Seela Made

DIY: baby quilt

Everyone has a favorite must have, go-to baby item. Even though my baby isn't officially here yet I think my must have item is to have as many blankets to surround this little girl with as possible. Blankets to cuddle with, blankets to play on the floor with, blankets to stay warm in the car, blankets for stroller rides, blankets for impromptu picnics at the park, blankets for fort making, blankets for cute pictures, blankets blankets blankets! 

With that in mind, I whipped this simple baby quilt. It's small and sweet and made from things I had laying around the studio. The inspiration for this blanket was an old vintage sheet that was is super soft and warn in, I can't imagine using it for any other project.  

The quilt is roughly 34" x 45", made from the vintage sheet for the top, coordinating cotton fabric for the back and cotton batting sandwiched in between (you can purchase this batting in 'craft size' which is perfect for a small baby quilt). The cotton batting is light, lofty and easy to wash. I thought about adding traditional ties to hold it all together but decided that might not the safest option, so I used a zigzag stitch on the sewing machine instead. 

That's all there is to it! This would make a simple and sweet gift to give someone else, especially since there is no quilting involved, it takes literally no time at all.

Now if only this baby would arrive, I could take a picture of her enjoying this sweet new quilt! 

Shop Update (closing up for a bit)

If you've been thinking about purchasing an item from Seelmade... Getting spring fever and the itch to tidy up your workspace? Need a last minute Valentine's Day gift or sweet dessert display for a party? Now is the time! This weekend is the last chance to purchase an item before I close up shop and take some time off. 

Baby girl Yost's impending arrival has me tieing up loose ends. I'm not sure when the shop will open again... 4 weeks, 8 weeks? I've never worked while caring for a newborn so this will be an adventure all on it's own. 

All purchases must be made by the end of the day Sunday and will ship out on Monday. Thanks for understanding!

xo, kt

DIY: vanilla extract

Making homemade vanilla extract has been on my pantry staples to-do list for a while now. Once I read a few recipes and learned how easy it is to make I made a giant batch to give as gifts over the holiday season. It's past the gift giving season now that we're halfway into the new year but with Valentine's Day quickly approaching this would still make a sweet handmade treat for the baking lovers in your life. 

Materials:
- vanilla beans (3 per 4oz. jar)
- vodka for regular vanilla extract (I used Buckeye Vodka for a fun twist since I'm from Ohio but any 80 proof vodka will work) OR bourbon for a fun twist on flavor
- 4oz dark brown glass bottles
- labels for bottles (I used these)

Step 1:
Cut vanilla beans in half length wise then cut in half long wise, exposing the seeds inside. Stuff the beans into the bottles.

Step 2:
Fill the bottle with vodka or bourbon. Let vanilla beans steep at least 6-8 weeks in a cool dark place like your cupboard before using. 

Step 3:
Make a fun label for the bottles. I purchased these cute stick on labels from the Martha Stewart line at Staples, they were super easy to design and print from my home computer. I also dressed the bottles up with a felt bow, just like these awesome  bows I saw here.

Step 4:
Enjoy your vanilla extract! Once you have around 1/4 of a bottle left fill with vodka again and let steep another 6-8 weeks reusing the beans that are already in the bottle! 

dresser redo and DIY fabric drawer liners

Next up on the nursery to-do list, every baby needs a changing table. Enter the dresser, a.k.a. most versatile piece of furniture we own. 

Kevin's mom purchased this dresser years ago at a garage sale for his roommate. Years later we painted the dresser and moved it into our living room to use as a console table. Eventually it ended up as a media stand in our current living room until most recently when we had the brilliant idea to use it for a changing table in the nursery. It's the perfect size for a changing pad and I love that it doubles as a dresser for storing all kinds of tiny little baby things.

I dug out these old photos from the first time we painted this dresser. Poor dresser, it's seen a lot of different colors in its day. 

This time around I painted the dresser a fun cheery yellow with white underneath. I gave it a light sanding so you can see a bit of the white peeking through and tossed on some cute white knobs I found on sale at Hobby Lobby. Everything was going so smoothly until I hit a wall and couldn't decide what to do with the inside of the drawers.

For weeks now I have been on the hunt for a nice thick paper to use for drawer liners. I looked everywhere... every store and online shop but came up empty handed. Wrapping paper was too thin, wallpaper was too expensive, the thicker paper I found wasn't the right color or it was too small, nothing was right. Then I found this tutorial via pinterest... DIY: Drawer Liners.

I followed the instructions and it worked like a dream! I'm so excited to pass on this little tidbit of knowledge... if you're looking for drawer liners, look no further, a quick dip of fabric in fabric stiffener will create a thick card stock like sheet that's perfect for cutting and making anything you choose. Just follow the directions here, it's a breeze!

I'm so excited at how this turned out, I almost want to keep the drawers empty so I can admire the cute liners all day long! What about you, any tips for lining drawers in old furniture? 

DIY: ruffled crib skirt

Baby Yost arrives in six weeks so it's time to get started working on the nursery! So far we've painted the walls, painted a dresser to use as a changing table and purchased a crib. To get things moving along I decided to make a ruffled skirt for the crib, something simple without too much frill. This project was super easy and only took me a few hours to make with materials I had on hand. 

What you will need:
- One piece of material for the top of the crib skirt that rests under the mattress. I measured the crib and used white cotton fabric I had laying around.
- Three pieces of fabric for each side of the crib skirt (left side, front side and right side... I chose not to make a panel for the back because you can't see it). I made each piece 1 times the length of each side (for a more ruffled look make each two or three times the length). The height of each panel is up to you, I kept it short (around 8" total) so that when the mattress is moved down the skirt will just barely graze the floor. 

Step 1: Hem the edges
Begin with the three side panels you cut for your crib skirt. Hem the bottom, right and left sides under leaving the top edge raw. 

Step 2: Ruffle the top edge
Ruffling fabric is like magic, you might quickly become addicted and want to ruffle everything! Sew a long basting stitch (that's the longest stitch on your sewing machine) across the top of the entire length of each side panel. Try to leave long tails of thread where you begin and end your stitching.

Lay your fabric across a flat surface and gently pull the tail of the bottom thread, you should see it begin to ruffle the fabric. Continue pulling the thread and move the ruffles down along the fabric until the fabric is as ruffled as you want.

Step 3: Sew it all together
Lay the ruffled panel against the top of the crib skirt material. The fabric should lay wrong sides together, with the raw edges lined up exactly. Pin and sew into place.

Once you're done sewing, flip the crib skirt over and check out your ruffles. If your basting stitch is showing, rip it out. Take a few minutes to iron the ruffles so they look nice and pretty. 

Step 4: 
Follow step three until all three panels are ruffled and sewn on to the main crib skirt panel. That's it, now go make that cute crib up with your new ruffled skirt and enjoy your handy work!  

 

january goals

On the first day of January Kevin and I sat down to talk about our goals for the year. We chose twelve goals to work towards throughout 2013, some big and some small. The main purpose is to make an intentional effort to challenge ourselves and make sure we take the time to do things we enjoy no matter how busy or different our lives become once Baby Yost arrives. 

We actually made several monthly goals last year with great success. It's so encouraging to stick to and accomplish goals, plus by doing it together we keep each other accountable. For us, sometimes large goals can seem unattainable but by making an effort to have goals that we can openly talk about during the month we actually accomplish more than we ever thought possible. 

Many of the goals we chose are seasonal, some challenging, some simple, some are serious and some are fun. I decided to expand on our monthly goal and added a few personal things I want to focus on during the month.

kt + ky goal:
Cook one meal together each week. This is simple goal for us during January when we can't get outside as much and we're focused on getting ready for the baby. We want to spend our evenings doing more meaningful things together and Kevin is interested in mastering a few meals that he can cook once the baby arrives. 

other goals:
- make one frozen meal each week to begin stocking up for when the baby arrives
- drink one gallon of water per day (this is per my midwifes orders... that's a lot of water, I'm going to need reminders all over the house)
- bake a loaf of bread each week
- embrace movement this month. It's amazing how much my body changes on a daily basis now that I'm in my third trimester. Some days are filled with energy, other days it's hard to walk around the house. Exercising, simply moving move, is so important and makes me feel so much better, I'm going to focus on that for the month as much as I can. 

What about you, does the new year have you thinking about more goals than just new year's resolutions? 

2013: a new year

2012 was a good year, one full of fun and surprises. A sense of contentment as we settled into our new house and new daily routines. Time for adventure, playfulness and the surprise of a baby that we'll welcome into our lives this coming February.

This week I've taken time to reminisce about a year full of fun filled road trips, flea market finds and a successful attempt at growing a vegetable garden. A growing belly and a growing baby. There were small house improvements, craft projects and dinners outside on the back patio. Long runs and light night walks on summer nights. And sadness as we said goodbye to our beloved Hank the cat. 

I struggled to come up with any solid goals or resolutions for the upcoming year. As I look ahead all I see are the unknowns of a new life for myself and our family as we grow from two to three. Instead I'm choosing to focus on one little word to help remind me that this year of newness, change and growth is going to be okay. I'm choosing to embrace whatever comes next. 

to embrace that this is our story.
to embrace that this our baby.
to embrace that this is exactly how things are supposed to work out for the three of us.
to embrace with an open mind a natural childbirth plan.
to embrace the struggles and sleepless nights that come our way.
to embrace the newness of our little girl.
to embrace the many firsts our baby will have this year. 
to embrace the advice and (criticism?) that may come our way with an open heart and mind.
to embrace a new life of adventures that we get to share with out little girl.
to embrace change.
to embrace a new daily routine as I figure out what my life (and job) will look like post baby.
to embrace the highs and lows that naturally come with motherhood.
to embrace whatever comes my way with openness. 

2012 was a big year but 2013 has the potential to be something so much more amazing. A year filled with growth and stretching and newness. 

Welcome 2013, I can't wait to see what you have in store for us. 

**Be sure to check out other 'one little words' via the Lettered Cottage...

new in the shop!

Just in time for the holidays, there are new caddies in the shop! Today I'm listing desk caddies and sewing caddies. There are all kinds of new flavors, several with funky vintage glass knobs and cute little feed sack pincushions that are all new designs for this fall. 

You can see them here - enjoy! :)

lately.

can't stop eating apples from a local orchard.

made apple chips more times than i can count, chopped apple cake and even apple sauce.

loaded my to-do list with too many things. 

started a lot of new projects and gotten none of them done.

recommitted myself to blogging and then not blogged for extended amounts of time.

spent hours and hours taking pictures of new items for the shop (the picture above is my new fave).

worked a lot around the house, including painting the nursery (!!).

enjoyed the fall weather.

successfully learned to make liquid soap from cheap bar soap.

put halloween behind me and started thinking about thanksgiving.

and thanksgiving decorations like making more wreaths.

heard christmas music playing in a store yesterday and almost went insane.

voted. 

DIY: embellished mini clothes pins

Hooray for quick and easy crafts! I'll be the first to admit that I let quick and easy things pile up until I absolutely have to do something with them. Take this chicken wire door thing I bought at the flea market over the summer. First it sat around totally ignored while I tried to decide what to do with it. Eventually I decided to hang it on the wall. Then it sat and sat some more while I tried to decide what to do with it once it was on the wall. Finally, I decided on a quick fix to just put some pictures on it for now but I didn't have way to hang them. That's when I found these cute little mini clothes pins in my craft cupboard, the only problem was they were so sad and plain.

So, I found ten spare minutes and made some embellished mini clothes pins. This does not need a tutorial you guys, but I made one anyway. :) 

Materials: clothes pins, cute paper, mod podge, paint brush, x-acto knife (or scissors)

Step 1: cover clothes pin in mod podge using your paint brush

Step 2: press the clothes pin on the black side of your paper

Step 3: let dry

Step 4: cut around the edges with your x-acto blade

Step 5: cover the top in mode podge so it has that nice mod podgey sheen

Step 6: use and enjoy! 

Ok, so the chicken wire door is still a little sad looking, lacking some much needed decoration, but at least I'm one step closer! I'm thinking about adding some fun triangle or fabric strip bunting to soften things up and add a bit of color.

What about you, stealing a few minutes to craft anything up lately?