It's official:  This is the final post of Baby Week!  It's been quite a bonanza of ideas and inspiration!!  I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have.  A few items of business:

1.  If you didn't get a chance to check out all of the Baby Week projects or you just want to see them again, I have a list of them on my sidebar.  Just click the link matching the picture to visit the post again!  These guest authors deserve lots of props!  Stop by their blogs and say hello!


2.  We have a winner of our first giveaway--My very own giveaway for the "Baby Is Sleeping" sign.

Alright, Baby Week readers. Lyndsey has the most adorable blog with all kinds of amazing wood crafts. Go check out some of her cool project... you'll love it. Promise! Now, on to her tutorial! This is a fun one!

Hey guys.. let me start off by saying how excited I am to be guest posting at Oopsey Daisy. I have been following her blog for awhile and she is awesome.

Ok- now on to the fun stuff already... I think baby showers are so fun but mostly because there are so many cute ideas out there for super cute gifts. The growth board is something I started making a while ago because it is so easy and it is such a huge hit with the moms to be...


So here is a list of things you will need to make one:
1- 1X6 cut to 4 feet. You can get these at Home Depot or Lowes- they can cut it there for you for free and I think they are around $4.00 for a 6 foot board (You won't need the whole thing so I bet all you crafty people can come up with something cute for the other piece.)
- Scrapbook paper in coordinating colors... this project is perfect for all those scraps that you might having lying around.
- Paint in the color of your choice and paint brushes
- Mod-podge
- Sandpaper
- Craft wire - I buy mine at Lowe's it is only $2.00 for a huge roll that will last you forever!!
- Ribbon, buttons.. cute embellishments of your choice
1
Start with your 4 foot board and paint it... I always sand everything .. It's an addiction! So go ahead and sand that sucker down...



Next I cut my scrapbook paper. You will need 4 pieces that measure 1 1/2 inches wide and 4 inches long - these will be for each foot of the board. Then I cut a few pieces for the top part. This is where we will put the cute saying at the top. My top piece of paper measures 4.5 by 9.5. All you scrap bookers out there could probably do a much better job then me with this part. Then just mod-podge them onto the board.. the first piece will go at the very bottom of the board and then space them up each a foot..

Now, you will take a measuring tape and use a pen or pencil to mark your board from the bottom - you will mark every inch. Now because of the paper on the board, you will only be able to mark 10 lines in between each foot. I then painted over each marking with a little paint brush and some white paint.. I have used a paint pen and a scrap book pen before, and they all work great.. I am not a perfectionist so don't look to close

Next, we will print out vinyl for the feet and the top ... if you don't have access to vinyl you can free hand these parts as well with a paint pen or scrap book pen. Also, if the mother-to-be has not chosen a name yet for her new baby you can replace that saying with," Look how big I am?" or" Wow.. I am so big!!!"

My favorite step.. adding your own little flair to your masterpiece... I love adding ribbon and buttons. Flowers are also super cute.

See, I told you she was great!! What a fun project. I am definitely making one of these for my son's room!

Ashley is here from Cute as a Fox! Ashley was one of the first guest authors I knew I wanted. When I saw her adorable baby shower gift ideas, I knew she would be perfect for this week!! You'll see what I mean...

Hi Oopsey Daisy readers! I'm Ashley and I blog over on Cute as a Fox. I am so excited to be posting over here for Baby Week! I will be sharing some baby shower gifts with you today.


Before we get started, I wanted to let everyone know about an event I am co-hosting in Arizona in June. Click on the banner to learn all about it and register!

On to the good stuff! A few months ago I came across some cute boutique baby gifts shaped like candies, cupcakes, and lollipops. They were adorable but at boutique prices, it just wasn't going to happen. So I set out to make my own (and improve on the spendy boutique gifts, if I may be so bold.)


Here are the results:

Receiving Blanket Lollipops - Those sticks are in the center of the lollipop, not sticking behind. Baby Washcloth candy rolls
AND my favorite . . .
Burp Cloth and Baby Sock Cupcakes - I used ruffled burp cloths to emulate the look of frosting.

If you show up with these to a baby shower, you will definitely be the talk of the party. They are fun and most importantly easy to make! Click on the name of each project to be taken to the full tutorial.


I've got lots of great baby ideas, so come on over and check out the rest.


Today on my blog I am posting a free download. Great for embellishing a package, making a card, or scrapbooking. I even have the SVG file for anyone with a Cricut cutting machine. Come check it out at Cute as a Fox!


Thanks for having me here for Baby Week! Stay tuned for more awesome baby-related posts.

Go check out those fun tutorials on her blog! Thanks so much, Ashley!

Prepare yourselves for a totally cool tutorial!! I was so excited with how Megan's butterfly chandelier turned out!! Go for it, Megan!

Hi! I'm Megan from Megity's Handmade. I am super flattered to be guest posting today on Oopsey Daisy. Today, we are going to make a beautiful butterfly chandelier for your little one. It's going to fun!

• 6-8 scrapbook papers of your choice - make sure it's thicker paper. I used 12x12, but 8 1/2 x 11 works just as good - you just need more.
• 8-10 sheets of vellum (optional)
• 1 package of Mini Glue Dots
• fishing line
• a 12" hoop
• craft wire
• 15-20 yards of ribbon and tulle

Step 2: Take your hoop and make a criss-cross shape with your wire. Make sure it's secure and centered evenly. Mine doesn't appear to be centered, but believe me, it is!

Step 3: I found it easiest to attach the butterflies while the hoop is hanging. I secured mine to dangle off the side of the table with a very official crafting tool, a Tonka crane toy. This Tonka toy is not necessary, you may use anything you want to secure it. Beginning with the center of the chandelier, tie one end of your fishing line to it. Do not clip the length yet, just leave it attached to your spool. Use one glue dot on the center of a butterfly, center it over your fishing line and press the other butterfly on top. Continue down until you are satisfied with the length. Mine alternated from lengths of four and five butterflies. Once satisfied with the length, clip the fishing line.

Step 4: Continue attaching butterflies using the above technique working your way from the inside out. The order used was the center of the cross wires, then each corner where the wire was attached to the hoop and finally one or two strands in between each corner. Fill in your chandelier as much or as little as you want.

Step 5: Tie tulle to the top of your hoop on each corner where the wire is. Be generous in your length so that you can make a full bow. Knot the tulle together and then make two large bows with the excess.


Step 6: Fill in the rest of the hoop by tying the ribbons into simple knots. This looks best with several different styles of ribbons and the knots going in different directions. I used a satin, tulle, sheer and grosgrain in soft creams and perfect creamy pink.

Step 7: Hang and enjoy!*

Voila! The most adorable butterfly chandelier! Now go forth and create for those you procreated! Make your own or purchase a DIY kit from my Etsy shop. The kit will include everything you need to complete your own chandelier. No cutting required! Custom colors and/or shapes available for an additional fee.

Thanks for having me here. It was a pleasure. Please, feel free to come and visit me on my blog Megity's Handmade. Thanks!

This chandelier is over an infants crib and although it may not appear to be, it is still high enough that the baby will not be able to reach when able to stand. Safety first!

Is she fabulous or what?! Thanks so much, Megan! I already have plans for making an airplane chandelier for my son's room!

Today we have Ashley from Simply Designing sharing her craftiness with us. There are tons of burp cloth tutorials out there, but I love Ashley's tutorial! I love that these are double sided... so fun and colorful! You'll never need to buy burp cloths again!
**********************************

Hello Oopsey Daisy readers!! I was so excited to have been invited to guest post here during Baby Week! What an honor!

I am Ashley, the face and voice behind Simply Designing! I am fairly new to blogland but am loving every minute of it! I am an interior designer and a floral designer. I own my own business. I also love to dabble in crafts, baby/child items, sewing, baking, cake decorating and a variety of other things. I love finding ways to make my life more SIMPLE!


I enjoy keeping busy and I have a list a mile long of "projects" I want to do. And I love posting about my projects on my blog! I also LOVE new visitors, comments and new followers! (hint hint!)


In addition, I am a wife to a wonderful husband for 9 years, and a mom of a 3.5 year old spunky little girl and a sweet cuddly 3 month old little boy! So much fun!


Oh. And in my spare time (ha ha!) I am opening an Etsy shop. It is a slow process for me, but I am enjoying that too. (Go check it out if you don't mind!)


I'll wait...


Ok. Now. On to the GOOD stuff!


I am so excited to be guest posting here today. I am actually going to show off a tutorial that has been one of my most popular tutorials! It is so much fun! I just love it!


I wanted to share with you my tutorial for making simple, but the best EVER, Burp Cloths!


I made similar ones to these for my daughter but also received a myriad of other burp cloths at her baby shower. These were by far the most functional and the cutest!


I recently made some in anticipation of our son’s arrival, so these are more “boy” oriented ones, but you can obviously use any prints you want to.


I was lucky and found my fabric on a 50% off sale! Then I had a coupon for 20% off your entire purchase, even sale items. So, I figured my cost was 80 cents per burp cloth! (Plus the thread costs, but since we didn’t need to buy new thread…).


So not only are they the best burp cloths, they are also the cheapest!


Here is what you will need:

• Brown paper grocery store bag to make a pattern with (or, if you don't want to make your own template, go here to purchase a template!)
• Ruler
• Pencil/Pen
• Scissors for paper
• Fabric Pins
• Fabric scissors
• 1/3 yard flannel fabric per burp cloth (44”-45” wide fabric) (Flannel is the key here, so don’t buy cotton fabric. Spit up will just run off of cotton burp cloths and/or soak through to your clothes. Ew. The flannel fabric will absorb the spit up and they actually work better after each washing!)
• Matching or contrasting thread (4 spools of each color)
• A serger, or someone who loves you who owns a serger and is willing to sew a bit for you
• (As a side note, you can also complete these without a serger! I just like this method because it is easy.)

Step 1: Prewash your fabrics


I know it is not a lot of fun, and I accidently left my flannels in the dryer too long and they became entangled and wrinkly (Yes, I then had to iron them before I could cut them out…don’t make that mistake!), but prewash your flannel fabrics. You will be SO happy you did this!


If you don’t, they will shrink and cause the edges of your burp cloths to become wavy and then your burp cloths will not look nearly as good and, if you are like me, you will want to iron your burp cloths, which really is a ridiculous thing to have to do.


So please, avoid the heartache and prewash all your flannels before you get started!


Step 2: Create your Pattern!


(or skip this step and buy one here)


Use the following dimensions and photograph to sketch out your burp cloth pattern on to an open brown paper grocery bag.


This does not have to be perfect, but try to get it as symmetrical as possible. However, remember that you will be serging around these so that will make up for some discrepancy in this step.


Once you have the pattern sketches on the bag, cut it out.


Length: 19.5"


Width middle: 7.25"


Width (widest point): 10.5"

Step 3: Cut the burp cloths


Fold your fabric in half. You will be cutting two burp cloth sides at a time. These burp cloths are double sided and made with 2 pieces of flannel each. (1/3 yard fabric yields 2 burp cloths sides).


If you are really adventurous, you can put two, folded fabric pieces together and cut four sides at a time. However, if you try this, be sure to pay attention that the pattern fits in all directions on all fabric layers otherwise you may end up with a short burp cloth in there. Oops.


Pin the pattern to both thicknesses of flannel and cut!


I like to cut all my burp cloths at the same time before moving on.


Step 4: Decisions, decisions, decisions…pair your burp cloths


Decide how to pair your fabrics. You will use two flannel pieces to make one burp cloth. You can, of course, use the same pattern for both sides of the burp cloth, but I like to mix mine up!


You get 2 flannel sides out of 1/3 of fabric. So, if you choose 2 different fabrics, you will have 4 sides which means you can use one fabric for the front and one fabric for the back and you would have 2 matching burp cloths. (does that makes senses?)


Once you have figured out your pairing, place both sides, right-side out together.

Step 5: Serge


Ok, well I fall into the group who does not own a serger. But I do know someone to owns a serger so I enlisted help for the final step of this project: serging the edges together!


With wrong sides together (right sides out), serge around the outside edge in either a matching, complementing, or contrasting color of thread, your choice!


(You can also finish these off using binding, sewing wrong sides together and flipping right side out or any other way you can imagine! I just like the look and the simplicity of doing a serged edge!)

Step 6: Use and Wash…or give away!


Use these burp cloths often and wash them to death! They will absorb better after each wash! Or make to give away as baby gifts!

And that's how it's done wonderful Oopsey Daisy readers! Simple, but the best EVER, burp cloths!


Thank you so much for letting me come and share my tutorial with you.


Be sure to stop by my blog Simply Designing HERE to poke around and check out some of my other posts and tutorials. Stop by, stay a while, leave a fun comment, become a follower...I love it all!


Also, check out my Etsy shop HERE for this burp cloth template and for other little girl and baby accessories!


Happy Designing!