Full confession, I adore the movie The Greatest Showman.  And anyone who knows me would be shocked to hear this from me.  Why?  I don't do musicals.  Seems a big counter intuitive since I grew up LOVING cult classics like Bedknobs and Broomsticks and Mary Poppins.  But I would never really consider those babies "musicals" - even though they technically are.


Anyway, that's not what this post is about.  If you love The Greatest Showman as much as I did, perhaps you are on the hunt for party ideas.  And that's what this post is all about.  I found these incredible photos and ideas over at Sage and Thistle Events and was just blown away. 


Can you even imagine?  They actually created a tent inside of a venue - complete with a ticket booth at the entrance of the "tent".  How awesome is that? 




The tabletop decor kept with the vintage circus theme with elephants and giraffes atop stacked boxes and golden accented table runners and plate chargers.



Aside from the subtle nod with the peanuts + shells on the table, these are perhaps my favorite table decor pieces.  I love the fact that the Animal Crackers played a central role in the setting as well as my favorite quote from the movie - "No one ever made a difference by being like everyone else" - PT Barnum.  It's perfect.



And rounding out the vintage-themed decor is an awesome photo area so guests can be their own ringmaster or try their luck at being eaten by a lion.  Of course, there wouldn't be a circus-themed party in any way if there was no popcorn.  Right?  This popcorn machine is perfect for this party - and any other Greatest Showman party.




I hope you were inspired with this Greatest Showman party idea post - and don't forget to be a part of the party with one of our custom costume aprons!  Maybe your little one wants to be the ringmaster of her own Greatest Showman birthday party - don't worry, we got your back on that too.  Just shoot us a message and we'll see what we can do.

Talk soon!
- Kate

Image Credits:  First Image - (Google Search - Images) // ALL Sage & Thistle Party Images from Sage & Thistle Blog // Last Two Images are from BambinoAmore

So maybe Chambray isn't a new obsession per say, but, it has been seen all over the runways for the Spring/Summer 2017 fashion shows.  And for good reason since it's the perfect alternative to denim + is super comfy - those are just facts.

WHAT IS CHAMBRAY?

Chambray is often confused with denim.  But, it's actually denim's light-weight cousin.  It's a cotton fabric that combines colored yarn (in the warp or top of the fabric) and white yarn (in the weft or back of the fabric), which is actually the same manner that denim is woven in.  However, Chambray is a plain or sometimes crisscross weave whereas denim is a diagonal weave.  In plain English that means that Chambray is a lighter, airier weave that exposes more of the white yarn in the top side of the fabric.  Whereas denim is a dense, tight weave (and therefore heavier) that keeps the white yarn on the back side of the fabric - giving it a darker color than any Chambray.

WHAT TO MAKE USING CHAMBRAY

We know that Chambray has the appearance of a lightly colored denim and that it is a little bit heavier than basic quilting fabrics, but, not as heavy as denim.  So the question becomes - what can you make using Chambray?

The answer to that question is pretty endless.  You can go traditional and create a top like the one pictured above or you can get creative with it and create nearly anything you can think of for your Spring/Summer wardrobe.  Think: button up shirts, dresses (both flowing and structured), pantsuits, pants, and even shoes (Espadrilles look amazing in Chambray).

WHAT ABOUT HOME-GOODS USES

Can Chambray be used to create home-goods?  Of course!  It is perfect for tablecloths, napkins, pillowcases, duvet covers, and yes - especially aprons.  It is tough + durable while staying soft + comfy, which, in my opinion makes it ideal for a workhorse apron.

Washed Chambray will give you a similar wrinkled look of linen,.  As I'm sure you've seen all over Etsy and Pinterest, that wrinkled look is crazy popular these days.  So, with that in mind, I am thinking that a revamped bistro apron or gardening apron would be the perfect style choice for Chambray.  Mix it with pops of color - sparingly or all over for an unexpected surprise.  Like the soft pink seen in the image above. 

NUTSHELL RECAP:  WHY CHAMBRAY IS THE PERFECT DENIM ALTERNATIVE

• It's lighter than denim, but a bit heavier than standard quilting fabrics
• It's generally 100% Cotton (not a blend)
• It's durable - weighing in at 4.9 oz. per square yard
• It's soft and non-scratchy fabric + will only get softer with each washing
• Its composition makes it more versatile than denim + can be used for clothing and home-goods alike

What do you think of Chambray with pink?  I have tons of ideas swirling around and can't wait to share the end result with you!

Credits // Author and Photography: Kate Mark for Bambino Amore // Top Photo of Chambray: Fancy Tiger Crafts

There is something special about this time of year, isn't it?  The air turns crisp and chilly while the house gets decorated with leaves + pumpkins.  The smells coming from the kitchen are both spicy and sweet - a beautiful juxtaposition of the season itself.

This month's fabric inspiration comes directly from this juxtaposition.  The vanilla bean half apron is the ideal hostess apron, although I wouldn't recommend cooking in it as it's a creamy white KONA with a crochet lace overlay.  We'll do a tutorial for this apron if you'd like - just drop us a comment below letting us know!     


The two aprons above feature vinyl iron-on appliques that I made and cut on my Cricuit.  The combo of the spice and vanilla colored KONA cotton with the pumpkin colored skirt with golden pin dots is topped off with golden trim along the waistband.

What do you think of these three combos for Thanksgiving?  Do you have a favorite?

Credits // Author and Photography: Kate Mark for Bambino Amore // Aprons by Bambino Amore - found at Bambino Amore

So...it's been a little bit and we have been crazy busy!  If you've been following us on social media then you know we lost the matriarch of our family, my grandmother, on January 21st and that sent us all in to a sort of tailspin.  It was completely unexpected.  She was not sick and she had just had a checkup the very day she died and everything was all good.  Except it wasn't.


I think she was just tired and ready to see my grandfather who passed in 2009.   Either way, it sucked then and still sucks now.  It's hard to not be able to pick up the phone and call her or hop in the car to go see her.  The house that they shared is no longer theirs - it sold quickly - and it was devastating to see happen.  But, life will always go on, whether we want it to or not.  Granddaddy once told me that everything in life is a choice.  Even the things that you think you have no control over, you still have a choice - and that is how you will react to it and then what actions you will take afterwards.  I hope that my choices will honor them and their memory.


About four months later, after mom did the things she needed to do for the estate, we packed up all of our stuff and headed north to Missouri where my Aunt + Uncle (and several cousins) live - and the house hunt began.  For nearly 6 months we went all over the state and even in to Kansas looking for the "right" house.  I was worried we would never find it and have to settle for something that was available and ok.


Then we found this beauty in a little town about one and a half hours away from my Aunt + Uncle and we just knew it was perfect.  Well, it's perfectly imperfect and I just love it!

It was built in the 1920's and has such amazing character - hardwood floors, large rooms, super tacky wallpaper, and two fireplaces, just to name a few.


Honestly, I can't wait until the spring so we can get to work on painting, adding trims, and doing a yard redo.  It will be awesome to put our own stamp on the house and add to the extensive history that we are now a part of as the new owners of this awesome home.

I really wish grandmom and granddaddy could see this house.  I know they would both think it's great!

What do you think?  What is your favorite style or era of home?

Credits // Author and Photography: Kate Mark for Bambino Amore // Wedding Photos part of our family collection

As some of you may know, I used to have an Etsy shop where I created little kids clothing and I have been yearning to create some clothes.  The perfect opportunity arose when my beautiful niece needed some clothes for her trip to Universal Studios + Florida.

Mom chose to go the more traditional route and create the gorgeous set you see above - using nothing but fat quarters!  Can you believe that?  Check out those fabric combos - little Lia's nursery has these very color combos.  The yellows, soft greys, and crisp white all create a cute + soothing color scheme (or so I'm told!).    


I, on the other hand chose to let my geek flag fly and created her two drop waist skirts with a totes adorbs Harry Potter Quidditch theme fabric coupled with a yellow polka dot fabric for one and a blue stars fabric coupled with bright red and + yellow trim on the second one.


I then took basic onesies and added a bit of pizazz to them.  The Harry Potter one was created using a Snitch graphic and the HP with the lightening bolt.  I took those graphics and loaded them in to my Cricuit machine and made iron-on appliques with glitter vinyl.  It really ended up looking great!

For the Wonder Woman outfit, I just added a store bought iron-on applique + then top stitched it for added durability. 


So what do you think about these fabric combos?  Would you like to see a tutorial for the skirts?  Perhaps one for the snitch applique?  Let us know in the comments section below.

Credits // Author and Photography: Kate Mark for Bambino Amore

APRON TIES - ANGLE THEM LIKE A PRO

Have you ever wondered how we get those angled ties for our Bambino Amore aprons?  It's wicked easy and I'll show you how it's done.  So, let's get to it with this quick sewing tip.

STEP ONE: 

First, you need to stitch up your ties - according to whatever pattern/tutorial instructions you are working with.  This example is of the Lola apron tutorial, which will be coming to the blog in its entirety for free soon.

STEP TWO:

Now you will need to angle the edges - following the instructions on your pattern/tutorial.  If you'd like it to look like this one - you need to measure over 1" on the top and .5" on the bottom, draw a line, and then use that line as your stitch line.

This is a wicked important step since it will determine how the end of the tie will look.  Some are curved, some are squared, and some are angled - ours are angled.  Regardless of your desired edge, be sure to back-stitch a bunch because you want those pressure points to be really durable.

STEP THREE: 

The next step is clipping along the seams to get rid of some of that bulk - that's the real secret to a nice angled edge.  

STEP FOUR:

Turn baby, turn.  I use a full on knitting needle to turn my ties.  Mom uses a crochet hook.  Once upon a time, I used a safety pin to pull the fabric through.  There are even some people who use a special tool.  Whichever method is easiest for you is what you should go with - just make sure that you turn the tie and push the point out without pushing through the fabric itself (ie., poking a hole in the fabric + totally ruining the tie).  

STEP FIVE:

Now you just need to smooth out (flatten) your seam.  I do this first using my fingers by rolling the seam and smoothing them with my nails - and then with the iron + starch.  That will get them nice and flat.

In honor of the new J.K.Rowling book, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, I decided to try my hand at making a Hogwarts favorite. Yep, that means butterbeer baby!

Since I had never had butterbeer before I made this recipe, I wasn't sure what to expect.  I had an idea.  And I knew what I wanted.  I wanted a warm drink that I could make instead of coffee since I really don't like the taste of coffee that much, but, I do like a little coffee flavored vanilla creamer hot drink from time to time.  Or hot cooca.  Whatever.   


And yes, it does taste better with some golden snitches (AKA Ferrero Rochers) to snack on while you sip it.  Grab your apron and let's whip up a batch.


You'll need:

• 1 Liter of Cream Soda (your choice of brand - it doesn't matter)
• 3 tbsp. of butter
• 3 tbsp. of brown sugar
• 1 cup of heavy whipping cream
• 5 Werther's Originals candies

Tools you'll need: whisk, pot (you don't need one as big as what I used - I just liked the cauldron look of this pot), measuring cups/spoons, a fork, and microwave-safe bowl

Steps:

1. In your pot, boil the cream soda
2. Combine the butter + brown sugar in a microwave-safe bowl and melt the combo until the sugar has dissolved.  I did mine in 30 second intervals so that it wouldn't turn in to a hot bubbly mess - stirring with a fork

3. When your cream soda is completely boiling (like, really boiling, not little bubbles) mix in your butter + sugar combo with a whisk - being sure to keep stirring 
4. Mix in the whipping cream while still stirring
5. Toss in the Werther's candies - and you guessed it, keep stirring

6. Stir, stir, stir until the candies are all melted.

When the butterbeer has cooled enough to be tolerable, pour it in to a fancy (or not-so fancy - your choice) mug and curl up with a good Harry Potter book, a blanket that shows your house colors, and a handful of golden snitches.


In another post I will show you how to turn this nice warm drink (perfect for fall + winter) in to an iced latte alternative.  Yummy...

Have you tried a Butterbeer recipe that was share-worthy awesome?  Let us know!

Credits // Author and Photography: Kate Mark for Bambino Amore // Apron by Bambino Amore - found at Bambino Amore
 

Hey everyone!  For this business tip tutorial, I'm going to shed some light on how I take all of the product photos for our Bambino Amore website + Bambino Amore Etsy shop.

It's wicked easy now that I have a system in place, but, once upon a time it was a totally different story.  Take a peek at the apron gallery on our Bambino Amore website see what I am referring to - I have totally stepped up my photography game with this new system.  And yes, I still take each of our product photos in my bedroom - using a wide wall that's completely clear of furniture.   

I tried every kind of white background you could think of - the wall (too bumpy + texturized), a disposable plastic table cloth (too shiny), fabric (showed every wrinkle), and finally - I hit pay dirt with a roll of sketch paper from the hobby/craft store.  I tried lights of all kinds from workhorse lights to lamps all over the place.  Finally, I was able to purchase some light stands with umbrellas and then I received some soft box lights for Christmas one year and all bets were off!

Here are the tools I use now:

• Four soft box lights - with four daylight bulbs each
• Two light stands with removable umbrellas - with one daylight bulb each
• Sketch Paper on the Roll
• Backdrop Stand
• Sony Cyber-shot DCS-HX200V
• Adobe Photoshop via Creative Cloud 
• Super Awesome Mannequin that I got as a Christmas present

The name of this game is to make-do with what you have until you can upgrade, but, to always keep playing around + keep improving.

My system, step-by-step:
1.  Identify the light sources in a room that you're using to take photographs in.


In my case, the overhead light casts a yellow glow and the windows cast a blueish light.  Since I will be working with my soft boxes, I am going to cancel out the yellow glow by just turning off the overhead light.  Easy Peasy.

2.  Identify what you want the lights to actually light up.


I want to use the power of the soft boxes (they have four bulbs inside of each one) to light up the background so that I can achieve the blow-out white seamless look you find in all of our apron images.  That means that I will place the lights on the sides of the mannequin, aim them at the background, and then make sure they are not lighting the mannequin because it will wash out the color of the apron - which is a no-no in product photography.

3.  Light 'em up!  Now you want to flip the switches on the light boxes and be prepared to be less-than-impressed because it isn't so bright and doesn't look as awesome as you think it should.


It's ok though, this is just one step and you're missing a key component - lighting the mannequin + apron.  Now it's time to bring in the light stands - one on either side and light those up.

 
Still not quite what I'm looking for, but, in some instances this is enough light - no joke.  We do need to bust out the umbrellas for this one though.  They will bounce the light and spread it out over the mannequin + apron more evenly and give us the right kind of light.


4.  Snap, snap, + snap some more.  The lighting is all set and all that's left is to set the white balance on your camera the way you want to, break out a tripod if you feel the need (I don't always), and begin taking photos.  I tend to take about 20+ for each apron and then leave it on the mannequin while I process the photos just in case I need to take more.  Don't worry about the lighting equipment being in the shots - focus on your subject. 

5.  Load + Edit.  Almost finished!  Time to see what the pictures look like so load them in to a photo editing program.  I use Adobe Photoshop CC to crop, adjust curves (if it's too dark or too light), and paint (using white and a feathered paintbrush).  Paint?!  Yep, we have to remove that lighting somehow.




Now that we have cropped, adjusted the curves to lighten the image a bit, and painted out the lighting equipment we are all finished.  The result?  A fabulous image with a pure white background that looks like it belongs in a catalog or magazine - all ready for our shops!

If you have any questions, leave them in the comments below.  If you think this tutorial will help someone out with their product photography - tweet it, pin it, link it, post it, forward it, etc.

What products do you create yourself and take photos of on a mannequin?

Credits // Author and Photography: Kate Mark for Bambino Amore // Apron by Bambino Amore - found at Bambino Amore