Category Archives: Do It Yourself Mommy!

Halloween Fun with Mother and Daughter Doc McStuffins and Lambie Costumes

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Doc McStuffins and Lambie/Mother and Daughter Costumes

Doc McStuffins and Lambie/Mother and Daughter Costumes

Mommy and Quinn Lambie and DocI truly do enjoy having a child; one reason is because we have formed such a special bond in such a short duration of time. Another is that she brings out the child in me. While some people stick up their noses at the idea of parent and child dressing alike or think it’s corny, I’m one of those mothers who loves having coordinating outfits with my daughter. They usually are not identical, but there is a color theme or character theme uniting them.

Halloween is an excellent opportunity to display that mother/daughter bond. Last year, Quinn and I were super heroes to get the most out of the costumes from her first birthday party with a super hero theme; she was Super Quinn, and I was Super Mom. This year, Quinn wanted to be Doc McStuffins, so I, of course, had to be Lambie, Doc McStuffins’ helpful stuffed toy lamb and friend. Yesterday, Quinn and I went to The Please Touch Museum’s Halloween Monster Mash Bash donning our costumes. Though we spotted two other Doc McStuffins, we were the only Doc and Lambie duo and received several compliments on our costumes; there were even a few people who asked if they could take a picture of us.

While I was able to find and purchase Quinn’s Doc McStuffins costume at a local Halloween store, with a 20 percent off coupon of course, mine was not as easy. I did an online search for a lamb and even a sheep costume but only found costumes for young children. Then it occurred to me, I’m crafty and love special projects; why not create my own costume? Since I received so many compliments on my Lambie costume, I figured I share what I did to create it if you are in a similar situation.

Firstly, I purposely selected clothing items that I could potentially use in the future so that I could justify spending money beyond what I anticipated to make the costume.

Target was actually my “go-to” store for most of my outfit. I purchased my knitted hat for $14. The lamb faux fur vest, which was the most costly item at $34.99, a long sleeve white shirt for $8 and pink tutu socks for $2. (Though the total is $59, I had a $5 gift card and saved $3 more by using my Target debit card for a total of $51)

Amazon was my other “go-to.” I ordered my white fleece tights for $11.99 through them and a pair of white yoga pants for $14.95 as a back-up since we have a few outings lined up, and know I will wear them in the future. Though I liked the fit of the yoga pants better because of my height, (I am about 5′ 11”) I opted to wear the tights, which are for a woman of average height, to the Please Touch Museum because they went better with the tutu socks and were fitted around the ankle instead of loose. I also ordered my pink tutu through Amazon, which was far cheaper than getting it from one of the Halloween or party stores for just $10.

To pull the rest of the costume together, I ordered the lamb ears and tail through an Etsy business, TechnicandyLand for $14. They were good quality and had clips so that I could easily attach them onto my beanie hat or even clip them to my hair if I wished. I used elastic crotchet hair bands from AC Moore for just $1.50 for my wrists (Initially, I intended on doing this for my ankles too but just did not have enough time, so I purchased the socks) and didn’t have to purchase tulle because I had plenty left over from previous projects to make the tutu sleeves along with the signature pink bow Lambie wears, but the cost is usually around $3 or $4 or even cheaper if you have a 50 percent off coupon, which I usually have for AC Moore or Michaels.

In regard to making up my face, I used make-up that I already had available rather than buying a face paint kit.

In adding up the total cost, it’s a little over $100, which certainly is more than I would be willing to pay for a costume at a Halloween store, but when I minus out the clothing I will still wear after Halloween or without it being a special event, the total remaining is about $20. I actually purchased a faux vest for my daughter to wear on one of our coordinated “theme” dressing days. Also, the fun I got from putting together this costume and getting input from Quinn made it all worth it.

All the best,

Tanya

Autumn Fun with My Little One (Part Six) Creating Super Grover the Pumpkin!

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Making a Super Grover Pumpkin with Quinn

Making a Super Grover Pumpkin with Quinn

One of my first entries this week was about having autumn fun with my two year old daughter involved going to a pumpkin patch. She had a great time, happily selected her pumpkin and probably had no idea that we would be decorating it. But when I asked, she knew exactly what she wanted: a Grover pumpkin. Some months back, I did a post on how Quinn likes Elmo but absolutely loves Grover from Sesame Street. So of course, this was who came to mind when I asked her how she wanted to decorate her pumpkin. I was excited to do this project with her because it hadn’t decorated a pumpkin since I was a child myself, but I had to give some thought about how we were going to do this special project.

First, we needed the materials for the basic Grover. They are as follows:

  1. Blue acrylic paint and black acrylic paint (I purchased them from AC Moore using a 50 percent off coupon)
  2. A pink sponge clown nose to resemble Grover’s (Since it’s near Halloween, this was easy to find at Party City for about a dollar)
  3. Jiggly eyes (I purchased these from AC Moore but later saw them at the local Dollar Tree where I would have saved a dollar off of the total)
  4. A red pipe cleaner for the mouth (I actually had one available and didn’t need to purchase it)
  5. Cardboard to make Grover’s body (I used a box I had lying around from an online purchase)
  6. A Sharpee for tracing body parts
  7. Scissors to cut the body
  8. Hot glue and hot glue gun to adhere the eyes, nose, and mouth
  9. Paint sponges brushes and a cup to hold the paint (I had some from a previous project)
  10. A ruler or tape measure

When Quinn saw the progress we were making, she asked if we could make Super Grover. So Super Grover the pumpkin became. I just needed to figure out how to do it and what additional materials I would need.

  1. Card stock or thick scrap book paper (I got this at AC Moore with a coupon too, so I only paid 25 cents.)
  2. Aluminum Foil (I had this available)
  3. One gray felt sheet, one red felt sheet and one yellow felt sheet (Purchased at AC Moore)
  4. Marker for tracing the red letter G and the yellow lightening bolt (I used a fine point Sharpee that I already had)
  5. About ten paper fasteners (I actually had from a project years prior)
  6. Regular glue that dries clear (I already have tons)

Between work, chores and other activities with Quinn, making our pumpkin into Super Grover certainly was not a one day project. It spanned over two weeks: one week for painting the pumpkin and adhering the facial features and the second week for transforming Grover into Super Grover and giving him a body, G, lightening bolt and cape.

Something that I’ve always been good at is looking at a picture or sample and recreating it. Since Quinn has both Grover and Super Grover, I was able to use them as models for doing the pumpkin. Here are the steps I followed, but this was my first time, so feel free to modify them if you want to try to create your own Grover:

  1. Using the sponge brushes, Quinn and I painted the entire pumpkin, minus part of the bottom because the top had to dry first. Though the paint dries within an hour, I waited a few hours and then retouched any areas where orange was still showing. After the pumpkin dried over night, we did one more coat and then made sure to paint any parts on the bottom that were still orange.
  2. After the pumpkin was blue, I used Grover as my model and then measured the size of my pumpkin to determine how far apart the eyes, nose and mouth should be from one another. Then, I marked the locations and painted on the black mouth which I let dry for a few hours and then added a couple of more coats.
  3. After the pumpkin was blue with the black mouth, I used my hot glue gun and glue to adhere the jiggly eyes, pink sponge nose and the red pipe cleaner mouth.
  4. Voila, you have Grover!
  5. To turn Grover into Super Grover, I looked at the helmet of Quinn’s Super Grover doll to get an idea of how it was constructed. I then stumbled across a Super Grover helmet template from Sesame Street’s web site which was very helpful in creating the helmet. Once I saw this, I was able to determine how many sections would be needed. I did five: one for the face mask, two for the temples that wrap around the head, one for the little piece on the front of the face mask and one for to cover the circumference of the head, which I measured with measuring tape.
  6. After figuring out the size of the pieces I would need, I traced them out using the scrap book paper (with the exception of the piece to cover the circumference of the head which was gray felt and left for the last part), cut them but left a little extra paper for the two pieces to wrap around the temple so that I could double check my measurements by putting it around the actual pumpkin. Then, I covered them with aluminum foil and used a little glue to make sure the foil stayed on the paper. The paper fasteners were used to hold the helmet together and to add the felt which would cover the head. Of course, we put the helmet on Super Grover the Pumpkin’s head to make sure it would fit, and it did!
  7. Then it was time to make Super Grover’s body. Once more, I looked at the model and viewed a few pictures online to get an idea of the body proportions and then used cardboard from an old package box and a Sharpee to draw the torso, arms and legs with some of Quinn’s help (I actually used one piece for the legs but cut a triangular shape in between so that presence of the two legs were obvious. Once I cut out the body parts, I used more of my trusty paper fasteners to connect the arms and legs to the torso.
  8. My daughter actually did most of the painting with the body of Super Grover with some of my help in going over any areas she missed. We then let the one side dry for a few hours and then did the other side.
  9. While Super Grover’s body was drying, we got to work on his red letter G, yellow lightening bolt and red cape using the felt sheets. This also involved looking at the model Grover, measuring the torso of Super Grover and then tracing out the appropriate pieces.
  10. Once our trusty super hero was all dry, about a few hours later, we were able to add the lightening bolt and G with a little regular glue and then the red cape with a little glue.
Quinn and her Super Grover and Super Grover the Pumpkin

Quinn and her Super Grover and Super Grover the Pumpkin

We just finished earlier today, and Quinn was so excited asked, “Can we take a picture with my two Super Grovers?” Of course, I was happy to oblige. Yes, this project was quite involved, but it was a wonderful opportunity to do something fun and special with my little girl. There’s actually a decorative contest at my job next week, and I am thinking that Quinn and I should enter it. How awesome would it be for our Super Grover to win!

All the best,

Tanya

It’s Potty Time! 

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2015-08-01 09.01.22

Quinn Making Sure Thumper Uses the Potty

“It wasn’t until my child was three and a half that he was fully potty trained,” a mother abashedly admits. “My child was fully potty trained at 16 months,” one parent gloats. “Well, it just took a week or so to train my puppy!” one lady eagerly volunteers. Potty training is serious business in the toddler world, and when I decided to get serious about potty training my two year old, I learned that while all parents of toddlers (and puppies too) and even non-parents have opinions on the matter, the bottom line is that it’s all about knowing my child and what techniques are best for her.

Potty training for first-time parents can be like traveling to a distant land and not knowing how to navigate through it. It’s been a little over a month since I have entered this remote land, and I am proud to say that my GPS has not steered me wrong. While I can’t guarantee that the navigation system I utilized will help you reach your destination of potty training your little one, I still feel inclined to share what helped us reach that destination.
1. Look for signs. When Quinn was really, really ready, she began taking off her diaper or pull-up when she had to go. I knew this was a definite sign. She also enjoyed flushing to the toilet and would even ask to use the restroom when we went to Target or Walmart long before I started training her outside of the home.
2. Support: I made sure family, friends, caregivers and were aware that I was starting the potty training process and even asked some for advice. Also, I did not want Quinn to be confused and receive mixed signals, so my husband and I had to implement the same strategies, even it it was in our own ways. Also, my mother had to be fully aware so that she could be prepared whenever Quinn visited. Since Quinn is not at daycare, I did not need the support of many caregivers, but this is obviously important if your child is going to be successful.
3. Child’s interest: All children have different interests. Quinn loves music, certain characters and books, so I made sure to incorporate them into the potty training process. One of Quinn’s favorite potty songs and episodes is by Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood. “If you have to go potty, stop and go right away! Flush, and wash and be on your way!” Quinn actually sings this song in public settings to let me or her dad know she needs to use the potty. It’s also a cute and catchy song and let’s kids know the importance of washing their hands after they go to the potty.  Also, letting her select and purchase her Minnie Mouse panties makes her feel empowered and excited about being a big girl. She wanted to hold her shopping bag containing the panties the whole time, even when I put her in her car seat.
I also purchased a couple of potty training books. One is called, “Diapers Are Not Forever,” which is great for transitioning to panties. Another book I purchased is interactive and a story about Elmo’ Potty Time. Quinn loves pushing the button for the flush sound and will often request it when she is using the potty. I also allow Quinn to let her friends (stuffed animals) use the potty. Watching her go through this process lets me know that she is comfortable and confident with all that potty training entails. She’ll often tell her stuffed animal, “Don’t forget to flush and wash your hands!”
4. Acknowledge achievements: While some people are against giving children incentives, such as stickers or a special treat, I think it depends on the child. Quinn enjoys receiving stickers and earning stars, but she does not refuse to use the potty until she gets a sticker or rely on getting a sticker each time she uses the potty. Oftentimes, a high five or me saying, “Mommy is proud of you for telling me you had to use the potty!” carries so much more weight.
5. Don’t underestimate or overestimate child’s capabilities: I am aware that Quinn is still learning, so I try not to put too much pressure on her, but I make sure to support her and give her positive reinforcement. Sometimes, she eagerly pushes down her panties to use the potty or pulls them up once she has finished, and other times she seems disinterested about the whole process, so it is up to me to step in and remain motivated. Also, I have to keep in mind that she is still learning to control her bladder, so I must use common sense and not always wait for her to tell me when she has to go. I will simply tell her, “It’s time to use the potty honey.” Now, it is becoming a routine. Quinn knows that she must use the potty when she wakes up, after meals and any other time when she feels that she has to go.
6. Keep moving forward: If there is an accident, the punishment should not be to put her back in pull-ups or a diaper. I need to let her know in a loving way that we all have accidents but that it is not okay to pee in her panties. Making her feel ashamed or embarrassed doesn’t help her or me.
7. Accountability: People often focus on the accountability of the child, but the parents, guardians and caregivers must hold themselves accountable too. It is unfair to expect a two year olds (maybe even older) to hold their bladder for a half hour or even fifteen minutes after they have told you that they have to go to the potty. If they have an accident, it is your fault, not theirs, and I think the child should be told by the parent, “Mommy or daddy should have gotten you to the potty sooner,” so that the child knows that he or she is not at fault and shouldn’t be ashamed.
8. Consistency: The same rules at home apply when Quinn and I are outside of the home. At first, I was very nervous about using regular panties on Quinn instead of a pull-up when we went on outings, but I did not want to send mixed signals. Amazingly, Quinn does an even better job letting me know when she has to go when we are outside of the home. It’s as though she knows that she may not have a change of clothes (I do keep a change with me, but I don’t share this with her) or maybe she just enjoys going out and does not want to have to go back home because she wet herself.
9. Communicate: While I’m a type “A” personality, my husband is more laid-back and casual. Initially, this did not go over well in the beginning stages of potty training Quinn, but after I made sure to effectively communicate my plan and strategies, the process went smoothly.  Usually, the main caregiver is the one who takes on the overwhelming task of potty training. It cannot only be overwhelming but place unnecessary stress on a relationship. Yes, you may have the support of your significant other, but if you do not effectively communicate the plan or strategies you would like to implement and consider the advice of your significant other, you could be dealing with some bickering and explosive arguments in addition to potty training (I’m glad I communicated before it got to that point), especially since you both may think you have all of the answers and know what’s best.
10. Seek Out Resources: A book that helped me out a great deal and that I have already recommended to quite a few friends and colleagues with toddlers ready to potty train is “Oh Crap! Potty Training” by Jamie Glowacki. Even though I already had some ideas, this book gave me the confidence I needed to implement them. It also presented “common sense” methods I did not even consider. Once I read this book, I had Quinn out of pull-ups and in panties within two days and haven’t looked back since.
I most certainly do not have all of the answers, but I am so proud of my little girl and how well she’s doing and how well her father and I are doing with keeping her on the right track with potty training. If you have any techniques or advice that may help a parent or caregiver with potty training, please feel free to share as well.
All the best,
Tanya

The Ultimate Playroom for a Colorful Child: School is in Session!

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2014-07-30 10.23.15bJim Greenman, author of Caring Spaces, Learning Places, says, “Children deserve to spend their days in well-designed environments that support their needs and stimulate their learning.” Though Quinn, my sixteen month old daughter, is not in an early childhood education setting,  she certainly deserves to have an area that is not only rich in play and teaching but a place she can call her own.

I am extremely grateful that my husband and I have accommodating work schedules so that we do not have to put Quinn in daycare; however, there are some benefits that come along with such educational environments. For the past few months I envisioned, designed and set up what I consider to be more than a playroom for Quinn but the ultimate learning environment. This area will be constantly evolving as she continues to learn and grow, but at this point, watching Quinn’s face light up and hearing that giggle every time we enter her room melts my heart. So I thought, why not share some of my playroom ideas with other parents looking to create a special place for their children. You may click on the photo below to enlarge it.

 

PlayroomColors: I envisioned a colorful, fun place that would brighten Quinn’s mood even when she may be a little grumpy but also reinforce learning, so I went with a rainbow. Rather than paint the four walls, I focused mainly on the ceiling and had the rainbow come down one side of the wall with the shelving unit. Sometimes, we actually lie on the floor, which consists of corresponding, colorful, cushy floor mats (purchased through Amazon.com), and look up at the ceiling as she points to the different colors. Quinn enjoys looking at the different size circles and “Quinn’s Playroom” which are actually decals that my sister thought I carefully painted myself (also ordered through Amazon.com).

Toy Storage: Instead of having a traditional toy box, most of Quinn’s toys are on display in a shelving unit purchased at Ikea to encourage her to reach for the ones on the lower shelves and to put them back exactly where they belong. On the lower shelves, I have Ikea storage boxes with the pictures and names of the objects which I added with iron-on labels, to promote reading and sight recognition. I also included a seating area with comfortable Dr. Seuss cushions  I made for adults visiting or activities for Quinn. This area doubles as storage behind the colorful curtains I made with fabric purchased from Joann Fabrics.

 Educational Toys: A playroom isn’t an effective playroom without toys but not just any toys: toys that promote learning, physical and cognitive development. Lakeshore Learning, Beckers as well as Amazon.com were some of my go-to places. Of course, every toy and activity is not for every child, but I do plan on providing follow-up blog entries on which toys Quinn loves and are really engaging her in the learning process.

Though my little Quinn is not in an actual school, I am extremely excited as she starts her first official day of “Mommy and Me Play School.” (and daddy too 🙂

All the best,

Tanya

A Superhero Party for a Super Girl!

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Super Quinn with her Super Mommy and Daddy

Super Quinn with her Super Mommy and Daddy

Superheros: the theme for my daughter’s first birthday party demonstrated how special she and the children in attendance always will be. Unfortunately, I quickly realized that many companies tend to cater towards “boys,” sending the message that girls can’t be superheroes nor idolize them, but this could not be further from the truth. All children should feel empowered and super special, especially my little girl,  With this in mind, I thought of creative ways to not simply promote the commercialized superheroes but the hero within each child, regardless of one’s gender.

To help out other parents who are eager to put together an unforgettable superhero party for their little girl or just a gender neutral party where all children feel like superheroes, I’ve provided some of the companies and ideas I employed for Quinn’s party.  (All images can be enlarged after clicking on them, and the links to the company web sites are in purple)

Super Quinn InvitationIllustrations: Rather than use existing superheroes, why not make it extra special with a personalized illustration of your child as a superhero? Sandy Ford, of Sandy Ford Design is an awesome illustrator I located through Etsy. She does far more than just illustrations of superheroes in your child’s likeness, and her prices are extremely reasonable. I was able to get an entire party package with the digital invitations, poster, coloring page, thank you card, banner, the iron on for my super mommy t-shirt, etc. for approximately $25. She’s in London and I’m in the US; nevertheless, I received everything electronically within 48 hours, and I certainly will use her services in the future for other illustrations. 

Superhero GirlsI found another company, Clip Artopia, that supplies superhero illustrations at nominal fees, ranging from $2.50 to $5.00 to use as you wish. Since I have a digital design background, I was able to modify some of the illustrations to have them reflect the likeness of the children attending Quinn’s party.

 

 

Super QuinnSuperhero Capes: Though most of the children attending the party came dressed as their favorite superheros, the birthday girl’s outfit had to be original. I located another fabulous company through Etsy, Shooting Kisses, who makes superhero capes with many colors to choose from for toddlers, older children and adults. The cape was a little over $50, and there are many companies to use at a cheaper rate, but it was well worth it. The stitching on the cape and emblem is professionally done, the satin material is high quality, and the cape is reversible.Quinn certainly will be wearing this cape for Halloween or just for fun.

 

Klassi Kreations Superhero CapesYes, I’m one of those “over the top” party planning moms, and I wanted to send the children home with something special as well, so I ordered a party package with capes and matching masks from Klassi Kreations, another Etsy shop. Each set was approximately $15. They arrived ahead of schedule, were good quality and a big hit with all of the children.

SupermommyI also got a little creative and purchased some materials from Joann’s Fabric and made my own cape for the special occasion after following the free instructions for making a superhero cape from Sewing With Nancy. I modified it some to fit an adult, but it is an awesome resource. Just to give you an idea of how easy it was, I created the cape with my arm in a cast from a broken wrist and used “no sew” tape to get it done quickly. (In the picture, you can actually see the cast sleeve I created)

 

 

Super Quinn and Super Mommy

Personalized crown: This little superhero needed a crown to top off her outfit, and Oh So Sweet Creations, another company found through Etsy, was perfect! I was able select the appropriate colors and design with no problem. This company has crowns for many occasions, and I’ll more than likely use them again.

 

 

2014-05-03 13.41.51Personalized Party Supplies: Though I was able to use the banner and other materials from Sandy Ford Design, I was able to take it a step further by personalizing the table center pieces and plates through Birthday Express

 

 

2014-05-03 13.20.22Personalized Birthday Cake: I looked at several specialty superhero cakes which were fabulous but very expensive. Then my husband said, “What about BJ’s; don’t they have birthday cakes?” BJ’s Wholesale actually has really good cakes with butter cream icing, so I was able to take the illustration I got through Sandy Ford Design and have it put on Quinn’s cake. It turned out great!

DIY Projects: Super Hero Shield Superhero Shields: These are relatively easy to find by simply doing a search online, but the quality may not be the best because many of them are at a low resolution. So if you have Adobe Photoshop or another program, you can recreate them if you need a larger size. I was able to make the iron-on shield for my daughter’s shirt as well as some of the party favors.

Superhero Coloring BooksColoring Book: Getting the coloring page from Sandy Ford Design and illustrations from Clip Artopia inspired me to create coloring books for each child. Adobe Photoshop actually has a feature where you can take just about any illustration and turn it into a sketch for coloring.

Superbaby

Tattoos: I was also able to use the illustrations to order special temporary tattoos from Sticker You for the children. This company allows you to upload your own illustrations or to use illustrations they have available. You can also order stickers and other products as well to customize party favors.

 

superquinnand friendsposter 20x30Masks TemplatesParty Games: Rather than pin the tail on the donkey, I customized the game and made it “Pin the Mask on Super Quinn.” I located superhero mask templates and modified them through Adobe Photoshop and printed out a large poster, laminated and mounted it myself.

Another game was a maze for helping Super Quinn get to her cake.

 

2014-04-27 13.34.13Bubbles: Children love bubbles, but I’m sure they love personalized bubbles even more. I used the illustrations provided by Sandy Ford Design and was able to print them out on sticker paper and adhere them to the bubbles I purchased at Target for just $2.00 for six.

 

 

Superhero Place MatsPlace mats: Superheroes have to eat, but sometimes it gets a little messy, so I created customized place mats using contact paper and scrap book paper as a party favor that the children can use long after the party is over.

 

2014-04-27 13.31.17Party Favor Bags: I want the children to always remember how super they are, so I customized superhero canvas bags with iron-on superhero shields and a little puffy paint and glitter for the girls for them not carry around all of there super items and feel empowered.

2014-05-03 14.20.14Party Location: Even though children are able to have fun at a party just about anywhere, if you are in the Philadelphia, PA area and looking for a place that is age appropriate for a one year old up to age ten, Kix and Giggles is awesome.  It is reasonably priced, and you have the option of paying a bit more to make the party private. Though there were additional fees, they made all of the arrangements for Spiderman to make an appearance as well as a face painter. They also have a toddler area which is perfect for younger children.

It certainly was a lot of work planning Quinn’s party, but it was also a lot of fun. I hope that some of the information I provided is helpful for you in planning a superhero party for you child.

All the best,

Supermom aka Tanya 🙂

Don’t You Wish Your Baby Had a Tutu Like Me!

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Quinn's Half Birthday (Photo Taken by Devon Anne Photography)

Quinn’s Half Birthday (Photo Taken by Devon Anne Photography)

For the past few years, tutus have been the craze for little girls’ special moments. So of course my baby Quinn had to have one for her half-birthday photo shoot. Unfortunately, there were a few problems with getting that special tutu. Though it looks too cute, I can be frugal at times and was not willing to pay for a pricey tutu in addition to the adorable half-birthday onesie and bow with a party hat (KenaBows did an excellent job by the way!) for a six month old to wear for about a half hour, and I just could not find the right color scheme either.

Actually, this was the perfect opportunity for me to apply some of my crafting skills and save a little money, which I love doing. I’m no fashion designer, but I’m really good at following basic instructions. There are so many tutorials out there, but I located this wonderful You Tube video by Sandy Bell for how to make a tutu provided below. Her video is clearly presented, and I was able to use it as a guide and then make a couple of modifications with the supplies and method for creating the tutu since Quinn is just a baby, and her child is much older.

Here’s all that I purchased to make a $6 tutu:
  1. Purchased Tulle (Pink, Green, Yellow and Blue) at Michael’s because it was on sale, and I was able to use a 40 percent off of my entire purchase coupon: the only way to shop! Each roll was 25 yards for a little over a dollar a piece for a total near $5 including tax.  I still have plenty of tulle left over for future projects too!
  2. Purchased White Crotchet Stretchy Headband (Yes, a headband can fit a baby’s waist) from Michael’s for just a $1 to create a “no sew tutu.”

If you think a tutu would be too cute for your little girl but are just a bit apprehensive about spending $30 or more or you would like to make something special from the heart, give it a try. This mommy did it, and baby, Quinn looks great!