My Celebrity Friends

So it’s no secret that I LOVE celebrity gossip. I mean, truly my day is not complete unless I check my 2 favorite celebrity gossip blogs no less than a dozen times each. Obsessive, you say? Well come on, I have to be prepared and current on the latest celebrity crisis so I can engage in intelligent conversations about them with my friends over lunch. For instance, when Jennifer Anniston and Brad Pitt announced their divorce, I spent at hour on the phone with one of my sisters, dissecting their marriage and the possibility that that Angelia Jolie played in all this, as if we knew them all personally (why, oh why, Brad? That’s all I want to know!). Don’t sit there and pretend you don’t do the same thing either, because I know you do. And who else aside from myself was jumping for sheer JOY at the train wreck that was the Britney Spears/Matt Lauer interview? And then there are all these celebrity babies (seriously, what the heck is in the purified mineral water they’re all drinking?). Much like the rest of you, I too was on the edge of my seat waiting for baby Suri to be born, and for the Brangelina baby to grace us with her presence as well (BTW, has anyone seen Suri? Please contact the Center for Exploited and Missing Children if you have). But when Jennifer Gardner and Ben Affleck were being showered for baby Violet’s pending arrival last fall, I SO wanted to be invited! I mean, come on! I give good baby gifts! Please let me be your friend! And she was so darn cute on Martha, munching on everything in site! But then again, what exactly DO you give a celebrity who’s expecting? A onesie with a skull and bones is just NOT monogram momma’s style, I can tell you that now (no matter how popular they are for the celeb set). So what is my style? Well I’ll fill you in since you’re all just dying to know. Furthermore, I’m sure it will come as no small surprise that I have a standard gift that I give to every first time expectant mom. And believe me, it is one that even Jennifer Gardner or Gwen Stefani would love to get (in my humble opinion, of course).
Although I could easily buy off the baby registry like everyone else, I prefer to give a baby gift that says its from me, something I came up with and created, but yet something that you also need. So I buy a large basket that’s very deep, and purchase lots of things that I know (from experience, of course) that every new mom needs, and that I personally couldn’t live without (but didn’t know it until I had the mini’s). So here is a list of the things I need for my celebrity worthy gift:
1- Large wicker basket (for instance, I have 4 of these Pottery Barn baskets that are great, or just find another big basket cheaper somewhere else)
2- Dreft baby detergent
3- Several packages of baby hangers (you can NEVER have enough of these)
4- Wrist rattles
5- Box of plastic links
6-Bugs on Board for the carseat
6- Aveeno baby wash & shampoo in one (made of oatmeal so it doesn’t dry out the baby’s skin like regular Johnson & Johnson)
7- Box of nursing pads (because trust me, even if you don’t nurse, you will be needing them!)
8- Avent variable bottle nipples (only if they’ve registered for Avent bottles of course)
9- PetZyme Stain Remover (can only get it at PetSmart and it’s the ONLY thing that I’ve found gets out formula, urine, etc.. b/c it’s an enzyme remover. Even OxyClean won’t completely get it out like this stuff)
10- Mylecon infant gas relief (actually if you go to Walmart-which I LOATHE btw, you can buy their own brand that is 1/2 the price for twice the amount)
11- Chenille and fringe burp cloths

So obviously, everything 1 through 9, I purchase, but #10, the burp cloths, I always make. I actually started making these about 6 years ago, but originally I hand embroidered everything myself on the thick white cotton Gerber cloth diapers/ burp cloths, just like Martha suggested back then in her Special Edition Baby magazines (make sure you buy the heavy thick ones, and NOT the weave because monogram momma thinks those are very cheap looking and flimsy!). But over the years, my burp cloths evolved as I just didn’t have the time to do all that hand embroidering anymore. So I still use the Gerber burp cloths as my template so they are nice and big. Monogram momma does not skimp on size or quality! Then I buy chenille and fabrics I like and basically just make them as I’d sew a pillow, and add some cute ball fringe, or sometimes I’ll add ric rac trim, or pretty grosgrain ribbon. Check out these two I just finished for my friend, Brooke. I used black ball fringe on the blue toile and chenille, and green ball fringe on the retro cowboy fabric and chenille. But the beauty of these is that they are not only so soft and warm, but also very durable. Now, if you like the idea of doing these custom burpcloths, but don't want to go to all the hassle of searching and buying all the different fabrics, another option that I love, is to just take those plain white Gerber diapers and add some pretty grosgrain ribbon to them, and have them monogrammed. Voila! The great thing about these cloth diapers is that they have vertical seams in them so it's SO EASY to sew the grosgrain on straight. Then you just drop them off at your local monogram lady and it's done. If you want, add a little ball fringe on the top and bottom of these as well. Just be as creative as you want! For another twist, you could even buy some Rit Dye and dye the cloth diapers a pale pink, blue or yellow (make sure you wash very well after dying!) and THEN add on the grosgrain. It's such a simple thing that looks so cute, and will make every new mom feel like a million bucks (or dare I say, a celebrity) when she's burping her little one in public. But you know my job isn't completed yet! I take the chennile burp cloths or my gorsgrain and monogrammed burp cloths, and fold them in half, then roll each one. Then I take all 3 or 4 (how ever many you decide to do) and bunch them together and tie them off with a ton of raffia so it looks really festive and pretty. They will then sit front and center in a spot of prominence in my gift basket. As a side note, I usually include a little note typed up on card stock w/ a cute little graphic that reads "Hand Made with love by Monogram Momma" and then I hole punch it, tie it on, and I'm done (as you can see here). The basket always gets RAVE reviews!
As always, I realize there are plenty of you out there who like this idea, but don't have a sewing machine or even the time to do it yourself. So go buy all the junk for your basket and you can then check out these sites and buy already completed burp cloths to put in there too. First of all, I have to send you over to Lolli Tots, as my friend, Heather, owns that business. She will take care of you; just make sure you tell her Monogram Momma sent you. Then my friend Susan's sister-in-law owns another little online boutique called Dally Sisters and they've got the white burp cloths that are embroidered and accented with cute fabrics. Now, over at The Monogram Shops, they've got very nice things which Oprah herself even recommends. However, you can take a look at their grosgrain burp cloths and see for yourself that they aren't any different fom the one I made myself (and I can promise you, it did not cost me $50). After you leave the Monogram Shop, you might want to check out Layla Grace. ALWAYS a favorite of monogram momma's for their fabulous products, they've got a great selection of products by the 3 Martha's, which I am a very big fan of. But if that isn't quite glam enough for you and you want a burp cloth and bib set to speak for itself and REALLY make a statment, then by all means, wander on over to Teacups & Tadpoles and check out their stash that would be fit for any celebrity gift basket. A few more sites I'm going to throw out there to you that deserve honerable mention are of course, Posh Tots (I could eat up every little thing on this site!) and Sydney's Closet. But lastly, I will remind my fellow monogrammers once again, to check ebay. I found this store to have some really cute retro prints for their chenille burp cloths and honestly I didn't look very hard so you could probably find a lot more if you tried a little harder than I did.
So now that my burp cloths are finished and shipped off to Brooke, I'm just sitting here wondering who the next celebrity to procreate will be, and if they would be worthy of my basket with my cute little monogrammed chenille burp cloths and all my thoughtful little things. Hmmmm... As much as I'd like to sit here and ponder about it, I have to go check my celebrity gossip blogs for my twelth and final time for this morning.