Let's DO This!

Progress on the "Projects for Baby X" front! Josie and my mom and I went fabric shopping on Wednesday and happened upon a sale on flannel at Joann Fabric (Holla!). Check out this haul!

I think I'll use both of these to make the swaddle blankets. (both $2.99 a yard, one yard each). My mom was confused as to why I wouldn't just use a receiving blanket to swaddle, and I tried to explain how Houdini-like Josie was, shirking the swaddle after three days, and how this would hopefully solve that problem. My mom said, "Oh, so this blanket will be more like a ... straight jacket?" Well, I guess so.). This project also calls for 2 $2 packages of bias tape, so I should be able to make a swaddle blanket for $7 instead of buying one for $30.

 

I thought this one was bright and fun ($2.99 a yard, one yard), and I only need one yard to make the nursing cover, so I think I will use this for that project. I still need to buy a piece of boning (should be about 3 bucks) and I have the D-rings, so I should be able to make it a $6 project! If it comes out right, I will be pretty proud since the ones I have seen retail at $25-50!

And this one (also $2.99 a yard, one yard) was too adorable to resist. I might make a receiving blanket or a handful of burp rags out of this.

 

 I bought 3 yards of this fabric because I originally thought I would use this for both sides of the carseat canopy and then maybe also make a receiving blanket. Unfortunately, when I got home and looked at the receipt, I realized it did not ring up on sale, and was MUCH more than the $2.99 a yard I thought it was. Not like "Oops, I just paid $30 a yard for fabric" expensive, but it totally negated the purpose of making the carseat canopy instead of just buying something for the same price and skipping the effort of construction. So, unfortunately, I had to take this back. Sad. It was cute, but not THAT cute.

So, on Thursday, I headed out to Hobby Lobby and found this to take its place. Something about the elephants and turtles and birds got me ($5.99 a yard, one yard), and I got a simple pink cotton for the reverse side ($2.99 a yard, one yard). So, with the velcro ($2), the carseat canopy will come in at $10. Pretty good!

Then, I looked at my big girl in the cart and thought, what about her?! So we got some fabric for big girl projects. :)

 I'm always on the lookout for reasonably priced jersey fabric in nice colors and prints, because they make great "play dresses." I have two relatively simple designs in mind for these prints. I picked out the pink zebra, and Josie approved, and Josie picked out the polka dots. She kept touching it and saying "WOW!" (both $5.99 a yard, one yard each)

Then, we happened across this in the sale fleece ($7.99 a yard, one yard), and Josie grabbed it, buried her face in it, and kept whispering "I love you" to the fabric. Okay ... try saying no to that. I asked her if she wanted a new monkey blanky and she said "YES! YES! YES!" and gave me her "please face" -- big smile, eyes squinted shut, while saying "puh-leeeeeeaaaaaase."

I don't think anybody NEEDS a fleece blanket in a Michigan summer, but I plan to quickly square off the edges, fold them under, give them a quick seam and call it a day. She carried the thing around with her all day Thursday, so she's pleased with her purchase, even in its raw state!

There was one problem with our Hobby Lobby run ... the lady at the cutting counter said, "Oh, these prints are so pretty! You should make MATCHING DRESSES for little sister!"

And my head exploded. Twice. The first explosion was at the realization of HOW ADORABLE THAT WILL BE. The second was at the realization that I will probably be spending the rest of my life in pursuit of buying and making matching outfits for these children. I will never again be able to make an outfit for one without thinking "Now where will I find a few more hours to make a matching outfit?"

DEAR. GOD.

Also, sorry daughters. 

Stuff for Baby X

Alright, yesterday I promised I would get started on my list of things I need for Baby X, and it's not complete, but here's what I have so far on the "gotta get it" list:

1.  I really want the Fisher-Price Deluxe Rock n' Play Lightweight Plush Sleeper for next to our bed because it is light, small, and I have heard it works wonders on fussy babies. It also seems perfect for traveling, which we do a lot of to see grandparents.

2.  A Diaper Sprayer. Seriously, I have no idea how I made it through the scary little-baby poop without this thing. NEED it.

3.  I think I want the Itzbeen. I had it on my registry the first time around, but I'm pretty sure I'll be even more exhausted and brain-dead this time, so I'm thinking this might be a good idea. Anyone have one and love it or hate it?

4.  Real white-noise machines  instead of a huge box fan to magically make my baby sleep. Does anyone have recommendations for me?

5.  Blackout drapes. Please, please, please, Jeremy? I am SO sick of big dark blankets taped to the wall (now you know my secret shame). To be fair to Jeremy, I didn't really want to buy any before either, since I have always had in my head that this home is "temporary," so why buy drapes to fit these windows? Sigh.

I don't have a picture or a link, because no matter where I search -- amazon, babies r us, etc. -- they all have a crazy range of reviews. Half of the reviews say a certain brand is the greatest thing ever, and the other half say they block zero light and are worthless. Seriously, all the reviews for ALL the blackout curtains are like this. What's a gal to do? Any suggestions?  

6. More hooded towels. I swear, we have these, but we are always out at bathtime!

7.  Some REAL swaddle blankets. This baby is not going to kick her way out and refuse to be swaddled past the ripe old age of three days old. No ma'am.

And then there's projects. OH, the PROJECTS I want to complete! I can't wait for that nesting energy to kick in, because I am BEAT lately, and have so many things I could be doing! Baby X even has her own board on Pinterest so I can collect ideas. Here are just a few of the things I would love to get accomplished before Baby X arrives:

1.  A door muff, to keep it nice and quiet when you go in and out of a sleeping baby's room. I would like to make one for both my girls' rooms, especially because we have terrible, old, noisy doors.

2.  A 2-in-1 diaper bag that goes from messenger bag to stroller bag. I love this blogger, and she has great instructions!

3.  A car seat canopy -- so much smarter than just throwing a blanket on top and hoping it doesn't fly off!

4.  I'm obsessed with these baby gowns from old t-shirts!

5.  And I really wish I had this travel chair when Josie was little. Heck, I could still use one for her now, to keep the crazy kid strapped down when there is no highchair to be found!

6.  I know this might sound ridiculous, but I'm having a hard time with the idea of possibly taking the glider out of Josie's room and moving it into Baby X's room, because, well ... she's still kind of my baby, too, and at this point we still use it for her. SO, I am thinking about keeping a lookout for a super-cheap used glider and recovering the cushions! One of my blogger friends already did it, and if I can get a chair for cheap enough, it would totally be worth it!



7.  I will probably try to make a swaddle blanket or two of my own and see how those work out before buying any, but you never really know.



8.  I'm also going to make a nursing cover (but I don't plan on hanging it from a tree ...). There were only about a handful of times that I REALLY wished I had one with Josephine, but I think this time, with my "helpful" older child around all the time, keeping the baby out of sight while she's eating might be for the best!

9.  And, of course, I'll have to make a special blanket for this baby like the one I made for Josephine!

Then, of course, are all the things I WISH I could make, but would have to learn how to crochet. Why do I keep pinning projects if I can't crochet?!?!!
(Starting top left) pink booties, turkey hat, mary jane booties, very hungry caterpillar, and Converse booties

Well, that's it. Not much, right? :) 

Seriously, though, PLEASE add to the list. If there is something you couldn't live without, leave a comment. Or, if you haven't done it yet but wonder if something is useful or useless, leave a comment. Let's get a good baby product conversation going, and maybe I will do another post with everyone's top picks and questions!

Magnetic Fishing Game {A Tutorial!}

Thanks to everyone for their sweet comments yesterday on the Busy Book! I really appreciate it! :) Another gift I decided to make for Josephine this year was a little magnetic fishing set, and I thought making it out of felt would make it a little more toddler-friendly (not to mention cheaper and easier).

You will need:

*Craft magnets (the stronger the better, since they will be inside the fish); one for each fish and two for the pole (I found a pack of 60 at Hobby Lobby for $6.99 and got them 40% off)

*Felt (I used the sheets from Hobby Lobby that are 25 cents each, and I could easily have made two or three fish from each sheet if I wanted the fish to be one solid color. The glitter and patterned felt were a little more - maybe 33 cents a sheet?)

*Polyfill (Usually about 3 bucks for a big bag)

*Embroidery floss (I got it for 37 cents each) - contrasting or matching colors (or both)

*Needle and scissors

*Dowel

*String

*Hot glue gun or some other strong glue

Here's how to do it:

 1. Decide on a shape for your fish, draw a template, and cut out.

2. Get another piece of paper and trace your pieces, adding little margin where you will sew the pieces together (make head, all fins, and front end of body at least a 1/4 to 1/2 inch longer than original).

3. Use your template to trace TWO of each pieces out of your felt.

4. Use embroidery floss to create scales on the body, layer the fins together and make eyes on the head (I used a french knot).

5. Embroider the heads to the body pieces.

6. Begin embroidering the bodies together, beginning with the head. 

7. Place the top fin where you would like it, in between the two body pieces.

8. Embroider through the two body pieces with the fins sandwiched in between.

9. Repeat with the tail.

10. Place a magnet inside the two layers, up at the "mouth."

11. Stuff with polyfill to desired "fullness."

12. Place the remaining fin in the opening and embroider shut.

You made a fish with a magnet inside! Bravo!

The trick for not leaving a knot on the outside of the fish when you are done is to put your last stitch through only ONE layer, so your needle is in between the layers, then knot and cut. To start without a knot showing, put your needle in between the two layers and push through, leaving the knot sandwiched in between the two layers. 

For the pole, I simply screwed a tiny eye screw into the top of a dowel, then hit it with a dot of hot glue to make sure it wasn't going anywhere. 

Next, I tied on a piece of string and also hit the knot with a dot of hot glue. Next, I took two of the magnets, put hot glue on one, put the end of the string in between, and smashed them together nice and tight. I REALLY wanted a donut-shaped magnet, because that would have been much easier, but I could only find them online, and it was like $8 shipping for a 44-cent magnet. No thank you.

Finally, I took some felt and sewed it in place around the exterior of the pole. This makes it a little cuter, but I really did it to prevent slivers and maker sure she didn't poke herself with the eye screw. Obviously it is still a toy that requires supervision, but I was hoping this would help prevent any extra catastrophes.

 And there you have it. A lovely little fishing game. :)

The Busy Book! It Is Done!

I have a lot of pictures of things I made for people this Christmas, but those people read this blog (or so I've been led to believe), so those will have to come after Christmas. But, once again, I felt it was okay to spoil the surprise as to what I'me getting Josephine since she can't read yet. So, I give to you, THE BUSY BOOK!

Please enjoy my braggy photos. It was a labor of love (so I hope she likes it!)

 Matching shapes

Whales and fish that move back and forth through the water 

A lion with a shaggy mane 

Flowers that can be buttoned and unbuttoned and put into the pot/pocket 

Lace curtains hanging over the window 

Barn doors open to reveal stalls and pig and cow finger puppets

I am SO glad I got the idea to make this back in October, because it ended up taking a MONTH to make. Sometimes that was because I was being meticulous, other times it was because I needed something and had to wait until the next day (or longer) to get back to the craft store, and a few times because I had to take a break when I got all frazzled in the brain.

But it is done. DONE! I don't have a tutorial for you, but I can give you the basic rundown:

After you choose your designs, 

1. Cut things out

2. Sew to felt

3. Sew pages together with embroidery floss, using a blanket stitch

4. Put grommets on pages

5. Put rings through grommets

Wow, when you put it that way, it sounds easy. :)

(One last photo for Pinterest purposes.)