Pinned It, Made it! No Sew Tree Skirt

Now that Thanksgiving it over, it's time to move on to Christmas decorating! Willow asked to put the tree up the other night and that's when I realized that we don't own a tree skirt! I've had this no sew tree skirt pinned for awhile and decided it was time to make it! You can follow my Pinterest boards here.

Original Pin:

I chose to go with a bright white and red to go with our "Dr. Seuss" tree. Our theme is red, lime green, silver and white. Nothing fancy, just fun, funky and unbreakable!

Our Version:

What you Need

• 4-1/2' x 4-1/2' piece of canvas (a painter's canvas works great)
• 4 yards of material - If you're alternating colors you may need slightly more of the one color then the other.
• sharp scissors
• hot glue gun and hot glue sticks

Optional Materials:

• Fray  Block Glue
• Ribbon
• Old Tree Skirt

How to Make it:

Fold the square into quarters, then over itself to form a triangle with the folded center at point. Cut base in a quarter circle .Cut a small quarter circle out of the point  Open the skirt until it's folded in half and cut along the radius on one side of the center hole only. This will provide a hole for the tree trunk and a slit in the fabric so the skirt can be placed under the tree.

Cut your material into 2 inch stripes.

Preheat hot glue gun. Apply a line of hot glue approximately 1 1/2 inches from outside edge of skirt. Create ruffles by pinching linen with fingers and pushing gathers down onto hot glue .Work in small sections, no more than about 12 inches at a time. Continue this process around the entire skirt edge. Start the next row approximately 1 1/2 inches above the previous row. Continue adding rows until entire canvas base is covered. Add ribbon ties if you want them them, I left them off!

Our finished product:

Ignore the fact that I only have 1 ribbon, the others are being "recurled" because my kids like to pull them straight. Plus a bonus picture of our tree decor!

Melissa and Doug- Win Your Wishlist Event Cyber Monday 11/26

The Win Your Wishlist Event is happening Cyber Monday 11/26 on Melissa and Doug's Facebook Page! It's super easy to enter, just fill out the Wish List  that will be available on their Facebook page Monday morning. Throughout the day they'll select 3 winners who will each receive $100 towards their wishlist!

Make sure to check out their Cyber Deals too which include FREE personalization and up to 40% off select items!

Melissa and Doug Rattle Rumble Toddler Push Toy Giveaway ends 11/19

Christmas is right around the corner! To help you get a head start on your holiday shopping, Melissa and Doug has put together their Terrific Twenty Holiday Gift Guide for 2012. For the next 20 days they'll be giving away hosting a giveaway a day, where one lucky Facebook fan will win one of the toys on the gift guide list. To celebrate they're also giving one lucky Life Unexpected reader a Rattle Rumble Toddler Push Toy!

"This sturdy push toy rattles and rumbles along with a toddler's early steps! Colorful toys tumble around in three clear canisters as this wooden toy moves forward or backward. It's a toddler classic that will have beginning walkers on a roll!"

Dimensions: 24.75" x 15.5" x 7.5" Assembled

Recommended Ages: 1+ year(s)

Adult assembly required. Adult supervision required.

The Rattle Rumble has a retail value of $69.99 and would be a great gift for any new walker! You can win a Rattle Rumble of your own by entering using the Rafflecopter Below! 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Melissa & Doug Terrific Twenty List and Giveaway

Can you believe that Christmas is right around the corner?! Struggling with ideas on what to get your little ones? Melissa & Doug has you covered with their Terrific Twenty Holiday Gifts List. They've put together a list of 20 great toys that your children are sure to love. From the littlest ones on your list to the big kids at heart there's something for everyone! To make things even easier starting November 6th (that's today!) they'll be giving away one of each toy on the list for the next 20 days! Check out Melissa and Doug's Facebook page for your chance to win!

We'll be giving away one of the Terrific Twenty on Life Unexpected as well, stop by tomorrow for your chance to win!
    

Willow, Ella, and Madeline Fall Pictures

We recently had a friend do a photoshoot with the girls and I thought it was time to share some updated pictures of all of the kids. We took them to the local courthouse and railroad tracks to play and Elizabeth chased them around snapping pictures. They really reflect our girls' personality much more than a a traditional studio shoot. I can't believe how big my "little" girls are! If you're in the Central Florida Area, you can visit Elizabeth's website to set up your own photoshoot!

Ella Elizabeth

Madeline Quinn

 Willow Genevieve

Make Bathtime Fun with Boon - Whale Pod Review and Giveaway

 

Hi, I'm Jessica I'm a sucker for cute bath products. Body washes that come in cute packages, patterned rubber duckies, thinks that float. things that sink, things with nets... if it goes in the bathtub I probably have it (or really want it). Okay, now that we have that out in the open I have to share my new favorite kids' bath product, The Boon Whale Pod, with you guys.

 

The Whale Pod collects all of that cutesy stuff that we love to buy for our kids and keeps it in one convenient location. It provides a shelf for shampoos and body washes, a scoop for collecting the toys and the tale & fins are great for holding on to loofahs, scrubbies, and wash cloths! 

What Boon Says about the Whale Pod

• Removable scoop makes bath time clean-up fun and easy
• Stores and organizes bath accessories
• Wall-mounted base with built-in shelf
• Reduces mold and mildew
• Mounting options included: adhesive strips and hardware
• BpA-free, Phthalate-free and PVC-free
• Recommended age: All ages
• Dimensions: 16.5" x 9.5" x 6.5"

First of all let me say that Boon has done an excellent job of making the Whale Pod easy to put together! Lately we've been getting baby products that take 15 minutes just to get out of the box. Boon has created an easy to open box where you just open the sides, pull the tabs on the back and your pod is ready to be attached to the wall. 

 There are two options to use to attach you Whale Pod to your shower. The first option is screwing the base directly into the tile (Boon supplies all the necessary screws), or you can use the adhesive strips provided to attach it to the wall. We chose the less perminate option and went with the adhesive strips. After following the directions our pod came with and cleaning our shower our whale was up and ready to go about 15 minutes after he arrived! 

My absolute favorite part of the whale pod is the toy scoop. Before we received our pod I was storing all of our bath toys in a plastic storage container. The problem was if the toys weren't fully dried before going in they would start to get slimey, which meant they were growing mold. Of course I didn't want our babies bathing in mold so we were replacing toys all the time. The whale pod solves this problem by having drainage holes right in the pod. You put all the toys into the scoop, hang it up, and it drains everything for you!

We've had the Whale Pod for a few weeks now and it's still firmly attached to the wall, even with our kids tugging on it and trying to scoop up everything themselves. They're always really excited to clean up their toys now because they get to scoop them up! 

The Boon Whale Pod has an MSRP of $34.99 and comes in three colors - blue, grey, and white.

How to Win

Boon has generously offered to give one Life Unexpected reader a Whale Pod of their own. Just use the easy to enter Rafflecopter below!

I received one or more of the above mentioned products in exchange for an honest review. I received no other compensation and my opinion was not influenced in any way. Please see our disclosure policy for more details.

a Rafflecopter giveaway