Baby Shoes!

It was a baby shoe factory (or sweat shop, as my husband likes to say) here this weekend. I made a bunch of these cute baby shoes:

I'll share a how-to in the next few days!

Another Baby Blanket

I've got a baby shower to go to ... or I should say "A Sprinkle" (meaning a baby shower but on a smaller scale).

Of course, I wanted to make something. I found a really cute fabric remnant of monkeys at the store. But it wasn't quite wide enough to make a good-sized blanket. I have discovered babies outgrow the teeny-tiny blankets from the store way too fast!

I added two strips of pink fabric (matched the monkeys) to the sides of the blanket. After sewing them (right sides together) I pressed the front so it would lay flat.
Then I pinned it to the yellow flannel back. I cut off the excess from the sides to make it nice and square.I sewed it right sides together, leaving a hole for turning. Then I pressed the sides to make them nice and crisp and then top stitched all around the edges. I made sure to close the hole for turning.

Finished!Up close:

Eversave: $50 of Cards for $20

If you don't have Christmas Cards yet, you've got to join Eversave and buy today's deal. You get $50 of cards for only $20. If you're a new customer for Eversave, you get a $2 credit, so it really only is $18.

I'm kicking myself for ordering from Walmart already...these cards look much cuter and probably would've been less expensive!

Refugee Metal Recipe Boxes

I rescued these from my parents' barn. I call them refugees as they were on their way to the scrap yard. They're someone's old recipe boxes. They need a coat of paint, but first I had to sand off some rust.

I used a power sander with a circular head. The goal is to get the metal smooth so you can put paint on easily.

Here they are after being sanded and primed (I used a metal spray primer):

Then I spray painted them with the lilac color! Here's a closer view. (See below for important spray painting tips!)
And a sideways interior view:
The secret with spray paint is to not be too heavy-handed...keep moving as you spray. You should do a few light coats as opposed to a heavy coat. This will help you avoid runs. If you do have a run, the only way to fix it is to go back and re-sand after the paint has dried.

This was my first spray-paint project!

*Follow the directions on the can regarding drying times between coats.*

Want to Make: Portable Changing Pad

We lost the changing pad that came with our diaper bag about four months after our little boy was born. I could totally make a new one!

Here's a tutorial!
Here's one using fusible vinyl.