The Bean Sprout Notes

You Might Be a Pinterest Addict If....

2012-03-19T21:43:00.001-05:00

you frequently start conversations with, "I saw this {blank} on Pinterest...."
your husband can correctly use the words pin, pinning, pinned, and Pinterest in conversation.
you use the above mentioned words on more than five occasions throughout the day.
your "Pins To-Do Board" is more than twenty times the size of your "Pins I've Done Board."
you actually have a "Pins I've Done Board."
you've browsed your friends' friends' pinboards.
you follow the pinboards of more than one stranger (hey, they pin great ideas!)
you stay up WAY too late pinning for no particular purpose.
you've taken the time to type a few words in the "about me" section.
you've pinned a great household trick weeks ago, but have yet to actually try the tip.
you've pinned a great BBQ recipe, except you're a vegetarian.
you've pinned a tutorial written in Chinese.
you've ever felt the need to buy an "I love you more than Pinterest" card for your husband.
your first choice in a search engine is now Pinterest.
and lastly, you might be an addict if you've set Pinterest as your browser's homepage.

Are you a Pinterest addict too?

Until next time,

Shelby

Linking to Sugar Bee Crafts, Someday Crafts, Sew Much Ado, and Oopsey Daisey

A Shower and a SPRINKLE for Two Special Babies

2012-03-16T21:30:00.000-05:00

Two of my closest friends are expecting April babies this year. To help celebrate these upcoming arrivals, I was invited, and attended two wonderful baby parties - one baby shower, and one baby "sprinkle."

A Baby Sprinkle for the Second Child
I had never heard of a Baby Sprinkle until I was invited to one. Apparently, it is a new trend to celebrate the second child. A baby sprinkle, as the name suggests, is a lighter version of a typical shower - smaller guest list, smaller gifts, but equally big celebration and joy surrounding the arrival of the second child.

In this case, the expected baby was of opposite gender as the firstborn. With less than 24 months between the first and the second, the parents are still relatively prepared with all the big items and basic baby essentials on hand. The gifts given at the "sprinkle" were mostly girly and pink with a few consumable items given as well.

My gift was a diaper cake adorned with handmade headbands and bows. I used the basic method described here in my no-roll diaper cake tutorial. The three small upper layer tiers are approximately the size of baby's head and display each of the three headbands given. The bows are on alligator clips and are interchangeable to coordinate with outfits or can be worn alone when her hair is long enough.

Close up of the headbands and bows. (The teddy bear has another clip on its ear.)

For tips and tutorial to make a no roll diaper cake, click here.

The bottom layer is wrapped in crepe paper party garland {tutorial here}

A Baby Shower to Remember
The other shower I attended last month was for a long time high-school friend of mine. This baby shower was hosted by a friend of hers, and was by far the best baby shower I have ever attended. This friend went all out and it was incredible. Seriously, this hostess could make a career out of it, she was that good. (Must take notes, so I can learn a thing or two.)

This shower was held at the mother-to-be's home - a central location for most of the attending guests - and the entire house was transformed into a baby shower oasis. I have never before seen shower like it. The decor, the activities, the food, the party flow, no detail was too small. Everything was well thought out and executed. (It was no surprise when I later found out the hostess' family is in the catering business.)

As guests entered the home they were greeted by this stunning crepe paper display. I heard it took forever to weave, but the effect was quiet dramatic. I must remember this for future kid birthday parties!

As I mentioned earlier, the entire house was involved in the baby shower celebration, not only in decorations, but also in shower activities. In each corner of the home, was a small table with an interactive baby shower game. As the guests mingled and enjoyed the food and beverages (also impressive) they also meandered through the home participating in the activities.

The first table in the entrance hallway provided each guest with a plastic bangle. Instructions on the table informed the guests that for the rest of the party they were no longer allowed to use the word "cute." Any person caught saying that word would forfeit their bracelets to the person who called them out on their error. This game was actually quite fun, despite the fact that I lost my bracelet almost immediately. (It's really hard to avoid saying cute at a baby shower!)

Another table had a blind item identification game (baby items sealed in paper bags), and an unusual celebrity baby name matching game (pair baby with parent). I love the orange tulle casually spread over the tablecloth. Another table offered guests the opportunity to write a funny parenting story or words of advice to the parents-to-be.

The guest list for this shower was quite large, so having activities spread throughout the house kept the main living area from feeling too congested. Of course we still played the typical gift opening BINGO as a large group, but for the most part, the games were dispersed into at-your-own-pace activity tables around the house. Presenting the activities in this way added to the smooth flow of the party. There was no awkward transition from mingling, to eating, to games, because all elements of the party were simultaneously occurring at once.

Another plus of having the party at the mom-to-be's house was that the guest could admire her stunning nursery. Each of those letters was lovingly painted by hand and mounted with Command's Velcro Strips. Not only do these Command Strips save her walls from 26 little nail holes, but the velcro variety also eliminates the need for a level - if one letter is a little wonky, just wiggle into alignment. (Remember the "Favorite Things Party" I hosted a few months ago? It's no wonder this friend brought the Velcro Command Strips as her favorite thing!)

Until next time,
Shelby

Making a Book Box for the Bookshelf

2012-03-13T22:38:00.002-05:00

Our little Bean Sprout loves to read, and we pause periodically throughout the day for a quick story time (at her request). By the end of the day, it's not unusual to find a book or two laying in every single room of the house. We try to encourage our daughter to pick up after herself and put away her own books, but as her collection grows, this becomes more challenging. Those small, chubby, almost cube board books are difficult to stack neatly and have a tendency to tip over and fall out.

It finally occurred to me that it instead of trying to stack those smaller board books, it would be much easier to toss the smallest books into a fabric lined storage box instead. And luckily for me, I had another empty diaper box which fit perfectly on the bottom shelf of the book case. Gathering up the fabric from an old pair of chinos, and some leftover flannel, I set to work transforming the boring cardboard box into a cute fabric lined storage box.

I very loosely followed this tutorial at Positively Splendid, although, because my fabric source was a pair of pants, I had to modify most of the instructions. Nonetheless, it was great inspiration.

Here's my basic project recap:
1. Fold box flaps inside box to provide extra stability (as compared to cutting them off)
2. Trace perforated finger holes and cut a matching hole through the inner cardboard layer.
3. Cut pants and use spray adhesive to wrap around box. Hot glue along seams for extra strength.
4. Hot glue sheet of felt to bottom of box
5. Sew flannel inner liner. In poor judgement, I winged this without instructions but luckily it worked out. (Three pieces of fabric - a long strip for the front, bottom, and back and two smaller pieces for the sides.)

Here is my final product in use. Yes, I love the way it turned out, but I'll be honest, this project took much longer to complete than I expected,

Linking to: Sew Much Ado, Sugar and Spice, Someday Crafts, One Artsy Mama

Organizing My Fabric Stash and Reclaiming My Guest Room

2012-03-09T10:18:00.002-06:00

Craft chaos cleared away!

Creativity is often chaotic, and that's what my craft space (i.e the guest room) had become - utter chaos. There was fabric, craft tools, half finished projects and supplies EVERYWHERE. The room more resembled a mini JoAnn's explosion than a guest room.

Usually, I don't mind the creative chaos, but we're having overnight guests this weekend (yay!) and I need that room to function as the guest room it was always meant to be. I could have just cleared out the craft clutter and dealt with the organization aspect later, but I decided to tackle both projects at once.

source

Inspired by this awesome armoire turned sewing organization cabinet {click for link}, I set out to organize my own supplies. I don't have nearly that amount of fabric, nor do I have the furniture to devote to such a project. But what I love is that all the fabric is easily visible and her supplies are neatly categorized. My fabric is was mostly stacked in bags and boxes. It was very difficult to see or find anything.

I failed to take a before photo of the entire room. Below is a glimpse at part of my fabric stash, before and after. First, I sorted my fabric by size and material type. Then, I turned the fabric stacks on their sides. Storing fabric folds on end like this will make my life so much easier - easier to see the fabric and easier to find. I can't believe I didn't do this sooner! Plus by using multiple small boxes (diaper boxes), I can easily stack and move my supplies as needed.

The folding table has been put away. The fabric boxes are stacked in the closet. We have a guest room again and I am excited for a fun weekend with our out of town visitors!

(In my most popular post ever, I list more than a dozen other ways to reuse diaper boxes. You can read it here.)

Finally! An Eggplant Recipe I Will Make Again

2012-03-07T21:40:00.001-06:00

source
Is it true? Is there really an eggplant recipe that my picky family will eat (i.e. without that strong flavor)? Yes!

I like the idea of serving eggplant dishes, but I've never been fond of this purple vegetable's overpoweringly strong flavor. But then I found this recipe. With it's mild flavor and unique taste, it's the perfect family friendly meal that I will definitely be making again. Plus it adds some flavor and nutritional variety in our usual (boring) dinnertime routine.

I seldom share recipes, because my culinary skills are amateur, at best. But this recipe is within my limited abilities, and it's delicious. I found this recipe years ago at mealtimemakeover.com, which is a Dave Ramsey endorsed website that provides you with a weekly shopping list and simple recipes for a weekly meal plan. It's a neat concept, but I wasn't able to budget their services, and simply printed this recipe from one of the sample pages.

I know some of the ingredients listed sound odd; I was skeptical too. But trust me, it's a perfect blend of flavors.

1/2 package of bacon, cooked

6T olive oil

2 onions, chopped

2 tsp minced garlic

2 red bell peppers, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

Pinch of nutmeg

2 eggplants, peeled and chopped

15 oz can diced tomatoes, drained

2 - 4T raisins

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

12 oz box whole wheat spaghetti

---------------

2T olive oil

2T basalmic vinegar

Cook bacon. Crumble and set aside

Add oil to large skillet. Stir in onion, garlic, peppers, celery, nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste. Stir until onion is transparent. Add eggplant, tomatoes, raisins and bacon to skillet and cook covered, stirring occasionally until eggplant is soft. Top with cheese. Cover and let melt.

Prepare spaghetti according to directions. Add 2T olive oil, 2T balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.

Toss and serve with eggplant.

Notes: I chopped my vegetables small enough that they sort of melted into a sauce when cooked - a major plus for my young family.

Linking up Whatever Goes Wednesday

Finding a Theme for My 365 Project

2012-03-01T23:04:00.002-06:00

Have you heard of the popular 365 projects sweeping the web recently? (Leap day make this year is a 366 project :) It's a photo project where you commit to taking at least one photo a day for an entire year. Typically, this project begins on January first, but you could also start on a birthday, wedding, or any regular old day.

Some people photograph around an emotional theme like joy or beauty. Some work on composition goals to improve their photography skills. Still others use daily prompts like those here at Fat Mum Slim to guide their images.

This can be a yearly or a monthly project using any type of camera, even your camera phone. Some people use sites like Instagram and Facebook to edit, organize, and share their photos. Others keep it personal and make a coffee table display book at the end of the year. Personally, I love the image overlays that Elle from Ellementary Home is using here. I am currently trying to find a (free) way to imitate her style...

I was initially drawn to this idea because my husband and I are notoriously bad photographers. Scratch that. We are okay photographers. We just forget to actually use the camera. You'd think that previously working in a field where I took images all day long (okay ultrasound images, but still) would make me trigger happy with the camera, but it hasn't.

To illustrate my point about how bad we are at remembering to take photos, the last pregnant photo of myself is a large group shot taken two weeks before our daughter's birth. Oh how I wish I had a REALLY pregnant picture of myself. Another example, during our daughter's third month of life we only took the camera out three times for a total of eleven images!! (What can I say? We were sleep deprived, colic and infant acid reflux were leaving their mark.)

I guess it's no surprise that I missed the January 1st start date. Crippled by a lack of vision and indecision, I moved the start date back February - beginning on my 28th birthday. I never did narrow down a theme, but I've decided I'm okay with that. It's just me, using my little point and shoot camera, capturing whatever strikes my fancy that day....

Linking to Lines Across

Baby Gate Solution for Unusual Stairwell

2012-02-29T14:32:00.000-06:00

Right end post extends out further than left.

When we bought our home five years ago, I did foresee our stair configuration as a baby proofing challenge. The realtor called our floor plan an Atrium Split, a variation on the standard split level design. This design has many half flights of stairs connecting the different rooms.

Yes, there are a lot of stairs, but the stairs themselves are not the problem. In fact, only one of the stairwells really needs a baby gate. But it was that one gate location that posed a problem. You see, the end posts, where you would attach a baby gate, are not symmetrical to each other. One end post extends out a foot further than the other. Regular baby gates cannot easily be used. See photo above.

As many of you know, my new found interest in crafting began this past summer while my husband was away on extended business. But what you may not know is that my first creative project involved a power tool, not a sewing machine. As is often the case with young kids, it seemed like our baby literally grew overnight. She went from those first tentative steps to courageously walking all over the place, in a matter of days. The need for a baby gate was suddenly very real and very urgent. I couldn't wait for my husband to fix the problem over his next weekend home. I had to find a solution now.

So with a plan on my mind and a baby on my hip, I headed off to Lowes. I had sketched out my idea and knew exactly what I was looking for: two hinges, a hook and eye, and a long board. Add that to the existing baby gate and a few supplies I had a home and voila - the gate that was hazardously propped up is now securely mounted.

Note the outer board extends down to the first step
for extra stability.

This was my first experience with an electric saw and it was invigorating. Yes, it was jagged and crooked, but I accomplished the task all on my own. I had a vision, formed a plan, and executed results. I felt capable and proud.

Perhaps packing foam and zip ties weren't the most glamourous solution, but it was certainly sturdy.

Today I cut down the zip ties and put the gate away. Our Bean Sprout is growing up *tear. Although we no longer need our baby gate, I hope this post will be helpful to others facing a similar challenge.

Linking up to Lines Across

No Sled? No Problem!

2012-02-27T14:01:00.000-06:00

The season's first snowfall caught us without a sled, but that didn't keep us from getting out and having some fun with our friends! :-)

Hosting a "Favorite Things" Party

2012-02-22T20:21:00.000-06:00

Earlier this month I hosted a "Favorite Things Party" with eleven of my girl friends. This is a themed party idea that I first became aware of when I attended a similar party this December. To describe it briefly, a Favorite Things Party is a girls night which includes a gift exchange of favorite things.

About a week before the party I sent an email to the invitees (which you can read here) to explain the complete details of the night. I told the ladies that I would provide the beverages and a dessert and asked them to bring a favorite appetizer. I also asked them to bring three identical gifts to participate in a gift exchange. The three identical gifts could be from any genre, home, beauty, food, entertainment, etc - anything the giver was particularly fond of and would consider to be one of her favorite things.

Because many of the guests were from different circles and had not previously met, I began the night with introductions (after everyone arrived). In addition to stating the individual's basic introductory information, I also shared an interesting fact or memory about each person. Not only did this prompt conversations amongst new acquaintances, but the guests also got such a kick out of hearing which fact I chose to share about them (nothing embarrassing, of course :)

After we'd had a chance to eat, drink, and chat for a while, we gathered together for the gift exchange. We took turns standing before the group to explain why the item we brought was a favorite. The giver then drew names from a bowl to randomly select which guests would receive her gifts. The women came with three identical gifts and left with three different gifts from various guests.

It was so much fun to see which items the women chose to bring as favorites and be introduced to new brands/products. The gift variety was incredible! Some of the items presented included, snacks from Trader Joe's (the guest's favorite store), EOS lip balm, diaper pail deodorizers, hot chocolate with candles, celebrity magazines, velcro Command strips, Left Right Center (dice game), a bottle of wine, a hot glue gun with glue sticks... I'm forgetting a few, but this is a good representation of the variety.

I chose to suggest a price range of $3-5 per item (total cost $10-15) because I wanted to keep the night affordable for my friends. I chose to use the name draw method with multiple gifts partly to expose each of us to more products and partly to avoid the "stealing game" mentality. Because let's be honest, we all want to contribute a gift that is highly coveted, and feel discouraged if it isn't. However, one person did comment that it was difficult to think of favorites under the price limit. If I hosted again, I would probably raise the price range by a buck or two.

I also received a lot of questions before the party about whether or not to wrap the gifts. I told the guests that either way was fine. Honestly, the gifts don't really need to be wrapped because they are described in detail before distribution anyways.

To prepare for the party, I decked my home out in lime green and pink party decor. I figured that given the theme, it was only appropriate to decorate using my favorite colors - even if the bright green did clash with my forest colored walls.

I created this pink and green chandelier display with just a few bucks of party supplies. Excluding the wreath, it was only $3 in paper supplies (and I could have made more with the left over paper). Using two spools of tulle, the wreath cost a little bit more, but by embellishing with an easily removed wreath cuff (i.e. empty toilet paper tube) I knew I could easily reuse and modify this ivory wreath for any occasion. Plus by using a wire shirt hanger for the form, I was able to lower costs.

Chandelier Party Decor
(and links to tutorials)
1. Tissue Poms - Accordion fold eight small layers of tissue paper, tie in middle, point trim the ends while folded, then pull apart to fluff. Google tissue pom tutorials for tons of tips.

2. Crepe Paper Rosettes - Accordion fold four layers of crepe approximately the length of your arm. Use a single hand stitch at one end through all the folded layers before opening. Fan out into circle and use glue to secure open.

3. Crepe Paper Party Garland - Click here to read full tutorial.

4. Tulle Wreath - Minimize costs by tying to a wire hanger instead of a wreath form. Click here to read full tutorial.

5. Interchangeable Wreath Cuff - Specialize your wreath for any occasion with this easily removed wreath cuff made from a toilet paper tube. Click here to read full tutorial.

(The miniature tree at the bottom of photo is a playroom prop I brought up for the evening)

Additional Party Props
For a wine bucket, I tied a green ribbon around my large cooking stockpot. I used the "real" wine cooler (borrowed from a friend) to hold ice cubes for the five pregnant or nursing guests and their non-alcoholic drinks.

Stockpot, ice, ribbon = wine bucket

I used vases as candle pillars in the fireplace for instant ambiance (and a temporary fix for our ugly fireplace).

To conclude, a "Favorite Things" Party is girls night event which includes a gift exchange of favorite items. The specifics of the exchange can be modified to suit your group's needs, but for my friends, randomly swapping three small identical gifts worked best. This was a fun themed night with the perfect balance of structure and spontaneity. There was wine, appetizers, chatting, and laughing. Everyone agreed that it was nice to have a kid-free, husband-free evening to catch up with the girls. The semi-organized part of the party lasted about three hours, but most of the women stayed longer. The last group of women lingered around until almost midnight. It was so much fun! I just might make this an annual event!!

Want to bookmark this post for future reference? Pin it to your Pinterest account with the following button.

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Linking up at: Positively Splendid, Tatertots and Jello, I Heart Naptime, Lines Across

Chandelier Tulle Wreath

2012-02-17T14:07:00.001-06:00

This week I am writing about the "My Favorite Things Party" I hosted earlier this month. On Sunday, I introduced the themed girls' night. On Monday, I showed you how to make crepe paper party garland. Today I am writing about my tulle wreath and the toilet paper wreath cuff.

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There she is - my hanging chandelier tulle wreath! When building this wreath, I chose to use an old wire coat hanger instead of wreath form, because, as a part of my hanging chandelier display, I needed to keep it as light as possible. (Plus I'm a sucker for saving money, so not having to shell out $$ for a wreath form was a huge plus.)

Using a pair of pliers and a bit of muscle, I managed to reconfigure the wire hanger into a circle. It wasn't a perfect circle, but it was good enough. (In the end, the slight asymmetry was unnoticeable amongst the tulle.)

What You'll Need:

Two spools of tulle (I used all of a 12 yard glittery roll, and most of a generic 25 yard ivory roll)

Toilet paper tube

Scrap fabric

Scrap of cardboard

Wire hanger reconfigured as above (or use a wreath form)

What You'll Do:

1, 2, 3: Use the loop and pull method to attach a piece of tulle.

Determine how long you want each piece of tulle and trim to size. (Shorter pieces will result in a fuller appearing wreath.)

5. Untie the trimmed piece of tulle from step four and use to cut your cardboard guide.

6. & 7. Roll tulle from the spool, onto the cardboard guide.

(Yup, that's a diaper box flap I'm using as a guide. Click here to read my popular post on other ways to reuse diaper boxes.)

8. Insert the scissor blade under the loops of tulle that are wrapped around the cardboard. Cut both ends.

Rolling onto a cardboard guide is a quick and easy method for cutting multiple identically sized pieces of tulle.

9. Attach your pieces of tulle to the wreath.... over ... and over ... and over again... Sorry, this part is kind of tedious.

Close up view from the back (above) and of the front (below).

The Toilet Paper Tube Wreath Cuff

Because I intend to use this wreath again on other occasions, I wanted an easy and interchangeable way to modify the wreath for special occasions. So I made a wreath cuff out of a toilet paper tube. The cuff gently wraps around the wreath and allows me to add event specific flair without damaging the wreath or leaving behind strings of hot glue.

Making the Wreath Cuff:

Cut longitudinally down an empty toilet paper tube.

Cover with scrap fabric.

Attach embellishments.

Click here for all the details and complete recount of my "Favorite Things" party!

Linked up at Positively Splendid, Tatertots and Jello, Lines Across

Crepe Paper Party Garland!

2012-02-13T23:10:00.000-06:00

When decorating for "my favorite things" party, I decided it was only appropriate to do so using my favorite color - lime green. I love this electric color, yet I seldom have an acceptable reason to use it. My use of this bright, albeit obnoxious, color is mostly limited to infant clothing and party decor. And maybe touches of lime in my blog design.

So when the opportunity arose to utilize this favorite color of mine, I went all in. Everything was lime green. All of the disposable party ware (stuff I was going to buy anyways) was all lime green - the plates, the napkins, the tablecloth.

For an additional punch of color, I draped a few strands of pink and lime party garland from our chandelier. It was loud. It was obnoxious. And I absolutely loved it!

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To make the garland, sew two or more layers of crepe paper with the longest stitch length your sewing machine offers (this could also easily be done by hand). Remove length of streamer from machine an carefully pull on one of the threads to gather the paper. The scrunching process is a give and take. Be careful not to break your thread.

I preferred the vibrant colors and fuller ruffle provided by four layers of crepe - two green on top of two pink. I also experimented with stitch location. For the center stitched strands, I gently folded the paper along the middle before pulling the thread to gather.

To make a longggg strand of garland, keep crepe attached to the roll and feed into your machine as shown below. Scrunch from the back of your machine as you stitch along.

Don't worry about precision. Go ahead and speed stitch your crepe paper together. Your garland will actually have more dimension if your crepe layers are not perfectly stacked.

Want to save these instructions for later? Share it with your friends on Pinterest:Pin It

The inspiration for this project came while researching how to make these crepe paper flowers, and this crepe paper hair bobby pin (click for source). The intermediate step of both these projects has you create a long string of what I like to call party garland. I found the garland to be so beautiful, that I never did end up making the crepe flowers I was originally searching for.

Linked up at Sew Much Ado, Oopsey Daisy, Positively Splendid, Tatertots and Jello, Lines Across

I'm Planning a Party: Girls Night!

2012-02-12T21:20:00.000-06:00

Every February I host a "girls only" activity with some of my friends. Last year my gal pals and I spent a kid-free, husband-free afternoon of laughing, lunching, and shopping together. This year I opted to plan a themed girls night at my house.

The theme for the night was, "My Favorite Things," a party idea I was first introduced to through my MOMS club. Below is the email sent to the guests explaining the concept of the party. Over the next few posts, I will explain more about hosting a "favorite things" party as well as to showcase my low-cost yet big-impact party decor. (It's amazing what you can create with a wire hanger, a toilet paper tube, and just a couple bucks of craft supplies. Curious? Take a sneak peak at my new blog header and then check back later this week for all the details ;)

Here is the email sent prior to the party...

Who's up for a girls' night? I know I definitely am!!!

The party will be held [date and party address]. The theme for the night is favorite things. I will be providing an assortment of drinks as well as a dessert. If you are willing, I would like for you to please bring your favorite appetizer (and the recipe!) as well as three small gifts - read below.

In addition to an appetizer, please bring three identical gifts of $3-5 each (for a total cost of ~10-15 dollars) because we will be doing a gift swap. The gift should represent the theme, my favorite things. Bring anything you want, from your favorite cooking item, beauty product, magazine, craft item, whatever - anything you would consider to be one of your favorite things. There are no restrictions! Each guest will bring three identical gifts and leave with three various gifts from the other girls.

A few weeks ago I attended a similar party with the MOMS club girls. It was so much fun to see the creativity in the gifts purchased! One girl brought her favorite brand of tweezers, for example. I can't wait to see what you bring!

Because my friends come from different circles, (church, school, local, etc) most of you will only know a few of the other guests. But that's okay. You're all friends with me, so you must have something in common :-) Plus it will make the gift swap even more interesting, to see the favorite products of women you don't know. It should be a fun night of laughter and good old girl time. I'm hoping to see you all there!!

Please RSVP

How to Add Linky Followers to Your Blog

2012-02-11T22:36:00.001-06:00

I did it. I jumped on the Linky Followers bandwagon. If you look in my sidebar you will now notice that in addition to Google Friend Connect (GFC) there is also a new option to follow via Linky Followers.

What is Linky Followers?

An alternative way to connect with your readers and the blogs you follow. It is also a blog reader.

Why did I add the Linky Followers tool?
Rumor has it that Google is taking away several of their popular services. Case in point, the beloved photo editing program, Picnik, is closing in April. GFC is rumored to be leaving next. Linky Followers is an alternative way to connect with readers. But that was only part of my motive...

My main motive was that I am extremely drawn to the idea of being able to organize and manage my blog reading experience. I follow a handful of blogs, some craft, some personal. Some I read often and others I read less frequently. I am intrigued by the promise of being able to customize my blog reader to suite the way I read my favorite blogs.

Adding Linky Followers also puts my blog onto their directory, which helps with exposure. I blog purely for personal reasons (partly to showcase my projects, partly to give me something intellectual to do). Although I make no money from my blog, I absolutely thrive on reader feedback. More exposure, means more feedback. Hopefully!

I found this post on the blog At the Picket Fence to be very informative in describing all the benefits of the program, as well as providing pointers on creating an account. It's a long post, but well worth the read.

How did I add Linky Followers to my blog?
1. First, I went to Linky Followers and created my free account. This is fairly straightforward.

2. After creating your new account, Linky Followers will provide you with the code to copy and paste to your blog.

3. Go back to your blogger dashboard, click LAYOUT, then "Add a Gadget". Under the BASICS tab, find the add HTML/JavaScript and click the blue plus.

4. A Configure HTML/JavaScript box will appear. Paste the code copied in step 2 into the content box. Add a title if you like. Click Save.

5. The widget should now appear on your layout screen. Drop and drag to the desired location for display on your blog.

Once you've added the Linky Followers widget you are welcome to participate in the following blog hop. (I didn't create the blog hop, I'm merely participating.

And if you're unfamiliar with a blog hop...

A blog hop is a linky list that is SHARED ON MULTIPLE BLOGS.
When several blogs put the same linky list code on their blog, the
exact same list appears on each blog.

Blog visitors can submit their entries on any blog that contains the list.
The entries will appear on each blog where the list resides.

Blog readers see the same list on each blog, and can "HOP" from blog
to blog seeing the same list of links to follow: BLOG HOP!

To enter the Linky Followers blog hop...
1. Add Linky Followers tool to your site.
2. Follow me via Linky Followers. See my sidebar.
3. Add your blog button to the LINKY PARTY below.
4. Check out and follow other bloggers. Leave a comment letting them know you are following and ask them to follow you back.
5. Optional: Grab the BLOG HOP code at the bottom where it says, "Get the code here"and add the blog hop party to your own blog. This will be an identical continuation of the list you see here.

Remember: I didn't create this list, I am merely a participant!

Like Mother, Like Daughter: Cute Photo Idea

2012-02-10T20:20:00.000-06:00

In 1985, I was photographed wearing a pair of pink kitten corduroy overalls. (I know, classic 80s style, right?) My mother was particularly fond of this outfit and has saved these overalls through all the years, despite several moves and a house flood.

Now, nearly three decades and one generation later, the overalls have been retrieved from storage and slipped onto my willing daughter for an impromptu photo shoot. It was so sweet to watch her interact with the baby, i.e. me, in the photo frame. She kept saying "baby, baby" and at one point she even gave the picture a kiss. You melt my heart baby girl!

I always knew we shared a loose resemblance, but seeing these images - wow - we really do look alike. She's about three months older than I was at the time of the photo, hence the highwaters. Nonetheless, the similarities are striking, especially when you edit the two images side by side. Thanks mom, for saving my old baby clothes!

Linking up at Tatertots and Jello, I Heart Naptime and Positively Splendid

A Valentine for Daddy: Craft FAIL

2012-02-09T20:47:00.002-06:00

After seeing the following images almost simultaneously, (from Lines Across and Pinterest) I decided to attempt my own scribble art project with my daughter.

She is one and a half, (21 months, to be precise) and loves to color. I thought this would be an easy valentine project...

It started out fine. But she quickly decided that it was much more fun to practice her new skill of color identification. (Woohoo! You go girl!)

And because I am a firm believer in letting kid art be KID art, I refrained the urge to "help" her scribble the page. Instead, I pulled out the seldom used markers, hoping to respark her interest. But it didn't. The next tangent of a project had been discovered: in the box, out of the box.

I decided to let the project be finished. There wasn't quite enough scribbles, so I did thinly outline the tape before peeling the tape off. And then the FAIL part of the project came in. Apparently, it was a bad idea to not test the tape's adhesiveness prior to beginning.... (several large chunks of paper peeled off with the tape)

Vases and Candlesticks - A Fireplace Quick Fix

2012-02-06T20:34:00.001-06:00

I'd love to be able to cozy up to a crackling fireplace on a chilly winter night. Unfortunately, our fireplace is inoperable. Several of the homes in our neighborhood have had problems with the interior panel of the chimney failing under extreme heat. It's a problem that can be resolved fairly easily, but the inspection costs money... and the chimney cleaning costs money... and the repair, if needed, costs money... We've just never done it, and thus we've never used our fireplace either.

With a soot stained interior, brass trimmed doors, and laminated faux wood handles, our fireplace is a bit of an eye-sore. But until we reach a decision on wether it will ever be functional again, all fireplace projects are on hold. If we are willing to commit to abandoning it's functionality, there are a hundred creative ways we could enhance its look. For example, we could paint it.

Photo from Young House Love

I love the clean look of this candle fireplace from Young House Love. They painted inside the fire box, as well as the exterior. A white fireplace wouldn't really fit with our home decor, but I would love to paint the interior of our firebox and cover up those unsightly soot marks. The only problem is, a functioning fireplace requires special heat resistant paint. Regular paint renders it forever inoperable. It's a choice you can't turn back on.

To make a long story short, despite cozy fireplace dreams, indecision has left our fireplace as unappealing and unused as it was when we bought the house five years ago.

That's the background story.... Now flash forward to the present.

Company's coming, and I need a quick fix. I want my fireplace to appear as the ambient focal point it is intended to be. I decide to light a few small candles inside the fire box, but they are virtually hidden underneath the large iron log rack. Hmm, what to do, what to do....

I ponder on that dilemma for a day or two, until an idea suddenly hits me - I can use inverted flower vases as candle pillars.

Use upside down flower vases as candle pillars inside your fireplace.

Pin It

Remove the (heavy) iron log rack. Gather a few vases and candles. TaDa! Instant ambience!

Yes, the firebox is still soot stained. Yes, the brass trim and wood laminate handles are still there, but I now have a nice radiant glow coming from my fireplace - the perfect temporary fix for my ugly fireplace.

If you read my blog often, I sure you can guess what I placed under the display to absorb run-over wax. That's right, it's a panel from my never ending supply of diaper boxes! (Click here to read 15 other ways to reuse diaper boxes)

Linking up at Mommy by Day, Crafter by night, Lines Across, Crafty Confessions

No Roll Diaper Cake Tutorial

2012-02-01T20:52:00.000-06:00

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I've grown quite fond of assembling diaper cakes as baby shower gifts. Pregnant gals luvvvv diaper cakes - I know I did. When I was pregnant, I was lucky enough to receive not one, but two diaper cakes, from co-workers and friends. (THANK YOU GIRLS!!)

Personally though, I don't have the patience for making the traditional rolled diaper cakes. It's just a little too tedious rolling diaper... after diaper... after diaper. (Not to mention the mother-to-be has to unroll each and every diaper. ) When I make diaper cakes as gifts, I use a quick and simple, no-roll technique. The no-roll technique is an easy, no fuss method of assembly without individual tying, or rubber banding. This technique will save you a ton of time.

What you'll need:

Three round pots, pans, containers, etc.

Diapers - 60ish diapers (half a box) for an average sized cake

Ribbon

String or three large rubber bands

Optional: One wooden dowel

Tip: Check the baby registry for diaper brand preference.

What you'll do:

1. Gather three round pots, pans, or containers of various sizes.

2. Start with the largest layer. Place a stack of diapers into the pan with the folded edge facing outwards (you want to hide the colored waistband in the center of the cake). Continue adding diapers to the pan, a few at a time, until the entire pan is filled.

3. Use a string, rubber band, or anything you have, to temporarily secure the diapers within the pan. Then carefully remove the entire layer of diapers. (Don't worry, the string won't be visible in the final product.)

4. Repeat the process with the remaining two layers.

5. Stack the three layers. I like to insert a wooden dowel through the center of the cake for structural support, but this is optional. Be careful though, you don't want to rip a diaper while inserting the dowel.

6. Wrap decorative ribbon around each layer fastening in the back with glue or staples. At this point, you could remove the temporary string, but I like the extra support (and it's hidden behind the green ribbon, so who cares?)

7. Now it's time to decorate your cake! Be creative. You can add anything as "frosting." I choose books and bath products to flank the sides and an appliqued onesie and baby toy as the cake topper.

Tip: Use any cake stand (from the kitchen) to display your diaper cake during the baby shower.

Here's a few more I've recently made. Check out the construction on this headband version (cake topper removed for photo.) Each of those three top layers sports a handmade headband. {See more here}

And here's one more I made for my sister-in-law's twins last year.

Linking up: House of Hepworths, Someday Crafts, Tatertots & Jello, Positively Splendid, Crafty Confessions

White Watch Inspired T-Shirt Bracelet [NO BRAIDING!]

2012-01-27T15:15:00.003-06:00

I love the white rubber woven watches that are so popular right now. Thanks to my darling sister, I now own such a watch. Before I received her wonderful gift, I crafted this white watch inspired t-shirt bracelet to imitate that trendy look. [NO BRAIDING!]

What you'll need:

2 one-inch fabric strips cut horizontally from an old t-shirt. I used a lightweight knit with a little stretch. Avoid using the hem of the shirt, but keep the side seams intact, so your strips will be loops.

What you'll do: Follow the photo tutorial below (because in this case, pictures speak louder than words).

Pin It

Linking up at Between U & Me, Tattertots and Jello, Positively Splendid, Lines Across My Face

My Blog Planner

2012-01-24T14:18:00.003-06:00

I am so excited about my new blog planner! Not that I necessarily need an organizational planner for this little low-key blog of mine... but it was cute... and it was free...

In all actuality, I'm really more of an organized chaos kind of girl, than a truly organized person. (Have you seen my basement?!?) Nonetheless, the attempt to become organized feels almost as good as actually being organized. And cute little tools, like this planner, inspire/motivate me to become my best.

I found the downloadable templates for this planner here at Between U & Me. For the time being, Courtney, the blog author, is providing the downloads free, in exchange for user feedback. At some point, she will remove the free link and begin selling the planners in her etsy shop.

Not knowing how long the free links would be available, I downloaded and printed the pages right away. After trimming the pages down to size, I used a hole punch and those little brass prong fasteners (seen in the photo) to assemble the book. But, I wasn't happy with the appearance of the brass fasteners, so I covered the spine of the notebook in yellow cardstock.

Now this cheery little planner sits between my computer monitor and a baby photo on my desk. I intend to use this planner to brainstorm and document ideas. I would love to sharpen my writing abilities, becoming a more effective communicator. I'm hoping this planner (along with the regular practice of actually writing) will help me do just that. So here's to striving towards organized and effective writing!

Baby "Box" Car Adventures

2012-01-21T14:54:00.001-06:00

The first several weeks of winter spoiled us with unseasonably warm weather. Picnics at the park, afternoon walks, and lots of outdoor play filled our days. Sure we wore jackets, but the sun and warm temperatures made it feel more like early April, not early January.

Last week winter finally came. The moods of those inside the house reflected the gray dreary weather outside the house. The Bean Sprout was fussy, the cat was irritable, and I was bored. We needed an "active" activity to entertain us. It was time for baby boxcar adventures!

After looping an old bed sheet through the grip holes of a diaper box, the Bean and I were soon racing up and down the hallway on our baby friendly race track. The diaper box glides quite well over our carpeted hallway. We were both laughing and giggling in no time.

When we were tired of racing, actually, I was the only tired one (sprinting with a baby is exhausting ;) it became a vehicle for gathering stuffed animals and toys. Climbing in and out of the box was another source of entertainment. Eventually, she discovered that the box made a cozy little reading nook.

Who knew a diaper box could provide such fun? At the end of the day, the box was tattered and torn and placed in the recycle bin. But that's the best part about this activity, there's nothing to store and nothing to clean up. And in approximately 12 days, we can embark on another adventure when the next box of diapers is emptied :-)

Check out my other activity/craft ideas for reusing diaper boxes here.

My Sunday Morning Playlist

2012-01-19T14:46:00.000-06:00

My iTunes library contains a wide variety of artists and genres - Foo Fighters, Jack Johnson, Garth Brooks, and a disproportionately large collection of alternative rock hits from the late 90's. In addition, I listen to a lot of Christian music.

The great thing about Christian music is that it spans all genres. Whatever your music style, you will likely find a Christian derivative. For example, there is Christian Rock, Christian Pop, Christian Rap, etc. The following playlist, however, is specific to praise and worship songs.

This playlist is a collection of favorites that remind me of Sunday worship. This playlist begins with contemporary worship songs and concludes with classic old church hymns. These songs make me happy and we listen to this playlist periodically throughout the week, not just on Sunday mornings. I hope you enjoy!

Praise and Hymns Playlist

Song - Artist

Love the Lord - Lincoln Brewster

Lead Me to the Cross - Chris and Conrad OR by Francesca Battistelli

Revelation Song - Phillips, Craig and Dean

Your Grace is Enough - Matt Maher

Creed - Rich Mullins

Mighty to Save - Jeremy Camp OR by Laura Story

Blessed Be Your Name - Tree63

Christ Is Risen - Matt Maher

Everlasting God - Lincoln Brewster

Like a Child - Jars of Clay

Come Thou Fount - Jadon Lavik

Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone) - Chris Tomlin

How Great Is Our God - Chris Tomlin

Great is Thy Faithfulness - Chris Rice OR by Discovery Singers A Cappella Hymns

It Is Well With My Soul - Chris Rice

How Great Thou Art- Carrie Underwood

For the Beauty of the Earth - Chris Rice (piano only)

What a Friend We Have In Jesus - Brad Paisley (guitar only)

Toddler Pillow and Stay-Put Pillowcase

2012-01-15T19:24:00.001-06:00

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Envision an old lumpy-dumpy pillow shoved at the top of the linen closet - that's how this project began. Add to the picture a young toddler who's ready for her first pillow. This is the story of how I made a toddler pillow and a stay-put pillowcase, from an old pillow and a t-shirt.

I found this awesome t-shirt (representing my alma matter) on the clearance rack at TJ Max. Not willing to cut up one of my own MIZZOU t-shirts, I knew I just had to buy it for this project. Plus, for only $3, it was cheaper than buying fabric from the craft store.

Because the size of my project would be dictated by the amount of fabric available on the shirt, I began with the pillowcase, saving the pillow creation for the end.

Stay-Put Pillowcase
1. First, I cut along the sides to separate the front from the back of the shirt. Then I straightened up the sides and top. Don't cut the bottom of the shirt.

Before I continue, let me explain the "stay-put" part of this pillowcase. This type of case is less likely to slip off during the night because of its non-traditional opening. Two partially overlapping pieces of fabric create the opening along the backside of the pillow, not the edge of the pillow.

We will not be cutting the bottom edge of the t-shirt because this nice hemmed edge will wrap around to the back side of the pillow.

Anyways, back to the project...

2. Fold the bottom edge up over the front until the shirt's logo is centered on the remaining fabric underneath.

3. Measure the distance between the top of the shirt to the point where the two layers begin. Add 3-5 inches to that number (depending on how much of a fabric overlap you want). This is the length you will cut the second piece of fabric. The width of the second piece will equal the width of the first.

4. Using the other half of the t-shirt, and starting at the hem, measure and cut your second piece of fabric.

5. Layer and pin the two pieces of fabric with right sides together. The two pieces should have at least 3 inches of overlap.

6. Sew along three pinned edges and invert.

The pillowcase is finished!

Toddler Pillow (made from old lumpy pillow)

1. Cut open your pillow and remove the filling. Save the filling.

2. On the fabric of the old lumpy pillow, roughly trace a rectangle approximately the size of the pillowcase you just created.

3. (Note: Because the pillow will always be hidden inside its case, I took the easy route and didn't worry about appearances or hiding the seems. Feel free to modify this step if you desire a more cosmetic look.)

Pin and sew with your stitches landing right on top of your traced outline. Leave a generous opening for restuffing the pillow.

4. Cut excess fabric from around pillow. Refill the stuffing. Sew shut.

You're finished! Now go put that pillowcase on!

Linking up at Lines Across My Face

Upcycling Old Shirts into Baby Pigtail Hats

2012-01-11T17:34:00.004-06:00

Yesterday, I found this awesome hat tutorial at The Winthrop Chronicles. In her tutorial, Sarah demonstrates how to transform an old t-shirt into an adorable baby/toddler hat. Inspired by her creativity, I made a few slight changes and created a pigtail hat.

These hats are quick and easy to make (even for a beginner sewer like me). To illustrate how simple they are to make, let me just say that as I begin to type this post, my daughter is still napping and I have three completed hats by my side.

Plus, by repurposing old clothing, it's also a free project. Gotta love free!

The first hat I made, the brown one, follows Sarah's tutorial fairly closely. I used an old cotton/cashmere blend sweater (formerly my husband's) and used the zig-zag stitch on my sewing machine.

I heeded Sarah's advice in step two and inverted my sweater before sketching a pattern. I also pinned the two layers of fabric before I cut (both layers at the same time). I used the side seam of the sweater to minimize the amount of sewing needed.

Then I had a brilliant idea: make a hat with two knots on top. You see, I'm totally infatuated with my daughter's new piggie tail look (because her hair has only recently become long enough). I absolutely love her piggie tails! So, I cut my next hat pattern with bunny ears, for two knots on top.

When my hat model awoke from her nap, I was able to snap some pics of the hats in use. I'd love to show you her excited little face when I first put on the hat, but short winter days = minimal light = slow shutter speed = happy active baby looks blurry. Nonetheless, here are a few pics I snapped during a still moment.

The pink hat (shown at top of page) is my favorite of all. It started out as an old swimsuit coverup with a thick elastic band at the top. An elastic band that was apparently too thick for my fabric scissors because the handle snapped right off! Seriously?!? Those fabric scissors were only a few months old! Fortunately, I was able to finish the project with my regular household scissors.

Linking up at Thrifty Decorating and Positively Splendid

The Funniest Email (from my mother)

2012-01-06T20:53:00.001-06:00

Before I was a stay at home mom, I worked at an imaging clinic as a sonographer. When my maternity leave ended, I briefly returned to work for a few weeks before beginning my days as a full-time stay at home mom. On one of those last few days of work, I received the following email from my mother, who was watching our then 12 week old daughter.

Dear [daughter] and [son-in-law],

I thought you would like to know that [your daughter] now weighs 5 pounds less than she did this morning.

I had decided to sort through the mail, so I put her in her carseat, so she could watch me. Luckily, I had the good sense to put the little washcloth underneath her first. She was sitting there, happily talking to me and straining to "fart". You know what they say...."never trust a fart"!

So after a few minutes, I thought I should check her. Sure enough she was wet on her back side. So I picked her up and "squish". Bad idea! Lots of poop oozing out! So I ran her downstairs, to the changing area, to check things out. I observed what appeared to be about one gallon of orange sweet potatoes in her diaper (and out of her diaper)!

Between trying to get her clothes off, and her kicking and waving her arms around, she/we managed to get her covered in orange poop from head to her little piggies. She was still as happy as a lark. So I reach for the wipes. Oh shit! Only two wipes left!! All that did was smear the orange stuff around and coat the rest of her body real good. Luckily, I found her dirty laundry - burp cloths. So I smeared it around a bit with a dry cloth. Not good enough.

I decided she needed a bath. How will I do this?? Hmmm..... I'm pretty sure that [your little brother] did not clean the bathtub or the kitchen sink while I was in Europe. So that means, I need to clean the sink first. Luckily, [your little brother] is in bed sleeping. So, I wake him up and give him the baby who is wrapped in a cloth burp diaper, because she is still orange. (Go Netherlands!) He doesn't want her, so I set her on his carpet and he watches her safely from his bed, while I run down stairs to clean the kitchen sink.

I decided I needed to put something on the bottom of the sink, so she doesn't slide. But I have no clean towels, because no one washed towels while I was in Europe. Luckily, [your sister] had washed all the dog towels after she gave the dogs a bath. I chose one to line the bottom of the sink. I also found the baby shampoo and a wash cloth. I ran back up to [your little brother's] room, where he is still watching her from his bed and marveling at her orange glow. I pick up the orange one, and bring her downstairs to the kitchen sink.

I set her in gently. "What's this?", she wonders with a worried look on her face. I just keep smiling and talk faster. This entertains and reasures her. Now she is quite happy to relax in the bath.

Afterwards, I wrap her up in another dog towel. These towels are my old towels from college. They were used for a while as camping towels, but they got too old and thin for camping. Now they are dog towels. From now on, we will refer to them as, the "poopy baby towels".

Anyways, your little sweetie is now clean and smells really good. I decided to wash her hair, while I was at it. This episode wore her out though, because soon afterwards, she fell asleep in my arms. Now she is having sweet (potato) dreams.

Love,

Mom

My co-workers and I just about died laughing!

And although not from the described event, the following photo depicts a similar situation occurring later on that month.

Out With The Old, In With The New: Mascara

2012-01-04T21:36:00.000-06:00

Despite the fact that vision is my favorite of the five senses, I am fairly neglectful when it comes to eye care. I always stretch an extra couple weeks wear out of my contact lenses, and my eye makeup seldom gets replaced.

Did you know that the beauty community recommends replacing your mascara every 3-4 months! (source) Even WebMD recommends a replacement period of 3-6 months for mascara and eyeliner. (source) Seriously!?!?! I've really been missing the mark on that one. I hate to admit it, but I don't even remember when I last bought new mascara!!!!

Although I doubt I'll follow the 3-6 month guideline, I could stand to improve my current habits. So out with the old, and in with the new. New Year, New Mascara. Off to the drugstore I go...

What's your favorite mascara brand?
(And how frequently do you actually change out your makeup?)

Last Year's Resolution

2012-01-01T15:35:00.002-06:00

New Year's Resolutions. The phrase sounds so intense, so serious, and with an implied sense of grandeur reserved for only the loftiest of self improvement goals. Because of this intensity, I rarely make New Year's resolutions. Don't get me wrong, I definitely have my share of character flaws that could stand a resolution or two. I just prefer the success of several smaller goals over a year of chasing after an impressive, but unrealistic, New Year's resolution.

Last year, in lieu of making resolutions, my husband and I made a list of goals and plans for the upcoming year. It was sort of a giant to-do list to tackle over the next 12 months. The items on the list were straightforward, and for the most part, reasonably acheivable. We wrote the goals on paper and kept it in a safe spot.

The list ended up being 26 items long. Some of the goals were joint projects - buy a "family" vehicle; some were individual - make baby's first year photobook; some were work related - earn 10 ultrasound continuing education credits. Some of the items on the list were as simple planting a hydrangea bush, while others were more complicated, involving painting, organizing, and reconfiguring the basement.

Brainstorming last year's list of resolutions was a fun activity for the pair of us. I know, I know. You probably did a double take after reading the words "fun" and "resolutions" in the same sentence, but really, it was a fun activity. And the satisfaction of checking off the completed objectives was even more fun. Keeping the goals realistic made it possible to complete the majority of the items on the list. Only seven of the goals remained unchecked, two of which will be moved over onto next year's list.

Now it's time to go make 2012's yearly list!

Five Quillows in a Row

2011-12-20T16:12:00.000-06:00

Ta Da! Despite my procrastination, I was able to complete all five of the quillows before the family celebration this past weekend. (CJB will get hers next weekend.)

Even more satisfying than completing the projects on time, was to watch how genuinely THRILLED my nephews were to receive their own personalized blanket. I was hoping that the boys would like them, but was pleasantly surprised by just how much they absolutely loved them! The two and five year old boys were especially fond of them. Those blankets became accessories for fort building and companions on their many playful adventures. They carried those blankets with them all weekend long. Even my daughter enjoyed playing with them. I'll have to make her one in the future.

Each blanket is slightly different, as I modified my technique along the way. The boys' blankets are sewn bound along the edges, and the girl's was finished with a slit and loop tie. I found these sites, here and here, to be helpful in describing the basic gist of quillow making.

CJB's follows the basic outline described in the websites linked above. K's is a baby blanket and on the remaining three, I modified the pocket and folding techniques to result in a fuller, more comfortable, and rectangular shaped pillow. The three large rectangle quillows are folded into fourths and then sixths. I used a yard and a half of fleece for the big kid blankets, and a much smaller piece for the baby blanket. Regardless of how much fabric you use, the pocket size for this version is determined by adding 1-2" to the folded dimensions.

The personalized applique was cut out of 25 cent felt sheets, ironed on with Heat n' Bond, and then topstitched. It is helpful to use a shorter stitch length and to leave the needle in the down position while pivoting the corners.

Algebra is for REAL

2011-12-14T22:30:00.002-06:00

Warning: This post will bring back those almost forgotten math memories...

So, maybe I'm a nerd, but I get excited when I encounter real life math problems - especially if that real life math problem isn't related to family finances :-) I get excited because it gives me a chance to flex my critical-thinking-algebra-solving muscles and prove -- to myself -- that I've still got it.

If you hate math, you can stop reading here, BUT... if you're up for a brain teaser, keep reading.

A few weeks ago, I bought some fleece fabric that was on sale. I had no project plan at the time, I just liked the print. After removing the selvage, the purchased fabric measured 58" x 59".

The print was perfect for the baby blanket fleece quillow gift I wanted to make for my newest nephew. Except, the fabric was WAY too big for a baby blanket. I needed to trim it down to size.

Because I'm frugal like that, and didn't want to waste any fabric, I decided to make two blankets - one for my nephew and one for a friend - from my 58x59 inch fabric. That sounds simple enough, but here's the catch, not only did I need to cut two baby sized blankets, but I also needed to cut two rectangles of fabric for the matching pockets, that the blankets will fold into.

Before I continue, it might help if I describe the final product. The quillow is a quilt, or in this case, a fleece blanket, that folds up into a pocket, becoming a pillow. (Maybe I should rename this the fleece blillow.) This particular sized quillow folds into fourths lengthwise and then into thirds widthwise before tucking into the pocket which is sewn onto the back of the blanket. See image below.

So from my 58x59" piece of fabric, I need to cut two small blankets and have enough remaining fabric for the two matching pockets. The pocket size needs to be one fourth the blanket length plus two inches by one third the width plus two inches. The question is, how big of a blanket can I cut to maximize size while reserving enough fabric for making the pocket? (Hints will be given following the images below.)

Notes:
The shaded area is where the pocket will be sewn on.
Due to the fabric grain and print direction, the pocket cut from remnant z must remain in the same directional orientation.
(Hints given after images.)

My problem solving diagram.

Finished product

Hints:

y = 59"

x + z = y

1/4 x + 2" = z

Solve for x.

Feels Like the First

2011-12-13T13:07:00.001-06:00

Technically, this is our daughter's second Christmas, but it feels like the first. Last year we celebrated Christ's birth with a baby. This year we are celebrating Christmas with a TODDLER!! She is so much more aware, and curious about life. Watching your child's face light up with joy and excitement as they experience something new, for the very first time, is one of my favorite things about being a parent.

Last year she wasn't talking, so we didn't hear her point and exclaim, "Star! Star! Star!"

Last year she wasn't walking (or crawling,) so we didn't have a little helper when decorating the tree.

Last year she wasn't interested in decorations, so we didn't experience her mesmerization by Christmas lights.

Last year she wasn't pretend playing, so we didn't have the joy of watching her play with the nativity set.

Last year she wasn't eating sweets, so we didn't see her eagerly scoop Christmas sweets into her mouth. (In moderation, of course.)

AND...

(I wish I had a video of this)

Last year she wasn't dancing, so we didn't see her excited version of "Jingle Bells," i.e. rapidly running in place while ringing a bell.

The $10/10 Minute, Glass Christmas Light Gift

2011-12-06T19:49:00.001-06:00

Glass Christmas lighted gift box.

Several years ago, my father gave me a lighted glass block - a frosted glass bathroom block from Lowes, filled with Christmas lights. I have absolutely loved this gift from my Dad. It is one of my favorite gifts ever received.

Inspired by my father's gift, today I made a similar lighted block as a gift for another family member (I'm pretty sure she doesn't read my blog, so I don't mind sharing it on here) Unlike my father's version, which requires drilling a hole into a hollow bathroom glass block, this craft block from Hobby Lobby already had an opening in the bottom.

This project is super easy - simply fill the block with a strand of lights and tie a bow on top. The entire project cost less than $10 and was completed in less than 10 minutes. For instructions on tying a bow like mine, click here.

Glass block on sale at Hobby Lobby for $6 (originally $12.)
Ribbon was $2.50.
Christmas lights were an extra strand I already owned.
Even if you had to purchase everything full price, you should be able to make this for under $20.

Admiring the finished project.

Linking up at Positively Splendid and Lines Across My Face

Final Verdict on The Sneaky Chef

2011-12-02T14:24:00.001-06:00

Earlier this fall a friend of mine loaned me The Sneaky Chef cookbook and I began trying sum of the recipes. If you missed my previous post, you can read it here, but the basic gist is to "sneak" pureed vegetables into kid appealing foods. Fortunately, my kid is a pretty good eater - I was more drawn to the book as a way to add variety and nutrition for us adults (ahhem, my husband.)

Overall, I think this cookbook could be very useful for families desperately trying to get even a bite of nutrition into their children's mouths. BUT, this book might not be worth the effort, for the average family with a semi decent diet. A quote on the back of the book sums it up well. It states, "The Sneaky Chef offers frustrated parents a simple, practical solution to getting their kids to eat healthier food, while avoiding the daily dinner table fight."

After trying many of the recipes, I have decided that it is usually easier and more rewarding to just eat the vegetables straight up. I would rather add some spinach leaves to my dinner's salad than to eat them later at dessert hidden in the chocolate chip pancakes.

I have tried several of the recipes. Some of them I liked and some of them I disliked. I will probably try a few more, to use up my remaining frozen purees. My absolute favorite was the flour blend (equal parts of regular flour, whole wheat flour, and wheat germ.) I have used the flour blend in many of my own recipes, including Belgium waffles and you absolutely cannot tell the difference! Here's the verdict for the recipes we tried:

LIKED- we will make these recipes again:
Masterful Mac 'n' Cheese with orange puree
Quick Fixes for Boxed Macaroni and Cheese
Flour blend- used in Belgium waffles and couldn't tell a difference!

DISLIKED- we did not care for these recipes
Cocoa Chocolate Chip Pancakes
Masterful Mac 'n' Cheese with egg boost
Quick Fixes for Tuna Fish Sandwich

The Quillow Near Failure

2011-11-27T20:34:00.001-06:00

One of my recent craft projects was this fleece quillow (a quilt/blanket that folds into a pocket becoming a pillow.) It is a Christmas gift for my adorable niece. It looks great now, but it was quite a challenge getting there.

Somehow I managed to turn an "under an hour craft" into a three night ordeal. I mean, seriously! Who makes five errors in a simple project? Without going into all the details, I'll just say that most of the pink applique work was not part of my original plan, but added to cover up my mistakes. Although not part of the original plan, I like the extra applique on both the blanket and the pillow. I think I'll intentionally add it to the other gifts on my list!

EASY Pumpkin Pie for a Crowd

2011-11-18T09:37:00.001-06:00

Not only is this pumpkin pie awesome, but it is an easy way to serve a large crowd. My dear friend DY shared this recipe with me. It is seriously tasty and super easy to make.

29oz can pumpkin
4 eggs
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 box yellow dry yellow cake mix
1 cup melted butter
pecans (optional)

Mix pumpkin, eggs, sugar, evaporated milk and spices.
Pour into 13x9 ungreased pan
top with 1 box yellow cake mix
drizzle 1 cup melted butter on top (and optional pecans)
Bake at 350 for 1 hour

Gift Ideas for Great Grandma

2011-11-12T14:31:00.001-06:00

Struggling to find that perfect Christmas gift for your Great Grandmother? Here's a list of ideas that may help...

New bath towels or bed linens. Depending on her age, your great grandma either grew up during the Great Depression or shortly thereafter. She may still live with the depression era mentality, following the unspoken motto of, "only replace what no longer works." Yes, thread bare towels still technically work, but doesn't your grammy deserve a nice plush towel to dry off with?
Stationary, cards, and stamps. If your grandmother likes to keep in touch with friends and family through writting letters, consider stocking her desk full of paper, stationary, cards, pens - and most importantly- stamps.
A year's subscription to her favorite magazine.
An indoor potted amaryllis bulb. These are often seen in stores around Christmas time. Sold in small decorative pots, these plants go from bulb to bloom in a matter of weeks. These big, bright, long lasting flowers provide a cheerful glimpse of spring during long grey winters.
A CD of favorite songs from her youth. Unless your grandmother still has an old record player, she is probably no longer able to listen to her favorite bands from her youth. Find out which bands she enjoyed as a teenager/young adult and look for a digital version (assuming she has a CD player.) Whether she likes Sinatra or The Kingston Trio, she will enjoy being able to once again listen to her favorite music. (I did this for my grandma last year and she loved it!)
Consumable gifts. Look for items that she considers luxury and wouldn't purchase for herself. For example, specialty jams, lotions, exotic flavored coffees, or her favorite chocolates (unless, of course, she's diabetic.) Or how about some individually wrapped nutritious snacks paired with pretty paper plates and napkins to eat them on?
Pillow Pet Pee-Wees. These miniature versions are just as cute as the original. The smaller size is perfect for grandma to place behind her back while watching tv, or to support her elbow as she reads the morning paper. And they are just so darn cute!
Handheld video games. The simple $15 versions sold at Target provide hours of entertainment. Hearts, Solitaire, and Tetris are classic favorites.
An activity puzzle book. Wordsearch, Sudoku, and crossword puzzles also provide hours of mind stimulating entertainment.
A digital picture frame. This is an electronic photo frame that alternately displays digital pictures, showing a new image every few moments. Preload the gift with favorite family photos from both the present and the past. Try to include an image of each family member.
A Grandmother's Legacy book. This is a journal type book found at Hallmark with pre-printed interview questions about life. The idea is that over the next several months, Nana will take the time to answer the questions, filling the book with the stories of her life. Ideally she would then return the book to the original giver. My husband did this a few years ago with his Grammy. He then surprised her the following year by typing, printing, and binding the questions and answers in the legacy book to provide copies for each family member. The following Christmas he gave her the duplicate copies he had printed and she was able to give copies to the other members of the family.
The gift of time. Grandmothers love spending time with their grandchildren. Make a commitment to spend more time together. Start a recurring lunch date, a monthly shopping outing, drive her to church each week, or even something as simple as a regular phone call. Nothing would please her more than to frequently enjoy your company.

Linking up with Lines Across My Face and Family Ever After and Positively Splendid

Chicago with Baby: A Weekend Getaway

2011-11-06T13:38:00.002-06:00

Weekly business trips have separated this family for the past several months, but thankfully, my husband's work project is finally complete. To celebrate our return to "normalcy," we took a family mini-vacation in mid October, spending a long weekend in Chicago. (Marriott rewards points = free hotel. Yay!)

Much to my surprise, Chicago + October weather + a young toddler, was an extremely enjoyable combination. The weather was sunny and crisp, the tourist crowds were minimal, and our daughter proved to be the perfect age to bring along on our weekend getaway.

At 17 months, she is old enough to conveniently bring along (no more nursing, baby food, or constant diapering) yet still young enough to be easily entertained. Simply experiencing life is enough excitement of its own; there was no need to find specific kid-oriented activities. Whereas a 3 year old might have been bored with the double decker bus tour, she took in the sights and sounds with awe. When she did get tired, she simply snuggled against my chest (or stroller) and fell asleep.

Additionally, because she is still a toddler, her portion of the vacation was virtually free. Her museum and aquarium admittance was free. We never bought a kids meal on this trip, we simply asked for an extra plate and gave her portions from our meals. (Although, she did get her own fruit smoothie when I knew she wouldn't eat the Chicago style hotdogs.)

Here are a few photos and our basic itinerary...

Thursday: We arrived around noon, purchased our 3-day unlimited public transportation passes, and rode the subway to the Field Museum of Natural History. The museum has beautiful architecture and more exhibits than one could possibly see in a day.

In the dinosaur exhibit. The crowds were minimal on a Thursday
afternoon in October.

Friday: If you ever go to Chicago, you have to check out the Hop On Hop Off tours by the Chicago Trolley Company. This was our favorite activity of the vacation. This is a double decker bus / trolley tour showing you all of the major highlights of the city. Plus, because it is "hop on hop off" you can get off at the sites that interest you knowing that additional buses will arrive every 10 minutes for continuation of the tour.

Millennium Park was our favorite stop on the bus tour. The Bean Sprout loved chasing the pigeons and playing with the warped reflective images of herself at "Cloud Gate" (the silver bean sculpture.) Other stops we enjoyed were, walking along the Chicago River, the observatory at the John Hancock Tower, and window shopping at the Magnificent Mile. Dinner was a classic deep dish pizza at Lou Malnati's. Awesome pizza. So glad we got there early- the place was packed when we left.

Cloud Gate at Millennium Park

Walking along the Chicago River. I love when
random strangers go out of their way to
offer to take a family photo!

Saturday: We began the morning at the Shedd Aquarium, which was nice, but I prefer the Atlanta Aquarium. We ate Chicago style hotdogs for lunch at Portillo's, then we took the "El" to Wrigley Field. We spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out at Navy Pier. We ate Garrett's Chicago Mix popcorn (carmel and cheese popcorn) and watched the sun set over the Chicago skyline.

Garrett's Chicago Mix Popcorn- cheese and carmel corn mix.

Cute and happy at Navy Pier.

Sunday: Drive home.

Baby logistics:

Our hotel was conveniently located downtown, therefore, there was no need for taxis or a car rental - we walked or took the subway/train. We purchased the 3 day unlimited public transportation pass.
We took an umbrella stroller with us everywhere. It folds up small enough to take on the crowded subway and when she's walking, it makes a great bag and jacket holder :-)
I used a large purse to tote everything we might need during the day- snacks, water bottles, maps, a travel book, camera, diapers, wipes, and two small toys.
Our keychain size Magna-Doodle was an infinitely valuable toy for this trip.
By eating dinner before 6p each night, we avoided long lines and were able to get our exhausted baby back to the hotel and in bed on time.
She slept in the pack-n-play we brought from home.
Our hotel room had a separate sleeping area. (Rewards points = free hotel; would never have gotten a suite otherwise, but it was a nice perk :) This was awesome because we could stay up and watch TV after we put the baby to bed.

Thanksgiving Tree

2011-11-04T22:15:00.000-05:00

Each leaf has the name of a family member on it.
For privacy, I blurred the names for this blog photo.

I love Thanksgiving. Well, the idea of it anyways. Turkey and stuffing are kind of hit or miss with me, but I love the idea of gathering with family to celebrate our blessings together.

Growing up, my mom kept a small Thanksgiving notebook. Each Thanksgiving, the notebook would be passed around and every family member would write a small message stating things they were thankful for that year. Before the big meal, my father would lead the family in a prayer and then close by reading our thanksgiving notes aloud. Not only did this tradition teach us kids to reflect and be thankful for the blessings in our lives, but it's also a fun family keepsake.

As our little Bean Sprout gets older, I hope to start our own Thanksgiving notebook. But for now, a cute art project will suffice. I originally planned to make this project with fabric, as an appliqued pillowcase slipcover for a couch pillow, BUT... frugality overruled creativity and I settled with a paper craft instead of a sewing project. I think it turned out pretty well, don't you?

The background is a circle shaped word art with the word "family" printed from Microsoft Word. I used a gold paint Sharpie to free hand the words. The oak leaves were traced from an online template printed at 15% and cut from cardstock paper. Each leaf has the name of a family member written on it. The completed project is on display in my dinning room.

The Sneaky Chef Experiment - Day 1

2011-10-30T00:16:00.001-05:00

Have you seen this cookbook? As the title suggests, The Sneaky Chef is full of recipes and other creative ways to "sneak" healthy foods into your kid's favorite meals. The main premise of the book is to freeze fruit and vegetable purees into small portions that you can easily add into classic dishes boosting your family's nutritional intake. (Don't worry Mom, even if we adopt these new recipes into our family's meal plan, I'll still continue to serve vegetables on the side to encourage our daughter's developing taste preferences :-)

The recipes in this book were written with the picky child in mind, but ironically, it is the adults in my household who need some help in reaching their daily fruit and veggie quota. Our daughter loves most fruits and vegetables. My husband, however, does not. And honestly, I'm not one to eagerly eat steamed cauliflower either. But if I can hide cauliflower and zucchini within delicious mac and cheese - well, that may be an extra cooking step worth taking.

My friend has loaned me her copy of The Sneaky Chef (thanks HK!) In the next few weeks I plan to test out the recipes with my family. Today I did the advance prep work by mixing the author's purple, white, and bean puree. Tomorrow I will make and freeze the green and orange purees. Here's a picture of my purees all divvied up into individual portions and ready to freeze.

Tonight's experiment was the Mac 'N Cheese with the cauliflower/zucchini puree and the bonus boost of two eggs, baked in the oven until hot and bubbly. Here's the verdict...
Baby: ++
Husband: A
Me: B-

Overall, the meal got positive results. I was the harshest critic- wishing that I had omitted the eggs because I thought it tasted like a quiche. However, my husband and daughter thought it was great. The vegetable taste is well hidden.

My First Featured Post!

2011-10-26T14:29:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, my diaper clutch tutorial was featured on Lines Across My Face, an up and coming craft blog. Knowing that a complete stranger found my project to be worth sharing with her ever growing fan base is extremely satisfying. I feel like I just received the biggest compliment in the world!

Fabric Bows

2011-10-24T15:05:00.000-05:00

Earlier this week, I showed off my cute little diaper clutch and changing station and gave you instructions to make your own. Hopefully you saved your fabric scraps, because today I am going to show you how I made the hair bow that embellishes the front of the clutch. There are many different ways to make a fabric bow. Here's my version.

1. Cut two identically sized squares. The size doesn't really matter, as long as the two pieces are the same.

2. With the right sides together, sew the two squares along the perimeter, rounding the corners, and leaving a small opening in the center of one side.

3. Invert through opening.

4. Sew the opening shut. Don't worry if the stitches show. They will get gathered up in the next step.

5. Pinch into an accordion fold and wrap ribbon or strip of fabric** around center, using glue to attach to hair clip.

6. If desired, attach additional ribbon bow.

**If using fabric strips to secure the center, be sure to fold in the raw edges and press (iron).

Fabric bows with various ribbon centers.

Diaper Clutch Changing Station

2011-10-20T16:38:00.002-05:00

Diaper Clutch Changing Station. The bow is actually a hair clip made from fabric scraps.

Clutch unfolds to reveal changing mat and a pocket for supplies.

At some point in a baby's life, the need for a giant diaper bag (packed with every baby product under the sun) diminishes, and you can transition back to carrying just a single bag - your purse. At 17 months, all my daughter really needs for our daily outings is a few diapers and a package of wipes tossed into my purse. However, diapers quickly get crumpled at the bottom of my bag, and even unused diapers are a little unsightly when digging for the car keys. Thus, I created this cute diaper clutch changing station.

The clutch unfolds to provide a changing surface area, with a pouch to hold diapers/ wipes/etc. The matching diaper case (think pillowcase) can be used individually, if a changing mat is not desired, or as a supplement to the clutch, storing additional supplies.

This project is much easier than it looks. Remember, I have very limited sewing experience (as in, this was only my third sewing project since the 7th grade.) If I can do, you can too! I am so glad I took photos and notes, because this is one project I will definitely be making again! Baby shower gifts anyone?

The compact design slips easily into
the outer pocket of my purse.

A compact size was a big priority for me during the creation process. I wanted something thin enough to easily slip into my purse. Because size was a priority, I chose to use a canvas-like, home furnishing type fabric for the exterior; however, a PUL waterproof fabric would also have been a good choice. The interior lining and pocket are both simple cotton fabrics. I also considered flannel, fleece, and microfiber for the lining, but decided they were too bulky for my needs. But all are great choices, if you don't mind the added thickness.

What you will need...
Two fat quarters (18"x21") of complementary fabrics for the inner lining and pocket.
An equal amount (18"x21") of your exterior fabric.
Coordinating ribbon (~20")
Velcro or other means of attachment

hint: "fat quarters" can be purchased precut and folded into squares on display in the fabric department. They come in a variety of prints and are usually only a buck or two. Great for the inner lining, but I would choose something more durable for the exterior of clutch. My black floral fabric is a canvas-type fabric.

What you'll do...
1. Lay out your exterior fabric, right side down. Using your inner lining fabric as a stencil, trace an identically sized rectangle with pen or pencil and cut to size. Set aside.

Next, we will begin working on the pocket. This part is a little tricky to describe, so bear with me. I'm sure there is a special word for this type of pocket, but I'm no sewing guru, so I will just describe it the best I can. This is an accordion folded pocket that expands when full. This pocket is big enough to hold 3 diapers and a few wipes. You may need to modify pocket dimensions, especially if you buy wipes packaged in a firm plastic case. We buy Pampers size 4 diapers and generic wipes (love Target's Up & Up!)

2. Cut pocket fabric 12.5" by 9" (finished pocket is smaller)
3. Fold under the top of the pocket lengthwise 2." Press and sew.
4. Fold under the two sides at 0.5" for the seam. Press.

Steps 3 and 4
**image is displayed upside down**

5. Now it's time for the accordion fold. Measure 1.5" from seam fold in step 4 (or 2" from fabric edge) and press under.
6. Now take the space between the folds in step 4 and 5 and fold in half again and press. See image.

Accordion fold. Steps 5 and 6.

7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 for the other side of the pocket.

8. Fold under the bottom edge of pocket 0.5" and press. See image.

Step 8.

9. This next part is very important for the clutch to fold up nicely... Place the pocket on the corner of the inner lining fabric with the long axis of the pocket perpendicular to the long axis of the inner lining. See picture.

Step 9. Long axis of mat is perpendicular to long axis of pocket.
Don't pin too close to the edge of pink fabric!! Leave a seam allowance!!

10. Pin the pocket in place, but be sure to leave a little margin of pink (inner linig fabric) around the edge of the pocket. You will need this as a seam allowance later on. When pinning the accordion folded sides, place the pins deep inside the fold. See picture.

Step 10

11. Sew bottom margin of pocket first. Then sew the sides of pocket within the fold. See image.

Step 11. Sewing pocket sides.

12. With the right sides together, pin the outer and inner liners together (RST).

13. Determine where ribbon tie will be sewn - opposite the open edge of the pocket - see photos in step 15 for help with placement. Place pin at this location 90 degrees, to identify location. Set ribbon aside for now. Sew around perimeter leaving a 3" opening at the ribbon location.

Step 13

14. Invert the fabric through 3" opening.

Step 14. Should look like this after inverted.

15. Place ribbon into 3" opening, stitch (and backstitch) ribbon into place. Continue stitching around edge of mat for a decorative finish. (Avoid stitching on pocket)

Step 15. Finishing stitch and ribbon attachment

16. Tada! The hard part is finished! The last step is cutting your ribbon to size and applying velcro.

Pin It

Save your fabric scraps for the additional diaper case and matching fabric hair bow tutorial!

Hair clips made from fabric scraps

The additional diaper case is simply a small pillowcase intended to hold additional diapers, wipes, spare baby clothes, etc. It's a great supplement to the clutch, or you can use it all on it's own. I often grab just the diaper case packed with a single diaper and travel wipes for quick runs to the store.

Bloopers From Clean-Up Time

2011-10-15T21:36:00.002-05:00

We've begun teaching our daughter to clean up after herself. Luckily for us, she's quite good at it. After a little prompting, and a round or two of the "clean-up song," she can usually be left to finish the task on her own. I feel really proud of her abilities, especially considering she's not even one and half yet. Occasionally, though, we find cute little clean-up time bloopers, which always make me smile. I noticed this blooper the other night and thought it was too cute not to share.

Can you spot the blooper? Hint: we normally keep our shoes in the closet.... :-)

The Thumbsucker's Ear

2011-10-05T22:11:00.003-05:00

My daughter is a thumbsucker. It's her means of self soothing whenever she is upset, sleepy, or even just bored. Recently, her comfort habit has extended to playing with her ear. While her right thumb is in her mouth, the left thumb is tugging and folding the top of her ear.

At first I was concerned she might have an ear infection, but her ears are fine. She's happy and healthy during the day. She's just developed a habit of folding/bending the cartilage while thumbsucking herself to sleep. It's become a secondary habit so intense, that her top of her ear is now chronically bruised. I don't care if she sucks her thumb. For the time being, it's a habit that I've chosen to ignore. But I would like to create a distraction to discourage the ear folding.

This leads me to two questions: what does an ear feel like, and how can I craft a substitute?

That's my creative assignment for the week. To design some sort of "lovie" object, for my daughter to fiddle, fold, and bend as she is drifting off to sleep - instead of playing with her ear.

Fairy Princess Wand

2011-10-04T20:18:00.002-05:00

Last week I made my daughter this adorable fairy princess wand. She's only a year and a half, so I wasn't sure if she would be interested in it yet, but she LOVES it! It's not quite pretend play yet, but she loves to swing it through the air and watch the ribbon dance around. This coincidentally, also entertains the cat, which further amuses my daughter.

What you'll need....
Wooden stars (0.99 for four)
3/16" wooden dowels ($1.99 for twenty-four)
Small cut of tulle or fabric approximately 12" x 6"
Scrap ribbon
Glue gun

What you'll do...
1. Paint and/or embellish two wooden stars ahead of time. Paint front, back, and side edges.
2. Take your scrap ribbon and begin wrapping around dowel from the bottom up. Hot glue your dowel over half the width of ribbon. (See image)
3. Wrap ribbon around dowel and then fold upwards. Glue. (See image)
4. Continue wrapping the ribbon towards other end of dowel. Apply glue frequently as you work.
5. Tie three strands of narrow ribbon around top of wand and set aside.
6. Take your fabric or tulle and fold in half lengthwise and begin gathering the loose edge towards the center. Glue. (The folded edge should be facing outwards)
7. Glue the gathered tulle to the dowel and sandwich between two wooden stars.

Playing princess and the cat

One Month Bloggerversary

2011-10-01T13:41:00.001-05:00

One month ago I keyed my first blog post. Since then, I've written a few posts, toyed with Blogger's layout features, and discovered the seemingly endless community of fellow bloggers.

Discovering this talented community was an unexpected bonus in my blogging experience. A month ago, I had hoped to develop blog writing as new hobby of mine. But I was unaware, and pleasantly surprised, to find that blog reading (other people's blogs) could become an equally rewarding hobby.

Sure, I had read a few blogs in past, but they were mostly family journal type blogs. Before starting my own blog, I honestly never knew there was such a large community of smart, witty, talented women connecting and brainstorming with other women from all over the world. There are tons and tons of other young moms, just like me, who are openly sharing their home renovation woes, humorous tales of motherhood, and articulately sharing stories of their lives. (Yes, men have blogs too. I just haven't found any yet that like to write about crafts, babies, and home decor)

The blogging community really is a community - people supporting one another, brainstorming together, and providing positive feedback. Joining in on the conversation and connecting with these women has been such a joy. Whether the topic is crafting or baby rearing, I am thankful for the "super-bloggers" out there, and their willingness to share tips with the rest of us!

Superhero Cape

2011-09-27T08:53:00.000-05:00

Someone special in our life turns three this month. To celebrate his birthday, I decided to make him a superhero cape personalized with his initial on the back. Using an old pillowcase as the fabric source kept the total project cost under $4. (Add a couple extra bucks if you don't already have thread.)

My inspiration came from a cape I had once seen at a craft fair. But that was years ago, and I haven't seen a homemade cape since then. Needing a memory refresher, I clicked through several online sources before realizing that most sites offering tutorials are either extremely complex or extremely simple. I saw instructions for beautiful, fully-lined satin capes and I saw t-shirt capes made by removing the sleeves from a large men's t-shirt. I wasn't interested in making a cape on either end of the talent spectrum. I wanted to make a cape that had enough detail to be special, but was still within my skill level and time allowance.

The cape I created was cut from an old pillow case, trimmed with satin ribbon, and embellished with felt. Despite my novice skills, (this was only my second sewing project within the past decade,) I was still able to complete the project within a few hours. This time estimates includes two phone call interruptions and an erroneous seam that needed to be ripped out and redone - you could probably do this project much much quicker!

What you'll need...
An old pillowcase
A spool of 4" wide satin ribbon- I used 3 yards, but your need may vary based on cape size.
Two sheets of felt (found in the craft row for $0.25 per sheet)
similar colored thread

What you'll do...

1. Begin by cutting your superhero emblem. A basic superhero shape is an inverted triangle with the top corners cut off. Your base sheet of felt will become the color of the border and the initial. For the base sheet, you will simply cut the emblem shape. The top sheet of felt will be cut into an similar shape, only slightly smaller. You will also cut out your child's initial from this top sheet of felt. Fold the felt and make the first small snip of the initial. This will allow the lower scissor blade to insert through and continue to cut out the letter.

2. Sew the two layers of felt together. In my project, I first outlined the letter J, on the red felt with red thread. I then sewed along the outer edge of the red felt. I also sewed two plus signs into the side red space. (Partly decorative, partly to keep the two layers together)

3. Set the emblem aside and begin working on the cape. Place pillowcase on flat surface, smooth out wrinkles and trace half of the cape outline. Cut through both layers of the pillowcase. The fold becomes the center of the cape and the two halves will be symmetrical in shape.

4. Prepare the satin trim by folding and ironing lengthwise.

5. Lay satin ribbon on the cape and cut to needed length. You will need one long piece for the perimeter of the cape, and a shorter piece for the neckline. Cut slightly more than you think you will need. You can trim it down later.

Neckline pre-velcro

6. Begin the trim work at the neckline. The pillowcase fabric should be sandwiched inside the fold of the satin trim. Use pins to keep in place while sewing. Sew along the inner margin, the outer margin, and one or two "lines" in the middle of the ribbon all the way around the neckline. You will also need to secure the loose ends of the collar (where the velcro will go) with a few rows of stitches. Curves are tricky- do the best you can and move on - your little hero won't notice crooked seams.

7. Sew (or glue gun) the neckline velcro.

8. If excess fabric is visible around the collar trim it down now.

9. Continue attaching the trim. Use pins to hold the ribbon in place. Begin at the top where the neckline meets the side of cape. I folded under the ribbon edge at this spot to prevent ribbon fraying. (Applying a no-fray solution or heat searing are other options to prevent fraying.) When you reach the corners, simply fold the ribbon as if you were wrapping a present, and keep pinning.

10. Sew on the trim with the same technique as the neckline a row of stitches along the inner margin, the outer margin, and one or two rows of stitches in the middle.

11. Lastly, attach your hero emblem. Pin in place. Stitch along inner margin of child's initial, and outer perimeter of emblem.

Congratulations! You've created your own superhero cape!

For more superhero inspiration, check out this feminine superhero cape tutorial. Her version looks a little easier than mine with super cute results!!

How to Make Squash Baby Food

2011-09-22T19:49:00.000-05:00

Although my previous post goes into detail on the process of making your own baby food, I felt that the squash deserves its own separate post because of the unfamiliarity most people have with this vegetable.

My daughter loved squash as a baby and still loves it as a toddler. Even though she's graduated to fork, spoon, and regular table foods, I still serve up mashed squash on a regular basis because it yields a large amount of food for minimal effort, it freezes well, and is a good source of vitamin A.

There are many varieties of squash, but I prefer the butternut squash simply because its large size and smooth shape makes it easy to remove the roasted interior from the skin. (The acorn squash, on the other hand, requires much more effort due to its small size and irregular shape.)

How to Roast Squash for Baby Food
1. Wash exterior and cut off woody ends. Then cut in half lengthwise.
2. Spoon out seeds.
3. Place cut side down and add a small amount of water to pan. Cook at 350 for 45 min. The skin will become light brown and slightly dimpled when done.
4. Spoon out the roasted interior and enjoy.

Make Your Own Baby Food

2011-09-22T19:43:00.000-05:00

These Pyrex dishes are freezer,
microwave, and dishwasher safe.

When my daughter first began eating solids, I, like most Americans, opened jar after jar of store bought baby food. But after noticing their unnaturally long shelf life (and some of the artificial ingredients) I decided to look for a fresher alternative.

If you're like me, the idea of making your own baby food probably sounds extremely intimidating. Before our daughter was born, I would have never dreamed of making my own baby food. It seemed like such a daunting task and I had no idea where to begin. But once I actually looked into it, I was surprised by how extremely easy it is to provide your little one with fresh nutritious homemade baby food. And you'll save a TON of money! Baby food is so easy to make. The entire process can be described in four little steps - Chop, Cook, Puree/Blend, Freeze.

How to Make Baby Food
1. Wash, peel, and chop your desired vegetables or fruit. I usually use frozen diced vegetables to eliminate this step. (Click here for specifics on squash.)
2. Cook to a soft tender state and allow to cool. I prefer stove top cooking with a small amount of water, but any method of cooking will work. Some moms even use the microwave.
3. Puree/Blend. Use a food processor or blender to puree the vegetables to desired consistency. Give older babies thicker, chunkier blends while younger babies need a smooth thin consistency. Adding more liquid - water, juice, formula, or breast milk- can help achieve a smooth consistency. The water left over in the cooking pot is a great choice to use in your puree because it contains escaped nutrients. If you ever add too much liquid, you can thicken it back up by adding dried instant baby cereal just before serving. (It stores and freezes better if you wait to add the cereal until right before serving.) **Important: Pureeing/Blending is easier and safer if you allow the food to cool first.
4. Freeze the food into individual portion sizes. Ice cube trays are great options for freezing small portions. Once frozen, transfer into freezer bags. Small glass pyrex dishes are also great because you can reheat directly from the bowl. Note: If you are using a microwave to thaw and heat frozen food, use a lower power level to help reduce hot spots. Stir well and always check temperature before feeding baby.

The Headband Makeover

2011-09-17T23:02:00.001-05:00

The inspiration: That's my headband
and makeup she's playing with.

Headbands. It amazes me how such a simple little thing, like a headband, can bring such joy to a young toddler. Our daughter has numerous hair accessories - mostly clips and soft head wraps - but recently she has taken a strong liking to the rigid, firm type of headbands. More than once she's gotten into my makeup drawer, taken out my face washing headband, and insisted that I put it on her. She then proceeds to trot around the house proudly showing off "her" headband. It's an old headband and I don't mind if she wears it. The only problem is, I can never find it when I need it, to hold my hair back as I wash up for bed. So today's mission is to give the beansprout a little black headband of her own.

The backbone for this project was a little purple headband that seldom gets worn. I removed the purple fabric cover to reveal a plastic base. The I used some satin ribbon and a little glue gun to recover the frame. I even added an extra loop of ribbon on the side to accommodate an interchangeable hair clip. This was a quick, fun, afternoon project.

June's Apple Cider

2011-09-16T21:11:00.002-05:00

Autumn is in the air (finally!) In celebration of the cooler temps, tonight I am enjoying a cup of my mom's awesome hot apple cider. This is the holiday cider of my memories. Memories of the entire family celebrating together, with a cup of steamy apple cider in hand. But why wait until Christmas to enjoy this tasty treat? I've modified and reduced mom's original recipe to create a simple everyday version yielding only 2-3 servings.

June's (modified) Holiday Cider
2 cups apple juice
1 cup cranberry juice
1/2 cup orange juice
dash of cinnamon and cloves to taste (optional)

Heat on stove and enjoy!

How to Tie a Perfect Gift Bow

2011-09-11T10:26:00.001-05:00

The first gift I ever received from the woman who would later become my mother-in-law was so beautiful, I almost didn't want to open it. Despite its cross country journey with the United States Postal Service, it arrived inside its shipping box looking freshly wrapped and adorned with a postcard perfect bow. It was the kind of package so beautiful, it looked like it belonged in a department store display window.

It was Christmastime, and my gift to her had already been shipped. I desperately hoped she wouldn't notice my second grade wrapping skills or the dollar store wrapping paper and bargain bow with the peel-away adhesive on the back. What would she think of her son's new fiancee? My worry lasted only a second as my thoughts were drawn back to the package, and that big beautiful bow. How in the world did she do that?

As it turns out, that impressive bow is rather easy to create. But it took me years to discover its simplicity because, (and she'll laugh when she reads this,) I never actually untied any of the bows on the packages she sent! I just couldn't bring myself to untie and throw away such a beautiful bow. The thrifty queen in me would carefully remove -without untying- each bow, and reuse it on gifts for my side of the family!

Years later, I have finally learned my mother-in-law's secret. I still sometimes save the ribbon, but I no longer wiggle and shimmy her packages to release the bow. Now I can easily tie my own perfect bows for the packages I give. In the photos and instructions that follow, I will show you how simple it is to create your own perfect gift bow.

You will need....
A spool of wire edged ribbon. You will need enough to wrap around the gift, plus an additional 9 feet of ribbon for a large bow. Use less ribbon for small or medium sized bows.

Tip: You will be happier with the results if you choose ribbon that looks the same on the front as the back. For this demonstration, I used ribbon with glitter stars printed on one side of the ribbon. This made it harder to keep the "right" side facing up.

What you will do...

Wrap ribbon around box and tie knot. Set aside.
Accordion fold 9 feet of ribbon at 10 inch lengths for a large bow. Use less ribbon and shorter folds for smaller bows. This is just an approximate- there is no need to measure- just eyeball it!
Hold the ribbon in the middle and continue to fold. You will need about 4 or 5 folds on either side.
Use loose ends of ribbon from step one to secure your accordion fold to the box with a knot around the center of the fold.
Fluff the ribbon loops and you're finished. You've just created the perfect gift bow!

If Only I Had an Embroidery Machine...

2011-09-09T15:29:00.001-05:00

This post is for you Becky. In thinking of your upcoming craft fair, my mind is going a mile a minute with the countless possibilities of items you could make (and sell) with your embroidery machine!

Monogram everything! Choose a few common letters for first initial only, and pre-make cute personalized tote bags, duffle bags, whatever. Include some bright colors for the younger crowd. Think electric pink, neon orange, or lime green paired with a black and white background. Bring your machine to the sale and display a sign telling customers that if they don't see their initial they can place an order and pick it up in an hour.
Baby Blankets. Embroider the satin trim of fuzzy baby blankets with cute poems, prayers, and songs. For an even more personalized touch, embroider baby's name and birth stats onto fabric hearts and then iron affix (or sew) at diagonal onto the blanket corner. Song examples: "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep, Angels guide me through the night, and wake me with the morning light." "Twinkle twinkle little star, how very precious and loved you are." "There are gentle winds blowing and stars all above you, goodnight little pookie I love you and love you."- from Sandra Boynton's Goodnight Little Pookie book.
Sorority sisters and sports towel wraps. Get crafty and turn an ordinary towel into a cute and functional towel wrap. A little velcro, ribbon, embellishments, optional shoulder straps and voila! - stylish way for college gals to walk back from the community showers. Embroider Greek sorority letters, or short sports mottos. Examples: "Dance, Sweat, Shower" or "Peace, Love, Volleyball" or "Dig, Set, Spike" you get the idea.... Embellish with ribbon, and optional shoulder straps.
Embroider wide grosgrain ribbon and attach to cloth make-up bags. Use words like "bridesmaid" and "bride" and sell in four packs.

12 Ways to Reuse Diaper Boxes

2011-09-08T14:50:00.001-05:00

Pin It

The average baby goes through more than 7,200 diapers in the first two years of life. That's a lot of diapers! If you're using disposables, you will frequently have empty diaper boxes available for reuse. Aside from being the best *free* moving boxes ever, there are plenty of other ways to repurpose and upcycle your empty diaper boxes.

Most diaper boxes are strong and sturdy. Pampers' large diaper box, for example, uses cardboard with a weight limit of 65 pounds! That's a strong box with a lot of potential. Check the seal on the bottom of box for your brand's specifications.

You can even cover with fabric/paper and embellishments to spruce it up a little. Here I used an old pair of pants and some leftover fabric to line the box which now holds all those teeny tiny books.

Here are a dozen creative ways to reuse your diaper boxes...

Store gift wrap and bows. Wrap box in paper. Store tape, scissors, bows, and gift wrap inside.
Store old textbooks. Still saving your old textbooks from college? Load them up in one of these boxes to keep off the dust and easily organize your storage closet. Bonus: the finger holes on the side of the box make for easy lifting.
T-shirt forms. Cut out t-shirt forms to place between fabric layers and prevent bleeding when painting t-shirt crafts. (Think handprint shirts for grandma.)
Organize your craft room. Long-term projects (like quilts) can easily be stored with all the necessary tools and pieces together in one box.
Beanbag/ball toss. Encourage your little one to throw a ball into the box. As an extra challenge for older kids, flip the box over and cut out a small hole and you have a bean bag toss.
Small pet bed. Cut off the top flaps and 2/3 of the front panel. Drape with a soft towel or pillow and little Fido now has a new place to sleep.
Car trunk organizer. Make a crate by cutting off the top flaps and use to divide and organize your trunk space.
Finger painting in the yard. Take your kids out in the yard and let them finger paint the box. It's 3D art your kids will surely love.
Bubbles, chalk, and bouncy balls- Little outdoor toys tend to end up everywhere. Store them together in one box in the garage.
Photo mailers. Cut out a rectangle of cardboard and place inside envelopes to prevent bending when mailing photos.
Lawn waste. Take a box into the garden when pulling weeds to collect lawn waste.
Grocery box for camping trips. Keep your bread from getting smashed during camping trips by packing your food in a box.
Transport Christmas gifts.
"Box"car rides. Glide your little one over carpeted floors by looping a bed sheet through the box finger grips.
Shelf liners for built in wire closet shelves. Hate those little lines imprinted onto your folded clothes by wire closet shelves? I do. Cut a side panel from your diaper box, wrap with decorative paper and use as shelf liners to prevent annoying little line marks.

Positively Splendid has an awesome tutorial for creating a canvas lined crates out of diaper boxes.

Diaper box + old bed sheet + mom = boxcar rides

Where I keep gift wrap, bows, etc.

Store craft materials

Linking up at Positively Splendid and Tatertots and Jello

Little Girl Hair Bow Holder

2011-09-06T22:47:00.001-05:00

Recent gift for my niece

How to Make a Little Girl Hair Bow Holder

Heartfelt oohs and ahhs are sure to be received when you make one of these hair bow holders for the next little girl's baby shower you attend. The mother-to-be will be touched by the personalized hand-made gift and the other guests will be impressed by your craftiness. They'll never guess how simple and easy it was for you to make!

What you'll need...
Wooden plaque 7" ($0.99 at Hobby Lobby)
Scrapbook stickers ($2.99)
Paint and paintbrush
3 feet grosgrain ribbon (has ridges) for bottom
1.5 feet chiffon ribbon (lightweight) for top
optional: glossy finishing spray, such as Triple Thick Master Shine Super Gloss Finish by Design Master
(Entire project costs about $10)

How to make it...
First, paint the background color. You may need to apply two coats. Because I chose white for my background, I was able to use some leftover interior latex paint from a previous home project. Once dry, add embellishments and personalization as desired. I freehand the baby's name and then place the scrapbook stickers. To give the project a finished look, I then spray generously with a finishing spray. This also helps prevent peeling of the stickers from exposure to humidity (if hung in a bathroom.) Allow to dry thoroughly. The final step is to glue gun the ribbon to the back of the plaque. For the bottom, used ribbon length of 12" cut on diagonal. For the top, I first attached the main support loop and added the bow secondarily.

Happy crafting! These are so much fun to create and joy to give as gifts!

Easy Enchilada Recipe

2011-09-06T13:56:00.003-05:00

Easy Enchilada Recipe

This enchilada recipe is great because it is quick, easy, and inexpensive. The base recipe is super simple (only four ingredients) and produces tasty results the whole family will love. There are also several optional ingredients for an even more savory meal. The best part about this recipe is that you can assemble it in advance and store in the refrigerator up to 24 hours. Just bake as usual when ready to serve!

You will need...

1 lb of ground beef/hamburger

10 count package of medium sized tortillas (flour or wheat)

10 oz can enchilada sauce

8 oz bag of mexican blend shredded cheese

optional ingredients: 4 oz can of tomato sauce, 1/2 packet of taco seasoning, diced onion

Instructions

1. Brown hamburger and drain fat

2. In a large bowl, combine cooked hamburger, half the bag of shredded cheese, and half the can of enchilada sauce. If using any of the optional ingredients, add them now. Stir.

3. Spoon mixture into eight of the tortillas and roll. Arrange enchiladas (seam side down) onto greased 13x9 pan.

4. Top with remaining cheese and enchilada sauce.

5. Bake 15-20 minutes at 375

Time Savers

Start a habit of keeping browned hamburger frozen in your freezer. Then on busy nights all you need to do is thaw and proceed with recipe. Or, assemble your enchiladas the night before and store in the refrigerator. Then just warm in the oven and serve.

Suggested Sides
Black beans: Rinse and drain. Heat and serve. Sprinkle with cheese if desired.
Packet of mexican rice: follow instructions on packaging.

Domestic Dummy

2011-09-01T21:24:00.003-05:00

I am surrounded by domestic divas. For starters, I have two talented mother-in-laws. One who is constantly sewing and embroidering cute gifts for her grandchildren, and another who can cook and entertain like a professional party planner. Then there's my dear friend who makes almost everything in her pantry from scratch (including her dishsoap!) She can whip up two pans of nutritious homemade granola bars before her boys even get out of bed in the morning.

I love these women and I look upon their talent with awe. Yet when it comes to my own craft and culinary abilities, I'm kind of a domestic dummy. In fact, I managed to reach adulthood without ever learning how to mend a loose button or bake a cake from scratch. I am slowly beginning to learn these life skills, but let's be honest, I'm never going to be that uber-talented mom who feeds her kids homemade ketchup and sews costumes for the school's Christmas pageant. That's just not me.

I'm your average everyday mom living a typical ordinary life. This blog is a collection of simple crafts, basic recipes, and easy money saving tips. It is my personal notebook to refer to when I make these gifts again. And maybe, just maybe, this blog can serve as a resource for other domestic dummies like me. These crafts and recipes are basic enough for the beginner, tasty enough to serve to company, cute enough to give as gifts, and quick enough to finish during baby's nap (hopefully!)