Snowday! Or...Snow Week!

School has been out for an entire week due to a winter storm.  I've been going crazy cooped up in the house with six weeks until baby comes and no way to really prepare!  To ward off cabin fever I've been sewing....a lot.  Thank goodness I've built up a stash of fabric and notions!

First off, I made a sweet little flag garland for the nursery.  I'm not sure where it will go, but it will be darling hanging somewhere.  And, by the way, that's the crib it's hanging from at the moment...I'll post a full picture of that once the nursery furniture is in place (we're painting the closet right now...)

Then, it was a little gift making.  One of my cousins is having a little boy--due two days after Emerson!  And since the baby shower is coming up, I had some work to do!  Little guy will have a few cute jungle bibs...

And a handmade elephant softie!

Of course, Emerson needed one as well.  I love that my cousin and I both picked elephants for the nursery...It won't be super theme-y in ours, but this cute animal will be making an appearance:-)

I also tried my hand at garment sewing.  Not too bad for a first try!  This cute crossover pinafore and matching diaper cover will be perfect for this summer when we visit Nana and Papa in the Eastern Washington sunshine! (I need to find the right buttons for the straps...right now they're just pinned in place to show off the look!)

And finally, my favorite.  This is a tiny little newborn size dress that I made for my baby girl.  Since she'll be born in the winter, I need a long sleeve onesie and some baby tights to keep her cozy.

So now, I'm off to take a shower before I return to the sewing room.  Who knows what project I'll find this time!  And stay tuned because tomorrow we're attempting to paint a beautiful pattern on the closet walls.  I can't wait to see how it turns out!

Diaper bag?

The above picture showcases two things. 

1. A bag my mom sneakily bought me for Christmas!  It's not officially a diaper bag...The Body Shop was selling it as a Black Friday deal full of lotion and stuff...but it's so big, roomy, and cute that I thought it would work for this mama when I need something fashionable to carry all the diapers, wipes, bibs, extra clothes, toys, pacifier, etc.

2. My version of this diaper wallet...made with fabric from my stash and an old hand towel.  It unfolds and acts as a changing pad too!

Now, I know that this "diaper bag" (even with the pretty diaper wallet) just won't do if my husband is on the go with the baby...or if I ever want him to carry it!  So I'm also on the lookout for a "real" diaper bag.  In fact, I've been scouring Target and Babies R Us websites trying to find something that is reasonably priced, gender neutral (AKA Daddy will carry it), and has good reviews from people that have used it for at least a few months.  So far I've come up empty handed.

(In case you're wondering, I chose those two websites because we have a baby registry at each store.  I thought it made sense to start my search somewhere we could...ahem...give someone else the opportunity to buy it for us!  But at this point I'm thinking that I won't register for one, and I'll wait to buy a bag until Emerson is born and we know exactly what we need.)

I need your help.  Am I over thinking this?  A diaper bag seems like a very important piece of baby gear to me!  I mean, it needs to hold everything we might need for the baby when we're not at home!  And they're not cheap, so I want something that will not fall apart the first time I stuff it with way more stuff than I actually need!  If you have experience, speak up!  What kind of diaper bag do/did you have?  How much thought did you put into it?  How much money did you spend on it?

Please, help a mama out!

The First

Since morning sickness hit in early July, I have hardly touched my sewing machine.  I spent the summer sitting on the couch, eating the same awful pretzels and bananas, trying not to throw them up.  Then school started.  And although I was feeling better, my sewing room was suddenly packed to the gills with stuff from the junk guest room that will now be the nursery.  After a few hours of cleaning, purging, and organizing, the sewing/guest room was finally ready to be used!  I had a project to work on that I had promised to a friend...but last night that project was finished and the sewing room was calling me! 

Now, I've sewn things for babies.  And I've sewn things for little girls.  But I have never sewn anything for MY very own BABY GIRL.  Until now.

I used the free pattern here, which I've used before.  But I had to add a ruffle because....BABY GIRL!  It was so fun to turn some pink flannel and an old brown T-shirt from my stash into a cute little bib that Emerson can drool and spit up on!  And there's something special about spending time making something for someone that shows that you love them.  I'm sure my infant will be aware of the time I spent sewing her ruffles.  Ha.

What about you?  Do you sew?  Craft?  Cook?  What do you do when you need a creative outlet or a special gift to show you care?