Christmas Jar

We've officially begun decorating for Christmas at our house! We are not hosting Thanksgiving this year and I couldn't wait any longer...especially after finding some fun Christmas decor at Sweet Salvage this weekend! I found these amazing gold glittered vintage ornaments there. They are from the 50's. I just LOVE them! The jar I bought at Design Lab in downtown Mesa and have been rotating what I place inside of it with each season. I collected pine cones from our yard and you can find details below with how I covered them it white shimmery glitter.

 I love these battery powered LED lights! Perfect for lighting up a jar! I simply used 3M tape to stick the battery pack to the lid of the jar. You can find them at Target and Michael's, however they are cheaper at Michael's especially if you use a coupon! I also used a strand to wrap around some antlers.

To make your own shimmery pine cones and Christmas Jar, here is what you'll need:
-1 large glass jar with a lid
-1 strand of battery powered LED lights
-3M tape
-Ornaments
-Pine cones
-Tacky spray
-White glitter (I used a martha stewart brand)

Directions:
Set your pine cones in a box and spray with the tacky spray. Sprinkle with glitter. Spray another coat of tacky spray overtop of the glitter. Let dry. Using 3M tape stick your battery pack to the lid of your jar. Once your pine cones have dried, fill your jar with ornaments and pine cones. Wrap the LED lights through your pine cones and ornaments.

Diaper Cake Tutorial

Today we celebrated My Sister-in-law and baby Raelynn! I can't wait to meet that sweet baby girl and so excited that Piper and her will grow up close in age. I had a lot of fun making this diaper cake for the shower. Can't wait to share more pictures of the shower. It was a book themed shower with lots of fun bright colors. We modeled the colors of the shower after Raelynn's Nursery. You can find a tutorial below on how to make the diaper cake.

You will need:

-Size 1 diapers (i used 78 for the 3 tiered cake)
-twine or ribbon
-cake pans or pots in 3 sizes

To Decorate:
-3 Burp bloths
-Baby headband
-Felt balls (about 50)
-Twine
-Wooden letter
-Yarn

Step 1: Create a line of diapers all going the same direction and evenly spaced.

Step 2: Curl the diapers into the first cake pan, adding more if needed so the pan is full.

Step 3: Tie the diapers tight with twine.

Step 4: Carefully remove the diapers from the pan. Slide twine to center of diapers. If using Pampers it will run right along the yellow line on the diapers. Now you will need to slide the diapers to fill in any larger spaces.

Step 5: Once all of the diapers are evenly space you may have a hole in the center. (shown above)

Step 6: Roll up 1-2 diapers and place inside the hole.

Step 7: Your first layer is done! Repeat Steps 1-6 for the next two layers.

Once your layers are done you can stack them, making sure each layer of diapers is going in the same direction.

To Decorate:
Create a topper by rolling three burp cloths and wrapping a headband around all three. I made the burp cloths using cloth diapers and fabric from Fabric Bubb. You can buy felt balls online in all different colors. I ordered mine on Etsy from Handmadeonly and strung them on twine using a larger needle. For the Letter I wrapped grey yarn around a wooden letter that you can find at a craft store. I used a hot glue gun to hold down the yard in certain spots.

Baby Taggie Blanket Tutorial

 I haven't sewn anything is a while, but now that my due date is approaching I have been thinking of lots of baby girl sewing projects. The trouble is finding the quiet time to make them, but this taggie blanket is super quick and easy to make! It would make a great handmade baby gift. 

 

Supplies:

-Two 16" squares of fabric
(I used two different colors and patterns of minky fabric
that I bought locally from Create Your Own Joy Studio)

-16 to 20 5" longs pieces of ribbon (I chose 3 different colors and sizes)

-Scissors

-Pins

-Sewing Machine

-Thread

 First place your 16" square pieces of fabric with the right sides facing each other.

 Next cut 16-20 pieces of ribbon each 5" long.

 Begin folding the ribbon in half to create the tags for the blanket.

 Tuck the ribbon with the folded edge inside the two pieces of fabric, leaving some of the other side sticking out. Pin each ribbon into place.

 Once all of the ribbons are pinned into place you can sew along the edges. When I passed over each of the ribbons I sewed back over then 3 times to make sure they held in place. Also make sure to leave a small opening in between two of the ribbons so that you can turn the blanket the right side out when you are done sewing. 

 Once the blanket is turned right side out it should look something like this. Now you can sew up the small hole either by hand or with your sewing machine. Then you are done!

Pink Ruffled Cake

I have seen lots of pictures of this pink ruffle cake on pinterest and made one for my friends little girl Payton. I also made one for Piper for her first birthday with a paper straw birthday candle. Martha Stewart has a recipe here for how to make a pink ruffle cake. There is even a great video you can watch that shows you how to make these adorable little ruffles...sometimes it is much easier to learn something like this by watching instead of reading. You can view the video here on You Tube by My Sweet and Saucy.

I made this one with 2 6" inch cakes and colored my butter cream frosting a pale pink color. Then I used a petal tip, #103 to create the ruffles. You start at the base of the cake with the thinner edge of the petal tip facing you. Then moving the tip back and forth you move up the cake. Creating columns of ruffles until you have gone all the way around the cake. Once you have covered the sides of the cake you can cover the top with ruffles or just frost the top smooth. If doing ruffles, start on the edge and circle around, again with the thin edge of the petal tip facing you. This is easier to do it you have the cake on a turn table. You do this until you reach the center and the whole cake is covered in cute little ruffles! It's really simple and easy to do!

DIY Fabric Button Bobby Pins

Check out these adorable fabric button bobby pins by Kelsey over at Poofy Cheeks! She has a whole tutorial to follow so you can make your own. You can find all the details and instructions here. I love these, and such cute fabrics too!

DIY Chevron Pattern Fan Blades

This is such a fun way to make a simple fan a little more fun, and on a budget. Found this over at Design Sponge and you can find the whole tutorial here. The chevron pattern is available on the tutorial to download and print. Great idea!