Seating Available Here

{Archive from 2.24.11}

E now has his very own floor cushion!!

I used this Land-of-Nod inspired tutorial. And I conquered more firsts in my novice sewing adventure.

1) piping- not as intimidating to work with as I thought

2) sewing in a shape other than a rectangle...lost my cool at some parts, not gonna lie.

3) working with thicker fabric...which was so fun to shop for. A whole different section in the store!

E has already discovered multiple uses for his new cushion.

Use it as a table...

As an educational tool for learning more animals...

Or for a quick head rest...

I think he likes it!

{Although he'll have to grow into it a bit more for sturdy sitting}

I really want to make some more! Maybe two more to make E a set of three? And baby-growing-in-my-belly should definitely get one.

Big Boy Bed

A few days ago, W was done with work pretty early so we had some fun putting together a few of the last major components of E's room. One of which being: his bed! I was shying away from it and loving the idea of waiting until the last minute to switch him over, but W was all over it like white on rice. So we dove right in!

I put his comforter, a few pillows and stuffed animals on and sat back to have a "I'm totally a Mama" moment and "He's not a baby anymore" moment as well. E was really excited about it. We played in the room for awhile. He hopped on and off the bed several times. The fabric letters still need a home on the wall but I pulled them out just to see what they would look like.

He did great with the normal bedtime routine--only got up once and W walked and sung him back to bed.  Then he was out for the night. We sneaked back in several times before going to bed, just to check on him and laugh at his various positions. Although he getting older, it still seems like he's too young for a regular bed! Maybe it's because I know two-going-on-three year olds who are still in cribs?! Either way, he still looked so cute and precious!

He did totally great during the night and during naps. I'm so proud that he didn't fall off but still sad that he's becoming such a big boy so fast! I'm definitely in need of a baby fix.

Eek! Final reveal coming so soon, I promise. I'm sure ya'll are sick of reading about this redo by now. ;)

Easy Peasy Envelope Throw Tutorial

{Archive from 4.12.11}
Someone has new bedding!!

After a fun trip to Ikea this weekend for a crib comforter {among many other items purchased!}, I turned a twin duvet into an E sized one. Both fabrics above I found at an antique thrift store! They were perfect for the colors I wanted in his room. The fabric I used for the pillows was only $2 for a whole bundle. And I have a good amount left over.

The blue striped fabric seriously smelled like my grandma's house, in a good way, when I ironed it. It was kinda crazy because it's been years since that house was occupied by her. Brought back memories of toast with homemade frozen apricot jam and yummy french fries in the deep fryer..but I digress. The two pillow covers I made with an envelope style.

 {the back...I poked it out a little so you could see the overlapping flaps.}

There are many many envelope throw tutorials out in blogland. It is one of the quickest and easiest projects to update any room so I thought I'd share what I found while making E's two for his bed. Depending on your pillow form {the pillow that goes inside}, this project should only take a yard or less per pillow cover.

First, the slip cover is basically made up of three pieces. The front and two overlapping backs. My pillow forms measured 21 x 21. So I cut my front fabric about 22 x 22. The back two pieces should overlap so I cut 22 x 16 and 22 x 13.  You can eyeball this by laying the pieces on top of each other...5-7 inches of overlap is ideal.

Next, iron the 'flap' edge on each side of both back pieces and sew them in place. This will give a finished look to the two sides that will make the envelope opening.

Then sew the two back pieces to your front piece, right sides together {which basically means, the front side of your fabric should be facing/touching the other front side}. So now you should have one long piece of fabric.

The last step sewing steps: sew the top and bottom of the pillow square. Make sure your shorter back piece is on the outside with the longer back piece underneath it. And pin the two back pieces to the front so you make sure to sew a straight line and include both pieces while finishing the pillow square.

Turn your cover right side out & stuff that pillow inside!! Then admire your handy work! I bet you could even embellish it with felt flowers or ruffles. But since these are for a big boy room, I had to abstain.

{Some of the tutorials that I used and found helpful are here and here.}

Baby Burp Clothes

{Archive from 2.1.11}

I've been admiring these homemade cuties for some time now and have finally tried my own hand at them. And they are super easy, just like everyone says! It's a great beginners project since it's all about straight lines. I made a set of 3 in about 2-3 hours a few nights ago for baby L's shower this coming weekend. 

I made two using this tutorial. Loved it the best! And you get to use more of the flannel print which is fun.

 I made one using this tutorial. It was quicker to make and I actually had to change some settings on my machine to find the right zig-zag stitch. One that was small and tight. Yay for being forced to learn something new. 

 So now it's time to raid my mom's supplies for some blue tulle ribbon so I can bow these puppies up and put them in baby L's tote bag!

It's Done!

{Archive 1.28.11}

Well, ok. Almost. I'm one quick step away, but I wanted to post anyway. :)

Here's the outside of the tote bag:

 I embroidered around the L to outline it.

Here's the inside:

So, our local fabric store is moving...in April to a location nearby. But I discovered this week that they are no longer receiving any shipments. Ugh. I was forced to pick another fabric and tried to find one that remotely went with my shark print. It was a Tim-Gunn-make-it-work-moment. 

I tried a few new things with this project. One being the ric-rak trim. Started out as a really cute idea. But that stuff is dang hard to sew as a first-timer. I called it heart attack by ric-rak. Somehow it turned out...if you don't look too hard at it. I also used fusible webbing with the monogram letter. It made the fabric stick without sewing it on. Super easy steps to follow. I'd definitely use it again. 

I used this adorable tutorial for the tote. And may just have to use it again. Could be my new gift bag for presents. Now, time for the last sewing step and then finding some fun stuff to fill it with!

Our New Headboard

We are in headboard business! Here's our new DIY headboard:

Although, it's not our DIY. One of my go-to girlfriends for DIY advice and inspiration, Jill, and her Will made this. Not too log ago, they moved into a new house and their master situation no longer fits the headboard. She knew about our future plans to make one {after all, she started the whole thing by sending me some tutorial links} and was so thoughtful to see if we wanted theirs! 

I love the blue fabric from her last upholstery job, but I still may hunt down some yellow. I'm totally loving the fact that we finally have something behind our bed besides the vast amount of wall space!!

I may still have W add some curves on to this, but I'm not in any rush. Here was my ultimate inspiration for the shape:

But now I'm thinking the current shape works much better if I want to hang a few prints above the bed. He may have just gotten out of a DIY project. ;)

We've also gone WHITE with our duvet cover several weeks ago. It's the first time I've ever done white {because, let's face it, I can't wear white without getting something on in within the first 5 minutes} and I was really hesitant. But I'm totally loving it: so crisp, clean, light and airy! A real difference from the rich chocolate brown duvet I switched it out with. I'm just praying we get through this newborn stage with less dry cleaning runs than last time!!

I still need to make some new Euro sham covers {could you tell in the pictures that there are none?}, new throw covers, update those side lamps with a fresh coat of spray paint, add some curtains {?} and accessorize. I'm love to replace our end tables too, but that ain't happening unless we find something cheap! Maybe time for more garage sale hunting??

I'm a Guest!

{Archive from 6.3.11}

Today, I'm guest posting over at my girlfriend's blog: the Newlywife about our DIY adventures and our awesome-ized dresser! Newlywife is a great resource for all things married, frugal, and household related. Take a gander if you get the chance!