fawn&forest

Part 5: Decorations. 
This is perhaps  a partial-post as the bright+fun baby shower is this evening + the decoratios are currently sprawled accroos my dining room table. The first baby shower week: bright + fun has been a good example of how "bright fun" does not have to equal juvenile + primary. A lot of color has been used, selectively. It's casual + very festive. It makes you smile + fits Mom Sara perfectly. 

Tabletops: The basis of the tablescapes are white tablecloths with colorful wrapping paper runners. Wrapping paper (or colorful art paper) is a great way to bring color and centralize the decorations + theme. I did not buy fancy wrap but gave a nod to bright-Swedish-bits and chose kid-orientated paper at Ikea. Big, bright animals + lots of loud color. It was a print that Mom Sara really likes and has in parts of her nursery.  Inspired from the wrapping paper the colors orange, blue and green are used for the other decorations .  

Garland: In order to simplify decorations + not make the shower look like a kid's party, we have focused the decorations to the food + reception tables. I created 2 garlands (banners?) using this printable template to say "welcome baby spencer" in both Swedish + English, by printing the template on orange cardstock and stringing the letters with a rich orange cotton yarn. The two banners will hang from the front of 2 tables.

Flowers: In addition to vases of fresh flowers (I am thinking bright daisys) I have used this pattern for fancy flower decorations to create cheerful paper decorations in bright blues + greens. Not only are the flowers simple to make but reinforce the bright+fun inspired theme. 

Image at left via here. 

Part 4: Food + Bevs + Dessert. 
The consumable portion of a baby shower greatly depends on what time of day, location, how many guest will be attending and overall inspriration for the shower. For the bright + fun shower we are keeping it quite simple: crudites, bread + cheese, cupcakes + cheesecake tartlets, a fun sparkle-beverage + coffee. The shower will be held on a Friday night at 7p. Post-dinner time but certainly in need of snacks, treats + beverages.

Food: The beautiful crudites (shown in image at right) are really quite simple + basically just need assembly. However, making them for 25 people could be a little much. A fresh vegetable platter from your local market is perfectly acceptable. If you are not so hot on the plastic platter it will most likely come on, give props to semi-homemade + arrange on your own plates + you are set. And don't forget the dip. People will most likely ask if they bring something. If you are having a casual shower this is a very accomidating offer. Take them up on it. Food such as bread + cheese would be a great option and does not require much preparation. 

Beverages: Not sure if people are still doing the fruit punch thing with 7-up and bits of floating sherbert? There are some lovely updated punch recipes, though who owns a punch bowl these days? I don't! I guess you could rent one. A selection of sparkling soda is a fun option, especially flavors from Dry and Izze. Sparkling water, coffee + tea are good standards. I thought these drink "parasols" were a nice touch, pattern can be found here.

Dessert: My favorite. I am still not sick of cupcakes! Cupcakes are less daunting to make than a traditional cake and always make people smile. Snag inspiration from your favorite cupcake shop, such as  Sprinkles (image above middle). Unless, by chance, you live near a Sprinkles or other cupcake joint + could always buy a couple dozen. We will be having several desserts (cupcakes + cheesecake tartlets), self-serve buffet style. I will also be making these funky, but tasty Swedish cookies called Chokladbollar. Mom Sara will surely notice the thoughtful Swedish touch! (Image left + right from Martha. Middle image from Sprinkles.)

Part 2: Party Games.
As I mentioned before baby shower games usually bring on the uncomfortable cringe. They can usually be quite embarrassing and because of lack of organization, can leave the guest feeling bad as they don't know what's going on.

But wait! Party games can be fun. Kept simple + with an aesthetically pleasing presentation, you'll have everyone excited to join in. In planning party games, keep in mind a few things: what kind of attendees you have, how many people, how well the guest know the expecting mom+ the personality of the mom. A shy mom woul perhaps not want to have her belly "measured" in the 'guess the girth' (above, right) game. Some games don't work with a large crowd and other games, such as the 'character attribute' (above, left) would not work so well if the guest do not know the expecting dad so well.

Game no.1: How well do you know Mommy-to-be? I found this well designed + conversation inducing game off of the somewhat defunct blog, Nested. She re-did 2 classic baby shower games, well designed and in a printable pdf format. Sweet! Print off on coordinating paper (in the case of our bright + fun shower, I used a lovely shade of orange) and provide each guest with a sharpened pencil. The person who guesses the  most of Mom's answer's correctly, wins!

Game no.2: Guess the Girth. Dorky title, yes. But when you have reached the later weeks of your pregnancy, well, you feel sort of "girthy"! This  is one of those classic shower games that when presented poorly (think acrylic yarn in pastel hues, sloppily cut + handed out to guest!) preceeds the cringe. How to get your guest to surely exclaim you are the next Martha Stewart? Cut roughly 4 feet of neutral heavy weight string or lightweight yarn, neatly wrapping it to obtain a tidy circle of string. Then cut tabs of paper (roughly 1"x4"). Using a question-mark stamp, stamp the top portion of the tab, then fold in half horizontally. Next put the neat swirl of string into the folded tab + stapled to close (the open part of the tab will be at the top). Simple + to make 30 took me just over 30 minutes. When it comes time to play the game, here's the scoop: each guest gets a piece of string + using a pair of scissors cuts the string to the length she think is the girth (circumference) of the Mom's belly. After everyone snips their string, measure Mom. Whoever has the same length (or closest to) of string, wins!

A Prize for the winner/s: Does not have to be fancy or expensive and can certainly be something amusing, like $5 in cash. Depending on the crowd, universal prize ideas could include: Coffee, something interesting, iTunes, something sweet, or a Moleskine. I'd be happy to play a shower game with prizes like that!

Part 2: The Guest Book.
The Guest Book is an essential part of the baby shower. Not only does it document who attended but has the potential to be a gift of love that will certainly be treasured for years to come. Books that serve a duel purpose and ones thoughtfully composed give mom the perfect jumpstart on the precious memory keeping for her soon to be new born. 

The Binth Baby Book is perhaps not the first book that pops into mind when choosing a guest book for a shower. However, not only will it be an incredibility amazing shower gift to give the mom but also has ample blank pages in the back of the book for guest to write their best wishes. Perfect for a guest book. Small glassine envelopes could easily be adhered to the pages, holding cards, gift tags + other small mementos. The Binth Baby Book is artfully printed + a beautifully handbound family heirloom. Worthy of perfect handwriting and the most luxurious pen! 

The refillable scrapbook by Kolo is another great option and is available in a handful of colors + sizes. Guests have the freedom to write thoughtful sentiments + quirky advise to the expecting mom and baby. Provide colorful pens and a polaroid camera for a spontaneous + spunky take on a guest book. With a glue stick and scissors, the designated assistant can simply take small snippets of wrapping paper + clips of ribbon and adhere to the pages as mom unwraps gifts, thoughtfully recording the gifts + the gift-giver under each snippet + clip.

Psalms choose a Kolo book in a cheeful green + had the idea to give each guest an adhesive backed 4x6" piece of colorful cardstock + a pen at the upcoming baby shower we are hosting. In doing this, guest would not have to wait for the guest book to be passed around or for someone to finish up. Each guest equipped with their own piece of the guest book, can take their time to write + contribute as they wish. Post-shower, we will simply adhere the cards into the Kolo scrapbook for mom Sara. Color + fun + very useful!

Welcome to Baby Shower Week! Hosting a baby shower is indeed a lot of fun but can be intimidating to pull off, successfully. The cookie-cutter imagery of baby bottles + newborn footprints in pastel hues is a bit dated. Not only do baby shower games make us all uncomfortably cringe (is that chocolate "poop" in the diaper? what?!) but the whole deal of it can be dreadfully boring. 

Part 1: Inspiration, Invitations + Favors.
The best inspiration for a baby shower comes straight from the expecting mom + dad, of course (and the gender of the baby, if known). My friend Psalms + I are hosting a shower for our dear friend who is Swedish, married to an American. Sara likes bright colors + bold prints (think Ikea, now!) and would appreciate a non-minimalist, fun-kid style sort of celebration. And she's having a boy. Inspiration!

Invitation ideas are limitless. Basically boils down to how much time you have, want to spend or how crafty you are. Invitations are fun to make + fully customizable. There are however, hundreds of amazing options available for purchase. While I can't locate (online) the invitations we used, this blank card from SweetBeets would be a lovely option by handwriting or printing the information inside. Assemble the guest list!

Planning + putting together the favors is the funnest part. Not only does assembleing 25 party favors induce a surge of productivity + accomplishment, but also allows you to let out a bit of creative energy. Psalms thoughtfully created the favors, shown above. A quick trip to Ikea for the finger puppets + strange (but fitting) Swedish candy, along with hand stamped gift tags, coordinating ribbon + cello bags is all it took. Simple, colorful + continues the theme of colorful fun-kid Swedish style. Because Sara speaks Swedish, Psalms made and attached stickers (using her printer + sticker paper) that say welcome baby spencer in English + Swedish. Perfect. Inexpensive, simple to create + a wonderful thank you to the guest for celebrating a new life. (images by Psalms.)

The fun thing about making your own baby food is you can make dozens of fun (and funky) combinations. It can be made just for that meal or be frozen for later use. Once you get the hang of it, recipes offer general guidelines as the possibilites are endless. The following is a simple combination recipe, most suitable for babies who have already had single foods + are ready for texture.

Banana + Pear + Oats:

1 c. cooked organic oatmeal
1 ripe organic banana
1/4 cup pureed organic pear. 

Place oatmeal, banana and pear purée in the work bowl of a food processor. Process mixture for 30 seconds, scrape bowl and process until desired consistency is reached. Breast milk, formula or water can be added for an even smoother texture. Makes about 12 1-ounce servings. Recipe adapted from Cuisinart.

Generally all baby food recipes freeze well. I'd skip the breastmilk or formula as those have the chance of getting a little funky pre-mixed with the food. Best to leave a bit thick + thin it out according to your baby + with each serving. While they freeze ok, mushy bananas also tend to discolor a bit. Adding a fresh banana to a thawed oat+pear cube would also work.

Frozen Organic Baby food is becoming increasingly popular + is available at the grocery store. While convenient + fun, it can be a bit on the pricey side, especially if you have one of those picky-spit it out or refuse it all sorts of babies. I am however, inspired by the food combinations + ideas. HappyBaby and Plum Organics are 2 of my favorites. I am also intrigued by Pomme Bebe.  

For general guidelines on what to feed baby + when, click here.  For general information on baby food preperation (like how to make pureed pears) visit this site.

The Boon bath toys are vibrant, playful + a welcomed change from all those other random bath toys that end up in the tub. The Boon set includes fifteen bath appliqués, three balls +  two mini-scrubbies, perfect for little hands. And even though these designer bath goods leave the tub looking stylin', they are not exempt from the bathtub-sludge. 

I was fixing Eliot a bath the other day, and noticed a tad-bit of slimeyness on the toys. Uh, gross.  I am not so into the chemical cleanser genre and find good ol fashion vinegar often does the job. According to vinegartips.com: "White distilled vinegar is a popular household cleanser, effective for killing most mold, bacteria, and germs, due to its level of  acidity. Cleaning with white distilled vinegar is a smart way to avoid using harsh chemicals. You’ll also be glad to know that it is environmentally friendly and very economical."

Perfect! You can of course clean the Boon bath toys in the tub or sink, but a bowl works as well.  Fill a large bowl (tub or sink) with water, add a big splash or 2 of white vinegar and of course the slimey bath toys. You can add some dish soap as well, but it's not necessary. When you remember to rescue the toys from their bath, give them a rinse + air dry. 

Meet the all around most basic + simple to use sling, the Hotslings. Hotslings are a pouch style sling designed to carry your tiny newborn and wiggly toddler. As a first time Mom, I originally became a sling convert out of desperation. Due to acid reflux as a newborn, my son would relentlessly cry unless he was held. 24/7 for almost the entire first year. Needless to say, Eliot + I had endless hours for major bonding. I'm thankful and the Hotsling quickly became the most used piece of baby gear. Ever. 

Available in 2 designer prints (shown above right, top + bottom and at left), natural organic (shown middle) and 2 solid colors (chocolate + black) and in 3 sizes. As with all pouch style slings, wearing the correct size is important  and size chart is shown on each product page. If you need help, don't hesitate to ask.

You know what Eliot says now? "I cry, momma hold me." Indeed.

Babies + bunnies. Organic style. Organic cotton is gaining popular especially for the pint-size crowd as conventionally grown cotton is one of the dirtiest, chemically-dependent crops. It's hard to imagine laying your newborn on a bed of pesticides,  insecticides, + formaldehyde, perhaps. Amenity has created a charming nursery collection + it's completely organic. The nostalgic woodlands designs are printed in a neutral + refreshing citrus palette of green, yellow + orange. And thankfully, the collection doesn't scream "nursery" so these bunnies (or deer + turtles) won't look out of place in the guest room in 10 years. 

Amenity uses 100% hemp/organic cotton + organic cotton percale fabrics,  eco-friendly pillow inserts (made of high-quality polyester fiber created from plastic bottles rescued from landfills) and crib bumper insert (filled with organic wool, renowned for its temperature-regulating qualities). All inks + dyes are all water-based and environmentally friendly. 

The Amenity Nursery collection is available in pillows, crib blankets + sets and wall art. The happy bunnies make me smile.

Made of reclaimed wood + salvaged bits, the EF wood rattles are a treat from nature. It's fun to discover something so simple yet so meaningful. Although it is a rattle and perhaps will receive more attention from a slobbering 6 month old, I still have our walnut rattle on the end table. Eliot still picks it up almost everyday, perhaps in attempts to throw or chase the dog with. We live in a time where 2 year olds say "I type on my email" that an injection of real wood + and the natural sound of lentils shaken inside a small piece of wood is refreshing. It's one step closer to rescuing your child from nature-deficit disorder. 

Handmade of solid wood, hollowed + filled with lentils or beans to make a beautiful sound. Available in walnut, myrtle or maple and measure roughly 5x2 inches. 

Making your own baby food is not time consuming, is actually quite fun + so simple, that once you have the basics down, recipes become inspiration. In addition to a pot + steaming basket, a few simple tools are needed:  a pureeing device (food mill, blender or food processor) and fresh baby food trays. Forget the icecube trays.

Fresh Baby's trays may look like icecube trays but oh, how they are not. They are made of FDA-approved food-safe plastic, #4 LDPE (Low Density Polyethylene) and #2 HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) + contain no PVC, Bisphenol-A, or Plasticizer. Not so sure you can say that about icecube trays?  And the fitted lids keep your baby food tasting like baby food in the freezer.

In addition to making 1 ounce single servings of homemade baby food goodness, you can also conveniently portion out your frozen breastmilk for the stash. This past summer I also had the bright idea to use the trays to make fresh organic raspberry popsicle-cubes; the perfect toddler portion. And yes, when you are all done with the baby food making times, you can use them as icecube trays.  

Graceful like a swan is the Svan Highchair. Sturdy construction, simple form. It tucks nicely in the corner of the living room when not in use while being small enough to have your child keep you company in the kitchen, with room to spare. I was actually quite surprised + then pleasantly pleased with how compact, yet efficient the Svan is. The tray is, well, not huge. The highchair itself does not stand very high. But I am sure all the Svan babies will give a shout out of thanks for being parked at the dinner table, with the family... at eye level, unhindered by a huge sea of plastic in front of them. 

It has been fun to see sustainability go beyond the forest + into our lives. Now seeing the svan highchair enthusiastically used as a 'big kid chair' by our 2 year old and not left for abandon in the garage has fully convinced me that good design is worth the investment. 

Available in 5 wood finishes (natural shown above) + 9 cushion colors. The Svan is also fully adjustable to fit your growing child (seat + leg height and tray depth). And by removing the tray kit, it simply transforms into a "big kid" youth chair. Image at left compliments of this blog.

The Frog Pod is the ultimate bathroom scoop-it-up + store-it-pretty solution to wrangle all the bath toys + soapy bits. Enter to win your very own Frog Pod by signing up for the fawn&forest newsletter. You have a whole month to enter but go ahead + take 12 seconds and click here. 

The fawn&forest newsletter will cheer you 2 times a month. No spam + no junk. Happy Monday! Contest ends March 18th, 2008.

The P-Sling is a ring style sling that provides mom + dad ultimate flexibility and urban-dapper. A ring style sling is made of one piece of fabric and is fully adjustable because of the ring. Being fully adjustable not only accommodates the various carrying positions of a growing child but also allows for both parents use of the sling. If you are up for sharing.

Fostering a close relationships between parent + baby  is the vision of PSNY for the P-Sling, viewing it as a communication tool to use with your baby before he even speaks. And with the quality + variety of fabric options + colors, the P-Sling is all about wearing your baby love in style.  Each sling is sewn by one craftsman from beginning to end in Japan. The method of sewing used assures an even distribution of the baby’s weight as the 'pouch' where the baby is held, is designed to snugly wrap the baby in fabric to prevent him from jumping or falling out. Yes!

Available in cotton, linen and a bamboo + linen combination in over 50 colorways. My pick? The bamboo + linen (pictured above left) in sea blue.

Being a first time mom you are not quite sure what you will need. Every other mom you know seems to have her own sturdy opinions of must-haves + do-withouts. So much information can become overwhelming in a flash. Most would agree, however, you will need some sort of contraption to carry that sweet baby of yours. 

The Moby Wrap, shown above, is a wrap-style carrier. It uses both shoulders + your back to carry the weight of your baby and is 1 continuous piece of 100% cotton fabric, 18 feet long. The Moby Wrap is quite versatile as you are able to carry your baby in 9 different holding positions, including nursing + carrying twins (at the same time!) and is suitable for preemies up to toddlers (or 35lbs.). Available in a variety of colors.  The lovely gal + her baby in the images above show the Moby Wrap in chocolate (via Flickr). 

We had a coffee table. With sharp corners. It was quite lovely. Until Eliot fell on the corner of it, got a big bloody cut to his right eyebrow. After we got home from the emergency room we hauled the coffee table into the garage.

Perhaps the same thing happened to designer Eric Pfeiffer and that is why he designed one the most functional, kid-friendly, intriguing + beautiful coffee tables?  Whatever the case may be, the Scando Coffee Table has gracefully filled the hole in the family room that the old coffee table left behind. The Scando is available in 4 finishes (walnut is shown above) and has a neat bent "u" shape at the end - a perfect race track-tunnel for the cars or for holding story books. There are no sharp corners or edges (!) and if you can prevent the kids from using it as a stage or bench, they can safely run circes around it.  

Hot Chocolate + Strawberry Cupcakes has Valentine's Day written all over it. Eliot + I made these Strawberry Cupcakes yesterday (and have already plowed through half of them!)... a Sprinkles recipe! And will be making the following hot chocolate recipe today, it's super. 

Hot Chocolate : 1/4 cup unsweetened organic cocoa powder, 1 quart organic milk, 1 cup organic semisweet chocolate chips, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract + a pinch of salt. | Put cocoa powder in saucepan. Stir in milk a bit at a time until cocoa liquefies; add remainder. Add chocolate chips; melt over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Bring to boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla and pinch of salt. Ladle into mugs; top with whipped cream or frothy milk . Serves 4. Based on a recipe from Martha . Hot chocolate image complimentary of this flickr gal.

The blog Design*Sponge is having a DIY contest which fawnandforest.com is co-sponsoring. Now is your time to roll up your sleeves + get a little crafty with a chance to win a portion of the $1500 in prize money that is up for grabs. Wouldn't it be fun to get the kids involved or be inspired by your baby-bundle? A little DIY something something for the nursery? Contest ends March 2nd, so you still have a couple more weeks to be a part of the action. 

Q: What is the difference between the Nurseryworks Sleepytime Rocker + the Storytime Rocker (shown aove left)?                

A: Besides the visual difference in design, the Sleepytime Rocker was designed to rock + lull the babies to sleep. It's a comfortable nursing chair as the arms are lower + the backrest is at a comofortable position. The Storytime Rocker, on the other hand, was designed for a parent + child to sit and read stories in. The arms are a bit higher and the seat is slightly deeper. Both rockers were designed to coordinate with the Perch Stool. The Sleepytime, Storytime + Perch are still on sale, though March 31st, though a handful of fabrics have already sold out.

Q: Is any bedding on sale?

A: Yes! Select crib + twin bedding is 25% off through the end of March. The 'pinwheel in pumpkin' crib set shown above is one of the sets on sale.

Q: Is Nurseryworks "green"?

A: In a nutshell, yes. Nurseryworks uses uses low-VOC finishes, lacquers, + glues, renewable materials such as Paulownia wood and when used, grade EO mdf (which is the safest grade available). In addition, the products are air-chamber tested to examine + eliminate toxic materials. The testing methods are intense and measure materials down to parts per billion. The first concern is that products are not emitting dangerous toxins. While the bedding is not organic, Nurseryworks uses formaldehyde-free dyes.

Q: Are these pieces 'sustainable' beyond the nursery? 

A: Yes. This is exactly the vision Nurseryworks was founded on. To provide clean, simple, and modern furnishings to create the ideal first environment, one that reinforces the nursery's relationship to the rest of the home decor. Rockers + bookcases can be moved around the house, a changer becomes a dresser, cribs become daybeds + even a desk! Sustainability relates also to the longevity of a piece in your home. Nurseryworks furnishings were designed for lasting family life. 

A bean filled felt heart for your sweety. What could be more charming? Gather a few simple supplies (one piece of felt, a large needle, embroidery style thread and some beans, lentils or rice) and you're set. This project is brilliantly simple + completely adaptable.  

Felt is a nice fabric to work with as it does not need to be hemmed + it does not fray. Layer the 2 equal size pieces of felt on top of one another. With free-hand scissor action, cut out a heart. A loppy one is fine, just be sure that the 2 hearts you cut are roughly the same size. I embroidered my son's first 2 initials "eq" to the top side of the heart. If you choose to embroider, do this now. For more information on embroidery + for simple stitches, visit DMC.

I think it's more charming to hand stitch the heart closed, but by all means, use a machine if you have one. Start by sewing the hearts together at the top "valley" point of the heart (about 1/4" in from the edge), stopping an inch before the ending point. Funnel in beans, lentils or rice. Best if you do not fill the heart too full, leaving room for some floppiness. Carefully finish stitching the heart closed, doubling up the stitches at the end so your beans don't fall out.

Making a bean filled heart need not be too fussy + would be a special project to do with the kids. 

Welcome to fawn&forest + the family.  Our belief  is that good design should be enjoyed by the entire family. It's something we all touch + are engaged by. Good design for all things is thoughtful, innovative, multi-fucntional, enviromentally minded + transends time. It doesn't go out of style + probably won't be seeing the goodwill donation station anytime soon. It's the stuff you want to live with, want your children to grow up playing with + sitting on. And really, good design is nothing fancy + is built for the battery of daily life. Like excess glitter + glue and reckless amounts of rocking.

The scando coffee table perfectly illustrates how good design should be enjoyed by the entire family. "by observing how children relate to the floor in their daily activities, designer Eric Pfeiffer created a table that engages children + accommodates their diverse activities, while addressing the needs of adults who want furniture that is elegant, expertly crafted and multi-functional." exactly. thoughtful + simple, the way it should be. And conveniently won't send your child to the emergency room with a head cut. More on the scando coffee table later this week.

You are always welcome to email me, Summer, anytime at summer@fawnandforest.com .

The new 2008 Bumbleride collection has made it's debut. The Indie + Indie Twin (new for '08), featured above, are two very sweet rides.

The biggest draw for an "urban style jog stroller" is maneuverability + the air in the tires. Air in the tires is essential for the smoothest of rides over any terraine.  The new additions to the color palette are amazing too: seagrass (green), spice (orange) +  the limited edition bwana (navy blue). Koa (chocolate) + ruby (red) have also carried over into the '08 collection. The colors alone are refreshing but it doesn't stop there. All the bells + whistles are included: carseat adapter, footmuff, cupholder and removable bumper bar. Plus a fully adjustable backrest and check it, the foot rest + handlebar height is adjustable too. 

You can even purchase an infant carseat cover for those who want their carseat to coordinate with their stroller to create your own version of a "travel system". I am due with baby no.2 in June + the Indie Twin in seagrass has my name on it.

It's always fun to start a project you can realistically finish. Motivation from the start!  I am not a fast knitter (or very talented at that) but with the simple "knit stitch", 1 ball of  medium weight yarn (i used a soft chocolate wool) size 7us needles + 2 hours I made my sweet son a cute + cozy scarf (or 'karf as eliot calls it).

The scarf  measures 3"wide by 26"long (I initially casted on 14 stitches and knitted until i ran out of yarn). The 'karf  is long enough to comfortably tie around eliot's neck without too much excess length. This seems to be good proportions for a toddler, but adjust according to the size of your child, amount of yarn + motivation. 1 ball of yarn was enough to give me that warm-fuzzy feeling of accomplishment  + provided an enjoyable evening curled up on the couch.

For more information on knitting + yarn, visit purlsoho.com.

The hold the one you love sale has begun here at growmodern! 15% off all slings + carriers thru the end of february. The go sling, featured above, is a no-fancy, no-frills, hold-you-tight version of a pouch style sling.

A pouch style sling does not have any rings, belts or buckles and is one piece of fabric sewn into a circular pouch. The puj go sling is unique as it is designed to hold your baby higher up + closer to your body in the 'hip hold'; for babies who can hold themselves up (roughly 6 months and older) and is small enough to store in your bag. 

Size + fit is important when choosing a pouch style sling as you will want it to "fit right" like a nice pair of jeans. The wrong size will result in the baggy draggies or so tight nobody is breathing correctly. The go sling is available in 5 fabric combinations + 5 sizes.