A few thrifty goods

My sisters are throwing a baby shower for me this weekend, and since I have a problem sitting idly by, I’ve been hitting up thrift stores recently (on my good days) to try and find ways to make the food table a little more fun and decorative. 

Wouldn’t you know it, I found almost nothing for food tables.  But I did find a few other things I had to bring home…

I found this little doll bed for $3 at Goodwill, and you all know it isn’t going to remain like this for very long!  I actually have a few items to paint as soon as energy and/or non-pregnancy allows.  I have a few doll quilts to choose from already for the bed, but I’m thinking bedding is in order- mattress, sheets, and pillow.

The fabric is a yard and some of knit that made me think of baseball, so I grabbed it. $1!! This was a DI (Deseret Industries) find, and DI is about 30 minutes from my place.  I happened to be in the area, and couldn’t resist a stop.  We need more DI’s in Arizona…

And this ceramic teapot.  Isn’t it cute?  One of the colors for the baby shower is orange, so I really couldn’t pass this up.  I’ll find a spot for it at the shower!  This one didn’t have a price tag, so when I took it to the register and the manager was taking a while to get over to price it, the cashier asked, “How’s a dollar sound?”  And I couldn’t say yes faster.  Can I just again request more DI’s around here???  WAY cheaper than Goodwill.  And it doesn’t stink.

Ok, what would you do with an orange teapot a few days before Halloween?

Me too :)

Like Molasses

I thought I’d check in, so you all know I’m not in labor or something.  I’ve just been feeling really weak lately and pretty much don’t get anything done!  That isn’t completely true, however… I have been doing a lot to get ready for Young Women in Excellence at my church, I have sewn half a dress for my sister’s Halloween costume, and helped my younger sister sew a vest and skirt for her and her husband’s Halloween.  I can’t wait for them to share pictures so we can all enjoy!

And I did some laundry!  Unfortunately, I forgot to turn on the dryer once I put everything in there, and now my laundry room smells…

Oh, and my girls decided they want to be Rapunzel this year.  Hooray!  Dresses are already made.  Now I need to make blonde wigs, and Pinterest is making it much easier for me.

And because every post needs a picture (who came up with that, anyway?):

The munchkin took this 5 weeks ago.  I was trying to find a dress that still fit… and this one didn’t make the cut :)

Pacifier Clip Tutorial

We’re a pacifier family.  I’ll admit it- I plug my kids.  The munchkin weaned herself off at 9 months old, and our 2-year old needed lots of coaxing and deprivation to get off hers, but she did it.  The one complaint I had for both kids was losing the pacifier at the most crucial moments!  I had seen a pacifier clip before, but never bothered making one.  This time around… I’m prepared!  Unless, of course, the brother refuses a pacifier.  But we’ll not think about that.

To make a pacifier clip (I have an aversion to the word Binky… by the way), you need:

Assorted Fabric, cut 10 1/2” x 4”

Coordinating thread

1” Suspender Clips (you can find them in the notions section at your fabric store, or online)

Various ribbon, 3/8” – 1/2” wide

Here are a few fabrics I pulled out from my stash.  The pink will be for a gift, eventually!

To begin, iron a 1/4” hem on the 4” sides of your fabric rectangles. 

Next, iron your fabric in half, hot-dog style!

Using that center fold as a guide, open your rectangle and fold those sides in again so they meet at that center fold, and iron.

When you fold it all up again, it is a nice, 1” wide strip.  Iron it again for good measure.

Sew down each side using a 1/8” seam allowance.  I used the inside of my presser foot as a guide.

See?  It closes the folded edges and makes it look all nice and uniform.  Just clip those thread tails!

Bust out your suspender clips!  They came in a pack of two for me.

Place a clip upside down on your work space and insert your fabric strip like so:

Then, fold the end of your fabric over the suspender bar about 1/2” or a tad more.  Nothing too specific!  You may find that when you put this part under your machine, your presser foot bumps the suspender bar… just adjust your fabric so it won’t get in the way.  Sew along the edge of the folded fabric- where my fingers are on the photo:

And you’ve got a nice, sturdy clip on the end of your fabric.  I sewed twice through my edge, just in case.

On the other end, take a 5 1/2” piece of ribbon and fold it into a loop.  Just insert it into the opening, and sew it on!  Either do a few rows of stitching, or shorten your stitch length to make it nice and strong.

Since making one clip will take only… 5 minutes, go ahead and make a few more!

You’ll be all set for whatever the outfit :)  I do need to make one in black or something for when brother comes to church and we all want some peace and quiet!

 

Go ahead- make one!  I know there are lots of tutorials in blogland, I even tried a few out before doing this one, but didn’t love them so I came up with my own little way of doing things, and thought I’d share.

A Quick Dress to Help Me Procrastinate

You can tell by her face how excited she was to go take a picture by the ugly bushes and rocks. 

And this face is an indicator of how happy she was that she didn’t get a dress like her sister, and that she is instead wearing a 97 cent Valentine shirt from Old Navy.

I’m almost certain this shot was just to spite me.  Gotta love the panty-pick.

I’m still unsure about what I am going to be for Halloween.  Usually I bust out the regular costumes, but this year… well, they don’t fit :).  And I’m kind of avoiding cliché pregnant costumes because I rather enjoy dressing up.  So, to keep my mind off the fact that I can’t keep my mind on the fact, I just made a dress for the munchkin using some clearance fabric from Hobby Lobby and my favorite little-girl pattern, Simplicity 3513.

And then, since I had sat on the ground to take pictures and couldn’t get back up for a while, we had a mini photo shoot of these girls while they tried to get the nearby ants to eat leaves.  I love ‘em.

Happy Haunting Pillow

This weekend I *almost* threw out the scraps from the spider web pillow.  But then I didn’t.  I made another pillow instead!

The scraps were just a few inches bigger than a pillow form I had already, isn’t that nice?  So, I just used a freezer paper stencil to add a candelabra (from the Silhouette Online Store) and some words (regular old default font), and then bejeweled the candelabra with some beaded trim from Hobby Lobby.

I like that candelabra.  Although, the munchkin informed me that the flames should be yellow or orange, not white.  Hee hee.

Confession:  The rest of my Halloween décor is trapped in my garage, which recently decided it won’t open with any buttons.  And I’m in no condition to open it manually myself… so I’m waiting patiently for the husband to have a few extra minutes when it isn’t too hot out and we can waddle our way to the garage (it isn’t attached to our condo) and haul back everything. 

But we’re still friends, right?  :)

Kaleidoscope Quit for the Baby Brother

I finished the little brother’s quilt today.  About 20 minutes ago, in fact.  I was too excited to wait and share.

I went for the Kaleidoscope pattern by Allison of Cluck Cluck Sew.  I actually had recently purchased it because I knew someday it would come in handy, and after sifting through all your quilt suggestions, I decided to first see what fabrics I really would use together in a quilt.  That left me with a few smaller piles instead of the huge one that started it all… and this pile kept calling to me.  Subtle.  Calm.  Unlike little boys, I’m sure :)  One of you suggested a simple strip quilt, but I only had a few fabrics that weren’t fat quarters… which was totally a bummer.  I loved that idea.

Kaleidoscope it is!  It nearly did me in, cutting out the template pieces.  Only because I am pregnant and anemic and standing (or sitting) for too long puts me out of commission.  Healthy, non-child-carrying people could probably crank this out much faster than I did.  I did use my AccuQuilt Baby Go! for the circles, since the template was almost the same size as my 3” circle die.  I love that little machine.

I mostly went with fabric I had, but I knew I’d need a solid.  Nothing I had worked, nor did I have enough of it anyway.  I ended up hunting for a soft blue, and found the perfect Bella Solid at Fat Quarter Shop.  Aside from that purchase (1 yard), I used everything else from stash.  I freaked out when it came to the back, because I didn’t have a piece nearly big enough.  So, I used those fabrics that were WOF and still ended up with a strip quilt (kinda!)! My husband likes the back more than the front. :)

Leftover yellow from the Wild Thing quilt ended up as the most perfect binding. 

I LOVE this quilt.  I am going to wash it a few times before the baby comes, because it will get softer with each wash.  Especially since I stippled a little closer this time around.

And, I do plan on making a different quilt with the cars, planes, and bright primary colors.  I’m just not sure if I’m ready for that kind of excitement yet. ;)

Fall Fever!

For some reason, I can’t make this post left justified.  Which drives me nuts.  Oh well!

 

Here’s the Fall Fever post I had over at Every Creative Endeavor a few weeks back.  I thought it would be fun to share over here now, especially since we are still using it for every dinner!  Enjoy.

 

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Now, fall isn’t that big of a deal where I live, because in Arizona, very few leaves actually change color and that isn’t until the very end of October!  So, I thought I’d bring some fall inside, since it isn’t happening outside!

 

Cooler weather and felt sort of go hand in hand, don’t they?  So does feeding the masses!  Here’s a quick idea for the kid table! (or, any table!)

 

Start with a round salt and pepper shaker.  I got mine at Wal-Mart for a dollar and some change.  You will also need fall-ish colored sheets of craft felt and your hot glue accessories.

       

 

Cut out leaf shapes from your felt, leaving one color aside to be your background.  I used a template I found through Google, but you might have some leaves native to your state that you want to feature!

 

 

On two of your leaves, I embroidered S & P letters to help identify what you are about to shake over your ear of corn.  If you don’t want to embroider, use paint or a permanent marker!

 

 

I chose my yellow leaves so the letters would show up really easily with my black embroidery thread.

 

 

Now, with your unused felt sheet, cut two pieces the height and circumference of your Salt and Pepper shakers.  I just rolled them in the felt to determine the circumference, and added a bit for overlap.

 

 

Bust out your glue gun!  This is going to go fast!

 

 

Glue your background felt to your shakers!  I glued one end to the shaker, and then added a line of glue to the other end and quickly wrapped it around to cover it.  Easy peasy.

 

 

Now, just add your leaves!  I randomly placed my leaves on each shaker.  Use as many leaves as you like- I only had 4 for each because my 4-year-old was getting impatient that her shakers were taking a long time ;)

 

 

And you are done!  Super simple, but we’ve really enjoyed using them at our table for the past few weeks.  They are still nice and clean, amazingly enough!

 

It’s all about the Spider Web.

I made another Spider web project.  Surprise, surprise.  The runner from last year was so fun and looks so awesome that I repeated it on a pillow.  The tutorial is over at Curbly today sometime, where I am a website contributor.  Have a peek, and see how I make pillows with a more professional look.  Not that I’m a professional.  Or that Spider webs are professional.  Just go look, ok?

But, while I am at it, I have been seeing the Spider web runner pop up in other peoples’ homes lately (and all over Pinterest, which is fun!), and I thought I’d show you.  Because even though it takes a while… dang, it looks awesome!

Wendy from Show, Tell, Share made hers and backed it with orange burlap which she fringed with her kiddos.  Awesome texture!

Kirsten of Maniacal Material Girls (and MaterialGirlKirsten on Etsy) made hers and backed it with sparkly orange costume satin.  How Halloween appropriate! 

I think I highlighted her last year, but Serena of Naptime Crafts made hers in white to contrast her beautiful black table.  And hers is looong.  Bless her poor hands.

Crafts by Courtney made hers with a few more webs, and it looks amazing.  Love it.

Are you going to try it?  Have you made it?  Add it to the Flickr Group!  I’d love to see.  If you aren’t up for a runner challenge, how about some placemats with one web in the corner or something?  I think that is up next for me…

Finally! Something on my wall!

And to our family, it isn’t a small something!  Forever and a half ago, we were counseled in General Conference for our church to have pictures of the Temple- a sacred place of worship- in our homes.  I’ve been looking since then.  Most people I know around here have a Mesa Temple picture on their walls, but I haven’t found one I really love yet.  Then I stumbled upon this free image through Pinterest, and thought about it constantly until I finally printed it, framed it, and hung it. 

While the Salt Lake Temple isn’t the closest in proximity to me, it is pretty iconic for our family’s religion.  I figure it is a great substitute for Mesa, and people who don’t share our beliefs will still be able to recognize it when they are over at our house and they won’t wonder too much about a random building on our wall :)

What got me really hunting down a Temple picture for our family room was my friend Julie who posted on Facebook that she was making some prints of the Salt Lake Temple.  I had been looking for about a year for something for my girls’ room, since their favorite song is “I Love to See the Temple.”  Pretty much everything on Etsy was a little off from my style, but Julie’s design was the ticket!!!  Um, everything Julie does is the ticket, really.  She’s awesome.

I love the windows.  I love the font.  I love the stairs!!!  The vibrant, deep pink (I picked it out of several color options)!  I love everything about it.  It needed a girly frame- thank you Hobby Lobby for finally having something white and fancy.  I can’t spray paint right now.

So, we now have two Temples in our home.  BTW, I decorate for my future house, which will have paint on the walls.  Everything in the girls’ room is white!

It is strange, because the only other things currently on our walls are the stuff on my craft wall, and this picture above the crib in the girls’ room:

Those of you who do recognize it know that it is a print of the mural in the main Library on BYU’s campus.  It is next to the Children’s section, and has characters from lots of children’s stories.  There is some seriously deep symbolism in this painting, and I just eat up things like that.  AAAH!  I love it.  I may have even blogged about it before, I can’t remember.

This piece has a story that is too long to tell here on the blog, but let’s just say this print is very special to me!  And it is autographed by the artist :)  The kids get it in their room, but I look at it every time I put the baby down for a nap or in her bed at night.  I love it.  Didn’t I say that already?

So, I know this is a post with a whole lot of LDS stuff in it, but I really appreciate talented people who can help make my home what I someday want it to be!  I’ve been so afraid to puncture these rented walls, but it was time to make this place a little more homey.  And meaningful.  All we need now is for me to pop out this child so we can get a family picture taken and framed too…  But I can wait.

One more time, in case you are dying for one of these: 

Salt Lake Temple Photograph: Cari Anthony Photography

Pink I love to see the temple Print:  Mason Jar Holdings on Etsy (Update: Today is her birthday, too!  Happy Birthday Julie!!!)

Mural: Come Now, And Let Us Reason Together, Saith The Lord (Isaiah 1:18) by Michael Lehnardt- prints available at the HBLL (BYU Library).  My sister called them and had them send it to her!