Tiny Sparrow Foundation

Last Saturday was my birthday (36!), this Saturday is Ruby’s birthday (4!), and tomorrow is a special fundraising event - all the way down in Texas! - for a special organization. The Tiny Sparrow Foundation recruits and trains professional photographers across the the world to offer free portrait sittings and prints to families whose children are living with cancer.



I receive requests for giveaways and donations all the time. Like, all the time. Usually they are from lovely people and for lovely causes, and sincerely wish that I had the resources to donate to them all. The work of the Tiny Sparrow Foundation spoke to me. My aunt lost her baby to a brain tumor when I was 6 months old. My friend lost her baby to heart failure when Ruby was 4 months old. In my teen years two young friends died – one of leukemia, the other of heart disease. The loss and pain and grief is immeasurable, yet my friends and the families that Tiny Sparrow work with inspire hope and strength and grace in all of us. With gratitude for my family’s strong health and my life’s rich blessings, it was a delight to send a package of Dress Me Up gifts for the Tiny Sparrow Foundation’s Silent Auction.

If you happen to find yourself in McKinney, Texas tomorrow night, be sure to attend "Pictures of Hope Fashion Event" at True Rumors, beginning at 7:00 pm. You can also donate to the foundation following the Donate Now button on their site.

10% Off @ Dress Me Up.ca

Tomorrow is my birthday! And to celebrate we're offering 10% off all sales on DressMeUp.ca. Enter the code TB10 at check out and your order will be automatically discounted 10% before taxes (if applicable). Combined with our already fantastically low shipping rate, our birthday sale makes tomorrow a day to celebrate, indeed. Woot Woot!

xo Tressa

New Eyes

Ruby has started taking pictures with my digital camera. I'm always, always surprised at what she wants to capture - like this, my computer screen. But I love it, these new perspectives of my everyday world. And I love those little hands - Ruby's! - modeling something new for Dress Me Up. (And no, I'm not potting too. This is a collaboration with local Victoria BC potter, Mary, that I am sooooooo excited about. Details coming soon!)

Oh, my! Yes Indeed!

Our giveaway is up on Oh My! Handmade Goodness ! The contest closes at midnight on Tues Sept 22. Click on over and leave a comment on the OMHG site to enter ... And to pick up our 10% discount code, good on DressMeUp.ca until my birthday, September 25th!



Good luck, and happy shopping!

Green Tomatoes & Studio

It's raining here. A LOT. I think autumn as officially come, which I think means the green tomatoes still on our vines aren't going to ripen. Does anyone have any tips on what to do with them now ... ?



I took a couple of photos of my studio last week for the Oh My! Handmade Goodness interview - carefully snapped shots as my space was so full. Lissa was a super woman with the scissors and rotary cutter for 2 weeks straight. (Before she left me for New York City. I am living vicariously through her all this fall. She gets to spend time with this designer. Exciting!) The piles are deep and inviting - so much work to do.



The baby is asleep. I should take advantage of the quiet and get sewing. See you at the Market tomorrow - rain or shine.

xo

Mama Made

Jessika over at Oh my! Handmade Goodness recently interviewed me, and the piece is now on her site ready for your reading pleasure. I hope you enjoy it! Be sure to head back to Oh my! Handmade Goodness next week - I'll be offering a giveaway for OMHG readers on Sept 19th. Exciting!

Saturday is Market Day

It's a gorgeous morning in Victoria. Our van is packed. The baby is being changed as I type (I have the best partner, ever). The three-almost-four year old is ANXIOUSLY awaiting our departure (she has a really EXCITING play date while Ma and Pa sell at the Market today).



One of the sweet new Winter Bonnets for sale today! Thanks for coming to see us and supporting us with your business! xo xo

Pee first, then brush teeth.

Serious whinging has hit our household, particularly at bedtime - and it isn't just from the almost-four year old. We made a Bedtime Jobs chart to make bedtime easier for us all. What I didn't anticipate was the element of absolute delight it brought to bedtime as well.



We sat down with art supplies at the ready, and I asked Ruby what needs to happen before bedtime. She listed off each job - and in order, no less - with not a pause for consideration (and this is a direct quote): Have a bath, put on pjs, brush teeth, have a pee, say goodnight to the stars and the sky, read a story, go to sleep. She nailed it. We decided to add 'tidy up' to the beginning of the routine, as that's the last thing we do before we really dive into getting ready for bed. Jobs listed, we were ready to make art.



I drew a simple line drawing for each job with a black marker - all on one piece of paper to make colouring easier for Ruby. Ruby tackled the sheet with markers, pencil crayons and dabbers. I cut out each drawing, and connected two coloured pieces of paper together as the backing chart for the images. On the left, "Ruby's Bedtime Jobs" and the right, "Finished ... Time for Bed ...". After a short struggle with sticky back velcro tabs we had the pictures set, stuck and ready for action. I hastily taped the chart to the bathroom door just as Ruby and Nathaniel finished the first job - Tidy Up.



Bedtime was fun last night, if not slightly manical as Ruby moved pictures from one side of the chart to the other, and then back again ("Oh. Oh! Pee first, then brush teeth!"). And there was nary a whinge.

Water and Mandala Blessing Way

My littlest is 12 weeks old this week. I'm stunned at how quickly time has passed. The season is already turning, summer to fall, and little June grows and grows. Spring - and my pregnancy - seems soooooo long ago.

In May, my sister and I gathered five of my close mama-friends - each mother to two children - to celebrate my own pending 'mama-to-two-ness'. We traveled to the Kingfisher Resort and walked the hydropath, then picniced at Rathtrevor Beach and drew a communal mandala - a symbol for me to use in labour, blessings for labour and delivery, focusing me and reminding me of the circle of women supporting me. Here's some pictures from that beautiful day.


En route, gorgeous Mamas!


Ah! Waiting for our turn in the hydropath.


Potluck beach feast.


Mandala drawing.


Piecing the mandala together.


Circle of love and power, strength and focus. I love these hands and all that they, all who they, hold.

PS. Market Day

We'll be at the Moss Street Market tomorrow, in our usual spot across from the Music Tent. Come see us, and my new creations!

Fall Creations

I'm beginning to build my inventory for the upcoming autumn and christmas season, and thankfully Lissa has returned to me from her summer in Naramata to help me with snip snip snipping! This is some of today's work ... a tall pile of Winter Bonnet pieces, and three short piles for three delightful products: a woolie take on the Rabbit Rattle (a 'winter wabbit', if you will), my new Double Cream Blankets and the ever-popular Vintage Stockings. Mmmm, cozy!

Oak Bay Night Market

I love the long, low light that shines bright just before dusk. This is me and my girls at the Oak Bay Night Market two weeks (or so...) ago. It was an impromptu decision to attend that night as vendors, and I'm glad we did! We met a number of new folks and reconnected with old friends - namely Cindy and Neil of Timeless Toys in Oak Bay Village. I'm excited for their new location, right on Oak Bay Avenue!