Girly baby shower

I hosted my first ever baby shower for a great friend of mine. I loved every minute of planning and decorating. The shower happened to be fun as well.  I made all of the decorations and also a baby carriage and baby diaper cake.  I decorated in my dining room and living room, but I am not sure how long it took me.

Diaper Carriage:  I looked up youtube videos on how to make a diaper carriage, but I never follow instructions well and ended up just making it my own way.  I had a box of newborn diapers that my son had outgrown and I couldn't return.  So I started with 44 newborn diapers and used two diapers to round out the front. Doing the same thing I took 10 diapers and did the same except placed it on top of what would be the back part of the carriage.  I rolled(not opening the diaper) six diapers to create the rounded top, and placed the green receiving blanket over the diapers.

Using a few rubber bands I made sure to secure everything together. I folded the second receiving blanket to place around the front and secured it with a rubber band and a ribbon.  I artfully took took the third receiving blanket and folded it around the top of the carriage.

I decided that I wanted wheels so I painted the edges of toilet paper rolls and wrapped diapers around them.

After adding the final ribbon I decided it looked pretty bare and needed a few things in the carriage.  So back to pinterest to look for some creative ways to give baby clothes. I came up with cupcakes, partially because all of my friends know of my love for cupcakes!  This was easy enough to accomplish you fold the clothes into a small strip and roll it up, place a rubber band and ribbon around it and place in a cupcake holder.  I unfortunately did not have any so I used parchment paper.  I'm big on using what you have.

 Drum roll please... The final baby carriage diaper cake.  First one was a success.

Baby Diaper Cake:  I also tweaked the instructions I saw for this diaper cake.  They suggest unfolding the diapers and rolling them.  I find this unsanitary and would hope that people would just use my method which is better since you are not getting your germ filled hands on the inside of the diapers which will be placed on the baby.  So I rolled four individual diapers which would end up being the arms and legs.  I pretty much eyed the pieces for the head, chest and body. 

The Biggest piece was placed in the tushy part and the medium size was placed in the chest.  I buttoned up the sleeper outfit and flipped it onto the tummy.  After fixing it to look as if a baby is sleeping, I placed the head.  Now I strongly suggest securing everything with pins.  I didn't have a hat done so I didn't end up securing the head which led to a decapitation.

           Here is the final baby diaper cake

 Also take a look at the headband that I knit.  I think it's adorable and just might make some more to sell.  Below is the setup in the dining room.  I was rushing to get everything done and wasn't able to take a picture before everyone showed up.  I made a few tissue paper pom poms, and also some circle garland.

I made this banner as well.  I love finding uses for cardstock.  I have a ridiculous amount since I used to have time to scrapbook.  I also lost interest in scrapbooking ever since I saw my first bound photo book.  It's more cost effective too!  So anyway I decided I wanted to have it on the girly side so I used pale pink, lavender, pale yellow and white.

 

So in an attempt to have decorations that were inexpensive I saved money using things I had on hand.  I used a white sheet I had to cover my table, and threw a pashmina over the top.  I grabbed some antique/french influenced items for the mantel as well as my vase with twigs from a few wedding centerpieces and the yellow flowers from my bouquet from my brother and sister in laws wedding.  I also placed some of my baby items and hung them up on my card holder.  I hung the small tissue paper pom poms, none of them are the same color which I love.  I hung the circle garland first and I think those took the longest to make.  I used a juice bottle cap to draw circles on paper and proceeded to cut them out.  I originally planned on making six strands, I thought it would have taken too long and felt that four were plenty.  I did end up making the 2 others and placed them in the dining room mixed in with the tissue paper pom poms.  

I loved being able to plan my first baby shower, and made sure I gave myself plenty of time so I wouldn't feel rushed or stressed.  Yes it is possible to create an awesome shower without spending a ton of money, but you will probably need to spend more time.  

Here are some of my save your money tips

Have the shower at your home!!

Make your own decorations.

Shop at consignment shops for second hand baby things.

Give yourself enough time. (Seriously I worked on this for over 3 weeks)

Plan an easy menu!  I did crockpot pulled bbq chicken sandwiches, salad and cupcakes. 

Make your own desserts!  I made Marshmallow filled cupcakes.

Use what you have on hand. 

If you are anything like me it is easy to go overboard.  I may have gone a little overboard but even with an almost 3 month old baby I was still able to organize a baby shower for one of my besties.  Until next time have a wonderful day!

BBQ chicken pita pizza

Hubby and I are always looking for new recipes to try. We were trying to figure out what to try and going off of the misters idea for pita pizza I searched for BBQ chicken pita pizza. I of course only used the general idea and cooking directions.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and cook for 15 min.
This recipe would serve 4
1 chicken breast
Bell pepper
Red onion
Cheese
Your fave BBQ sauce

First chop up the chicken, peppers and onion and shred some cheese. We cooked the chicken and added salt and pepper. Once cooked I spread BBQ sauce onto the pitas. Sprinkled on some cheese. Spread out some chicken, peppers and onion and added more BBQ sauce and cheese. Put in oven to cook. These were delicious we decided to out them on our monthly menu.

Winter Pinterest Challenge Numero Dos

While exploring Pinterest I stumbled onto a pin that revamps TOMS.  I am constantly putting holes in the right foot of my TOMS.  This drives me crazy since they are so easy to wear I am always slipping them on.  So after seeing a Pin which covers the shoe in different fabric I thought why not give it a try.  Now I must preface this by telling you that I bought the wrong No Sew glue which should be permanent.  I bought temporary, but it was the only one at the store....sooooo I didn't notice.  I really want to add some red rope around the sole, but I do not have any so this is my partially finished recovered shoe.  I know it isn't perfect yet, but it will be. 

Maybe I will be so happy with them I wont think I need another pair of TOMS. These for me Pink Ikat Toms and Tiny Toms for D!!  I would be ok with the solid black and red pairs as well.

Another project I am starting is a Ginormous rice bag.  I started by using the temporary no sew glue, and I will sew it tomorrow.  I'm also working on my knit baked potato.  I really need to learn not to have so many projects going at once, but I can't help it.  I have a difficult time staying focused on one project for to long.  As my hubby would say I have been squirreled. Make sure to check out a few other projects inexpensive projects Until tomorrow have a crafty evening.

Winter Pinterest challenge

I follow a blog called Young House Love almost religiously, and they are constantly doing Pinterest challenges. You can read about it Here. I have always wanted to submit some of my projects, but usually miss the day that everyone is submitting OR didn't have time to get anything done. So I usually tend to Pinterest challenge myself. Lucky for me I caught the Pinterest challenge two days after the challenge, and decided that was motivation to do one of the many projects I had pinned. Recently I have been pinning decor ideas for D's new room and also knit food for me to attempt to replicate. So I have started two projects and hopefully I will finish both to submit. One project is a knit baked potato. I will be creating a pattern and will post it later. Also a canvas painting with D's birth information.

For the past few weeks I have been on the hunt for ideas for D's future room. It really all began when Target got their 2013 baby stuff out on the shelves. My inspiration was from Mural Max and is an image wrap on a canvas.

Since I found my original plan for a nursery albeit a few months late. I am slowly preparing for D'a future room in the house we will be renting. This means finding or DIY art to put on the walls. After scouring Pinterest I came across this wonderful canvas from (etsy store). I love looking at things on etsy, but since I love to be crafty I look for inspiration instead of buying things.

As it turned out I had purchased a 12X12 canvas to create a hand print canvas, but decided I would find a different canvas for that. After putting my little gumba down for a nap this afternoon I decided to start sketching out and formulating my plan for my canvas. I knew I wanted an animal print but I also knew that the canvas on etsy was far too girly.

After dinner I finished up the sketch and grabbed my grey paint and paintbrush and got to work while my hubby and I caught up on our shows. We managed to fit in 3 shows, we were a few weeks behind, and I got enough done to where I could leave it and let it dry. I probably should have painted the white circle, but I would have hunted down my white paint. That seemed like too much work for the time being.

Day two consisted of painting the center, the yellow circles, adding the dots and all of the baby info.  I am not sure how long it took me because I wasn't able to work on it non stop.  The dots and the giraffe pattern took me the longest. 

I did realize after finishing my project that if I had printed off the text it would have looked sleeker, but that was not the look I wanted.  I used a stencil for his name, and free hand painted the rest.  I can't wait to hang this in his future room.  It is currently hanging above his crib, which is in a corner in my room. Now for the cost break down!
Cost:
Canvas: Had on hand, but I probably paid $5 for the 12x12
Paint: 2 Gray and a Yellow on sale for 3 for a $1. I have a bunch of Michaels gift cards so I only used that to buy the paint.  The white I had on hand since I purchased it back in December for another project.
Paintbrushes: I had on hand
For a grand total of the cost of the canvas $5

 

I would say this was a very successful project with substantial savings of $46.  

My Winter Pinterest Challenge is Complete!! Check out some of my other projects I created with a pinterest challenge in mind. inexpensive projects

Website Logos

 Another busy day.  I worked on a website for my father to sell fruit labels.  In case you are interested in labels here is the website... www.freewebstore.org/label-warehouse

It will take awhile to get it finished since my father is currently on vacation and I need photo's of the labels to put them up for sale.  I created two logos.  My favorite is the one below but I changed it to a headline and created a different logo.  I will be showing the finished product tomorrow!!

Baby shower inspiration

  For T's baby shower I decided to do a vintage Paris/coco theme.  After looking around pinterest for some images that would work for an adorable shower.  I created this inspiration board and can't wait to get started. I have lots to do in a short amount of time.  I do have a few projects to do including possibly making a table cloth.

Things to Do
- Learn how to make macarons
-Decide on a cupcake recipe
- Make burlap table cloth
-create flower garland
- get Eiffel Tower chocolate mold and grey cupcake liners
-Pick up dollar store mardi gras beads to create pearl necklaces
- Pick up baby girl outfit and receiving blankets
- Print out Bonjour Bebe letters and cute cards
-figure out when to have the shower, hopefully asap since she only had 9 more weeks to go!
 -finish knitting her baby blanket.

Well this is a short post since I have so much to do.
Till next time
-J

Tis the Season

It has almost been a year since my last post and while I have completed quite a few projects I ended up having less time.  What I have been doing you might ask?  Well I was cooking and raising a baby.  He is now two and a half months and I am finally starting to have more time for myself.  As it is a new year my goals do in fact include losing weight, do not worry this doesn't include any crazy diets.  Just getting back into my normal exercise routine and possibly adding some running.  Another goal of mine is to dress up every day, there is no reason to sit around in sweats and looking like a mombie.
 As for the blog I now need to change the name to something more family oriented.  I have to admit I was surprised by just how much space a baby can require.  My guest room has transformed into my room/partial storage room.  My closet which was a good size has now been cut in half.  I am still learning some storage organization techniques and utilizing the space I have in my home.

The Christmas Holidays is always my favorite time of year and while it is after the Holidays I still wanted to take a look at my decorations from the past few years. My Christmas decorations have evolved over the last three years.  I did not have a tree for the first couple of years that I moved to Seattle.  Once I got a job and was unable to visit my mom during my school vacations I decided I needed to get a tree.   I got everything including the tree on sale with the exception of the few ornaments that I received as gifts.  

 My favorite about having stairs in the town home was being able to decorate the railing.  I really miss having stairs to decorate and being able to decorate more rooms in the home. 

 Once I moved it became difficult to decorate more than the tree and mantle above the fireplace.  I had always wanted a wreath for the front door but did not want to pay for them!!  One of my Christmas present ideas for the entire family was to create scrabble letter ornaments.  I have a ridiculous obsession with pinterest and many of my projects are inspired by things I have seen on pinterest. 

 The scrabble letter ornaments really fit in with any tree not just mine and are very easy to make.  It only took me a few hours and probably cost me around $10 to make 15 ornaments.  I not only used names but also words such as family, love, and peace.  

 Scrabble Letter Ornaments Items List: 
Scrabble Letters:  Look for old scrabble games at a goodwill or value village.  It is easier to keep an eye out for them since they aren't always easy to find.  I ended up buying scrabble on sale for $7.
Hot Glue gun:  I am a crafter so I have always had this on hand but you can find them at craft stores for about $3.
Cardstock and ribbon. 
I spelled out the names I wanted to use and lined them up on the cardstock.  Using a pencil I drew lines where I needed to cut the cardstock.  After cutting out the cardstock I began with the final letter and worked my way up.  One thing I found was when gluing each letter onto the cardstock it is also important to place glue in between the letters to create a cohesive ornament. Everyone loved them and since I have had requests for more.

My 2012 Christmas Tree has changed a lot since 2010.  I picked up ribbon at the 2011 day after Christmas sale so that I could add it to the tree.  I wanted the tree to look fuller and picked up a couple tips from mi madre. 
                                                       Doty Dynasty Christmas Tree Tips
* Instead of placing the ribbon around the tree place it length wise.  This way you use less ribbon and it
makes the tree look like a present.
*  Place ornaments toward the trunk.  I chose to put the colored balls toward the tree trunk.  This creates more depth.
*  Heavy Ornaments toward the bottom!  This helps keep the tree's overall look balanced.
      -side note:  I look forward to figuring out how to decorate next Christmas with a one year old little boy.
* Add new ornaments every year.  I have a small collection of Christmas ornaments that my mom started for my first Christmas.  I am going to continue this with my little one but they may not always be store bought.  This gives your tree a family look.
*  More than one tree is allowed!  If you have a specific theme you wish to use but also want a family tree pick up another tree for another room in the house if you have space.  If you don't have as much space look into some smaller trees.  I plan on having a small shoe tree next year hopefully with purple lights.  
   -Side Note:  A family friends home is Christmas Wonderland.  They have a tree or two in every room and each tree has a theme.  They even do an ornament exchange.  They hand make ornaments and trade them with a large group.  The creativity involved is just amazing and inspirational.  They even have a UW tree, which my husband decided that he wanted.  We will probably have a UW/WSU tree.  Half purple lights and half red lights, since we are a divided household when it comes to the Huskies and the Cougs.
* Use white lights, unless you have a color theme for your tree.  Lights are often a preference but I have found that colored lights tend to compete with the ornaments that are on the tree.
*  Mix and Match high end ornaments and inexpensive/hand made ones.  A rule to always follow in any situation.  I use this with fashion and home decor constantly, and it helps keep costs down but still gives you the desired look.
* Find some ornaments that represent family vacations.  Whether you go to NYC or just the beach it is usually easy to find an ornament that reminds you of your vacation.  You don't have to find one while on vacation, but make sure to get one the same year.  My mom picked me up the empire state building the year I went to NYC.
* You don't have to spend a fortune.  We all know how expensive ornaments can be, but the reality is you can have nice homemade ornaments and find inexpensive ornaments at places like Target.   
       

 Speaking of homemade ornaments I decided to make poinsettia ornaments out of leftovers from my wreath.  

 
 I cut out and painted too many toilet paper rolls and so I created this lovely ornament for a few family and friends, and of course for myself. I had saved up toilet paper rolls for any upcoming art and came across the wreath.  It is an inexpensive project I just had to spend $1.20 on the red paint.  I had the yarn, cardstock and glue.  I made six of these ornaments and a wreath for $1.20 which even I have to admit is pretty good. 
                                 Tips
* Make sure you paint the toilet paper roll before you cut 1/2" strips because cutting first takes a ton more time.
* Cut the leaves out of green cardstock.  This is where you can get creative.  You can use any kind of green even if it has designs on the paper.
* I used rubber cement to glue them together, but tacky glue or hot glue works just as well.  A normal craft glue stick on the other hand does not work.

 I originally planned on making snowflake ornaments.  I even bought two different kinds of white paint for them.  Unfortunately being a new mom doesn't always leave you enough time to finish all of the projects you have planned.  You never know I may end up doing the snowflakes anyway.  Hopefully I will catch up on some of the projects I have completed over the past year within the next few weeks.  Keep checking back for more projects!
                  ~J