Braided Collar Nautical Dress

This week I needed a quick birthday gift idea for a little lady turning one this weekend, and of course I always feel like I have to make something.  So I started digging through my fabric and to be recycled clothes stash until I found a an blue and white striped shirt I had thrifted a few months ago.  I had bought it thinking I might wear it myself ( I have a thing for stripes), but it was unfortunately too short.  I always have that problem.  I often wonder if I may one of those rare people with an extra vertebra that makes my torso sooo much longer than everyone else.

Anyhoo, I decided I would try to do something with that top, and try to give it a nautical feel since the birthday girl and her parents are going on a cruise soon.  I had found a great fabric.  Now I needed a great design.   I ransacked my pattern stash and found nothing that fit the occasion, or the time I had to spend on this project.  So where did I turn for my inspiration?  Pinterest, of course!  I searched a few different ideas until I came across this dress tutorial by make it and love it.
 

 
 Cute, right?  The really great part is that I didn't even need a pattern.  I just cut the shape I wanted, added a few pockets and some little gold anchor buttons and voila!

A quick, easy, yet handmade birthday present!  Hope she loves it.  Miss K thought it was for her and wanted to keep it.  I guess I will have to hit up the thrift store again!

miss K's owl backpack

I get really tired of carrying so many bags around, so I decided to make little miss K here own little backpack to carry her sippy cup and some entertainment when we are out and about.  She loves carrying her own little bag.  Mostly, she loves reaching in and pulling out whatever she finds in there.  Her very own bag of surprises.

I made it out of a pair of thrifted brown pants and of scraps of felt I had laying around.