CushyBum Diaper Covers

Although I've been a strict pocket diaper mama from the start, I'm finally starting to branch out a little bit. A friend gave me a stack of Goodmama diapers when I was complaining about how thick Sugar Pop's BumGenius diaper was with the microfiber inserts (really only an issue when they're tiny, now at 5 months, they don't look that puffy anymore). While the Goodmama diapers are wonderful and luxurious and made of amazing fabrics, I didn't love the fact that the potty was held against Sugar Pop's skin all night. I much prefer how a pocket diaper pulls the liquid away from his body and locks it safely away behind a layer of microfiber.

Then I discovered that their snap-in inserts were great daytime stuffers for my pocket diapers. Knowing they were thin but absorbent, I wanted to do even better than stuffing them (plus I'm always looking for an excuse to make more diapers for the little dude). I created a diaper cover like the ones you can put a prefold into but I added snaps so I could snap in the Goodmama inserts. They're slim and trim and I was able to use some scraps of PUL that weren't big enough for my usual CushyBum pocket diapers. I'll admit that the potty isn't locked behind a layer of microfiber but by only using the insert from the Goodmamas, it isn't absorbed and spread to his entire lower region, merely along the center strip of fabric.

Here's the basic outer portion. The edges are finished with a simple fold over elastic (FOE) so this whole diaper came together in about 30 minutes. I also made it a bit long from front to back so for now it is snapped down to a smaller size. I love having snap pliers to add this kind of functionality. This diaper will fit him for a long time.

Here it is with the Goodmama insert positioned. When I tried laying these in a regular diaper cover, I often found that the back slid to one side or another. It was still contained so it wasn't a huge problem but I feel more confident in the diaper when everything is where it should be.

And this is how the insert stays in place. The Goodmama insert already had snaps to stay in the main part of the GM diaper so I just added a couple of snaps to my own diaper cover and stuck them together.

When I throw this diaper in the wash, I don't have to take it apart, I just put the whole thing in and since it is multiple layers just snapped together at the back edge, everything gets really clean and the diaper is ready to be used fresh from the laundry - no stuffing or assembling. I love the simplicity of it!!

Thank you for reading,
Julie

The Side Yard - Part 4

As you may recall from The Side Yard - Part 3, here's where we were on May 20:

Well, with nice weather and a three day weekend, we got a ton done! Mr. BSR got most of the shingles on the roof but we ran out with just one row left. We still need to trim the excess but it looks great and now I don't have to sweat the inevitable rain storms over the next week.

I fixed some of the incorrectly cut siding and finished up all the remaining larger pieces.

While fixing the incorrectly cut triangle up top there, it hit me that I could create an access door to load lumber up to 12 feet long up overhead. Here it is with a spare piece of trim holding the door open (so I could take the picture).

The door locks shut with some simple gate hardware. I doubt we'll put an actual lock on it but we have the option. Mostly I just wanted something that would hold it shut.

I also framed out the ceiling of the firewood cubby. This wasn't in the original plan but came about as part of the lumber loft access door brainstorm. I haven't added the red trim to this end and we obviously need to trim the shingles but you can probably see some of my vision here.

The Snickerdoodle thinks he has his very own truck parking garage now. I decided not to crush his dream just yet.

I also built the door and hung it although I'm going to have to take the hardware off one piece at a time to paint. I was eager to get the door on though because we're supposed to get rain this week and I don't want the inside of the shed getting any wetter than it was last week.

So there you have it, we made great progress. I need to finish painting the small edges of all the trim (probably should have done that before putting it up, duh) and the door plus I need to trim out the firewood cubby. Actually, there's a pretty long list of things I still need to do to this project but I'm thrilled with this weekend's progress.

Did you have any big projects on your plate this weekend? I'd love to hear about them!

Thank you for reading,
Julie

My First Giveaway

Hooray!! A few weeks ago, Build, Sew, Reap hit 100 "likes" on Facebook so I'm doing a giveaway and since I've been so slow to get this going, I'm not going to pick just one winner, there will be TWO. I'm going to let the winners pick a prize (and it's OK if they pick the same thing):

1. 6 custom peg dolls (please allow up to 4 weeks for delivery) NOTE: These don't have to be Sounders, they can be members of your family, your favorite sports team, friends, etc. I'll just need pictures if they can't be found online.
2. 12 Scrabble tile pendants plus one ball chain (please allow 2 weeks for delivery)
3. 24 soccer ball cake pops (local delivery only please)
4. 4 jar lanterns
5. $40 to spend in my Etsy shop

(I might be convinced to make something else, I'm just picking from recent projects that have been popular on the blog)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And because I love ALL of you for encouraging my creativity, I'm running a sale in my etsy shop. Use the code  BSRLOVE to receive 70% (yes, 70%) off your order. Happy shopping!!

Thank you for reading,
Julie

The Bed To Beat All Beds - Specs

As promised, here are the specs for the Bed to Beat All Beds. I'll begin at the beginning with the measurements for the Ikea pieces so you'll have everything in one place.

These are based on the Ikea website:

Kura Bed
Length: 78 3/8 inches
Width:  41 3/8 inches

Trofast storage units (I used three of these)
Length: 39 inches
Depth: 17 3/8 inches
Height: 21 5/8 inches

Materials List:

• 2 full sheets of plywood (please read all directions and consider how much weight will be on them before making a purchase - don't skimp)
• 1 6+ foot long 2x6 - this will be for wall supports. 
• A bunch (I bought a box, I like left over hardware) of screws a little longer than your plywood is thick (if you buy 1 inch plywood, go for 1.25 or 1.5 inch long screws for example)
• A bunch of 3 inch long screws - these will go through the pieces of 2x6 into the studs in your wall, get good quality screws or even bolts if you want the added strength. I tend to go for more smaller screws over fewer bolts because I can handle the screws better than the bolts.
• 6 8-foot long 2x2s - again, make sure these are straight, they often are not.
• 1 indoor slide
• Primer
• Paint

Let's begin with the platform. I had 2 sheets of a plywood originally 4 feet by 8 feet cut to 96 by 30 inches and 78.375 by 26.375 inches. Please note, this means the pieces meet somewhere about in the middle of the bottom bunk. We should have purchased better quality / thicker plywood and since we didn't, we had to put a scrap piece of wood across that joint to make it stronger. Let this be a lesson to you to buy good, sturdy plywood.

Please bear in mind you'll loose a little bit because of the saw blade thickness but if you cut for the platforms, you'll find that little bit of loss doesn't affect the slide enough to matter.

This next diagrams will attempt to show you in layers how the bed area stacks up. NOTE: These are not drawn to perfect scale, I'm just eyeballing it so it is close. This is a bird's eye view . . . if the bird had x-ray vision.

As you can see, this is the base layer - these are the components that hold up the bed. I've color coded them so you can see the following:

The platforms are supported by three 2 x 6 x 18 cuts of lumber (yellow rectangles) that are screwed into the studs with their tops level with the tops of the Trofast systems (21 5/8 inches high).

Under the bed - the hideout

There are also three Trofast frames in all (blue rectangles). One is set perpendicular to the back wall and the other two are up front parallel to the back wall. The two Trofasts end-to-end measured almost exactly the same as the length of the bed making them an excellent support system.

On top of the lumber and the Trofast storage sit the two platforms (black and red rectangles).

Now for the bed and slide and how they're situated over the platforms:

The bed (green) is against the back wall and the front edge sits directly above the back edge of the Trofast storage units (I know the proportions are a bit off here).

The slide platform (orange) is partially supported by the second-from-the-top slat of the Kura bed:

It also sits on a 2x4 frame that is screwed into the studs in the wall.

The slide is supported by several vertical 2x2 posts that are cut at the appropriate angle. I wish I could tell you how I figured out that angle but I can't, it wasn't mathematical, it was a lot of marking and cutting (wrong) until I got it right. You can see two of the vertical supports here - one is pretty obvious but the other is against the wall by the nightlight under the slide.

Please note - I couldn't put the slide against the wall because the window sill was in the way. Securing the slide would have been a lot easier if I could have just bolted it to the wall studs. The support by the nightlight is actually screwed into a 2x4 that is screwed into the studs. I painted most of that 2x4 green to blend with the wall.

Here's the third vertical support for the slide. This view is from the floor under the slide looking up. The support is screwed into the bed and goes all the way up to the bottom of the 2x4 on one side of the slide and is screwed in there as well.

I used lots of 2x2 lumber for support as well as to add bed rails for the lower bunk. I simply measured and cut one piece to be screwed in (angled the screws in from the back) vertically then measured and cut the two front horizontal pieces and two horizontal pieces for the end of the bed as well where we hang his Seattle Sounders soccer blanket.

The little bookshelf above the pillows was just some scrap shelving I have resting on supports.

I hope this details out enough for you to create your own Kura bed indoor playground. If you have questions, please leave them in the comments or contact me directly. If I need to add to this post, I certainly can. I wish I had software to draw out better specs but I couldn't find anything to fit my needs that wouldn't have taken weeks to learn how to use. I can provide more photos if you think they would help you better understand the layout.

Thank you for reading,
Julie

How to make an indoor slide

I've had lots of requests for information on how to build out the Kura bed as we did for the Snickerdoodle and I'm still working on that post but wanted to pull the slide assembly into a different post. These instructions outline how to build a basic indoor slide. I didn't take pictures as we worked so I'm including pictures of the completed slide and scraps left over from the project. Hopefully they'll provide enough information.

Materials:

• 18 inch wide strip of sturdy plywood - length depends on your needs, mine was 7 1/2 feet long
• 18 inch wide strip of Thrifty White Hardwood Panel (or something else long enough and slippery)
• 2 8-foot long 2x4s - these can be basic studs, no need for fancy materials but make sure you get straight ones with few blemishes that you'll have to sand out. These will be the edges of the slide so you don't want them splintery.
• 4x4 for base of slide
• Adhesive
• Optional: Wood shims

Equipment:

• Table saw
• Dado Set (or a lot of patience to run your 2x4s through multiple times to create a wide enough slot for the plywood and hardwood panel to sit in)
• Miter Saw
• Hand sander

Using your hand sander, make sure all rough knots and edges and any potential splinters are well smoothed out of the 2x4s. Next, prime and paint them. It's much easier to do it now than later. 

Stack your plywood and hardwood panel together and measure how thick they are. 

We used 3/4 inch thick plywood and the hardwood panel was 1/8 inch thick so I set the dado to cut a 7/8 inch thick groove.

Set your dado blades to that thickness and cut a 1/2 to 3/4 inch deep groove down the center of your 2x4s (long ways, the entire length of the 2x4).

Cut all your pieces to length. You can angle what will be the bottom ends of the 2x4s if you can figure out what that angle is. I guessed and it turned out alright. I'm sure it would look just fine not to angle them as well.

Squeeze a generous amount of adhesive into the groove on one of the 2x4s and slide the stacked plywood and hardwood panel into the groove.

Add shims in the groove on the back side if necessary to ensure it is nice and tight.

Repeat with the other 2x4 on the other side of the plywood/hardwood stack.

Allow the adhesive to set over night for best results.

If you want the base of the slide to end above the floor by a few inches, the last step is to add a piece of 4x4 to the bottom. I used a scrap piece from when I ripped something out of the kitchen. I liked that it blended with our hardwood flooring. I got it in there at the right angle (more guessing I'm sorry to say) and added 2 screws in to each side before putting the slide in place.

For more information on how the slide is supported and how to build out an Ikea Kura bed like this one, check back on the blog in a few days for full specs.

Thank you for reading,
Julie

The Side Yard - Part 3

If you're wondering how many parts there will be to the side yard project, you're not alone. I was just wondering the same thing. Hopefully it won't end with "The Side Yard - Part 192" or some other such horrible never ending project type number.

If you'll recall, on May 8, I posted part 2 and reported we were at this point:

Mother's Day weekend was a total bust when it came to shed work. I strained my lower back (not shed related) and could barely move plus we had lots of commitments all weekend.

This weekend, Mr. BSR was man enough to keep the kids happy all weekend so I could work hard on this. He knows that few things make me happier (and more frustrated ironically enough) than a good in-over-my-head project so he's gracious enough to stand back and let me have my creative time on the weekends. I'm so thankful for my awesome husband.

I installed the rafters for the roof and got the plywood secured up there ready for the roofing paper and shingles.

Inside the shed looking up

I got most of the end wall and the whole front wall siding cut and attached.

And then because the baby fell asleep on Mr. BSR and I couldn't get any more siding pieces out from the wood storage (needed manly muscles for that task), I moved on to some organization for the inside of the shed:

We currently have some shelves in our garage that are just stuffed full of cans of paint. I periodically look through them and honestly can't bring myself to let any of them go. I'd much prefer to move it all out to the shed though and then we'll have the garage shelves for tools and hardware that we want quick access to.

I felt pretty good about how productive I was this weekend but am really eager to get this part of the side yard project wrapped up. It'll likely take a few more weekends though - sigh.

Thank you for reading,
Julie

PS Wondering about the rounded corners on my photos? I did that back when I first started blogging but found it to be too cumbersome with the photo editing software I was using. I recently got turned on to PicMonkey.comhttp://www.picmonkey.com/which made it super easy. I'm so glad to be able to return to this look. Check it out, it's free and doesn't even require any registration!

Oh No Piggy!

Since the Snickerdoodle had a piggy bank before he was even born, I figured it was high time Sugar Pop had a piggy bank for his room as well. After checking several stores, I found a really cute pig at a craft store. It was one of those white shiny ceramic pigs just begging to be painted. I wasn't going to paint it just yet until . . .

I got home from the store and he tumbled out of the bag and snapped an ear off. As you can see, I did my best to glue it back on but there was no disguising those cracks and missing pieces. After inadvertently teaching the Snickerdoodle some new vocabulary words, I decided to turn lemons into lemonade.

I now present to you . . .

Torn up tissue paper mod podged piggy. He's still shiny white and he's still super cute, he just doesn't have a giant obvious crack in his ear.

It was a simple project really. I just ripped up a bunch of white tissue paper then section-by-section, I coated the piggy with mod podge and stuck the tissue paper in it. I allowed the tissue to wrinkle up quite a bit as I like that textured look. I worked on him off and on for days, allowing him to dry before adding more here and there. When I was content with his texture, I painted him using the same semi-gloss paint I had used on the furniture and trim in the nursery. I painted back on the eyes and nose and put him in his new special spot on Claudia.

Someday I'll give some paints to Sugar Pop and let him decorate it himself but not until he gains a little small motor control.

Thank you for reading,
Julie