Winter Wardrobe Project #1

Well, we're trying to buckle down here at the Loving house and, of course, one big way to do that is in our area of clothing purchases. With two girls and winter approaching, this is the time when we spend the most on clothes. Thankfully, Ivy has Kai's old winter wardrobe which pretty much has her covered. But, Kai has outgrown alot of her clothes. Of course, there is no way I'll be able to make all her new outfits, but I thought I'd try to make some.

She specifically requested skirts and dresses this year. She's my girlie-girl so I'm gonna try and deliver. My biggest fear, is making her look like a pilgrim child in homemade crappy clothes. But, my plan is to get creative and come up with some fun stuff for her.

Project #1:

Refashioned Mermaid Skirt

I actually bought this skirt last year at a thrift store for part of a Halloween costume. It was $3 and I ended up not using it so I put it in my "someday-I'll-find-a-use-for-this-fabric" pile. And, today I found a use for it.

Before:



After:


(Notice the pose? It's freaking me out. I kept asking her to pose normal and she said "I am posing normal!" Maybe for a contestant on America's Next Top Model...)

Because it's entirely possible I've lost my mind...

I actually made reusable diaper wipes and diaper wipe solution.

Yes, I am aware that my life is too hectic already with two little ones and that I am not the most organized mom around. Yes, I realize it will increase my laundry significantly.

Though I wish I could say I did it to make the world a better place by contributing less trash, it's not entirely true.

Yesterday, I was fed up with high gas prices and high food prices and high everything prices. I was tired of going through baby wipes like crazy. I was tired of spending all our money on things that seemed "wasteful."

In all honesty I had a bit of a "George Banks" moment from "Father of the Bride." I was thisclose to tearing hot dog buns out of the package so I don't pay for one more thing I don't need.

So, in this moment of mommy madness, I cut up a flannel sheet that we never use and made myself some reusable wipes. I found a cool site with recipes for diaper wipe solution here.

I think we'll only use them for faces, hands, and the easy no-mess diaper changes (if you know what I mean). But, still, since Ives is already potty training it should make the average pack of wipes last much longer.

Sure, I've only really saved us a few dollars a month, but it is a greener alternative and I feel a little better knowing I've done something to make a difference in our quest to save more and waste less.

Beach Chair Make-over

Once upon a time, we bought these cute beach chairs from Pier One. But, 4 years in the sun and a 100lb. Great Dane later they looked like this:

So, when it came time to spend time outdoors the thought of sitting in these chairs really grossed me out. But, with a little spray paint and some upholstery fabric I had sitting around I turned the chair into this:
Turns out sewing new chair seats was pretty simple. I basically just took the seats off and made a pattern from the existing chair fabric. Then all it took was sewing a simple seam and rod pocket for the dowels that keep the fabric in place.

Just goes to show you how much difference a can of spray paint can make! I LOVE painting old furniture and making it new again.

I'm pretty excited about how it turned out. I have 3 more to do and I'm planning on painting them similarly but having fun with different color fabrics/patterns. I'll post pics of all of them when I finally finish...

Don't Look, Eryn!

I got the happy task of making my baby sister's garter for her upcoming wedding. I bought this one from Joann's Fabrics:


And with a little dye and beaded jewel cording and some funky charms, I turned it into this one:


(Please excuse the non-sexy leg pic. I don't ordinarily post pics of my legs online, but, you know, the occasion kinda called for it. Might I also add that I am supremely bitter that this garter is designed to fit my tiny, tiny sister's thigh and fits my calf perfectly. I lost the genetic lottery on that one.)

Weekend Project for the Little Ones

We've been all about keeping little hands busy (and out of trouble) lately. Finger knitting was our first new skill and a big hit. I love that it helps little ones develop dexterity needed for pre-writing skills and Kai loves that she can make snakes and scarves and crowns and more with her own two hands.

Our newest attempt at crafty handiwork projects was embroidery. I've been reading through "The Creative Family" by Amanda Blake Soule and she mentions embroidery for little ones being an excellent introduction into the craft. So, I picked up an embroidery hoop, colored burlap, some yarn and the coolest thing ever - a children's needle. It's a little blue plastic "needle" that is safe for kids to use and can't really poke or stab so they're perfect for letting siblings use without fear of one child becoming a human pin cushion.

I was kind of skeptical about whether embroidery would hold Kai's attention, but all it took was a quick explanation and the handing over of the hoop and the girl went to town! She LOVED it and I had to pry it out of her hands when it was time for bed. Since then she's done it several times and is enthralled with it each time. For now she's just making lines and stitches wherever she wants with no rhyme or reason but it's laying the groundwork for a possible interest in embroidery and, more importantly, providing something other than TV to distract her little mind...

I've learned to knit (albeit badly)

Okay, so don't judge my skills too harshly. I taught myself to knit this weekend using some online instructions. I was hoping to make a dishcloth, but my needle gauge was too big and I cast on too many stitches and didn't have the patience to knit it as tall as I had made it wide. But, here it is. My first piece of knitting ever. A bit too widely woven rectangular wash cloth thingy. Still, I love it as if it were perfect and I can't wait to knit my next piece!

I cut the feet off socks.

Okay, that sounds like some weird confession but it's actually a fun kid's fashion idea.

When Kai was a little younger than Ivy I heard about a cool new product called BabyLegs. They are essentially a long leg warmer for little ones that let them keep their legs warm in onesies or skirts while protecting them from the slippery hazards of socks. I thought they were great and immediately went looking for some. They sold for about $12 a pair and I was going to go right out and snap up a ton of them.

Then I had an epiphany. These were socks with the bottoms cut off. Except they were $12 and I had to buy them online and pay shipping. So, that's when I started cutting the bottoms of socks. We get lots of compliments on them and the girls love them. I end up shopping for cool ladies socks and then cut the feet off so the girls can wear them. They're great because they come in all kinds of cool styles, they're cheap, and they are pretty much one size fits all so the girls can share. (Not to mention they make potty training and diaper changes a cinch!) The ones above were some I got for Kai to wear to her Christmas program. I tend to like them pulled down over the shoes but they look equally cute tucked in like a pair of tights.

Anyways, just thought I'd share the cool idea I stole from the folks at BabyLegs...

Happy Valentine's Day! (the crafty edition)

I decided about a month ago that I was going to make the girls' class Valentines. I did it last year and it was fun so I planned on doing it again. And Valentine's Day was a long ways away so I waited. And I waited. And I waited some more. Finally, in a panic last night I made the Valentine's. It didn't help that I'd bitten off more than I could chew...

For Kai's I decided to steal a Martha Stewart idea and hand-stitch 26 plastic hearts and fill them with Conversation hearts. They turned out so cute (sorry the pictures are a crappy representation) and I am in love with them. Honestly, when I did the first one and saw how much work it was I really hoped the final product would be awful so I wouldn't want to do 26 of them. But, they were too cute to give up on. So, I didn't. And I finished them at a quarter to 5 this morning.



For Ivy's I found a cute idea online. Basically, you just make some playdough, cut them into hearts, and put them in a little bag. Much easier than Kai's (once you find the right playdough recipe-which can be tricky). I think they turned out really cute and I only had to do 10 of those.



Then, in an effort to really run myself into the ground, I decided to have Thomas buy their V-day shirts at the last minute. They of course did not have their sizes and so I had to alter/reconstruct them so they would look cute. Luckily, I pulled it off without having to sew anything! I think they match their personalities so well...

Kai Before


Kai After...



Ivy Before...



Ivy After...





oh, and here's the Playdough Recipe I ended up using. It is easy, fast, and uses the most basic of ingredients.

2 cups of flour
1 cup of salt
1 cup of water (add food coloring to water)
1 tsp. cooking oil