A Pretty Baby Shower

Happy Sunday y'all! 

 It has been a jam packed week over here with all the baby shower planning.  But yesterday was the day and we had such a lovely time.  So I just wanted to share some of the fun things I made to put this party together. I don't have a lot of photos because playing the hostess makes it hard to pick up a camera.

My friend Laura made these amazing cupcakes...they are SO GOOD! And I love that the cupcake picks were really tall.  I like the look.  I made them from a curtain panel I thrifted and some buttons.

I know you have seen me do a paper doily garland before but maybe it is still exciting since I added buttons? Hmmm...

Yes.  Yes, I believe it is in fact thrilling to see a paper doily garland and now with added buttons.  

I made this with bakers twine and double sided tape.  So easy.  And I used what I had on hand to cut costs too.  Thrifty and thrilling.  Oh yeah.

 

This was the only decent shot (even with an arm in the pic and looking a tad overexposed) I got of the embroidery hoop art hung over the fireplace.  Thought you might want a peek. :)

This is my BFF opening my gift to her. I am smitten with this diaper/messenger bag from the etsy shop, ikabags. I love, love these bags and I am so getting one for me! Here are some of my favorites...

Stripes make me ridiculously happy.

The shop is from France so you will pay extra for shipping but the quality of these handmade bags are amazing!  I love them and wished I owned about 10 of them.

Now back to other party details...:)

I made these cards for all the guests to write a prayer, blessing, or well wishing for the baby and Kelly. They are made with scrapbook paper and embellished with bakers twine and buttons.  I had so much fun making these!

I found the frame on the side of the road ready for the trash during a little ride to look at Christmas lights back in December. Since my arm is still weak, I had my husband do the work of sanding, painting and adding the chicken wire to the frame. Then I just hung the cards with little wood clothespins.

Here are a bunch filled out.  Aren't they so pretty like this?

The favors waiting by the front door were 4 oz mason jars filled with sugar scrub.  A friend and I put these together and made two batches to fill 24 jars.  One batch (doubled the original recipe) was 5 cups of sugar, 2 cups of olive oil, and 8 tablespoons of lemon juice. I got the recipe from Stephanie Lynn over at Under the Table and Dreaming. Her original recipe makes 12 oz so we just doubled it to save time.

I would have tied them up with string and pretty labels but with around 22 women there, I was just plain done in!  And I figured the pretty tops were enough. :)

So happy I got to share this with all of you wonderful friends.  

Have a fabulous day!

P.S. Sometime today or tomorrow, check out sweet Kimberly's blog who will be doing a series on parties all week.  A great bunch of bloggers are sharing tips and tricks and I think some of my ideas will be included today.. 

Go check it out!:)

Embroidery Hoop Wall Art

Well here I go again.  I am in PARTY MODE.  I am planning a baby shower for my very best friend in the whole wide world this Saturday. Kelly is having her 3rd child and it is her first GIRL!  Being a girl mom myself, I am pretty excited and can't wait to meet her precious daughter. 


So one project I have done is this HUGE embroidery hoop wall art. I think it is 2 ft in diameter. Kelly is naming her daughter Elizabeth Joy and I thought it would be so sweet to make something to both decorate for the shower and also bring home for the baby's room walls. I plan on putting it above my fireplace since it is pretty large.

Here's a photo with my lens cap so you can see how big it is.

I used a pink and white striped bed sheet as the background fabric and free handed the name lightly in pencil.  I then just embroidered over the lettering with a back stitch.

The flowers are made from fabric scraps and all have a button for the center which ties into my "Cute as a Button" theme. 

I hope to show you more and I am praying Kelly listens to me since I banned her from my blog for the week. :) I think this idea has lots of potential for other creative word fun!  Hmmmm...I need to find a way to do this somewhere in my craft room. :)

Happy Crafting my sweet friends!

A Day Shopping in My Old Neighborhood

Today was one of those days where I wonder why I don't have more like them.  After dropping off my oldest child at school, I decided to spend the day in my old neighborhood in Dunedin, FL. 

(not my house but wish it had been)

Dunedin is a fabulous historic town with cottage homes and perfect rocking chair front porches along brick paved streets.  It is right near the water where you have view of Clearwater Beach.  The town sports a fabulous downtown area with restaurants, antique shops, and boutiques. There are a ton of weekend activities like antique and craft festivals, a weekly farmers market, and holiday celebrations.

And we used to live in walking distance to downtown.

I miss it.

But...we rented because a place like this is pretty touristy, and can be pricey.  But I miss being able to walk downtown for dinner and an ice cream cone, or walk to the library.  We even had an AMAZING playground and park in walking distance next to the marina. It really is a sweet place to live.

So today I took my Ella to that very park after knowing exactly where to park before the crowds came.  Local knowledge is rather handy. :) And I decided to take photos of my day to let y'all get to know me a little bit better.  So come shopping with me. 

And I did get permission from all the shop owners to take photos.

First we hit the Farmer's market which is always packed.  Produce, cheese, fresh bread, homemade salsa, gourmet coffee and jams, fresh flowers and plants...all just fabulous. I about fell face first into those pastries there. 

This place, Merchants on Main, is pretty sweet with so many beautiful antiques. I fell in love with that ticking bolster pillow white tool box looking thing. Oh that round table!  And I was so bummed when this woman scored this chippy blue window frame with hooks on it.  I even made suggestions how she could use it!  I am either really nice or highly stupid. (wink)

This antique place is called Knot on Main Street and actually had another location ON MAIN STREET but it closed.  And this just reopened after BURNING DOWN!  Talk about a town with some resilient local merchants!!  I love this place and was actually on the hunt for something specific. No go but these old windows, chalkboard frames, and crates were talking to me and making my heart so happy.  I ached to take it all home with me.  And that dresser still might!

Then there is this amazing shop, Rainbow's End Quilt Shoppe.  It is the largest quilt shop in Florida and they boast 20,000 bolts of fabric.  I walked in and almost fell over! They carry every designer I have ever heard of and it is so GORGEOUS...a total happy place for me.  And I bought nothing.  If I bought anything...I would have spent $500 in 2 minutes. But I did love those little handmade cinch bags tied together like a little garland.  How cute is that? (top left photo) ♥

Well, there were more places I visited and I could show you my daughter Ella swinging on the swings or eating an ice cream cone but are you even interested?  Well, heck...I'll share anyway.
Here's Ella enjoying our day...

Such a fun day doing what I love with someone I love.

Can't get better then that. :)

A Sweet Valentine Breakfast

Oh Happy Day! 

♥ I am actually writing a post! ♥

It feels so good to be using both my arms and crafting again.  I have to tell you that all your emails to see how I am doing has filled my heart to overflowing.  It never ceases to amaze me that blogging has brought so many of you beautiful friends into my life. To sum up, I am about 70% healed and I am about to start a little physical therapy to get this old elbow to straighten. But I am doing great!

So getting a little crafting in has been soothing to my soul!  I feel like I am using a part of my brain that was lying dormant this past month. And I have to tell ya...Valentine's Day is one of my FAVORITE holidays to create for...maybe it is being a mom to girls?  Or my love of red and pink?  Who knows but this particular project was fun because I used my favorite method of crafting:  USE WHAT YOU HAVE to make it SIMPLE.

I came up with a little Valentine breakfast for Daddy (or Hubby ♥).  Obviously, the men in our lives may possibly get the short end of the stick on this particular love day so what better way to celebrate them?  And a little attention to detail makes this oh so fun!

Your first little project is this easy DIY tray made from a large picture frame.  Attach two handles by screwing it in on the sides and put pretty fabric or a Valentine message inside the glass and you have a perfect tray for your breakfast!

Next, I gave some coffee mugs a little "heart."  A fabric heart, that is.  As many of you know, I will cover anything with fabric or yarn if I am able. And how fun to make an everyday mug festive that can be removed later?  

 I cut out some hearts from scrap fabric and used my little Xyron sticker maker.

Then I simply attached them to the mugs.  Um, so simple I probably did not need photos. :)

 Now fill your pretty mug (In this case we used tea since that is what my husband and I drink).  I also attached a pretty paper tag made from scraps with a fabric heart.  

Just another personal touch to add more looooove.

These heart skewers are made with fabric and yarn wrapped pipe cleaners. 

Here's a quick how to:

1. Wrap a strip of fabric tightly around your pipe cleaner.  The color does not matter with fabric but with yarn, try to match the color because the yarn is so thin.

2. Secure the ends with some fabric glue ensuring you can't see the end of the pipe cleaner and form a heart.
3. Trim a bamboo skewer to size to twist your heart onto.
4. Twist the ends around the skewer tightly and glue to your skewer.
5. You have a pretty DIY heart!

Pop your cute skewers into some yummy chocolate chip scones (a favorite at our house) or use them in cupcakes or on a cake. Add these cute heart doilies colored by the kiddos for an extra dash of sweetness.

Cut some from flowers from your yard (if you are from Florida like me), make your own from fabric or paper, or of course you can buy some! My friend gave these pretties to me when she brought me dinner and covered it with a little sweater sleeve. Just perfect!

And look...it's a little water bottle!  How smart! (thanks Lisa!) 

Wasn't this fun?

I hope you like all the simple ideas to make Valentine's Day special. Husband's and daddy's deserve a little extra love and thought and what better way then with some yummy goodies and precious touches from the little ones?

Hugs and loads of blessings to each of you!

♥XO♥


linking to:
show and share
creative me @ the southern institute
oopsey daisy
the 36th avenue
lollyjane
a crafty soiree
tatertots and jello weekend wrap up
be different...act normal
under the table and dreaming