DIY Bookcase Marketplace- IKEA Hack

Merry Christmas! I hope you and your family had a great time together. We hosted Christmas this year for the first time for about 20 of our close family members. Besides ruining half of the turkey, it went great. My usual over the top planning has left us eating leftovers all week- but isn't that the bonus of hosting a holiday?

Turkey Hair Clip

 I love Thanksgiving! Its so nice to be able to relax with family and not have to worry about presents and shopping like you do with Christmas. It's also one of the few times I get to see my mom's side of the family.  My Aunt Margie has hosted Thanksgiving for as long as I can remember. She has an amazing spread every year. I'm actually dreading the time when I may have to take over this tradition because it will never come close to her Thanksgiving.

Here is the turkey bow I actually made last Thanksgiving for the girls. I think it turned out super cute and was done in less than twenty minutes.

Non-slip Adjustable Headband DIY

This is a great 15 minute project that is very useful. Its so hard to find a good headband to work out in. My hair is very thick and curly, so not any headband will work. I always have issues with headbands either slipping or giving me a headache if they're too tight. These headbands are great because the velvet ribbon keeps it from slipping and the adjustable feature helps it sit perfectly on your head without being too tight.

The velvet ribbon was a little tricky for me to find, but I was able to get a 2 1/2 inch spool and cut it down to size. I actually think that was more cost effective than finding a5/8 spool.

Not into making your own? Visit my etsy shop to purchase one. I'm currently building up my inventory, but I have a few ones made to sell. Looking for a specific color? Email me and I can make one for you.

A Hello Kitty Themed Birthday Party

The Hello Kitty company has genius marketing executives. Never have I seen something that isn't linked to a cartoon or movie be so popular. I suppose when you manufacture pink & sparkly items, you will sell anything.

My girls are enamored with Hello Kitty. They want everything they see with this little feline on it. So, it was fitting that we did a Hello Kitty theme for Evelyn's second birthday party. Since we had her party at a jump house place, we didn't get to decorate- however, I did come up with plenty of ways to keep myself busy in the week before the party.

Here are the pics...I hope it helps inspire you for your own little Hello Kitty affair!

Dress-up Center Ikea Hack

My daughter's dress-up clothes have been in a little cloth toy box for the last year. This little box is messy and unorganized but little dress-up centers are very expensive and not in my budget...until now.

About a week ago, I noticed the Ikea bookcase I have all the girls' books on is the perfect size for a little dress-up center. For $39.99, we purchased the white bookcase and created an adorable dress-up center the girls love. You can certainly find cheaper bookcases at Wal-mart or Target, but the Ikea Billy bookcase is the perfect size to hang the dress-up clothes and have a shelf for baskets and shoes. My only problem with it is that it was too narrow on the side to find a decent mirror, so we added vinyl flowers and a quote I cut from my Cricut.

This little center was a perfect gift for my little 3 year old. The best thing about it is that it brought all of their dress-up clothes and accessories out in the open. When they were in the box, they were barely played with. Now, my little divas are dressed-up all the time. Here is how I did it...

Baby Boy Boxing Nursery Update

Lee has finally finished with the nursery! I can't believe how adorable it is and super fun that it's so unique.

Here are the final pics...

DIY Lace Crowns

Elsie's birthday is coming up and she wants a Pinkalicious birthday party. I have spent a few weeks agonizing over what she will wear. We've done the tutu dress thing a few times now and I'm ready for something different. The other night, we were reading Pinkalicious and she pointed out that Pinkalicious wears a crown (which I have never noticed before). She looked up at me with the most excited look I've ever seen on her face and asked, "Mommy, are you going to make me a pretty crown for my Pinkalicious birthday party?" Her excitement was so incredibly adorable, I began scouring the Internet to find the best crown for her birthday. This Blog had my favorite.

I purchased a 9ft roll of lace trim at Hobby Lobby for $2.99 (and it was half off).  The trim was gathered on the roll, but I trimmed off the bottom seam to ungather it, which ended up giving me an extra 5 inches on the 14 inch section I cut off, so you could get about 12 crowns off one roll of trim. Pretty great deal.

Here is how I did it...

Baby Boy Nursery: Boxing Glove Applique Strip Quilt

My best friend since middle school, Lee, is having a baby boy in September. In true Lee form, rather than going with the usual teddy bear or  jungle themes, she chose a unique theme: boxing. In choosing this, she has destined herself to completely decorate the nursery with no inspiration other than her very creative mind.

I offered to make her baby quilt for her since she couldn't find any matching bedding. This was a little nerve wracking since I couldn't find any boxing appliques to model my quilt after. So I had to wing it and hope it somewhat resembled a pair of boxing gloves. My favorite part about this quilt is the light blue strips, which I made using the fabric from the bridesmaid dress I wore in her wedding. I wish I had thought of that for all my family and friends!

Strip Quilt Tutorial with Owl Applique

This was my first attempt at an applique. Another reason why I'm so glad I purchased a new sewing machine back in February! This new machine has opened up so many new craft possibilities, its a little overwhelming. For the first time in my life, I'm using my sewing machine on a weekly basis. I don't think I've ever used an entire spool of thread in my life until two months ago!

Anyway, back to the quilt. My sister-in-law is having a baby girl in a few weeks and since I just made this Monkey Quilt for her sister's baby that was born in April, I wanted to do something a little different. While researching baby quilts online, I continually came across strip quilts. I had been given a quilt like this when Evelyn was born last year and loved it. So, I decided this was the avenue I would take for this quilt. For the applique, I googled owl appliques and drew a pattern for one with my favorite elements from all the pictures I found.

Don't get overwheled by all the steps...from start to finish, this quilt took me five days to complete. At most, I was able to devote 2 hours a day to it. So, its completely doable to finish this in a week if you're motivated.

Baby Bib DIY

I made a few bibs for my little nephew that is arriving in April for my sister-in-law's baby shower. I was shocked at how easy it was to make these cute little bibs. I wish I had attempted this sooner because I have bought my fair share of bibs over the last two and a half years. 

Over Night Bag Tutorial Update

Here is the bag I made for my sister Sabrina using the Diaper/ Overnight Bag Tutorial I did last month. I love how this bag turned out. It was much faster the second time around and I tried a new interior pocket. I have the fabric to do my other sister's bag. I'm so excited to try it again. I think this bag is adorable and very easy to do.

Please leave me a comment...I'd love to know what you think!

Thrift Store Refinished Tutu Night Stand

Elsie is in love with all things girly. If it's sparkly or frilly, I usually get a big exclamation of "Elsie loves it!" So, when I decided she needed a night stand and lamp because she can't reach her light switch, I knew it had to be a pretty night stand.

I purchased this nightstand for $3 from Goodwill. I was on the hunt for a circular table, but decided after two months of searching that a square would have to do because I was ready to start this project. This is a very easy transformation and has gotten rave reviews from my two year old client.

Thrift Store Refinished Step Stool

My life has been crazy, so its been a whilie since I've had a chance to finish a project.  Clinton and I just had a serious conversation about him letting me steal away on weekends to do my projects and blog. Part of the issue is that the weather has been so great this year in Illinois. We had virtually no snow and we've seen a steady stream of warm temperatures since March. The little town I live in is on two big rivers and becomes like a resort town on the weekends once the weather gets nice. I have to admit that when my neighbors invite us on their boat, I'd rather be on the water with them than in my garage painting. I'm sure that excitement will get old soon and I'll be back to work.

Diaper/Over Night Bag Tutorial

Its been a busy month, so I've been MIA for a while. I have about 10 half-done projects in my garage right now that I'll, hopefully, get posted soon. For now, here is my latest creation and my first attempt at making a bag or purse. I think it turned out pretty well...a few flaws that I now know to fix on my next one. I already have two orders for bags from my sisters.

I've never loved any of my diaper bags and I've had a hard time finding a reasonably-priced bag that I could purchase. So, I decided to make this bag after seeing a cute purse on pinterest that I thought I could alter to make my own. This is a really large bag. It would be great as an airplane bag or a weekend bag if you don't have 2 munchkins to pack for on a daily basis. It comfortably fit all the diapers, wipes, food and change of clothes for my two babies on Easter. And, best of all, its adorable.  This is a pretty long tutorial, but it's a fairly easy project. The longest part of the entire process was interfacing all the fabric.

Here is how i did it...

Kid's drawer Organization Tip

Just a quick tip today...

I was tired of finding my girls' dresser a mess due to the -male adult that lives in my home who shall remain nameless- so I reorganized their drawers. Instead of folding the clothes and stacking them on top of one another, I folded them so that you can see each pair of pants, PJ's, etc upon opening the drawer.

This has saved me a lot of time  by not cleaning drawers on the weekends.

Monkey Quilt

One of the gifts I made for my sister-in-law is a quilt made with a nursery panel I found at Joann Fabrics. As with most of my projects, I was at Joann's looking for something entirely different when I stumbled upon this pane. It was love at first sight.  I loved the little monkey and it was a raised image to satisfy a baby with sensory tendencies.

So, I purchased it and pieced together a quilt using a few other fabric swatches I had on-hand. I haven't made a quilt in years and I was a little out of practice...add in the complexity of forming a quilt around a pre-made panel and it took a little longer than it probably should have, but I love how it turned out. As everyone quilts differently, and I am far from an expert, this isn't a full-fledged tutorial, but more of a documentation of my progress in pictures to inspire others to venture into their first quilt.

Play Make-up DIY

Clinton and I found an adorable play vanity at a resale website for Elsie's birthday. I am very devoted to buying used toys when I can. Not only have I saved hundreds of dollars over the past two years on toys that are used for a few months, but I also strongly believe in the "greeness" of reusing toys.

I purchased a little hairstyling set with it, but couldn't find any play make-up that I liked. Enter the love of my life-Pinterest. When I saw the following idea, I couldn't believe how adorable, easy and green this project is. I love how it turned out and I love even more that I was able to use some old things I had on-hand. I actually resented Mary Kay for changing their compacts a little less because I was able to repurpose my old ones for my babies.

Leprechaun Playdough

Bring a little Irish into your home with this quick and easy St. Patty's day play dough recipe. This is the best play dough recipe I have ever made. You can change the color or the extract to alter the sensory experience of the play dough.

Tid bit of info: Playing with play dough is actually a pre-writing activity. Its very important for children ages 2-4 to play with play dough because it strengthens the muscles in their hands that are needed to hold a pencil. Another way play helps kids learn.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Baby Sensory Blanket

These blankets are great for babies who have sensory issues. My daughter Evelyn needs to squeeze her hands on something when she goes to sleep and this blanket is her favorite. It has a satin side and a soft fleece side. The ribbon tags add to the sensory experience of this blanket.

I made two blankets for my new little nephew. One was 2 feet by 2 feet and only had 3 little ribbons. The other was one foot square and had ribbons all around it. This simple gift is a must-have for all new moms.

Satin Poppy Flower

I love the look of these flowers. They are really easy to make and they look great as hair clips, broaches, purse clips and shoe clips. Just pick up any satin fabric, needle and thread, lighter and beads and you're ready to go!

Cheap satin fabric doesn't burn right, so don't cheap out on this. You need such a little amount that a quarter yard will give you enough flowers to fill a garden!