64 degrees in January

Today was a beautiful, warm and sunny Saturday in NC.  I can't believe how lovely the weather has been lately.  It feels more like Spring than the middle of Winter!  I started a Fine Arts photography class yesterday and was given a homework assignment to take a self-portrait, so I decided to try and accomplish that during a visit to our favorite meadow just down the road from our house.  Erik and I walked Lucy there, and ended up laying in the grass for quite a while enjoying the beautiful weather, warm sunshine, and each others company  :)

I was able to get a decent picture of myself to turn in for my homework, but my favorite pictures were the ones I took of both of us.

Also, Happy Birthday to my sweet sister Megs who turns 26 today.  Sending you sunshine, love, and happiness on your day!

Nursery inspiration

This is officially the cutest baby room that I have ever seen...

For more photos visit here:  Zoeys Handmade Haven

I just love how nearly everything in the room is handmade, it really has a sweet homey feel to it.  Zoey is one lucky baby!  The wood crate of stuffed toys in this nursery was actually what inspired me to make the toys I wrote about in my last post.  When it comes time to decorate the nursery (clearly I am super excited already for that part) I have a feeling it is going to have a very similar feel to this one!

The room in our house that we have always planned to use for our future baby has a similar layout to Zoeys room.  Right now we are using the room as an office (and sewing room!)  Here is a photo I took not long after we moved in, it hasn't changed much except we added a chair in the corner under the window...

It is the smallest of our three bedrooms but big enough for a tiny baby I think  ;)  Obviously we are going to need to move out the desk and shelves (and somehow cram them into the guest room) as well as get some new curtains.  I would love to make some just like the ones in Zoeys room.  Ahh I just love that nursery!

Crafty craftyness: part II

Here are the rest of the crafts I have made so far...

Ugly Dolls:

When I saw these ugly dolls online, they looked familiar...  Then I realized I have seen them in store windows in town, and always thought they were so cute!  They were pretty quick to make, and I think I will probably make more..  I didn't have a pattern for these, I just kind of drew up the doll on paper and made my own pattern.  The trick is to draw it a little larger than you want it to be, so when you turn it inside out after sewing around the edge it will be the correct size...

Another stuffed toy - lamb:

I stumbled across these little stuffed dolls while browsing pinterest.  This link will take you to the creators etsy page.  I typically do not endorse stealing other crafters ideas, but let's face it, many people use etsy and pinterest as inspiration for their own creations.  I am providing the link to her etsy page in case you like mine and want to buy your own (and spend $75 on a single doll.)  I was able to figure out something similar by looking at the pictures, and was pretty happy with how it turned out.  When I showed it to Erik he laughed and said it was so strange looking that it was cute.  He also didn't really think it looked like a lamb!

 

Photography Assistant Onesie:

Another idea I came across on pinterest is this adorable onesie...  Right away I knew I had to have it, but when I saw the $39 price tag I decided it would be a little more economical to make my own.  I am pretty happy with how this one turned out, but I think it would have worked better if I had an embroidery hoop to stitch the letters.  I might make another one eventually...

If you want to buy your own you can do so here:  Assistant Onesie

Here is mine:

Total cost of ugly dolls: less than $1 in materials for both (I already had the fiberfil stuffing on hand)

Total cost of lamb doll: less than $1 (I was able to use scrap fabric and felt for most of it)

Total cost of photography assistant onesie:  $3 for new white onesie (I used thread and felt I already had lying around)

Happy crafting y'all!

Crafty craftyness

At the beginning of the baby fever, I started to notice all kinds of cute things on pinterest that could be made for a baby.  Bibs, burp cloths, blankets...  All super easy and quick to make.  I figured even though at that point we were still at least a year out from actually having a baby to use these things on, it wouldn't hurt to get a head start on making cute little things for him or her.  Plus, I had a bit of scrap fabric laying around to play with, and if I wasn't going to use these things soon, I know plenty of people out there that could!  (Is it me or is there a serious baby boom happening again?!)  So I started playing around with some fabric that I already had, but after making a few things and seeing how cute they were turning out I decided I should pick up some baby-appropriate fabrics...  Here is what I have made so far:

Bib #1:

The tutorial for this bib can be found here:  Chickpea infant bib

I made this with flannel on one side and a plain white towel on the other.  That way you can use the backside of the bib for cleanup after baby eats - how clever! 

 (sorry for the poor photo quality of these, I was playing around with my camera and didn't get the settings quite right until I started shooting the rest of the items...)

Bib #2:

Then I decided to try out another pattern, and as it turns out I liked this one much better.  It has a cute little pocket for messy eaters, and drool I guess?  Babies drool a lot don't they?  ;)

This pattern here:  Baby bib with pocket

 Giraffe bibs (and some little no-scratch mitts I whipped up with leftover fabric)

Polka-dot and stripe bibs + contoured burp cloth (see below for more info on that)

see the cute pocket?

 

Notice how these have *real* snaps!  I bought a little snap tool and as it turns out, it is super easy to use.  All you need is a hammer!  I was very happy with how they turned out  :)

sidenote:  I recently found myself at an upscale store in Chapel Hill that has a little section of baby/kids stuff.  I noticed they were selling bibs that were almost identical to the ones I was in the process of making, and they were charging $12 per bib!!!  Yikes!  Mine only cost about $1 each in materials  :)

Contoured burp cloth:

Seems to be just the right size for a burp cloth, and I like how it fits around your neck and covers more territory for a projectile burp!  On some of them I used a terri-cloth material on one side and super soft flannel on the other...  And on the others I just used the flannel on both sides.  p.s.  They all have matching bibs  :)

Pattern here:  Cloud 9 fabrics: Contoured burp cloth

 

 These are regular rectangle burp cloths I made up with fabric too small for the contoured pattern...

Diaper Changing Pad:

I only made two of these, but I will probably make more eventually.  I have no idea how many of these things one would need.  They are little portable changing pads, with a pocket built in for a diaper and wipes.  I think the idea is, if you wanted to go someplace and not take a whole diaper bag you could just throw this in your purse..  Not sure how practical that is but I think they will definitely be useful!  

Tutorial here:  Changing pad with pocket

folded up:

Swaddler:

Definitely my favorite thing I have made so far is this swaddler.  I just love how it keeps the baby wrapped up like a perfect little burrito, and since it velcros in several places you don't need to worry about it falling off.  (Rumor has it most babies like to be snugly wrapped up so they can sleep.  Yay for happy sleeping babies!)   

This was the most time-consuming project by far (2-3 hours compared to a bib that takes maybe 30 min) but it is so darn cute I plan to make at least one more.

Tutorial here:  A swaddler that fits

open so you can see the velcro:

fastened up:

rolled-up towel inside so you can see shape:

 I should have warned you this was going to be a long post with a bunch of pictures!  That is all I am going to share for today, but I have some other cute things to post at a later date  :)

What I am reading...

One of my favorite hobbies is thrifting...  and yard sailing.. basically anything that involves searching through other peoples no longer needed "stuff" in hopes of finding something super cool.  I have found some of my favorite things at such places, and I love the thrill of the hunt.  Last weekend I looked through literally hundreds of shirts and sweaters and a nearby goodwill and walked away with a bag of AWESOME clothes for around $12.  So completely worth it!  Really nice Aeropostale and Gap sweaters, plus a brand new DKNY dress shirt for Erik (that turned out to be a perfect fit) for only $3.  Anyone who knows me is aware that I love getting a good deal, but the environmental benefits to buying pre-owned things make me just as happy.

Anyway, in recent weeks of hitting up the local PTA Thrift shop and a few others on our visit to Raleigh, I happened to come across a few books on pregnancy and breastfeeding.  Gettting a little ahead of myself?  I don't think so.  It's good to be educated!  Here is what I have picked up so far...

I seriously think I spent less than $2 on the whole lot...  Two were free and I think the others were only $0.50 each.  (Yay for thrift stores!!)  So far the Mayo Clinic book seems to me the most informative.  I browsed through "Skinny Bitch Bun in the Oven" in about 20 minutes and think I got out everything I can out of this one.  Unfortunately there are not a lot of books out there in the category of "Vegan Pregnancy" and I am kind of bummed that this seems to be the most popular one.  While it does offer some good information, I am not a huge fan of the style of writing and "angry vegan" mindset these girls seem to be in.  While I was there myself in the beginning of my plant-based lifestyle embarkment, I have moved past that and now just want information that is going to help ensure a healthy pregnancy for me and our future babies.  Not to worry though, I have been vegan for long enough (going on six years) to know what I need to eat and where to get my vitamins, protein, and all those other things everyone probably worries I am not getting enough of..  Plus I spent a year as a plant-based cooking and nutrition instructor for the Cancer Project and Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine so I have a little training on the subject  ;)

Speaking of vitamins, I have also started taking prenatals.  When my regular vitamins recently ran out, I decided it made sense at this point to go ahead to switch over to the prenatal variety.  E and I have been taking Rainbow brand for a few years and have been happy with them.  I was excited to learn that they offer a food-based prenatal vitamin that carries a "vegan-guard" label, meaning they guarantee it to be free of animal products (and the potential toxins that come with them.)

I also liked that they contain everything I need instead of having to swallow three different pills as I have been doing.  My previous vitamins didn't have much iron so I took an iron supplement, which I believe to be the culprit to the occasional nausea that sometimes set in about 20 minutes after taking.  I have been taking these for over a week now and have had no tummy upset whatsoever.  I read that it is important to start taking prenatal vitamins for 1-2 months before you conceive so I feel good about getting a head start on this!

We are finally having a wet and rainy weekend here in NC which I have actually been looking forward to for a while.  You wouldn't think it would be possible to be sick of warm and sunny weather (especially in January) but sometimes it is nice to have some cozy weather that offers a good excuse to stay inside in your PJ's with a cup of tea... and spend some much needed time on craft projects!  More on that to come in my next post.  I have going a bit overboard lately on baby craft projects and I am excited to share them with you.  Stay tuned!

This is where I start...

I have really been meaning to start a blog for quite some time now... I did start one actually, about three years ago. It failed however after I posted a single post and never put up another one. Initially I wanted to write about food and recipes but now it seems that there is so much more to share. Not to worry, since cooking and trying new recipes is such a big part of my life, I am sure it will be hard to leave that topic out completely... This time around, I wanted to make my blog a much more personal place than just food. And I figure, if I can put up more than just one post, that automatically makes it way better than the last one... ;)

If you have made it this far you probably already know me. You know that I am a nurse, I live in North Carolina, have three cats and a dog, recently got married to the most amazing, thoughtful, and handsome man that I have ever met, am a vegan, can crochet/sew/craft all day and still have a list of 37 projects that I want to make, that I enjoy scooter rides (but almost never drive it myself as it makes me too nervous to be alone on the road), like to do yoga, enjoy photography, and that the mountains are one of my favorite places in the world to be. Okay, so maybe you didn't know all those things, but probably most of them. So there is no need for a super long formal introduction here..

What maybe you don't know about me, is some fun and exciting plans my wild little mind has been making lately... You see, it started sometime last November, of twenty eleven. Right after we returned from our annual trip to DC to visit Eriks family for Thanksgiving. We got home, and shortly afterwards I developed a Fever. This was no ordinary fever.. Tylenol wouldn't do a thing for this one. The doctor has no medicine. You see, this was a fever of a different sort. This was... the baby Fever. Not at all expected, not at all planned. It was like someone flipped a switch in me overnight. At first it confused me. The plan was to wait until we had been married for at least a year before we even started to think of all that baby stuff. If you had asked me two months ago, babies were cute and cuddly and I knew it was in the plans someday but that day was definitely not right now, for I had other plans. We were actually in the process of planning a summer trip to Europe for this year. Switzerland, Italy, Germany, France, and likely England we were going to visit. We had researched plane tickets, cities we wanted to visit, Castles I was dying to see... A baby would get in the way of all that and really change the romantic trip we had been looking forward to. Also, after the wedding I started investigating the possibility of a career change into photography with the hopes of starting up my own photography business. Plus we were newly married, and why rush into something we seem to have the rest of our lives for? Well that all changed the day I came down with The Fever. Suddenly the trip to Europe seemed like a waste of money that could be better spent on baby-related expenses. Who really cares about the Neuschwanstein Castle anyway?! In fact, all things that once seemed important went out the window in my mind. I had a new set of priorities, which somehow included onesies, diapers, and a desire for 3am feedings... At first I had to let it settle in my mind to make sure I wasn't going crazy for lack of sleep, vitamins, or some other such problem. I had to keep it to myself for a bit, I couldn't say these words out loud to even Erik in case the thoughts just went away on their own and the problem resolved itself. But it didn't. The Fever just got worse. When I brought it up to Erik finally, it had to be in a casual way since I was dropping quite the bomb and I knew it... It was something like, "I work until 4 today, Lucy has already been out, I am making sweet potato cakes for dinner tonight, and by the way, how do you feel about having a baby sometime soonish?" Well, maybe it wasn't just like that, but it still didn't make Erik any less surprised when I brought it up. After the initial shock wore off, and we had many good long talks on the topic, I could tell the wheels in his mind were starting to turn... Not that I ever had to convince him that this was a good idea or anything.  We have said from the very beginning that we both very much want children, and often discuss what they will be like, who is going to help them with their math homework (not me!), how we are going to raise vegan babies, etc..  It was more the idea of speeding up the timeline that caught him off guard...  However, it wasn't too long before he started to show some symptoms of the very same Fever that I had acquired not long before.  Wouldn't you know, it seems to be contagious!

Fast forward about six weeks and we are at the present moment. The idea of adding to our family is now becoming a very real possibility in the soonish future. Lot's (and I mean LOTS) of homework has been doing regarding the topic, how we are going to fit this plan into our lives financially, physically, and emotionally. The majority of my time researching the financial aspect has been spent on the phone with insurance companies, trying to figure out the cost of the prenatal care and birth itself. Once that was figured out, it made the rest seem easy! And I have to keep the advice of friends and family in mind when it comes to making plans such as these... If everyone waited until they were 100% ready in terms of having enough money, the perfect job, and the perfect house, well no one would ever have kids! So, to sum this up because it is now late and my dear husband is trying to sleep next to me, I will say that obviously this is a huge decision, and not something we are taking lightly.

Another thing I will say, is that for right now this blog will be kept private. I will share it with y'all when I am good and ready, I promise!  For now I want to avoid all of the obvious questions and discussions that come with the territory when people know you are in the process of family planning. I wanted to document this time of our lives though so I can look back and remember what was going on and how I was feeling during this whole process. A diary blog I guess you could say. A Blogiary! Haha... Okay it's late and my mind is just getting silly.  Much more to come, so stay tuned...