Smocked Dresses and Little Monkey Toes

Today I pulled this sweet little smocked dress out of Lydia's closet (with long sleeves under it, of course, as this is Spring in the Midwest). 

Jason's first comment was that he was wondering if Lydia was wearing a curtain.  That's okay, we won't judge him just because he doesn't understand little girl fashion.  I told him that if we lived in the South, Lydia would just blend in with the other little girls in an outfit such as this.  His response - maybe we should move south?  With the weather we have been having, that does sound enticing!  Thanks to Kelly at Kelly's Korner for influencing Lydia's wardrobe.  I LOVE how Kelly dresses her little girls - so sweet.  And, just for the record, Kelly does live in the south.  And, just being honest here, I do get a little giddy when I see that Lydia has the same or a similar outfit that Kelly's daughter Harper has.

Aren't Lydia's shoes so sweet as well?  I stumbled across a (non-Etsy) fun site - Little Monkey Toes with a crazy selection of shoes for children, along with other fun boutique items.  While these little shoes did not come from Little Monkey Toes, they do sell this brand, and I did buy a different pair of cute shoes for Lydia from Little Monkey Toes, likely for Fall, a couple of weeks ago.  Great customer service, so personable!  If you "like" them on Facebook, you can get advance notice of special sales and discounts.  Almost makes me want to give in and get on Facebook ... almost.

I know, I'm a little obsessed with dressing our little girl.  I do not take for granted how blessed we are that I can splurge on sweet little dresses, shoes, and hair accessories for Lydia (and to be put away for China Girl).  This smocked dress came from eBay as did the shoes - both new and both discounted.  I have picked up a few things from Zulily, a site with daily deals and discounts, and I tend to buy ahead, off season if I can, to find better deals.  So, that's that. 

On a different note, my project referenced below is coming along and is nearly finished.  Every day life has consumed us these days with not much extra time for crafting!!!  Here's a peak at what I'm working on.  Can you guess?

It's a gloomy day here in the Midwest, perfect for crafting.  Maybe I'll get this done yet!