Toddler Gardening Apron

Sorry y'all, I have been seriously MIA lately. That's what happens when the hubby is gone for a while.

Yesterday's project was a gardening apron for my daughter. I didn't follow a pattern since I have a huge pattern-phobia. Those thin sheets of puzzle like patterns seriously make my heart race a little, go ahead and laugh but they freak me out. Usually when I sew clothing, I look at Pintrest and make a sketch of what the plan is. I bought 100% linen in brown. This apron only took a 1/4 of a yard. 

The end result reminds me of Little House on the Prairie. This spring my toddler will be helping feed the chickens and water the garden and this apron will be great for that. 

It looks much cuter on her than the floor. ;) Next up, my own garden apron in a tan shade of 100% linen. 

In chicken news, we started with 4 hens this past fall and despite have a bitter cold winter, they all survived. 

The weather here hovered between -20F and 10F for quite a while but between a sturdy coop and hot drinking water every couple of hours, they thrived. If anyone would have told me 5 years ago that I'd be a mother of 1 toddler, 2 dogs, and 4 hens today, I would have had them committed. Having a daughter really brought out my inner hippy/farmer/green self ;)

Has your inner hippy come out as well since having kids?

Welcome Home.

DIY Holiday Tutu Tutorial

The holiday season this year came in like a tornado and left me scurrying to try and get as much done as I could. I bought red and white tulle with the intent of making a Christmas tutu. Not only did I not make it, I have no clue when it would have been worn. Today's nap time was full of crafting and blogging. I finished this tutu for Valentines Day and I'm glad that I (somehow) got ahead of schedule! 

Here's how to make your child a tutu :)

You'll Need:

2 25 yard rolls of tulle

Stretchy crochet headband

Scissors

1-2 hours (if you can find it!)

Cut your tulle into strips that are twice the desired length. Tie in half on the thick crochet stitches. I started doing white on the bottom and red on top but found it easier to do all the white along the bottom then finish with the red. 

Make your way all the way around the headband. For a thicker tutu, you could always add more tulle pieces.

 

Tip: Avoid glittery tulle like the plague. Do not fall under the glitter tulle's spell, unless of course you enjoy cleaning up glitter for the next 3 months. I learned my lesson so that you don't have to. Your welcome. 

These can easily be hung on hangers and that is the best way we have found to store them. Please comment below if you have any questions. Happy Crafting!

Welcome Home.

DIY Fall Tutu

My daughter is tutu-crazy! She would wear one everyday if I let her. They are all "hidden" in her closet and I bring them out as a special fun thing. Usually my 20 month old is very sweet but like most toddlers, she has her moments. I am a little bit late posting this since I made this tutu in October but late is better than never. Besides, on days like today when it's -5F (without the windchill), I miss those mild fall days. Anyhow, I used 25 yards of yellow, orange, and brown tulle. They are sold on 6 inch wide rolls at the craft store and cost about $2-$4 depending on length. I cut 18 inch long strips and tied them onto brown ribbon. 1 hour later I had a tutu and a happy toddler. Happy crafting everyone!

Welcome Home.

Easy DIY Men's Crocheted Hat

Happy New Year's Eve everyone! In all my crafting for Christmas, I didn't make my husband anything. Needless to say, he felt a bit left out. He wanted me to make him a beanie style hat, or toboggan as he refers to them (weird! I know!). Here is a super easy men's hat that I made using a tutorial on YouTube. I'll link you to it at the bottom.

You'll need an H or I size crochet hook and a small weighted yarn. It would be helpful to know how to make a chain and a single crochet stitch before beginning. The whole hat is done with a single crochet stitch which makes it a great simply project if you're a beginner. All in all it only took about 2 1/2 hours and I'm not a quick crochet-er ;).

The hubs was kind enough to let me take his picture while wearing it.

Here's the link: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KobDydvvmmU&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DKobDydvvmmU

Happy crafting and Happy New Year!

Welcome Home.

 

Building Our Chicken Coop

So the chickens are finally home and our coop is almost completed. The only thing that needs to be finished is the paint and a bit of trim work. Eric and I built the coop as my birthday gift :) Days 1-4 were completed during nap times. (Usually 2 hrs)

On day one, we bought the lumber and built the frame. I made all the cuts and drove every screw in. I wanted to be involved.

On day two, we put up a wall, laid the floor, and added framing to the run. Again I made all the cuts and drove all the nails&screws.

Elena woke up early so she came out to "help".

On day 3, Eric stood 2 more walls and built a window while I began painting.

Day 4 the roof went on, rear wall installed, and I painted some more.

I love the heart shaped ventilation hole.

Day 5 was super hectic!!!

Eric woke up and worked on finishing the at 6am. We went to pick our hens up at 9am. They finally made it into their coop at 3pm that day! 

They must be happy ladies because they have laid 3-4 eggs a day since arriving. We couldn't be more thrilled to have them. Only one has a name do far, her name is cinnamon, she's the big meanie ;) So the coop won't be finished for another week or two but our girls don't mind. I'll post the completed coop when we get it done.

Welcome Home