A good friend has unknowingly put me in full on baby craft fever mode. NOT the same as the feeling that women get when they really want a baby, but the feeling that every project should revolve around baby C, who will be here sometime within the next few weeks! So, Stephanie, this blog post is dedicated to you and your new baby girl, Chandler, as well as Brooklyn and Eddie. Since I just got married, I understand the joys of a new life changing event. But when realizing what this brings, I thought how the parents are somewhat neglected in the gifting of new babies. So I made something for everyone in the family, in celebration of the new addition. Here is a sneak peek, and some of my trials and tribulations in making these "simple" homemade gifts.
So my first bright idea was to not spend money on generic, overpriced stencils. So I bought blank stencil plastic (not the technical term, but it is a sheet of stencil material with no cutouts) and decided that I would create my own stencils. I got on the trusty Mac and found cute fonts and printed out what I wanted to say, put the printed paper under the blank stencil, and traced it. Next, I took a newly purchased Exacto knife and CUT the tracings out. The first victim was a simple solid white bib that was screaming for some attention.
I totally expect a picture of baby C in it. I do not care if she is watching a Hog game while wearing or or spitting up all over it. Next was a cute little onesie. Solid pink, with brown and "diamond" fabric paint, and a little bling. One day, at Hobby Lobby, I chose to grab a cart from the lot and wheel it in, as long as it was not scorching hot. Low and behold, someone had left a tiny letter "A" in it, and this A was made from about thirty little stick on fake diamonds. So I destructed the A and used the fabric stick-ons for a blingin' onesie.
A few other ideas popped in my head while I was working on this project. I bought a plain disposable box of baby wipes and two travel bar soap carriers and transformed them into cute baby/toddler goodies. The wipes box I decorated to match the nursery. This picture was taken while it was still drying.
I did some work on the bar soap travel boxes, added a ziploc baggie inside, and had cute little snack boxes for mom to carry in the diaper bag!
I just could not stop making things! I took some frames from the unused surplus I have around the house and make cute initial frames for new baby and her big sister. Using home-cut stencils, I also made another bib, another onesie, and a fleece blanket with baby C's inital.
Lastly, I thought about Steph and her husband Eddie, who, in a few weeks, will have two young ones and the attention slowly drifts away from their needs to the kids. They have a nice home with a beautiful backyard near Dallas, and Eddie loves to work on the back porch and grilling area. I am sure that is a nice getaway location without actually going anywhere. They both love sports, and now that they are back in the Big D, live sporting events are at their fingertips. But in their hearts, they are both still die hard Hog fans, so I broke out my tried and true coaster project and represented their favorite teams. I figured the coasters would be great for their backyard, to get away from the interior decorating and enjoy some fresh air.
I cannot wait to go fly back to Dallas and visit their home, sit on the patio, and laugh as they break out the coasters in honor of my visit. Good friends never go away, and I can say that in this case, I am thankful of that! So I packed up all of the goodies and sent them on their way. Luckily, they arrived before baby did! On a side note in regards to shipping, never throw away packing peanuts or bubble wrap if it is in decent condition. This stuff is not cheap and can be reused!
