Charger Wall Pocket

As you may know, I recently bought my very own sewing machine, and have been sewing up a storm! I have gotten most of my patterns on Pinterest (best website ever btw), which are usually really good and include links to tutorials. Every once and a while there will be something that I am dying to make that is just pictures and no instructions, so I have to figure it out using my crafty ways. This is one of those projects! The instructions were in Swedish, so I just made up my own way to do it. This is my first sewing tutorial, so bear with me! I am a beginner sewer by every definition, so if you think of a better way to do this, then feel free. Here is the original link, in case anybody out there reads Swedish :)

I love my charger wall pocket, and use it to store my cell phone charger when I'm not using it. You could easily change the measurements to make it bigger/smaller to fit your electronics.

What You Need:
- 2 pieces of fabric approximately 5 1/2" x 11"
- 1 piece of cotton batting approximately 5 1/2" x 11"
- sewing machine/needles and thread
- pins

Instructions:
1) Cut out the fabric and batting to measure 5 1/2" x 11"

2) Cut out a square in the top of the fabric and batting pieces approximately 2" x 2 1/2" about 1" from the edges at the top.

3) Pin the 3 pieces together with right sides of fabric facing each other, and cotton batting on the bottom.

4) Sew along the 4 outside edges using a 1/4" seam allowance.

5) Flip the whole thing right side out through the rectangle hole.

6) Turn in the fabric along the edges of the rectangle hole, pin together and sew using a 1/4" seam allowance. You may find it easier to make a diagonal cut into the fabric at each corner so it lays flatter.

7) Fold up the bottom of the rectangle to make the pocket, pin into place, and sew along the two side edges.

To use, hold the pocket against the outlet, plug your charger into the wall through the pocket, and put your phone, ipod, etc. and the cord in the pocket.

Pinterest vs Reality: Charger Wall Pocket

Baby Shower Bonanza!

This past weekend was a baby shower for my future-sister-in-law Laura, who will be having a baby just before our wedding! I am so excited for them, and I was almost as excited to do my fair share of DIY projects for the shower and my future neice-y or nephew-y!

I will not be making tutorials for any of these projects, so I will post links to the ones that I used if you want to make any of these things yourself!

1. Baby Bunting Banner

This one was easy peasy. I just cut triangles out of different papers, cut out the letters "b a b y" with my cricut and glued them on, then used double-sided tape to attach the triangles to a ribbon.

2. Cake Pops

You can see my previous post on how to make cake pops if you want to make them. This time I did them a little differently because I used the cake pop maker that Jordan got me for Christmas. It is like a waffle iron and allows you to bake the cake into the ball shapes instead of mixing them with icing, which is much faster. These are a big hit with the kids!

3. Diaper Cake

My future-sister-in-law Lindsay asked me to make a diaper cake for the shower, and I couldn't have been more delighted. I have seen a bunch of these on Pinterest, and was dying to make one! It wasn't that hard either. I followed this tutorial, but instead of using cardboard to make the form, I used white foam board that I got from dollarama.

Pinterest vs Reality: Diaper Cake

4. Knitted Carseat Blanket

This one I got the pattern out of a knitting magazine so unfortunately I can't share the pattern. This is a carseat blanket, the hole is for the buckle on the carseat. The pattern is fairly simple, and it didn't even take a full ball of yarn!

5. Sewn receiving blanket, change pad, burp cloth, and bib

I am learning how to sew, and going a little overboard with it! It took just over 3 metres of fabric to make all of this, so I was very happy with how it turned out! Here are the links for the tutorials:

For the bib, I followed this tutorial, but just used solid fabric for both sides. I was careful when sewing on the velcro, so the bib is reversible as well!

Pinterest vs Reality: Baby Bib

I did a similar thing with the burp cloth, I followed this tutorial, but made my own pattern using newspaper. I also sewed the edges in instead of leaving them frayed.

Pinterest vs Reality: Burp Cloth

I also made this receiving blanket, following this tutorial. I have made a few of these by now, and I think that they turn out really cute with the different fabric combinations!

Pinterest vs Reality: Receiving Blanket

And finally, the changing pad, complete with a pocket to store some extra wipes and diapers, and it even rolls up to fit snugly in your diaper bag. I followed this tutorial, and was happy with the way it turned out.

Pinterest vs Reality: Changing Pad and Wipes Holder

And there you have it folks! It seems like I've been very busy, but I haven't been working for a few weeks so it really is my pleasure to do all these crafts! Enjoy!

Best Shower Gift Ever

I am reaching that stage of life where all of my friends (including me!) are getting married. That means lots of wedding showers to go to! This is (in my opinion) a great shower gift for a bride-to-be, and was a big hit at the two showers that I have gone to so far. With your name etched onto the casserole dish, nobody will ever steal it at potlucks! I saw this idea on Pinterest, and had to try it out! I apologize for the quality of my pictures, it is really difficult to take a good picture of glass!

Supplies:
-glass casserole dish
-glass etching cream (I got it from Michael's for about $10)
-foam brush
-adhesive vinyl
-cricut or stencils and exacto knife

Instructions:
1. Cut out the letters/design that you would like onto the adhesive vinyl using your cricut, or trace and cut with an exacto knife.

2. Stick the adhesive vinyl onto the clean glass surface where you would like your design to appear.

3. Apply a GENEROUS amount of glass etching cream to the glass surface on top of the stencil you made. Put it on nice and thick so that you can't see the glass underneath. Leave it for 10-15 minutes on a flat surface so that the cream doesn't drip. *The instructions on the cream said to leave it for 1-2 minutes, but on my practice one it didn't show up well enough, so I left it for a lot longer.*

4. Rinse off the cream using water and paper towels. Peel off the stenciled vinyl, and wipe off any excess cream. Dry it and you are finished!

A few notes:
The way that the glass etching works is that it is an acid that chips away at the surface of the glass. This means that the etching is permanent, and you can bake, microwave, and wash it and it won't come off. This also means that you have to be careful not to make any mistakes! I recommend doing a practice one on an old candle or jar before doing it on a $20 casserole dish. :)

Variations:
You can use this technique on any glass surface that you would like. I saw some on Pinterest that were decorated trifle dishes, or candle holders that are nice.

Pinterest vs. Reality: Glass Etched Casserole Dish

(mine on bottom)

Dress it up:

I knit some dishcloths and put them inside one of the gifts that I gave. I also sewed a plastic bag holder, you can find that tutorial here.

Pinterest vs. Reality: Plastic Bag Holder (mine on bottom)

  
For another, I sewed a casserole carrier to go with it. I am a beginner sewer, so I am not even going to attempt to make a tutorial, but you can find the one that I used here. Ta da!

Pinterest vs. Reality: Casserole Carrier (mine on bottom)