Plaid + Dots

ladybug birthday party

Miss N turned two over the weekend and I took the opportunity to "create" a ladybug garden party fit for my little "lady" bug.  Yes, I may have gone a little overboard with the DIY, but I loved the process and am really pleased with the result.  Here are a few pics of the event (photos courtesy of my sister).

Here's the table setting at the ladybug garden party. I made the red and white polka dot table runner for the table and matching tea towels.  To add a little color to the table, I pulled together a colorful array of seasonal flowers (from the grocery store no less!) and placed them in this vase which was tied with a red and white polka dot bow.

I love buntings and banners so I made this "Happy Birthday" banner for the party and added a few ladybugs as accents.  

Using the same paper as the ladybug birthday banner, I made this adorable confetti garland to accent the mantle.   

We also adorned the mantle with a couple of pom-pom ladybugs made during "craft day" with Miss N.  I wanted to make some of the decorations with her so we used some felt, pom-poms, googly eyes and glue to make these adorable ladybugs.  Aren't they cute?!?!  Plus, this is a really fun and easy craft for toddlers and kids of all ages too!

Finally, I made these adorable and yummy ladybug cupcakes.  The ladybugs were made using Wilton Candy Melts and I used Martha Stewart's Yellow Cupcake recipe for the cupcakes.  Not only did the cupcakes look good but they were very tasty too! 

Best of all Miss N had fun with all of her friends and seemed to enjoy the ladybug birthday party!

Happy 2nd Birthday Little Miss!!  xoxo!

february resolution: some done + daydream projects

So, the one thing I learned in February is that I was way too ambitious with finishing a few projects that were already in progress.  I thought four projects would be achievable but realized very quickly that I easily get distracted by new projects, pinterest, and life :-).  I, did, however, get some things done on my list and a few others that weren't on my list.  Here's what I was supposed to do:

 

Finish wall hangings for Miss N's room

Create art hangers for kid's playroom hallway

Create pillows for window seat in basement

Finish the scrapbook for Miss N's first year

 

And, here's what I completed or at least made some progress on:

• Finished the wall hangings for Miss N's room
• Finished a good portion of the scrapbook for Miss N's first year (about half way done!)
• Made a St. Patrick's day wreath
• Created toddler made Valentine's Day cards
• Made some Valentine's Day bunting to hang from the mantel
• I bought (yes.. they were too cute to pass up!) some pillows for the window seat in the basement.  I am going to make a few more to complement them but the ones I found are super cute!

Not too bad!  I got some things done from the original list and add a few more daydream projects too!

hand print art: peacock

Miss N has been a busy bee this winter making all kinds of cool things at the mom+me art class.  Usually it's a flavor of "hand print" art and I love to see the creative projects the art teacher comes up with each week.  This week's piece is so freaking cute that I had to share... isn't it a lovely peacock?  The other great thing about hand print art is that I end up with a creative collection of my little ones growing digits :-).  I'm definitely framing and hanging this in our gallery in the basement.  

 

february resolution: one project done!

Finally one thing to "check" off my February Resolution list.  I finished the artwork for Miss N's nursery and it's even hanging up in her room.  Hooray!  I am really happy with how it turned out and it adds a cute touch to her walls.

Here's a close up of the finished art....

And, here it is hanging in her room..  

 

diy valentines - toddler crafts

As you all know, I love Valentine's Day.  I also love teaching Miss N about crafts and how to make things on her own.  Although she's just a wee one (16 months and counting..) we still try to craft.  In reality, mom does everything with scissors and glue and Miss N does the rest (well, kind of).  So, today was our Valentine's craft day and I pulled out some colored paper, card stock, stamps, double stick tape, scissors and a lot of stickers and we went to town making some very cute Valentine's for our special people in our lives.  Here's the finished result...not bad for a toddler :-)!

My Heart Belongs To You (for daddy)

Whoooo Loves You?  (for the Gs)

february resolution: finish those craft projects!!!

I have a list of projects a mile long and have barely made a dent on the list - some projects have been started and others are just a dream at this point.  The worst part is that the list just keeps on growing!  My February resolution is to get a jump start on this list and complete a project a week.  Here's the line-up for the month:

• Finish wall hangings for Miss N's room
• Create art hangers for kid's playroom hallway
• Create pillows for window seat in basement
• Finish the scrapbook for Miss N's first year

And if I get really ambitious then I'll do a bit more ;-).  Stay tuned to see the end results...  cheers and happy crafting!

valentine's day: felt heart banners

I love Valentine's Day and after making the simple felt heart bunting to hang by our double doors, I used the left over felt and ribbon to make this adorable felt heart banner to hang on our mantle.  The colors are bright and cheerful and it certainly helps me get in the mood for Valentine's Day!!!  

Happy (early) Heart Day!

 

 

my favorite holiday things

For some reason the holidays really get me in the spirit to craft and bake.  I make my own decorations, cards, cookies / candies, and get inspired by new projects every day.  Plus we entertain quite a bit so there's always plenty of fun things to do with that too!  Over the next few weeks I'll be sharing a few of my favorite things from the season... enjoy and Happy Holidays!

addicted to sewing...

After my first project, the little duck costume (which was a HIT!), I find myself scouring the internet for fabric, notions and patterns to make more fun clothes for the little Miss.  First on the project list is this adorable little dress from Simplicity.  I picked up an adorable thin whale brown corduroy with small light and bright pink polk-a-dots and then will use pink ric-rac as the detailing.  This project is supposed to be "simple" according to Simplicity but for this beginner sewer, I am a little intimidated.  I'll have to make a few pleats for the front and put in a zipper (which is the most intimidating part!).  I figure I'll do a little bit each night and then hopefully have a finished dress before Thanksgiving.  So far I've cut up the pattern, cut up the fabric and have pinned the pleats.  Not bad for night #1!  

handmade festive flag banner

One of the things that I made for Miss N's birthday bash was a flag banner.  This very simple and cute paper craft can be tailored to any theme by selecting a color palette and using different colored or patterned papers.  For Miss N's birthday, I used shades of pink and green as my primary color scheme and mixed in a little bit of orange.  Without further adieu, here's what you need to make your very own banner...

DIY Flag Banner Instructions

Supplies

• Colored / Patterned Craft Paper
• Scissors
• Ruler
• Pencil 
• Ric Rac 
• Elmer's Glue

Flag Banner Instructions

• Create a template for the flags. 

1. Using your ruler, draw a straight line on a sheet of paper in your desired width [for my flags, this line was 4 inches long].

2. Draw a mark on the line at the midpoint.  

3. From the midpoint, draw a straight line perpendicular to the original line that is at least as long as the length you desire.  You should have a "T" on your sheet of paper.   

4. Draw a straight line from the edge of your original line to the perpendicular line.  You should have a triangle on one side of the "T". 

5. Draw a straight line from the other edge of your original line to the same point on the perpendicular line.  You now have a perfect triangle for your flags.

6. Cut out your triangle template.

• Measure and cut the ric rac into the desired length of the banner plus 1-2 feet on each end for hanging.
• Using a variety of colored and patterned papers, trace the template on the paper.  Make as many "flags" as needed to fill the length of the ric rac less the hanging length.
• Determine the order of your flags - custom or random.  For my banner, I created an order out of the patterned papers and kept repeating that order.
• Leaving 1-2 feet on the first end, glue the first flag to the ric rac.  The ric rac will be glued on top of the flag.
• Leaving about 1/2 inch between flags, glue the next flag.  
• Continue gluing the flags until you have 1-2 feet of ric rac left on the other end.
• Let the flag banner dry.

Hang your homemade banner in a fun place and let the party begin!!!