Easy Cheaters Method Striped Baby Quilt

I wanted to make a cute striped quilt for my little man that is on the way.  I have seen some on Pinterest like this one:

Source: littlebirdiesecrets.blogspot.com via Heather on Pinterest

that I love but when it really comes down to it I don't have the energy or time to make one-plus standing in the fabric store trying to pick out all the matching fabrics and then waiting for them to be cut is really more than I can handle right now.  But finding a striped piece of fabric in the clearance section that I can make into a cheaters quilt-now that I can handle.
I found this piece of fabric in the clearance section at JoAnns.  I instantly thought, "I can just sew along the stripes and make it look like a stripe quilt that I pieced together."

 I was planning on buying a piece of fabric for the backing but the other day when I was in the thrift store I found a quilted mattress pad (it had plain white fabric on one side and batting on the other plus the elastic band around the whole edge to fit over a mattress).  It was in super good condition and only $1.00 so I bought it.  I cut the elastic band off the whole thing leaving me with one solid quilted piece of fabric.  I cut it to match the front piece I had bought, pinned them together and then sewed along each stripe.  I finished the edges with some seam binding and the whole thing was complete in a couple of hours.

 It is not perfect but I love the finished product and I love that it cost very little and took very little time.  So the cheaters method to making a stripe quilt is to find striped fabric and quilt along the strips.

My Pinterest Pledge

Isn't Pinterest the most amazing thing ever!!!  My problem is that I can't stop pinning and I need to do more trying; thus I have made a pledge with myself to not just keep pinning new ideas but to actually try out more of them.  Who's with me?

Make Ahead Monday: Salad Dressing Mixes

I know, it has been FOREVER since I have shared some make ahead monday ideas but I have had a few great recipe experiences lately that I just had to share with everyone.  Both of these I found out of necessity; wanting to make a recipe that called for these salad dressings but not wanting to run to the store to buy the actual salad dressing.  I needed Italian dressing and ranch dressing powder (you know the mix packet).  I had neither on hand but wondered if I could just make my own.  The recipes I found are FANTASTIC.
Here is the link to the ranch powder recipe  I made mine using powdered milk instead of powdered buttermilk and I liked the results just fine.
Here is the link to the Italian dressing mix  I love this.  I love the flavor much better than bottled Italian dressing.  Both of these recipes are great because you can make a big batch of the mix and then use it in small quantities as needed.  Just make sure your spice cupboard is stocked before you start making the mixes as they use a lot of spices/herbs.  These are well worth your money and time.

By the way I used both of these while making Cafe Rio Chicken:

Source: chef-in-training.com via Heather on Pinterest

Thoughts on Maternity and Pinterest

Consider this your heads up....If you type the word "maternity" or the words "baby announcements" in the search bar on Pinterest you will get way more pictures of bare bellies and other parts then you really care to see.  I am shocked at how "free" some pregnant women are.  I mean to each her own right, but I just find some of it confusing.  Like what does a man and a woman in their underwear with her belly bare, sitting on the edge of a bathtub have to do with anything?  And if that happens to be you and you read my blog I apologize for not understanding your artistic view of pregnancy.  So I asked my husband if he thought I should wrap myself in some chiffon fabric and frolic in the woods for a pregnancy shoot to show off each and everyone of my stretch marks to the world.  Ya, he didn't really go for the idea.  To be honest I wouldn't want to in a million years anyway.  A pregnant belly is a beautiful thing but I don't need my son to some day look the pictures and say, "what the he** were you thinking?"  And actually my pregnant belly really isn't that gorgeous: stretch marks, and three stubborn belly hairs that grow back right over my belly button no matter how much plucking I do.  No one wants to see it anyway.  I will let the other free mothers out there fill the Pinterest world with their bellies-mine will remain hidden under fairly undesirable maternity cloths and pants held together with a hair elastic.

Random Tips

This is one of the reasons why I wanted to dabble in blogging again-having a place to share random and sometimes helpful tips and thoughts.  Here are three new tips that I have put into practice in my life:
1. Paint your toenails before having a shower then when you get in the shower run your toes under the cold water for a couple of minutes to set the polish then proceed with the shower as usual.  A great way to multi-task and saves time on waiting for nail polish to dry.  You have to keep them under the cold water for a least a couple of minutes in order for it to work.
2. Speaking of showers have you tried shaving your legs with hair conditioner.  I read about it on a Pinterest post which said that it made your legs super soft and saves you money.  I have been doing it for a few weeks now and love the results and even my super sensitive miss picky small fry has commented on how soft my legs are...so there.
3. Do you like to hang your laundry out to dry but hate crunchy towels?  I do.  I don't use fabric softener because it is so blasted inconvenient (if you have an older washing machine like I do) and it makes my girls skin rash bad so when I hang my towels they always end up crunchy.  Then I read a laundry post on Pinterest (of course) and it said to dry your towels in the dryer for 5 minutes prior to hanging and you will no longer have crunchy towels.  I did it, I hung them out to dry and the end result...FABULOUS. 

Something new and exciting for Small Fry & Co.

We just found out this past week what our new addition to our family is going to be:

My heart has completely melted into a puddle of blue with puppy dogs, dinosaurs, baseballs and dump trucks.  I was kinda rooting for a girl cause I have all the stuff I would need but the minute I found out it was a boy I melted and actually couldn't even sleep that night cause I was thinking of all the great baby boys things that I wanted to make or get like:

This super cute dinosaur hoodie (just bought a 0-3 month hoodie to make one of these for my little man)

Source: livinglovinglearningnaturally.com via Heather on Pinterest

and I have got to have one of these crocheted baseball hats for some new born photos

Source: etsy.com via Heather on Pinterest

and maybe a monster crocheted hat too

Source: theboytrifecta.com via Heather on Pinterest

I bought some super fuzzy fleece to make one of these boy blankets out of old flannel shirts

Source: thismamamakesstuff.com via Heather on Pinterest

 and I just happened to make a few of these last month for my Tiny Socks Baby Co. booth and I think I might have to make 3 or 5 more.

 I am in love with all things baby boy already and I still have to wait 4 more months to meet my little man.  Can't hardly stand it.

And now I found a summer drink I could make everyday

I usually make a big batch of homemade popsicles at about this time of year but this year (thanks to Pinterest) I found a new summer treat: Koolaid Slushes.  These are so super easy to make and DELICIOUS.  The recipe says to freeze them before slurping but I haven't found any need to do that.  They are perfect right from the blender and besides (what 2 and 4 year olds can wait an extra 30 minutes).  You have got to try these.  A perfect summer treat.

Sidewalk Chalk Paint

 Part of the reason I took a break from blogging is so that I could spend more time (quality-real, kid centered) time with my girls.  I want to be more available to say "yes" to their requests rather than, "in a minute."  I am trying to actual look at some of the amazing things I have been pinning on Pinterest and put some of them into action.  We recently tried sidewalk chalk paint.  The girls were ancy one morning and I said, "lets make some paint for outside" and they were pretty thrilled about that idea.  I wasn't sure how well it would work but the results were FANTASTIC.  I just made a few colors because I am running low on food coloring and I wasn't sure how long my girls would last.  They however loved this because they could just paint where ever they wanted and I wasn't nearly as paranoid as I am indoors.  And can I just add that the artwork lasts a long time (unlike regular chalk-unless you get it wet I am guessing but we did it under our carport) and the clean up was a breeze. Oh and it works best with large brushes.  It goes on kind of watery but dries just like chalk and in nice bright colors.