An easy fix for slipping bra straps
Call me a prude, but I really can’t stand it when my bra strap starts to wander, letting the world know just what color and condition said bra is in. (Answer: generally not great.) In fact, it drives me nuts. I don’t want to have to constantly be adjusting and digging around. It’s just not… dignified.
An easy recipe for natural homemade mosquito repellent
My friend Michelle sent over this super helpful recipe for making your own natural mosquito spray. I say “super helpful” because Michelle and I both live in the southeastern United States, where humidity and mosquitoes reign supreme this time of year. Since I’m sure quite a few of you contend with these flying beasts as well (I know they do good things, but COME ON), I figured it could help a few of you, too.
Simple ways to make your own art supplies
The idea of making your own chalk had me scratching my head and wondering: if you can make chalk, what other kind of art supplies can you make? I love the idea of creating the means of another creation — that is, constructing the materials you and your kiddos will then use to create art. Here are a few of my favorite arty recipes, starting with the chalk.
Fashioning your own ABC book is easier than you might think
Have you seen most ABC books? Yawn. I wanted to create a book for my daughter Olive that would be tactile and interactive… and awesome. I wanted to show her things that mean something to her father and I. You know, important things like trademarked characters and ice cream. So I raided my stash of felt and set to work with scissors and a hot glue gun… and a gob of fake hair. (See page H.)
Ditch old-fashioned photo albums and make a Blurb book instead
I’ve always been obsessed with photo albums — whether they were thrifted, vintage, or something I picked up from a craft store. I’ve spent many an hour filling dozens of them with photos. This was cool with me, until I discovered Blurb books
A DIY alternative to a chalkboard wall
I’ve been wanting some sort of chalkboard in my son Jackson’s playroom for some time now — I just wasn’t sure what would work. The room was built to be a living room and has outlets everywhere. We have the baby-proofed, but the placement of the outlets blocked me from being able to just paint a chalkboard onto the walls.
When I discovered chalkboard spray paint exists, I knew just what I wanted to do…
A doula’s advice: the dos and don’ts of visiting friends after they have a baby
I know how exciting new babies are. I know how much people want to see and smell them when they are brand new. I also know that being a good friend to new parents means taking the utmost care with a new and very delicate situation. As a postpartum doula, I’m here to tell you how you can be a good friend while you visit new babies and their parents.
A guide to making your family videos even more awesome
If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably realised that, while you’re great at capturing all those special moments, you have no idea what you’re going to do with the gigabytes and gigabytes of memories you have piling up on your hard drives. Let’s face it — you’re almost matching a second childhood just in digital files!