Celebrate the Season Finale of Craft Wars with a HUGE Contest!

This Tuesday night TLC is airing the LAST TWO episodes of Craft Wars!
On Aug 21at 8/7c pm the "Blinded by the Light" episode will air. Then at 11/10c pm the FINAL CRAFT WARS EPISODE "Pilgrim Plumbing" will air with a special guest host (Producer Steve Piacenza).

To celebrate the end of the show, the producers (Cathie and Steve) are hosting a giant giveaway! This grand-prize package is worth $800.00 and it is loaded with tons of supplies to get your creative juices flowing! They also have 5 bonus prizes, provided by Craft Wars contestants, worth more than $150.00.

If you aren't familiar with Cathie and Steve, you can find them on Facebook and on Twitter (@cathiefilian). You can even follow their live tweets during both shows using #Craft Wars. OK, back to the BIG giveaway.....

Since the use of glitter has been such a trend on Craft Wars, it seems completely fitting that you could win this huge collection of Cathie Filian glitter.

There are also TONS of Mod Podge products in the prize.

I had never used these glue gun mats and glue spreaders until I went on Craft Wars and now I LOVE them! I may have to use some of my Craft Wars winnings to buy myself one!

Along with the glitter, you also win a bunch of sparkly gems.

Seriously, there is TOO MUCH stuff for me to showcase it all! For full details on all the prizes (along with an explanation of the contest rules and regulations) go to Cathie Filian's website (Cathie and Steve Like to Make Things). OK Back to the prizes....

There are MULTIPLE ways to enter:

1. Leave a comment right here, right now, on this post, on MY BLOG! (Be sure to leave contact info in your comment, as Cathie Filian will collect the comments to select a winner and even though I might know you she does not!)

2. Leave a comment on Cathie Filian's website telling her what you want to craft next. (Make sure you leave contact info!)

3. Posting twitter shot-outs with a link to Cathie's website- @cathiefilian #craftgiveaway will count as 1 entry.

4. Facebook shares with a link to Cathie's website will also count as 1entry.

5. Between now and Tuesday other Craft Wars contestants (#Craft Wars Vets) will be posting on their blogs about the show. Leave a comment on each their CRAFT WARS posts to enter. (Not all the posts are live yet...so keep checking back to enter.) One comment counts as an entry on each of the following blogs.

Margot Potter The Impatient Crafter (Margot Potter)
HandMAKE My Day (Andrea Currie)
All Things Luci Rae (Traci Remley)
Lisa Liza Lou (Lisa Fulmer)
Ten Seconds Studio (Megan Darrow)
radmegan (Megan Andersen)
Nikki In Stitches (Nickki
Foo Foo La La (Pattye Duffner)
Mindful Making (Marylena Seigney)
And don't forget to comment on THIS POST on MY BLOG (Liddy B and Me)

Thank you Cathie and Steve for this amazing giveaway AND for the opportunity to appear on (and win) the premier episode of Craft Wars! Best wishes to all who enter to win the loot!

Cloth Diapers

Last week I began using my stash of gdiapers on Joshua! We bought a selection of gdiapers for Lydia because because they were a hybrid and advertised that you could flush or even compost the soiled part and then wash the cute cloth cover.

Somewhere in my research, I discovered that the flushable liners to the gdiapers would reek havoc on our septic tank (they should be fine for non septic tank set ups). Fortunately, I also learned that I could purchase cloth liners to use in place of the flushable inserts. I opted for the gdiapers because I liked the idea if being able to use cloth most of the time and still have the option for flushable if I was out and about (and did not want to carry poo soaked liners with me all day).

I was still a little overwhelmed about exactly where to begin and what to do with the cloth diapers in terms of storing, soaking, and washing them. A new friend was very kind and invited me into her home to check out her cloth diapering set up and that made a HUGE difference in my decision that I could try it.

In an attempt to do something similar, here is a look at my diapering set up. I don't do cloth all the time, so I am set up for both cloth and disposable. Due to space issues, our changing table is in a bathroom that is right next to the nursery. It works great for cloth because I do have access to running water if needed, but I mostly operate without needing to soak anything (more on that later).

On my changing table, I have one bin full of disposable diapers and one that is full of cloth.

My cloth set up consists of about 5 gdiaper covers and 20 or so washable liners. I will usually have 2 covers that I alternate between on a given day. I will pre-load a liner in a cover so that it is ready for me when a change is needed, making it closer to the disposable experience. Then AFTER the diaper change, I pull the soiled liner out of the recently used cover, send the liner off to the wash pile, and re-load the cover with a new liner. It's a few extra steps that I do NOT want to tackle while hoping that baby doesn't pee on me!

Here is a quick look at the gdiaper construction. They consist of a fabric cover (left) with Velcro closures and a snap in waterproof liner (right). The other thing that you can see here is the difference between the "old" gdiaper's sizing and the "new" style. I don't know how long ago they made the style change from old to new. I bought my gdiapers four years ago and I bought used ones (from a website called diaperswapper). At the time EBay had rules against selling used cloth diapers. The idea never bothered me (they get sanitized in the wash) and I saved a ton of money! Anyway, the old style is pretty old by now, but if you run across them, they are about a half size smaller than the new style gdiapers. The other issue is that the snaps for the waterproof liners changed so I can't mix those between styles.

Other than that, the old and the new work the same way. They Velcro closed so that part is very similar to using disposables. They do Velcro in the BACK so that takes a little getting used to, but means that baby can't unfasten his own diaper as easy.

OK, back to the set up. When I change a gdiaper, I toss the soiled liner into a large trash can that is lined with a special "wet bag". I do NOT have water or anything in this bag and I don't normally soak the cloth diapers. (when baby gets bigger and poo becomes more solid I may shake it off into the toilet but thats it) The wet bag is lined to make it water proof, so diaper moisture (and smells) are contained. It will get stinky if left too long, but with my set up I need to wash every 2-3 days to not run out of covers or liners and that is about the time limit on my bag getting stinky. (I also have a smaller regular trash can near the changing table for baby wipes and disposable diapers to be thrown away) When it is time to wash, I take the wet bag out of the trash can and turn it inside out into the washing machine. I then wash the cloth diapers AND the wet bag on a normal cycle (usually hot water). I haven't had any problems with detergent build up and I even sometimes wash diapers with clothing and everything comes out fine. I also dry my diapers without any problems, but I try to remove the waterproof gdiaper part before drying just to help them last longer.

I try to use cloth diapers as much as possible when we are at home. When we go out I sometimes use disposables. If we aren't going to be out for long and I want to use the cloth, I have a travel sized wet bag. This works the same as the big bag near my changing table. It just means that when I change a gdiaper while out, the dirty liner goes in this wet bag and stays there until I get home. The clean covers and several clean liners must be stored in my diaper bag and the whole system takes up a bit more space than disposable, making it easier to commit to for short outings.

Finally, when I started this four years ago, using cloth liners in gdiapers was relatively novel. I only found a few places selling cloth liners that fit my gdiapers. Today, even gdiapers sell a cloth liner. Even more exciting, you can find DIY tutorials for making your own cloth liners! The tutorial on See Kate Sew is particularly nice if you are interested.

In closing, here is one of the few pictures that I have of Lydia in a gdiaper. Sadly, it is also a picture of her annoying herniated umbilical chord! The gdiapers had nothing to do with the hernia and (thankfully) it was healed relatively quickly!

A Fire Fighter Fifth Birthday Party!

A very close friend is throwing a Fireman Themed Party for her soon to be Five year old daughter (so technically I suppose it is a Fire Girl party?). Anyway, I LOVE party prep and would be happy to dive in and help, but the party is the same weekend as Joshua's baptism. I won't be much help the weekend of the party, so I thought I would gather a few of my favorite ideas AND explain how even a crafting newbie can get great results without much effort.

The first hurdle to any great party is choosing a location. My friend happens to have a GREAT location. Her husband has been a firefighter so she is able to have her party at the local fire station! With a location like that she won't need much decorating. If you aren't so lucky as to have access to a fire house of your own, I recommend sticking to a fiery color scheme and make a focal point of your main food table or activity area. I love the mix of colors and patterns in the image found on Stop, Drop, and Blog.

I recommend covering a wall or two in paper that fits your theme. I love the brick paper used on the buffet shown below from Crazy for Design. A 50ft roll of brick paper used to cover bulletin boards can be found for around $15. Or you can simply buy wrapping paper in your party colors (I would suggest red, orange, yellow, black, or maybe polka dots or stripes in those colors) and use it like I did here.

I like to continue the color scheme as far as I can and the food is often an easy next step, especially at a kid's party where you can get away with lots of candy (which can always be found in specific colors). Any candy (or food) in red, orange, yellow, black, white, or silver will add to the decorations but also fill your guest's little tummies. Walk the candy aisle of your favorite store just looking at packaging and colors, for example Reeses Pieces are the perfect fire colors. I would also play up the theme as much as possible, using food in the color scheme that also have (or can be given) names that fit the theme. For a fire party I would serve Red Hots and Hot Tamales candies in snack sized packages with the original packaging. Red and yellow sweet peppers would be an easy color fit for a veggie tray. Coke, Diet Coke, Coke Zero all come in cans that fit the fire color scheme. (image below from Amy Atlas)

Hot Dogs would also be a great choice but with a sign emphasizing the word hot with flames or something. (For Lydia's 4 and Fabulous party I did something similar, but wrote "Haute Dogs") Doritos and barbecue potato chips, either in a bowl or in individual size packages, would fit both the colors and the fire theme. Finally, I would make some signs giving foods theme related names. Pretzel sticks can be labled match sticks. Licorice could be firefighter ropes. Squiggly straws to drink out of can be fire hoses. Tootsie rolls could have a sign that says "stop, drop, and roll"! Water bottles can have labels that say "fire extinguishers". You can easily print one sign for each item to place in front of or on the food container. Play up the theme by adding coordinating ribbon like in the image below.

Fire hats and badges are a must for this party. If you aren't up for cooking, I would check into buying a party tray or two of sandwiches from Firehouse Subs and ask them to throw in free hats for all the kids (they give them away at the restaurant). Otherwise, you can order hats for around $1 each and fire badges for less than $1 each. Or you could print this free badge template onto sticker paper and let the kids color their own badges. If you are computer savvy, you could customize your own badge stickers, or order customizable stickers like the one below available here.

If I were to suggest one semi-homemade project it would be adding candy "fire" to cupcakes. The cakes could even be store bought if you aren't feeling up to making a lot of stuff. Then it is really easy to melt hard candies, let them cool, and break them to look like flames. Really, no artistic ability needed! (full set of directions here)

Finally, there are lots of fire themed printables available, both through party websites and fire prevention sites. Check out the Free fire themed maze shown above . Here is a fire truck coloring page with room for the kids to draw themselves in the window. Here is a cute fire truck printable. It was meant to be for a bingo game, but could also be used for name tags if cut apart. If you are feeling a little crafty, check out this free multi page printable to make a 3D paper fire truck!

Activities for a fire themed party are easy if your location is a fire station. Ask if the kids can climb inside the truck, turn on a siren, take a spin on the fire pole, or have a firefighter talk to the kids. Otherwise, you could play a fire themed version of Simon Says where the kids stop, drop, and roll but only if the fire fighter says. If your location has a second story, find or make a net and have a grown up drop stuffed animals for the fire fighters in training to practice catching. Finally, an outdoor water game relay race, where you fill a large bucket of water by running smaller cups of water back and forth would be fun. Tryout a few of these ideas and with minimal effort, you're guaranteed one "hot" party!

Craft Wars Inspired Day Bed Makeover

Last week's episode of Craft Wars found the contestants designing a bedroom using the mystery ingredient, zippers. I only had one day to work on an "inspired by" craft and had zero extra zippers laying around.

What I did have was a very messy day bed! We bought this bed when Lydia moved out of the crib and into what, up until that moment, had been our guest bed. The day bed was a great deal on Craigslist and, some day, it will move into the new addition we are constructing. But for now, it has been shoved into the nursery. Not having a permanent home yet, it also didn't get much thought in terms of its covers... And it shows!

For now, the day bed sits opposite our beautiful vintage circus crib. Now that there is a baby occupying the nursery again, I really wanted to make a bedspread for the day bed to help it look more like a cohesive part of this room.

If you haven't tackled a bedspread, they aren't that difficult. Most are just a large rectangle, with the most difficult part being the large size. This bed is a twin, so one width of my fabric fit the width of the mattress and that is where I started. I cut a piece of fabric just a tiny bit larger than the top of the mattress.

Next, I cut a long rectangle band that was as tall as the mattress was thick and long enough the sew it to three of the sides of my initial rectangle. (I am leaving one end of the bedspread open to make it easier to sleep under when needed) My fabric wasn't long enough so I had to cut a couple of long rectangle pieces, sew them to make a really long rectangle, and then sew them to the top piece.

I made another long rectangle to be the skirt of the bedspread. I sewed it to the bottom edge of the first long rectangle and the bedspread was essentially finished. It isn't lined at this point, but when I do that I will just repeat the same process and then sew the outside and the inside lining together.

I didn't want all the messy throw pillows on the day bed, but it needed something to create more of a couch feeling. I had just enough fabric to make three small pillows for the back of the bed. I think I only have three hours invested in the sewing of this project, which makes it definitely worthy of a Craft Wars challenge! More importantly, I now have a beautiful day bed worthy of our vintage circus nursery!

Check out what some of the other Craft Wars contestants were inspired to make this week.

Margot Potter made a retro-fabulous lampshade.

Andrea Curry made a cute zipper pillow.

Pattye showcased some lamps in her Foo Foo La La shop.

Safety City

Growing up, I remember my mom taking us kids to a "safety town" where we learned all about traffic signs by driving pedal cars around kid sized buildings. I was aware that our city had one, but just learned that in the summer there are a few days when it is open to the public.

By the time I felt organized and recovered enough to venture out with Lydia and baby, our Safety City was about to have its LAST public day of the summer. It was crowded, but I am SO glad we made it!

The "town" is full of miniature versions of Knoxville businesses and landmarks, including a small sized Sunspere!

Because we have a gravel driveway at our house, Lydia doesn't get a lot of time to practice on her bike. She also hasn't had many reasons to learn the rules of "driving" on a real road with stop signs, red lights, and intersections.

When we arrived, I had that realization that I might need to follow her and help her. To her credit, Lydia had other plans! She took off and told me "No Grownups!"

No Grownups, that is, until she needed a drink and her shoe tied!

Thanks Safety City for a really fun day! See you next year!

Four and Fabulous Portraits

More than a month after her birthday, we have finally gotten to the portrait studio to take Lydia's birthday photos.  I like having a good picture of her each year, but his year I also wanted a picture of the birthday outfit that I made for her.  Somehow with all the excitement at her party, I didn't get a good shot of it.

The good thing about taking these pictures AFTER her party, is that we had a bunch of gift bags to use in the pictures!

 I also brought along some extra feather boas from the party swag bags.

It wasn't much to carry into the studio, but it gave Lydia several things to interact with in the pictures.

Sibling Portraits

 We went back to JC Penney's Portrait Studio again today!  We were in the studio last week for Joshua's newborn portraits.  I was supposed to take Lydia in for her birthday pictures in early July, but Joshua's early birth changed those plans.  As long as we were rescheduling the birthday photos, I brought along a change of clothing (OK, I totally forgot the extra outfit and had to buy a new white shirt and skirt at Penney's) and had some sibling pictures taken. Unlike our usual photo sessions, these did not require any extra props.  I did search the internet and found a few poses that I liked to suggest to the photographer.  I am SO in love with these photos.  I won't even try to comment on them.  I'm speechless (and head over heals in love with my kids)!