Category: How to

How to do things. Instructions for things I’ve somehow figured out how to do.

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DIY: Plastic bag holder

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Plastic bag holder/dispenser

Hi! I’m here! It took 3 weeks, but we now have internet. It’s cellular and has upload and download limits from 2002 but, luckily, Bell Fibe internet is coming to our street. We’ll be kissing these cellular butts goodbye soon, with any luck, and for a ridiculous cancellation fee that — unfortunately — will be totally worth it. Yesterday morning after the husband and son headed off to the farmer’s market, I had some strange inspiration. Since moving in, plastic bags have had no place. (This is true in our environment, too, which is why … Continue reading

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DIY: Crib Rail Cover

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I recently learned that I am raising a gerbil: I’m open-minded and an animal lover so this would have been fine, until I read one comment on a forum where someone said her kid chipped his tooth gnawing a crib rail. That and I don’t like my young boy eating paint. I needed a cover! I decided to use fleece (it’s cushy on the chompers) but wasn’t sure on just tying it on. Could he pull it up with his little bunny teeth (switching rodents), … Continue reading

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Wow! Old Dresser to DIY Vintage Bench Pinned 2000 times!

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DIY vintage bench from old dresser

Awoke to see that our old beat-up dresser to pretty vintage bench post has reached 2000 pins on Pinterest! UPDATE: 3000+ a week and a half later! :O Thank you thank you thank you! That makes me very happy! And to think we found it for free on the side of the road. Best! Soon I want to make a simple upholstered bench out of an old coffee table we have for the foot of the bed or even for our small entryway. More on that after… And … 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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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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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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Quick tip: How to soften hardened brown sugar

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If you don’t keep brown sugar locked in an air tight container (or if your brown sugar-loving husband leaves the canister open often enough after spooning some into his coffee), you’ll find your delicious sweetener gets thick and hardens up fast.     I came across a great way to re-soften the stuff — no need to buy a new bag when you come across a hard one in the cupboard that you didn’t use soon enough. You just need an airtight container, a slice … Continue reading

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DIY rustic end table for less than $10!

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After we brought the Christmas tree out a couple weeks ago, we needed to rearrange (and remove) some of the furniture. Wouldn’t have to, really, but Junior’s tendency to eat everything in sight means we still need to crate train him a while longer. We have two of these simple LACK tables from Ikea. When the tree came back, we had to put one of them away, and replace our loveseat with an armchair we put away when Junior’s crate came along. Needless to say, it … Continue reading

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