Looking forward to...

April 2013. That's when we get to meet our baby. :)

!!!

The most important bum-realted DIY post of all time

DIY Ruched Bikini Bottoms

I found this on Pinterest and it has changed my life. I have long suffered the curse of the saggy bikini bottoms, but no more! This takes less than 5 minutes, it is totally reversible if you hate it and it makes your bum look yum. Enjoy.

New Couch

Our loveable Ikea Ektorp couch was run ragged by 10 years of sitting, napping, jumping, falling, moving (it went through 4 houses!) and general couch abuse. I loved it dearly and it was one of the last remaining pieces of furniture from the house I grew up in. (At least we will always have the coffee table, as my Dad would say "That's a good piece of pine.") Anyways, the hunt for a new couch began on Ikea.ca, Craigslist and at local furniture stores. I am sad to say that Vancouver Island is NOT the place to buy an attractive and inexpensive couch (unless you dig beige microsuede which I DO NOT.) At long last an ad on craigslist came up with a white Ikea Ektorp corner sofa, in good (read butt not sinking to touch the ground) condition and at about %60 off from the price of buying it new. We took it. It's great! Super comfy, great for napping, could fit two 6' men laying down! Plus, it comes apart into three pieces so it's easier to move than our old three seater. Luckily, we can save up to replace the white (as you know it won't stay white long with a dog and two adults who enjoy snacking on it) slipcover with a sexy grey one! Let's just hope whereever we move to next has a large enough living room....

Lime Soup

Yucatan Lime Soup  << click for recipe

I have been making a variation of this lime soup lately, it's delicious! I don't bother adding chicken, I use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock and add all sorts of veggies including celery, carrots, green peppers, avocado, chick peas and even corn and black beans. Enjoy!

photo via

DIY: Simple Sock Bunny

Here is a project I am currently doing with some of my students at my art teaching job. If six-year-olds can do it, you can too! It's simple, cheap and it should take two hours or less depending on how fast you can whip-stitch. No sewing machine or pre-existing skills needed!

 Sock bunny pieces ready for sewing!

 Finished bunny!

Materials/tools:

• 1 knee-high sock, clean and colourful is best! (Buy a pair and you can make two bunnies!)
• Embroidery floss (Simple thread will work but the embroidery floss is best to add colour and for nice, strong seams)
• 1 large sewing needle
• Sewing pins (optional but it will be a bit more of a hassle without them)
• Cotton stuffing
• Sewing scissors (regular scissors will work too it will just make cutting a bit more difficult)
• 2 buttons for eyes (optional)
• 1 pom pom and a hot glue gun (optional)

Instructions:

1. Cut a 2-3 inch strip of the sock from the top (opening), this will become the arms.
2. Imagine that the heel of the sock is going to become the face, lay the sock flat so that the face is facing upwards, cut up from the toe towards the heel stopping just under an inch from the heel.
3. To make legs cut from opposite side stopping about 3 inches from heel.
4. Time to start sewing! Pick a piece of embroidery floss twice as long as you think you'll need, thread it through the needle and bring the two ends of the thread together and tie them in a knot, this way the thread will be extra strong and you don't have to worry about it coming off the needle. Whip stitch the ears closed along the edges where you cut.
5. Stuff the bunny's ears and half his body.
6. Using the same method as for the ears start sewing the legs shut leaving an opening about an inch long at the bunny's "crotch." Finish stuffing the bunny's body and legs and sew up the opening at his crotch.
7. Take the strip you cut for the arms and cut it in half length wise.
8. Sew each arm on two of three sides leaving one side open.
9. Stuff the arms, fold in the raw edges and pin them  to the body where you want them.
10. Using the same whip stitch as before attach the arms to the body, ensuring that each stitch passes through the arm and body.
11. If you are using buttons for eyes sew them in place on the heel/face of the sock bunny. If you do not have buttons simply embroider eyes onto your bunny using the embroidery floss.
12. Add the nose, mouth and any other features to your bunny using the embroidery floss. (If you have a hard time hiding knots and want the face to be perfect/knot free this step can be done before any other and the knots can be hidden inside the sock.)
13. If you like, use a hot glue gun to attach a pom-pom tail.

You are done, enjoy your bunny!

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MS Paint to the rescue....

Tips:
To make the bunny safe for young children do not add button eyes or a pom pom tail and make sure your seams are sturdy!

All of the sewing (except for embroidering the face , adding the arms and stitching up the crotch after stuffing can be done with a sewing machine.

If you do not want visible seams turn the sock inside out before sewing it, the turn right side out before stuffing.

The more colourful the socks and thread the better!

Original Sock Bunny project found here.