Hey Little Birdie | Shopping Blog

For the second installment of my do-it-yourself series, I want to give you the how-to on making your very own fabric memo board. I have spotted these bad boys for sale in the chicest baby boutiques for no less than $100. That is a travesty! You can easily make your own custom version for 1/3 of that cost. I recently started on one for a friend’s baby shower. (Her nursery theme is vintage John Deere in case your were wondering about the fabric choice.)

First, I purchased a frame at IKEA and removed everything from it, saving the back insert. I hot glued a layer of cork (available at any craft store) to the back insert.

Next, I covered the cork with 2 layers of thin batting (also available at most craft stores) and hot glued it around the back of the insert.

Then, I laid the fabric across the canvas and hot glued that to the back of the insert as well.

Next is the most difficult part. Select a ribbon that coordinates with your fabric and cut it into strips to fit diagonally across your board. Then, lay out your ribbon in a grid like so:

It may take a few tries to get it looking the way you want but you basically start at the corners and go from there. It all depends on how big of “slots” you want for your memo board. Next, I stuck mini pins that I found in the sewing aisle at an angle into the “x” sections of the ribbon. This secures your grid pattern. Then I simply hot glued the edges of the ribbon behind the board.

Lastly, I stuck it all back in the frame!

The only thing I have left to do now is find some coordinating buttons and hot glue them onto the ribbons. But here is a version I did for Claire’s nursery so you can see the button placement.

Fabric memo boards are perfect for kids’ rooms, offices, kitchens, just about anywhere! You can make them as modern, fancy, simple or vintage inspired as you like. Give it a try!

Big news!  I am in the beginning stages of potty training my 2 year old!  Does the use of exclamation points give a false sense of excitement!?  Good!  My deception technique has worked!

I think my dread comes from having been through this before.  I have a 9 year old who fought potty training big time. (You know, back when he was 2-3.)  This time around at least I’m older and wiser. (Don’t laugh.)  I know a couple of helpful things I’ll need…  one being this wet bag from Snuggly Baby.

One might need this to contain an accident if, say, you’re at the zoo with some friends and your little one forgets and goes in his pants because he’s having so much fun.  Then after waiting in a long, spring break line at the bathroom and changing him out of his mess in a small, confined stall… One might need to leave immediately because one forgot to bring another pair of undies and/or bag in case of said accident.

Not that that’s happened to me.

Yes, this will come in handy, indeed.

Do you all love the silhouette trend like I do? You are thinking, “Of course you do, Jina, it is just another form of personalization.” Sorry if I am becoming predictable to you all. I’m sure this phase will pass soon.

I choose to blame it on that little 17 month old girl in my life, Lyla. Something about finally having her (after many years of trying) makes me want to paste her name on every surface and document every stage of her life. I just look at the curves of her sweet (sometimes pouting, sometimes sassy – but we won’t dwell on that right now) face, and I am driven to capture her very essence… and then display it and save it to show to her future prom date. (Ah… she thinks she pouting now!)

Anyway, back to silhouettes. Le Papier Studio has everything from wall decals to jewelry to paperweights and note cards. With this particular print, you can choose from an array of silhouettes or you can pay slightly more to have yours custom drawn and added to the print. Then once drawn, you can use that silhouette for multiple products without being charged again. It’s all so good. Happy shopping… and enjoy the possibilities.

I am a sucker for anything unique and charming.  I mean, come on!  How can one not love these?

Here’s the lovable Boogaloo Watson from blablakids.com.  That hat!  That mustache!  That tie!

Their original creations are called blablas and they come in girls, bees, raccoons, elephants, pandas, etc, etc, etc.  Every single item is adorable.  Every. Single. Item.

They also sell backpacks, clothing and stinking adorable mobiles.  Go check it out.  You will have so much fun looking around their site.

Okay, so they obviously sold me.

Children Rejoice!  Someone has heard your prayers for adorable super hero gear!

Discovery Denim has capes in awesomely bright colors for boys and girls.  They also sell masks and cuffs.  As a mother of three (2 boys) I can tell you this will get years of use.

I was happy to see there are some Supergirl fashions included in the mix.  How I could have used this during my Wonder Woman days…

So, I don’t know if you all have noticed the trend of unique wall art or not… but it seems like everywhere I look there are new graphic wallpaper prints, or textured wall paper, or ceramic wall art, or possibly the least expensive alternative… vinyl wall clings. I mean, you can create instant impact on your bare walls in very little time and without spending oodles of money. (Why are you giggling? “Oodles” is a perfectly good word. Try using it in a sentence today and just dare your listener to not smile. They can’t do it. I’ve tried, and instead I’ve decided to just go with the “oodles” phenomenon. Talk about instant impact). Anyway, without even trying, I have found a plethora of options that I think you need to see.

First is this vinyl wall calendar, which I think would be an amazing way to keep your family organized. It’s dry erase re-writable, and they include 2011 and 2012 decals so you can use it again and again. Genius! And for less than $35, come on…

(Size and color options available)

Also, in the category of practical… Vinyl headboards are a creative way to produce a visual focal point in possibly a dorm room or apartment where other applications might not be an option. Plus… this is also under $40. Sign me up.

What about these?

We soon (fingers crossed) will be moving. And to say that I am already jonesing for these to don my wall in my soon-to-be living room might be an understatement. And… these etsy sellers throw in 10 free flying birds as well. I think it might help curb my uneasiness towards birds. Alfred Hitchcock totally ruined me. And you don’t have to point out the irony that I am a part of Hey Little Birdie.

And finally, looking for something for the kids…  This one comes with a growth chart. What a cute way to track your favorite youngster’s ascent.

So many options… All that is left is that you should (and by should, I mean have to) tell me your favorite. Just leave it in the comments.

Easter is over, but please don’t give up on the bunny!   Get ready for some adorable swirling and twirling action from this Circular Bunnies Mobile.  This is sure to skyrocket the cute factor in any nursery or playroom.  Hop on over to Giggle.com for more info. See what I did there?  Oh… nevermind.

My husband is part German… like his mom was born there (said incredulously)… in Germany… and came over on the boat to Ellis Island! I will give you all a moment to pause, and let that sink in. Okay, if you don’t understand my amazement of that, then first you must understand that I am a mutt, from a long line of mutts (sorry Mom & Dad… at least we are cute mutts). Being that my ancestral line is a bit more ambiguous, it festers in me a keen desire to embrace all things German, especially now that I have a daughter.

Needless to say, that may be a partial rendering for my enthusiasm of this set of prints from Grace Hester Designs. But never fear, Grace can customize yours to the language of your choice – Spanish, French, Italian, Chinese anyone? And she has other amazing typography prints that are customizable, including some to commemorate the adoption of a child or a baptism. Peruse her shop, and find the one for you.

Growing up my sister and I loved playing with paper dolls.  We even have a funny story of being brought to the toy store separately to pick out a toy for the other for Christmas.  Out of all the toys in all the store, and all of the paper doll sets in the bin, we picked out the SAME paper doll set for the other. It must’ve been a twin thing. (Yes, we’re twins.)  That’s either cute or weird.  You choose. (I like to choose cute.)

It is hard to come across paper dolls these days.  When I do come across them they look like some strange Victorian Babies.  Why?  Are 80 year old grandma’s the only one who want to play with these?  I think not. Well, The Black Apple has answered my prayer for cool, hip, retro paper dolls that I can one day buy for my daughter.  These are so fun, so unique, and beautifully designed.  I absolutely love them!

Do you have a favorite childhood toy?

My daughter, Claire, was born with rare special needs and because she has battled through so many unimaginable things in her little life, I plan on making her birthday a big deal every year. Plus, ask anyone who knows me and they will tell you that I LOVE planning parties. This year the theme of Claire’s party is “life handed her lemons- she made lemonade.”

I have been scouring the internets for all things lemony and have found tons of ideas! First off- invites. I’m not going to do a super huge party like last year but I still adore a cute paper product. These Gwen Citrus invitations from BitsyCreations are perfect:

and every little girl needs a special dress for her special day. how cute is this one?

Lucious Lemon halter dress from JMBthreedesigns

Of course there will be tons of food. And I have to find a way to incorporate lemon in every bit of it (I am nothing if not thorough!) A hint of lemon in mini chicken salad croissants and pasta salad cups, and outright lemon flavor in the desserts. I plan on making my favorite baked goods- mini cupcakes and lemon bars. But I also will have a hard time ignoring the call to make these precious little treats:

Lemon Blossoms from Paula Deen on Food Network

Onto the decor. Here’s a few images that are inspiring me:

from Silly Bee’s Chickadees

from Lorajean’s Magazine

from Imprintables blog

So adorable, right? I’m thinking lots of yellow tissue flowers hanging from the ceiling (I’m slightly tissue flower obsessed. They are so pretty and super easy to DIY.) Also, white serving dishes and cake stands to display the food, a big glass dispenser of fresh lemonade, glass vases filled with lemons and daisies around the room, framed signs of her lemons into lemonade phrase and a “Claire” banner like the one above.

I also think a little party favor of lemonheads wrapped up in pretty packaging is very necessary.

Oh and the ultimate lemon present?

The Lemon Wedge from Pinky Bleu: a small suitcase filled with a onesie that is too sweet for words.

Your heart just melted a little, didn’t it?

So there you have it, Claire’s perfect lemon yellow party. I can’t wait to see it become reality and to celebrate my little heroine turning two!