I'm getting ready for the 4th of July at MeshedDesigns in Buffalo, MN!!!

This ruffle necked top with matching diaper cover will make sure your baby is all set to celebrate our nation's birthday! The neck has elastic at the top so that it is easy to get on and off. The top goes down to the diaper but isn't quite as long as a dress. Sizes 6mo, 12mo, and 18mo. $25 plus shipping. TEJACrafts @ hotmail.com

Spring/Summer Dreses

I have been making sundresses for my own little girls for many years now. I have been very traditional with their dresses; down to the knee, modest bodices, and single (but cute) colors or prints. I made several to sell over the past year or two. This spring, I have redone my dresses. I am using new patterns (thanks to Whimsy Couture as well as Create Kids Couture) as well as going out of my comfort zone for materials. I have even resorted to bringing Ms. E and Ms. J with me to pick material! I went to a fabric remnant sale and my girls quickly found lots of bold printed cotton material. Then, I ordered a lot of material online; bright prints, bold flowers, as well as colors I wouldn't normally use. I came up with dresses for babies on up to size 5T.

Baby Sundresses with Diaper covers (sz 3mo, 6mo, 12mo, 18mo)

All these baby sundresses have the straps crossing in the back and they button down on the back of the dress.

Peasant Dresses sz 2T-5T

These peasant dresses come down to the top of the knee. They have elastic at the neckline and at the bottom of the sleeves. The sash on the front continues onto the back where you can tie it up to make the dress more form fitted. These dresses have a lot of twirl-factor to them! Ms. E and Ms. J give their stamp of approval on these dresses as they insisted on me making dresses for them!

Pillow Case Dresses

These pillow case dresses come to the knee. The neckline holds the casing for the bow ribbon which ties over the shoulder.

Halter Top Pillow Case Dresses

All of my halter pillowcase dresses have been made in zebra or giraffe prints. More will be made in the future! The straps tie around the back of the neck. The back of the dress has elastic for a more form fit.

All of my dresses are one of a kind! Once these are gone, they are gone! I can custom make a dress just for you if you have a certain print in mind. Prices range from $25 (for pillowcase dresses) up to $45 (for peasant dresses).

TEJACrafts @ Hotmail.com

Simple Car Play Mats and Storage

What little boy doesn't like their toy cars? They like to haul them everywhere! Yes, I know, because I have an 11 year old boy and an almost 2 year old boy. Granted, my Mr. T has passed the toy car stage but when he was little, he accumulated a great mass of those fun Hotwheels! Now, my Mr. A is enjoying all his big brother's cars.

This little play mat is a perfect way to bring along a few of the toy cars. Visiting relatives or going on a playdate...bring along some cars and they won't get lost along the way. This mat measures 16"x10" when opened up. The mat is made of heavy material. There is a coordinating cotton material along the bottom of the mat and for the binding of it. The material along the bottom has been divided into 5 sections that are the perfect size for the Hotwheels or Matchbox sized cars.

Along the top of the mat, I have sewn on a grey 'road' complete with yellow dividing lines. The road will get your child's imagination started!

When play is finished, place the cars in the slots, fold down the top of the mat, fold the mat into thirds and then wrap the tie strap around. The strap velcros onto itself so your young child doesn't have to keep asking you to tie it up; he can do it himself!

Diaper Changing Mats

Another nice, bright pile of flannel material! Actually they are all new TEJA Kids creations! I had gotten a request from MeshedDesigns (in Buffalo, MN) to create some diaper changing mats. And here is what I came up with.

These circular mats are approximately 27" across. The backside and the outer top ring are made of the same fun printed flannel. The middle layer (what you see in the center of the ring) is a coordinating solid or marbled flannel.

I have stitched two lines of stitching at 1/3 and 2/3's across the circle. This creates smaller 'pockets' in the ring. They are the perfect size for storing a few diapers and a travel wipes box.

After having 4 kids and numerous daycare babies, I have learned that you need to keep a baby occupied when changing them! I have added on two toy straps to the mat. Simply attach a little toy to the strap (the strap velcros onto itself) and baby can play while you are changing him!

Then it all folds up to a 10"x10" square. There is a ribbon at one edge that you can wrap around the changing mat to tie it closed. The mat then will fit into your diaper bag. Or you can just toss it into the stroller or car to take with on trips.

This mat can also be used as a little play mat. Turn it over and baby can lay or roll over on the colorful flannel. It is perfect for when you go visiting friends and you don't want your baby laying on dirty carpet!

Food Allergies Post

It seems like these days you hear a lot about kids with all sorts of food allergies. To me, it seemed like there seems to be a lot more heard about it now vs when I was younger. You had heard of a peanut allergy or a milk allergy growing up. But now, it seems like someone is allergic to something and allergens cause so many other problems! Well, my family has been added to that boat of multiple allergies.

It all started when my oldest son (Mr. T) was a baby. He tested positive for a milk protein allergy. No big deal; I just had to take out all forms of milk from his diet (milk, whey, milk powder, casein, sodium caseinate). It took a little time to get used to it but with just one kid, it wasn't that big of a deal. Mr. T slowly outgrew his milk intolerance so that by the time he was in 1st grade, we didn't have to monitor his dairy intake.

My twins Ms. E and Ms. J wanted to follow in their big brother's footsteps. We didn't even have them tested for a milk protein allergy since they presented with the same symptoms that Mr. T did (excessive spit up as well as blow out diapers). Took them off of all milk products and they, too, were much better. By Kindergarden, they outgrew this allergy.

Mr. A is our latest addition. He decided to join in the bandwagon with symptoms but then he also didn't want to be outdone. Milk was taken out of his diet and he seemed just a tiny bit better. When he was a year old, we were tired of still dealing with constant diaper blowouts so he had multiple tests to figure what else might be his problem. Negative results for milk allergy, rice, and gluten. We were stumped. We took gluten out of his diet anyways just incase it was an intolerance. So with milk and dairy out of his system, he was occasionally better but certainly wasn't normal. At the age of 21 months, we think we now have answers! He has a mild allergy to egg plus Carbohydrate Malabsorbsion Deficiancy (basicly can't digest certain sugars especially many fruits). I learned that some of the items that one should take out of your diet when you have CMD is gluten and lactose. That was why he was just a bit better when those were removed when he was younger!

Now I am at the point where I have to figure out a good balanced diet for my fruit and veggie loving baby; one that is high in fats and proteins. But how does one do that when their baby can't easily eat meat (lack of teeth!), is very picky, and you can't reason with them? I was constantly thinking of a food and then searching on a list I had recieved to see if the food was good for him or not. Then, of course, when I wanted to offer a different variety of foods, I couldn't think of any good ones off the top of my head. So...I took some time to create a list of my own. I created it with my other older children in mind also. I color coded each group of foods into a Good (green), Bad (red), and Ok (yellow) system. Then, if my older children want to help me out by grabbing a snack for Mr. A, they can just easily read the colors of food that are good for him!

Below, you will find the list I came up with. My own document is prettier as I've added the colors and put the foods in colums so it didn't take a lot of space. I'm sure this list isn't complete and I'm also sure that some foods should be in certain catagories for different people. Also, my son can't eat some of the 'ok' foods due to his complete diet of being Gluten free, dairy free, egg free, and mostly fruit free. But many of those items I'm hoping he will be able to tolerate in moderate amounts in time.

Now, I need to start implimenting this diet so I can (hopefully) see some positive results!

Yes
Aspartame
Bamboo shoots
Bananas
Blackberries
Blueberry
Bok choy
Boysenberry
Butternut squash
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery
Corn
Cranberry
Cucumber
Eggs
Eggplant
Equal
Fats; all
Glucose
Gluten free products
Grapefruit
Green beans
Green peppers
Hard cheese
Honeydew
Kiwi
Leafy greens
Lemons
Limes
Mandarin orange
Maple Syrup
Meats; all
Melons
Nutrasweet
Oranges
Papaya
Parsnip
Passionfruit
Pineapple
Pumpkin
Raspberries
Rhubarb
Root vegetables
Saccharin
Sherbet tolerated fruit
Sorbet (w/tolerated fruits)
Spinach
Strawberries
Sucrose
Sugar
Sweet n Low
Sweet potatoes
Table Sugar
Tangelos
Tea
White potatoes
Yogurt




No
Apples (sugar content)
Apple cider
Apple juice
Applesauce
Apricots (high sugar content)
Artichokes
Asparagus
Baked Beans
Beans; some
Beetroot
Broccoli
Brussel sprouts
Cabbage
Canned fruit in pear juice
Cherries (high sugar content)
Chickpeas
Couscous
Currant (high sugar content)
Dates (high sugar content)
Desserts sweetened with fructose/sorbitol
Fennel
Fig (high sugar content)
Fructose
Fructooligosaccharides
Galactooligosaccharides
Garlic
Grapes (high sugar content)
Honey
Kidney beans
Lactose
Leek
Lentils
Lychee
Maltitol
Mango
Mannitol
Navy beans
Nectarine
Northern beans
Okra
Onions
Peach
Pear (sugar and sorbitol)
Pear juice
Peas
Plum
Prunes (high sugar content)
Raisins (high sugar content)
Rye
Shallots
Sorbitol
Soy products
Sugar free gum
Sugar free candies
Sugar snap peas
Watermelon (high sugar)
Wheat (fructooligosaccharides)
Xylitol
Yogurt with added fruit sweetners or high fructose corn syrup






Maybe; in small amounts
Avocado
Baked items w/dried fruit
BBQ sauce
Canned fruit in heavy syrup
Cauliflower
Coconut milk
Coffee w/added sweetners
Corn
Dried fruit
Dried fruit bars
Fortified wines (sherry, port)
High Fructose Corn Syrup
Juices (with High fructose corn syrup)
Lactose
Milk flavored with fructose or High fructose corn syrup
Mushrooms
Salad dressings made with high fructose corn syrup
Soft drinks
Sugar free jam/jelly
Sweet and sour sauce
Tea with added sweetners
Tomatoes
Tomato sauce

18" Doll Sundresses

I have doll sundresses I would like to share with you! These dresses fit any 18" doll that is similar in size to an American Girl Doll or an Our Generation Doll.

Hawaiian Sundress created by a Liberty Jane Pattern.

This sundress has a gathered skirt and a wide strapped bodice. The back is secured with a velcro stripe. All exposed edges have been zig-zag stitched to prevent fraying. The bodice seams have been topstitched.

Blue Hibiscus and Lime Green with Flowers (one of each available)
$11

Strappy Hawaiian Sundress created from a Liberty Jane pattern.

This sundress has a gathered skirt and a strappy shoulder on the bodice. The back is secured with a velcro stripe and all exposed seams have been zig-zag stitched to prevent fraying. Bodice seams have been topstitched.

Red Strawberries and Black with White Daisies (one of each available)
$11

Simple Sundress

These sundresses have an a-line skirt. The bodice has wide shoulder straps. The back is secured with a velcro stripe and all exposed seams have been zig-zag stitched to prevent fraying. The bodice seams have been top stitched.

Pink with vined flowers and Purple with polka dots (one of each available)
$10 ****Pink and Purple are both SOLD!***

Pillow Case Sundress inspired by a Liberty Jane Pattern

This sundress is a straight-down dress. The straps in the neckline casing have been stitched in place so that the straps do not get pulled out. At the bottom of the dress, a sparkly lace trim has been sewn on. This is a shorter sundress for your doll.

Purple with polka dots and Red with Polka dots (one each available)
$10

Drawstring Bag pic

Here is my promised picture of my twins wearing their drawstring bags!

New projects finished!

Well, I have been able to finish up two new projects today!

I had a customer who was interested in a layering piece to go with outfits for her baby girl. She was looking for a onsie-style outfit that had fitted long sleeves and long legs but all that she could find in stores were ones with baggy arms and legs. I'll have to admit, I am not a fan of working with knits but I was up for a challenge. I started off with a pattern for a full outfit and ended up tailoring it to my customer's needs. I think the three outfits turned out pretty well! They are getting shipped out tomorrow so I'll soon see if they fit fine!

Next, I had to make something for my own girls. We are going on a cruise in a few weeks and my twins will have to carry their own luggage. Backpacks are a great way to stuff miscellaneous items away but my girls are so small and backpacks are so large it would just be too much for them to haul around. I was wanting a smaller bag that would not only fit a lot of their trinkets for during the plane ride but also one that would be good to walk around with during the days when we are off the ship. I love the idea of drawstring bags; I have seen so many teens wearing them! So I let the girls pick out their own fabrics for their bags. This was a simple project; the most time was spent on getting the rope straps adjusted in their places so I could sew the fabric around them at the top. This is Ms. E's bag. When I get both of the girls together later on today, I'll get a picture of them with their bags on.

Doll Robes have been completed!

My Ms. E and Ms. J have had their 18" My Generation Doll for a while now. They keep begging for clothes for them. They want dresses, pajamas, robes, coats, pants, anything! But I have been so busy making other items that doll clothes have been put to the wayside. Well, I decided to make some time to create a start of my 18" Doll Clothes line. I started with flannel robes.

My flannel doll robes are made with a color coordinating edging along the neck line and arm holes. The tie is sewn onto the side seams so you don't have to worry about loosing another small doll accessory. All exposed seams have been zig-zag stitched so it doesn't fray. These robes are also machine washable if they happen to get dirty.

Many of the robes are one-of-a-kinds. Some I am able to get more material for. The gymnastics one I have lots of material left so I can make many more of those. I would assume that robe will be popular since this year's 2012 American Doll is a gymnast!

Spring/Summer Skirts 2012

Time to think about spring! Light colors, lightweight fabrics, skirts, and Easter time. I have several new prints, this spring, for my 3-tiered little girl skirts. These skirts are of moderate length; they are designed to fall just above the knee. So there is no worry about short-short skirts! The skirts are made of either a 100% cotton or a cotton/polyester blend material. There are three tiers of material; each tier is wider than the tier above it so it makes for a very full skirt. The waist is held up with a length of elastic. At the waist in the front, a decorative tie has been sewn on. It is just a decorative bow and does nothing for making the skirt tighter. These in stock skirts are $25 each.

These skirts would look great for dressing up in for the spring holidays or for church service. You can pair the skirts with a long or short sleeved shirt, a light weight sweater, and tights with dress shoes. Your girl could also wear them every day to school; wear some leggings, a fun T-shirt, and some canvas sneakers.

I have made each of the prints in 3 sizes.
Size 3/4: girl waist size 21" and skirt length 12"
Size 5/6: girl waist size 22" and skirt length 15"
Size 7/8: girl waist size 23-1/2" and skirt length 17"

Aqua Blue with Paisley Print (cotton/polyester blend)

Light Blue with Flowers (100% cotton)

Pale Green with White Flowers and Green Butterflies (100% cotton)

Olive Green with Pink Roses (100% cotton)

Purple with Clover-like flowers (100% cotton)

Yellow with White Daisies (100% cotton)

And of course I had to add in a picture of my Ms. J and Ms. E wearing their spring skirts!

Email me at TEJACrafts @ hotmail.com if you are interested in these skirts or would like one custom made for you!

Sun hats for Spring/Summer 2012

It may be moving onto February but I'm already thinking about warm weather. Yes, I live in Minnesota and should be used to the cold and snow. But I love warm weather! I have started working on some warm weather items. Sun hats were first on deck. I have a new pattern and I was excited to pick out new materials for little boys and girls. The hats are made from a cotton or a cotton/polyester blend outer layer and are lined with a thin cotton material. When it is windy outside, the hats will stay on baby's head with an elastic strap under their chin.

After many hours of work, I was able to turn my product over to my Mr. 'A' for his opinion. Mr. 'A' gave his stamp of approval. He had to try on all of the hats!

I have two different sizes of sun hats. Size Small will fit a head up to 17-1/2" in diameter (approximately a 3-9month old baby). Size Large will fit up to a 19" diameter head (about 9-18 months old). Boy and girl prints are available! Over the next few days, I'll get them listed on my Artfire, Etsy, and Zibbet stores. Next month, I will be bringing some of the hats over to MeshedDesigns in Buffalo, MN. MeshedDesigns is a new, occasional boutique that opens up this upcoming weekend.