Natural Baby Gifts!

admin — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:11:55 +0000

We have been swamped with baby showers and babies! It seems the last year has been a fertile one for our friend and family. So what to do for all those baby gifts! I usually don’t have a lot of money to spend on a gift, so I find it nice to try and make something. Also, Claire loves to help sew or knit and it’s something fun for us to so together. So here are a few of our favorites that we have made this year:

Burp Clothes

When Claire was born, I received some burp cloths from one of my mother’s friends. They were just cloth diapers with some cute ribbon sewn on the ends. I thought what a great idea! They were super absorbent and cute. They even made it through Ross infancy. So last year Claire and I made some for our new friend Oliver. There was no pattern, no plan, just cloth diapers, ribbon, fabric, and fun! Here are the results (I hope Oliver liked them!):

Bibs and Matching Burp Clothes

I subscribe to a few different blog and noticed that cute hand made bibs were very popular at the end of last year. I chose this pattern from Chickpea Sewing Studio. But I did make one adjustment, I used a cloth diaper for one side and a cute material on the front side. Ross was SUCH a drooler that the cutesy bibs only lasted about 30 minutes before they were drenched. We needed super absorbency! I figure I am not the only mom that could appreciate this, so why not use the cloth diapers again. This does make the bib thicker and harder to sew, so I would recommend using a walking foot (like what is used in quilting). This bib pattern was great because of it’s small but useful size. You can make one bib and burp cloth per cloth diaper. I just cut the remaining diaper into a rectangle and edged it with a cute fabric, and Voila….

Toddler Belts

And don’t forget big brother or sister! These cute belts are quick and fun. I bought some 1 inch wide belting trim, some fun ribbon, and metal D-rings at Joann Fabric and Crafts. Simple sew the ribbon edges onto the trim, turn it over and add more ribbon to the “tail” of the belt that will fold back over when closed. Fold the end and sew to hem. Fold the other end of the belt over the D-ring and sew it down. You have a fun and simple belt for any toddler.

Favorite Baby Products

I thought I would also mention some of my favorite natural baby products to give or receive:

Angel Baby Shampoo and Body Wash 160 ml. (5.3 oz.)
Natural Nipple Butter 30 ml (1 oz)
Klean Kanteen 12 oz Stainless Steel Sippy with Dome Lid – Brushed Stainless
Swaddledesigns Organic Ultimate Receiving Blanket Ivory with Color Trim, Cream
(stil trying to figure out how to make one)

I am so thankful for all the new babies in our lives,

Who is new in your life?

My Birthday Boy!

admin — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 05:26:51 +0000

I can not believe that it was just four years ago that my baby boy was born! It seems like only yesterday he was tugging at my hair while falling asleep. Oh… wait… that was yesterday! He is still my baby boy.

We decided to celebrate his birthday a week early this year as our friends generously offered to host a party for us. (Thank you Shula, Sarah, Jardel, Heather, and Dana) for the wonderful BBQ and swim party. It was the best ever!!! All I had to do was bring the pinata and goody bags because my children do not believe it’s a party without a pinata.

Ross decided he wanted a race car pinata this year. So we went to the local party supply store and found one. I looked online for a more eco-friendly solution, but did not feel confident in making my own. I think someone could make a killing if they came out with pinatas made out of recycled materials. So if you know of anyone, encourage them. I know I would by them!

This year I ordered the candy to fill it from The Natural Candy Store. I got two 3-pound bags of the Pure Fun Organic Candy Mix. The kids loved it all except for the cinnamon. I think it was a little too much for them. This is a great resource for natural as well as allergen free candies. They have the candies categorized by allergens or other ingredients.

For the goody bags I went to Michaels Arts and Crafts store and purchased small plain canvas bags ($0.59 each) and a set of fabric pens ($6-$7). I thought the kids could decorate their own goodie bags. One of the gifts I got Ross for his birthday is [amazon-product text="Melissa & Doug Jumbo Palm Stampers - Blue" type="text"]B002TIP31W[/amazon-product]. So I brought them for the kids to use in their decorating. Since the ink for the stamps is washable, they just used the stamps and then colored over the ink with the fabric pens. I think they turned out really nice! Finally each child received a Race Car Wood Model Kit ($1 each) from Michaels. I was amazed at how easy and nice they turned out. Claire made hers all by herself without any help from me at all!

This was by far the easiest and funnest (not a word I know) birthday party we have ever had. I would like to thank our friends again for all their generosity. And I would like to take this time to remember my little boy over the last four years…