There seem to be a cavalcade of cutesy, feminine DIY projects for the baby girls of our funny little world, but what is seriously lacking are some rad projects and ideas for our mud-buggin', bouncing-of-the-walls little boys! Well, this is no longer the case because February is "Celebrate the Boy" month over at Made By Rae.

Continue reading "The Month of the Boy" →

Before Tavi was born, I learned that baby shoes are everyone's favorite gift to give. Little dude had over 15 pairs of tiny little shoes in a dazzling array of adorableness waiting for him on his birthday. After he was born, I quickly learned that most baby shoes are either impossible to get on (lots of shoving and grunting on those little Robbees boots) or prone to falling off (I was in a panic when I thought we'd lost one of his hand-knit blue booties).

And then for Christmas, Offbeat Shrie gifted Tavi the most AMAZING baby booties. They are both easy to get on AND never fall off. The design is impeccable, with little elasticated snapping straps that essentially allow the bootie to open almost completely … and then, once snapped, hold on tight. Doesn't it seem like ALL baby booties should be easy to get on and secure once they're on? It just makes sense. These are pretty much the only shoes Tavi will wear from now until he's 2 years old. Also, a warning for pregnant friends: these booties are also now my defacto baby shower gift for every single one of you.

I begged Shrie to tell me where she got them, and look at that: it's Etsy seller MEandREEKIE, and she's got a pair to give away to one lucky Offbeat Mama reader…

Continue reading "The most perfect baby bootie ever made" →

We featured Monica (did she not look stunning? in her green dress, cast and all!) and Paul's wedding on Offbeat Bride a few days ago.  Now the lovely wedded couple are new parents of a bouncing and beautiful girl, Amber Cassandra! Monica was kind enough to share her adorable baby bow tutorial made out of fabric scraps, and we're stoked to feature this simple but cutesy patootsey DIY project! – Offbeat Shrie

I didn’t really plan this project. I just thought “Hmm, what can I do with these extra scraps of fabric?” and ended up with this headband idea! Please keep in mind that I measured nothing and am just giving my best guesstimate on the sizes of things. If anyone else tries this and finds better dimensions, let us know so we can pass it on!

In keeping with my haphazard style, the pictures are not to scale relative to the end product or each other. I’m just trying to remember, months later, how I made this thing in order to give you a rough guide. I didn’t have a crochet hook when I made mine and I paid dearly for it. You definitely want one or something like it when making the headband portion of this.

Continue reading "How to DIY a purty baby bow out of fabric scraps" →

Want a warm, homemade, snuggly little hat for your wee ones that won't fall off their wee little head while you're in the midst of carting them to and fro, picking them up, putting them down etc? This Wool "won't come off" Baby Helmet is a terrific, easy DIY project that requires little sewing, a repurposed sweater and just a bit of time. Sounds like a win-win-win to me!

Future Craft Collective posted this free tutorial via the Craftzine.com blog for all you wonderful mammas and papas to try. If you want to get zany and customize it you could applique shapes on the outside portion, embroider your kid's name or attach baubles or even sequins! If you test it out, please post links to your pics for us to see!

As a mixtape maven myself, I would *DIE* to have my little bundle o' love sporting this cute little onesie. They're hand screenprinted on 100% cotton so theyre safe and comfy for your wee babes.

They're available in 3 mo., 6 mo., 9 mo., 12 mo. and even toddler sizes, so you have no excuse not to snatch one of these adorable numbers for the lil one in your life!

HeatherJeany's shop is chock full of hand printed goodies from custom Scrabble-style notecards to odd yet unique limited edition prints, as well as darling baby-wear.

While doin' some baby-wear browsing I also came across this collection of witty little shirts and onesies from WilloToons that were too great not to ignore… I mean come on! How can you resist the "eat. sleep. rock. repeat." onesie?!?

I. Love. This. Dress. Im just waiting for warm weather so I can justify buying five one.

All the clothes in the Conscious Children Clothes store are SUPER CUTE, handmade and unique. There are dresses, tops and bottoms, training pants, blankies, diaper bags, burp cloths, hats, and even fabric toys. They feature prints such as Dia De Los Muertos, Pirates, Sailor Jerry, Geisha and more.

Many items are made from organic cotton and come in sizes ranging from Newborn to 5T, for boys and girls. Here, you go look. But try not to buy everything in the store.