I lovey EJ & Ellabird!

Over the past couple of weeks I have been starting to try to ease Samantha into a nap routine, as well as getting her to sleep in her own bed. I want to make the transition as easy as possible for her so I have decided to introduce a lovey for her to get attached to so that I can start putting her down with it. I wasn't sure what to use at first, but then I remembered a gift I received at my baby shower. My friend Danielle made me the most adorable lovey set, and I figured that it would be perfect!

Dani has a store called EJ & Ellabird and she makes all sorts of wonderful creations for babies. Her loveys are just adorable! The one she made for me was a matched set - a medium size tag lovey and a miniature tag lovey for on-the-go. This set was made with Lovebird fabric and beautifully soft, silky red satin. (Red just happens to be my favorite color, and all of Sam's travel gear is red. Perfect!) The loveys have soft ribbon tags around all the edges that Sam loves to grab and hold onto while she nurses and lays down to sleep. Dani also makes loveys in a large size which are perfect for use as a travel blanket. And of course the small one is perfect for car rides!

EJ & Ellabird got its start in 2009 when Dani was trying to come up with gifts for her many pregnant friends. She didn't have a lot of money but she had a lot of yarn, fabric and creativity. After doing some research into popular baby items, she decided to try her hand at making a tag lovey like the one she made for me. She was so happy with the way it came out that she decided to make lots more. Danielle also noticed that pacifier holders were quite popular, so she gave that a try as well and came up with her own pattern for them.

This just wasn't enough to keep Dani busy so she collaborated with her friend Anmarie to come up with patterns for adorable hand knit and crocheted baby hats. The girls realized they had something good going on so they decided to make a real business out of it. They combined the initials of Dani's son's name with Anmarie's daughter's nickname, and EJ & Ellabird was born! So far the most popular hat style has been the infant hat with a brim, but they are constantly working to come up with new styles. Soon Dani plans to add cocoons for photographer props and crochet diaper covers, as well as handmade quilts and throws.

I don't know how this mama does it - she must be sewing non-stop! Her work is beautiful though, and I highly recommend her for your crafty mama needs. She is currently only taking custom orders but she hopes to have some inventory built up before her second child arrives in just a few short months! Check out some more of her work on her blog: EJ & Ellabird

Thanks again for the beautiful baby gift, Danielle! We are still working on the whole napping thing with Sam, but she is definitely already enjoying her lovey!