DIY Crib Skirt

One of the unintended results from the curtain adventure was that I ended up with a fair bit of fabric left over.  Not knowing for sure how the process would go I bought more than I needed of the generic blue fabric just to be on the safe side.  I figured worst case scenario many mistakes were made but hopefully working curtains were created and best case scenario I would end up with leftover scraps I could make into a coordinating crib skirt.

A crib skirt was always one of the aspects of the nursery that I didn't have strong feelings on.  I looked up various ideas of how to make my own but figured it it came down to the wire it really wasn't a big deal and I certainly wasn't going to buy one.  Needless to say I was very pleased when I found this tutorial from View Along The Way (yes, the same blog where I found the curtain tutorial...perhaps you should check it out?...) which didn't use all that much fabric and would be easy to make in an afternoon.  Here is how that process went.

Blackout Curtains Made Not-So-Easy

This is a tale of curtains gone awry and then promptly, against all hope, brought back to life.  It's a tale where everything was going so well until it wasn't.  Where a very pregnant woman would not let go of her dream to make blackout curtains for the nursery.  Particularly not when she'd been holding onto a cut of fabric for 6 months and a move.  Not even when the move resulted in a window a completely different size then she'd measured for the cut of fabric she bought online.  No, she was going to make Fidget blackout curtains regardless of time, energy, and money.  She would recommend that you not be like her.  This is the tale of those curtains.

February/March In Review

Let's just jump in shall we?

February was taken up pretty exclusively with getting ready for Fidget's arrival which involved lots of complicated baking endeavors to pass the time.  Think homemade Oreos and Oatmeal Creme Pies.

On February 8th at 12:51pm Fidget arrived on the scene making the last 2 months a whirlwind of stress, exhaustion, fun, crying, love, and wonderment.  I present to you gratuitous baby pictures.

Diaper Bag Insert

Here we are with April quickly closing in and I can't believe that Fidget is already 6 weeks old and we're figuring out this whole life with a baby thing.  At times pregnancy seems like it was just yesterday and other times it feels like a lifetime ago.  Time and how we experience it can be such a mystery.  

One of my favorite parts of getting out of the house with Fidget, aside from leaving the house of course, is grabbing my diaper bag.  I absolutely LOVE this bag!  Early on I knew that a regular diaper bag probably wasn't for me, I didn't want something super girly or that screamed diaper bag.  I also thought it would be nice if it was something that The Husband wouldn't mind carrying.  Because of this I began looking for ways to either make a diaper bag from scratch, something where I could pick the fabrics used, or use a bag I already have.  That's when I settled upon using my all-time favorite bag.  This leather Fossil bag was what I used when I was a teacher and I absolutely love it!  The only issue was that the bag itself wasn't washable should a bottle leak, wet clothes get thrown in, etc.; I mean, sure, small leaks could be mopped up from the inside but anything big might pose a problem.  That's where the idea of creating my own insert formulated and that's the tutorial I bring to you today.

How To Hide A Doorway

Hi there!  I know, it's been a while.  I really did have every intention of posting earlier but there's been this cute little girl in my life (hereafter affectionately referred to as Fidget) taking up a fair bit of my time over the last 5 weeks. :)  This time there won't be any promises.  I sincerely hope to be back to posting regularly as Fidget is beginning to have some semblance of a routine, although I fully realize that by saying that I've jinxed myself into having no discernible routine over the next couple of days.

I still have a number of tutorials related to the nursery and baby things but today I wanted to bring you something a little different.  If you've spent time renting an apartment or house you may have found yourself with the odd doorway that you'd like to cover but want to do it inexpensively.  I'm here to tell you that all you need is an extra bed sheet and a tension rod!

January in Review

Hopefully all of you have come to the end of January feeling like the year is off to a good start!  I know that around here January both felt like the longest month and at times the shortest in a long time.  I suppose this is what happens when you're getting the finishing touches in place for a nursery and know that there could be a little person in your home any week now.

Coupon Without The Crazy: Stockpiling With Sanity

How did this past week go for you?  Are you still seeing some savings?  Starting to figure out what the process might look like for you?  Don't be afraid to try something, scratch it, and try something else!  If you missed the first part about downloading coupons you can find that here, if you're wanting a refresher course on paper coupons that can be found here, and if you're feeling totally confused as to how to put those into practice you can find practical ideas on how to create a grocery list here.

So stockpiling.  I can just imagine many of you telling me how you don't have space, you don't have the budget, you have reasons that you can't stockpile.  Remember how we're trying to do this whole coupon thing without going crazy?  Well that includes stocking up!  Since I've been using coupons The Husband and I have lived in two different apartments neither of which has had a ton of storage space and I have the pictures to prove it!

But let's start at the beginning.

Coupon Without The Crazy: Efficient Shopping Made Easy

How are you all doing this week?  Are you starting to see some savings by shopping normally with a couple of coupons or at least seeing the potential?  I hope so!  If you missed the first part about downloading coupons you can find that here, if you're wanting a refresher course on paper coupons that can be found here.

So now that you have a couple weeks behind you of downloading coupons and you've got some printed out the next step is to use them.  This should be the easiest step right?  Almost!  As with the previous two weeks I'm only walking you through what I do and the things that have made this the easiest for me.  Take what you find and mold it until it works for you.  Let's go!

Coupon Without The Crazy: It's All About The Paper

How did grocery shopping go for everyone this past week?  Were you able to save a bit just by looking for online coupons?  If you missed last weeks post on downloading coupons you can find that information here.  This week I want to focus on paper coupons.  This can easily be the part of couponing people find overwhelming, time consuming, and generally hate inducing.  Just like last week my only goal is to walk you through my own process and give you one example of how to do it.  Shall we begin?

Coupon Without The Crazy: Where To Start?

Last year, shortly after the new year began I started fooling around with the idea of using coupons.  I was already pretty good at looking for online coupons for free shipping and such but I had never delved into paper coupons and the grocery store.  I spent many days reading different how-to's and other bloggers experiences with couponing, learning different ways to organize it all, what the lingo meant, and watching episodes of Extreme Couponing on Netflix.  To be honest it all seemed a little crazy and intimidating.

I've now been using coupons for almost a year and have saved over $600 in the last 4 months alone.  I want to spend the rest of January sharing my process with you.  I won't have every possible place to find coupons or every way to store them and your groceries but you will see exactly what I do every week to make grocery shopping easy without taking up a lot of time or space.  My hope is that you'll come away at the end of January inspired to put your own spin on things and figure out what works for you without going crazy in the process.