Diaper stacker

Space is at a premium to say the least in our kids' room. The two older ones are insisting that baby share their room...which makes bedtime easier but was a bit of a challenge to find a spot for everything! Fortunately we have a play room for toys, and hubby is Andy in the workshop and built some platform beds and underbed storage. There were still a few things that needed a home, such as easy access to the cloth dipes. I used to store them under the bed, but knew that wasn't an ideal solution. So I set out a few weeks ago to design and make my own diaper stacer that met the following requirements:
1) contemporary design. No cross stitch on a clothes hanger!
2) place for all the things I need...diapers, wipes, extra inserts, changing pads, and wipes, as well as pockets for liners, cream, etc.
3) ideally a spot for some extras...disposable wipes for hubby to use as well as other messes, maybe a spare onesie or two, etc.
4) hang on the side of the crib, virtually the only spot left in this room!

So the reason this took multiple weeks...
1) I had other projects that needed taken care of
2) I had fail after fail after fail, so I would take a few days off, brainstorm, dig up different supplies, and try again.

I am pretty happy with the end product! Other than the front flaps that can pull to the side, the entire stacker is reinforced with ultra firm interfacing. The "shelves" are also made from this material but required a middle support to keep it from sagging and dumping the contents. The top required 1/4" plywood (thanks again, hubby!) and some webbing straps to support the whole heavy load. This could easily be used for baby clothes, disposable dipes, etc.

Favorite nursery bedding

Bring on spring! These vibrant colors make it feel like spring around here, even though they are forecasting temperatures in the 30s this week! Set includes bumper pads (green chevron with blue ties on the exterior, plush blue minky on the inside, and a pop of bright orange piping to trim the top edge), crib skirt (green chevron, blue trim and grey geometric squares), pillows in blue, green and orange, a changing pad cover (not shown, but grey geometric squares with blue minky down the middle where baby will lay), and a lag bunting, whichever perhaps my favoritE piece! This would be fun on the wall, over baby's crib, or across a window seat area.

This set will be traveling to a friend from my high school days all the way in San Antonio. Some of the extra fabric will be made into floor cushions for the reading nook at the home of another high school classmate, and will still have some extra of the green chevron and grey squares if anyone wants anything!

I also like to package it up nicely to protect it during shipping and so it looks professional when customers open their box from MandiMoo Designs!

Pillows and owls

This week, FAB Finishes here in MHK is revealing a new children's room with products from multiple consignors, MandiMoo included! The toddler and twin beds will each feature a set of these pillows. I loved working with the fun, bold prints and experimenting with the owls! I have already had requests for more of these (Zoey was heartbroken when I told her these weren't for her) and some in burlap for a grown up version. Run out today to FAB Finishes (well, you actually better wait until Thursday when she is open 11-6) and grab these before someone else does!

Happy birthday, Dr. Seuss!

As you may have realized from our Seuss-inspired play room and our Cat in the Hat themed bake sale treats, we have a deep love for the master of imagination and his literary works. I hope to someday own the entire collection. Until then, thank you Dr. Seuss for the inspiration in so many ways!
We celebrated the day with brinner (breakfast at dinner) of Seuss type biscuits ( a Cat, a sock, a truffula tree, a fish and a foot...see the corresponding books minus the Lorax reference). "Ham" which was really a sausage at the request of the kids, and of course green scrambled eggs! We drank milk in cat in the hat cups (clear cups and red electrical tape) and had barbaloot fruit salad. We read Dr. Seuss books throughout the day-a favorite is "Oh Say Can You Say" a book of tongue twisters sure to get us laughing!
Thank you, Dr. Seuss for your literary contributions to the world!

Simply genius!

My customers are genius! Some of my best, and most favorite, projects come from ideas and requests from customers!

This request is for a waterproof nursing pillow cover to go under a decorative cover. Made of PUL, the waterproof fabric used in cloth diapers, this cover will protect the pillow from spit-up, leaks, etc. Take off the decorative cover, then wipe or wash the waterproof cover. The actual pillow won't need washed nearly as often and can retain its shape and fluffiness for longer! I will definitely be adding this to my list of items I make often!

Another crib quilt

Love, love the fabric used for this crib quilt. Just one piece of fabric on the front and one on the back, but quilted together so technically a quilt! There were also valances that went with this, the same fabric as on the back (the fabric with more white space). Now that I think of it, the purple in this fabric would match the walls in the kids room...hmmmm, an update may be in order!

Updated nursery, personalized quilt

Do you remember the crib set I did for a dear friend of mine and her little girl, O?

Well, O is now a sweet almost 2 1/2 year old and was ready to move out of a crib and into a daybed. So I got the pleasure of updating her bedroom! They wanted to keep the same style but needed a quilt big enough for a daybed and a new bed skirt (which is in the same fabric as the crib skirt, so no pictures of it).

Fortunately we were able to find the same fabric--on clearance!--and then I was ready to go. From start to finish, this quilt was FUN! I considered sending it off to get it quilted, but then decided that I have a fabulous embroidery machine, why not hoop each square and quilt it myself? And that I did. And I couldn't have been more pleased with the way it turned out! What a precious keepsake!

The full quilt

I appliqued her name on the quilt as I had done on her crib quilt

A close-up of the quilting--I designed circles for the circle fabric and a stripe quilting stitch on the stripe fabric

And best of all...in each pink square I quilted her name! In my spare time (haha) I would LOVE to make one for each of my kids with their names embroidered in them!

Boppy cover

More custom nursery/baby items!

This one is another boppy cover. Love the ribbon pull on the zipper!

Nursery items

Got this email yesterday regarding some nursery items I right before Christmas. This is for the same little girl with the memorable quilt that I made.

I LOVE MY JOB!

Mandi,
I just got home a little bit ago to my beautiful new nursery items. Wow, they are better than I ever imagined they could be. Your work is so wonderful...the diaper changing cover fits great and I LOVE the touch of pink fabric on the side of one of them. The hamper and window seat came out amazing. And the boppy cover fits perfectly. I could not wait to get them up in the room and snap some photos. I will send you a couple tomorrow even though the room is still in process. I can't say enough...you exceeded my expectations. Thank you thank you for making my nursery vision a reality!
--R

Boppy on the chair


Changing pad cover, hamper bag and window seat cover


Pink coordinating fabric on the end of the changing pad cover


The quilt on the back of the chair


Aren't those big flower poufs in the corner so fun? What a great nursery with potential to grow up with this little girl.