My New Obsession...

...Sewing! That's right, I've joined millions of others who are sewing up their fashions. Well, I haven't actually started sewing much of anything, as of yet, but I am taking a sewing class that I'm really, really looking forward to engaging in with fellow students. I think empowerment was one of the reasons why I chose to learn how to sew. I grew tired of admiring articles of clothing and not being able to afford the hefty price and I thought...hey, why don't I just learn how to sew so that I can cut the costs down tremendously and still get what I want. Although, I have heard some naysayers say, "The amount of time you spend looking for fabric and sewing, you can just find the dress." Well, not really because I don't have time to be searching every mall looking for that perfect wool shift in my size.

Sewing seems to be another world, that I haven't really entered until now. My favorite blogs are the following:
www.thatssewlive.com
www.assortednotions.blogspot.com
www.missceliespants.blogspt.com
www.emilysews.blogspot.com

I also came across this great book on sewing baby's clothing, called Amy Butler's Little Stitches for Little Ones by Amy Butler. Cute book for all the sewing divas out there. Just in case you don't believe me, the pictures shown above are the outcome of patterns located in the book. I'll keep you posted on how well I do with this new project!

The Mind Behind Milo and Milk

I got a chance to interview Lori Prasad, the design director and creator of Milo and Milk. Read on to see what she had to say about her fabulous children's clothing line.


1) What made you start a children's clothing company?

I started sewing special orders for new moms and for baby shower gifts while I was working retail at Barney’s New York. I had great feedback and was told by many that this was an area of design that I should explore. With that said, years later I developed my first line in 2006 and gave birth to Milo and Milk launching my first collection in the spring of 2007.


2) I love the name of your company, it evokes a lot of happy memories of my childhood growing up in a Jamaican home. How did you come up with the name and how does it relate to the style of the clothing?

The name Milo and Milk evokes a lot of happy memories in my childhood that was passed down from my mother and grandmother and their love for the chocolate drink Milo mixed with hot or cold milk.


3) What is your design background?

It all started in Jr. High School learning to sew in home economics for three years and continued to study Clothing and Textiles in High School for three years. I then moved on to study women’s fashion design in Montreal, Canada at College LaSalle and years later moved to New York City to study Accessories Design and graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology.

4) What is the biggest challenges you face as a children's clothing designer?

There are countless challenges that small businesses face everyday! The number one challenge is staying visible in the market place. This is done by submitting produce for editorials, driving traffic to your websites, participating in tradeshows and opening new accounts and maintaining existing accounts in boutiques.


5) What advice would you give to anyone who is interested in starting their own clothing line?

My advice for anyone who is interested in starting their own clothing line is to work in the industry first and learn at someone’s expense before launching their own line. I also recommend doing your research about your market! With access to the internet you really have not excuse to not learn valuable information about the industry you wish to pursue.


6) What's the future of your company?

The future of Milo and Milk is to diversify launching Milo and Milk Boy’s, Milo and Milk Home featuring bedroom interior design items for children, Milo and Milk Books for children and Milo and Milk Baby Skin Care an organic skin care line for children. The overall long-term goal is to develop a children’s lifestyle brand addressing all the needs of children.


7) Where can people purchase clothing from Milo and Milk?

Milo and Milk is featured at several boutiques that are listed on the website and is also available online at www.miloandmilk.com.

Milo and Milk

The name alone makes me want to smile. The clothing company Milo and Milk (www.miloandmilk.com) has clothes for children age 2 to 6. Great idea for holiday gifts.

Kidco

I always knew I would be preparing food for my daughter, but didn't know what kind of work it would entail. So, I kept putting it off until I realized I was spending way too much money on organic baby food. I quickly learned that the key to proper nutrition for my daughter is organization, organization, organization. One of the most fundamental, helpful items I purchased was this freezer tray from Kidco, for the price of ten bucks you can get two trays which holds a ton load of food for your child. Freeze it over night and let it dethaw for a couple of hours the next day and voila, you have your mixture for your child. My favorite combination so far are carrots and sweet potato. But I'm sure you'll come up with yours before you know it.

Happy Obama!

I have not posted anything since the great day in America on election night. I have collected almost every magazine/newspaper Barack or Michelle was on post elections. Can you believe it? All of those nights of following each and every detail on CNN and MSNBC has finally ended. Now we can look forward to seeing the man himself being sworn into office and wondering what on earth Michellle will be wearing at the ball. I look forward to this next chapter in American history and am excited to see how his presence will challenge countless other men and women around the world.

Five Days and Counting

If you have not registered to vote in some states, it is still possible. Plus, if you have not decided who to vote, I come to you again to consider voting for Barack Obama. Why? Well, ask yourself which candidate will provide you with a better four years? Then, you decide.

Also, if you have not picked up any Barack Obama campaign memorabilia, it's not too late. Check out the Barack Obama website (www.barackobama.com) where purchases will go towards the campaign.

On the subway, I saw a lovely lady with the this beautiful bag designed by Diane Von Furstenberg. It's being sold for 75 bucks and goes towards an excellent cause on Obama's website.

Gymboree

If you haven't been able to check out your local Gymboree class, I urge you to give it a try. My sweetie and I took in a class and we had a lot of fun clapping our hands to the Beatles and playing peek-a-boo. It's $72 per month, which can sometimes be hard to fork out during a recession, but if you and your child likes it, it may just be worth not eating out a couple of nights out of the week.