DIY High Chair Cover

My sister passed down this great high chair for Rae to use in a few months.  It was given to her from a family member, and I love knowing Rae gets to use it too.

 

It’s so pretty as is, but I wanted to make a little cover/seat for some added comfort for our baby girl.  I got some great fabric at the fabric store, along with a few other materials.

Here you can see the fabric, piping, batting, scissors, pins, and measuring tape.  Not pictured is some wrapping paper that I made my pattern on.

I started by just drawing and measuring the back and seat of the high chair  right onto the wrapping paper.

 

Next, using my pattern, I cut out the fabric and the batting, allowing for a bit of a seam allowance with the fabric.  By the way, I used a pretty thin batting, I didn’t want something too plush, I thought that would look strange, but that’s just my preference.

 

I just sewed everything together, adding the piping, (which in full disclosure, I still need to work on this skill) and came up with this…

 

If you can’t tell, it’s actually 2 pieces.  (Also machine washable which is obviously important).

 

I kept the wrapping paper pattern I made in case I want to make a new one with a different pattern, or this one gets stained or ruined.  Oh, and I also added some ties, to keep it attached to the high chair.

I was happy with how this turned out, and I’m loving the fabric.  I want to make Rae a little maxi dress, and this would be a cute pattern don’t you think?  Stay tuned for that…

And because this is all for our little angel I’ll leave you with a little picture of her.

 

Birchbox Man

I’ve told you about Birchbox Man before, you can see some of  Kevin’s swag here, and here. I get just as excited each month when his box comes as I do when mine comes.  Ladies, I’ve said it before, but this is a great gift to get your guy, and if you’re like me, you’ll end up using some of the products too. From Kevin’s Birchbox I’ve used chap stick,  shampoo/conditioner, face wash, shave cream, toothpaste, and I’ve benefited from the gadgets such as a cord holder (so charger cords don’t fall in the floor) speakers, beer koozies, bottle openers, and socks.

Here is what we he got this month.

Clark’s Botanicals Smoothing Marine Cream, this is a face moisturizer.Jack Black Supreme Cream triple Cushion Shave Lather                                                                   Yes To Mint Lip Butter (Kevin prefers to call it chap stick)                                             Richer Poorer Socks, these are already in my drawer…

Birchbox man is a bit more expensive than my Birchbox, $20.00 compared to $10.00, but it is a bigger box with the products as well as lifestyle products such as the socks.

With Birchbox and Birchbox man coming to our house each month, we do accumulate lots of products.  We just throw them in a glass vase in our bathroom (his/hers) and you have everything in one place.  Plus, these would be great to put in a guest bathroom for your visitors to use.  We’ve been happy with our boxes, you should try it!

P.S. Our Baby girl turned 2 months old yesterday.

Steals and Deals from Kirkland’s

You all know I love a good deal, (remember all my finds here and here?)  I mean, who doesn’t like a good deal?  We all like to find good quality, stylish, up to date products for our home without having to pay a ton of money for them.  Plus, styles and tastes change, so if you’re like me you’re always changing out pillows and accent pieces.   We all love Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel and stores like those, and make our wish lists from the catalogs we get each month, but I’ll be honest, I never buy…too expensive for me.

You guys are gonna love this…I’m about to show you some items for your home from some of those other stores, and compare them to similar items from Kirkland’s.  This will make you visit your nearest Kirkland’s or jump online to do a little shopping.  Here we go!

Pottery Barn – Jute Braid Pillow Cover $29.00 – $39.00

Kirkland’s – Blue Jute Linen Pillow $15.99

Pottery Barn – Glass Drink Dispenser $59.00 – $79.00

Kirkland’s Loop Beverage Dispenser $39.99

Crate & Barrel – Pavilion Black Wall Mirror $249.00

Kirkland’s – Black Bead Mirror, 30×42 $29.99

Crate & Barrel – Folio Ebony Leather Side Chair $249.00

Kirkland’s – Brown Parsons Chair $63.99

Crate & Barrel – Davis Leather Ottoman $594.15

Kirkland’s – Brown Faux Leather Ottoman $199.98

Pottery Barn – Emery Linen Drape $89.00 – $139.00

Kirkland’s – Turin Blue Curtain Panel, Set of 2 $19.99

Pretty amazing don’t you think?  You can see from these items that it’s very possible to style a room for less.  We recently got new furniture, and we’re still shopping for items to finish up the rooms from pillows to wall art, and things for the nursery.  We’ll be shopping at Kirkland’s.  

Glitter Eggs

This post is from last Easter, but I wanted to share it again since there isn’t any time for Easter Eggs at our house this year… these were really pretty. 

I made some Easter Eggs this weekend.  I wanted a little decoration, and this was easy enough.  However, I didn’t want to mess with the dye or anything…so I used glitter!  Yes, glitter, (we all know is much easier to clean).  Oh, and I also didn’t want to boil the eggs (I wanted to keep them around for a while) but I had to get the egg out.  So instead I blew the inside out.  If is sounds weird, it was.  I didn’t let Kevin watch me do this.  All you do is poke a hole in both ends of the egg with a needle.  You kinda have to move the needle around a bit to make the hole big enough for the egg to come out.  Then, you just blow the egg out.  Obviously there are no pictures of this process…you’re welcome.  The first few were time-consuming, but then you find your rhythm.

And wash them out.

Next, I got my glitter, Spread glue on each egg, and proceeded to shake a ton of glitter onto each egg.

Let dry, and enjoy!

This was super easy, and not too messy.  I did have to wash my hand after each egg, but the glitter I used is really fine and washes off easy.  I like it as an alternative to dying eggs. I will do it again.  This is off topic, but I glittered a pumpkin once and that was fab. Are you the more traditional egg in the food coloring person or do you like the glitter?  Or do you have any other ideas?

Rae’s Arrival

Luckily Rae’s arrival was very calm and uneventful.  It was very planned and went so smooth.

Throughout my pregnancy sweet Rae was always measuring large.  Along with that I had a narrow pelvis, which could be a problem with a large baby.  We knew a c-section  was a probable option.  Monday before Rae was born, my doctor determined that was the plan.  We were okay with that, but were a little nervous/excited…okay, freaked out, when he said “Let’s do it Thursday.”  We left knowing in a matter of days we’d be holding our baby girl.

Tuesday was my last day of work. Wednesday I spent relaxing at home, packing, cleaning, and getting ready for a date with Kevin.  I did not sleep Wednesday night.  We had to be at the hospital at 4:50 Thursday morning.  We were both full of emotion, but mostly excited.  I wasn’t too nervous yet.  We got checked in and they began to prep me for surgery. I had the best nurses, and they really took my mind off of being nervous.  Once prepped we walked back to recovery where Kevin waited while I had my spinal block.  I was nervous now.  I was shaking and could have cried (hormones?) but I kept it together.  Once the spinal was complete they put my dead legs (crazy feeling by the way) on the table, got me all ready and Kevin joined me.  I didn’t feel a thing.  It was a crazy feeling when they said, “okay, we’re getting ready to take her out.”  And then we heard “look at all that hair!”  We couldn’t see her yet but felt such relief.  They finally brought her around, not to us but so the staff could do their thing, but we got to watch and she was big, pink, and beautiful…and ours.  We made her and we were instantly in love.

Kevin and Rae went to recovery to wait on me.  The 3 of us were able to be together the whole time, I did some skin on skin (my favorite) and attempted to nurse.  After a period of time Kevin was able to take Rae out to meet the family who had all been there since early that morning.  Once I got the feeling back in my legs I was able to go to my room.

The c-section went really well.  I was sore, but mostly just my incision. It really couldn’t have gone any better.  And I can’t believe that was 6 weeks ago.

There’s a lot more to talk about so stay tuned!

She’s Here…

Miriam Rae Hill was born February 14th, weighing 7 lbs 14 oz and she was 20.5 inches long.  She is perfect and we are in love.

So, obviously she’s been here for a little while, and I apologize for not blogging, but Rae and I have been enjoying each other.  She is a sweet baby with a lot of hair and she looks just like her Daddy.

I have much more to share, her birth story, (which was uneventful thank goodness), my thoughts on being a new mommy, sleep, what we eat as new parents, and of course lots of things I’ve made for her.  I also have a ton of pictures to share…

Happy Anniversary

Today is our two-year anniversary.  Two years ago we had the most perfect day on Tybee Island, and a great night in Savannah celebrating with everyone we love.

Kevin, Happy Anniversary love.  You continue to make me happy and feel like the most important thing in the world.  I’m a lucky girl…

It was a perfect day.  Thank you to Vanessa for capturing the beautiful pictures.

Stuffed Animal Owl

Since I’m having a baby I admit I have some baby DIY projects on my mind.  I wanted to make a stuffed animal, so decided to make one for little Gray, Vanessa’s adorable son. This was really simple, and I will probably be making some for our little girl, as well as the many kids in our family.

First I just cut out an owl on construction paper. I folded it in half to make sure it was symmetrical.

And then traced it onto fabric.

I then pinned the owl onto some softer minky fabric.

This will be the back of the owl.  Once everything was cut out I just sewed right sides together, leaving an opening for the batting.

Now. this is what I’ll do different next time.  I had originally thought I would just have the owl, without a lot of details, but once I was finished with this step I decided it did need a little more detail.  Next time I will sew this onto the patterned fabric before sewing the two pieces together.  This time I just used my liquid stitch.

I just cut out some eyes and a beak.

And glued them right on.  I let them dry overnight.

Then I decided I needed some wings.

Once everything was dry, I just stuffed it and sewed the opening.

My favorite part is the different textures.  Especially for a little baby.  And there are so many animals you could make.  This was really easy, stay tuned for more I’m sure…

 

 

 

November Birchbox Man

Kevin received his Birchbox and as I normally do, I opened it.  I do pack everything the way it came so he can enjoy opening it too.  Turns out he really doesn’t care about me packing everything back in the way it came…

The box is bigger and I like how it slides open.  I use these to hold jewelry when we travel.

This is what he got this month.

American Crew Shave Gel, Evolution Wash and Buff (this is a face scrub), Peter Thomas Roth Mega-Rich Shampoo and Conditioner (he doesn’t use conditioner, wonder if he’ll start or if this will be mine…), Atelier Cologne, and Old Calgary Oxford Card Sleeve Wallet.

He always likes what he gets and normally tries everything.  Just like my Birchbox, many of these items are great for travel.  This would be a great Christmas present for a Dad, Brother, or Husband.  I like that they normally include some type of gadget, or non “beauty” product.  Guys love gadgets.

Baby Love

As you all know by now from this post, Kevin and I are expecting our Baby Girl in February. I had these great plans of making our baby bedding, because I made Vanessa’s and really enjoyed it and loved how it turned out.  You can see that here.   Well, once we decided what we wanted I started the fabric search.  I looked everywhere.  Everywhere.  I found exactly what we wanted but noting for less than $20.00 a yard.  That was more than I wanted to spend.  I was really driving my self crazy and it was starting to stress me out a bit.  It was about this time that Kevin reminded me that I would be making a lot of things for Baby Girl so I didn’t have to make the bedding.  So we bought the perfect set from Pottery Barn.  I won’t share now, because I want to wait til the room is put together…

I will however share the first project I made for our girl and her room.

The inspiration came from Carrie Bradshaw’s “Love” art she had in her apartment after she had it re-decorated… From Sex and the City if you didn’t know who Carrie is.

Obviously different but you get the idea.  So, first I just went through my fabric.

And had to narrow it down to 4.

I had printed off the letters and just cut them out to make a stencil.  First I pinned the letters onto the ironed fabric and cut them out…

But then for the V and E I just traced the letters on the backside of the fabric (reverse the letter too) and this was an easier approach.

So after the letters were cut out I placed them on the canvas I picked up at JoAnn’s for 50% off and crossed my fingers for a good fit.  No, I didn’t measure a thing.  I’m more of an eyeball it kind of girl.

There’s my canvas and the dimensions…

Okay, so next was a bit trial and error.  I had in my mind to Mod Podge the entire thing, but then decided that I should somehow glue the letters a bit so I used my handy Liquid Stitch.  I glued the letters down and applied a thin layer of Mod Podge over the letters. The directions say to let dry about 20 minutes between coats, but I let mine dry for about 24 hours.  (Truth be told I started doing something else and didn’t go back to it til the next day.) The next day I applied another thin coat and that’s pretty much it!

And here’s a close up of each letter so you can see the fabric I chose.

I can’t wait to see it when the room comes together.  Stay tuned.