DiY Baby Boy Onesie Gift

I absolutely love making baby gifts, for the mama to be and the baby! It is such a beautiful time to celebrate. Not to mention, all of the tiny things that you get to buy are SO precious!

I have been making these onesies for a long time now. They have kind of become an expected gift amongst my friends when they are pregnant. Everyone seems to like them. I really enjoy making them and having the opportunity to get creative with them. And I really love any chance to make something unique for people.

 I love digging through fabric and pairing colors and patterns until I find what I like. Sometimes I begin with a vision and other times, I simply let the colors and patterns inspire and see what happens.
 This time I knew I wanted an arrow somehow, somewhere. I ended up creating one myself with a needle and some black embroidery thread.

These are really pretty simple to make. You simply choose your fabric, cut it according to your design, and run it through your sewing machine to finish off your edges and give the piece more character with the added stitches.
Depending on the fabric, sometimes I add a bit of fray-check.
I actually really like allowing the fabric to fray a little when it is washed. However, some fabric fray's a bit too much and can eventually ruin your design.
Once everything is cut out and sewn, grab your iron, any iron-on letters or numbers you might have and a roll of stitch witchery.

 Do you recognize this little fabric pouch? Bought any pillow cases from Walmart lately?
This is the little fabric pouch that they come in! I bought some a while back and couldn't bring myself to get rid of these because I knew I could use them for something.
Two onesies folded and rolled up fit perfectly in it!

Of course I couldn't leave it alone. 

I added a square of fabric and cut out an "e" from some red wool felt. I stitched around them and ironed them on.

I was super happy with the way it turned out and my friend (& mama to be to her 3rd child) seemed to love it too....which is all that really matters. :)

Happy Friday friends!

-Jenny

Arrow Mobile-DiY

When my children were babies, I always had the hardest time finding mobiles that I liked. Most of the mobiles I saw were made up of very cutesy things like plush teddy bears, butterflies, etc. Those are fine but just not my style.
So, I ended up making mobiles for my children. I could make it exactly what I wanted and it made it more special because I made it for them. Not to mention, those little plush mobiles are expensive!

When planning the recent baby shower that a few of my friends and I put together, one of my friends had the wonderful idea to make a mobile to hang over the gift table and send home with our mom-to-be. I loved that idea!

 

I LOVE LOVE how this mobile turned out!

Here is what you need:

wooden dowels (from the wood craft section at Hobby Lobby)

acrylic paints

yarn

felt

2 different sizes of embroidery hoops

light colored thread

twine

scissors

glue gun

We started out by cutting part of our arrows down to make smaller arrows for the bottom hoop of the mobile. Then we went to painting part of the wooden dowels. You can paint them one solid color or add stripes. We left some of the dowels unpainted and wrapped them with yarn. You simply wrap and then tie off with a knot at the end.

*For our mobile, we used 10 large arrows (5 yarn wrapped, 5 painted) and 7 smaller arrows (4 painted, 3 yarn wrapped). 

Now, onto your felt pieces. Choose your colors and then grab your scissors.

You can draw your first arrow head and feather pieces, cut them out and then use them as your template for the rest. You will need two pieces for each arrowhead and each set of feathers.

Once you have all of your pieces painted, wrapped, and cut out, you'll need to grab your glue gun.  Take your two arrowhead pieces and place your dowel between them, adding a few lines of hot glue.  Press them together.

Next, take your two feather pieces, place the dowel in the middle of them, slightly overlapping the inner edges of the feather pieces with a line of hot glue.

Now that your arrows are done, it is time to assemble the mobile.

First, tie a piece of thread to the end of each arrow- the feathers will hold it in place when it is hanging.

Now, set your arrows aside for a moment and attach the two hoops together.

For this next part, you will need a partner to hold the embroidery hoop while you attach the two hoops. This part takes a little bit of patience as you will need to adjust the thread/length so that your hoops hang evenly.

You will just slightly pull apart the two rings of the large hoop, just enough to string the end of your thread between the two pieces of the large hoop, once you have it in place, slide the ring back into place and tie your string. You will do this 4-5 times. Once all strings are in place on the large hoop, you will then attach them to the small hoop below, in the same way.

Once you have your hoops in place, then you will tighten the screw on your embroidery hoop, keeping the threads secure and in place.

Now, that the base of our mobile is made, let's add some arrows!

Start by attaching your long arrows to the big hoop. This part is much easier. Choose how long you want them to hang down, then simply tie the thread over the hoop and knot. 

And then, attach your smaller arrows to the small hoop.

And lastly, grab your twine, cut into 5 long pieces and tie each piece onto the large hoop, spacing them out as you go. Once they are all tied off, bring them together and tie in a knot, leaving a loop to hang the mobile by.

Viola! You are done!

And look what you have to show for it! :)

Feel free to ask questions if you have any! I will do a better job taking photos during the making process next time. This time, it was just GO time and we had to get it done!

Enjoy!
-Jenny

DiY Arrow Baby Shower Decor

I shared the Arrow Baby Boy Shower with you a couple of days ago and now I would like to share a few of the handmade decor items and the "how to" with you today!
You can check out all of the photos from the shower here.

You see this little number hanging on our coffee table? Well, it is super easy to make and really fun to decorate with. I have actually started seeing banners made just like this popping up in stores lately.

You simply choose your paper, cut them into strips, and lay them out in the order you want them.

I used scrapbook paper.

There is not certain length or width for these. Simply cut to your liking.

I lined mine up in stacks, in the order I wanted them.




Next, you simply run them, one by one, through your sewing machine. That's it! Seriously, it's that easy. It takes just a few minutes to sew them.

And the felt arrows! I love working with felt for two reasons. I love the look of felt for various projects and it is SO super EASY to work with!
I used wool felt for these because it is thicker and I had the option of more colors to choose from. I simply cut my arrows out and then ran through my sewing machine. Sewing them is actually not even necessary but I love the look of the stitching. It just adds more character and interest.
Then, we used double stick tape pieces to arrange them on the wall.

We had fruit and vegetable skewers on the menu for this shower and I had the idea to turn our skewers into arrows as well.

 I used natural card stock and cut out my triangle shapes.
Then, I simply added a dab from my glue gun, and with the skewer sandwiched between, pressed them together.
I left the pointed end alone so we could easily add our fruits and veggies.

 We have done the "prayer/blessings" cards at many of the showers that I have helped throw now. They are truly a special touch that is becoming apart of the necessity for throwing baby showers around here.
I took some of the felt arrows I made and glued them on top of this little box.
Then, I added some cute polka-dot washi tape to the rim of the lid and filled the box with stamped strips of card stock.

Food labels.
I know they are not always needed and that sometimes what is sitting on the plate is really obvious, but I LOVE them!
I found these adorable arrow clips in the dollar bins at Target.
You could use plain clips and draw or paint on your own arrows as well.
I turned them upside down and they stood up to their task quite well!




And the banners. Also, something I love for celebrations!
I use this natural card stock a lot when making banners. It is durable and I love the look.

I cut out my pieces, cut out some cute paper, and then another smaller square of the card stock.
Got my alphabet stamps out, my photo mounting squares (I love using these...double stick and fast and easy!) and then ran them through my sewing machine to add some fun stitching in random places.

I made this banner much bigger, using almost the whole piece of card stock for each piece.
I only did three with initials on this one.
I wrote the letters because I wanted them big and then I stamped the arrow on in different places on each piece and added a bit of color to the ends of each arrow.
I also added stitching to these as well and a bit of washi tape.

Any excuse to use washi tape!!!

There you have it!

Come back later this week to learn how we made the cute arrow mobile!

Hope you are inspired!

-Jenny

Mediterranean Rice with Swai

I made a yummy new dish last night and it was a hit with the fam so I thought I'd share the recipe. Of course I wasn't thinking and didn't take any pictures while cooking. Next time I'll have to take pics and add them. Hopefully you can follow the recipe as it was more of a dump and taste than this but the amounts are roughly accurate.

2 cups dry brown rice (cooked makes approximately 4 servings)
2 - 4 fish fillets depending on size (I used Swai which is a mild fish much like Tilapia)
1 large bag of fresh or frozen spinach
1/2 jar sun dried tomatos
Vinegar/oil dressing
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Italian Seasoning
Sea Salt
Olive Oil or cooking spray

1. Prepare rice.
2. Preheat oven to 350-400 depending on how hot your oven cooks. (I cooked mine on 400 in my toaster oven for about 30 mins)
3. Place thawed fish fillets on baking sheet. Coat in cooking spray or olive oil sprinkle garlic powder and onion powder. Flip to other side and repeat.
4. Cook fish for 30 mins or until white and flaky.
5. Cook spinach in wok or pan until tender/thawed. 
6. Cut sun dried tomatos into small pieces and add to spinach.
7. Add rice to spinach and tomatos.
8. Mix in 3-4 tablespoons vinegar and oil dressing. 1-2 tablespoons garlic powder, 1-2 tablespoons onion powder, 1-2 tablespoons Italian seasoning, and sea salt to taste.
9. Cook until flavors are combined.
10. Place rice on plate and top with fillet.

We had corn as our veggie side!

Enjoy!
Daspri

Quiver Full-Arrow Baby Shower

I was so blessed to be apart of planning this baby shower for such a sweet and dear friend of mine. My friends and I have spent the last month brainstorming, planning, and creating fun things for this celebration. We got to see it all come together over the weekend and celebrate a sweet baby boy and this growing family.

We started out with a different theme entirely! I loved the idea, but for some reason, I wasn't completely sold on it for this friend and this shower. But, it was really cute and everyone seemed on board so we were going forward with it.......until, I saw this! As soon as I read this blog post, I immediately fell in love and knew that this was the direction we needed to head in. The super cool thing about it is that this was a verse that this family had been meditating on and praying over for some time as they waited for the Lord to bless them with another baby.
It was meant to be. :)

So, without further ado, here is our take on the arrow baby shower theme!

 I designed these and we printed them ourselves on natural card stock. Easy, affordable and fun!

The food table boasted fruit and vegetable skewers with arrow heads, mini hot ham and cheese sandwiches, and individual servings of trail mix in cute little brown paper sacks complete with an arrow stamped on the front.

When planning the decor for a shower, I always try and make things that can be sent home with the mom-to-be and can possibly be used in the nursery.

The two frames on either side of the chalkboard are prints that I designed on the computer, had printed at Staples, and framed them. I painted and distressed two of the frames to go with our color scheme.

My friend, Sarah, made the adorable fabric scrap banner hanging on the front of the table.

Can you see the craft paper arrow heads on the skewers? Eek! I love the little touches!
Another friend of mine, Kerri, made the stunning yarn wrapped "E". I am loving these yarn wrapped letters!

More arrow skewers! And yes, that is a slice of wood that they are lying on. Do you see the cute little arrow clips that are holding the food cards? Those were scored at the Target dollar bins (thanks for the tip Amy!) Turned upside down, they made perfect holders for these cards.

Some of the skewers have little colored flags made from washi tape on the ends...just to mix it up a little and add some color.
And there are the cute little bags of trail mix. These were actually a big hit!

 "Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them." Psalm 127:4-5

This is the verse that the whole shower is based upon. So, a quiver full of arrows was out centerpiece! The quiver is simply a large clear glass vase wrapped in twine. And the arrows, a few of us painted, a few of us cut pieces of felt and a few of us applied the glue that brought them together (and also burned a few fingers in the process)!

hmmmm.....can you guess who was using the glue gun? Hint: it was someone who writes on this blog and it wasn't Daspri.

The arrows are arranged within the quiver using blocks of floral foam.

 This table featured the cake, Strawberry lemonade, and  gifts. Not to mention, the super fun arrow mobile hanging overhead.

Rather than having fresh flowers for this shower, we chose fresh herbs because we knew our friend and mom-to-be would love them!

 And the mobile....I think this is possibly my favorite piece of decor from this shower. Our little team worked on this together; making the arrows and then fitting them with these embroidery hoops. I really love how it turned out.

Let's take a closer look at this cake. My friend, Rachel, is always the "go-to" for the shower cakes. She does such a great job, with ALL of it. The cakes always look great AND taste great!

This was a lemonade cake and it was SO yummy! I even took a bite to taste it. I had to see what all of the fuss was about and....I LOVE lemon!

We told her we wanted an arrow-chevron type pattern around the bottom border and we gave her colors and she worked the magic.

We had a little coffee station. We don't throw baby showers without coffee around here.

The little arrows on the wall are made from wool felt. So easy and fun to make.

 Another print for our mom-to-be to take home.

Mason jars and paper straws for the Strawberry Lemonade.

This little box sat on the gift table with little pieces of natural card stock and a note beside it that read "prayers and blessings for Elias".

Each guest wrote a little something and placed the paper in the box.

A little sketch for the door.

And last, but certainly not least, are these sweet little arrows that my friend Sarah made. Aren't they adorable?!

I believe our friend and mom-to-be already has ideas of a blanket with these.

It was such an honor to shower sweet Kim and celebrate their growing family and more specifically, number 3,a sweet baby boy!

We had an incredible team of ladies that helped make this shower possible and it was so fun working with them all! I love seeing how God uses each one of us.

Come back for tomorrow's post to see how some of these shower decorations were made!

Blessings,

-Jenny

Mother's Day - Toddler DiY Gift for Granny

It's not too late to do a little mother's day project from your kiddos to their grandmas. Keylee's Meme and Nana will be getting these on Sunday...shhh, don't tell them yet.  

1. Grab some canvases and stickers. Spell out your word or name.

2. Give the little one some paints and brushes (protect as necessary) and let them paint away (you may have to help them with the first few strokes over the stickers to keep them in place.

3. Let them dry a few minutes but not completely and peal off the stickers. We had a little bleed through. So, I grabbed a little white paint and a brush and filled in a bit.

4. Let everything dry well. Flip them over and staple some ribbon, rope, etc to the back to hold them together and hang them. 

Ta-DA! Sweet and fun hand made art for Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all you mommas out there,
Daspri

 

Sunny Chair Makeover

Spring is here. The sun is shining more days than not which means my kids are giggling in the back yard and squealing with delight as they find mounds of roly-polies.

But it also means.....it's time to get the spray paint out!

Spring brings new life to everything around us outside...

 

...so why not bring some new life inside too! Bring on the sunshine and I'll bring on the spray paint!

 Years ago, my mother in law scored these super cool vintage chairs for us at a yard sale. I loved them right away and restored them with some black spray paint on the seat and some chrome paint on the legs.
These chairs have gotten A LOT of use and have been moved around to various rooms in our house over the years.
This one has been on our front porch for a while now. I have wanted to move it in and when we changed up the porch recently, I decided to give this ole beauty a much needed makeover and a new home.

My husband painted this large sun piece when were dating. It has been hanging in our bedroom and I have wanted to incorporate more orange in our space in other places too.
The chair was the perfect opportunity!

 I really love how it turned out! It instantly makes me happy when I walk in our bedroom and see that sunny orange chair.

A friend of mine gave me this wooden magazine rack a while back. It has been sitting in my closet begging for a makeover ever since.
I knew I wanted it to have more of a distressed look but honestly, I was really excited about adding my little reading corner to our bedroom and I didn't want to wait!

So, I grabbed my white paint and a damp washcloth and went to town!
I used this same technique on a wall cabinet in our bathroom a few years back. It is easy, fast and I personally, love the look it gives.

New life for this old piece and a new home for all of my new and inspiring books!

What Spring makeovers do you have planned?
-Jenny