"Everyday Princess" dresses are all the rage these days, and pretty much every mom knows that the easiest way to get your kids dressed in handmade is to make them something THEY love. The simple answer is to make everyday wear that has enough creative elements to make it feel like a dress up costume for your imaginative kids, and enough elements of everyday wear to avoid getting the crazy looks in the grocery store. Of course, not all girls want to be princesses, and most boys would prefer to be a ninja over a prince any day! The best thing about sewing is that you can create any look you want for your unique child. Shae made some inspiring everyday character outfits for her kids featuring patterns by Simple Life, Brownie-Goose, and Tie Dye Diva. We're hosting a link up contest for the next month with 2 awesome pattern bundles up for grabs, so settle in, read about Shae's creations for some inspiration, then check out the contest details at the end of this post.

Hi! Shae here. Every year my family goes camping in Death Valley. This is something I have done since I was just an infant, and it’s something that my kids look forward to every year. The desert is such a beautiful place and full of inspiration. The colors in the rocks are amazing and the evening sky is so vast and beautiful. Some years the wildflowers are in full bloom when we are there and they are like a rainbow amongst the desert floor. The desert is a place that makes me feel at peace and every year it seems to recharge my soul.

Naturally, there is a lot to draw inspiration from, but I’ll admit, I was stuck. I knew I wanted to use Rayann’s Retro Dress from Simple Life Pattern Company and I knew I was going to do the shirt length version because most of my favorite spots involve a bit of hiking to get to and incase you hadn't heard, Death Valley is a pretty hot place. When we were there it was between 90 and 100 degrees on the desert floor. Did I want to go with the colors of the wildflowers, the sunset, the mountains??? Too many choices!! I had to take a break and clear my head so I sat down with the kids to watch movies. My son picked Star Wars and it totally hit me! Many of the scenes from Star Wars were actually filmed in Death Valley. How cool is that? Looking at the Rayann’s pattern, I realized the lines and the really neat sash would translate into a cool R2D2 shirt. I started talking about it with the kiddos and we decided that it would be super fun to go find some of the filming locations.

This is soooo not the direction I originally set out to go, but I’m so glad I did!!. I really didn't want this to look like a costume, so I went with the blue and white to match the R2D2 colors and then I added some extra blue buttons and a big red button to sort or emulate the buttons on the droid. Again, I didn't want this to look exactly the same, more of a nod to the character. Since this is a shirt, I paired it with a simple pair or Darby Shorts by Brownie-Goose.

Since my son technically was the reason for this inspiration, I couldn't leave him out! R2D2 needs her C3PO. Just wanting to give a nod to the characters, for him I made Zee’s Tee by Tie Dye Diva and the Clam Diggers by Brownie-Goose. Again, I needed something they were able to hike in and wouldn't melt in. They both love their outfits!!

A vision can come from some of the most unexpected places, so make sure you keep your eyes open. If you are having trouble coming up with an idea or color scheme, just walk away for a little bit and see if an idea comes to you from somewhere else. What are some of your favorite places to get inspiration from?