Diaper Bag/ Diaper Case

So I haven't completed my infant car seat padding yet, but all that is left is the binding.  I have a hard time finishing projects when I start it days before.  That's usually why I start and finish things in the same day, because I know I'll never do it if I put if off! :)

So my newest project was this cute little hobo bag!  With baby #3, there's not many new things you can buy since you have everything you need from the previous babies.  I'm too cheap to go out and buy a brand NEW diaper bag, so I thought I'd just make one.. here it is.

 I love the colors of the bag.  Black/White with accent of deep burgundy.

 Here's the inside of the bag.  Pretty roomy with a magnetic closure.  I don't know why it looks purple here.. hahah must be the lighting!

 This is the back of the bag.  I kinda wish I put a pocket on this side too.

Well, I had all these scraps of fabric left, so I thought I'd make a matching diaper holder.  I hate throwing away scraps when they're not tiny. :) Here it is.

 I wish the flap was a little narrower, but that's okay.  I like the binding! I had JUST enough red leftover.

 (4) Size 4 diapers.  I think it's roomy enough to hold a wipes case in there with it.  The inside is lined with a woven muslin/linen type fabric.  Another piece from my scrap pile.

 I only had scraps left, so I just pieced it together. :)

The bag and diaper case together!

All in all it took about 1/2 a day to put together.  Not bad for a cheap bag/diaper case.  Thanks for reading. :)

Fast Bibs

Being indoors during this holiday season has made me want to make crafts. I need instant gratification so I like to make these quick little projects.  Joann Fabrics had this cute little pattern that's like an oilcloth material.  Perfect for quick wiping bibs!!

I think the easiest thing to do is make a pattern from an existing bib... I wanted it a little longer and slightly wider than this bib.

Draw it with a pen.. since it's easier to use and the marks are easily covered when bound.

Make multiple patterns using weights (easier and quicker than pinning).

 Add on the binding and it's done!

 The finished product! Cute isn't it?

The velcro attachment in the back.

Total cost was about $4.  I made about 6 bibs with 1/3 a yard of fabric and 3 packs of binding. Very quick to make.  Less than an hour of work and my craft craving is done for the day. :)

Infant Carseat Cover

Sorry I haven't been blogging much lately everyone!  I've been wanting to replace my carseat cover for some time now because it's old and worn after two kids. :)  With the new baby coming in March I thought it would be a good time to revamp the carseat.

I was inspired by dana and her amazing carseat covers (you have to search her archives because I don't think she makes then anymore).  It took some time to create a pattern since I'm too cheap to buy one. :)  But I think it was well worth the effort since I can now use it to make multiple covers.  Here is the old carseat...

And the beginning of the new one.  I still have to add some more batting to the back to make it more cushy because I used a thinner batting on accident.  It's not as fitted as the other one because I haven't put the binding around the edge since I still have to add more cushioning still.

It's actually an aqua/brown combo but it looks white here doesn't it? :)  After I finish it I'll have to do the canopy to match! So for less than $10 on material (including the muslin to make the pattern) I've got a brand new carseat!  Wait scratch that.. I still need more material.. so maybe under $20.. mistakes can be costly. :)

I'll post the finished one when I'm done.  Maybe we should add it to the baby beean line. :)

Alice in Wonderland Kids Costume

Hello faithful readers.. yes, I have been out of my blogging mode for a while now.. but now that I have more energy (in the second trimester) I feel motivated to do a little more.. I posted this on my facebook already, but thought I'd try to keep my blog "relatively" up to date. :)

E has been wanting to be Alice in Wonderland for some time now.. I went to the store and found this cheap costume for $20-$25!  I was mortified at the cost of Halloween costumes!  The fabric alone probably cost the manufacturer 30 cents!  So I decided to try my hand at sewing my own.  I usually go buy a pattern, but I was too cheap to do it, so I reference this book that I have...

By the way, I LOVE this book!  It's very helpful if you're new to making patterns.

Anyway.. referenced the book and make E's costume from scratch!  I should have taken pictures of the process, but I was too lazy.  Next time. :)

Though it's unironed, I think it turned out pretty good!  Eddie thinks it looks like a waitress uniform though.. boo Eddie.  I'm thinking of selling the pattern for some money. hahha. 

The back

 The cutie in just the dress.. I'll take a picture with her full costume once it's ironed. :)

Next time.. the Mad Hatter..

Mid-season garden

Hello all!  I lost my camera a month ago, but I just found it yesterday!  I actually thought it was stolen along with my bag, but discovered it was tucked away behind a stroller that was leaning against the wall!  What a good day it was!

Ok.. on to my garden.  Here it is!

So I'll try not to bore you with a million pictures of all that's growing.. but just post a few.  I made (2) square foot gardens this year as my test garden.  I made the back trellis using electrical conduit and rebar! :)  I'm training the tomato plants, green beans and sugar snap peas up the trellis instead of caging or staking them.  So far so good!

Beefsteak tomatoes are growing well!

I went a little crazy on the pruning with this one, but the fruit branches are pleniful!  Yellow cherry tomatoes.  I also have the regular cherry tomatoes growing and a roma tomato plant (which I didn't know was a bush plant, so we'll see how that one goes!)

 

Banana Peppers growing well!  What do I do with these after I harvest them?  I don't even know how to use them!  I've only ever seen them on pizza, but thought it was a pretty cute plant. :)  Any suggestions?

These are sugar snap peas.. a test group.  Sadly they are not doing too well.  I've harvest like 4 pea pods and ate them with the family.  They were delicious!! So much better than the grocery store!  Next year I will be sure to plant several of them.. maybe even multiple square feet.

The two blueberry bushes that have no fruit because an animal came and ate them all.  Aren't they cute though? I might relocate them for next year.

Zucchini and Squash flourishing!  I think it's actually not enough space for them to co-exist, but it was an experiment to see if the existing soil was any good.  Guess it's good!

My pretty strawberries are finally growing!

Love it!

If you look at my first picture of the garden, all the GIGANTIC leaves in front are my broccoli leaves.  They are HUGE!!!!  Just now though the buds are forming.  Can you see it wrapped in a few tiny leaves?  

Can you see the tiny green bean growing? Isn't it cute?

 

Lastly, some of you have asked how my dad's garden, in my backyard, is going.  Sad to say, this is it... hahah. The ONLY thing growing is the swiss chard.  Which I won't eat because I'm freaked out that nothing else is growing.  Making me thing that there is something wrong with the soil.  My dad concluded that it was either bad soil.. which he doubts.. or possibly that the seeds drowned in the first few weeks.  We discovered that there was a spout from the house that was above this garden and would POUR water right over this area.  You can see the gutter in the back that we place so that the water would be rerouted elsewhere.  Since then, the swiss chard decided to make an appearance.

A Frock By Friday

I've been watching this one blog that posts "Frock by Friday" tutorials.. You guys know how crazy I get when I find a new project. :) So I went out the other day to buy some fabric to do a "past" frock by Friday. I finished it this weekend so I can join in on the "new" frock by Today. :) Yes, I'm crazy.  So here it is, my coffee date dress.  My first craft for me.

Here are my pattern pieces cut.. 

The finished dress!

Auggie wouldn't let me taken any pictures without him.

The ruffle detail.  The dress looks black, but it's actually blue.  Ignore the puckering on the bodice.

On another note, Baby Beean is still booming!  We've been getting some hits to our website (that still need so much work). I stocked up on some of our favorite fabrics and serged all of them... so if you need a cover, they're ready to go!  We've also been making some changes with the labels, seams, etc... so you can also order a SECOND cover if you need one. :)

If you order a cover now, you'll get our "new" label on them now. :)

They grow up so fast...

In 9 days my baby cousin, the youngest of all the cousins, is going to be getting married! I can't believe how quickly time has passed and I can't believe Aili will be a wife!  For the three weddings that our family has had, I've made each bride a wedding veil (did you know you can make one really cheaply instead of paying hundreds of dollars??).  Mine was a cathedral length, and both my sister's were fingertip length.

So Aili follows in our tradition... I hope to make one for her older sisters one day *hint hint* :).  I made this very thin one (the bride wanted a fuller one) that I gave it to Elizabeth to play with.  She LOVES it.  When she wears it, it makes me so sad to think that one day my baby will be (God willing) someone's wife...

 She's not posing, just watching TV.

Now she's posing..

My little baby's growing up.  She put the crown and dress on herself.

I'm trying to convince my husband to have another baby, but he said, "No!" hahah. We'll see about that...