A Baby Thing (or two...or three...or ten)

So I'm officially 20 weeks pregnant (well- I was 30 weeks this past Wednesday.) Which means less then 10 weeks until Baby Boy gets here which means less then 10 weeks to get myself (and my family AND this house) organized and working like a well oiled machine (riiiiight- just wanted to see what it felt like to write that....) Anywho- maybe because it's the holiday season or maybe because of the baby's imminent arrival or maybe because I know my time will be at a premium once he gets here but I'm feeling rather crafty lately! I thought I'd post a few things I'd like to do before Baby Boy arrives mainly to organize it in my own mind and so I don't forget the things I'd like to make. So enjoy and if you have a bun in the oven too or are looking for some fun baby gifts, then check out the tutorials I found!

Nursing Cover

Changing Pad Cover

Binky Straps

Wooden Monograms

Easy Swaddle Sheet

Crinkle Toy

Blanket with Mitered Corners

Baby Hat

Crib Sheet

Wet Bag

Nap Towel Revamp

My youngest daughter started preschool a few weeks back (sniff) and she needed a towel to take "rest time" on. I use the term "rest time" very loosely- try getting 15 3 year olds to lay down and be still for 10 minutes and see how successful you are! Anyway- I couldn't just send in a normal towel. I needed to make it pretty so I looked through my ribbon stash and found some chute ribbon that matched perfectly and set to work. First I embroidered her name (I couldn't just write it in sharpie on the tag!) and then I used some stitch witch to attach the ribbon to the towel (so it wouldn't slide around when I sewed it. Then I tacked down either side with a basic stitch on my sewing machine and I was done! A super cute towel that she wriggles around on for 10 minutes a day.

The original towel...BORING!!












The updated version...cute!

Insulated Table Runner

I found this nifty stuff at the local fabric store- a place I love to go and get lost in often- and it's what is used to insulate oven mitts and pot holders so you don't burn your fingerprints off. I wanted to make something for my dining room table that was insulated and pretty and long that I could lay down and put hot dishes on instead of the ugly brown cork trivets I have. I'll post pics once I get the project done, but I find that if I write about it here, I'm more likely to get it done in a timely manner. Hey- with a bustling household, 2 young children, and a hubby, I'm a busy girl! Anywho- I'll be back with pics- I'm excited!!

UPDATE- I finished the table runner yesterday. It was a pain in the rear so I didn't take pics of the process. I think when my mom sees it, she'll want one too so I'll take pics of that one...maybe. My first one is always the test piece because I know I'll probably screw it up somewhere (enter yoga bags which have been evolving nicely...) Below are the pics of the table runner- I'll let you know how it works once I put something hot on it. I like how it matches the rest of the house (in the last picture you can see the color in the kitchen-perfect!)

An Original Gift Idea?

I've been invited to a baby shower this weekend, and that has prompted me to be on the lookout for good baby gifts this week. I love my traditional duckie gift card to Target, but being a crafter that likes to torture myself with terrible deadlines, I'm feeling prompted to handmake a custom gift for this particular friend. In my perusing of tutorials and handmade gifts for baby showers, I feel like I come across the same things over and over again, and they're starting to feel over done. In the South, embroidered and/or monogrammed gifts seem to be a favorite, but this baby boy's name is to remain a secret for a couple months more, so that idea is out. Being an obsessive compulsive designer/daughter of a contractor, I love things that are pretty, and they're 100% better if they're functional, so I'm pretty excited about this idea I found today.

This is a tutorial for a portable fabric high chair that will strap a child to almost any kitchen or dining room chair, yet folds up small enough to fit in a diaper bag. Now after watching Katie with her beasties, I can imagine that any one less giant thing to carry would be a huge relief for any parent, and being able to divest of that giant plastic booster seat would probably be as exciting as no longer needing to carry a diaper bag

This

Source: ThisMamaMakesStuff

Or This?

So, to add to my list of gifts I shouldn't try to sew four days before a baby shower, The Portable Fabric High Chair from This Mama Makes Stuff.

So there's no telling if I'll actually attempt this before Sunday or not, but at some point, I WILL make one for a gift because it's so clever, and not over done. When I do, expect frustrated posts, and pictures of course!

Putting it out there

Ok- so I'm putting this out there- I want to learn how to quilt. Everything about me and the type of crafter I am screams "non-quilter!!" I don't like to measure things...I'm an "eyeball it" kinda girl. Nothing about me says precision. I don't "do" patterns either...I hate them with a passion...I bought one a few months back and I opened it and proceeded to toss it behind me. I like tutorials online (hence by deep, burning love for oneprettything.com) So back to quilting- I look at it as being kinda like Romeo and Juliet- we admire eachother from afar but know we can never be together. Ok- so a little dramatic, but that's how I roll. Anywho- I'm putting it out there- I want to make a quilt...a pretty one...a big one (a doll sized one doesn't count...) Ok- now I'm scared...

Chiffon Flowers

One of my new obsessions is chiffon flowers! I saw a girl at my Church at Christmas with the CUTEST haircut and the CUTEST black headband with a snappy black chiffon, sparkly flower on it. I thought to myself- I.MUST.HAVE.ONE. I looked around for one and came across a few tutorials online for how to make chiffon flowers so finally, Kaitlin and I settled down to make our very own. We first cut out 5-6 blobby flower shapes, then we singed around the edges with a lighter. I have to admit, I was a little scared of this part- I had visions of the whole thing going up in flames but they actually did pretty well. After the flowers reached a level of desired crispiness, we stacked them and sewed the layers together. Then we sewed little Swarovski crystals through the middle to give it a little sparkle then attached the whole shabang to a headband. I love mine- it's so pretty and feminine. I've since made ones that are just circles which are super cute too and a lot easier then the flowers. Check out the pics below!

Boy-oh-Boy!

Today I went to a baby shower for my sweet friend, Miranda. Seriously- this girl is the sweetest, most sincere, beautiful person...who is pregnant with her 3rd child, a little boy, due next month- and looks like she just ate a big lunch. Seriously- she has the most adorable baby bump ever- it' would make me sick and not like her very much if she wasn't everything mentioned above- which she is. Anyway- I wanted to make her something special for the new little guy and decided to make something off my SoMeDaY cRaFTs list so I made her the covered wipes case. I was pretty easy and turned out really cute! I coupled it with a pack of diapers and she loved it. Of course, I wanted to make her several other things but my sewing/embroidery machine is misbehaving so I need to take it to the "doctor" this week. I'll post pics of those creations when I get them done. They included a monogrammed burp cloth, a monogrammed bib, and a cute little onesie with an appliqued necktie- a must have for every little boy's wardrobe! Anyway- below is the pic of the wipes case- I love the material!!