How to Make a Paper Mache Table (for under $20)!

As part of My New Backyard, I decided to make a little paper mache table after spotting this one at West Elm. Paper mache is probably not the best idea for an outdoor table, but since this was made with recycled cardboard and newspapers, it cost me all of $10. Why not? I also sealed it up pretty well, and I'll show you how.

You could make a paper mache table in any style for indoor use and it would cost you a fraction of store bought furniture. And bonus: it was a really fun project to do with the kid. Learn how to make a paper mache table after the jump!
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How to Sew a Button Down Bib

Hi I'm Jen from My Own Road, and I'm so thrilled to be here guest posting at Prudent Baby today!

From one Hot Mess Mommy to another, I'm sure you know how hard it can be to find cute boy projects. I mean, my daughter is no problem. I can put that kid in pink, ruffly dresses any day, but when my son came along I had to change my strategy.

When my husband gave me a pile of his old button down shirts that he couldn't fit into anymore, I came up with the idea to do a series called "Button Down Rehab" where I took my husband's old button downs and gave them a new life. Some friends agreed to join me, and I used the series as an opportunity to make some cute, new clothes for my son. And today, I'm sharing my Button Down Bib project with you!

All you need is a button down shirt and a few basic supplies to make an adorable bib for your little guy! Read on for the full Button Down Bib Tutorial and links to the rest of the Button Down Rehab projects.
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DIY Birthday In A Suitcase

Check out this super creative birthday idea I spotted at beautiful blog Funkytime. What kid (or adult for that matter) wouldn't love a birthday-in-a-suitcase? I asked creator Sybille to share her tutorial with us and she kindly agreed. Take it away Sybille!

Thank you so much girls for having me today! 4 weeks ago I bought an old suitcase at the flea market. First I didn't know what to do with it, but hey, it's vintage, it's a suitcase and it was $15! I knew there was another way of using this beauty besides painting it white and stacking it next to my bed as a bedside table! Since my hubby's birthday was coming up too, I decided to transform it into a 'birthday in a suitcase'. It really is a birthday-picnic in a suitcase. But before it looked like this, it had to come a long way!

Get the full tutorial on how to make your own birthday in a suitcase after the jump...
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The Craft Room Redesign Project: The Recovered Chair!

BEFORE:

I told you all about the Craft Room Redesign Project, then I asked for your advice on my thrifty finds that I've been scooping up from goodwill, thrift stores, ebay, craigslist, and also this chair I found abandoned on the side of the road. I thought about recovering it myself, but it looked like a pretty daunting project and many of y'all were being hardcore enablers in the comments - telling me I saved so much by thrifting all this stuff that I could splurge and get it recovered professionally. Well, that's what I did.

Check out the "after" pictures after the jump...
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How to Paint Brass Finished Finds

Before:

After:

So many adorable things are in an outdated shiny brass finish, much like this sort of awesome table, one of my thrifty finds for the Craft Room Redesign Project. I read all of your advice, then looked at the space, then still couldn't decide, then just went for a bright shade of red.

There's a few tricks to re-painting brass finished items, but overall it's easy peasy. Imagine what you could do with cheapo thrift store brass light fixtures! Find out how to repaint brass after the jump...

What do you think of the red? Have you re-painted anything brass or brass-finished? Tell us abuot it in the comments, or post a picture on facebook. You could win some adorbs ueklele fabric!
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DIY Recycled Sweater Pants

What a cute project to make an old winter sweater into cozy toddler pants. When gina from The Daily B sent it over, I begged her to share it with us, and she agreed. Make sure to check out her site The Daily B for more great projects and inspiration. Take it away Gina...

I'm sure you have a few sweaters in your closet that are destined for the donation pile. Did you know you can turn them into pants for your little one? This is one of my favorite projects. It's free, and it only takes about 30 minutes to complete. I thought I'd provide a full-fledged tutorial so you can try it at home. Of course, I'm all about winging it, and don't bother with sewing patterns and pinning, so not every pair of pants I make is perfect (in fact, none of them are). But if you're willing to accept my tutorial and all its flaws, let's get started!
Get the full Recycled Sweater Pants Tutorial after the jump...

Leave a comment for Ms. Gina, because she was kind enough to share, and also because this week's favorite comment wins that skulleriffic fat quarter!
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Two Minute T-Shirt Dress

OK, so here's a dress you can sew out of an old t-shirt in literally two minutes (even faster then our most-popular-tute-ever the Ten Minute Onesie Dress). I showed this to you awhile back as part of a bigger post on doing more with less, but I wanted to share it with you again because it is Scarlet's MOST FAVORITE DRESS EVER and it took two minutes to make.

You guys seemed to like the Recycled Ruffle Sleeve Bubble T, and a bunch of you mentioned adding some old tees to the sewing pile.  I have the same pile so I tried to use one of them to make the quickest, easiest, simplest possible dress.  It seriously doesn't get any easier than this, it doesn't even involve any cutting. Also, this unicorn t-shirt was from Wal Mart, it's pretty cute right?Get the Two Minute T-Shirt Dress Tutorial after the jump...

And remember, leave a comment on this or any post this week and you could be the proud new owner of a yard of Jacinda's pom pom trim in any color you like!
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Make Your Own Butter

I had some cream that was about to go bad so I did what I always do in that situation (well, sometimes I make scones): I whipped up some butter, literally. It's crazy easy, you will be shocked at the simplicity and start making butter all the time. For realz.

Find out how on our post: How to Make Butter.

Recycle a Crib Skirt into a Window Valance

What can you do with a crib skirt when you don't need it anymore? You spent a ton on it. It's adorable. But it's kind of useless once kiddo moves to a toddler bed (or even once he/she is standing and the crib mattress gets lowered). Well, we have an idea of what you can do with a crib skirt: Turn it into a window valance!

My friend Anna called me ever so excited with her brilliant idea and asked me if I thought I could make it happen. I was like, girl, you're a genius! Not only did we make it happen - it's a NO SEW project! Crazy easy! And the windows still match the bedding, woo hoo!

Learn How to Turn an old Crib Skirt into a Window Valance after the jump. What do you do with old crib skirts or bumpers?  Let us know in the comments, this week's favorite comment wins that adorbs elephant sewing pattern!
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Last Minute Christmas Stockings

I promised my friend Anna I would making stockings for her kids.  Umm, Christmas is in three days, oops!  So I used our Christmas Stocking Pattern & Tute, but I skipped the layering, batting, and quilting and just went straight from cutting out the pattern to sewing it into a stocking, then added the bias tape on top and called it a day!

15 minutes. Sorry Anna... but they still turned out aight, right? The trick is using a stiffer fabric, in this case Anna Maria Horner's ridik gorg Innocent Crush Velveteen in Maybe Memory from Fabricworm.  BUT if you don't have any luxurious velveteen lying around, recycling an old curtain or some tea towels would work well.  If your fabric isn't stiff enough just iron on some fusible interfacing. Then hang by the chimney with care...

Voila! Get the full free Christmas Stocking Pattern and Tute here.

Is it insane to think you might make a stocking at this point? Probably. Let me know how you feel about it in the comments, you might win some pretty vinyl snowflakes!

DIY Fabric Clothespin Gift Tags

The mod podge fabric clothespin is such a cute and quick project to bust through scraps with, and so useful. I was thinking about gift wrapping this year and it occurred to me it could be cute to clip the gift tag on each present with a cute fabric clothespin.

 Then it occurred to me to glue a magnet to the back of it, so the giftee could use it on their fridge later on.

This is a great little project to use up some fabric (or paper) scraps as well.

Get the Mod Podge Clothespin Gift Tag Tutorial after the jump...

Is this worth the effort?  What are you doing for gift tags this year?  Let us know in the comments and you might win those five amazing embroidery patterns!
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Adorable DIY Ear Warmers

How gorgeous are these ear warmers?? I love all the different styles you can make from one tute as well. When I spied these on Delia Creates I just had to beg Delia to share the DIY with you, and lucky us, she agreed! Take it away Delia:

With autumn here and winter right around the corner, it is the perfect time to make these easy ear warmers! These are so fun and quick to make, you may want to make four...like I did! All it takes is an old wool sweater or 1/4 yard of fleece, scissors, thread, and a sewing machine. Pretty simple. For this one I used an old wool sweater that got ruined in the wash and became semi-felted.


For this one I added some pleats up the side and added some flowers.


For this one I used a sleeve off an old thermal knit shirt.


And this one is fleece with a matching knit fabric sewn over it and a nice pretty recycled knit bow.


You're so excited now right?  And can't you see some cute mini-ear warmers for your tot?  You could totally make a boy version too.  Check out the full Ear Warmer DIY after the jump, and also visit Delia over at Delia Creates for a lot of other amazing tutes!

And remember to leave Delia a comment, because this week's favorite commenter wins those gorgeous embroidery patterns pictured up on the left!

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FREE Felted Wool Tree Tutorial

Here's an easy little tutorial for these adorable felted wool trees from Jamie of Little Nest Designs. I want a bunch for my mantel. Sounds like a sweater thrifting trip is in order!


Click here to get this easy & fun Felted Wool Tree Tutorial.

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Windows Phone 7 GIVEAWAY!: Do More With Less

Here at Prudent Baby we try to be, well, prudent. And being prudent often means doing more with less. More style, more fun, more crafty goodness - with less money, less time, less materials. You know exactly what we mean, right? Which is why we are so excited to be giving away a Windows Phone 7! That's right, one lucky Prudent Baby reader is going to win a Windows Phone 7 for telling us how they do more with less.

So in the spirit of more with less, I tried to create the easiest dress of all time. Even easier then our most popular tutorial ever, the 10 Minute Onesie Dress. Presenting the Two Minute T-Shirt Dress.

It's a dress you can sew out of an old t-shirt in about two minutes (ok maybe five).  You guys seemed to like the Recycled Ruffle Sleeve Bubble T, and a bunch of you mentioned adding some old tees to the sewing pile.  I have the same pile so I tried to use one of them to make the quickest, easiest, simplest possible dress.  It seriously doesn't get any easier than this, it doesn't even involve any cutting. Also, this unicorn t-shirt was from Wal Mart, it's pretty cute right? I hope you like this tutorial and are inspired to do more with less.

And the big bonus: One lucky Prudent Baby reader is going to win a Windows Phone 7!

Get the Two Minute T-Shirt Dress Tutorial & The scoop on the Windows Phone 7 Giveaway after the jump...
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Easy Fabric Strip Garland

I made these for the Prudent Advice Launch Party, and they were so easy and quick. I love the way they turned out. They were also a great excuse to put my new Simplicity Rotary Cutting and Embossing Machine to good use. It's so awesome and fun!

This garland would make a great addition to any party and put all your fabric scraps to awesome use. It would also be cute in a nursery as a fresh take on the pennant garland.

Get the full Easy Fabric Strip Garland DIY after the jump...

And remember, leave a comment on this or any post this week and you could win that cute little decoupage kit up there on the left!

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Recycled Ruffle Sleeve Bubble T

Look at little Dove, daughter of my dear friend Rebecca, who writes the awesome site Cooking With My Kid! Could she be any cuter? She came thisclose to being a native New Yorker, but was born here in LA (just like me, aww). So I had to make her a little I HEART NY tee, but I wanted it more girly than the usual.

It has a little gathered waist and chest, and some cap sleeves.  Super simple, a little elastic thread and you can make your own too! I kind of want to make a big one for me.  In fact, I think I will.

Get the full Recycled Bubble Sleeve T Tutorial after the jump!

And remember, leave a comment and you could win that gorg Alexander Henry fat Quarter up on the left.  BTW, I'm going to be saying "gorg" in every post this week in honor of Jacinda's husband.  Long story.
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No-Sew Rolled Fabric Flower Baby Headband

Look at that so-cute-I-could-cry baby headband! I came across this picture at Post Road Vintage while surfing the web. She made the headband using an adorable no-sew Rolled Fabric Flower tutorial she found at My Sparkle. I asked the tute author, Danielle, to share the how-to with us so we could all make adorable baby headbands too!

Take it away Danielle from My Sparkle...
So I am jumping on the bandwagon and loving all the rolled fabric flowers I've seen here and there. We decided to make some with the girls in our church youth group, but I couldn't find a great tutorial on how to make them so I played around and this is what I came up with. Enjoy!

Get the full Rolled Fabric Flower Tutorial after the jump...

And remember, leave a comment on this or any post this week and you could win that pretty Alexander Henry fat quarter.
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Recycled Calendar Coasters

Remember when I made our headboard and I told you how I found that beautiful otomi fabric on ebay?  Well the seller also sent me a calendar with all kinds of gorgeous images of otomi fabric.  It was so pretty I didn't want to throw it away, but a girl only needs so many paper calendars.  Since I've been working on prettying up my home office with exotic fabrics like otomi and suzanis, I thought recycling the images onto some coasters would be a nice touch.

I know I showed you how to do this once before with the Matryoshka and Owl Coasters, but I'll show you How to Make Mod Podge Coasters again after the jump.  It's so crazy easy!

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Fabric Wrapped Recycled Bath Accessories

I ate a $16 jar of nuts from a hotel minibar at 2 am on a recent business trip. In the morning, I was angry at the jar. I wanted it to do more for me than just sit there empty, taunting me with its salty fattening expensiveness.
With the beauty of Jacinda's Fabric Vase in mind, I brought the jar home, found another glass canister, and with the help of a fabric scrap from my collection, repurposed them into cotton ball and q-tip holders for the bathroom. So there jar, the joke's on you!
Get the full Fabric Wrapped Recycled Bath Accessories tutorial after the jump...
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Hamptons Hooded Beach Towel

When our friends over at amazing trendy kid magazine Pint Size Social asked us to contribute to their DIYs with VIPs column, we were so excited to be in the company of such awesome ladies as Amy Atlas and Erica Domesek! So we went to work on this luxurious version of the kid's summer staple, the hooded towel.

There's just no reason to spend $45 on one of these if you have a sewing machine and thirty minutes!

For more details and a little interview with yours truly, click over to the column on Pint Size Social. I also highly recommend checking out the Show & Tell section, where they highlight one hot item every day - it's always something I've never seen anywhere else.  Get the full Hamptons Hooded Beach Towel DIY after the jump...
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