Quick Fix & Easy Clean-up

We bought a changing table after our second child was born.  And I have loved it.  I never realized with child #1 how nice they were.  But now that we don't have to change every diaper on the floor, my back has been saying HALLELUJAH!  Until now, we have been using the changing table pad, but covering it with the vinyl mat that came with our diaper bag.


No more.  Last week, I covered it with some cute Old McDonald fabric and vinyl, so it's super easy to clean and I don't have to worry much about anything happening to it.  And I kept it gender neutral, just in case we don't always have girls...

Shutterfly for Christmas

Have you checked out the Christmas photo cards available from Shutterfly?  They are beautiful!  And there's something for everyone - modern designs, traditional designs, the chance to do your cards in black and white or full color....there are so many choices available!

Since we didn't get family portraits taken this year (again), we are going to utilize the chance to make a collage out of a few candid snapshots of the girls, and there are so many options I'm having a difficult time deciding which one to use.

Here are three of my favorites:

So now, I have to dig down and make a choice...and you can, too!  Head over to Shutterfly to choose which one you want to send.  Of course, if you haven't slacked off this year like me you can use Shutterfly for a number of other things, too.  They also have calendars and canvas wall art, which I would love to make sometime, too.

And if, like me, you like to blog, you can try to get 50 cards FREE!!  by heading HERE and filling out the form.  Good luck!

Settling In

So once again, we have moved across the country.  But our internet is finally up and running and I have started a couple new projects.  So there will soon be a new post or two. 

Thanks for hanging in there!

Halloween Sillhouette

In my 'extra' email, I get all sorts of newsletters...from signing up for giveaways that I always hope to win but never do.  And yet I still enter.  There's always the possibility, right?

The other day, in my BHG email, they had a bunch of easy Halloween crafts, and there were two I loved.  I have completed one...Halloween silhouettes.  We have extra frames at our house from different things - mainly from our wedding - ones I liked to much to get rid of, and yet we have always lived in small places, so I can't possibly hang up all the frames we have.  Luckily, I had two sitting around that worked pretty well.

 

I like the orange behind the witch; it looked weird with white, so I tried three different oranges, and this was the winner.  

If you'd like to make your own, BHG has free printouts of these characters here.

Finally Sewing Again

I don't know what it is, but it has taken a LONG time to get some projects done that I have been looking forward to...busy church calling, adding a baby, and my husband's crazy work schedule are partly to blame, and then the rest lies with me. 

But enough about that...on to the projects:

Cover for our printer

self-designed

LOVE IT!

Sewing Machine Cover

from One Yard Wonders

with a few alterations:

mainly the bias tape on the bottom and I stuck a flap/hole in the top

so I have access to the handle

I thought it was impractical to not be able to use the handle, since I store the machine

in a different room than where I sew

close-up of the top

LOVE IT!!

I'm Back!

Well, it's probably about time that I post something, since we've finally settled in to our new place across the country and figured out how to deal with having a second child.  So here's what I've been up to the past week:


First, a tape measure Father's Day card for Daddy from our girls.  I found the instructions in the FamilyFun magazine.

This morning I had some help making tutus for the 4th of July; one for each girl.

And a huge THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to Jade's sister (and Jade) for the info about making a Baby Mei Tai carrier...I love it!!  I may need to make some adjustments to the straps, however, because they are SO lllloooooooonnnnggggg. 

But it sure was nice to save $50!

Boy Blessing Outfit

Well, if we have a boy next month, I made some white pants and a bowtie for him to wear when he is blessed at church. The bowtie turned out super cute, and it was really easy. I found the tutorial for it HERE. We will just buy a white button-up shirt for the top, unless we are desperate and just go with a onesie!

Purse & Superhero Capes

Here is my new purse! I used a Simplicity pattern, and I really like it. It turned out great!, and I was surprised at how big it was, but that's okay. So far I have managed not to pack it too full.

And here are some superhero capes I made for a birthday party next month. The Batman is on the back of the boys', with Superman on the other side. And the crown is on the other side of a Supergirl. They are super cute! You can find a tutorial HERE.

We are getting ready for a big move around here, and I found a great idea for an 'in the car' toy for our long, long drive across the country: a felt Mr Potato Head! Here are the instructions if you want to make your own.

If It's a Girl...

I just finished a baby quilt for our baby, if it's a girl. I made an orange and yellow rag quilt with construction trucks on it in case of a boy, and when I saw this tutorial online, I couldn't resist trying it for a girl. I am really pleased with how it turned out.

It still needs to be run through the washer and dryer to help with the fraying, but that will have to wait for a trip to Grandma's.

Busy Bee

I have been working and working the past two days on a variety of things. The first picture is of a bag that I made from an old pair of my jeans and an old pair of my husband's. One of my friends has a bag like that and I would always admire it at church until she moved away, so now I have one of my own.
The next two pics are the advent calendars that I have been working on for so long; the holes in the top are for ribbon (but I won't put that on until the sealer is totally dry). The magnets that I posted a few days ago go on here - there are 24, so you put one on each day starting on December 1.

And the final thing is a Valentine's banner that I made from stiff felt and ribbon. I got the idea HERE.

Winter Bag

Since it's too hard to mod podge with a toddler around who is interested in everything that happens, I decided to make a bag that I have been wanting for quite some time. We started using hats and gloves in October or November and they have just been sitting on the stairs since then, because that is so close to the front door. Today I finally made it...a simple fleece bag with one handle to hold all the winter accessories that have been on the stairs forever.

Mail Sorter

I know I should be posting the advent calendar, BUT it's in between layers of mod podge, so it's not done yet. Tonight I made a mail sorter while we watched House. It has 4 different pockets and should be very helpful; the last couple of months I have been putting mail in various spots and finding bills and things that require action with just enough time to get things taken care of. Hopefully this will help. And I used scraps from other projects for it all.
I found the idea and instructions from bright and blithe. Check out the tutorial HERE.

Break Projects

During the break my husband had from school for Christmas, I didn't do a whole lot of crafty stuff, but I did manage to finish two projects. The first is a blessing dress if our baby turns out to be a girl, which turned out great with some advice from my mom. It will be ironed before we use it...

The next is a project I made for my friend Rissa, which I forgot to take a picture of, BUT I am making another one for someone else. It's too bad I didn't get this one done before Christmas, but she will be able to use it this year! It's an advent calendar, and this is how far I have gotten so far: the magnets. The background, made from a cookie sheet, is in progress and hopefully won't take too much longer.