New Pinafores by Lily Sky Designs

Oh, beautiful.....these pinafores are handcrafted by Rebecca of Lily Sky Designs, in gold "Lotus" fabric by Amy Butler.

On the personal front...our little boy is due in just two and a half weeks! I've suspended my Etsy shop temporarily, until I can figure out just how to manage having a baby and a toddler at the same time. But the main Nora Bella shop is still going strong. Please stop by and see all the fun, beautiful new things we've added!

Happy Holidays from Nora Bella

Here's a little something from our own shop that I had to include in Nora's Christmas stocking:

 

It's a set of sugar cookies and cakes from Evelyn of Mon Petit Soleil, and Nora loves them! They came beautifully packaged in a pretty box, which we keep and store them in. An old table of ours is going to be converted into Nora's "tea table," so these felt cookies make the perfect starter set. I can't help but feel proud of the items we offer in our shop!

Here's Dave, Nora, and I, wishing everyone a happy holiday season:

 

I'm about a month out from having our second child -- a little boy this time -- which is why, dressed all in green, I could be a stand-in for the Christmas tree. The pregnancy is going very well, despite the fact that this past week was spent making our cross-country move to Illinois. Why we always move when I am 8 months pregnant, I do not know, but we managed to reach Illinois in one piece. We are living amongst our boxes, and celebrated Christmas without a tree....although we did get a wreath on the door at least, to show that someone is now living in this old (new) house! So, with the move, the pregnancy, a toddler, and a sudden flurry of post-Christmas Nora Bella orders, things have been busy...but in the best way possible.


I am realizing, lastly, that I have not yet featured the marvelous Heather of "Love 2 Sparkle," who has crafted, among other things, the following beautiful hair clippies currently for sale in our shop:

 

 

Heather offers a wide variety of styles and materials. Her clips are even effective at holding back that fine, sweet toddler hair we love so well. (My Nora's hair has been steadily thickening -- I could cry -- it looks like "big-girl hair" now!) Please check out her wonderful selection in our shop.

Happy Holidays to you and yours!

Welcome Lily Sky Designs; or, The Laments of a Non-Sewer

Oh, how I wish I could sew!! That was all I could think of this baby-naptime as I listed these gorgeous pinafores, bibs, and shoes by Rebecca of Lily Sky Designs.

There's no way around it: these items are beautiful. Exhibit A:

And B:

And C:

And D:

All of Rebecca's items are, of course, handcrafted, and the ones you see here are made from fabrics by Robert Kaufman, Amy Butler, and others. They are lined and embellished with other heavenly fabrics like cream wool felt, black washed corduroy, velvet, and chenille, and the pinafores feature darling vintage buttons inside and out (which makes them reversible). Please visit the Shoes and Dresses sections of Nora Bella to view and read about Rebecca's wonderful handmade confections. And welcome, Rebecca!

Take the Handmade Pledge

The Birthday Bash

 

 

 

 

Nora's 2nd birthday party was held on October 6th, and what a blast it was! Eleven of her little friends came. The party was extra meaningful for us because it also served as a good-bye party of sorts -- we will be moving out-of-state in 8 weeks. So I wanted to celebrate all of the super-cool kids in Nora's life by throwing a big party.

We did an Under-the-Sea theme, appropriate because we are leaving the Atlantic seaboard for the Midwest. We had octopus hot dogs, whale-shaped sandwiches, "Pirate's Gold" (corn) and fun cupcakes that I baked into ice cream cones and put a springy fish toy on top. Dave and I made a deep-sea "ride" by attaching 10-foot streamers to the ceiling to form a sort of tunnel that kids could run through or ride a red wagon through; we attached a bunch of paper fish, octopus, crabs, etc. to the streamers. The kids loved this! We also set up a sand box outside and a station where the kids could paint beach rocks and seashells and design and decorate their own foam fish.

The Birthday Girl eschewed all these crafts for the sandbox and another kind of box: the heady treat of endless juice boxes. I couldn't even keep track of how many Nora had because everyone was indulging her right and left.

In all, the party was just wonderful. Nora still talks about it. The best moment was when we all sang "Happy Birthday" to her. She had this look of awe on her face that everyone was singing to HER. She even blew out the candle!

Obey Me

 

How could you not do what he says?
Mason is modeling the "Obey Me" onesie by Nancy of Kibbles 'n Knits. It's available in long or short sleeves, sizes 0-24 months in the Nora Bella boutique!

Delicious Treats from Tootsie and Grace

 

My daughter will go nuts over these! This set of delectable tea cakes and flannel plates was crafted by Marisa Hopkins of Tootsie and Grace, a new seller in the Nora Bella boutique! They are made from the Amy Butler "chocolate" fabric and embellished with tiny hand-knotted "sprinkles." (Finally, sprinkles that won't fall off!)

Marisa is also contributing some of the adorable items below to the shop's listings:

 

Handmade Plush Goodness

 

 

 

 

If you don't think these handmade plush creations have the cutest faces you've ever seen, I'll be a monkey's uncle. And that's right, although they look "professionally" made, they are the custom handiwork of Cerise of Krafty Katina. She's another marvelous Etsy seller who has joined our new online boutique. Please, come on over to our store and check out her offerings, as well as dozens of other wonderful handmade items for babies and kids!

Free Press is Good Press!

I'm tickled to say that Nora Bella has been featured in two product reviews online:

In Smitherman and Barney's "Designer Scoop":
Designer Scoop wants to introduce you to a great company - Norabella. Norabella designs these adorable baby tees with hand painted (not stamped – thank goodness) art on the front. Furthermore, I really can see these baby onesies being worn by little celebrity star Suri Cruise - simply because they are so Bella like baby Suri!

The second review, on babble.com, is actually of my Etsy shop, and features my "i chew books" onesie. There's a big picture of our Nora!! Check out the link!