Big Boy Car Bedroom (Plus a Book Sling Tutorial)

Hello all, Sara here!  We recently moved our little guy into a big boy bed, which meant he "needed" a room makeover.  I had a lot of fun coming up with ideas to do in his room and found a lot of inspiration on Pinterest.

Here are some pictures of the finished product!

The play side of the room.  I made the book sling thanks to a tutorial from Pinterest (I am including a tutorial at the bottom of this post to show how I modified the original tutorial, thanks to Crafty Mama Beth's help!)

The accent wall with new curtains (tutorial to come soon!) and some fabric and vinyl decorations.

The dresser and nightstand are from IKEA.  They work out perfectly for his room, perfect size and colors.

Now for a tutorial on how to make this book sling.

When I saw this idea on Pinterest, I knew I wanted it in the new bedroom.  I even had some fabric that matched the color theme, I just hadn't figured out what I was going to do with it.

I used one yard of fabric, home decor weight.  It measured about 35" by 43" once I squared off the sides.  The original tutorial called for 1 1/3 yards of fabric, which I didn't have.  After talking to some of the other Crafty Mamas, Beth came up with an idea to make use of just one yard of fabric!!  Here is how I did it.

 Fold the short side in about half an inch and press.

 Sew along this edge with a 1/8" seam allowance (I always use the edge of my presser foot as my guide).

 Once both sides are hemmed, fold the piece of fabric in half, with the long edges matching up and right sides together.  If you have a stripe, like I did, make sure the stripes match up when you pin the side together. Sew using a 1/2" seam allowance.

I pressed this seam open, but you don't necessarily need to.  I just like the look of a pressed seam.  I also didn't finish the raw edges since I wasn't worried about fraying since the sling won't be moving.

Turn the sling so the right side is out.  You are almost done at this point.  I didn't get a picture, but measure how much seam allowance you will need for your curtain rod (I used a dowel rod, like she did in the original tutorial).  Mine allowance was about 1 1/2" as shown below.

Once you have determined the seam allowance, sew along both long edges of the sling where the curtain rod will go.  Then you are done.  All you have to do it put the curtain rods in and hang it up!!

Like the original post, we found the studs in the wall and hung up the curtain rod so the weight of the books and any potential pulling from kids wouldn't tear the sling down from the walls.  Now the sling does not hold that many books.  There are different kinds of double curtain rod holders out there that have different widths to them.  I was fine with having just a little space, since I knew this wasn't going to be the only place we had books in his room.

I loved making this new big boy bedroom for our little guy!

Bedroom Tent

Hey it's Amanda and I wanted to share the latest project I did. It involves sewing, but so simple. It had to be b/c I'm sewing illiterate and have love/hate (mostly hate) relationship with the machine!

In my 2.5 yr old's room, I noticed we had inadvertantly created a little nook between the wall and his bunk beds. And after noticing him playing down in the little space a few times I thought, I should create a fort or a tent. And all I needed was some fabric, some dollar something small tension rods (all from WalMart) and a good vibe from my sewing machine and I was set.

My dimensions needed 2 yards of fabric, which I just folded in half and sewed all edges. Then I measured where I wanted my tension rods and made two 'pockets' for them by simply sewing two more stitches.

So throw some pillows and blankets in there and we are good to go!

Handmade Christmas: Diaper Bag & Accessories

Good Evening - Jennifer here. I have been busy with potty training and crafting that I haven't posted in a long time! I have things to catch up on (like the Potty Party and Halloween costumes) but for now I am just going to jump into Christmas!

My little Cupcake has just recently gotten into playing with her baby dolls, it started soon after the Potty Party (we first trained a new doll of Cupcake's). She started wanting to take her dolls on walks in her stroller, feeding her babies, and changing their diapers. When I saw this tutorial on Pinterest, I knew I wanted to make it for her! I loved the idea of having a diaper bag for Cupcake. She loves carrying bags and purses around and filling them with her things, so I knew she would like a bag filled with baby things.

The tutorial for the diaper bag on Mommy by Day...Crafter by Night was pretty straight forward and easy to follow! I did make some changes to the bag. I know how much Cupcake loves pockets, so I added a pocket to the outside side panel - gotta have a place for that bottle right?! I also added a pocket to the inside to keep things like wipes safe and secure. I also attached the straps a little differently, just because it seemed easier to me - even though I did end up pulling out the seam ripper multiple times :-/ All in all, I loved how it turned out!

I searched around Pinterest and found lots of tutorials for accessories to fill the bag. Check out my Fun Stuff for Kids board to see all of the tutorials I found!

I couldn't stop with just the bag & accessories, she needed a new princess doll to go with it

 I got a little carried away and made diapers, wipes and a wipe container, a blanket, a big, and even a changing pad (not pictured..it was an afterthought)! I actually made 2 sets of everything, one is a gift for a my cousin's daughter who is into baby dolls too.

Cupcake receiving her present

Cupcake absolutely LOVED her new diaper bag and doll. She got the present at a party we have with my Dad's extended family where Santa comes and brings a present for all the kids. Unfortunately, Santa was unable to make it, but his helpers did distribute the goods. Cupcake changed baby Ariel's diaper at least 10 times at the party alone, using wipes each time. It was so cute! I'm so happy she likes it so much, and I am hoping the other recipient does as well.

Opening her present with Mommy

Cupcake giving baby Ariel a bottle

Daddy helping Cupcake put a new diaper on Ariel

The Libby Top - Sew Along with CINO

I participated in another sew-along with Jess from Craftiness is Not Optional. As usual, she created another beautiful garment along with a helpful, straight forward tutorial to follow. From the first picture she posted, I knew I had to participate! I was really wanting to add some fall tops to Cupcake's wardrobe and I loved the look of the Libby Top. I also just picked up some cute fall-ish fabric from Ikea a few weeks ago so I was all set!

I had fun with this sew-along, just like the last one! I like that I only have a few steps to do each day. It allows me to take the time I need to really get the steps down. It makes me a little impatient, though, making me wonder what the next step will be and how it will all turn out.

With this sew-along, Jess did not have a pattern to download, so for the Libby Top, I created my own. This part was a little scary, because I hadn't ever done it before. I did my best, using a shirt of Cupcake's and I think it turned out pretty well. In my head, I was hoping it would be a little longer, so she could wear it with leggings. I'm thinking it still might work out. Also, the bib on the original top was straight, rather than slanted like mine. The other thing I wish I would have done differently was cut the elastic for the buttons smaller, they are a little too long.

Awww! What a cutie!! Showing off her new top & sticker!

All in all, I love how it turned out. I like the fabric and my fellow Crafty Mamas helped me pick the coordinating fabric choice - thanks ladies! The fabric is on the stiffer side, so I think it will keep her warm on the cooler fall days. I am excited for her to wear it, I love fall! Thanks again to Jess for another fabulous tutorial!!

Finger Painting Without the Mess!

Hello, it is Jennifer again to share a recent kid craft that Cupcake and I had fun with a few nights ago. I read about this idea when I was working as a Home Visitor for Healthy Families and I used it with some of my clients. One evening, Cupcake and I were hanging out and she seemed to be a little bored. So, I thought I'd try the same activity with her! I wanted something fun and stimulating but not too overly involved or messy, so I thought this would work out perfectly.

To create your Finger Painting canvas you need a few supplies you might already have on hand: paint (I used finger paint, just in case my child-proof sealing didn't hold up), a ziploc bag, tape, and a craft stick (optional).

Then, simply squirt your paint in the bag and tape it shut. I taped my bag 3 different times, I didn't want green paint squirting all over the place on accident! And there you have it!

I showed Cupcake that she could use the craft stick or her finger to "paint" a picture and she loved it!

It is a great way to work on Letter Recognition, especially for children who are more tactile learners. My little one let me go through the entire alphabet! I would paint a letter, tell her what it was and then she would paint the letter too (yes her letters looked more like random lines, but she was having fun and was proud of her work!). I can imagine when Cupcake is older, she could have fun practicing writing words and numbers in the paint!

Cupcake also had a lot of fun creating her hand print in the paint. Later, she tried her foot as well! She loved it so much that the next morning, when I went to get her out of her crib, the first thing she said to me was "paint!"

Good thing I taped it several times!