Ella Turns ONE!

It's been a fun couple of weeks around here! We had some great company (thanks, grandmas & grandpa for coming to visit!), and one fun birthday party! We're just getting things back in order, so I'll finally get you a recap of Ella's birthday party...

[obviously] The table of yummy party food!

Yes, there was real food for the party. It was just in the fridge at this point. 

[no food poisoning here.]

Cupcakes with swirled frosting and sprinkles!

The smash cake... pre-smash.

Not really sure about this... it sure doesn't look like my usual lunch.

[we maybe had a candle mishap. if you didn't witness it, don't ask. if you did witness it, shhh.]

It took her a while to decide, but she loves the cake!

Opening presents. She loved ripping the wrapping paper.

Playing with a singing & dancing dog from Mike's Grandma & Grandpa Dee

Taking a ride on her elephant from Grandpa Dave & Grandma Deb. 

They really know how to pick out toys.. she loves this thing!

Taking her bubble-blowing mower for a test drive. Thanks, Keith & Kristi!

Basketball hoop.. totally not surprising that this was Mike's idea.

  

We have a ONE YEAR OLD!

Happy, Happy Birthday, Gabriella Marie! We love you!

Fall Wreath

Since fall is finally upon us, I decided I needed to give the front porch a little fall-ness. Mike said no carving pumpkins until this lil babe arrives, so the front door got a little sprucing up today. There are all sorts of fall wreaths out there, but at a good $20 a pop, I decided I could do it for cheaper. After a quick trip to the craft store [armed with my e-coupons], I walked out with all the goodies I needed. Total cost:  $11.  

I gave it all a little hot glue, and voila!

It's nothing super fancy, but I think it gave us a little of the fall flair we needed. Add a sweatshirt and a pumpkin spice latte and we're in business!

Happy Fall!

Nugget's Nursery

After a special request for nursery pictures this morning, I decided maybe I'd give you the tour today. [you're welcome, sasha :) ]

Because we don't know if we're having a boy or a girl, we had to go with something neutral. Yellow just wasn't going to cut it, so we went with gray and white with a few splashes of orange. Why orange? I don't know, it just happened.

Let me preface the pictures with a disclaimer that I am by no means an interior decorator, nor will I ever claim to have that skill set. But alas, this is what I came up with. It's a good thing a newborn doesn't really care.

The changing table -slash- dresser and the crib

[that's right, only a sheet in the crib. because i don't want SIDS happening in my house.]

The glider and half of the loveseat.

[the other half was glared really badly by the window, so just use your imagination. 

it's only in the nursery by default - there's really nowhere else in the house to put it.]

The bookshelf. 

Kind of a catch-all with some decor, books, stuffed animals and toys.

Of course I decided to do a few projects whilst decorating. Because apparently that's what you do when you have a lot of time on your hands, a little creativity, and you don't want to spend a fortune on decorating. 

[thanks once again to pinterest for the inspriation. perhaps one day we'll have a tutorial if there's any interest... though not so likely.]

The mobile.

Made of:  a dowel stick, fishing line, and scrapbook paper.

Paper lantern cluster hanging from the ceiling.

Made of:  assorted paper lanterns and fishing line.

"Art". With the quotes because I'm clearly no artist.

Made of:  hideous thrift-store frames and acrylic paint.

Fabric-covered bins.

Made of:  old canvas bins and a yard of fabric.

Coordinating lamp.

Made of:  old black lamp, ugly shade, and acrylic paint.

Coordinating neck/back pillow.

Made of:  fat quarter of fabric and pillow insert.

Well troops, that's just about it. I think it's a fun little nursery and turned out pretty well; hopefully you feel the same. Remember:  if & when you come to visit, this will be your room too. So book your tickets now!

If you have any additions or alterations, please leave a comment. I'm always up for changing & improving things!

Now... let's have us a baby already! :)

Patriotic Baby Headband

You may have noticed... it's been a while since I've been crafty. It seems like our weekends have been filled with traveling and my weeks have been filled with working and sleeping [or at least attempting].  Well that's about to change. I'm going to have a lot more time on my hands for the next couple of months, so I'll share some of my activities with you. Because you care. After all, that's why you're here, right??

Earlier this week I went to an arts and crafts fair here in St. Cloud, and I saw some super-cute baby things. It took all I had to resist buying lots of adorable little things. It's a good thing I only had $20 and I don't know what this little bambino is. 

So inspired by the birth of my newest little buddy [HUGE congratulations to Mama Kayla, Papa Brett, and Big Sis Kasey on the adorable addition], I wanted to make a little headband like one I had seen, for the precious sisters for their 4th of July celebration. Kayla got her wish and Kylie Jeanne joined this world a few days early, so they'll be home to watch their neighbors' magical fireworks show. Of course they need a little extra red, white & blue!

These little headbands are oh-so-adorable every time I see them in Pinterest, so I thought I should give it a try. I don't know if Mama K will put these on the girls for their 4th of July celebration [hopefully she finds them as adorable as i do], but if she does, she better share a picture with us all! 

The headbands were actually pretty simple to make.  If you're interested, one day I'll share a quick tutorial with you. Or maybe I will even if you're not interested :)

Enjoy your 4th of July, wherever you may be!

Wedding Cake Baker

Amid the many summer weddings that come from being a twenty-something, a friend of mine asked me to make small wedding cake for his nuptial celebration. It started as more of a joke, but it came to fruition early this fall. 

Per the groom's request, the cake was two-tiered red velvet with cream cheese frosting. Per the bride's request, it was round and covered with fondant and yellow flowers.

I had never made a cake of this caliber before, just cakes and cupcakes for birthdays and showers. But with the helping hands of a couple friends, the cake came together. It certainly isn't perfect, but it was delicious and great for my fondant debut. I got many compliments, and even some disbelief that it was my handiwork.  

Setting up the cake at the reception hall

The finished masterpiece!

Here's a video of the bride and groom cutting the cake with a sword--

 a long-standing tradition of the groom's family

Lucky Us: A Daily Reminder

One of my childhood girlfriends and I are lucky enough to get to celebrate our birthdays together year after year. We were born only three days apart, and we have been best friends since the third grade. So for nearly nineteen years, we have enjoyed a week-long birthday celebration. 

Last week, Rachael came to visit me at my new home in the tundra. She was going to be near the area, so she made the extra trek and we enjoyed a wonderful evening together. We had dinner and drinks, reminisced, and surely kept Mike entertained for the evening. We also exchanged birthday gifts. It was actually quite comical. Rachael got me a scarf with sparkly polka-dots on it. I just love scarves in the fall, and I really love sparkles this year. And then Rach opened her gift-- a scarf! It had neon polka dots, which she really loves this year. Too funny!  

And Rachael also gave me this. It's a wonderfully sentimental, yet useful gift. She made it herself, which makes it even more special. It's a keychain with a penny from the year I was born, one from the year Mike was born, and one from the year we were married. Thank you, Rachael, for the daily reminder of how lucky I am!

Christmas Cookie Platter

You may have figured this out already, but I'm on a crafty kick. And it happens to be Christmas season, so I'm all about Christmas-y crafts. It's great.

I have one final Christmas craft that Rachael and I did during my visit to see her. Then I'll lay off the Chrstmas crafts. Promise. [for now...]

We saw some really cute platters for Christmas cookies or the like, but they were kind of expensive. And I'm on a budget. [i'm planning a wedding, if you forgot...] So why not make our own? It's always great to have a platter on hand to give an impromptu gift during the holiday season.

Supplies:
   -plain charger (98 cents, by the way)
   -acrylic paints
   -glitter
   -sealant (we used mod podge spray)

Directions:

   -pretend to be artsy and paint on holiday things

   -apply glitter where applicable, i.e. on the berries (i love glitter)

   -let dry, then apply several coats of sealant to hold the glitter and paint in place

Result:
   -a festive platter [with questionable food safety... woops. wash before use and line with parchment or plastic wrap before filling with goodies]

 Fun, right??
 

Merry Christmas!

No-Mess Christmas Ornaments

Glittery Christmas balls. They're a beautiful thing, but they're so messy. They leave a trail [or clump] of glitter everywhere. And it's there for months.

So Rachael and I decided we'd make our own version [thank you, pinterest]. With the glitter contained on the inside. Genius. Clean. Sparkly!

Supplies:
   -clear glass Christmas ornaments
   -red glitter
   -Elmer's glue

Directions:
   -Mix glue with water so it's half-strength and runny. Take the top off the glass ornament, put in about a tablespoon of the extra-runny glue, and turn to coat the whole inside.
   -Put glitter inside the globe and shake around, coating all sides. This takes more glitter than you'd think.
   -Dump out any extra glitter, let dry, and reapply the cap. Thread with ribbon to hang.

Result:
   -No mess glittery ornaments!

Rachael doesn't have a tree, so we put them in her doorway. So festive!

You can't see the glitter well (thank you iPhone 4 camera), but they really do sparkle!

Merry (clean) Christmas!

Christmas Tree Re-Do

During my most recent trip to my homeland (aka Iowa), my mom and I attempted to make a Christmas ball Christmas tree that we had seen. We didn't really know what we were doing, but we went for it.

We went to the dollar store (the only general store in a small town) to get Christmas balls and fishing line. Christmas balls they had, but apparently November is no time to be buying fishing line in Iowa. Our substitution? Dental floss. Turns out, thread is a better substitute. But like we thought of that.

The general goal:  hang Christmas balls in a Christmas tree shape, and they'll be suspended from above.
We tried for over an hour to make this tree happen, but we failed. I had to head back for work, so my mom was left to work on the tree herself.

It took two days, but I eventually got a text message:  Success!

Here's a picture of the tree. It turned out much better than when I was helping. I'm impressed!

Good work, Mom!


Merry Christmas!!