Baby Girl Quilt

About a year and a  half ago, when I first started using Pinterest, my husband and I were trying to get pregnant. I was about 92% certain that when I eventually did get pregnant that it would be a boy. With that being said my very first Pinterest inspiration was a quilt for a baby girl. I saw a quilt that was somewhat like the one I ended up making, where you used scraps of fabric and I had scraps of fabric to be used so I went with it. Sadly enough I did not pin my inspiration and I can not find it either so all you get is the quilt that I made.  

It's kind of a sad looking quilt. It is the first quilt I have ever made.... and I have yet to make another one. I started on a puff quilt for the little boy I ended up having but it was pretty hard so I stopped working on it four puffs in. I'll finish it once my little guy has out grown it I'm sure.

Anyhow, back to this quilt. I couldn't for the life of me get it to lie perfectly flat against the backing so there are bunches all over in it. Oh well, it's nice enough I guess. Hopefully the baby that will someday use it wont judge my poor quilting skills.

Changing Table Update

A couple of months before baby arrived we worked really hard to get his room ready. We painted his room. This was the first room we ever painted so it took us forever, especially the wall with the blocks of different colors. But it turned out so cute and we were really proud of our work.

After that I found a dresser/changing table on craigslist that we bought for only $30, what a deal! It was a light brown wood which I didn't care for so it definitely needed an update. I found inspiration from casasugar.com which I found through Pinterest. This site had multiple ideas on how to transform a dresser. 

I couldn't find a picture of exactly what I was seeing in my mind so I just went for it. I headed to Lowe's, which was becoming my weekly hangout spot, and bought a sanding block, a paint brush, and sample paints in the four different colors used. (Black, Green, Blue, and Yellow) The blue, green, and yellow are the same as the blocks of color on the opposite wall. I already had a paint roller, paint pan, and draping sheet that were used when we painted the walls. 

This project took me about two weeks to finish because I was in my 3rd trimester and would work on it a little at a time when I would get home from work. It was exhausting work for being that far along and I wish I had just spray painted it. I sanded down the dresser, wiped it down, then applied two coats of paint, letting it dry in between coats. I still need to apply a top glaze because it has already gotten a couple of scuffs on it. I'm pretty sure I can purchase a spray on glaze that would be simple enough to apply. This is the dresser/changing table in all of its glory. I do wish I had painted the inside of the bottom black, but it works for now.

Grandma was here!

My mother lives about 1600 miles away so we do not get to see her as often as we would like. This is hard on me with having a new baby. Luckily she was able to be here for the birth as well as stay with us for a couple of weeks to help me figure out this whole mother thing. Desmond is now almost 6 months old and while she was out visiting last month had to do an idea I found on none other than Pinterest! I love that site.

I saw a picture idea that said, "Grandma was here!", with the baby covered in kisses. See original here. It was so darling and my mother just about died when she saw it. One beautiful afternoon my mother, grandmother, Desmond, and I were all sitting on my Grandma's back porch watching the humming birds and listening to the rush of the river. My mother gets up, walks into the the house, and comes back out with a tube of red lipstick. Over the next half an hour Desmond was smothered in kisses and given yet another photo shoot. (He really is such a good sport and so patient)

  The pictures turned out so cute and I am very happy that I found this idea by Brook.

Lace and Spray Paint

My Grandmother gave me a small set of drawers that held games. It was completely brown and I wanted to find a way to liven it up a bit. I fell in love with a pin that I found where she used lace and spray paint on an old coffee table. You can find her original post on her blog at A Beautiful Mess. I loved this sea green color that she used so I set out to duplicate her work of art.

I looked at multiple thrift stores to try and find an old lace table cloth, but of course couldn't. I also didn't want to pay an extreme amount for brand new lace that would end up ruined. I finally found a tiny piece of lace at a garage sale and bought it for 25 cents.

I wasn't sure how I was going to use this tiny fragment of fabric but I could hear the words of Tim Gunn in the back of my mind, "Make it work", so I did. I literally taped down the piece of lace, spray painted it, let it dry, then had to peel it off and reuse the same piece. I was very nervous that it would run but thankfully it turned out beautifully. I'm actually very proud of this little gem that now holds scrap booking supplies.

Thanks Elsie for the inspiration!

Sushi Platter

Quite a while back I was going to my cousins baby shower. I wanted to find a cute gift idea and I found a sushi platter idea on Pinterest. It was so cute that I had to recreate it. 

Check out this blog for all of the details. Her's is definitely a lot cuter than mine turned out to be, but it was fun to try. I had to tell my cousin what it was suppose to be....that's never a good sign, lol!!

The funny thing is that I had no children of my own when I made this. Now that I have a little guy I have learned that cutsie gifts are certainly fun, but it's the useful ones that are really needed. And with babies you need a lot.

White Vinegar - Who Knew?

Who knew that white vinegar could be used in so many different ways.....apparently everyone but me. I luckily stumbled upon this little nugget at The Class Woman Blog. She lists multiple ideas that I would never have thought to use white vinegar for. This was always something I just kept in my kitchen cupboard just in case a recipe called for it. And with how little I actually cook, it just sat there. I now have gone through a few bottles. I use it in every load of laundry, in the dish washer, for cleaning baby items, and in my last two posts. It's crazy that I had no idea the magic white vinegar had in it.

Homemade Fabric Softener

A couple of weeks ago I was randomly searching through pins and I found one for a homemade fabric softener that uses hair conditioner. Not just any hair conditioner but the exact one that I had sitting in my shower, Suave's Rosemary Mint. I read the instructions for it, realized that I had all of the needed (3) ingredients, and said heck yes I will try this out. The original post can be found at One Good Thing by Jillee. Check it out for how to make it. I halved the ingredients because I wanted to see if I would actually like it first. I have used it in a few loads of laundry so far and it seems to work pretty well. I love Jill's idea of gifting it in mason jars. Very cute, and who wouldn't love a gift of fabric softener that smells oh so good.

Cleaning a Pack n Play

My latest Pinterest inspiration comes from Redneck Soccer Mom. I received a used Pack n Play and wasn't sure of the best way to clean it. So I did what I always do, one of two things, Google it or Pinterest it. In this case I went straight to Pinterest. There I found a link to Redneck Soccer Mom's blog with instructions on how to clean a Pack and Play in the bath tub. It seemed simple enough, and simple is my way of life. Although the cleaning products that were mentioned to add into the bath water are not products I have just lying around, so I improvised. 

I filled the tub up with hot water and added 1 cup White Vinegar and 2 cups of liquid laundry detergent. Definitely not what was used in the original post but this way I wouldn't have to go out and buy any additional supplies. I placed the Pack n Play in the water still folded up, and left it in the tub for about an hour and a half. I then put it outside to dry. With it being nearly 100 degrees outside it only needed about 3 hours before it was good to go. I'm not sure how much cleaner this really made it but it sure smells and looks good.