Manic Mondays: Fusing Plastic

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I would really like to thank the first person who thought of ironing plastic bags together to make a thick piece of plastic that could be used for about 10 GAZILLION things....But I have to sleep sometime so I'll just list 10 things at the end of this tutorial.I didn't use any bags for THIS tutorial though. I had about 6 Dollar Tree plastic tablecloths left over from my baby shower so instead of throwing them away...I kept them! And I wasn't sure what for exactly till this weekend when I came across an article for fusing plastic bags. I thought I'd give it a shot with the tablecloths, and come to find out...It works!

 

How to Make a Diaper Wreath

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Yesterday's tutorial was on How to Make a Diaper Cake. Adding on to that, I have decided to make a Diaper Wreath. There are a couple of ways to do this. One being the Rolled Version and the other being like the one I will show you in this tutorial. I'm not sure what to call it...The Tied Version???                              Anyways...Since I've made this for MY own personal baby shower, the theme will be sports. 

Supplies:                                                        

-Wire hanger (a foam wreath will work also)       

-Curling ribbon                                                       

-Hot glue gun                                                         

-Diapers (size 1 or newborn)                          

-Any embellishments or decorations you wish to use to go with your theme.   

-Baby items (onesies, stuffed animal, shoes, etc.)

Start by taking the wire hanger and opening it up till you have a circle, leaving the "hook" part in tact. If you are using a foam wreath, don't worry about this step.

Take an unfolded diaper and slip it under the wire. Fold the diaper closed and it should be wrapped around the wire hanger. Then take curling ribbon and tie a double knot leaving the ends loose.

 To make those pretty little curls simply take one blade on a pair of scissors (be careful) and run it along (starting from bottom to top) the DULL side of the curling ribbon. Note: When doing this the ribbon should be between the blade of the scissors and your thumb.

Keep adding diapers and tying off with ribbon all the way around your wreath. You don't want there to be any holes so make sure they are pretty snug and close together.

I added a bow on top of my wreath. You don't have to add one like mine but if you do, I went to youtube and used This Technique. I also found that using wired ribbon works best because it is so easy to manipulate.

Start adding your decorations and embellishments to your wreath by simply tying them in between the diapers and around the wired (or foam) wreath. You don't want to hot glue anything to the diapers because this makes them unusable. We want the mommies to be able to use the diapers!

For anything that does not have a way to tie on to (like balls or wooden letters) simply put a small dab of hot glue on the back and lay a ribbon on top. You will then be able to tie it around the wreath!

Cool right??? I know I'm not the first person to think of this, but I felt pretty darn smart after I did. And my brain hurt because it took me about 15min to figure it out haha!

To hang something in the center, you can use ribbon, fishing line, or if your using a baby toy take the plastic hook and hook it around the neck of the hanger. 

I then tied a toddler baseball glove using curling ribbon around the monkey's neck..Poor monkey...

This is what the final wreath looks like.  I have to give a lot of credit to a friend that helped me out. She's been helping me put together my baby shower and I think the both of us have come up with some pretty creative ideas. I think the wreath and the cake came out amazing for our FIRST TIME EVER making one. But of course, I biased.... Thanks Clarissia :)

If you have any questions, feel free to comment below. I LOVE COMMENTS!

Manic Mondays: Diaper Cake Tutorial

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With my baby shower coming up in a couple of weeks, I decided to save a bit of money and make my own diaper cake. I did a search on how to make them and found that there are about 3 different methods. The Rolled Up Version, the Pinwheel Version (which I was initially going to make), and then the Folded Version (which I did make). I liked the folded version because it was different, I had never seen this, and it looked really cute. Just something to think about: I didn't go with the traditional rolled up version because I feel that taking rubber bands off EVERY SINGLE diaper is a pain in the butt. That"s 60-100 diapers you'd have to do that to!! Something a new mom would not like to put on her, already busy, schedule. I recommend the pinwheel or folded version.

Manic Mondays: Soda Bottle Bird Feeder

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I have been wanting to make a bird feeder or bird house with my daughter for quite some time now. Since she drinks Soy Milk, I thought those rectangular cartons would be perfect. Come to find out, my wonderful husband chucked the carton that I was waiting and hoping to use in the trash (shame on him). So that kind of put a stop to that idea. Then I saw a 2 liter bottle of soda and decided to take revenge (he was almost done with it anyway!). And come to find out, the plastic bottle works great as a feeder! This isn't no fancy bird motel with a built in automatic timer or anything but we don't really need all that and I'm sure the birds really don't care what the heck it looks like.

Here is what you'll need:

1 or 2 liter plastic bottle

2 wooden spoons

small eye screw

some kind of rope or twine for hanging

knife or scissors 

bird seed

For another reference on this project, check out Disney Family Fun.

Homemade Play Dough

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Play-dough is a great way for toddlers to spark some creativity and work on those fine motor skills. I personally don't really care for the store bought kind because when I was a kid, it somehow always wound up in my mouth. There is something about those bright colors (and that smell!!) that just made you curious enough to see if it tasted as good as it looked. And I was wrong.....Each time.

This recipe I found is wonderfully made with safe ingredients so if it winds up in some little tummies, it should be okay. I didn't take a taste test though, so not sure on the flavor. 

Manic Mondays: DIY Fall Wreath

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Sorry for missing yesterday's Manic Mondays. Which is usually the day where I show a DIY tutorial for something crafty. Apparently my little bun in the oven decided he might want to come a whole 7 WEEKS early..Impatient much?? Just like his dad....


So I had to take a small break for the day but now I'm back to catch up. Luckily I had most of everything ready and set up. The project is a very simple and cute fall wreath using everything from the Dollar Tree. So let's get started on our DIY craft tutorial for....

Manic Mondays: Let's get started (Coffee First Please!)

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Sometime during the day there is a period of two hours I like to call "Me" time. It's designated just for ME and usually happens when my little 2 1/2 yr old gremlin is taking her daily nap. I like to catch up on baking home goods, take a much needed nap (For the sake of my poor husband), work on some DIY projects , and more recently, work on my blog.

For today's "Manic Mondays" post I'm going to share a little DIY project. This is an easy project that can be used as a jewelery holder, candy holder, for a baby shower/bridal shower, or whatever else your little heart desires. I know some of you can be more creative than that. I just made it, you do what you want with it. You're welcome.