Baby on a budget

Yesterday was my official due date and there's still no sign of this baby arriving any time soon.  Le sigh.  So since I don't have any cute baby photos or updates to give you, I decided that I'll regale you with what we've managed to set up for baby #2 once he decides to grace us with his presence.  The plan for right now is to have this kid set up in the master bedroom with me and Captain Husband for the first few months before we move him in with Sammy--hopefully giving everyone a chance to adapt to one another without too much pain and suffering involved.  So far I've managed to get just about everything I need for this baby second-hand (thanks to hand-me-downs from big brother Sammy and the generosity of family and friends), which translates to super savings that I then get to spend on fun things, like cloth diapers.  (Sorry for the cruddy photos, guys--the batteries in my speed light died last night and the lighting in my bedroom is just plain awful.)

I've owned the vintage wall lamp for a few years now and had been waiting for a reason to dig it out of the garage (it also helps that my mom was able to rewire it for me while she's been here); the shade is one that I thrifted and spray painted in Petrol Blue (using leftover paint from the chest of drawers in Sammy's room).   I found the wall hooks and vintage metal shelf at my favorite thrift store and painted them in Petrol Blue, too, just so everything was nice and cohesive.  My plan is to use the hooks to hang the baby's diaper covers to air out in between changes--plus it will also be a handy place to keep a spare outfit or two or a toy for distractions during diaper changes (like the vintage Fisher Price Happy Apple that I picked up for a song at an estate sale).  My friend gave us the awesome changing table as a gift, which meant all I had to do was outfit it with a changing pad--my mom sewed a few custom covers following this tutorial using jersey fabric and a sheet that I had thrifted earlier this summer.  All in all, I'd say that I spent around $50 for everything, including the changing pad, which isn't too shabby all things considered.  I've also made sure to run everything past quality control, too, just to be on the safe side:

I think if she had opposable thumbs, she'd be giving me two thumbs up.

Wordless{ish} Wednesday: Baa, baa, black sheep

{Some of you may remember that my oldest and dearest friend, Aubree', was expecting a baby boy this summer--well, I'm pleased as punch to announce that she and her husband welcomed their not-so-little bundle of joy on Friday; baby Andrew weighed in at a whopping 8 lbs, 14 oz and was 21 1/4" long!}

{I knew that Andrew's nursery was going to have a lambs theme, so I used some of my time while on bed rest to make him a mobile based on this adorable tutorial.  And in true procrastinator's form, I didn't have the whole thing done until Andrew made his arrival on Friday--so much for being on top of things!}

{I hope Andrew, Aubree' and Sean like it--it's so cute that I'm starting to think that I need to make one for my own little guy, who is more than welcome to make his arrival any day now, hint hint.}

Covering your tracks: pool noodle to shower door track cover

When we first moved in to our 1978 rental home in El Paso, I was charmed by its many quirks and design features, such as the lovely shell sinks and matching toilet seats in all of the bathrooms.  However, I quickly grew to hate the original sliding glass shower doors that were located in the guest bathroom (aka Sammy's bathroom as it houses the only tub in the joint).  Have you ever tried to bathe a mobile toddler when only half of the tub can be accessed at any one time?  Yeah, not so fun, especially when said toddler thinks its hilarious to go to the end that is just out of your reach and sit there laughing hysterically as you struggle to get to him.

Our initial solution to our bath-time dilemma was to remove the sliding glass doors, which was simple enough to do--they are currently leaning against the wall in our garage, collecting dust and waiting for the day that we move out so that they can be reinstalled.  While Captain Husband and I were now able to reach Sammy no matter where he might be in the tub, we were also faced with the rather unpleasant reality of just how uncomfortable it is to have to lean over those door tracks in order to play with and bathe Sammy during his tub time.  We tried placing towels on top of the tracks, but those usually slid off into the tub (or a certain toddler would pull them into to the tub, ahem), which left us not only uncomfortable but wet, too.

We had pretty much consigned ourselves to suffering with a painful midsection for the rest of Sammy's bath times until I had an "eureka" moment as I was strolling the aisles at Target--a pool noodle!  It was soft and water-resistant and just about the perfect size to totally cover up the tracks once it was split down the middle, which incidentally was the hardest part--I recommend taking a yardstick and then tracing along it with a sharpie to ensure a straight line from which to cut with an exacto knife or scissors.  I figured if the whole thing didn't work, I'd only be out the $1.50 it cost for the pool noodle.

My mom and Sammy tested out my new contraption last night and it was a rousing success; my mom was able to lean over the side of the tub comfortably (and stay dry) and the noodle is such a tight fit in the existing track that not even Sammy was able to budge it loose while he played.  Now if you excuse me, I'm off to go pat myself on the back a bit more for coming up with this ingenious (and cheap) solution.  Have a great weekend everyone!

Sewing machines

{With my mom here, I've definitely noticed a drastic increase in the amount of sewing going on in this house.  It's just so nice having someone else to work with, especially when that other someone can cut out patterns because you're too cumbersome to get down on the floor any more.  It also helps that a bunch of friends are expecting babies or just recently had babies, so I've got a lot of gifts to finish up and send off--my mom and I have been turning out blankets and car seat canopies like an assembly line.}

{We haven't forgotten about Sammy, though--my sewing skills still revolve primarily around sewing straight lines, but my mom is considerably more advanced, so she's making Sammy a pair of summer shortalls, complete with a pocket embellished with a vintage Grover iron-on.  He's going to be stylin'.  What projects are you working on?}

Up, up & away: Sammy's second birthday

{Sammy's been obsessed with airplanes for about the last six months, so when it came time to choose a theme for his second birthday party, it was pretty much a no-brainer.  I decided to use the same color scheme as last year because 1. I like it and 2. I could re-use some of the party supplies and decor that I had saved from Sammy's first birthday.  The invites are actually do-it-yourself stickers that I designed and cut out; the scalloped cards were leftovers from the big wedding that Captain Husband and I started planning for but wound up never having.}

{I also designed and cut out stickers to be used as cupcake toppers and tags on the party favors.  Believe it or not, I did everything using free software like Pixlr and PicMonkey; the airplane is based on a photo that I took of an airplane that's currently "flying" over a junkyard about ten miles from our house.}

{Using this tutorial, I made a dozen airplanes from craft sticks and wooden clothespins that I spray painted in the birthday boy's colors; I then stuck them on my ubiquitous yarn wreath hanging on our front door and made a mini banner using cloud stickers that I found for 50% off at the Hobby Lobby.}

{Since Sammy had several toy planes in his collection, I used them as decorative anchors for the helium balloons that were leftovers from last year's party.  I also made a banner out of some adorable gingham fabric that I had thrifted a few months back following this tutorial.  My mom was kind enough to fold a bunch of the giant paper airplanes that I then hung throughout the house the day of the party.}

(The Happy Birthday banner is another decoration that I made leftover from last year; I used the rest of the clothespin planes to make a mobile that I hung in front of the kitchen window.  I plan to re-hang the mobile in the boys' bedroom, but for now I'm still enjoying it's cheerful colors in the kitchen.}

{It's like déjà vu all over again: I used the same vanilla and vanilla buttercream frosting recipe that I used for Sammy's party last year and I honestly think they were even better the second time around.  I had scored an airplane cookie cutter at the thrift store a few weeks ago so I (and by I, I mean my mom) made citrus sugar cookies for this party as well--they were pretty darn good, too!}

{And last but not least, the party favors--since Sammy and his friends all seem to be of the age that really enjoys coloring, I decided to make some crayon rolls following this tutorial.  You can just toss them in your diaper bag or purse--no more scrambling for loose crayons while your kid throws a fit at your local restaurant--the perfect party favor for today's toddlers.  To save you all from photo overload, I'll be sharing some of the candid photos from the party tomorrow, so be sure to stop back!}

Pillow talk

Sammy's been going through what I hope is a short-term phase of skipping his afternoon nap.  In the past seven days, he's probably gone down for a nap only twice, and even then he fought the inevitable for nearly two hours before succumbing to sleepiness.  Normally, as long as he was entertaining himself quietly in his room during that time, I wouldn't care, but that is not the case.  The kid has turned into a one-toddler wrecking crew; in the course of what has become our typical afternoon around these parts, Sammy's managed to break the drawer under his old crib from trying to use it as a step for climbing, moved his bed from one side of the room to the other, dumped out his trash can (that was full of dirty wipes, ugh), and pulled a telephone jack completely out of the wall (granted, this one wasn't completely his doing as a closer examination of said jack revealed that it was not even close to being installed properly and probably some sort of horrible electrocution hazard).  Short of duct taping the kid to his bed, I'm completely out of ideas as to how to keep him from tearing his room apart while he's supposed to be resting. 

I had some minkee fabric left over from a previous sewing project so I thought that perhaps I could entice Sammy to sleep (or, you know, just stay in his freakin' bed for an hour or two) if I made him a super soft and comfy pillow cover out of it.  The kid loves soft stuff after all and already sleeps with approximately 20398 fuzzy blankets--even when it feels like a hundred degrees in the house.  Well, the jury's still out on whether or not Sammy's new pillow cover has made any kind of improvement in his napping behavior (although he did sleep for a whole two hours yesterday, thank goodness), although I'm now thinking I should probably make one in a body pillow size for myself because that fabric is amazingly soft and cuddly (albeit a huge pain to work with).  Any tips or tricks for getting a toddler to take his naps like a champ?  I've already removed any toys and other things that could be considered distracting and hung black-out curtains a few months back, so I'm seriously at a loss here; surely not-quite two is too young to be completely forgoing an afternoon nap, right?

Wordless{ish} Wednesday: Vintage handkerchief pillow tutorial

{I came across a great little book entitled Sew a Beautiful Gift (Claire B. Shaeffer, Sterling Publishing Co.; New York, NY, 1986) while out thrifting last week and I just couldn't pass it up as it was chock full of easy-to-follow patterns for everything from tote bags to children's aprons.  One of the tutorials in the book was for a one-piece pillow that was perfect for a vintage handkerchief that I bought for a dollar at an estate sale last week, although any piece of square fabric will do.}

{After you've followed the first two steps, turn the pillow right-side out and then fill with whatever you happen to have on hand.  Once your pillow is stuffed, hand-stitch the opening closed; if you're feeling truly wild and crazy, feel free to add a button to the center of the pillow to give it a nice, tufted look.  Then sit back and admire your handiwork!}

Flags of our fathers

Today we pause and take the time to remember the American service members who died while fighting in defense of this country; the sacrifices of these brave men and women and their families will not be forgotten.  My family and I would also like to offer our most heartfelt thanks to all of the active-duty service members, veterans, and their families for all they have done and continue to do.

On a somewhat related note, I decided to update my yarn wreath with some patriotic flair over the weekend in honor of the holiday; my wreath was still sporting the felt flowers that I made last fall and was serious need of a new look.  Inspired by this tutorial, I made some paper medallions in red, white and blue and affixed them to the wreath using barrette clips that I hot-glued to the back of each medallion.  I think it's pretty enough to leave up at least until the Fourth of July.  Here's hoping you all have a wonderful holiday today!

Getting ready for baby is sew much fun!

I am so excited to finally get to show all of you what I was so busy working on the last week and a half!  My friend, Mariana, is expecting a girl this June so I wanted to make a few things for the new addition to her family.  Initially, I planned on only making a car seat canopy (a must have when one lives under the blistering sun of El Paso), but I kind of got carried away a bit and wound up making a car seat canopy, a onesie dress, two bibs, three burp cloths, a minkee blanket and a little draw-string bag to store it all in.

Of course, it helps that I had found the adorable vintage printed fabric at my local thrift store about a month ago that Mariana loved; plus it's hard to beat two yards of fabric for only $2.99!

I decided to just jump on in and go for it, even though I honestly had no clue of what I was doing most of the time; most of the tutorials that I followed promised projects that could be completed in 15 minutes or less, but those assurances were obviously aimed at people who knew how to sew.  I spent many minutes sitting in front of the computer, re-reading the steps over and over again, convinced that they had somehow turned into a different language since beginning the project at hand.

The onesie dress is one of those things that looks cute until you start to look at it closely; my skirt was so messed up that I had to make a little faux belt to hide the sewing carnage that had taken place.  And then the fabric that I used to make the belt wasn't long enough by 1/4" of an inch to encircle the dress, so I had to make a patch to hide the gap.  What was supposed to be a ten-minute project quickly turned into an hour-and-a-half project.  I think I'll have to practice this one a bit more before I can actually turn one out that looks half-way decent.

So here's everything all wrapped up and ready to be presented to my friend at her shower on Saturday; I had remembered my camera but forgot to put the memory card in before I left the house, so I was left without any way to take photos of Mariana opening her gift, but rest assured, she was pretty excited when she saw the whole kit and caboodle.

For those of you who'd like to try some of these out at home, here are the links to the tutorials I followed:
Onesie dress
Car seat canopy
Minkee blanket
Basic bibs
Burp cloths
Draw-string bag

Happy sewing!