Make a Football Jersey from a T-shirt

Last weekend we had Gordon's First Birthday. It was a football themed party so, of course, he needed a tiny #1 jersey. I took to a plain white t-shirt with a pair of scissors and crafted one up quick and cheap. With the playoffs this weekend, it's the perfect time to show some spirit without shelling out big bucks for team jerseys. Here's how you do it!


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Last Minute Halloween Costume: Tippi Hedren in The Birds

Not sure what to be for Halloween yet? Here's a last minute costume that's easy to pull together and totally awesome: Melanie Daniels (as played by Tippi Hedren) in Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds.

My friend Erin went as this one year, then I stole the costume from her a few years later (right after baby was born and I hadn't quite pulled myself together yet). It took about three minutes to get the elements together and I had a great response at our annual halloween bash. This year my friend Anna (mom of adorable Niko that you've seen featured on Prudent Baby before) asked to borrow the get-up, so I forced her to pose for pictures as payment. All you need is an old dress, a blonde wig done up 60's style (or your own hair), and some dollar store black birds.  Stick a few in your hair...


Glue a few to your dress...


Accessorize with some drips of fake blood (or a lip liner works just as well) and act spooked out all night long!


Think you might give it a try?

Bluebird Costume Tutorial

Little sister was happy to play bluebird to big sister's Snow White, especially when the alternative was a bearded dwarf. My mother told me I could ABSOLUTELY NOT dress little sister as a bearded dwarf.


So we are loving this sweet bluebird costume, especially for toddler types who are finicky about costume-wearing in general. These directions can be easily modified for an owl, a bat or any winged critter. I've even caught princess Snow White herself wearing it around the house!


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More Costume Inspiration

You know how I feel about costumes, so of course I adore Halloween. What are you dressing the kids up as this year? Are you planning to dress up too? If you need some inspiration, or just your fix of crafty cuteness. Check out these slide shows to see what other crafty mamas around the web have cooked up! We shared our first costume inspiration round up here (definitely check it out for adorable ideas), then scope out 10 More Awesome Costume Ideas for Little Ladies, and...

10 More Awesome Costume Ideas for Little Dudes

Make for Baby: 25 Free & Easy Baby Hair Clip Tutorials

Is there anything cuter than a little mop of hair with an adorable homemade hair accessory? No, there is not. That's why we've rounded up the cutest and easiest free tutorials for how to make baby hair clips, headbands, and hair accessories for the little ones in your life. From beaded hairpins to feather hair clips to no-sew headbands, we've found a free hair accessory tutorial that's just right for your baby's hair. Get the links here: 25 Free & Easy Baby Hair Clip Tutorials.

Make for Baby: 25 Free Dress Tutorials for Babies & Toddlers

Nothing is sweeter than a little girl all dolled up in a homemade dress. Last week we shared a round up of how to make all your baby and nursery basics here: Make for Baby: 20 easy Projects to Make Your Own Bedding, Gear, and Nursery Stuff. Now we've rounded up the most popular dress tutorials from Prudent Baby as well as some of our favorites from around the crafty web. Most of these dresses are ideal for beginning sewers; all will make you feel like the crafty mom superstar that you are. From pinafores to party dresses to dress-up tutus, these 25 free dress tutorials will have you and you little one smiling from ear to ear. Take a look and get the links to the sweetest free baby dress patterns here: Make for Baby: 25 Free Dress Tutorials for Babies & Toddlers. Then go ahead and share links to your favorite free baby dress tutorials we missed in the comments so we can do another round up soon.

How to Make the Magicalest Magical Tutu Dress of Magic

Do you want your daughter to make a face like this?

Or like that?

Or maybe this?

Then make her one of these magical tutu dresses of magic.

And watch her flit about the yard in fairy princess heaven. Find out how to make a magical tutu dress after the jump!
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How to Sew Sequins

Sequins, sparkles, shiny things - they're all around me now! I thought this princess/dress-up silliness would be one of my least-favorite parts of parenting a daughter, but I was SO WRONG. I adore watching my daughter dress up in a sparkly costume then run around playing with bugs in the yard.

When else in her life will she be able to live such a fantasy existence? And the look on her face when I hand her a sparkly homemade treat is pretty much the greatest gift I could ever hope for. So to that end, I have been sewing a lot of sequins lately.

I thought I'd take a minute and show you how. It's quite easy, it just takes a little patience. But you know it will be worth it. And don't try to tell me sequins are only for girls, I can totally see a sequin pirate patch or mustache on little gordon, no?

Learn How to Sew On A Sequin after the jump...
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