New Facebook Page

Who knew a number could make me so happy!? 100 followers. Following MY blog?

Wow. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Seems like just yesterday I decided it was time to stop filling up my family blog with my craft-related posts & started a craft blog called A Load Of Craft. That was 6 months ago! I guess time flies when you're crafting... especially when you're doing it in the wee hours of the night when everyone in your house is finally asleep ;)

So in honor of the occassion I started a new Facebook page! If you have an account there I would love for you to become a fan by clicking my "like" button here...

Thanks again for reading and for all your wonderful comments that make my day. I know it takes up time that no one has these days so I really do appreciate it. It's just the motivation I need to keep my creativity flowing! Everywhere I go I now think, "I could probably figure out how to make that and post a tutorial"! I love it!

I got an award! I suck.

I seriously suck. I got this Versitile Blogger Award from Couture Unraveled LAST MONTH and still hadn't posted about it. Well the universe sent me a message when Life In Rehab gave me the same exact one today! Thank you both for the great honor!

First off these two ladies who have awarded me are awesome! Check out Couture Unraveled's beautiful crocheted items and sweet tutorials like her way cute candle holder made from a block of wood... you'll love it! And Sunny is the funniest chick on the block and talented to boot! Just look at her patio furniture makeover. She's all about re-purposing which I love and am inspired to do more of!

So I get to share 7 things then pass the award onto 15 others. I'll make it snappy :)

1. I just turned 28.

2. I've had this blog for 5 months now.

3. I love my hairdresser.

4. My kids look nothing like me (sometimes I wonder if they got switched at the hospital).

5. Lifetime movies are my favorite (years of watching that channel may be why I now worry about crazy things like babies being switched at the hospital).

6. I'm a Christian and belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

7. I now officialy "coupon"... something I never thought I'd do.

Now onto the amazing list of bloggers I'm awarding in no particular order:

Airing My Dirty Laundry, One Sock At A Time... does this thing every week where she just lists stuff she going to "be okay with" and it makes me laugh.

Money Saving Mom is where I find so many deals with my couponing. I spend way too much time on this site.

Something Pretty has awesome ideas and you will be inspired. Love her pillowcover and matching rosettes!

Fun On A Dime has great ideas that you can do/make with your kids like these soft pretzels.

Sweet Little Smoothie always has good ideas and crafts like her cute tea towel shower cake!

Me And My Pink Mixer gives you YUMMY recipes that are easy to follow like her strawberries with cream cheese filling... mmmm!

A Girl And A Glue Gun made an AWESOME playhouse from a cardboard box!!

I Heart Naptime has a cupcake tower cake that I'm totally copying for a birthday party.

Cluttered Crafting upcycled a sheet into a beautiful skirt. It's on my list!

A Vision To Remember made a one of a kind flower quilt. Wow. You have to see it!

Make It And Love It made her little girl a shrug from a stained shirt - genius!

Allen 1 Relief Society is one I just found and thought her baby jeans into skirt was a great idea!

Made By Rae made her own baby tights! Didn't know you could do that!

Make The Best Of Things has a tutorial on a crackle finish using Elmers glue. Sweet!

Drab To Fab shows how to make candlesticks that are awesome.

I hope you'll check these gals out and that your list of things you want to do will increase as mine has :)

The guidelines for accepting this award (if you feel like it... no pressure of course) are as follows:
Thank the person/people who gave it to you.
Tell 7 things yourself.
Pass the award on to 15 blogs, whom you have recently discovered, and think are fantastic.

Tutorial: How To Make A Swaddle Blanket

Yes I still swaddle my 9 month old. Say what you will but it gets her to sleep fast and saves me what little sanity I have left so I'll keep it up as long as I can! If you swaddle (aka burrito wrap) your baby but need something much much lighter for summertime, you'll love this!

I simply bought a yard of jersey knit material and cut it in half along the line that it already had from being on the bolt. You don't have to do anything to the edges because they'll just curl up. If you're picky you can take a rotary cutter to the edges that the fabric store cut so they're straight but honestly it won't matter once you wash and dry it.

This makes two very lightweight, stretchy blankets! You could definately get away with less than a yard if it's for an newborn.

I love me a cheap and easy project!!

Tutorial: How To Make A Boppy Slip Cover

Here's a much cheaper alternative to buying a slipcover for your boppy. I made this using a pattern I found at Vanilla Joy. She found it at Economical Baby, whose blog has since been removed, and was smart enough to save it to her computer! I did a zipper along the seam as opposed to across the underside like the pattern calls for so my instructions are different.

For my version you need:

Pages 2-7 of the pattern printed twice
24" zipper
Sewing machine
Flexible measuring tape

About a yard of farbic or 1/2 yard each of 2 different fabrics (print pattern first and measure to get exact amount)

I made mine before I was doing my craft blog so I didn't take pictures of the process. Luckily my friend made one and she let me take pictures of hers while I was helping her with the zipper part.

Tape the pattern together so the grey areas are hidden. This is what you'll use to cut your fabric out on the fold. Ignore the stitch line because it's not accurate.
Here are her two pieces of fabric already cut out (note: they're both still folded in this picture)

Unfold each and pin the "front" of the boppy cover (see picture below) with right sides together and measure and mark 12" out from the center in each direction. This is your zipper's length. Now mark 2" out from those marks on each side. Using a 1/2" seam allowance (note: the original pattern says to use 1/4" but I liked it tighter-fitting), sew a regular stitch starting at your outtermost mark and then switch to a basting stitch at the zipper's mark. Baste to the opposite side's zipper mark then regular stitch those last two inches. Sounds harder than it is. Refer to my throw pillow cover tute for the same instructions worded a bit differently :)

Once your basting stitch is done, iron the seam open.
Then pin your zipper, with the teeth directly on the seam, to the seam allowance only (not to the cover) and sew as close to the zipper teeth as you can using your zipper foot. You will stitch a straight line on each side of the zipper.

Once that is done you can do what I did on my throw pillow cover tutorial and just fold the seam closed with the zipper sandwiched inside it and sew a line on each end of the zipper from the raw edge to the basting stitch. This way you don't see any stitching around the zipper when you turn it right side out.

Now get out your seam ripper and rip the basting stitch from the right side.

This is what it will look like if you use an invisible zipper, otherwise you see the teeth which is fine too.

After this step I gave it back to her to finish so I don't have any more pictures but from here you just turn it so right sides are together again and sew around the rest of it with a 1/2" seam allowance and you're done!

I'd love to hear how it turns out for you!

Tutorial: How To Make A Zippered Throw Pillow Cover

Meet Debs.

She's my best friend since the 9th grade.

This is her smiling big because she loves me and her new pillows so much!

She recently bought a new couch and some fabric to make the pillow covers.

She's never sewn anything before in her life.

So we got together and she sewed that sweet looking dark patterned pillow on the right!

She did an awesome job!! I was seriously impressed.

I then made the 2 striped ones and took pictures along the way so I could share the instructions with all you nice people.

So here goes (all you need is some fabric and a zipper - sizes based on the pillows you're using):

Cut two home decor weight fabric squares. We measured some other pillow cases to get the desired size.













Pin them together on one side only.















Trim so they match perfectly.















Sew a basting stitch about a 1/2" from the side (this just means you increase the length of the stitch so this seam is easy to rip open later). I actually start out with a regular stitch then baste for the length of the zipper then finish with a regular stitch. So the two ends are stitched normal so that part doesn't come apart when you're done. Clear as mud?













This picture might help you understand. See the short stitches in the beginning that get longer where my zipper will start?
















Once that's sewn, iron the seam open.















Get out your zipper (whatever length you need).















Now you will pin one side of it to the seam allowance. Not to the seam allowance AND the main fabric. Just the seam allowance. Line the "teeth" up with the seam.















After one side is pinned, pin the other side.













Use your zipper foot to sew the zipper on to the seam allowance only, removing the pins as you go. You'll sew a straight line down each side. Because of the direction of my stinking zipper foot I always have the bunched up fabric on the inside and it's a pain.

















I like to get the needle as close as possible to the zipper teeth.
















See how now I have my basting stitch and my stitch line from sewing the zipper on?














Now it's time to rip open the basting stitch so get out your seam ripper and break a few basting stitches from the wrong side then turn it around to the right side to finish ripping them all open.
















Once you're done you can unzip the zipper and make sure it looks right.
















Next to each end of the zipper you'll have to sew the seam allowances together. First find the spot just above the top of the zipper and just below the zig zag edge. Notice how I didn't move the zipper pull out of the way like I should have.















Close the seam allowance like pictured below














Sew a short line across, stopping just before you hit the stitch line you made in the beginning (the one you made just before basting)













Repeat at the other end of the zipper and it should look like this
















Before pinning, unzip your zipper (take it from me and Debs who learned the hard way), then you can pin all the way around the rest of the pillow.


















Sew 1/4" from all 3 edges then snip the corners so it's less bulky when you turn it

And it will look like this:

Cuteness!