St. Patrick's Day Craft

I tried to be one of those moms who do crafts with their children. Cray K was not having it. This isn't the first time he has been completely uninterested in creating with me. The only thing this kid wants to create at this point is a big ole mess! That's okay. I'm making memories.

Memories of him shaking his head "no" aggressively.

Memories of him looking at me like I'm absolutely crazy for painting his hand green. He seemed to think, "What are you doing, Mom? Not cool."

Whatever. We'll have all these cute little crafts and I can tell him all about how we used to paint together. I'll make it sound great! He'll never know.

Never Buy Another Cloth Diaper Insert Again

This post will be incredibly boring for those of you who don't cloth diaper and/or those who have no plans to ever. You might wanna skip it, just sayin'. Today I'll tell you all about how I made 8 cloth diaper inserts for under $2! It was genius, really. I'm sure someone, somewhere has already discovered this but it just came to me a few weeks ago. I was perusing Wal-mart as I do every day (if only I were kidding) when I saw wash cloths on sale. I could get 16 for under $2. Sign me up. Living in the middle of nowhere has caused me to be a little creative with my sewing adventures because there's just no where to purchase a variety of fabrics. Anyway, it's important to note that I noticed these same packages are no longer on sale, but fear not-- you can still make 8 inserts for around $4. Here's what I did:

Step 1: Get two wash cloths of equal size. Pick ones that feel absorbent!

Step 2: Encase one over the other by folding them like a hot dog. I fold them this way so that I'm only sewing the three sides instead of four.

Step 3: You can pin your cloth if you'd like. I only did for the picture honestly. It's pretty easy to hold in place and it saves time. I'm NOT a perfectionist, though so if you want a pretty insert- then maybe you should. I just am well aware of what goes on the insert and yuck! Nothin' pretty about that.

Step 4: Use a straight stitch to sew the edges.

Voila! You're done.

I use these inserts as back ups. Most diapers you buy come with at least one microfiber or bamboo insert. Stuffing one of these wash cloths turned insert in provides a little extra protection. Because the wash cloths were so cheap, the absorbency isn't great but it works for us for day time use. I don't think I would trust it for night time, though.

Happy Sewing!

DIY Halloween Signs

Today's inspiration?

Source: lilblueboo.com via Mrs. on Pinterest

There are tons of tutorials floating around Pinterest telling you how! easy! it is to get those perfectly crafted letters onto wooden signs and/or canvas. I'm here to tell ya- sure, maybe it is easy if you have the right tools, but you can bet this amateur crafter never does. I've mentioned before that I'm not a fan of buying more crafting or decorating supplies when I have so many other options in my closet that I could improvise with. It also may have something to do with the fact that the nearest Hobby Lobby is at least 45 minutes away, but I digress. 

The point is, I did this project the hard way- no doubt.

And by "hard", I simply mean time consuming. I did have fun, though and I'm pleased with how they turned out for the most part. These projects would have been so much easier if my Cricut would magically start working again (See awesome canvas craft using Cricut here.) Ugh. I'm so over dealing with that thing. I'm rambling again...Let's get to the craft, shall we?

You Will Need:

• paint
• paint brushes
• printer
• pencil
• scissors
• something to paint on 

1. First, you'll need to paint your canvas or wood and let it dry. If you're using a canvas, let an hour elapse before you paint a second coat. Use your best judgement for wood or any other surface. I used a large foam brush.

2. I only did two coats, but I wish I had done three. Anyway, your next step is to open a Word Document on your computer and pick out a font you like. Keep in mind that you'll be cutting these letters out so find one that isn't too curvy and complicated. Use a big size! If you're one of those really prepared folks, you could cut out all your words and place them where you want them to make sure they fit. Me? I'm a rebel. I just guessed. Print and get to cutting!

(Note: That puffy paint is not what I used, just FYI)

3. Use a pencil to lightly trace the letters (if you're using canvas). A marker might be better for sturdier surfaces like wood.

4. Fill in the letters by using a small bristled paint brush (and paint, duh). I used one that was fairly stiff and only used one edge of it for better accuracy.

5. Let your masterpiece dry. Boom. Halloween fun.

Could we not talk about how on the wooden sign that one "l" is upside down? K, thanks!

Happy Pinteresting!

I'm linking up with these lovely ladies:

 

Bananas.

This week was bananas-

B-A-N-A-N-A-S!

Little man decided to go completely insane for a couple of days. Bless his heart. I think I was poisoning him with my coffee habit. Remember how I told you I had to cut back to decaf? It was terrible. But now, it's terrible awful because I can't even have that anymore. I had a hunch that the coffee was upsetting his tummy and it wasn't just the caffeine that was the culprit. I think I was right. When I quit drinking coffee and it got out of my system, he started complaining a little less, spitting up a little less, and smiling a little more! I hope these changes are here to stay for more than twenty four hours. Wish me luck.

On Saturday, my dad and step-mom came into town to visit Baby K. It was so nice to be able to spend a couple of days with them. Baby K has met all but one of his grandparents!

 

They graciously watched him for us while Captain J and I had a date night day. If we're facebook pals, you know that I checked into the local movie theatre with my love to finally see The Help. Since then, I've told Baby K - You is kind, you is smart, you is important- like every day. I love that book and the movie was pretty great, too! We had planned on going out to eat afterward, but we missed our sweet little boy so much that we just came on home.

"Pap" and "Ju-Ju" s visit just didn't last long enough and before we knew it, they were pulling out of the drive way.

And before I knew it, I was up to my head in laundry and homework again. On one particularly fussy day, I decided I'd drop one of my classes for next semester. If I'm barely getting my work done in one class, I'll never get anything done in two. So, go ahead and tack on another semester at least for me to graduate and people to call me Master. (Oh, people don't do that when you get your Master's degree?) Boo hoo.

Luckily, this little one is worth it.



He's great. He's really great. Have I said that recently? ;)

Anywho, I've been feeling creative lately. Unfortunately, I've had little to no time to create. But last week, I pinned two things on Pinterest that you might try to do, too...

 You've probably seen other people do this easy little craft, but in case you haven't I wanted to show you my version. I got the picture frame for 3 bucks at a thrift store. Next, you have to have a printer. Now, this is where it gets really difficult (insert facetiousness)....Type out your message, leave a little space for you to write, and then print! Voila! You have a sweet way to let your husband (or child) know how much they mean to you each day. Just use a dry erase marker to write on the glass of the frame and you've got yourself a craft. Woo hoo!

Then there's this purdy little necklace (Note: I didn't make this). It would be too easy to do for those of you who have access to jewelry making stuff. Here in back woods Louisiana, there's no such store. Ok, maybe there is but it's 45 minutes away and my last trip there was a bit of a nightmare so that's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

Anyway, if you find yourself in Leesville, LA you could just stop by this cute little store and pick up one for yourself.

I'm going to go check up on all of you now. My google reader is getting out of control! #totalblogstalker here. Adios amigos.