Contest Winner: A Big (Boy) Responsibility

Big Boy accepted the honor of pulling the name for our big contest winner.  Before the big moment, I carefully printed out multiple strips for every one who entered the contest.

My Brief Soapbox and Step 3 of the GIVEAWAY!!

I think we're all WORN OUT from the election!  Regardless of your candidate of choice, I bet you're as sick of politics as the next person.  I'm always torn between my pride in the process -- our political system is, after all, the baseline evidence of American vision and ingenuity --

Big News, Bundles of Joy and a GIVEAWAY!

Holy Moley, what a week!  So, I know I totally promised to have a tutorial out on the Toothless costume by now, but I didn't anticipate the domestic and military craziness that would take over my life.  At least I got a few baby gifts ready to send.  (I love all these fun flannels, but the Chinese lanterns are secretly my favorite.) 

Okay, so I've been chomping at the bit to share some very big news: 

LAST DAY for the GIVEAWAY!

Don't forget, today is the last day for the Ribbon-Adorned Lovey Giveaway!  To sweeten the pot, if we reach the goal of 25 website followers by 6 p.m. today, I'll give away a second, girly lovey.  Don't forget to include a cute baby story in the comments section!

And check out our FaceBook page -- It's brand new, but getting better all the time.  More photos and projects to come!  Happy sewing and Olympics watching...we're total addicts at our house.  :)

Tutorial and Giveaway: The Ribbon-Adorned Lovey

What a fabulous day!  I launched the JustSewOlivia Facebook page and Twitter accounts and I'm ready to host my first giveaway...woo hoo!  You can find instructions for entering at the end of this posting.  Best wishes!

Today's project is the Ribbon-Adorned Lovey, commonly called a taggie.  Babies just love these little things.  Ever seen a baby fixate on the tag of a favorite stuff animal or chew on the tag of a store-bought blanket?  Mommas everywhere know that babies go through a tag phase, and this little mini-blanket feeds that obsession without exposing them to the plastics and weird coatings you sometimes find on the tags of commercially-bought products.  I didn't know about these when my babies were born, but the moms I know who've used them swear by them.  AND, it's like the easiest beginner project EVER.  :)

NOT YOURS!

Once, when Big Boy was barely two years old, he stumbled on his short, chubby toddler legs into my sewing space and began to make his way around the room, stopping every few steps to point at some forbidden item and shout, in the loudest meanest tone his precious little voice could muster, "NOT YOURS!"