the softest stuffed puppy in the universe

I'll admit, my son has a lot of toys, so I didn't expect much from this little stuffed puppy. But this little guy is one of his current favorites! He's so soft and snuggly, easy for him to grab and stuff into his mouth. Thankfully my sister still had the pattern for this pup and he was surprisingly easy to make!

I made mine out of my favorite soft cotton t-shirt that I wore when I was pregnant with him. I also made a puppy to look like the Blue's Clues pup out of old receiving blankets!

All you'll need is your pattern, scissors, pins, buttons for the eyes, and some fabric. *The link to the pattern is in the wrong format so I'll have it uploaded ASAP!* I recommend using a contrast fabric for the ears but it's not necessary.

First, lay out your pattern and cut. Each piece should say how many cuts you need of it. Just keep in mind when cutting you need one cut of a patterned side and one of the underside.

First sew the bottom pieces together. Just stitch along the top flat side.

Next, pin the bottom to the sides. So really think about how you're pinning here... it took me a little bit to make sure I had it right! Make sure patterned sides are together! Pin the back up toward the tail and the front at the neck as far as they'll go and stitch. Do the same on the other side.

Pin the sides together and stitch from the tail up to the back of the neck. Make sure to leave the neck open to attach the head.

Prepare your head. I like to cut the slits in the ears by folding over the pattern and lining up the scissors. Keep in mind that the slits are going to be a little thinner than the ears to create a little fold.

Make your ears. Patterned sides together again, then flip them inside out.

I like to attach my ears before stitching the head, but you can always do it after attaching the middle piece. Double stitch along the whole seam.

Pin the head together and stitch. I usually add my eyes and nose at this point as well. Button eyes are cute, you can also use felt or beads. Just hand stitch Now all you need to do is attach the head to the body and stitch leaving a small opening at the neck to stuff. I like Poly Fil because it's super smooshy.

So stuff, stitch, and let the joy ensue.

Boppy cover from old receiving blankets

One thing I quickly learned when I became a parent is that I had multiple things I did not need and not enough of what I did need. Specifically, I had gotten a lot of receiving blankets at my shower and I honestly couldn't tell you when I really had a use for them. My son refused to be swaddled and they're much too thin to use as an actual blanket, so there sat a pile of unused blankets in the corner of his room. But they were so cute! The good news is they are basically nothing more than strips of soft fabric just waiting to be repurposed.

There were so many possibilities with these blankets, but I decided to make mine into new Boppy covers. We use the Boppy a lot in our house for feeding and just lounging around and between diaper blowouts and messy eaters, one cover was definitely not enough. I wasn't about to spend $40 on a new one at the store either! This was so much easier to make than I thought it would be.

First, you'll need to either print this pattern or use an old cover as a guideline. Pick out two receiving blankets that compliment each other. I liked this little embroidered elephant with the polka dots, and the zoo print is what we brought our son home from the hospital in! Every time I see it, it makes me smile and the blue polka dots are relaxing so it was a no brainer. Grab some scissors, pins, and if you choose to print the pattern you'll need that too.

Next, you'll need to either cut out your pattern, pin it to your blankets and cut OR stack your blankets and use your old cover as a guideline.

I recently made this spaceship cover so I used it as a guideline. If you're going this route, pin it to your blankets and cut along the outside. It's not necessary, but I would recommend making the underside about an inch and a half wider than the top. This makes the outcome a little nicer looking in my opinion.

If you've gone the route that I have, make sure to cut the underside in half so you can slip the pillow in afterwards.

Pin the right sides together, allowing a slight overlap in the middle on the underside. Then, snip about a half inch in every inch around the perimeter of the cover. This will allow a better fit at the end.

Simply stitch with a half inch inseam, double stitching at the middle where the opening is. Now, I leave the ends the way they are so it allows for easy removal and I'm not a perfectionist so the unfinished look is fine with me. You can also add velcro to ensure closure, buttons, or even a zipper--whatever your personal choice is!

Enjoy your new cover and, hopefully, a little freed space in baby's closet! :)

concert t-shirt to hanging memory

I spent most of time and money in my late teens and early twenties at concerts. This has left me with an over abundance of concert t-shirts that will most likely never get worn again. So instead of letting them get wrinkled and collect dust in my closet, I decided to put my musical escapades on display by making them into art!

This is just as simple as it looks. Find a picture frame that's big enough to fit the part of the t-shirt you want to display.

Use the frame insert as a stencil to cut and simply place it in the frame.

Forget spending tons of money on concert posters, this is much cuter, more compact and allows enough room to create a whole gallery.

upcycle tip #1 -- fabric on a budget

One of my favorite crafting tools is my sewing machine. I can and have spent hours at a time at my sewing machine. One thing you'll quickly learn as a sewer is that fabric is not cheap. Even with coupons and sale prices it can add up pretty quickly. So here's few ways to get the best fabric without breaking the bank:

1. Shop the plus size sale racks at your favorite clothing store. That's right. You can actually get really great bargains if you shop in the right section. Some stores have $1 racks or closeout deals on imperfect items. Though it might not be something you'd normally purchase, look at the fabric instead of the item itself. Get the largest size you can find of a fabric that appeals to you and you'll get much more that what you'd pay for in the craft store. For instance, the Old Navy near me always has a $1.97 rack. I always buy out the XXL tops in some cute patterns and super soft fabrics!

2. Shop the remnants section. Most fabric stores will sell the end of the fabric roll, usually about a yard or so, for about 70% off the normal price. I've found some great deals on quality fabric this way.

3. Check out the thrift store. I like to shop the curtains, sheets, and used clothing racks for anything that's still in good condition. Buy a large size, throw it in the washing machine and you've got yourself some new fabric to work with!

4. Shop your closet. Have an old top you can't seem to part with but will never wear again? Make it into something new that you can use again. My favorite craft is making old concert t-shirts into throw pillows so that they're on display instead of balled up in my closet collecting dust.

Keep these tips in mind and remember that crafting doesn't mean you have to break the bank at the craft store. Chances are, you've got almost everything you need to make something new right under your nose! Happy crafting!

The art of upcycling

About a year ago, I moved for what seemed like the hundredth time and was tired of lugging around bins and boxes of things that I never used but couldn't seem to part with. I'd been holding onto concert t-shirts that would never be worn again, maternity shirts for whenever the next baby decided to come, and tiny sentimental trinkets that had no place in my home. Rather than let these things collect dust and waste money on new items, I decided to sift through my items and try to find a few to repurpose or "upcycle" my old treasures into new treats.

So what does "upcycling" mean exactly? Well, it can be a variety of things--crafting on a budget, making old things new again, putting seemingly useless items back into the use cycle--take your pick! Whatever your definition of the term is, I hope you find some of my ideas useful!