Twitterpated

B or G...What Will It Be?? Gender Reveal Party

2011-01-11T13:09:00.008-06:00

When I found out I was pregnant last year, I knew I was going to have to come up with a fun way to find out the gender of Baby #2. With my first baby we waited until the 7th month to find out it was a girl... Why so long?? Well, that's when our baby shower was. I had my Mom go to the sonogram with me to find out the gender. The Dr. told my mom what we were having and she had to keep it a secret from everyone. Then, when she sent out the invitations for our couples baby shower, the sex was revealed to all of our guests with strict instructions to keep it quiet!! So, when we showed up for our shower we walked into a flood of pink balloons and decorations! It was amazing. Nothing beats this kind of surprise...Needless to say, being a sibling myself, I knew if I did something cool for one baby I would HAVE to do something cool for the other. The last thing I want is one feeling left out 5 or 10 years down the road.. ha ha... I had no intention of waiting a full 7 months this time. So, I decided a separate Gender Reveal Party would be fun. Instead of using the typical baby pink or blue I wanted to go for something more modern and fun. So, my red and turquoise "B or G...what will it be?" party was born. I started by designing this fun invitation.Then, I decided rather than having the party at a house I wanted to have it at one of my favorite restaurants. Almost no time setting up, and the best part....NO DISHES!!! I showed up to the restaurant about 30 minutes prior to the party. They gave me a private back room. All I did was tie red and turquoise balloons to each chair in alternating colors. I made matching place cards for the guests, and the kids had puzzles with crayons to keep them busy during dinner. I had my doctor write on a piece of paper the gender and seal it in an envelope for me(so even I didn't know the sex). I took that envelope to my favorite bakery, Trio Cafe, and had them make up 2 dozen mini cupcakes for me. The filling would be blue or red. This way, when we bit into our cupcakes we all found out together. Some had red sprinkles on top and some had blue. I also made coordinating cupcake toppers for each.To add a little fun and interaction, everyone had one of these little booklets I made folded into their napkins. It asked what gender they thought baby Hutchison was going to be, and what names they would pick out and a couple of funny facts. They ended up being quite humorous to read. I have them all, and are putting them in the baby book for Marshall to see when he gets older. After a fun dinner we passed out the cupcakes. Altogether on the count of three everyone opened up their cupcakes... It was a great party, and a fun way to include family and friends...

Linked To:

Merry Christmas!!

2010-12-23T10:51:00.002-06:00

Luke 2:8-14
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Baby is here!!!

2010-12-14T16:35:00.003-06:00

Just a quick update.... Our newest Hutchison family member.

Marshall Paul Hutchison

12/9/2010, 7lbs 1oz, 4:26pm

Announcements, Birthdays and Babies...Oh My!!

2010-12-07T19:28:00.008-06:00

Well, I said I was busy, and this is why......I started off with a birthday announcement in October. Little Corbin loves everything Elmo, and of course cowboy...So, I had to combine the two for this perfect little announcement that let's all of his out of town family know he is a big 2 year old now!Next, came Meela's Rainbow 1st birthday. Isn't she the most adorable thing ever?? This invite of course inspired a great rainbow party internet search...I will blog those ideas at a later date.Then, came Mycah and Storm's last minute baby shower invitation. The mommy-to-be wanted all pink and princess theme. Since I am unable to help plan this shower(due to baby being born this week), I decided to make it pretty and simple. This way her sister can pretty much go with any type of pink princess decorations.This is a cupcake invitation I just finished last week for my niece, Jenna's 1st birthday party. I just adore the colors, and of course, her sweet little face!

And last, comes one of my favorites!! This is what I am calling "Operation Baby". My brother and his beautiful wife are expecting a baby in 3 months. He is a devoted military man, and they live far far away from her family. With his hectic military schedule, a shower is not possible to plan. So, I am sending out an announcement to friends and family letting them know where they can go to find gifts and necessities for the baby. We are going to send them directly to their home. It may not be a conventional shower, but baby JD will know he is loved!!

I have just finished our Holiday Card/Baby Announcement this week. So, after they are printed and sent out I will post the blog. I LOVE the card this year...It is not the typical bright, holiday colors I usually go for, but very cute still. I decided to do a double holiday/baby announcement card. I just hope the pics of Marshall turn out as great as the family/Catie pics used on the card....

The Many Adventures of Catie Turning 2!

2010-11-09T19:18:00.001-06:00

My daughter is absolutely obsessed with Winnie the Pooh, so of course that had to be the theme of her 2nd birthday party. We had the party at her Grandparents house in North Richland Hills, TX( suburb of Fort Worth). I went all out to create her very own 100 Aker Wood. All of the gorgeous photos were taken by our wonderful photographers at Nine Photography. We use them for all of our family shoots and parties. You really can't beat the ease of not having to run around all day snapping pics yourself. Not to mention, they are AMAZING at what they do! I designed the invitations myself, using one of the cutest pictures from her 18 month photo shoot. Using a pattern that I bought on ETSY, I made her little tunic top. Which, of course, had all the characters from Winnie the Pooh, and the yellow fabric had little honey bees on it. My friend Tracy made the matching bows! Luckily for me, my in-laws have a completely empty dining room. This was much to my advantage! I used butcher paper purchased from a local teacher supply store to make the trees. My friend Tracy came over and helped me put it all together. These were so easy to do. We just crumpled the brown paper a little and stapled it up the wall to look like tree trunks. Then, we cut out leaves from the green paper and stapled them to the wall and ceiling. I hung a large yellow paper lantern(leftover from her Garden themed 1st Birthday) from the light fixture and used orange and yellow curling ribbon to hang down around it. That was our "sun". We hung blue streamers across the ceiling of the room as our sky, and tied 4-5 white balloons together in bunches and hung them around as the "clouds". I found a big package of cut out bees from the teachers supply store, and hung those all around the room and near the trees. Tracy hand painted the "floating Pooh Bear" on foam poster board for me, and we hung him at the entrance from his little blue balloon. It looked just like Pooh did in the movie, trying to reach his hand into the bee hive for honey! I used red and white gingham fabric as the buffet table cloth, and yellow and white gingham fabric to cover the guest tables.(all bought at Wal-Mart for a few dollars a yard, very cheap) For the buffet centerpiece I bought cheap cardboard letters that spelled Catie at Hobby Lobby and painted them with leftover paints. I hot glued them to wooden dowels and then hot glued the dowels to an old glass shelf that I found in my garage. To give it more height I set the glass shelf up onto 2 glass vases filled with colorful shredded paper. I scoured Ebay for the whole set of stuffed animals, and luckily found one of each character. Even better, I found the Birthday Pooh!! I used them on the buffet as my "food labels". I printed out the name of each food on cardstock and cut it out to look like little pieces of wood. Each character held their sign. I had "Tigger Tail Mix" which was Cheddar Chex party mix and cheese puffs. "Piglets in Blankets" pretty explanatory, and "Rabbits Veggie Garden". I made "Pooh Sticks", which were just pretzel sticks dipped in chocolate. Plus, there were fruit skewers, sandwiches and a chicken nugget tray. For the kids, I took the frozen Uncrustable PBJ sandwiches and wrapped them with a strip of really pretty scrapbook paper. Owl was set up in his tree house(which was made out of a cardboard box) overlooking the drink station. At the drink station there were bottled waters with custom labels(which I designed and printed myself to match the invitations), a kid friendly punch called "Pooh Beary Splash" and an adult friendly cocktail called "Kanga's Kooler". Even the adults need a little something...ha ha Outside we had beer for the guys in a cooler.I bought these amazing vanilla cupcakes from a local bakery called Trio Cafe and Bakery and just dressed them up with cheap cupcake picks bought online. I used my favorite cupcake tower and wrapped scrapbook paper around the middle to give it some color. I bought small flower pots at my local Dollar Tree and painted them to look like honey pots.(previous post here) Using some leftover honey bee fabric from Catie's top, I lined the pots, then filled cellophane bags with honey flavored Teddy Grahams. Those were given to the kids as party favors.Catie had lots of family and friends come to help her celebrate her 2nd birthday. She is definitely a blessed little girl. Here are some great pictures of her guests.Linked to:

Just a little update....

2010-11-01T12:22:00.003-05:00

So, its been a while....I KNOW! But in my defense, I have had some very busy months go by. I thought I would just post a quick update for everyone. I haven't just been sitting around on my bum, I actually have quite a few new invitation designs to post, PLUS Catie's Winnie the Pooh 2nd Birthday Party. I have them uploaded, I just need to add the finishing touches. Finding the time is proving to be quite hard, though. I will do it, I promise!!!
Let's start off with our family costumes this year. As you can probably tell, we went as Winnie the Pooh(perfect for my baby belly), Piglet and Christopher Robin. I have to give my husband props for being such a good sport(after a little coaxing). It just wouldn't have been this great without him. I made the Pooh and Piglet costumes, of course. I just can't bring myself to buy pre-made costumes anymore. These took one day to sew using my favorite material of all time...Fleece! You just can't mess it up! It really is the most forgiving fabric.I have also gotten a new camera in the last few months. So, of course I have been playing around with that a lot! We went with the Nikon D3000. I am just getting used to it, but I think I am going to love it. I have been messing around with an old dress pattern that I have, trying to find new ways to "spruce" it up for Catie. This is the Fall themed dress I came up with for her. I added the bib front and ruffle along the bottom. A BIG thanks to her Nana for crocheting the awesome flower that's in her hair. I have an order in for one in EVERY color imaginable. I might get those in a year or so...ha ha My mother is a much bigger procrastinator than I am!!Last but definitely not least, the NEW MAN in my life.... Yes, I said man, as in male gender!! Our little surprise has turned out to be a boy. Yay! 1 girl, check! 1 boy, check! Procreating finished, check! In as few as 6 weeks we will be welcoming our little one, Marshall Paul Hutchison, to the world. I am truly blessed to have a healthy baby on the way. Here's a little smile from our little guy.

Mati Grace Turns 1

2010-06-29T21:25:00.004-05:00

Yesterday, my dear cousin Ceresa called me up to ask if I could put together an invitation for her daughter's first birthday. Of course I said yes. I finished this adorable garden party invite today, and just HAD to post it! I am so in love with the colors and obviously that beautiful little face!!Below are some inspirational party pics from every one's favorite hostess.... Martha Stewart of course!

Mary or Jane or Jill is Having A Little Lamb....

2010-06-25T15:35:00.009-05:00

Aaah baby showers!! They seem to be in high demand these days. Especially in my life! 6 people, including myself, are pregnant right now. So, what better way to get me back into blog mode than a beautiful baby shower? My sister-in-law is hosting a shower for her friend Liza Lam. She asked me to come up with a theme and an invitation for her. After much thought, here is what we decided on:Very pretty colors of pink, coral and light blue make it super girly and frilly. I am really into the cherry blossoms right now, so I wanted to incorporate some into the invitation. This way she can use them to decorate with along with the Lambs.

Below are some inspirations I pulled from the Internet to help give Emily an idea of great simple ways to decorate around this theme.

Clockwise: Cherry Blossom Cupcakes(Hello-Naomi via Flickr)

Lamb Diaper Cake(Diaper Cakes Mall)

Blue and Pink Tissue Poms(Sweetpoms' Shop via ETSY)

Cherry Blossom Cupcake Wrappers(Nanalulu's Linen Closet)

Here is a beautiful shower with similar colors from a site called The Sweetest Occasion. I love the tea favors and 3 tiered floral centerpieces.

To go along with the girly aspect of this shower I would do a simple tea style buffet with yummy finger sandwiches, fruit tray and cheese board. Use tea pots to serve coffee, tea and water in pretty tea cups. I love the idea of using lettuce cups filled with something as simple as a store bought chicken salad. We have all seen the soup shooter appetizers that are so popular. Well, what about a crudite shooter? These are very cool, and can be found at Hip Hostess!

I'm Baaaaack....

2010-06-24T16:10:00.007-05:00

And I'm plus one more human being!! Well blogger friends and family I am pregnant. This has come as a very delightful(most of the time) surprise for our little family of 3. I found out the news on April 24th during our impromptu family vacation to Lake Travis. Very soon after that I found myself in the full blown joys of morning sickness!! That has been my life ever since. I realize it has been a very long time since I have blogged and now you all know why. I am starting to feel like myself again, and am ready to tackle my party and crafting duties! According to The Bump this week our little fetus is similar to the size of a naval orange this week...

And yes...that is our little one to the right. I will be going in for a 16 week check up next week, and then 2 weeks after that will be the fun sonogram where we find out what the sex of this little guy(wishful thinking) will be! I am planning a super fun "Gender Reveal" luncheon for our family and close friends that week. So, I will definitely have cute stuff to blog about with that little shin-dig. So, now that you all know the reason I have been such a slacker lately, I really hope you can forgive me. :-) I promise to make it up to everyone with some adorable new party blogs and I will finally be adding some great stuff to CBD(my ETSY shop). Have a WONDERFUL day everyone!

Re-Vamped!!!

2010-04-19T12:30:00.007-05:00

Hey everyone!

As you can tell Twitterpated is getting a face lift! I am very excited about the new design, and will be working on making it much more efficient. I am also in the process of opening an ETSY shop, so keep your eyes peeled for my new link soon. We are leaving for a much needed mini-vacation to Lake Travis on Wednesday, so be prepared for some great party posts next week! In the meantime, be sure to check out my guest blogs over at Create My Event. Hope everyone has a great week!!

Vintage FABULOUS!

2010-03-30T13:53:00.005-05:00

Ok, so most of you know that I love to sew! It is so much fun for me to find a great new pattern and spend the day working to create something from nothing. Well, this year as I was flipping through my new Swim 2010 Victoria's Secret catalogue(you know the one, we all get it, and then quickly start starving ourselves) I decided that this year, rather than spend 1-200 dollars on new swimwear, I am going to find a great pattern and MAKE ONE!!! I quickly found out that the swimwear patterns out there are far from cute! So then, I decided to check out one of my favorite vintage pattern webshops. aaaaannnndd.........I found two!!!

I am super excited to try my hand at these patterns. I am so happy that fashions are so versatile that we can now wear almost any style from any decade! These are both very simple and cute. I really love the halter top of one pattern, and the bottoms and open back cover-up of the other pattern. That's the great thing about making stuff yourself, you can customize it any way you want! I am thinking of using either the green or yellow hounds tooth fabric as the suit and one of the two floral designs as the cover-up fabric...I am so excited to try this out!

It's A Wedding Ya'll!!

2010-03-22T14:53:00.009-05:00

I don' think I have put together any wedding blogs yet. Well, here is my first. This is a very special, and secret,(for now) western style wedding idea blog. I found so many great inspirational photos on the web today. I could have searched for hours!! Actually, I think I did! I love this theme because you can really surprise people by having a very elegant and fun wedding....yet keep true to your down home, country style!

Western Style Save the Dates

Barn Wedding Decor

Western Wedding Dress

Teal and Orange Tablescape

Children's Stick Ponies and Silverware Bags

Sunflower Decor and Cupcakes

Rustic Wood Cake Stand Tutorial

Cowboy Wedding Reception

Western Wedding

And then, of course, I came across Nine Photography's pics of a wedding they shot out in Wyoming! Doesn't get better than this! I really love the idea of all the bridesmaids wearing cowboy boots...

Clippie Cuteness!!

2010-03-10T10:06:00.005-06:00

So, as I was scouring the World Wide Web yesterday, looking for some birthday party inspirations, I luckily came across the most adorable hair clippies!

Now, how creative are those??? I have to say my favorite is the ice cream cone.(if I HAD to pick just one) These clippies can be found at an ETSY shop called LiliBug Boutique. And just so you know, these 9 clips don't even scratch the surface of all they have to offer. Check it out, you will be blown away by her talent!!

Now, if you don't have a little one running around, she also has an adult ETSY shop called Rowan Designs. You can get cute items like key chains, jewelry, handbags and these awesome Tea Wallets!

A Sneaky Peek

2010-03-03T09:42:00.010-06:00

So, I just finished hosting my daughter's 2nd birthday party a few weeks ago. It was even better than I had pictured in my head. Don't you just love when an idea you have actually turns out the way you wanted?? I DO! Now, I don't have the professional pictures from the party yet. I am still waiting on those from our fave photogs, Kelli and Brendan, over at Nine Photography. I did however, take a few pictures of some of the projects I was working on during the weeks prior. So, here is a little peek of what to expect!

Oh, and if you didn't know, her theme was Winnie The Pooh and the 100 Aker Wood.

I bet you all can guess what those are supposed to be!!!

Exciting News!!

2010-02-24T17:29:00.003-06:00

I am officially a guest blogger for one of my favorite party sites...Create My Event! I have been following this blog since I began my blog over a year ago. So, when Jennifer asked me to do a weekly blog at CME, of course I said YES! I will be blogging every Tuesday! So, please take a minute to click over and check it out!

Tina

Mycah's Wedding Invites

2010-01-28T14:33:00.004-06:00

My cousin Mycah is getting married, and when she found out I do invitations she asked if I would help with hers. Of course I said yes(not knowing what I was getting myself into)! She had picked out some great pocket invitations with insert cards and all. Unfortunately, the $1500 price tag was not something she could manage. So, I set out to find a cheaper way to help her get the invites of her dreams.
After much digging on the internet I found a great website called Cards and Pockets that sells the pocketfolders. For a mere $0.98 each, you can choose from several sizes and colors. They also have metallics for $1.38 a piece. I had Mycah order the pocketfolders and I went to work creating the invitations and insert cards for her. This was the easy part. Once everything was printed out, cut and ready to be assembled I had her come over and we got busy. It took us two days to attach the invites, stamp the response postcards and wrap each one with ribbon and a seal. I now know why these things are so expensive!! ha ha But, I have to say, our handmade wedding invitations turned out sensational and the final cost........right around $700 for 250!!

A Creative Masterpiece

2010-01-27T19:38:00.006-06:00

I am absolutely in love with this wonderful ETSY find. A little shop called MissPrettyPretty makes these adorable felt playhouses. The thing that really blew my mind is that they are custom made to fit over a card table. How creative is that?? When your kids are finished playing they fold up and can be put away, right along with the card table. They aren't just for girls either. You can get any number of places for boys like a mechanics garage, kings castle or a police station. I just love great finds like this!

A Little Blog Love

2010-01-22T22:11:00.006-06:00

Catie's 1st birthday party got a little blog love from Toni over at Design Dazzle... She posted some pics of the Garden Party I put together last year(but finally blogged about this week..whoops!) So, check it out!

Let Me Introduce.....

2010-01-21T14:40:00.007-06:00

My new niece Jenna!! Is she not the cutest thing? I had the privilege of meeting this sweet angel the day after she was born. When I heard Emily went into labor, I hopped in my car and drove 5 hours to Dallas so I could hold my first niece. Catie went with me, and to be honest, couldn't have cared less....ha ha! She just wanted to play coaster hat with her Uncle Tommy. It's a very intricate game that consisted of Uncle Tommy placing drink coasters on Catie's head. She thought it was HILARIOUS when they slid off!! Anyways, when I got back home I went right to work on these great birth announcements. I got my wild animal print inspiration from Jenna's adorable nursery decor. It's called Tahiti Baby Crib Bedding by Cocalo Couture. Check it out!Lots of love to Tom and Emily! Your life will never be the same from now on!!

Oh the Memories...

2010-01-20T11:10:00.012-06:00

Well, my little Catiebug will be turning 2 in less than a month!! I started planning her party about a month ago. All this has brought back great memories of her 1st birthday party. I never did get a chance to blog about it last year, so I thought why the heck not do it now!

Let's start with the invitations. I made these cute flower invites myself. They were very easy, and it got the ball rolling for the garden theme.I hired our friends over at NinePhotography to come hang out and take pictures during the party. If you have this as an option I definitely recommend it. I didn't have to worry about running around snapping photos all day, I just got to enjoy hosting with my little Bug..
I found this birthday t-shirt at Kohl's, very cheap and it came with a matching bib. I made the pettiskirt for her myself. Not something I plan to do again....At least not until I get a ruffle attachment for my sewing machine. These skirts are very time consuming!!!! It turned out great though.

Let's begin with the dessert table. I found brightly colored check fabric at WalMart for $1.50 a yard!! I bought orange, pink, purple and green. These made excellent table cloths. I also used some to cover the back of Catie's high chair. I made the cupcakes myself. They were super easy. Just a regular box cupcake and store bought icing tinted green.. I piped the icing in a swirl using a Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off. Then just sprinkled little jimmies on top. To add an extra little something special I bought already tinted fondant at the craft store, rolled it out with a rolling pin, and using flower cookie cutters, cut out the shapes for the tops of the cupcakes. SOOO easy! I did the same thing for Catie's personal sized cake. I found small flower vases and brightly colored fake flowers to put on the tables. Behind the dessert table I had Catie's high chair with balloons tied to it. I hung the birthday banner behind her chair. This was an easy banner to make. I just printed out the signs and then pasted them to some purple felt. I took pieces of hot pink tulle and tied the letters together. Above the dessert table and buffet I hung several different sized paper lanterns along with glittery butterflies and dragonflies. All found at the craft store for a few dollars each.On the other end of the table I set up a little candy bar for guests to snack on, or take along for the ride home. The sign was printed off the computer and put in an extra frame I had around. I filled inexpensive vases from WalMart with different candies bought on sale after valentines Day.(how lucky for me her party was right after the holiday) I stuck cute pinwheels in the candy and used these adorable little lady bugs all over the party. They popped up in all sorts of places. :-) I took white paper bags, and using a regular address label, printed out a little thank you message for the guests. On the dinner buffet I had a menu printed out and framed also. I wrapped the silverware up in pretty pink napkins and tied them off with colored ribbon. Using those same checked fabrics, I covered the buffet and set out the food. BBQ for the adults and fun flower shaped PBJ's and chicken nuggets for the kids. I had two beverage dispensers I borrowed from a friend. One had pink lemonade in it, and the other had an adult cocktail. I made labels for these also and tied them around the tops of the dispensers with more ribbon..

In the dining room(which luckily for me was empty with no furniture) I set up a large round table for gifts, and 4 square folding tables with chairs for guests to sit and eat. I covered them with fabric and used flower clips around the legs. One simple vase on each table with a couple of flowers did the trick. I took about 60 balloons and filled them with helium and just let them float around the ceiling of the dining room. I tied long strings on them and let the kids play with them. I found a cheap inflatable kiddie pool on Amazon along with jumping balls. I filled the pool with the balls and voila, an easy tot play area. The kids went crazy for it! They played in there for hours!I gave each child a gift of their own to open while Catie was opening her presents. I made something special for each of them according to their ages. Some got blankets, super hero capes, tutus..Along with little toys and stickers, everyone was happy. This was easy to pull off because we only had about 6 or 7 kids at the party.

This was a fun and amazing party to plan for my sweet little Catiebug's 1st big bash! I am busy as a bee coming up with ideas for her second party, so stay tuned! Hopefully, it won't take me a year to blog it this time!

Hear Ye! Hear Ye!

2010-01-18T14:47:00.004-06:00

Last month I had the honor of coming up with an adorable Princess Themed birthday invitation for my cousin's daughter. Morgan turned 3, and loves any and everything princess. These are the invites I put together for her party....I also did a little digging and found some inspirational photos online to help start the creative juices flowing for anyone who might be trying to plan a fun princess party themselves. Basically anything pink, frilly and girly will work. You can come up with tons of ideas for decorating by using fake flowers, tiaras, ribbons and tulle. Inexpensive princess outfits can be found and used as party favors, or have the kids come dressed up in their own outfits. And, for those who just can't seem to get into the creative mood, many cities have party companies that can be hired to come to your house and host for you. They have everything from tables and decorations to people who will dress up as your child's favorite princess character! I don't think it gets any easier than that..

Vote Now!

2010-01-04T19:39:00.006-06:00

Hey everyone,
My most favorite photographers ever, and dear friends, Kelli and Brendan of Nine Photography have been nominated for Best Wedding Blog of 09 by Dallas Wedding Planner.com!! So, click the link below to cast your vote now! They certainly deserve it!!!!

Gifts Galore

2009-12-30T11:23:00.008-06:00

So, want to know why my blogs have been slacking lately??? Below is the reason. Besides the fact of the holidays being hectic all on their own, I had to add to that with tons of sewing projects! Some are not from the holidays, but still deserved to be blogged about~

Starting with my sister-in-law, Emily's gifts I made for her daughter Jenna. I made her a birdie applique onesie with a pull-over skirt. I also added a chiffon flower head band with a matching button in the center.Now, rather than making the gifts all about Emily, I had to throw a daddy present in there. Tom just LOVES the San Antonio Spurs, so I found some great spurs fabric, along with some matching fleece fabric. I made this cute little Spurs rufflebum onesie with the matching headband. Then, I had to make a matching fleece blankie with Jenna's initial on it. To take it a little further, I used black thread to outline the orange circle to make the shape of a basketball! In the picture it is hard to see, but its there.After Emily received her handmade gifts, she insisted that I make some special onesies for Tom's sister, Elizabeth. She just had her little baby girl, and Emily wanted a special gift for her new niece. Now, Elizabeth and her husband are very big Oakland A's fans. Luckily for me I was able to find a quilting square on Ebay for 2 dollars. I made this onesie, skirt and matching headband out of 1 square! It was perfect! I then found some very pretty, girly Christmas fabric, and made her a Christmas Tree rufflebum onesie. I loved this fabric so much that I made Catie's Christmas shirt and bow out of it later...Earlier, in October, my friend Kelli had her baby shower in Austin. I made some cute onesies for her little girl, Meela. Along with a black and white blankie with pink fleece. I put it altogether in this basket. Since I designed the shower invitations, I made her some matching Thank You cards, added some items from her registry, and voila! Back in September, my friend Trish threw a "Cars" themed birthday party for her son, Grayson. He turned two, and really needed a travelling nap mat. Well, I made this nap mat cover for him, complete with attached pillow and carrying straps. It was a difficult project to figure out, but once I was finished it was definitely worth the trouble!Below is a matching blanket and pillow that I made for my friend Tracy. These are the fabrics used in her daughters adorable birdie themed nursery. Earlier this year, I also made the crib skirt for Miss Elliott. I used the same striped fabric that was used as the birdie's wing. If you would like to see more of Elliott's nursery click here! Her mom is also quite crafty. She makes all sorts of custom painted letters and pictures. She has recently mastered the art of bow making too!! Now, last but not least, is the dress that i made for Catie to wear on Thanksgiving. I bought a great dress pattern at an ETSY shop called Heidi And Finn. I altered the pattern a little bit, to make a plain dress. Rather than adding the bow I wanted to put this cute turkey pattern on it. A little ruffle along the bottom, and it was perfect! Catie looked adorable in her dress. This is the same pattern I used, but with the bow, for her Christmas outfit(pictured above)... I just shortened it to make a shirt!

Company Christmas Party

2009-12-29T13:25:00.008-06:00

I realize that I did not do much blogging this month. So, in one last attempt to put up something Christmas-y, here are some pictures from Michael's company Christmas party. I am very good friends with his boss James, and his wife, Krista. So, I always go over early and help set up, decorate and put out food. This year, we were smart and decided to decorate the house a day before the party. That gave us a lot of free time to relax on the day of. It was perfect!
Below is a picture of her formal dining room. I hung extra large Christmas balls from the light fixture, and just draped red and green ribbon down the center. We put a large Poinsettia in the center of the table with red candles on the outside. Krista already had the gold chargers in place, so it all fit together perfectly!The kitchen nook is where we set up the dessert table. Using different sized serving platters, it made for a nice setting. We just draped a red table cloth over phone books for added height, and tucked white twinkly lights underneath it. You cant tell from the photos, but the lights gave the table a very pretty glow. I hung more of the large balls from the light fixture, and rather than just draping cut pieces of ribbon, I curled these... I love how fun and festive that looks!Below are the strawberry Santa's that I made for the party. They were such a hit last year, that Krista made a special request for them again this year. They are so cute and very easy. Here is the recipe:
Take a package of strawberries, and trim the stems off, then cut them in half. You will need 1 can of pineapple chunks, mini choc. chips, toothpicks, 1 8oz pk cream cheese(room temp), 1/2 cup marshmallow fluff and a piping bag or Ziploc bag with the tip cut off.
Take 1 chunk of pineapple, press 2 chocolate chips into the flat side.(they will actually just stay in like magic) This will be Santa's eyes. Then, take the large half of a strawberry, place the pineapple chunk on that piece, then top with the last piece of strawberry. Keep all 3 pieces together by sliding a toothpick in from top to bottom. When all the strawberry Santa's are assembled, mix the cream cheese with the marshmallow fluff and pipe around the hat, face and top. Here is the beautiful buffet set up.We also served this delicious Sangria punch. It is super easy. Just mix 1 bottle of Cabernet with 2 cups of orange juice and 2 cups of cranberry juice, top with frozen slices of orange and voila! To add a special touch I found some adorable Christmas clip art with different animals on them. I printed them out on card stock, and we tied each one to each wine glass. These were great for helping everyone remember which glass was theirs.And of course, I can't leave out Krista's beautiful Christmas tree set up in her formal living room. We all gathered around the tree later in the evening for the white elephant gift exchange. It was a fabulous party!

The Most Wonderful(& busy) Time of the Year

2009-12-21T15:33:00.006-06:00

Well, I know its been over a month since my last post. I am such a bad blogger right now! I really have been busy doing great crafty things lately....Just haven't been sharing them. I promise to upload photos and let everyone see the awesome stuff I have been making. For now, I am posting some Christmas cards that I made for friends and family, not to mention our own... Plus, I have recently found a cheaper(and better) printing company. So, from now on, rather than emailing pdf files to you, I will be taking care of all of the printing and envelopes from here. Then, I will send you a nice little package with your cards or invitations ready to go! 2010 is my year for a better, and more efficient way of designing! Enjoy, and Happy Holidays!

Pretty in Pink

2009-11-13T14:24:00.018-06:00

I recently had the pleasure of hosting a baby shower for my sister-in-law, Emily. She is having a little girl, and asked me to plan an intimate little luncheon for a few of her close friends. I absolutely loved working on this shower because I had complete carte blanche. So, having this power, I decided to make it an explosion of pink!!

I got most of my inspiration from a Pretty in Pink baby shower hosted by Amy at Stem Parties Blogspot. This is one of my favorite blogs. I emailed Amy to find out what style of invitation she used for her shower, and after she sent me the link I had the perfect idea.... So, I came up with this invitation.Next, was figuring out the decorations. I got everything I needed from Stem. She had links to all of the adorable paper daisies and the pregnant dress forms. I just bought a few spools of ribbon, pink table cloth and pink and white checked fabric from Wal-Mart. The flowers and vases were seriously 3 dollars a bunch and 2 dollars a vase at Wal-Mart! I used 2 bunches of pink flowers and 3 of the small vases. Instead of water, I just crumpled up an iridescent tissue paper to fill the vases. To give the dress form a little more height, I put an empty Gerber Crunchies carton under the fabric! ha ha! it fit perfectly!! For the custom record labels, I just used the same fonts and colors of the invitations I made. Then, I cut them out and using scrapbook tape, attached them to the fronts of old unused records! Super easy! The buffet table comes next. Lucky for me, my mother-in-law has an empty dining room. We had plenty of room to set up an 8 foot folding table for all of the food. Unfortunately, I did not get a picture of the buffet after all of the food was set up, but you get the idea!I also decided to do a dessert buffet and drink bar. We had a pink punch for the mommy to be & the non-drinkers. Plus strawberry-banana or cranberry mimosas for the others... The punch was quite tasty! For the mimosas I just used canned strawberry-banana nectar with champagne! Very good!!!! I made the white chocolate strawberries myself, but we ordered the cupcakes from a great bakery in Colleyville called Trio. Not only were they beautiful, but they were delicious too! We also ordered the chicken salad from Trio. Very scrumptious!!I printed out custom water bottle labels. I also bought a package of 12 small mason jars at Wal-Mart for 7 dollars, and printed out the favor labels using an Avery Label template. I just cut them out into circles and filled the jars with mints! Super easy, and very cheap!Here are just a few random photos of the rest of the decorations!

And of course to end with a couple pictures of the glowing, Mommy-to-be!!! I love you Emily, and we can't wait to meet Jenna!

Teddy Bear Picnic 1st Birthday

2009-10-20T11:08:00.001-05:00

I have a friend, Kate, who is going to be celebrating her son's first birthday very soon. She and her husband have a cute nickname for little Michael, Teddy Bear! So, its only natural that she is wanting that to play a big part in the party theme. She asked me to help her find some good ideas for her party, and while I was searching I came across a great children's song that I actually remembered from when I was little, The Teddy Bears Picnic... Well, once I had this idea in my head, I just had to run with it. Below, is a fun mood board I put together with lots of fun pictures I found on the web. After that, is the invitation for her party! Its going to be soooo cute!1-6 are found on a very cute blog called Imprintables. I love the red gingham table cloth, and using the yellow napkins as a pop of color.
7 is a great party package that can be found in an ETSY shop called Everything but the Cake. This comes with the banner, favor tags and even a very cute cake topper. So easy.
8 is an awesome Teddy Graham trail mix that would be great as a party snack, or put in small mason jars covered with fabric and tied with ribbon as a party favor. I found this idea on the Playdate Magazine webpage.
9 & 10 are great picnic ideas found at Canadian Family. I really like the idea of using picnic baskets as decor, and filling them with art supplies and fun stuff the kids can play with during the party.

Birdie Birthday

2009-10-13T10:54:00.004-05:00

So, I just got back from a wonderful birthday trip to NYC! It was absolutely fabulous. The weather was perfect, and from what I hear warmer and much sunnier than it was back in Texas! I am trying to get all caught up on my favorite blog sites this morning, and of course I run across something I can't NOT post. This adorable Bird themed birthday party really made me smile. Check out all the details at The Party Dress.

Hauntingly Easy Halloween Decorations

2009-09-27T14:42:00.006-05:00

I'm back to share more fun Halloween stuff!! Recently, in my Lowe's Creative Ideas mailer that I received, I came across some very spooky outdoor decoration ideas. These are fabulously creative, and surprisingly simple. Everything from step by step instructions to a shopping list can be found on the Lowe's website or by clicking here.

I may not be home for Halloween this year, but I am definitely going to decorate with these ideas! My favorite has to be the skeleton made out of PVC pipes and a juice container. Also, high on my list are the spider webs made from friction tape and a stapler... These can't be more simple!

Frighteningly Fun Party Ideas

2009-09-22T11:45:00.005-05:00

Well, its getting close to the best 3 months of the year!! And to kick start the official "Holiday Season" is one of my favorites, Halloween... I am not throwing a party, but I thought it would be fun to share some spooky party ideas. I'm sure this is only the first of many fun Halloween blogs I will be posting. Below are some great food ideas for your party table.

First off, we will start with these fabulous "Vampire Blood" Tomato Soup tubes, along with the "Muenster" Sammies. These would be very easy and quick to make.Next, are these adorable Ghostly Pumpkin Pudding shooters.Third, is the cutest idea of all, this wonderful hollowed pumpkin used as a chocolate fondue pot! I absolutely adore this one. It could also be used for a Thanksgiving buffet too.Finally, you can't have a Halloween party without Candy Corn!! Or a nice signature cocktail!! This Candy Corn Cordial will definitely do the trick!Now, moving on to some easy peasy decorations I found on Rachel Ray's Website.... Starting with these simple Boo Bags, made using lunch sacks and a hole punch. These are great for favors, or you could also fill them with a weight,such as rocks or sand, and add some battery operated tea lights for a spooky sidewalk lantern...Again, you can't have too many candy corns on Halloween, so why not decorate with them. Using them in a tall vase with flowers adds a nice subtle touch.And last, but definitely not least, use some inexpensive white pillow cases to make the great Ghost Chair Covers.

2009-09-16T21:02:00.004-05:00

Like I promised, here is a blog of a few things I have been sewing lately. First up, is an outfit I made for Catie's 18 month pictures. Below, is the yellow layered tulle skirt. I wanted something hip and fun, so I decided that a reconfigured band t-shirt would do.. You may recognize the Old 97's logo from a skirt I made Catie a few months ago... When it came down to it, she never really wore the skirt, so I recycled it once again into this cool shirt! I KNOW she will wear the heck out of this. I found some groovy coordinating fabric and jazzed it up a bit. I was quite happy with how it turned out.For round two of Catie's photos, we did an adorable tea party scene with just her and her daddy. Below is an apron I made for that. She looooves wearing this around the house, especially since she got a new play kitchen last weekend. She is the cutest pretend chef I've ever seen....A few weeks ago, we went to a birthday party for one of Catie's friends, Kori. Not wanting to show up with the usual toys, I decided to make her these little t-shirts. One with her initial on it and a fray ruffle along the bottom, and the other in a cool flower design... They were so easy and took only a couple of hours to finish both!

Now these are a couple of my favs.... Recently, my friend Tracy gave birth to her little girl Elliott. She had a cupcake themed sip and see for family and friends to meet the newest addition. She asked me to make her some coordinating hand towels and a ruffle-bum onesie. The towels were set out at a hand washing station(can't be too wary of germs around a newbie), and Miss E wore the little onesie that matched. I really enjoyed making these. The cupcakes were the inspiration for Catie's little apron....

That about wraps it up for now, but keep checking back for new projects and fun stuff!!

Busy Little Bee...

2009-09-14T14:17:00.005-05:00

Well, I haven't posted anything in a while, and this is why.... I have been really busy this summer. Here are just a few of the things I have done. Not to mention the stuff I have been sewing lately. I am hoping to get those photos up very soon. Lots more to come. Plus, with Halloween around the corner, I am going to be very busy making costumes and a couple of party invites. I will be sure to post as soon as I can.

Elephant Baby Shower Brunch

2009-08-20T13:44:00.011-05:00

Last week I finally finished the green and blue elephant invitations I had been working on for Amy. She and some friends in Seattle are hosting a baby shower brunch for a friend. I wanted to design something personal, and a little different from the usual baby shower invite. So I thought it would be nice to incorporate a theme I knew she would like. Since of course she picked it out! I had Amy email me a picture of the bedding for the nursery. Below is a picture of the gorgeous linens found at Babies R Us. The bedding is an adorable elephant theme called Emory, by CoCaLo. To go along with the invite, I sent her some decoration and food ideas also. Below is a mood board I put together with different inspirations found on the world wide web! Starting at the top left moving clockwise:
*These great outdoor decorating ideas are from an article in Country Living
*I thought the cute drink labels were festive and easy to make. I found these on a great blog called Accent The Party. This is definitely one to add to your favs.
*The tissue pom poms are super easy to make. There are instructions and photos on MarthaStewart.com
*You can find these great elephant wall sticker ideas at WordsWithMelissa
*Simple, and cheap, paper lanterns are available at LunaBazaar.com
*Easy and elegant blue and green food ideas are at ThePartyDress.com
*And last but not least, the light green polka dotted favor boxes tied with adorable coordinating ribbons found at Tastefully Entertaining.[via flickr user Northern Transplant]

Bubble Birthday Blow-Out

2009-08-14T15:52:00.007-05:00

After the smashing success of Carter's Cowboy party, my friend Amy asked me to help her plan her daughter, Adeline's, birthday party. Her, almost, 2 year old just looooves bubbles, so she wanted something themed around that. Above are the invitations that I designed for her. To go along with them, I put together a few bubble inspired party ideas.

Below is a fun bubble cake I found on the Flickr site of Debbie Does Cakes. She has some pretty amazing creations. Gift bag or party favor ideas could include "bubble"-gum favors like the ones found on Creative Parties and Showers, bottles of personalized bubbles from Party Wraps and maybe some Mr. Bubble bath soap. You can get a pretty cheap bubble machine online, like the one below, at buycostumes.com. Add some cute "bubbly" plates, plus tons of balloons, and you have yourself one big bubble extravaganza!

Cowboy Mayhem

2009-08-13T12:42:00.009-05:00

I finally have a chance to post the Cowboy Party pictures from my friend Amy in Seattle. She did an amazing job putting together the party plan I sent her. She even came up with a few ideas that were awesome!
In her own words, here are all of the details Amy sent me about her party followed with some great pictures!

Menu: Serving trays will be large foil pans, lunch plates will be foil pie tins. I got the cowboy plates and napkins for the cake. Lunch will consist of hot dogs, baked beans, macaroni salad, watermelon and potato chips. Jan made a chocolate cake which I decorated.
Games: Burlap Sack Race, Cowboy Boot Pinata (filled with candy, little rubber snakes, miniature cowboy and indian figures, cowboy bandaids), Tin Can Shoot Out (tin cans lined up on fence, kids will shoot with water guns to knock off), Lasso the Saw Horse, Capture the Indian (a dad of one of the kids dressed up as an Indian and chased the kids throwing out tootsie rolls and the kids tried to lasso and capture him)
Decorations: I am so mad I forgot to get a picture of the life size cowboy I bought and hung on the front door welcoming guests with a bubble sign that said, "Howdy Partners." Blue and Red streamers. I found Cowboy latex balloons on oreintaltrading.com that were red and blue and had cowboys and horses on them. A Bale of Hay which took 2 hours round trip to pick up, cowboy cutouts from oriental trading co, I decorated brown paper bags with the kid's names (i.e. "Cowboy Josh", etc) and cowboy stickers for the pinata, The treat bags were filled with what is pictured on the table (gold coins, etc) and then they got to take home whatever loot they got in the pinata.

Don't you just love the picture of little Adeline? Her dress was absolutely adorable!

This party plan has been getting a lot of buzz lately! Besides being featured on Creative Parties and Showers a couple weeks ago, yesterday the invitation and sawhorse ideas were used in a feature on Design Dazzle. I am so glad people are taking notice, and getting some idea inspirations. That's what my blog is here for!! So, check it out when you get a chance!

Vroom, Vroom Part 2

2009-08-13T12:17:00.009-05:00

Well, as promised last week, I am posting pictures from Bradens Car themed 1st Birthday Party. I designed the invitations, bubble labels and gift bag labels for Jenna. The decorations she found at a local party store. She bought black and red checkered fabric from the fabric store. Using a few of his toy cars and trucks as accents, the set up was super easy, and very cute. Braden had so much fun with all of his friends and family. That was one tired little boy by the end of the day!

Vroom, Vroom!! Party People, Start Your Engines

2009-07-30T14:13:00.005-05:00

My little cousin Braden is turning one this week. I have had the pleasure of designing and hosting this little guys baby shower and then birth announcements. Now, I get to help with his birthday party. Above are the car and truck themed party invitations I finished this week. He loooooves his toy cars, so naturally that is the theme his mom wanted to go with. She and I will be going all out on Sunday to decorate for this little guys big day. But to give you an idea of some decorating options, below is a great party pack you can buy for ONLY $5 on ETSY. A couple of very talented ladies, Kira and Abigail, at Paper and Cake design these great printables. All you have to do is buy them, and then print them...Its too easy!

Cowboy Up!

2009-07-30T13:17:00.006-05:00

A few months ago I did a blog about Carter's Cowboy Birthday Party. Well, yesterday it was featured on Creative Parties & Showers . This is very exciting for me! So, I hope you will all go to this blog and check it out. PS: I know she mis-typed my name as Toni and not Tina, but who cares! I think I can live with that... ha ha It is an awesome blog, and I am sooo proud to be featured.
On another note, I have been working on tons of invitations lately, so keep checking back for those to be posted as soon as I can. Also to come: Pictures from Carters actual cowboy party! I can't wait to see what Amy came up with!

Pleased to Introduce....

2009-07-15T16:57:00.005-05:00

I just finished this birth announcement for my cousin Ceresa yesterday. This is Matilyn, the newest member of the family! She's very close to the top of the list as one of the prettiest newborns I've seen... I just have a soft spot for those babies born with dark hair and lots of it! She is my little Catiebugs 2nd cousin, and we can't wait til she's old enough to run around with the girls... She has a big sister, Morgan, who is a little over a year older than Catie. Many fun and happy times to come for all of these precious little ones being born this year!

Check It Out

2009-07-14T00:00:00.011-05:00

So, a few months ago I did a Dr. Seuss mood board just for the fun of it. I never in a million years thought it would catch the eye of one of my favorite bloggers, Toni from Design Dazzle, but it did!! She emailed me to ask if she could use it for a Dr. Seuss day on her blog. Of course I said yes, and today it posted!! So, go to her blog and check it out. There are some very creative Seuss inspired rooms to go along with the theme. Not to mention tons of other awesome nursery and kids room ideas.... This will quickly become one of your favorite blogs too!

Easy as 1, 2, 3

2009-07-10T10:53:00.004-05:00

If you are anything like me, you couldn't paint a detailed wall mural if your life depended on it! Well, that's no longer the case. I found these great paint by number wall murals at MoppetMurals on ETSY. These are so simple and very affordable. Not to mention super cute!!

Let Freedom Ring

2009-07-04T12:03:00.005-05:00

I hope all of our friends and family have a great Fourth of July!

Basket-Fantastic!

2009-07-02T11:57:00.007-05:00

With all of the baby showers I have been going to, I thought it would be nice to give some cute, personal home-made baby gifts. You saw the baby items i made for my friend Melissa, who has since had her little girl Briley. (A very big Congrats to her! She is adorable.) Well, this blog is all about gifts made for baby Elliott. She will be joining us very soon, and her baby shower was a little over a month ago. Below are a few items that I made for her. First, is this little ruffle-bum onesie. Her mom is decorating the nursery with cute little birds so I thought it only fitting to make her a birdie onesie. I had so much fun with this. I found out that you can buy adorable quilting squares at the fabric store for about a dollar. They are the perfect size for these crafts. I found 3 coordinating colors and made her a matching pair of little baby booties. They have very soft fleece for the bottoms, and are completely washable! I got the pattern and instructions from a great sewing blog called Stardust Shoes.

After making the onesie, I found a great idea for a sleeper/lounger on ETSY. I figured I could make my own, so taking the extra fabric left over I made this cute, matching lounger. I did each side in different fabric, but it would be cute as all one pattern.

Since I designed the invitations for the shower, I decided to have matching Thank You cards printed. I added a few items like burp cloths and a cute pair of store bought pink tennis shoes to the basket. I tied everything up with matching brown ribbon, and printed out matching labels and congrats card. Wrapped everything up in tulle, and in about a day I had a great little gift basket!

Now, I had to drive about 5 hours to get to this shower, so rather than dragging Catie along I left her overnight with Daddy...As you can see below, when Mommy's away, the kids will play. Apparently, I should have put up my fabrics and tulle before I left!!

Invitations, Cards, Announcements Oh My...

2009-06-11T10:59:00.006-05:00

Well, as most of my friends know, I love to design cards and invitations. Before my blog I had nowhere to show off my favorite designs. Well, that's no longer the case. Here are just a few:

These were baby shower invitations for my friend Tracy's Bird themed party. Keep an eye out for these to pop up again later. I will be doing a whole party idea blog on this one. Its too cute to pass up..

I designed these shower invitations for my cousin Jenna's baby shower. This shower was a lot of fun to throw because not only did I get to do the invites, I also designed water bottle labels, Hershey Miniature wrappers and little matchbooks with Breathsavers inside. I went all out, but it was worth it! Later, after Braden was born we got together to design the birth announcements to match.

These cards below are just a mix of some Christmas cards, birthday party invites and announcements. Well, I have many more projects in the works right now. So check back later for more. I will be working on birthday invitations for little Bella and Braden, wedding announcements and reception invitations for Kelli. So, keeping busy busy!

Coming Attraction!!

2009-06-05T13:48:00.008-05:00

My friend Tracy threw a baby shower for her sister, another friend of mine, Trish. She asked me to design invitations in a movie/red carpet type theme. The inspiration being these great popcorn favor boxes she found... Of course I said yes, and this was the invite I came up with.
Unfortunately, I did not get to attend the shower since I was out of town. I heard it was super cute though. She served fun "Movie Theater" type foods. I don't know exactly what was on her menu. But, if I had to guess I would say a hot dog station, bowls of popcorn, a movie themed candy bar and of course those huge pickles.(yum) You could also add a nacho cheese fountain and mini burgers if you have the time. Now, I do know that she had an awesome popcorn bucket shaped cake with little popcorn cupcakes. Definitely a must! Another great idea Tracy had was to take movie posters that had pregnant people on them, and paste Trish and Davids faces onto them. I did get to see these, and they were hilarious! I think she used posters from the movies Junior and Juno. A great shower game would be name that celebrity baby. With a red carpet leading to the door, and a bunch of fun movie inspired balloons and decorations any expecting mom can be a star! Good Job Tracy!

Nice Day for a White Wedding....Shower!

2009-06-04T10:57:00.005-05:00

So, my friend Casey asked me to design an 80's theme wedding shower invitation for her, and put together some party ideas. I was absolutely thrilled to do so. This had to be one of the funnest parties I've researched in a while! From a "totally awesome" themed candy bar, to fun neon decorations. I think she will be able to pull this party off with a bang. So, to give credit where credit is due, here are some sites that I pulled some inspiration from...

Thoughtful Day Blog had a great 80's theme baby shower. This is where I pulled the colorful balloons and rubix cube/garbage pail kids/mario bros cake from.

Entertain Exchange has instructions for the 80's themed jello centerpieces with the light up faux ice cubes. I also like the idea of using zebra print scrapbook paper to add a little punch to the tables...throw some hot pink tulle on there and you are totally retro.

Oriental Trading has the retro headband sunglasses and neon plate sets.

Ashcroft Photography Blog is where I found the neat photos of the 80's table decor, and movie/toy themed centerpieces. Those have to be my favorite with the Slinky's kind of tumbling out of the baskets...Love it!!

And any 80's party wouldn't be complete without a photo op! Definitely set up a "prom" type background, or a fun splatter painted drop cloth with life size cutouts of your favorite 80's characters. Using a Polaroid camera or just your digital one, let everyone take fun pictures. They can carry them home with a goody bag, or later the bride and groom can use their digital copies in Thank You cards... Lots of options for this party!! Enjoy.

Fantastic Friday Finds

2009-05-22T08:43:00.009-05:00

I hope everyone is ready for a great Memorial Day weekend! I know I sure am. I have been super busy this week working on some new baby items(will post later). I have also found a lot of great things online this week. To start, I will begin with my favorite:

The Party Dress

This is a new blog I happened upon earlier in the week. I am absolutely in love! They have all sorts of great party ideas, recipes and tips. It is such a pretty, bright colored blog. It really catches your attention, like the Memorial Day mood board below... Check it out! You will love it too.

Yoga Today

Being a stay at home mom, I rarely find time to leave the house. So, needless to say, an exercise class or workout is usually far from possible. Well, for some reason it popped into my head to search YouTube for free online yoga classes. While looking I found a website that specializes in just that!! It is called Yoga Today, and every morning they post a new 1 hour yoga class for anyone who wants to watch. The best part is, they leave them up on their website. You can search through tons of archived classes, with all types of skill levels. They film in the most tranquil, beautiful settings. Now, I did find out the hard way that I would definitely need to wait for Catie to take a nap before attempting to pay attention to someone other than her... While in downward dog position, she was crawling underneath my arms trying to give me kisses on the face, and in plank position she was crawling on my back...Yes, it was adorable(not to mention added resistance), but not too productive! ha ha

Tooth Tissues

And last, but not least, the smartest baby product ever!!! I have the hardest time brushing Catie's tiny little teeth. Especially when she pushes the toothbrush out of her mouth with her tongue. These little tissues just wipe off the icky tooth gunk, and are totally safe and natural. You can find them at Whole Foods and Central Market. Of course if you don't have one of those stores nearby, you can always order them online.

Tell me the person who invented these isn't awesome! I wish I could be that smart..

Carter's Cowboy Birthday

2009-05-17T14:02:00.006-05:00

Hey Friends, This is a sample of Carter's Cowboy Birthday Party that I helped plan for my dear friend Amy. Unfortunately, she lives ALL the way up in Seattle so I couldn't be there personally, but I sent her a fun step by step party plan that she can easily pull off all on her own! So, here it is, and maybe it's something that might help someone else!

1st, Invitations:
Take a picture in a cowboy hat or western scene and make a cool wanted poster as the invitation.

2nd, Decorations:
I would borrow 3 or 4 card tables and chairs. Cover them with red table cloths and over that I would lay white or brown butcher paper. If you are having it outside, or even inside, I would then take rope and tie the corners of the cloth to the legs of the table in a rough knot. Get a few cheap tin buckets, www.bucket-outlet.com/2qthook.htm, and put a bandanna inside for some color. Tie a rope around it and use them as centerpieces. Fill them with crayons, stickers, markers etc…and just let the kids have a ball writing on the tables.
I would buy some red and white checkered fabric and use that on the buffet, and/or dessert table. If you have a wicker basket, throw a couple of bandannas in it and fill it with bread or chips, etc. You can buy cheap bandannas at the craft store, like Michaels or Hobby Lobby. I think they are about 1.00 a piece.
Get a bunch of balloons, I always like to use 50 or so, and I think the colors butterscotch, real red and jade are great. You can get a pack of 6 for .75 at http://www.buycostumes.com/
I also always use streamers. I love to twist them, and hang them in the doorways, archways, etc. These are the colors I would use, flame red, turquoise and brown. You can find these also at buycostumes.com for $1.00 each.. I like to twist two colors together and just alternate. Then, use a stapler to attach them to the walls, staple holes are so tiny, and they don’t leave behind a big mark.
I would buy a pack of red solo cups and fill each one with a napkin(probably yellow), a set of plastic utensils and a straw. You can place one at each chair or line them all up at the buffet.
The Giddy Up Cowboy 10” Dinner plates are perfect to set out at the buffet. Also available at http://www.buycostumes.com/

I love the idea of having a little western scene that you can have each child get their picture taken at… Then, use those pictures later as your thank you cards.
It’s not necessary to make a huge cutout. You could just find an empty corner and use these cute cowboy, cactus and barn wall decals to make your own(probably easier). The cowboy is $3.00, the cactus is $7.00 and the wall decals are $3.00 at http://www.buycostumes.com/.

3rd, Games and Activities:
First after all the kids arrive gather them up and have an adult teach the kids how to be a "real cowboy."

1) How to dress like cowboys (give them their hats and bandannas)
2) How to talk like cowboys (say 'howdy' for hello, 'grub' for food, etc.)
3) How to walk like a cowboy
4) How to 'rope' like a cowboy (with a hula hoop, plain or wrapped in rope)

Once the kids have learned how to be cowboys, they get their deputy badges (cheap silver badges from the party store). You can buy 12 for $4.94 on ebay, and they also have some the kids can write their names on…too cute!

Next have a mini rodeo…
Take a hula hoop and wrap it with rope to simulate a lasso… Make a Horse using an old sawhorse or a stuffed animal, and set it up as a lasso game. Give each kid 3 tries to rope the horse, 1 point if they get close, 3 points if the rope him, and -1 point if they overshoot…

Use some old burlap bags or brown pillowcases, and have an old fashioned potato sac race.

And finally, have a barrel race. Buy a couple of stick horses, or make your own with brown paper and wooded dowels from Lowes. Then take 3 coffee cans, or large round buckets and cover them with a paper sac and draw lines down the sides of them to make it look like barrels. Set them up in a triangle shape and have the kids race around them in a clover pattern. Time each kid, and the fastest one around without knocking any over wins…
The good thing about these games is that if you have help, you can have 2 or 3 kids at each event and then rotate… at the end have a winners circle and they can get these cute rodeo medals to take home… http://www.perfectpartybycody.com/welcome/Rodeo_Cowboy/a1_b416.html

Food:
I would use disposable pie tins with the clear plastic lids. You can get a pack of 2 or 3 at Wal-Mart for a dollar or two. And then make the kids box lunches, with maybe a sandwich, or piece of fried chicken, bag of chips, baked beans or beanie weenies and a fruit cup. Then maybe set out a buffet of BBQ, beans, coleslaw and drinks for the parents.. A few chips and dips for snacking, etc…
I would then make cupcakes, or buy them, in Carter’s favorite flavor. And decorate the tops with a simple miniature plastic horse, or have the bakery make them with a cute cowboy theme.

At the end of the party, all the kids get a small paper sack with a $ sign on it… Their “loot” bags, tied with a little twine around the top, filled with chocolate gold coins, trail mix, cowboy stickers etc…

Since Carter's party isn't til next month, I have been promised some pictures. So, I will definitely post them when I get them!
I hope my cowboy themed party inspires you!

Ballerina Birthday Soiree

2009-05-13T19:51:00.007-05:00

Hey all! As most of you know I love to design invitations, birth announcements, party accessories, etc. So today, when I found these great ballerina invitations from a while back I thought I would have a little fun with them. I have so many designs just sitting on my computer, I think I am going to start posting them on mood boards like these. Along with the invites I will share my ideas for great party decor and food. So, keep checking back for more party inspirations. Enjoy!

Old T-Shirt, New Toddler Skirt

2009-05-11T16:18:00.010-05:00

Today I decided to get some new use out of an old t-shirt. I made a cute little skirt for Catie out of my old, Old 97's t-shirt. It never really fit me right, and just sat in my closet unless I decided to wear it to bed. Well, that's just not a good enough life for one of my favorite band's T's... So, now Miss Mae gets to sport a very cool look.
I started off with a dress that fits Catie pretty good, and used it as a guide to cut my pattern.
Next, I pinned my two pieces right sides together and stitched 1/4 inch seams up the sides.Then, I folded over the top and stitched a waistband wide enough to thread my elastic through. I could have left it alone then, but it needed a little more. So, I cut two strips and using a gathering stitch, made a ruffle for the bottom.
After that, I stitched the ruffles together, then pinned them to the bottom of the skirt. I ran a small stitch along the bottom, snipped my threads, and Voila!!

I can't wait for her to get home, so I can try it on her! I will post a pic as soon as I can. ;-)

And here it is! Also had to throw in a pic of Michael...

Sew Bored

2009-05-09T15:08:00.010-05:00

I came across some onesies that my little Catiebug can't wear anymore. The sleeves and width are just fine, its the length that is too small. Her torso has gotten too long for them. So, I came up with a great solution to recycle them into little summer dresses. I am very excited to get more use out of them because some she only wore a couple of times. Check out my pictures. It was really easy to do, and it only took me about 15 minutes.Besides being a little bored today, here are some pictures of projects that have definitely been keeping me busy this past month.

These were gifts for a friend of mine, Melissa. She is expecting her first baby, little Briley, in June. This is a little onesie with 3 different appliques. They have Velcro on the backs so you can change them as often as you like.(Mel loves bumble bees, hence the play on words)

This onesie is my favorite, its called a ruffle bum. The fabric is made to fray in the wash. The more you wash it, the more "ruffly" the bum will get.

Then of course, I had to make her a pettiskirt for newborn pictures. (those are super hard and time consuming!!!) but definitely worth the effort...And last but not least an initial blanket. It just happens to match her baby bedding...

This is an initial blanket and a couple of onesies I made for my cousin's Sister-in-Law. She is also having a new baby, Cohen.

There was also my Easter brunch, which I blogged about in March. I made all of the food, and it was great. Everyone especially loved the ham and potato bake. I will definitely use that recipe again. These were the favors I made for everyone to take home. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of the buffet before it was demolished. Oh well... Maybe next time.

So, its no surprise as to why I have been slacking on my blog lately! ha ha. Well, I hope to get back into the swing of things soon. I promise to try and keep coming up with new blogs and new ideas...

Every Breath Counts

2009-04-24T09:26:00.003-05:00

I wanted to share with all of my mom-to-be's, a product that literally helped me sleep at night. It's called The Respisense. For anyone who has had a newborn you know the terror that comes with thinking that your baby could just stop breathing in the middle of the night. It's a fear that will wake you up from a dead sleep. You find yourself running into the nursery every hour or so just to feel his/her chest and make sure they are fine. Well, I found this product online when Catie was about 2 months old. She, like many babies, absolutely would not sleep on her back. She would just wiggle around and cry constantly. So, I decided to try to find something that would help alert me if anything were to go wrong while she slept on her tummy. That's when I came upon this little device. You just clip the monitor onto the babies diaper or shirt, and if there is no breathing movements for 20 seconds it sounds a little alarm. Yes, it did fall off once or twice and scared the crap out of me, but 2 false alarms was definitely better than what could have been. It's only available in the US through a website called StorkRadio.com, and they run about $130 each. But, they have a 2 year guarantee, and if there is anything wrong with it they will send you a new one. It may seem a little expensive, but when you can actually sleep through the night with peace of mind, that is priceless!

Slackin' On My Bloggin'

2009-04-21T11:43:00.006-05:00

I know I am slacking on my blog right now. I just wanted to let everyone know I am still here, and have a TON to blog about. I am super busy with baby showers, trips and weddings all coming up very, very soon. I promise I will sit down, as soon as I get a break, and update everyone on all of the great stuff going on. Until then, here are a couple pictures of my little pride and joy. I hope they put a smile on your face.

Sweet Tweats

2009-04-10T10:31:00.008-05:00

Well, Easter is upon us gang, and I just wanted to send out some good wishes! I designed the picture above as a card, but didn't have enough time to have them printed. So, rather than mailing a nice Easter card, I am posting it for all my friends...
Below are some more Easter inspirations from the Bakerella Blog. These awesome cake pops are very festive and according to the directions, super easy to make. I am going to try my hand at these little treats this weekend for my brunch on Sunday. If I can remember to take pics, I will post them, and let you know if they are as easy as they seem.. Happy Easter everyone!

Gerber Who??

2009-04-09T14:31:00.004-05:00

A friend of mine recently sent me a link to this amazing product. It is called the Beaba Babycook from Williams Sonoma. This handy dandy little machine not only steams fresh fruits, meats, fish and vegetables, but when its done it will puree them to your desired consistency. I don't know how much more fool-proof a device can be. But wait, there's more, it can also be used to defrost or reheat previously pureed food. Just imagine how much money you will save on baby food! So, for those of you determined to make your own baby food, this is a must on your gift registries! Thanks for the tip Leah...

Happy Hour

2009-04-06T12:10:00.005-05:00

I am definitely going to have to try this recipe at our next party......Cinco De Mayo is coming up soon...

Margarita Bites

2 cups boiling water
2 pkg. (3 oz. each) JELL-O Margarita Flavor Gelatin (or lime flavored)
1/2 cup tequila or cold water
Zest and juice from 1 lime
2 cups thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

ADD boiling water to gelatin mixes in large bowl; stir with whisk 2 min. until completely dissolved. Stir in tequila and 2 Tbsp. lime juice. Add COOL WHIP and 1 tsp. lime zest; stir until COOL WHIP is completely melted and mixture is well blended.
POUR into 8-inch square pan.
REFRIGERATE 3 hours or until firm. Cut into 36 pieces to serve.

Pacing the Panic Room

2009-04-03T17:25:00.004-05:00

If you get a chance, check out this blog. It is so cute! I love the little notes that the dad-to-be is writing to the baby. Not to mention how freakin adorable the mom is. Some people are just super creative!

The Doctor Is In

2009-03-28T12:54:00.006-05:00

With all of the pregnant people in my life right now, I have to admit that it has brought out the possibility of another baby in our future...Not the near future, but maybe in about 2 years. So, of course my mind naturally wanders towards the nursery decor. I have to say that I am pretty positive it will be Dr. Seuss themed. I had Catie's nursery figured out 3 years before she ever arrived. I always knew it would be Disney. Over the years I collected Disney art prints and accessories. Well, now its time for some Seuss. I came across this amazing Cartoon Furniture website and couldn't think of anything other than the good old Doctor. It is a great, fun theme and it could definitely be for a boy or girl. Take a look at the amazing Green Eggs and Ham bed I found online. While searching for inspiration I saw this room at nancyhadley.com. She is an amazing artist to come up with that. It is so creative, and can you believe that is a girls room!!

Rock & Roll...Coochi Coo

2009-03-27T10:07:00.008-05:00

This has to be one of the coolest baby ideas I've seen in a while. At Bellydancebaby.com they have Cd's from great bands such as Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, U2 and Coldplay that have been remade into baby lullabies. I am constantly finding myself singing those ridiculous songs from the preschool shows my daughter watches. Instead I can put this in and sing along to good music. Now I just can't decide which to buy first, Led Zeppelin or the Beatles! Paired with a great vintage inspired onesie or adorable Yellow Submarine toddler dress, you will have the hippest kid on the playground...

On the Road...Finally!?!

2009-03-25T16:25:00.005-05:00

Well, summer is on our doorstep, and I think its about time I finally did something with our RV. Most of you know that Michael and I bought the RV about a year ago, right before we moved to Midland. And as you probably guessed, its been sitting in an RV Storage lot ever since. So, I have finally decided to redo the interior. I am going to be using all of these fun colors and textiles.

I will be covering the fold out bed/couch in this nice mossy green color, and accenting it with the floral print throw pillows(all from IKEA). The striped fabric is going to be made into a table runner and dishtowels. I will be making a table using the dark colored wood, painting the cabinets a chocolate brown, and redoing the counter tops in white laminate. I am going to paint the interior this nice sea blue color and have found these adorable melamine camping dishes and napkins for just a few bucks each online. I will be blogging about my progress, so keep an eye out for more to come.
I am hoping to have everything finished by the end of May for our first RV road trip this summer. I have no idea where we will go yet, but I'm sure it will be fun!

Eat Your Veggies

2009-03-24T10:17:00.015-05:00

For all of my mom-to-be friends, I just wanted to share two baby products that have saved a little of my sanity this past year. If you know anything about babies, you know how messy and crazy self feeding can be. If you know anything about me, you know how obsessively organized and clean I like to have things. Luckily, I bought two products(at two completely different times) that ended up helping me keep things that way.

I always knew I would want a travel style hook on high chair, so after buying 2 that didn't fit the table or bar at my house, I finally found the perfect one. This Chicco Travel Chair is perfect for both. The adjustable bars open all the way down to fit even the thickest of tables. It breaks down into 4 pieces, and comes with a carrying case. We have also used it in restaurants and it works perfectly. Unfortunately, the colors aren't that great, but for its purpose it doesn't really matter.

When Catie started to self feed, I tried to give her a plate with her food on it, and of course it ended up on the floor. For a while I would just put the food on the table for her. That worked until she was eating things like pasta and foods with sauces on them. I found this cute little plate and utensil set by SkipHop on a baby website. (which has recently filed for bankruptcy, but not to worry, I did a little digging and found both items available on Amazon.com)

I ordered it for her thinking it might help keep the plate on the table. When I got it, the base was too wide to fit between the hooks on her chair. Not being one to admit defeat, I kept messing with it, and finally figured out that if you take the fork and spoon off the plate it would slide perfectly underneath the chair hooks. So, now even if she wanted to pick up the plate and throw it, she can't. The little white plate snaps into the base and she has tried countless times to get that thing out with no success. It has proven to be a terrific accident.

A Splash of Summer

2009-03-12T16:30:00.009-05:00

Lilly Pulitzer is the actual name of the woman who started this fashion line in the late 50's. She was school friends with Jackie Bouvier (future Jackie O.). Then, when she was 19, she eloped with one of the Pulitzers (the same family that gave its name to the Pulitzer Prize). The Pulitzers moved to Palm Beach so her husband could work for the family orange business. Tired of sitting around with nothing to do Lilly opened a citrus juice stand. She had some dresses made out of citrus-colored prints to hide the fact that she was often covered in orange juice. And from this came 50 years of beautiful (timeless)dresses, swimsuits, hats, children's clothing and so much more...I just love the colors and prints. You can barely tell which is vintage, and which is new. It all makes me think about warm sun, sipping mojitos, and playing at the beach. So, as I pack for my 5 day ski trip to Colorado tomorrow, my head will be swimming with warm summer thoughts. Enjoy your weekends, and I will have plenty to write about when I get back next week!

Felt Never Looked So Good...or Scrumptious

2009-03-08T16:24:00.004-05:00

As most of you know, I'm a little obsessed with the play food crafts these days. I'm not really sure why, but I just think they are adorable. It's probably because I wish that I would have had all this great stuff to play make believe with when I was younger...Oh well. So today as I was searching for some blog inspiration, I came across these great crafts on Etsy.com. A very talented mom of two comes up with these brilliant felt patterns in her spare time and sells them under the name GulfCoastCottage. You can buy them for a steal at $5.99 each... These nine photos just barely skim the surface. She has tons more to choose from. My favorite part is that not only do you get cute food, but she gives you patterns to make accessories too like the BBQ grill and toaster.

Zen Baby

2009-03-07T22:37:00.005-06:00

What super chic, future world saving fashionista wouldn't want to run around in one of these adorable kimono dresses from Jaminga.com? Not only are they cute, but 100% organic cotton. I happened upon this little website earlier today, and just fell in love with it. They have tons of organic clothing, as well as baby toys, maternity clothing with a punk twist and lots of other fun stuff. Its rock and roll, meets tree hugger....

Tea for Two...

2009-03-05T00:17:00.021-06:00

Well, I have finally finished the reading table that Nana bought for little Miss Catie. I loved the idea of having a cute little table just her size in the nursery. Of course, once I opened the box, my head became a flutter of ideas. I knew I couldn't just put the table in her room as is.... So, here is my journey to the perfect Tea Party....

I started with this simple little table and chair set from IKEA. They are the perfect size, and at just $25 you can't go wrong. Unfortunately, they are not available to order online. Since my Mom lives right by an IKEA I gave her the option to buy it and give it to Catie for her birthday, or buy it and I would give it to her.

So, before I assembled it I decided to use up some of the leftover paint I have from Catie's room. It was hard to narrow it down to two colors, but I did.

First, I painted the chairs with two coats of purple, and then the table with two coats of blue paint. Second, I decided that since her bedroom has a Disney theme I would add a small Mickey Mouse head onto the back of each chair. I left everything out overnight to dry.

Third, I painted everything with a thin coat of Mod Podge (can be found at any craft store). This gave it a nice shiny seal. Let that dry, and assembled the table and chairs.

Now, at this stage it was a very cute set, and I could have stopped there. But, of course I had to take it a little further and make some chair cushions. Since I have lowered her crib all the way down, I have no use for the crib skirt I made, so decided to re purpose the striped fabric. I found some coordinating blue fleece remnants from some pillows I made and used this as a backing.

First, measure the seat of the chair, mine came out to 11x11. Add an extra inch for seam allowance, and cut 4 squares of fabric at 12x12. Next, find some ribbon that matches the fabric and cut 4 12 inch ties(2 for each cushion). Fold the ribbon in half and place each tie an inch from each corner along one side of the square. The ties should be between the two coordinating fabric squares, and the squares should be right sides together. Pin all around the square. Sew a half inch seam around the entire square, leaving about 3-4 inches open on one side. Snip across each corner of the square, making sure not to cut your seam,(this will make for a crisp corner). Flip everything right side out through the opening you left, and iron down your edges. You can stop here and just stuff the cushion, or you can go ahead and sew tufts. Measure where you want your tufts to be, and sew a button on each marking, or use a needle and thread and sew an x on each mark. Finally, stuff the cushions with poly fill and either hand stitch the openings closed, or do what I do, and just use stitch witchery and a hot iron. The very last step is to tie them to your chairs and sit... This can also work for pillows too. Just don't add the ties.

MY FINAL PRODUCT!!!

So, after all this work the final payoff was an adorable tea party with my little Catiebug...Priceless!

"EGG"-Cellent Easter Brunch

2009-03-03T10:18:00.006-06:00

Well, on April 12th Easter will be upon us. And if you're anything like me, you are always looking for a reason to entertain friends or family. This year, I think I am going to go with this simple brunch menu I came up with. Most of these items can be made a day ahead and warmed in the oven, which will make for a nice, stress free Easter Sunday.

Menu Items:
French Toast/Fruit Kebabs
Ham and Potato Bake
Brown Sugar Bacon
Birds Nest Cookies
Corn Bacon Muffins
Spring Salad with Tangy Vinaigrette
Mimosa Punch
As for decorations, Easter Eggs are the perfect, and easy, way to go. Below are just a few inspiring photos I found. Personally, I prefer the more bright sunny colors, to the muted pastels. I also couldn't pass up the adorable Peeps fondue idea. Although I like it very much, I am thinking that I will probably make chocolate dipped Peeps, and give them as favors to take home. The yarn egg decorations are a great idea too, and very easy to make. These would be perfect for any party, and much cheaper than the paper lanterns you usually find.

Nine to Grow On

2009-03-01T19:05:00.012-06:00

Our wonderful friends, Kelli and Brendan, of NinePhotography sent me this little teaser yesterday. They are a great couple, and awesome photographers. We met them a little over a year ago, when I luckily stumbled across their website. After going through gallery after gallery of wonderful pictures, I just had to hire them to take our maternity photos. Since then, we have had them do Catie's 6 month pics and most recently her 1st birthday party. We are very lucky to know them, and can't wait to see more of the genius photos they have for us. So, until then, these little teasers are going to have to do....

Rubber Ducky, You're Definitely the One!

2009-02-28T09:06:00.007-06:00

How adorable is this baby shower idea? I came across it on the Hostess With the Mostess blog.(one of my super favorites) This would be especially great for a Mom who is not finding out the sex of the baby. (Do they even do that anymore?) My favorite part is the cute styrofoam bubbles. It is very creative and could definitely be "pinked" up for a little girl....

It could also, very easily, be adjusted into a birthday party theme. The next shower I host will definitely be something along these lines! Look out Ceresa, you may be seeing Duckies in your near future!

Posh Poncho AND Beautiful Blankie?!?

2009-02-27T22:44:00.012-06:00

As I was doing my daily blog reading, I came upon this item posted on Posh Little. I immediately fell in love with the idea. I only have one complaint, if you go to the website that sells these sweet little ponchos you will be shelling out $56 for just one!
Now, I must take on the challenge, and try to make one of these myself... I bet you guys I can figure it out, and spend less than $10. And since a lot of my girlfriends have, or are having, baby girls, they can probably expect to get one of these soon!

Pie A La Mode

2009-02-26T17:08:00.012-06:00

So, in case you weren't aware, I watch the Martha Stewart Show everyday. I absolutely love her! A few days ago, she had a lady on who was showing us how to make these adorable felt cherry pies. I think I am going to have to give it a try. I will let you know how it turns out.

She also makes cute little donuts and cookies. Unfortunately, there was no tutorial for those! I will have to try and figure them out for myself.

Now, I realize Catie is a little too young to be interested in these toys, but I just can't help myself. I figure since I have the time now, I might as well make her some and I can save them for later. Who knows how busy I will be in a year or two?!?!
***********************************************************************************
For Catie's first birthday, I commissioned my Mom(aka Nana) to make her some adorable crocheted cupcakes. The ones below were selling online for $31.99 plus shipping, and I just knew that she could whip them out for pennies..

And boy did she! Take a look, I think she did a phenomenal job. I keep telling her she needs to open an Etsy shop to sell her stuff.

Rather than the little felt holder that the original cupcakes came in, I found a great little cupcake box at Hobby Lobby that fit perfectly. Plus, I really loved the bright colors it came in... So, if you know anyone who would like a set of these fun cupcakes, I think I can hook you up.

Well, this concludes my very first blog! I hope you enjoyed it, and look for many more to come. My head is always twirling with ideas...