Oh, vinyl

Why do you haunt me? In other words, why does everything I buy smell like chemical death & have to be returned? Most recently: this cute, polkadot Kushies changing pad. Not that you would know from the online product descriptions (including the one on the Kushies website), or the packaging, that this is backed with vinyl. That little gem of information is contained only in tiny type on the pad's tag. Ah, well. Thank goodness for diaper.com's friendly return policy, eh?

In case you missed it, vinyl flooring has been linked to autism, phthalates (contained in PVC/vinyl) have been linked to reduced mental development and softened bones, and phthalate exposure is linked to male reproductive system problems, including feminization of baby boys, altered hormone levels in baby boys and men, reduced sperm concentration and motility, and increased sperm DNA damage in men.

So, needless to say, I've been trying to avoid vinyl/PVC in my home and workplace, as well as in the baby stuff we're buying. It ain't easy, but it's worth it.

Oh, and I finally found a waterproof but scary-chemical-free changing pad:

I heart the Internet & eco-conscious companies!

Cutesy daisy magnets

So our friends Kate & Don threw us an amazing baby shower here in Atlanta recently. Fabulous food (including basil lemonade and a fruit salad with pomegranate seeds, both of which I am still obsessing about), good friends, and even a couple of adorable babies. What more can a pregnant lady ask for? (Comfortable shoes? Portable air-conditioner? But I digress.) They decorated with adorable little daisies and tiny green mums.* So, as my little thank-you gift to our guests, I whipped up some daisy magnets.

Get it:
White felt
Yellow felt
Yellow thread (optional)
Needle (optional)
Glue
Magnets (or magnet tape, which I found at Hancock Fabrics)
Scissors

Do it:
Make a template for the white petals. I just freehanded a drawing on a piece of thin cardboard. Cut out the required number of flowers from the white felt. Cut out the same number of circles from the yellow felt (I freehanded all of these because I wanted the magnets to be sort of unique and homemade-looking).

I sewed each yellow circle to the white flower, but you could just as easily glue them together. Also, I realllly wanted to use bright-green thread for the sewing, but settled for yellow because I didn't have any green. Boo. Orange would be cute, too.

After that's all done, glue a magnet to the back of each flower. I used the magnet tape, and then a few days after I made it, my prototype flower fell right off of the magnet. So then I reinforced them with extra glue.

Voila! Enjoy, people!

* On a random side note, we had two showers & neither was blue-themed! (We're expecting a boy.) Hallelujah! We did get a lot of blue clothes, though, so I guess you can't win 'em all. Not that I'm anti-blue, I just never wanted to dress my boy all in blue & my girl all in pink. In fact, I'm wearing a blue dress right now and I'm not even a man! See how that works, baby product people?

Hello, world.

Okay, so I'm pregnant and on a mission to make the healthiest baby ever. So I've spent the past 38.5 weeks researching baby (and mama) health and well-being. And herein, I will share the results of my borderline-OCD search. I will also try to reduce the number of manila folders floating around my house. Promise.

For a combination of reasons (saving $$, health/environmental concerns, fun), I am also making a million things for the baby and will be sharing some of my work. I am pretty much untrained, not counting high school home ec, so I gravitate toward really easy projects or projects that don't necessarily require a ton of specialized skill to be attractive and/or functional (think glue + felt). I will do my best to provide lots o' step-by-step instructions and photos for others with crafty leanings/longings and a similar lack of expertise. I also will be linking to an occasional higher-level project that I love in hopes that some kind soul will (a) make it for me or (b) tell me how to do it.

I have been so, so, soo inspired by all of the amazing crafty women out there who are making and blogging! (I'm sure there are some men, too, but I haven't really come across them yet.) Many of my projects come from their patterns or are my own takes on their work, and I will be sure to provide links to their sites.

So welcome, and enjoy.