GREAT NEWS! And a how-to Alphabet Book

So, I got impatient.. the alphabet book I'm working on is only half done but I want to share the joy with you guys so I'm posting a tutorial early!! First, though, I have some amazingly-awesome-oh-my-goodness-great news to share! :) Nellie Bug's tutus are going to be sold in Somethin' Special, located in the South County Mall in St. Louis, Missouri!! We are going to finalize everything soon and hopefully set up starting March 1st. This is a great opportunity for us to grow as a business and such a blessing!!

I definitely need to start prioritizing and get my butt in gear as far as the tutus go. I just ordered literally thousands of yards of tulle, so I'm well on my way. Just mailed off four orders today -- well, one was a giveaway but the other three were orders. :) I have to slow down on my swaps because tutu stuff is taking up most of my time. I also need to make more Allie Clips and start making bigger hair bows. I really despise making the big (ugly, in my opinion) hair bows, but the lady in the mall said hair bows sell pretty well in her shop and there aren't any for sale right now. Soooo, I'm gonna suck it up and make some. I know how, and they look great.. I'm just not into "poofy" haha. Funny, coming from a tutu maker, right??

Now, for the tutorial.. Oh, wait. One more thing! I am on week three of the "No Shampoo Challenge". My hair is looking great. I've washed it once every 5 days with a baking soda mixture (1 t. baking soda, 1 t. lemon juice, 1c. warm water) and it is softer than it's ever been. One thing I've noticed is that my face is broken out. I think I'm going to start using a natural face wash as well. I think that will help. I don't have any pictures for now but hopefully next week I can get some. It's not oily and gross like I thought, and after seeing my hair my mom actually hopped on board and is trying it!! She called me last night just raving about how awesome her hair is! She is 50+, so for her to excited over her hair .. well, it's nothing short of a miracle lol. She doesn't usually talk about hair! For those of you that are curious, google "No Shampoo Method" or "Challenge" and get all the info you need, or you can just email me and I'll try to walk you through it!

Okay, so.. tutorial. This is for a personalized Alphabet Book for your little one. You could make a shape book, a color book, etc. I just started with an ABC book thinking it would be easier (heh..).

I used an old hardback book, and tore all the pages out. You could probably make your own cover with thick cardboard, but I'm not that adventurous when I've got three little ones running around and I'm trying to concentrate. Keep the cover/spine all together and just tear the pages out, or make your own cover. Then, cut a paper bag a few inches wider and longer than the book and glue it down on the cover. I used mod podge.



The reason I didn't cover the entire book is because I am gluing down a front page and back page separately. You can do this or just cover the whole book, whichever way is easiest for you.

Next, cut out all of your pages by cutting them out of paper bags. I recommend gluing two pages together if you are going to use mod podge.



Punch at least two holes through each page. Tie ribbon or yarn through each hole to keep them all together.

Note: You can do this step LAST after making the book if you'd like... but I didn't.



After you have all your pages together, fill them with the ABCs or sight words, or even colors or numbers. You can also make your own storybook, about your kids, family, etc. The possibilities truly are endless!



I used my Cricut to cut out the ABCs but I wrote everything in the book by hand, just for that "mommy" touch.



Oh, and if you mess up.. don't fret. It can be fixed. :) This is what happens when you are crafting for 6 hours straight and trying to be mommy, too. Anyone see what is wrong with this picture?



Way to teach ABCs, eh? Haha. Not only did I place the letters there, I glued them down and then glued over them. THREE chances to fix my mistake and I didn't notice until I started writing the words on the page! It's fixed now, but that was when I knew I should stop for the night! hehe

Edit: No, I did not spend 6 hours on the alphabet book LOL! Rachel bought me a Cricut as a surprise and I was playing with it, as well as making some bows on the side!