Baby Series Sunday Showroom {Gift Ideas}

Hi, it's Heather.  I'm excited to be here for our baby series.  With Jessica expecting she is thinking about all the great last minute DIY projects she can complete before her new little guy arrives.  But for me, I'm thinking about fun gift ideas.  Every Sunday over at the Brie Brie Blooms blog I put together a showroom full of handmade pretties.  Today the Sunday Showroom will be here sharing all my favorite handmade baby gifts.

If you know the family well and can get all the birth statistics and details, this subway print would make an amazing and personal gift. 

Sprinkled Joy newborn birth statistics subway print

I love the idea of a print to be framed but how sweet is this blanket?

I Sew Jo baby stats blanket

Most new mommies would love a pretty necklace with their new addition's initial.  These pretty vintage frames charms can be purchased individually so if more babies come later, you can easily just add on to the necklace. 

Lisa Leonard vintage frames necklace

One of the best gifts we received at home with a new baby was food!  The last thing the new mama is thinking about is cooking for the family.  If you're not able to share a home cooked meal, restaurant gift cards will serve as the next best thing.  Add a cute felt gift card holder and you're gift is ready to be delivered.

Cottons and Candies baby elephant gift card holder

Speaking of food, who doesn't love a pretty fruit basket?  Edible Arrangements has the prettiest baskets and some of them come with chocolate covered fruit!  They have some baby themed baskets that are delivered with a balloon and ceramic bank.

Edible Arrangements baby fruit basket

Now I have a few gift ideas for when Jessica's little bundle arrives!

Thanks for stopping by during the baby series.  More fun is coming next week!

Universal Pacifier Clips from Amy @ Naptime Crafter

I was so excited when Jessica invited me to be a part of her baby series! It's always nice to have an excuse to do some sewing for my little man. 

I decided to make something we are in desperate need of. Some paci clips that fit on any type of pacifier!

The only ones they had at Wal-Mart didn't work with our favorite Soothie brand and let me tell you those pacis can bounce a long way when they pop out!

And you know a guy's gotta spit that out every now and again for important things like smiling :)

This project takes all of 5 minutes and is cheap too!

1. Grab a scrap of fabric from your stash and cut an 11x2" piece. Fold it in half with long sides together. In between the layers slip in a small hair elastic (or a loop of ribbon, etc.). Sew up one short end (the side with elastic) and the long edges. 

2. Turn right side out and tuck in the raw edges on the other end. Topstitch around all edges making sure to stitch back and forth several times over the elastic to keep it secure.

3. Slide the end without the elastic through a mitten/suspender clip and stitch down.

And now your pacifiers are always in reach!

***safety note: babies should always be supervised when using a pacifier clip. Do not let your child use a pacifier clip while sleeping***

And in case you're looking for a few more fun baby tutorials check out some of my favorites:

   

    

   

   

Can you tell I get a bit carried away with my sewing???

See the full collection (trust me this is just scratching the surface) over at Nap Time Crafters

 

Thanks for having me!

Showcasing your Baby Bump

There are a lot of photographers out there! A LOT! So what will set your pregnancy and baby apart from just another cute face or beautiful expecting mom? Other than your personality, creativity in photographs can show your style and ingenuity. Here are a few of my favorite photographs I have seen floating around the internet to help you and your favorite photographer become inspired.

The announcement!

 Family pictures for a soon to be big brother.

 Silhouette, so much prettier and classy for someone who isn't comfortable showing off their naked belly.

 MY FAVORITE. Dress your bump up like a present.  The special person inside will be the greatest gift you will ever be given.

Announce the sex for future memories.

However you choose to showcase your bump make sure to make it special and something that is uniquely you.

Embroidered Headband from Terra @ Mama Says Sew

Today I am so excited to introduce to you Terra from Mama Says Sew.

Terra has incredible style and loves to sew for herself as well as her 3 cute kids.  She also dabbles in home decor projects and there are some amazing makeovers on her site. Thanks for participating Terra and here is her fantastic tutorial.

Hi everyone! I'm Terra from mama says sew. Today I'm here to show you how to make this embroidered felt headband. It would make a great gift for a new baby. I don't have a baby at home, so it's modeled on an older child, but I think they would look adorable on a baby, especially with a smaller circle. Anyway, she's still my baby.

I've always wanted to try embroidery. I saw this tutorial a while back, and thought these smaller felt circles would be a great way to get started. I made a bunch of them. Some of them are pretty simple, and some got a little more complex.

I just cut out two felt circles. Mine were about 1.5 inches and 2 inches across. For this one, I used a really simple backstitch. I used lighter pinks for my embroidery floss as I got closer to the center to give it an ombre-type effect.

Cut out some elastic for a headband. Glue it to another, small white felt circle. Make sure the right side of the elastic {if there is one} goes on the outside.

Glue the elastic to your larger felt circle.

Then turn it over and glue the embroidered felt circle where you want it on the front.

Slip it on to a piece of cardstock and you're ready to give a great baby gift!

You can also turn it into a bookmark for the new Mom who loves to read, like these beautiful bookmarks.

Onesie Remakes-Great Ideas

Need a quick fix for a boring onesie? I love buying cheap white onesies or even using old white onesies and remaking them using my scrap pile. It is so easy and an instant way to add personality, and creativity to any onesie. Who says babies can't have personal style right?

So what are some ideas for these remakes?

BOYS:
-adding a tie 
-adding suspenders

GIRLS:
-ruffles
-necklace (fabric paint or fabric)

 

 

UNISEX:
-initial

 Here are some easy onesie remakes I have made recently.

Iron on some wonder under to a piece of scrap fabric. Cut out small circles (I used a large button as my pattern). Sew some ric rac in the shape of a U. Iron on your circles and then stitch around the edges to hold them in place. Add a bow just to finish it off. (I used fabric glue to hold the bow together and then hand stitched it onto the onesie.)

Another option is making a single ruffle down the front of a onesie and adding buttons to form a placket of sorts. I serged the edges of my scrap piece, sewed a basting stitch down the middle for the gather, and then attached it to the front of a onesie. Add the buttons and you are done.

 

 Finally add some ruffles along the neckline. I cut 3 pieces of scrap fabric all 1.5" x 24". For the top ruffle I turned over the top and sewed it down to make a nice, clean edge. For the rest of the ruffle I used my serger along the edges and sides (you could zig zag as well). Then I sewed a gathering stitch along the top of each ruffle. Simply lay the ruffles beginning with the top and layering each under the above ruffle sewing them in place on top of the gathered stitch.

 

All three onesie remakes took no more than 1 hour together and makes a great gift for any expecting mom. Even if it is yourself (hehe).