Vim and Vigor

For our littlest guy

 

The drab olive maternity cardigan was never worn.  I'm afraid it was out of style, before it was ever made.  Baby needs pants.  Hmmmmm.  You know where this is heading. 

I can't tell you the joy I get from sewing clothes for my little ones.  I think about how thankful I am that I didn't have to go shopping for new clothes, and spend more money.  I used material we already had on hand.  Funny how material that would look not so cute on me, can look adorable on little chubby legs. 

Miss Lady K now has the habit of asking me each time she sees a dress she might like to wear in a magazine, "Mama, could you sew one like that for me?"  Being I have only made her one dress so far, and being a beginner and all, I say, "Sure honey, why not?"

And, who doesn't like the feel of material that has been washed enough to have that extra softness?  As well as made with the love of mama's hands.  Oh, I think he's pretty proud of these little pants.

More to come little guy, more to come!

{If you'd like to try to make some of your own, a simple video tutorial can be found here.}

A Stepping Stone

 {If you'd like, I have a fun spring giveaway going on here, and it just takes a comment to enter.  Enjoy!}

 Another step in growing up has come to my Cowboy S.  He lost his first baby tooth.  This is a pretty big deal when you are 6 years old.  Stuff like this doesn't just happen every day you know.  He almost ate it, as it fell out in the middle of eating his supper.  He couldn't have been more proud.  Earlier in the day he had walked by me and said, "Can't talk now mom, I've got a tooth to wiggle." 

 He wrote the beginnings of this letter to the tooth fairy, and told me the rest, which I gladly wrote down for him.  Before I go on, we banter about the tooth fairy with smiles and winks to each other.  Parent and child both knowing it isn't real, but it's fun to pretend.  As you'll see in the letter, he references to the wearer of contacts.  That would be daddy. The letter went like this:

Dear Tooth Fairy,

Are you big or little? What's it like being a tooth fairy?  You should ask me, in your letter to me, "What's it like being a little boy?", and I will tell you.  BB.  That's BB for buh-bye. 

p.s. My tooth is very tiny, so don't forget to put your contacts in so you can see it.

Love,

S

 

 Of course, mama had to quickly make a little tooth um.....pocket, for him to put this in.  I didn't have enough time to make a pillow, with a fussy baby last evening and all.  But, I did have time to make a little tooth pocket.  I just cut squares from a VERY soft flannel, sewed them together.  Then I cut the tooth pattern found here. I just glued with fabric glue around the edges of the teeth, leaving room at the top for a little pocket.  Took less then 10 minutes, and was kinda cute.

 

 

 And, in the morning Cowboy S found a dollar, and a teeny-tiny note written just for him from daddy the tooth fairy.

 Miss Lady K wanted me to check and just make sure her none of her teeth were loose.  Wanting to grow up, and reach the next stepping stone, just like her big brother. 

What a priviledge it is to be raising them up, and watching them grow not only physically, but spiritually as well.  Cowboy S accepted Christ as his Savior, at the tender age of 6, right before Easter.  Now, you might say he's too young to really know what he was doing.  You may be right.  But, doesn't the bible tell us to have faith like a child? If nothing else, it was a beautiful moment on the couch between a tired mama and her little man.  And that mama will be praying that they were not empty words, but words that were the metaphor for that first spiritual stepping stone, that will start the most important journey of his life.  Walking with the Lord.

Blessings,

Joy

Spring is here--Day 8--A new spring dress for a party

 {We are celebrating 30 days and 30 ways we celebrate spring--from crafts to foods....come join us, won't you? }

 What better motivation do you need than a tea party to attend--to help you finish a little dress for your girl?  This blue fabric I had been holding onto for quite a while, and it seemed a perfect match for her blue eyes.  It's the Simple Dress pattern from Simple Sewing for Baby by Lotta Jansdotter (find it in the sidebar on this page.)  It has an adorable little pocket, which is hard to see in the pictures...and the pattern comes with a "pocket friend" you can make, which I will do for Miss K when I have another minute to do so.  The pattern, even lengthened by 2", is a bit on the small size for her, so it's more like a size 2.  However, it paired great with her white leggings, and everyone was happy.  She had gone on her nap knowing mama would hopefully finish in time for the tea party.  And boy was this mama happy to have it ready for her to wear.  Someone terribly excited about something I made?  Now, that's something wonderful!

 

 

 

 

Her true character shines in these photos.  In some ways I can't wait to be out of the 3's--such a trying age.  However, sometimes I wish she could stay 3 forever.  Oh, and her thoughts yesterday on growing up?  "Mama, when I grow up, I want to be a mermaid."  Oh, the wonder of being 3.

 

Blessings,

~Joy~

{This post is a part of Works for me Wednesday, and Frugal Friday}

Spring is here--Day 3!

 

Spring has arrived, at least some of the time!  Puts me in the mood for some springtime sewing.  I put together a "family set" of linen napkins.  Two adult sized and two child sized napkins...just made for a picnic in the woods! I followede the directions found here, yet changed the sizes.  I felt they were a little larger than I desired, so went smaller for both the adult and child sized napkins. I found the fabric in the clearance bins at a local shop, and I am so truly addicted to linen.  It is so fun to sew all sorts of things with..  Very versatile, I must say.  In my little snippets of time, oh say, 10 minutes or so, I put these together.  I measure out the fabrics, nurse a babe, fix breakfast, read aloud an engaging story with all the kiddos on the couch, cut out the fabric, play with little ones, do laundry, do dishes while talking with my older girls, back to sewing up one napkin...finally!  As much as  I love to sew, my most important job is being a wife and mama.  They are not interruptions, they are my life.  Sewing is just a hobby.  One, that I do love, though.

My drooly little teether is now wearing his little mama made bib.  So much nicer to look at, in my opinion, than a large plastic one.  And, I must say, it catches the drool quite nicely! 

I hope you have time for a little creativity in your day today...whether it's making up a play with your children, suprising your husband with a creative dinner, or sitting down to sew a bit---maybe even longer than 10 minutes---I hope that your God given creativity blesses your family, and brightens your day! 

Blessings,

~Joy~

Now that's just right.

 

Our littlest babe, now 4 months old, is such a little snuggle bug.  Thankfully he is mostly happy to watch all the hustle and bustle of 4 big siblings, the dog, the cats and the ducklings.  Soon to be 35 chickens as well!  He usually gets a bit fussy only when he is sleepy or hungry.  When he needs a little, (or big) nap....he wants to be wrapped up like a little baby burrito.  Arms tight down at his sides, and wrapped up tight.  That's how it's been since day one, and he seems to love being wrapped snuggly now as much as he did then.

Thus, a bit of a problem.  You see, spring is arriving and it is getting warmer.  Yesterday was a very unseasonal 81 degrees!  The little blankets we had been swaddling him in were very warm materials, not to be had for these warmer spring days.  So, a little sewing needed to be done. 

I found a vintage crib sheet, that I had purchased last summer at a rummage sale for 15 cents, I believe.  The elastic was all stretched out, and I had been hanging onto it, in hopes something would come to mind to make with it, due to it's adorable little pattern.  I ended up cutting off the corners, and trimming up the sides, to make it into a rectangle.  I folded down the raw edges, and sewed them down. It probably took me all of 10 minutes to make, and I was delighted with the outcome.  A cute, light-weight little "blanket" for my little guy, that is not too hot and not too cold.  Just right!

 

I think he things so too!  Your welcome my little one! That's what works for me!

Having a baby without breaking the bank---Homemade moby wrap

 

{This is Part 3 of my series on having a baby without breaking the bank...scroll to the bottom of this post for link-ups to Parts 1 and 2!}

Ohhh....this was fun!  I love to carry my babes...I can't resist wanting them close to me as I go through my days.  Smelling their sweet baby smell, having them near to gaze at whenever....it just seems so natural to me.  When my babies aren't close to me, I never feel quite right.  Sure, everyone needs breaks now and then.  However, for the most part, I think I like them snuggled up close with me. 

That said, there has been a baby carrier that I have loved and enjoyed for years now.  The ergo carrier is one that has stolen my heart for my babes.  I have worn it for hours at a time, without getting a sore back.  Many an adventure in the woods has been enjoyed with my babies riding along in the ergo.  It has been worth every penny I spent on it, and I have loved it so.  I started using it when my last was around 6 months old, or so.  I used it recently with my 3 year old in the grocery store while I was 8 months pregnant.  Amazing baby carrier. 

Because my youngest at the time was 6 months old at least, I did not buy the infant insert to the ergo.  My husband right now is laid off until we move in a couple of months to Minnesota, (God willing), for his new job.  Because of want to save every penny, I decided to make a homemade Moby wrap, for less than I would have spent on the ergo insert.  Want to make one for yourself as well?  Here's how I did it.

First, purchase yourself some fabric.  I purchased 5 yards of a cotton/spandex blend.  It is 95% cotton and 5% spandex.  I didn't want it too strechy, yet it needs to have a little "give" to it.  From this 5 yards, you will be getting two wraps!  I folded it in half lengthwise, and cut it in half, giving me two separate wraps.  One to have in the wash, and one to wear.  Or, one to keep and one to give away!  I don't need to worry about fraying with this material, so no sewing required.  It will curl a bit on the ends, but that's okay.  I placed a safety pin (make sure this doesn't poke the baby later!), to mark the middle of my fabric for easier wrapping.  Then, I went here to mobywrap.com to learn how to wrap it.  Ta da, you now have your own baby wrap!  Enjoy your little ones!

p.s. If you're curious, I paid $40 for the fabric, and so they were $20 a piece.....about half the price of the non-organic moby wraps! Also, if you shop at Joanne's Fabrics, use one of those 40% off coupons from the paper to get an even better deal!

That's what works for me!

Joy

This post is a part of Frugal Friday....at Life as Mom, as well as Seasonal Saturday.

{Catch Part 1 of this series on clothing here; and Part 2 of this series on homemade diaper cream and nipple cream here}

The handmades.....so far.....

 

 

 A little bit of a start on my handmade linen napkins.  I thought a set of 6 for one of the sweet ladies in my life (not sure who yet!), might be nice.  The original link  for a tutorial is found here. I decided against the bold colors, being I wanted to use what I had on hand, although those are very nice, too.   Also, instead of the 18" and 16 ", I went with 12" and 10", to save on fabric, and save money as well. 

 

We have had so much fun recycling wool sweaters around here.  So many creative, easy ways to do so.  We go to goodwill on half off day, which is a great place to find these.  100% wool is best.  To felt the sweaters for using in crafts, just throw them in the wash on your hot water cycle, and then dry in he dryer. 

 

 

The how-to for this garland, which we will be hanging in our living room windows, with homemade cut-out snowflakes hanging above, can be found in this book.  I have done many of the projects in this book, and mentioned it more than a time or two on the blog, I believe.  This was a simple project that my 6 yr. old son especially loved, and that even my 3 yr. old gal could do with me.  Gotta love that.  Are you finding some time for Christmas crafting in your home?  I fear that most of my handmade list will not be accomplished, for our little guy is coming in a couple weeks!  I will be doing the more important business of staring at baby toes, and nursing to fill up babies' tummy. 

Have a lovely day,

Joy

Upcycled Winter Woolens

 

Hmmmm....what to create out of this old wool sweater from the goodwill, that is felted and ready to be upcycled in to a new creation????

How about a skirt for my littlest?  I totally winged this, so I apologize to you seasoned ladies who really now your stuff!  I laid a pair of Miss K's pants on the sweater get an idea of where to cut.

-After cutting this is what I ended up with.

- I flipped both pieces over so the right sides were facing in, and wrong sides out.

-I sewed up the entire length on both sides, top to bottom.

-Another view of the side sewing.  I just used a regular straight stitch on this.  

-I then snipped a little (would have been better had I found my seam ripper!)  I needed to be able to fold down the top enough to make what's called a casing for the elastic to slide into.  

-This picture shows where I snipped.

 

-After snipping (measure how far to snip using your elastic.  How wide is your elastic?  Snip a little more than that to give the elastic room to slide in.  Then fold down your fabric that far, and sew all the way around the skirt.  

-I always tape a baggie to my table to catch all that loose thread and extra small bits of fabric.

-Here it is with the casing sewn down.  

-I then took the elastic (3/4 " wide for my almost 3 y.old.),  and put a large safety pin on the end of it .  That way it was easier to thread it through the casing.  It was still hard to do with wool, but it worked.  Then, I snipped the extra elastic off that I didn't need, and sewed the ends together, going back and forth quite a few times to make sure it was good and snug.

-Another (albeit fuzzier!) view of the elastic sewn together.

-Ta-da!  A skirt!

Have fun upcycling,

Joy

This post is a part of Works for me Wednesday, at We are that family, as well as Frugal Fridays at Life as Mom.

Crafting for the boys in my life.

A little crafting got going for the little boys in my life this weekend.  Both are simple, easy projects that I can do in the little "snippets" of time when the kids are all occupied with other things, or daddy is playing with them, and so on.  I am not a super experienced sewist (is that a word?) or knitter, but I am learning, s-l-o-w-l-y but surely.  I am working up to these ADORABLE pants for my wee one come Christmas....I will make them...I WILL.  Yes, I am definitely determined to do this. 

I guess this will be a type of scarf for my littlest guy, not yet born, for when he's a few months old.  I thought I could wrap it around the front of his neck, (not tying it like you would an older child), but laying it on his chest and just overlapping with a nice looking large metal pin.  This organic yarn is so incredibly soft, I know it would not bother his skin at all, and may help ward off that nasty winter chill. My next knitting project I'll be starting hopefully this week, will be either these lovelies, or this beautiful blanket for my babe.

This is a hat made out of t-shirts and a turtleneck that I was going to give away, for they were too small for my almost 6 year old.  However, there were some really worn places on the shirts, and so instead of giving them away, I made a hat out of them.  It was a fun project, and not too hard for someone who isn't super experienced.  As you can probably tell ; ) The tutorial for the hat can be found here, and could easily be adapted for girls, as I probably will, for Miss K really wants one, too!

Hoping you find some creative time today,

Joy

 

 {This post is a part of Works for me Wednesday}

Those little routines......

I have figured out a few things, (thank goodness), since starting to home school about 10 years ago.  I have learned that a little routine goes a l-o-n-g way.  Now, we don't schedule every minute of our days, but some things done at the same time each day, add a little rhythm to our days.  Little ones and big ones alike, know what to expect, and it is a comfort to know that. 

Having said that, our little ones, almost 6 and 3 years old, (also we are due with a boy in December, but he of course has no routine yet!), have some things that help them along in these little routines. 

Help in a.m. routines:

We put together some simple picture cards of there a.m. routines.  These were made quite a while ago, and are still used daily!  All I did is take a photo of each task my little ones need to do in the a.m., laminate them, punch holes in  the corner, and attach them together with a string, or whatever.

We took photos of them doing things such as:

    -brushing their teeth

    -making their beds

    -brushing their hair

    -getting  dressed

    -doing morning chores such as feeding the animals or bringing dirty laundry to the laundry room

If they don't know what to do next, you just flip the cards.  I have given rewards when first learning how to do this, for a full week of everything in the pictures being done. 

Help in p.m. routines:

Directions for these sweet little bedtime bags, are in this lovely book here , by Amanda Blake Soule.  They hold jammies and a story, and it's just a sweet little place to store jammies for that night, and a bedtime snuggle story to go with it.  When it's time to get ready for bed....go get your bedtime bags!

I had never made bags of any kind before making these, so even those who have not sewed very much, could do well with this simple pattern.

Here's to hugs in the a.m. and snuggles in the p.m.,

Joy