New to me...

A few months ago I decided to make a bold promise to myself...from the time Ella turned one to sometime in the future (at least a year), I am going to dress my daughter only in clothes that are:

- handmade

- vintage

- second hand or hand-me-down

- a gift

There are so many darling clothes on the market, especially for little girls, but I feel it's important to support individual artisans and give old duds new life.  Before Ella was born, we received a box of perhaps the nicest hand-me-downs from friends with amazing taste (and generosity!)  

One of our favorites out of the lot are a pair of little red shoes.  When Ella learned to walk (at 10.5 months - eep!) she went barefoot around the house.  But as the weather grew colder and she mastered her steps, it became clear we needed some footwear.  I must have tried at least 5 different pairs of shoes!  Soft soles, hard soles, slip-ons, maryjanes...nothing worked as poor Ella tripped and fell all over the place!  Finally we tried this pair (which, I admit, I liked because of the color - the idea of lace-up shoes with a baby just seemed silly!)  They worked.  She was off and walking like a pro and we haven't gone back!

Another current favorite in Ella's small vintage collection is this little yellow number.  I found it in a thrift store in New Hampshire with great baby clothes that all smelled like they had been dunked in a bath of bad perfume (ick!)  It zips up the back, all the way to the tip of the hood, which makes putting it on a wiggly kiddo that much easier!!  I love the little house details and the pom-pom pulls on the front are a built-in toy in our book.  

I have a few ideas for some Christmas duds from Etsy (more on this later!)  I'm excited to see what all we will be able to come up with this year dressing in new-to-me gear and handmade pretties.  More peeks to come, I promise!!