ok...insert a whole lot of my drool into this post....i am so excited to talk about the oh, so talented hannah (formerly of while they sleep) and her new venture that includes a pretty new blog - "lily and thistle" and her new business in the world of paper dolls - "mini me paper doll boutique"!
now this is not just your average paper doll, these are paper dolls for the year 2010! they can be custom made and also come with a special sticky strip that never gets unstuck - so no paper folding for us girls! i am also super excited about the outfit of the month club! how fun is that! where were these kinds of things when i was little? oh well, i'll just live vicariously through my girls :)
i'm sure some of you will remember hannah's old blog - while they sleep, home of tons of sewing goodies and tutorials galore. well it's not over and neither is her etsy shop of the same name. remember the pod swaddler? i heart the pod swaddler pattern. anyhoo, ever since then i have been a fan of hers and an avid follower of hers. i also feel a special kinship to her after hearing her struggles with motherhood that she shares with you all below. i didn't think i would ever be able to have kids and now here i am with 2 girls. hannah's a sweetheart, an awesome mommy and her talents are endless, so go pop over, check out all her goodies out and let's have some fun with the tutorial below!
now let's hear from hannah.........
Hi Everyone! I'm Hannah from Lily&Thistle - Girlhood Illustrated. I was so glad Shannon decided to keep the Babyhood Bonanza going and even more excited that she asked me to share something! Shannon and I go back just a bit. She was so kind to help me promote the Pod Swaddler pattern last year when I was trying to get the word out (remember that Shannon?...seems like ages ago). I have always been a fan of her blog but then when I got to interact with her a bit more through email, I knew she was gold...pure gold. I am now a bonified fan of Shannon! I'm so glad she decided to bring another baby girl into this world of ours. We need more of her kind. Welcome again baby Harper!
Maisy and Laurel
My Bab(ies) Story
For years Jeff and I tried to have children with no luck. It was heartbreaking and seemed like a cruel joke at times. Finally after going through what seemed like a hundred treatments...we were given the opportunity and financial support to try IVF. I'm sure most of you know what that is..if not, you can look it up. We were blessed with not one but two little babies...our twin girls Laurel and Maisy. I still remember the day we saw TWO heartbeats...I thought I was dreaming. My pregnancy went very well and I was able to carry them to 36 weeks. They were born healthy but small. They spent a couple of very long, hard weeks in the NICU. The day they came home was magic.
Sweet Norah Jane
On the day they turned six months old, I felt very sick and tired and pregnant?!
"I couldn't be?!"
"The doctors said....could the the doctors be wrong?"
I took a pregnancy test and sure enough I WAS PREGNANT! The next few months were hard but I was lucky that the twins still slept a lot during the day so that I could sleep too. Thirteen months after I gave birth to the twins, Norah Jane was born. Sweet, sweet Norah Jane. She is a cherub. She has been the easiest baby in the history of babies and we are so blessed. Now the twins are two and Norah is one. It is crazy over here sometimes but it's a wonderful crazy. I always say I'd much rather have my hands full than empty. Motherhood is the greatest/hardest gift I've ever been given.
When we were preparing for the twins, I decided to decorate their room with the theme from a Primary song I grew up singing in church called "In the Leafy Tree Tops the Birds Sing Good Morning" I was (and still am) totally into birds and cherry blossoms at the time. I thought today I'd share a tutorial with you on how to turn an old thrift store frame into something special.
Of course you can use your creativity and imagination to make your frame match your special little baby's decor. I invite you to click on over to Lily&Thistle for the Tree Top Nursery Frame Tutorial and Free Printable Art!
thanks so much hannah! wishing you tons of success on all of your new endeavors! big hugs to you and your gorgeous girls!
hope you all have a wonderful weekend! happy 4th of july to all of you! we've got 2 new tutorials coming up next week and a very exciting giveaway so come join the party!!! are any of you as in love with paper dolls as i am?