Finished!

Well considering I have worked on Sweetcheeks bedding and accessories since the end of May, I'm happy to say that I'm finished! With the sewing, the bedding, the cute accessories, the organizing...we even moved in the furniture and got the wall hangings up. So when I say ''Finished" I mean done. On the first day of my last trimester I did the finishing touches and, while I hope Ms Sweetcheeks stays put for at least another 7 weeks, we're ready for her :) 

Her "side" of mine and B's room

 

 The changing table and shelf that I decoupaged

The finished crib set with blankets, boppy cover, and a few embroidered burp rags

Close up of shelf

Close up of wall hanging

And let's hope that Sissy is born with a ton of hair because girlie has a TON of hair accessories

And while I didn't take pics, I'm slightly embarrassed to admit that all 5 drawers of the dresser are full of clothes as well as a good chunk of the closet. {although a lot of her clothes were gifted/purchased from friends who have had little girls previously so I can't feel that guilty}

Honestly, I am amazed at the amount of money we saved! I purchased the fabric at Hobby Lobby. Overall I spent about $80 on the different fabrics (Minkee and bumper inserts included) and then used that fabric to make:

• the crib bumpers (tutorial found here)
• the crib skirt
• 1 rag blanket (based on the tutorial found here)
• 1 floor quilt
• the changing pad cover (tutorial found here)
• decoupaged the 'Maggie' wall hanging
• decoupaged the shelf over the changing table
• 1 small lovey blanket with minkee backing
• 1 binky clip (again, loosely based on this tutorial )
• embroidered/embellished 2 burp rags

and the really crazy thing? I still have a small amount of fabric left! I was floored at what all I was able to make. Well, floored and very proud of myself! The crib, dresser and changing table we already had so that was zero money spent.

Oh and just in case anyone is wondering where everything was from:

The buckets/tubs on the changing table are from the $1 section at Target. The Butterfly vinyl wall decals are from Target as well. The pink basket used to hold hair accessories, the pink lantern, the ''Dance like no one is watching'' canvas, the wooden name letters and circles, as well as the daisies are all from Hobby Lobby. We took off the ugly closet doors and hung up the hot pink curtains that we purchased at Wal-Mart.

So there you have it, Sweetcheeks "side" of the room...and after doing all of this I can't wait for us to move into a bigger place and decorate an entire room!

Pretty in Pink

Well I finished up Sweetcheeks bedding. I kinda feel like I should end that statement with ''finally'' but realistically I'm a little over 24 weeks pregnant so my timing was good. {I just feel like I've been sewing for.ever.}

I had previously shared some photos of the crib bumpers and crib skirt---

Here are a couple pics of the 2 quilted blankets and a Boppy cover that I made. The first blanket is my favorite. It's a rag quilt made with the fabric that I love from Hobby Lobby and a super soft pink flannel. Honestly, after seeing it fresh out of the dryer, I kinda wish I had a one big blanket like this instead of even bothering with the second one. This is probably 30x30 inches. Perfect for a baby. Oh well, I can always make one when she's ready for a toddler bed or something.

Here is a close of the the ''ragging''

The second quilt is larger, about 36x36 inches. I used up a lot of leftover fabric on this one. I had to play around with the pattern based on how much of a certain material was left. This is what I came up with--
It looks really busy hanging next to the bumpers but realistically it probably won't even be used very much in the crib. For one, it's big. For two, it's a pretty heavy blanket...I imagine it will be used more as a floor blanket or when she is older.

The back is super soft Minkie Dot fabric in a light pink.

And lastly, the Boppy cover. One side is the botanical print and it reverses to the large dots on bright pink.
Over all, I'm very pleased with the way everything turned out and the work/effort that it took. I have much more appreciation for it, that's for sure! I think grand total for the fabric, cording, bumper inserts, etc I spent around $80. Considering that with that $80 I made the bumpers, the crib skirt, 2 blankets, a boppy cover, decoupaged a shelf and I still have leftover fabric--not a bad deal at all! Much better than shelling out almost $200 to a big box store for a 4 or 6 piece set!

And I still have a few smaller ideas in mind to use up the scraps (binky clip, cloth baby rings, a bib and maybe a taggie blanket). But those are definitely being saved for another day. My only remaining ''projects'' before Sweetcheeks arrival is to fill the nail holes and touch up paint on that wall, hang up her name letters, vinyl wall decals and shelf, and have B dig the changing table out of the basement so we can clean it off and get it set up. Whew! And about 12 weeks to get it done. (not to mention wash ALL of her laundry...ugh!)

At 24 weeks little Miss should be measuring about one pound and 4oz and almost 12 inches from head to toe. Here's the view from the outside:
As I mentioned in previous post, not much has changed for me. I've gained a few pounds and I seem to have more energy. My nails are growing super fast and stronger than ever! My latest cravings have been for Twix candy bars...can't get enough though I do limit myself. My hip bothers me but Dr. P suggest I get a maternity support belt to help relieve the pressure that is happening when she pushes her big ol' noggin into my side. It'll help lift the weight up off of my hips some. I'm skeptical because it's July in Kansas...it's already hot enough, let alone wearing a big velcro covered belt. Ugh!

"It's pinkalicious!"

Last night, I finished up Sweetcheeks bedding.

I love it. And apparently Bubba does too. When he came into my bedroom this morning and saw the pink lantern and the crib all set up the first thing out of his little mouth was "Mom, It's pinkalicious!"

I have no clue where he learned that but it was hysterical! Every single time he goes in there he says that it's just "so pinkalicious." I asked him if he thought Sissy would like it and he said "Yes, cause it's super pretty."

I ♥ that kid!

I decided to make all of her crib bedding back in May. It was an ordeal finding the fabric...I fell in love with a fabric but when I went to purchase it, it had been clearanced. After calling 8 stores in cities up to 2 hours away, no luck. I had friends and family checking locations in Colorado and Ohio and to no avail it couldn't be found. So after a couple days I finally settled on a new fabric. It took me a couple more days to really commit to it but once I did, there was no turning back. Using the tutorial found here:

http://sew4home.com/projects/pillows-cushions/356-stylish-baby-nursery-crib-bumpers

I went to work.

And boy was it work! Not anything extremely difficult, just time consuming. I had to cut all the fabric for the six panels (12 total), measure and cut all the fabric for the ties (24 of those) and the piping (six of those). I broke this up into several different evenings of work. Seeings how everything I've ever made before didn't require exact measurements, it was a trip! I broke down and bought a cutting mat and rotary cutter and that sped things up tremendously. So by Thursday night, I had finished the panels. Last night I finished the skirt. While I still need to make the quilt, I couldn't resist assembling the crib and putting it all up.

Love it!

The inside fabric was not my first choice but I love it now that it's on there!

The outside fabric and the ties, I fell in love with the minute I saw them... Like the day after I found out I was having a girl.

Nanaw bought this bear for Sweetcheeks the exact same day that we found out we were having a girl. It may be the softest thing I've ever felt!

Yesterday I also hung up a pink lantern; we'll use it in place of a lamp for night time feedings.

**all fabric used is from "Brother Sister Design Studio", a line exclusively sold at Hobby Lobby. Lantern from Hobby Lobby as well; sheet is by Bright Future; I believe sold at Kohl's**

So after taking weeks to assemble and sew the bumpers, I'm now super excited to get to work on the quilt. I was really hesitant as I was making the bumpers, not sure I was ''in love'' with it; wondering if I should have just ordered something premade, etc. But at 1:34am last night as I tied the last tie into a little bow, stepped back and looked at the whole thing, I loved it.

Honestly, I don't think the pictures even do it justice. So yes, while Sweetcheeks will be in our room for...well for as long as we breastfeed or until we move, which ever comes first...I hope she enjoys her own little space :)

we all know i have a tendency to get in over my head

But I think I'm allowing myself enough time, that I can actually put into motion and finish, this project before little Miss Sweetcheek's arrival.

I've been looking online at baby girl crib bedding. A definite first for me! And I kinda sorta fell in love with this set:First off, it's pink. I know, I know a lot of mom's stay away from pink because it's cliche or because she's gonna be stuck wearing pink forever, etc.

Guess what? I have THREE boys. And now I'm having a girl.

She will have pink bedding. When she is a baby, she will be dressed in pink. (as well as other colors, duh). She will most likely wear pink bows and headbands and she will look adorable.

Okay, personal opinion but it's my blog.

But, back to the bedding. I like that it's pink, it has this vintage feel to it. I like that it's not too babyish, and I love that it has flowers without being ''floral''.

What I don't like? That for the bumpers, quilt, sheet and dust ruffle they want $120-$170.

YIKES!

When you consider that she won't use that quilt- it'll hang on a wall (maybe...I never did hang bubba or pooks) and when the bumpers only get used for the first 6-9 months-then it's a safety hazard and the sheet will likely get pee/poop/spit up/etc on it and be off more often than it's on--I just can't rationalize spending that kinda money.

So I had one of those Shannon moments where I said to myself "I could totally make that."

I looked around online and consulted a few friends who had either made their own crib bedding or seriously considered it. I found a website that I fell in love with for their super easy tutorials:
http://sew4home.com/projects/pillows-cushions/356-stylish-baby-nursery-crib-bumpers
While I hate the fabric they chose, i love the clean lines, simplicity of design and overall look of their crib bumpers.
And finding out that Jo-Ann's sells ''baby bumper inserts' so that I don't have to sew through 2 layers of batting? SCORE!

So to make sure that this was really gonna save me money, we took a little trip to Hobby Lobby to look at and price fabric. I absolutely, head over heels, love these fabrics from Brother Sister Design Studio:

not my pic, found it on google images

The main larger print on the white fabric, will be on the outside of the bumpers and the pink fabric with the little icons will be used as an accent (for a Boppy slipcover and on a rag quilt). The inside of the bumpers will hopefully be a super soft minky fabric. (gotta find a color of minky that matches) I also found a coordinating striped fabric that I will use for the piping along the top of the bumpers.

The estimated cost for crib bumpers? Under $40! The bumper inserts cost $20, the fabric will total about $20. (depends on if I can find my good jo-ann's coupon)

And I can make other accessories. Add in the additional fabric for the dust ruffle ($8) boppy cover and quilt ($20). So for around $75 I can make the crib bumpers, the dust ruffle, the quilt, the boppy cover and probably have leftover fabric for little projects later on.

$75 compared to $150 (avg) for the bedding? Plus the Boppy covers that you buy in the store are between $11-$20. That's saving me over half the cost of purchasing a set! Plus, Miss Sweetcheeks will have personalized, handmade bedding that couldn't be purchased in a store.

And it helps that I love this fabric more than the website bedding set.

B is on board too. I'm not sure that he ''loves'' the fabric but since it's our last baby and our only girl after 3 boys, he's pretty much letting me have free reign on this one. I think the real reason he's okay with it is two-fold; it'll keep me busy and out of his hair and it's saving us money. If you know B, you know he's...frugal, to say the least ;)