Babes & Gents Christmas Items

It's time to start thinking about Christmas outfits for your little ones!

There are some fun red & green bow ties at Babes & Gents and adorably festive headbands (coming soon) for your little babes. Now through December 14th, Babes & Gents is giving 20% off just for getting your shopping done early!

Guest Posting at ONElittleMOMMA

I'm guest posting over at ONElittleMOMMA today while Kilee is on maternity leave.  Hop on over to see a tutorial for this adorable initial nursery art!

Babes & Gents Giveaway

Instead of the normal "happenings lately" post on Fridays, I am celebrating my first guest post on Sugar Bee Crafts blog with a giveaway!

Go check out my fun egg-dying party on Mandy's blog here!

 Now, for the giveaway.  Babes & Gents is giving away your choice of 2 headbands OR 2 bow ties OR one of each!  There's something in this giveaway for any babe or gent in your life!

Giveaway ends one week from today. (March 22nd) So come back then to check and see if you won! And between now & then, enter the coupon code tiedribbon when you shop at Babes & Gents for 10% off your purchase.
Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Time Flies...

when you're busy raising a baby.

I know all of you moms will relate when I say these words...

I have been with this little boy every day of his life & I still can't believe how big he is.  Almost 10 months & the fastest 10 months of my life.  

He's almost walking on his own...

(please ignore my freaking out in the background)

But here's a question for you moms- We're trying to transfer to sippy cups and he's already mastered the holding of his bottle.  But when he drink from one (Nuby) it comes out so fast he chokes in his formula.

Thoughts/Ideas/Suggestions appreciated!

Ombre Chevron Onesie

This chevron onesie may have been even easier than the last one.

I just used Freezer paper to cut the pattern, & Martha Stewart paint and her stencil brushes.

(here is a great freezer paper tutorial)
*how cute would this be in purple or pink ombre for a baby girl?!*

I made this for a baby shower gift, as well as a few other ones with different shapes & designs.

Baby Bib

My son has this thing with bibs...he hates them.  

He'll struggle, yank, eat and pull at them until they're off.

So I am forced to feed him in his diaper, or change his clothes 3 times a day.  

Guess which we've been doing?

Well I remember seeing this "Bapron"

via craftiness is not optional

Genius.  But I cheated...and you can too! YAY!

I bought these bibs in a 2 pack at Target.

Pull out what you have on hand...grosgrain ribbon or bias tape.  (ribbon will be less work, & you'll see why.)

First, put your bib on your baby and mark where the ties should be, then measure and see how long you need them to be.  Be sure to take into account the bow! For my 8 month old, I made the 13 1/2"- plenty of room for growth!

*Use clothes pins to mark & hold ribbon, rather than using pins around a wiggly baby!*

 Then stitch then on the side.  I used white & did a zig-zag to make it obvious, rather than try to hide it, or buy the right color of thread.

If you're using ribbon- you're done! Wasn't that easy?!

For bias tape, just straight stitch all the way down each tie to close, then fold & sew end.

Favorite Things Wednesday

I was saving this post for Friday, but our sweet little boy has been cutting 4 teeth over the past week!

As a result, I haven't been able to do much crafting....but that brings me to my first favorite thing:

Hyland's Baby Teething Tablets

My son was so fussy and restless that I was desperate to try anything.  I have taken homeopathic medicine before, so I thought I'd give it a shot.  It isn't so much a pain reliever, as an "everything else that accompanies teething" reliever.  Life savers...for me & my baby!

Speaking of baby, Number 2:

Munchkin Baby Food Feeder

I had gotten these at my baby shower and gave them a try last week...rave reviews!

See?

Number 3:

Pinterest

Obviously, Pinterest.  I am currently using it to get amazing recipes, and plan for my son's 1st birthday party this summer!

Number 4:

e.l.f. makeup

Have you tried the e.l.f makeup line at Target?  I'm not a fan of their makeup, but I love their brushes.  

I used to use BareMinerals brushes, but after a while I noticed they would start scratching my face, even after cleanings.  My favorite part is that they are so affordable, but high quality.

Number 5:

 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

Please don't judge me. I know children really shouldn't watch t.v., but sometimes this show is the only thing that allows me to leave the room to pee without my son screaming bloody murder!

Number 6:

Creatively Living blog

And my current favorite blog.  My favorite thing?  I have linked up to her Linky party for the past 3 weeks, and she always leaves wonderfully encouraging comments on my posts that I linked.  Sometimes it's the little things that make the biggest difference!

Number 7:

photo a day

I'm not a photographer, but I love being on the lookout for the photo-a-day.

follow me on twitter to see my daily photos.

Bow Tie Holder

Have you seen this girl's headband holder?

via crafty texas girls

It's made from an oatmeal container covered with fabric!

I was looking for a way to store & display my baby boy's cute bow ties I have made him.

This was the perfect way. 

I used a cashew container, because it was small enough for his bow ties to wrap around without getting too stretched out.

I covered it with some cute paper I had purchased before he was born, and have been saving it for something cute...this was it!

 Here it is in his cabinet. 

To see more on his bedroom, visit this post.

sharing @ 36th avenue

Baby Month Marks

Remember the chalkboard in my little man's bedroom?

In this picture it has an "I love you" note, medicine times (he's teething again) & his first ever Valentine from his Nana.

But what I really use it for is to record his month marks!  It's a combination of these two ideas:

via: jen johnson blog

via: little baby garvin blog

Love them both.  All I did was buy a white frame from IKEA. 

(couldn't find it online. similar one here.)

I took the actual plastic fake-glass piece and painted that with Martha Stewart Blue chalkboard paint.  I did a few coats to make sure it was nice and chalk-boardy.  

Tip: I made sure my final coat was the opposite way from the way I would be writing.  Since I use it vertically, I made the last strokes horizontal.

Here it is in use

In the months he has check-ups, it has his weight & height stats listed.  Since it's month 7, I just wrote things & events.  "first heart day", LOVES "da-da-da", and "almost crawling.

The Little Man's Bedroom

When does a baby's room stop being a nursery and start being a bedroom?  Anyone?

I feel like he is already so big (almost 8 months) and so I feel weird calling it a nursery.

Anyway- I thought I'd finally photograph & post his bedroom.  There are a lot of handmade details, so bear with me!

This is the view walking in.  (What a cute little model!)

And immediately to the left is a chalkboard I made from a huge white frame from IKEA & a big cabinet.  It was passed down to me by my Grandma & Grandpa.

I added some updated touches to it to help tie it in with his room. I replaced the old knobs with some from Lowes.  I used white & orange Martha Stewart Craft paint after I sanded it down.  As well as a Martha Stewart stencil.  

It's filled with books, blankets, toys, stuffed animals & shoes.  

His changing table is from Target, as well as the fabric bins that hold some of his onesies, jammies, diapers and socks.

The comforter, and rest of his bedding, is from Target by Dwell Studio.  (Love it!)

I made the pillow case...notice the matching stencil?

His crib doesn't match his changing table because we were lucky enough to get it for free!  Maybe when we move, I will sand it down and refinish it.  

I love the wall above his crib, full of different prints, patterned paper, footprint and picture.  I plan on adding to it as I go.  The C is actually foam board cover in yarn.  

And of course- I had to put in tissue pom-poms.

(To the right of the crib is his mirrored door closest)

I love it because it's still cute, but still boy-ish and very functional.  

What do you think?

Chevron for the Baby

I am obsessed with chevron.  I have had to restrain myself from putting it in every room of our home.

But when I saw these onesies on Finley & Oliver blog, my chevron-loving heart fluttered.

found via pinterest

I had to make some.  So picked up some 9-month white onesies, so that my son can wear them during these summer months.  And grabbed some dark grey felt from my stash.  

And guess what technique I used to make the chevron pattern? Yup, the same one for my wall- only mini sized!

And then I sewed those cute grey chevrons on!

Ah! I could die. SO cute!

*If I did this again, I would use some sort of no-sew bonding before sewing, because it was a little tough keeping the pieces straight, even with pins*

....more cute onesie ideas coming soon!