Favorite Things: Gifts for a New Baby

Baby Henry. SO CUTE! 

I feel like there is a serious baby boom going on in my world right now! Is it the same in yours? And every time a friend or family member welcomes a new little one into the world, there's nothing better than giving a super thoughtful, super awesome gift. I'm all for following along with baby registries (I mean, washcloths and crib sheets are necessary), but I always like to add on something special, or maybe deviate all the way and surprise the new mama with some really neat items.

In the spirit of my new niece Lucy being born, I thought I would share my most favorite baby gifts from around the web!

First of all, have you heard of Little Hip Squeaks? Hands down my most beloved Etsy shop (or any shop really), and I can tell you from experience LHS items are the softest, best quality little baby things in the world. Seriously, get a load of those headbands! Amy, head Hip Squeak, is always coming up with new items and new prints, and this next season is so full of cuteness I can't even take it. I love making sets of leggings, hats or headbands, and a blanket (she sent Henry the cutest blankets ever!), or even just adding on a headband as a fun topper for a baby gift.

Secondly, Freshly Picked Moccasins.  We've tried all sorts of moccasins before tying out Freshly Picked and I can say that these are the best quality and the most comfortable of any of the many we've put on Henry's feet. I love that they're made by a fellow blogger and I also really love how even though they may be a bit pricier, they're such great pieces that can absolutely be passed down kid to kid, and really hold up! Henry has worn his gray and red pairs a million times in all sorts of weather, walked a million steps on all sorts of ground, and they still look great. Plus, have you seen the new spring colors Susan shared on Instagram? So perfect. We love Freshly Picked and appreciate them sending us some moccs to try out.

Another favorite shop is Gingiber, who I discovered when they became a sponsor of mine. I am absolutely in love with everything in their shop, but especially the adorable (and well-priced) pillows. She also has prints, calendars, wall decals, you name it. A total one stop shop for a new little one, and mama. I'm especially in love with this fox pillow.

Another fabulous go-to gift is the Mini Book of Names and Faces from Pinhole Press. We are HUGE fans of Pinhole in our house, and always love their high-quality, unique products. For Christmas they sent us calendars for all of the grandparents, and then we got this book for Abe and Lauren. It's SO cute and really simple to make using their website. You just upload the photos you want to use, and create a mini-board book. It's really the cutest idea!

Some other items I love: this personalized embroidery hoop, these milestone baby cards, and this adorable alphabet onesie from Hello Apparel!

I've also gotten Moms diaper cakes (check out these awesome ones at eDiaperCakes.com), and those have gone over so well! Adorable and functional- perfect for a new parent.

Do you have any go-to items for new babies? I'd love to discover some new, fun shops and items so feel free to share in the comments below!

xoxo

DIY Gift Idea & Tutorial: Make a Magic Suitcase!

Henry's  very lucky to have a lot of special people in his life- three sets of grandparents, aunts and uncles, friends who are like family- but there isn't quite anyone like Erin. Erin and I have been friends forever. We went to the same junior high and high school, and although I knew her brother (he was in the sports medicine program and wrapped my ankle before every soccer game!) she and I never had the chance to really connect. After high school though, we finally got a chance to know one another and I fell in total friend love with the girl. Now she's been one of my closest friends for over a decade, a bridesmaid in our wedding, a dear friend of Hanks, and an auntie to Henry.

Erin is one of "those" women, the kind of woman that everyone always has questions for: where did you get that? How did you do that? And the most common- did you REALLY make that? The answer to the last question, when talking about Erin, is always, always yes. She's insanely talented at what she does, which is everything. She's a true Martha, a crafter extraordinaire, and although I've been bugging her for years to start a blog, all of her creations never see the light of the blog world. Instead, her friends and family get to quietly enjoy them as she often showers her loved ones with the most amazing presents. She's not just the most creative person I know, but one of the most giving too.

And today Erin is here to share a tutorial on what has to be the GREATEST child's gift I've ever seen. And lucky Henry, it's all his!

It's a magic case, filled with children's costumes, and Erin is here to give us the background on her wonderful creation.

For this project you'll need:

Vintage suitcase (use one that has flat, paintable surfaces)
Acrylic paint
Paint brushes
Paint markers
Chalk

Step 1: Form a plan for how you would like to paint the front of your suitcase

Step 2: Throw out half of step 1 and form a new simplified version for the sake of sleep. I printed the lettering out and using a lightbox, traced it onto the banner to make sure it would read nicely.

I used chalk to sketch out the design on the suitcase and printed the letters from the day before in scale with the new banner. After trying endlessly to redraw the hands I decided to scan my drawing, colorize them in photoshop and print them out.

Next, using paint pens and acrylic paint I painted the chalked image onto the suitcase. While the paint on the crystal ball was wet I sprinkled glitter on it.

Step 3: fill with costumes and fun hats! Anything that will get a child's imagination going. You do not have to spend money on this - think old dress shirt and ties, robes, dresses you don't wear...kids love it all!

Now if you will, please join me in BEGGING Erin to start a DIY/Craft blog. The world wide web could use some fresh ideas from Ms. Peters, wouldn't you agree?

Thank you EP for sharing. And to everyone else, happy DIY-ing and gifting! Please let us know if you decide to make a magic case of your own, and be sure to send photos so I can share them in a future post. And if you have any questions be sure to leave them in the comments, and I'll pass them along to Erin.

xoxo