Maternity Jeans Revisited

So, here we are 3 months after I wrote my first Maternity Jeans post....and I have been wearing my refashioned pants for quite a while. I thought I'd share some tips I've learned along the way, in case anyone else out there is interested.

First off, Adri at Mama Mia is probably who's idea I follow the most closely. But the chic at Grosgrain explains making the band better.

Who would want to do this project: All pregnant ladies, I'd think! But if you can wear your jeans or even maternity jeans UNDER your belly, go for it. That is what I did with my first pregnancy and it was comfortable and easy. NOT SO MUCH this time around. This little one is laying lower, or something, so nothing is allowed to be worn under without some amount of discomfort...meaning that I've had to utilize the panel the entire pregnancy.

Why are these "home made" refashions better: Unless you spend HUGE money on really well made maternity jeans, maternity jeans you find at Motherhood or JCPenny, etc, don't fit! They either have too much stretch making them shapeless (the last thing you need when you already feel like the blob), or they are cute but fit weird in weird places (especially if the junk in your trunk increases during pregnancy). These home made refashions take great regular jeans/pants, that fit everywhere besides your belly, and you just alter them to fit the belly. GENIUS!

Tips:

• Make your own panel out of Polyester with LYCRA fabric. you can find it at JoAnn's. 1 yard will make several panels. I used black.
• Don't use the pre made bella bands (or that type). They didn't seem to be strong enough to hold up to the tugging....which you will do to get the pants on....since there is not waist band to use in pulling them up.


• Instead of doubling the tube/panel to sew on the pants, I just made a tall version of Grosgrain's. I sewed the raw edge to the jeans, and hemmed the top edge. This way I can fold it in half or wear it full panel as the belly gets bigger. It also seems to hold the jeans up better this way.


• Use Adri's method of cutting in front, or else you'll find yourself with a panel that starts WAY TOO LOW in front. Believe me, I did this.


• Try to find jeans/pants with a higher waistband. Thankfully this style is coming back! Since you'll be cutting the waist band off, it gives you more jean in the end. Low rise jeans turn into REALLY low rise jeans after they've been refashioned....and it is harder to hide the panel under your shirt.


• HIPS DON'T LIE. I just had to write that. Well, for me this pregnancy, my hips have spread out faster (and maybe wider?) than the first time around. Meaning, the cute pants I refashioned at 22 weeks no longer fit at 32 weeks. They fit everywhere else, but the hips .... they had something different in mind. So, you may find yourself needing to refashion more pants in the later part of your 3rd trimester. I just refashioned what I hope is my last pair of jeans for this pregnancy..... and since I need the confidence boost, I actually spent good money on these jeans.....because I feel experienced enough I didn't worry about messing it up. Practice makes perfect.

Hemming: Well, as long as I was refashioning jeans....I decided to learn to hem my own pants. Normally I would never do this.....I would have the store or a tailor hem them using the original cuff. But since I've been buying a lot of my pants online, and I don't want to spend extra money on dumb maternity jeans at the tailor.....I figured out a middle of the road solution. It is better than the goofy hem, just folding them under (which I have done, it is okay on cords, but stupid on jeans), but not as great as the in store tailoring.

So Stephanie at Barefoot in the Kitchen and the chic at Dacia Ray explain the same method. In the end, it looks from afar like the upscale hem. BUT when you look close you'll see there is a fold, which is annoying to me....but not annoying enough to pay someone to alter my jeans for me. It is super easy, I did this to a pair of jeans this morning in 15 minutes. It turned out great.

Bottom Line: Having a well fitting pair of regular jeans that you refashion for maternity wear makes you/me feel much more comfortable in jeans and pants. Pants seems to be the biggest hurdle in maternity dressing (besides the whole wedding/dance/party outfit dilemma), and this Maternity Refashion has made wearing pants during pregnancy (which is a must for our mountain west cold weather) so much nicer.

Lazy Nesting

I am probably the worlds laziest pregnant nester! No really.....don't get me wrong, I acknowledge I do a lot, caring for my son and keeping up on my other responsibilities (work a few shifts, payroll, grocery shopping, church callings, etc). But when you think of hormone induced nesting, you think of the mad mother scrubbing and organizing sun up to sun down. Baby clothes washed months in advanced, cribs and nurseries all ready. Ha!

Me.....I craft.....and I spend more time planing a new craft than actually crafting. I must be losing my mind.

So, today I was determined to do 3 things....a little bit of basic home care, a little bit of actual organizing (so I don't lose my mind in 1 year when I actually have energy again to organize), and a little bit of crafting. That all along with feeding, caring for, teaching, and playing with my buddy. And, surprise....I did all three. I ran a couple loads of dishes, cleaned the counters, mopped the kitchen, and organized the front entry closet (I decided it would be my new sewing closet, and I evicted everything else). Finally this evening I pulled out the crafts. I made my first applique. It was so cute before I had to embroider the edges. Now....well, I'll always remember it as my first attempt! I blame my machine completely, and myself because I can't hand stitch to save my life. You would think with the worlds greatest hand quilter on the planet for a mother I would have absorbed some of the skill....NOPE! So you can see above.....Cute, but a mess. At least I expelled some of my craft/nesting.

I'm going to do this again, I have 2 more shirts waiting for fun applique for Jacob, and he is in DESPERATE need of some more long sleeve shirts. Hopefully I'll get the hang of it quickly because it really makes a shirt so CUTE.

Okay, I'm off to bed. We'll see what tomorrow holds. Maybe more lazy nesting.

P.S. Jacob is so great. He is really learning to use his imagination. Today, ALL DAY, he kept pretending his truck or bus crashed. He had to run up to me and tell me each time, and his voice would get louder and louder until I acknowledged the crash. He also drives around on his truck saying "Bye Mama" and tells me where he is going. He goes 4 places so far, Ooh Ooh's house, Drammie's house(his special name for Grandma Ann), the car wash, or his favorite....The GAS STATION. Oh, and for every trip he has to come to me and get the "keys". There is no end to adventure with this boy.

Halloween 2009

Wouldn't you want to give candy to this Tiger if he trick or treated at your house?

What a fun evening we had! We all dressed up, mine was the lamest because I dressed up as something I actually am. BOO! But at least I was dressed up. The belly made things look interesting.

We headed over to Scott and Chrissy's house, where they had a bash. So much food, fun for everyone, and decor out of control spooky! So fun. After too much sugar and yummy food, we all headed out trick or treating. It was tons of fun! Jacob had a blast, John is still partying hard at Scott and Chrissy's, and I'm eating Jacob's "good" Halloween candy. Yay!

John taught Jacob to say "Roar" last night. So cute!

Isn't John out of control?!

Here is our fave friend, Jada. These kids love each other

and get such a kick out of each other.

So, our neighbor was sitting on her front walkway handing out candy Her garage door was open, and guess what Jacob spotted INSTANTLY?? Yes, this car. He was in it faster than you could say BOO. Sad thing is, I have one of these in a box in the garage. Time to put it together I guess.



Next year will be fun too, with a sweet girl to dress up. Jacob will also be old enough to really hit a lot of houses with his dad for some serious loot. It is a family tradition of John's to fill up pillow cases with candy, I think Jacob has caught on very quickly.

Mumpkins

I'm so excited to show off these pumpkins! I am not a big "celebrator" of Halloween, it is just not a tradition I have any sentimental value attached too. So, I usually stick to decorating for the fall season, because it's my favorite season and because I can stretch the decor and crafts over a 2 month period. ANYWAY, when I saw this project I decided it would be a fun craft for me and a fun way for Jacob to decorate his pumpkin, since he is too little to carve and I'm too lazy to pull out the paints.

Jacob trying to figure out why his Mumpkins are outside?

The fun tidbit about these "Mumpkins" is they are a knock off of Pottery Barn's $42 kit. I made them for $5. Yay! How fun! I found this project on this fun blog, check it out.




Now I'm off to pretend that I didn't stay up for hours and hours agonizing over why I can't upload videos from my camera while obsessing over Braxton Hicks Contractions. Who ever said they were painless was lying.....they sure don't hurt like real ones, but they are annoying aren't they!

Maternity Jeans

Do you want to hear the "deal" or the "thing?" Don't worry if you don't know what I'm talking about, just skip this post if you're confused.

As I've mentioned before, I love jeans. In the winter I prefer to wear pants/jeans, except to church of course. So this winter I'll have pregnancy induced lordosis (doesn't that sound so gross?! it just means my spine will curve and my belly protrude, thankfully temporary) and my belly won't fit into any of my jeans, well neither will other parts of me for that matter. Last time I was pregnant it was summer, I wore skirts, Capri pants, gauchos, and a pair of jeans Chei lent me. I can't wear those this time around. So, this summer I went on a hunt for some nice maternity jeans, that also fit over my booty (which for the first half of my pregnancy grows faster than my belly.....darn pelvic bones shifting!), that also accommodate the baby bump. I walk into A Pea in the Pod (a maternity store) because I can see they have some cute jeans in there. The sales lady proceeds to explain to me about their "innovative" product, designer jeans with a Secret Fit Belly.

"First the waistband is cut off," she explains. "The fly is sewn closed and our secret fit belly panel is sewn in."

She was squawking to the WRONG person. Not long after I left the store the wheels started turning. They turned for a couple of months, since my prego brain is working slower than normal brain speed. I decided, "why can't I cut the waist band, sew the fly closed, and add a panel?" I felt like the THRIFTIEST GENIUS on the planet at that moment.

Now, when I was pregnant with Jacob I used a cool thing called a "bella band" to help keep my pre-pregnancy pants on while they were un- buttoned or unzipped. But that only works for so long, before the baby belly completely rolls it down and it doesn't work. I still have the bella band....so tonight I took it, cut off the waistband of some $15 pants, sewed the fly shut, and sewed in the "bella band" and VIOLA......I MADE MATERNITY JEANS! Tonight I am the SUPEREST THRIFTIEST GENIUS on the planet!

I did have help. I looked it up online, and found several other genius women who had posted tutorials on how to do it. Some used a pre made band, some used old t-shirts for the band, some used stretchy material from JoAnn's Fabric and sewed a band.....but they all, in the end, came up with wearable maternity jeans from pre pregnancy jeans. Yay!

Here are the top 2 tutorials, as far as I've found. A. B.

Here are a couple of pics to make you realize I am really cool now ;)

I'm too tired to take pics of my pants just now, trust me they are this cool.

Hope this helps someone laugh, smile, or actually find some comfortable jeans during their pregnancy.

Toddlers and Tomatoes

I can honestly say being a mom has never been so much fun. This kid cracks me up hourly! Yesterday was the dirtiest he has ever been. While I was making dinner, Jacob was out front with his dad and the neighbor and our Neighbor's baby daughter. When I called Jacob to come in and eat his dad sent him home looking like THIS:


This pictures doesn't do it justice. He is hard to take pictures of these days, he moves so much and wants to run the camera.

As you can see by these pictures, Jacob loves glasses. I bought him his own pair of sunglasses, that he can only wear when we go outside (or he'd run around the house all day with them and eventually poke his eye out!). The first two sunglasses pics are what I found after we returned home from some errands. Oh, and don't worry, I do buckle him up all the way in the car. I just remembered my camera was in the car AFTER I started to unbuckle him ;)

A great woman from church not only taught me how to can Salsa recently, but she also gave me TONS of tomatoes and bell peppers last week. Sunday I spent the evening canning tomatoes. All I have to show here are salsa and halved tomatoes. I also made tomato paste. Word to the wise, buying them is always better. I spent hours and hours trying to get the right consistency, which never happened, then 50 minutes processing (I am getting a pressure canner ASAP), only to find that there was WAY TOO MUCH AIR in them and had to throw it all out. Live and learn. Today: Fresh Salsa. Yum! Can't wait.

I've found this great website called the National Center for Home Food Preservation and an interesting article from the University of Minnesota on Food Safety: Outdated canning methods for apples, potatoes, and pumpkins. They are worth the read for anyone interested.

I'm looking for a hard copy book on canning. I'm mostly interested in the safety. I can read online all I want, but some of the sources are suspicious and I want to be safe! Any Ideas?

p.s. I'm pretty annoyed at blogger for taking away my ability to change fonts. Hmmph!

Life in the Fast lane

I learned to make a super cute nursing cover (also known as hooter hiders;) the other day. yay I love to sew...just wish I was better. If you want to make one too....check out this cool tutorial! I didn't make mine reversible, or use this pattern. A nice lady at church taught me, but the end result is the same.

I also learned to can Salsa, so i canned my first preserve EVER! I just hope that next year I'm not so afraid of botulism, that I'll actually eat the yummy stuff.

Jacob has learned to say "Oh Man!" just like Swiper the Fox on Dora the Explorer. He also tries to say "Zucchini" as he carries around a zucchini half his size. Discovery: HE LOVES raw zucchini sticks.

Every dish in my house was clean the other afternoon, so I listened to the Hallelujah chorus as I dirtied some dishes making yummy Arroz con Pollo. You've got to check out the cool Japanese choir I found on YOUTUBE! I'm hooked on NCIS thanks to my dad. I've got all the seasons on hold at the library. Yikes!

So there you have it. Life in the fast lane. I'm so tired by 6pm I can't even remember my name, much less anything interesting to write about ;) But I will say, my 2 year old is so AWESOME. He is funny, loving, and learning about himself and his emotions. It is wonderful watching him, and wonderful that he still sleeps in a crib.....because by 6pm (like I mentioned) I'm pretty tired from his awesomeness...so even if he doesn't think he is tired (which he really is) he stays in his bed playing, singing, and saying "Oh man!"

p.s. Oh yes...I'm still married. He's great, good looking, hard working, and loves to take Jacob to the park because I'm too stinkin tired! He is also great because he deals with me.....my friend Erika told me long ago that all her "nice Erika" goes to the baby when she is pregnant.....leaving Sally behind for 9 months. With Jacob that was not the case at all. I was FINE. Tired, but FINE/EASY TO GET ALONG WITH. This time around.......NOT SO MUCH. Now that Erika had her sweet baby, Sally is visiting our house. Poor John!

Zucchini with Parmesan

We just harvested our first Zucchini......and this recipe is our favorite way to make Zucchini (although we love them plain steamed with pepper too). I have a feeling we'll be having a lot. I hope your family enjoys it too.



Cook Time: 20 min


Level Easy
Yield 6 to 8 servings



Ingredients:
8 medium zucchini
Good olive oil
2 large yellow onions cut in half and sliced 1/2 inch thick
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
Remove the ends of the zucchini and, if they are large, cut in half lengthwise. Slice the zucchini diagonally in 1/2-inch slices. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large (12-inch) saute pan and add the onions. Cook for 10 minutes on medium-low heat, until they start to brown. Add half the zucchini, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to the pan and cook, tossing occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes, until just cooked through. Sprinkle with Parmesan and cook for 30 seconds more. Remove to a serving platter and repeat with the rest of the zucchini. Serve immediately.
Note: If you cook too much zucchini in one pan, you end up steaming rather than sauteing it. I prefer to cook it in 2 batches.






This recipe is from one of my all time favorite cooks, Ina Garten. If you've read my blog before, you know how much I love her cooking.

Salmon Salad

this picture doesn't look as good as it does in the book!

I made this Salmon Salad from the Barefoot Contessa cookbook tonight. It was Great and so EASY!!! Give it a try. I actually substituted Basil for the Dill because I had fresh basil and I prefer the flavor....and I put a lot of basil too. I also deleted the capers....I don't care for those. I put an orange bell pepper in, otherwise it would have gone bad in the fridge. John liked it because it is a great salad without Mayo.





Tip: When buying salmon...please don't buy farmed salmon, it just doesn't taste good. Also, the color is gross, they inject dye into it to give a good color, but it never works. Also, when you cook the salmon, do as the directions indicate and take it off the grill (or out of the oven) while it is still a bit undercooked. Fish cooks so quickly, that it continues to cook after you remove it and in the fridge. When you remove the chilled Salmon, it will be perfectly cooked. Take my word! Over cooked Salmon has a poor flavor, then people say they don't like fish....but in reality no one likes over cooked fish!



Ingredients:

2 pounds cooked salmon

1 cup small-diced celery (3 stalks)
1/2 cup small-diced red onion (1 small onion)
2 tablespoons minced fresh dill
2 tablespoons capers, drained
2 tablespoons raspberry vinegar
2 tablespoons good olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper



Directions

To Cook the Salmon: Cut fillets into small 2 inch wide strips. Lay on foil, skin side down. Rub with Olive Oil, Salt, and Pepper. Grill for 5-7 minutes. Remove from grill while meat is still undercooked. Place in refrigerator until completely chilled. Once chilled, remove skins.

Salad prep:
Break the salmon into very large flakes, removing any skin and bones, and place the salmon in a bowl. Add the celery, red onion, dill, capers, raspberry vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Season, to taste. Mix well and serve cold or at room temperature.


Food Network.com

Sneak Peak

What is this, you ask?
Thank you for asking!
This is a cute diaper cake......but not quite right.


Getting cuter

Stay tuned for the final product. You'll love it. Check out my Diaper Cake blog post (scroll toward the end) from last year while you wait for more pictures coming soon.

Just add a Pound of Butter

Sometimes I enjoy cooking. I'm usually pretty good at it if I try. Why? For 1.5 years John and I lived with a cool couple in Brookline, MA where I cooked dinner 4 nights a week, among our other duties. It was great, and I learned to cook a lot of new things. Thanks Pam!

I learned about Ina Garten from the public library in Ketchikan Alaska when I was home for Christmas one year, totally by accident. This is woman is my favorite. Her recipes are GOOD and NO FAIL. I'm not kidding. I try new recipes from her for the first time when I have company...that's how good her recipes are. I used to have all her books, but now I'm 2 behind. Her bakery/bistro was called the Barefoot Contessa, which she is now called. All her books go by that name too. She's so popular now her books are sold at Costco for a great price.

My all time favorite, super easy and fast Linguine with Shrimp Scampi is worth trying. Of course fresh shrimp is always the best, but those of you land locked like me, it is okay to use frozen. The KEY is to cook them only until they JUST TURN PINK. Than turn off the heat, add the other ingredients. I know you think that you'll have under cook shrimp, but you won't, I promise. Otherwise you'll just have tough tasteless shrimp. My sister-in-law, who's family doesn't care for shrimp, replaces it with chicken which seems to work well for them.

Use fresh garlic and lemon juice, it WILL be a crowd pleaser!

Ingredients:

Vegetable oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt plus 1 1/2 teaspoons
3/4 pound linguine
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 1/2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic (4 cloves)
1 pound large shrimp (about 16 shrimp), peeled and deveined
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/2 lemon, zest grated
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/4 lemon, thinly sliced in half-rounds
1/8 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

Directions:
Drizzle some oil in a large pot of boiling salted water, add 1 tablespoon of salt and the linguine, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, or according to the directions on the package.

Meanwhile, in another large (12-inch), heavy-bottomed pan, melt the butter and olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the garlic. Saute for 1 minute. Be careful, the garlic burns easily! Add the shrimp, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, and the pepper and saute until the shrimp have just turned pink, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Remove from the heat, add the parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, lemon slices, and red pepper flakes. Toss to combine.

When the pasta is done, drain the cooked linguine and then put it back in the pot. Immediately add the shrimp and sauce, toss well, and serve.

If you are looking for low fat or low calorie recipes, look elsewhere. These recipes should just be for Sundays or when guest come over......there is a LOT of butter used in all her recipes = Great Flavor

All pictures from Barefootcontessa.com

Christmas Open House

The other morning, a light turned on. I went digging through my cupboards, and found some pictures from Sunday school manuals. Of course, there were the perfect Christmas pictures.I also took 2 different Christmas cards, and used the adorable front and insides to put in frames. I also cut a large piece of wrapping paper to add a splash of green color to my family room.

These Cranberry windows make me so happy.I've been dreaming of them since last Christmas time. Unfortunately, my panel window coverings are a big pain to tie up every day, and a bummer untie every night. But so worth it!

Next year: Learn to make Roman Shades.

Genius!

I was singing this word to every Christmas tune I could think of, as I hung this wreath. This is the best way I can think of to diet this Christmas season, because I OBVIOUSLY can't be cooking anything now.

Frugal Living:

I am NOT going to say I'm good at this. I'm not elevated in any way as far as frugality goes. But, I am trying. Each year I save a little $$, and I go window shopping for decorations. But I don't buy. I WAIT until the day after Christmas than I purchase the things I "spied" while window shopping....but I get them for at least 75% off. Take these Cranberry Wreaths....they are from Martha Stewart's Collection at Macy's. Originally $60 each, they became mine for only $15 each. YAY!!!! Each year, after I've put up my decorations, I take an inventory of what I want to add next year than I start the whole process over again. It is so fun, and my hubby likes the idea too.

Now that you've had a small peak at my Christmas Decor.....jump over to A Soft Place to Land to check out all the fun Holiday Post's at Kimba's Holiday Open House.

Your Garland is Showing

Come check out all the great garlands. Mine is #92....but there are so many more to get great ideas from. It's so fun!

Christmas Garland

Viola! Here it is....my garland. I'm so happy that I was able to "re purpose" greenery junk I've had from previous years, into this one big garland. I found the idea on one of my favorite blogs, Nesting Place, where the Nester gives a tutorial. Mine looks nothing like hers, but I think that is the point. We each have our own junk to goober up a garland with. And I didn't buy anything new this year. It isn't perfect, so thank goodness I'm not a perfectionist. This was the perfect solution to not having a Christmas Tree in the family room. Yes, you heard me......I decided that I couldn't have peace in my heart or home if I was yelling "NO NO" every 1 minute, trying to keep my 1 year old away from the tree. Poor thing, he was just trying to help. So we just eliminated the point of contention, I have a beautiful garland, and we are all happy. It is SO heavy. I would love to make it bigger, but if finally got too heavy and I got tired. Well, time to hit the weight room at the gym ;)

Here are blogs I'm LOVING everyday.

Nested

The Inspired Room

Simple Mom

Design Mom

Decor 8

Nesting Place

A Soft Place to Land

Pretty Organized

Scratching An Itch

A couple of months ago I got this itch.....the crafting itch. so I have been searching the web for crafting ideas. I've found so many creative people and their blogs. It is a whole new world out there! Also, I've rediscovered Amy Butler. Last year, just before Jacob was born, I discovered her beautiful fabric and her great hand bag patterns. But with the birth of my buddy, Amy Butler Designs were pushed to the far reaches of my mind. Last month, on a date to Barnes and Noble(yes that is one of our favorite dates!), I discovered Amy Butler's new book, Little Stitches.

Next thing I know, I was at the fabric store buying everything I needed to make her Birdie Sling. I gave it away as a gift before I could take a picture of it, but I loved it, and I'll make more. Here is a picture of bag that comes on her pattern cover.

I have also learned how to make baby leg warmers. There are some great leg warmers called "Baby Legs" which are SO CUTE. I found this great blog (Everything Your Mama Made and More) tutorial on how to make your own. They are fun and easy. Once again, I haven't taken a picture of my own, but you get the idea. Jacob is bigger than these babies, but I love putting them on UNDER his pants, that way when he is being held or in the cart at the grocery store and his pants inevitably get hiked up, he'll have warm legs.

Yesterday I took scrap fabric, modge podge, and cardboard magazine holders......put them together with a little hot glue......and viola. Cute magazine holders. I'm telling you all.....I can't seem to scratch this itch!

Here are a few images and blogs I've found that have caught my attention lately. I'm also LOVING tutorials and patterns online. If anyone has any good leads, let me know.

Home Made By Jill











Simple Mom




















The Nesting Place


















Meika's Little Treasures





















Chickpea Sewing Studio

Holly McCaig Art & Design

This is just the tip of a huge continental sized ice berg. I LOVE THE INTERNET!

Fruit of my Garden

I'm so excited to share some of my vegetables from my garden. I'm so excited about my vegetables. I was a little worried since I started so late, but I think things will be just fine. Check it out!

Diaper Cake

Last year, for my baby party, my good friend Rachel made me a diaper cake. I LOVED it. So did John, in fact he wouldn't let me take it apart, it still sits on a shelf in our closet. So, this winter, when our dear friend Mindy was having a baby, I made her a diaper cake. It was so much fun to make, but I was self instructed on making it. It looked NOTHING like this beautiful cake below.

Just this week, I had the bright idea of looking on YouTube for instructions on making diaper cakes, and of course there is a video on just that. I wanted to share it with everyone, since it is so fun to make, and if given as gifts, almost gaurnteed to be one of the most original gifts the mother to be recieves.

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Also, this can be made as a bridal shower gift or home warming gift if made with wash cloths and dish towels. Substituting baby gear for cleaning supplies, spices, hand lotions, etc. Have fun!