2 down, 998 to go...

I always have a list of projects that I want to do, and there is no end in sight. With this baby coming any day and my time about to be extremely limited, it's a problem. So tonight I happily told my husband, "Of course you can watch Terra Nova!" and I knocked two of them out of the way. To keep Indy from following me around the house, we gave him a disgusting delicious pork bone which he is still gnawing on hours later.

After my fabric flower failure, I decided to finish my placemat clutch with one of the brooches that decorated our wedding cake.

It started out looking like this.

The placemat cost $1.50 (Christmas Tree Shops), the magnetic closure was $2.49 (after a Joann's coupon) and the brooch was reused. Not bad. My plan is to look for some cuter placemats next time. Pier One? World Market? Just wanted to try it out and needed something cheap.

Next, I finished a project that I started LAST WINTER. Oh, the shame. I had promised Tim a cozy man-sized fleece blanket (apparently he was not happy with the size and warming capabilities of our current throws) and after I started it, we moved and it got packed away and forgotten about.

Until tonight!

 Just a simple tie-blanket, but hey, whatever makes the man happy!

I've also realized that this post at Small Notebook totally describes me.

My ideas definitely outweight my action these days.

Having a baby will solve that... mm hm... right.

Quickie Curtain

Making a simple, valance curtain is ridiculously easy. All you need to know are the following:

1. How to operate an iron

2. How to use a ruler/measuring tape

3. How to use scissors

4. How to sew a straight line

Measure your window. Measure & cut your fabric. Sew some hems. Sew an opening at the top large enough for your curtain rod to fit through. Hem the bottom... and you have a curtain! Okay, if you've never sewed before, you might want to look up a tutorial or study a pre-existing curtain you want to duplicate, but after you've made one, my over-simplified directions make perfect sense, I swear.

The matchstick blinds we put up in our bathroom window recently grew black mold. Yummy. Most likely due to the long, steaming hot showers I've been enjoying lately. Once the baby is here, I won't have time for such frivolity so I better squeeze them in now! The moldy blinds went in the trash and I decided to replace them with a simple curtain to keep the neighbors eyes out of our bathroom.

After a week of hanging bath towels over the window while my fabric was being shipped, our bathroom no longer looks like a frat house. I used 1.5 yards of Michael Miller "Secret Garden" fabric and a tension rod I already had that just happened to fit the window perfectly.

Total cost = $12.

If the curtain gets musty from bathroom steam, I can just throw it in the wash instead of the trash. And I love how it kinda looks like stained glass with the bathroom light off!

Tutorial City

Tutorials are fantastic for visual learners like myself. People are always asking where I find ideas for craft & sewing projects, so I thought I'd share my favorite tutorials with you from various blogs and websites. Some of these things I've made and some are on my "to-make" list. Basically, anytime I come across one I like, I save it to my Favorites list.  Needless to say, it's becoming a pretty long list!

These are also projects that would make great Christmas gifts! I know, I know, no one wants to talk about Christmas yet, but if you start planning for it now, it'll be a more joyous time of year and you won't have to pay retail and deal with crowded parking lots. Plus, it'll be from the heart... awwwh.

Infinity Scarf Tutorial

Basic sewing supplies, less than 2 yards of fabric and you can have 2 of these beauties.

One for yourself and one as a Christmas gift. Flannel is nice, but you can also use a stretchy knit fabric or even linen. Depends on the style you want to achieve.

Link: http://hisforhandmade.blogspot.com/2010/10/infinity-scarf-tutorial.html

Wine Gift Bag Tutorial

This is one of those addictive projects. Once you make one and realize how easy it is, you'll end up making 5 more. Great for gift giving, and then your recipient can reuse them at BYOB's.

Link: http://www.prudentbaby.com/2010/12/how-to-make-wine-gift-bag.html

Magazine Gift Bow Tutorial

Another fun & creative way to wrap up your Christmas gifts. I went nuts one year and made like 40 of these. Now I have a container full of them and whenever I need to wrap a gift, I just use plain paper and slap on a colorful bow.

Link: http://howaboutorange.blogspot.com/2009/10/make-gift-bow-from-magazine-page.html

Tote Bag Tutorial

You could easily get carried away with this project, as well. Reusable bags are all over the place now and I feel like I never have enough of them. (I actually feel guilty when I forget mine and walk out with my goods in plastic.) This alone could be a gift, or you could fill on with more homemade goodies. I'll take one filled with tums. This preggo heartburn is killing me.

Link: http://www.purlbee.com/the-twenty-minute-tote/

French Pouf Tutorial

Stick one of these anywhere & it's instantly cuter.

Link: http://www.prudentbaby.com/2011/09/how-to-make-french-pouf-from-t-shirt.html#more

Citrus Scrub Tutorial

Move over, Bath & Body Works. (Does anyone still shop there, anyways?)

Package your DIY scrub in a fancy jar with some ribbon and gift away!

Link: http://petitelefant.com/how-to-citrus-scrub/

Potted Wheat Grass Tutorial

This is another great gift that looks expensive, but it's so not. Maybe you wouldn't give this as a Christmas gift. Hostess or housewarming gift... absolutely. These would look super cute lining a windowsill in the winter. Green grass... remember that?

Link: http://blogs.babble.com/the-new-home-ec/2011/10/04/how-to-plant-wheatgrass/

Wool Poncho Tutorial

This is one project I need to jump on while it's currently in style.

You don't have to sew ANYTHING. No excuses. You have to make one now.

Link: http://abeautifulmess.typepad.com/my_weblog/2011/09/diy-wool-poncho.html

And since we're talking about the holidays, enjoy this little number!

Baby Project: Nursing Cover

If you're interested in making a nursing cover, you're probably not just going to do it for fun. You're planning to breastfeed! First things first, read up on your state's breastfeeding laws. Yes, the act of a mother feeding her child in public was at one time considered "indecent exposure" and laws had to be passed to protect the rights of nursing mothers. Crazy, right?

Photo taken from www.nursingfreedom.org

I still see articles (like this one) pop up now and then about a woman being asked to move into the restroom of a public area because the act of nursing her child was somehow perceived as indecent. (Using what God gave us to feed our babies? Oh, the horror!)

Of course, not every mom feels comfortable just whipping out a boob, so nursing covers are a nice way to feed your hungry baby wherever & whenever without getting uncomfortable stares from passersby.
You can buy brand name nursing covers and Etsy is loaded with cute ones, but I found a tutorial on one of my favorite crafty blogs and decided to make my own. It was surprisingly simple and also cost less than buying a pre-made cover. All you need is 1 yard of fabric, a pair of metal D rings, and a 14" piece of boning (which is a stiff, curved thingy to make the rounded semi-circle at the top of the nursing cover, enabling you to look down & see what your baby is up to).

I love how it turned out & can't wait to use it!

Fabric Madness

The projects my Mom & I intend to make for the baby are piling up... and all of them depend on finding out whether our little human-in-progress is a he or a she!

T-minus 12 days...

They all involve fabric, and there are so many prints that I love.

Curtains, crib sheets, changing pad covers, nursing covers, wall art, blankets, burp cloths... are we going to have time for all of this?!

[Yeah, that's a black lab! So cute.]

TCO!

Total Cuteness Overload.

Can you tell I hate pink & baby blue??

P.S. - These are all from Fabric Worm.

She's Crafty

Who's crafty?

Marcia Taylor, a/k/a my Mom, that's who!

She's been hard at work sewing stuff for Baby A.

Check out her handy work below.



[Reversible flannel receiving blankets]

[Boppy cover in mint green minky dot fabric, per my request]



She should really start at Etsy store and make some mula from her talents.

Think about it, Mom!

It's about time...

How long ago did we move in?

Oh yeah, it's been over a month and I finally have my sewing room set up!

It's actually the enclosed breezeway between the house and garage, but the owners installed handy shelving and a new tile floor to make it a more functional space. What was once their children's playroom is now my playroom. No more sewing/crafting at the kitchen table and having to clear everything off before dinner. This makes me happy :-)

BEFORE



It was basically a dumping ground for all of our extra stuff that we didn't feel like finding a home for after we moved in. The pile of boxes was really getting on my nerves, so while our pup was napping away on Memorial Day, I got down to business.  Indy doesn't know it yet, but once he's housebroken it will also be his area to hang out in while we're at work. Tile floor = easy cleanup after an accident. (Not that we're expecting it, but sh*t happens. Literally.)

AFTER



[That window is begging for bamboo blinds!]



[In the frame are my grandmother's quilt squares and notes from her home economics class. A lovely bridal shower gift from my cousin, Rebecca!]



There is still some junk we need to get rid of, but annoyingly, bulk trash day only comes once a month. I also plan on putting a curtain over the window & door to keep the sun out when Indy is in there. I don't want anyone who pulls up the driveway to be able to see in. They might try to steal our cutie!

"Organized and it feeeeeeels so gooooood..."