Raggedy Ann and Andy Vintage Vinyl Bib

I stumbled on a yard sale a few weeks ago and saw vintage Raggedy Ann and Andy (circa 1973) vinyl lying on a table.  I grabbed it, paid ONE DOLLAR for it, and begin brainstorming ideas. 

Here's what emerged from the sewing room tonight....

This is a vinyl baby bib.  It's wipe-down or machine washable, and hang dry.  It's backed with red fabric with a tiny white swirl- it blends so perfectly with these all-time favorite rag dolls.

See the Etsy Listing for this bib here.

Car Seat Canopies

The invention of the infant carrier seat was a wonderful thing.  There are times when it is so convienent to be able to snap your child in and out of the car, stroller, shopping cart, etc.  If you are the kind of mom who keeps her child in the infant seat while running errands, you need a Car Seat Canopy.



Car Seat Canopies can be made in any cotton or cotton blend fabric.  They are fully lined with a coordinating solid or print fabric.   Two velcro closures hook the canopy directly onto the handle.  It's so much better than draping a blanket over your baby because it won't fall off, and you can still hold the handle securely. 

It covers the baby completely and shields them from sun, rain, snow, strangers and germs.

Here's what my cousin Erica said about her Car Seat Canopy:  "Amy made my son a car seat cover, which is exactly what we needed. It is so useful and wonderful. The car seat cover especially came at such a good time. It had been raining a lot and I was covering him with my jacket which wasn't working out too well because it made the car seat hard to carry. The cover straps right on with velcro (I can even put it on with one hand), leaving the entire handle for me to still grab on to. The cover is light and easy to carry or put in a purse or diaper bag. My son has not gotten wet since we started using the cover! The cover came in blue, but I would not hesitate to use it for a girl too because it's so cute!"

And here's what my friend Lauren said about hers:  "I am a proud recipient of Gabriel's Good Tidings products as a gift and look forward to purchasing many more of her items in the future..... My all-time most-used item is the car seat sun shade that stays permanently attached to my baby's seat. Not only is it great to have for walks in the summertime, but is especially handy to cover baby when in public and you don't want a million people touching your child or waking them from their precious sleep. Amy is talented, creative, and thorough in every peice she makes. I highly recommend her products!!!"

A custom Car Seat Canopy can be designed for you today.  Click here for more details.

Baby Boy Gift Set

I used up some scraps I had left to make this gift set for a baby boy.  It is now for sale in my etsy shop if you know of anyone anticipating a newborn boy soon.  I love this gift because it's all-in-one.  No need to buy anything else.  You can even give the gift in the mini diaper bag, and not use a gift bag or box- a great way to be green!

This mini diaper bag was made from a dollar tree placemat!  I added the ribbon handles, but it was so easy to do!

As you can see, this bag contains all kinds of goodies- two burp cloths, two bibs, and a diaper changing pad.

 Burp Cloths- two layers of flannel, one side embellished, and batting in the middle.  Super absorbent and so cute, too!

Bibs, backed with tericloth towel.  So practical for wiping up messes!

Click here for more details!

Pocket or Pouch Slings

I have always enjoyed carrying my babies in slings.  They allow you to carry your baby hands-free, keep your baby near you, and shield your baby from the cold, strangers and germs.  I know there has been recent talk about how infants cannot breathe in slings, but I always could feel my babies breathing against me.  They also would squirm letting me know they were just fine.  I encourage moms to check the baby's position often and not add any blankets to the sling.

I recently made this sling for my friend Stephanie, who is carrying her 4-month-old in this photo.  She chose this gorgeous Micheal Miller fabric for her sling.

I just posted a listing in my Etsy shop for these slings.  It's a Design Your Own listing, which means that the buyer gets to select the fabric (both outer fabric and the lining) and ship it to me.  The charge is simply for my labor and there is a shipping cost to send the completed sling back to the buyer.  It's a great deal and perfect if you have a particular color or fabric print in mind.

Here is Stephanie's review of the sling: 

"Amy has made a plethora of amazing things for me!  I love each item that she has made. She has made me a sling for my new sweetie and it has been a lifesaver!! I enjoy it more than my "baby bjorn" because"... read more here.

Bread Bag

Recently I attended a bread making class taught by a friend, Gabriele. She really inspired me to start making my own bread, which my family has grown to love. I quickly learned that the way you store homemade bread will make all the difference! So, I developed this fully lined (with osnaburg) bread bag to hold bread loaves.

I'm not sure how this will work for long-term storage (more than a few days), but it sure is pretty. It would be great to give as Christmas gifts- with a homemade loaf inside them. My friend Tonya talks about how she made homemade bread for Christmas gifts last year. I'm not sure how she packaged them to give, though.

This bag has a lime green ribbon to tie it closed, but you could use elastic or drawstring closure. I adapted the pattern from my Reusable Snack and Sandwich Bags for this Bread Bag. I simply changed the opening to the side and omitted the velcro. It was a trial and error project and I'm glad the trial was a success!

This particular bag is for my friend Esther, who bravely traded me a jar of homemade vanilla coffee creamer for this. She didn't know it at the time, but I had no idea how I was gonna make this bread bag. Thankfully it all came together and I held up my end of the bargain!

Hip Hip Hooray! It's time for a Giveaway!!!!

This giveaway has ended.  Stay tuned for more giveaways in the future!
I'm giving a way a set of three reusable snack bags to one very lucky person- it could be YOU!

These bags are lined with white PUL, which is a wipe-down fabric similar to vinyl. It's machine washable if needed, but hang dry. They vary slightly in size, but measure approximately 5.5" wide x 6" deep. They are perfect for crackers, dried fruits, small sandwiches, cookies, etc. A velcro closure lines the top of each bag.

This giveaway is for three bags of the same print. The winner will be notified via email on or before Monday, November 8.

This giveaway is open to US residents only. If you live outside the United States, you may enter BUT you must agree to pay shipping charges via Paypal.

There are multiple ways to enter this giveaway. You will recieve ONE entry for each "task" below, up to a maximum of SIX entries per person. Greater than six entries per person will be deleted. If you have any questions, please email me or leave a comment below. Please make sure your comment includes a way for me to contact you- either link to your blog or email address (preferred).

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1. Leave a comment on this post. If you don't already know me, please introduce yourself!

2. If you have a blog, please write about this on your blog. Link back to this post, and leave a comment below with the link to your blog post.

3. "Like" Gabriel's Good Tidings page on Facebook. Then, come back here and leave a comment telling me you are a fan. (If you already "Like" my page, please leave a comment below.)

4. Become a follower of this blog, then leave a comment saying you did so. (If you already follow, you may leave a comment below, too.)

5. Post about this giveaway on your Facebook status. Either tag Gabriel's Good Tidings in your post, or post a link to this giveaway. Leave a comment below telling me you've done so.

6. Subscribe to this blog in a reader. Leave a comment telling me you are a subscriber and which reader you use.

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This giveaway will end on Friday, November 5 at 11:59 pm. Winners will be announced on or before Monday, November 8. Good luck!!!!

Florida Gator Bibs and Burp Cloths

This week I made these adorable bibs and burp cloths for a friend at church. She will have a new grandson soon, and natually wanted him to have some "Gator Gear."

I know everyone who reads this isn't a UF fan, but I can sew on other team's fabrics/colors. Just don't tell my husband! ;)

I forgot to take pictures of these and shot a few with my phone in the grass before church today. Sorry the quality isn't as good as usual.


I make my burp cloths with flannel on both sides, and batting in the middle. I usually embellish at least one side or corner of the cloth. I made this pattern when I was pregnant with my second child and wanted something large, absorbent, and pretty.

I make bibs similar to burp cloths, but without batting in the middle. I use a tericloth towel for the backing- it makes cleaning up drool or spit up so easy!

Ruffles Galore!

My friend Stephanie recently asked me to make the dust ruffle for her daughter's bed. She had purchased hot pink jersey knit fabric with layer after layer of ruffles. It was a challenge, but so much fun to make this part of Baby Lawson's bedding.

I used a lot of stitch-witchery to make this work. For those of you that aren't familiar with stitch-witchery, let me tell you, it's a lifesaver. On the sewing maching, this project would have been a disaster! So much fabric, jersey knit stretching everywhere... I could have a nightmare just thinking about it. Stitch-witchery is an iron-on fabric "glue" that is wonderful!!!!

I used it to secure the jersey knit to the old dust ruffle Stephanie had bought. This was great because it gave me an exact size to work with (so I knew the dust ruffle would fit) and it was a cotton blend fabric (non-stretchy). It served as my foundation, and I glued the ruffle knit around it on all four sides. Because it was jersey knit, it needed no hemming. So I actually made this entire dust ruffle without one stitch from my sewing machine.

To finish it off, I used this hot pink and white polka dot ribbon that I had left from Stephanie's shower. It covered all my raw edges and made it pretty, even on the underneath.

Diaper Changing Pad

This week I've been busy making more baby gifts that usual for friends and family. One of the simplest and most practical gifts is a diaper changing pad.

To make this, I use a fat quarter, a hand towel and elastic. The towel backing makes a nice, soft place to lay your baby for a quick diaper change. I prefer it to the vinyl changing pads in stores, as I think they are hot and uncomfortable for babies. Although this towel is not a wipe-down surface, I encourage people to have at least two of these in case one gets soiled. They are machine wash and dry.

It rolls nicely and is secure with the elastic band- no buttons or snaps that baby could swallow. It fits in the smallest of diaper bags or is great to grab with a diaper and some wipes when you've just sat down to eat at the restaurant and realized that Junior has a dirty diaper.

This particular diaper changing pad is for a friend at church, whose daughter-in-law is pregnant and planning a nautical themed nursery for her baby boy.

Reusable Sandwich and Snack Bags

Tonight I created these bags for my friend, Bethany, who is one of the most inspiring people I know. She has an amazing knowledge of organic foods and products, and stands her ground when it comes to feeding her family well. She is a joyful person, even on the worst of days. Most of all, she loves Christ with all her heart, and His glory is reflected through her life.


This is a set of four bags. I used the tutorial found here. Two have gussets (which make them stand alone), two do not. They are lined with osnaburg, which is like a softer version of duckcloth and burlap. They have a velcro closure.
Would you like to win a set of these bags? I am hoping to do a big giveaway soon, so stay tuned for multiple (yes, multiple) chances to win!

Enjoy your snack bags, Bethany! They were so much fun to make!

Toilet Paper Roll Napkin Rings

Several months ago, I hosted a baby shower for my friend Stephanie. We used hot pink and lime green as our colors, since that was the theme of her nursery.



I saved all our toilet paper and paper towel rolls for several weeks before the shower, and used them to make napkin rings.



I cut each toilet paper roll into smaller, 2" wide "rings". I simply wrapped a 3" wide piece of hot pink ribbon around each "ring", and secured it with hot glue. Then, I took a smaller, 1/8" piece of green ribbon, glued it down and tied it in a bow.



Once dry, I put a napkin and the appropriate flatware in each ring. It made the serving line go faster, too, since everyone didn't have to grab napkins and flatware seperately. It was so easy and added a lot to the decorations!


Simple. Practical. Sweet. Beautiful.

Before & After: Bookcases and Fireplace

What a difference paint can make!

Our Family Room, BEFORE..... After many coats of paint and lots of sweat, here is the AFTER:


These bookcases were a formica finish and were very difficult to paint. A big THANK YOU to my mother who took this on as a project while she was here! They look so good!

I love the deep space on these ledges. The bookcases are so recessed that I'll have lots of room to put seasonal decor. I'm thinking some fabric pumpkins for these ledges...

These doors hide toys and blankets. I have ordered handles, but they are on backorder for now. I think putting some brushed nickel hardware on them will help to break up the "white box" look.

What do you think? I LOVE how it brightens up the room! Please leave a comment or vote on the "Love It" or "Like It" or "Not So Much" buttons below.