BURP CLOTH AND BIB AT PRUDENT BABY

http://prudentbaby.com/2009/12/baby-kid/diy-pocket-bib-2/

DIY BURP CLOTH HOW-TO

Yesterday we made a Pocket Bib and today we are making a matching terry burp cloth so we have a DIY bib & burp cloth gift set.  This burp cloth is wildly simple.

I used a terry hand towel but you could use any fabric you prefer.  Get the full burp cloth tutorialafter the jump…
And thanks for the post Craft Gossip!

1. Wash, iron and cut your fabric.  I used the same Alexander Henry Canyon flutter in pink that i used for the pocket bib and a terry hand towel.  You can make it any size you like, just add 1/2″ for the seam allowance.  I cut my fabric 18″ X 8″.

2. Pin your fabrics together right sides facing:

3.  Sew them together with 1/4″ seam allowance, leaving a hole for turning and back stitching at the beginning and end:

4.  Trim the edges, clip the corners and turn it right side out, then iron it nice and flat:

5.  Top stitch around the edge, closing the turning hole as you go:

Voila!

Package it up with a matching bib and you’ve got an adorable gift set in under an hour for under $5!

DIY POCKET BIB

Here is a super simple baby bib how-to.  You don’t even need a pattern, just trace an old bib.  I like bibs with pockets to catch stray dribbles so I added one here.  You can even make this bib reversible if you want.  Get the how-to after the jump…
And thanks for the posts Craft Gossip and One Pretty Thing!

1.  Wash, iron and cut your fabric.  I used Alexander Henry Canyon Flutter in Pink (still available here) and some purple cotton from International Silks and Woolens. You can make your whole bib one fabric but I like to use two complimentary fabrics.  Fold a piece of fabric in half and do the same with an old bib, then trace the bib onto your fabric with a fabric marker.  Do it about 1/4″ or 1/2″ bigger all the way around to allow for your seam:

Now take the piece you just cut and trace it onto your other fabric and cut:

Now you want to cut your pockets, so trace along the bottom of your bib for the curve then cut straight across.  Do this on both fabrics, so you have two pocket pieces and two bib pieces, like so:

 

2.  Now we want to finish the top edge of our pocket, so place your two pockets pieces together wrong sides facing, and fold, iron, and pin a piece of bias tape to the top edge:

Sew in place:

3.  Now to sew our bib together.  Lay your front bib piece right side up, then lay your pocket on top the way you want it to appear on the finished bib.  I put all my butterflies on one side because I did not make this bib reversible, but it would have been cute to have the pocket purple on this side.  You decide:

Now lay the back piece of your bib on top, right side down, so your pocket is sandwiched in the middle, and pin in place:

Sew it together, leaving a hole for turning (backstitch at beginning and end):

See there’s the hole for turning:

4.  Turn your bib right side out and iron it nice and flat, then top stitch all the way around, which will close your turning hole.  If you want to make your bib reversible, only top stitch around the top, not around the pocket.  That way you can turn the pocket to the other side.

5.  Sew velcro to the top.  I like to put the soft part of the velcro facing the baby so there’s no chance of scratchiness on their soft baby neck:

Done!

Tune in tomorrow and I’ll show you how to make the matching burp cloth so you have a nice gift set.

I HEART FACES ARTICLE

I HEART FACES BLOG ARTICLE ABOUT INFANT PHOTOGRAPHY!

http://www.iheartfaces.com/2012/02/newborn-photography/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Iheartfaces+%28I+Heart+Faces+-+Photo+Challenges+%26+Photography+Tips%29

4 Lifestyle Photography Tips for Newborns

FEBRUARY 9, 2012

in PHOTOGRAPHY SESSION TIPS,TUTORIALS

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When I first started out on my journey in children’s photography I had no idea that I could shoot lifestyle with newborns.

Like most of us do, I went out and bought some baskets, some black cloth for a “backdrop” and a few other props (yes, for those that know me I did in fact have props at one point in my shooting life!)

I failed. Miserably. I saw all these other photographers rocking baskets, bows, blankets … and I was a shaking, twitching mess at my newborn shoots trying to pull these looks together.

I was already honing my lifestyle craft with families and toddlers and thought “What am I DOING here? I am going against my grain to try and fit into a mold I created solely myself and I am not. having. fun.”

Having fun and “feeling” something when you shoot is critical in my book- unless you want to lead yourself down the path to burn-out in a flash.

So, I shook off the “have to’s” and started to approach newborns the same way I approached my other lifestyle sessions. I began shooting with the same end goal–natural, candid moments of baby and family that literally looked like a ‘peek’ into their lives.

Here are four tips to shoot lifestyle with newborns (even if you are, in fact, the master of newborn set-ups!):

1. Crib Shots.

Don’t neglect to photograph and capture the one place parents see their baby a lot–the crib. Full sweeping photos of nurseries with baby in the crib or a “through the slats” (my personal fave) perspective is a beautiful way to tell a newborn story. Crib life is fleeting. Capture it.

2. The candid moments (Don’t put that camera down just yet!)

While most photographers may put their camera down for a rest or review images while baby is being fed, soothed or changed, these are actually my favorite times to shoot! Talk about lifestyle photos in their purest form! The day-to-day of baby life. Nothing is more beautiful or tells the true story of a newborn more than these moments, in my book.

3. Head to the Master Bed.

A great way to get all of the family interacting with baby is by photographing them on the master bed. It’s big enough to accommodate, very personal, and usually has great light.

I also love doing solo shots on the bed with one of the blankets from their own collection.

Safety alert: If you are working with an ‘old-born’ be sure Mom is right out of frame monitoring the baby just in case they roll over. Middle of the bed is ideal and remember, no shot is worth the compromise of safety for newborns or any child, for that matter.

4. Detail shots at different angles.

Everyone loves to capture those little toes, feet, ears etc. And rightfully so! The newborn yumminess comes and goes in a blink. Try however, to shoot these photos from different angles as you have baby on the bed or in their boppy. The simple change of an angle and a shallow depth of field can allow for these detail shots to be done anywhere, so you don’t necessarily need a black back drop. I’ve done them even on changing tables. Don’t limit yourself.

There are many different ways to capture newborns. Please don’t put yourself in a box or feel you have to emulate what is going on in the industry. Find your own vision of how you want to photograph newborns and start snapping.

25 names of Christ for 25 days of Christmas

found at: http://iammommahearmeroar.blogspot.com/2011/11/christmas-kojo-designs.html

Hello I Am Momma fans! I'm Kirstin, half of the sister team that blogs at kojodesigns, and I am beyond thrilled to be here today! We lovelovelove I Am Momma Hear Me Roar- Cheri's ideas are unique, there's tons of Boy-Goodness around here, and Wake Up Wednesdays is genius. But you're here, so you already know how fabulous Cheri's blog is! Loving this place so much makes it even more fun to be a part of Cheri's CHRISTmas series... 

 My sister, Jordan, and I grew up in a home full of fabulous Christmas traditions. Looking back, my favorite traditions are the ones that reinforce the meaning of CHRISTmas as the celebration of the birth of Christ the Savior. I love having that legacy of meaningful family traditions. And as our kiddos get older, I'd love to have the season leading up to Christmas be full of meaning, too!

This box of twenty five ornaments, each bearing one of the names of Christ, is one of those traditions! We'll hang one on our tree each day of December as one way to learn more about Jesus and celebrate His birth.

To make a box of advent ornaments with your family, you'll need- -a pile of twenty five ornaments (we used big clear ones, small plastic clear ones, plain wooden and ceramic ones, and a few random shapes [a star and a lion]) -some kid-friendly ornament decor (paint, crayons, glitter, jewel stickers, trim/notions, pipe cleaners, pom poms) -a not-so-kid-friendly Sharpie -ornament hangers or twine.

To make our ornaments, first we found a list of Jesus's names (here). The list also includes biblical references so that we can look up the passages each time we hang an ornament. And we narrowed to these 25 names- King of Kings, The Vine, The Word, Lion of Judah, Lamb of God, Messiah, Savior, Alpha and Omega, Light of the World, Redeemer, Bright and Morning Star, I AM, The Good Shepard, Ancient of Days, Bread of Life, Living Water, Emmanuel, Prince of Peace, Rock of Ages, Jehovah, The Truth and the Life, The Great Physician, The Lord of Glory, The Rose of Sharon, Lily of the Valley.

Then Burke and I set to work, making ornaments. He's three, so the joint ornament decorating was limited at best. Think paint splashing, glitter pouring, pom pom pushing, jewel bedazzling. Limited, but fun (and funny!).

After the decorating, I'd add the name of Burke's choosing to the ornament with a Sharpie. And, twenty-five names later, our little box of advent ornaments was finished.

In case you are wondering which ornaments received the honor of "Most Likely to Be Remade Next Year," there they are. Oh, Lion of Judah and Lamb of God ornaments. You are certainly the ugly ducklings of the crowd. But Burke loves you, so I love you.

I can. not. wait. to incorporate these into our family CHRISTmas tradition list.  Thanks for having us Cheri! What a fantastic series. 

And I Am Momma friends, come on by kojodesigns any time to say hi! Merry CHRISTmas!

http://iammommahearmeroar.blogspot.com/2011/11/christmas-kojo-designs.html

advent calender idea from Twin Dragon Designs

http://thecsiproject.com/2011/11/21/random-acts-of-kindness-advent-calendartwin-dragonfly-designs/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheCSIProject+%28The+CSI+Project%29

I am so excited to be back at the CSI Project!

And truly, I couldn’t wait another minute to share this Random Acts of Kindness Advent Calendar with you.

My name is Heather and my little corner of the blog-o-sphere is Twin Dragonfly Designs.  I am a Program Coordinator with a passion for Inspiring Creativity.  If you pull up a cozy chair, grab a mug of hot chocolate and browse around awhile you will find;  crazy party ideas, tried and true recipes, epic craft projects and tutorials for just about all of it.  Oh and did I mention?  I have twin, four year old boys {so they’re involved in pretty much everything}.

{Random Acts of Kindness} is a concept that is near and dear to my heart.  I have worked with young children my entire life and one of the teaching tools that I have always used is Random Acts of Kindness.  Primarily children learn about service to others and empathy through fun, interactive tasks.  I’ll explain more later.  But first, isn’t this Advent Calendar cute?!?

I created 24 ornaments {with pockets for our RAK tasks}, clipped them to numbered clothes pins and strung them on a piece of twine.  Here’s how:

I started with two cream sweaters that I found at the thrift store.  Then I traced 8 hearts, 8 stars and 8 trees onto the knit sweater and did the same to the fleece sweater {I ended up with 48 shapes in total}.  If you are interested in my star/heart/tree pattern let me know and I will include it on my blog.  I cut out all of the shapes.  

Next I matched up my shapes {ie. a knit sweater heart with a fleece heart} to create 24 ornaments in total.  I cut a little square of fleece and sewed one onto each of the fleece shapes to create a pocket.  Then I pinned the right sides of my knit and fleece shapes together.
At this point I also pinned a loop of ribbon between the pieces to act as my hanger.

Then I sewed the two pieces together {leaving a 1″ – 2″ hole for inverting}.  Then I inverted my ornament so the right sides were out, stuffed it with batting and sewed my hole closed {Can I confess? I was not looking forward to hand sewing 24 holes closed so I used my hot glue gun ~ so much faster!  I just can’t really throw them in the wash}.  Finally I stitched a button onto each ornament.  The pocket in the back hid my knot and stitch work.

Now all that is left is to add our Random Acts of Kindness tasks for December.  We started doing a RAK Advent Calendar last year and the boys really got it.  You know?

I love that we give in service to our community as a family with these activities.  And really teach our children that it’s not about what we getduring the holidays but what we give.

Here are some of the tasks that we did last year:

{keep in mind these are uber simplified for toddlers}

Share a special toy with your brother

Say hello and smile at everyone you meet today
Paint a picture for GG
Put money in the salvation army cup
Invite a friend over for dinner
Find the home with the best Christmas lights and bring them a thank you card
Take in someones garbage cans
Leave kind notes for daddy all over the house
Call Meme and tell her that you love her
Draw a picture of the nativity
Make a gift for your brother
Deliver gifts to preschool teacher
Help mommy carry in groceries
Draw a picture on a card and leave it for the mail man
Decorate cookies and deliver them to a friend/ person in need
Make an ornament for Grandma
Sing Christmas carols
Compliment a stranger
Visit someone elderly
Help mommy wrap gifts
Help clear the table after dinner
Give doggy treats to Max.
Film a movie, thanking Jesus

I made scalloped circles with my Cuttlebug, numbers with my Cricut and glued them to wooden clothes pins.  I’m thinking of having the boys hang each one of these on the Christmas tree after we have completed each task.  What do you think?  I’ll let you know how it goes!