If you have a baby, you must know that everyone's favorite gift is clothes! Factor that in with a mommy who is already obsessed with cute clothes, and you have a very full closet! Now that our baby is bigger he is able to wear a lot of his really fun and cute outfits. What was starting to happen though is I would find a really cute outfit new with tags that I had forgot I had! I looked online for baby closet organizers and wasn't very pleased with the selection. Luckily, much like his nursery art and mobile, I decided to make my own! This craft was easy breezy. Here's what you need: Wooden Door Hangers (be sure to get the thick ones, there are thin one which are less expensive but they don't take the paint well) Craft Paint Pain Markers *Ribbon (optional) (These … [Read more...]
Cereal Box Cut-Out Crafts Mobile
Making a brightly colored mobile is a fun way to use up those cereal boxes you may have sitting in the recycling bin. I made this mobile to hang over our changing table and distract my wiggly baby. I tried to keep the materials to a minimum, using the cereal box circle cut-outs almost exclusively. I did add cut straws for depth and buttons to secure the bottom of each hanging element. Following are instructions for making your own. Materials: cereal boxes, some brightly colored embroidery hoop, I used a 10" hoop sewing tape measure cutting mat (if using circle cutter) hole punch (like this or this) scissors pencil string craft glue straws, about 2 or 3 circle cutter or compass (or round traceable objects) with pencil and scissors buttons 1. Begin by … [Read more...]
How to make a mei tai carrier
Did you wear your baby when she was small? I did. I had a ring sling and a front pack carrier that I wore her in all the time. I wore her so much that I used my stroller twice. Really. Twice – the state fair and a local craft show, and both times, it acted more like a cart than a stroller. Eventually, my baby got too big to wear comfortably in my ring sling. She was a 27-pound, walking and running 10-month-old toddler, and we couldn’t figure out the logistics of the sling. Sadly, I gave up on baby wearing. Recently, however, my friend Heather told me how she wears her toddler all the time in a mei tai, and I was fascinated. Heather’s daughter and mine are about the same age and size, so I wondered if the mei tai could work for me. Not wanting to spend a lot of money on … [Read more...]
Sewing a flannel changing pad
Remember the flannel receiving blanket that we made last week? You can make a diaper-changing pad in basically the same way. Here’s how to sew your own flannel changing pad: Materials One yard of baby flannel (or whatever fabric you like, really) One yard of vinyl backed flannel or other waterproof fabric Coordinating thread Preparation The preparation for a changing pad is easier than the blanket. Wash and dry the fabric. Iron if necessary to remove any big wrinkles. (Pay attention to the ironing instructions on the vinyl backed flannel. Sometimes it can't be ironed.) Place the plain flannel right side up on a smooth, flat surface. Lay the plastic on top, and the second piece of flannel right side down on top of that. Pin the layers together the whole way around. … [Read more...]
DIY Tutorial: Make Your Own Diaper Sprayer
After getting fed up with poopy cloth diapers (even with my awesome flushable liners I use), I decided it was time to look into a diaper sprayer, which is basically a kitchen sink sprayer on a hose which attaches to the toilet’s water line. I wasn’t interested in buying one for $40 from the diaper companies, so we started looking online on how to make one ourselves. Unfortunately I only found a couple of tutorials, with no pictures! So, my husband, Moondoggie, wrote up a step-by-step tutorial on making your own for about half the cost. These parts came out to around $20 at Home Depot and it took maybe 20 minutes to assemble. So without further ado, here’s Moondoggie. So Gidget told me one day that she was sick of sticking her hands in the toilet to get Chiquita’s poop off those cloth … [Read more...]
Nursery Wall Art
Our nursery is nearly completed. We have tried to keep it gender neutral as we are adopting. One thing I am especially proud of is my wall art. A few months ago, one of my children's decor retailers had some wall art that depicted a tree. I went to see this at the store and loved it though I was not fond of the colors (they didn't go with my room). In all my craftiness I took a picture of it with my camera phone and came home and attempted to recreated it. The result was a wonderful take on this idea and it is now hanging in the nursery. Here's how I did it: Materials you will need (all can be found at your local craft store): White Art Canvases (these are surprisingly inexpensive) Acrylic Paint (Folk Art or Apple-Color of your choice) Scrapbooking Paper (color will depend … [Read more...]
