Easter baskets and egg hunts

A couple weeks ago, a friend referred me to this fabric Easter Basket Tutorial by Sew Lux Fabric.  I thought it would be fun to have baskets the kids could use year after year, so I got to work.  Here's my version of them.  They don't look anything like the ones in the tutorial.  I didn't have lining, batting, or interfacing, but I did have vinyl and bias tape.  So I went with what I had.  (Try not to look too closely at/judge my sewing... sometimes you have to go for quantity over quality.)

I used white t-shirt transfer paper to put the names on the fabric.

Saturday it's supposed to be 52 and partly sunny.  52 degrees!!  The kids haven't been wearing jackets when it hits 40, so 52 might call for shorts.  Definitely outdoor Easter egg hunt weather.  And this year we're going to try something a little bit different.  Each of the kids will be assigned one color of egg that he can find.  That way we can hide each color in age-appropriate locations, and when they're done finding their own eggs they can help each other.  Hopefully doing it this way will still be fun but a little less competitive.  We'll see.

Fabric napkins

I made some fabric Christmas napkins last year for our family to use during the holidays and decided it might be nice to have some plain ones for every day use.  I basically sewed two rectangles together, turned them right side out, then sewed around the edge.



I love using them most for muffins, bread and cookies.  Sometimes you can get away with just shaking them off and reusing them.  Other times I throw them in the laundry basket.



Will didn't use a napkin, but this was his first time eating a cookie.  We make a lot of cookies around here, so it will not be the last.  And my baby turns one in 2 weeks!  I can hardly believe it!

Beach robes and summer vacation

I first saw these beach robes on my friend Jessica's blog, Mumbo Designs, almost a year ago and knew at once I had to make them.  I bought the pattern online from MADE and picked up some large, colorful towels from Ikea the next time I was there... and then they sat on my project shelf for almost a year! Well, today I bring you the finished product at last.  When the weather turned warm and we became frequent visitors of the beach (and the kids continued tripping all over their towels on the way back to the car) these robes moved to the top of the project list.  Now the kids can dry off, warm up and continue playing without skipping a beat.



And as for our summer vacation... you may have noticed I am kind of taking a summer vacation from this blog.  Back in May our family went on a "digital diet" for a week... a break from all screens (movies/TV, computer, phones... except for my allotted 1/2 hour after the kids were in bed... unfortunately some e-mails do need to be answered and bills paid).  And what a wonderful week it was!  I guess it was a little too wonderful, because I haven't fully gone back.  Instead, we have been swimming, playing at parks, going to the beach, hiking, jumping on the tramp, reading, tending to our garden, riding bikes, and soaking up the summer sun.  That combined with feeding and taking care of the baby just doesn't leave much time left in my day.  BUT... I love getting new ideas from other people's blogs and created this blog as a way to share my ideas.  I just might not share them quite as frequently as I once did for the time being.

Let's hear it for summer!

Family pajamas

When you have no use for hand-me-down sheets, turn them into pajamas!  My sister-in-law recently gave me a set of twin bed sheets that her son had grown out of.  We ended up not needing them so I decided they would make some great summer pajamas for the kids.  And there was even enough fabric to make some for Pete.

The reinforced knee patch

I don't know why all little boy pants don't come with reinforced knees.  Daniel got some pants for his birthday in February, and a few weeks ago I noticed they were getting a hole in them!  Two days later, the hole had grown to the size of a golf ball.  It seems little boy pants rarely last long enough to be passed down to the next child.  So I decided to try to stretch the life of a few pairs of the kids pants by reinforcing the knees.



These were all pants that already had holes in the knees.  They were in the pile of pants waiting to be turned into shorts.  But how many shorts do the kids really need??  Thankfully I noticed we were running low on pants before I cut these off.



I found an old apron I had that was made of thick, durable denim.  Perfect.  I cut it into squares to fit each pair of pants, ironed the edges under, pinned in place, then sewed a zig zag stitch all around it.



With the warm weather here, these pants will probably spend the next few months sitting in the drawer.  But hopefully come fall we won't have to buy anymore pants.  And hopefully these knee patches will keep the holes away... at least for a little while.

Using old clothes to make new clothes

Why do I find it so fun to repurpose old clothing?  To repurpose old anything??  There's just something about turning an old, unused object into something new.  I like the challenge.

I've had this old shirt my mom passed on to me for quite some time.  I did wear it once... but other than that it's been sitting in the back of my closet collecting dust.  It was time I did something with it.



I knew at once I wanted to make another top knot baby hat.  And with the rest of it?  I had been thinking about a baby skirt to match it, and then Dana over at MADE came out with just the tutorial.  The little baby circle skirt.  So so easy!  My kind of project.



Another gift, ready to give to some lucky person having a baby girl :)  Maybe someday I'll be able to make one to keep myself!  Maybe.

Top knot baby hat and matching onesie

Well, now that I've got a baby in the house again, a lot of my crafts and projects might reflect that...
so here we go!

I have quite a few friends/family having baby girls soon and have been wanting to make something for them.  I was at a cute boutique last week that sold every baby item you can imagine, and saw these hats there.  For $12 each!  I immediately knew I had to try to make them.  When I got home I found a free tutorial and pattern online (at Prudent Baby), grabbed a couple DownEast shirts that I never wear because I don't love the colors on me, and got to work.

And they proved to be as easy as they look!  I decided to make a matching onesie by sewing a flower on that I made with the same material.  I cut out 4 circles, folded them in half, overlapped them, then sewed a button in the center.  (Try to forget the fact that I don't have any girl models around here... sorry Will!) 

Homemade (and very inexpensive!) gifts all ready to go.

Diaper changing pad

An exciting new item for this upcoming baby (due in 1 week!!) is a changing pad. Another creation by my friend Hilary. I'm surprised I never carried one of these around with the other kids, but it will be perfect for diaper changing when I'm out and about and is small enough that it can be folded up and stuck in the diaper bag.



The size is 18" x 24", which seems about right. One side is terry cloth and the printed side is from the "A Walk in the Woods" Collection by Aneela Hoey. I love the print and that it's not blue! We have plenty of blue things around here.



Now all I need is a little body to lay down on this. The constant diaper changing is about to begin :)

From pants to shorts

Over the winter we slowly built up a small pile of pants that had holes too big to mend. It's unavoidable with boys. John comes home from school with a small hole in his knee, I'm lazy and don't make him take the pants off right away so I can patch them, and by the end of the day the hole is all the way across and starting to rip up his thigh and down his shin. So the pants go in the pile waiting to be turned into shorts.



With the warm weather we've had lately, this project was calling out to me. I essentially took scraps of material or old clothing, used them to make bias tape, then sewed them around the bottoms of the shorts.



Now we're all ready for this beautiful weather!



Joe was feeling left out of the photoshoot :)



You can go to the HBfabrics giveaway post from last week to see who won!

HBfabrics giveaway!

This giveaway is now closed.

Today I'm excited to bring you a giveaway from HBfabrics! Hilary and Chris sell designer fabric out of their home. Hilary also has her own line of products (Hilary Brooke Collection)... totes, wallets, iPhone and iPad cases, pack-packs, hooded towels, kids belts and ties... all made with beautiful fabric. In her own words:

Hilary Brooke Collection started out after I got together with a good friend and she taught me how to make a diaper bag. I was hooked! I quickly learned that many other women had the same desire as I did to have a bag that no one else had! That is when Hilary Brooke Collection began. I started buying fabric in bulk and filling up our formal dining room with wall to wall fabric. The small bag business quickly turned into our fabric store (HBfabrics) and Hilary Brooke Collection. I joined forces with my husband Chris and now we both love to find great fabrics and patterns and we continue to fill up our home with lovely fabrics and my own creations for HBC. We enjoy shipping great fabrics and unique handmade products out to our wonderful customers.

HBfabrics can be found online, on Etsy and on Facebook.



Today they are generously giving away a Charm Pack—42 squares from the "Ruby" line by Bonnie and Camille for Moda Fabrics, PLUS 2 yards from this line of your choice (valued at $27 + shipping!). It can be any combination in 1/4 increments... for example, 1 yard of one fabric and 1 yard of another, or 2 yards of 1 fabric, or 1/4 yard of 8 fabrics and so on. Oh, the possibilities!





Could there be a cuter line?! Can I enter the giveaway? :) I'm in love with these colors.



Here's how to enter:

Simply "like" HBfabrics on Facebook then leave a comment on this post (one entry per person, please).

The giveaway ends Sunday at midnight. Winner will be announced Monday morning. Good luck!

And the winner is...



Ellen! Congratulations!

The diaper bag

I've used the same plain black diaper bag since John was born, so when my friend Hilary said she wanted to make me a new one for this baby I was thrilled! And let me tell you, Hilary isn't just anybody. She and her husband started a company (HBfabrics) selling designer fabrics out of their home, and Hilary even has her own line of products (Hilary Brooke Collection) that she sells online and on etsy. But for this bag she used an Amy Butler Pattern, the Sweet Harmony Tote. I couldn't love it more.



Hilary let me choose the fabrics I wanted the bag to be in from her shop. I went with Full Moon Polka Dot Slate and Wallflower Sky from Amy Butler's Lotus Collection.



Thanks Hilary!
Check back tomorrow for a fabulous giveaway from HBfabrics!

Jeans bucket

I've been eyeing these fabric buckets lately (also found here and a pattern found here) and knew I had to make one. They combine my love of sewing, organizing and repurposing all into one perfect project. I used some old jeans of Pete's for the outside and one side of an old blanket for the inside. I basically followed the tutorial found on Design Sponge and then added handles.



For this large of a bucket I started with 13"x13" squares (oh, and I also used batting to help the sides stay a little stiffer... but I won't get in to that, it complicated the project quite a bit). If you're going to make a bucket this big just make sure to use fabric that is fairly stiff so that it will hold it's shape.



As I was sewing the bucket I didn't know exactly what I was going to use it for, but quickly thought it would be the perfect place for all of our stuffed animals that needed a home.



You better believe there will be more of these sewn up in the near future! Smaller buckets for the kids for Easter and buckets filled with diapers and baby essentials for baby gifts are now on my list of projects.

Tutorial: reusable food bags

I have slowly been collecting the transparent, plastic bags that sheets, toys and other things come packaged in. Never throw these away! There are SO many different ways to use them (an obvious one being to store other toys, art supplies, or clothes in.) I used a few of these bags for the windows in our table fort, and have been meaning to turn a few more into reusable food bags for quite some time. I was finally forced to when we started running low on sandwich bags, and I was determined to not buy anymore. Lately I have noticed how much waste goes out of our house, and how many things get used once only to be thrown away. So this is one (very small) attempt to "reduce" and "reuse" (which, in my opinion, is even more important than "recycle"... but more on that another time.)



I plan to use these bags for any dry foods (crackers, cookies, etc.) and continue using small plastic containers for the more messier foods that would be harder to rinse out (like apples or oranges). But we'll still keep a box of sandwich bags around... they're nice to have when sending people home with cookies or to use when traveling, but hopefully with these bags we can cut back a little bit.

Nesting: night time baby station

I've always had my newborn babies sleep right next to me (not in the same bed... in their own little bed) for the first few weeks before moving them to a separate room. I would probably have them stay in the same room as me longer than that, but I have become a super light sleeper since having kids, and I eventually wake up to even the slightest movement of the baby. So for my own sanity and needed rest, I put some distance between us early on, and I figure if the baby really needs something I will easily hear him from one room away.

With the first two boys we borrowed a basinet to use. But with this one I thought I would simply use what we had and make it work—maybe it will work even better. I transformed our port-a-crib into this baby station. I really wanted everything I might need in the middle of the night and wee hours of the morning within reach, so I made this pocket storage to go on the front from an old curtain we weren't using. It houses the diapers, burp cloths, diaper cloths, lotions, change of clothes, pacifiers, bedding and a few other things I might need.



Inside the crib is a changing pad that the baby will sleep on, extra blankets, and a basket for the wipes and my books. I always read when I nurse and already have a growing stack of books just waiting to be read. I'm rather excited to have something to force me to slow down and pick up a book.

Doctor Dan

We celebrated Dan's birthday on Tuesday, and after seeing this little nurse kit that my friend made, I knew I wanted to make Dan a doctor kit. Since Pete is a doctor I thought this gift would be most fitting. Dan can dress up like daddy!


I started out by making this little white coat. Pete donated an old white coat for my cause, so all I had to do was adjust it to fit Dan. Much easier than starting from scratch.


These candy pill bottles were the biggest success in the kit (of course!). Made from old spice bottles.

Table fort

You may have seen (much cuter versions of) these on Pinterest or other places. But here is ours. A table fort. I used old bags that sheets came in for the windows, sample fabrics that a store was getting rid of for most of the top and sides (thus the patchy look) and some bias tape. It might not win the cutest table fort award, but I'm pretty sure the kids don't care. I love that this fort folds up nice and small and is easy to store, but is so easy to set up again. It's nice to have something quick to pull out on a day that we're home and the kids want something new to do.




The thing that made this fort a success were the pockets that I sewed onto the inside of the walls. The kids love having a place to put their books and small toys.

Popsicle Stick Puzzle Carrier

Don't forget to check out the Valentine's Giveaway: a hand-drawn portrait!

My sweet sister made the boys a bunch of popsicle stick puzzles for Christmas. They are all church themed, and the kids have loved playing with the sticks and putting the puzzles together during church. She gave us 9 sets and, as you can imagine, they get all mixed up and end up all over the bench and floor. So, in an attempt, to keep them a little more organized, I made this carrier. I used felt and bias tape (of course!... I could really be happy putting bias tape on everything) and it ended up being a pretty fast project. Each set of sticks has their own little pocket, and then the whole thing can be rolled up, tied, and tossed in the church bag.



Thanks Brittney!

Check out other fun ideas at the Classy Clutter Linky Party

Nesting: carrier cover and burp cloth

Yesterday I added some bias tape to my carrier cover and made a burp cloth with the scraps. When I showed Pete what I had done later that day, he said in a cute (and somewhat sarcastic) voice, "Oh... you're beginning to nest!" So yes, I guess I am! I've held off long enough. I'm now just about 33 weeks along... I was going to hold off making any preparations until Valentine's Day (if I get too excited and prepared too soon, the last weeks of pregnancy will be very long!) but I just couldn't help myself. I also realized that if this baby were to come when Joe came, he would be here in 2 weeks! But I'm trying hard not to hope for or expect that. Thankfully, not too much needs to happen to get ready for a 4th boy. But of course there a few things that I want to do. So this is where I started. I already had a carrier cover, but thought it was awful plain, so added some red bias tape around it (I'm really liking bias tape lately... gives everything a finished look). Then I dug up a scrap of the fabric I had used and decided to make a burp cloth. The bias tape adds a twist on the burp cloths I have made in the past. I look forward to sharing more "nesting" ideas over the next couple months!

Toddler bed quilt

We recently kicked Joe out of the nursery and moved him in with his older brothers in preparation for the baby (8 weeks and 6 days to go! But who's counting?) We set up the toddler bed next to the bunks, and I decided to give my hand a try at quilt making. Here's the final outcome in all its glory. It's made from scraps of the bunk down comforter covers, some fabric I used years ago to make pj's for Pete and John, some old pajamas of mine, and some of Pete's and Dan's old jeans. This was my first quilt, and I really didn't know what I was doing, but I'll tell you what I did anyway: First I cut all the fabric into 6" squares, laid them all out in the pattern I wanted, sewed them in strips, then sewed those strips together. Then I bought flannel fabric for the bottom side and batting for the inside and taped each layer, one on top of the other, to our basement floor, making sure to get all of the wrinkles out (a method my friend Alison told me about so you don't have to use a quilting frame... works well on smaller quilts.) Then I pinned the layers together every 6-8 inches, took off all the tape, tied floss in every corner of each square, then finally sewed bias tape around the entire quilt. Done. I worked on this over the course of a few weeks, an hour or so at a time, so it didn't seem quite so overwhelming. Consider it a success! Not the last quilt I'll be making.

Holiday Pillowcases

My mom made these for all the grandkids a couple years ago, and my boys have absolutely loved them. We recently switched out the Christmas pillowcases for the Valentines ones, and it has made them that much more excited for the coming holiday. And I love the embroidered names... with the 3 boys now sleeping in the same room, we can actually keep track of who's pillow is who's!