Easy photo album cover

Looking for a cute way to dress up a brag book for you little one?? My mom showed me these cute little covers made of wool that were easy to put together and made GREAT gifts.

I have a collection here... My mom made me the one with the dog on it (my cat is on the other side!), my Granny made me the one with buttons on it for Christmas, and the plaid is the one she made Chris for Christmas, and the pink one in the back is one I just made for a friend walking the breast cancer 3-day.

All you need is:

• Felt (you can find it almost anywhere - walmart, michaels, joann, etc)
• A cheap photo album (again - walmart has them for .99 cents)
• Embroidery floss
• And buttons (if you choose to use them)
  

Once I learned how to make them, I decided to get creative... I had a baby shower to attend and was looking for a cute little gift for her. The pattern my mom had kinda looked like a diaper to me, so I thought how I could craft the cover to look like a diaper and baby butt!!

Didn't take long and I figured out this pattern. It was a HUGE hit at the shower, and now that I'm pregnant and have a lot of pregnant friends, I think I'll make more! It's a GREAT thing to do if you are on bed rest - or just bored. Materials are SUPER cheap if you use felt, but you can use wool or any other substantial fabric.

(The picture shows regular safety pins, but before I gave it to her, I got real diaper pins and it looked MUCH cuter!)





Looking back - I probably could have been a little more creative with the diaper - maybe put the kids name on the front and some ruffles on the back (if it was a girl)... but that's the beauty of creativity - it's always a thought process!

Instructions/pattern to come soon!

I suck at blogging...

Ok, I totally suck at blogging... but I think I've finished my last 'major' commitment so maybe I can stay on track.

Over the past month I've been trying to finalize my design ideas for the baby room... and I think I'm pretty sold on purple/green as the room colors. I'm still sticking with a vintage theme - and at first thought it wouldn't go with purple... but the more I'm researching - it's very much a vintage theme color. Wow, that was a run-on sentence if I've ever seen one.

Here is my idea board. I'm pretty sure that is the "built to grow" crib and glider we are getting... we have to go back and check it out again and then just decide! Ugh, I hate decisions. The glider is RIDICULOUSLY comfortable. It doesn't recline, but it's positioned perfectly so I don't think I'll need



More detail on the fabric. The purple floral print will be the bumper pad and curtains. The other fabrics I'm still deciding on for accents. I really want to find a good stripe as an accent, but purple fabric just isn't that popular right now.




I love the idea of silhouettes, but was concerned that I couldn't pull it off with the new color scheme until I saw the print of the queen (in the shot above) on a vintage purple paper. I may not use purple against my purple walls, but I like the idea of it.

Here are some other good ways to use silhouettes with fabrics and patterns. I saw this in a magazine and then was thrilled to find it online (I hate scanning stuff haha - although I DID just get a new printer/fax/scanner that I'm excited to try out! It's wireless too!!)

Ok, so that's the major thing that's had me preoccupied recently. I also just finished working at a race expo for a friend, so now that it's done, I will try to focus on blogging and getting the room FINISHED!

GREAT NEWS!!

I'm sure some of you have heard the rumors about the Consumer Products Safety Commission trying to put a stop to small businesses and individuals selling hand made garments and items for children under the age of 12. Well after a fight they have granted a one year stay of testing and certification requirements.

This is FANTASTIC news to all the sellers of these products - and even better news to those of us who absolutely LOVE buying handmade!!!

I have a few featured sellers that I will showcase on here coming soon so be sure to check back. In the meantime, check out etsy.com for some fabulous handmade crafts, garments and more!!

Bitty Booties

Love, love, love these little things. I can't remember how I came across them - but they are so cute and you can do ANYTHING with them!!!! There is even a Flickr group dedicated to creative new styles people have made!

Anyway - they are cute little booties you make with felt and other fun stuff - but you have to check out the gallery. People are so freakin creative I just can't stand it. Especially the creator of the Bitty Bootie - Heather Bailey. She is AMAZING - check out her blog if you have a sec.

When you are ready to make your own pair of Bitty Booties, you can download the pattern here.