Long Time No See

My sewing machine has made residence on my kitchen table again after months of being stuffed in the closet.

And what was my first project? Just some burp cloths I whipped up for a friend's new baby boy.

There is a lot more coming. I have been working on birthday presents and a pirate party is in the works. My crafty to do list is getting out of hand.

Queen Bee Market Inspiration

I went to the Queen Bee Market on the first and LOVED it! I know the purpose of a market is for people to buy things. I didn't walk away with much.

Only this awesome picture by Stacey Winters.

I loved all of her stuff. But I had to buy this because it reminded me of Justin and me. I also love the title "Love Your Haircut". I brought it home, put it in a frame, wrapped it up and gave it to Justin for our Anniversary of getting engaged (we don't really celebrate the day, it just happened to be the same day). You can check out her etsy site HERE.

I also walked away with lots of inspiration for getting crafty. I walked around and thought, "And I want to make that, and I want to make that, and I have to make that." So I got every one's card, checked out their online shops and made a list of all the things I want to make. I used my own names for things, but here is the list. I wanted to add pictures but didn't feel comfortable using them without permission, so you will just have to link over to take a look. And if you are not feeling too crafty just buy it already made.

Birdie Polymer Clay Clippies at Creme de la Gems

Wall Hooks and Magnets at paisley mill

Little Felt Flowers and Big Felt Flower and Fabric Flower and Another Fabric Flower at Baby Flair Boutique

Covered Notebook, Crayon Roll, Covered Button Clips at The Pleated Poppy

Word Signs at Joy's Hope

Security Blanket from MEG original

I also have a mental list of all the other thing I want to make. Maybe I should write that down too. But for now here is part of my never ending to do list.

My Latest

Did you know that March was Craft Month?

I think it was my least craftiest month in over a year.

I spent most of March working on this:

I spent a lot of my "free" time sleeping and resting. Now that she is finally here I feel so motivated to get back on the horse and get back to crafting and blogging again. But we will see if I am able to find the time with all the extra cuddling and snuggling going on around here.

A Girl Can Dream

Can you tell that my life goes in cycles. Some weeks I am super woman, my house is clean, we do lot of fun things, I somehow find time to craft and blog about it all.

Other weeks I struggle to keep my house remotely clean, keep my sanity and I can't even manage to get dinner on the table. During those weeks once the kids are in bed all I can think about is taking a HOT shower and going to bed myself.

Life has been busy. As I get closer to my due date (April) the time goes faster and the to do list gets longer. Our family has been living at the doctor's office the last couple of months. I have driven to the doctors at least 2 times a week for the past 2 months and we are not even sick (okay, maybe a little off the norm)! OB's, Pediatricians, Neurologist, extra Ultrasounds, and the Gastroenterologist. Luckily we have good insurance and are all looking healthy.

But on the crafty side I saw this and I want it. BAD!

I love, love, love it!

Here is the link to V and Co and her tutorial at moda bake shop. I don't think I have it in me to make it or even put it on my to do list. So if anyone wants to make it for me, please do. I will be watching the mail. I want that exact fabric, even if I have a boy.

A girl can dream.

Baby Boys

I made up some onesies and burp cloths for two of my friend's baby boys. Everyone I know is having a boy right now.

This scooter was cut out of some baby flannel I had.

When I make these onesies I use a double stick fusible web to attach the fabric. To secure the fabric I hand stitched around the design. I was worried about the inside stitching and knots being too rough on the newborn's skin so I covered it up by attaching a white piece of fabric using the fusible webbing.

Above is the inside of the onesie, showing off my messy stitching. Below is showing it covered up with the white piece of fabric to protect the baby's skin. (Do you like how huge these pictures are? Oh well.)

In my opinion (and my husband's) cloth diapers are by far the BEST burp cloths. They are absorbent, soft and have minimal runoff. I dressed some up with a strip of baby flannel.

Reversible Baby Hat

In December I checked Lotta Jansdotter's Simple Sewing for Baby from my local library. Due to the busy Christmas season I didn't get the time I wanted with the book but asked Santa for my very own copy. Lucky for me I got two sewing books Simple Sewing for Baby and InStitches by Amy Butler.

Nothing in Simple Sewing for Baby is super unique or hard. They are just a bunch of simple projects for baby. This book is for someone like me who is just getting into sewing and likes to have a pattern, even for small projects.

This Baby hat was the first thing to catch my eye, where I thought, "I have to make one of those." I made one and was so happy about how fast and easy it was that I made another. One side is a cute pink flannel and the other is a cream fleece material.

4 Giveaways down, 1 to Go. It has almost been an entire year. yikes!

P.S. If you are one of my friends and are wondering why you didn't get a Christmas gift (mentioned here) this year. It is because I ran out of time, got too stressed and am saving all my grand plans for next year. So sorry, no presents this year, except that I survived Christmas, that should be present enough (maybe).

The Truth about Potty Training

I think there are some parents in the world who just have it figured out, at least about potty training. I was not one of those people. I knew that I had NO idea what I was doing. A couple of months ago I tried to teach my son how to use the potty. We tried everything and nothing was working. I started asking everyone what worked for them. I found a lot of advice on using positive encouragement, and no pressure. But nothing was working. We tried sticker charts, m&ms, setting a timer, bribery, begging, and unfortunately punishment. Can I just say that Tanner filled up a whole sticker chart and he still didn't tell me when he needed to use the potty. So we stopped potty training for a couple of months. I know I needed a break.

But I knew it was time to try again. I was embarrassed that he was still wearing diapers at 3. I know that it is generally acceptable. But I always had the belief that kids could be taught a lot younger than that. I just didn't know how to teach him.

So last Tuesday it was official, Tanner was a big boy and we started training again. Halfway into the day we were right where we left off. Frustrated, Annoyed, Depressed, and Discouraged. I know I just expected it to happen in one day. Like magic. Like all those people who blog about it just taking their kids hours. Out of desperation I turned to the internet. Not for how to potty train but to see if I could pay someone to come in and do it. At that moment I was willing to give anything to just have it over with. I know some might be thinking "Its not that bad" well I thought it was.

I couldn't find anyone to pay to actually do it, but I found several "Potty train you kid in 3 days" programs. I figured I was desperate. As far as I could tell all the programs looked pretty much the same. Except one said that it trained the most stubborn of children, I decided that one was for us. I purchased the program off of 3 Day Potty Training by Lora Jensen. I am kind of embarrassed to admit that I bought it and that I needed help.

When I bought the program I downloaded an ebook. I read all 40 pages and felt a new determination that we could do it. The program is not rocket science. After reading it I thought ,"That's it, I should have thought of that, it is so simple."

So do you want to know if it really only took 3 days? It pretty much did. By day 4 he would pee a few drops and then tell us he had to go. A week after training begun Tanner has had NO accidents. He is able to hold it while we are out. I do have a potty in the back of my van for when public toilets are too scary for him. He has only used it once. We were having a harder time at night, so Justin started taking him to the bathroom when he wakes up at 5:30am. Tanner goes to the bathroom and goes right back down to sleep. Tanner is actually sleeping in later because he doesn't have to wake up to go to the bathroom.

The program suggest the earliest to start potty training is at 22 months. I am anxious for Lily to turn 22 months to try it out on her.

We are really happy with the results. If you are feeling desperate or confused like I was just go buy a program. I am not getting paid to tell you all this (I wish I was). I just am passing this along to help any desperate mothers like I was.

Flag Day

Did you know that Flag day is on Sunday? I like to dress my kids for the occasion. I figure they can wear the same flag shirt for Flag Day, the 4th of July and Pioneer Day (if you are a Utahn, which we are not). Last year I made this onesie for my daughter, Lily. I cut red fabric into strips. Then I ironed them on with fusible webbing. I then secured them down with a zig zag stitch and added 3 star buttons, purchased at Joannes.

I have not made the kids' shirts for this year yet. I don't think they will be done by Flag Day, but at least by the 4th. I figured this year I will make it simple by using red ribbon or ric rack for the stripes. As for the star I am planning on appliqueing a big blue one.

My Hubby and Lily, Flag Day 2008

Chandler's Blocks

I saw these blocks a long time ago and was so excited when I was finally able to make them for baby Chandler. I used this tutorial over at London Mummy. They turned out more like balls than cubes, but hopefully still fun for Chandler to suck on. For another quick baby gift I used a green decorative stitch on cloth diapers to make a couple burp cloths.

Daisy's Elephant

(Sorry this picture is such poor quality. I took it in a hurry when I was late to a baby shower.)

I first saw this tag elephant on homemade by jill. Then she posted a tutorial here. I had to make one because I LOVE elephants. I used a smaller version of the elephant template for the elephant on the onesie. Then I added a matching burp cloth to finish off the whole package. Thanks Jill!

Chase's Booties

It seems like everyone I know has either just had a baby, is about to pop, or has just found out they are pregnant. So bring on the baby gifts. This is the first time I made booties. I used Stardust Cloth Shoe Pattern. It took me at least two times to do every step. I don't know what was wrong with me. I blame it on making them while the kids were awake. I can't wait to try another pair.

And oh my goodness, while you are at Stardust Shoes check out this post. I want that book and I want it now. Maybe I just want the bread. ***Update: I just placed the book on hold at my local library. So I will let you know how it goes.