New Baby Must Haves

As my baby girl is approaching her 4th month of life, I started reflecting on the items that were the biggest help to us.  This is my list of items that I found helpful:

The Halo SleepSack Swaddle and Summer Infant Swaddlepods - baby girl loves and needs a good swaddle.

Onesies and/or Kimono shirts.  Make changing the 10+ diapers a day a breeze.  Outfits are cute, but I don't find myself putting them on her much, unless we go out.  Which didn't happen often in those early weeks.  Plus I can't seem to get on board with the onesie and pants.  It always looks strange to me.  I didn't find myself using sleepers too often either in the beginning.  The snap ones take forever to snap shut.  So if you go the sleeper route, get the zipper kind.  I use them more now that she's older and I am working on establishing a bedtime routine for her.

Carter's or Gerber brand clothes.  These by far fit her the best.

An infant chair or bouncer to sit baby down in.

Moby wrap for a little babe (though you can use it up to 35 lbs) and an Ergo Baby carrier for 12+ pounds. 

Bottles that vent.  We use Dr. Brown's.  

Medela steam bags.  They make sanitizing bottles, pacis, breast pump equipment a breeze.

A bustier that zips closed for those pumping sessions.  And speaking of bras, I pretty much live in my nursing sleep bras.

Lansinoh nursing pads.  They feel softer to me than Medela.

Medela lanolin.  It goes on much easier than Lansinoh.

Diapers -- if you want to buy big brand, Huggies Little Snugglers and Huggies Baby Dry dipes are the way to go.  If you want the store brand route, Target's brand Up & Up are ones I like.

A video monitor.  It's definitely not necessary, but it brought me comfort when I could see that my baby was OK.  And a small, cheap monitor for on the go.

A stroller cart.  The travel systems are too bulky in my opinion.  I have a jogging stroller for when I go out for walks, or jogging, or to the zoo.  But I found the stroller cart to be the perfect, compact solution for shopping trips.

A car seat base.  And I don't recommend a car seat that goes over 30 lbs.  I have the Graco Snugride 35 and while it's a great seat, it's super heavy and will only get more heavy as the babe gets bigger.

A small diaper clutch for quick trips.  I use the Ju Ju Be, Be Quick.

Our baby did not want to sleep by herself, so we invested in the Summer Infant Rest Assured co-sleeper.  With it we used a rolled blanket that we wrapped around her lower body so she felt snuggled.  After a couple of nights with that set up, she was much better at sleeping in her own bed.  It's also nice and small and portable for on the go.

A boppy pillow, or My Brest friend for nursing.

An exersaucer.  We put her in one of these just the other day for the first time and she loved it!

A floor gym.  It was the only thing I could put her down on and get a little bit of time from her to get things done.  She outgrew it pretty quick though, or got bored with it. 

Fuzzi Bunz burp cloths are awesome.  I just got some the other day.  One side is a super absorbent fleece, the other side cotton.  They put the prefold diapers (which I like a lot) to shame.

JJCole Bundle Me.  This was great for keeping my winter baby warm in the car and cut out the need for a bunting, coat, and / or blankets.

I keep a small tote of essentials in my car.  Just in case I get stranded or forgot something.  In the beginning I had diapers, wipes, a nursing cover, a hand pump, nursing pads, burp cloth, blanket, baby first aid kit, pacifier, diaper rash ointment, and a swaddle blanket.  I've made some changes as the little miss has changed her needs.

That's all I can think of right now!  Obviously items will vary from mom to mom and baby to baby, but these were things we liked!

Striped Dining Table

I decided to do monthly onesies for my daughter and after using an ironing board for month one and not having the transfer go on a well as I'd like, realized I needed to use a more solid surface.  Given my dining table was the most solid surface in my home I laid some thick fabric on the table and proceeded to adhere the iron on to the onesie.  Big mistake!  Here is what happened to my table!

I was so bummed when I realized I had more or less destroyed my table top!  Oops!  So I decided to try to get a little creative and turn this new lemon into lemonade!  And can I say, I wish I had done it sooner!

(excuse the shadows from the overhead powerlines)

This was so easy!  I used two colors of spray paint (Rust-oleum Wildflower Blue & Slate Blue in satin).  First I sprayed the entire table top with the slate blue and let it dry overnight.  Because I'm lazy and didn't want to measure, I took 2" masking tape and taped the entire table top in rows then pulled it off where I wanted the slate blue stripes to be.  I then went over the table top with the wildflower blue, let it dry and then pulled back the tape.  I did have to touch up a few places (mostly because I didn't bother with sanding & priming) and then I let it dry for a day or so before using the table again so the paint would get nice and hard.  

How-to Make A Custom Party Hat

This is a project I did for my niece's birthday pictures.  I had only planned on just the one hat, but had enough material left over to make a few more.  When looking for some props on Etsy I ran across these hats and many were selling for $16.50+.  I figured they can't be that hard to make.  The total cost of the project materials (sans glue) = $10.58 for 8 hats.

What you will need:

12" cut of fabric from a bolt - (price varies) $1.63 is what my fabric cost

Feather boa (mine was 6 ft.) - $3.99

Self adhesive gemstone letter (could use iron on) - $1.99

Spool of ribbon - $1.97

Pack of 8 party hats - $1 (Dollar Tree)

Glue gun & glue sticks

Can of spray adhesive

You can purchase your items at stores such as Hobby Lobby, JoAnn (gag), and Wal-Mart.  I recommend Hobby Lobby.

Step 1:  Take a party hat, and open it flat.  In my case the colored balloons showed through the fabric so I used the inside which was a plain cardboard color.  I switched the string used to hold the hat on your head to the other side as well.

Step 2:  Iron your fabric and lay the side you want showing on your hats face down.  Take spray adhesive and spray the outside side of the hat and press on to your fabric.  Let the glue dry for a few minutes.  

Tip: wear laytex gloves, the glue gets all over your hands pretty quick.

Step 3:  Cut out your hats.  If you are using a monogram, now is the time to adhere it to your hat.

Step 4:  Adhere the ribbon and/or boa with hot glue.  There was a slight ripple with my ribbon, but I liked the look.  I placed dots of glue every few inches.  In this case I placed the glue on each brown diamond and on each end of the hat.  Your should place your glue dab near the bottom edge.  Be sure that your ribbon does not come above the bottom of your hat.

Step 5:  Fold the hat back into shape.

Step 6:  Glue the hat into place.  I started with a dot up at the top and worked my way down.  Be sure to put glue at the edge of the ribbon to keep it from fraying.

Step 7:  Cut a piece about an inch to an inch and a half from your boa.  Place a dab of glue on the top of the hat and put the pom into place.

Step 8:  Have a fun party!

There are plenty of ways to adapt this how-to to your needs with different materials.  Be creative and have fun with it!  

Total project time:

1-2 hours.

How-To Hide Your Components

If you use a console table or something like it as a TV stand, here's an idea for hiding the DVD player, surround sound, and / or gaming consoles.

Simply sew hems on the side and a hem on the top of the fabric.  Leave some room in the top hem to fit a tension rod through.  Voila.  Total cost = around $5 for the yard of fabric.

How-to Dress Up A Throw Pillow

I had two pillows that I was just no longer in love with.  They were just kind of blah.  I bought a  yard of fabric and sewed covers similar to those you might find covering a european pillow.  The ends sort of fold over each other leaving a slit in the back to stuff the pillow into.  

Total cost = $7 versus $20-$50 for new pillows.

How-to Make Inexpensive Wall Art

Check out your local Dollar Tree store.  I did this project for $9.  The mirrors are candle plates, and the butterflies are peel 'n stick decals.  I used mounting squares to adhere the mirrors to the wall.

How-to - Color!

I was inspired by an article in the Better Homes and Gardens February 2010 magazine called 30 Tips & Tricks for Choosing, Using, and Loving Color.  I am finding that color isn't the easiest thing for a lot of people to implement into their homes.  Fear is a big factor, know-how is another.  I don't intend to plagerize this article, but wanted to pull a few of the tips and tricks that I found the most helpful and perhaps add my two cents.  (Hopefully the credit I gave will cover any plagerism issues).

#1 - Pick colors using an object as your guide -- souvenirs, dishes, blankets -- any object really that you just can't get enough of can give a great start for some color inspiration.
#3 - Use different shades of a single color.  Vary the texture too.
#8 - Don't be distracted by variations in color between fabrics and walls.  These actually are nice to have.
#11 - Break up matchy furniture with a painted piece
#17 - Play up color in the accessories - lamp shades, throws, artwork ...
#21 - To give the illusion of a larger space in a small one, use neutral colors on the walls and upholstered furniture.  To further this illusion, match the walls to the furniture (or something close)
#22 - Use off white instead of white
#25 - In the bedroom, pick out your bedding first, then pick the paint color.
#29 - Wallpaper or paint the inside of a bookcase (or some other piece)

How-to Paint For Cheap

Look at the returns rack or mis-tint rack in the paint department for a color similar to what you are wanting.  I just bought a gallon of pink paint for $5 that would have normally cost $30.  The sample can alone is $2.98.  Talk about a steal!

How-to Get An Inexpensive, Long Curtain Rod

Need a long curtain rod but do not want to pay the 20+ dollars for one?  Head to Lowe's, Home Depot, or the equivalent and buy a copper rod.  The 8' one starts at around $8.  They'll even cut it to size for free!

How-to Hide a Window Air Conditioner

Perhaps you are like me and own an older home that has yet to receive the blessing of central air.  And, if you are even more like me, you have a clunker of a window air conditioner in one of your living room windows.  The year round kind because it takes up the entire window cavity.  So ugly in the seasonable months, but oh so refreshing in the hot summer months right?  (It's still ugly in the summer months, let's be honest, but that cool air feels so good you find yourself noticing it's hideousness less and less).  What to do, what to do?!  Lets take the first word of the product name, window.  What do we use to cover a window?  Curtains!  Yes!  Use some curtains (buy, make, borrow) and a curtain rod to cover the ugliness that is your window air conditioner.  Hang the rod several inches above your AC unit; to the ceiling if you like.  Be sure the rod brackets are set out several inches to the side so you can push the curtains open and away from the AC when need be.  Depending on how far the AC sticks out into the room, you may need to get adjustable brackets. Otherwise, the curtian will "bump" over the AC.

I happen to have another identical window next to the one my AC is in.  If you have this as well, use one long rod* to cover both windows, and use 4-5 curtain panels.  You can slide the panels open on the window while leaving the panels shut over the AC.

Have fun with the fabric.  By doing so you can add a lot of color / texture / softness / richness / etc to your space.  You can even extend the fabric further down the wall if you like for a designer look.

*You can link several smaller rods together to make a long rod by taking the end pieces off and sliding them over and into eachother.

If you want something a little more modern -- Ikea has panel curtains that hang and move on a track system.  Go to http://www.ikea.com/ and search "window panel".  There are several different colors, patterns, and styles.  They all use the KVARTAL hanging system.

Creative Ideas

http://www.lowescreativeideas.com/

You can sign up to receive Lowe's Creative Ideas For Home and Garden and Lowe's Creative Ideas For Woodworkers.  They come in e-mail and magazine format.  I have found a lot of inspirational ideas in both!

How-to Match Colors

The title of this could be talked about from a number of different angles. I'm choosing to go the route of, how to make sure what you are buying matches your wall color. Simple. When you paint your house, keep the paint color samples clipped together in your purse. It will spare you time taken to return your purchase and you will know immediately if what you are buying matches!

How-to Make Photo Frames Match

Perhaps you're looking to make a photo wall, or you have a handful of old frames that don't all match one another -- or both. Four words -- Spray paint. Thrift Store.

When my husband and I got married between the two of us we had a number of mismatched frames. I wanted to make a photo wall in our hallway using classic black frames. So I purchased a can of flat black spray paint, took a drop cloth and headed outside. Now what was once about 15 mismatched frames that I wouldn't have dreamed of arranging together all match nicely.

If you're wanting to make a photo wall but do not have the plethora of frames necessary, head to some second hand shops and see what frames they have. Most second hand stores have plenty to pick from. Then pick up some spray paint and viola.

Generally frames are a bit pricey, especially the ones that have nice secure means of holding the photos in. If you're looking for just one or two frames, the cost might not put much of a dent in the wallet. But if you are looking to do an entire wall, the price can add up quickly.

A can of spray paint generally will not cost more than $5, and the cost of a second hand frame is along the lines of $.50 - $1.

How-to Update Your Comforter

Duvet covers are great. They come in all kinds of beautiful fabrics and are a great way to change the look of your bedroom. The problem that I always seemed to run into with them -- they are so darn expensive! A nice duvet will run you in the neighborhood of $80-$150! Granted a couple of pillow shams are included in the set, but honestly how expensive can it be to make a sham? My solution -- make your own! It's very easy so long as you know the basics of using a sewing machine.

In the pictures below I used a couple of flat bedsheets and some ribbon to accent as well as tie up the bottom. But you can get creative and, depending on your level of skill in sewing, use different fabrics and patterns. Additionally sheets can come in an array of patterns.

In my example I simply sewed together a couple of flat bedsheets (sheet size should match the bed size) leaving a foot or so in the middle of the bottom to insert the comforter. I then sewed ribbon ties on the sides of the hole and then used decorative ribbon to accent the duvet. I adhered the ribbon using iron on fabric adhesive which seemed to work rather well, however sewing it in place will hold it in place for quite a while longer I'm sure.

This duvet was for a full size bed. Total cost -- about $20. Total time -- about 3 hours.