Locket giveaway

Makeit-loveit.com is having a beautiful jewelry give away. Check out her blog to see some amazing project tutorials and also to enter the drawing. Just don't bump me out of the race please. ;) (Just kidding- I will share)

my own boutique!!

I have finally decided to start selling some of my more popular items. I already have four orders and don't even have a brand name yet.

Some of the things I will carry are:

nursing covers

slings

car seat canopies/ matching head rest if wanted

baby shoes

hair accessories

tutu bow holders

paci sac

hooded towels

burp cloths

diaper clutches

tutus for baby and girls

small amount of clothing for boys and girls

I am so excited. I am working on a brand name and logo right now. Soon I will have labels to sew into all of my items. Unfortunately, sales to the states will be difficult. I can bring things with me when I go but that will usually be only once or twice a year. Shipping from Costa Rica would be too expensive. I don't think anyone would want to pay the cost. Therefore, most of my sales will take place in Costa Rica.

I can't believe this is all happening! I will post pictures as soon as I finish each product!

Frugal Feedings

Living in Costa Rica can be expensive if you rely on things imported from the US. So, when I calculated that I was spending a dollar a day on disposable nursing pads I decided something was going to have to change. Besides being unbelievably healthy for mom and baby, nursing is supposed to be the cheaper way to go.

(By the way, I did research the prices of disposable pads in the States. You will still spend around 33 cents a day on a pair of pads. That is almost 122 dollars a year! That would be a great starter bank account for your little one. Put that money to good use instead of throwing it in the trash can at the end of each day.)

I decided it was time to make some washable nursing pads. But not the old fashioned kind that leave you with a flashing neon sign of wet across your chest screaming "Dairy products made here!" I wanted something that would work just as well or better than the expensive, eco-damaging, wasteful alternative. Here is what I came up with.

I had soft fleece left over from some burp cloths I had made for Eisley (hence the bears). I also used a crib pad I had lying around the house (the kind designed to protect the bed when baby's diaper leaks). That's all. It didn't cost me anything and I found a purpose for those extra scraps.

To make:

1. Trace a large glass or something circular. I used brown paper as my pattern.

2. Lay one piece of fleece on top of the mattress pad. Pin the fabrics together. Trace the circle and cut out.

3. Using the zig zag stitch on the machine, stitch around the edges of the circle. Sometimes the fabric would slip a little bit so I stitched just inside the edge and trimmed off the extra fabric around the edges.

So, give it a try and enjoy the money you save and the feeling you get knowing you are not contributing to earth's waste build up!

a love for baking

I LOVE to bake- just about anything. I love to decorate the things I bake too. How have I been given this love for baking and an intolerance to wheat and dairy. Have you ever tried to bake something without wheat and/or dairy. Very few recipes actually work and it can be expensive to experiment with other options. Maybe the positive side is that this is a way of helping me stay thin (because I have NO self control). If I didn't feel sick when I ate what I baked, I would bake every day (at least once) and eat it all myself. So, I guess I should be thankful for my annoying stomach problems.

If you love to bake, here is my favorite website dedicated completely to baking. Since I can't eat anything on there, if you make something, post a picture so I can live vicariously through you.

http://www.bakerella.com/

The Vintage Valentine Cookies

The Macaron Pops (the name looks misspelled but it isn't)

Mmmmm- they all look so pretty and SO yummy.

And look at these! Mini maple pancake muffins. I am trying these tomorrow.

For baking accessories (super cute ones) check out this website. I like to look and dream of what it would be like to use this stuff. It is too expensive to ship it to Costa Rica.

http://www.bakeitpretty.com/

Non-edible cupcake toppers.

Edible glitter! Look how sparkly.

Edible toppers. Aren't these buttons the cutest?

And the cutest cupcake wrappers.

Go check it out!

Matching outfits, minus two

I finally had time to put the finishing touches on Emmy and Eisley's matching outfits today. I only got a picture of Emmy wearing hers though. It wasn't warm enough to put Eisley in a sleeveless shirt so her picture will have to wait. I am also working on something matching for Davin so he doesn't feel left out. Once that is finished I will post a picture of the three of them wearing their outfits. Until then, here is Emmy modeling her newest fashion.

If you want to make the twirly skirt, here is the tutorial I used. http://polkadotchair.blogspot.com/2009/03/skirt-tutorial.html

Post pictures if you make one too.

applique Jeans tutorial

I found this adorable applique tut from jameehomemaker. I can't wait to try this. The added ruffle at the bottom of the jean will really help for my little fashionista since she is so tall. I have left over fabric from the matching skirts I made for the girls (pictures will be posted soon). If you make these jeans post pictures for all of us to see. If you make changes, feel free to post instructions too! Enjoy crafting.

crafts taking over

It seems I have a serious addiction to all things crafty. Because this seems to be all I think about, I have decided to start posting about crafts on this blog. I will post things I have made, things I want to make and great ideas i find on other blogs that I know I will never have time to make. Recipes might pop up from time to time too. If you like crafts, you should like my new blog. Enjoy.