Why Teaparties and Playdates?

Over the last couple months, I've done some brainstorming about my little line of clothing - What makes it different? How do I describe it? I came up with this:

For coffee shops and street fairs. For teaparties and playdates. As playful and unique as the children who wear it: eieio.

When choosing fabrics and designs for the clothing, I am very aware of wanting to dress my children as children. As much as my husband jokes that I like to dress my son like the guys I had crushes on in college (think casual button downs and baseball hats), when I look for fabric I look for fun, playful, and sturdy. Skirts need to twirl. Dresses must be easy to put on and take off. Practical, fun, playful, unique. Fresh, simple, fancy. Dressy enough for a tea party. Basic enough for a playdate. Lots of fun to dream up and create.

Welcome to Teaparties and Playdates

A long time ago I started a 'website'. We lived half-way across the country from most of our family and friends and had our first child in 2004. I posted picture after picture of our smiling baby and such interesting facts as "E loves Sweet Potatoes".

Then, our second was born in 2006 and I took a break. Until he turned one. Then I discovered blogger, got sucked in, and had a lot of fun posting on a semi-regular basis.

Then we moved half-way across the country again, back close to where we had begun and I discovered the whole world out there of 'crafty mama' blogging... and I tried to emulate while balancing my husband's concern for privacy (and protection) with his summation of "who really reads that, anyway?"

So I took a break again.

So now I'm back. With what will be a more public blog (read: searchable and with limited personal information) and I'm asking myself Why? What For?

So, for now, this website is for:

• friends and family wanting to know how the kids are growing, changing, and surviving
  
• folks just discovering eieio and wanting to know a little bit more about who's behind it and where it comes from
• sharing fun finds
• documenting the renovation of and (very) slow settling into our 100-year-old house (we finally framed some photos last night after over a year here!)
• sharing the process of creating a (very) small business from home
• achieving some level of autonomy in a world that at times really seems to be run by my two pre-schoolers.