baby – Elizabeth Smillie

a storybook themed baby shower, part 1

August 31, 2016 Elizabeth Smillie

A while back we had the privilege of welcoming a new nephew into the family, and we celebrated with a storybook themed baby shower! His mama loves reading, so we thought a party filled with children’s books would be a perfect way to welcome the little man to the world.
Babies and books – love them both! Since this was a storybook themed baby shower was for a baby boy, I used lots of neutrals (“vintagey” colors), whites and blues, and scattered stars and vintage books about liberally – and I think it all came together beautifully.We split up the hostessing duties a bit – I got to hostess at our home and provide the decor and drinks, my mother-in-law and sisters-in-law took care of the food.
Most of the decor were things that I either already had, we had in the shop and tweaked a little, free printable from Pinterest or that I made just for the occasion {children’s book page pinwheels and pennant “BABY” banner! And an adorable table runner from vintage children’s book pages, too – so cute.}We went with a simple color scheme – white, light {and a little dark} blue, kraft brown and vintage papers. The colors were a perfect backdrop for the children’s books, and played well together. :) I used a mix of vintage and new(er) linens, a variety of mixed metals and some wild grasses instead of of flowers. Stacks of vintage books (of course!) in brown and blues came into play, too.
I was delighted with how my table runner turned out! My mom has a knack for finding gorgeous old children’s books, some of which are sadly too worn to be enjoyed by our children. I used the pages with colored illustrations, arranged the pages a few times until I was happy with how the colors looked together, and secured them in placed with some double-sided tape. Super cute! (it was inspired by this table runner)One of the details I loved adding to this party were the framed storybook quotes and artwork. I found several through Pinterest, and a few through a basic web search – all were free, and when placed in frames I already had, made a fun addition to the shower. And the new mama enjoyed keeping a few for the little guy, too!

Stay tuned for more party photos, including more decor, the super darling and delicious food (all storybook themed!) and the guest of honor!

shop items featured:

Introducing …

November 2, 2015 Elizabeth Smillie

Introducing…our newest member of the team, Ruth Ann Smillie!

Our new baby girl joined us just before noon on August 6 (which is the excuse I’m using for the lack of blog content recently :D). The birth went perfectly, different and yet the same as the three before her. She has been welcomed by enthusiastically loving arms of her siblings (they’re just about loving her to pieces!) and has been such a joy.

Our baby girl is here! We have named her Ruth Ann, and our family is utterly in love with her. #ruthannsmillie #smilliekids

A photo posted by pltmarket (@pltmarket) on Aug 9, 2015 at 9:11am PDT

We are so incredibly thankful for this new little bundle. And, now that she’s here (and we are sleeping again! YAY!) you’ll see some more fun things around here. So much to share! So many new things in the shop! And perhaps even a giveaway in the near future. :)

I’m so happy to be back blogging again, sharing thoughts, ideas and updates with you lovelies,

customer love: winter baby shower

March 1, 2015 Elizabeth Smillie

Customer love time again! I love seeing all these fun ideas, don’t you? For today’s customer love edition, I have some photos that a customer{who happens to be an event planner} sent to share with you! Paula chose a variety of our snowflake items, and used them as part of this gorgeous winter- themed “Baby It’s Cold Outside” baby shower:

The snowflake stir sticks were a custom order for Paula, and they turned out so amazingly that we are planning to add them to our shop soon!

Paula shared more photos of this amazing shower here on Facebook – I love it!

Do you have photos that you’d like to share? If so, you can either email them to me at elizabeth@pltmarket.com or tag them with #thepathlesstraveledmarket on Instagram {as long as you have a public profile :)} – we’d all love to see your ideas! Also, I often send “thank you” coupons to the lovelies who let me share their photos with you – so if you’re looking for a coupon for your next order, sharing photos is a great way to get a discount!

edit: we have added the stir sticks to our shop! You can now find them here.

a library inspired baby shower

August 19, 2013 Elizabeth Smillie

Tonight I have something quite darling to share – a library inspired baby shower!

One of my customers {Dina of Honey & Fitz} used our Book Star Garland as part of the decor for this darling baby shower that she designed and hostessed for a dear friend – you can read her tell all about it on the sweet feature that Style Me Pretty Living did this morning :)

Photography: Ruth Eileen Photography, Design: Dina of Honey & Fitz

P.S. We have a winner for the giveaway! Congrats to Kristel P.! I’ll email you your gift card code tomorrow :) And thank you to everyone who entered! I’ll be having another very soon – we only need one more Facebook fan to reach 200, and then we’ll celebrate with something pretty and sparkly!

lace onesie {part three}

August 12, 2013 Elizabeth Smillie

I’m so excited to share this with you today! Do you remember the lace onesies that I’ve shown you how to make {here and here}? And how I mentioned that we welcomed a sweet new niece into the family {my first niece!}?

I packaged up a few of the onesies that I had embellished as a welcome gift for Baby Brooke, and her mama was just tickled to be able to use them in Brooke’s newborn photos! We have a sweet, sweet friend who is quite a talented photographer, and she did an amazing job! Of course, Sarah had some gorgeous subjects to work with, and the result is a set of precious keepsake photos <3

If you’re in the Ohio area and would like to contact Sarah regarding a photo session, her website is Living Joy Photography, and here’s her Facebook fan page. She also made the darling head band Brooke is wearing {love it!!!} and has an Etsy shop where she sells others like it. Even if you’re not close enough to have her capture some memories for you, you can still enjoy some of her amazing talent!

some darlingness {because, well, photos of babies just make the day better}

August 10, 2013 Elizabeth Smillie

oh. my. goodness. the darlingness of this wee one just does not stop!

she just gets cuter, and sweeter, and more darling as each day goes by. did I tell you that she has four teeth now? and army crawls? and prefers to be in the center of the action? she has learned to clap, and now loves to cheer her siblings on! her laugh is the sweetest thing in the world, and her sister and brother dote on her, watch out for her, and are incredibly proud of each of her new accomplishments. miss Olivia has grown our hearts. and even though I can hardly bear to see her move out of the toothless infant stage, I know that this next one will be full of even more joys.

{photos taken by my mom}

little bits of life

August 3, 2013 Elizabeth Smillie

It’s about time for an Instagram update on the little bits of our life, don’t you think?

{If you’d like to follow along, I’m @pltmarket on Instagram <3} coming soon to the shop – strawberry shortcake toppers! and the yummy, yummy left overs from taking the photos – taking your own photos can be hard, but the side effects are worth it :)I experimented with custom dying some doilies for a peach colored version of my doily garland – love how they turned out! And I’m thinking of adding something similar to the shop – thoughts?
this darling keeps getting sweeter! This last month Olivia was working on cutting teeth {and especially needy for her mama!} and we’ve been experimenting with new foods for her. She loves just about everything so far!Have you seen the recipe for liquid sidewalk chalk that’s been going around Pinterest? It’s really simple {just 1 part corn starch to 1 part water, and add food color to achieve desired colors} and has been hugely enjoyed by our kiddos.

How gorgeous are these?! My in-laws have some massive hydrangea bushes, and I’ve been given permission to trim to my heart’s content :) Oh my, do these ever feed my soul!
Baby girl, just layin’ around. And being adorable {of course} and melting my heart. And deciding to abandon her pacifier in favor of her thumb. No biggie {what?! No more binky?!}

A bride ordered a large batch of custom cake toppers, one set of which was made of these gorgeous cake flags. Love how they turned out!More adorableness <3 {and it’s a video}Custom stamped cupcake toppers! A customer requested the pink heart toppers stamped with “BABY” and they were so darling {by the way, did you know that any of my toppers can be customized? Just ask for details if you’re interested :)}Have you seen the darling polka dot paper stars that I have in my Etsy shop? A few days ago a custom inquired about getting the dots in custom colors, and I was able to find them! They’ll be so sweet in her nursery :) Zinnias from our yard – I know you’ve heard me say it over and over, but I love my flowers. Who was it who said “the earth laughs in flowers”? Few things brighten my day like their fresh loveliness {of course, snuggles from my husband and babies are pretty high up on the list, too}! Mmm, prepping to make lemon sorbet – it was amazingly delicious, by the way!

And lastly, have you met Kellie from Lemondime? She hostessing a wonderful craft weekend {Craft Liberation!} soon, and I got to contribute some goodies to their swag bags! It looks so amazing, and I’d love to go – since I can’t though, my special little gifts will :)

There you have it – another peek in to our life. It’s kind of fun to see it all compressed together!

Do you have an Instagram account? I’d love to connect and “meet” you!

purple butterfly birthday on the Path Less Traveled

customer love – first birthday edition!

July 26, 2013 Elizabeth Smillie

Each time a customer leaves a comment saying how much they love their purchase, it makes my day. I especially love it when they tell their friends and send me photos of how they have used the things that they have bought!

This darling photo is from a baby girl’s first birthday – her mama planned a sweet purple and white butterfly themed party and asked me to make a custom cake topper for her. Isn’t it just too sweet?!

The customer ordered a customized version of the butterfly toppers with a personalized garland between the butterflies {isn’t that a darling idea?!} and she said: “They looked absolutely perfect with the cake. Thank you so much for helping me create the perfect cake topper for {my daughter’s} first birthday!” She even made her own blueberry ombre colored frosting for the cake – it looks delicious!

Thank you so much for sharing! Now I just wish I could have a piece of that cake …. :)

Do you have photos that you’d like to share? If so, you can either email them to me at elizabeth@pltmarket.com or tag them with #thepathlesstraveledmarket on Instagram – we’d all love to see your ideas!

p.s. I often send “thank you” coupons to the lovelies who let me share their photos with you – so if you’re looking for a coupon for your next order, sharing photos is a great way to get a discount!

DIY ruffle bottom onesie tutorial from the Path Less Traveled

how-Tuesday: ruffle bottom onesies {is there anything sweeter than a tiny ruffled bum?!}

July 16, 2013 Elizabeth Smillie

I have a new niece! The sweet little dumpling was born last week, and in anticipation I had been doing just a bit of sewing {of course} :) Sewing for my own babes is a joy, and making sweet little things for nephews and nieces is just as much fun!}.

She’s the first little girl in her family, and is destined to be outfitted with her fair share of pink and lace … so it was only fitting that I make her a ruffle bottomed onesie!

Would you like to make your own version? If so, follow along with me as I show how I made this one {note: I’m not a professional seamstress, and this is the “wing it as you go method” :)}

materials: 1 onesie, ruffled lace trim {mine was about 1 yard long, but you could use more or less for different looks}, sewing pins, thread {that matches your trim}, scissors and a sewing machine

step 1: unsnap the bottom of the suit and pin the lace to the base of where you like the ruffling to start in the rear – I chose to begin pinning where the leg curve stopped. As you pin, turn the raw, beginning edge of the lace under so that there are no straggling threads. :) Don’t cut the trim yet! step 2: begin sewing! starting at the end of the lace, sew almost to the other side of the onesie, stopping about an inch from the edge. Backstitch and raise your needle and presser foot. step 3: fold the trim back the other way, layering it over the first line. Stagger the second row of trim a bit – this begins your “ruffle but”! Pin in place, and sew as the first line. Continue in this manner, zigzagging the trim back and forth until you’ve achieved the fullness and look you have in mind ……and when you come to the end of your last layer …
…turn under the raw end as in the beginning … …and sew to secure it, backstitching to lock it in place. This is what it will look like from the inside – zigzags of stitching!

Once you’ve finished, be sure to clip any stray threads. Then enjoy the cuteness!

Now that I’ve made these for baby Brooke, I think I need to make one or two for Olivia :) Because it sure would be a shame to miss out on seeing a darling pile of ruffles squirming across the floor as she learns to crawl!

I’m sharing this at the Vintage Farmhouse, the Train To Crazy and She Sews <3

our 4th

July 11, 2013 Elizabeth Smillie

Our 4th of July celebration was a bit low key this year, but we sure did celebrate!

John had to work for most of the day, so the kiddlets and I enjoyed a quite day at home – PB&J for lunch and some wading pool fun! Olivia played in the pool for the first time ever and really enjoyed herself :)

After late naps {to ensure cheerfulness for a late night of fireworks!}, the kids and I met John at his parents’ home where we spent the rest of the evening. We had some delicious BBQ and a full spread of summer foods – even star topped deviled eggs! Olivia was worn out by all the fun and put herself down for a pre-fireworks nap :)

Ian got to experience his first sparkler {he LOVED it!} and Emma Grace kept asking when it would be dark, and at one point even asked if I could “set the timer for it to be fireworks” – darling girl! It’s so hard to wait when you’re 4 {or 27 :)}.

The fireworks were well worth the wait – in Indiana you are allowed to shoot off some really fun ones! Emma Grace and Ian were excited to wear some ear protection {Em: “mine are pink!”} and we sat around a bon fire as my brother-in-laws masterminded the show.

All in all, it was a quiet, relaxing day. I thought a bit about freedom – how it is so easy to allow it to be eroded until the the very word is only a hollow husk, and how both as a nation, as individuals we must be vigilant. And how I am extremely grateful for those who have sacrificed for my freedom, for the One who died for me to be forever free.

How about you? Did you have a chance to celebrate this weekend?

Elizabeth Smillie

The Path Less Traveled

Browsed by
Tag: baby