Author: Nikki

I've been writing since I was in kindergarten where I Crayola-markered an epic tale of a tiger and a balloon on a stack of lined papers folded into a booklet and stapled along the edge (carefully, and by my teacher). I love DIY, sewing, folksy music, animals and getting out to look at and listen to nature.
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39 weeks: The final mugshot? Please?

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Here’s hoping these are the last bump selfies you need to see of mine. As noted on the Instagram version of this picture, Casey has been following me around non-stop. This isn’t totally unusual as she’s a big needy dog, but it’s definitely been amplified this last bunch of months. Junior does not seem to know anything’s different, except that he no longer dares to jump up on me with his giant paws. This week I’ve been making a lot of progress with Fitbit. I’m … Continue reading

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39 weeks: Here’s the nursery!

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I honestly didn’t think we would get this far into the pregnancy. Boy is estimated to be 8lbs as of last week (though I know that could easily vary… I’m a house now, so I believe it’s that much or heavier). It’s possible he might be late. This kid hates our wintry spring as much as I do. Today is milder, so there might be hope. Here are some pictures of our nursery. My niece came over with some cute outfits and other baby-related stuff … Continue reading

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DIY: Easy upcycled knotted baby hats!

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DIY knotted baby hats

What to do when a baby isn’t out yet? I decided to make use of our remaining free time — a lunch date here, a sewn diaper there… a plush toy or two. When it comes to materials, I’m a huge fan of using what you’ve got, so I was thrilled to find a sewing project for the bub that I could make using old graphic tees that didn’t fit anymore. Newborn babies have to have soft, adorable hats, right? I first saw these hipster … Continue reading

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Important tips to learn before you make DIY cloth diapers

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So I’m on this everything-baby kick (I guess that would make sense since my life is about to go from everything us and dogs to most-everything baby) as you might have seen yesterday or the day before. After I posted my cloth diaper result yesterday, a couple of people asked me some important questions which made me realize I should explain a few things I’ve learned.   On buying materials: You won’t find PUL, polyfleece, microfleece, organic cotton velour or hemp at Fabricland or a … Continue reading

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DIY: Make a cloth diaper!

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Yesterday in the burp cloth tutorial, you may have noticed someone cute in the background wearing a prototype sewn earlier this week. Who was this dashing gentleman? No, not our child. He hasn’t arrived just yet. He’s our tester monkey! This time he was testing…   If you’re someone who tries to be as green as they can, and you haven’t read about how much waste one child produces in terms of wipes and diapers, here are a few interesting stats. Of course, there are environmental … Continue reading

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Ice shoves no longer — caves being destroyed some time this week

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An iconic and beautifully rare scene on the shore of Crystal Beach is about to be destroyed. People flooded the area this past weekend to view the ice shoves at Crystal Beach on Lake Erie. Of course, as in any large crowd, not all went according to plan and common sense was not at its peak. A senior citizen broke a hip after slipping on the ice, emergency vehicle access was blocked by the many illegally parked cars, and by Family Day, the caves themselves … Continue reading

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Ice shoves on Lake Erie at Crystal Beach — just wow.

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One of the coolest things to happen in this region in a long time has cost us absolutely nothing. It’s a totally natural wonder, one I’d never seen until this past weekend. If you live here, you should definitely go see it while you can. UPDATE 1: See the bottom of this post for directions on how to get there, and a map! UPDATE 2: Ice caves were evacuated February 17, 2014 due to possible ice fractures. Please see this Erie Media write-up for more … Continue reading

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DIY Bra band extender — great for pregnancy!

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DIY bra extender - great for pregnancy!

Pregnancy is a journey unlike any other. Things grow, stretch and otherwise evolve for a bunch of months in many previously unknown ways. Despite buying new bras to accommodate my … bounty (ha ha), I’ve noticed that about halfway through my day, I am suffocating. The cups are great, no problem there. My band, however, goes from a pretty decent size in the morning to ribcage-strangulation-sized in the afternoon-to-evening. And so I came up with this cost-effective alternative to buying several sizes of bra:   … Continue reading

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Denim whale’s big brother has arrived!

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I made a more robust version of the DIY denim whale from last week! I like his tail details. Now that I’m becoming a little more familiar with my sewing machine, it was easier to do the cute little top-stitches. See the original post here (includes link to denim whale tutorial by a lovely Finnish lady). How do you like my whale?   Related articles DIY denim whale – great baby room or toddler gift project! DIY: Turn your regular jeans into skinny jeans… right … Continue reading

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DIY denim whale — great baby room or toddler gift project!

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One of the sucky parts about having a bunch of jeans I no longer like is that I very rarely find projects that involve denim that I think don’t look cheesy or cheap. Something about denim that only looks good on the legs, and occasionally, if you’re feeling adventurous and young, a jacket. We’re getting the baby boy’s room ready lately. My youngest niece came a lot earlier than expected (in fact she was born on our wedding day), so we figured — just in … Continue reading

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