Tutorial: Alphabet Blocks

This could be a really long post, filled with tons of pictures, but I hope that in the end I can break down the process so that you can repeat this project.
1.  Cut out squares.  If you are doing the entire alphabet, you will need to cut out at least 156 squares.  I say at least, because I went for a random pattern and used up fabric from my stash, I needed a few more squares so I didn't have repeats.  The squares are 4" x 4", but you can size them however you want.

2.  Cut out the letters.  I used felt, so that I wouldn't have to treat the edges, and I affixed fusible interfacing to the back of the felt prior to cutting out the letters.  I printed out the letters on my computer.  You could use just about any font, but I would definitely recommend something simple.

3.  Iron on the letters.  Don't forget to peel the paper backing off the fusible interfacing.  I may have done that the first time I used it.

4.  Sew the four squares together that will make up the sides.  When you do this, leave a 1/4" seam allowance (or just smaller).  Also, leave a 1/4" gap of unsewn material at each end of the seam.  This will make it easier when it comes to turning corners when sewing on the top and the bottom.  Remember to iron open all your seams.

5.  Pin on the top.  I used two pins per side, and I angled the direction of the pin toward the center of the square, again, making the corners easier.  I started with the top piece so that the hand sewn seam would end up on the bottom.  That is not a requirement, but in my opinion, it makes it look nicer.  Sew all around the top, leaving a 1/4" seam, and overlapping your starting and stopping points.  I also like to remove the pins as I go instead of trying to sew over them.  That is up to you.

This is a close up of how I did the corners.  If possible, I tried to stop exactly between the folds, then pivot the whole thing.  Most of the time I just got as close as I could.

6.  Pin on the bottom, just like the top, and sew.  The difference here is that you will leave an opening so that you can turn the block, stuff it, and hand sew it closed.  The opening should be about an inch wide.

7.  Turn the block inside out through the opening.

8.  Push out the corners.  I just used my fingers.

9.  Fill the block with stuffing, then hand sew it closed.  And...done!

Repeat this process 25 more times.  This is where I am going to share a couple of personal thoughts.  The entire alphabet, when you are as busy as I am, is a big undertaking.  That is why it took me several months to complete.  If you have tons of time, are more dedicated than me, have no time table, etc., then this is a great project for you.  If you don't, I might suggest choosing a word, like a baby's name.  It will take you way less time.  However, in the spirit of not wanting to be totally negative, I also want to say I am really proud of myself for doing this project without instructions, and I am extremely pleased with the outcome.  I'm sure there may be similar projects out there, but I didn't reference them.  And in the end, I think it is a really cute gift.  And the blocks will be PERFECT for throwing, especially for those out of control baby hands.  I think I am even crazy enough to try another set for myself.

Alphabet Blocks, Part 2

Remember these?  These were the alphabet blocks that I started last summer for a baby shower gift.  And then the gift turned out to be A-B-C-D-E-F-G.

Meanwhile, the baby was born in September and is now several months old.  And I haven't come back to them in, well, several months.  Until now.  I've sewn up H through V so far, which means only four letters to go.  I unfortunately ran out of stuffing, so I'll have to pick some up and then of course, hand sew them shut, but still - I can now see the light at the end of the tunnel with this project.  And then I can move on to others, like checking off items on my 30 before 30 list.
Oh, and guess what else...I'm even coming back with a tutorial for how I made them.

Tightrope

A mere 9 days after I posted my paint swatches for the nursery, I have...drumroll please...made a decision.  The winner is...

The color is called 'Tightrope' and it's the middle one in the swatch.  I grabbed the sample from Lowe's and I think it is by Olympic, although we might have to color match to something no-VOC. In the words of a coworker, "It took you that long to choose beige?"  Uh, yes.  But there's a little more to the story than that.  I actually bought some fabric for the room as well (can you believe it???), so I was trying to match the undertones.

Ironically, these two fabrics match the current color of the room, but I still feel like painting just to make it different from the rest of the house.  One of these fabrics will become the drapes, and I plan on using the other for the crib skirt, but I haven't decided which will be which, yet.  I am still looking for more fabrics to use for other DIY elements, and I'm thinking that I will probably accent with pops of red.  I also am really liking the trim detail in this nursery from my favorite show ever Sarah's House, but our ceilings aren't as high as these so I don't know if it would have the same effect.

I am still mulling that one over.  Now that I've made up my mind on paint though, I'm really itching to get started on it.  I have heard that blue is a really hard color to cover so I think we are going to start out with primer.  If all goes well, we will attack that on Saturday.  And by we, I mean my loving husband of course.  He did say that he would do anything I wanted!  He may regret that, but he did say it.
When we get the painting done, the next project I have in mind for the room is to refinish a dresser/changing table.  When my grandmother passed away, I inherited all of my mom's furniture from when she was a girl, and I've been saving it to use for my children.  I just want to update the color and the hardware.  The dresser is currently painted a pea soupy green color but the top is wood (probably a veneer or laminate or something), so I'm thinking leaving the wood top and painting the whole thing plain white.  As for other projects, I don't have a running list per se, but I am keeping my eyes keenly peeled for ideas.  Sensing that I am in the midst of an energy spike, I'm trying to take advantage of that and get as much done now as I can, before third trimester exhaustion sets in!

A Place for Everything

In our house, the way it was built, there wasn't an immediate way for me to see myself head to toe before I left the house.  On top of that, the bathroom counter in the master bedroom is extra high, so my usual approach of checking out the bottom half by standing on the counter was a little more dangerous than before, not to mention lacked headroom. So the easy fix was to pick up one of those cheap-o $5 full length mirrors from Target.  Which is exactly what we did.  And what we did with that mirror once we got it was...nothing.  Well, actually we moved it from room to room, leaning it up against various walls, hiding it behind various doors, etc.  For months.  This was bad, because our cheap-o mirror was starting to warp from the care we had given it.  So continuing my motivation that comes from my mother's haunting words, I finally found a place for it to make permanent residence - the back side of my closet door (which is actually in our master bathroom).

All it took was command adhesive strips.  Super easy.  I picked up a package of the 5 pound strips, and yes, I used all 6 in the package, but I would be willing to bet that was overkill.  I just didn't have anything better to do with the remaining strips so I just stuck them on for good measure.  And just like that, our nomadic mirror has a new home.  And now I'm happy.
One additional note, I didn't measure when doing this project, or ask for help from anyone.  I did what my mom and I call "ball-eyed" and the rest of the world calls "eye-balled" it.  And it's crooked.  But I'm just going to look past that, and if it bugs me in the end I'll splurge for new adhesive.

So Many Options

I went to Lowe's the other day to pick up a couple of paint swatches.  This is what I ended up with:

There's only about 50 swatches up there in really about two colors.  I'm feeling the creams and the pale olives.  Where is that coming from?  Ummm...my addiction to Sarah's House.  And did I find any fabrics that coordinate with these colors?  Ummm...no.  So apparently what I haven't learned from Sarah's House is to start with the fabric scheme and choose the fabrics from that.  No, I haven't learned anything at all.  I've only confirmed the fact that I am ridiculously indecisive.

Somewhere right in the middle there is my favorite color - Olive White.  It looks neutral in some lights and green in other, and I don't really know why I'm drawn to it, but I am.  I am caught between the idea of creating a color palette (aka playing designer) with fabric first, then building the room from there, or just winging it based on things I like, because in reality, I'm not a designer, but just a regular person.  I'm interested in making quick and frugal decisions, so I think my next step is another trip to the fabric store.  If I end up with no luck there, then I may just commit to the "wing it" plan.

Homemade Laundry Soap

This past week, I was having a conversation with my mom when she said, "I really hate it when people buy things and then don't use them."
The thought that ran through my head was "Guilty."  I never mean to do this, I just get so many ideas and lack the time or energy for follow through.  So I felt a little convicted, and something popped into my mind that I new I needed to tackle.  A while back, I had made a batch of homemade laundry soap.  It was awesome, and both Byron and I loved it. Once we went through the first batch, some time later I bought more ingredients to make more.  And then they sat on the shelf.  For months.  Until now.
So today, when I woke up bright eyed at 5:45 am (does this happen to anyone else?), I knew it would be a great time to quickly make another batch.  It only took about a half hour it was so easy.   And now, I will share it with you.
I got the recipe from a woman from my hometown.  I don't know where she got it, but as far as I'm concerned, the credit is all hers.  Here are the ingredients:

• 1 Fels-Naptha bar
• 1/2 cup Borax
• 1/2 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda

Don't those ingredients make you feel like you walked into the 1950s?  Yeah, I had never heard of some of them.  In fact, I couldn't find the washing soda in my entire city, so I had to resort to the small town my parents live to find it.  Anyway, you start with the Fels-Naptha bar.  The directions say to chop it up into little pieces and then put it in the food processor.  What works for me is to just drag out my cheese grater and go to town.  Ironically, I don't use my cheese grater for cheese that often, but the majority of the time I actually use it for non-food projects.

I guess you can't really see in the bowl, but it basically looks like grated soap.  With a couple pieces of grated skin mixed in there.  No matter how careful I try to be, I always catch a finger somehow.
Once you have that done, you just add the Borax and the washing soda and mix well.

Since I had the Borax and washing soda from a previous batch, it got a little lumpy.  I tried to break up the lumps as much as possible.  If you use fresh, you shouldn't have that problem.  Store the soap in a covered container.  It's really as easy as that.  And the best thing is, it only takes about 2 tablespoons per load, so even though it doesn't look like much, it lasts quite awhile.  I do still have enough ingredients on hand to make two more loads, so I still have a little bit of that guilty conscience (thanks mom), but I feel better that I have one less project hanging over my head...until my next great idea strikes!

Our Latest Work in Progress

We've taken on a new project.  One that is unlike anything that we have ever taken on before.  I am proud to finally announce that I am heavily involved in creating a new human life.  Yep!  I'm pregnant.  I have taken some time to announce it on the blog, so I'm actually 21 weeks already, due mid-July.  And we also know we are expecting a little boy.  (Wow - the moment you see your little baby on the ultrasound screen is so amazing.  Whether you find out the sex of your child at that time or not, it is just so magical to see them in there with their own little personality already!)
For those of you who have had children, this will likely be no surprise to you, but I can hardly begin to explain how tired pregnancy has made me.  This was especially true around weeks 7-12 (November and December), when I could barely get myself off the couch, let alone blog!  I am fortunately feeling much more energetic, though I still am enjoying an 8:45 pm bedtime.  And remember my New Year's resolution?  Well, that was not without it's reasons.  I am hot on the trail to organize our guest room, which will become the nursery, but also to organize ALL THE CLUTTER IN THE ENTIRE HOME.  Having recently completed our taxes (believe it or not this is early for me!), I have now made it my mission to redo our filing system.  I hate filing with a passion, but I think I'm on to something.  Other items I aim to conquer include sorting through our books and dvds, and transferring all our boxed storage in the basement to totes.
But enough about organizing.  That is something that other people have figured out and I am just trying to figure out. I'm sure you're all wondering more about the pregnancy.  Well, here are a couple of photos that have documented progress.

I'm looking forward to sharing more of my experiences throughout pregnancy as well as some of our plans for welcoming our new little one.  I have nursery inspiration and ideas to share, as well as some projects that we need to attack in the next couple of months.  And with the task of completing a baby registry coming up, I'm welcoming advice or products that you moms either can't live without or feel are too overrated.  Wish us luck on our latest adventure!