Prudent Project Round-Up

Over at BonJOUR she combined our Most Flattering Shirt Dress tutorial and this tute to create that gorgeous top...
Crystal at Fussy Monkey Biz made a makeshift sandbox in the spirit of our $10 DIY Sandbox and Mini Pool...
Mary Beth at Bumblebee Juice made a Ten-Minute Onesie Dress with applique and scarf to match...
And Caitlin at Mollie Doll made a DIY Cake Stand!

We want pics. Send here:Prudent Baby Contact Form or add them to the Prudent Baby Project Pool on Flickr! Make 'em pretty pics.
Jou knoppie:

Homemade Pop Tarts

When I was little I always looked forward to visiting my dad's house on the weekends and all the delicious treats he let us eat that were forbidden at home, like Pop Tarts! But now that I'm a mom, I have new appreciation for my mother's rules of nutrition and rarely let such a processed snack enter the house (ok honestly, that's more because I know I will eat it and get fat). So we spent a lazy morning in the kitchen giving this Homemade Pop Tarts recipe from Smitten Kitchen a try. We had so much fun and no lie - they were DELICIOUS. Tastier (and healthier) than the real thing.

We made brown sugar cinnamon, strawberry jam and one chocolate one for the Prudent Dad. Which exploded all over the others but was tasty nonetheless.

Get our process in pictures after the jump and the complete recipe here!
Read more »

The Scotch Tape Flower Trick

PEONIES ARE BACK IN SEASON!  SWEET SWEET JOY! I just unabashedly love peonies so much, don't you??  I grabbed a couple bunches for $6.99 at Trader Joes yesterday and used the scotch tape trick to make 'em look all nice.

 If you didn't catch it, get the secret on our post "Making Cheapo Flowers Look Fancy"...it'll change your flower-arranging life. Also had to follow my own advice and pick up some $4 hydrangeas.

Oh, I could gaze at them all day.  What's your favorite flower ladies??  Do you have a secret to making them look extra purty?

Link Love

Make a birthday tree with Jordan Ferney at Oh Happy Day...
Every single piece of art is as amazing as this lion in Kate Endle's etsy shop...
Always with the great ideas, like making a DIY canopy to create an outdoor room from Sarah at Apartment Therapy...
And sew this one-shoulder ruffle shirt with Erika Domesek at Craft!

And more...
Through some creative googling I found this page that has a chart with size measurements for baby and toddler clothes, handy dandy, from Mississippi State University of all places.  Do you know of more charts like this?  Share the links in the comments.
This is so utterly random, but if you haven't heard of this site you should bookmark it. Go here and search for a coupon before you buy anything online, they almost always have a working one: Retail Me Not
Been saving this recipe for Sweet Potato Tartin for like a year, maybe I will finally try it this weekend, from Serious Eats
SALE: All Anna Maria Horner Fabrics are 15% off at Fabricworm right now!!
Oh, and if you haven't done it yet, now is a good time to pre-order my book because it's on sale on Amazon and the price will go back up before it releases!

Interview with Anna Maria Horner

We are thrilled to share YOUR interview with Anna Maria Horner today. Anna hand-picked questions that she felt were the most popular. Not surprisingly, they mostly have to do with our wonder and amazement over how she manages to get it all done with 6 children including a toddler at home during the day! I thought I was doing pretty well getting a blog post up here and there (and sometimes getting dressed)... she's running an empire people! Hmmmn, maybe I just need more kids to make it all happen. Read and learn, and then go pick up a copy of her new book Handmade Beginnings so you can make a pair of these most-adorable booties. They are so cute that I want to bite them, I'm not kidding.


Take it away Anna!
Read more »

DIY Oil Cloth Bath Seat

Does your back hurt? Mine does. All the time. Bending over the bathtub doesn't help. I found this stool at a thrift store for $10 and recovered it with this gorgeous Heather Bailey Nicey Jane oil cloth so now I can sit comfortably (yet water-resistantly) by the bath!

Visit our Refurbished Footstool DIY for the full tutorial (it's a super easy beginner project) and get thee to a thrift store! Your back will thank you.  And if you have any other back or hip-saving tips, please share them with me, I beg you.

What do you think?

Dear readers of good taste and sophistication; I need your help.

I'm trying to decide which fabric to use for a new set of cloth napkins. My kitchen is white with hints of yellow, and the bulk of my dishes are red. Mmmmmm, pretty combination, not really. So here are my two options:


A: Anna Maria Horner Small Gathering Citrus

B: Alexander Henry Natura Birdsong Bright

Help me out! Which should I do? Please leave a comment!

Here is the kitchen in question. Note the Halloween candy, indicating the last time it was clean enough to photograph.

Happy Birthday to ME!

If you are trying to come up with the perfect gift for a crafty pal, may I suggest the gift that Jaime just gave me for my birthday? A glorious assortment of snaps and buttons, elastics, ribbons and various notions. What a treasure! And I'm guessing some pretty fun shopping for the gift giver. Thanks Jaime, you're the best!

How to Make Bias Tape

Y'all know how much I love bias tape. I've been showing you projects with pre-made bias tape, but we all know it's so much cuter when you make your own. It seems a little complicated, but do it once and you'll be hooked. Bias tape is great for two things: stabilizing curves and finishing edges. There are two major steps to making bias tape: Cutting Bias Strips and Ironing it into Bias Tape.

I'll give instructions on How to Make Single Fold Bias Tape and Double Fold Bias Tape (and the secrets for doing each step faster than you thought possible) after the jump...
Read more »

Giveaway! Sewing Bits & Pieces: 35 Projects Using Fabric Scraps by Sandi Henderson

Eek!  Fresh projects!  To put those fabrics scraps to amazing use!  We are so excited to be giving away a SIGNED copy of Sandi Henderson's new book: Sewing Bits and Pieces: 35 Projects Using Fabric Scraps AND the four chunks of her beautifully designed fabric seen below (from her Meadowsweet Collection you can buy here):


We were lucky enough to chat with Sandi at her book launch party at Quilt Market, and we can tell you this is one creative gal. She was even wearing the gorgeous sweater pictured on the cover of her book:


Take a look at her booth from Quilt Market...see all that gorgeous stuff?? So much of it can be made just with fabric scraps!


This book is a delight, with fresh projects and lots of patterns. Can you imagine making yourself some cozy slippers from fabric scraps??


I especially love this dahlia pincushion:


So to enter this giveaway, tell us something that's in "bits and pieces" in your life. For example, my sanity. No, but seriously, there is a box with 50,000 puzzle pieces taunting me in my living room. Come back everyday for a new entry! Become a follower, share on facebook, or tweet the giveaway, then leave another comment each time letting us know for an additional entry. Entries will close at midnight June 2nd and a winner will be randomly selected.

Now GO GO GO!

Guest Post: DIY Bulletin Board Alternative

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Julia at I Steal Good Ideas cooked up this alternative to a traditional bulletin board from a flea market frame and some mod podge, and she's going to show you how to make one too. Here's the scoop from Julia herself:

I'm a certified idea thief. If I see something I like but know I could make it and get something I LOVE, then the rip off is on. So it goes with this DIY project. My home office is on my sun porch and while I needed a bulletin board to keep up with all of the birth announcements, wedding invites, photos and general merriment that arrives in the mail, I didn't want one that would block the view or the light. When I saw a chicken-themed note-holder frame on Wisteria, I knew I could make a more elegant version that would be perfect for my cozier-by-the-day home office. With a flea market frame, some spray paint, floral wire, and tacks from a home supply store, it came together in no time flat. But the coupe de grace is the custom decoupaged mini clothespins made especially to fit the look of my new creation. Yes, I said decoupage. I honestly can't believe I decoupaged either ... but I really enjoyed it and I think the Wisteria rip-off was a success. I hope you think so too!

Get the full DIY Bulletin Board Alternative Tutorial at I Steal Good Ideas!

Peasant Blouse

Look!  My daughter finally has hair!  Oh, and in other news, here is a tutorial on sewing a simple peasant top.  Isn't that fabric the sweetest?  Anna Maria Horner voiles light up my life, this one is Little Folks Four Square in Sweet.

You can use this tute a few different ways.  You can make the top just like this, with the gathered waist, or just a straight top, or an A-line dress, or make one for yourself.  If you haven't sewn sleeves before, this is a great top to start with, because the gathering makes the sizing forgiving.

Soon she'll be able to put ponytails in her own hair instead of daddy's!  I can't wait! Get the full Peasant Blouse Tutorial after the jump...
Read more »

Handmade Beginnings Live {& Giveaway Winner}

We're so excited to be today's stop on Anna Maria Horner's Handmade Beginnings Blog Tour! We had the pleasure of hanging with Anna and her chompably cute son Roman at her book launch party Friday night.

Anna Maria is just as charming as you would imagine, and we can't wait to share all her answers to your interview questions next week! In the meantime, enjoy some of these yummy images from her booth at Quilt Market!  Is this couch cover to die for?

And this quilt was so luscious we wanted to rip it off the wall and snuggle up in it right there:

Oh, and the winner of Handmade Beginnings: 24 Sewing Projects to Welcome Baby is....drumroll please...Mommypants13!

But don't fret, you can still enter to win a SIGNED COPY of Handmade Beginnings AND a new Singer Sewing Machine, click here for all the details!

Babiekins Magazine

Our friend Priscilla over at lIttle Miss Heirlooms has launched an awesome new magazine for trendsetting kids called Babiekins. Give it a read here!

Prudent Project Round-Up

Kristen at The Quirky Frog made a Ten Minute Onesie Dress and swears it only took ten minutes...
Tamdoll at Silver Mountain Originals made our Pretty Pleated Purse minus the pleats...
Maren at The Dilly Dally Daily used the hood pattern from our Hamptons Hooded Beach Towel to make a Baby Bonnet...
And Melissa made the Ten Minute Onesie Dress with a Fabric Flower Hair Clip to match!

Send pictures here:Prudent Baby Contact Form or add them to the Prudent Baby Project Pool on Flickr! Tips for taking good photos here.
вашия бутон:

Minneapolis, Here We Come!

Ladies we are off to meet up in Minneapolis for Quilt Market!  We can't wait to finally meet Miss Cynthia from Fabricworm and check out her new line of fabrics, check in with the genius ladies behind the fabulous One Yard Wonders books, oh and attend a little party with none other than Anna Maria Horner herself. We're even packing up the video camera to capture some snippets for the Prudent Advice Video Archive (c'mon ladies, upload those videos!) And we're not going to lie, Sample Spree has been on our minds!

Are you going to be in town for the big show?  If so, come say hi!  We'll be stopping for a cup at Caribou Coffee on Nicollette Ave at 4PM ON SATURDAY, just a short walk from the convention center!  Let's make it a bloggy get together.  See you there!  Any questions or requests for another meet up?  Contact Us to let us know!

If you can't make it to Quilt Market, start planning for International Quilt Festival - it's open to the public and I'll be in Long Beach July 23-25! Get all the info on Quilt Festival here!

And because we know you love a good DIY, get the free how-to for Continuous Quilt Binding as pictured above from Heather Bailey here! And stock up on her lust-worthy Nicey Jane fabric collection here.

Link Love

Make this gorgeous ruffled t-shirt with Tea Rose Home
An awesome DIY Headboard tutorial at All Things Thrifty via Made by Girl
Print out a template for a paper helicopter (to add to a whole paper city) with a crafty dad at Made by Joel
And make those sweet apple candies (yes, they're candies!) with Poppy Paperie via Bake it Pretty

And more...
Anatomy of a Sewing Machine at Craft
Crochet & fabric summer tunic free pattern at Nelkin Designs
My friend Kelly gave me this book, and I'm totally enjoying it, first time I've actually made an effort to set aside time to read in a while: Little Bee: A Novel
I am so relieved to know I am not the only woman obsessed with Law & Order re-runs. Turns out "power women" are too?...article at DoubleX
And look, we are all facebooky now!  Please go ahead and give us a thumbs up by clicking "like"!

Quinn's Farm-tastic First Birthday: Thank you cards

What's the rule with thank you cards for a kid birthday party? If they open the gifts at the party, you don't have to send them? If they open them later, you do? But either way, it's a nice thing to do?  Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

And also, when is it OK to send them a month after the party? Never? oops.

Well, they are late but aren't they cute? Here's how I did it...

Read more »

New & Improved DIY Swaddle Blanket

Ladies, we had so much fun with the first DIY Swaddle Blanket, right? But everything can be improved with a little user feedback. So I gave one to my friend Rebecca and her new baby girl, and she gave me some useful tips on how to improve it for even better swaddling-action. What I heard was that baby could kick out of it just a little too easily, so we made it longer. Then I also heard it needed more "tuckability" so I made an adjustment for that. The final thing I did was to make it all out of flannel and create a finished edge that doesn't require a serger, for all you sergerless sewers out there.

Take a look and let us know what you think. Get the full DIY on How to Sew a Swaddle Blanket after the jump...
Read more »

Where do you find your quiet time?

I do a lot of work out in the desert. For years I dreaded the 2-hour drive out there. These days I look forward to it with great anticipation. Sweet, sweet silence. When did a long drive become my idea of luxurious alone time? Oh, wait, I remember...
And there's nothing like coming home, rounding the corner on my pretty street, knowing there's a little bean waiting to scream "MOMMY!!!" when i walk in the door.
Where do you find your moments of peace?

Playtime Placemats

You know how, when you make a changing pad cover or a crib sheet, you have little extra squares of fabric leftover?  I've been saving 'em up.  They've been making me crazy actually...I needed to do something with them to get them out of my line of sight besides shove them deeper into a box.  So when Scarlet recently took up tea parties I gathered 'em up and made some reversible mini-placemats.

Pretty fancy for a little lady, huh?  Super simple, completed during naptime, and the same DIY works for grown-up placemats too. And since I know you're going to ask: the table, chairs, and mini stoneware tea set are all from Ikea.  And so are the umm, plastic play wine glasses.  Pretend mommy juice!*

*Please tell me my child isn't the only one who says "mommy juice"

Get the full tutorial on How to Sew Reversible Placemats after the jump...
Read more »