Here’s a little peek at Charlotte’s favorite Christmas present. . .

Before I started blogging, I fixed up several old pieces furniture as a hobby. I wish I would have taken a before picture of this chair! The paint was white and peeling, and the seat was thin, threadbare, and stained. I picked it up for $5 at an antique mall. Here’s how I made it mine.

You’ll need:
Sandpaper
Tack Cloth
Screwdriver
Staple gun
Paint
1″ Paintbrush
Fabric
Batting

1. First, I removed the seat. If you flip a chair like this upside down, you can get to the screws that attach the seat pad to the chair frame. I unscrewed them and set the seat pad and screws aside.

2. Then, I sanded the white, flaky paint off of the chair frame. I started with a course sandpaper, and then finished with a fine sandpaper.

3. After sanding, I wiped down the frame with a tack cloth. This keeps any icky sawdust from ruining your paint job.

4. I painted the frame using red latex paint and a 1″ brush. You could probably spray paint it if you wanted, but I went old school with the paintbrush. I made several thin coats and let my paint dry between them. This avoids the paint looking messy or “gloppy.” If a coat is too thick or uneven, you can wipe it with a rag or sand and tack cloth it before putting on the next coat.

5. If you want a shiny look, you can finish with a coat of polyurethane. I wanted a flat color, so I skipped this step.

6. Pull the old fabric off of the seat pad. It’s probably stapled onto the bottom of the chair, so you might need a flat head screwdriver to pry off the staples.

7. Cover the pad with a fresh layer of batting. You can find it in most fabric stores. Attach it with a few staples.

8. Lay your fabric upside down, and place the pad upside down on your fabric. Pull the fabric over the corners of the seat and attach with the stapler. Then, stretch the edges tight and continue to attach using the stapler.

9. After you have re-covered your seat, your can attach it to the chair by using the same screws you removed in step 1.

Click here for more crafty ideas from Sooo Big!

When I started to put together my vision for Charlotte’s nursery, I came across a gorgeous toy box that looked like it was made from an old shipping crate. I loved the idea, but didn’t love the price tag. So, I once again turned to Craigslist. After a few months of stalking, I came across an old shipping crate. Someone had tried to turn it into a trunk about a zillion years ago, but the hinges were pulling away and nails were sticking out. It looked rough, and I got it for CHEAP!

To make it into a suitable toy box, I had to put some work into it.

1. First, I removed the lid, and hammered any nails that were sticking out flat. I used a few finishing nails to hold together any loose pieces.

2. I scrubbed down the whole box with warm, soapy water. Before this step, I couldn’t even see the writing on the crate. Gross!

3. I took some fine sandpaper to the box and lid. I didn’t go too crazy, but I wanted to make sure that Charlotte wasn’t going to get any splinters on her toy box! After sanding, I rubbed a tack cloth all over the box and lid.

4. Then, I put a few coats of polyurethane over the box and lid. I did way more coats than I would have normally, but I wanted to make sure that the surface was smooth and safe.

5. I attached hinges on the back of the crate. I wound up using the hinges that came with it, but added new screws.

6. Last, I attached a slow close hinge. This holds the lid and keeps it from smashing any little fingers. The tension on the hinge can be adjusted with a screwdriver.

7. I also added padding to the corners – just in case Charlotte would happen to fall onto it.

8. We have eight small plastic containers of toys inside, to keep things organized. This is also for safety – if it weren’t full, Charlotte could fall in and get trapped. Be really cautious about this if using an old fashioned toy box!

Feeling crafty?  Check out our other projects!

First, combine:
2 cups flour
1 cup salt
1 1/2 cups water

Mix it with your hands in a big bowl, until it’s soft and doughy, but not sticky.
If it’s too stiff, add a tiny bit of water. If it’s too sticky, sprinkle in a bit more flour and salt.

I flattened the dough onto a plate, so that it wouldn’t stick. I cut out shapes with cookie cutters, and created circles with my hands.

Then, I put them on a greased cookie sheet, and punched a hole in each one using a straw. After bribing, begging, and crying (from both of us!), I was able to trick convince Charlotte to let me smoosh her hand into the ornaments. I baked at 300 degrees for one hour.

After they cooled, I used a large needle to thread a ribbon through the hole. I’m thinking that I might end up adding a coat of varnish to seal it.

I’m already teary thinking about how precious this ornament will be in the years to come.  Happy crafting!

For more crafty fun, check out our other articles!

Thank you all for entering our contest, and thank you to Krome for an awesome giveaway!

Congratulations to Shannon!  You are our photo book winner!
We will be contacting you shortly.

If you’re not Shannon, and you still want a photo book – pop on over to Krome Photos.
They will actually design a book for you and send you a preview for free,
and then you can buy it if you like what you see.
So head on over and try them out!

I began thinking back to my breastfeeding experience, and what other breastfeeding mothers said that helped me.

“You can do this!”

“Trust your baby.”

“Your doctor is wrong, and The Pill will make you dry up.”

“Breastfeed wherever you are comfortable – Whether that’s a park bench, your parent’s living room, or your car.”

And, finally, “You can breastfeed as long as you want to. It’s no one else’s business.”

So, now it’s my turn. It’s my turn to give advice when asked, and butt out when I’m not. I think that’s the hardest part. Breastfeeding was such a major part of my life for so long, that it’s hard not to talk about it with whoever will listen. I’m really trying to be there for my friends who are breastfeeding, without being pushy. They know that I’ve been down the same road, and that I’m there for them. That’s all I can do.

This was written for the Breastfeeding Blog Hop. This week’s topic is “Passing the Torch.”
Link up and join in!

]]> http://sooobig.com/2011/12/21/wordless-wednesday-hiding-from-the-baby/feed/ 0 http://sooobig.com/2011/12/20/handmade-photo-cube/ http://sooobig.com/2011/12/20/handmade-photo-cube/#comments Tue, 20 Dec 2011 16:01:49 +0000 crystal http://sooobig.com/?p=1389

When Charlotte was about 5 months old, her day care teacher asked us to send in some pictures to practice saying “Mama” and “Dada.” A friend of mine suggested making a photo cube out of an old tissue box.

You will need: An empty tissue box, 6 photos, contact paper, and tape or glue.

Start by taping or pasting photos around the outside of the tissue box.  Then, cover it with contact paper. I like cutting 2 long strips to wrap around the box, so there are fewer seams for her to peel apart. Remove the backing from the contact paper, and attach it to the box. Be careful to push out any air bubbles as you go.

We made two cubes, and Charlotte still plays with them. Because they’re laminated with contact paper, they’ve held up nicely to all of the sloppy baby kisses!

Click here for more crafty ideas from Sooo Big!

tod·dler  [tod-ler] n.

As promised – We are giving away a custom designed Krome Photos photo book!

One lucky winner will receive a 20 page, 8X10 photo book created by a talented Krome designer.
This includes photo enhancing and shipping!

Entries will be accepted until midnight on December 23, 2011.
A winner will be announced on December 23rd – Just in time for one lucky winner to start planning an awesome holiday photo book, or whatever other kind of book you want!

Until then. . .  Go ahead and upload your photos to Krome.  They’ll put together a book for you and email you with a preview – For free!  This first part of their service is always free.
If you’re the winner, then your book will be sent to you for free.
There are tons of ways to enter – so get clicking!

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