virtual baby shower goodness

I'm a part of a little online community of women who share a lot of the same ideas and beliefs on natural parenting and the like. and it just so happens that we are all expecting sweet little babes in, or around, march (we do have some late february mammas and an early april mamma).

yes, we are the crunchy march mammas. and we are going to take on the world.

it's been really fun getting to know these women over the past few months. we all come from such different places in life, but we're connected in so many ways. it's nice to be in an online community where other people's opinions and beliefs are respected even if not agreed with. we're all nice to each other. (which doesn't really happen on something like a birth board.) it's refreshing.

we decided to throw ourselves a little party. a little virtual baby shower of sorts. everyone who wanted to join in signed up and was paired up with someone to give a small baby shower gift to. it's been fun seeing what everyone has been getting.

I decided to do a little handmade goodness for my sweet mamma + babe. in the photo above (which she posted, thankfully. I'm lame and didn't even get any photos of it all since I was in such a rush to get everything finished and out the door to the post office before the tub guy came with his toxic fumes. that's another story for another day.) you will see:

an infant peasant dress upcycled from a cute women's top. I loved the happy, yellow print and it turns out yellow is one of this mamma's favorite colors. hip! hip! {a free pattern is available for this dress in size 0-3 month over at sew-much-ado.com}

a newborn sleeper gown with hand mitts! I seriously, seriously love hand mitts. so much so I would even wear shirts with hand mitts. so this was fun to make. I think I will be making baby girl some of these for sure. it also turns out that this mamma has a newborn diaper in the very same print. how serendipitous. {a free pattern is available at thismamamakesstuff.com}

wool breast pads. have I mentioned my love for wool? it is probably one of the most magical fibers ever known to man. it is self cleaning (because of the lanolin content in the wool), antibacterial, can hold up to 40% of its weight in moisture before feeling wet, is breathable so you feel warm in cold temperatures and cool in hot temperatures, and not to mention fire retardent. if you think you're allergic to wool, you're probably not. you're probably just reacting to the chemicals commercial wool goes through in the garment making process. pure wool is soft and squishy and hypoallergenic. okay, okay. enough of why I am obsessed with wool and back to the breast pads. I used some upcycled wool sweaters for these, but they were merino or cashmere sweaters so still super soft and not scratchy against the skin. since they were so thin, I just serged a few layers together (I traced a CD, if you want to try making them at home!). they should totally work in theory, so I'm excited to try them out (and hear how this mamma likes them when the time comes). wool breast pads can be really expensive to buy, but the great thing is you really only need one or two pairs. one can be air drying while you're wearing the other pair. they only need to be washed and relanolized every few weeks or more. that is why I love wool! {tutorials and ideas: felted, contoured, and flat}

I had so much fun crafting for this little girl and her mamma; envisioning a sweet little babe wearing this cheerful little dress in the hot louisiana sun, or curled up fast asleep with the cute little mitts covering her hands. I love making baby things. so tiny + cute for someone so tiny + cute.

whales

oh, hello. it's been a while. nice to see you.

I know I haven't even wrapped up my flats handwashing challenge yet (because I'm sure you've all been dying to know how that turned out... let's just say my husband said that the challenge was ruining our marriage. seriously. and if you weren't dying to know before, I'm sure you're dying to know now! I'm just trying to build the intrigue + suspense, here. but no, really. he did say more than once that it was ruining our marriage!) but I'm not going to be posting about that today. today I will be talking about whales. especially these cute little whales on the itty bitty baby outfit I made this weekend for a friend's baby shower.

the jamie jumper | fishsticksdesigns little one layette pattern

I had a crafty sewing day with my darling niece last week and it was so much fun. I wasn't quite sure what I was going to be sewing until literally minutes before I was leaving to drive up to her house. I was hesitant to cut into this whale thermal tee I have been saving forever. it was just too cute + I was nervous the fabric was too stretchy to work with. I'm glad I did because my friend told me after she opened it that she was having a whale theme in the nursery. meant to be!

since I wasn't able to finish it at my niece's house I really wanted to let her see how it turned out. so here it is. hurrah! let's have another sewing day soon. maybe this time we can make matching skirts.

you're invited

I've been busy lately crafting up a storm for the harvest boutique. if you're around on the twenty-third you should stop by for some local, handmade goodness. I'll be the one selling the upcycled children's items. leggies. longies. skirties. raglan tee's. envelope tee's. previously loved items infused with new life + a bit of hip.

back to school

I'm sure many of you didn't know that I'm going back to school. in fact, today was the first official day of class. now instead of buying notebooks and fancy pens I'll be buying straight edge rulers and pretty fabric! my online home ec class is underway and I couldn't be more thrilled.

there will be twenty-six sewing projects in all, with each building on the last. I wanted to be a part of this class because not only are you creating fun and useful things, each project is teaching you a skill. the course is designed to take you to the next level as a sewist. hurrah!

today's project: cloth napkins.

now technically I didn't make the above cloth napkins for this class. they were a set of napkins I made my sister and her family for christmas. it's like I did homework over the break and didn't even know it.

{more projects to come.}

diy babylegs

the outfit: small paul paul frank shirt, thrifted and still slightly too big for my little monkey;

red thirsties cover over a flat; and a brand new pair of babylegs, via knee-high socks from target.

babylegs are a great thing in any baby's wardrobe. boy or girl. crawling or not. even when it's 96 degrees outside. okay, okay. we're in our cold basement. they work.

but I don't really want to shell out the cash for actual babylegs. I'd rather just make them myself. ya know what I mean? good thing they're surprisingly easy to make. all you need are the following items:

::socks, preferably knee-highs (and upcycling old, previously worn and loved socks gives you karma points!)

::scissors

::thread, coordinating if so desired (but you really wont see any stitches anyway, so it doesn't really matter)

::sewing machine or serger

now I made four pairs this afternoon in about ten minutes. so this is a quick and easy craft you can easily do while baby naps or sits there in the craftroom jumparoo eating the various doo-dads. my son did the latter.

and this is not a tutorial post. because, really, did I take any pictures of the process? no. but I can point you in the right direction. like here. or here. the basic idea is this: take your sock, cut off the toe, cut out the heel. throw the toe piece and heel piece away--unless you can find something else useful to do with them, which I highly encourage you to do. the little piece in between the toe and heel is now going to be the cuff you sew on. just fold it in half with the right side of the fabric facing out. then sandwich the rest of the sock into the cuff piece you just made. all raw edges will be lined up at this point and all fabrics will be righ sides facing out. then get out your sewing machine and sew around the raw edges with a zigzag stitch. or use your serger and just zip around. just make sure all raw edges are lined up as you go. once done, just flip the cuff part up and ta-da! you have made a babyleg. was that confusing at all?

did this turn into a picturless tutorial post? okay, maybe just go to the linked tutorials. pictures are always helpful. sorry.

on a mission.

ugh. remember this shirt? how it's favorite but now it's too small? yeah. let's review why it's favorite again.

1. it has the fold over mitts. love love love the fold over mitts.
2. it's long sleeved. hello, it's december and it's cold. and it's even colder in my house.
3. it's not a onesie. I really like the fact that it's just a shirt. I like to layer here people, the plain onesie goes on underneath the cute shirt.
4. lastly, I love it because of the super cute ski lift patch. but that can be put on any shirt, so I don't know if that really technically counts for the purpose of my list.

so I was out and about spreading holiday cheer today (that means spending money, I guess) and tried finding a long sleeve white shirt with fold over mitts for my little guy. I went to BRU (I had a gift card, I don't think I'd normally shop there otherwise) and target (had some other holiday mischief at target anyway) and could not find what I wanted. for one thing, they were all onesies. and secondly, if I wanted long sleeves with the fold over mitts I could only get them in one of two sizes: newborn or 0-3 month (which isn't that practically the same thing anyway? come on!) I guess they figure people only want fold over mitts to protect faces from scratches, not for keeping hands a bit warmer.

so now I'm on a mission. to either find a shirt that meets my specifications in a 3-6 month size OR make my own.

I just might have to make my own, I fear. the ski lift patch needs a new home.

will meme for bikes (and craft stuff)

okay, I'm not usually into the whole meme'ing thing. BUT I think this bike would be pretty rad to cruise around on {what can I say, I'm a bike whore. I would have fifty bikes if I could.} and not to mention all that crafty stuff they're throwing into the giveaway. so universe, or random number generator, or whatever, pick me!

okay, let's get down to business. . .

Mama's Holiday Wish List Meme
TodaysMama and Provo Craft are giving away a sleighful of gifts this holiday season and to enter I'm sharing this meme with you.

1. what five items are on your holiday wish list this year?
*a non-dropped foot
**Sew Liberated: 20 Stylish Projects for the Modern Sewist, Meg McElwee
***a rotary cutter + mat
****a happy, healthy family
*****world peace

2. what is your favorite handmade gift you have received?
does little miles pj count? best handmade thing ever!

3. what handmade gift have you always wanted to tackle?
I want to knit peter a beannie or a sweater, but that just seems too hard.

4. what was the best christmas gift you received as a child?
most memorable was the rollerblades, circa 1989. man I wanted those things so much. oh how I loved rollerblading around the neighborhood. or the bar in our kitchen.

5. what items are on your kid's wishlist this year?
my kid is thinking of the reason for the season and isn't fooled by all this consumerism crap! and he'll only be three months old so he doesn't even know about getting stuff yet.

6. what is your favorite holiday food?
I just love that the holidays are so food centered. I love it all. I love eating it in large quantities. I love that we all gather around it and feast upon it as families and loved ones.

7. what will you be hand crafting for the holidays?
probably lots of exciting, secret things that I can't tell you.

8. what is your favorite holiday movie?
oh man, who doesn't love a christmas story marathon on tbs? you'll shoot your eye out, all night long on a continual loop. so festive.

9. favorite holiday song?
sufjan stevens has a fun holiday album that I absolutely adore.

10. favorite holiday pastime?
leisurely hanging out on christmas morning, after all the presents have been opened, and just being together and playing with all the new toys. or falling asleep to whatever new movie we got.

spreading the holiday cheer... I tag each and every one of you. {and if you don't do it within 17 minutes of reading this or tag at least 8 friends you will have very bad luck and you will never find true love.} happy holidays!

favorite just became more favorite

I love this shirt. mostly because it has the fold over mitts {because honestly, who doesn't want fold over mitts on their shirt?!} but also because we stole it from the hospital and it reminds me of his tiny days.

I love the shirt even more now that I added the ski lift patch {stolen from peter's shirt}. too bad now that I've finally sewed the thing on he's getting too big for it. at least there's an easy fix; but where do I get a bigger shirt with fold over mitts?

for the locals: wanted {one man's trash is another man's diaper}

{recycled t-shirt diaper via}

am making my own cloth diapers (fitteds, if you were wondering) and would love some supplies that might be cluttering up your house right now! so go check and get back to me. would love to take them off your hands.

flannel :: any old sheets, shirts, receiving blankets, et cetera
towels :: they can be old and raggedy, it doesn't much matter
wool sweaters :: at least 80% wool, the softer the better (like merino or cashmere work nicely)
tee-shirts :: looking for cool old tee's with fun logos or prints

help me make something new and lovely out of something old and no longer needed. my son's cute bum will thank you.

determined

with little pj soon making his arrival, I have a lot still to cross off on my to do list. {and if you don't use gmail's calander, you should. I love that thing. use it all the time for my social planning. especially love the new tasks feature.} but I'm working on it.

the only problem with me and projects is that their usually a grande idea in my head that never get realized. or I start them and leave them unfinished while I move onto something else. maybe I have craft ADD. sometimes, I just need to step away from the project--especially if something is frustrating me at the moment--and when I come back to it it will all come together.

right now things are coming together, but I needed a break. take deep breaths. look at some inspiring blogs. get excited. and now I'm going to go get back to it. almost done with one project that I think I will be very proud of the finished product. we'll see how it turns out.

I am determined to get everything done this week, so I can just focus on relaxing and bringing pj into a calm environment.

can't wait to show you all what I've been up to!

I'm a lifer

I just took the pledge.

"I, anna jo, pledge that I shall abstain from the purchase of "new" manufactured items of clothing, for the period of LIFE. I pledge that i shall refashion, renovate, recycle preloved items for myself with my own hands in fabric, yarn or other medium for the term of my contract. I pledge that I will share the love and post a photo of my refashioned, renovoted, recycled, crafted or created item of clothing on the Wardrobe Refashion blog, so that others may share the joy that thy thriftiness brings!
Signed, anna jo."

I figured I might as well jump right in and become a lifer. I mean, how often do I buy new clothes anyway? in the recent months my commitment to thrift + reconstruction has spilled into every aspect of my life. I don't want to buy new. I want to re-use the resources we've already got floating around this world.

I'm excited to start my adventure in refashion.


{do you want to pledge for two, four, or maybe even six months? read the rules here and jump in on the fun! and don't worry, if you screw up you can use your get out of jail free card}

my man needs his temperature control

from quarter to full: comfort assurance

peter is very particular. especially about his comfort. he needs to be able to control the situation. if he's too hot, he needs to take a layer off. if he's too cold, he needs to put a layer back on. this all sounds pretty basic, no? well, as it turns out he doesn't like to pull anything on or off over his head. so quarter-zips? out of the question. from now on, the full zip option, or nothin'. there is at least one more transformation project lined up to meet his new requirements. {sorry quarter-zip burnt orange north face fleece, you're going under the knife!} and then in the future? must remember full zips only.

a diy white board for the environmentally conscious workin' gal

{via}

okay, so I just made my very own little white board here in the office. it was ridiculously easy and cuts down on paper usage when taking messages and writing down quick notes {or to do lists} that you don't need permanently. now I can get rid of that unsightly stack of used and reused post it notes cluttering up my desk. everyone wins!

plus crafting during working hours is always a fun time.



step one: get yourself a transparency sheet.

step two: get yourself a piece of paper. (mine is recycled, yours could be too... I'm just sayin')

step three: get yourself some tape.

step four: now this is the hardest step. tape the paper to the transparency sheet, with the unused side of the paper peeping through the clearness of the transparency. (because y'all should have used recycled paper like I told you)

step five: pilfer yourself a set of dry erase markers in various colors from the supply closet

and then ta da! you are done! {you could also use a clear plastic page protector too, I suppose}

if my phone would have not been cranky, you would have seen the lovely, high
quality photo I took of my brand new diy white board with the following to do list:
work
be productive
focus
don't blog!

knit or die!

am taking my first knitting 101 class tonight


I hope I'm as tough as THIS girl

DIY arm warmers

I started out with a little something like this:
an under armour long sleeved running top that was just way to snug for comfort. {good thing I had happened upon it for free. and even better that I found a use for it.}

with a snip at the shoulder seams and a quick little hem, I had myself a pair of my very own arm warmers. perfect for those days when your ride starts out a little chilly, but eventually warms up. just slip these babies on or off as needed. they are easily stowed in the back of your jersey.



what am I going to do with the rest of the shirt? make fold over mitts for cold weather running days of course! nothing goes to waste around here!

lovin' the love swap

okay, okay. I've been quite the little blog slacker as of late. and not to mention swap slacker. I really shouldn't be allowed to participate in these things because I am quite delinquent it turns out. my procrastination gets the better of me. I'm so sorry little swap world.

I fell in love with this swap because of the above love sparkler photo. sparkling love on fire is just about the best kind of love around. holly, who I actually met doing another swap months ago, had posted about it and as my motto states, I had to do it for love. so I signed up.

I was absolutely delighted to get my little package in the mail. this is why I love swaps--the fun little surprises on my doorstep. {so much better than bills and junk} wende sent me her favorite movie, pride and prejudice; lovely little chocolates, her fave granola [not in photo] which I love; kissy stickers; and the best of all things ever--the scrabble tile stickers. thank you, wende! you rocked the love swap!

well, needless to say holly finally received her swap package a few days ago. again, sorry for the delay. am glad she loved my love items as well.

I laminate because I care.

I am trying oh so hard to be productive at work today. I don't know if it's really working or not {okay, so it's not}. sometimes being a workin' gal is hard. . . especially on a friday.

but I did do something work-related with an arts + crafts twist! it was my very own cut + paste, diy card laminating project! (no pasting required.) I saw the lil' ol' laminating machine eyeing me down and just had to do something with it. so I laminated the script from this, my very favorite lesson: fred the fish and urban stew. now as our cute little fishy friend, fred, swims down stream his cards won't get all wet and gunky from all the over-excited childrens. it's a win, win, win.

photos via the cellular telephone. quality, I know.

now what else can I laminate?? nothing is safe from the protective coat of the hot, melted plastic! {see, obviously I am not being very productive because I am sitting here blogging about laminating peices of paper and other such objects.}

simple solutions

what's a girl to do when all she needs is a little bromothymal blue indicator for THIS chemistry experiment, but the university's stock room doesn't sell it anymore? {and let's be honeset, this girl would have no idea where to buy it otherwise} she boils cabbage!

yes, I made me some red cabbage pH indicator tonight for Club U's Fall Break Camp tomorrow. {for the kids' sake, I hope this substitution works. if not, however, it's all in the name of science} the bonus is now I have a ton of red cabbage, which I'm not quite sure what to do with. I need to look me up some german recipes or something. and stat! does red cabbage freeze well? {at least I've got my new veggie for the week out of the way}


**for any interested in doing this for a science fair project--or just a fun project to do with your kids--you can also mash up blueberries (add a little water) and you've got the same deal. cut up strips of paper, dip them into the solution, let them dry, and then you can test the pH of different solutions. {you'd have to look up what the different changes in colors would mean, 'cause I don't know that off the top of my head.} simple + fun!**

fyi.

does your little one need some
new kicks to wear to that rock concert?

baby tidbitz has the answer.

bon bon | rockerz
lilly's pad | pollywog

my friend lisa buchanan just opened shop. check her out for all your baby shoe needs. each pair is handcrafted and stitched with love. she'll even gift wrap and send them to that baby shower you just can't make. brilliant.

they're all so cute, I don't know how anybody could choose just one. I'm in love with the letti bo bettys. and who can't resist a little baby bling?

trip preperations

one trip to the thrift store
plus
two old bed sheets
plus
some good times with my sewing machine
equals
protection

let me present to you,
the hostel cozies.