Cabin in the City

Books, cats and midwestern charm.

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The Best Kind of Bake Sale // Bakers Against Racism

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via @littlebirdnyc

Do you love sweets? Do you hate racism? Do you want your money to go toward something good? Then do I have something for you!

A few weeks ago, I stumbled across the Instagram @bakersagainstracism and immediately followed (duh). The organization—a collective of bakers across the country—is hosting a nationwide bakesale this week. Proceeds from these sales are benefitting all sorts of worthwhile nonprofits.

Milwaukee folks, you can order your sweets and snacks here and pick them up at Egg and Flour in Bayview on Saturday, June 20. Proceeds are going to Love on Black Women.

Here are the complete details.

via @bakersagainstracism

If you’re not in Milwaukee, be sure to check out Bakers Against Racism’s Instagram; they’re listing events constantly. And there are some big names in bakery participating which is awesome.

Even if you’re not participating in the sale, I recommend checking this group out. Their ‘gram is full of amazing bakers worth following and nonprofits worth supporting.

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What We’re Planting This Year

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I look forward to planting our garden like it’s a special occasion. I just love picking out new plants and seeing them grow. For someone that’s very much an instant gratification sort, I do love the steady creep toward blooms and harvesting.

This year, we made some (small) shakeups with our garden. First and foremost, we transitioned a smaller flowerbed into a food-focused garden. There are still a few perrenials there, but now instead of being mostly hostas and autumn sedum it’s home to our blueberry bushes and a new asparagus plant. And the hostas? They’re living next to our neighbors’ shed.

I also planted a climbing rose bush to creep up a trellis on our archway. I had a handful of rose bushes before we dug up our yard and did pretty well with them. Since sending them off to a new home (my parents’ house), I’ve really missed having roses. They didn’t really mesh with the all-native, pollinator plantings we planned for our main flower area, so I just did without. But I really missed them! So I thought this little creeping rose would be a nice addition somewhere else in the yard.

Here are all the flowers we’ve planted this year. I try to stick with native species, but I think a few stray annuals in pots are a good exception:

  • Begonia: Michael likes the song “Scarlet Begonias” by the Grateful Dead so I buy him a scarlet begonia every year.
  • Climbing rose: We got this Crown Princess Margareta variety and I’m really excited to see how these Juliet-style roses look in person.
  • Decorative cabbage
  • Irises
  • Marigolds
  • Moss roses
  • Pansies
  • Snapdragons

We’ve also added a few plants to our vegetable beds. It’s only the beginning of June, but we’re already seeing some good returns here! Our lettuces are nearly out of control and our herbs are looking great. Here’s what edibles we’ve got going:

  • Asparagus: In retrospect, I should have bought more than one plant, but I’m still excited to see how this one shapes up.
  • Blueberries: We’ve got four different blueberries growing (you need multiple varietals in order for them to fruit—just FYI!).
  • Cucumbers: Last year I made pickles for the first time and was so happy with the results. I’ve planted a few cucumber plants this year to keep us in pickles for a good while.
  • Hops: My mom picked up a hops plant for us at MATC’s plant sale. We are not homebrewers nor do we aspire to be them, but I’m excited to see how this plant grows.
  • Arugula
  • Basil
  • Beets
  • Chives
  • Dill
  • Lettuce
  • Mint (the pineapple variety)
  • Parsley
  • Pattypan squash
  • Peppers (jalapeños and Candy Cane)
  • Radishes
  • Rosemary
  • Sage
  • Strawberries
  • Thyme
  • Tomatoes (cherry and Roma)
  • Zucchini

This is all on top of our native plantings. That’s a lot for the city’s tiniest yard. Small space planting is possible, folks. Pots, planters and raised beds are your best friends. And don’t be afraid to mix edible plants with flowers!

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Small Goals // June 2020

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I haven’t done a small goals post in a few months because it just didn’t feel right. While Michael and I are still staying safer at home, those first several weeks were just too strange for me to want to set any goals for myself.

We spent much of March and April adjusting to a new way of living. But now that we’ve acclimated to this new not-so-normal, I feel like I can start making a few goals for myself. They won’t be very exciting, but they will give me something to work toward in this time—you know, something besides finishing another Netflix series (The Big Flower Fight was very charming though). Here’s what I’m going to try to accomplish this month:

  1. Educate myself. The death of George Floyd, Ahmaud Abrey and Breonna Taylor (and many, many others) has been a wake-up call. It’s time I educate myself more to be a better ally. I’ve got some reading and some podcasts cued up to help me along the way. This is hard goal to quantify since I could spend months reading and still not scratch the surface of Black history, institutionalized racism and police brutality, but I hope to at least check a few resources off my list in the coming month (and keep going after that). And if you can, I encourage you to put your money where your mouth is and donate to many worthy causes. I’ve made a donation to the Movement for Black Lives. I encourage you to donate to organizations led by POC at this time. Do your research!
  2. Be diligent about maintaining the garden. I love gardening, but occasionally I let things get out of hand. Sometimes there are a few too many weeds or the lettuce just grows out of control. I want to stay on top of that now that it’s getting hot and humid.
  3. Sew the Charlie Caftan. I saw this pattern posted on the Z Fabrics Instagram a while back and knew I had to make this caftan. I anticipate working from home for a bit longer, so I may as well make some loungewear that can also pass as clothing.
  4. Be active 25 out of 30 days this month. OK—I wanted to say be active every single day this month, but I think that might be unrealistic. So I’ll set the bar slightly lower and make it a priority to either walk or follow an online workout most days.
  5. Do my best to celebrate a milestone anniversary at home. Our goal for our fifth wedding anniversary was to go to Ireland. I’d been saving for several years, but obviously that’s not in the cards. I want to make the day special anyway. Let’s see if I can think of anything to give the day the recognition it deserves. Five is a big one!

OK, everyone. Those are my lengthy goals. I’m hoping that by the time I check in on them in July, the world might look a little bit different. Stay safe!

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What I’ve Read During Quarantine [Pt. 2]

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I didn’t realized how much I read in the last month. Whew! I’ve been keeping busy with a lot of Book Bub deals and this month I dove back into audiobooks. I forgot how much I enjoyed them!

Before you check out these reviews, check out what I read during the first few weeks of quarantine.

Black Rabbit Hall by Eve Chase • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Lately I’ve been tiring of the whole dual timeline thing. I feel like this structure is used a lot—or at least a lot in the books I’m interested in, but Black Rabbit Hall was the perfect use of this device.

It flashes back and forth between the present day where Lorna is looking to host her wedding at Cornwall’s Black Rabbit Hall and the 1960s, when Amber and her family spend their summers in bliss at their vacation home—until her father’s new wife moves in.

This one definitely kept me guessing and interested throughout. This would make a great lazy vacation read, but reading on the patio is as close as I’m getting these days.

Her Mother’s Lies by Rona Halsall • ⭐️

Reading this, I felt like it was a draft of something that could shape up to be a decent airport read. But in its current state, it was almost irritating to work through.

I felt like so much of the story could have been tightened up. Much of it dragged, the characters had the same conversations over and over, plot points were constantly reiterated. It was tiresome.

In the end, the twists just weren’t even that satisfying because they took so long to come and weren’t big enough to be thrilling.

The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Over the years, I’ve started this book several times. I’ve made it about 100 pages in with each go, but just found it a bit slow. I kept returning to it, though, because I’m a fan of Sarah Waters.

This time, instead of reading, I went with the audiobook version and I absolutely devoured it. I think this was key since the book is a bit slow and pretty lengthy (nearly 500 pages).

No, the book wasn’t as spooky as I hoped, but it was atmospheric and the narration was really terrific. Like all of Sarah Waters’s books, I felt very much taken by the world she created and the characters—likable or not.

The Widow’s House by Carol Goodman • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

On the back of The Little Stranger, I downloaded another audiobook. I realized how much I preferred listening to them over podcasts on a walk or the TV while doing a puzzle. Like the last one, I listened to this one pretty much nonstop.

This book was made for me: ghost stories, mysterious happenings, an old estate, a small town with lots of lore. I was sucked in right away as the protagonist, Claire, returned to her hometown with her husband and became caretakers at an estate owned by their former professor. I dream of doing this sort of thing (with different ends, of course), so it was a great setting to snuggle into.

After listening, I looked up the narrator, Cassandra Campbell. Turns out she also performed two other audiobooks I loved (Bittersweet and Dark Places). I think her style combined with this story was the perfect storm for me. I can’t recommend it enough.

Blackberry & Wild Rose by Sonia Velton • ⭐️

I’ll be honest—I didn’t finish this book. I was tempted to just let this audiobook run its course while I did chores, but life’s too short for aggravating books.

I was intrigued by this book because it had a pretty title and a gorgeous cover. I am a sucker for this sort of thing. Add in that it was historical fiction about silk weavers and I was sold.

But, damn, the characters were just so unlikeable and not in the fun way (like Mad Men‘s Pete Campbell). There were so many nitpicky things about the two protagonists that I just could not stand, but made me stop listening to this one for good was the anti-labor plotline. Maybe it would have been resolved, but the tradesmen in the book were constantly portrayed as being dim-witted, angry rabble-rousers. I couldn’t work under that assumption on top of two really annoying protagonists.

I quit listening three-quarters of the way through.

Like the Willow Tree: The Diary of Lydia Amelia Pierce, Portland, Maine, 1918 by Lois Lowry • 👌

Yes, this is a Dear America book. Remember those? They were some of my absolute favorites as a kid (those and the Royal Diaries spinoff series).

A friend of mine and I have been talking about reading one of these for ages and we both dove in with this extremely topical one from Lois Lowry (the author of The Giver).

I haven’t read a Dear America book since 2002, so I have a hard time comparing it to what I recall were my favorites (the Titanic one for sure and also one about the Great Depression at Christmas). But Like the Willow Tree was an alright read. I learned a lot about the Quakers and a bit more about the 1918 flu epidemic. Maybe that part hit too close to home?

At any rate, a book like this was a good treat. Kind of like eating your favorite childhood cereal. Maybe not as good as you remember but still satisfying.

• • •

That’s a lot of books for me, but I’ve definitely got audiobooks to thank for that. I just started to use Chirp for audiobook deals, so if you’re interested you can use this link for 20% off (and I get 20% off, too!).

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I’m So Proud of My Mom (and Proud to Be Her Daughter)

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My mom has always been a good sport. She’s ready for anything and happily takes on a challenge. Oh, you want proof? She’s taken lengthy detours for me just to see this lighthouse, she’s biked down a volcano, she’s visited psychics with me, gone to drag shows, walked through creepy cemeteries at my behest, helped me clean my basement (the biggest challenge) and generally and genuinely has taken life by the horns.

And I can add one more thing to the list: She did a great job baking live on Instagram with me. Yeah, live without any rehearsals. And she did an amazing job.

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Taste of Home (@tasteofhome) on

My mom jumps in with both feet and I love her for it. I’m happy that I get to be her daughter. My siblings and I are truly lucky to have a fun, smart, ready-for-anything mom like you, Mom.

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Currant Scones // AKA How to Use WTF Ingredients from the Pantry

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I’d consider myself a regular home baker. I always have baking essentials in the pantry and the fridge. Sometimes I have things that go beyond essentials—which is why I have a big bag of dried currants hanging out in my baking basket.

Currants are definitely not a baking staple for me, but they ended up in my cupboard during my annual dried fruit shopping spree (I always buy too many fruits for fruitcake). Sheltering in place, though, has me baking like everyone else and looking into the recesses of the pantry like everyone else.

I decided the best way to use these dried zante currants (which are actually a kind of grape not real currants which frustrates me to no end) was to toss them in a scone. My favorite scone from Colectivo has dried blueberries, so this is a good way to approximate them with what I have on hand.

My Recipe for Currant Scones

Making scones is pretty simple business. You don’t need any fancy equipment, just a bowl, a spatula and a pastry blender (you can use a fork if you don’t have one of those). This recipe takes about 15 minutes to prep and then it’s about 40 minutes of hands-off time. And if you don’t have currants—and why would you?—use dried cranberries or even fresh blueberries.

  • 2¾ cups flour
  • ⅓ cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cup dried currants
  • Zest of half an orange (or lemon or lime)
  • ½ cup cold butter, cubed
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon milk + 2 tablespoons coarse sugar to top, optional

Yield: 6-8 scones, depending on how you slice.

Step 1: Mix the Dry Ingredients

First up, whisk together the dry ingredients—thats flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and the zest.

The zest here is optional, but I think it makes the scone taste a bit fresher and gives it a touch more personality. Use whatever citrus you have on hand.

Step 2: Cut in the Butter

Next, grab your cold butter and cut it into cubes. Make sure it’s good and cold—not oh it sat on the counter for 15 minutes while I measured cold.

Use a pastry blender or a fork and cut the cubed butter into the dry ingredients. Keep cutting in until the butter is about pea-sized. If you make homemade biscuits, this is all standard procedure.

Step 3: Add Milk + Currants

After cutting in the butter, add your buttermilk and vanilla along with your currants. Give them a quick toss in a few teaspoons of flour. This will prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the scone.

Stir until just combined. Don’t overwork the dough, just get everyone in the bowl introduced.

If you don’t have buttermilk, milk or half and half is fine. You can make your own buttermilk substitute, too.

Also, use good vanilla always. Yeah, the good stuff is pricey, but it’s worth every penny if you ask me. I used Nielsen-Massey Indonesian vanilla extract here. I typically prefer the Mexican kind, but the Indonesian vanilla goes well with fruit (also I’m out of the Mexican variety right now).

Step 4: Give It a Few Turns + Chill

With your scone dough made, turn it out onto a clean countertop and pat it flat. Then fold it over itself. Repeat three or four times and shape the dough into a round on the final fold (or turn). The round should be about ¾-inch thick.

Then using a knife or a bench scraper, slice the round into wedges. I opted for six which yields pretty generous scones. Cutting this batch into eight would also work (I’d actually recommend that).

When your done cutting, you can pop the scones into the fridge or freezer for 20 minutes. This will let the butter solidify a bit so you get flakier, more tender scones.

Step 5: Brush + Bake

After hanging out in the ol’ chill chest, you can prep the scones for baking. They can go in the oven as-is or you can give them a quick brush with milk or cream and then a quick sprinkle of coarse sugar. This part is totally optional, but I like the crunch that the coarse sugar gives the scones. Also, I’ve got a full bag of demerara sugar hanging out in my pantry that also needs to be put to use.

From there, pop the scones into a 400ºF oven for 15-20 minutes—or until golden brown. Let them cool on a wire rack and eat them within a few days. You can always freeze any extras.

As far as back-of-the-pantry bakes go, this one’s pretty good. It helps me rid myself of why did I buy that? ingredients and now I’ve got a tasty breakfast that makes quarantine a little less glum.

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My First #stayhomeandsew Make

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I feel like I go in waves with my hobbies. Embroidery has been my main squeeze for a while, but back in college, I spent almost all my free time sewing. Really. After school on Fridays, I’d take the bus to Hancock Fabrics (RIP) for supplies. I’m sure I drove everyone in my dorm and apartment building nuts with my machine going all the time.

But I kind of fell off the sewing wagon a few years back. I’d hop on now and then for a simple piece of clothing—like this skirt—or a quick gift (I’ve made so many pillowcases over the years).

Now that I’m inside with more free time, I’ve been sitting at my sewing machine more than ever. Making all those masks (103 and counting!) reminded me of how satisfying spending a day at the machine feels.

So I decided to break out one of my favorite sewing books and get going on a project I’ve been eyeing for a while: the Chemise Dress from Gertie Sews Jiffy Dresses. This project also gives me the chance to join in on Gertie’s #stayhomeandsew challenge.

One of the joys and curses of being a sewist is having a huge hoard of fabrics on hand from years gone by. Some of those fabrics have lost their appeal with time, but luckily this zebra print hadn’t.

The print is a bit wild, but I think the color is pretty for spring and summer and will only become more flattering with a tan (I’m definitely at my most ghostly right now).

The dress itself was a pretty easy make. I cut it out and sewed it over a weekend (though it could have been easily done in a long afternoon). And I had plenty of scraps perfect for a matching mask.

I’m a fan because there’s no zippers or buttons—you just pull this one over your head. The dress gets all its shape from a bit of elastic sewn into the waist. It looks just fine as-is, but I find a lot of uses for this $4 Forever 21 belt from 2009. I think it makes the outfit a bit more finished.

As quarantine makes go, this one was fun and easy. I don’t think I’ll be making another Chemise Dress (I’d prefer a bit more of an A-line shape and a neckline that doesn’t make me look so busty), but I’ll be happy to pull this one out now and again.

And if anything, this project got me excited to get moving on more sewing projects. I ordered some more material from Z Fabrics in some stupidly cute patterns. One is destined to be a skirt and the other a Popover Dress from Gertie Sews Jiffy Dresses. Stay tuned!

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The Best Fabric Stores to Shop While Sheltering in Place (and Always)

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We’re 39 days into our sheltering in place at our cabin. It’s been OK. Michael and I are both staying occupied. For the past few weeks, I’ve been staying especially busy making masks.

I’m lucky enough to have a good amount of fabric right at home so I could get started on masks right away. However, I did need to get in touch with a few of my favorite fabric shops for some extras (I’ve gone through two whole spools of black thread alone!).

If you’re looking to make some masks or just work on a sewing project to stay busy, here are my favorite destinations for fabric:

Ben Franklin // Oconomowoc, Wisconsin

I’ve mentioned Ben Franklin stores a few times on this blog. I’ve got a soft spot for these shops—my first job was at Banner Crafts (a successor of Ben Franklin), and they are just really great crafting destinations.

If you’re in the Milwaukee or Waukesha area, I absolutely recommend the Ben Franklin in Oconomowoc. While the store is closed, they are offering curbside pickup. Just fill out a quick form and they’ll get in contact with you with photos and prices of all the things you could ever want. When you’re ready, just pull up and they pop it in your trunk. It couldn’t be easier or safer.

I snagged plenty of thread and tiger print fabric to make Tiger King masks a few weeks back. It was super easy and the staff was exceptionally kind as always.

Z Fabrics // Portland, Maine

My mom and I visited Z Fabrics back in October and we were both really charmed by this small shop. We both brought home a few yards of fabric with us from our trip.

A few weeks ago, when I was on the hunt for bias tape, Z Fabrics came to mind. I placed an online order for bias tape (and some cute fabric) and it was on my doorstep in no time. Seriously. In three days my supplies were here.

Of course, one order was not enough. My mom and I made a joint order last week for some just-for-fun fabrics and we’re already working on projects using them.

I can’t recommend this place enough. The owner stocks so much adorable fabric, great crafting kits and plenty of great notions. If you need fabric that’s a bit out of the ordinary and high-quality, don’t hesitate. You’ll be so happy with it.

If you’ve got any small fabric shops that you love, share them with me! I love finding new sources for cute fabric.

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What I’ve Read During Quarantine [So Far]

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Sheltering in place is getting old (it’s day 33 right now), but staying in is allowing me to get a lot of reading done. I’ve gone through five books in the last month—and I’ve got plenty more to turn through yet.

Here’s what I’ve been reading (in my messy living room):

The Stranger in Our Home by Sophie Draper • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I felt like I read this ages ago already, though it was just last month.

Whatever the case may be, I found The Stranger in Our Home to be a satisfying read. There’s a good amount of intrigue, familial secrets that were constantly unfolding and some weird folklore elements I really loved. Also any book that uses a hurdy-gurdy as a motif is a good one as far as I’m concerned.

The Captives by Debra Jo Immergut • ⭐️⭐️

I’ll let Goodreads do the summarizing here: The riveting story of a woman convicted of a brutal crime, the prison psychologist who recognizes her as his high-school crush and the charged reunion that sets off an astonishing chain of events with dangerous consequences for both.

You can see why I’d want to read this. But in the end, I just didn’t really grasp why this psychologist was so into this girl. I found the book to be lackluster.

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell • ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I’m a sucker for any book that’s about someone inheriting a mansion from an unknown relative. It’s just the perfect setup for me. Secrets, wealth, the promise of ghosts…

The Family Upstairs starts with Libby inheriting a large London home on her 25th birthday. She finds out that the home was the site of a murder-suicide by what many thought was a cult years earlier. Sounds so good, right?!

It wasn’t quite as intriguing as it should have been and one element really didn’t sit with me (it made no sense and it was never resolved), but it was entertaining.

How to Find Love in a Book Shop by Veronica Henry • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I’ve been loving these cozy kinds of books more and more. Especially when they’re as charming and well written as this one.

How to Find Love in a Book Shop centers on Emilia as she takes over her late father’s bookstore, but also folds in plenty of other characters—all with their own personalities and quirks.

This is exactly the kind of book to read during these stressful times.

The Stillwater Girls by Minka Kent • ⭐️

I had really high hopes for this book. The setup was super intriguing: Two girls are left alone in their shack in the woods—they’ve never ventured beyond their homestead. One day, they have to leave to survive.

But I found myself just rolling my eyes through most of this. The characters were bland. The plot to absurd to be believed. Skip it.

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Makers You Can Support While You Chill in Your Jammies

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OK, I am seeing the benefits of wearing real clothes occasionally. But let’s be real, I’m spending a lot of time in my jammies. If you’re living the lazy life like me, you can still support independent makers and artists—just like you can still support some awesome small businesses!

Treat yourself or someone you’re thinking about to something new from my favorite creatives.

Fern & Nettle // Milwaukee, Wisconsin

via @fern_and_nettle

If ever there was a time to buy extra soap, this is it. And you cannot do better than Fern & Nettle—it’s truly the only bath soap I buy.

Every scent is 👌—though I’m particularly fond of the mojito and lavender-juniper bars. And if you can snag it, get the lemon poppy seed soap! It’s fresh, exfoliating and smells like spring.

The Earth and All Stars // Milwaukee, Wisconsin

via @theearthandallstars

I’ve been craft fair neighbors with The Earth and All Stars a few times now, and it’s always a total joy.

Designer Stacy makes gorgeous leather jewelry and has started making pretty acrylic baubles, too. I wear my green tortoiseshell earrings all the time (or did before I sat in my house all day).

Half-Caff Designs // Lubbock, Texas

via @halfcaffdesigns

I stumbled across Half-Caff Designs at the Lubbock Farmers Market and just fell in love. Maybe it was the Trixie Mattel stickers or all The Office references.

Whatever it was, I can tell you that illustrator Mary Elizabeth Burt is a treasure. Her work is funny, detailed and pretty to look at. I recommend snagging these Schitt’s Creek-meets-social distancing cards to send to people you love.

Charm Patterns // Beacon, New York

via Gretchen “Gertie” Hirsch

Gretchen Hirsch (AKA Gertie) and her Charm Patterns label might be a bit larger scale than some of these makers, but she’s still worth checking out because she makes gorgeous patterns and fabrics and produces great sewing tutorials.

For anyone that loves to sew, I can’t recommend Gertie Sews Jiffy Dresses enough. And if you can’t bear the wait (or want a different pattern), she’s offering a discount on all PDF patterns right now. And be sure to check out #stayhomeandsew on Instagram. It’s fun to see what other sewists are up to.

Justine Gilbuena // New York, New York

via @justine.gilbuena

I’ve got a small enamel pin collection and half of those pins came from Justine Gilbuena. Her pins are sweet and touch on so many of my favorite things: sewing, cats, Martha Stewart, pretzels… I could go on.

And let’s face it: It’s almost jean jacket season. Time to dress those babies up with some new pins! I just snagged this cute little badger.

MBMB // Minneapolis, Minnesota

via MBMB on Etsy

I’ve been a fan of Michelle Brusegaard for a long time now. She creates that retro-meets-Midwest kind of stuff I love. (Right now I’m really into this Midwest sweatshirt from her Etsy shop).

Her work is homey and fun and lighthearted and I think those are all things we could use right now!

Gypsy Adornment // Madison, Wisconsin

via @gypsyadornment

I’ve got Sarah of Gypsy Adornment to thank for my love of labradorite. I’ve got a handful of pieces fitted with this stone in my jewelry box and love them.

All her work is really enchanting. Some pieces are minimal, others are sparkly, others a bit more rustic, but they all have the same handmade charm that makes them special. I totally recommend checking out her work. Something will call to you (or will scream someone you know).

Baby Tribe Co. // Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin

via @babytribeco

This has to be the most challenging time to have a baby (or one on the way). Treat your little (or your BFF’s bebe) to the most adorable baby clothes of all time.

The owner and maker, Lisa, does such a spectacular job on these baby pieces. They’re so soft, so well made and the fabrics are just mind meltingly cute. Anyone who gets one of these outfits will squeal with joy.

• • •

Got any favorite makers? Share them with me and how you’re supporting them through the chaos.