Get out your big wheels!

One on my clients Shannon Littrell a Photographer shared this photo of a BabyPop WonderPets cape and it reminded me on my childhood riding  past my house toward the next store neighbors "The Fultons" house zoom off toward a new world,  but I used a towel.

What my fellow campers must think?

 So we got a seasonal camp site this year. So I planning on spending time up at our site this summer. So this weekend is the first time camping at our new site...Above here is a picture of a my mothers day. My mothers day gift this year from Mr. Aikens and the kids, this awesome lounge chair from Cabelas. So this is mothers day for me after fishing in the 50 degree temp with a strong wind…to me in my new lounge chair with a blanket and 3 layers, outside with my laptop is awesome…this is the vision…

This is my view ..the great outdoors

Grundy has a raised bed so is pamper butt does not have to sit on the rocks.

And my view of Mr. Aikens again in his natural habit. Complete with his prefer drink..coffee  Guess what he got for an early Fathers Day...(hint rhymes with AIR)

Who said 2 dueling laptops in the great outdoors.
Aha I love camping- no that is not our camper.. we have the Pop Up (glorified Tent) you can't see.

Just picture all the campers walking or riding by and laughing… you know I am ok with it,  It is my mothers day…ah I love technology.

Business Outside and Party Underneath

Just in case you did not know it I am a fashion designer.  I worked in the apparel industry in design and development for many years prior to starting BabyPop Designs. I don't get to design items as much as sometimes I like.  But on the rare occasion I do I have some fun.   This week was one of those times.  My sister inlaw was getting married this past weekend.

(Saturday before the wedding)
Amy calls me "Sher, I have a job for your daughter,  I need her to hand out the programs at the wedding" she continues "since I know she will wear something super cute and fun... and I know she will wear some of her jewelry"
Me.."No Problem she will be happy to be party of your special day"
what I am really thinking...(oh s_ _ t.  I don't know what I am putting her in I have not had time to make anything!!)
me.. to Amy "Is bright colors ok"
Amy  who is usally game for anything"The brighter the better she is a little girl"

(Aha/Light bulb moment)..So the time is come... Last year I commissioned Lori at MissRubySue  to make a headband for my daughter. My only request to Lori was hot pink, orange, and aqua.  I wanted to design a dress for my girl based on the headband.
( Next it is Wednesday Night) Picture me scrambling not one but 2 fabric stores to get the perfect fabric..
(Me having flashbacks to my teens) My mother was Right I do wait to till the last minute..as she is yelling at me while I was sewing my dress as I walk out the door to the prom
(Friday morning)  Doing final fitting and putting in zipper...then sewing the lining in the car on the trip to the wedding location...(my subconscious  ...see your mother was right)

(Saturday afternoon) So this is it... Hot Pink cotton sateen, Orange Taffeta,and Aqua peti-skirt with 4 layers of tulle trimmed in orange ribbon with a peekaboo of orange micro tulle. 

The dress was business on the outside and Party Underneath.. You would think she was getting Married....it is her cousin

Wordless Wednesday

Homicide in the House

Today I walked down stairs and realized I did it finally happened I killed it…The plant which I have moved with me since prior to my meeting my husband 17 years ago. It died.

This plant has been to college with me where my roommates cared for it. Then back to my mother's where she cared for it. To when I moved in with my boyfriend / future husband he took pity and watered it. But the plant never liked me due to lack of love and neglect… so I committed a homicide against a prayer plant. 

I grew up in a green thumb family a long line of plant lovers and gardeners. But I fell far from the per verbally tree… like down the hill and rolling away. Yep, I can't keep them alive, every year plant flowers they never grow they dry rot in the pots which they came in. I even had a friend Alicia, an avid gardener offer to help with my "green impairment" and plant my flower bed… they did great! Then next year, I tried by myself planting hundreds of seeds …3 came up and they died due to lack of supervision. 

Then, you get those "perfect" plant people..(aka my mother) saying "Sherry, when you have more time you will be able to tend to plants", this being said as she walks around her house watering her hundreds of healthy colorful plants…

Me thinking I just don't care if they die.

OK ! I admit I am jealous of her perfect plant tending talent! I do have plant envy of others… but sadly for me it is just not in the cards and I can accept my failure. I like them when they come, but I am ok when they die because time heals all plants (..that and the trash can) so it is a sign of it is time to go buy more. Maybe, my kids will be the protector of the plants and water them? Hum

Ha Ha Ha I think wrenching my hands "I would Like to introduce you to my latest victim…Mr. Tulip"

I see her everyday and yet I ignore her beauty

Every day I drive by this magnificent mansion It is the Widener Estate  designed by architect Trumbauer he also designed Philadelphia At Museum the one Rocky ran up the steps. This magnificent home has fallen in to disrepair but still an amazing view of history. My daughter says everyday if we lived there we would have everyone we know could come live with us and she names the names, grandma, Pa Nana Pop Pop, our next store neighbors and so on. My son s says how sad it is that the mansion has fallen into such a state. 

So today we stopped and walked up to the gates... which are amazing ...I would love to see the inside...the house now belongs to a church group in NY and they have let it go... saddened I noticed,,,
what a beautiful day it was.
which lead to the next adventure for the day..


Hum... white cherry trees. My son said "we need to find a pink cherry"… so 5:30 at night we decided to drive around finding trees and taking pictures of the flowers. All 3 of us being obsessed this time of year with the Cherry Blossoms   my daughter points them out and my son remarks on how I love them..

So here is our photo journal of our search for the perfect early spring flowers. It took about ½ and we jumped out and took picture of the trees and hoped back in the car to find another. My son telling me "mom you are parked in a no parking zone… I think you broke a law mom"… me saying "I am 5 feet from the car it is ok. stop worrying "  I know not the best role model example...(really it is ok sweetie break the law)... in retrospect it could come back to bite me..but look at the flowers can you blame me.

 I hope we get out soon to take more picture... I have a few years and my son will say no more looking at flowers.  So I am so glad to share these treasured moments with him. 

The Only Banana Bread Recipe

Stop Searching !!! This is the Only Banana Bread Recipe you will ever need. In 1993 when I met my husband, I met his family. His family is of a Pennsylvania Dutch background. If you know anything about the PA Dutch…they are amazing bakers! Pies, Cookies, sweet breads…yum. My 1^st Thanksgiving with his family in 1993 there was no lie 13 different pies on the tables… the big bird played a second to the pies. Needless to say for this Jersey girl it was very intimidating. So I make a pie or 2…yuk…(I blaming my lack of backing ability on the fact I have warm hands). My pie skills were so bad..that my future mother in-law gave me a instant pie crust mix when she gave me the pie plate back…she said "Sherry, there is no shame in using store bought. " So I would never be a pie maker. So I searched for a baking recipe to make all my own. And this is it… 


Every time I make this bread get people telling me it is the best banana bread they have ever had…and not just my in-laws (even strangers tell me). My Mother said this is your "thing" for 
Christmas from now on. For me it is my go to recipe when I go to someone's house overnight. I found it 1996. It is adapted from the Southern Ort cook book 1990 version I purchased from the ort women in a mall in south Florida. The Original baker was Pearl Ansell of Orlando Florida. I picture Pearl to be an older women who received this recipes from her mom or grandma and she has taught it to family.

My just turned 5 Daughter loves making this recipe with me she peels the banana and mashes them with the potato masher. I love it because nobody in my family will eat the banana with brown spots, but they are the best for bread. 


BabyPop Pearl Banana Bread
(Printable Version w/o pictures)

Ingredients:

½ cup of vegetable oil

1 cup of sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1 ¼ cups of all purpose flour

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1 teaspoon of baking soda

3 large or 4 small bananas (ripe)(brown spots are fine)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Baking Spray or butter to grease the pans

• Preheat oven to 350
  

• Using an electric mixer beat oil and sugar in large mixing bowl for 2 min
  

• Add eggs and vanilla to oil/sugar, beat well with mixer (I was making a dbl batch use 2 eggs for one batch)

• Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder into batter, mix for 2 minutes (if you don't have a sifter light spoon in flour so it is not heavy)

• In separate bowl mash (with a potato masher or large fork) peeled banana with cinnamon (like chunky baby food): add to batter and mix to well blender

• Pour into 2 well greased loaf pans 9x5x3" or 1 pan if you like a bigger slice

• Bake for 37-40 mins for 2 loaves or 42-45 for 1 loaf (watch them once they get golden take them out as long as the toothpick comes out clean)

• Let cool for 10 min before taking out of loaf pan and cutting. Also can be frozen

Variations:

• ½ cup chocolate chips, add once the batter is already in loaf pan.. if you add chips mix in with mixer they tend to go to the bottom of the loaf once you pour in the pan.
  
• Smaller personal loafs which I make more at the holidays teacher gifts ..take about 37 min to bake , you can make 4 small loves from one batch of batter
  
• Banana ripe but no time to make the bread, freeze the bananas for later . The bananas tend to not be a chunky but the taste is the same. FYI Banana turn black when frozen they are still good 

Luck of the Irish to you all!

This cape was requested from a client ... I see a crawl in its future.. you can find it in my etsy store.

Wordless Wednesday

One of my favorite things

When I first had kids I never thought my son would every get the idea of sleeping in his own bed. I nursed him and it seems as my husband and I were never going to get a minute of rest due to this little boy that wanted to be on his mama all the time. I was never good at following the baby book where they said do not… nurse them to sleep. But finally Then he grew and got kicked out of our bed littler because he kicked all the time. My daughter was a preemie where as she never really slept with us, because she was so tiny when she came home at 2 months she only weight 4lb. So she slept like a rock and still does to this day. But as the kids get older. I miss the mornings. The morning of a little one coming to get warm in the bed.

Well this morning, My daughter wanted to snuggle, then the dog jumped up, and finally My son came to snuggle with his latest lego creation.

My husband groaned know the morning silence will never return for today.

Looking at my daughter… she said I wub you.. I gave her a kiss. And snuggled her in…

I love late snow days it is easy going and relaxed.

I look at my daughter the discussion went..

Me: you have a sparkle on you eye?

Her: Mom it's ok I was putting my microphone on my face It has sparkles Mommy.

Me: Did you put the microphone in your eye ?

Her: No Mommy I can't sing with my eye…

Me: Well don't get glitter in your eye

Her: Why then my eyes will be sparkly?

Me: Oh… sparkles will hurt your eye

Her; But Mommy your eyes are sparkly, because you are beautiful Mommy… I wub you.

I gave her another kiss..

My son was pulling the covers, discussing the finer points of his new bionicle. Then dog dissatisfied with the end of the bed jumped on me to squeeze in between me and my husband.. then someone said they were hungry and with that the moment was over. 

Squeezing 4 people and one obnoxious bull dog in a queen bed on a snowing morning.. was gone

Wordless Wednesday

The Last Chance Sale

I never have sales but I want to offer some product that is my last ones I have for a discount. All ways wanted a BabyPop dress or skirt. This is the time to get one at a reduced price. Visit the sale section. One of you favorites might be there.

Philadelphia Inquirer Visit

I was interview about CPSIA by the Philadelphia Inquirer Dawn Fallik, the article came out in today’s Magazine Section front page. Pictures of My daughter and I take by Inquirer Photographer April Saul.

I was very happy that the paper want to show the point of the handmade community and I was pleased that the more people will know about the issue.

Read the article here where it's on the web.

BabyPop Designs Featured Parents Express Magazine

I received a call back in October from Parents Express an award winning local Kid Magazine (covers New Jersey and Pennsylvania). The report said that the love to feature local business. So the report came an interviewed me for 2 hours. The article came out in December, I was please with what she wrote. It was a fun experience. Attached is the article click on this link to read.

BabyPop Featured!

Last week I had the most wonderful experience on Etsy. They featured me as a seller on the front page. It was an honor being chosen by etsy but the most amazing part was at the well wishes from my fellow etsians. There were a couple from strangers that brought me to tears. It is nice to know when you are home all day alone with the kids creating that your work makes others happy. I am keeping the emails for a bad day...they will go in a happy file in my outlook, so I can look at them as a pick me up (which is needed often on those long days with the kids). So thank you to Etsy and to all my fellow Etsians for making someone feel so loved and right back to all of you.