I wanted to share a few FREE Baby things I have come across, concerning babies...

As  you've probably become aware I've recently had a new baby.

In my couponing and searches for free baby items I've been able to take advantage of the following deals you might find beneficial to you.

This offer gives you a free "Udder Cover".

Escalate Network wants to give you a promo code for a free patterned breastfeeding cover (a $35 value) at (uddercovers.com) The promo code is "ENBABY” Click "Shop Now", select any cover you would like. You will automatically be directed to the "shopping bag" where you can enter the promo code “ENBABY” This promo code will take off 100% of the nursing cover purchase and all you are required to pay are the shipping fees. You can use the code more than once - you just have to open a new browser window to do so. Due to its nature, this offer can't last long so please order soon.



Free Carseat Canopy


Escalate Network wants to give you a promo code for a free carseat canopy (a $49.95 value) here.

The promo code is "ENBABY”

Click on "Shop Now", select any canopy you would like (be sure to go to their sizing page so you can get the right size carrier for you). Once you have selected your size, you will automatically be directed to the "shopping bag" where you can enter the promo code “ENBABY” This promo code will take off 100% of the canopy purchase and all you are required to pay are the shipping fees. You can use the code more than once - you just have to open a new browser/window to do so. Due to its nature, this offer can't last long so you might want to hurry.



Free Nursing Pillow



It's as easy as 1-2-3!
Just go here.
Click on "Shop Now" and select the Nursing Pillow☺ of your choice in any of our 9 prints!

Once you have made your selection, you'll automatically be directed to the shopping bag. Enter the promo code "ENBABY" and we will deduct 100% off the cost of your selected Nursing Pillow☺ - all you pay are the shipping fees!

Remember: the promo code is "ENBABY" and you can use it more

than once just open a new browser window each time you do.

For a limited time you can upgrade to a super soft Minky Nursing Pillow☺ for only $5!

These pillows make great gifts. Selections WILL dwindle quickly, so get yours today!



Free Pouch Sling!


Seven Slings wants to give you a promo code for a free baby carrier (a $48 value) here. The promo code is “ENBABY”. Go to (link) , click on ‘Shop Now”, select any baby carrier you would like. Be sure to go to the sizing page so that you can get the right size carrier for you. Once you have selected your size, you will automatically be directed to the “shopping bag” where you can enter the promo code “ENBABY “ . This promo code will take 100% off of the baby carrier purchase and all you are required to pay are the shipping fees. You can use the code more than once- simply open a new browser window to do so. Due to it’s nature, this offer can’t last long , so order soon!



Pampers Gifts to Grow

Join Pampers Gifts to Grow Rewards program and receive 100 free points toward your purchase of Pampers goods.



Free Baby Legs!



Escalate Network wants to give you a promo code for 5 free baby leggings (a $50 value) with 70+ Styles!

Click on "Shop Now" and select any 5 baby leggings you like!

Once you have made your selection, you'll automatically be directed to the shopping bag. Enter the promo code "ENBABY" and we will deduct 100% off the cost of your selected baby leggings☺ - all you pay are the SP&S fees!

Remember: the promo code is "ENBABY" and you can use it more

than once just open a new browser window each time you do.








Free Breast Pads!




Escalate Network wants to give you a promo code for 10 FREE pairs of Designer Breast Pads ($35 Value) today! 30 great styles to choose from.

IT'S AS EASY AS 1-2-3!

1) Go to http://www.breastpads.com

2) Select your favorite pairs of Breast Pads - you will then be automatically directed to your shopping cart.

3) Enter the promo code "ENBABY" and we will deduct 100% off the cost of your Breast Pads - a $35 value!

Breast Pads make GREAT gifts. Selections dwindle quickly, so get yours today!



*Remember, you can use the promo code "ENBABY" more than once, just open a new browser to do so!

*Offer valid while supplies last.

*Shipping, Processing / Service Fees is $10.95 and an additional $0.50 per each additional item and are sent USPS First Class mail within 2 business days of your order from zip code 84043. International Rates Vary.

Aunt Becky's First Halloween Costume Party & This Year's Homemade Costumes

 For weeks Kai has been asking for an Elsa costume, either for Christmas or sooner.

I was planning to make her one, but didn't have the fabric.

Delsin has changed his mind a zillion times since summer.  

I was going to try to make him some kind of Wild Kratts costume,

but he changed to some kind of zombie Incredible Hulk.

When we got home from the hospital Daniel announced that Mama would not be sewing any costumes this year and they would either stay home on Halloween night or figure out something from the huge costume box already in the playroom.

At first Delsin was in shock and so I told him one year I dressed as a hunch-backed person with make-up and a hoodie with a pillow in my back.

Immediately  he wanted to do that.  So for the costume party this past weekend at Aunt Beck's house he dressed this way, and also for the Cub Scout Halloween party last night.

Enoch was easy.  We already had a couple of Spiderman costumes in the costume box.  He was happy.

For Kai and Carolina, I had to go to Walmart today after Lenore's first pediatrician appointment.  I had to pick up a few essentials, so I grabbed a couple of yards of turquoise tulle, and a roll of 10 yards of turquoise tulle with glitter on it, and a roll of glittery turquoise ribbon (1.5 inch).  I was going to make hair bows with the ribbon, instead of crowns, but I just ran out of time.  I should work on those today, perhaps.
So, I took the 2 yards of tulle and cut two perfect length capes out of it.  I used this tutorial as a reference for the style of cape I wanted.

Being reminded of this tutorial,

I decided to use Carolina's old beauty pageant dress we still had in the costume box, as the skirt to her Elsa dress.
I had Kai cut up the rest of the blue and white tulle we had on spools and I tied it onto some elastic to make the skirt for her Elsa dress. 
For the bodices I made a tube out of that 10 yard toll of 6inch tulle with glitter on it and slipped that over their heads.  Underneath it all I picked up some turquoise long sleeve shirts and leggings at Walmart earlier in the day.  So I did a tiny bit of sewing, but not much really.  I was able to put a couple of Elsa costumes together, WITH breastfeeding breaks I might add, in about  2 hours.
I'll make the hair bows soon and post pictures of those too.

Lenore and I thoroughly enjoyed staying home and cuddling.  I just couldn't take her out in the night air, being less than a week old and all.  I'm not sure if the kids will get to go trick or treating at all this year.  If Daniel is working late I might wrap Lenore up in a baby carrier under my coat and let them walk up River Street, which is just the next street over.  We'll see...

Edited to add a few pictures from Halloween night.
The bottom picture in this collage shows Carolina's expression when she found out Daddy wouldn't be able to get home from work in time to take them trick-or-treating.
But I had already come up with a back-up plan.

I didn't get any pictures of anybody wearing their costumes together, because once I announced Daddy couldn't come home I quickly announced that I'd take them to the street behind our house (where 6 houses were giving out candy).
So I put Lenore in my ring sling and wrapped her up with me in my coat.

 She wasted no time in falling asleep.

 Before she knew what happened we were back home in warmth for cuddling.

The First Outfit for Lenore

We have decided on a name for our newest baby girl.

Lenore is her first name. 

We are still praying about it though, and about her middle name.

These things are very serious, ya know?

Last night I finally got her first outfit made.

 I've been wanting to make her an outfit like this one I found on Pinterest.

 

But I didn't have enough fabric to make a gown, so instead decided to make a skirt and applique a little circle on the onesie with her initial on it. 

This was my first time to use my new embroidery machine 

a Singer XL1000.  I bought it from one of my sisters in recent weeks.

Last night, or early this morning rather, I discovered it's missing the embroidery foot.

But I was able to carefully embroider without any foot at all. 

Only problem was it was not in the center.

Sure I tried testing it a zillion times before embroidering on the actual onesie, but that didn't stop it from being cattywampus on me.

So I took an hour or more to rip that one out and put another one right smack on top of it cattywampus and all too!  

'Cause that's how I roll at 4 AM.

And that's how it's gonna stay.  Oh well!

I made it to bed at 5 AM and made it to my 8 AM Dr. appointment.

'Cause I'm a little bit crazy like that.

But it's been a good day, and I just might make a hair bow if I can get this load of laundry hung up before tomorrow morning.

(Big grin)

I've got a little strip of fabric that's just begging to be rolled into a rose and glued to some 1/4 inch elastic.

Spiderman Birthday Cake

 

Enoch is so into Spiderman right now.

In fact, that's what he wanted for his birthday.

Spiderman everything.

So, naturally I had to attempt my hand at a Spiderman cake.

 I watched this video on youtube for help.

But I didn't paint the fondant.  I dyed it with Wilton icing dye.

This is my favorite fondant recipe.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/cake-fondant/detail.aspx

 This was the face template I used.

I cut out the eyes from this template.

http://www.hmcoloringpages.com/free-printable-coloring-pages/spider-man-face-template-cut-out/

First I cut out the black background and then layered the white on top.

I know it's total amateur night over here at the Urick household,

but I'm kinda proud of it anyway.

Enoch absolutely loved it, and that's what matters most.

Happy 3rd Birthday My Love!

Signature Style Special Occasion Wear

This week's project for Project Run and Play is the signature style challenge.

My signature style has always been special occasion wear.

This may seem like an eliminating factor to some since most people wouldn't let their daughter play in a pageant dress, but my girls have the pleasure of playing dress-up in their dresses after pageant day. 

I found my signature style when I found my calling for sewing.

As a child I wasn't able to wear the dresses I longed to wear because my family was pretty poor.

I wanted to wear dresses like Carolina's Lucille Ball dress every day of my life.

I got hand me downs and wore the heck out of the prettiest dresses, to gather the eggs out of the hen house, chase down the ponies, and feed the hogs.  

When the county pageant came around each year I couldn't enter because we couldn't afford the dress.

So, I just knew I would learn how to sew so my daughters could enter the county pageant every year if they wanted to.

The first dress I ever made was my little sister's prom dress.

I wish so badly I had a picture of it.  

That was over 20 years ago though.

I might have to make a replica of it someday.

The second dress I made was for the Homecoming Queen.

It just goes on from there.

A few weeks ago I made this dress for Kai to wear in the county fair pageant.

She's really into Barbie dolls right now, so I made her Barbie a matching gown.

Kai said all of her friends told her she reminded them of a Disney Princess, which makes this dress a total winner in her eyes, and therefore mine as well.

Afterall, she is my inspiration. 

I think the curly ruffles is what sets this dress apart from the others.

I made them by adding 80lb test fishing line to the hem, as can be seen in my tutorial here.

The best part about looking at these pictures is knowing she just got through winning first place in the bicycle race right before slipping into her dress and sashaying out onto the stage.

Atta girl!

Carolina's and Kai's Nightgowns

Last year spring (April 23rd 2013 to be exact) the girls wanted some new night gowns, and they wanted to use this neat ruffle fabric I had in my stash.

So we went to the thrift store and picked up some tank tops they could use to make their gowns with.

This way they could do a lot of the project too, with or without my help, and it wouldn't be too time consuming for them to stay focused.

They did a great job.

I did most of Carolina's gown, but she helped cut fabric and strings, and guide it through the machine.

Kai decided, after she finished, that she wanted hers to be long like Carolina's. 

So she added more fabric to the bottom.  

That is why she has a little hiccup in her ruffles.

It was a lot of fun and I'm so proud of them.

Basically, what we did was just cut off the bottom of the tank tops and sew the ruffle fabric on in place of it.

Very simple and very easy.

Hey Mom! Remember that dress you gave me last summer?

The one that I wore from the hotel to vacation bible school and told you it ripped up the front seam while we were standing and sitting repeatedly during worship service?

Well, look what I did with it...

This week's Project Run and Play is called the 

"Hand Me Down" makeover.

The idea is that you make something new and modern from something old or upcycled.

I kept this dress that my mom had given me last summer, even though it ripped at the seams the first time I wore it, TO CHURCH no less!  Boy was I a funny sight trying to get all 4 of my children and get out of there without anybody noticing my dress ripped in the front above the knees.

I thought this fabric was too interesting to just throw away.

Then again, I think that about most things.

I couldn't decide if I wanted to use this project for this week's challenge or next week's denim challenge.  I think I'll just use it this week and maybe not have anything to enter next week.

I'm hoping to make a Barbie doll dress for one of Kai's friends by Sunday, and some new gowns for the baby after that.  Well see what happens.

The apron is also upcycled from a fitted bed sheet.  I really had fun with this challenge.  

I also made a petti coat out of tulle and elastic.

Carolina absolutely loves it! 

She wants to cook something wearing it. 

Ha!  I'm like, "NOOOO!"

She reminds me of Lucille Ball in it.

Kai's Sparrows of Fall dress

Let me start off by saying Project Run and Play is starting another season up.  I know I've had too much on my plate in recent seasons to be able to participate, but I decided to try to play along this season.

The first challenge is to make an outfit inspired by a 80's cartoon character.

I took my inspiration from Daphne on Scooby Doo.

 

I wanted to make something long sleeve that Kai could easily wear in the coming Fall season.

So this seemed like a nice silhouette. 

Naturally, I needed to lengthen it to make it more appropriate for my little girl.

She decided she would rather have 3/4 sleeves, and we both had an "A-Ha!" moment when we saw the brown eyelet fabric in my fabric stash.  

So, instead of making a sash or neckercheif we opted for cutting eyelet trim to go around the sleeves and hem.  To be honest, it wasn't easy cutting it into a trim, but I'm very pleased with the end result.

I used the same brown eyelet fabric to make a headband.  I lined the headband with velveteen ribbon to keep it from slipping.

Then I made the fabric flower into a hair clip so it could be a barrette or an accessory to the headband, depending on her mood.

This is the tutorial I used for the dress.

I found it over at Scattered Thoughts For a Crafty Mom.

 This is the tutorial I used for the headband.

I found it over at That Girl That Quilt.

This is the tutorial I used for the fabric flower.

I found it over at Go Make Me.

Thank you for checking out my blog page.

Some cute Petti Rompers for Carolina

I can't believe it's been 2  years since I took these pictures of Carolina.
She still wears these outfits, but they are probably too small. 
I want to get some new pictures of them though, because I embelished them with fabric flowers and bows.  But in case I don't get around to it, here is all I have now.