Happy Tuesday friends! I hope you all are having a great day. I'm off to help a girlfriend paint her kid's room, but I can't leave without sharing this week's Truth Be Told Tuesday with you. In case you're new (yay and welcome!) Tuesdays are a day for us to come together to share the truths in our lives in an attempt to support one another in our imperfections.
Truth Be Told, I once reached for the toothpaste in my drawer and accidentally pulled out some Vagisil (sorry if that's TMI, guys!). Fortunately, I discovered my mistake before actually applying said ointment to my toothbrush! Unfortunately, I can not say the same for a friend of mine who did the exact same thing with the exact same ointment!
Ok ladies, now it's your turn! Share your "truth" with us...trust me, it's very cathartic ;)
Monday, July 25, 2011
Kids’ Closet Organization Tip
If you’re like me, organizing your kids’ closets is like…well, it’s like trying to organize your kids’ closets!
But I did come up with one awesome solution for storing blankets, crib sheets, changing pad covers, etc… I used a simple hanging shoe rack!
It’s perfect to fit all of those little things that otherwise don’t have a home (or would have to take up space in my already overcrowded linen closet). And I don’t use all of the hanging space in my kids’ closets anyway, so I have plenty of room for the “shoe” rack.
It simply velcro’s around the rod. It couldn’t be more simple! I think I bought this one at Ross, but you can find them anywhere (Target, The Container Store) for probably around $10.
Do you struggle with keeping your kids’ closets organized? What’s your best organizing tip?
Sharing my awesome tip with these wonderful ladies:
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Truth Be Told Tuesday #14 – TV as Babysitter
Happy Tuesday, friends! If you’re new to This Present Life (yay!), Tuesday is a day for us to share our “truths” with one another in an effort to support each other in our imperfections. After all, no one actually lives the perfect life they portray on their blog or on Facebook all of the time.
Truth Be Told, yesterday I plopped the kids in front of the TV so I could catch up on my blog reading. And this morning I put on a show for them so I could catch a few more zzzzzz’s! I’m not proud of using the TV as a babysitter, but it’s the one guaranteed method for preventing calls for “Mooooommmmmyyyy!”.
So there you have it, my “truth” for the week. Now it’s your turn! Share your truth with us in the comments section…and trust me, you’ll find that most of us can relate to your truth, so don’t be scared ;) It’s more fun when everyone plays along!
And if you haven't already, come by and "Like" me on Facebook to read everyone's truths over there!
Monday, July 18, 2011
Upcycled Pajamas
Now that it’s 120 degrees outside, my daughter desperately needed some summer pajamas. I don’t know about you, but it pains me to spend $20 for a pair of kid’s pj’s. So I decided to “make” my own.
I started by ransacking her closet and drawers and found a pair of winter jammies that was too small and some winter hand-me-downs that fit right now, but will be too small by the time cooler temperatures make their way here to Texas.
The T-shirt and shorts outfit could not have been easier to make. I literally just measured using some of her other pj’s and cut the arms and legs off. Seriously, that’s all I did. Since these are just pj’s and won’t last beyond this summer, I didn’t even bother to finish the edges. You don’t have to hem jersey material because it won’t fray. So they went from this:
To this:
The nightgown was still pretty easy, but did require some sewing knowledge. Here’s what it looked like before:
First, I cut off the long sleeves and I cut off the legs just above the crotch area.
I could’ve left it like this if I had another pair of shorts to go with it, but I decided instead to make it a nightgown. I had this scrap of fabric that was a perfect compliment to the colors and the apple pockets.
I didn’t take pictures of each of the next couple of steps, but you can see them all in the picture below. Here’s what I did:
- Cut your scrap into one long strip and iron it.
- Make your hem: Fold one long side up 1/4”, iron it, fold it up 1/2”, iron it and sew it down.
- Sew the 2 short sides together and iron the seam down.
- Serge (if you’re lucky!) or zig zag stitch (like me) around the unfinished, long edge (the top).
- Put your sewing machine at the longest stitch and stitch all around the top edge about 1/4” from the top. Then pull one thread, gathering it until your “skirt” is about the right width for your shirt. Don’t worry, it doesn’t have to be perfect. And yes, this step does take a little while and little finesse. Then pin your skirt to your shirt, right sides together, in preparation for sewing.
Make sure your jersey material lays pretty flat. I used a lot of pins to make sure it wouldn’t stretch too much while I sewed it.
To save yourself some time, stitch to the left of your gathering stitch and you won’t have to spend time ripping it out.
And voila! So cute and so easy!
I loved these upcycling projects so much. It was a great way to make use of what we already had, I had fun doing it, and it saved me some $$$! I liked it so much, I’m already planning my next upcycling project. My daughter has some little sundresses that are getting too short and I’m totally going to do this to them to make them last throughout the summer.
Do you upcycle your kids’ clothes? I’d love to hear what other projects you’ve attempted!
Linking up to these fun parties:
Friday, July 15, 2011
$20 Shop Credit!!!
Happy Friday everyone! I hope you all have something special planned for your weekend! Before you get busy with your weekend fun, be sure to go check out my Giveaway over at Sew Chatty! I'm giving away a $20 shop credit to one lucky winner. So come on by and who knows, you might just be the lucky winner :)
And in case you were wondering what wild and crazy plans I have for my weekend, here's what I'll be up to...
Exciting, I know ;)
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Coordinating Nursery Accessories
I know, I know, you thought I fell off the face of the Earth (or at least the blogosphere), but we were out of town for 2 weeks and then I had family in town and I’m just now starting to get back to “normal” life. So I hope all of you are still out there, despite my disappearing act!
Remember the crib bedding I made for my niece? Well I actually made some other fun, coordinating accessories for her nursery. And since we were down in Miami meeting her for the first time :) , I got to help my sister-in-law put the final touches on her room.
Here’s a look at her crib bumpers and matching binky bag. (The lighter color side of the bumper pads will face the inside for the baby to look at, but I wanted to show both sides for the picture.)
And here’s a matching pillow with a sweet little ruffle.
I also made this matching door pillow that says “Awake” on one side and “Asleep” on the other. I love how the door pillow turned out so much, I think I’m going to make some for the shop!
And finally, my sister-in-law’s friend asked me to make a Boppy cover using fabric from her bedding.
I had so much fun making all of these fun items for my niece’s nursery. And it’s even inspired me to add some new items to the shop (stay tuned for that…remember I’m just easing back in to “normal” life ;)
So what have you all been up to? Any fun sewing projects that I’ve missed out on? How are you all spending your summer?
Linking up here:
Sunday Scoop Link Party at I ♥ Naptime
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