baseball onesie

After I added that football onesie to my Etsy shop, a friend from my college days asked me if I could make a baseball one for her little guy.  I decided to give it a try, and I'm so happy with the result!

I actually had to look up images of baseballs to make sure I got the stitching right.  :o)

Even though baseball season's winding down, I decided to make a listing for this in my Etsy shop anyway.  My friend ordered a bigger size in anticipation for next spring, so maybe others will plan ahead too!  :o)  To see this item and more, just click on the Etsy Mini there on the upper left!

Linked up to Creations by Kara!

when coupon commotion gets the best of me.

So this week Jo-Ann has a bunch of 50% off coupons available to use in the store.  I went there the other night to stock up on batting for burpcloths and a few other items.  While I was there I decided to browse the cotton duck/home decor section in the back, thinking if I saw something that jumped out at me I could buy it for half-price.

And something did.

How cute is this??  The first thing I thought of was "little girls' room," then the second thing I thought of was, "there's my new ironing board cover."  It has aqua and yellow in it (as well as a bunch of other bright, cheerful colors), so it definitely coordinates with my laundry room.  And maybe I won't avoid ironing so much if I have a really cute ironing board to use.

I've pinned a pretty straightforward tutorial, but I'm still a little nervous about starting.  The nice lady who cut my fabric for me asked what I was using it for, and I told her.  She was so nice about it, saying ironing board covers were so easy that she could practically sew them in her sleep.  So hopefully she's right.  Though usually just the neat way she folds up my freshly-cut fabric is enough to impress me.  :o)

I have about three Etsy orders in progress right now, but hopefully I can get to this project soon.  I figure I have to do it at some point, I've already blogged about it!  :o)

upcycled laundry sign

Over the weekend I finally finished a project that I've had in mind for awhile.  It started with this $3.00 sign I found at TJ Maxx last year:

I liked the crackled look of it and its cheap price tag, but that's about it.  I decided to upcycle it for my laundry room by doing something similar to this sign that I saw on Pinterest once.  I painted it with yellow acrylic paint, then Mod Podged some scrapbook paper on top of that.  After that I used some chipboard letter stickers I found on clearance at Hobby Lobby to spell out one of the truest statements that will ever be uttered in a laundry room.

And I truly believe it.  I am 30 years old and I have a Masters degree, and I still cannot for the life of me fold one of those things.  I've even watched instructional videos on YouTube and I still can't grasp it.  I do a decent job with my son's crib sheets, but our queen-sized ones are almost impossible.  I kind of just wing it and hope for the best.  But I digress.

I like the quirky look of my sign, and it doesn't bother me too much that some of the letters are a little lopsided.  It's got character, and that's all I ask for.  It really pulls this corner of my laundry room together.

Total cost:  Around $4 for the letter stickers.  I had to get two packs to ensure I'd have enough letters to complete the project.  Every thing else I had on hand.  Yay!

So now I think the only other thing I really want for this room is a new ironing board cover.  Haven't found anything I like yet.  I might make one but I'm not sure I want to so we'll see!

Linked up to Creations by Kara!

football onesie

I've been wanting to try this for awhile, and I'm so excited with how it turned out!

I free-handed the laces applique; I went with rounded-off corners since it looked a little more realistic to me.

Love it!  I'm thinking pink laces would look cute for a baby girl, or even other colors to match a favorite team or school.

This onesie is now in my Etsy shop in honor of the upcoming football season; go check it out!

quilts for kids

Sometime ago I found out about a wonderful program from Downy called "Touch of Comfort."  They send out quilt kits to willing volunteers in order to distribute quilts to children in hospitals all over the country.  It's a great opportunity to bless a child during a confusing and scary time, especially since they may not have their own blanket or lovey to comfort them.

I felt a stirring in my heart to help out.  Lately I've wanted to sew something for the babies I've lost.  But I was afraid that if I made a quilt in their memory, it would end up in a closet rather than be out on display.  This program seemed to fix that worry.  I could make a quilt and it could bless someone else as well as me.  Even though I wouldn't get to see that deserving child's face when they received the quilt, just knowing that it would help in some way was enough for me.

Another reason why I decided to take the plunge: our son had his own hospital stay when he was just under two weeks old.  Thankfully he got well, and will never have any memory of that time, but I sure do.  One of the memories that sticks with me is seeing older children walk down the halls while dragging their IV carts with them.  The pediatric floor was actually pretty cheerful for a hospital, but I remember thinking that no matter how much they dress it up, someone's kid is in the hospital, and it's just plain scary.

So I signed up online, and the kit came two or three weeks later.  I actually didn't get to really do anything with it for another three weeks; right around the time it came in the mail, I became slammed with Etsy orders.  Fortunately once things slowed down, it was no problem at all to piece together and sew.  The kit comes with pre-cut fabric (which I loved; the most tedious part of any sewing project is cutting the fabric!) and some instructions.  You donate the low-loft batting, coordinating thread, and the postage to send it back.  I found the instructions pretty straightforward, but I also consulted this tutorial at Make It and Love It since I'm more of a visual learner.  Here's the result!

 
How cute is that John Deere fabric???

The kit also contains a tag so you can personalize it a bit.  They let you name the quilt, so I went with "Built Strong!"

Whatever little guy uses this quilt, I'm hoping he'll know he's tougher than he thinks and he can get through anything, even the hospital.  :o)

I will definitely do this again.  Keep in mind that this is technically the first quilt I've sewn completely on my own, and that's saying something for how easy it is.  My only regret is that I waited too long to start it (they request that you send the completed quilt back within four to six weeks of receiving the kit), so I can't include a second quilt, something they also suggest since they're always in short supply.  Next time!

For more information on the Touch Of Comfort program, visit here.

more vinyl bibs!

Remember this teaser from my last post?

Well, I managed to install the snaps and velcro so I could finally list them on Etsy.  :o)

We'll see how they do.  I've noticed that the homemade pattern I've been using for this bib is a little snug around the neck of my own two-and-a-half year old, so I've been recommending these for 9 months to 2 years.  I'll have to make some with longer neck straps to ensure there's some that fit older toddlers (or those with not-so-skinny necks).  :o)