BabyPALOOZA

Ok, so I'm a young mom, so I am understandably interested in BABY crafts. There are so many fun projects out there! Here is a quick rundown of some of my favorites!!

I Love this diaper and wipes carrier. Now that my kids are older I don't have to lug around a huge diaper bag, but I still need some diapers and wipes wherever I go. My diapers tend to get thrashed in my purse (which my husband refers to as "outer darkness" because once something goes in it never comes out ..) so I could use one of these! There isn't a tutorial on her blog, but if you have a two-sided placemat and a sewing machine it looks like it could be easily recreated!


Here is a similar idea wipes and diaper container from this blog.
I don't really like her picture, so here is one I found for sale online:


I've seen these cloth ones at the boutique, and with the right kind of fabric they are super cute! The only problem is that they look like they require sewing AND measuring ;) TOo much for a beginner like me.

Just in case you aren't tired of a wipes holder, here is ANOTHER! This is one that my sister received as a gift at her baby shower:
I had never seen this type before, but when we went to the boutiques on Monday I saw them all over the place. These are really simple because they require NO sewing. Just a hot glue gun and your materials. Gotta love that! There is sort of a tutorial here.
If you like this one you can check out her blog where she sells her products here.
She also got this adorable bow from the same crafter who made the wipes container. We thought it was so cute so of course we had to spend Monday making our own baby bows for Baby Sophie!
My sister got a lot of bright colored clothes for her baby shower so we went for a really bright korker bow:
And then a couple of the quickie flowers for the headbands:
(Both of these are pretty common crafts around here, but if you don't know how to make them and want to know how then just leave a comment and I'll send you the directions!)
Moving on, my last, and new favorite, baby craft are these adorable applique t-shirts from good ol' Martha (or, really, her creative team of craft divas).This is super simple, and (depending on the price of your t-shirt) super cheap. My favorites are the examples put together on this blog (again! I love her stuff), she gives some great ideas on how to get creative with the appliqués. I especially love the onesie with a tie because it is so hard to find 0-3 month baby boy clothes that would look cute for church! My sister and I already have plans to make some BYU applique shirts for the kids to wear to the homecoming parade so I will def. post the results!

Sorry for the blog explosion, but there are so many fun crafts that make great baby shower gifts, and I definetly had baby showers on the brain this weekend.

Paper pinwheels

Hey ladies!
This fun paper crafting idea is courtesy my sister, Tricia. She is always on top of her game when it comes to paper crafts! She has more links, tutorials and ideas of anyone I know!
This cute little pinwheel would be perfect for party decorations (Martha puts pinwheels in white buckets along a table, very cute), or party favors -- especially since the stick is actually a pixie stick! Very simple and perfect for a summer bbq!
Check out the helpful video tutorial HERE.

Hot Deals!

Hey crafters! Now is the time to buy GLUE. If you're like me, you're always running out of glue sticks and probably hate paying $1 for one measly stick (that doesn't last that long). Well, Walmart is (already) stocking their back-to-school products and have two packs of glues for ONLY .22 CENTS. So run, don't walk, to Walmart and stock up your years supply -- of glue :)

For all you seamstressess out there ...

Ok, for all of you with a sewing machine (and a place to USE the sewing machine), I just want you to know that I have serious envy. I have a file stocked of ideas for when I have my own sewing machine -- oh yeah, and a money tree in the backyard that supplies the costs of cute fabrics :)
The idea for this blog was not to just post other people's ideas, but to post ideas I had actually tried, but let's face it ... that's just not happening YET.
So in the meantime, enjoy these pics from some creative geniuses out there. And if YOU try one of the projects, send me the results!

I am in love with these pillowcase ideas popping up all over the web. Probably because they are all for beginning seamstresses like myself (who am I kidding. "Clueless Seamstress" would be more appropriate ...) My plan was to fly to Ohio next week and spend my time sewing with my mom, but unfortunately that trip has been postponed until Halloween so my crafty bonding time has also been postponed. Here are the pics and links for the easy cheesy tutorials:

I don't love this fabric but I think the style of the purse is adorable. Especially for fitting my large day-planner, a fiction novel and diapers, wipes, snacks etc. etc. :)
Thanks Martha for yet another winning tutorial.



These are the adorable and supposedly EASY to make pillowcase dresses. I cannot think of a little girl who would not look precious in these! Whether you use a beautiful vintage pillowcase of fun patterned fabric I think it would make a fun summer dress. Here are several tutorials, check them out and if you try them, let me know which link you used:
Tutorial 1
Tutorial 2
Tutorial 3

Enjoy!

Recipe of the Week

Hey ladies! Every Monday I'll share a recipe of the week -- something that I, or one of you, have actually TRIED and enjoyed :)
Check out these Healthy Oatmeal Cookies on my new favorite cooking site, www.wholegraingourmet.com.
We made them for a Sunday snack and the flavor was perfect -- not too sweet and full of spice. It would be the perfect fall-time cookie with all of that Cinnamon and nutmeg (it had me dreaming about fall leaves, fresh apples and pumpkin patches .... ) I substituted Blackstrap Molasses for regular molasses and it changed the color a bit, but other than that I followed the recipe. I have to admit, my cookies do NOT look like her picture however. I followed the directions exactly but mine became flatter than pancakes. I'm still sharing the recipe because the flavor was so great that I didn't even care (in fact, while they were still hot and flat I picked them up and rolled them into Oatmeal Balls -- whatever works right?).
Enjoy!

Bracelets that sparkle...

My daughter (3 years old) and I made these bracelets together for the Fourth of July. They were super easy and relatively cheap. All of the tubing cost around $5 and it made a TON. There is no way we could have used it all, so I'm setting the rest aside for a future birthday party craft. There are tons of tutorials online, but FamilyFun has a video tutorial so check it out :)
Btw, the inside materials are blue glitter, clear seed beads, and red micro beads.

Home decorating idea ...

As soon as I have a home to decorate I am going to put this idea to work. I was waiting in line at Wally world and saw the latest issue of Better Homes and Gardens special edition magazine, "Do It Yourself" -- which I seriously love! Granted, anything beats celebrity trash when you're at the checkout :)As I was flipping through I saw a project idea for using decoupage to adhere cute/colorful/trendy craft paper to the front of dresser drawers (or end table drawers). They used a bright plaid and the effect was so FUN! I loved it. I'm definetly going to do it in my kids rooms (someday in the distant future when they HAVE rooms ;).
This would be the perfect solution for old second-hand drawers, or simply for updating your room.
I searched the internet for a long long time and only came up with two weak pictures. These can give you a general idea of the project, but really the example in the magazine is still my favorite -- so check it out! Also, if you want an idea of a tutorialthe diynetwork.com has one (also love that site...)
Enjoy!