Bella Rose Inspirations

Paleo Coconut flour pancakes

We have been eating paleo/grain free for the past few months (with some sneaking here and there) and I have been having a difficult time with pancakes. I usually ended up throwing the batter into a muffin tin and letting them bake in the oven because my pancakes kept undercooking or burning. The kids thought they were fun, but I missed making and eating simple pancakes. So I started experimenting and came up with this recipe that turns out perfectly. 

They are very high in fiber and protein.

This recipes serves 3-4.

Yield- 10-12 small pancakes 

Prep time- 5 minutes

Cook time- 5-6 minutes

You will need-

5 eggs (local, free range if possible)

1/2 cup of coconut flour

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg 

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 tbsp local honey (or maple syrup)

1 tbsp melted coconut oil

 

Let's get started. 

I throw everything into my vitamix until everything is evenly blended. Heat some coconut oil on your griddle. Once it is at a medium heat, pour 1/2 cup batter for each pancake. I make them small so they are easy to flip. Turn your pancakes after 3 minutes, or just after it's puffed up. 

Serves with some chopped (soaked) pecans or walnuts, maple syrup and berries or fruit of choice. 

Enjoy. :)

Our Elimination Communication journey

When Benjamin was 4 weeks old, I met a mother who was practicing EC with her 6 month old. She had successfully done EC with her two older children and they were potty independent by 18 months. I had always been intrigued by it, but felt that it was something that might have been too difficult for us to do. After seeing her cueing her child on a portable potty, I decided to look into it more and found it to be something that I could at least try. I borrowed The Diaper Free Baby book by Christine Gross-Loh from the library, watched a few YouTube videos and immersed myself into learning what I can.

And so began our journey with EC. It has not always been an easy one, but an eye-opening one nontheless. For the first few weeks (5-10 weeks) upon following Benjamin's cues of grunting or pulling his legs toward his body, I held him over our bathroom sink and he would eliminate. And I would miss catching some. As he started sitting up, I found the Baby Bjorn potty seat a great option. He would pee and poo every morning and after each nap. I found myself connecting to my baby on a whole new level. I recognized that despite being completely dependent on their caregivers, babies can truly communicate their essential needs. Now I know that they cry of course for basic needs, but I had never realized that eliminating was such an enormous part of that. Fascinating!

I stuck to catching his pees and poos after nap and we were successful with those, and some other catches here and there. As he became mobile, it became difficult, he had little interest in doing it, and we gave it a rest. We stuck to the post nap and waking pottys, as I felt that any catch was a good catch. When we missed one, it was never a big deal. 

Then a few weeks after he mastered walking, we had a breakthrough and I started being able to recognize his cues again. Up until this point, we never did night time catches. We did experience a "setback" (if you will) with each important milestone.

He is now 16 months. He has never slept more than 3 hours at a time, and around 15 months, I realized he was indeed waking up because he needed to pee. So we decided to take him the moment he grunts and fusses in his sleep (we cosleep and breastfeed, so it's convenient) And he would nurse back to sleep or fuss for my husband to walk him for a bit. I must say that the night time has been fairly exhausting and I'm contemplating night weaning to see if that would help any, but as we continue, I shall update more on that.

During the day, he is more often than not, diaper free. Yes, our floor catches some pees here and there (thank goodness for hardwood) but if he does have an accident, he is very, very aware and runs to get me immediately, letting me know (by pointing and saying "ew, lol- he got that from older siblings). If I were to measure how we are doing, I would say that we do catch about 80% of his daytime pees. I am working on getting him to be more independent to go potty on his own. We now use the Baby Bjorn Toilet trainer and not the portable Bjorn anymore. And as he's still too little to climb on a stool and sit on his own, he needs help to go. So that in itself is another challenge. 

But there you have it. I am far from an expert on this topic, but I wanted to share what our journey has looked like thus far. I will keep you updated on how it goes on for us. 

Have you tried EC? What are your thoughts on it?

Matilda Jane Upcycles

Finished an order for a customer, for her three girls. I am hoping she likes how they turned out. I had to improvise with one of the shirts, as I ran out of the style.

 

 

 

Thanks for looking :)

Spring handmades for my kids

I came to the realization a little while ago that I've been so busy sewing for others that my kids haven't had anything mama-made in a while. So I have been a little busy-bee creating things for them. I got some super sweet fabric in recently in and had to make some things for them with it. 

Some matching shirts for my boys

And another shirt for my little

And for Miss Bella. She is such a lucky little gal. She choose the fabric and when the dress was completed, she was so excited, kept asking if she could wear it. (I wanted to photograph it first ;) )

Some nightgowns, because she has been sleeping in big brother's tees, as she has outgrown all her other pjs. 

And some more. These are such a simple, easy style. I love them. 

And unders, as she has again outgrown her other mama made unders. 

And last but certainly not least, some sweet Chevron leggings. Can't get enough of Chevron. 

And this sweet little Tunic Chevron and floral dress and matching leggings. 

 

If there are any interest in the Chevron leggings, I am happy to do a pre-order. I have quite a few colors available. Feel free to comment here, or email me at bellaroseinspirations@gmail.com.

Thanks for looking :)

10 minute Tutorial for Reusable Snack bags

I'm very happy to share this, my first, tutorial today. A simple project if you have some extra time to craft. This tute is for re-usable snack/ sandwich fabric bags. It is made up of 100% quilting cotton and velcro. I generally stay away from water-proof fabrics as a personal preference. 

Finished size of bag is 6 1/2 inches by 6 1/2 inches. 

Supplies needed

1/2 yard of fabric of choice

1/2 yard of Lining fabric 

Sewing machine (I use both an overlock (serger) and sewing machine)

Thread 

Velcro

Scissors

Cutting mat and rotary cutter.

 

Let's get started.

First thing is to fold your fabric for easier cutting (if your fabric is longer than 15 inches) I fold in half widthwise and half again. 

 

Next cut to 15 inches

So now, you a strip of fabric that measures 36 inches by 15 inches. 

Next, with your fabric folded in half, cut 7 inch strips, as demonstrated. So you will be cutting 7 inch by 15 inch pieces.

You will now have 6 pieces of fabric. (Each piece here is actually 2 pieces)

Do the same for the lining fabric and you will have 6 pieces of lining as well.

Fold each piece of fabric in half, right sides facing each other. 

Now for the sewing part. I will demonstrate one bag.   

Sew along the open edges, leaving the fold intact. Do the same for the lining fabric. With your sewing maching you can use a zig zag stitch if you prefer, but it should not matter as there will be no open seams. 

Turn out only the main fabric to the right side; leave the linig fabric on the wrong side. 

With the lining still on the wrong side, insert it into the main fabric bag. Using a crotchet hook or wooden knitting needle, you can get crips corners. 

Now with your serger or sewing maching, you can sew along the edge. If using a sewing machine, you can turn the seams in once, and turn them in again to hide the raw edge. 

Press seams. 

Topstitch.

Now to sew on the velcro.

Note- Please use only sew-on Velcro for sewing. 

I use 5 inch strips of hook and loop. Measure about 3/4 of an inch from the seam and pin velcro in place.

When sewing on, please remove pins before sewing over the area. 

Do the same for the other side, and voila, your snack bag in finished.

You can make the rest of your bags with the remaining fabric and you will have 6 of your own snack bags. 

I hope this was helpful to you. If you have any questions or suggestions for my tutorial, please do not hesitate to post. I appreciate any feedback.

Blog re-design and Valentine's giveaway

Since one of my New Year's Resolutions was to blog more often, I decided to give my blog a new face. So with the new re-design complete, I wanted to offer a giveaway to my followers and fans. 

Chevron is so in right now, and I needed to create something fabulous with some lovely Chevron fabric I picked up recently. I decided to offer this Petal Knot Dress for the giveaway.

It is a size 2 and you must subscribe to my blog and either follow me on Instagram or follow me on Facebook (or both).

Once you have subscribed to my blog and followed me at either, leave a comment with your name and email address to enter to win. 

I will select a winner at random by February 14th. 

Good luck to all. 

 

Homeschool Organization

We've been getting back into the swing of things with homeschooling after taking a good month off for the winter holidays. After analyzing the damage that introducing new Christmas presents did, I decided to declutter and re-organize our school and play area. 

I've been getting more into the Montessori style, but I am still so very far from where I would like it to be. But it's a slow process. I've always loved the idea of things being on the very level of children's hands and eyes, and that is where most of our toys, books and play things are. It needs a bit of improvement and I would like to get more natural storage products or baskets, so a thrifting trip is soon in order. 

Here are some pictures. This is the entire room (s). The first room is our school area and the second is the play area. 

and from the other direction

the play room

the main toy shelf with Benjamin's toys at the bottom, a few puzzles etc. 

Bookshelf and puppet theather. I keep things that aren't in use at the top and rotate from time to time. 

And in the school area, my storage for school supplies and books etc. 

Art and craft supplies

and some more toys. Here is where I would like to replace the current storage with more natural, accessible storage. 

And I keep my Montessori trays at the top. I need to figure out a better way to store these. Any and all suggestions welcome. 

Thanks for looking. 

 

Spring dress per-orders

If you have started your spring dress shopping, I have a few styles available for purchase. 

They are made with high quality designer woven fabrics and the perfect combination of fabrics for your Spring/Easter dress needs. 

Sizes available for each are 2T-5

The first is my absolute favorite

Alchemy Peasant dress. The neck and sleeves are shirred with elastic thread for easy on and off access and there's a detachable sash for tieing to fit perfectly each time. (Price is $35)

Second is Heirloom in Blue Serenade dress. (Price- $40)

Third is Rhapsodia (Price- $40)

The fourth dress available for preorder is "Heirloom in Jade" Peasant dress (Price- $35)

The fifth style available is "Queen Anns Butterfly" Peasant dress (Price- $35) 

The last dress available for pre-order is "Charisma in Blush" Knot dress (Price- $35)

The turn around time will be 4-5 weeks for each dress. If you are interested in purchasing, please email me at bellaroseinspirations@gmail.com. 

 

Reposting Birthday presents

My sweet Bella turned four a few weeks agos. As cliche as this sounds, time flies! It really goes by so fast. I remember with such clarity the day she was born. It was a slightly traumatic experience, but an incredible one nonetheless. 

And I am so grateful for each day that she has blessed our lives with. I wanted to make a special present for her. She has started getting into dolls and playing mama, so this was the perfect opportunity. I had made two waldorf dolls prior to this, the first was not so great and the second was a much better attempt. I self drafted the pattern, and the only thing I would change is how I made her feet, but I am very pleased with how this little gal turned out. 

So without further ado, here she is. 

She is as of yet unnamed, because I wanted Bella to be the one to name her. But I am definitely open to suggestions to pass along ;)

And her wardrobe. Everything is self drafted :)

This little peasant dress is my favorite. I love the farbenmix ribbon as the sash. 

And I absolutely could not resist making some cute undies. The waist is some lovely elastic lace. Some of my favorite knit fabrics that I just had some scraps of. 

Now I just have to make her birthday dress and maybe a matching dress for the doll, but I am pretty sure she has enough clothes ;)

Birthday Celebrations

My sweet Bella turns four tomorrow, December 10th. We decided to have her birthday party at our house yesterday. Just wanted to share some pictures :)

Dress is mama made with Sarah Jane On Parade fabrics. Crown is Stella Grace Boutique made. Check out her store on Etsy, she has an array of delightful handmade Waldorf and Montessori inspired children’s toys. 

Ms. Bella requested a horse cake as she absolutely loves horses, and being that I am not very artistically talented in the cake department, I had one made for her from Whole Foods. I really like how it came out, and she loved it, which mattered most, and it was so delicious as well.

 

And opening presents, the best part ever. We haven’t gotten to her doll yet. She’ll get that on her actual birthday. 

I’ve been an emotional wreck lately because I still can’t believe this little girl is almost 4. I’ve been reading and re-reading her birth story. If you’ve not yet read her story, I will re-share that on my blog tomorrow. Her birth is such a reminder of how unpredictable yet fragile life can be. We are so blessed and fortunate to have her in our lives. Thank you Bella for being a part of our little family. We love you so much, my beautiful girl!