A Precious Gift

     When I opened the box that arrived from my blogger friend, Kira, over at Just Like June, tears came to my eyes.  Look at this precious gift that she handcrochted for us to welcome our new baby Haddie.

     She knows that we love color and our beautifully crocheted afghan is exploding with a rainbow of love.  I learned how to correctly crochet my first blanket by watching Kira's tutorials and her handy work is sold over at Ami Lang Organics on Etsy.

     Thank-you Kira, we will cherish this precious gift!

Easy Sewing For Baby

Our little bundle is due in less than two weeks and we are so excited to meet her.  My nesting started with organizing, then cooking, and now crafting.  Here are some cute and simple projects that I made for our new baby.

This is my first crochet had that I learned how to make from watching a u-tube video. I love the fabric flower that I made for the hat.  I will share how to make these in a later post.  They look adorable on head bands as well.

I used out-grown tights to "baby legs" for a little crawler.

This is my favorite project, but it took me 3 out of 5 onesies to get it right.  I think this skirted onesie is super cute and the directions can be found over at Prudent Baby.

I used thick cloth diapers to make these homemade burp clothes.  Just pick a piece of fabric and embellish with ribbon.

Every baby needs a cute homemade taggie blanket.  Just sew the fabric like a blanket, but insert 2 inch pieces of folded ribbon on three sides.

My first crocheted blanket.

These come in very handy- rice filled love owls. You can make any shape and fill it with rice. We have two in the freezer for bumps and two that I heat up in the microwave for sore muscle and stomachs.

I was surprised how easy these bibs were to make.  You can use this simple pattern found here.

 I can't wait to share some photos of our new baby when she arrives!
Linked to:

Hooter Hider Tutorial

If you are expecting or know someone who is, here is an easy gift you can make that will benefit any nursing mother.
Hooter Hider:

Here is the finished product, thank-you friend for modeling the hooter hider. Your baby can hide inside and discreetly get the job done.
1. Start with a yard of fabric and fold it in half.
2. Cut out a half circle for your head, but big enough to peak at the baby.
3. Surge or zig-zag stitch around the head circle.

 4. Next surge or stitch around the outside of the fabric.

 5. You have essentially made a big bib to nurse your child under.
Happy Nursing!
Linked to:

Homemade Money Bank

Jem is a little bag lady and always carries her money around with her. One day I counted $18 of coins  in her heavy sack. She has also broken two banks to get her money out. To help solve this problem we used an empty oatmeal container and cut a slit in the lid.

 We wrapped construction paper around the canister and secured it with glue and tape.  Jem went to town painting and decorating her bank.  We added a lot of tape to secure the lid, we'll see how long that keeps her out, but I am glad it won't break.  She also uses her bank as part of her band now.

What we used: oatmeal container, tape, construction paper, and glue. Decorate and enjoy the jingle!

Homemade Sugar Scrub- Simply Healthy

                                           Simply Healthy

                   This is the sugar scrub that I made last night and it smells heavenly.

I love this stuff....this homemade sugar scrub makes my skin feels so smooth.  Jen, over at  Paint Cut Paste, shared this wonderful recipe with me and allowed me to share it with you! Her site is full of crafty kid goodness so be sure to check it out.

 Homemade Sugar Scrub:
Gather:

1/2 cup raw sugar (the brown kind)
joboba or sweet almond oil- I used olive because I so badly wanted to make this with out running to the store.
essential oil- I used lavender

How to make:
Just cover the sugar with the carrier oil in a jar, but don't fill it beyond that, then add about 20 drops of essential oil. Close the jar, shake, and enjoy!

Homemade Dog Biscuits- Simply Healthy

Here's a little known secret about me....after I was a reporter, but before I was a Mom, I started an all-natural dog biscuit bakery. I made doggie birthday cakes and biscuits for all occasions,  like the cakes shown above. Our most popular treats were "peanut butter barkers." Here is a "Simply Healthy" dog biscuit recipe that I know your four-legged friends will enjoy.

 Homemade Peanut Butter Barkers

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup wheat germ or ground flax seed
1/4 cup brewer's yeast
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup chicken or beef stock

-Combine together (add more flour if too sticky), roll out onto floured surface, cut into shapes with cookie cutter.

-Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, turn off oven, leaving biscuits inside to harden and dry for 2 hours.

Taste-tested by these two cuties! These adorable pound puppies love to sleep on Olive's bed. I must say these two dogs are pretty smart as they join us everyday in our homeschool classroom!

 

Meet the rest of our family: A blue Betta named Alligator. I say to Jem every morning, "go feed your alligator."

 We also have a cool White's Tree Frog named Frosty, and two Green Frogs named Baby, and Micro. Frogs are actually a lot of fun to have and easy to take care of. Let me know if you want more info on frogs as pets.

Homemade Bubble Bath- Simply Healthy

We love to take bubble baths at our house! Here is a Simply Healthy recipe you can make at home with out Parabens and the other icky stuff that can be found in most products.
Lavender Bubble Bath
  1 quart Water
 1/2 cup Castile liquid soap (They have this at my Public's.)
  2 oz Coconut oil
  1 oz Glycerine (If you can't find this, use dove dish soap.)
  add a few drops of lavender essential oil and mix a little with your bath water. Enjoy!

                                                        Simply Healthy

Homemade Recycled Paper

Making Homemade Recycled Paper
Step 1: Shred about 2 cups of scrap paper and put in blender.

Step 2: Add about 1 cup of water.

Step 3: Blend well and add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch.

Step 4: Drain slowly through a strainer or wired mesh. Allow to dry in the sun.

This is a great idea for teaching the 3R's- Reuse, Reduce, Recycle.
I should add that our paper turned out thick. You can draw on it, but it would crack in tiny pieces when folded. It would make a nice embellishment to a card.

Simply Healthy- Homemade Fabric Softener

                                                                  Simply Healthy
Homemade Fabric Softener
Things you'll need:
large container
baking soda
distilled white vinegar
water
essential oil

-I use a large pot to mix the ingredients together.

-Add 1 cup of baking soda to the pot and then 1 cup of water to the baking soda.

-Add 6 cups of distilled white vinegar to the mix. The mixture will start to fizz, which will help to dissolve the baking soda.

-Add 6 more cups of water to the mix and the fizzing should stop.

-Stir to dissolve.

-Don't worry you won't smell like a pickle. Add about 15 drops of pure essential oil. Remember you can always add more if you want a stronger scent.

-I use my leftover fabric softener bottles to store my homemade softener.

When it's time to do the laundry, add 1 cup of your homemade fabric softener to your final rinse. I use this fabric softener ball when I do my laundry.  Just add the same amount to it.

I find that my clothes turn out just as nice with this recipe. It's a simply healthy alternative to store bought brands.
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Simply Healthy- Veggie Wash

Homemade Doll Sling Tutorial

Every child needs a cute doll sling for their special baby and they are simple to make.

Instructions:

Step 1:  Cut one yard of fabric in half lengthwise.  Fold the half lengthwise with like sides together (meaning the colorful fabric sides should be touching). I was able to make 2 slings with 1 yard of fabric.

Step 2:  Sew the open (long) side together, you'll be making a tub. Both ends of the tube should remain open.

Step 3: Slip the fabric around your child and take note on what length the sling should be. Slip one open end into the other open end. You may wish to trim excess fabric at one end. Sew across with a zig-zag stitch and close the sling.

Step 4: Slip the doll sling over your child, pull the fabric apart, and place your child's doll inside.

View from the back.

Olive said she was able to get her baby to sleep a lot faster with her new sling. I hope your child enjoys this cute project as much as my girls.

This post is linked to:  Handmade Holiday

Old Jeans Turned Into A Purse!

My daughter out-grew a pair of jeans and we made them into a little purse for her to carry around. It actually turned out really cute. I used old play jeans, but can't wait to recycle some cute disney ones when she's done with them too.

Directions:
Step one: Cut jeans straight across at the crotch.
Step two: Turn inside out and sew across
Step three: I lined the inside and sewed it into the bottom and around the top. Line it by using a different fabric and basically sew a square about the same size, by leave the top open and slide it into the jeans.
Step four: Make a handle- either use ribbon and sew it on or use left over leg material (I made a braid with it) and sew it into the sides.
Step five: Add your own creative touch!