New Mommy and Daddy Hospital Survival Kit

A while back, our friends from our small group had their first baby.

I wanted to do something a little special for them, but I didn't exactly know what.

Our small group showered them with diapers, but I wanted to do something else.

I had questioned the husband to see if his wife had received anything that was just for her.

He said no, so I proceeded with my idea.

I had questioned my Instagram friends...because they are a wealth of knowledge.

Seriously...a lot of them have had babies and they knew exactly how to reply to my question.

Enter the idea of a "New Mommy and Daddy Hospital Survival Kit."

I knew that I wanted to give the new mommy something special, but I just had to include some things for the new daddy as well.

I mean, it wouldn't be fair if I didn't. :)

Here's what I included for the new mommy:

Deodorant

Kleenex

Wisps

Body Wash

Shampoo and Conditioner

Q-tips

Mouth Wash

Hair ties/headbands

Facial Wipes

Loofah

Chapstick

Chocolate

What I included for the new daddy (and I'm sure he shared):

Animal Crackers

Gatorade

Granola Bars

100 calorie snack packs

Fruit Snacks

They were so appreciative of it, and the new mommy told me that she had several of those things on her list to go buy.
I was excited to help out.
The cute bag was actually a "garden bag," but it was perfect for the project!

DIY Napkins with Mitered Corners

I know this is a little late...
a couple seasons behind,
but they do say, "Better late than never."

Back in May-June, I went on Girls' Trip 2012.
We stopped in Lyons, Colorado to look in a quilt shop.
They had tons and tons and tons of fat quarters on clearance.
So here I was, didn't even own a sewing machine, and I bought 8 fat quarters.
Now what the heck was I going to do with them?

Well, in August I decided to go ahead and buy Sally.
I was pretty excited to teach myself how to sew again.
I found this tutorial on Pinterest.
I thought it looked easy enough to try.
Besides, we had already invited my family to come up for Thanksgiving.
It gave me something to work on for that event.
So I'm going to share with you how to make these awesome napkins! :)

What you need:

• Fabric (I used fat quarters and cut them to 18" x 18")
• Sewing machine
• Matching thread
• Iron/ironing board
• Pins
• Scissors
• Rotary cutter, mat, and ruler (not necessary, but HIGHLY recommended) 

What you do:

First, make sure you wash and dry your fabric before you start.  This allows you to shrink it before you start on your project.

Next, iron the fabric.  Mine came out of the dryer very wrinkly.  

Then I cut my fat quarters to measure 18" x 18".  (You don't have to have a rotary cutter, mat, and ruler but I would highly suggest one.  It makes it SO much easier.)  

You can also make them as large or as little as you want them.  Make sure to add 2 inches to the size of what you want your finished product to be (for example, for 20" napkins, you'll want to cut your squares to be 22" x 22").

Next, fold each side of the napkin 1 inch and press.  You will want to fold the right side towards the right side (so that the wrong side is facing out...as seen in the picture).

Next, fold the corners in to where the creases meet.  Press.

Fold the crease that you just created, in half.  Make sure they line up together (right sides facing each other).  I used a pin to keep it lined up for my first couple.  After I got the hang of it, I didn't need the pins anymore.

Stitch along that crease that you just made.  Make sure to leave 1/4" opening along the raw edge of the fabric.  Also, backstitch at the beginning and end (this is to reinforce the seam).  Trim the edge at the angle, leaving 1/4".  Trim the excess thread.

Next, press open that seam that you just sewed.  Press the 1/4" open along the edges of the napkin.  (The seam in the picture below should be pressed open...too bad I took a picture of my goof up instead of what it really should look like). :)

 Turn the napkin right side out.  You will want to use something to make the corners pointed out (I used the end of my seam ripper).

Press the edges and pin in place. 

Sew around the napkin to hem it in place.

TA-DA!!! You're finished!! :) 

Now you have gorgeous napkins to use for whatever holiday or event you'd like! 

These were my first sewing project since 2nd grade...so they're really not too difficult at all!

To see my napkins "in use," see our Thanksgiving post.

Happy Sewing!!

No-Sew Christmas Tree Skirt Tutorial

Hey guys!
I thought I would share with you how I made my tree skirt!
This is my first ever "tutorial," if you will.

I had already purchased 6 prints of Christmas fabric at Joann's earlier this fall.
I wanted them all to complement each other in case I had a project for all 6 of them.
Lo and behold, I did.

Supplies Needed:

• 1 cheap, felt tree skirt {the uglier, the better...it makes you feel SO much better about your finished project}
• 6 patterns of Christmas fabric  (these measurements are most definitely approximations)
• 1st ruffle:  approx. 1 3/4 yards
• 2nd ruffle:  approx. 1 1/2 yard
• 3rd ruffle:  approx. 1 yard
• 4th ruffle:  approx. 3/4 yard
• 5th ruffle:  approx. 1/2 yard
• 6th ruffle:  approx. 1/4 yard
• Rotary cutter
• Rotary mat
• Ruler
• Hot glue gun
• 5-6 hot glue sticks
• Patience

Above is the 41" felt tree skirt that I purchased at Deal's for $1.

I measured out my material and cut them in 4 inch strips using my rotary cutter, mat, and ruler.

I honestly guessed at how much material I needed.

When I found out I needed more, I basted the ends of my strips together using my sewing machine, but you could just glue them and it wouldn't matter.

I started with the largest ruffle around the bottom and worked my way up.  

I started gluing my strip, just an inch from the edge of the tree skirt.

As I glued, I made it ruffle.

After each layer was finished, I started the next.

**Be careful...that glue gets hot.  I burned my fingers a couple of times.**

Ta-da!!  It took me approximated 5 hours to complete the entire thing.

As I've said to many people, we don't have a big tree yet.  We're waiting until we buy a house to purchase one, so for now, I used it around my button ornament tree!  I think it looks cute as it flows off our fireplace onto the floor.  I hope to purchase a ruffling foot for my sewing machine, so that maybe one day I'll sew another one.