A Little Tipsy

Creative Tips & Ideas

[print_thumbnail_slider]

Ribbon Embellished Burp Cloth

By 2 Comments

Ready for DIY baby shower gift idea number two? This is another more personalized idea to make one of a kind ribbon embellished burp cloths. You can tailor them to any taste and they are, as always here on Tipsy, super easy.
The cloth diapers are awesome for those who have babies like mine who could soak one of those tiny burp cloths in five seconds flat. Flannel burp cloths are cute and can match blankets, which is nice. But, drool seems to be immune to those and many times just runs right down them until it finds something more absorbent, like mom’s shirt or the couch. LOVELY.

What you’ll need:
Cloth diapers
Ribbon
Quilt binding or bias tape
Sewing Machine/thread
Pins

1. Layout your ribbon, binding etc. and decide which combinations you like. I did two ribbons on each burp cloth, but you can keep it to one if you want them more simple.
2. Pin the embellishments in place.
3. Sew both edges on thicker ribbon and down the middle for thin ribbon. You can remove the pins and adjust as you go if the burp cloth begins to pucker. I did a zigzag stitch for the quilt binding to give it a little more personality. I left the ends open on most with the quilt binding, but on a few I folded a little piece of ribbon over the end perpendicular to and beneath the binding to give it a fancier more finished look.

As you can see on the end cloth, I also did a few with just ribbons and no quilt binding. You can play around and see what combos you like. In any case, I think they turned out really cute! I wish I would have thought of this when my little guy was still using burp cloths!

I also used this same concept with some receiving blankets I purchased (from the same pack I used to do the car seat covers in yesterday’s post). I added a stripe of ribbon on one end to make it more boutiquey (is that a word?) and cute. I mean ribbon makes most anything better right? 🙂

We have decided to truncate our feed to help protect against stolen content. I apologize for any inconvenience. Please love us anyway. 🙂

Easy Car Seat Cover Tutorial

By 17 Comments

Want a cover that is as cute as your little one, but can keep them tucked away from strangers, sun, and coughing kiddos? Or maybe you need a more personal “hand made” baby shower gift idea. (This will be the first of a few ideas to come, I have been sewing for two days!) The answer is here and is easy enough for even the most crafty challenged of all of us.

All you need is some ribbon, a sewing machine, and a 30″ x 40″ receiving blanket. (I got these cute blue and brown ones at Walmart, if you are really crafty you could make the blanket too) This makes a nice light cover for Spring/Summer.

3 easy peasy steps to your DIY car seat cover:
1. Cut ribbon
2. Measure & pin
3. Sew rectangle

1. Measure 29-30″ of ribbon and cut. I melted the edges a little with a lighter so they would not frey.
2. Measure 9 inches in from the side of the blanket, 17 inches from the top, and 22 inches from the bottom. Pin one inch of the center of the ribbon to the blanket.
3. Sew a rectangle between the pins. (I had not sewn since 7th grade Home Ec 15 years ago so don’t tell me you can’t do this!)


Ta da you are now the proud new owner/gifter of an adorable DIY car seat cover!

We have decided to truncate our feed to help protect against stolen content. I apologize for any inconvenience. Please love us anyway. 🙂

How to Freeze Meat

By 20 Comments

I am all about saving on groceries and so often I buy in bulk. Hamburger, for instance, is much cheaper if you buy it in a 5 Lb. chub on sale. My family of 3 (more like 2.5) obviously does not consume 5 lb of meat at a time, so I pack and freeze it. I am super impatient when it comes to defrosting especially because it is usually being done around 5 pm when I am rushing to get dinner on the table. My hubby came up with a great idea to make it faster and it makes it easy to store in an organized stack.

How to Freeze Meat


I date a quart freezer bag and put about a pound of the meat in. Then, seal the bag 3/4 of the way.

Then, squish.

Then, roll with a rolling pin. I find this is an easy way to get the air out.

Seal the rest of the way. Then stack in the freezer.

Having the meat squished flat makes it defrost in a couple of minutes in some warm water. I love it!

Another good way to save a buck on hamburger is buying the 73% lean instead of the 90%. You can make it have about the same fat content as the leaner with 3 steps after browning. First, drain. Second, rinse with hot water. Third, pat dry with a paper towel.

I also like to buy my chicken in bulk. I buy it fresh so I can trim the fat off all at once and have it just ready to use. Then I pack it in dated quart size bags, two breasts to a bag and then fold the bag in half so they are each in a separate pouch and won’t stick together. Then, you can use one or both and they defrost faster!

Do you have a good recommendation on how to freeze meat?
We have decided to truncate our feed to help protect against stolen content. I apologize for any inconvenience. Please love us anyway. 🙂

DIY Wall Art

By 8 Comments

Aren’t these great? One Saturday morning, $15 (if you have to buy everything) in supplies, and a little creativity is all you need! Come on, let’s make you some too!

I stole this idea from EightCrazy and modified it for my skill level and budget. I in no way claim to be a master crafter and so I will word this tutorial to those like me who would like to be crafty, but sadly are just taking baby steps. For you master crafters, this project will be a breeze. Ready, set, baby steps:

Items you will need:
Foam Core Board 20″x 30″
Box cutter (aka utility knife)
Something to raise the foam core or cut it on
Scrapbook Paper (the thicker papers work best trust me on this one)
Something to cover your work space
Modge Podge (I had gloss, but would recommend matte if you are buying it)
Sponge Brushes (about 1-2 inches wide)
Acrylic Craft Paint (little bottles at the craft store)
Hair Dryer
Scissors/paper cutter

1. Start by measuring and cutting your foam core into six 10″ x 10″ squares. I made my husband do this. (I am still scarred from a grade school pop bottle bird feeder experience with a box cutter. Who gives a kid a box cutter to cut a 2-liter with anyway?) He put the four corners on my son’s little books to raise it off the carpet and used the level to guide the edge.

2. Then I painted the edges brown. I did two thick coats letting them dry thoroughly after the first coat so I could see where they might need special attention on the second coat.

3. Then I tried cutting the paper to match the size, but found it easier to just match up two sides of the paper to the edge of the foam and modge podge it on. Using the sponge brush I coated the face of the foam with modge podge, placed the paper on top lining up two edges and pressed down firmly everywhere to make sure that it stuck. Let this dry for about 5 minutes.

4. Then place your foam on something (I used an old board) to trim the paper. (I got brave and did it myself this time) The trick is to go kind of quick and not press too hard with the cutter.

5. Some of my edges were not perfectly straight so I sanded them a little. That took a little paint off the edges, so I ran along the corner with the side of my paint brush that was still wet with the brown. This gave it an inked look that I liked, so I did it to all the edges.

5. Using the sponge brush, I put a thin layer of modge podge on the paper and covered it completely. I also put a layer of modge podge on the sides over the paint. As it dries the paper may begin to wrinkle or bubble a bit, check the edges closely (especially if you didn’t use the thick paper). That’s where your handy dandy hair dryer comes in! Once your piece is no longer sticky, use your hair dryer to warm the bubbles and wrinkles with heat and smooth them down with your fingers at the same time. I used the low setting, so it would not get as hot.

6. Voila! By using the foam core instead of canvas they weigh next to nothing, so I just stuck them up with the 3/4 inch glue dots. That way they do not damage the walls and you can move them around.

Yay for a successful project!!

We have decided to truncate our feed to help protect against stolen content. I apologize for any inconvenience. Please love us anyway. 🙂