Pepper Design Blog

Project Nursery: Felt Owl Storage/Laundry Bin

Back before Liv was born and I was unsure if we were having a little boy or girl, I had put together a pretty gender free nursery (we added the coral and pink touches just after Liv’s birth) inspired by cute little playful baby animals. I hadn’t wanted to carry the theme too far throughout the room and stuck to these awesome wall designs with coordinating solid and patterned fabrics. But I had always had an eye for these guys!

I had imagined making my own with whichever storage bins we ended up needing for the space. 18 months later and I’ve finally given it a go, converting a standard brown canvas hamper into a cute little owl bin for dirty clothes.

A fabric bin like this would be great for toys, too!

The process could have been incredibly simple but my quest for a smaller-than-average laundry basket proved to be daunting! The usual (in case you’re interested) is roughly 14x14x30″ and is quite a big size for a nursery space. I finally found the above at The Container Store and spent a little more than I had planned (this guy was on sale for $22.99) for my 11.5×11.5×23.5″ mini-me laundry bin.

The good news! If a regular laundry bin will fit your space, there’s a plethora of options in all colors and price points over at Amazon.

I created the little owl out of felt sheets from Michaels (I think they were $.99 each) and sort of winged the design (hehe) after Googling images of nursery owls. This guy ended up with an oatmeal tan body, burgundy wings and purple feathers.

I used a standard white glue to adhere him together, though I noticed that it started to seep through the felt! and ended up creating a few funny blotches. I might try using just a little crazy glue next time instead, hot glue would be tough as I bet it might melt parts of the felt material.

Next up was the top red lining. You’ll notice in the picture from The Container Store that the actual hamper has a damask fold over lining and a mesh closure, both of which I didn’t need and both of which I carefully cut out.

Here’s a shot of the outside lip which is now sans the fold over lining and mesh:

And one of the inside of the bag:

If you had a laundry basket that is ready to go as is, this is where you’d jump into the tutorial to add the top lining and animal on the front.

I made the red lining for the top of the bin out of red felt as well.

Because my edges were 11.5″ in length, I cut four 12×3″ sections of felt and then sewed the lengths together to create one long piece with three seams.

Then I added a few stitches at each corner, sewing the felt seams directly to the hamper seams. You could always use a ribbon for a similar effect but I wanted a material I could actually fold over the metal bars of the hamper rather than just line the very top edge.

Instead of continuing my stitch (which could have taken a long time! plus I was going for a pretty seamless look) I used a line of glue down both the inside and outside of the lining and pinned the felt in place on the laundry bin to dry (ended up needing pliers to pull the glued pins out, maybe I waited too long , clothes pins might be a nice alternative).

And here she is! Ready for clothes and ready for action.

Do you like my empty Aaron’s Brothers frame up there in the right corner? I have so many pictures that I really need to hang up…

I looove how small it is, it fits perfectly into the space between Liv’s reading/play nook and her changing table. The damask lining actually adds a nice, unexpected touch!

Now how fun would it be to convert these storage bins into toy catch-alls around the house? or on a bookshelf in a playroom?

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Happy crafting .

PS If you want to go waaaay back, here are more Project Nursery posts: tree branch floating shelves, tree branch bookshelf inspiration, newly updated felt mobile, a new reading nook part 1, finished after photos, no sew fabric pennant, baby clothing art, handmade felt butterfly mobile, DIY crib skirt, basket liners part 1, part 2, the, glider makeover, recovering an ottoman, sewing lined curtains part 1, part 2, part 3, curtain fabric selection, nursery fabric board, rocking horse find, new pendant light, new sconce lighting, vintage wall art addition, changing table makeover, nursery wall striping tutorial , painted animal project, the initial inspiration board breakdown, the before pictures

Wardrobe Style Boards: Welcome, Anna Kate!

Very excited to share with you all today that we have a new style board contributor coming on board! You all know that that little Wardrobe Style Boards button there in the left sidebar (smooshed between ‘Entertaining’ and ‘Organizing’) is a favorite of mine… but that it does not receive as much love as it should.

I’ve had the privilege of slowly introducing a few style board contributors with the hopes that they will help me keep that little wardrobe gallery (check it all out here, or click on that pink button at any time) up to date and well stocked.

Without further ado, I’d like to introduce you to Anna Kate, whose style I’ve always adored and who – despite being weeks away from welcoming her first son! – is joining me here today to introduce herself and her first round of style boards (two are maternity, which I think is doubly awesome). PS AK is originally from the south (yay for wonderful y’alls and accents!), now lives in Tempe, Arizona with her husband Ray, and blogs about everything life over here. (And yes, people tell us we look a lot alike ).

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Hi y’all! I was so pleased when Morgan asked me to contribute to the style board section of her blog! I’ve been a big fan of this blog for some time now, so I feel really honored to be a part of it! My husband Ray and I were married in September, and found out we were pregnant just about 4 weeks later. We are (im)patiently awaiting our little one’s arrival in just a few short weeks, and working overtime trying to get everything ready for him! In the midst of a last minute kitchen remodel, a full-time job (can’t WAIT for maternity leave!), and struggling to get around with my enormous belly, creating these style boards for you has been a welcome respite. I hope y’all enjoy them!

Anna Kate & Ray on their wedding day, surprising everyone with their special announcement, Christmas, 8 months later, AK + sisters + mom at her shower

And on to the style boards!

I spent the first few months of my pregnancy searching for clothes that didn’t feel like your typical high-function, low-style maternity clothes. But after trying on countless black dresses and frumpy ruched t-shirts, I started to feel really discouraged. And then, while browsing Pinterest, I came across asos.com. This online British shop has so much to choose from for maternity- lots of trendy pieces, but also really great classics (like skinny jeans!). And their shipping options are amazing- 2 day shipping for just $12, or free shipping both ways, so if something doesn’t fit, just send it back, no charge! This was key for me when shopping online for maternity.

When you’re pregnant, especially REALLY pregnant, you don’t always feel all that cute. In fact, sometimes you feel downright UNcute! But even on my darkest days, a colorful outfit can somehow manage to change my mood and make me feel like my old self again. So, my first two boards feature brightly colored maternity pieces from ASOS that I find myself running to whenever I need to feel a little less frumpy and a little more.. normal!

(Above) This grey top may look like any other simple t-shirt, but it is my favorite piece in my closet at the moment. It goes with everything, and is so soft and thin- PERFECT for summer time. I paired it with bright, trendy skinny jeans and a colorful, chunky necklace, because sometimes a girl just needs a little color to make her feel pretty! I’ve been eyeing this little morse coded bracelet from COATT- I want one with my little one’s name on it! I think this would make such a sweet gift for a new mom.

(Below) For this outfit, I wanted to go with something simple. This yellow dress over a big pregnant belly will really stand out, so I wanted to pair it with more neutral accessories. I’m a firm believer in flats, especially during pregnancy, and I love this pair because they look like the leather will stretch and breathe a little on swollen feet. Y’all know every woman needs a good sun hat, and I love this one from Anthropologie. It’s simple and sweet, and goes with everything! I wanted to do a great clutch, like this little wicker beauty from JCrew, because let’s face it- once your baby is born it might be a while before you can carry just a small handbag again!

For my next two outfits, I wanted to build around pieces that I would really love to wear if I wasn’t pregnant. I wouldn’t dream of squeezing my body into these beautiful white shorts at the moment, but I’ve been secretly day-dreaming about them! Again I wanted to go with some pops of color, since it is summer after all. You may notice I’ve featured a lot of jewelry from Anthropologie throughout my style boards. I couldn’t help it- they have so many beautiful pieces right now, and some really great stuff for under $50! This necklace is a bit of a splurge at $142, but I can picture it with almost everything in my wardrobe, so I think it would be well worth it. And can we talk about this bag?! I love it so much, I just ordered one for myself (don’t tell my husband!). It feels like a steal at only $56, and I can imagine wearing it with so many things.

Here’s another outfit I can’t wait to try out after the baby is born! I love this simple little dress. It features flattering stripes, and the prettiest cutout and pleating in the back. I picture it looking so beautiful and sweet with delicate jewelry and beachy, soft waves in your hair- the perfect look for a laid back, easy date night. And these pretty yellow heels spice it up without making it too dressy.

That’s all for now! I can’t wait to come back next month with more summer inspiration, and hopefully some tips for dressing a post-baby body!

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Thanks so much, Anna Kate! Very excited to have you here and love, love these boards!

As always, you can find ALL sourcing (including brands, pricing, etc in the gallery itself.)

Balloon Bunch Cupcakes & a Baby Shower

Happy Monday! I thought I’d share a fun cupcake idea that I put together for a friend’s baby shower recently. Who doesn’t love lollipops and cupcakes? And when the two candy and cake worlds collide?

Inspired by a little blurb I saw in a Parenting Magazine article on creative cupcake toppers, I made balloon bunch cupcakes out of little dum dum lollipops using my favorite buttercream icing and rainbow nonpareils.

Yum!

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Balloon Bunch Cupcakes
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Materials: Cooled cupcakes, icing (store bought or homemade – see recipe below), rainbow nonpareils (round sprinkles) – any color would be fun!, dum dum lollipops, ribbon

I usually love a great homemade cupcake but on this particular day I saved myself a bit of time by using a boxed mix (a delicious lemon raspberry or homemade red velvet would have been very fun for this particular design!). To make things a little interesting, I split my cupcake batter into two different portions, half with a few drops of red food coloring and half as the original vanilla mix.

Plop of vanilla, plop of pink, plop of vanilla plus a toothpick to swirl it up! I recommend filling cupcake liners to just over half way so that you have a nice flat icing surface to work with.

While these guys are in the oven, it’s on to the frosting. I didn’t skimp here, this is my favorite homemade buttercream and it’s buttery delicious! Sweet enough to bring out a great flavor but a version that won’t immediately melt in the sun on you, which is important for buttercream icing + outdoor parties. Though I’m not sure I’d be daring enough to use it on a cake in direct sunlight…