Wednesday, May 30

$5.45

Baby B and I walked to a yard sale at the park last weekend! Then we had to lug our loot home. After lugging it around the nature trail and playground first. Ha ha. Not very well planned, but it was a very fun day! Here's what we came home with:

$1.00 - Pool floaty for Gramps & Grammy's pool!

 $4.00 - A high chair booster. I've started watching one of Baby B's little friends sometimes and I wanted them to be able to eat lunch together, but not have to store a big high chair. So this was perfect!

$0.30 - Two metal lanterns that I plan to spray paint and use on the patio
$0.05 - A small metal piggy bank

 $0.10 - a small bead toy that Baby B played with in the stroller on the way home. $0.10 well spent!

 Free - a bag to carry it home in!

I strapped the highchair on top of the stroller and carried the rest of it home in my new bag. :)

The One That Got Away: A whole box of mason jars for $10. I didn't have enough money or a way to transport them, so I walked away. Then I called my sweet husband who offered to come pick them up for me! So I ran back, and saw someone else walking away with them. Fail. And my phone battery died so I couldn't even call N and tell him not to come. Double fail. But overall, still not a bad day!

What was your best find this week? Did anything get away from you?

Monday, May 28

Play Tent Tutorial


This is (I think!) the last of my birthday related posts for this year! About time, right? :) I wanted to make Baby B a tent that we could use in the backyard or around the house that was easy to put up and easy to store. I needed it to be cheap to build, as well. And I think I pulled all of those things off pretty well! This is how I did it....


Supplies:
  • 2 - 8' long 1x3 boards
  • 1 - 3/4" diameter PVC pipe
  • 2 - 3/4" PVC pipe caps
  • 2 - 3/4" PVC pipe connector-type pieces
  • 2 - 2" long screws with nuts
  • fabric - a flat sheet, table cloth, or a few yards of lightweight fabric
  • ribbon - I used about 60" total
Step 1: Cut each 1x3 in half. You will have four 4' long pieces. These will be the legs of your tent.


Step 2: (optional) Use a miter saw to cut one end of each leg at a 22 degree angle. This will make the top of your tent legs line up when the tent is open (you can see this in step 5). If you don't have a miter saw, you can skip this step and it will still turn out great!


 Step 3: Mark a spot 3" down from the highest point, centered on the board (1.25" in should be the middle).


 Step 4: Drill a hole centered on the marked spot. We found a 3/4" hole to be too snug and couldn't get the pole in, so we did a 1" hole instead and that turned out bigger than I would like. Ha ha, oops. So if you have something slightly bigger than 3/4" (like 7/8" maybe?) that would be ideal.


Step 5: Decide how long you want your tent to be, and cut your pipe to that length (a hack saw worked great for me!) I made my pole 5' long, but you can do whatever fits your space/taste. Although I probably wouldn't go any longer than 6' because I think the pipe would sag. Then slide your pipe through the holes in the legs, arranging them as shown below


 Step 6: Put the caps on the end to keep the legs from sliding off. I found that (because my holes were too big, I think) my legs also slid in toward the middle pretty badly so I searched the plumbing section of Lowe's until I found these snap-on connectors that I put on the inside of the legs to keep them in place. Problem solved.


This is your tent frame! It is good for outside like as-is, but I found that inside on the slippery floor the legs would slide open way too far. So....


Step 7: I used 2" screws with washers through each set of legs to lock them into place. That way they wouldn't move even on slippery surfaces.


Step 8: Make a cover for your tent! I used a tablecloth from the thrift store, but you could use any large piece of fabric like a sheet or curtain, or just new fabric from the bolt!


 Time-out to watch Baby B play in the dirt with a fork....


And streak by with a big stick....


Depending on your fabric, you may not need to do as much sewing as me. Basically you just need to get  all your edges finished so they won't unravel. To do that I draped my fabric over the frame to see how wide to make it. I marked the width then cut off the extra leaving 1" to finish my edge (I folded it over 1/2" then 1/2" again and sewed close to the folded edge). Then I draped it over again and marked where the bottom edges needed to end. I finished it the same as the sides (leave 1" extra on each end, fold it 1/2" then 1/2" again, sew along the folded edge).


 Step 9: Next attach some pieces of ribbon or string for tying on your tent cover. I put one on each corner and halfway up each side, as shown below. My ribbons were about 20" long.


 All done! Put on your tent cover and tie all the ribbons to attach it to the frame.


It's ready for all kinds of camping adventures!


 P.S. When you're not using it, it comes apart for easy storage! We just stash it in Baby B's closet until we need it again.


Then just wait for a certain little boy to stumble upon it....


 "Mom, what is this thing?"


 "Ooooo, it's neat!"


That campfire was Baby B's other Birthday gift. I hand-sewed the entire. thing. The things I do for Baby B! The pattern came from the book Big Little Felt Universe and I'm really happy with how it turned out (fyi, it has great projects for little boys!)! I want to make him more pieces for the camping set (and even bought the felt for it!) but this was all the hand-sewing I could take for now. :) The book recommends a wool blend felt, but to buy what I needed for the camping set it was going to cost at least $30. Yikes. So instead I went to Hobby Lobby and spent about $3 on plain old craft felt. I don't know how well it will hold up in the long run, but so far it's going strong. I just made sure not to sew to close to the edges. :)


Have you made any sweet birthday gifts lately? I'd love to hear any gift ideas, especially for little boys!

Sunday, May 27

A Boy and His Pool

We filled up our turtle sandbox/pool and Baby B is in love with it already! This is a post of nothing but pictures of Baby B in the pool, so don't say I didn't warn you. But also know, if you bear with me you will see a picture that is well worth it. :)

 At first he refused to get in....

 When I gave him an empty berry carton to play with he started to warm up.

Hmmm... water is fun!


 "Maybe I should get in?"

 Getting closer....

One foot in!

 "Holy moly that's cold!"
Yes, that was the money shot.
 

 "Wait, it's not that bad. I may have overreacted."

 Rocking the swim-shirt!

 Finally in for a dip!

Now we've added swimming to our daily playing-in-the-dirt afternoon routine.

And that's how a boy slowly falls in love with his pool. :)

P.S. I know I've been lagging on the post front lately! We've been spending our time enjoying this beautiful weather and (slowly) working on several projects! So although this is all I have for now, I have a several posts in the works for you in the next few days, so stay tuned!:)

Tuesday, May 22

It's Giveaway Day!

*****This giveaway is now closed. Thanks to all who entered!*****

And the winners via Random.org are....
Comment # 29 - atabanana29 who chose set #1
Comment # 71 - mimicita who chose set #3
Comment #24 - designcamppdx who chose set #2

You all got your first choice! Woohoo! Unfortunately atabanana29 I don't have any contact info for you. Please email me at morelikehome(at)gmail(dot)com ASAP so I can get you your prize! If I don't hear from you by Tuesday I will pick a new winner. 

It's Giveaway Day at Sew Mama Sew! Okay, technically yesterday was giveaway day, but the giveaways are going on all week. I'm just fashionably late... right? :) The good news is that I used this as an opportunity to sort through a bunch of finished projects and make a nice little pile of things that could use a new home! Let's get started!


For my giveaway, I will be choosing THREE lucky winners to receive a made-by-me prize package!! Let's see what's up for grabs....

Prize Set #1:
This set has three items, and includes a short infinity scarf made from a vintage orange & green floral sheet:


A pretty light caramel necklace made with four strands and a white button accent:

And a clutch in a floral print with a handle on the back:


Prize Set #2:
This set has two prizes and includes a longer scarf made from another vintage sheet, this one in a pink floral. It's long enough to be wrapped twice, and even pulled up as a hood!


And, a three-strand green necklace with a red flower and black button accent.

Prize Set #3:
This set has two prizes, and includes a medium length infinity scarf, made from new fabric in a springy floral & bird print. This one is also long enough to be wrapped twice, but fits more snugly when it is. 

And a longer style light green necklace with a purple flower. This one is a different closure style. The three long strands slip through a loop behind the flower which make the necklace super adjustable! The leaves hang down adding more fun to the design. The second picture below is a similar necklace and shows how it is worn, but IS NOT the necklace being given away. You will be entering for the purple flower one. :)



The Details:
  • To enter, just leave a comment telling me which set you want if you win! (and which would be your second and third choices if you are interested. I will do my best to get you the set you want. The first winner gets their first choice, the second gets their top remaining choice, and third winner gets the remaining set. If you do not have a second choice listed, a new winner will be chosen.) Please leave an email address on your comment if you want to be contacted if you win. :)
  • Followers get a bonus entry, just leave a separate comment saying you follow!
  • I will randomly choose one winner for each set! .
  • Giveaway is open to US shipping addresses only (sorry!)
  • The giveaway will close Friday, May 25th sometime after 5:00pm. Whenever I draw a winner, so probably after Baby B is in bed. :)
  • Check out Sew Mama Sew to see the rest of the giveaways (and submit your own if you want!) and be sure to enter my mom's giveaway to win an amazing, hand painted, wooden pendant necklace my sister made!
 Happy entering, and may the odds be ever in your favor! (too much? Sorry, just finished the Hunger Games books. :) Feel free to comment on if you have read them/liked them in your entry as well!)
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