How to successfully bring your baby to a music festival.

When Marcus and I found out we were going to be parents we made a promise to ourselves to be true to who we are and continue to live our life to our fullest potential.

We took our 2 month old daughter Leilani to her first Music Festival. Here's how we made it work! 

In this blog post you'll find some must-have items to take on a journey like this. You'll find this is short and sweet, hope it's helpful for you and your family!

BUG SPRAY! We used Badger anti-bug spray and I have to say I LOVED IT! 100% Organic & natural ingredients, smells wonderful & it really works! I found mine on Amazon for $10. Worth every penny!

Sunscreen, we also used Badger, after much research I have found this to be the best of the best!

-Battery powered fan

-Bouncer for nap time

-Half tent 

Don't forget to bring an Auntie with you! They are super helpful and baby Leilani loves Aunties!

Baby wearing is a must, there are many different ways to wear your baby, find which way is best for you! Our local baby-wearing community is called Tampa Bay Baby Wearing. Marcus is wearing Leilani in a ring sling.

We were lucky enough to rent a cabin with friends so we were free from braving the elements. Normally we would be camping in the woods with a tent, but since it was our first time with the baby we decided to make it a little easier on ourselves and let me tell you the A.C. was worth it! 

 We fit everything you see here on our stroller and were able to move freely and set up at different venues throughout the day.

I definitely overpacked her little clothes, brought too many inserts for her cloth diapers and forgot to bring her NoseFrida which would have helped since she got little baby allergies in the woods. By the way, if you haven't heard or used the NoseFrida here's your chance! It's great for stuffy baby noses. Much more sanitary and works like a charm!

All in all, going to a Music festival with a baby is actually really easy and so much fun for the family. Our first festival was great and I'm sure we will enjoy many more.

How to make fabric flags!

DIY: Fabric Flags

They're all over Pinterest… 

you've seen them.. 

fabric flags are the new must have decoration

 for your children's bedroom or festive party decoration! 

I am making these flags for my baby shower celebration.

We are having family and friends write a wish or a prayer on a square of fabric and I will sew them onto the flags I made today!  Similar to the photo below.

This tradition of affirmation flags are common amongst Blessingway ceremonies. 

What you're left with after friends and family write on the flags are beautiful affirmations and prayers for you to read during labor to remind you that you have all the support and love in the world. :) 

Alright so let's get started on how to make these awesome flags!

What you will need:

1 yard of any cotton fabric (45 inches wide) makes about 12 flags

scissors (fabric scissors, sharper the better)

cutting board (to help cut straight & even)

sewing machine

string (any kind I'm using a small/medium sized hemp)

Patience & a little sewing skills ;)

I work best in an organized craft space with some groovy tunes playing in the background. You will be sitting here for the next hour or so, so make it a comfortable, accessible area.

1. First things first!  Cut your fabric into 10" x 10" squares

2. Alright! Next we are going to hem the edges so our fabric won't fray. We are going to hem the bottom and both sides of all the squares, leaving the tops for last. Make sure you have your fabric squares facing the same direction (work smarter not harder), when you hem the edges of the squares you will have the right side facing down.

3.I am folding the fabric over a half inch. Some of you might want to use pins to hold down your fabric while you sew. I just use my left thumb to hold the top straight and use my right thumb to hold the bottom straight.  Make sure to trim the excess thread as you go, make it easier on yourself in the long run.

4. Okay so you've hemmed all of your squares leaving the tops open for last! Great job. It can get pretty tedious sometimes..

5. About 6 squares make 5 feet of flags, so depending on how long you'd like them to be, that is up to you. 

6. I made 16 squares (I used 1 & 1/2 yards of fabric) since I'm sure how many people will write on a prayer flag at our baby shower, the more the merrier!

7. We're almost finished! Next step is to break out the string you'd like to use, I'm using a medium size hemp cord. You could used ribbon, yarn, parachute cord, whatever you'd like and is strong enough to hold some fabric flags up!

8. I am using just enough string to weave through all the flags and have at least 10 inches on either side, so you can string up the flags anywhere you'd like!

9. When you're preparing for sewing the top, keep in mind we are sewing them one after another to avoid a whole step of weaving the string through the top. So keep all of your squares together on the left side of your sewing machine, ready for you to grab the next. We will be folding the top fabric over about an inch over the string.

10. When you sew the very first flag top you have the option of  sewing the string along the side so that the string doesn't slip through causing you to weave allllllll of the flags through again.. Alright with that being said, also make sure to sew closer to the left side of the "fold over" and not right up on the string.

11. Your thumbs are your best friend at this point, I could't have done this project without them! Thank you thumbs I love you! You want to hold the string stable at the top while keeping the bottom of the square straight.

12. When you are finished with your first flag, pull it away from you, snip the thread and start your next top...

13. Fold the top over about an inch and continue through the rest of your flags.

14.When you get to your last flag make sure you sew the side so the string doesn't pull through! 

Voila! You did it!

Remember that you can create whatever size squares you'd like… they don't even have to be squares!Choose any shape, fabric, string… the possibilities are endless!

You can also try a different style and cut triangles instead of squares which is really cute.

Considering the infinite print styles on fabric these days, the options are endless! My next flag creation will be for my nephew's pirate/nautical themed nursery.