sewbaby: one-of-a-kind clothes for your little one

Need a baby or birthday gift? Want to dress your own baby or toddler in something you don't find on the racks? Check out these adorable pieces from Sewbaby.

Moms who resort to shopping via the "add to cart" button on babygap.com or oldnavy.com should especially take note: Sewbaby onesies, tops, pants and other offerings make a far more unique and personal purchase and can be customized. That's something that's hard, if not impossible, to do elsewhere. Whether it's choosing your fabric or your design, Sewbaby can do it all.

Rachel Weiner, a graphic artist turned preschool teacher and now the mom behind the line, started making baby clothes a couple of years before she had her now 2.5 year old daughter Ella.

"After I quit teaching and had Ella, I wanted to use all of my background interests and started sewing presents for my friends who were having babies," she says. "I started doing T-shirts and then people started asking me to make some for their newborns, and that's how it began."

It's no surprise that Weiner has a passion for clothes. "I grew up as the only girl in a family of four kids, so I owned 25 Cabbage Patch Kids. I would act like their mommy and dress them up all the time!"

Weiner searches the garment district and online for amazing fabrics and uses her Upper West Side Manhattan apartment as her workspace. She says, "My customers are mainly friends and family who have babies/toddlers themselves or are giving presents to others."

While all of her pieces make you stop and admire, some of the most popular include the gift sets which may include a letter shirt and bib for a new baby, or a number shirt for a child turning one or two. She makes clothes for Ella and recently made her a personalized doll stroller too. She explains, "I wanted to make her doll stroller stand out amongst those of her friends at the NYC playgrounds."

Remarkably, her biggest challenge isn't creating the designs or giving customers what they want but finding the space to sew. "I only have one table in my NYC apt so I have to clear everything off to use the sewing machine! And finding storage space for all the onesies and fabrics I buy isn't easy either!"

But when a customer sends her a photo of her baby wearing Sewbaby clothes, it's all worthwhile. She hopes to one day expand her business from blog to website to make it easier for customers to order. For now, check out her entire collection at http://sewbaby.blogspot.com.

picture perfect: ABC Art for Kids

Some people count sheep when they can't sleep. Annette Back comes up with innovative new business ideas.

"One night when we were staying with friends at the Jersey Shore, I couldn't sleep," she says. "I had a son Aaron--he was two at the time. And I just saw it in my head: Some sort of artwork featuring Aaron's picture along with other objects that start with the same letter as his name (ie: apple, alligator, airplane). It would work for other names, letters and objects in the same manner. When we got home from the shore, I got to work. That's how ABC Art for Kids got started."

"Since I am a graphic designer, I knew where to look for the art. I found just the right illustration style, had the perfect photo and designed my first piece. Finding the right output for this took a lot of research. I settled on producing the idea on canvas. When it arrived at my house, Aaron and I thought it was gorgeous! I created a few more as gifts for my friends' kids. Everyone loved it. I was encouraged to start selling so I went to work designing a website."

Annette's creations aren't gimmicky and don't try to hard to be classy. They're beautiful, fun and engaging--definitely a labor of love. I hope to get one for each of my kids soon. They will definitely be an improvement from all the homemade "art" on their walls!

"I started this business to get the art out. I did not like any personalized art out there (with a few exceptions) everything else was so cutesy and soft, monotone and predictable. I thought this was fun and alive."

Her kids Aaron (4.5 years) and twins Joshua and Sara (age 1.5) don't leave her much time to work on the business but they are a sure source of inspiration. Says Annette, "Their faces are so super yummy; as I imagine every parent feels that way about their kids."

Annette is currently working on a new concept for parents and grandparents that features headshots of their kids on a themed background (ie: "beach" for a summer house or "food" for the kitchen, etc.) as well as more sophisticated options for older kids. She also creates customized canvases to suit each individual's style and taste. Email her at abc@abcartforkids.com with your ideas or go to www.abcartforkids.com to start your personalized art collection now. Enter code "2010" and take advantage of a special holiday promotion.