A Dress for Floppy!

I have been confusing the life out of myself with the whole D1, D2 and D3 thing for a while now, so it's time for a change...  From now on I will use their nick names Monster, Floppy and The Boy (He is too young to have a nick name that has *Stuck* yet).

The BigD (The girls call him The Big Dragon, so that, in case you have ever wondered,  is where The BigD comes from) works shifts and I am at my most productive when he is on a late shift, or a 12hr night shift!  Tonight has been one of those productive nights.  You may remember a few months back now, seems like such a distant memory now but we had a lovely early warm spell and I was inspired to make Floppy a dress.  I never quite got round to finishing it and once the hot weather was replaced by copious amounts of rain I had no incentive to do so either.

Tonight I finished it, although please don't look too closely at the zip.  I think I need to get a lesson in sewing zips from my wonderful friend at Gandyfloss Creations.  Go check out her facebook page too.

What do you think?

The floral bit used to be a pillow case

I can't wait for a hot day so she can wear it.  Actually, sod it, I think she can wear it tomorrow, rain or shine!

Homemade Toys - Soft Links

Since getting my sewing machine I have become obsessed with making things for the children.  I could easily have gone crazy but I have been determined to only make things that will truly get used so have managed to resist lots of "for-the-sake-of-it" projects.

I recently fixed/bodged the children's toy buggies - I will make replacement covers/seats when my other projects are completed but for the short term they are back in full working order.  They have been out of action for a while and once I actually put my mind to it I had them both in proper working order again in less than 10 minutes and I feel guilty that I didn't do it sooner.  

I have been working on a sleepsack for D3 although it took MUCH longer than anticipated following an accident with the iron.  I will share pics of this soon.

I spent ages browsing the internet for tutorials/inspiration and using some scraps of fabric I was given I managed to rustle up some washable teething rings for D3.  You can find the tutorial here.  I may have to work on some of my tequniques as they took so much longer to make than the carseat blanket, but as you can see they have gone down an absolute storm.

Isn't he just edible??

Button Necklace

D1 and I spent the evening eating junk and making necklaces from a value pack of colourful buttons!

The buttons cost a whole £1 from hobby craft.  Some are a little defected but there are plenty of usable ones.  I picked up the thong from the local charity shop for a measly 20p - We are lucky to have one specialising in beautiful crafty bits and bobs.

D3 is suddenly getting very nosy and is easily distracted when feeding and my colourful creation made for a fantastic nursing necklace.  I shall be wearing it a fair bit over the next few weeks I think.

How Much???

Today was the first day back at school after the Easter Break and D1 went back wearing her new school summer dress.

You may remember my previous post about my fantastic new toy (the sewing machine)... Well, I came across a vintage pattern for school uniform in a local charity shop for 50p, and then couldn't believe my luck when one of the fabric shops in town reduced all it's fabrics to £1/mtr.  I am a total novice when it comes to sewing but I am really enjoying it so thought I would give it a go...  

I had never followed a pattern before so just dived straight in and made it up as i went along.  I used greaseproof paper to trace the pattern, forgot to note all of the markings and cut off the notches!  I spent a lot of time on you tube watching "how to" videos and asked various friends and family members what to do with edges and hems.

Here's the result:

It won me the biggest kiss and cuddle, I can't believe how pleased she was with it.  It only took me 9 hours, Plus another 2 hours to get the hem right.

So, by my Maths:

50p for the pattern

+ 

£1 for the fabric 

+ 

11 hours at minimum wage

=

£68.38

Maybe dress number two will work out in the £30 price range?

Spring table decoration

Spring is just around the corner and we will soon be seeing daffodils Lining the roadsides.  I love daffodils (and tulips) and just thought I would share with you the table decoration I made last week.  

I am really looking forward to seeing it in full bloom.

It was so simple to make and cost absolutely nothing.  You could splash out a little with some posh stones or spray them with craft paint to make it prettier but I quite like the rustic feel of using stones out the garden. 

To make your own just dig up some daffodil bulbs, about 7 or 8 should be perfect, and place on a decorative bowl or plate.  Secure roots and bulbs in place using stones.  Don't over water.

Homemade Car Seat Blanket

I am a seriously lucky girl.  A couple of weeks ago the BigD bought me a sewing machine.  I have been lusting after a sewing machine for so long but could never justify it as I had never really used one more than once or twice before.  We were browsing a department store in town to see what to look for in a 2nd hand model.  We came across a really good deal in the sales and it was too good to pass up when we took into consideration guarantees/warranties etc...

If you have read any of my previous posts you will know that we have been blessed with a gorgeous new addition to the D household.  Given that he was born in the middle of winter (D1 &D2 were spring/summer babies) I found we needed to invest in a coat or carseat blanket.  When it comes to driving I, personally, hate to be all tied up in a coat/seatbelt combination and I am really aware that the children are probably just as un comfortable all strapped in with their winter coats etc. especially on long journeys.  With this in mind I went for the carseat blanket option but couldn't find the product I had in my head anywhere in the shops.  I asked around and a friend suggested I made my own, so after a bit of googling I came across this tutorial.  

I purchased my fabric from eBay, I went for two coordinating fleece fabrics.  Initially, before I was gifted the sewing machine, I was going to try and create a non sew version.  

Armed with my fabric, this step by step guide and my shiny new toy here's what I came up with!

I really wasn't confident edging a whole blanket so I decided to machine stitch the whole thing together with the right sides facing inwards and left a small gap to turn it the right way round after.  Also as I already had my car seat I was able to adjust the spaces for the carseat straps rather than go for the generic option as shown in the tutorial but still allowing room for the straps to be adjusted.

I must say I am so proud of my efforts for a first sewing project and it totally eliminates the need for a winter coat, making the school run and other outings so much easier.  I can just pop a sleeping baby into his carseat without pulling him around and waking him up trying to get a coat on.  All that's needed is a hat.

Homemade Toys - Picture Discs

I made this game/toy for my youngest daughter (D2) who is 19 months old and I must say I am so so pleased with the play value it has provided - even my 4 year (D1) old loves it.

Initially I made them just to give D2 a way of looking at photographs.  She absolutely loves sitting at the computer with me looking at pictures of people she recognises so I wanted to find a way that she could do this by herself.  Our efforts have 21 faces but can be as large or small as you like.

They were so simple to make - the trickiest bit will be finding enough jar lids (You could always mount your pics on cardboard but I feel the Jam jar lids make them really easy for little fingers to handle and should give a little more longevity too).

You will need:

• Photos of close friends and family
• Scissors
• A pen/pencil
• Glue (I found the only glue that would hold the pictures firmly in place was super glue)
• Jam jar lids or similar
• Something to cut round (I found a pastry cutter to be the perfect size)
• Half an hours peace and quiet to get the job done.

What to do:

• It really is as simple as cutting out the faces and glueing them in to the discs/lids.
• Leave plenty of time for the glue to dry.

Ways to play:

1. Just allow your child to explore them alone.
2. Look at them together and talk about each person.
3. Play sorting games for example:
• Who lives in our house? (The BigD's family all live in NZ so we do that too)
• men/women
• Adults/Children
• Hair colour
• Explore relationships - "Can you find Daddy's Mummy", etc...

If you dream up another way to play with them then I would love to hear it.  Please leave me a comment below or email with suggestions and I will add them here.

If you liked this post then you may also like to take a look at the "Busy Day" personalised story book we made.

Not suitable for really young children that are likely to put things into their mouths as the glue, I am almost certain, will be full of toxins!

Homemade Toys - Personalised Story Book

Last week I made a special book for D2. We called it "(insert D2's Real name here) Busy Day" I thought I'd share with you what we did.

We took the camera out with us for the day and captured the things we do on a daily basis. I chose a Wednesday as it is D2's favourite day - we go to "Booby Club", the local breastfeeding support group. I tried to mainly include things that happen EVERY day, breakfast time and getting dressed for example, with only a couple of pics that represent what happens on a Wednesday.

Once I looked at all the pictures we had taken throughout the day I soon realised there were going to be far too many things to hold her attention so I managed to get it down to 11 pictures.

Finding the right photo album for little hands was one of the biggest challenges. I wanted the book to be D2's, not something that only Mummy gets to touch. I found this one from boots, it has got a tightly bound spine, is just the right length, reasonably priced and I think it will last more than 5 minutes! The Pattern isn't one I would have necessarily gone for but beggars can't be choosers - If anyone finds a better one please let me know.

One final tip. Take all your pictures in the same orientation (All landscape or whatever is dictated by your chosen album). I leant the hard way and so a couple of the best shots didn't make it into the book.

If you liked this idea then you might want to take a look at my post on home made picture discs.

Sweet Chilli Sauce

I went to the cupboard earlier for some chilli sauce to serve with my home-made wedges and was horrified to find it all gone. You can't have wedges without chilli sauce. You just can't. I did though!  So I thought I'd share my recipe with you.

I once had this recipe scrawled on a scrap of paper. I have no idea where the scrap of paper is any more and haven't seen it for the past 12 or so months. I have made it so often and given it as gifts many times that I know it by heart - although I feel sure it has changed from the original.

Enjoy!

Basic Ingredients:

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup vinegar (Rice vinegar is best but I use the seriously cheap malt you can buy from most most supermarkets - Think value range, this is the credit crunch after all)
• 1 bulb garlic (Peeled. About 8-10 cloves)
• Red Chillies (De-seeded. About 4)
• 2 tbsp Fish Sauce (Or light soy sauce if you prefer)
• Paprika (This is just for colour so entirely optional)

Method

1. Add the sugar, vinegar, paprika and half the water to a large saucepan and bring to the boil.
2. In the meantime add the garlic, red chillies and water to a small bowl and blitz with a hand blender, once smooth add to the sugar vinegar mix.
3. Once mixture has come to the boil turn the heat down to a vigorous simmer until mixture has reduced by at leastr a quater. Stiring occasionally
4. When mixture has reduced stir in the fish sauce and cook for 2-3 more minutes
5. Allow to cool, bottle up and enjoy.

Variations

• Substitute some of the vinegar for juice of a couple of limes. Throw in the grated zest too.
• Add a 2-4cm of ginger to step 2.
• Keep the chilli seeds in if you like it really hot!
• Add some thickly diced red peppers to the mix then blitz the whole lot together at the end.
• Add a tsp of cornflour mixed with a little water for a slightly thicker sauce.
• 1tsp Salt.

The basic rule is equal quantities of sugar to liquid. Variations on the water vinegar ratio work well too.

A cheap alternative to potentially toxic baby products

I recently read a report written by Amy Westervelt highlighting toxic ingredients in Johnson & Johnsons's baby shampoo and other beauty products (Click the link for more information).

This reminded me of an incident when the wall in my hallway was attacked with a well known brand of washable felt tip pens.  In a bid to remove the offending marks I reached for a packet of nearby baby wipes (I would like to point out that the baby wipes were not Johnson's but a well known supermarket's own brand).  Yes, the baby wipes did a fantastic job of removing the pen marks.  They also stripped the paint from the walls.  Can wipes really be good for a baby's bottom?


With this memory and reading the above mentioned article I was prompted to dig out an AMAZING book sent to me from New Zealand by my mother in law.  It contains recipes for all kinds of cleaning and beauty products using mostly simple and natural ingredients.

Being new to blogging I am unsure of the rules surrounding sharing with you the recipe for some of her baby products BUT I have found them all freely available on the WWW.

Click Here for a link to Wendyl Nissen's website and all her baby product recipes.

I am now armed with a shopping list of ingredients and I will let you know how we get on!