a simple sewing project: an embellished burp cloth for baby

all babies need burp cloths. this is a simple twist on a classic concept. i chose a crisp gray and white pinstripe cotton fabric and a curry yellow trim. stitch up a set of two for a quick gift, or stitch up several and stock your nursery.

materials: 1-2 cotton white prefold diaper cloths, 1/2 yd cotton fabric, bobble trim (found at local fabric store), pins, sewing machine & matching thread.

step one: wash and dry prefold and cotton material. iron both.

step two: prepare cotton material by cutting a piece slightly larger than the prefold diaper. i like to give myself 1/4-1/2 inch on all sides. then i simply fold this extra selvage and iron. set aside.

step three: pin bobble trim to bottom of one side of the prefold white diaper cloth. straight stitch this with white thread using your sewing machine (or hand stitch).

step four: place cotton material over diaper cloth and pin. top stitch the fabric with your sewing machine. i used a straight stitch on the trim side, and a zigzag stitch on all three other sides.

step five: (optional) you can also top stitch two vertical lines down the finished cloth to create the classic look and shape of a burp cloth. i paired the embellished one with a coordinating burp cloth, which makes a great gift. these pictured here are for my baby’s nursery. you can never have enough! happy sewing.

i know, i know- another birthday post! what can i say, we all celebrate birthdays right? believe me i am working on a framework for this blog that makes it organized and relevant to joyababy and my projects as well! as the designer, i have sort of taken over with my own projects here and there, maybe it should be the “blog FROM the designer at  joyababy” ?… ok back to the mystery…

i have an avid reader who loves a good mystery. (same boy who loves to write his own stories and had the harry potter party last year) he also loves to challenge his mom’s birthday party design skills by choosing such themes. you know the kind where you google the term and nothing comes up…well nothing relevant to a child’s birthday anyways. for this hardy boys theme, i took the basics and made them a little more creative as best i could.  first i did google “nancy drew party” and there were great ideas out there for that theme, like this and this and this, which inspired me for the invitations. i also included my son in his party details and he wanted things like “top secret” stamped on the envelope and fingerprints. you should have seen the sales person’s reaction at staples when i asked if they had a “top secret” stamp to purchase!(they don’t)

for the invite: we typed a very small font size letter with the details onto old typewriter paper. we then attached a small magnifying glass to read the secret message. all of these “clues” were then paper clipped together and slipped inside a manila envelope.

for the party decor: i found images on flickr for the “bookshelf of hardy boys mysteries” for our mantel and for the bookmarks we made for everyone (adults and kids). basic streamers and fun plaid retro paperware were added for pops of color next to the cupcake stand-yum! on the table was a vintage journal for the birthday boy and guests to sign made from an actual book cover i bought here.

for the favors: we made homemade chocolate chip cookies and packaged them individually for his classmates. each bundle was topped with a mini hardy boys book illustration. for his party, we considered there were kids of all ages, so instead of getting them their own hardy boys mystery to read, we opted for small lego spy sets wrapped “like” a hardy boys book. slipped these into the hardy boys perfect blue bags (not sure how i lucked out finding those at a local store) with a note from “frank and joe hardy” thanking the guests for solving the mystery!

this weekend ahead i plan to:

get started on a new slipcover for the baby’s nursery. luckily the chair already has one on it and i am using that as a pattern. i found this link and image above about how to estimate for fabric, which is helpful. i have some good solid experience dating back to college dorm days. since then i have made a few slipcovers and reupholstered a few chairs. something about the clean white lines of the sofa in the image above, with that fun pleat is what i’m leaning towards. my design ideas for the baby 3’s nursery keep evolving.

my youngest has severe food allergies and just recently went through a couple of food challenges with success! so with the additions of corn and tomato to his diet- i am so excited to make for him his FIRST pizza ever! cornmeal crust, homemade sauce and soy cheese. i hope it turns out.

what else?

visit with my sister, brother in law and niece who are visiting the city, welcome in the third trimester with hopefully some new remedy for heartburn (suggestions anyone?), spend some time looking at the design board for the next collection of joyababy, help a friend who is throwing a bachelorette party with some creative details, relax and enjoy another summer weekend before they are over.

what fun do you have planned for the weekend ahead?

got creative kids? have a bunch of stacked up artwork, drawings and stories saved that need a home? we have both. last year my six year old started a journal of creative writing full of stories, drawings and facts (him above in my office and one of his stories). he also had a school project where he created 100 inventions of his very own (which are simply amazing) and we were brainstorming of how to “collect”, “showcase” and “store” all these treasures.

enter mod podge. i think the last time i used mod podge was in college, to make a “memory jar” for my boyfriend (now mr. joyababy) covered in photos of us together! knowing that mod podge is sticky, goopy and slightly messy seemed an appropriate craft tool for my boys. so with the mod podge, a brush and a recyclable plain brown binder, we created this one of a kind book. my son (on the science and inventor kick he was on) decided to print/cut/paste other inventors onto his binder. he even included a photo of himself along with inventors who created/discovered things he loves like: the macbook, harry potter, ancient egyptians, science theories, the jet, legos and the magnifying glass!

really it could be anything though: does your child like flowers or nature? bugs, cars or superheroes? or even just get a stack of kids magazines, comic books or national geographic to personalize. i personally create design and vision boards regularly-so this could apply to adults too. store your ideas, journal entries and clippings. just three-hole punch the content and slip inside.

finished product not only looked super cool but stored a bunch of work inside. we are working on adding more to the collection. then i’m thinking: stack them up on a shelf like a cool display of books. i’m going to call this a “green craft” too- using up old magazines or paper products, picking a recyclable binder and storing artwork in this rather than one more clear plastic tub.

definitely will spark conversation, sharing and a sense of pride! do you mod podge? what other creative ideas do you have for storing kids artwork and stories?

yesterday i posted about a fun ladybug garden party…maybe i should declare this birthday idea week. i have a bunch to share from over the years!

another fun summer party (as the summer wraps up in a month or two) is a fun cherry theme. i am lucky to have nieces to share in the creative process for their birthdays (as i am in a house full of adorable boys). again, one of my favorite parts of the birthday table are the custom party hats that i enjoy making. these were simply cut out and attached with ribbon. then i used scrap paper in the color scheme to cut out paper cherries to glue on the fronts! simple and cute.  with the left over scraps of paper, i decorated the gifts after wrapping in classic white paper. i could see this being a perfect party with a picnic location on a green summery lawn. ooooh and fresh cherries for everyone!

my sister put together an adorable ladybug garden party for my niece! she asked me to design party hats, cupcake toppers and favor tags to coordinate the theme. shades of fuchsia, light pink and green made it bright and summery. i designed a modern ladybug silhouette on a party hat template i made. after printing these out on heavy card stock, i cut them into their party hat shapes and attached pink ribbon long enough for the children to tie on. a circle punch and white candy sticks made the cupcake toppers the perfect size to insert into yummy frosted cupcakes. fresh flowers, balloons, artwork by a friend and fun favors decorated the table. the perfect location was their beautiful garden and lanai.

my grandmother in india used to spend hours knitting, in dim lighting might i add. she would knit up sweaters and footies, overalls and hats, even clothes for our tiny dolls. the sweater i wore home from the hospital was one she knit and my boys both wore it home from the hospital in recent years.

something about expecting a baby makes me want to knit (nesting anyone??). i first attempted knitting while waiting for my second baby to arrive. i knit up a few pairs of booties and a hat. i didn’t learn about gauge and types of yarn, instead i just went to a local craft store and bought whatever looked good. the baby arrived five days late and about three pounds heavier than his older brother and needless to say, the booties and hat would not fit him at all. this is why gauge, needle size and yarn all matter.

this time, i decided to do my research. i spent some time reading about the various yarns, fibers and needles. i  decided to buy quality yarn and needles at purl soho (a must visit for all crafters if you are in NYC or if not, online). i even watched countless videos on youtube showing me knitting techniques that i had not mastered before. i highly recommend this for self-teaching. next, i ordered a few books with patterns that i loved and would actually buy even if i wasn’t knitting them, like: vintage knits for the modern baby by hadley fierlinger and baby knits for beginners by debbie bliss. for free patterns, check out thepurlbee.com, tipnut.com and craftzine.com among others.

if you shy away from knitting because you think its old fashioned or too vintage for your tastes, take a look around purl soho and see the array of colors and types of yarn that you can create from. also, shop around for clean lines in patterns and simple silhouettes. and if you are not expecting a new bundle of joy any time soon, knitting up gifts for a child, a friend or for yourself can be just as fun and rewarding!

i do want to share a few tips, one of the most important being that if you are like me in any way (have a house full of noisy little ones and own your own business-which means answer all emails and calls) you will need quiet time for knitting. there is a lot of counting and memorizing involved. i also recommend that if you are taking on the challenge of a more complex pattern, that you right down which rows you have completed as you go along. also use those nifty yarn markers or pins to help you remember when to switch a stitch, a change in pattern etc.

there is a peaceful and relaxing side to knitting. like anything handmade, it is amazing to see something take shape right before your eyes as you create it. and if at the very least, it reminds you of why a cashmere, hand knit sweater costs so much the next time you are shopping!

ah the beach…the ocean… the heat.. the sand and water! the family vacation is finally here.

for our recent holiday to the southern tip of florida i packed my nikon SLR to capture the moments in high resolution and crisp focus. i have some amazing photos from that camera that are so clear you feel like you are there. but that is a carefully planned camera trip, with extra coverage for lens, so as to not get it all wet and sandy. i learned the hard way back a few years ago when i did not protect my camera and was slapped with a hefty bill for repair and cleaning.

but the every day? for the daily walks to the beach and the pool, i found myself reaching quickly to the ever so convenient iphone to snap those sandy, wet moments while frolicking on the beach. like when the little ones come running up to you and say “mommy mommy look what i found!!” as they are soaking wet with sand and water splattering about on your lounge chair, towel and….camera.

i shared in a previous post some of the great camera and editing apps for the iphone. check those out and here are a few more that i have been using as of late: photogene, crop n frame, photo fx and all the latest editions to iphone 4.0!

the best way is to play around. have as much fun editing or snapping photos with your iphone as the moments you are capturing!

my son could just not put the books down, so when he asked for a harry potter themed party it came at no surprise! invitations were hand made with a folded owl out of white paper, black marker details, an invitation letter with the party details and a waxed red seal.

there are lots of ideas out there on the internet for harry potter themed parties, and ultimately we decided to make it age appropriate for as little as 3 years to the birthday boy turning 6. i opted for a crafted version of ties, wands and wand cases instead of store bought plastic. my son helped me assemble individual spell books and glue the stripe construction paper on the ties. i used an old brown paper bag for a “sorting hat”, which made my kids giggle at first. we finished with gryffindor color balloons, a setting at the magestic grant park in chicago and a picnic with friends and neighbors!

i love creating invites and stationery for personal occasions. i have been doing this since college. one of my first creations was a holiday party and i hand painted each invite. needless to say, a couple of kids later and a business all of my own, i don’t have that kind of time anymore. i love fine stationery like letterpress. oh how i love LOVE letterpress. we actually just had some beautiful bgenerous gift cards letterpressed. sometimes however that is just not reasonable with the costs of throwing a baby shower. but you may be like me and many others who do love something unique, special and customized for this very very special occasion.

a good friend of mine (and joyababy colleague) asked me to create a custom baby shower invitation for a baby shower she was hosting for her sister in law. she had taken photos of the baby nursery and wanted to surprise the mama-to-be with an invite that showcased the four poster iron crib. the baby shower was a summer, poolside shower in the sunny color of yellow. that started the designs i did above for family, friends and friends of friends. i like to keep the invite as clean as possible and so adding a second small enclosure card is what i recommend. this helps with adding details like multiple hosts, gift registries, directions and more. once i have created the design for the cards, the sky is the limit for additional gift tags, favor labels, thank you cards and more! just another way i get to flex my creative muscle and share in the joy with all the mamas-to-be!