2010 August | Lil Blue Boo

First Day of School = Productive Day

August 31, 2010 By Ashley Hackshaw 75 Comments

Today was Boo’s first day back at school! Of all the beautiful clothing I’ve made her…she picked her Pinto halter dress from last year that she’s pretty much grown out of and a pair of cropped white pants. I cleaned her Unicorn Crocs to shiny new appearance (magic erasers are great for this), packed a nutritious lunch and we were set to go!

The first thing I did after dropping her off? I hit all my favorite thrift stores!

I had spent the weekend silk screening some NEW Lil Blue Boo signature knit…..

….and today I used it for the sleeves of this cute dress:

My new backdrop for clothing photos……look familiar?

Oh, and I made Boo’s doll Li’l Sally a new Cinderella-inspired princess dress:

Boo loved every second of school today….I missed my little sidekick though.

Filed Under: AppleTreeHouse Doll, Children's Clothes, LBB Clothing, Life, Thrifting, Upcycled, Waldorf Doll

"Ware" & Sneak Peeks!

August 28, 2010 By Ashley Hackshaw 8 Comments

Yesterday was Boo’s school open house! I actually was able to get her out of her new wardrobe of “just underwear like Daddy” (disclaimer: Mr. Lil Blue Boo DOES wear more than just underwear during the day) and into a dress. She wouldn’t let me brush her hair but I pick my battles carefully…..and, well, brushing our hair just wasn’t important yesterday. She was SO excited to meet her new teacher! I can’t wait to have some free time to get more projects done!

I did get a bunch of things made last week….here is how the “China Doll” dresses turned out:

I found a small amount of the bottom blue and white lycra knit and made as many as I could. It caught my eye as soon as I saw it on my last fabric hunt. I collect blue and white porcelain…only because I want to be like Martha Stewart and collect some type of “ware.” Most of it’s from my wedding registry….so I haven’t gotten very far in my collection!

Since I’m a studio pack rat….I even keep the broken ones for a “some day” project:

Some of my favorite upcycled dresses of the week:

My friend Lisa (from Ellebows) sent me this adorable photo of her daughter Elle wearing the Lil “Bleu” Boo set I made recently. Elle was born to wear a beret:

Coming this week? Lil Blue Boo Shoes…..complete with Lil Blue Boo screen prints! Eeeep! So excited about these!

A sneak peek of a beautiful photo shoot by Misty Smith and her daughter Keeley for Lil Blue Boo Clothing. I just love it. Misty is super talented and I love her photography style! Stay tuned for the rest of the photos! Only a few of these horse dresses left in the shop!

Hope you are having a great weekend!

Filed Under: Children's Clothes, Collecting, LBB Shoes, Photography, Recycled, Saturday LBB Gallery, Sewing, Things I've Made, Toys and Accessories, Upcycled

Paper Doll Silk Screens!

August 26, 2010 By Ashley Hackshaw 1 Comment

Inspired by my Paper Doll Dress pattern……

….I silk screened some paper doll cutouts for some dresses! The “Rock, Paper, Scissors” dresses were available today:

And the “China Doll” dresses will be available sometime tomorrow morning:

I’ve been collecting some beautiful silky, swingy knits for the bottom of these dress/tunics….so that they are ultra-twirly! It almost hurts to cut into them

Filed Under: Children's Clothes, LBB Clothing, Printing/Stenciling, Sewing, Sewing Patterns, The Paper Doll Dress, Things I've Made

Li’l Miss Mei (with Download)

August 25, 2010 By Ashley Hackshaw 8 Comments

I made a new little nesting doll graphic for some doll dresses…..introducing Li’l Mei (modeled by Li’l Sally, Boo’s Apple Tree House Waldorf-style doll):

You can use my pirate matryoshka tutorial (with download as well) to learn how to transfer image to doll clothes, t-shirts, hoodies, sweatpants etc. Feel free to use the graphic for your own creations….just remember that it is for personal use only! Can’t wait to see what you come up with! (Click the link below if you have trouble viewing the graphic)

Pair Li’l Mei with some cherry blossom fabric and you’ve got an adorable combo!

Filed Under: doll clothes, Downloads, Printing/Stenciling, Things I've Made, Transfers, Waldorf Doll

Fearless Creativity

August 24, 2010 By Ashley Hackshaw 12 Comments

My sister reminded me of something the other day…..that we used to have an “crafts” room in our house growing up. It was a designated room where my mother kept her sewing machine and all the other projects she was working on. It was overflowing with silk flowers, fabric, thread, craft paints etc……and none of it was ever off limits. We were allowed to go through any of my mother’s things and use whatever we wanted…..it made us fearless when it came to creating.

Growing up my mother was always making drapes, comforters, pillows, and flower arrangements for our house. I can picture her repainting the kitchen cabinets, weeding 2 acres of landscaping by herself, and sewing clothes for us. She was super woman….and I wanted to be just like her:

She would illustrate everything from handwritten notes and cards to my baby book with little characters. She still to this day sends letters and cards with little cartoons drawn inside them. She draws little cartoon stories with Boo when she comes to visit.

I wasn’t always thrilled about clothing items she made me (that’s me in the center, my sister is on the left, my brother is pretending to be a robot…eek)…but I can appreciate the handmade love put into them.

So maybe my love of “making things” began with my mother….but I like to think it runs deeper in the genes….generations of people driven to create something. My father built companies, my mother built a loving household…..and they both encouraged my sister, brother and I to be fearless and try everything. I like to think I’ve taken the same approach with Boo. My only disappointment is that Boo was born after my grandparents passed away…..but at least I have the stories and photos to pass on to her (click the photos for the posts):

Who has influenced your creativity?

Filed Under: Life

Tie Dyed Elastic Accessories (A Tutorial)

August 22, 2010 By Ashley Hackshaw 40 Comments

On our road trip this summer I found some hair accessories in a store that were tie dyed…but they were so expensive I was determined to make a bunch of them myself!

The perfect ponytail holder:

Foldover (FOE) elastic is perfect for accessories because it is extremely strong, it has high elasticity and you can dye it! The biggest plus? It doesn’t get tangled in hair easily…and with Boo’s crazy hair we love “friendly” elastic. It’s also nice that foldover elastic costs about 30 to 50 cents a yard.

First, I took the elastic:

Then I folded the elastic several times and placed rubber bands tightly around it in several places:

I mixed up a small amount of pink and purple fabric dye in two squirt bottles….

…and applied the dye directly to the elastic:

I place the tie dyed elastic in a ziplock overnight for the dye to set in. To dye a few pieces just one color I just added dye directly to the baggies (the left and center baggies):

The next morning I took the elastic out of the baggies and rinsed the excess dye out.

I added a small amount of dye fixative to a bucket of cool water……

…..and let the elastic sit for about 10 minutes just to ensure I wouldn’t have any dye bleed later on.

Finally, I set the elastic pieces out in the sun to dry:

To make the accessories, I just looped a piece of elastic, then tied a tight knot at the end and then clipped off the satin elastic at a decorative angle just below the knot:

I used a tiny amount of fray block to keep the ends of the elastic from fraying over time:

We use these satin elastic bands for so many things….Boo has her own preferences:

I use them for my hair but also to keep my journals and address book closed:

A pretty way to keep some like items together:

My favorite idea? Make a bag of several sizes and colors for a handmade gift…or better yet a bunch of bags for party favors or stocking stuffers!

Note: This tutorial is only recommended for accessories. Many types of elastic will not hold dye due to their fiber content. The foldover/satin elastic typically has enough natural fiber in it to react to dye.

Filed Under: Dyeing and Tie Dyeing, Embellishing, Gifts, Kids Projects, Things I've Made, Toys and Accessories, Tutorial Tagged With: accessories, elastic, Elastic Hair Bands, foldover elastic, gift, hair, tie dye, tutorial

Saturday LBB Gallery Share – Fall Fabrics

August 21, 2010 By Ashley Hackshaw 3 Comments

I took a day trip to L.A. last week to pick up some fall fabrics…so inspired by all these prints…..now I just need more time to sew:

The second I got home from the long drive I knew exactly what I wanted to make first. A 3/4-sleeve fall tunic inspired by Alexander McQueen’s butterfly dresses (after watching some Rachel Zoe this week):

And a mix-matched “Mint Monet” asymmetric dress:

Of course I picked up a few random finds in L.A……some wool yarn for a new custom doll by AppleTreeHouse:

Lots of buttons……no plans for them yet….they just looked so pretty. I’ve already admitted that I have a fabric/craft shopping disorder:

I just finished and listed these limited edition fall “Calico Pony” silk screened dresses. There are just a few random sizes left in the shop right now:

Some new fan photos!

I just LOVE this one of the new Lil “Bleu” Boo collection pieces. How cute is Miss Sydney in her beret and glasses! There are just a few smaller sizes left of this:

Photo courtesy of Amie Caliri

I’m 100% positive that Harrison is already some breaking hearts……he’s so adorable in his corduroy blazer and a Lil Blue Boo upcycled hat! I’m not even going to show Boo this photo….she’ll have her first crush!

Photo courtesy of Mande Burckart

Filed Under: LBB Clothing, Recycled, Saturday LBB Gallery, Things I've Made, Upcycled

Lil Blue Boo / Dharma Trading Great Ugly Knit Upcycle – The Gallery!

August 20, 2010 By Ashley Hackshaw 8 Comments

Lil Blue Boo, Dharma Trading and the distinguished judging panel (Amy, Ashley, Kari, and Rachel) have been waiting in great anticipation for the ugly knit entries! Before the judging starts I want to leave the gallery up for a few days just to make sure I didn’t leave anyone out or mix up any entries!

Click the collage below to view the entire gallery:

The judges have a hard job now to narrow the field down to ten entries! These are some amazingly creative entries! Thanks to everyone who participated…I know you all have been waiting in anticipation as well. The slideshow below is just a snapshot of the fantastic entries:

Judging will start next week to narrow all the entries down to just TEN finalists for the final week of voting!

To read the initial challenge and to refresh your memory on the fabulous prizes click below:

Note: If you are competitor and you think I’ve left out something or labeled something incorrectly please email me and I’ll get it fixed right away!

Filed Under: The Lil Blue Boo Dharma Trading Great Ugly Knit Upcycle, Upcycled

Available Tonight: Lil "Bleu" Boo

August 17, 2010 By Ashley Hackshaw 5 Comments

This limited edition Lil “Bleu” Boo set will be available in my Big Cartel shop at 7pmPST/10pmEST tonight! Stephanie Corfee‘s rendition of a little French “Boo” is silk screened on the front of the shirt and the skirt is made from a beautiful turquoise linen and lace combo that Lisa and I found on one of our shopping trips.

This was a limited edition set for Lil “Bleu” Boo that I uploaded last week….complete with a navy hat. I love the red, white and blue striped knit…..so yummy.

More to come next week! Stay tuned!

Filed Under: big cartel, Children's Clothes, LBB Clothing, Things I've Made

Painting in Progress

August 16, 2010 By Ashley Hackshaw 11 Comments

The artist is hard at work this morning…..various stages of her painting. She’s mixed paints with aqua crayons for the effect:

Update: 4 hours later….she’s still at it. Channeling Pollock again and painting on the floor. I’ve entrusted her with a gallon of gesso in the true spirit of artistic freedom.