The next day I came back to the set during rehearsal with the final selections: the April Dress and the Trinity Dress.  The only decision left was which dress to wear to the Friday pre awards party and which she would wear down the Orange carpet to the Awards show.  Tiffany invited me to have lunch with her family (which I tell you was much better than the Lean Cuisine I was planning on eating back at the office) and a tour of the stage.  How fun is that!  This looks like it will be another great Nickelodeon show for kids with some laughs for parents as well.

Here is Tiffany trying on the dresses.

The Pre Party Dress

The Awards Show Dress

And here is Tiffany on the Orange carpet with the cast.

Cast of Bucket and Skinner's Epic Adventures at the 24th Annual Nickalodeon Kids Choice Awards

Tiffany at the 24th Annual Kids Choice Awards

This was truly a fun experience and I look forward to working with Tiffany again in the future.  You can catch up with all her tweets or find her on facebook.  I suspect we will see a lot more of this talented young actress in the near future!

And one last picture, me and Tiffany!

Along with Puddles Collection, nine other companies contributed to the gift basket:  Western Journeys (Little Journey’s World), BooB TooB, Bibagogo, Annabellea Jewelry, Find Me Book, Jewelry by Andrea, My Smart Hands, Toyconomy, and Dr. Heather: Human Body Detectives.  A fabulous group of small business owners!

Colorful shirts are very fashionable right now with turquoise, fuchsia, and purple being the most popular.  For Easter and spring you will find lavender, pink, yellow, sage, and periwinkle also top the list.  Clip on ties are a life saver for young boys.  They don’t feel tight around the neck and you don’t have to worrying about tying them.  Elastic in the back of the waist makes the pants flexible.

If you want a more casual look you can pair a dress shirt and tie combination with a nice pair of dress pants.  These two will make a handsome outfit.

And don’t forget the feet!  A nice pair of dress socks and shoes will complete the outfit.  Choose 100% nylon socks for the dressiest look.  You want to make sure the socks are thin and will fit well inside dress shoes.  Never try to shove athletic socks into a dress shoe!  A new pair is best so there are no holes when he inevitably kicks off his shoes.

It always a good idea to have your child help you pick the outfit.  Narrow it down to a few selections that you like and then let the child make the final decision.  Or choose one outfit and let him pick the color.  You want it to be a happy day for everyone!

In addition to style, color is a key factor.  Black, white, and brown provide nice compliments to dresses with a lot of color or patterns while dresses of those colors can be really jazzed up with a fun color piece of outerwear.  For example, these two go together nicely:

If the dress has a pattern or is very busy a solid color neutral piece of outerwear is the way to go.  So with dress I would go with a simple coat:

With girls the trick is to find something age appropriate in the correct size – not too short, low cut, or revealing, but still cute and stylish.  Our Victoria dress with multicolor polka dots has been a favorite with both kids and parents.  And it is available through size 16 so it is an option for both elementary school and middle school graduations.  The Nina dress is another style which has a nice length and a trendy tier style.

And as I always suggest, it is much easier to have your child wear an outfit if they had a party in picking it out!  So give them a few choices that you have already picked out and let them choose.  Always best to avoid an argument on a bid day.

Easter Sunday

I look forward to seeing the new fashions each spring because they are usually full of color, and this year is no exception.  Pantone lists turquoise, coral, violet, aurora yellow, amparo blue, and champagne among the top 10 spring colors for 2010.  I have definitely seen these colors to be popular in children’s clothing for boys and girls.  We sold out of boys turquoise shirts almost as soon as we got them in!  As soon as we received the new girls dresses, I had to buy the Josie for my daughter’s Easter dress.  She loved it and will be able to wear it all summer.

Nicole Girls Dress

Pink and purple continue to top the best seller lists, but yellow is definitely making a strong comeback.  I expect to see more clothes available in shades of yellow for 2011.  One of the hottest dresses of the fall season was the Nicole which is now available in two new spring colors:  White with fuchsia and purple polka dots, and light blue with bright blue polka dots.

A few fashion trends that have continued through the spring for girls party dresses are bubble skirt dresses, tiered skirts, and pattern materials.

It’s nice to finally see some color coming into the boys clothing this year.  It started with boys dress shirts but we plan to keep adding fresh colors to the boys line including new boys suit styles.

Donate It:  There are several organizations that specifically accept special occasion wear to be passed on to people in need.  Check out DonateMyDress.org and PrincessProject.org if you have dresses to donate.  I could not find any specific organizations  for donating boys suits, but places like Goodwill and the Salvation Army will take them.  You can also check with your local school to see if they have any clothing drives, and if they don’t consider organizing one!

Hand It Down:  Contact friends and family to see if anyone can use your item.  If you belong to a local group (such as a moms club) post that you have an item for giveaway or trade.

Sell It:  You can make some money towards your new clothes by reselling the item on sites like Ebay or Craigslist.

Reuse It:  If you know a seamstress or are handy with a sewing machine yourself, consider altering the garment to make it more appropriate for casual wear.

Now it’s time to go through your closet!

Children are often in between sizes.  In this case, it is always best to go with the larger size.  It is much easier to have clothing altered if it is too big rather than too small.  When ordering special occasion wear, it is very common to need to have a dress or suit altered.

MEASURING INSTRUCTIONS

Find a piece of clothing that fits your child well.  Lay it flat and always use the seams.

CHEST:  Measure armpit to armpit from the seams.  Double the measurement.
SLEEVE LENGTH:  Measure from the seam on top of the shoulder to the end of the sleeve.
SHOULDER WIDTH:  Measure from seam to seam at the tops of the shoulders.

WAIST:  Measure from end to end and double.  The pants should be flat with the fly facing towards you with the button closed.
INSEAM:  Measure from the seam at the crotch to the end of the pant leg.

DRESS LENGTH: Measure from the top of the shoulder to the bottom of the dress.

When in doubt, it is a good idea to contact the store you are ordering from for clarification

A-Line:  A garment that is fitted at the hips and gradually widens
Ankle Length:  The skirt or dress will stop at the ankle just slightly above the floor
Applique:  Fabric that is sewn onto another piece of fabric creating a pattern or design
Bodice: The part of a women’s clothing from the neck to the waist
Bolero:  A jacket ending above or at the waistline worn open in the front
Brocade:  A richly decorative fabric woven with an elaborate design
Cap Sleeve:  A short sleeve that covers the shoulders but does not extend to the arm
Cummerbund:  A wide sash worn around the waist, usually pleated
Embroidery:  Designs on fabric created with yarn or other material
Empire Waist:  A waist that fits just below the bust
Eyelet:  A small finished hole in fabric creating a design
Overlay:  A layer that is on top of a skirt
Peter Pan Collar:  A small collar with two lapels with rounded corners
Petticoat:   A layer worn under a skirt or dress
Ruche(d):  A serious of pleats creating a gathered effect for trim or to create draping and texture
Sash:  A piece of fabric worn around the waist that ties
Scalloping:  A serious of curved projections along the edge of fabric
Scoop Neck:  A round or u-shaped neck line
Smocking:  A tightly gathered area of fabric often elasticized and stitched decoratively
Spaghetti Straps:  A think strip of fabric used as a strap on the bodice of a garment
Square Neck:  Open neckline that forms the shape of a half  square
Tea Length:  A garment which hem falls at the shins
Topstitching:  Stitching sewn on the topside (outside) of the fabric along the edge