DIY T-shirt to Baby Onesie

I love baby onesies. What I don't love are baby t-shirts. Really, who came up with the idea to put a little guy in a t-shirt that rides up every time they wiggle? Eli was given several t-shirts at baby showers, and they've just sat on the shelf because I don't like them. Now, though, I've found a way to turn t-shirts into onesies so he can wear them!

What you'll need:

• One baby t-shirt
• One onesie that's the same size (ie- both the t-shirt and the onesie in my pictures are 0-3 months)

Begin by cutting the onesie in half. I found the best place to cut is about an inch below the arm holes. This should leave you with two pieces: a little "mini shirt" and the bottom half. My friend Joy suggested using the top to make a baby dress- I think that might be another project on my list now!

Once you have your onesie cut, take the bottom half and lay it inside the t-shirt. You'll want to be sure it's placed low enough to snap the buttons, but not so low that the t-shirt looks funny. The goal is to be able to put pants on the little guy and have the t-shirt look like a real shirt. Does that make sense? :-)

Pin the onesie inside the t-shirt, and then take it to your sewing machine! Stitch a line across the t-shirt on both front and back, connecting the two pieces. You'll want to be sure you only sew the front of the t-shirt to the front of the onesie, and vice versa so that you don't sew the entire thing together. With my striped t-shirt, I sewed right along one of the stripes to conceal the stitching. (Also, because you're using knits, there is no need to finish the edges of the onesie. But, if you want, you can always serge or zigzag the top before putting the two pieces together.)

And there you have it! Easiest tutorial ever, right? Dress your little one up in some cute overalls or pants and you've got a great look!

Eli with his aunt and uncle rocking the t-shirt and overalls!

If you make this, I'd love to see your pictures! Please post links in the comments section so I can see your creation.

Weekend in Pictures

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! We had a great time this weekend hanging out with friends, painting our living room, and going to the USA Pro Cycling Challenge! The Cycling Challenge is where pro cyclists ride through the entire state of Colorado in just 7 days. We were able to watch Day 6's start in Golden. We even managed to get a spot right by the starting line so we say all the cyclists take off. Also, Patrick Dempsey made an appearance. He was like 10 feet from us! Ladies, he really is as attractive in person. (Don't tell Ben, but that may have been my favorite moment of the day!) 

As you can see, Eli had an awesome time too. He rocked the Baby K'tan and his adorable hat, and slept through the start of the race.

Wednesdays on the Homefront

Cooking: I made mango curry for dinner last night and it was delicious! It's the perfect summer recipe to feed a hungry family. This morning our house smells like an Indian restaurant... fans are running at full speed! I think I need to buy some candles too.

Cleaning: Shall we make this decorating today? I bought some new curtains at Ikea last week and I love them! I've never been very good with curtains. They are usually the last thing I buy and I'm really picky. However, I always forget how much they soften a room and make it look finished! Suddenly our hand-me-down bedroom set from the 1970's doesn't look quite so bad. I'm inspired to buy curtains for the other windows in our apartment now too!

Creating: I've been working on a few sewing projects for Etsy lately. My mom lent me her new sewing machine, so I've been enjoying being spoiled by all the special features! Speaking of Etsy, I'm going to be doing a series of posts and giveaways this fall related to baby items on Etsy. Are you exited? Stay tuned for details!

Loving: This cooler weather! Fall is my very favorite time of year. I love the aspens changing color, the weather, the scarves... oh my goodness I'm so excited! Poor Ben, the moment the weather dips below 90 I'm dancing around the house talking about cinnamon and pumpkin spice lattes. I'm really hoping this fall is a season of order and peace for us as I find my new rhythm with Eli and really enjoy our life. Also, how ridiculously cute is Eli in his fall pajamas?

Living: Little man woke up at 6:45 happy as can be this morning. Not being a morning person, I was not nearly as cheerful about it. I tried putting him in bed with me, but he just laid there and hit me in the face until I got up. After a cup of coffee and some delicious cookies from a friend, I felt a great deal better! I'm thankful he normally sleeps until 8 so I have a little time to myself!

Learning: How are your mornings going? I haven't been doing nearly as well as I could be with my morning goals, but I am making progress. Most days I'm up by 8 (the goal is 7) and I've laid out clothes the night before or done the dishes a few more times than usual. I'm hoping to get better at waking up early so I can add some Pilates or yoga to my morning routine.

Well, happy Wednesday! And welcome to all my new followers from Tea on Tuesday!

Nursing Nutrition

As a nursing mama, I'm finding that I am always hungry. Like honestly, always, always hungry. I'm also eating a great deal more every day. I ate an entire Chipotle burrito by myself in one sitting a few weeks ago. I am finding it can be difficult to keep up with the amount of calories I need to maintain a healthy weight and supply for nursing. In our weight-loss obsessed culture, googling "how to gain weight" produces a disappointingly small number of results.

In addition, Eli has a milk allergy so I have had to cut out all dairy products from my diet. As you might imagine, the number one suggestion for adding calories to your diet is through dairy. So, I am on a mission to find easy ways to add healthy calories to meals for nursing mothers. And I would love your help! Please comment with any tips or suggestions, and refer your nursing friends to my blog. I'm hoping to find recipes, snack ideas and lots more! I know that weight can be a really sensitive issue, but I hope that other moms who are struggling with this will join with me so we can feed our babies and be healthy!

Making the Most of my Mornings

Crystal over at Money Saving Mom started a new series called Make the Most of Your Mornings challenging moms to make their mornings count. I have been contemplating this issue over the past couple weeks, and I really want to establish a morning routine now that fall is almost here. Because of Eli's schedule, I haven't been beginning my day until 9 or even 10 most mornings. I find myself feeling off-balance and behind all day from sleeping so late. I am not a morning person by any stretch, but I would really like to be better about starting the day off right. I've also discovered that the best time for me to have a little me time is in the morning.

Crystal has been presenting different challenges to her readers each day, which I have really been trying to utilize. Here are my morning goals so far:

1. Wake up every morning between 7:00am and 7:30am.
2. Go to bed every evening at 10:30pm (11:00pm at the latest).
3. Accomplish 5 things each evening to give my mornings a good start:
1. Lay out clothes for the next day
2. Pick up around the house for 5-10 minutes
3. Clean the kitchen
4. Make a list for the following day
5. Get ready for bed (makeup off, wash face, etc)

I'm two days in, and I've gotten up at 7:30 both days! I'm still working on bedtime, but it's been 11:30pm, then 11:00pm, and tonight it will probably be 11:00pm again. Not too bad! I've gotten 1-3 things done on my evening list each night, so I feel fairly accomplished there. I'm hoping that I can get those things done most nights to give myself some morning peace. I am so excited about this challenge, and I hope to report good results!

Would you be willing to join me in making the most of your mornings? Be sure you head over to Money Saving Mom to join Crystal's challenge! And if you do, please comment and let me know! I'd love to check in with each other and keep one another accountable.