Saving all those gorgeous bits of fabric for a rainy day? Well let it pour because here are 25 FREE tutorials to help you bust through that stash. Every one of them would make a perfect little handmade giftie… or keep-ie. Whip up an adorable decorative pumpkin for the mantle, or pretty baby quilt, some catnip mice for the kitty or a glam eye mask for all those days you get to sleep in. HA! There is something for anyone on your list. After all there are only 109 days til Christmas!
Scrap-busting Fabric Bowl
Last week my mom sent me a crafty care-package. Yes, my mother still sends me care packages, how great is that?? Included was a fabric bowl from my childhood home as inspiration and 12 yards of 1/2″ piping cord. I had no excuse! I had to whip up a Scrap-Busting Fabric Bowl. Here’s what you do…
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How to Make a French Pouf from a T Shirt
Here’s another fun embellishment you can whip up with a recycled t-shirt and a few minutes: a french pouf.
You can make ’em in any size and with any pouffiniess-quotient you desire, then wear as a brooch, a corsage, in your hair, on your shoes, on kid clothing, etc. Or put some on sticks and make a centerpiece for your table. 
Learn how to make a french pouf from a t-shirt after the jump…
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Link Love
Learn how to make a reusable chalkboard lunch bag so you can write loving messages (or reminders) to your kids. “Remember to eat your veggies! -Love, Mom”
Need some new shelving space in your home? Try making these beautiful, rustic hanging shelves.
Gay dad speaks up about what it is like sending his daughter to school.
Scrumptious chocolate covered banana treats!
Get Prudent Baby updates on your Facebook. Send some ideas our way for questions such as, What are some low-budget ways to spend time with your hubs?
Rune Guneriussen lights up the world, one photo at a time.
Emily Martin from Inside a Black Apple reveals that her next book, an illustrated novel, will be out January 2012!
Can you believe Halloween is just around the corner? Start decorating with these 5-minute pumpkins!
Tom Waits meets Cookie Monster.
Use this SLR simulator to learn how to take even better pictures of your kids!
Hop on over to our Prudent Baby Twitter to keep up with the tweets of the day!
Back-to-school pencil case out of a mailing tube.
Rockabye Baby! Sneak peek of their new 2-CD set. Lullaby covers of Stevie Wonder, The Beatles, Arcade Fire and even Kanye West!
Labor Day Antipasti and Vegetarian BBQ menu suggestions. Complete with a super easy recipe of Rose Sangria with White Peach and Cucumber!
Will You Marry Me?
Friday is my anniversary. Five lovely years of wedded semi-bliss to one Prudent Dad, Carleton Curtis (yes, I agree, he does have the greatest website of all time). I was discussing this with S, then a few short minutes later we were discussing what to bring to her end-of-summer-pre-school party, and somehow the idea of soft pretzel rings came about.
Pretty silly, but fun nonetheless. I like making soft pretzels for school events, because Scarlet goes to one of those schools where no sweets are allowed. A cupcake-free zone, if you will.
Soft pretzels are always a hit with kiddos, whatever shape you make them in, and they are not as hard as you think to concoct. Get the full scoop here: Prudent Baby Pretzels.
Wait what? You want to see a wedding pic? Oh, okay, if you insist…
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Scarlet’s How to Sew a Heart Pillow Tute
My daughter is the light of my life, and nothing sounds more lovely to my crafty ears than hearing her beg “mama, I want to sew! puhhhhleeeaaaassseeeee!!!”
But also it’s sort of a double edged sword, because 3 year olds can’t really sew. What they can do is bounce about a room filled with scissors, needles, and heavy machinery, pulling any remotely-pink fabric off the shelves and squealing with glee and determination to help while unraveling every roll of sparkly thread and pom poms they set their little eyes on. In this case, I told her we could sew a new naptime pillow for school. All of my suggestions for pillow styles were rebuffed, as she had already designed the perfect pillow in her head. Her description was clear: “Mom, I want a pillow in the shape of a heart. I want a heart pocket too. I want a plain pink heart pocket and I want a tinkerbell on it.” Umm, ok. I told her to pick out her fabric and we got to work.
She really liked the results.
I also thought it turned out pretty cute, so we made a few more (including one for her cousin JoJo). So Scarlet has created her first design, what do you think? Let me share with you How to Make a Heart Shaped Pillow after the jump…
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Bye Bye Baby’s First Year. Hello The New Home Ec.
Thank you everyone for reading my baby related ramblings on Babble’s Baby’s First Year. As of tomorrow I will be moving over to Babble’s The New Home Ec where I will be posting on fun things like… cleaning, crafts, diy, green living, budget, home decorating, money, saving, organization, sewing, storage, finance, moving, gardening, painting, home, renovation, and home repair. Ok maybe not all those things are fun (ha!) but do stop in and say hi. If you have any interesting posts on these subjects, be sure to send me a link. I’d love to hear all about it!
xoxo, Jacinda
And thank you for allowing me one last chance to post a random photo of Gordon doing his Longhorn suck. I want to eat his little face when I look at it.
Coral is the Color
We are updating Scarlet’s room now that she is a Big Girl, and we’ve decided CORAL is the way to go. Above are my inspiration rooms I’ve been collecting over on Prudent Baby’s pinterest boards.
Coral straddles that line between girly-pink and grown-up red, with a modern and happy feel. Everything is coming up CORAL. I love this color for modern nurseries, bright accessories, kitchens, living rooms, and even on my feet. From shoes to chairs to itty bitty baby pants, Here are 20 color-colored finds (and where to buy ’em) that make me smile: Coral is the Color.
