Hello, PinkBird

Help Us Help Our Cat!

noreply@blogger.com (PinkBird) — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 20:04:00 +0000

Hi! Long time, no posts. I know. So, I'd like to share with you what is currently happening in my family. Recently, my beloved 16 year old cat was diagnosed with diabetes. He was recently admitted to an ER vet, where he has spent several heartbreaking days and nights with diabetic neuropathy. This condition has left our sweet gray cat unable to stand or have much use of his legs. He is a well traveled member of our family (living with us on 2 different continents, in 5 different states, including Hawaii) who we have loved since we met him almost 15 years ago. I want you to know that your purchase of any of the items in my Etsy shop is going to help cover the thousands of dollars of medical bills and expenses we have incurred trying to help our wonderful feline friend live out his life in a happy and healthy way. We have come this far with him and love him too much to give up now! Thank you for your purchase from our entire family--especially our sweet old cat!

Here he is at the vet this morning--it's hard to tell, but he is improving!

hello again.

noreply@blogger.com (PinkBird) — Thu, 17 May 2012 03:11:00 +0000

I am still here. Still creating. Still exploring. Still being. BUT...now I am also being a mama! In March 2011 I had the most beautiful baby boy. He is now about 14 months old and caring for him has taken over some of my priorities (and now I have a dedicated blog about him, which makes blogging here difficult, obviously). Also, now that he is walking, talking, climbing, getting into everything, and generally growing up (Boo! What happened to my baby!?) It's even more difficult to find time in front of the computer.

I am still making lots of lovely things--mainly for the baby now--and have heaps of photos and tutorials I want to post; and I will. Someday. Hopefully sooner rather than later.

I didn't mean to just leave ya hanging like this for all these months but those of you that are mothers know the ways in which life sneaks away from you as you are caring for and cuddling your baby. So much of my life has changed and is about to change. I also realize that the focus of this space may change as my life is changing. After all, this is a lifestyle blog of sorts and right now, my small family is my life. So, there may be fewer posts on travel (or more posts on travel with babies) and more tutorials for creating kid friendly things, but I hope you can still find something charming or inspiring to hold on to.

Take it light and happy crafting,
Bekki

Baby Leg Warmers (Tutorial):

noreply@blogger.com (PinkBird) — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 18:16:00 +0000

Since I can't stop making baby things, I made a few pairs of baby leg warmers recently! Not only do I think they look cute, but they seem like they would make diapering easier and protect the baby's knees when he begins to crawl since a lot of our home is tiled. I followed two different tutorials (this one and this one) to make them, so one pair is a different style than the other 2 pairs. Basically, I bought some (really inexpensive) women's knee high socks, cut the feet parts off and sewed a cuff to what was left. Easy. And cute! Of course, this post would be even better if I had a cute little baby to model these, but that time will come soon enough! Click "Read More" below to see the finished products.

These should be great with a onesie. The most difficult part was finding adult knee high socks in the women's department that would be good for a baby boy! Can't wait to try out my handy work! :)

-Bekki

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Mardi Gras Wreath (Tutorial):

noreply@blogger.com (PinkBird) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 17:43:00 +0000

Mardi Gras is big time, even here on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. To celebrate, I made a Mardi Gras door wreath by following my own Felt Wreath Tutorial.

We have already been to 2 Mardi Gras parades in our neighborhood and the big ones are coming up on Fat Tuesday! Yay!

Happy Mardi Gras!
Bekki

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Gratitude...

noreply@blogger.com (PinkBird) — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 18:06:00 +0000

Sometimes I feel like a complainer. I try not to be, really (and honestly don't do it too much). But some days I feel like the phrases, "AH! This acid reflux is awful!" or "I'm so tired I just want to sleep until our due date," or "My body is breaking down!" are all I say! I do realize, however, that I am actually really lucky. We are really lucky. Maybe the word lucky isn't even correct; fortunate is a better word. I am very grateful for being so fortunate and here's why (in no order):

Even though we had to move to Mississippi, it worked out because in Maryland we had a one bedroom apartment and would have had to move ourselves somewhere bigger for the baby. However, since The Guy's work required us to move, they did all the packing and heavy lifting and transporting for us. So, despite being pregnant, moving wasn't too bad; I hardly had to lift a finger.

I occasionally feel like, "Ah. I live in Mississippi, there's nothing here" but...it could be worse. And, we could have moved into a bigger place here in a different neighborhood but we really picked this place for it's location. We are in a small historic downtown with lots of restaurants, bars, shops, parks, farmer's market, playgrounds, beach, walking/jogging paths, art galleries, museums, festivals, parades, etc. all in walking distance. It's great.

From the middle of the first trimester to the middle of the second I suffered morning sickness/nausea that lasted all day. The few times I did actually get sick where actually kind of funny in retrospect. (But I'll spare you the details). I am thankful though that I haven't been that sick the entire pregnancy. In a lot of ways I'm really enjoying being pregnant.

I have a fantastic husband who is involved and excited to have a baby--and isn't embarrassed to say he's excited or that he can't wait to bring the baby around with him in the carrier.

We have a generous and supportive family that are just as excited about our new family member as we are.

We have wonderful friends who are excited for us and who remind us what "awesome' parents we will be. I'm not sure how they know this or why they think this, but I'll take their word for it.

I may complain about my wedding rings being stuck on my finger (thanks to recent heat/humidity here and pregnancy swelling), but this swelling is recent and it isn't painful and my finger isn't turning blue. If I have to get my ring cut off that's OK, it's just a thing. If this is the worst thing to happen during my pregnancy then I am very fortunate.

In the same vein, despite a potential issue in the middle of my pregnancy, (that has cleared up on it's own), we have a healthy little buddy growing here, he's measuring well. moving a lot, even responding to outside stimulus, etc. So far our first try at growing a human seems to be going really well. I definitely recognize how blessed we are.

Thanks to The Guy's career choice we have fantastic medical coverage. I know we are so lucky to have that. While we were still living in Maryland we were going to our pre-natal appointments at Johns Hopkins and had our second ultrasound on a really fancy machine (that there are only 9 of in the state of Maryland). Even though now we aren't being seen at such a prestigious hospital, I do like where we are at.

I have made it this far with only the slightest touch of stretch-marks (maybe I shouldn't jinx it). They are small and not too noticeable!

At 2 weeks before our due date I was out at a trendy bar (not drinking, obviously) having fun with a group of people who couldn't believe I was out since I'm "sooo" pregnant. Sure, I was the only pregnant lady in the place, but that's OK. Had my water broke on the dance floor at least I would have had a funny story to tell (and I wasn't dancing the much anyway).

Even though I had to leave a job I enjoyed (that paid pretty well) and now can't find a job here (and to do what I did in Maryland here I'd make about $5-$10 less per hour!!!), I can see the silver lining--I have time to walk to the beach, clean/organize before the baby arrives, and make all kinds of great things for my son. I never feel bored and try not yo feel sorry for myself for what seems like an endless job search. (I've spoken to lots of people who have just moved here and none of them can find a job either!) I try to keep myself busy and in the end I think our quality of life is pretty darn good. Plus, I do have PinkBird Creations/Etsy to help me along.

Some days I feel really huge--like, I haven't seen my feet in weeks huge--like I had to buy slip on sneakers for the winter because I couldn't tie my shoes or zipper my boots huge--like thank God for elastic in everything huge. But throughout my entire pregnancy I haven't had a single child point to me and say, "Mommy, look at that fat lady eatting that giant bowl of [insert ridiculous dessert here]!" (Or something like that). So, that's something to be thankful for, right?!?

And, despite craving sweets and feeling guilty about it a lot of times, I "passed" my Gestational Diabetes test. That was good.

I have not had many crazy or regetable pregnancy food cravings. One day, I considered dipping the tortilla chips I was eating into a jar of peanut butter--but I didn't follow through. I did crave cold sandwiches for awhile there though. We ate a lot of Jimmy Johns and Subway then.

Pregnant women aren't supposed to change litter boxes. We have 2 cats and 2 litter boxes. It's been such a pleasant 9 months not having to deal with that. The Guy is awesome!

I also am grateful for so many of you friends and family that are reading this blog (thanks, technology) and that have the time and energy to write this (at least for now). So, in these last few days when I expect I will get more eager and more uncomfortable and may feel like I'm going to be pregnant forever, I have this list--and so much more--to remind me that it's actually all really good and we are so lucky.

I know I am forgetting a million reasons that I am blessed and a million more things I have to be grateful for; this is just the beginning and just a small reminder to myself. No matter how bad it seems or how hot, swollen or uncomfortable I may feel some days, it's actually all really, really good...and I'm hot, swollen, and uncomfortable for a wonderful reason!

The Baby's Pinwheel Mobile (with Tutorial)

noreply@blogger.com (PinkBird) — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 14:58:00 +0000

Mobiles can be beautiful and fun to look at--they can also be really expensive. When looking for baby stuff it seemed like all the crib mobiles I liked were more than we wanted to spend on something we'd only use for awhile (although I guess if I did buy a $200 mobile, I'd keep it up forever or something) (like this, or this).

So, rather than spend lots of money I decided to make my own mobile--all for under $5! First, I will say that though I really liked some other mobiles, it seems like so many of them are designed to be looked at from the side and not from below--and let's face it, the baby will be looking up at it so I wanted it to be engaging from the bottom and not have him just staring up at the underside of plush cars or elephant butts as is typical of a lot of mobiles.

Thinking that infants see high contrast colors and patterns better I knew I wanted to make a mobile that was black and white with a pretty accent color. I also knew I wanted it to be light weight so it would hang easily and if somehow it fell down it would be somewhat safe. Paper pinwheels seemed to be my best bet!

I wish I would have taken more step-by-step photos while I was making it, but I didn't. Boo! (Plus, the entire thing was a bit of an experiment so I wasn't sure what would actually work and I did try various things to figure out what worked). But, if you are interested, I will put a brief recap/tutorial below the photos in case you want to try making your own. (My apologies that the "how to" may not make much sense).

Anyway, here is the cute mobile I made (before we found out the baby's gender, I should add). I'm actually pretty proud of it because I think it turned out really well. We hung it in the nursery last weekend.

Now, if you're still reading, here's the (kinda sketchy) tutorial part:

First, I bought a large embroidery hoop (maybe 12"), some white yarn, and scrapbook paper that fit my patter/color specifications. I cut the 12"x12" scrapbook paper into quarters (so I had 4 smaller equal squares to make the pinwheels out of). Then, I made the pinwheels using a technique like this. Instead of pining them, I poked holes through the center with a large yarn needle and strung them onto the yarn (not sure how long a piece of yarn I used, I just eyeballed it, but I did read somewhere that infant mobiles shouldn't have strings longer than 7"). I painted some brads black and used those in the center of the pinwheels--then tied the yarn tightly to the other end of the brads (and slathered this knot it strong, non-toxic glue). There, pinwheels are done. Then, I painted the embroidery hoop and a large wooden bead to coordinate with the paper.

I drilled evenly spaced holes in the embroidery hoop and used small hand-punched paper circles glued to the front and back of the holes to make them look pretty. I strung each pinwheel on yarn through a hole and knotted it so it would stay in place. Once all the pinwheels were on the embroidery hoop, I tied all the ends of yarn together and knotted them though a large wooden bead. And, Yay! All done.

And, for under $5! Woo! No pricey mobiles here! Plus, the fact that I made it makes it even more special, right!? :)

Strangers Say the Darndest Things...And My DIY Nursing Cover:

noreply@blogger.com (PinkBird) — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 15:05:00 +0000

Being pregnant is really weird...in a lot of ways. Here we are having this intense personal and intimate time in our lives getting ready to for our family to grow and our lives to change forever, and everyone in the world can tell what we're going through because of my growing gut. We are having this personal experience that should be fairly private yet for some reason it's really super public. And the public has no problem chiming in about it! (And, I do realize that here I am publicly blogging about it...)
It's seems so crazy to me that complete strangers think it's OK to make comments like, "Oh my, you look ready to pop!" (Yes, a stranger said that to me while I was shopping. Then she proceeded to say...) or, "When are you due?" and " What a big baby!" Seriously? Where did you go to medical school lady?! My doctors and midwife say I'm fine. No woman wants to hear comments on her weight or size, pregnant or not, especially from someone she doesn't even know! I really wanted to criticize her physical appearance right back at her, but then, that's rude, right? (And I'm not even one of those "crazy" hormonal pregnant ladies!) And, don't even get me started about strangers asking what you plan to do with your private body parts, ("Are you planning to nurse?").

Or, how about the older woman who was our cashier at the grocery store on Saturday? She was asking all kinds of questions about my pregnancy. Then, started asking about names and both her and the bagger were offering up all kinds of suggestions--"How about Peter? My brother's name is Joseph. A nice German name would be great!" The bagger butted in and said, "I wanted to name my son Renn. Did you ever see that episode of Seinfeld...How about Seven?" Really, thanks guys; we'll be taking our name tips from people we know.

Then, there's the belly touching. I've only had one person I didn't know touch my belly...so far (thank God!) and it was someone I had just met--so basically a stranger (or new friend?). What's up with that? Would you randomly touch someone’s stomach if they weren't pregnant? Just because my belly might be poking out into space doesn't mean you need to touch it--trust me, I'm doing my best to keep it in place, but it's out of my control! Plus, sometimes it's itchy or uncomfortable--or twitching and rolling with this baby who loves to do gymnastics in there. Ha!

Anyway...back to my point, in order to give myself and the baby some "privacy" and to perhaps fend off unwanted comments from strangers, I made myself a lovely nursing cover using this tutorial from the wonderful Prudent Baby to use when the baby gets here. (We'll see how comfortable I am with it when the time comes, but you've got to do what you've got to do). Below are some photos of the cover I made.

Then, recently I was lying in bed not wanting to get up and thinking about how I should make a second cover in case the first gets dirty. So, I get up, make breakfast, and am sitting at the kitchen table when the doorbell rings. It's the mailman--at 10:30 am! He's never here that early! He has a baby shower gift for us from my cousin and his lovely wife. And, what should be inside? A handmade nursing cover! So, I didn't need to make a second one after all! Great timing!

Well, the baby should be here soon, so here's to hoping I don't have any more awkward encounters with strangers!
Bekki

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Here I Am

noreply@blogger.com (PinkBird) — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 05:04:00 +0000

I am still here! I've been so busy getting ready for the baby's arrival (which is basically any day now!) that I haven't had much time to blog, obviously. But, I will be back in the next few days with some posts about some fun baby stuff I have made recently. And, my apologies in advance that so many posts lately are about making baby stuff, but that's just where my mind and inspirations are lately.

Until then, take it light,
Bekki

A Black and White Baby Blanket...

noreply@blogger.com (PinkBird) — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 10:21:00 +0000

I have had my eye on a set of lovely, modern children's fabric for some time--of course it's a bit pricey so I"ve been putting off purchasing it. Well, the other day I was at the local fabric store and I saw a few black-and-white patterned fabrics that caught my eye. Then, I remembered the Guy mentioning to me that he read in his Expectant Father book about babies being stimulated by high contrast things like the combination of black and white. (Which I'd heard before but never thought too much about--though I did make the baby's mobile contrasting black, white, and teal, but that's a different post). So, I picked out 3 black and white fabrics I liked along with some soft blue fleece (for texture) and lime green quilt binding....I would make a "high contrast' quilt (to use at least until I break down and buy the fabric I really want!)

I brought all my fabrics to the store's cutting area where lots of employees and customers were standing around. Two other women were making baby blankets and buying "precious" pastel fabrics with teddy bears and ABC blocks on them. Then, it was my turn and the employee asked me what I planned to make with these bold fabrics; "I'm making a baby quilt," I said. And, it was like the record stopped. You would have thought I said something way more outrageous. Everyone standing there turned and looked almost in unison--first at my choice of black and white "non-babyish" patterned fabrics, then at me. *Gasp!* How could I make a baby blanket that's black and white?!? Ha!

It was then I blamed it on the Guy. Well, kind of anyway. I tried to explain, "Well, my husband read in a book that babies see high contrast objects better....blah, blah, blah..." No one was listening. They were all too busy nodding, like, "Uh-huh. Whatever, weirdo." Not that I really care, because my quilt is simple and turned out awesome! And my baby is going to love it! See for yourself; a black and white baby blanket isn't too bad at all:

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How to: Embellished Cloth Diaper Burp Cloths

noreply@blogger.com (PinkBird) — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 23:52:00 +0000

Many mom's have mentioned to me the importance of good burp cloths, and I've learned from doing my research that rectangular/flat cloth diapers make great burp cloths. So, to make these boring old cloths cute, (which, yes, I know just clean up messes and get messy, but can still be cute, right?!) I simply added some ribbon, rick-rack, and bias-tape trim to them. Now, I have a huge stack of burp cloths that will at least be nice to look at when I'm wiping spit-up off of myself and our baby.

Shopping and Sales! Yay!

noreply@blogger.com (PinkBird) — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 15:56:00 +0000

I must belong to every "invite only" or "members only" boutique shopping site around. I'm not even sure why sometimes (I guess people send me invites so they can earn free shipping of monetary credits, so I sign up to help them). Well, recently I've actually scored a couple of things through such sites that I'm pretty excited about. First, from HauteLook I got a "Modern Classics" rocker that is so cute! (It's an Eames rocker by Herman Miller reproduction). And, I won't even tell you what I paid but it was a deal (*cough*less than $100*cough*). So, here's your invite to that site, HauteLook.

Then, just yesterday, at Gilt Groupe, I found nice travel "changing pod and pacifier tote" by JJ Cole. This will work great for setting up a portable changing station on the main floor of our house (or wold be great in a diaper bag). And, it was less expensive that they one I was thinking of getting from Target. So, here is your invite to Gilt Groupe.

What I like about both of these shopping sites is that they both include stuff for men, women, kids and home (and even travel!) If you're not already a member, it's free to sign up. Click here for HauteLook and here for Gilt Groupe. (And, I should note that these sites are not sponsoring this blog, nor do I work for them--just passing on some good deals).

New Items on Etsy!

noreply@blogger.com (PinkBird) — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 17:12:00 +0000

I just added some new stuff to my Etsy Shop--including vintage housewares and vintage craft/jewelry supplies. More to come soon, too!

How to: Baby Crinkle Squares

noreply@blogger.com (PinkBird) — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 19:51:00 +0000

Another homemade baby item I've made recently are some cute "tagged" crinkle squares:

I basically followed this tutorial from Joy's Hope, which was super easy. Instead of a wipe's package, I actually used the wrapper from microwave popcorn (which thanks to the guy's thoughtful Christmas gift I no longer have to eat) for the "crinkle" lining of my flannel squares. I used a variety of ribbon and rick-rack to add color and texture to the squares as well. Fun!

Baby Shower Thank You Gifts:

noreply@blogger.com (PinkBird) — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 20:08:00 +0000

(In addition to some other small things) as Thank You gifts for my mom and my sister for hosting our baby shower (more on that to come later) I made them some pretty blue Swarovski crystal and glass beaded earrings for them to wear to the shower (I also made the longer pair for myself to wear to the baby shower):

Hope your holidays have been magical!
Take it light in 2011,
Bekki

Welcome, 2011!

noreply@blogger.com (PinkBird) — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 14:33:00 +0000

In honor of the end of one year and the start of a new one...I offer a Metta ("loving kindness and compassion") meditation. From my heart to your heart...From the heart of the universe. You have arrived.

"May I be Happy.

May I be at Peace.

May I be Free

from Suffering."

"May You be Happy.

May You be at Peace.

May You be Free

from Suffering."

This is a wonderful to close one year and open a new year. I am looking forward to 2011 with great excitement and nervousness! Here's to traveling light, staying creative, living, loving, and laughing!

Merry Christmas!

noreply@blogger.com (PinkBird) — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 12:20:00 +0000

Merry Christmas to you and yours.
Here's wishing you a holiday that is warm, cozy, and bright!

Take it light and safe travels,

XOXO,
Bekki

Christmas Traditions (Re-visited)

noreply@blogger.com (PinkBird) — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 12:25:00 +0000

(This is an edited re-post from Christmas Eve 2008)

The holidays always draw out memories of years past or of the Christmases of my childhood. This time of year I get all nostalgic not only for holiday's gone by, but of travels and homes once (and still) loved. I have several holiday traditions that I grew up with like baking cookies with my Grandmothers' recipes or putting toothbrushes in the family stockings, but since I got married I have created my own traditions that I thought I would share. I can't wait until our baby is born to begin new traditions as a mother!

First, every year my husband and I take a photo in front of our Christmas tree. Then, I stick that picture into my special "Christmas Album." This is a photo album in which I keep only pictures (and cards) from Holiday's past. Each year I take it out at Christmas time and we can reminisce about the gifts we got or where we lived; then I pack it away with the Christmas decorations and save it for next year.

Next, each year I make different ornaments to hang on my tree. Along with those ornaments hang trinkets and ornaments that I like to buy while traveling. I love that my Christmas tree has decorations that I got all over the world, from Delft shoes, to Kokeshi dolls, to Hawaiian quilt prints. I have found that sometimes I'd like to have a little reminder or souvenir from a place I've visited, but I don't want some obnoxious kitsch thing, so ornaments are excellent keepsakes. If I can't find locally made or traditional ornaments I have even used key chains (and removed the ring and added a nice hook) or little figures (to which you can attach a hook), pictures from our travels in tiny frames, and even paper luggage tags can be prettied up and hung on the tree.

This year, I made three ornaments by repurposing some metal cookie cutters I got while we lived in Germany. (And, it was those cookie cutters I used to make Christmas cookies for our first married Christmas). I realized they were getting rusty when I packed them up to move here to Mississippi a few months ago, so I stashed them away for a future project. All I did was simply add some glitter and some pretty ribbon and TA-DA! Cute ornaments--with a sentimental meaning.

So, I hope you have your own holiday traditions to enjoy! Have a wonderful Holiday Season and peace, creativity, and light in the New Year.

How To: Birdie Plush (or, "Look what I made!")

noreply@blogger.com (PinkBird) — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 14:34:00 +0000

Recently, I made this cute little stuffed bird for the baby. (This was actually the second birdie I made like this, but the first was the "prototype." Originally, I'd planned on making several birds for a mobile, (similar to the one at Spool Sewing) but came up with a different mobile idea (which I will post later). So, instead I stuffed this little buddy with poly-fill and some "crinkle" packaging stuff so he makes noises when he's squeezed. This adorable (and easy-peasy) pattern is free from Spool Sewing! How wonderful! Head over to Spool Sewing's blog for the pattern to make some cute birds for yourself!

Embroidery for Baby

noreply@blogger.com (PinkBird) — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 14:53:00 +0000

I've been quite the busy bird over here lately...making lots of baby stuff. Yay! I recently dug out some of my old Sublime Stitching embroidery patterns by Jenny Hart and went to town creating this bib and hat for our little one (& pay no attention to the wrinkles!):

More pictures and tutorials to come soon!
Take it light,
Bekki

5 Things Friday: An Etsy Holiday

noreply@blogger.com (PinkBird) — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 13:04:00 +0000

With about a week to to until Christmas, I thought I'd (try to) get back into my 5 Things Friday with a cute Holiday decor ideas edition from Etsy goodies!

How lovely is this Pocket Peeper Holiday Stocking
by Red Marionette:

Or, how about this tutorial from Etsy for making customized glass ornaments:

Here are some lovely, non-traditional wreathes from astrausa:

These colorful, handmade ornaments are so cute!
They are by valche:

Another felt item I love is this colorful felted garland. The color scheme is so modern (and could be used year round, really!) This handmade garland is from Made Mary's Etsy shop.

And, don't forget you can always check out my Etsy shop for vintage items and supplies!

Happy last-minute holiday shopping!

Amazon Mom....

noreply@blogger.com (PinkBird) — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 01:41:00 +0000

Back in September when I got an email about Amazon.com's new program Amazon Mom, I signed up not totally knowing what the program was (I knew there were discounts involved and being a soon-to-be-mom figured that could be a good thing). Well, I've been using it a lot lately so I had to share...basically you get a free trial of their Amazon Prime program--which is free 2-day shipping! And, for every $25 you spend in their baby department you can extend your free 2-day shipping benefits. I did lots of holiday shopping on Amazon, and this whole free shipping thing is awesome! (And, unlike their free standard shipping with purchases over $25, with Amazon Mom there is no spending minimum to get the free 2-day shipping!)

With the holidays coming up and a baby on the way, I have taken full advantage of this, and if you're a mom or a care-taker of children, you can too! Just had to share! Enjoy!

<p>&amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;g</p>

(Please note: PinkBird is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com)

Felt Winter Holiday Wreath How To: (A Tutorial)

noreply@blogger.com (PinkBird) — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 00:05:00 +0000

This year I finally made a wreath to hang on our front door! I am not a huge fan of the red and green combo so originally when I was thinking about making one I thought I'd go with a light green and pink--until I saw these pretty blues and had to go with them instead. Somewhat inspired by the lovely wreath here from Smile and Wave I made my own version.

First, I bought a medium sized foam wreath at the local craft supply store. I also bought 2 sheets of felt in all 3 colors I used (2 shades of teal blue and white) along with some sparkly blue snowflake ribbon. I also bought 2 cute glittery bird Christmas tree picks (I removed the stick/pick part to glue them to the wreath).

Next, I cut the felt in a scalloped shape, designed my pattern and glued each strip of felt to the wreath. Some parts of the felt--though somewhat stretchy--didn't quite meet at the back, but that's OK. (It is the back, after all).

Once the glue was dry, I added my little silver birds (I glued a little pink bow on the "lady bird"). I removed the sticks/picks from the birds and used my trusty hot glue gun to glue them in place. I happened to have the little nest (though I'm sure you can pick one up at a craft store). And, the little blue egg is just a bead I had on hand. I used hot glue to adhere the nest and egg as well.

When I first tried to hang the wreath on our door (using an inexpensive over-the-door wreath hook) the hanger wouldn't hold it. So, I had to use a small piece of wire--stapled in place on the back to create a way for the wreath to hang. (Sorry, no pictures of the back of the wreath).

Then, TA-DA! Done! A cheery and cute winter holiday wreath that I can have up all winter! Yay!

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Baby Gear on Etsy; (Part 1)

noreply@blogger.com (PinkBird) — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 23:37:00 +0000

Since being pregnant I've been slowly buying cute, handmade baby items from Etsy. Here are only a few of my latest purchases:

First, I bought 2 of these sweet wooden teethers (which some people seemed really surprised about; which surprised me, "What about splinters?" "The baby will chew on wood?" they asked. But, I'd rather have my baby teething on wood than who-knows-what's-in-it-plastic). I actually got 2 "state teethers" (one to represent the 2 different states where the guy and I grew up). These are from the popular Little Sapling Toys (they have 2 blocks sets I can't wait to purchase as well!)

I also got this adorable reversible quilted bib from Brooklyn Bib Shop: It held up nicely in the wash and seems really well made and so soft! I can't wait for the baby to use it! (And, yes, I know, the baby will only be spitting up on it and getting it all dirty, but so what? A baby can still look good while making messes!)

I love the prints by Freya at Freya Art; I had to get this cute little one to hang in the baby's room:

So, that's a small round-up of some handmade goodness I've picked up for the baby. I'll share more great finds soon!

Until next time,
Take it light,
Bekki

Etsy:

noreply@blogger.com (PinkBird) — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 14:30:00 +0000

Recently I've been adding new items to my Etsy shop and have more to come. Here's a peek:

Now I Get It...

noreply@blogger.com (PinkBird) — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 16:22:00 +0000

So, if you saw yesterday's post you will now understand why I had been so under the weather. I'm actually well into the second trimester now so I'm feeling much better. I have had lots of energy for making cute baby things (which I hope to post soon) and for buying cute handmade baby things from Etsy (which may have to be included in a "Five Things Friday" if I can ever get back on track with the blogging).

So, yup. I'm gonna be somebody's Mama; The Guy and I are really excited (and nervous, I'll admit). I know our little baby will be here before we know it so I'm trying to get as much crafting and cleaning and organizing done now before she/he arrives. And, now, you know what's really been going on with us aside from moving to a new place in a new region...we're getting brand new lives. Fun.

Until next time, (which I hope to be sooner rather than later)
xoxo, Bekki