BONUS tutorial! A don't-miss hair care product!

This post brought to you by TRESemmé. All opinions are 100% mine.

How many of you are busy moms? Haha, okay, like pretty much ALL of you. And how many of you fight with your hair on a regular basis? Probably most of you. I do, daily. We get each other, I know.

Recently, I have come across this lovely little thing called "dry shampoo." It's magic for hair. I'm sure most of you know what it's like to speed-shower while the baby is napping, being as silent at humanly possible if only to stay in long enough to get that hair washed. Nothing like greasy, 3 day old hair to motivate you, right? Well, dry shampoo works with your hair's natural oils and are uniquely formulated to absorb excess oil and remove odor. The full line of dry shampoos rejuvenates hair without even a drop of water.

So basically that means you don't actually have to shampoo your hair to get it back to looking gorgeous. Did you catch that? No water, no soap, and no time at all to revive your hair's look and feel on days when you want (or NEED!) to skip a shampoo.

Dry shampoo can be tricky if you've never used it before, so I've enlisted the help of TRESemme and their dry shampoo experts to help me give you the best tips for working that dry shampoo. how to use

• Shake vigorously before use and between sprays for best coverage.
• Lift sections of dry hair and spray lightly at roots.
• Spray in short bursts, holding 8-12 inches from head.
• Don’t spray it like hair spray (all over and continuously).
• Leave in for 1-2 minutes.
• Use fingertips or a brush to distribute product evenly.
• If clogging occurs, remove nozzle and rinse the nozzle under warm water, then reattach.

While I've been buying dry shampoo for years from my local salon supply store, I have to say that I'm incredibly in love with the TRESemmé Fresh Start Dry Shampoo line. Not only do they have dry shampoo that you can buy right in your local grocery store, but an entire line of dry-use products for a wide range of hair types and styles.

• Strengthening Dry Shampoo: The formula, with B12 vitamins and keratin, helps strengthen hair and leaves it full of healthy body.
• Volumizing Dry Shampoo: The formula, with mineral clay and citrus, removes oil while injecting hair with salon-gorgeous volume.
• Smoothing Dry Shampoo: The formula, with Vitamin H & Silk Proteins, refreshes your straight style by removing excess oil, impurities and odor to ensure your smooth look lasts.
• Moisturizing Waterless Foam Shampoo: The formula, with Witch Hazel, Citrus, and Aloe Vera, refreshes your hair by removing excess oil, impurities and odor while moisturizing hair.

For more tips and tricks, you can check out this awesome TRESemme dry shampoo v-log by Julia Allison:

Good stuff!! AND she's currently holding a giveaway for a $500 gift card to Target, so you don't want to miss out on that either, HELLO!!

Now go enjoy that extra half hour I just gave you now that you don't have to wash your hair, and...

Have a great week!!

XOXO

Tutorial Tuesday & Linky Party - DIY Maxi Dress

Good morning, bloggers! I have a really awesome tutorial to share with you today. I know you're going to be shocked, but it's not something baby-related! It's a full grown sewing project, it's super fast, WAY cheap, and easy enough for anyone to do.

The DIY Maxi Dress

Now, I don't know about you guys but I have had the hardest time letting of my maternity tank tops. I love them. For me, it's comfort and coverage. Being rather, how should I say this... "top heavy" I have always struggled to find tops that can accommodate the load, lol, and offer me some decent coverage without showing my bra straps. Until I got pregnant, I just assumed I would never find this magic tank. Then came the world of maternity clothing. I can't really wear any of it anymore as it all looks funny, but I just couldn't let go of the tanks. So I decided to modify! :)

What makes this project so easy is the fact that you're using an already constructed shirt. No arm holes to sew, no serious measurements, and no trying to pin while wearing. Nice. :)

Materials List

1. Tank top or t-shirt that fits you well. 
2. 1 full yard (at least) of coordinating fabric. I used a jersey knit so it's stretchy and forgiving. ;)
• A note on the skirt fabric: I used an entire yard because I planned to ruffle it to give the dress some fullness and movement, and not have it be too fitted. You can use more or less as you like, and as measurements allow. 
3. Coordinating thread. Though it can really be any color because it doesn't show.
4. The usual suspects: sewing machine, scissors, measuring tape

Here we go... Photos reflect instructions from left to right and top to bottom.

Tutorial Instructions:

1. Choose your shirt and fabric.
2. Try on your shirt and make a mark where you want your skirt to start. Then draw a guide line across the shirt and cut through, removing the bottom half.
3. Since we're using the entire yard, fold the long sides of your fabric together and hem together to make a giant tube. I used a regular running stitch twice, and then serged the ends together for extra sturdiness. You can also use a zig-zag stitch in place of serging.
4. Next, decide which end of the tube will be your at your waist, and sew a single line all the way around, being careful not to overlap at the seam. Pull the ends of the thread to ruffle until it fits your waist measurement.
5. Now, turn your tube inside out (if it's not already), and put your tank inside the tube with the right sides facing each other and the open ends matched up. Pin together securely.
6. Sew together the tank and fabric tube. You can probably use just about any stitch for this, but I used my #9 which is like a slanted zig-zag stitch. This stitch will give you a little stretch, which is good when dealing with knits and jersey fabric.
7. You can see the finished #9 hem in box #7. Now trim your threads, and any errant fabric.
8. Turn right side out and inspect your hems.
9. You can hang and measure for a bottom hem, but it's not necessary. I didn't because for one, jersey doesn't fray so it doesn't need a hem, and secondly, I have such long legs that my whole yard was just about the right length to hit my toes. When it comes to dresses, I like 'em long and swishy!

And that's it! You're finished! How easy was that? Now have fun dressing it up, or wearing it plain... there's nothing this fun maxi dress can't do. 

Now it's your turn! Link up your projects below for this week's linky party!

Linky Guidelines:

1. Please feel free to link up as many projects as you would like!
2. Please link directly to your project post, it makes them much easier for everyone to find.
3. Please no etsy shops, or generic blog links. Specific posts links only.
4. Visit someone else's link and share the bloggy love!
5. Grab yourself a button and post it in your project post or on your blog. Optional of course, but the more we share the party, the more people see your posts! :)
6. Have fun!!

<a href="http://www.littlebirdiebaby.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjybpWehEcQYkr_bcTNwQtjMs-pSV-lbAnKMq0wQAbpkfm8Vn6I1fmUjYtVvzwqfTuazi67qG1Z7SWKRWPfgV3kkRVaYGnhKP7LJ0txiH6AQQj2x8KUcYdEuPtOudXo4oDmxEdFyxqjJ7RO/s800/Tute%20Tues%20LB.png" height="150" width="150" /></a>

Have a great week!!

XOXO

Merchandise Monday - Leather Diaper Clutches!

Good morning, all! I just wanted to take a moment to pop in for a Merchandise Monday post (since we haven't had one in awhile) and let you know about some things going on in my etsy shop.

First of all, due to a huge increase in demand over the past 3 months or so, I've had to do some price adjusting. However, despite these changes I am happy to announce that The Little Birdie Baby Shop is now offering FREE SHIPPING on all orders! Yay!

And even though I have been up to my ears in a huge order, I've also been adding some new stuff! The Little Birdie Baby Shop is now carrying diaper clutches!

These little cuties are the perfect solution for carrying your diaper necessities in your purse. They perfectly hold 2 or 3 diapers (depending on what size) and a small pack of wipes. There's even room for a tube of diaper cream, and a pocket for your other extras!

Each one is made from high-quality upholstery leather in various colors and prints, and then lined with bright, fun, designer fabrics. Each clutch measures 10" wide by 6" tall, with a shiny nickel button stud closure. The great thing about these babies, is that while they're great for diapers, they're also great as a wallet, or for a night out!

Stay tuned to Merchandise Monday, because next week we'll be starting up with some new giveaways!!

Have a great week!

XOXO

Tutorial Tuesday & Linky Party - Pretty as a Pear

Good morning bloggers!! I have a little cutesy tutorial for you today, something quick and easy that you can whip up in no time.

A Pretty Pear Pincushion

This was a little project born of necessity. The little one is now perfectly capable of reaching pretty much everything on my desk. In the aftermath of a huge pin spill, I thought it high time that I make myself a little pin cushion to keep my sharps safe and out of the way.

I found this pattern online, though I can't be sure where it came from. I am constantly downloading patterns and pulling instructions for projects, even though I already have more bookmarked than I could ever complete in my lifetime, haha!!

Anyway, here it is PLUS an extra pattern for an apple pincushion as well! With some fun and funky fabrics, you could have quite the little bushel here. ;)

Click the pattern to enlarge it in another window, then print. 

I'm not sure what the size should be, I just printed as is and went to it!

Materials list:

1. 1, 2, or 3 different fabrics for the body of the pear or apple. You don't need much. I think I used 3 half strips of jelly roll fabric.
2. Sewing machine or needle and thread- this can TOTALLY be done by hand!
3. Felt for the leaves. Again, you could easily get away with using scraps.
4. Poly-fill, sand, or rice for filling.
5. Hot glue or fabric glue
6. Coordinating straight pins (optional)

Tutorial Instructions:

1. Print pattern and cut out pieces.
2. Cut 6 of each shape (pear or apple) from your fabrics, and one or two leaves (I used felt for these).
3. Start sewing together the body pieces by placing them right sides together and sewing along ONE EDGE only.
4. Piece and sew them together this way until you have what looks like an inside-out pear shape.
5. Sew the opening together (again, inside out) leaving a 1" hole for turning.
6. Turn right side out and fill. I used rice so it would have a little weight to it, and even threw in some lavender to keep my sewing table smelling lovely.
7. Sew up your hole and tie off.
8. You can either hot glue the leaves down or use fabric glue. I'm impatient, so I went the hot glue route. Plus I love hot glue. ;)
9. If you found some coordinating straight pins, pop those in right on top of the leaves for a little extra accent and you're done!!

See? Easy, quick, and super cute! Now it's your turn! Link up your projects and visit one another's pages as you go. We all love visitors and comments, so share the love! :)

Linky Guidelines:

1. Please feel free to link up as many projects as you would like!
2. Please link directly to your project post, it makes them much easier for everyone to find.
3. Please no etsy shops, or generic blog links. Specific posts links only.
4. Visit someone else's link and share the bloggy love!
5. Grab yourself a button and post it in your project post or on your blog. Optional of course, but the more we share the party, the more people see your posts! :)
6. Have fun!!

<a href="http://www.littlebirdiebaby.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjybpWehEcQYkr_bcTNwQtjMs-pSV-lbAnKMq0wQAbpkfm8Vn6I1fmUjYtVvzwqfTuazi67qG1Z7SWKRWPfgV3kkRVaYGnhKP7LJ0txiH6AQQj2x8KUcYdEuPtOudXo4oDmxEdFyxqjJ7RO/s800/Tute%20Tues%20LB.png" height="150" width="150" /></a>

Have a great week!!

XOXO

Caught in the Texas Wildfires... reaching out for help!

Good morning everyone, I'm just popping in to touch base and apologize for the lack of posts this week. I'll be working toward getting back on schedule for Tutorial Tuesday and What I Pinned {Wednesday} next week. I appreciate your patience and understanding in the meantime.

As many of you know I live in Texas, just north of the Houston area- and if you have been following the news you've probably heard about the wildfires ravaging our beautiful state right now.

Tens of thousands of homes have been burned to the ground, and millions of acres have been scorched. There have also been several confirmed deaths throughout the state, as well as the loss of hundreds of head of horses, cattle, and other animals. Things are not good.

{animals left defenseless against the oncoming flames}

Many have also been evacuated from their homes in an effort to save lives, but even many of these people have lost everything. When a fire takes a home, it takes everything in it. You don't realize how much irreplaceable "stuff" you have until you risk losing it all. Photos, heirlooms, mementos, toys, clothing, furniture... EVERYTHING is just gone.

{acres and acres of land scorched and still burning...}

{Plumes of smoke behind the Austin (our state capitol) skyline}

The thing about central and southeast Texas is that it is HEAVILY wooded. We've also been in an extreme drought for most of the year, so every time one of these fires sparks up it's like setting a match to a haystack, the whole thing goes up in a matter of seconds. For that reason, these fires are proving difficult to contain, and nearly impossible to squelch as they spread mercilessly throughout our state.

{photos from central Texas, Austin, Bastrop, Magnolia and Montgomery}

My husband and I are uncomfortably close to the fires in our area, but not close enough to be evacuated yet. There are about 50 large fires burning 10-15 miles west of our house, and as long as they don't move much closer we'll be okay. However, you can see the smoke in the air and the sky is hazy with soot so living smack in the middle of 300 acres of forest is not at all comforting.

{that's SMOKE in the sky there folks, not clouds... way too close for comfort}

We have been fortunate so far, but many others have not. Unlike other recent disasters (Irene, flooding, earthquakes, etc.) for some reason, we are not getting any federal funding for this disaster. I'll leave the politics out of it, but let's just say our governor does not have a great relationship with the federal government. Unfortunately, it's our people who are suffering.

So in the true spirit of Texas' neighborly hospitality, we are throwing in together to help those who have lost everything get back on their feet. My husband and his crew is working 'round the clock locally to gather clothes, food, toys, shoes, air mattresses, towels, sheets and other "basics" for those who have lost everything. If you are interested in sending whatever you have, send me an email and I'll give your our mailing address.

I have also created a ChipIn account so those of you who would like to help financially can do so. Even $1 goes a long way to helping such a desperate situation. All proceeds will be donated to the Texas Wildfire Relief Fund based out of Austin, Texas. I will be putting the ChipIn widget up in the sidebar on the right for the foreseeable future, for easy access. It is completely secure, and is protected by Paypal policies and regulations.



Please feel free to share this post as often and wherever you can. Blogger, Facebook, Twitter, wherever. We need help, and those of us who are still standing are working hard to help our neighbors out. There are shelters available to those displaced from their homes, as well as hotels offering their available space for those who might need special assistance, or who have small children. There are also several ranchers offering pasture for displaced animals, or those needing to evacuate their herds. 
If you need more info, or would like a local address to send physical goods to, please email me at:
littlebirdiebaby {at} gmail {dot} com
I will be fielding emails and phone calls 24/7, so don't hesitate to get in touch.
Prayers are also VERY welcome!!!

XOXO