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.