ToddAhToddAh

Aug
3

DIY Pillow Cover

Pillows can be a wonderful addition to any space.  They have the ability to turn a boring couch into a conversation piece, or turn a dull living room into a bright place to entertain.  What’s even better about pillows?  Pillow covers are super easy to make!

Just a little FYI – this tutorial is for a 14X14 pillow.  You can follow the same steps for any size pillow, just change the size of your cuts:)  The thing to keep in mind is that your front piece will be the same size as your insert (14X14 insert = 14X14 cut, 12X16 insert = 12X16 cut) – this will ensure that the insert fills out your pillow case nicely:)

What you’ll need:

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-scrap fabric (get creative – it can be the same on the front/back, different fabrics, or you could even print/write/draw on your fabric to make it your very own!)

-basic sewing supplies (thread, pins, ruler, marker)

– iron

1.  Cut out a 14X14 square (or the same size as your pillow insert if you plan to make a different size).  We are using our own little design that we screen printed – cute, huh?!

2.  Cut out 2 pieces for your envelope back.  For a 14X14 pillow, you’ll need two pieces cut 14X10.5  (length = 3/4 original).  The key here is to make sure these two pieces overlap enough to cover the insert when it’s all stuffed inside.  **Some pics may show 2 different sizes for the back, but after you stuff the pillow, there might be a gap if one is shorter (like I did).  Learning from my mistakes, so you can, too!

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3.  Take one of your back pieces, wrong side up, fold in 1/4″ along the bottom and press.  Fold in another 1/4″ and press again. Repeat with the remaining back piece, then sew along each pressed hem.

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4.  Place your front piece right side up, then place each back piece right side down (so that right sides are touching).  Your back pieces will overlap – this is a good thing:)

5.  Pin front and back pieces together, then measure and mark 1/2″ all the way around (optional).  I say this step is optional, because if you’re comfortable sewing without pinning and marking, have at it!

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6.  Sew 1/2″ all the way around, back-stitching at each corner.

7.  Trim the corners and turn that baby right side out!  Make sure to turn the corners!

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8.  Stuff that insert into the cover, taking time to fill out the corners.

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And, you’re done!  Put that baby somewhere fun and show it off!  Don’t forget to subscribe to our blog and like us on Facebook to stay caught up on all our tutorials!

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Jul
16

July wallpaper

This has been a crazy month for us. So first I should apologize for the lack of posts this month. This will probably be the only one this month but we are going to get back at it next month. We are going to vacation in Charleston, South Carolina next week so if you know of any cool local spots send us an email or comment! I’ll be sure to put a picture up on our facebook page after the trip.

Now for the important stuff. FREE WALLPAPER! I wanted to make sure and at least give you all a new free wallpaper this month so I pulled out a pattern I was working on and just made one real quickly. I hope you like it. Personally I like dark colors for my wallpaper so that the icons stand out so that’s what I did for this one. let me know what you are looking for in a mobile wallpaper and I’ll try and include it into future designs. Do you like patterns? Do you like text? Do you like bright or dull, light or dark colors for your wallpaper? I’m designing these for you all to use and enjoy so I just want to make sure I’m on the right track.

 

July_iPadiPad     iPhone     iPhone 5

Be sure to like us on facebook to get updates on when we offer other freebies!

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Jun
29

Making Joy Appear

We are excited to share another joyful update with you on what your tweets, likes, shares, pins, and purchases are doing to make joy appear, all around the world!

World Concern just updated us with this post, telling the story of a beautiful woman named Bithi.  From the slums of Bangladesh, Bithi birthed a daughter named Jannath (meaning “heaven”), born with a hole in her heart.  With a small micro-loan of $270 from World Concern, Bithi has been able to start her own sewing business and provide a better life and better healthcare for her family.  World Concern continues to help women just like Bithi to transform their lives, empowering them with self-sustaining, long-term income.

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Twenty percent of all Toddah proceeds is donated directly to World Concern microloans to help women just like Bithi break the cycle of poverty and provide sustainable change within their lives and communities. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for supporting us, our dream, and the dreams of people like Bithi around the world. We’ll keep you updated on the joy you keep creating – be sure to like us on Facebook and subscribe to our blog to stay in the loop!

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Jun
25

Thrift Score #3

Usually Tabitha does the thrift scores, but I wanted in on the fun so a few weeks ago I found something that was a complete SCORE! Our neighborhood had it’s summer neighborhood garage sale earlier this month and we found a really nice wooden chest and a cute little wooden chair. Since our daughter just had her 1st birthday and got a bunch of toys from her Grandma we were in the market for some more storage space anyway!

Before Picture: Please ignore our messy garage. (Its towards the bottom of our to do list)

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After Picture!
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We got BOTH of these for a total of 10$! Then we took them home sanded them down and used the left over paint we had from her room and painted them up to match. This goes along with my “Make Something” post from last week. Even if you can’t build furniture (Which I can’t) there always other options for how to make something unique from something that already exists.  Hopefully this will inspire  you to give it a try. In the end I think these turned out great and they were just what we needed for the room. For 10$ that’s not to shabby. 🙂

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If you’ve done some fun DIY projects this week send us a link or a photo we’d love to check them out. Be sure to like us on facebook and subscribe to get updates on future Thrift Scores and other fun finds!

 

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Jun
18

June Wallpaper

We’ll I’ve made it half way through the year and I have to admit I’m a little surprised I haven’t missed a month yet making a wallpaper to give you all. I hope you’ve enjoyed them and put them to good use so far. For the 6th wallpaper I felt like I could use some motivation to keep going… we’ll see if it helps. These two simple words will hopefully motivate you too and get you creating amazing things. Even if they are simple, like an easy DIY project or a home improvement you’ve been putting off. Just slap this on you phone and commit to making something this month. You’ll love the high you get from completing a project even if it is a simple one. We’ll share a project we worked on soon. Leave a comment or send me an email if you made something this month and let us know what it was.

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iPhone     iPhone 5     iPad

 

If you don’t want to miss out on our monthly free wallpaper be sure to like us on facebook and subscribe to our emails though the box on the sidebar.

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Jun
13

Make-Up for Lost Time!

Makeup has always fascinated me.  I am amazed at the transformation it can bring.  I, however, have never really been very good at applying it!  I never really “learned” how to use makeup growing up – it simply wasn’t a priority in my household of 5 kids, living in the poor, hot south.

Now that I’m nearing 30, I figured it’s time to learn.  Better late than never! Don’t get me wrong – I haven’t been walking around looking like a clown for the past 15 years or anything, but I’m definitely not using my makeup to its fullest potential.

Thanks to the world wide web and one of my favorite guilty pleasures (Pinterest), learning how to use makeup has never been easier!  So, here’s my first attempt at following a makeup tutorial – highlighting and contouring (HAC).  I found this amazing video tutorial by a beautiful talent named Cara, and it actually made quite a difference!  I followed the tutorial, and here are the results:

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Not too shabby:)  I like the color it brought to my face, and it definitely photographed much better.    I should also point out that I actually DO have makeup on in my “before” picture – foundation, blush, eye shadow, mascara, and eyeliner.  I think I need some more practice, but it’s a good start!  Be sure to subscribe to our blog and like us on Facebook to see what happens next!

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Jun
10

Photoshoot Time!

We have a sale tomorrow on Zulily and they asked us if we could send them some pictures to possibly use for the main image of the sale so we asked a friend to come over with her adorable kids at the last minute to be models for us and they graciously accepted. Here are the images we got! I think we got some amazing shots. In the end they wanted to go with a photo of our little girl from this shoot and one from one of our previous photoshoots. You can see what they selected at zulily.com tomorrow. We aren’t going to let these photos to go to waste though, so I’ll be putting them in our store with their respective onesies and t-shirts soon. In the mean time you could just take a look at all of them right here at once!

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The kids did great and the shoot was a lot of fun, but by the end we had to do some bribing with ice cream. We learned it’s very difficult to get multiple kids to pose together AND look happy AND show off our clothes all at the same time! I have always had great respect for child photographers and now I have even more. 🙂

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To get updates on what’s going on in the world of Toddah be sure to like us on Facebook and subscribe to our emails through the box on the sidebar. Keep an eye open on our facebook page for some outtakes from this shoot.

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Jun
4

Baby Birthday!

As you may have heard, our little one turned a whole year old!  Naturally, we threw a themed party for her, and it was a big success!

We decided on a nautical theme, because it’s just too cute not to.  Pinterest was a great source to find ideas and pictures of all sorts of fun nautical party things.  Here are some highlights from Micah’s first birthday party:

Our nautical invitation:

Micah Sailor

We had yummy desserts and a fun little backdrop for photos, too!  A friend and former derby teammate Shawnie Nix made our beautiful cake, and the cupcakes are from my all time favorite cupcakery Smallcakes.

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Micah Party

Micah had a blast, and she slept in an hour and half late the next day!  We are already thinking ahead to her second birthday party…  Milkshake party!  What do you think??

Be sure to subscribe to our blog and like us on Facebook to keep up with all the fun!

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May
31

Life Reflections From a 1 Year Old

It’s no secret that we have a daughter. You’ve seen her pop up a few times on this blog and while I try not to make every blog post one that makes me seem like an obsessed father it is sometimes difficult. When I do make a post about her I try and make sure that it’s something that even strangers could appreciate though because I know there’s probably nothing more annoying than a stranger going on about his kids. That said, my daughter is celebrating her 1st year this week and I’m afraid that means you will have to bear through this post because I am pretty ecstatic.  I won’t bore you with all the great things about having a little girl, but today I’m going to take advantage of one of it’s benefits and exploit my child’s cuteness with an adorable video.

Micah shot all this footage except for the intro by holding onto our iPhone after we hit record. At first it was just to keep her entertained but then some of the shots were pretty entertaining on their own so I kept doing it. This is the result of all her footage. It is her first film! We also tried to capture her thoughts on being one through the voice of our good friends’ daughter who just turned 5 and is also adorable.

I hope you enjoyed it! I promise that MY next 3 posts will not feature my daughter now. Thanks for indulging a proud Dad.

BToddSig

May
22

Fantastic Mr. Fox Nesting Doll

It was my birthday this month, which made it the perfect opportunity for me to feature an item. This year someone snuck into my Etsy account, searched through my likes and got me a gift I never thought I’d ever actually receive. It completely caught me by surprise and I can’t believe it is actually sitting in my house right now. I’m so excited to share it with you.

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It’s a hand painted nesting doll featuring the characters from Wes Anderson’s film The Fantastic Mr. Fox made by Irene Hwang. I should mention that I’m a HUGE fan of Wes Anderson, kid’s book illustrations, and designer toys so this was pretty much the perfect combination of all of them. Please go check out her store (Bo Bo BaBushka) on Etsy and show her some love. Every single thing in her store will make you smile. The only word to describe the detail and love put into these pieces is “Fantastic”! Even though I just turned 29 I don’t think I’ll ever out grow this toy.FantasticFox1

 

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