TV Cabinet Makeover

You guys, my life is now complete.

I have a great husband...
I have a beautiful baby...
And I have an awesome place to put my craft supplies.

This is all I need!

So, let's rewind back to December when I asked my good friend Chariti to keep an eye out for a large piece of furniture for my Stuff.  Soon after that she texted me a photo of a TV stand that she thought had potential.

Sold.

I had zero experience in furniture painting, restoration, repurposing, you name it.  But I am confident in following directions, and in the power of Pinterest.

#ThankYouPinterest!!

Then after I started my new Stay At Home gig this spring, I had some time to actually finish it.

So here's what I did:

1. Sanded and primed the exterior, and painted the entire piece 

2. Added shelves in the large (former) TV area by screwing in square dowels and placing the shelves on top.

Like this:

I will probably add additional dowels on the back of the cabinet to hold up the middle.  I would highly recommend this, to avoid bowing if your shelf is on the thinner (read: less expensive) side.

3. Replaced the knobs and pulls with new hardware.

I found the knobs and labeled drawer pulls on Etsy.  Here's a close-up of the labeled pulls, which I love:

4. Added a ribbon holder on the inside door.

This is actually a bathroom towel rack from IKEA - I think it works great.

And there you have it!  There are so many other things you could do - maybe add some cork board to the other inside door, or other ways to hang things and utilize even more space.

Now if I didn't have my one thing I need to do today, I would go find a craft or 10 to work on.

Have an awesome day friends!

{And go visit more awesome inspirational ideas, projects and recipes at the Inspire Me Please blog party!}  

Fabric Travel High Chair

For the past 3 weeks I have been planning on going to a free sewing class at Joann's (2 free classes came with purchasing a sewing machine there).  I had Joel's schedule all synced up to be home with Mia; I had the materials I needed all cut out and ironed; I had my bobbins locked and loaded; I had everything ready until 5 minutes before I was about to leave when I realized I never called to put my name down for the class.  I quickly called the store to see if there was still room in the class.....and there wasn't.

Needless to say I was in the mood to sew.  SO,  I decided to take my novice skillz and dive into something I needed (wanted) for our upcoming trip to Georgia: a fabric travel high chair.  And if you don't look too closely at the stitches, I think I did alright!  It will work perfectly for layovers in airports, visits to relatives, and will pack like a CHAMP.

First of all, I got the awesome tutorial here.  I altered it a bit by adding longer tie straps because I didn't feel like going with the velcro. Maybe I would change my mind if I did it all over again, but it still works great and I think it's even a tiny bit more toddler-proof with the tie in the back.

For the material, I bought 12'' of quilting fabric for $3.60 after a 50% off coupon at Joann's.  I cut the inside and longer ties' material from a sheet set I bought at Goodwill for $5.00, which turned out to be about $.25 worth of that.  There's so much extra I could go The Sound of Music on that ish and make Mia some play clothes.

I followed the tutorial step by step {plus added the longer straps}, and voila!

If anyone has any great toddler travel tips, leave a comment!  And have a great week! :)

{UPDATE}
After putting together the travel chair I realized it irritates one of my pet peeves: carriers / wraps / baby gear that has straps and pullies and arms and legs flying everywhere with no good compact way to store them or throw them in your bag.  Does this make sense? 

Basically, I end up throwing this into my bag:

Which I hate.

So I decided to add a cute little toggle button and leather loop to the seat so I can wrap it up nice and secure.

Um..next time I will work on the tiny detail they call "centering." But nonetheless -- Pet Peeve Solved!

Now go check out the other great posts at the Inspire Me Please linkup at House of Rose!

Framed Magazine Clippings Quote

I was reading my friend Sheena's awesome blog, like, a minute ago, and realized while reading her post about using cool pictures from a magazine as art that I have YET to post about a gift I made last Christmas!

So, instead of waiting until November to be more seasonally appropriate (maybe my plan all along. You'll never know.), here it is..

It was for my work's Secret Santa homemade gift exchange, with a $15 cap on spending.

Here's what I put together:

--Colorful magazine pictures, ads, graphics, etc. that I cut into letters (free)
--Cream-colored fabric (already had - free)
--Glitter paper (Michael's, $1.99)
--Frame (Michael's, $8 after 40% off coupon)
--Glue, scissors (already had)

I knew my Secret Santa giftee liked St. Catherine of Siena and so I figured a quote from her would be perfect.

Also, I got the inspiration for this framed-quote-using-magazine-clippings idea from a picture of one, believe it or not, in a magazine, with the quote

Do

What

You

LOVE

What 

You 

Do

I thought this was a great quote too, but went with St. Catherine instead.  You could of course also use the actual printed letters from magazines as well for framed quotes!

Anyway here's a close-up.  I was going for a multi-textured look by using the fabric, but you can always just use some clean white paper, or any color for that matter.  

Now go see Sheena's awesome Magazine Art idea too!

Crib Rail Cover DIY

The other day I went into Mia's room, thinking, "boy, I thought I would have needed a crib rail cover by now."  I had casually kept my eye on the the top of it for teeth marks, and still didn't see anything..

Then I decided to look inside "just in case," and found...

EEEKKKK!!!!!!!

What a mistake I had made.  A Big. Big. Mistake.  She's had teeth for 6 months..what was I thinking!

I went straight (humor me here) to Joann's to get some fabric to cover these babies up.  It was so easy! Here are the simple, no-sew steps:

1. I laid the fabric (I only bought 1 yard, and had plenty extra) over the railing to measure how much I needed to cut.  I wish I had cut some extra length-wise, since it pulls towards the middle once you start tying the knots.  Also, make sure you cut at least 4-5 inches past the bottom of the top rail for the strips that you'll tie together.

This is what I mean:

2. I cut the fabric into a long rectangle.  (Don't cut the strips just yet.)

3. I laid it back over the railing, and cut the strips in between each rail (I cut the back strip and front strip at the same time).  To make sure the fabric didn't shift around while I cut, I first cut the strips on each end and tied them, and then I cut the ones in the middle. Here's a closer look:

4. Then I tied the knots.

5. And lastly, I cut these remaining strips:

My strips were just the right length so I didn't need to trim the ties, but if you need to trim the ties, this is your last step.

And there you have it!

I sort of wish I had chosen a solid color, since the wallpaper is so busy in the background, but oh well.  

This project cost me $4.00, was a perfect no-sew solution, and once I got back from the store it took me mayyybbeee 30 minutes.  And there's enough fabric to cover the side rails too if I need to.

Done!

New Mom Gift Basket

{Update: If you are here from the lovely Pinterest and happen to have the symbols "?m=1" at the end of this url, please delete them and press enter, or click here for much more viewing pleasure!}

Hello!

Last weekend we celebrated my very good friend and her soon-to-arrive baby. I couldn't help but be extra excited for this shower because a) It was for my very good friend, and b) I was on the other side of the shower / celebration / anticipation / absolute and complete unknown.  What a relief to just watch, encourage, and celebrate someone else!

Since she is a good friend, I decided to give myself permission to go rogue from her baby registry and get her the things I wish I had around my house when the baby came.  I thought of so many things, but narrowed it down to these (which I found all at Target, in one shopping trip..which made the narrowing down easy).

1. Eye Mask - for all those daytime naps to heed the ubiquitous advice to "sleep when the baby sleeps!"  It takes me generally 20+ minutes to fall asleep, and with the sun out even more.  These babies cut that down to about 60 seconds when you add in lack of sleep :)

2. Her favorite wine 

3. Dry Shampoo - yes I spoke of this here before, and still attest - it is a new mom's life saver

4. Mother's Milk herbal lactation tea - and if it doesn't work, at least it tastes good

5. Facial Cleansing Wipes - anything "quick" is a new mom's dream

6. A Cereal / easy healthy-ish snack she likes - I chose Fiber One because I know she likes it, and it has Fiber - much needed at this stage

7. Personal Cleansing Wipes - I don't need to go into detail on this, just trust me...they are handy for weeks

8. Lanolin nipple cream - used constantly for at least 3 weeks. oweeee!

9. A copy of Parents Magazine (or of course any magazine for those long feeding sessions is great)

10. Another snack - anything that can be easily grabbed and eaten with one hand; these are fruit chews with added Vitamin C

11. Tank tops - I prefer the "normal" tank tops for feeding- Old Navy has great ones, shelf bra tops are great, and Target has a bunch of different styles.  I have at least a dozen tank tops that I use constantly to feed Mia in (plus I live in AZ and wear tank tops 5+ months out of the year).  

The 2-tank top trick is my go-to for feedings with other people around (the tank underneath is pulled down, the top one is pulled up - that way your back and side are always covered, and your chest/cleavage is covered - both good whether or not you use those handy feeding covers).

Looking at this list I can see a few themes: the need for food, the lack of showering and sleep, and anything revolving around breastfeeding.  Yep that pretty much sums up a new mom's life.

If you are a mom, I'm sure you could think of many other items to add / exchange.  And of course, always use your best judgement for the particular new mom you are buying for.  And don't forget the gift receipt! :)

Best wishes to all those new and soon-to-be new mamas out there!

  

Fabric Flower Headband Time

Guess what day it is??

That's right - College Football Game Day!  And not just "any" college football, but more importantly - 

Notre Dame Game Day!

And the first one of the season at that!!

Now, I am a big fan of ND and all, but I still sometimes need me a little project-o to do whilst watching the 3 + hour game.  Today, I decided to finally (Finally!) make Miss Mia a flower headband.  (Something I thought I would have done 6-ish months ago or so).

And here she is in all her glory!

Her new trick is shoving her fist in her mouth, so I wanted to document that here. (i.e. I don't have many pics without her fist in her mouth).

If you want to learn how...Thiss is howw we doo iiiiit:

Materials:

-Fabric

-Needle

-Matching string

-Good Fabric Scissors

-Hot Glue & Gun (optional but helpful)

-Um I think that's it

-Oh! The TV tuned into ND / your fave team!

Step #1: Find some fabric and get to cutting.  I decided to use an old, super soft t-shirt my husband was going to donate (sorry Goodwill).  It's the perfect fabric for flower and headband making - stretchy, soft, good color, good condition, etc.

I cut up the t-shirt first so it's easier to cut in nice straight lines.

Step #2: Cut a long strip and fold it up into about 4-6 layers (or however many your scissors can handle).  This should match about the size of flower you want to end up with.  I like to secure with a pin to help the process go smoother but you don't have to if you are a Professional.

Step # 3: Cut out some petals.  For most flowers I make it takes 11 petals.  Sometimes I do the 5-clover type, sometimes the circle type, but this time I did 4-clover just because it's a small-ish flower and the style of the round petal is different.  

They do NOT need to be perfectly symmetrical - I personally don't like to spend the energy on something nobody will notice, but it's up to you!  I also like the slight variation in size.

Step # 4: This is where your creativity and practice comes into play.  Take 1 petal (A) and fold it in half (B).  Then fold it in half again (C), and sew to another petal (D).  This "other petal" will be the base you sew all petals to.

Step #5:  Keep going around 3 more times so you have sort of a circle.  Again, this first layer does not have to be perfect.  

Step # 6: Add a second layer with 4 more petals, placing the middle of each one on top of where two others meet.  If that sounded confusing, see pic below...where these two petals meet (see arrow), place another petal smack dab on top.  Then keep going around with the other 3 doing the same thing.

  

Step #7: Take your final two petals and sew them right in the middle - it doesn't matter where they face.  You will stand them up in the next step..

Step #8: Take your hot glue gun (or if you are skilled enough with a needle and thread you can do this sans hot glue...but the hot glue is just so dang easy!) and your flower.  Manipulate the petals to where you want them - stand up the middle ones, adjust some ones below, fan some out, etc. and decide where the glue will go.

I've found that the best way to utilize the glue is to stick 3 petals together with one dot - it helps them all stand up.  For example, the arrow below is pointing to a place where I put a dot of glue to hold the petals up.  Do this a couple times till it looks the way you want it (this flower took just 3 extra dots of glue to hold the petals up).

And your flower is done!  Now it's time to make the band and stick it all together.

Step #9: Cut out a band of fabric as wide as you want.  Measure your baby's / friend's / own head to know how long it needs to be.

Step #10: Connect the fabric to make a headband.  I chose to use hot glue, plus some extra sewing for added security.  You could probably do just one or the other.

Step #11: Hot glue the flower to the band in the same spot you glued / sewed the band together.  Tadaa!

       

Now, back to the game.  GO IRISH!