Owl Onesie Applique

I just learned how to applique and I am currently in the process of turning all of my son's boring onesies and bibs into cute ones. Here is a onesie I found on the clearance rack at Buy Buy Baby for a couple dollars. I used the owl template found at Stubbornly Crafty. Trace the pieces onto fusible webbing. I used Steam A Seam brand but there are others listed at Stubbornly Crafty. Cut out pieces of fabric and iron onto the body of the owl. Stitch in the pieces in place. Then adhere the webbing onto the back of the owl and iron to the onesie. Stitch around the border and you are done. I added ribbons to mine as well as seen in the picture.

Here is a tie bib I appliqued as well. I'll add more pictures of appliques as I create more.

Easy Diaper Cake with Champagne Center

I created this diaper cake and to make it even more unique instead of using the standard paper towel roll or baby bottle for the center I used a bottle of champagne for the new parents to toast to the birth of their new baby.

You will need about 40-50 diapers depending on the size you use. Items to decorate like small toys and ribbon and fabric to make burp cloths and ribbon blanket (optional) Cardboard cut in a circle or cake plate.

First I hot glued the champagne to the center of the cake plate. I bought a rose champagne from Trader Joes for $5.

Next add the first row of diapers by using a large rubber band. Put the rubber band around the bottle and add diapers around it. You can roll and rubber band each diaper but I find that to be more time consuming. Add enough diapers to make it the size you want. I used about 30 size 3 diapers.

Add the next layer by repeating the last step. I used about 10 diapers for the second layer.

I made burp cloths to cover the layers but you can use receiving blankets too or just cover with ribbon. Here are directions for burp cloths.

Wrap ribbon around each layer and secure with a safety pin. This will keep the burp cloths in place.

The top layer is a ribbon blanket I made. I folded the blanket into thirds and wrapped it around the top of the champagne bottle. You may also use another layer of diapers. Directions for a quilt style ribbon blanket here. To make this ribbon blanket I used two 15in square pieces of fabric (1 from the style of the burp cloths I made and another piece of scrap minky I had) and made it this way.

Last decorate the cake. I used a rattle/teether, car seat toy and wrist rattle to cover the safety pins (all from Babies R Us) I included lotion from the parents' registry for the topper. I have seen a cute cake made with Sophie the giraffe as the topper but that was already purchased from their registry.

Beef Stir Fry Freezer Meal

Beef Stir Fry

Freezing Directions
1 red bell pepper cut in chunks
1 green bell pepper cut in chunks
1/2 lb beef cut in strips
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp fennel
1 crushed garlic clove
1 tbsp curry paste
1 chopped red chili
Serves 2-3

Cut red and green bell peppers into chunks. Cut beef into strips. In a 1 qt bag combine 1 tsp cumin, ½ tsp fennel, crushed garlic clove, ginger, finely chopped red chili, 1 tbsp of curry paste, bell pepper and steak.

Cooking Directions

Thaw, add 1 tbsp oil to a wok and heat. Add stir fry and cook until peppers are tender and beef is cooked through. Serve with naan or rice.