast enough. I wish I could have captured the wonder in her eyes and face on camera at the moment she looked at the beautiful dress she was wearing. Charlotte was nearly running to her little pink kitchen to start playing. Why dress up if you can't have a tea party? We gathered her little plastic tea cups, cupcakes, tea pot and, of course, her animal friends. She served them tea and cupcakes and hugged her dolly. Then, I brought out my pink ballet dance shoes for her to wear. She proudly stood in her little kitchen in her light blue dress and enormous pink ballet slippers as happy as someone could possibly be. It was a magical moment.
I cannot keep thinking about the wonder and amazement in Charlotte's face with every new experience. Seeing and putting on a new "dress up" dress is like winning the lottery to an adult. But it's better - it's pure, innocent unfiltered joy.
It makes me think not only about how I greet new experiences but also everyday life. Something as magical to Charlotte as putting a special dress on has, unfortunately, become a chore to most of us. Even though I love fashion, getting dressed can be a headache. "My stomach doesn't look good in this." "This doesn't look right on me either." "This is too old." "This color looks louder than it did on the rack." This negative flow of thoughts is something that would never occur to my sweet baby girl. She is too busy bursting and squealing with excitement. Her moment of unfiltered joy reminded me that I've lost some of that. I'm sometimes too busy being hard on myself to enjoy putting on a beautiful garment.
I need to rekindle the wonder of putting on a special - or even everyday - outfit. I know have to identify those pieces in my closet that make me feel absolutely magical and wear them more often. Getting dressed isn't just about how you look - it's also largely about how you feel. It really is about the simple things - putting on a beautiful piece of clothing or an accessory and bursting with joy as Charlotte did so sweetly! As Kate Spade said, "Playing dress up begins at age five and never truly ends."
Valentine's Day
Our Valentine's week was filled with fun projects together. Especially on this highly commercialized holiday, I like to create projects for my husband, our parents and grandparents. Plus, Charlotte surprisingly seems to really enjoy dipping her feet in paint! And she definitely enjoys making (and eating) cookies :) So do I!
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| We got these cute wood frames at Michael's Arts and Crafts Store. You can't see it, but below the handprint, there is a white footprint! |
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| Charlotte loved making these! I mixed hot pink with white to get this shade because they were all out of light pink and I lost my other bottle of it. |
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| This is Charlotte's Valentine's Day tutu. Aside from the top picture where I was trying to size it on her, she did not want to wear it today. She was far more amused by her rabbit wearing it! |
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| I haven't eaten sugar cookies in 1.5 years because I am lactose intolerant and can't tolerate any milk or eggs. I found this recipe for the best (vegan) sugar cookie - ever! |
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| Since there are no eggs in the dough, I had to taste it. I'll admit, I ate at least 1/3 of the dough! |
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| The finished product! I made the icing with almond milk and confectioner's sugar. Delicious! The cookies were extremely hard right after I made them. I put them in a container with a piece of bread overnight and the next day, they were soft and dreamy!! I ate all but one before Valentine's Day! This recipe is a keeper. |
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| The best part of Valentine's Day? Aside from the snuggles, hugs and kisses from Charlotte, I love reading her lots of books and watching her try to read them to herself! |
A Tulle Tutu for My Princess
There are few things I love more than a sweet baby in a tutu! Charlotte has many tutus, but I really wanted to learn how to make one for her myself to make it even more special. I found a fabulous step-by-step video on YouTube courtesy of Nashville Wraps (found at the bottom of this post). This is a no-sew tutu and it honestly can't get much easier than this. The result is pure bliss. The possibilities for it are also endless. It's a great gift for a special baby girl or mother-to-be! I've also seen variations of tutus on baby shower cakes and diaper cakes, on Pottery Barn Kids Easter baskets and just as baby girl room decorations. Plus, you can find so many beautiful color combinations and different styles of ribbon to choose from.
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| My sweet little ballerina in her new tulle tutu! I used one spool of light pink tulle and another spool of white for this tutu. (Actually, I only used about half of each spool.) I alternated the white and light pink. I used white satin ribbon to wrap the tulle around as explained in the video below. |
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| The real advantage of this no-sew tutu is you can adjust the waist of it since you tie it with a ribbon. So, if it is a gift, you don't have to worry about it not fitting precisely! |
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| As you can see, I had a wonderful little helper! I had been neatly cutting the tulle into measured strips and putting them in piles when Charlotte discovered my spools of tulle! So, it's not just the tutu that's the enjoyable part for a baby or toddler; the process is just as fun! And it's another lesson Charlotte has taught me; stop and have some fun while you're working hard! |
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| The second I finished the tutu, Charlotte was very excited to put it on! |
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| When it's not in use, it's also a beautiful decoration on a satin hanger! |
Beautiful Shoes for Tiny Feet
I like everything personalized. I searched and searched for the perfect shoe for Charlotte's baptism. I looked on Etsy and scoured stores but just couldn't find what I wanted. It was her big day and although no one would see her tiny feet, I wanted each detail to be special. I found these ivory baby ballet shoes and fell in love. I decided to customize them with a cross to give them something special. I found these pearls at Michaels Craft Stores. With the help of some trial and error, and a little glue, I got to work. It didn't take me long and this memory is just so precious to me.
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| These tiny pearls were flat on the back, making them easier to get onto the shoes. |
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| I did not make this gorgeous gown; my very talented mother-in-law created this baptismal gown for Charlotte. I love lace, as you can probably guess by now. I couldn't bear to cut up my wedding gown, so my mother-in-law found some beautiful lace to add to the gown that is very similar to the lace on my gown. |
A Rose-Colored Hat
I wanted to find Charlotte the perfect hat this winter, but I just couldn't. When I saw these pink felt rosettes, I fell in love with them. I hand-sewed them onto her soft pink hat. Although she'd rather pull her hat off most days, we get a lot of compliments on this one!
