DIY Hooded Baby Towel Part 3

Jacinda's Hooded Baby Towel Tutorial is one of my favorites.  I made one for a boy a few weeks ago and now this one for a girl.  It gets easier to do each time and it makes a great gift for any babies in your life!
Towels are from Ikea and accent fabric details can be found in the Mama's Checkbook Cover tutorial.

Reading: DIY Hooded Baby Towel Part 3

Last Minute Advent Calendar

30 Days has September, April, June and Nov... OH NO! You have 1.5 days to finish your 25 miniature hand-knit woolen mitten advent calendar garland. Or you can make one of these in about an hour and promise to finish the woolen mittens by next Christmas.



The key with this project is to be resourceful with what you have around the house.
Very loose instructions after the jump...
And thanks to Design Sponge for the post!

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Reading: Last Minute Advent Calendar

Rick's Rich Jam Muffins Part 2

I Just whipped up a batch of Jacinda's Rick's Rich Jam Muffins!  omg, delicious and so simple!  I tried one with Hot Pepper Jellyas she suggested (Carleton's favorite) one with Roasted Garlic and Onion Jam(my favorite), and the rest with Tangerine Vanilla Bean Marmalade from the backyard (Scarlet's favorite); threw them in a vintage lace bowl and felt like a domestic goddess as promised.  Try it!

Reading: Rick's Rich Jam Muffins Part 2

LEFTOVERS: Navajo Turkey Tacos w/Bonus Stuffing Fritters

Have you ever had a navajo taco?  If not, then you have not lived.  Make some fry bread (takes five minutes) and add leftover turkey fixins, deelish.  While the oil is hot toss in some hand-shaped stuffing patties, serve with gravy.  YUM!

Recipe after the jump...
And thanks for the post TheKitchn!

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Reading: LEFTOVERS: Navajo Turkey Tacos w/Bonus Stuffing Fritters

Very First Crochet Project: Toddler Scarf

I have never crocheted a thing in my life but I swoon over Jacinda's crochet treats!  When I discovered this amazing store right around the corner I was motivated to try.  I surfed for a bunch of tutorials and I found that this one for learning a single crochet stitch and this one for learning a double crochet were really helpful.  So my first little project was this simple single crochet scarf for little S.  The wine-colored doo-dad was my first attempt at learning to crochet a circle gone wrong.  Oh, and Scarlet hates this scarf so much.  So maybe I'll leave the fancy crocheting to Jacinda, but I do think I'll try her crochet pennant garland pattern as a baby shower gift!

Reading: Very First Crochet Project: Toddler Scarf

Thanksgiving!

Among other things, this year we give thanks for the fun & success of our little project Prudent Baby, and for our favorite blogs that helped us get here.  Add them to your daily reads and you will be thanking us next year!  And to all of our readers, thank you for sharing your projects, ideas, and time with us.  We hope you all enjoy magical, wonderful Thanksgiving days and we can't wait to see you next week!
Much Love,
Jaime & Jacinda

Craft Gossip
Create-Share-Inspire
Cut Out & Keep
Design Sponge
Dos Family
Inhabitots
Kenziepoo
Made By Girl
Mom Advice
OhDeeDoh
One Pretty Thing
Project Nursery
Sew Mama Sew
Smile And Wave
The Kitchn
Yes, Please
and of course...
500 Pieces of Prudent Advice for My Baby Daughter

Reading: Thanksgiving!

10 Tools/Supplies for Fancy Sugar Cookies and A GIVEAWAY!

I've avoided talking about my obsession with decoration fancy sugar cookies here on Prudent Baby because, well, I just don't find them very prudent. They are tedious. They are time-consuming. They are temperamental. But with that said, they are totally addictive to make and there is nothing quite like the delight on a toddler's face when you hand them an edible work-of-art. People, I'm here to confess, I dream about decorating sugar cookies.

The other day I ordered this book that had been floating around in the old Amazon wishlist for a while. I was ordering my book club book and was under the $25 to qualify for free shipping, you know how it goes.

This book is amazing! Full of information that I had always wondered about... the perfect way to pack sugar cookies for shipping, the fact that you can not only freeze cookie dough in balls, but un-baked cut cookies and also baked cookies, with no damage. This book is full of helpful tips of wonder and amazement!

So since Christmas is upon us and if you are ever going to try royal icing, now is the time, I'm going to share the top 10 things I think you need to jump in. This "kit" would make a fun gift for someone interested in getting started.

10 Tools/Supplies for Fancy Sugar Cookie making and the details of our first giveaway after the jump.

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Reading: 10 Tools/Supplies for Fancy Sugar Cookies and A GIVEAWAY!

Easy Thanksgiving Dessert: Bread Puddingy Goodness

Who needs pumpkin pie when you've already devoured a whole savory stuffed pumpkin?  Bread pudding is super-easy, inexpensive and with my simple sauce it's extra fancy delicious too!  Get the recipe after the jump...

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Reading: Easy Thanksgiving Dessert: Bread Puddingy Goodness

Prudent Project Round Up

Amber at Daisy Chain spruced up her nursery with some pom pom curtains!

Krista at Look Ma No Patterns made this insanely cute embroidery hoop & button version of the Cozy Embroidered Clock!

Carla at 1 Nice Thing made her own spooky Halloween Bat Mobile!


Reader Sarah made these happy versions of the ever-popular Baby Food Jar Fabric Tea Lights!

And check out little cutie Sumner gobbling up one of Rick's Rich Jam Muffins, YUM!

Add your project pictures to the Prudent Baby Project Pool on Flickr with your URL in the description and we may link to it here.  There's nothing we love more then seeing your versions of our little tutorials!

Reading: Prudent Project Round Up

Backyard Tangerine Vanilla Bean Marmalade

We are so lucky that our new home has a gorgeous, giant tangerine tree and the fruit is just ripening, so get ready for an onslaught of tangerine recipes. Up first is tangerine marmalade.  I guess you aren't really supposed to use Baby Food Jars for preserves but I feel like that's all part of the big brother jam & jelly racket keeping us down.  I sterilized the jars and used a technique to seal them (after the jump), but in reality baby food jars are so small you'll easily use up the contents pretty quickly anyway.  Bring a jar to your holiday dinners and serve with the cheese course, yum!

Get the full Tangerine Marmalade Recipe after the jump...

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Reading: Backyard Tangerine Vanilla Bean Marmalade

Handmade Gift Labels

We cracked ourselves up making these little gift tags for your homemade holiday gifties. You can print them out on a lightly patterned paper (I used some Amy Butler scrapbooking paper from Michaels) or sheets of adhesive stock and then cut with a paper trimmer, x-acto blade or scissors. Do you have a Paper Trimmer? If not, you should totally ask for one for Christmas. They are awesome.




There are 10 different labels and there are downloadable PDF files for 8 different color versions (because we know you are already planning your wrapping color scheme!) after the jump.

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Reading: Handmade Gift Labels

Rick's Rich Jam Muffins

These are my husband's favorite breakfast treat, the recipe is from his mom.  All of the ingredients are staples and they are so easy to make on a whim! I just whipped up a batch for playgroup and everyone raved, even the kiddos!

Recipe after the jump.

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Reading: Rick's Rich Jam Muffins

DIY Silky Baby Blanket

My daughter has one favorite blanket that she insists on sleeping with every night, but after two years it's a little stained and run-down.  What she seems to love about it is the soft coziness on one side and cool silkiness on the other.  It was a fancy, generous gift (thanks Stella!) so instead of buying a new one, I was hoping to be able to replace it by making one myself.  Did I succeed?  Let's see what Scarlet thinks...

It's a simple two sided blanket, but adding satin binding is a little tricky, learn how to sew a Silky Baby Blanket after the jump...

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Reading: DIY Silky Baby Blanket

DIY Doll Diapers

I've been informed by Chitra, Scarlet's daycare teacher, that Scarlet and her friend Molly love to pretend to change their dolls' diapers using pantomime, so I made them some little fabric ones.

It's too easy and Scarlet went nuts for it, how-to after the jump...

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Reading: DIY Doll Diapers

Quick Tip: Fabric Scrap Storage

I know that one day I will use all (most...some...one?) of these fabric scraps and I am tired of having them jumbled at the bottom of a drawer. It occurred to me yesterday to display the cuties in this apothecary jar.  Now I can actually SEE my fabrics and enjoy the little bit of them i have left.  Not that you need the how-to, but it's posted after the jump anyway...

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Reading: Quick Tip: Fabric Scrap Storage

Baby Food Jar Projects: Soy Candle Place Cards

So I've never really had the urge to make a candle, but I have all these baby food jars and the fabric tea lights were so popular, I thought I'd give it a shot.  It's crazy easy, you can buy everything you need at Michael's or Amazon cheaply, and the result is a super-posh way to recycle baby food jars into fun party place cards that will make everyone think you are some sort of crafty wizard.

Hey thanks OhDeeDoh for the post today!
and thanks to Re-Nest too!

For all the baby food jar projects we've posted so far click here, and stay tuned because we have so many more to share!

Get the how-to after the jump...

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Reading: Baby Food Jar Projects: Soy Candle Place Cards

Baby's First Thanksgiving Card (as if you don't have enough to do)

Want to stand out from the pack of Christmas cards? Send a Thanksgiving card! Here is an easy and super-cute version that long-distance Grammie will love. Long-distance Grandpa will say that it looks like baby smeared poo on a piece of paper. Long distance grandpa is classy like that.
DIY after the jump

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Reading: Baby's First Thanksgiving Card (as if you don't have enough to do)

DIY: "Honey, It's My Turn To Sleep In" Reversible Eye Mask

I wear one of these every night and have for at least ten years.  Scarlet sees them and says "MAMA!" and runs over to put it on my head and ask "where'd mama go?"  I thought I'd try to make one of my own and it was pretty simple to figure out.  Give it a go and send me a pic.  And every girl I know, Hi you are getting one for Christmas.

Get the full tutorial after the jump...

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Reading: DIY: "Honey, It's My Turn To Sleep In" Reversible Eye Mask

My Neighborhood Inspiration: Jaime from Fairfax Village

Our homes are inevitably influenced by where we choose to live.  Here begins a new series of inspiration posts highlighting the neighborhoods of our favorite bloggers.  I'll start: I live right around the corner from the Fairfax district of Los Angeles.  Fairfax is a wonderful mish-mash of Jewish shops, temples, and bakeries and hipster record stores, skateboard shops and edgy restaurants.  Because orthodox jews do not drive on the Sabbath their communities exist in close proximity - allowing them to walk to their shops and temples.  The orthodox community makes wonderful neighbors and have the best bakeries and thrift shops.  In the past few years the unorthodox skateboarding world (a world my husband inhabits) has crept onto the street with stores like Supreme (you can skate the bowl right in the store), The Hundreds, and SLB.  Have a fancy meal at the sign-free Animal, a kosher deli experience (hello, egg creams with my dad) at famous Canter's Deli, or watch Jack Black and crew test out new material at comedy club Largo.
The cutest thing on my entire street?  The Hebrew alphabet learning toys...in Hebrew it's called the "Aleph Bet" :)
Get a full inspirational pictorial after the jump...
And if you would like to share your neighborhood with the Prudent Mamas, let us know via the contact form to the left.

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Reading: My Neighborhood Inspiration: Jaime from Fairfax Village

Fabric covered letters - a hair clip holder?

I've always loved the look of these fabric covered letters. You can save some cash and customize with your choice of fabric by making them on your own! They also make a cute hair-clip holder... if you're into that kind of thing.



Check out the No-Sew DIY after the jump.

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Reading: Fabric covered letters - a hair clip holder?

Prudent Project Round Up

Dana at Create-Share-Inspire made her own version of the DIY Vintage Lace Bowls using lace ribbon, how gorgeous is it?  See how she did it here.

Caitlin over at Mollie Doll made a beautiful version of the DIY Scarf for Mommy AND an adorable hat!

Shannon of super-fun UggaMugga gave Kevin's Famous Scones a whirl here, is your mouth watering or what?

And the Savory Stuffed Pumpkin is still a popular recipe (I've made THREE this week).  This version over at Life with Keiki looks so cheesy-wonderful!

Reading: Prudent Project Round Up

DIY Mama's Checkbook Cover

Checkbooks are ugly. I see the necessity of carrying a checkbook as an excuse to have something pretty peeking out of your bag.

Get the DIY Mama's Checkbook Cover how-to after the jump (totally easy)...

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Reading: DIY Mama's Checkbook Cover

DIY Sweet & Easy Baby Hair Clip

Here is the first of the hair clip DIYs. We'll start off with something quick & easy.


DIY after the jump...

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Reading: DIY Sweet & Easy Baby Hair Clip

Hot Mess Mommy: DIY Braided Headband

I have been hanging on to the October Anthropologie catalog, loving all of the "Hot Mess Mommy" hair-do's. I was thinking that I would get my hands on some beautiful fancy embroidered ribbon n such and try out a few headbands. Imagine my delight when Ruby from Cakies did a Braided Headband Tutorial as a guest post for Smile & Wave. Here is mine. I love it. Clare loves it too. It will even work on a baldy-bean baby!


I used Kleo By Alexander Henry and an unknown orange fabric gifted from Jaime.

Reading: Hot Mess Mommy: DIY Braided Headband