8 Weeks Until They're Due

So we have 8 weeks until the girls are officially "due." We know they won't make it the full 8 weeks, so we're cracking down on getting things ready. For the most part, things are coming together. We've got one pack n play set up, the sheets for it, blankets, 2 packs of diapers, a breast pump, a few bottles, and a handful of clothes. With our baby shower scheduled for next week, we're trying not to stress over not knowing how much longer these girls will be holding on inside the womb. I've had "normal" contractions for a few days now and my belly has dropped, so it could be days or weeks until they come.

Living on a budget with 2 boys already and me laid off while hubby is in school, we've stressed over making sure we have the major necessities for the girls as well as things for the boys and ourselves as well. So what do you do when you're tight on cash but you need things like car seats and sheets and the such? You make them!
Now I'm not exactly the crafty person, and I definitely cannot sew. But I know people who can and are!
Now as most of you know I'm pregnant with twin girls (YAY!). I already have 2 boys at home, so we still have a ton of boy items from both of them.

Car seats, along with other baby items, are extremely expensive. Well, we went out and checked the two car seats we already own to make sure they weren't expired, and we know they haven't been in any accidents. They are still good, don't expire for a while, but they're boy colors! Instead of buying brand new car seats, I decided to check online and see if we could find some cute pink girly car seat replacement covers to replace the ones we have. I found a ton of cute ones on Etsy, and I love helping out these mothers who make these cute items from home. Of course, I then had to look at the price. They wanted anywhere from $75 to $200 for just the cover!! That's well over the price of a new car seat! I decided we just don't have that kind of money to throw at new covers. I'd rather buy a new car seat than just the cover for that much.
After a nice discussion with my mother in law and my hubby, we decided it'd be nice to make our own with the design we want. So I talked to my grandmother in law and she said she'd make us two amazing new car seat covers with the cloth we want and even have their names put on them! This saves us a ton of money rather than buying new covers or new car seats. We're recycling the boys' car seats and making them custom and cute for the girls.

The before:

The after:

Now aren't they adorable? She did an amazing job! And instead of making a whole new cushioned cover, she took the original brown and blue one and just covered the blue parts with this cute pink waterproof fabric, the same fabric people use on cloth diapers and such. She also sewed on the Hello Kitty name patches we ordered on Etsy (the seller moved over to Artfire and can be found here now) and covered the blue parts of the canopy and added a bow as well! They're absolutely adorable! I love them!

She also made some sheets for the pack n plays, which saved us a ton of money as well. Buying the fabric and making your own is simple, sewing some elastic around the edges. Rather than spending $10 per sheet, you spend $10 and get a bunch of sheets!
Both my boys have "silky blankeys," a soft cloth on one side, and silky fabric on the other side. They have been emotionally attached to them since they were babies. They take them everywhere with them, even when they play outside. These blankets have gone up in price, and cost anywhere from $20+! That's a ridiculous price for a blanket, but our kids love them. Thankfully we found the boys' theirs on clearance when they were babies. My grandmother in law also made the girls their own silky blankeys. It saved a ton of money too!
And all those cute little ribbon headbands you see on girls nowadays, she made a couple of those! And they're Hello Kitty! I'm so excited for the girls to see what goodies they have!

3 sheets, 2 headbands and 2 silky blankeys

She also made each of the kids their own blanket with their name. The boys have theirs and the girls have theirs. They're each unique and different and the boys already love them!

Here's the girls' blankets!

So find someone locally who can sew, ask a friend or a relative, have grandma pull out her old sewing machine and teach you how to use it. Recycle all those old boys items, find things at garage sales and consignment shops, and make them your own! Pick up clearance fabric and make your own blankets and things!