Our kids seriously love it when we include them in our crafting. Take one look at this picture and you'll see what I mean.

For expecting moms, try these:

*I can grow humans. What's your superpower?
*Does this baby make me look fat?
*Baby wants cake

For pillowcases:
*In the mood (one side); Not in the mood (other side)

Another fun idea is to have your child draw a picture, then scan it and print it on the iron-on transfer paper. Stacy's little guy has one with his artwork on it, and he's so proud to tell everyone that he made it.

We loved Mark It with a B's birthday shirts, too! These are so simple, but they make kids feel like a rockstar on their birthday. Barbara even uses the t-shirt for the birthday gift wrapping instead of paper. Way to be green! My kiddos have already picked out the fabric they want for their own. (Wow, better get crackin'--I've got both their birthdays coming up in a couple of weeks!) But they look so easy, they really shouldn't take long.







I saw t-shirts in lots of colors on sale at Michael's recently, and I know Target and similar stores are starting to clearance out their plain t-shirts to make room for warmer fall stuff. So now's the time to stock up!

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Just a quick post to tell you about a couple of opportunities we're excited about!

Have you heard about this new Barter Boutique? Basically, mompreneurs can swap their items with other mompreneurs, dollar for dollar. For example, let's say I sell handmade jewelry, and I want to buy handmade burp cloths for a friend's shower. I can go to Barter Boutique and look for other members who sell burp cloths. If they're interested in a trade, I could trade a $21 bracelet for three $7 burpcloths. How cool is that? Members sign up and pay a $10 listing fee, and then list their Etsy site, Web site, or blog with their product information. So even if you don't do a lot of trades, your products are being advertised for sale as well. We love it. If only we had stuff in our Etsy stores to trade. . . Yeah, I gotta get sewing. Anyway, check it out!

This one was right up our ally after our monster drawings brought to life post. Look at this cool opportunity to have your children's discarded drawings published! We have a stack of such drawings on the desk in the office that I just can't bear to throw away.

Seeking Children's Drawings for Publication
I am a graphic designer (and a mama), preparing a collection of childrens rejected drawings to be published in book format. The drawings I am seeking are the ones that 'didn't make it'. The drawings that were abandoned, scribbled or scratched over, torn and/or crumpled with frustration. Please contact me at gia@studioeg.com if you are interested, and I will provide you with additional information about myself, this project, and how your child's drawings may be included.

GIA GIASULLO

mail gia@studioeg.com

site www.giagiasullo.com

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We are so excited to announce the winners of our Baby Emi Jewelry giveaway! Thanks to everyone who visited and participated, and thanks to Debbie for her generous prizes! Our winners will each get to choose either a baby or toddler size Jingle Bell anklet ($40-45 retail), or a personalized baby bracelet ($55 retail).

The two readers who will receive some of Baby Emi's pint-sized glamour are:


Congratulations, ladies! Please e-mail Little Birdie Secrets with your contact information so we can hook you up with Debbie. She will contact you to take your order and get your shipping information.

And for all of you who didn't get a darn thing, don't forget Baby Emi is offering our readers 15% off their entire order. See, you are a winner! Just use coupon code LBS15. Thanks for entering and supporting our sponsor!

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Nothing says team spirit like a huge, soft, fleece blanket with your team's name and logo all over it! Stacy made this seriously easy blanket by taking two pieces of coordinating fleece and sewing them with right sides together around the edges. She left about a 6-inch space to turn it right-side out, then stitched up the hole from the outside. That's it! This is her family's favorite blanket, whether they're watching the Seahawks or not. We saw an ad for licensed team fleece for almost every major NFL and NCAA team you can think of at JoAnn.com. Perfect for snuggling on the bleachers or on the couch!

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I really don't mind playing host to my husband's friends when they get together to watch the game, because that means I get to make lots of delicious game-day food! We've compiled a few of our favorite football party recipes for you, but beware, they go fast (hence no pictures)!

Cathie’s Bacon Wrapped Sausages

One package Lil' Smokies sausage
One or two packages of bacon
Toothpicks
Brown sugar

Cut bacon strips in half. Wrap a Lil' Smokies sausage with a half strip of bacon. Skewer it with a toothpick so the bacon stays on the sausage. Repeat for all the Smokies. Place them all on a cookie sheet. You may want to cover your cookie sheet with aluminum foil first to make clean up easier. Sprinkle brown sugar generously over the sausages.

Bake at 425° until the bacon is thoroughly cooked and all of the brown sugar has melted into a nice sticky glaze. Remove from oven and serve.
-Cathie Cottle


Super Bean Dip

2 cans Frito Lay Bean Dip
8 oz. cream cheese
1 c. sour cream
20 drops tabasco sauce (more if you want it really hot)
1 c. sliced green onions
1/2 envelope taco seasoning

Mix all ingredients in a 9x9 casserole pan. Sprinkle cheddar cheese all over top. Heat until warm and cheese is melted. Serve with tortilla chips.


Hot Artichoke Dip

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 can (14 oz.) artichoke hearts, chopped
1/2 c. mayonnaise
1/2 c. shredded Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp. fresh basil (or 1 tsp dried)
2 Tbsp. chopped red onion (or 1 1/2 Tbsp. onion flakes)
1 clove garlic, minced

Mix all ingredients with electric mixer until well blended. Spoon into 9x9 pan. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes. Top with extra Parmesan. Bake 10 minutes more. Serve with crackers.


Game-Winning Meatballs

1 package Kirkland Signature (Costco) frozen meatballs
1 c. chili sauce
1 c. grape jelly

Stir chili sauce and grape jelly together. Place all ingredients in crock pot and cook on low setting until hot. These sound weird, but they are so amazing!

P.S. Go Huskies! And my husband says, "Go Utes!"

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Coach's Whistle Employee Badge Lanyard



What you'll need:

*Ribbon (as long as you want your lanyard to be--about a yard)
*Coordinating webbing that is a little wider than your ribbon--about a yard
*Key Fob Tip in same size as webbing
*Heat and Bond strip the same size as your ribbon
*Key ring
*Whistle (we found this one at the dollar store!)


1. First, cut ribbon and webbing to your desired size.

2. Apply Heat and Bond to the ribbon according to package directions.



3. Remove Heat and Bond paper from back of ribbon and follow directions to adhere the ribbon to the webbing. Stacy also stitched the ribbon on just to be sure.





4. Attach key fob to webbing by inserting both ends of the webbing into the tip and clamping down with a pair of pliers. Attach key ring and whistle.



5. Play ball!



This is some cute ribbon from JCaroline that would be perfect for a lanyard. And it was designed by Jessica of our favorite How About Orange!

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It's blackberry season here in the Pacific Northwest! The blackberry bushes have been heavy with fruit for the last few weeks, and I've been picking and freezing them by the quart-sized-bag full! If you live in an area where these tasty treats grow wild and are free for the pickin', you are one lucky berry eater. Thanks to Jessica, we've got a few recipes to help you use 'em before they're gone!

Blackberry Swirl Pie (can you say de-lish?)


1 pie crust
8 oz. sour cream
3/4 c. sugar
3 T. flour
1/8 tsp. salt
3 c. fresh blackberries or 16 oz frozen

Preheat oven to 450°. Bake pastry 8 minutes with the edges covered in foil. Remove foil, and bake 4 minutes more. Cool on wire rack and reduce oven to 350°. Combine sugar, sour cream, flour, and salt. Add berries, and stir gently. Spoon mixture into crust. Tent with foil. Bake 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake 20 more minutes or until set. Cool on wire rack 2 hours. Refrigerate leftovers.


Blackberry Crisp (easy-peasy!)


4 c. blackberries
1 c. sugar
1 c. flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. cold butter
3/4 c. rolled oats
2/3 c. brown sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pour blackberries in a casserole dish or pie plate. Pour 1 cup of sugar over blackberries and gently mix.



For the topping, combine cinnamon, flour, brown sugar, and butter. Cut butter in with a pastry cutter or two knives until mixture is crumbly. Cover the blackberries with the topping.



Bake for 30-45 minutes (until brown). Serve with vanilla ice cream.

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I remember waiting as a little girl for the tooth fairy to come, unable to fall asleep in my excitement, checking under my pillow every two minutes to make sure the tooth was still there and hadn't fallen behind my bed where she couldn't find it.

Stacy made this adorable pillow for her little one to keep beside her on nights that the tooth fairy is scheduled to pay a visit. Besides the charming embroidery, the front panel features a little drawstring pouch where the tooth can be kept safely, and where the tooth fairy can leave the cash. The pattern is by Two Blonde Mice, and can be found in various stores on the Internet. There's also a little boy version that is too cute!

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The winner of our Baby Week Giveaway is...

Tonia of creativespring.blogspot.com

Congratulations, Tonia! Please e-mail us at littlebirdiesecrets@gmail.com with your contact info so we can send you your fabulous prizes!

Thank you to everyone who entered and linked to us on your sites! Keep visiting us for more fun craft ideas and to find more great giveaways in the future.

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We've reached the final day of Baby Week and we're crying like babies--we have so many more baby crafts to share with you! We're going to squeeze a few more in today, but the rest will have to wait for future posts. Thanks to all our readers for the comments and support this week! We'll draw the winner of our Baby Week giveaway on Monday night, so watch for the announcement Tuesday!

First, we had to show you these incredible baby slings. Another local Seattle mompreneur makes extra cash selling these sweet baby carriers on Etsy. This is another seriously genius product that I didn't have (although I know they were around). Everyone I know who has one swears by them. They can be used from birth up to 35 lbs. just by shifting the position from cradling to hip-sitting.


We were so impressed with Beth's great product at a great price (only $25!), we asked her how her business got started:

"Baby slings really are a great way to keep your baby close to you and free up your hands while shopping, cooking, or walking the floor with a colicky baby! Sling-babies tend to cry less, and benefit physically and psychologically from being held close. I am strong proponent of babywearing!

"I started making slings for myself before my baby Drew was born (Sept. 05); when I started making pouch slings when he was about three months old many of my friends started asking me to make slings for them as well. Then their friends started asking, and their friends started asking, etc. I certainly didn’t mean to start a business when my son was six months old, but when a friend suggested I check out etsy.com, I decided to give it a go. I generally do most of my sewing while Drew sleeps (I am blessed with a toddler who didn’t give up naps) and my marketing department consists of the moms who have bought my slings – I rely on word of mouth to bring business at this point, since I don’t want to overextend myself while Drew’s still at home."

She has so many cool fabrics to choose from, or you can send her your own fabric and she'll make a custom sling for you! She even makes them in fleece for the colder months. Or, if you have a pet that likes to be held, check out her sister store, Pooch Pouches on Etsy for her awesome pet slings! Hilarious!

Now on to bibs. One of the most necessary baby items in history. Stacy made this adorable bib using a fun fabric covered with Therm O Web Iron-On Vinyl. Have you used this before? It is so cool! Transform any fabric into wipe-able, waterproof vinyl with your iron and this amazing product. We found it at JoAnn.


So I guess that about does it for Baby Week. Seriously so much fun for us, and we hope it was for you, too. And if you just didn't get enough, don't worry, there will be lots more baby crafts in the near future. Now, if you want to win a pair of BabyLegs and a few other items from this week's posts, don't forget to leave us a comment! Add us to your blogroll or link us in a post and you'll be entered twice. This is your last chance! The giveaway ends Monday night at 10:00pm (PST). We'll post our winner Tuesday! Bon chance!

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Thank you to everyone who has made our Baby Week a success! As Baby Week draws to a close, we wanted to feature an amazing mompreneur who has made a great living out of her crafting. She is such an inspiration to us! This is Debbie Savage and her husband Albert, and their two adorable daughters, Emi and Chloe.

We were drawn to Baby Emi jewelry because of her simple yet inspiring story. Debbie Savage was a community health educator in L.A. She loved her job, but after becoming a mother, she was looking for a way to stay home with her baby, Emi, while continuing to supplement her family income. Debbie remembers receiving treasured pieces of jewelry from her mother as a child and wanted to share the tradition with her own girls. When her daughter received a set of Cambodian jingle bells as a baby blessing gift, she knew she had found a way to pass along the beauty of her heritage in a glamorous, fun way.

“I’m drawn to pieces that can bring a little bit of glamour to everyday life, " says Debbie. "I’m a mom, but I’m also a woman. I love beautiful things that make me feel special. And every woman deserves that - whether she’s just entering the world or hugging her great-grandchildren.”

We love the way that Debbie brought together her creative talents, her love for her children, and her desire to honor her heritage to create a thriving business.

The crown jewel of her business is the Cambodian Jingle Bells anklet. The dainty jingling is credited with warding off bad spirits in the Cambodian tradition, and it also is a fun way to keep track of baby's movements. Her anklets are available in sterling silver and 14K gold and they are absolutely gorgeous. Why oh why do I only have boys? These sweet anklets are a big hit in the Hollywood-mommy scene, adorning the feet of tons of celebrity babies (think Jennifer Lopez, Tiger Woods, and Matthew McConaughey's little sweeties). Plus she's been featured in big time magazines like InTouch, OK!, and Pregnancy. She's hit the big time!

As our newest sponsor, Baby Emi Jewelry has very generously donated two incredible bracelets for one more Baby Week giveaway! This is a separate giveaway from our other Baby Week contest, so don't forget to enter this one separately! Here are the rules:

Visit the Baby Emi Web site and check out her glamorous designs (for babies and moms!). Then, leave Little Birdie Secrets a comment on this post with the name of your favorite Baby Emi piece by Friday, September 12 at 10:00pm (PST). On Saturday we'll pick TWO winners who will each get to choose either a baby or toddler size Jingle Bell anklet ($40-45 retail), or a personalized baby bracelet ($55 retail). How incredible is that? Don't forget to give us a way to contact you--either an e-mail address or a link to your blog--in case you win!



We feel so lucky to be able to offer this awesome giveaway! Please help us keep tons of tips, tricks, and tutorials coming by supporting our wonderful sponsor!

And as another special thank you for visiting their site, Baby Emi is offering a coupon for 15% off your total order for our readers! Just enter coupon number LBS15 when you checkout. Go crazy!

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Baby Week would not be complete unless we shared some great baby shower ideas with you! Every mother-to-be looks forward to the day of her shower where instead of feeling fat, tired, and hungry she can enjoy special decor, gifts, and friends. Every hostess wants the day to be a hit, so we have found some great ideas for you to use!

We are big fans of all the projects over at Homemade By Jill but these next two ideas really caught our eye. Jill made this gorgeous diaper cake. This is sure to be a hit at your baby shower and you can click here for a tutorial on how to make this cake yourself.



The next wonderful idea from Jill is these onesie cookies. How adorable are these? Although Jill admits these cookies were a ton of work, she also says that they were such a big hit that she will definitely be making them again. Click here to try your hand at these cuties, which are sure to impress.

If those ideas aren't enough for you, we also found this great video showing how to make the most adorable baby rattle cupcakes from Howdini.com!




How to make baby rattle cupcakes


And lastly, your baby shower cannot be complete without a great game idea, and we have just the thing! A variation of this game was played at my own baby shower and it was a huge hit. You can't go wrong when every guest gets to take a candy bar home!

Using the ideas below, you put all these candy bars in the center of the room. A person draws the funny pregnancy/childbirth word and has to match it with the candy bar in the center of the room. They get to keep the one they guess!

Conception………..Skor
Bladder problems ………..Fast break
Choosing a name …….Watchamacalit
Breast feeding ……..Milkyway
Obstetrician …….Butterfinger
Engorgement …….Mounds
Bib ………Gobstoppers
Spit up ……Goobers
Epidural ……..Lifesavers
Contractions ………Whoppers
Twins ……Twix
Triplets…….3 Musketeers
Delivery…….PayDay
1st trimester……Rocky Road
Stretch marks……Red Vines
Sitz bath…..Fun Dip
Baby’s giggle……Snickers
Hospital bill……100 Grand
Water breaking…….Starburst
How you feel in your 9th month……..Rolo
Your mental state for 9 months……Airheads
What you want to do all pregnancy long (except first 3 months)……Munch
What you fear you’ll look like during pregnancy…….Chunky
Shower your baby with these……..Kisses
Baby’s nap time…….Take 5
Episiotomy…….Doughnut

We hope you enjoy these ideas as much as we do, and don't forget to leave us a comment to be entered into our giveaway this week. Link to us on your blog or website and you will be entered twice!

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Baby Week continues with the most adorable baby hangers and something to hang on them! Why just give a personalized appliqued onesie when you can give it on a matching hanger? That's right--you wouldn't. So we've got the goods on both these easy baby gifts so you can keep making gift-giving fun. Not simple, but definitely fun. Who needs simple anyway? I'm all about elaborate and over-the-top.

Baby Hanger Tutorial (we found the original idea in this book)

What you'll need:














*Wooden baby hanger (link to Web site!)
*Patterned paper in 12x12 size
*Scissors
*Pencil
*Coordinating acrylic paint
*2 foam brushes
*Matte Mod Podge or other decoupage
*Brayer or bone folder (optional)
*Sanding block or sandpaper
*Coordinating ribbon

Okay, let's get started!

1. Start by tracing each side of the body of the hanger on the FRONT of the patterned paper (the photo shows it traced on the back, but this will make your paper backwards, and it may not fit correctly). Cut them out.






































2. Next, lightly sand the top and underside of the hanger. Then paint the top, bottom, and most of the sides of the hanger with your acrylic paint.

























3. With a foam brush, apply a thin layer of Mod Podge on one side of the hanger. Lay the patterned paper on top and position it to match the hanger. Smooth out any bubbles or wrinkles with a brayer, a bone folder, or the side of your hand.



























4. Trim any excess paper with scissors or an Exacto knife.

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