Spring Coupon Code -- And A Sneak Peek!!

Yesterday was the first day of Spring! Yay!! I love Spring. The birds are out, the winter storms {not that I worry about those being in Southern California} are gone for the most part, and the world just smells fresh and new! 

To celebrate this wonderful time of year I have a special coupon code for ya! 


It is valid on both regular and sale priced items... so stock up on those Spring and Summer essential fabrics for all your sewing and crafting projects! 

Here are a couple of my favorite Spring fabrics:


Baby Pink Small Chevron - $8.75 per yard




Ombre Yellow Dots - $7.25 per yard




Medium Green Dots - $8.75 per yard


Orange Ombre Dots - $7.25 per yard



Plus lots, LOTS more!!! I am hoping to be able to share some Spring sewing and crafting ideas here on the blog... but with about 7 weeks until this little baby is due... we will have to see... 

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Plus I have some NEW FABRIC COMING NEXT WEEK: 




Nursery Update: Muslin Crib Sheets and Changing Pad Covers - How To

If you have ever felt or owned anything by Aden and Anais you know how fantastic their products are. My first experience with them was about 2 years ago when baby #3 was born. I splurged and bought a package of their swaddle blankets. My daughter lived in them for several months!!! We still use them today (she's almost 20 months old). Well, one purchase led to another and so on until we now have a couple crib sheets and a couple changing pad covers. BUT, they can be pretty pricey {even when using coupons or shopping the clearance section -- which I do frequently!}.

This time around I am planning ahead. I tried my hand at making my own sheets and changing pad covers using the same soft muslin that Aden and Anais uses. The difference!?!? It only comes in solid colors... and it's WAY CHEAPER! It is also not called Muslin here in the US... that's an entirely different kind of fabric. Here it is known as cotton gauze... but it's exactly the same stuff!

I bought mine here at fabric.com. There are lots of colors to choose from and it is soft and easy to work with. Plus at less than $4 a yard it's totally worth experimenting with if you are looking to save some money! As always if you have at least $35 in your cart your fabric ships for free!

Here is how my changing pad cover turned out. I used the gauze in turquoise for this one.

{Here is the tutorial for the changing pad cover.}


"Quilt-a-Long Series": Baby Quilt - Assignment 5: Quilting and Binding

Last week you finished creating your quilt sandwich {the layers of your backing, batting, and top}.


This week we are going to be working on actually quilting our baby quilt. You can do this several different ways, but the most popular are to "tie" it or to machine quilt it. I will be sharing how to machine quilt your baby quilt in this post. If you are interested in simply tie-ing your quilt you can search the internet or youtube for instructions. Tied baby quilt are super cute, but since I can machine quilt I prefer to use that method so that I can save my fingers from the tie-ing process, and I think it makes a really neat finished product! 

A Couple Pregnancy Memories and My Top 6 Baby Must Haves!!

I have been feverishly researching and gathering up all my baby basics for baby #4 that is on the way! If there are any new mommies out there... congrats! If you are expecting.. then I hope your pregnancy, delivery, and recovery go very well! I have been lucky with my last three kiddos not to have any major complications.

First off, I thought I would share a couple fun facts about my pregnancies...

Labor stats:
first pregnancy - Woke up in labor at 4am and it lasted about 16 hours from start to finish.
second pregnancy - I didn't know I was in labor -- and it was only about 4 hours from the time I realized it until he was born.
third pregnancy - I was induced. Once they started pitocin it was only about 6 hours until she was born.

Funny stories:
first pregnancy -
I was a big advocate for laboring at home! My husband and I went to Costco and to Target while I was in labor stocking up on last minute essentials and getting me out walking to keep labor going! I checked into the hospital around 4:30pm. Around 7 I was in excruciating pain {as we all know labor is} and decided to turn on my all-time favorite show at the time to try and distract me -- Jeopardy! While I cried and my sweet hubby fed me ice chips, I told the nurses how much pain I was in. Their response "Well, you can't be in that much pain if you are watching tv!" Ummm... okay, an hour later my little girl was born. So... take that nurses! She was born completely naturally... not epidural at all! OUCH!


second pregnancy -
I had been having contractions on and off for weeks so it wasn't alarming at all to me that I was having them again. By 11:30 pm as I was getting ready to go to bed I realized that these were more than the simple braxton hicks contractions. I woke up my husband and said, "I think we need to go to the hospital." His response, "You're fine, just go to bed and they will go away!" I repeated again... that we needed to go... NOW! The hospital was about 30 minutes away and we had to drop my daughter off at my parents house... Thankfully our bags were packed. We got to the hospital around 12:30am and begged for the epidural. It was in place a little less than an hour before my little guy was ready to be born. At least it took the edge off the pain a little. The midwife told me to start pushing ... but my husband had gone out to the lobby to talk to him mom. As I start pushing a ask a nurse "politely" to please go find my husband!!!! He walked in just as our little guy was being born. Yah... he will never live that one down! Talking to his mom instead of being with me... :/


third pregnancy -
I had major sciatic pain with this one because I carried her so low! At times I thought she would pop out when I sneezed or coughed! Seriously. I was past my due date and so uncomfortable that I was induced. The flabotomists (sp?) had a tough time with IV's and I came out like a pin cushion. They even got me in a nerve in my hand ... that was fun...
My husband working on his computer for all but the last hour of my labor. I got an epidural with this one but it wasn't in full effect when she was born. She was crowning and the Dr. wasn't even at the hospital yet. As much as I wanted to freak out I couldn't.. and the nurses kept reassuring me that they could deliver the baby if they needed to. At that point I didn't really care, because baby was coming no matter what! The Dr. showed up just in time to catch our little girl. While being stitched up I said, "ouch!" The Dr. looked at me, puzzled, and said, "I thought you had an epidural?" The nurses told her that it was hardly in effect... so she numbed me up. Thanks doc!


So.... I wonder what adventures lay ahead with this little guy... only 9 weeks or so and I will find out!! Anyone else have fun labor and delivery stories!?! 

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Okay... now for the fun part... getting ready for baby! As an experienced mom of 3.5 I have had lots of time to experiment with baby products out there. In my 7 years of having babies in the home I have seen a lot of products come and go.. some good, some not so good... but I have compiled a list of my BABY MUST HAVES. It doesn't include everything but these are some of the goodies I have that I LOVE!!! 



1. Ergo Carrier - I used a Baby Bjorn with my first two... and it never really felt comfortable. With my third I did some more research and wised up to Ergo. I took the plunge and bought one at Target and I never regretted the money spent! My little one was so snug and comfy in there and it has so much back support that you almost don't know you are wearing it! It has a hood that tucks into the front pocket so that you can keep the sun off baby's face. It also lets you nurse while wearing it -- though I never really got the hang of that. I bought the newborn insert and ended up not using it very much. I have big babies so it didn't take long for her to be able to use the carrier as is. In short... LOVE IT!! 

2. Solly Baby Wrap - This is new to me this pregnancy... but I'm already in love! Once baby is here I will keep you updated on baby wearing. I wish these had been around as much when my second was born because I think he would have LIVED in it! This wrap is super soft, all organic, very lightweight, holds up to 25 lbs. of baby, and comes in super cute colors!! It is designed to work for you and baby all year round -- because it is light weight -- so that you don't sweat in the summer wearing it!

3. Bebe Au Lait Nursing Cover - After attempting to make some of my own, I bought one of these with a coupon at Babies R Us. The ones I would make covered me up just fine, but I couldn't get the size of the neck opening just the right size so that I could still see baby. This one is PERFECT! I love that it folds up nice and small in my diaper bag so that I can take it everywhere with me. It is also machine washable.... BIG PLUS for this mama!! It is plenty big to cover everything too! Love, LOVE, LOVE!!!

4. Boppy Nursing Pillow - I know there are lots of different pillows out there... and really any good nursing pillow is a must have.. I just happen to have this one. It is small enough to not take up tons of space in the house/bedroom and you can make or buy slipcovers to make it easier if you have a particularly spitty-uppy baby (as one of mine was). I have bought a waterproof cover for mine that I keep on the pillow all the time. Then the cute slipcover goes on top of that. It protects the pillow from any spit up so that it only gets on the cover and doesn't soak into the pillow itself! MUST HAVE!!!

5. KdBuggie Chenille Burp Cloths - Yes, I know I'm a little biased here because I make and sell these... but I have tried just about every kind of burp cloth out there: cloth diapers, flannel, terry cloth, cotton, muslin, my shirt.... anyways, these are the VERY BEST when it comes to burp cloths. They are 100% cotton, preshrunk so they don't get any smaller, and come in so many cute prints. They can even be customized with the fabric of your choice or personalized with baby's name on them. They are machine washable and can go in the dryer. They get softer with each washing but stay super absorbent!!! You can message me on Etsy or send me an email {kdbuggieboutique@yahoo.com} if you have any questions about them or want to get your hands on a few.

6. Aden + Anais Swaddle Blankets - I make my own flannel receiving blankets for the winter, but my last baby was born in July in 100ºF plus weather... so flannel wasn't really an option. A friend of mine turned me on to these and I was sad I didn't find out about them until then! They are made from the softest cotton muslin and are HUGE! Even now at 18 months, my little one still snuggles with hers. We also use one to drape over the stroller while out at Disneyland to keep the sun off of her ... especially when she naps. I used them as nursing blankets when I forgot my cover and they are lightweight enough to let baby breath easy and not get to warm. They are also a little stretchy which makes it perfect for swaddling! If you have a large baby or one that wants to stay swaddled for many months... these swaddle blankets are perfect because they are so large! They can be a little pricey, but you can get good deals with coupons at Babies R Us or online through various retailers.

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Like I said... it's not a list of everything but these are my top 6 items that I have to have! What is on your MUST HAVE for baby list!?!? Did I miss anything major!?! Leave me a comment and share what you LOVE so that us moms can pick up some good ideas!! 

FREE Nursery Art Printables {for boys and girls}

Baby #4 is due in a little less than 10 weeks and I am super busy putting together a "boys" room for him and my 5 year old son. Isn't it fun how you get totally motivated to get everything done right at the most difficult part of your pregnancy!?!?

Well, it's not easy trying to fit everything we need into a room that's only 10 feet x 11 feet and has only two walls of usable storage space... but I'm trying to make it work! I went through several paper sketches... did TONS of online window shopping as well as visiting furniture stores... and have pretty much got everything together.

Two weekends ago we got a new dresser that will also function as a changing table. SCORE!  After searching for months for something that is just the right size, we finally found it! {cue angel chorus} It is a gorgeous white dresser from a local furniture store. The drawers are self closing -- oooh... ahhhh -- and comes with removable drawer dividers for the larger drawers.

The only thing missing now for the changing station was a little bit of wall decor to fill up all that open space {and the changing pad cover that I have yet to make}! Here's what I created:


Quilt-A-Long Series - Assignment 4: Building a Quilt Sandwich

Hopefully by now your quilt top is finished. YAY!! If you are just joining in on the fun be sure to scroll down to the bottom of this post for the previous assignments so you can catch up!

Now it is time for the fun part... putting together your quilt sandwich!


This week we are working on creating a quilt sandwich {a "technical" term for layering your fabrics and batting together to begin quilting}.

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You will want to start by collecting your supplies. You will need your package of batting (crib size - 45"x60") and some basting spray. I bought my packaged batting at JoAnn's with a coupon. These are my two favorite basting sprays. I get them both at JoAnn's but I'm sure you can find something similar in your local sewing supply store.



Step 1:
Iron your quilt backing fabric. This should measure 36"x43/44" (again, you do not need to have it pre-washed).


Once your fabric is really smooth and wrinkle-free, lay it right-side-down on your floor or other working space. Make sure that it lays nice and smooth.


Step 2:
Steam iron your batting (if you are using 100% cotton batting. If you are using polyester... then skip to step #3). I find that if I just lightly run my iron over the batting on the highest steam setting it smooths out the wrinkles really easily.


Once your batting is wrinkle-free, lay it down on top of your backing piece. Be sure to smooth out your batting so that it lays very flat on top of your backing.


Then using a pair of sewing scissors, trim the batting on the long side... it just makes it a little easier to work with. You can use the left over batting for a table runner or other small quilting projects later. ♥


Step 3:
Roll up the bottom half of the batting. Then use your basting spray to apply a light layer of spray to the back of your quilt backing. I generally spray half of the exposed area first, then roll down the batting half way and smooth it out.




Then spray the bottom fabric that remains and roll down and smooth out the batting. Then repeat for the top half of the batting.

When you are done your batting will be lightly glued to the backing of your quilt like this. If you pick it up gently it will stay together. 


Step 4:
Iron your quilt top. You want to be sure it is perfectly smooth. I like to use a little spray starch on my quilt tops to keep all my quilt squares in perfect place!


Then lay your quilt top down on top of your batting. You will want to be really careful to get it centered on the quilt backing as much as you can. {If you look really close you can see the outline of my backing through the batting.} 


Once you have your quilt top in place, gently roll up the bottom half and use your basting spray again to tack it down in place. I like to smooth it down starting in the center and gliding my hands towards the edges so that I make sure there are no wrinkles.


Repeat for the top half of your quilt top.


Step 5:
When you are done it should look something like this {minus the piles of fabric on the floor}. 


Take your sewing scissors and trim the excess batting. You will want to leave about an inch around the edge of your quilt top because it makes it a little easier to work with. BE SURE NOT TO CUT THROUGH YOUR BACKING FABRIC!!!


After you cut around the entire quilt it should look like this. Your quilt backing should be a couple inches larger than your quilt top on all sides.


Next week... we start quilting!!! Yay!

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In case you want or need to catch up... here are the previous assignments: