New Inventory

Petit Lambie has grown so much this winter. I opened shop in 2010, and after one year I had only made two sales. When we moved out of our condo and into my in-law's, I didn't think twice about packing away my supplies and inventory. I didn't expect that I would need them. Then, suddenly, I had four orders in one week. FOUR! My business had doubled in one week, and I scrambled to obtain the supplies and materials necessary to create the items ordered, make them, and get them shipped in a timely manner. The next week brought more orders, and the next more and more. I am happy to have been wrong on this occasion and am grateful that my newsboy hat was liked by so many.

Petit Lambie is profitable enough that it funds itself now. Husband is especially grateful for that! And it has also done well enough for me to expand. I am happy and excited to experiment with new ideas and offer new products.

Here are some of the first new things I've added to my shop.

Basic Crocheted Beanies for Newborns

When I opened Petit Lambie, I was creating hats to be used exclusively for newborn photo shoots. However,  my popular newsboy hat was being ordered by mothers wanting their sons of all sizes to wear them for stylish warmth in the winter. So, I have decided to make photo props and hats essential for every newborn layette. Crocheted beanies. Simple. Stylish. Cute!

Basic Beanie in Sky Blue

Basic Beanie in Pink

Check out my Etsy shop for more colors & information. 

DIY Eye Makeup Removal {A Pinterest Project}

Once upon a time, as I was perusing Pinterest, I came across the idea to make my own eye makeup remover.

kristanlynn.com

Someone had found a recipe for eye makeup remover here in blogland and shared it on Pinterest. (My cousin's friend also has a recipe for eye makeup remover. Visit her blog,  A Lighter Journey, for her recipe and many money saving ideas!) What a good idea! I usually avoid washing my face before bedtime because my mascara and eyeliner get smudged all over the place and I find it in my pores the next morning. (gasp! I know. Some people say that a woman ages seven years for every night she doesn't wash her face. I don't believe those people -gasp again! I know. But if it were true, I'd look like I was 100 years old....and I don't think I look like I'm quite that old yet) Nevertheless, no matter how I try to avoid it, I always end up washing my face at night. I get into bed and get all snuggled up and then...dun dun dun...my eyes begin itching. The only way to make the itching go away is to get out of bed (and get cold again) and wash my face.

It hasn't always been this way. I used to purchase Clinique's Take the Day Off Makeup Remover, but have avoided the price of it lately. And so, I've been in the conundrum of black pores vs itchy eyes for quite a stretch. I decided that making my own eye makeup remover would be the solution.

Until I thought of a different problem.

Cotton balls. Those little white balls of fluff shed and the fibers get in my eyes. I don't like using cotton balls. What else should you use with eye makeup remover?

These!

Alli Crafts is a crochet blog with lots of useful free patterns. These are Alli's eye makeup remover pads.  These are my answer to cotton balls. I modified the pattern to reflect my own personal preferences and tastes (I really dislike the look of the double crochet stitch in anything) and made some of my own. I also used Kristin's formula for home made eye makeup remover. And now I can wash my face at night. No itching eyes. No straggly strands of cotton balls stuck in my eyes. No black pores. (and no looking seven years older every morning...if you believe in that sort of thing)
YAY!! I can get in bed, snuggle down in my covers and not have to get out and get cold anymore.....or at least for a few hours until my alarm clock wakes me up.

Here is my own eyemakeup battle remover kit

These little eye makeup remover pads work really well. I find that when they are made out of cotton yarn, they are soft and not at all abrasive to my skin. They also wash well, so my mascara doesn't stain them. I just throw them in my washing mahine with my towels. So far, so good.

I made a bunch of them (more than pictured here) because I....want to do laundry more often.

I also made coordinating washcloths. I think the pattern is really pretty and modern. Pretty, modern, and functional.

So, thank you, fellow Pinner, for putting this miracle answer to my every night problem on Pinterest. I am so glad you did!

More Petit Lambie Love

I sometimes get requests to make items that are not for sale in my shop. Like this cute little bear hat.

This is the second time I've been requested by a photographer to make a bear hat for a photoprop. And I haven't made any to sell in my Etsy shop. Silly the moi. I think I should get the hint. Bear hats coming soon to Petit Lambie!

Appreciation Photos

A customer ordered a custom newsboy hat in light blue & wanted to share a picture from the photo shoot she ordered it for. How sweet!! Thanks for sharing!

Texture {Crochet Beanie for Baby Girls}

I learned how to crochet about ten years ago & for the last ten years have enjoyed making stuff for my family & my Etsy shop. Only, I've been doing the same stitches over and over again. Ten years is a long time to be doing the same boring old thing. So I decided to take my crochet skills to the next level. I found an adorable pattern for a textured baby girl hat at Injenuity and decided to give it a go. It was so easy and fun to create something great with a new little stitch trick! Here are the results:

In Pink! Size 3-6 months. Available to purchase at PetitLambie.etsy.com

And in white with a cute button center flower!

Fall Stripes

Sometimes I can't sleep. Trying to figure out how to reorganize everything, thinking about where all of these random bits of stuff and junk we have should go, wondering about what would be the best fit keeps my brain buzzing at night. The other night, my mind was playing this mental Tetris game - Olympian style, and I was up all night. So, to take my mind off organizing, I decided to crochet while watching some show I had never heard of on Netflix. This is the creation that came out of my insomnia.

I like it! In my stash o'yarn I had this orange color. I am not usually a big fan of orange. I can handle it in small doses. I think the brown and the ecru really help mute the orange a little bit and make it not overwhelming. I think it looks just right for fall.

The Cutest Little Things

I finally learned how to crochet some cute little booties! These are baby Mary Janes. I think they are adorable with the little button at the end of the strap.

They are also the first pair I ever made. I wanted to document how well this experiment turned out for me. Usually my first attempts are pretty miserable. Like my first attempt at steaming an artichoke. I set the stove on fire. The second time I tried to steam an artichoke, I melted the pot on the stove. I haven't tried that experiment again. But I did make some more booties in a more girly color. Mary Janes are more of a girl shoe. And pink is a more girly color than brown. These came out even better than the first pair.

Love them! I think these little things are possibly the cutest thing I have ever crocheted.  

Newsboy Hat - Girlified!

Crocheted newsboy hats are so cute! I used this one I made during a photoshoot of my friend's adorable new baby boy.

And then I thought that my nieces might want one to keep them cozy during the fall and winter season. So I girlified the newsboy hat.

Isn't that flower so much fun? I love how gigantic it is! I wish my little nieces were closer - I can't wait to see it on them.

Part of me thinks that maybe I want one to keep warm during the crazy cold weather we get here. Remember those flower ear warmer things from last year? I did make a few, but the top of my head got cold. I would love a flowered beanie to stay cozy during the bitter cold of Utah. I just might make myself one.