She's the Queen of the Waves

Last season I picked up this adorable orange and blue surfer girl shirt for my daughter on clearance at Gymboree.  She loves it.  I think my little beach baby secretly wants to be a surfer and therefore totally conceeded to wearing jeans if it meant she could wear her "Merliah" shirt (for those of you who started singing the moment you read the title of this post).  My daughter would live in dresses and skirts if I let her (which I admit I often do).

Anyways, with the weather getting warmer, it was totally time to come up with a new option for bottoms.  Last year I made a couple of skirts based on Prudent Baby's Layer Cake Skirt Tutorial.  I love this design!  It is simply perfect for carefree summer days...

This is my favorite skirt to date.  I think it is the colors... so bright and summery.

I used the same fabric lengths as the tutorial but added an inch to each layer's width to accomodate an almost-5-year-old.

What are your favorite summer clothes?

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Hug Pillow

Ever since coming across From an Igloo's fantastic Keepsake Hug Pillow, I had been saving it until my son was born.  And now that he's here, it became the perfect Mother's Day gift.  So leading up to Mother's Day, I became a little factory making three versions... one for my mother, one for my mother-in-law, and one for me.

Her tutorial is great.  I tweaked it slightly by making it an envelope-back for a 12x17 pillow form.  My favorite part was customizing each pillow to the recipients' house (mine is the blue one).  Special thanks to my sister-in-law who just finished designing my mother's house and gave me leftover fabrics so that the pillow would perfectly coordinate.

Is there anything cuter than a baby hand print?

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Guess what...

Pink Tea is now on Facebook.  To get updates on posts delivered straight to your wall, just like Pink Tea on facebook.

I can't wait to see you there.

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DIY Braided Linen Bracelets

Last Christmas I came across this great tutorial for Braided Irish Linen Wrap Bracelets from Make Bracelets!  I made one for each of my sister-in-laws, but I modified slightly and incorporated czech glass beads in addition to the silver beads... one in orange and blue for the die-hard UVA fan and one with emerald and pearl in honor of my nieces' birthdays.  Then I ended up liking them so much that I had to make one for myself, and then another, and then another.  Does anyone else do that?  They're rather addictive and a great project to do while watching a show with my beloved.  (I don't sit still well.)

This third one is the one closest to my heart.  In honor of the birth of my third child, I made this one in honor of my kiddos.  How lucky am I that my kids' birthstones are not only some of my favorite birthstones, and just happen to match much of my wardrobe, but also coordinate so well together.  That was really considerate of them in choosing their birthdays.

The LOVE Charm was just an extra touch since this one represents my precious babies.  And as my maternity leave ends and I head back to work, this is a nice reminder of my little ones even when they aren't with me.

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Teacher Gift

With the end of the year upon us, it seems like teacher gifts abound.

Around here, its Strawberry season.  The berries are ripe and sweet.  So after going strawberry picking recently, it only seemed appropriate to share that abundance with my daughter's preschool teacher.

A simple carton of strawberries, a bamboo skewer, and one of eighteen 25's printables made for a really simple but sweet gift.

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Where have I been?

Well... that's a good question.  Primarily, I've been overwhelmed.  There was work, my husband going back to school, an adorable toddler and precocious preschooler needing love and care, and...

... preparing to welcome this little cutie into the world.

I was definitely overwhelmed and had to prioritize.  As much as I love blogging and sharing ideas with you all, it was time to give up "good things" in deference to "the best things."  I always find that to be one of the tough things in life.  More often than not, I don't find myself choosing between good and bad but between good and best.  And giving up good things is always hard.  I miss them.  But when they take away from something better, perhaps they are no longer good.  Do you ever face that dilemma?

Life is still crazy, but I am hopeful that I can start blogging again.  I've missed the outlet and community.  I'll be taking things slowly, but I look forward to being back.  And I can't wait to be inspired by you.

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