vinyl wipes case template

You asked for it, so here it is ... a template to make your own vinyl-decorated wipes case.

Supplies needed:

• Hard plastic travel wipes case (my template is made to fit the Huggies brand cases)
• Cut vinyl, contact paper, or scrapbook paper and mod podge - I'm going to show you how I used the vinyl
• scotch tape
• scissors
• wipes case template

First, print and cut out the pdf template (please select the "fit to printable area" option to get the correct sizing).   Get the template HERE.

Prepare your vinyl - I used my Silhouette machine to cut a design (for Silhouette users, this design is called "Butterfly Floral Lace Square").  You could also buy pre-cut vinyl, cut it by hand, or substitute pretty contact paper (there are some great contact paper patterns out there these days).  In my last post, a reader suggested using scrapbook paper and mod podging it to the wipes case.  I've never tried this, but I'm sure it would work!

Lay the template pieces on top of the vinyl, and using small pieces of scotch tape to hold them in place. 

Cut around each template to get one back piece and two front pieces.

Apply the vinyl to the wipes case, according to the material's instructions.  If you are using an intricately cut design, I would strongly recommend using transfer paper.

I used some of the leftover scraps to apply little pieces to the center case flap.

Make sure you firmly adhere the vinyl to the case, smoothing down all corners, and you're done!  Enjoy your one-of-a-kind wipes case.

And one more time ... here's another link for the wipes case template, in case you missed it.  :)

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an even easier diaper wipes case

There is no fooling you guys - most of you were spot on with your guesses about Ruby's costume in the last post.   I'll wait until I've actually sewn something wearable before I make a reveal though Snow White or Wonder Woman?  I'm sure you'll lose sleep over the anticipation.  :)

This week I made a diaper wipes case for a friend's baby shower,  but I wasn't in the mood for hot-gluing (every once and a while I like to save my fingertips).

Instead, I got out my vinyl and cut an all-over pattern using my Silhouette machine.    The front had the pattern only, fudged slightly on that center flap.

The back has the same pattern repeated, and the mommy-to-be's last name in the center.  I doubt she'll ever grab the wrong case at the playground now.

You don't need a Silhouette to make one of these (although that certainly makes the process quicker and more precise).   Vinyl can always be cut by hand, and I think even Contact Paper would work well.  I recommend using a premium or outdoor vinyl if you can get your hands on it, since the adhesive is stronger and hold up to more abuse.

I saved my template pieces for the front and back of the case, so let me know if you'd like me to post them!
UPDATE:  You can find the wipes case template posted HERE.

baby name decor

This happy little baby name sign was another part of the take-home decor from this week's baby shower:

First I cut a template of the baby's name on my Silhouette (but this could also be done by hand, using a font you type out in a word document).  Then I traced the name on thin pieces of cardboard (food boxes) and cut out several layers with my exacto knife.  I didn't want any of the box labels to show, so I cut one with the front design facing and two with the plain back cardboard facing so I could sandwich the label inside.

Three layers of thin cardboard was just right.  I glued each piece together with mod podge and gave the edges a quick sand after it was all dry.

Then I added another layer of mod podge on top and glued down a cut out of the name on some pretty scrapbook paper.  I also cut this layer on my Silhouette, but again, you can do it by hand.

To finish it off, I hot glued ribbon all along the outer edges to conceal the cardboard.  That was the most time-consuming part, especially in those little loops, but it was worth it.

This could be hung on a wall or propped up on a bookshelf.  Hopefully the mama-to-be likes it!

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owl mobile (with tree template!)

Last night, one of my friends had a baby shower for her first little girl and I helped out with a few decorations.  Instead of making my usual paper decor, I decided to go with decorations she could reuse for the nursery.

First up, a little owl mobile to go with the nursery bedding she picked out:

 

After a quick pinterest search, I found tons of handmade owl mobile inspiration, but I particularly liked this mobile made by etsy seller EvelynX.

I also found a really cute template for an owl ornament on the blog, Juicy Bits - you can get the template here.   I love finding a good template.  It really speeds a project along.

Putting a mobile like this together is really easy, because it just hangs from two wooden dowels.  I marked three spots on each dowel (one on each end and one in the middle) and drilled a little hole with my smallest drill bit:

Then, thread your decorations through and tie a knot to hold the string in place.  Wrap the strings several times around the crossed dowels to keep them in a + position.  If all of your decorations are the same, balancing the mobile should be fairly easy.

And that's it!  Hang in a nursery and let baby enjoy.  :)

Get my template for the felt tree HERE

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baby shower cookies

It's been a few years since I've broke out the old onesie cookie cutter.  I'd almost forgotten how much I enjoy decorating sugar cookies (despite hours of icing turning my hand into a decrepit, arthritic claw).  For my friend's baby shower, I stuck to the classic white onesie because she doesn't know her baby's gender.

The Blonde Designs Blog has a really good cream cheese sugar cookie recipe. It is tasty and holds its shape really well while baking.  I used  Wilton's Royal Icing recipe using meringue powder for the icing.  The basic recipe is the perfect consistency for piping, and you can add a little extra water to make "flow" icing, which spreads nice and smooth for the base.

Yum! Or so I heard.  I'm still temporarily gluten-free, so I couldn't even eat one.  How sad is that?

diaper cake - an oldie, but a goodie

Get ready for some baby-themed goodness in the next several posts.  I helped with a friend's baby shower this week and one of the things I made was a diaper cake using my original diaper cake tutorial.

I did fudge the supplies a bit.  Instead of using a telescoping mail tube, I substituted two heavy weight cardboard tubes.  One was a wrapping paper tube (again, heavy weight - the flimsy ones won't work well), and the other was the tube from inside a roll of Silhouette vinyl.  Waste not, want not!  They need to be two different sizes so one fits inside the other.  The tubes hold the cake layers together, but they are still easy to separate.

I also changed the way I layered the diapers.  Instead of rolling each diaper individually, I wrapped them around the tubes.  I liked that the edges of the cake were smoother, and it also enabled me to use double the diapers (this cake held 80 size-1 diapers).   It also meant a LOT fewer rubber bands.  Only three large bands used on the whole cake - one for each tier.

I made the banner cake topper on my Silhouette and glued it to two white lolly pop sticks.  The sticks slid right between the diapers and held in place well.

Like the original cake, I decorated this one with paper flowers.  The flower decorations were cut on my Silhouette using the 3-D Ruffle Flower from the online store.  Each flower was glued to a mini clothes pin, so they just clipped onto the outer ribbons on the cake tiers.  Maybe the mama-to-be can find a way to re-use the flowers?  I'd probably attach them to gifts in lieu of bows, or maybe string them together on ribbon to make a cute garland.

Speaking of ribbon, I found that fabulously wide green satin ribbon at Michael's - it is 4 inches wide, which is perfect for a diaper cake because what do you know ... little diapers are also 4 inches wide.

The ribbon was attached with a few straight pins into the back of the cake.

With my extra paper I made a few more flowers as a table decoration and a paper banner to hang.

I knew it was a good looking cake when one of the ladies at the baby shower asked when we were going to cut into it.

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impromptu baby celebration

If you are looking for the Silhouette giveaway, click here.

This morning I hosted a little surprise baby celebration.  A friend of mine is due with baby #2 in just two short weeks and doesn't want a baby shower ... but that doesn't mean we shouldn't celebrate (plus it gave me an excuse to really take my new Silhouette out for a whirl).  Last night I made a few quick decorations, gathered yummy treats, and was all set to party at today's playgroup.

I purchased the cupcake wrapper and elephant templates at the Silhouette digital store, and the pennant banner was made using free images.  Since I used only materials I had on hand, all of the decorations cost me less than $2.  That's reason enough to party.

The trouble with surprise parties, though, is that the guest of honor is pretty clueless.  So when the mama-to-be didn't join us for playgroup because her toddler had a runny nose, it was a real bummer.  I won't be deterred ... it is all getting boxed up to drop off post-naptime.

Some of the other playgroup mama's and I whipped up a few onesies and baby tees as a gift, using the heat transfer material (I love that stuff!).  Recognize the birds from my blog banner?  I imported images from Picnik right into the Silhouette software.  So handy!  Hmmm ... now Ruby is going to need a Homemade by Jill onesie.

go-to baby shower gifts

Forgive me for the light posting this week - I've been sewing like crazy for a quadrouple(!) baby shower tomorrow night.  I'm one of the lucky four expecting mamas, but I wanted to do something special for the other three ladies.  I don't think any of them read my blog, so hopefully this will be safe to post.  :)  All three of them are expecting boys, so I had a chance to use some of my favorite Riley Blake Wheels fabric.

 Here's a list of my go-to gifts for baby showers, depending on what I feel like making:

• Burp cloths
• An appliqued onesie - like in the onesie pictured above, sometimes I add a little embroidery as well.  I embroider the fabric first, then adhere it to the onesie using Wonder-Under, and finish it off with a satin stitch on the sewing machine.
• Embellished infant tee
• Baby booties - I typically use the Stardust Shoes pattern, but I'm experimenting with a few others (to be posted soon)
• A changing pad and wipes clutch
• Baby bibs
• Tag blankets with taggie toys

Sometimes I like to include something else special, not made by me.  Did you notice the adorable wood teething ring in the photo?  It is made by one of my favorite etsy sellers, Little Sapling Toys.  I'm not affiliated with them in any way, just love the products.  I bought a few things from them for Oscar's first Christmas, and they were favorite early baby toys.

Pom Pom Tips (and other handmade party details)

 I had lots of questions on the tissue pom poms in the last post.  They are super easy - it's a Martha project! (and not one of those Martha projects where you wonder who in their right mind would ever try it.)

Having made dozens of them over the years, I feel like there are a few tips of the trade I can share with you:

• 8 pieces of tissue paper looks great in the small poms, but the larger ones actually need about 10 sheets to look nice and full

• Use smaller fan folds in the tissue paper - about an inch wide for the small size and no larger than 2 inches for the big ones (I try to fold mine at about an inch and a half)

• Make sure those folds are really creased!  After folding the length of my tissue, I always go back and press the creases again with my fingers, making sure it gets through all the layers.  The better the pom holds its crease when it is fluffed, the better it will look.

• Tie your length of string for hanging to your loop before fluffing the pom (so you don't have to dig for it later).

• Always fluff the poms from the center and resist touching the edges, and pull the layers apart one sheet at a time, one crease at a time.  To get a good grip, I hold the pom on the crease directly behind the one I'm fluffing (hope that makes sense!)

• Fluff one side of the pom completely before moving on to the opposite side.  This also means they will lay flat if you need to transport them.  For my party, I fluffed one side of the poms at home, and then completed them on location.  If you try to transport them fully fluffed, they are sure to get smashed.

• Hang immediately!  :)

They look especially nice if you have a fan or air conditioner running in the room, making the poms spin slowly.  It is mesmerizing!

A great place to buy tissue paper in bulk is Paper Mart.  They have a nice variety of colors, and the price can't be beat.

We also made these gray table runners with sprinkled confetti to decorate the tables.  I already had our color scheme picked out when I saw this post on The Crafts Dept. blog.  Talk about perfect timing!  I promptly ordered a roll of 12" bogus paper.

Instead of fringing the edges, we punched it (or rather, my friend Nancy punched it) with a scalloped edge paper punch.  I'll be honest - it took her a long time.  But it looked great!

I also made a trivia quiz game to put at each place setting, and the ladies filled it out during dinner.  I got the idea from this baby shower featured at Hostess with the Mostess.

I have so many projects in progress right now, my head is spinning - another maternity refashion, a home decor project, and something for Oscar are all in the works.  Not to mention the fact that his play kitchen has been on our deck, half finished, for almost two months.  Oh, and there is that whole Easter holiday I should probably prepare for.  :)

Teapot Sugar Cookies

One last post about this last baby shower and then I swear I'm done. I just wanted to post a few pictures of the teapot cookies because they were so cute. It was difficult to come up with designs for these because I am not good enough with the frosting tips to make them too intricate, but I didn't want them to be boring either. I settled on these four designs:

Swirly lid teapot

Polka dot teapot (this one felt very Alice in Wonderland to me)

Flowered teapot

Argyle teapot

The polka dots and flowers were my favorites. I picked up a couple new cookie cutters while buying supplies for these as well as a giant frosting tip for cupcakes - can't wait to use them!

Diaper Cake Tutorial

UPDATE:  check out my most recent diaper cake for some optional revisions to supplies and instructions.

I. Supplies Needed:


One large telescoping mailing tube (mine was 4 inches in diameter). I found mine at The Container Store.

You'll also need:

• a large piece of cardboard
• white butcher paper or wrapping paper
• doilies
• 2 bags clear rubber hair bands (think Goody) - about 100 bands
• large rubber bands, preferably white (I also found these at the container store - Can Bandz)
• a strong cardboard wrapping paper tube
  
• 2 packs of good-quality diapers, preferably plain white
• ribbon
• decorative paper
  
• safety pins
  
• a hot glue gun
• tape
• rubber cement
  
• sharp scissors
  
• flowers for decoration

• 

First, roll all of your diapers. I bought one pack of pampers newborns (up to 10 lbs) and one pack of size one diapers (8-14 lbs) - approximately 45 diapers total. My friend is having twins, so I thought the smaller diapers would fit better. Roll the diapers with the pattern on the inside and secure around the middle with a clear rubber band. The open end of the diaper should be rolled to the inside.

It will look like this. Continue until all the diapers are rolled and set aside.

II. The Diaper Cake Stand

Since I was planning to transport this diaper cake to work on the subway, I wanted it to be really sturdy. This method makes for a very solid cake.

1. Cut 3 large circles out of strong cardboard. For the largest tier, I traced a dinner plate. For the middle tier, I used a salad plate, and for the top tier, I traced a small bowl.

2. Trace each size again on white paper (I used wrapping paper so it had a nice shine). Cut the three circles out and glue (I used rubber cement) to the cardboard.


3. For a decorative edge, glue doilies around the circumference.


4. Now you are ready to start building the stand. First you will need to cut your mailing tube to the height of your rolled diapers. The larger sized diapers were about 4 inches tall when rolled, so I cut the outer (white) layer of the mailing tube to approximately 4 inches. Using a hot glue gun, glue the outer tube to the center of the decorative side of the lower tier.


5. Cut the inner (brown) tube to approximately 3-4 inches in length. Hot glue to the bottom (undecorated side) of the middle tier.



6. The middle tier will now slide into the bottom tier.


7. Repeat the process with the middle tier.


8. For the top tier, use a strong cardboard wrapping paper tube or something similar. Try to find a tube that does not easily bend (the inner tubes of saran wrap or reynolds wrap work well). Cut to the height of your smaller sized rolled diapers and hot glue it to the center of the decorated side of the top tier.


III. Adding the diapers

1. With the cake stand built, you are ready to start adding diapers. I disassembled my stand and added the diaper layers one tier at a time. Put the large rubber band around the mailing tube first, and it will secure the diapers as you add them. I used two layers of rolled diapers on the bottom tier.


2. The middle tier had a single row of rolled diapers.


3. The top tier also had a single row of rolled diapers.


4. I had extra diapers, so I put rolled diapers inside of the mailing tubes on the bottom and middle layers. This would also be a good place to hide other baby gifts (socks, receiving blankets, binkies, etc.) if you so choose. I also placed unrolled diapers around the mailing tubes to add few more. You can slide them into the middle there without removing the rolled layers.


III. Decoration

1. I taped green velum leaves to each of the cardboard bases to add a bit of interest to the edges


2. Use decorative ribbon to cover the rubberbands on each layer. I pinned one edge of the ribbon to the large white rubberband at the back of the diaper cake with a safety pin, so none of the diapers would be damaged. Then, I wrapped the ribbon around the diaper layer and overlapped it in the back, securing with hot glue (hopefully that makes sense). I love the look of double ribbon, but a single layer would do just as well.


3. Add a decorative cake topper. I used paper roses from a tutorial I saw at MarthaStewart.com. This trio of roses slid right into the opening of the wrapping paper tube in the top tier.


4. Place a few smaller flowers that match the topper on the lower layers. I just slid the wire stems in place under the cardboard base and used double sided tape on the bottom of the blossom to secure.


5. Sit back and enjoy all the oohs and ahhs at your baby shower.



Hopefully this tutorial was helpful! Sometimes I have a hard time putting crafty directions into words. This first-time diaper cake was a series of trial and error, but in the end had a great finished product. My favorite part of this diaper cake is that it is very sturdy, yet each of the tiers slide apart easily. It will easy for the mom-to-be to dissemble when it comes time to put those diapers to use, and the inner compartments are ideal for hiding additional gifts.

Enjoy!