Etsy Love: December Edition

Raise your hand if your crazy about Etsy!

Hand raised.

There is nothing not to love about all the fantastic shops & one of a kind items. I am all about personalization. Throw my daughters name on it and I'm sold.

Sew something in the colors of my choice. Sold. 

And that's what these shop owners do everyday.

They make everything with love, and I dig that.

 

I have been so impressed with the attention to detail put into the products I've ordered from shop owners, so I figured I'd start sharing that love with all of you. 

And that's how Etsy Love was born. 

Once a month, I'll be featuring shop owners and products that I've used and love, so you can visit the shops and check out these awesome products for yourself!! 

 

First up...Jana from SleepSweetBaby. 

She makes super adorable carseat canopies personalized in the fabric of your choice.

The best part, they have a button down opening so you can peek in on your little one whenever you get the urge, without having to raise up the entire canopy. 

Also, they're reversible so you can change up the look whenever you so choose. 

I gave her some suggestions on some color combos I'd dig and she picked out the perfect fabric. I used it this past week when we had a day full of rain.

Baby was dry, mommy was happy.

Great gift idea for any of you looking last minute, or snag one for yourself. No shame in that!

 Jana is offering 10% off to all my readers! Use code: annexenos.

 Check out Sleep Sweet Baby on Facebook  & Instagram @sleepsweetbaby. 

 

Moving on from canopies to sweet little hats for the adorable little in your life. 

This adorable baby bear hat is compliments of Cynthia at HatsZoo.

 

Who doesn't love adorable baby hats?!?

With winter now upon us, this one is a must have to keep your sweet baby's ears nice and toasty! 

The best part, it's totally gender neutral! Perfect for your handsome little man or sweet baby girl. 

 

Visit Cynthia at HatsZoo to snag your own one of a kind hat for your one of a kind little!!

Cynthia is also offering 10% off to all of you!

Use coupon code: babyblog1211. 

Happy shopping!

Don't forget to SHOP SMALL this holiday season! 

(If you know of a shop or shop owner that you'd like me to feature, feel free to email me at annedxenos@gmail.com, or leave a comment below!) 

Disclaimer: The products featured here have been given to me at no cost, however the opinions are solely my own. 

Our Weekend in Photos

You know those weekends where you just fly by the seat of your paints, make no plans, and just let it flow? That's what we did this past weekend, and how refreshing it was. A nice reboot leading into the busy holiday weekends coming up! 

Friday night we spent working on Lara's playroom. You guys, I can't WAIT to share with you! Jon has been working night & day to get it all ready for her first Christmas. Sister has to have a place for all her toys! Am I right or am I right? 

We than made a quick Target run to get some baby supplies to clean up her little diaper rash that showed up last week. 

Saturday was spent with family while Jon spent a few hours at work. 

{these above are from my iPhone}

Perfect opportunity to practice with my new DSLR. I am just in awe of the difference in quality of the pictures this thing pumps out.

Saturday night we took off to take Lara to see the Plaza lights in Kansas City. I may be a bit partial, but there is just nothing prettier than KC during the holidays. Proud Kansas Citian right here.

Lara and I had on our little sweater shawls.

This little girl, she's just the coolest thing we've ever done.

We had SO much fun. Lara was in awe of all the lights, smells and sounds. After we grabbed a Starbucks, we headed to our local mall to pick out her Christmas dress. No photos of that...that'll be a surprise.

Sunday was spent lounging around the house. Jon finished up the playroom while I played with the babe while listening to the Alabama Christmas Cd.

 

My mom raised us on Alabama Christmas. I can remember being a little girl and everytime the big tubs of Christmas decor were brought down from the attic, Alabama was in the tape player.

I love raising Lara with the same traditions my mom created with us.

Hope you all had a weekend full of rest & relaxation!!

 

Is it Friday yet?

 

Reversible Ruffle Burlap Tree Skirt || $10

Ruffles. Burlap. Reversible. 

For under $10.

Why, hello lover.

If you've spent any time scouring over rustic holiday décor via Pinterest, you've definitely seen your fair share of DIY burlap tree skirts.  I've looked at A TON of them and after reading over the instructions, I was more confused than before I began.  Either there weren't enough pictures or too many pictures & not enough explanation.

Therefor this post was born.

The worlds easiest & cheapest DIY burlap ruffle tree skirt.

Supplies:

Your old tree skirt

3 yards of burlap ($2.97 a yard at Walmart)

Scissors

LOTS of hot glue (approx. 15 sticks)

 Hot glue gun

Measuring tape

Step one:  Flip over your old tree skirt & lay the burlap on top.  Cut around the edges so that you have a large circle of burlap fabric you'll use as your base.

Step two:  Cut a slit in the burlap along the current slit in your old tree skirt along with a

circle in the middle.

Step three:  Hot glue the burlap to the back of your old tree skirt.  I did about 6 dots of glue around the outer edge and then about 4 additional dots along the slit.  You want to ensure your burlap is well attached to the back of the old tree skirt as you will be moving it around ALOT as you glue on your ruffles.  You don't want it moving at all.

Step four:  Measure from the inside circle to the outer edge.  Divide this number by the number of layers of ruffles you'd like.  I chose 4 large layers, but you could easily do less or more based on your preference.

Step five:  Lay out the remainder of your burlap.  You'll then cut long slits of burlap in the width that you chose.  Since I wanted 4 large ruffles, my slits of burlap were 6 inches each. 

(24 inches/4 = 6 inch ruffles)

Step six:  Begin gluing your burlap slits to the burlap base.  This part is tough to explain, but I'll give it my best shot.  Begin gluing the burlap slit to the burlap base, approx. 4 inches at a time.  You'll then create a fold and glue it to the part of the burlap slit that you just glued down.  You're essentially bunching up the burlap to form a ruffle.  It doesn't have to be perfect, trust me!

  It will come together as you go. 

Step seven:  You've now completed one row of ruffles.  Keep on gluing!

A part of me almost stopped here because I liked the look, but I figured more ruffles wouldn't hurt anything.  Am I right or am I right?

2 hours and 15 hot glue sticks later, we have ourselves a tree skirt. 

The best part, outside the ruffles of course, is that if you're feeling a different decorating vibe a few years down the line, you can flip it over and have a "new" tree skirt.

 With a new baby in our home, we're all about economy this holiday season! 

If you're looking to freshen up your holiday decorations with a new look, but not wanting to spend a ton of money, give this tree skirt a try! 

You won't regret it.