Thursday, October 27, 2011

Changing Table DIY

I knew I needed a changing table, but I couldn't imagine spending more than $100 on a piece of furniture with only one use. So, I decided to make my own. I was able to snag a free nightstand-type piece from some neighbors who moved. It was the perfect height for changing diapers and had a drawer, a basket slot and a cupboard below. There were only a few things I had to add to make it into the perfect changing table. 

First I bought a plank of wood (about $5) that I could cut down into shelves. I used a handsaw to cut them into the desired size (they can also do this for you at the hardware store) and then rounded the edges with a small hand sander. I made two foot-long shelves and two 6" shelves. I painted the top of the piece, the shelves, and the drawer pulls to match.  I purchased 8 "L" brackets ($8)  because that's all they had at our mountain hardware store, and secured the shelves to the piece (making sure to leave space between the shelves for my wipey warmer to open). The brackets haven't held up like I hoped, so I'm going to change them out and go with some shelf brackets.  Live and learn.
I purchased 3 baskets from the 99 cent store and they fit perfectly in the open slot. I use two to hold diapers and one for knick-knacks (diaper cream, pacifiers, whatever). The cupboard section works great for hiding extra diapers and wipes.

It was really easy to make and was a heck-of-a-lot cheaper than store bought! I love it, and it works great!


Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Baby Gear Guide

A good friend of mine just informed me about an awesome book full of information on the best baby gear. It's called, Baby Bargains. It is a great guide to buying baby gear. It discusses quality, price, safety ratings, recalls, etc. to help you make a decision on what gear will work best for you and your family. You may have seen it on Oprah and you can check it out on the website.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Caramel Carnage

I found so many amazing caramel recipes and made the one I had ingredients for. As it turns out, it's an awesome recipe! You can find it on Jamie's blog. Trust me, it's so good! Her tip on using the spoon technique to check the caramel works great!


Word of caution: WATCH OUT! Make sure you have a big enough pot to boil the caramel in. It really bubbles! I didn't even see the piece fly out that hit me in the leg, next thing I know I look down and a piece had hit my knee and dripped down my shin...ouch! I didn't know this was possible, but it left a bruise as well as a burn! Be very careful!


I made some of my chocolate cookies and placed a drop of caramel in the center of each cookie.


The caramel infused into the cookie, so I had to bake them for about 15 minutes instead of 10. They turned out great! The caramel adds a different flavor and texture.


Enjoy!!!...Carefully!!!

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Hallo-Wine Tasting Party

Planning a Halloween party, but feel like all the ideas have been played out? Look no further, I've got just the thing:

Our best Halloween party yet was our "Hallo-Wine Tasting" party. Everyone brought a bottle of their favorite wine and we did a blind tasting to vote for the best. The person who brought the winning wine received a wine bottle full of Halloween-colored M&M's. It was so much fun! As the host it was great because we didn't have to provide all the alcohol and there was definitely enough to go around! My husband is a computer and graphic design genius so he was able to make awesome invites (which of course I'll share!):

Notice the eerie claw and glaring eye sneaking through... 

We sent out the invites as evites, making it cheap and easy. We did not require costumes.... a lot of people were surprisingly happy about that. We played games (Catch Phrase is always a group favorite), ate, and drank- that's all it took to be an awesome night!

Because of the "wine" theme we were able to decorate with harvest and fall colors/items and didn't have to get too Halloweeny. The decorations carried through to Thanksgiving nicely.

It was actually pretty easy to put together and was a nice break from the traditional Halloween parties. I hope you try it out this year!