Prudent Baby

FABRIC FRIDAY

noreply@blogger.com (Prudent Baby) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 19:00:00 +0000

4, 3, 2, 1
Earth below us
Drifting, falling...

As soon as I saw Lesley Grainger's Rocket Royal fabric that 80's hit Major Tom popped into my head. This stellar fabric full of planets, stars and rocket ships is perfect for any little astronaut. If you are loving this fabric make sure to also check out the other space themed fabrics in Lesley's Launch collection.

To enter for a chance to win one yard of Lesley Grainger, Launch, Rockets Royal tell us your favorite 80s hit, listen to it and rock out! Leave your comment anytime between now and Friday, February 3rd. Tweet, Stumble, or share on Facebook and leave another comment letting us know. Come back every day for new entries. We'll randomly select a winner and announce right here next Friday.

Find out who won last week's Fabric Friday after the jump...

The winner of one yard of Rashida Coleman-Hale, Washi, Washi Floral Cream is...

Lidia said...

I've been obsessed with eggshell blue (kind of a retro feel to it) with shades of orange and lime to accent it. Such a bright, happy color combo!

Congrats! Please use the contact form to send us your address and Fabricworm will send off your prize!

Link Love

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 08:05:00 +0000

As soon as I saw this drape front cardigan tutorial for girls the wheels started turning in my head. I have to make one (or 10) for myself.

A last minute gift that is handmade is not always the easiest idea to come up with. These bowls are perfect for just that and they can be completely personalized.

For anyone out there who is a tea addict like myself, these handmade tea bags filled with your favorite tea would be a wonderful Valentine's Day treat.

My advice to all you this weekend, pamper yourself.

Our friend Cynthia from Fabricworm launched her new line of baby bedding and it's getting a bunch of press love. It's so cute.

Super bowl plays on a chocolate chalkboard? Go on...

This week Jacinda posted Gordon taking his first steps on our Facebook! Warning: This video contains complete cuteness overload.

A beautiful DIY play kitchen without the need for crazy tools.

10 Perfect Fabrics for Valentine's Day Sewing.

We are lovin' the Wee Pad. Completely made of wood and starts working as soon as you click on your imagination.

I'll leave you with our favorite Cross-Stitch Quote of the Day this week, Glitter is the Herpes of Craft Supplies -Jessica Shepard. Do you have any great quotes you live by or just make you smile? We love hearing them all.

Mini Me Top

noreply@blogger.com (Prudent Baby) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 09:00:00 +0000

One of the things I love most here at Prudent Baby is being able to chat with crafty mamas from all around the world. Even if we don't have the same first language we can still learn so much about crafting from each other. Citra from Innocentia is here from Indonesia to share her adorable Mini Me Top. So cute, right? You can also check out her posts on how to draft a peter pan collar, sew a basic balloon dress, and a super easy way to make hangers.

Get the full tutorial for the Mini Me Top after the jump...

Yup ! The pattern of this shirt is ready ! I call it "Mini Me" because it just looks like a miniature of my shirt. You can download the pattern right here and the Mini Me tutorial here. Please note that this pattern is made for size 2T. And the most important is you must add 1 cm seam allowance yourself.

I'm sewing another Mini Me in solid. Hey, it is not just for plaid !

Thanks so much Citra! Don't forget to check out Citra's many other tutorials over at Innocentia.

How to Make Fabric Yo Yos

noreply@blogger.com (Jacinda) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:00:00 +0000

Last week I showed you how my mom gave Clare's favorite dress a second life with some yo yo applique. Here is a little tutorial for How to Make Yo Yos... just like my mama taught me and her mama taught her. Once you know how to make them, you can use them on anything from t-shirts to hair clips. You can even make an entire bedspread by sewing them together like my grandmother did here. Talk about scrap busting!

For this project, I dipped into a gorgeous custom bundle from fabricworm.

1. Find a circular template about twice (plus 1/4") your final yo yo size and trace with disappearing ink in the wrong side of your fabric.

2. Cut out your circle. Cut multiple layers of fabric together to save time.

3. Thread a needle and knot a double strand of strong thread.

4. Fold over 1/8" of the edge of your circle and begin to sew around the edge. The tighter your stitches, the larger the opening of the whole will be on the finished yo yo. If your centers will show, you probably want to make the centers small. Space your stitches between 1/8"-1/4" apart.

5. Continue all the way around the circle, folding over as you go.

You can see how it will gather here.

6. When you get back around, Overlap your first couple stitches before tying off.

If I know I am adding a button or another smaller yo yo to the center, I don't fold over the edge at all.

For this cloud-covered beauty, I sewed on a pretty button that my mom sent from a childhood sweater of mine.

Then I glued it onto a headband for Clare with a felt circle under the headband for support.

As you can see... she is thrilled.

So are you ready to make a million?

Wooden Rainbow Arches

noreply@blogger.com (Prudent Baby) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 13:51:00 +0000

Lately I have been a total sucker for wood craft tutorials. I loved the child-size ironing board and when I saw these rainbow arches I knew I was hooked. Jennie and Allyson from Shape of a Spoon are two very talented women that find and create art in their everyday lives. Whether it is capturing the adventurous spirit of their kids through photography, sewing up a new dress or knitting the best sweater ever these ladies will try it all. Their Etsy shop 3Three is full of their handmade treasures where you can find such products as the Skirt + Satchels.

Enough of me chatting up a storm, let's get to learning how to make these Wooden Rainbow Arches...

Wooden Rainbow Arches

My post on the wooden rainbow arches generated quite a few requests for a tutorial. But as I am thousands of miles from my dad's woodshop, this will be a tutorial without the aid of photos. This is a straightforward project but does require special tools and a fair amount of patience. But the end result is a gorgeous, versatile heirloom toy.

These can be stacked in endless combinations.

They can be a spectacular play structure for tiny toys.

They can be used as tunnels, boats, to create mazes... so many possibilities!

Materials for a 12 arch rainbow:

A 14" x 7 1/2" piece of hardwood, about 2 1/2" thick. Oak, Elm or Sycamore are some suitable options.
A drawing compass.
A Bandsaw. I asked my dad if a jigsaw could be used if one didn't have access to a bandsaw. He said that jigsaws typically wouldn't be powerful enough to make smooth cuts through such a thick piece of wood - the blade would bend and result in a slanted cut.
Sanding equipment. I used an Oscillating Spindle Sander and a Belt Sander, but plain old sandpaper will accomplish the same thing, just a lot more slowly.
Craft paintbrush.
Non-toxic liquid paints such as liquid watercolors.
Beeswax Polish. I purchased mine here.

Prep: Make sure your wood is squared before beginning.
Safety: Wear safety goggles and proper ear protection when using the bandsaw and sanders. Make sure they are in proper working order to ensure safe use.

Step 1. Use the drawing compass to draw a template of the arches on your wood.

Mark where the midpoint of the bottom of your board is.

Place the point of the compass on the midpoint and draw a semi-circle with a 1" radius.

Keeping the compass on the midpoint, increase the distance 1/2" at a time and draw a series of arcs, 12 total.

Step 2: Cut along the arches using the bandsaw.

Cut away the outside portion first.
Go slowly and steadily for smooth cuts.
Instead of simply pushing the wood through the blade, think of yourself as rotating the wood around the blade. This will help your cuts be smooth and your arches be uniform.
Start with the largest arch and work your way down to the smallest arch.

Step 3: Sand the arches

If using power sanders, gently and evenly rotate the arches along the sander.

Use a table belt sander to sand the outside of each arch.
Use an oscillating spindle sander to sand the inside of each arch.

If using sandpaper

Start with the coarsest grit (60) and sand all surfaces of the arches.
Use progressively finer grit (higher number) sandpaper on all the arches up to at least 220 grit.

Wipe the sawdust off the arches

Step 4: Paint/Dye the arches

If I had more time and more know how, I would have attempted to dye the arches using natural substances (e.g. berries, roots, etc.). I found some interesting tidbits about dyeing wood online, but decided to go the easy route and use paint in the interest of actually finishing this project!
I wanted the wood grain to show through the paint, so I thinned it a bit with water before applying it to the wood. I applied paint and let it dry, then applied more layers as needed to get the look I wanted. The colors were somewhat muted because I allowed the grain to show through, but I liked the end result. Using more opaque paint would ensure brighter colors.

Step 5: Protect with beeswax.

Apply beeswax with a soft cloth, working it into the wood.
Let dry.
Apply additional coats as desired
To maintain your arches, periodically reapply beeswax.

Cross-Stitch Quote of the Day

noreply@blogger.com (Jacinda) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 21:46:00 +0000

Jaime and I have been having some fun turning our favorite quotes from scholars, writers, celebrities, our readers, our friends and even ourselves, into little cross-stitch "patterns." We will be sharing them with you over the next few weeks.

For today I picked a quote from Jessica, one of our favorite Prudent Mamas. I can't remember when and why she said this but it amused me so much that I made a note of it. Now it is a cross-stitch pattern that we can all enjoy. Thanks for the laughs Jessica! You help make our day so fun.

#3. Glitter is the Herpes - Jessica

Previously posted quotes include:

#2. Be Where You Are - Jaime Morrison Curtis

#1. Remember This - Marcus Aurelius

Cross-stitch is pretty much the perfect little winter craft and makes an adorable Valentine's Day gift for someone sweet. If you need a refresher course, Martha can give you the low-down, of course.

How to Make Hand Stamped Cookies (the Lazy Way)

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 09:00:00 +0000

Last December I shared the Hey Baby Shower I threw for my BFF Mary. She's since had her lovely baby (a girl!) and all is well in the world. One thing I made for the shower were these stamped cookie pops. It was so easy and fun to do, let me show you how...

Oh, and let me show you that fresh new baby!

How to Stamp Cookies

First you'll need some clean stamps. I used these fun alphabet stamps that look like old typewriter keys ($5.99 from EK Success) but you can use any stamp, though i'd try to keep the design simple.

Then I made some sugar cookie dough and rolled it out between two sheets of parchment paper, then stuck it in the fridge to chill. You make your dough whatever way suits you, but this method rules.

Cut yourself some circles or whatever shape suits your fancy.

Insert sticks into the base of the cookie and bake them as your recipe calls for. I tried stamping directly into the cookie but it wasn't looking as defined as I wanted so...

Then (omg, yes, sometimes I don't make my own icing) I used some delicious and simple Wilton Cookie Icing (perfect for when you are just doing a one-color line and fill). If you want to know the right way to make your own, please visit our post How to Prepare Royal Icing.

So I used the icing to outline my cookie pops,

I'm not going to pretend I was at some Jacinda-level of neatness and skill with this. Perhaps I shall call my style rustic-cookie-chic? If you want to know the right way to do this, visit her post Decorating Royal Icing Sugar Cookies.

So then I filled in (flooded) the circles with icing and let them cool and ate several of them before they were cool and then was ashamed and then ate more to drown my shame in sugar and then licked the icing off my fingers.

Ok, so now that my icing is dry, I grabbed my stamps and an edible color marker. This could not be easier.

Just run the marker over the stamp a few times, then stamp your cookie. You want to be firm but not so hard you crack your icing up. Do a few practice cookies. Practice cookies are so delicious.

Continue with the stamping, re-inking with your marker before each stamp.

I tied each with a coordinating ribbon.

Then packed them into a shirt box for the drive.

Once at the party I assembled my awesome cookie/cupcakes stand from The Cupcake Tower and slipped the pops into the holes. Done!

Oh, hey baby!

Which do I want to bite more, the cookies or those cheeks? Definitely the cheeks.

FABRIC FRIDAY

noreply@blogger.com (Prudent Baby) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 19:00:00 +0000

Happy Friday! Now that we went back to basics last week let's spice things up a bit with a pretty print this week. I was immediately drawn to Rashida Coleman-Hale's Washi Floral Cream because of the color combination. This past year I have been all about red, teal and mustard yellow (throw in some coral and call it a day).

To enter for a chance to win one yard of Rashida Coleman-Hale, Washi, Washi Floral Cream tell us your favorite color combination this past season. Grey and yellow have also been at the top of my list. Leave your comment anytime between now and Friday, January 27th. Tweet, Stumble, or share on Facebook and leave another comment letting us know. Come back every day for new entries. We'll randomly select a winner and announce right here next Friday.

Find out who won last week's Fabric Friday after the jump...

The winner of one yard of Robert Kaufman's Yarn-Dyed Essex Linen Flax is...

EB said...

A striped jersey skirt I made and my Frye boots and my down jacket the skirt is long enough and the boots tall enough that I can still stay warm. Sadly if I leave the house these days (frigid Boston weather and a new baby) this is what I wear almost always. Can we say RUT.

Congrats! Please use the contact form to send us your address and Fabricworm will send off your prize!

Link Love

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 08:01:00 +0000

I started a tute on painting leather bags like two years ago and never finished it (sigh), but here's a great one at Crown Hill. It's so easy!

Loving the round up of best stationery DIYs at Design Sponge.

Make a friendship bracelet watch strap at i try DIY.

Adorable Valentine's card from vintage music sheets, with free printable at Merriment Design.

This is the best parenting article you are going to read in a long time. Just trust me.

Anyone who brings any of these is for sure, most definitely, undeniably and eternally a good house guest.

Adorable lantern hand embroidery pattern just in time for Chinese New Year at Wild Olive.

Jacinda had an awesome photo lesson with Kristen Rae, I can't wait to get the details in an upcoming post. How cute are they? I'm jealous of all the fun they had, but Jacinda is coming to visit me next weekend so nanny-nanny-nanny.

I spent the week in Folsom, CA with my wonderful family-in-law. Aren't they all so lovely? I found some amazing milk glass, fed the baby lots of "shut up sticks," and watched as men hurled children into the air, then posted about all of it on our facebook group and twitter.

Here's 25 Ways to Teach and Celebrate the Year of the Dragon for Chinese New Year.

And an awesome wooden ipad toy handmade by the husband of a Prudent Mama.

25 Valentine's Day Gifts to Sew for Your Little Gal and...

25 Valentine's Day Gifts to Sew for Your Little Guy!

This week I will leave you with this awesome picture of my daughter at the zoo.

Kisses mi amors!

Applique: The Ultimate Stain-Fighter

noreply@blogger.com (Jacinda) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 09:00:00 +0000

When my mama was here for Christmas, she took pity on poor Clare's favorite dress. You know the one? The one that mysteriously disappears from the hamper and reappears on your kid's back? It's covered in soup stains but you can't quite toss it because she just loves it so? Yup, that's the one. So Grammie pulled out some fabric scraps, ric-rac and a needle and thread and fixed that little polka-dot number right up. Grammie decided some yo-yo flowers were the way to go and Clare and I could not agree more. Clare is so happy that her dress is allowed in public again!

Did your mama teach you how to make fabric yoyos? Do you need Prudent Grammie to show you the ropes?

Cross-Stitch Quote of the Day

noreply@blogger.com (Jacinda) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 20:00:00 +0000

Jaime and I have been having some fun turning our favorite quotes from scholars, writers, celebrities, our readers, our friends and even ourselves, into little cross-stitch "patterns." We will be sharing them with you over the next few weeks.

For today I picked one of my favorite quotes from Jaime's book, Prudent Advice: Lessons for My Baby Daughter (A Life List for Every Woman). Ahhh, I need this one on my wall.

#2. Be Where You Are - Jaime Morrison Curtis

And in case you missed the cross-stitch quote from yesterday...
#1. Remember This - Marcus Aurelius

Cross-stitch is pretty much the perfect little winter craft and makes an adorable Valentine's Day gift for someone sweet. If you need a refresher course, Martha can give you the low-down, of course.

Shirt Sleeves into Toddler Harem Pants

noreply@blogger.com (Prudent Baby) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 09:00:00 +0000

Melissa, from Needle & Nest, is an upcycling connoisseur as you can see from the DIY Sleeves into Harem Pants project she is here to share today. Inspired to turn more trash into treasures? Check out Melissa's upcycled t-shirt into harem pants, lace tablecloth into skirt, and the adorable doily vest project featured on that sweet model above.

But before you do, see the Upcycle Shirt Sleeves into Harem Pants project after the jump...

Shirt Sleeves into Harem Pants

Have a retro shirt? Have a sweet toddler who needs pants? Well you're in luck, since today we're upcycling shirt sleeves into funky harem pants for your stylin' child! Azriel here doesn't even try to model... she's just that good at posing. :o)

You'll need:
One adult dress shirt/blouse.
Waistband elastic (or a stretchy shirt sleeve as I used)
sewing machine
pins

*I used a coral coloured dress shirt that used to belong to my sweet (deceased) Grandma when she was a volunteer at the hospital. The olive green short sleeve is used as the stretchy waistband for these pants (the rest of the shirt was used in a past d.i.y project).*

1. Measure the length of your child's legs... and cut both arms off the dress shirt to match length.
I cut the shirt at an angle to leave room for the bum side of the pants.
2. If you have an adult stretchy short sleeve - it makes a perfect waistband. Otherwise you could just thread some elastic through a hem you would make for the pants at the end.

3. Already you have the basic layout of these harem pants. I like the button detail on the sleeves to be lined up at the outside of the pants - at the ankles.
4. Now you will cut 4" downward on the inside seams of the pant legs - this is where you will sew the 'crotch' of the pants together.

5. Flip the sleeves inside out and bring the legs together where you cut the inside slits. Sew this together to join the legs at the crotch. A great time to use a serger if you have one, since I do not I just sew a straight stitch followed by a zig-zag on the outer edge for more support

6. Tuck your 'waistband' sleeve down into the pants (right sides facing inside).
7. Gather the pants around the smaller waistband and pin.
8. Sew around the joining edges and trim off excess.

9. Flip pants back out and marvel at your latest upcycling adventure!

I hope that was clear and helpful enough to get you confidently sewing your own version(?). I am not a skilled seamstress by any stretch.. and I sort of just 'wing-it' when it comes to inventing patterns and such. I'm sure that better tutorials exist out there - but in my mind - this is a random invention of my own "sew fast.stupid easy.cheap" approach to projects!
If you have any questions on it, just comment or email me.

Happy sewing friends!
Mel :o)

Cross-Stitch Quote of the Day

noreply@blogger.com (Jacinda) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 19:16:00 +0000

Jaime and I have been having some fun turning our favorite quotes from scholars, writers, celebrities, our readers, our friends and even ourselves, into little cross-stitch "patterns." We will be sharing them with you over the next few weeks.

#1. Remember This - Marcus Aurelius

Cross-stitch is pretty much the perfect little winter craft and makes an adorable Valentine's Day gift for someone sweet. If you need a refresher course, Martha can give you the low-down, of course.

Make a Football Jersey from a T-shirt

noreply@blogger.com (Jacinda) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 09:00:00 +0000

Last weekend we had Gordon's First Birthday. It was a football themed party so, of course, he needed a tiny #1 jersey. I took to a plain white t-shirt with a pair of scissors and crafted one up quick and cheap. With the playoffs this weekend, it's the perfect time to show some spirit without shelling out big bucks for team jerseys. Here's how you do it!

1. Purchase a plain t-shirt one size larger than your child. Craft stores usually have them for $3-5.

2. Cut the sleeves off of the shirt with the seam attached to the sleeve portion.

3. Measure about 1/2 way down the arm holes. If you want to add a name across the upper back of the shirt, make sure you leave enough room on the back.

4. Using a rotary cutter, cut through both layers of t-shirt from arm hole to arm hole.

5. At the front-center, cut at an angle towards the collar as shown.

6. Continue cutting around collar and back down to front-center point. Discard neckline.

7. Cut a strip of your accent jersey 3" tall and approx 24" wide. Enough to go around the neck hole of the shirt. The ribs of the jersey should run the short way. Fold in half for a 1.5" wide strip.

8. Align the two cut edges of the strip with the edge of the neckline with right-side-facing. Leave a bit of a tail of trim.

9. Sew or serge the trim to the neckline of the shirt. Pull the trim so that it is very stretched out while you are sewing/serging. If you need some tips on sewing jersey without a serger, see Sewing Jersey 101.

10. Cut off the excess trim but do so at an exaggerated angle as indicated by the white dotted line.

11. Sew the seam down to the shirt with a row of stitching (optional). Using the trim color adds a nice touch.

12. Overlap the ends of the neckline to form a v-neck.

13. Sew from corner to corner to secure.

14. Match up the front of the neck portion of the shirt with the front of the shirt body and sew/serge back together right-sides-facing.

15. Align the back of the neck with the back of the body and sew together right-side-facing.

16. Your shirt will look like this.

17. Add a row of decorative stitching across the front and back just below the seam.

18. Reattach the sleeves by sewing/serging around the entire arm hole with right sides facing. Start at the underarm in case you have to fudge the fit a little. Jersey is very forgiving so it shouldn't be a problem.

19. Frankenshirt all sewn back together!

20. Now it's time to get fancy and add some applique numbers and letters. Find a font that you like and print out the numbers and letters of your choosing, in reverse, at the correct size. I used Collegiate which you can download for free.

21. Trace the numbers and letters on to Heat ‘n Bond or any paper-backed, fusible adhesive.

22. Iron your letters on to the back of your applique fabric. More brown jersey!

23. Cut out your letters and numbers. If you have a silhouette, this would be a great project for the fabric cutting but I wanted to show that for simple shapes, you can do this easily by hand.

24. Now you should have all your appliques.

25. Peel off the paper backing.

26. Position an applique in place.

27. Press using a dry iron.

28. Zig zag stitch all the way around the edge of your shape.

And you're done. Hey, wait a minute mister!

And he's off! "Just try to get a picture of me woman!"

I have places to go!

Trapped. Boo.

FABRIC FRIDAY!

noreply@blogger.com (Prudent Baby) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 19:00:00 +0000

Let's get back to basics with Robert Kaufman's Yarn-Dyed Essex Linen Flax. With all the adorable printed fabrics you always seem to be adding to your collection it's easy to forget a basic linen. Save yourself a trip to the store and enter for the chance to win a yard of your own.

To enter for a chance to win one yard of Robert Kaufman's Yarn-Dyed Essex Linen Flax tell us your favorite go-to basic to wear. My Levi jeans take the cake on this one. I always seem to try to branch out to new jean styles (skinny, trouser, straight leg) but my good ol' fashion bootleg wins every time. Leave your comment anytime between now and Friday, January 20th. Tweet, Stumble, or share on Facebook and leave another comment letting us know. Come back every day for new entries. We'll randomly select a winner and announce right here next Friday.

Find out who won last week's Fabric Friday after the jump...

Your comments about the 70s were so much fun to read. I think the top list of what you loved most would have to be 1) Yourself 2) Star Wars 3)Awesome disco tunes. The winner of one yard of Sparky & Marie, Piccadilly, Posies Cream is...

shellyJan said...

Uh, my hubby, of course! And my parents' wedding, as that's what precipitated my existence. As far a society goes, I'd have to say email was a pretty darn good contribution, even if it was in its earliest stages.

Congrats! Please use the contact form to send us your address and Fabricworm will send off your prize!

Link Love

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 08:01:00 +0000

I Heart Math Platonic Solids Garland tute. I love everything about this. At minnieco.

These ladies are doing all the of the Project Runway challenges... on dolls. Awesome. At JustCraftyEnough.

Chocolate dipped sugar cubes would be adorbs at a tea party, at Cute Food for Kids.

Cool DIY for a light up paper village. Kids would go crazy. At fellowfellow.

I can't tell if I love these or hate these. I think I love that they exist but might not wear them. Who am I kidding I would totally wear them.

Oh pinterest. Thank you for this trick of using spice racks to turn the sides of a dresser into a bookshelf. And these potato head cookies. A lot of work, but so cute.

On Facebook and Twitter I asked if any of y'all were currently pregnant, so there are at least 200 or so of you about to pop any minute! Then I got all kinds of emails and such asking ME if my asking YOU about your pregnancies was a way of indicating that I, too, might be pregnant. While I am not entirely opposed to the idea, my uterus is currently unoccupied. I'll let you know if that changes with lots of tutorials on how to make ginger lollipops and ginger tea and DIY barf bags.

25 Inspirational Ideas for Decorating with Burlap, so pretty! so scratchy!

And here's 25 beautiful night lights you can make.

25 Ways to Bring MLKs Message Home with fun craft and books.

This is a cool tute for making string and nail letters. Kinda like the DIY yarn sun I made a few years ago.

What's your go-to baby gift? Here's 25 baby gifts that never go out of style.

I rounded up some of my favorite affordable artworks for the nursery. I love these so much they make my heart buzz.

And i will leave you with the awesome words of Brianne, who posted this on our facebook page: You know you're addicted to sewing when you sit down at your computer desk and your foot automatically starts searching for the sewing machine pedal.

It's a Marshmallow World

noreply@blogger.com (Jacinda) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 09:00:00 +0000

Guess the very first thing that I did in 2012. Yes, I made marshmallows. Heavenly, delicious marshmallows using Jaime's marshmallow recipe. At midnight. Ya know how people say the Grand Canyon is majestic and amazing but you never really know what they mean until you see it for yourself? Trust me. Make these marshmallows.

Substitute 1 teaspoon almond extract for the coffee (or vanilla) extract listed in the recipe. Pop one in your morning coffee. Eat them straight. Taunt your brother with them. All delightful options.

If you want to go fancy for the kids, see this post for DIY "peeps."

Child-Size Ironing Board

noreply@blogger.com (Prudent Baby) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 08:05:00 +0000

It is not very often that we have tutorials involving wood, drills, and hammers here on Prudent Baby but when the chance comes, we love to share them with you. Who is totally loving this child-size ironing board right now? Me too! Over at Duo Fiberworks sisters Laura and Katie are making all sorts of wooden and felt toys for their little ones. Today they will walk you through the process of making this adorable ironing board. Make sure to stop by their blog to check out their many other tutorials like felted milk and juice bottles, carved carrots, and felted knit boats. Take it away ladies...

Child-Size Ironing Board

Here's my first tutorial for a larger woodworking project. The ironing board folds flat for storage and is a sweet addition to any toy kitchen. It's really pretty simple to build, the trickiest thing was cutting the legs at exactly the same angle and length. I am not accomplished at working with wood and I managed to figure this all out, I bet you can too.

First, here's a pdf materials list and cutting plan. So, go ahead and download that. Then, follow along below for the steps to construct the ironing board and iron.

Please note, some of the photos vary slightly from my written instructions or measurements, that's because I was winging it and designing as I went along. I streamlined the process for you.

Tools:
Jigsaw
Orbital Sander with 80 grit, 150 grit paper. You could sand by hand if you prefer.
Hand Saw
Hammer
Drill with 1/2" spade bit
Square
Flaxseed oil or beeswax polish
Cut out wood pieces:

Cut the legs to length. Using your square, mark and cut the angles on the legs-

Then check to confirm they are the same angle and same length. Mine were a bit off and I had to add a shim later. I used recycled lumber and didn't have anymore 1x2's, hence the crack.

Drill holes on legs, I clamped mine together and drilled through all four at once.

If you would like painted legs, now is the time to paint them. Hopefully you have a helper who can paint for you.

We used interior latex, and I wanted a translucent look, so I wiped the paint with a rag immediately after he was done painting. Also paint the dowel. Sand the edges of the ironing board top to round them. I also sanded the top and bottom with 80 grit then 150 grit sandpaper for a super-smooth finish.

Assemble legs. Look at photo for how legs should be laid out. See how the angles are different for each "set" of legs? Start with the center dowel, then glue the dowels at the bottom of the legs. You can glue the dowel for the narrower legs, but just dry fit the dowel for the wider set of legs, you'll glue that later. The wider legs will be about 6" wide from outside edge to outside edge, and the inner legs will be about 4 1/4."

Using a high-quality wood glue, glue the hinge and stop block into place. The legs measure about 18" wide when the table is assembled, so I had a helper hold the legs at that width, then marked on the bottom of the ironing board top where the hinge and stop block should go. I centered the legs under the top. Use plenty of glue and allow to dry overnight.

Now, slide the dowel from the wide pair of legs through the hinge.

Prop the other top dowel behind the stop block. Sand the dowel ends and touch up the paint.
Oil the ironing board with flaxseed oil or finish with polish. Done!
Now for the iron, it's very simple.
Cut out shapes-

I used poplar for the base and cherry for the handle, but you can use the left over piece from cutting out your ironing board. Sand the top, bottom and sides. Round the edges of all the pieces, just like you did with the ironing board. Then stand the iron up and place the handle into position- I like the handle to rest on the table when the iron is vertical. Mark with a pencil.

Glue the handle in place, allow to dry overnight.

Finish with oil or polish. Your iron is done.

Please let me know if you have any questions about this tutorial, I hope it was helpful! I'd love to see photos of your ironing boards, leave a link in the comments if you make one.

Gordon's First - Football Birthday Party

noreply@blogger.com (Jacinda) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 09:00:00 +0000

This past Saturday we celebrated Gordon's first birthday with a NFL playoff party here at the house. We made three kinds of soup served up in Crock Pots with fresh bread and cheese. We mixed up a batch of our signature Orange Slush. The kids played in the ball pit and had a pick-up game of football in the backyard. The birthday boy put on a great "cake smash" show. This was an easy party to pull together. Ill be sharing all of the details and simple DIYs. For now, here are some photos!

Mama treated herself to some DIY football nails.

Tissue pom poms are a cheap, quick and big impact decoration.

Turn a plain white t-shirt into an easy football "jersey." Nibble on delicious baby boy.

But there's more...
Make a jersey-shaped cake from two rectangle sheet cakes and decorate in your favorite team colors.

Cut brownies with a football cookie cutter and decorate with leftover buttercream frosting from the cake.

Customize storebought foam fingers with spraypaint and cut vinyl.

Why reinvent the wheel? Pick up some homemade-looking football lollipops.

Bag up some pom poms, mini footballs and lollis for guest to take home.

Watch your little guy discover the joy of sugar.

Yummy!

A party isn't over until a shirtless baby eats cake from the floor while his mother takes pictures. Shame.

Thanks for all the facebook encouragement on the ball pit. It provided hours of entertainment for all the kiddos!

Is there a football party in your future? Will you try some of these easy projects?

2-Minute French Toast in A Cup

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 08:01:00 +0000

Who's got the munchies? Ha! Seeing as our Cup of Coffee Cake (in Under 5 Minutes) was our most popular post of 2011, I thought y'all might enjoy my other favorite last minute snack, which is even quicker and easier and more fattening (and therefore more delicious/more embarrassing to admit I eat on a regular basis).

It's french toast in a cup, made in your microwave and topped off with a generous ssquirt of ssyrup (which is making my ssssss key kind of sssticky right now).

So please, grab a slice of bread and allow me to blow your mind...

2-Minute French Toast in a Cup Recipe

First you need bread. This is pan de mie, which is basically just french for sandwich bread. Your weber white will work fine, or whatever you have on hand. I prefer my french toast soft-ish but if you like a little crunch go for a baguette. It truly does not matter. An old croissant. A nutty multigrain. A pile of tortillas might even work, i'm not kidding. Anyway, you'll need one or two pieces of bread per cup. I like to make 2 cups at once so I can split an egg, but you can totally make one big cup with more bread and a whole egg. Work with what you've got.

Cube your bread.

Get your cup or cups ready. Butter the inside, either rub a pat of butter around, or you can melt the buter in a mircowave and slosh it around. Up to you.

Place the bread in the cup of your choosing. I used two small cups this time because my pesky husband wanted in on the action, but one big cup totally works. About a slice or a slice and a half will do it. Smoosh it down a bit but don't compact it so much cause you need the liquid to be able to work it's way in.

Now in a separate cup or ramekin do the following:
-crack and egg into it
-add 3 tablespoons of milk
-sprinkle cinnamon
-if you like your french toast really sweet or vanilla-y, add a single drop of vanilla extract (I don't do this, but it might make you love it even more)

Mix it all together with a fork.

Pour the mixture into your cup/cups. Smoosh it a little, and give it a minute to soak down into the bread.

Now stick your cup in the microwave. Start with one minute, then add ten seconds at a time until it's cooked to your liking (no runny eggs). In my microwave that's 1 minute, 20 seconds.

Mmm, eggy cinammon-y bread. Yes!

Add syrup. You have to have syrup. Or whip cream. But really, syrup.

Eat. Repeat nightly, or morning-ly.

FABRIC FRIDAY

noreply@blogger.com (Prudent Baby) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 19:00:00 +0000

Cynthia from Fabricworm is always sending us the cutest fabrics for Fabric Friday and I think Sparky & Marie's Piccadilly Cream is right up there at the top. I love this 70's posies print it screams, peace, love and groovy times.

To enter for a chance to win one yard of Sparky & Marie, Piccadilly, Posies Cream tell us a favorite contribution the 1970s made to society. After thinking it over long and hard I'd have to say the first Earth Day, as well as Pink Floyd's album Dark Side of the Moon. I'll help you out with other suggestions like Rubik's Cube, theory of the Black Hole, first email is sent, and a little unknown movie called Star Wars. Leave your comment anytime between now and Friday, January 13th. Tweet, Stumble, or share on Facebook and leave another comment letting us know. Come back every day for new entries. We'll randomly select a winner and announce right here next Friday.

Find out who won last week's Fabric Friday after the jump...

The winner of one yard of Laurie Wisbrun's Modern Whimsy, Organic Cotton, Sheep Park is...

S said...

My 5 mo old loves itsy bitsy spider. And I love the big smile on his face when I sing it! -Sharon M

Congrats! Please use the contact form to send us your address and Fabricworm will send off your prize!

Link Love

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 08:01:00 +0000

Totally cute to make a paper bunny puppet.

Or plant a teensy shell garden.

Use magnets and a muffin tin to store craft supplies and 25 Clever Storage Tips & Tricks for the New Year.

Follow this tute to make a super cute car pincushion.

Love all this fun stuff to do with marshmallows.

How ridic amazing are these ribbon animals?

Check out Family Style's 20 Most Popular Posts of 2011. Eye candy galore.

Obviously you are lovely just the way you are, and a good night's sleep is the best beauty trick there is, but still I went and rounded up some tips that I totally dig (hello sock bun, where have you been all my life?). So, check them out: New Year: New You - 25 Beauty Tips & Tricks That will Blow Your Mind

Planning a superbowl party? Might as well get crafty! Here's 25 Touchdown Tutorials for your Superbowl Party.

We rounded up our 25 Favorite Apps for Families. What apps do your kids love?

And 25 Awesome Play Kitchens to choose from.

Call for help: Our friend and beloved blogger Monica Bielenko and her family suffered a horrible loss when their house caught fire earlier this week. Hear her story and consider contributing to the emergency fundraiser here.

I had a good laugh reading a comment from reader Sara on Prudent Baby's 11 Most Popular Posts from 2011: That fake parking ticket really irked my mother in law off. It was sooooo much fun. She almost hit my husband. :) And the coffee cake was delicious!! We don't condone violence but HA HA HA.

Over on facebook and twitter this week all the Prudent Mamas were very chatty...

We seemed to very much enjoy and come to a general consensus that this is the greatest Handmade Ryan Gosling post thus far. Thank you @sewsodef et al for all the joy you have brought us.

Jacinda wanted to know if she would regret buying Gordon a ball pit for his first birthday (tomorrow!), but most of you said to go for it. My favorite comment was from Amy who said: We loved it. Whether you are picking up plastic balls, blocks, cars, trains...makes no difference :-). Yes, that makes sense.

Scarlet found a love chip and was so excited she told me to show everyone so i did. I locked myself out of my microwave and you all helped me get back (praise you). You asked about Scarlet's octopus chair, but it's from the now-defunct babystyle. Anyone know where to find one these days? I also got really excited to know what kind of plant that was and reader Katrina (aka "Plant Nerd") gave us the full scoop. I think I am going to go hunt for pups even though it's unlikely to see them grow to this size any time soon. Thanks Katrina! And Jessica posted this picture of the pretty in pink craft area she created for her daughter! Want to adopt me Jessica?

After Jessica adopts me, we will move together to Korea next door to reader Pam who posted this to us: We've been living in South Korea for a little over a year now and it's got pros and cons to say the least. (Big con: living in a rice paddy in July.) But that Michael Miller pinwheels fabric I just scored for about $2.50 a yard (along with a bunch of other designer fabrics)? Why that, my friend, is a pro. Pro indeed.

Reader Eileen asked: Just curious as to what everyones appliqué techniques are. I have always used fusible interfacing either zig-zagged or satin stitched. I am now reading about using a freezer paper template and turning edges under (secured with a glue stick). Has anybody tried this? Maybe you could help her out in the comments.

Over on Pinterest we were avoiding our responsibilities and pinning away (you can't relate to that can you?)...

I pinned this Prudent Baby project from last year and it got so much love, the four season crossover top. I had totally forgotten about it but now i want to make a new one for Scarlet, in oil cloth, to use as an art apron. Right?

Also loved the Operation Icognito dress up moustache set, Makeup Cookies, and this insane beautiful Washi Tape fabric that's about to hit Fabricworm.

So that's what we've been up to this week. What's been happening in your craft caves?

GIVEAWAY WINNER: 1 Free Month of Advertising on Prudent Baby

noreply@blogger.com (Prudent Baby) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 22:00:00 +0000

Want to find out who won 1 free month of advertising on Prudent Baby? First, let's give a round of applause to all our Prudent Baby sponsors since they play such a huge roll in making Prudent Baby possible...

Ky and Kin is an adorable Etsy store full of comfy and stylish clothes for little girls.

Interested in starting to sell your handmade treasures? Craft Buds can help you out with all your handmade business needs as well as sharing blogging tips and craft tutorials.

Luckycann handmade bags are made for function and fashion. Something every girl needs.

Storkie.com is a one stop shop for invitations, announcements, you name it. They carry a wide variety of both classic and modern styles just to fit your taste.

Make sure to stop by Leyton Smiles and check out their collection of handmade baby blankets, bibs, and much more.

Keep reading to see the other amazing sponsors and find out who won 1 free month of advertising after the jump...

Ribbons, ribbons and ribbons, oh my! The Ribbon Retreat has a huge collection of ribbons of all different colors and sizes.

Beautiful Ana's Baby Couture is full of pretty headbands, clips, bows and flowers for your little girl.

Looking for a new blog to follow? Out of Alabaster is full of tutorials, recipes and Lindsey's custom portrait silhouettes.

At Moxiemandie you can find more chevron pillows just like this one as well as other stylish pillows and tie-dye onesies.

Kid Giddy is filled with DIY crafts, recipes and stories of one woman's experiences and adventures in motherhood. The Kid Giddy Etsy carries the innovative ThumbGuard to help all those thumbsuckers out there.

Coupon Mall 247 is literally a mall of every coupon you could ever imagine. You can find coupons for home and garden, apparel, music, almost anything. Extreme Couponing, here we come!

Vistaprint is a great place for holiday cards, business cards and all your printing needs. They have a huge selection of invitations and announcements and all at affordable prices.

Surprise your child with a one of a kind gift this year with First Friends Custom Toy Portraits. Your child will light up when they see a portrait of their favorite toy hanging in their room.

The winner of 1 free month of advertising on Prudent Baby is...

Casey of SMD said... 6

The Storkie ornament cards are such a clever idea! You can have your holiday cards with your family photo printed on a hangable ornament for your recipients.

Congrats! Please contact our ad manager, Amber at admanagers[at]frecklednest[dot]com and she will get you started.

And if you are ready to take your blog or shop to the next level, take a peek at our advertising opportunities that start at just $50. If you have questions about advertising, just shoot us an email or contact our ad manager, Amber at admanagers[at]frecklednest[dot]com.

Semi-DIY Clutch with Tulip Shimmer Sheets

noreply@blogger.com (Jacinda) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 09:00:00 +0000

We were asked to try out Shimmer Transfer Sheets from Tulip. While their glittery perfection screamed to be used on goodies for the girls, I decided to hot-mess-mommy it up with a little Semi-DIY clutch. Now that I carry around a big ol' mama purse day-to-day, I like to lighten my load down to credit card, phone and lipstick for date night. Check out this easy project...

These shimmer transfer sheets are beautiful, so sparkly and bright. They are super easy to use and the only tools you need are a pair of scissors and an iron. Oh, and you need something to adorn with sparkle. I picked up these simple linen clutches at Hobby Lobby for $3.99 each.

Other reviewers have experimented with cutting the sheets on a Silhouette and been successful. See the specifics on Infarrantly Creative. You can also use punches. I just went old school with a pair of scissors. First I drew a simple geometric design directly on the plastic coating of the shimmer sheet.

I cut out my shapes and arranged them on the clutch.

Peel off the plastic top coating and reposition.

Slide a piece of cardboard inside the clutch. Ah yes, did I mention that the lining of the clutches is leopard print? I wouldn't want you to be surprised.

Use a pressing cloth (or a scrap of old sheet in my case) and iron in place.

Then I added a few accents to the front.

And it's your time to shine mama!

Butternut Squash Soup: Easy Crock Pot Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 08:01:00 +0000

My mother is the best - whenever she comes over she brings me food. Like those awesome giant bags of pre-cooked udon from costco, man I love those and she always brings them to me. But the best is when she hands over fresh vegetables from her or her neighbor's garden. This year's backyard farm caught a fungus and all my curcurbits bit the dust, so her latest delivery of a pile of butternut squash was so awesome.

I wanted to make a soup in the crock pot (to save time and also stove top space over the holidays), but couldn't find a really good crock pot butternut squash soup recipe out there.

I perfected this one over a few days and it really is so easy and turned out so yummy that I wanted to share it. I hope you give it a try, because this is one healthy soup that even kids will gobble up.

Butternut Squash Soup Easy Crock Pot Recipe

Ingredients
One large or two medium butternut squash
One yellow or white onion
One apple (granny smith is best but work with what you've got)
2 cups chicken stock

Everything else is optional, but I like to use:
1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
Bay Leaf
Creme fraiche or sour cream

Directions
First you want to roast your squash and onion. You could use pre-made butternut squash puree, or you could just dice the squash and put it in the crock pot, but roasting brings out the sugars and makes it much more delicious. Also, if you choose to roast, you don't have to cook your onions on the stove top. If you don't roast, you'll want to dice your onions and cook in a pan until translucent. So preheat your oven to 400 and prepare your squash and onions.

First cut the butternut squash in half. Cutting a butternut squash is a pain, but here's the secret. Stick the whole thing in the microwave for 3-5 minutes (depending on how powerful your microwave is). Then slice a bit off the top and bottom so you can stand it up straight with the larger end as the base. Now push your knife down from the top to bottom. It should be fairly simple but if it gets stuck you can tap the knife to push it through.

Now scoop out the seeds and drizzle olive oil on a roasting pan, then place the squash, cut sides up, on it. Also cut your onion in half, leaving the paper on, and place the two pieces cut sides down on the same pan. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Roast for about 40 minutes, until you can stick a fork in the squash and it's nice and soft.

The onion will also get soft and sort of smoosh apart to the touch.

In the meantime, peel, core and dice an apple. Throw it in the crock pot.

When the roasting is done, scoop out the flesh of the squash and throw it in the crock pot.

Remove the paper from the onion and separate the layers (or chop a bit if you want to) and add it to the crock pot as well. Now you've got apple, squash, and onion in there.

Pour two cups of chicken stock on top, and add a bay leaf or two. Set crockpot to low and let it cook. Anywhere from 2-4 hours on low is good.

Then all you need to do is remove the bay leaf and blend the mixture with an immersion (stick) blender (or use an actual blender if you like) to your desired consistency. Stir in your spices (I like coriander and white pepper), salt to taste, and half a cup of creme fraiche or sour cream. This soup is so thick you don't need the cream, but if you like it, it does add a little tang. You could use heavy cream too if you like that, but this soup is so healthy and thick without it, I say don't waste the calories and have a cookie for dessert instead.

Serve with a dollop of creme fraiche or sour cream and a sprinkle of chives (or whatever herbs) and devour. My kid hates onions but she's never the wiser with this soup.

Also, I'm loving my MIL and the new dishes she brought me for hanukkah, hello I'm so lucky it hurts.

I love a good easy crock pot recipe and am always looking for inspiration, got any recipe links to share?