DIY Distressed Baby Jeans

|intro|

So the hot new trend right now is distressed denim!  You see it everywhere from distressed jeans to distressed shorts.  Etsy also has the cutest distressed denim for babies and toddlers.  I can't stand the cuteness!  But at almost $35 a pair, I knew I could make my little Matty Moo his own stylish pair for a fraction of the cost.

CurlyQsCounter Etsy Page

 

|what you will need|

+ pair of jeans (do not use the stretchy kind of jeans...it won't fray correctly)

+ scissors

+ tweezers

+ pen

+ razor blade or box cutter

+ piece of cardboard that will fit inside the pant legs

 

 

|how to|

 

{1} If needed, cut your baby jeans to the appropriate length.  I decided to fold the bottoms, so I made the length a little longer.

 

 

{2} Flip the jeans inside out.

 

 

{3} Using a pen, mark out the areas that you want to distress/fray.  Since this was my first time distressing baby denim, I didn't want to go overboard.  So I only distressed a few spots.  I spaced out my lines by about one inch.  Remember the wider the lines and the larger number of lines, the larger the distressed area. 

 







 

 

{4} Place the cardboard piece inside the pant leg.  Make sure it is directly under the area you are about to cut.  Using your razor blade, make a clean horizontal line across the marks you made with your pen.

 

 

{5} Using your tweezers, slowly pull out the blue thread from the slits you made.  Do this until you pull them all out from across the slits.  I found it easier to start from the middle of the slit and then work my way out.

 

 

{6} Next, using your scissors randomly cut the very edge of back pockets.  Use the tweezers to pull a little of the threading out to get that distressed look.  Then throw your jeans in the washer and dryer to complete the look.

 

 

|final product|

 

 

|final product on my handsome model|











 



Baby and Mommy Favorites- MONTH ONE to MONTH THREE

Being a first time mom, you are bombarded with different baby gadgets and baby gear.  There are some really great products out there and not so great products out there.  I'll be making more baby and mommy favorites in future posts.  So stay tune.  Here are a few of our favorites...

{1} Eddie Bauer Diaper Changing Organizer: This organizer is just the right size.  It fits a small package of diapers perfectly.  I love the stretchable pockets on each side.
{2} Aden & Anais Swaddle Plus Blankets 4 Pack: These soft and thin muslin blankets are amazing.  You can use them from swaddling to a changing pad to lovey to carseat cover.  The uses for these blankets are endless.  They do come with a pretty hefty price tag, but it's well worth it.
{3} Pampers Swaddlers Newborn Diapers: The best diapers for the price.  We have no leaking issues with these, and you can always find them on sale.  I love the wet indicator strip on them too. 
{4} Boppy Naked Pillow with Slipcover: Here's another multi-use item.  When you are a parent you will love baby items with multiple purposes.  Hey, more bang for your buck!  You can use this from breastfeeding to tummy time to helping your baby sit up.  I love that you can wash the slipcover and it zips up and fits perfectly over the Boppy pillow.
{5} Pampers Sensitive Baby Wipes: I love these baby wipes!  They are fragrance free and are a nice thickness. 
{6} Carter Newborn Boys’ 3 Pack Short-sleeve Onesie: These are the best onesies for everyday wear.  They are a nice soft cotton, and they do not shrink in the dryer.  They also fit the best on Baby Matty.
{7} All Free & Clear Liquid Laundry Detergent: This laundry detergent is tough on stains and half the price of Dreft.  When I coupon, I can get this detergent for $1.99 each.  What a steal!  
{8} Baby Trend Diaper Champ Deluxe: This diaper pail is great because you can use any 13 gallon trash bag with it.  You don't have to spend money on refills specially made for a diaper pail.
{9} Baby’s Firsts App: This app is basically an easy technically advanced baby book.  You can use pictures taken with your phone and insert them using cute frames within the app.  The app has 300+ built in prompts that are scheduled based on seasons and key developmental milestones.  You can also share the pictures on Facebook, email, and Twitter.  This app is only available on iTunes.
 

{1} Carter Faux Denim Pull-on Pants: Matty's favorite pair of (faux) jeans!  They are soft and stretchable.  They are slim fit too, which helps with the trendy factor.  They also have an elastic band and you don't have to fool with any buttons or zippers.  We love them so much we bought two in every size.
{2} Petunia Pickle Bottom Embossed Boxy Backpack Diaper Bag: This diaper bag goes with us everywhere.  I love that it can be used as either a messenger bag or a backpack.  There are also tons of pockets both on the inside and outside (10 to be exact!).  The material used is really good quality and will last a long time.
{3} Nose Frida Nasal Aspirator: For those mom's that have a stuffy baby bear, this is a god send!  I know the concept seems gross, but this thing is so efficient and easy to clean unlike a bulb syringe. 
{4} Fisher Price Kick n Play Piano Gym: If you have a mini kick boxer like me, then your baby will love this activity gym.  Baby Matty just loves kicking this piano and hearing the music play.  He also likes hitting and grabbing the dangly toys on top.  He can spend 30-45 minutes in this thing. 
{5} Fan White Noise Youtube Video: When we are out of the house and running errands this Youtube Video has been a lifesaver .  When Baby Matty is fussy, I just play this white noise video and it calms him instantly.  It's also 11 hours long, so you can use it while he sleeps.  It's awesome! 
{6} Johnson’s Bedtime Lotion: The scent of this lotion is so calming and gentle on baby's skin.  I use it during Matty's "spa night" aka nightly baby massage, and he is in heaven!
{7} H&M Baseball Jacket: H&M has cute, trendy, and affordable clothes for little tots.  We especially like this jacket.  It keeps him warm and fashionable.

{1} Belkin NetCam HD Wi-Fi Camera with Night Vision: We love this "nanny" camera.  It was more affordable than the Dropcam, and it does the exact same thing.  The picture quality of the video is great.  This video also has nigh vision.  You can record video, take a snapshot, and talk to video all through your smartphone.  This gives us a peace of mind when someone's taking care of Matty in our house. 
{2} Little Baby Bum Youtube Channel: Matty just loves all the Little Baby Bum videos.  They have classic nursery rhymes and one's that I have never heard of before.  Matty's favorites are Wheels on the Bus, The Finger Family, and 5 Silly Monkeys.
{3} Ralph Lauren Sag Harbour Low Black Leather Crib Shoes: We love these shoes.  They are super easy to put on and the leather is so soft!  I like that the Ralph Lauren wording is stitched on the bottom.
{4} Natures Way Fenugreek Dietary Supplement: After returning to work, my milk supply dropped.  I take these supplements three times a day and I notice a big change.  I tried the Mother's Milk tea, but I didn't like the flavor and I didn't see a big change in my milk supply.  These supplements are easy to take and are great for the working breastfeeding mom.
{5} Circo Whales and Waves Musical Mobile: Here's another thing Matty is obsessed with.  He loves anything that is up in the air or ceiling (trees, lights, ceiling fans, etc).  So it's only natural that he would be obsessed with his crib mobile.  He can stare at this thing for a good solid hour.  It doesn't require batteries, and the whales on the mobile are pretty darn cute.
{6} Medela Pump in Style Breast Pump: When I returned to work, I was concerned with how I was going to express breastmilk.  This Medela pump is the bees knees!  It is so efficient and easy to use.  The parts are easy to clean and the pump itself is super compact!  
{7} Medela 3 pack Breastmilk Bottle Set: This is Matty's favorite bottle.  There are not too many parts to the bottle and they do not leak (unlike the Tommee Tippee bottles).  It also is compatible with my breast pump.  So buying these bottles were a no brainer. 
{8} Baby Jogger City Mini GT: We absolutely love our stroller!  We take it with us everywhere.  The maneuverability of this stroller is unlike any other on the market.  We love the one strap/one hand folding mechanism.  You can also adjust the handlebar for shorty mommies like me.  The umbrella also has awesome coverage unlike other strollers.  The wheels are also made out of rubber not plastic like other strollers. You can buy a car seat adapters to place your infant car seat on the stroller.  This stroller can be used from newborn to toddler!
{9} Lansinoh Manual Breast Pump: This was a recent purchase and boy am I glad I bought this.  This is perfect for when I'm away from Matty for more than four hours.  I can easily pump in the car, without all the cords and tubing the electric pumps have.  This breast pump actually has pretty good pumping mechanism for a manual pump.  It's easy to clean, compact, and simple to use.