Baby Boy Pajamas

In early June, Owen and I took a trip to Nevada to see my family. For those who might not know, it is HOT in Nevada! The only pajamas Owen owns are the sleeper kind with the little footies. That just wasn't going to cut it for that kind of weather. 

I told Nathan that we should probably get some cooler pajamas for the trip, and he suggested I just make some. He often suggests I make things, even random things that I honestly can't make, but this time, he was right. I definitely could make pajamas!

Using the t-shirt scraps from the quilt I made, I whipped up some pajamas!

And they were kinda crappy. I made it up as I went, not really following a pattern and using random pieces of t-shirt. The neck ended up being WAY too big, so I stitched it together in the front and back. That looked super tacky, so I added a little cougar logo which in my opinion, improved it tremendously. They still weren't great, but they would work for what we needed them for!

So here they are:

And they fit!

And he can still move and play!

Round of applause for cool (literally) pajamas!

~K.A.N.

Baby Boy Nursery

This post is long overdue considering my baby boy is now 8 1/2 months old!! 

When the time came to find out what we were having, I was so excited that it was a boy! Part of my excitement came from getting to do this nursery. This nursery is a little makeshift with pieces coming from all over the place, but I absolutely love it. 

When you walk in the door: 

From the other corner of the room:

This wall is probably my favorite!

The banners were made by a friend and were put up at my baby shower. I was so excited to keep them because I knew they would add such a cute decoration for his room!

The crib was bought at a yard sale for $25!!! Talk about a steal. We actually got it before I was even pregnant, but we knew we were going to start a family soon enough and we just couldn't pass it up.

This chair is the same as the chair I re-upholstered, but it was not re-upholstered, so I threw together a quick (and not-so-pretty) cover for it to match his room. But hey, it matches!

The pillow was a small pillow from a thrift shop - probably about 50 cents. I made a quick cover and it matches great!

The lamp was re-done to match his room and it's a perfect fit. 

The small side table used to be a little chess table that my husband has had for a long time. The top broke, so my grandpa helped me build a new top for it. I painted it white and it sits so well next to the chair!

Ideally, I wanted to have wooden letters painted white for his name. I did not have the means to make them and didn't want to spend the money on them, so I decided to use what I had. These letters are made of stiff plastic mesh that I cut to the letters. I then picked the fabric to match the room and cut it a little wider on all sides than the mesh. Each side was then folded over to the back and hot glued down. I used ribbon hot-glued in a loop at the top to allow me to hang them. 

I LOVE how these curtains turned out! They are made from a twin flat sheet cut in half and hemmed. I then measured the sheet and cut and sewed on the navy blue to have 3 stripes of each.  

These shelves were made by my mom and are so perfect for all of his books!

I finally got these pictures up just a month or two ago. They make the perfect finishing touch to his room. Left to right: newborn, christmas/favorite picture, 6 months.

From left to right in this picture: 

The two baskets are for dirty laundry, one for colors and one for whites.

The dresser was given to us by my parents. We painted it white and bought the wooden knobs and painted those blue. 

We got the changing pad from my sister-in-law and it fits perfectly on the dresser. I made the changing pad cover by using the actual changing pad as a "pattern". I was pleasantly surprised at how well it turned out!

The nightstand was also given to us. We took the old handle off and got a knew wooden one and painted it so it matched the dresser. It is so functional. The extra diapers and wipes go in the cupboard below. The small basket in the opening holds the burp cloths, and the top basket holds the current diapers, wipes, lotion, thermometer, etc. 

That completes the room tour! I hope you love it as much as I do!

~K.A.N.

Baby TOMS!

You think I would have learned by now that when I really take my time to do a project right, I am infinitely more pleased with the outcome. For example, the chair I re-upholstered or my diaper bag. For both of those projects, I took my time and made sure every little thing was done right, and guess what? I adore both of them.

Well, here it happened again. I really don't know how to express how excited I am about these little shoes. I love them so much! I was so giddy when I finished them last night. I just kept picking them up and turning them over and just looking at them. Call me crazy, but I love them!

The idea came from Craftiness Is Not Optional, who originally got it from this tutorial. She gives a full tutorial on how to make the shoes, both toddler and baby sizes. She has a pattern you can buy, or if you are a penny pincher like me, you can download the free pattern and scale it to the size you need! 

I saw the shoes and since my little man needed some black shoes anyway, I decided to make them!

Like I said, I followed the tutorial exactly and they turned out just how I wanted. I actually intended for the bottom to be black, with the plaid on the inside, but accidentally did it the wrong way. Lucky for me, I did both of them like that and loved how it turned out!

I finished them after Owen was already asleep, so I had to wait until this morning to try them on him. They are just a little big, but that will be perfect! Room to grow is never a bad thing...especially with this guy. 

Checking them out:

So cute!

Perfect for those roly poly feet! 

I just might make another pair...or ten!

~K.A.N.

A new life

So I took 3 months off from blogging. It seems a bit long, but I feel justified in the fact that I had a baby. He will be 3 months old tomorrow! I can't believe how fast it has gone. The first month felt like it lasted so long, then the next 2 months just flew by. Our little man is getting so big and learning so much. 

Baby O on his birthday

Happy Halloween from our little pumpkin ~3 months!!

 We love him so much and are looking forward to the rest of forever with him. 

So along with having a baby, we also moved and the husband started graduate school! It has been a pretty crazy last few months for sure, but I finally feel like we are settled and figuring out life. 

As far as crafting goes, it is definitely different doing projects with baby O around. Things that used to take just a couple of hours seem to take a couple of days. I have done a few projects for around the house and a couple of just-for-fun projects as well. 

My plan now is to start blogging once a week! I'm excited to get making things again and sharing them through blogging!

~K.A.N.

Painted Blocks

One of my best friends has a little boy who is now 18 months old! He is just the cutest and the best part is that I get to have his adorable hand-me-downs. He just recently grew out of his 12 month clothes, so I went through them and took a whole bag home for my little guy. She also gives me the toys that he doesn't play with anymore. 

One of the things that I got with the 12 month clothes were some blocks. I got 6 total. Each block had 2 letters and 4 random pictures. I wanted the blocks to just have letters, so I decided to paint them! 

I first painted all of the blocks completely white. I then wrote out the letters that were already on each block and figured out what other letters to put on the blocks in order to spell certain words and have at least one of each letter of the alphabet. 

For the sides that were pictures, I drew the letters on with a pencil. I then painted the letters and edges navy blue. 

As I said, each of the letters of the alphabet are included at least once and there are a few words that I made sure the blocks could spell. The blocks can spell BABY, NASH, and our top 3 names: LOGAN, OWEN, and ISAAC. 

Now we will be all set for whichever name we pick! I can't wait for him to come. 

~K.A.N.

Diaper Bag

I can hardly believe that I only have about 8 weeks until my due date! I am so excited to meet this little guy. I have now completed my undergraduate degree and am officially a stay-at-home wife (and almost mom). 

It has been so nice to relax and just enjoy the free time I have. I have been filling it with all sorts of things including cleaning, cooking, organizing, and of course crafting! 

I still have lots on my to-do list to be ready for the arrival of our baby boy, but I have now officially completed the diaper bag! I love it even more than I thought!

This was my first time using a real pattern, but I still did not completely stick to it. The pattern was the birdie sling by Amy Butler which I borrowed from a friend. 

I initially planned on following the pattern, but as I started the project, there were some things that I knew I would like better if I changed. I still liked the general pattern, so I thought it would be a good starting point. 

Things I changed: 

1. I made the bag less deep. My mom told me that with a diaper bag that is too deep, things will just get lost, so I cut a couple of inches off the bottom of the pattern. This was a simple change that didn't have any effect on how the bag would come together other than making it less deep. 

2. The pockets on the inside. The pattern makes a panel for each side which you are told to sew down the center to divide the pocket in half. Essentially you would end up with 4 simple pockets. With this being a diaper bag, I wanted a little more versatility with my pockets. On one side, I kept the smaller panel pocket, but did not sew down the center. For the other side, I made two pockets of different sizes which are pleated at the bottom and have elastic at the top. These pockets will be perfect for bottles, but can be used for pretty much anything.

3. The gussets at the base of the bag. Rather than having rounded gussets, I made mine straight. I preferred this because the bag then has a rectangular base that will be better for holding things as well as setting the bag down. 

4. The pleats on the exterior of the bag. Instead of using several small pleats, I used four larger pleats on each side. This was another simple change that I love the look of.

5. The handle. This was a pretty big change. I cut the fabric piece for the handle in the pattern and realized it was not at all what I wanted, so I decided to just make a straight handle. I then found a picture of a different bag that I loved and saw that it had an adjustable handle. This seemed perfect for a diaper bag, so I decided to do it. I found a bag at a thrift store for $2.15 with the metal pieces I needed (score!) and was able to make the handle following the picture of the other bag. 

6. The last thing I added was a magnetic snap closure. This was actually an afterthought, but after talking to my husband, he helped me figure out how to add it in without too much re-construction. 

I'm so happy with this diaper bag and I am so glad that I took my time to make it exactly how I wanted it. It is perfect and I can't wait until I can get some good use out of it!!

Finished dimensions: 12" x 16" x 5"

Strap adjustable from total length of 32" to 54" 

~K.A.N.

Baby Gift

One of my professors had a baby boy over spring break! I was so excited for him and decided to make him a gift. I love Joann's and one of my very favorite days is black Friday when they have their huge flannel sale. It is awesome and I love to stock up. I always get 1.5 yards of a print with 1.5 yards of a matching plain color for the back. 

When I found out this professor had a baby boy, I just knew that this car fabric would be perfect. I love how they turned out and he really liked them too!

For the blanket, I cut a square piece of the print and the plain fabrics, placed them right sides together and sewed around all four sides, leaving an opening about 8 inches in the center of one side. I trimmed the edges and pulled the blanket through the opening so the correct sides were now facing out. I pressed the seams flat and sewed all the way around the edge of the blanket. 

For the burp cloths, I used Gerber cloth diapers...nice and absorbent. The center of the diapers measures about 5 by 19, so I cut two pieces of the print 6 by 20. I folded the edges under, pinned it down, and zig-zag stitched all around the edges. 

That's it! It is an easy gift perfect for any little one. 

~K.A.N.

Over a MONTH!!

I can hardly believe it's been over a month since my last post! I knew it had been a while, but I didn't think it had been that long! Wow, I guess I've been kind of busy. 

But guess what? That is just about over. Woo hoo! I just have one take-home final to finish, then I am home free for over 3 weeks. This is one thing that I love about college...we get awesome breaks; at least as an undergrad. It really is the best. 

Well, since it has been so long, I just decided to show you a quick post of the outfit that I mad for my best friend's little guy. He is over 2 months old now and just a little cutie. He still doesn't quite fit into this outfit, but it is definitely one of my favorite gifts I have ever made. 

The first thing I made was the bow-tie onesie. It was pretty simple and I love the bow tie! I made the bow tie out of some navy blue cotton and found the onesie at a yard sale for 25 cents! I just attached the bow tie directly onto the onesie.

After the top was made, I worked on the bottoms. I found some boy slacks (size 12, I think) at a thrift store for a couple of dollars and just used the bottom of the legs to make these little pants. I drew out a pattern to be 6 months (the same size as the onesie), put the legs together, and made a simple elastic waist. 

The last thing I made was the shoes. I technically made them very first, but they didn't turn out quite right, so this second pair was made after the above outfit was made. They turned out just right and I adore them!

The top flap is held down by a little square piece of velcro. I sewed the button on last to cover most of the seam from the velcro underneath. 

Like I said, this little outfit is one of my favorite gifts yet!

I can't wait to see him wear it. 

~K.A.N.

Crochet Cocoon/Swaddler

Recently, I visited a friend with a new baby girl. She had her little one wrapped in a little cocoon/swaddler that was crocheted. I loved the idea, so with my best friend due in just a few days, I decided to make one. 

Mine is a simple double crochet stitch with multicolored yarn for the main body and a black ring for the top  edge. 

It fits him just great!

Perfect for a sleepy baby. 

There are so many variations that these can be made into and I am excited to make more!

~K.A.N.

Crochet Hats

Do you remember this post where I talked about an auction we had at our church? We moved to a new town in August, and about a month ago, we had an auction in our new church; however, this time it was just the women that participated. 

For this auction, I donated a crochet hat. My friend Ashley got it, and since she just had a little girl, I decided to make them matching hats! I love how they turned out. 

I have made some hats before, but they have all been adult size. (I used this video to make the hat and this video to make the flower.) This little hat was in instant favorite of mine. I just love all things little. 

And how precious is she?

Perfect.

~K.A.N.

Crazy Busy

Well, it has officially been FOREVER since my last post! Wow...let me give you a quick run down of the past few weeks:

1. School is a lot of work. (At 18 credits in my senior year of a mechanical engineering undergrad, how could it not be?)

2. We love our family! We spent a weekend with Nathan's mom and had a lot of fun with her here. 

3. Our good friend Eric returned from his 2-year mission and paid us a visit! It was so good to have him here  for a few days before he went off to culinary school in New York. 

4. I got sick. Ugh...that was just not fun. It was pretty much every possible kind of being sick all in about three days. With my already busy schedule, that put me back a little bit in school work, but I am finally caught up again! Woo hoo!

5. Our best friends had their first baby! Oh my word he is just so cute; what a little bundle of joy. They are home now and doing very well.  

With all of that excitement, this blog got a little lost, but I have found it again. I have lots of fun projects to share with you so stay tuned! 

~K.A.N.

Baby Shoes!

I do love baby shoes. 

A while back, I was looking through some blogs and came across this post. I love all of her projects, and the idea to make baby shoes from old purses, well it is genius! 

I don't have any little ones yet, but thank goodness I have family that does. I collected a few purses from a thrift store in my hometown so that I could make them into some little shoes...and I have finally done it; at least with one of them.

I decided to pick colors that would match several things. I got a red purse, a black purse, and was very excited to find a white purse. All three purses have enough fabric to make at least one little pair of shoes. 

For this pair of shoes, I used the white purse. I got the measurements for my niece's feet and drew the pattern out with a sole piece and a top piece. I then cut out four of each piece, two using the vinyl fabric from the purse and two using a softer fabric for the inside of the shoe (I used white flannel).

I then assembled all pieces together to make some little shoes! I used white elastic to help the shoes stay on. I used more white vinyl to make little bows, which I hand-stitched onto the elastic. And that is it!

New white baby shoes. I can't wait to see them on her!

~K.A.N.

Baby Gift

I have known Ashley and Justin since they first started dating and recently they welcomed home the newest member of their family. Their baby girl is just so sweet! 

Before they knew the gender, they picked a nursery theme that they liked that could be used for a girl or a boy. It is this one here. Aren't those elephants just so sweet? I love it.

A couple of months before I knew the theme, my grandma had given me some flannel that was green with brown, white, and green polka dots. When I found out these were the colors of the nursery for their baby, I knew I had to make something for them with that fabric. 

I started out planning to make a simple receiving blanket and if I had extra material, I would make a burp cloth and maybe even a little stuffed animal elephant. 

I did that, plus a little more. I drew out patterns for the different elephants and different sizes of elephants I used. I cut everything out and put it all together. I was so excited with how it all turned out! 

All together, I made a blanket, a burp cloth, two stuffed animal elephants, and added an elephant to a white onesie. I already had the little brown pants and they went perfectly with it to complete the gift. 

I took it to Ashley and was so happy with how much she loved it too!

~K.A.N.

Knitting and Crocheting

Last fall I saw an earwarmer/headband that I loved and I wanted to make it. The only problem was that it was crocheted and I didn't know how to crochet. I didn't know how to knit either, so I decided that I was going to learn. I went to Youtube and found a video that showed step-by-step how to make the earwarmer/headband that I wanted. This video was for crocheting. My best friend and I had already collected some yarn from a thrift store, so I got a hook from my Grandma and over a long car ride, I watched the video tutorial and made the headband. I love how it turned out!

Photo by Rachel Bair Photography

Since making that headband, my crocheting has improved and I have also learned how to knit!

I have made some little shoes: 

A pair of baby girl flower sandals:

and a hat using another video tutorial (sorry, no picture)

I have recently been working on making a lot of headbands and am excited to sell them! 

As for knitting, I was taught by a woman from my hometown and she did an excellent job. I have only knitted one thing and that was the scarf that I started when I learned. It is made of a very soft yarn, so it is very comfortable. 

Luckily, I improved from when I started the scarf to when I finished. I was more careful and understood better how stitches can be easily dropped and added, which is what happened in the beginning (the left hand side).

I enjoy crocheting and knitting and find them both very relaxing. I appreciate the people who have put time into helping me learn because I know these are skills that I will use forever. 

~K.A.N.