I guess I would say my taste for home decoration is a little eclectic. I love all things pretty and frilly, but at the same time I do love a nice bold modern print. I wanted some striped curtains really bad, but didn't like the price tag that came along with them. I knew I could come up with a cheap and easy way to make the exact curtains I wanted.  I would so much rather spend my extra money saved on a new shirt or a couple cute outfits for my kids from baby Gap!

I just love the way the light still shines through the fabric...



When a friend of mine first saw them hanging in my house she asked me where I bought them. How awesome is that?  Why pay crazy amounts of money when you can diy it?!  Plus, I won't feel a bit guilty when I want to change things up!  And we all know I am going to change things up someday...  :)

Ok so here is what you will need:


*  5 yds of one color of fabric (here I used grey)
*  3 yds of the other color (here I used white)

You can get a little bit more just in case.  I always like to be a little on the safe side in case I mess up.

*  Thread.  I used white for this project
*  Iron and Ironing board (this will make the project run smoothly and make your curtains look amazing!)



Below is the pattern, or the cuts you need to make with the fabric.  Most fabric on the bolt is between 44"-45".  You can have each panel be whatever width your fabric is off the bolt.  Mine just happened to be 42 inches.
Once you have cut out all your pieces sew each piece together one by one.  Be sure to sew right sides together so that all the seams will be on the back side.  I made sure to iron between each time I sewed a piece together.  Sew one, then iron, sew another, then iron.  Believe me it will be worth it in the end to add the step of ironing.

Be sure that the large 42x18in rectangle is at the top of each curtain you make. You will need that extra fabric to fold over so that you can loop it through the curtain rod like the picture shows below.  Simply fold over the top extra four inches and sew into place.




Finally once all eight rectangles are sewn into place you can hem the sides and bottom of your curtains.  Make sure to iron your hem before you sew.  I double hemmed both sides and the bottom of my curtains so they looked finished and polished.


 Happy Sewing!

-Megan

You know those punch cards that you get from your favorite restaurants, nail salons and gas stations?  You know how they fill up your wallet and make it nearly impossible for you to use them because you can't find them when you need them?  Then, because you can't find your punch card, you have to start a new punch card.  This of coarse just adds to the mess in your wallet making it fat and disorganized.

After this happened a few times to me I decided that I needed to think of a way to organize myself so that I could actually find my punch cards when I needed them.





Punch a hole in each card.

Put all your cards in one place, on a key ring.


Keep your punch card organizer in a safe place.  I keep mine in my purse, while my hubby keeps his in the car's glove compartment.

Never dig through your wallet looking for a punch card again.

Wahoo!

-Megan

Well February 14th has come and gone.  How can this be?  It was a day of spending time with my little Valentines. Flowers, kisses, hugs, build-a-bear, pizza, and of coarse, little man's Preschool Valentine party also made the day exciting.

When it came time to making Valentine cards for dude's preschool class, the idea of Angry Birds was presented to me.

This little man of mine loves Angry Birds. I think the game is fabulous and am grateful for the convenience of the iPhone, but I am not a huge fan of my child being glued to an electronic devise.  When I found THIS amazing Angry Bird pom pom tutorial, from my dear friend's craft blog Just Between Friends, I was thrilled.  Jonie, you are a genius!

Needless to say, dude insisted that we make his preschool friends Angry Birds as a little gift.  And so we did.  Along with the actual Angry Bird pom poms we gave his favorite Angry Bird snack.

I never thought I would be one of those people to suffer with "Baby Blues", but I found myself struggling with it after having my second child. Let me tell you, it was pure torture! I remember feeling disconnected with my baby, numb, and I had horrible thoughts running through my head. The worst part is that I was embarrassed about it and so I didn't tell anyone until it was over. My mom would ask, "Are you doing okay?" and I would just reply "Yes, I'm fine" and put on a smile. Somehow I fought through it on my own and became "normal" again over time. When I finally told people what went on, they couldn't believe it. I swore I would never go down that road again. If I had problems with the next baby I would talk about it with someone and I understood that it is completely normal to experience baby blues and it's ok to get help.

Well, I got pregnant with my third baby and I started to wonder if I would experience the baby blues again once he was born. My mother-in-law came into town right after I had the baby and she brought with her some amazing essential oils. I of course was skeptical since I didn't use them regularly and I hadn't personally seen them perform any sort of miracle. But I thought it would be good to start using them in hopes of preventing the baby blues and maybe I wouldn't have to go through what I went through last time. Or maybe I wouldn't have to get on medication, which I was very prepared to do this time around. We began diffusing the oil HeartSong, from a small company in Idaho called Butterfly Expressions (see how I diffused the oils with my candle warmer HERE). Let me tell you, I have not experienced the baby blues this time around. Sure I've been a little off my game because of sleep deprivation, but no depression, no disconnect with my baby, and no horrid thoughts racing through my mind. Here is a list of what I used... everyone's need's are different so just make sure your body needs these oils. My mother-in-law did a muscle test for me and these are what I needed.


Heart Song: I just diffused this oil in my kitchen since that is where I spend most of my time. This oil also makes the house smell good and your family happy. This is an anti-depression blend and is used for the treatment of grief and mild depression. It also helps stabilizes mood swings and helps get you through the day.

Baby Me: This oil allows you to give and receive love, it also brings a sense of calmness and helps mothers bond with their baby. This oil is also great for your skins elasticity, it retards wrinkles, and enhances skin tone. The way I used this oil was by mixing it into a homemade body scrub. Every time I get into the shower I rub it all over my body after washing and I simply let it rinse off and then I pat dry.


Deliverance:  We used this oil to keep everyone healthy with a newborn around. My baby was born in the middle of winter so this is a very special oil to me and came in very handy. We diffused this oil and we rubbed it on our feet along with a carrier oil (coconut oil). My 2 year old came down with a fever, so I rubbed this on her feet and put her down for a nap. When she woke up she was completely fine.

Fish Oil: Studies show that consuming fish oil during pregnancy and after childbirth help immensely in preventing the baby blues. I love my fish oil!


*This is what has worked for me this time around. If you try this and are still feeling the baby blues, call your doctor and ask for help. Just know that it's okay to get help. Don't be embarrassed, this baby blue stuff happens to a whole lot of women. I just hope I can help someone the way that my mother-in-law helped me.

Stephanie

Hard boiled eggs are just the perfect touch to a nice fresh salad. But making them can be a pain sometimes. I read in an old book about a method of keeping eggs from breaking and leaking while you hard boil them, so I had to give it a try. There is an air bubble inside eggs that, when heated, can expand and cause the egg to crack and leak. Well, say goodbye to those leaky cracked hard boiled eggs! Just add a tablespoon of vinegar to the water before you start to boil the water. Add the eggs, turn up the heat, and boil the eggs as you normally would. Is there anything Vinegar can't do?? Seriously... I'm starting to wonder. Oh, and vinegar is a natural deodorizer, so since you are boiling vinegar in water, you are going to smell the vinegar and not the eggs.  Also try and keep the vinegar water boiling after you remove the eggs to help keep the egg smell away while peeling. Let me know how that goes :)  Enjoy!