Happy Halloween - House Tour

We've been in our house for less than two years now, so decorating for the holidays is still new to us. I love that my husband loves decorating just as much (or more) than I do! He is always so anxious to get the decorations out. We told ourselves that every year we would buy a little more so as not to spend a fortune all at once. Plus it makes it more fun to go out and pick out this years decoration!

We have been lucky enough to acquire some pretty sweet Halloween decorations, but we still by no means have a house full just yet! Here is a quick tour of our home and what we've done so far.

Instead of buying something new this year, I made our 2013 decoration! I'm kinda obsessed with these deco mesh wreaths, so after making a few for friends I decided I needed to make one for us!

I hope you enjoyed our little Halloween home. Sorry the pictures aren't great, but I really didn't feel like getting the nice camera out (bad blogger, I know).  I can't wait until next year when we get to take our little girl trick-or-treating! As for now, I'll have to settle with passing out candy to all the cute littles. At least I've got this pretty sweet shirt to wear today!

Happy Halloween everyone! Stay safe and have fun tonight!

A Little Bit Country

That's right, I busted out the cowboy boots for this week's WIWW. I feel like all I wear are my other boots and it was time for a change. Not to mention, these ones just happened to match this dress so much better than the cognac color of my others. Of course once I had the boots on, I decided to commit to the country look. My standard cardigan was not going to do this outfit justice.

Outfit Details

Jean Jacket: Old Navy (similar)

Dress: Old Navy (maternity hand-me-down)

Boots: Steve Madden

 

 I feel like I have to tell you I'm wearing tights and no my legs are not that white (ok maybe they are).

 

 

Linking up with Lindsey @ The Pleated Poppy for WIWW

My First Influenster Box!

I have seen this word "Influenster" floating around social media and decided to see what all the fuss was about. At first I thought it was another subscription beauty box I would have to sign up for. After some research, I found out that it was a program that gives you various items to review for free! FREE?! How could I not sign up for this? The only catch is you have to be selected to receive a box and there is no telling how long it could be. So I signed up for it and immediately put it out of my head...until last week. It was like Christmas! I received an email saying I was chosen for the next Influenster Vox Box! Again, not knowing what to expect, I patiently waited for my box to come.

Yesterday was THE day! I found this pretty pink box waiting for me at home and I just couldn't wait to tear into it!

Look at all those goodies!

Rimmel London Scandaleyes Retro Glam Mascara - What girl doesn't love mascara? I found this mascara especially smooth and voluminous. It is already in my makeup bag for everyday wear.

Dr. Scholl's For Her Cozy Cushions - These inserts take shoe inserts to a whole new level. Not only do they provide support and have a nice gel cushioned heel, but they are soft and fluffy like slipper. They actually remind me of the bottom of my Uggs. What is even more exciting is they promise to keep your feet dry! You better believe these are going in my boots ASAP!

belVita crunchy Breakfast Biscuits - I have heard a lot about these little biscuits. Unfortunately, I'm not a fan of blueberry, but I will give them to a friend to let me know how they are. I've only heard good things so I'm sure she will think they are great!

Kiss Graduation Polishes - Everyone seems to be all over the ombre trend right now. Not only is ombre for your hair color, but now they sell kits that will do ombre nails! I really like the grey and silver colors that are in this kit, perfect for fall. I'm going to give the technique a try, but at least I know if I don't like it I at least have 3 great colors to rock this fall!

Lindt LINDOR Milk Chocolate Truffles - This may or may not have been eaten before I got a good look at everything else. You can't put chocolate in front of a pregnant woman and expect her to tuck it away for a rainy day! As always, this chocolate was delicious!

Vitabath Hydrating Lotion - I'm terrible about using lotion, but as the colder months approach I really need to get into a better habit of putting lotion on. I have extremely dry skin so it's important I find a lotion that is super moisturizing. I gave this lotion a try on my hands and was pleasantly surprised how silky my hands instantly felt.

All in all, I found this Influenster Rose VoxBox to be awesome! It had a nice variety of products to try all at no cost to me. I can't wait to use these products as part of my daily routine! I hope you enjoyed learning all about Influenster and the products they sent me! 

Disclaimer: I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes. My opinions are 100% my own!

Week 30 Update

Another week has come and gone and I am finally down to the single digits of weeks left (9 weeks 5 days)! This week is Halloween and I have a feeling the holidays are going to really make everything fly by. It was a pretty uneventful week as far as pregnancy goes and I can't wait to have my doctor's appointments closer together because that means it's almost time to meet Charlotte!

 

 Didn't realize my gut was in the way of the "C"....#pregnancyproblems

 

How far along?: 30 weeks, 2 days
Baby is the size of a: Cucumber
Total weight gain/loss: 30lbs
The Bump: Ever growing
Symptoms: Normal aches and pains of being 30 weeks pregnant...swelling, sleepless nights and back pain
Food Cravings: Nothing in particular. Just sweets after my meal
Anything Making Me Queasy or Sick: Nope
Sleep: Getting more and more restless every night. I tend to wake myself up whenever I need to switch positions.
What I miss: My fall wardrobe. Don't get me wrong, maternity clothes are definitely comfortable and cute, but I just don't have the extensive selection that I do with my regular wardrobe. It's my favorite season for fashion and sometimes I find myself staring longingly at my old wardrobe in hopes of being able to fit into something.
Weddings Rings On or Off: Off, not even chancing putting them back on
Any Names Picked Out Yet: Charlotte Noel
Gender Prediction: Girl!
Movement: Still tons and tons of movement. I love it!
Maternity Clothes: Nothing new and exciting this week. Trying to get through the next few months with what I have. The only thing I need to purchase or acquire is a maternity coat.
Labor Signs: None.
Best Moment of the Week: My mom bought a glider a few months back as a reading chair and is letting us borrow it for the nursery! It's basically on a temporary long term loan.
What I’m excited about/looking forward to: My sister is throwing me a baby shower this weekend and I'm so excited to see people I don't get to see on a regular basis!

High Five for Food and Family

This has been such a perfect fall week! The weather has been amazing and getting to spend time with family has been even better! I've been keeping myself busy with my Etsy shop this week. The orders seem to come in waves, but I don't mind! I want to get as much done as possible before the luxury of time is gone.

1. On Sunday I was in need of a good, fall, home cooked meal. I had a craving for some sweet cornbread and decided chili would be the perfect accompaniment to that! And boy was it! I wish I would have had made more so I could  have leftovers all week.
2. This is my youngest niece, Sadie. After watching her for a few hours one night this week, I began to wonder how on earth am I going to keep an infant alive?! Sure, she looks sweet and happy here, but this was after the hour long meltdown she had for NO reason! I know babies cry a lot, I just hope between now and January I develop patience and will know how to handle my own.
3. This literally made my night. When my friend told me how amazing the Papa John's cookie was, I didn't believe her. I mean, how good can a cookie from a pizza place be? Well let me tell you...IT'S AMAZING! It comes super hot and gooey, but still crispy so it's not falling apart in your hands. Good thing we aren't big Papa John's pizza fans or else I could see this being a major problem these next few months.
4. I couldn't resist with this one. Milo seems less than amused about our selfie session, but I just couldn't help myself! How could you not snuggle that face everyday?!
5. This past weekend we went down to Richmond to celebrate my nephew's first birthday! Here he is with his uncle and the shirt I made. He did so good at his party and had a great time. It was especially nice to get to see our Richmond family!

Hoping for some more fall fun this weekend. I think we are going to take the mustang (top down of course) up Skyline Drive (in the Shenandoah's) to look at all the colorful leaves! It's the best time of year for that! I hope you do something fall-like too!

 

Linking up with Lauren Elizabeth for H54F!

Comfort is Key - WIWW

You're probably going to get tired of hearing me talk about outfits that make me comfortable, but sorry that I'm not sorry. For the next 10 weeks, I have a feeling that dressing comfortably will be the key to my survival. Yes, I'm aware how dramatic that sounds. For this week's edition of "What I Wore Wednesday", I threw together this little ditty that is both acceptable to wear in public AND doesn't make me feel trapped or restricted. WINNING!

 

 

Outfit Details

Shirt: Old Navy Maternity

Leggings: Destination Maternity

Boots: Uggs

Boot Cuffs: Handmade by my friend!

 

Linking up with Lindsey at The Pleated Poppy for WIWW. 

Week 29 Update

I can't believe how close we are getting to the end! I think these next 10 weeks are really going to fly by and I am more than ok with that! I had a doctor's appointment this week to do the glucose test (no results yet, but keep your fingers crossed!) and now I have appointments every 2 weeks instead of 4. Charlotte is doing well and still measuring ahead by a few weeks but that doesn't really mean anything as all babies grow at different rates at this point. But I would be more than fine with her coming before her due date!

 

How far along?: 29 weeks, 3 days
Baby is the size of a: Squash
Total weight gain/loss: 30lbs
The Bump: Getting huge!
Symptoms: Still lots of swelling and general aches and pains
Food Cravings: Still nothing in particular. I did get an itch to make chili and corn bread over the weekend.
Anything Making Me Queasy or Sick: Nope
Sleep: Still waking up at 4am every night. Some nights I can go right back to sleep, other nights I end up awake for an hour or so before I can doze back off.
What I miss: My normal sized body. I'm at the point where I don't just have a little gut. I feel pregnant all over and suffer from the aches and pains that go with this new body.
Weddings Rings On or Off: Off. I took them off last week for fear of never getting them off.
Any Names Picked Out Yet: Charlotte Noel
Gender Prediction: Girl!
Movement: She is VERY active these days which is nice. I haven't felt a kick that is painful yet. Everything still feels like flutters.
Maternity Clothes: Getting creative with the maternity clothes I have. I have a lot of more summer pieces because that is what I can find on sale. So I've been working with adding tights, boots and cardigans to make them transition into the fall and winter
Labor Signs: None.
Best Moment of the Week: Relaxing. I have been told to rest as much as possible and so it's been nice to not feel guilty about laying around since that is what is best for little girl and me right now.
What I’m excited about/looking forward to: Officially being able to say I'm done with the nursery. I have slowed down and just have a few small things to do and it will be completely done. All that's missing is the baby gadgets!

Now the moment you've all been waiting for...Amanda P. is the winner of the $25 PinkBlush Maternity gift card from last week's giveaway! Thank you to everyone who participated. I hope to be doing more giveaways in the near future!

H54F

1. I missed running this year's half marathon with these crazy kids, but was still there to cheer them on. I'm actually not upset at all about missing it. Look at that rain! They are pretty beast for trucking through like champs!
2. I love me some Alex and Ani bracelets and when they announced they were launching new Disney ones I just HAD to have them. The one problem, they were launched in the theme parks only! Good thing I still have my Disney friends down in Florida! Yay for my anniversary present!
3. You know I always have to put Milo on here. I don't even have words. This tape measure is his favorite toy despite it being mine. He keeps me from doing anything productive when he's like this.
4. As you all know, last week was our three year wedding anniversary. We braved the rain and went to the Melting Pot for cheese and chocolate fondue. This was probably one of the best nights I've had in a while. If you ever get the urge to go to the Melting Pot but don't feel like spending your entire paycheck, just go for dessert or dessert and cheese. We got out of there for less than $40! 
5. This weekend is my nephew's first birthday party. I can't wait! I couldn't resist making him a little t-shirt to commemorate the day in. 

Linking up with Lauren Elizabeth for H54F!

October Ipsy Bag

I've been so caught up with other projects and baby things that I kept forgetting to review my monthly Ipsy bag with you. Shame on me! However, this month couldn't go unnoticed as it was the best bag I've gotten by far! Here's what I got:

Zoya Nail Polish in "Mason"- This is going to be my go to fall color. I love that it's iridescent and almost has a pink undertone. I've never tried Zoya nail polish but it seems to go on just as good as the other big brands out there.

Buxom Full On Lip Polish in "Dolly" - It's hard to find a lip gloss that I actually like. This color is perfect. Not to pink or orange, but not too red. I need a cooler color and this is just that. It's subtle so it's perfect for everyday use. Not to mention, I want to eat it! It smells like cookies and cake! Yum!

Big Sexy Hair Blow Dry Volumizing Gel - If you know me, you know how much I love big hair. For some reason when you fill out these surveys and you say you have thick hair, that means they are going to send you hair smoothers and creams. I don't want that! I want something that is going to give me more volume! (I trick the system and tell them I have thin hair). I'm very routine with my hair products, but this one seems promising and I'm going to give it a try next time I wash my hair.

h2o Face Oasis - I get super dry skin in the winter so face moisturizer is a must! This came at the best time. I ran out of moisturizer and was open to try something new. So far so good! This goes on smooth and leaves no greasy residue. It feels light but actually moisturizes. I just might have to invest in the full size when I run out of this one.

Be Delectable Hand Cream in "Strawberry and Cream" - This is perfect lotion to carry in your purse. It smells divine! I usually hate lotion because I hate the greasy feel but this one soaks right in and leaves your hands soft without needing to wipe them off.

So as you can see there wasn't a single product I was disappointed in this month. Everything was right up my ally. I can't wait to incorporate these products in my everyday routine. I just might have to buy them in full size next!

If you're interested in trying Ipsy out for yourself, sign up here. For just $10 a month you will receive these monthly bags with beauty treats tailored just for you! If you realize you aren't using the products and they are just collecting dust, then go ahead and cancel, it's that easy!

Don't forget! My PinkBlush Maternity Giveaway closes in just a few days! Enter for your chance to win. If you aren't pregnant but know someone who is, you can still enter and make someone's day by giving them the giftcard! :)

PinkBlush Maternity Review/Giveaway

I am constantly on the lookout for great maternity clothes at an affordable price. I refuse to give up on fashion just because I'm pregnant (although some days it's really tough!). Is it just me or is maternity clothing super boring and plain? Don't get me wrong, I get it. The more basic the clothes are, the more versatile they are. But I've never dressed in just solids and I'm not about to start now!

That's where PinkBlush Maternity comes in. They offer trendy maternity clothes at a price that won't break the bank. After all, aren't we supposed to be saving for things like diapers and formula? I certainly don't need to be spending all my hard earned money on a brand new wardrobe that I will only use for a few months! So, if I'm going to be forced to buy new clothes (It's the perfect excuse!), I better not feel guilty about the price.

When I was given the opportunity to review an item of my choice for PinkBlush Maternity, I jumped at the chance! I'm always looking for new pieces to add to my maternity wardrobe now that I'm getting bigger by the day AND that the seasons are changing. After much deliberation, I chose to go with this awesome red striped top for one important reason....the detail in the back! (you'll see if you keep reading).

 

I love everything about this top. It's soft, lightweight and long enough to wear with leggings if you wanted to.

 

Outfit Details

Top: PinkBlush Maternity

Jeans: Target

Boots: JcPenny (super old)

Necklace: Caroline G.

 

But most importantly, it has a BOW!! 

 

Are you pregnant or know someone who is? You'll want to enter the giveaway below for your chance to win a $25 gift card to PinkBlush Maternity! The only rule is you can't win if you've won or hosted a giveaway in the past 6 months.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Linking up with Lindsey @ The Pleated Poppy for WIWW 

Week 28 Update

I know I said last week was officially the third trimester, but everything I read about week 28 said it was. So I'm thoroughly confused. I think they are both right because last week I had completed 27 weeks so I was starting my third trimester at the first day into the 28th week. Either way, I am definitely in my third trimester and that's all that counts. Less than 12 weeks!

 

How far along?: 28 weeks, 3 days
Baby is the size of an: Eggplant
Total weight gain/loss: 30lbs
The Bump: Growing
Symptoms: I experienced swelling for the first time this week. I came home and noticed I no longer had ankles but in fact they had morphed into cankles. Up until now I wasn't self conscious, but add tree trunks for legs, I'm getting very discouraged at what the next 12 weeks will be like.
Food Cravings: I'm still loving the sweets. I did have a random desire yesterday to make rice krispies treats, but I let that pass (for now!).
Anything Making Me Queasy or Sick: Nope
Sleep: I wake up every morning at 4am like clock work. It's becoming a bit annoying because I end up being awake for an hour before I can fall back asleep
What I miss: Mobility! I can't bend over without holding my breath nor can I sit or lay for an extended period of time without aches and pains.
Weddings Rings On or Off: On
Any Names Picked Out Yet: Charlotte Noel
Gender Prediction: Girl!
Movement: LOTS of movement these last few days.
Maternity Clothes: I discovered PinkBlush Maternity last week. Can't wait to share with you an awesome review and giveaway tomorrow!
Labor Signs: None.
Best Moment of the Week: Laying on the couch and just watching my stomach twitch and roll from all of her moving around. It was definitely weird, but oh so cool!
What I’m excited about/looking forward to: I'm so ready to get into the holiday season so time will start to fly by!

High Five for Three Years!

I know what you're thinking, "Three years?! No way she's been blogging that long!" Well you're right. Today I'm celebrating a different anniversary completely unrelated to blogging, our wedding anniversary! I thought this was our two year anniversary up until a few weeks ago when I decided to check my math. How has it already been three years?! Time really does fly when you're having fun! This year will mark the beginning of a whole new journey in our marriage; a baby. I've always considered the two of us a family, but soon we will be a bigger family and I can't wait to embark on this new adventure!

Enough mush, let's get on with the high fives from the week!

 

1. Ok I lied. One more thing. Here is a picture of my husband and I during our first dance. We had such a blast that day. I wish wedding weren't so expensive and we could throw a big party like that every year!

2. How can you say no to this face? There is nothing I love more than to snuggle this face on the weekends. 

3. Time to bust out the Halloween decorations! I love how my decomesh wreath turned out. I think it's too pretty to put outside, so I hung it inside where I can enjoy it everyday. Also, these lighted pumpkins are a great way to personalize your space. Give it a shot and make your own!

4. I don't do it often, but sometimes you just really need a bath. There is nothing like a nice hot bubble bath to get your ready for bed. 

5. This little treat goes by so many different names. I prefer puppy chow. You can't go wrong with some chex mix, chocolate, peanut butter and powdered sugar for a sweet treat. You can find the full recipe on the chex cereal box. 

That does it for me this week. I hope everyone stays dry and enjoys this weekend. I'm actually looking forward to a chilly rainy weekend. 

Linking up with Lauren Elizabeth for H54F.

Who Says Pregnant People Can't Wear Stripes?

I hear it all the time, "I'm not buying that because it has horizontal stripes. Do you know that makes you look fat?". In case you are new here, you know that I don't follow all those silly fashion rules. Rules were made to be broken right? White after labor day? Totally acceptable. Black and brown? Super trendy right now. I could go on, but I think you get the point.

So why should we limit ourselves to wearing only vertical stripes? Sure, if we were all movie stars who constantly were on camera, then horizontal stripes probably wouldn't be the best of choices. But for those of us who live in the real world, it's really not that serious. Step out of your comfort zone and try some stripes on for size. If a pregnant lady can do it, then so can you!

 

Linking up with Lindsey @ The Pleated Poppy for WIWW

 

Week 27 Update

I am officially in my third trimester! I can't believe in less than 3 months, we will get to meet our little girl! I have been busy this week finishing up the nursery so I won't have to worry about it when I'm super large and in charge.

 

 

How far along?: 27 weeks, 3 days
Baby is the size of a: Rutabaga
Total weight gain/loss: 25lbs
The Bump: Grows daily
Symptoms: Lower back pain is pretty consistent now. It feels like I need to pop my back but when I do, no relief.
Food Cravings: I have been thinking about puppy chow all week (no not real dog food, that chocolaty peanut butter goodness and chex mix treat). I decided to finally make some over the weekend and boy was it worth it!
Anything Making Me Queasy or Sick: Doing good this week!
Sleep: Restless and hot now. Usually my husband freezes me out of my house, but at night I find myself waking up with the covers tossed and my entire body flushed.
What I miss: Mobility! I can't bend over without holding my breath nor can I sit or lay for an extended period of time without aches and pains.
Weddings Rings On or Off: On
Any Names Picked Out Yet: Charlotte Noel
Gender Prediction: Girl!
Movement: She is very active. I think she found my bladder and likes to kick it every now and again. This is definitely a new sensation.
Maternity Clothes: Got some cute fall tops and some comfy jeans from Old Navy last week and I can't wait to wear them once we get some cooler weather!
Labor Signs: None.
Best Moment of the Week: Decorating for Halloween! I know that's not pregnancy related, but now that Halloween decorations are up, Christmas will be next and then before we know it, she'll be here!
What I’m excited about/looking forward to: Meeting Charlotte! I think being in the last trimester has really sunk in and both my husband and I are ready!

DIY Ruffled Crib Skirt

Making a crib skirt was definitely not in my original plans. But when I saw how easy it could be on Pinterest, I decided to give it a try. I consider myself a novice sewer and was still able to do this. The key to this project is time. Nothing about it is hard, it just becomes time consuming because of all the pieces.

Materials:

3 yards of fabric - I did 1 yard of 3 different colors

Crib skirt - Try to get one at a thrift store or garage sale (spend $.70 on mine)

Iron

Sewing machine

Scissors

Lucky for me, my mom has a huge sewing table that came in handy for cutting. The first step is to cut your fabric. Since I was covering only 3 of the 4 sides of the skirt (my crib is up against a wall), I measured the long side of my crib skirt and cut my strips to be 1.5 times that of the actual skirt. This allows for gathering and creates the ruffle effect. I did the same for each of the sides. Factoring in the gathers, my measurements came to be 75 inches for the long side and 38 inches for each of the short sides (to be able to have enough fabric, some of the pieces got sewed together to make the right length). I planned to have 5 rows of ruffles which made the width of each ruffle 4.5 inches.

The next step is to take each of the strips (15 in my case) and press under on the two short sides and one long side.

Now, just sew those pressed edges to create a hem. This just gives all the edges a nice clean finished look.

Once you have sewn all your pieces, you will want to do a gather stitch on the top long edge (the side you didn't press under or sew). To do a gather, just adjust the stitch to be as long as it can be, the machine will do the rest.

Now that all the pieces are gathered, you can begin sewing them on the crib skirt. Make sure you have your pattern ready and start with the top and work your way down. To make the ruffles overlap, I pinned my next layer two inches from the previous.

Here is what it will begin to look like!

Finally, once you have all 3 sides complete you are left with a super cute shabby chic crib skirt! All you need to do is put it on the crib.

 I love how it dressed up the crib just enough without being too over the top. My husband was worried it would cover up the crib, mainly because he picked it out, but turns out, he really likes it. It's nice that there isn't a bunch of dead space under the mattress.

 What do you think?! Too much, or just the right amount? I was getting worried, I had too many different things and patterns going on in the nursery, but I think it helps that I used the same fabric from the valance that I made for the window.

Links to other nursery projects:

Silhouette wall art

Decoupage bookcase
Valance

Linking up with Molly for Funday Monday!

High Five for a Few New Things

Did anyone else feel like this week dragged? I did! I am so glad we are finally to the weekend! My father-in-law comes today to finish the flooring in our entry way. I can't wait for it to finally be done! I must confess that I indulged in a little retail therapy this week, but I think it was all necessary.

1. Old Navy had some super cute baby things on sale plus if you're a card holder, you got an additional 40% off! I couldn't pass up these little $2 bathing suits. One for this coming summer and one for next. Also, since Charlotte will be here during the coldest months, I felt like she needed this cute little fleece critter hoodie.
2. This fabric may look familiar. I used 2 of the 3 prints for the valance I showed you yesterday. I plan to use all three to make my ruffle crib skirt. I thought these colors would work perfectly in her room
3. Just a typical evening in our house. Milo is very attached to my husband and just wants to always be near him. Look at that face! I think he fell asleep shortly after this picture was taken.
4. FINALLY a Redskins win! I think it's because we got these super cute scarfs from Wal-Mart to wear during the game!
5. I hate having a limited wardrobe, especially during my favorite season! Although it made for a great excuse to get some extra maternity pieces. Again, everything at Old Navy was an additional 40% off so I didn't feel bad about these purchases at all! I can't wait to style the tops. They are so soft and comfy. Now if only this warm weather would go away for good.

Linking up with Lauren Elizabeth for H54F!

DIY Valance

Before we get started, I want to apologize for my lack of pictures on this tutorial. I was trying to get this project done in just an hour and forgot to take pictures of a lot of my steps (bad blogger). Good news is, this is an easy DIY and I think the written instructions will make sense on their own.

I wanted to make a lot of the things in the nursery myself so I restrained from registering or buying an entire nursery collection complete with bedding, curtains and pillows. I thought that if I made things on my own, I would be able to make everything turn out exactly how I want and not have to settle with what came in the box. Also, my vision was more shabby chic with touches of our personality mixed in. By making everything on my own, I am able to incorporate those special nuances without everything being too matchy matchy. I want it to coordinate but not have everything be identical.

So now that you know the background, here is how I made the valance. SUPER easy!

 

What you'll need:

Main color material - 1 yd

Secondary color (band at the bottom) - 1/2 yard

Scissors

Iron

Sewing machine

Curtain rod - $.97 at WalMart

Screwdriver

 

Take the main color, or top color, and measure it to be 15 inches long and about twice the size of your window (doesn't have to be exact, you just want enough so it will bunch and gather). My window was 33 inches. I unfolded my fabric and one end was 65 inches already so I only had to make one cut 15 inches down.

 

Next, take the bottom color and measure it to be only 5 inches long and the same width as your top fabric. So mine was 65 inches again. Because I didn't want to buy two yards of this fabric, I went ahead and cut two strips at about 32 inches and sewed them together to make one long 65 inch strip.

 

Now that you have both pieces cut, you want to sew your bottom band to the top piece by pinning right sides together. Once it is all in one piece, begin fold under and pressing the bottom and two sides. Once all three sides are pressed, go ahead and sew a straight line down on each side.

 

 

Your almost done! For the top, fold it under 3 inches and pin and sew close to the bottom. You will have one big open pocket. To give the ruffle affect at the top and to have your curtain rod fit snug, measure 1.5 inches from where you just sewed and sew another seam. Between those two seams is going to be the pocket that the rod goes in to.

 

And you're done! All that's left is to hang it up. I bought a curtain rod that is curved so the edges of the valance wrap around. I hope you find this as easy as I did!

 

 

Links to other nursery projects:

Silhouette wall art

Decoupage bookcase
Ruffled Crib Skirt