Birthday Party: Zebra {with a touch of poodle}

 Sophia's party was so much fun and we were so fortunate to be able to celebrate her special day with our amazing family and friends. We are so blessed to have each and everyone of them in our lives. Our daughter does not lack in the love department... she has so many people who love her so much!

Remember those coffee filter pom-poms? Well they made an appearance at her party in the form or table decorations!

 I threw around the idea of putting her canvas on the front door, but decided instead to use it to decorate the gift table. I used a easel to stand it up and tossed a few pom-pom balls around it for good measure.

 I took the wire grate off of an old gate that was on our side yard and used it above the outdoor fireplace at my parent's house to hang all of Sophia's weekly pictures (not going to lie... so glad that little project is done and over with).

 Less than a week before her party I still had no idea what I was going to do for a smash cake. I wanted something to match her party, but I was not finding anything I liked. So I enlisted the help of my mother-in-law who enjoys cake decorating and she made this for her. Isn't it so cute?!?!

I did a sweets table outside also. I hung all the ruffled streamers and put up a zebra stripped "sweets" sign. On the sweets table I put out zebra cupcake liners that had ice cream scooped inside, chocolate dipped pretzel rods, as well as some cupcakes in {baby food} jars. Next to this table I had a decorating station where people could pop the lid off of their cupcake and decorate them with frosting and sprinkles!

I created lots of printables that matched her theme. I created cards for the food tables, stickers that I used on the cupcake jars, and note cards that said remember when for our guests to write their favorite Sophia memory. Of course there was also LOTS of pictures all over the place of her first year. 

We decided to wait to let her have any cake till her party. So her little mouth had never tasted the goodness that is frosting! It was so fun to watch her reaction and to see her dig in for the first time. As you can see by the bottom picture on the left she was not too happy when cake time was over!

Lastly, her birthday outfit is the one thing that I did not create myself (well, and the smash cake). I actually got the entire outfit custom made (the tu-tu, embroidered onesie and bows) on etsy from a shop called tutu2cute. She did an amazing job, got it to me quickly and customized perfectly everything I asked for. 

Letting the dust settle...

This weekend was a whirlwind of birthday mayhem... and I am still recovering... let me catch my breath!


I have so many cute details that I can't wait to share with you, but I haven't even looked through the pictures of the party yet (and as those who know me personally can attest that is CRAZY because I am almost as obsessed with looking at pictures of the party as I am with throwing the party).  I will be back on Wednesday to share lots of the crafty birthday details with you all (side note: the cupcakes in a jar turned out A-MA-ZING!)


So, be sure to check back on Wednesday to see how we celebrated our little peanut's first year!


Pssstttt... check out the video the hubs put together that we showed at her party on Saturday (I totally had to avert my attention to something else when we showed this to keep myself from folding up in the fetal position and full on doing the ugly cry) 

{ruffled} streamers

We are in full on birthday mode in our house this week. My baby girl turns one on Friday and her party is on Saturday. One thing is for sure, when you have a mom who loves to get a little crafty, a birthday can not pass without some serious homemade decorations going on. I already showed you the pom-pom puffs and  the zebra platters that I made {by the way, I took your suggestions and will be adding a little monogram to them this week}, but I wanted to give you one other sneak peak into her party. 

A few weeks ago, I was at the dollar tree and I picked up a couple packages of streamers {black, white & hot pink}. I knew I would fancy em' up a bit before the party but was not really sure what I was going to do. So I went online and did a little browsing and found this tutorial and I was in heaven! If you have not checked out some of Dana's amazing creations over at Made get on over there and check it out... you will not be disappointed! 

I am not even going to leave you with a tutorial of how I did my streamers, because I seriously followed her directions exactly and it worked perfectly! I will just leave you with some pictures {because what's a post without pictures?}

What I love most about this project is you do not have to be an expert sewer.... I mean really, you don't even have to be able to sew a straight line. My lines on my streamers are not super straight, but I like it that way, it helps them curl a little more when hung, and gives it even more texture!

Happy Giving Birth Day to MEEEEE!!!!

This week, baby #5 {aka, Hannah} turned 11! My fabulous husband brought home 18 of these beauties to thank me for birthing our kiddo :) He's a keeper!

It was a pool party/polka dot theme, here a few of my favorite shots from the day {more to come, I promise!}

yep, I stole *ehem borrowed Rachelle's idea for using baby food jars {did some traditional cup cakes also, I liked them being different heights :)} for her cup cakes. Word to the wise... they WILL cook over and make the jars messy if you fill them too full. I did mine about 3/4 full-ish and made a big mess, but I decided that it added texture {others might call this laziness, I called it "creativeness" ;)} and left them as they were. Guess what?? No one cared!

** can I just point out really quick how insanely cute my cousin's son is?! Hannah isn't too bad herself! ;)**

zebra tray {diy style}

My daughter is turning one in about 3 weeks, and I have been trying to do a little here and there to keep myself for feeling overwhelmed right before the party. I knew a few months back that I wanted to use zebra print and hot pink in her party {with a little flair of poodle... I know that sounds strange but I promise it will be so cute... just you wait}. 


I started searching a few weeks back for some cute zebra print serving trays. Here are a few that I found that I loved...

"More than Paper" Zebra Tray- $40

M & N's Custom Monogrammed Gifts- $42

Haiti Gallery Art & Home Decor- $24.95

Any of these trays would have been a perfect fit for the party, the only problem was the price. I am working with a pretty tight budget for this party, and I could in no way justify spending that much on something that was going to be used for one party {I am sure I would reuse it for other special occasions, but not that often}. 


So, I decided to create my own zebra tray{s} and they turned out perfect for what I needed. It took me about 30 minutes to make both trays and it required no glueing, no sewing, and no clean-up! 

{what you need}:
~cookie tray {I picked up 2 at the dollar store}- $2
~ zebra print duct tape {I got mine at Michaels with a 40% off coupon}- $2.99
GRAND TOTAL {for both trays}- $4.99


Disclaimer: I did not take pictures of the process... in fact the tray in the above picture is one of my old cookie trays, hence the reason it looks a bit *ahem* loved. I will try to explain the process the best that I can.


{here's what I did}:
{one} cut 4 small strips of duct tape and attach them to your four corners {this is important because it creates a buffer, in case all your corners don't line up perfectly}
{two} cut and stick long strips down on the top of your tray, going slightly up on the walls of your tray. 
{three} cut strips of duct tape the length {plus a little wiggle room} of the four sides of you tray. 
{four} doing one side at a time cover the four walls of your tray, lining up the edge of your duct tape to the place were the flat part of your tray and the wall match up and then working up and around the back edge. 
{five} continue with all four walls and you are done!

{what I LOVE about this tray}:
~ It wipes down easily without worrying that you are going to ruin it.
~ When you get bored of the zebra print you can remove all the duct tape and make a different try to match your next party {or better yet just cover over the duct tape}
~ It was EASY!
~ It didn't cost an arm and a leg {I think that may be my favorite part}

I am still throwing around the idea of adding a little monogram to it but I am not sure yet. The tray will be used for food, so the monogram will most likely end up covered up... Hmmmm.... What do you all think? Should I add the monogram or leave it as is?

Reusable Grocery Bags

Starting October 15th, Portland will be banning the use of plastic bags at grocery stores. The hope is that it will help the environment and reduce the hazards that these bags cause on marine life. Those that passed the ban {and those in favor of it} also hope that it will be an incentive for shoppers to bring their own reusable bags to the store with them {the ban only keeps grocers from using plastic bags, paper bags are still available to customers}. 


James' Grandma's birthday is coming up, and as I was brainstorming ideas for what to do for her, this {soon-to-be} ban was brought to my attention. I figured making her some reusable produce and grocery bags would be such a great and practical gift since she lives in the city. 


I threw around the idea of using one of my reusable bags as a pattern, but I found a great pattern at JoAnn's that was cute and different, and decided that using that would be a better idea {and cause much less grief than going at it alone}. I used this See & Sew Butterick pattern. 

It really was very easy, just like the pattern says! The most difficult part was the bias tape. Am I the only one that can not, for the life of me, sew a straight line when I am sewing bias tape! OYE! To cover up my less than perfect seem, I used a decorative hem on my sewing machine... it turned out super cute and actually made me really happy that my first hem came out *ahem* less then straight. 


After I sewed the grocery bag, I decided to also make some cute produce bags but I was having a hard time deciding how I wanted them to look. I threw around the idea of making them out of mesh fabric, but I happened to find a yard of muslim in the remnant bin and decided to just do that instead.


Once I got home I just started cutting... seriously! I went into making the produce bags with NO IDEA how I wanted them to look or what size I wanted them to be. 

The first bag I cut ended up being about the same size as a standard plastic bag you get on the produce aisle. I did the embellishment BEFORE I sewed the bag together. To do the embellishment I cut a long strip of my leftover flower fabric and sewed up the middle using the longest stitch on my machine. Then to ruffle it I carefully pulled the bottom thread. Once I got the right amount of ruffle I pinned it down in a big letter P {the P is for his Grandma's last name, but it also could stand for produce, since that is what will go in there}. I sewed the P in place with my sewing machine {word to the wise... when sewing your ruffle into place the quicker you sew the better your ruffle will stay evenly ruffled. If you go to slow, the machines foot will push the ruffle out of your material}. Next I sewed up the side and the bottom right side out, and then put it inside out, pressed it, and sewed again {making a french seam}. Lastly, I sewed the top by making a little pocket for the cording by folding the top over twice and sewing close to the edge... you know what I mean, right? Then I added the cording by attaching the end to a safety pin and sliding it through the pocket. 

The second bag I made is a bread/baguette bag. This bag is actually the exact same size of fabric as the produce bag, except I folded the material the hotdog way versus the hamburger way. I also added the ruffle before sewing it together. I did the ruffle the same way as before, but instead did a little stripe of the flower fabric. 


These bags turned out so cute, that I was very tempted to keep them for myself and just bring his Grandma some flowers for her birthday!

The wrapping turned out to cute that I had to share as well. I folded and wrapped all three bags in tissue paper, and then cut two large rectangles a little bigger than the biggest wrapped bag. 

I sewed up three sides of the brown paper, put the three folded bags inside, and then sewed up the fourth side {be careful that your paper is big enough that when you sew up the final side, you don't accidentally sew into your gift}. 

Lastly, I made a cute bow out of the leftover scraps {I attached the bow to a hair clip and stuck the clip through the paper to get it to stay}. 

Then I made a card out of some leftover ruffle and card stock.  To finish the card off, I sewed a leaf pattern to hold the two pieces of card stock together, and attached the card to the gift with the bow!

I even made a bow for Soph's hair to match. This bow took about 10 minutes, from start to finish. And all that was required was a clip, hot glue and fabric... THAT'S IT!!!! 


Easy+adorable= winning combination! 


Check back Wednesday for a tutorial of how I made the bow for her hair!


I linked up to Someday Crafts... go check it out for even more inspiration!

How to: Build a Fort

Last week I made such a cute gift for a special little 3 year old. I have been chompin' at the bit {yep... I just said that} to show everyone because it turned out so cute, but I had to wait till after her birthday party on Saturday, because I know her momma is reading {hi Patti}. 

I was inspired by something that I found over on Saltwater Kids. It is a fort kit! How cute is that! I remember being a kid and trying to make forts, only to have them completely fall apart {flashback to books falling on my head and getting lost in a sea of old sheets}. 

It was so simple and fun to put together... I can't wait for Sophia to be old enough so I can make one for her too!

{Fort Kit} Supply List:

~ 2 twin sheets {or one king size sheet cut in half} 

~ Coordinating Pillow Case

~ Extra Piece of Material to Coordinate with the Pillow Case {optional}--- size depends on size of pillow case

~ Ribbon

~ Clothespins

~ Clamps

~ Suction Cups

~ Flashlight

~ Books
~ Deluxe Fort Tag

OPTIONAL ADDITIONS: Stuffed Animal {maybe a pillow pet}, Rope {this could be great for older kids.. but I did not think it would be a great addition to give to a three year old}, extra sheets... If you have any other ideas, leave me a comment, I would love to hear it!

The saltwater kids tutorial used an old adult sized t-shirt for the ties on the sheets. However, I had some coordinating ribbon that I used instead {remember, if you once you cut the ribbon to lightly singe the cut edges of your ribbon to keep it from unraveling}. 

To make the main bag, I just cut the bottom off of the pillowcase, and with coordinating fabric sewed a little base around the bottom. If you choose to do the two toned affect for your bag use the rule of thirds {bottom fabric should be 1/3 the length of the whole bag... approx.}--- yes I realize that this is the worst possible explanation of what I did, but to be honest I truly just winged it, and consequently took no measurements... I was super lucky it all worked. Next time I do this, I will take better notes and pass them on to you! Oooppppssss!

I used the Saltwater Kids Tutorial exactly as they wrote it to create the sheets {only difference is I cut 1 King size sheet in half to create two, matching twin sized sheets and I also used ribbon instead of a t-shirt for the ties}. 

I also made an accessory bag out of the coordinating fabric {to hold the clothespins, clamps, and suction cups}. I took some fabric {approx. 12X24 inches}, folded the material in half {right side in} and sewed up the sides, then I sewed a little pocket at the top and threaded some ribbon through the pocket to create a drawstring. 

Lastly, I put everything into the bag and added a little tag. FINISHED!

I really liked the tag that Saltwater Kids had created but the colors did not match the bag I made. So I re-created their tag in illustrator and indesign with colors that coordinated with my bag. 

Canvas Obsession

Finished Canvas

I am obsessed with canvases! If I walk into a craft or art store and they are on sale I have.to.buy.it! It's a compulsion that I am {sort of} working on. Am I alone in this obsession-compulsive behavior? 


I have found that you can make so many cool things with a blank canvas, that far outreaches just painting some pretty art. Here are just a few things that I have made with a blank canvas: Ribbon/barrette holder for my babies room, guest book, baby book {this one is in the making}, and lots of other "stuff". I always have at least one canvas hanging around in my house just waiting to be used. 


Awhile back I pinned this little beauty on my pinterest board. I knew I wanted to do something similar to it for Sophia's upcoming birthday. So, yesterday while my little darling took a nap, I decided that now was as good of a time as any to get started on making the canvas for her. 


Items you need:
{one} Blank Canvas
{two} Craft Paint
{three} Pencil
{four} Crepe Paper Streamers
{five} Hot glue


I started by drawing free hand zebra stripes on the canvas with a pencil. Then I took some hot pink craft paint and with a small, flat brush painted the stripes on {well actually I painted the not-stripe part.... you know so the stripes looked white and the rest was pink.... but I digress}. 


Once the paint dried, I drew on a big number one. I tried to fill as much of the canvas space as possible. 

Then I broke out some black crepe paper streamers {I got 2 rolls for $1 at dollar store}. I folded the crepe paper over a few times and cut out some four-petal flowers {I did this by folding my crepe paper squares in half one way and then in half the other way}. Word to the wise... you will need LOTS of these little flowers, so cut out a bunch at once by stacking crepe squares on top of each other before folding and cutting. Otherwise you will be cutting for a long time. 

Once the flowers were cut out, I took the flat end of a wooden skewer and twisted the middle of my flower around it, dabbed a little hot glue on the end and put it down on my canvas. I found that it worked best to go around the outer line of the one first and then to go in a fill in the holes at the end. 

Lastly I took some of the crepe paper, and hot glued it around the edge of the canvas to finish it off.


I have not decided exactly where I am going to put this for her party yet. My ideas right now is to either add a ribbon and hang it on the front door like a wreath to greet her party guests, or on a little easel somewhere. Either way I am totally in love with it and can't wait to get to craftin' more cute things for my baby's party!


I linked up to the Pintrest Challenge! Check out all the amazing projects inspired by Pinterest here, here, here, and here.