swimsuits in October

Happy Monday to everyone!  My kids are still out of school until tomorrow, so we're taking it easy today :)  We had a great weekend with plenty of things to do.  The weather was really nice and warm (around 83 degrees!) so we took advantage of it because soon it will be cold.

From left to right, top to bottom:

1.  Yes, that's Avery in her swimsuit...I pick my battles. 

2.  I hope Jubal realizes he is too big for that swing since he has learned to pump.  

3.  Jubal's nephew got his first deer this weekend and Avery (obviously) loved it and found a way to "girl" it up with her pink boots and Hello Kitty shirt :0)

4.  She finally let me put her hair in a ponytail!  And kept it in!

5. and 6.  A little birthday celebration for my nephew who turned 5 last week.

7. and 8.  My mom got her old dollhouse out for the kids to play with.  I don't know who loved it more, Jubal or Avery?

I hope everyone had a great weekend!

one more

I didn't want to post this card until after it was received...

I made this card for my sister and her husband for their first anniversary.  She texted me last night to say she received it and loved it!

Here's what was on the inside...

I took pictures (using my Instax camera) of the kiddos holding up signs they decorated that said Happy 1 Year Annivesary.  Then I wrote a little note on a journaling card and slipped everything into the card, which was actually an envelope :)

This is definitely a new approach for me as far as card designs, but I really liked the way it turned out and the kids had a blast being a part of the creative process!

It's the weekend...I hope everyone has a great one!

I actually got to spend some time in my craft room today, yay!  I actually plan on spending a large amount of time in there this weekend to get "caught up" :)  I have tons of projects I want to accomplish by the end of this month.

Since their are quite a few birthdays marked on my calendar this month, I decided to focus on some cards today.  And here they are...

I used my new October Studio Calico kit, Field Guide to create these two cards.

Enjoy!

@ the patch

On Monday, Jubal's preschool class went on their first field trip of the year...

This pumpkin patch had it ALL...corn and fence mazes, a corn pit, bouncy house, slides, a playground, a petting zoo, and of course...

It was a very kid-friendly place and we had a blast!

I always look forward to this time of year and going to different pumpkin patches in our area...

I hope you get to visit your own local patch and don't forget to pick out a pumpkin!

oh, baby part 2

Here are some more shower pics as I promised...I hope you enjoy :)


These are the glass bottles and stripey straws I found online at www.shopsweetlulu.com.  I cut patterned paper and adhered it to the outside of the bottles to coordinate with the shower colors.  We filled them with pink lemonade and voila!  These bottles were a HUGE hit!

This wire bottle holder was a local vintage find...

Don't you just love this gorgeous ruffle cake?  And sooooo yummy!

We gave the cake pops away as favors...

We also had chocolate cupcakes along with mini vanilla cupcakes (shown above)...

And what's a party without a little candy bar action?...we found all the candy at our local Party City...

Colors all coordinated to match :)

The cake, cupcakes, mini cupcakes, and cake pops were all made by a friend of mine, Jennifer Breyman, who has a local catering business...Baked Farm Fancy.  If you live in the area, I highly recommend her!

We made a few of these yummy cookie mixes and put them in smooth Ball mason jars and added a baby bottle nipple on top and gave them away as door prizes...I got this idea from bakerella.com.

These were new parent advice cards that I had the guest fill out.  I made these using my Big Shot and SU! Top Note Die...

A special gift my sister received from my mom...

And of course, the expecting parents!  

This is my beautiful sister, Melissa and her husband, Jeff...I'm so happy for them and I can't wait to meet my little niece!  (She's due in late November!)  Congrats to them all!!!

oh, baby!

I had a fabulous weekend preparing for and co-hosting my sister's baby shower which was yesterday :)  It went off without a hitch and everyone had a great time.

Here are some pics of the shower decor that I hope you enjoy!

The invitation...

The dining room table display...

We made the table runner out of various sizes of paper doilies and attached them using Glue Dots.

The buffet table display...

This served as the dessert and candy table.  I hand-cut the dresses for the banner and used various trims and ribbon to decorate them.  The miniature clothespins are from Stampin' Up! and the paper and trim is from various Studio Calico kits.

The diaper wreath...

The diaper cake...

My gift to my sister was this dress form I found online and this adorable tutu!  The tutu was made by a good friend of mine who co-owns a local children's consignment shop, Practically Perfect Boutique, which can be found on Facebook.

We decorated my mother's seasonal wrought iron tree with cute items for the baby...booties, pacifiers, socks, rattles, sippy cups, etc...

I made this "It's A Girl" banner from various Studio Calico kit papers and my Big Shot.  It was strung along the bannister by the front door where the guests arrived.

And here's a close-up view...

I don't want to overwhelm you so I will post more pics from the shower tomorrow so stay tuned...

And feel free to leave comments!  I love hearing from you and answering any questions you might have about techniques, products I use, or anything at all that you might want to ask me!

Have a great Monday!

it's October

I've been completely wrapped up in shower preparations these last few days, but I did get a chance to get on my computer for a few minutes...really the only time I've sat down this weekend.

Ok, I lied...I did get a chance to sit down and paint my toenails for the special occasion tomorrow :)  If you're wondering what color I chose it's "wrapped in rubies" by Essie.

Since it is now October (yes, already!), I thought I'd post a pic of some of my Halloween decor.  I'm still working on some new decor for my dining room table this year and as soon as I get that checked off my list, I'll post more pics.  I'm definitely in the fall mood...

Hope you are too!  What fall-inspired projects have you been working on?