diycelebrations

my poor blog.....

2010-08-01T22:50:00.000-06:00

This poor ol' blog is sure being neglected. I actually miss it. But I have been VERY busy lately. Some good things, some bad. Just thought I'd share a little of what I've been upto and why my poor blog is so pathetically ignored lately.

Mama, though doing over all MUCH better, has had more bad weeks then good recently. Which takes up a bunch of time when that happens. I try to spend every second with her possible when shes having a bad time, and being that I'm staying down here with her for that very purpose right now makes being with her all the time pretty easy lol.

My brother and his family recently moved an hour and a half away. So we met up and took the girls to Busch Gardens since we never get to see them anymore.

We even brought mama. (who was having a very good week at the time.)

We bought a new truck!! Which I am totally in love with. We got it at an auction through my brother in-laws father who owns a dealership. Totally worth it money wise....not to much worth it by way of time, stress, and confusion. Im not so good with spending hundreds of hours on the internet looking for a car, going down to the auction with a list of cars you might like and hoping you end up with a good one. Very Stressful. But like I said, TOTALLY worth it as far as money goes. We got WAY MORE than we thought we would for our money and REALLY appreciate it!!

Mamas new thing is redecorating her house. I think she constantly needs a project to keep her busy lately. Good luck to my dad when I go home, haha. Anyways so we have been doing lots of work. I did her guest bedroom completely by myself. My brother and dad helped with the floor, but thats all...and I even did some of it. I'm pretty proud of how beautifully it turned out!!

this is BY FAR my favorite part. I stripped, sanded, painted, and antiqued my nanas old cedar chest....all by my lonesome. I LOVE the way it turned out, and I double love the way the little pile of shell filled vases looks on top of it.

I also covered her two rocking chairs and couch, and made pillows for them...I still have to cover the ottoman.

* I staple gunned this much tighter, but I havent taken any more pictures since then....but you get the idea.

We had our first bon fire smore roast with Alyvia the other night.

She said the fire was too hot and wouldnt even try the smores haha. She did enjoy eating the ingredients separately, however.

If that's not enough to keep you busy I also have been baking (of course)! and AS SOON AS I GET A COUPLE MINUTES I will be doing a tutorial on this cake, and making misc. item out of fondant for "CAKE IT PRETTY" on Bird Crafts.

* please excuse the q-tips that were holding up the guitar while it dried. hehe

and if that wasn't enough, Alyvia is currently sleeping next to me with a 102.5 fever that I can't seem to get to break. (which is the only reason I'm awake right now).

So please forgive my neglect. I miss my blog. I'll be back on track soon....i hope! :)

I love summer BBQ's!

2010-07-11T13:34:00.001-06:00

One of the best things about summer is BBQ's!! I love getting together with friends and family, I love being outside, I love BBQ'd food, and the list goes on and on. Totally a win, win, win, win, win situation if you ask me!! Now, what to serve and how to serve it?? KABOBS....for everything!!! Much easier to eat while walking around outside, much less clean up, and super cute ways to display them on your food table!! Check out Martha Stewarts slide show of kabob recipes HERE!!

You can even kabob dessert! These Brownie Fruit kakobs from Betty Crocker look soo delish I'm fighting going to make them right now!!

HERE is a list of tips of displaying your kabobs.
PS...they have kabob sticks at the dollar store;) just fyi.

Enjoy! :)

2010-07-09T16:33:00.000-06:00

I love this ice cream in a jar party favor idea from Style Me Pretty. Things like this is why I love the summer so much!!!! SOO cute. check out the tutorial here!!

Team Edward! :)

2010-07-07T18:17:00.000-06:00

I found these pics through a friend on facebook. She was a guest, not the host. I just fell in serious love with this Eclipse deput party. Check out these AMAZING pics of this AMAZING party. Bravo to Joanna and Lauren the hosts, you're amazing, whoever you are!

Check out these pics!

I wish I had some explanation of the details of this party. I'm trying to contact these amazing hostesses on facebook, so maybe I'll be able to get them to write something up for me.

I seriously can't get over this party, being a huge Twilight fan myself.

Popcicle birthday cake!

2010-07-07T17:58:00.000-06:00

not in the mood to bake a cake? or buy one? what a super fun summery idea for a summertime bday party! A POPCICLE BIRTHDAY CAKE! My wonderful and always amazing friend chelsea made this cake for her little boy. She stacked two pieces of foam and simply stabbed the popcicles in, and covered it with cute birthday ribbon! TA DA! I love it!

YAY

2010-07-04T11:49:00.002-06:00

FINALLY I HAVE A COMPUTER AGAIN!! MANY MANY MANY POSTS SOON!! IM SO EXCITED :)

computer crashed:(

2010-06-22T22:06:00.001-06:00

lots of things to share when the new hard drive gets here!!

4th of July Must Haves!

2010-06-13T23:16:00.000-06:00

With the 4th of July coming up so soon I thought I'd share with you some links to some of the things that I have found meandering through cyberspace that were definite essentials for your July 4th Barbecue! Check em out!

These Stars and Stripes Folding fans would be VERY appreciated by your guest, and make a nice favor!

These Firework Picks are SO adorable, and take any ordinary dish and turn it into a decoration!

If you have ever read this blog, then you know how much a cake/cup cakes mean to me!! These are SO cute and a total must have!

This CD would make for super fun karaoke, and GREAT video I'm sure!

This cooler is not only adorable AND convenient, but its deflatable which makes it easy to store for next year!

Don't forget to decorate yourself with something patriotic! Check out These super cute 4th of July earrings for only $5.00.

Hope this helps you get the patriotism flowing! If you have any fun 4th of July party ideas please send them my way!! Thanks!!

Cake it pretty!!!

2010-06-09T23:42:00.002-06:00

Want to learn how to make this Fathers day "fake cake" and get some fondant practice?? Check out the tutorial I did on Bird Crafts later today.
PS There is a GREAT give away attached to the post. DONT MISS OUT!

Cake It Pretty!!

2010-06-04T09:29:00.001-06:00

I am SOOOO excited to tell you all that I will be teaming up with BirdCrafts to start a new cake decorating series "Cake it Pretty"!!! I am thrilled that someone thinks enough of my cakes to even ask me to guest blog. I can't promise that the cakes I will help you create will be the BEST or the MOST AMAZING cakes you will find. But I think they're pretty great, and I will do my best to show you what I know, give you any and all tips, tricks, and mistakes that I have learned and made to make things easier on you, and help you to make Beautiful, Wonderful, and Delicious Creations!! Please go check it out!! While you're over there you MUST look around Birdcrafts!! Her blog is wonderful and she has a ton of wonderful ideas, crafts, tutorials, party ideas, blog tips, etc. Shes slightly amazing, and you'd regret it if you didn't!!

p.s. The first "Cake it Pretty" cake will have a Fathers Day theme...and soon!! Please be on the look out for it!!

Baby shower gift!

2010-06-03T20:10:00.000-06:00

I made this wall hanging as a baby shower gift for a friend of mine. I didn't take any pics of it until right before the shower like the dork that I am. Luckily it was super easy, so it should be easy to explain.

I found a 12"x12" wooden square at Michaels. Some Cute fabric and a wooden K and acrylic paint at Hobby Lobby. Some E-6000 Glue from Michaels. Some Ribbon. A staple gun, and 1/4 and 1/2 inch staples. And spray adhesive.

First I sprayed the front of the square with spray adhesive and glued the fabric to it. Then I stapled the excess fabric to the back of the square with the 1/4 inch staples so that it wouldnt go all the way through. Then I painted the K green (which I had to make the proper color by mixing off white, lime green, and brown). Then I glued the K on to the fabric with the E 6000 glue. Then I stapled the K on from the back with the 1/2 inch staples. Be very careful when stapling the K on that you done miss the K and just put holes in your fabric. I then cut the ribbon to hang it from and stapled it to the back of the square. Next I cut another square of fabric and folded the edges under so that it was just a bit smaller than the wooden square (about 11 1/2x11 1/2) I put it over the back of the square and covered all my ugly staples and just stapled it in the four corners so that those four staples are the only four you see. And then I tied the bow which I learned how to do by googling "tying bows" and found a tutorial on you tube....which I would link but I cant remember which one I used....theres lots on there that are essentially the same. Last I hot glued the bow to the corner of the ribbon and WA LA! I really think it turned out cute!

4th of July BBQ

2010-06-03T16:46:00.000-06:00

This 4th of July BBQ by Kara @ Kara's Party Ideas is sooooo adorable. I love how put together it is. Everything and I mean EVERYTHING is part of the theme. So creative!! I love the watermelon beverage despenser. Check it out HERE!

YAY ME!! and Ucreate!!!

2010-06-02T22:40:00.001-06:00

Just wanted to let you all know I'm being featured this week as the "new craft blog" on UCreate!!! (which is like my favorite place on the web.) I feel a little like I won the lottery! Thanks Kari!!!!

2010-06-02T22:22:00.000-06:00

I LOVE this lace photo back drop from Martha Stewart found HERE. What a fun idea for a wedding, or anniversary party...or any party for that matter. And the pics are a great favor too!!

Little Miss Chef Party!

2010-05-27T22:58:00.001-06:00

I am SO in love with this super creative party theme by Bee in our Bonnet! This cooking party is so adorable, and my inner 5 year old is totally jealous. I love the aprons she made as favors. Great Idea!!!! Find it HERE!

Sail Boat Party, Matey!!

2010-05-27T21:27:00.002-06:00

Last weekend Lawson Beau turned 1! His party turned out amazing. I can't take credit for all of it, unfortunately, only some of it. We had a FANTASTIC time crafting and preparing for this party. It was so worth it, it was adorable and so fun! Here is some of what we did!!

The smash cake was made out of one of those giant cup cake pans with a fondant sail boat on top. I did a tutorial on the cup cake stand HERE. The banner was cut out with a cricut and hot glued on to ribbon. She made origami sail boats and put life savers in them for treats for the tables, and also gold fish.

She made a "say ahoy to our little boy" box as a keep sake for everyone to write notes to him and she'll keep it until his graduation day. there was a fishing net under the food. Anchors hanging outside. She made him a sailor shirt, and gave sweedish fish as the favors. They had slip and slide and baby pools for kids to play on. The list goes on. I loved this party I think it was soo cute, Thanks Taylor for letting me be a part of you and LBG's special day!!

White chocolate sprinkle cup cake toppers!!!!!

2010-05-25T21:38:00.000-06:00

It's Official. I'm totally in love with white chocolate, and now I'm totally in love with these. What a great idea from Little Birdie Secrets, and they look FANTASTIC. Find the tutorial HERE~

adorable diy chandelier!!

2010-05-25T21:19:00.001-06:00

I wish I would have seen this before Alyvia's last birthday party. This would have been perfect for her Princess themed party! Check out this tutorial by Megan @ Brassy Apple! This could be used for a tea party too. Find it HERE!
by the by....all this stuff is at the dollar store!! :)

Well isn't this cute as a button!!

2010-05-19T20:04:00.000-06:00

I'm totally in love with this "cute as a button" baby shower done by Brandy from Home Sweet Home. Check out the chocolate button favors tutorial found HERE! SOO CUTE!!

Marshmellow cream filled cup cakes.

2010-05-19T19:55:00.000-06:00

I love how simple and obvious this idea is. Check out Stephanies Sweet Creations for a short explanation on how to fill cup cakes. You could fill them with anything. SO CUTE! Check out the rest of her blog for other adorable cakes and cup cakes. Find it HERE.

Ahoy there cup cakes!!

2010-05-18T21:11:00.001-06:00

So I helped my friend make a cup cake tower tonight for her sail boats birthday party coming up this weekend. I LOVE the way it turned out and i have to admit that Im pretty proud of myself for coming up with it. "toot toot" (thats me tooting my own horn). Anyways here is how we did it.....

First we cut four strips of card board. 2 shorter than the others. And taped them together at the ends with duct tape.

Then we traced the top and duct taped that on.

(ps please excuse my shirt my sunburn on my shoulder was bleeding.)

We cut up red and blue bandanas and used spray adhesive to glue them to a poster board we had cut out like sails. We laid the squares slightly too close together so we could cut the excess into fringe to give it a patched look.

I covered the boxes with that brown post office wrapping paper (that I CAN NOT remember what it's called right now) which was kinda difficult because of the shape but turned out ok.

Then I poked a hole in the top of the top box and stabbed a bamboo stick through (that we broke off of a butterfly net from the dollar store) duct taped the bottom, and hot glued the top.

Then I used the Cricut to cut out Initials and a 1 and hot glued them on, on top of a white ribbon.

To put the sail on we hot glued the white ribbon between the sails, then behind that hot glued some card board so the sails would stay the right distance apart, and hot glued that on to the stick. Then we tied some white ribbon into a hole we hole punched to make it look like it was tied on.

We had to hot glue another white ribbon from the back of the stick to the back of the top boat so that the sail would stand up straight since it was heavier on one side. And TADA! I LOVE IT. I can't wait for the party saturday its going to be adorable. YAY

Holy Beautiful.

2010-05-13T22:06:00.000-06:00

Ok, these aren't exactly "cheap" but they aren't bad either. They are SOOOO Beautiful, though. I LOVE THEM. I'm sure if you did them a little smaller scaled and you could find much cheaper vases that would cut the cost considerably. I am so in love with them. Check out the step by step tutorial HERE from The Wedding Bee.

HELP ME

2010-05-12T21:27:00.000-06:00

so the other day I was searching through random blogs i found through blog hops, and I found a tutorial on this Monogram thing. I only saw the pic and loved it, and said hmm dont forget where you saw this, and DID! It was a Red M on red and white damask. PLEASE if anyone has seen it, let me know WHERE! thanks!

Seriously Genious!

2010-05-12T21:00:00.000-06:00

I'm dying over how cute this is!! What a great idea. It is, after all, all about the presentation! Check out the tutorial HERE by The Decorated Cookie. I dont drink tea, but how fun would this be for Cookies and Milk, or Hot Chocolate. Yay. Actually I found a really cute Cookie first birthday party not long ago that this would go GREAT with. You can find that HERE. Wouldn't a cute dollar store coffee mug with a rim full of these cookies make an amazing party favor for this party?? SO IN LOVE!

Tag Along Tuesday.....

2010-05-11T21:00:00.001-06:00

*Follow Twee Poppets, the hostess blog listed in the first slot. Leave a comment saying you've followed, and Twee Poppets will follow you back!
Create a new Tuesday Tag-Along blog post. Include the Tuesday Tag-Along button by copying and pasting the code above.
*Add your blog name and the URL of your TTA post to the MckLinky below.
*If you can, please follow the blogs in the three slots before you (e.g., if you're number 20, follow numbers 19, 18, and 17). This is not mandatory, but it will help ensure that everyone who signs up gets a few new followers!
*Follow as many other blogs as you want. The more you follow, the more that will follow you back! Be sure to tell them that you're following from Tuesday Tag-Along! You may also want to leave a link to your blog so they can return your follow more easily.
*When you get a new follower through Tuesday Tag-Along, be sure to follow them back! It's just common courtesy. :)

It's a Social Parade

2010-05-11T20:50:00.001-06:00

To participate click the button and do the following.

•Follow the blog in the first spot via Google Friend Connect. All blogs participating must post about Social Parade and link to that on the linky:)

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DO NOT LINK TO THIS POST UNLESS YOU ARE PARTICIPATING IN SOCIAL PARADE-YOU MUST LINK TO YOUR POST ABOUT SOCIAL PARADE

Ahoy!!

2010-05-11T20:43:00.001-06:00

So a friend of mine is doing a "sailboats" themed birthday party for her son. I LOVE these invitations. I can't wait to put pics up of the party. I'm helping her with the cake and I'm REALLY excited. It's all going to be so adorable. Anyways she made them on Vista Print. And made up the words her creative self.

How cute, right? And it always helps when you have the cutest son in the known world. Can't wait till the party!

Party Checklist

2010-05-09T18:59:00.000-06:00

Found one!!! Go HERE to Evite and find a checklist that allows to select party type and date or TBD and gives you a list of things to be done, and how far before the party each thing should be checked off. YAY! I need this! They also have a party budge estimater, drink calculator, and menu planner at the bottom of the page.

Happy Mothers Day!!

2010-05-09T18:17:00.003-06:00

My girls on mothers day!

So, I have decided I have a problem. My problem is that I plan and plan all this cute stuff to do, and never plan enough TIME to do it in. So moms mothers day lunch didn't quite go as planned. Plus I forgot I was working in my mothers house again, which is the most unequiped place in the world. For ANYTHING. Food and craft wise. Anyways so for lunch ma wanted Stuffed Shells and Pepper Salad. I also made these bacon wrap things, which are AMAZINGLY delish. (let me know if you want any of the recipes) I made a dirt cake for dessert. I wanted to do kinda a garden out door theme since my mom loves being outside and gardening and hates that she cant do that this year. Well. like i said i never plan enough to actually DO any of the crafty things (Atleast the food was really good!) I wanted to make the flowers from the Garden baby shower I found (HERE) and do some decorative straw thingys, and atleast do like a cute gardeny table cloth with some butterflys and I thought about trying one of the ribbon birds from (HERE) but like I said, I have a problem. So, I think im going to try and find or create a party planning timeline to post. Anyways, heres a couple pics from my mothers day!!
ps we had just gone out on the boat, were not usually this nasty haha

For all you slackers out there....

2010-05-07T21:46:00.000-06:00

So, I know this is kinda late but I just went to my sisters house tonight and helped her make my moms mothers day gift. I'm totally in love with it and it took literally 30 minutes to do.
Since my mom is going through chemo right now, she spends pretty much all of her time either in bed, or in her recliner. So this gift will get much use!

We found a TV dinner tray for $8.50 at walmart. (ahh, how I love coming home from Canada, the low prices always make me sooo happy right when I get back.) anyways, it was just a plain dark wood color.
So we found some cute red, green, and beige striped fabric, and some white antique colored acrylic paint.

We painted the legs and as much of the underneath that could be seen at all the white color.

We layed the fabric over the top to see how big it needed to be and cut it with about an extra 2 1/2 inches hanging over each side. Then used spray adhesive and glued down the fabric to the top. We did it outside because the glue sprays pretty far and wide.

We put a towel down and flipped it over, and used the edge of the towel to cover the fabric as we sprayed the bottom of the tray, as to not get the fabric soaking wet(because if the glue soaks all the way through the fabric it stains) Then we staple gunned the corners.

Then we used a fine grain sand paper and sanded down the corners to give it some character. Then sprayed the top with a scotch gaurd so it wont stain. I think it turned out SOO cute. I can't wait to serve her Mothers Day lunch on it.

Now, I'm not going to put up a picture of the entire thing finished, or tell you about the cute decorations and such we're going to put on it for her mothers day lunch just in case by some crazy chance my mom looks at this I dont want to totally ruin the gift. Which like I said since shes going through chemo is highly unlikely, but still. Ill put up pics on Sunday. Happy Mothers' day to all the mothers out there!

I need some help....

2010-05-06T22:57:00.002-06:00

so, I've decided to put an add up on Craigslist. I'm going to do local small event cakes. You know, birthday parties, grooms cakes, etc. I have NO IDEA, however, what to charge? I've done some research online but can't find ANYWHERE near here that has a website that does cakes. I guess I'll make phone calls tomorrow to figure out a price point for the area. But for now, does anyone have any suggestions?? Or have you gotten a cake made?? What did you pay for it? Thanks!!!!

Sunflower cupcakes!!

2010-05-06T22:49:00.001-06:00

I LOVE THESE sunflower cupcakes from Janel at Mackenzie's Crafty Mom. They are such a fun idea for mothers day, and SO Springish! You have to check out the tutorial HERE!

Garden Baby Shower

2010-05-05T23:02:00.000-06:00

This summery garden baby shower is so fun, bright, and beautiful I have just fallen in love with it. I LOVE summer, and being a Florida girl who moved to Canada, you can imagine how much I anticipate it every year. I wish summer could be the theme of my entire life, but I suppose I could deal with just the theme of a baby shower. ESP. when its this CUTE!! Check it out HERE by Ashley at Little Miss Mama!

I absolutely LOVE the mason jar glasses!

And this food looks sooo beautiful and delish. its making me hungry!

Mad Scientist Party

2010-05-05T22:49:00.001-06:00

How cute is this Made Scientist party from Homemade Mamas? I love all of the fun activitites they planned. 5 is such a fun age, old enough to participate and pay attention to organized activities but still young enough to think everything you do is amazing and super fun!! I love this party theme!! Check it out HERE!

She's about to POP!!

2010-05-05T21:02:00.000-06:00

This is soooooooo cute!! I love this soda POP themed baby shower by Shanda and her sister Kendra at My Insanity! So cutsie and creative! I love the cake POPS!

Find it HERE!

Sweet as Candy!!

2010-05-05T20:57:00.000-06:00

Katherine threw this ADORABLE Candy Land themed birthday party for her sons 5th birthday. She made a REAL candy land in her home. I can't get over how cute it is. My favorite part is the Toothbrush Party Favors. Check it out HERE!

"BAM POW"

2010-05-05T20:33:00.001-06:00

What a Super-Cute Super Hero Party by Jenn at Ambrosia Girl. I love the capes!! This theme is sooo cute for both girls and boys! Find it HERE!

ready for take off!

2010-04-29T23:01:00.000-06:00

Man, I'm on a roll tonight!! Amazing parties just keep finding me. Check out this adorable airplane themed party by Amy Atlas HERE. I LOVE the runway table. SOOO CUTE!

THERES MORE!!!

2010-04-29T22:32:00.001-06:00

AHHH!! Theres even a tutorial to make a RUFFLED birdie mobile just like the ribbon birdies!! Im totally freaking out. YAY! Find it HERE!

PEEP PEEEP!!!!

2010-04-29T22:29:00.000-06:00

ok, so I'm in LOVE! This "birds nest baby shower" from Vickie @ the city cradle. It is nothing short of miraculous. I just can't get over the ribbon birdies flying everywhere.

I want to make them for no reason. I think I just might one day soon. If only I had more time for needless crafting before we have to move for the summer.

My VERY favorite part is the napkin holder/ place settings. What a terrific idea. The whole party is soo put together and totally TO DIE FOR!

Even the food is cute...

They filled one plastic egg with dressing, one with a nut/berry combo. SOO ADORABLE!

Not that I am in ANY way more creative than Vickie (trust me its quite the opposite) but woudlnt this be even CUTER if you put ultra sound pics on the peep show board?? LOVEEE!!!

Check it out HERE!

Polka dot baby shower cake!

2010-04-29T17:05:00.000-06:00

I made this cake for my friends baby shower. She was having a little boy. I used the cake recipe in the last post, and covered it in fondant. I used ribbon to cover my messy bottom, and just used a sterilized pin to hold it in place. and set a ribbon bow on the top. TADA!

Best Cake Recipe EVER!

2010-04-28T16:51:00.000-06:00

My friend Heather gave me this recipe when I was going to try and make my first cake for Alyvia's first birthday party. I have NO idea where she got it from or who to give proper credit to, but whoever or wherever it came from I LOVE YOU. here goes....

1 box cake mix
1 package pudding (4 serving size)
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups of water
1/2 cups of oil
1 Tbls vanilla

Mix the cake and the dry pudding mix together. (Get as many lumps out as possible...i use a flour sifter because im psycho about lumps but really probably not needed.)
Add eggs, water, oil, and vanilla and beat together.

Bake @ 350 degrees for usually around an hour or untill done.
The time will have crazy variations depending on pan size and shape. It is VERY wet when going into the oven so it takes quite a while to cook. Dip a wooden skewer and when it comes out clean its done.

Variations:
Chocolate: Devils food cake mix and chocolate or fudge pudding
Lemon: Lemond cake mix and lemon pudding
Spice: Spice cake mix and butterscotch pudding

ENJOY!!

oh and ps. it rises TONS!! and i mean TONS!! leave at least an inch maybe an inch and a half from the top of the pan. or youll end up with this.....

Mama's Mother's Day Rag Quilt!

2010-04-27T20:21:00.005-06:00

Me and my Rediculously Beautiful Mother, Rita Jo!!

My mother is the most amazing person in the world. Literally. She is now fighting cancer for the third time, unfortunately, and not doing quite as well as she has before. We are not giving up, however, she is such a fighter and I know with the Lords help she can do anything...including beat this cancer!! For mothers day this year I decided to make her a rag quilt to remind her of all of the people that are rooting and praying for her to win this battle!! So I went to the fabric store, and I searched and searched for a fabric that would represent each member of our family. I got one for my daddy, 2 for each of us kids, and one for each of the grandkids. I was going to keep going and get some for my Grandaddy, Aunt and cousins, but I figured 15 different fabrics was enough. Then I patterned them by age of the person they represent (i like the idea of random quilting, but my personality forbids it haha).

Anyways, I cut out 12 squares of each fabric all 6x6in. You need 2 squares of fabric per square on your quilt (one for the back and one for the front). So I ended up with 90 squares. I did 9 square across and 10 squares down. I love rag quilting because it is SO much easier than actually making a quilt. Having to back it and quilt it and yada yada. Plus I think a rag quilt is more comfy like a "blanky" than a regular quilt.

Anyways, since my squares were so small I didnt need to sew an X on them or anything. I just sewed them together by rows and then sewed the rows together making sure the seams would all end up on the same side of the blanket. Then you cut the fabric so its fringey and wash and dry it so it will fray. TA DA so easy cute, and special!!

I think it turned out really well and I love the total mis match look of it. I know she'll love it! I'm so proud of you mama!!

Baby Box!

2010-04-24T17:15:00.002-06:00

This was a baby/pregnancy gift I made for my cousin for her first baby. I got a photo box from the dollar store, ofcourse, and used scrapbook paper and ribbon to cover it in.

Her husband served a mission for our church in Mexico and he gives his family Spanish lessons every week for FHE by reading from the BOM in Spanish, so I put "nino precioso" on the top with stickers (which means precious child in spanish).
Then I filled the box with long ribbons with tags tied to them that I wrote a number of weeks on. I did them in about 2 week increments, so as she grows she can tie them around her belly and cut off the excess and keep them in her box to measure her growth. I also put some little note card so she could write down anything special about a paticular time in her pregnancy she wanted to remember. You could put little photo albums or whatever else you wanted in there, too.
And, depending on how close you were to the mother and how far she is in the pregnancy... you could write a letter to the baby and put it in there and tell about how wonderful the mother to be has been in taking care of the new baby during pregnancy, or if there were any funny stories from the pregnancy that the mother to be might not write down that you thought would be endearing for the baby to read one day. Anyways Hope you like it!

april fools?? maybe not so much!!

2010-04-23T22:36:00.000-06:00

Ok...I know this is suppose to be an april fools gag....and on pots it obviously is. But what if you put all of those cute little ruffles on elastics and put them around your serving dishes. I think its ADORABLE!! They could slip on and off of your bowls and casserole dishes etc. I may be taking crafting too far but i dont care I LOVE THIS!! Screams amazing hostess to me!! Check it out HERE! from Make It and Love It!

Holy cuteness!

2010-04-22T14:30:00.000-06:00

I LOVE these twine napkin holders from Kat at Black Kat's Design. Part of being good hostess is having nice clean guests;) Check out the tutorial HERE!

Come on in!!

2010-04-22T14:14:00.000-06:00

Ever have people come over for a dinner/cocktail party, girls night, etc. and sit like a hawk by the front door to make sure you catch everyone before they knock or ring the door bell? I've done that... How much cuter, and less crazy would it be to make an ADORABLE sign like this one to hang on the front door. If you added "Come on In, Prince Sleeping" to it. It's PERFECT! LOVE! Check out the tutorial by Dena at Sweet Pickles and Chocolate HERE!

My second favorite....

2010-04-21T19:54:00.000-06:00

theme is DAMASK PRINT!! I love it on everything and everywhere. Stacey at Fun to Craft made over this $1 tray from Good Will and I think it is AMAZINGLY BEAUTIFUL!! Hello who doesn't love a damask themed cocktail/dinner party??!! I DO I DO! Check it out HERE!

It's official...I can't wait till September!

2010-04-21T14:35:00.000-06:00

So, a friend of mine from back home has 2 little girl 364 days apart!! This year she wants to do a Pink Zebra themed birthday party for her girls, and luckily for both of us ILL BE THERE!! So we get to do it together. I can NOT wait to do the "dollar store DIY" version of this party. It's going to be spectacular. Check it out from Top Party Ideas HERE!

An apple a day...

2010-04-21T14:16:00.000-06:00

LOOKS DELICIOUS!! I found these Chocolate and caramel covered apples at My Sweet Creations!! They look SO yummy I can't wait to try them. They would be PERFECTLY with a ton of party themes....cowboy, carnival, beachy, pool parties, etc. Go Check em out HERE!

Lady bug Birthday!!

2010-04-20T16:09:00.000-06:00

Seriously, not many things get cuter than this Lady Bug themed Birthday by Nichole. It is SO thought out and put together!! What a dedicated mother..and party planner! Check it out for ideas and explanations HERE! SO CUTE!

"flip flops and sand box"

2010-04-20T15:22:00.000-06:00

OK...HOW CUTE WOULD THESE BE AS INVITATIONS!!?? I found these at Michaels, and they were only 1.69 (and thats canada pricing they are cheaper in the states im sure...everything is!) If you painted them up nice, used a fine tip sharpie to write the info. on them, and glued a magnet to the back...they would double as an invitation AND a pre-party party favor! Plus, your invitation will be stuck to the fridge under everyones nose! YAY!!! I may do a theme like this next year. I'm so excited about this.

mmmmMMMmm....

2010-04-19T21:04:00.001-06:00

I love this idea from Polka Dot Birthday!! How fun are Cookie Pops?? These could be changed up and made appropriate for ANY occasion!! I can't wait to make some. Find the tutorial HERE!

E-I-E-I-O

2010-04-19T20:59:00.000-06:00

Holy Moly am I in love?!? Like I have said before, I love the cowboy, barnyard, farmer theme! This cake and cupcake tutorial is so AMAZING!! Find it HERE! from Better Crocker. I LOVE THIS!!! .....AND to make this even better, you could use this type of layout for SO many other themes....you could do a castle and princesses, a pond and frogs, a bassinet and babies for a baby shower, backpack and little dora and boots, a little bed and the monster that live underneath it, the list is never ending!! So cute!

For Jaimie...

2010-04-19T16:11:00.000-06:00

A friend of mine asked me if I had any ideas for a "flip flops and sand box" themed birthday party. I don't really know exactly what she wants as far as how "beachy/luau" she wants to go. But here are some ideas I really liked....

Photos found via:

http://www.karaspartyideas.blogspot.com/

http://www.coolest-birthday-cakes.com/

http://www.ourcozynest.blogspot.com/

http://partyperfectblog.blogspot.com/

http://frostmeblog.blogspot.com/

Anyways...just some cute things I though would be easy to DIY. I'm sure your party will be wonderful!!

My favorite part of any party....

2010-04-18T13:34:00.000-06:00

no matter what kind of celebration it is, is ALWAYS the CAKE!! I love making cakes. (and honestly, I think I'm kinda good at it.) One of my favorite websites for cake ideas is Coolest Birthday Cakes. It is a compialation of all home made cakes and tutorials! I LOVE IT!! I find myself searching through it when I'm bored....even when I have no parties or events anywhere in the the near future!! lol. Anyways, the previous posting got me searching out horse cakes and I found THIS. My favorite is number 34 by Anna H. You have to check out this website the next time you need to make a cake! It's the best!

YEE-HAW!!

2010-04-18T12:02:00.000-06:00

I LOVE THIS horse themed party inspiration board by Chris @ Celebrations at home! Cowboy theme is my favorite theme for anything, not just parties...home decor, too! These may be some of the cutest ideas I've ever seen. Check it out HERE!

Candles...

2010-04-18T10:21:00.000-06:00

So last night at this little dinner party I went to the hostess put candles all over the house. It was so pretty, it made it go from people hanging out and coming over to eat and talk...to a cocktail party. They were her only decor, and it was perfectly simple and elegant!

Wanna be the Hostess with the Mostess??

2010-04-17T11:35:00.003-06:00

Ok....so update on this. I tried this last night, and I have a few pointers.

#1 He says to heat up the chocolate and strawberry syrup, DONT. It makes it tooo runny.

#2 Make sure the plate you are decorating is COMPLETELY flat.

#3 Do not try and take this to a party after you have decorated the plate because I promise it will run in the car:(

I made this for my party, and after a couple of tries I realized it was too runny when you heat it, so I tried again and it turned out beautifully. I figured I'd take pics when I got to the party since I was hurrying, but it didn't make it to the party lol. By the time I got there it was just a cheese cake puddle.

The mostess beautiful dessert that is! I was watching TV last night when a commercial came on for some fancy restaurant, and when I saw the desserts a light came on. Hey I wanna do thaaat!! What an easy and inexpensive way to spice up your dessert plate all the while adding tastey dipping sauce! I found a Video tutorial HERE on youtube from "Cooking with Johan". There's tons of other videos from him that have some great ideas of how to make all your food have a great presentation! I'm so excited. I'm going to a party tonight and I was going to bring an appetizer, but nope changed my mind! Now I'm bringing a fancy dessert! I'll put pictures up of how it turns out!!

For baby Aiden...

2010-04-16T11:10:00.001-06:00

A friend of mines little boy Aiden is going to be a big 1 year old in two short months. She asked me to help her find some ideas for his first birthday. This next post is a selection just for you Kaela!(and fyi, I'll be down so we can DIY some of these ideas together! YAY)

Thomas the train birthday party! I don't know how you feel about Thomas the Train but my daughter LOVES him, so im sure all the little boys out there must die over him. HERE is a step by step tutorial on how to make a Thomas the Tank Engine cake!

This beautiful party was featured by Kara's Party Ideas, and it is so adorable (plus it'd give us lots of opportunity to play with the Cricut) find it HERE!

OOOH!!! Here is another party theme that I LOVE!! Carrie from Stationary Scoop threw this AMAZING Monster Party Check it out HERE!

This is SO CREATIVE!! And I think a Monster theme would be PERFECT for Aiden!

Flower dots....

2010-04-16T10:39:00.000-06:00

This birthday party by Our Cozy Nest is simply beautiful. It's elegant and well put together. My favorite part is the fact that the polks dots aren't all polka dots. Half of them are little flower dots. HOW CUTE!! I love this! Check it out HERE!

I'm Invited too.

2010-04-16T09:23:00.000-06:00

I just realized I never put up pics of the Invitations I did for either one of my daughters Birthday Parties.

Here are the ones from her Princess Party. They were done like a Kings Scroll. I just printed them on antiqued paper I got at Walmart and sprayed them with Aerosole Glitter. Then added rinestone stickers and Wax Seal from Michaels. Burnt the edges, rolled them up, tied them and WAH LA! Beaufiul!
I work on finding pics from the Safari party last year.

You're Invited

2010-04-16T09:14:00.000-06:00

Invitations are one of the funnest parts of a party. They are the first impression your guests will get of what is to come! Disney from Ruffles and Stuff made these incredible Polka dots and Posies Invitations HERE. What I love about them the most is that NONE OF THEM MATCH! What a good idea! Each of is individual and beautiful on its own. I love the unique-ness!

Finally, I made it!

2010-04-16T09:00:00.000-06:00

One of the best parts of having parties of any sort is being able to play Hostess! and one of the best parts of being able to play Hostess is getting to look the part! I instantly fell in love with this fabric LAST SUMMER and JUST now decided to go out and finally break down and buy it. This is what I decided to do with it. I love it, I'll post a tutorial soon!

ps. sorry for the pic quality, my camera was being very uncooperative, and so was my 2 year old.

I want to be...

2010-04-16T08:52:00.002-06:00

Somewhere over the Rainbow!! How cute is this "Rainbow and Ruffles" theme by Hip Hooray? It is so creative, and different which is probably why I love it so much. This would be such a fun party to DIY.

The rainboots and streamers decoration is to die for! and how easy and inexpensive!!

Plus not only is the cake adorable, but its a RAINBOW TOO!! Inside and out!

AND the ruffle table cloth is my favorite part. HERE is a Free PDF tutorial on using a ruffle foot(which I only recently dicovered excisted. and it is the new love of my life!!) from You can make this!

Speaking of Luau!

2010-04-15T22:37:00.000-06:00

Those flip flops got me excited and now I'm kind of on a Luau roll. Decorating a Luau would be one of the funest themes to decorate for. Carved fruit would make GREAT centerpieces. (and make you look like you know what you're doing in the kitchen, AND in party planning) Here are instructions for a whole list of different watermelon carving designs!! I LOVE THESE!

Luau?

2010-04-15T22:24:00.000-06:00

Ok, so I saw these on Make It and Love It not long ago and loved them so much I made some for myself. Then the idea came to me last night. How fun would these be as an activity at a Luau party for a tween!? I would have loved to make these in Jr./High school!! SO FUN! and a Luau party is always fun! Find the tutorial HERE!

Or you could always make them for littler feet, too. A luau party is fun for all ages!

Mirror Mirror .... underneath the candles!

2010-04-14T23:09:00.000-06:00

Theres really no better place to put a mirror in my opinion. A mirror always takes any centerpiece to a new level. If there are candles involved, FORGET ABOUT IT! Such a simple and inexpensive way to make your wedding centerpieces a bit fancier... and if youre not opposed to using silk flowers this could literally cost only slightly more than pennies. Especially since once again all of these things can be found at most dollar stores!! It's another great idea from Martha Stewart and HERE it is!

Bright White and Beautiful!

2010-04-14T22:53:00.000-06:00

How could you possibly make a baptism/christening day any more special?! By throwing a party that looks like this!! I love the all white theme. It is absolutely beautiful. Find it at Little Sooti. (by the way the dollar store carries pretty glass vases.) And HERE is a tutorial to make those fun paper flower pompoms from Martha Stewart!

Candy skewers!! It doesn't get any better than that!

2010-04-14T22:44:00.000-06:00

Heartland Paper shows you how to make these ADORABLE Candy skewer baby shower favors HERE. Aren't they the cutest?

Who could you be?

2010-04-14T22:41:00.000-06:00

What a fun activity for a child's birthday party! AND if you have a polaroid these picture would make a GREAT party favor. This Blessed Nest shows you how to make a face cut-out screen Here! I love this!

ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE!

2010-04-14T20:25:00.000-06:00

Parties like this are amazing. From the second you walk into the room youre instantly awed by the elegance and "put together feel". Christi at P is for Party shows us this beautiful "Pink and Green First Birthday" Here! The best part about this birthday party is that so many of the wonderful decorations could be easily home made!

Ok who doesn't love a babys breath bouquet for a first birthday party?? GENIOUS! Cut your limes, and wrap your ribbons, and you've Done It Yourself!

And this photo banner is Fantastic. It only cost $0.19 a picture at Walmart for their self-server photo machines. You could reprint some baby photos in Black and White and glue them to scrap book paper, tie your ribbon and TA-DA! Gorgeous!

I'm in love! and I know I could make these!

2010-04-14T20:09:00.000-06:00

I found this picture at Heavenly Blooms. They are the brides shoes from a wedding they did. I LOVE THEM. The best part about them is even though I'm sure they were incredibly expensive. They would be SO easy to make. Grab a nice pair of plain white heels, and hot glue some silk roses to the back.(which im sure you could find at the dollar store fyi). If you can't find any white silk roses, there's a whole selection of tutorials on making fabric flowers HERE by Kari from Ucreate!

Easy, and Fun!

2010-04-14T20:03:00.002-06:00

Theres nothing like hand made favors for any event! It tells your guests that you really appreciate them, and it saves you tons!! Sarah from Truly Smitten shows us how to make elegant candles HERE.

Welcome Spring!

2010-04-14T19:53:00.001-06:00

Spring is here, for most of us anyways. What better way to welcome spring than with some beautiful centerpieces at a cocktail party?? There's a great tutorial HERE at Hostess with the Mostess!!

Who doesn't love Cheerios?!?

2010-04-14T19:46:00.001-06:00

How cute is this First Birthday Party with a Cheerios theme? What a great idea, and SO easy to DIY this. So many cheap ideas you could use for this theme. And how cute would a bowl of cereal cake be? And how easy would it be to make a giant Cheerio out of an angel food cake pan!! SO FUN! Here are some GREAT ideas from STEM!

FREE online party planner!!

2010-04-14T12:44:00.001-06:00

How exciting!! My Party Planner has a FREE virtual party planner availabe online HERE. You can find venues for everything your party needs, from locations, decorations, photography, catoring, etc in your local area. YAY so convienent!

Happy Birthday Princess!

2010-04-14T12:33:00.002-06:00

So my daughter just turned 2!! (i still dont know if there should be a happy for a sad face after that sentence.) She is in love with all things princess, so a princess party it was!! Now, I had tons of ideas for this party. Most of them turned out wonderfully. Unfortunately, the ladder we brought wasn't tall enough to reach the ceiling...so some of my decorations went down the drain. But that's ok. It still turned out great, and we all had a lot of fun! That's what it's really about right?

Now, MOST of the things I bought for this party were from the dollar store. (which, btw, is my favorite place in the world) There were a couple of things I just had to have and spend a bit more on, but the most expensive item for the entire party was the purple chandelier. which I got for $15 that I didnt get to hang anyways, and got to take back! lol....not to shabby though huh?

So heres a list of some of the things I did....

*The Activities.
We had the party in the daycare room at a local civic center. It was super cheap to rent out and was full of fun toys!!
Each child had a craft to make for an activity. The girls had princess wands and the boys had Kings crowns. I got them all at the dollar store along with the stickers to decorate them with. They were a lot of fun to make and it was super easy clean up since there was no glue or markers or anything like that. We also, had face painting!

* The birthday girl.

(you'll have to excuse this face, it was the only picture I got where you can see her shirt straight on)

This was a dress up party, so ofcourse my little princess had to look amazing. I appliqued a 2 with a crown on it on a onsie, and a friend of mine made her a beautiful tu-tu! (which you can buy here) We put jewels in her hair(dollar store find) I got boa's, tiaras, and diamond rings for each girl(dollar store again). At the beginning of this party I wasn't sure if I was going to invite any boys since it was a "princess party", but then I realized all my little princess' would need a prince charming or two! I made a "prince's cape" for each boy and (from the dollar store ofcourse) got them foam swords! They all look adorable!

*Decorations.

Here is where I had some trouble. I spent so much time making and preparing all of my decorations. I suppose I didn't spend enough time making sure that I would be able to use them!! lol

I cut strips of toole and attached them to a cross stitch ring that I planned to hang in the center of the room and attach the ends of the toole to the outter corners of the ceiling to create a pink canopy affect. However, like I said before, the ladder wasn't tall enough to do so. My husband was able to throw some fishing wire up so we could hang one side of the ring atleast. We used sticky tack and stuck the ends as high as we could on the wall. It didn't have quite the look I wanted, but it was still nice.

For the entrace, I cut out a castle door from a twin mattress box I got from a local furniture store. I painted it light grey, then used a sponge with darker grey to make a brick affect. Then I painted vines and hot glued flowers to it. I found some white sparkly fabric at the dollar store(ofcourse) and I bunched it up using clear hair elastics and hot glued that around the draw bridge door I cut out! It was easy and super cute!

On the tables I made little disco ball center pieces. (all from the dollar store.) They disco balls where just foam, so i stuck a wooden doulling in it, spray painted it pink hot glued a feather boa to the bottom and stuck it in a tin can filled with clay, and covered the clay with plastic diamonds. then i sprinkled the diamonds around on the tables. I also got some pink flowers and sprayed them with aerosole glitter! It looked adorable!

I also made a Princess Throne for the birthday girl to sit in at the head of the table. I got a hot pink lawn chair from the dollar store and tied pink toole around it just the same way you would tie toole on a tutu. It was so easy and all the little girls loved it.

*The food.

For the adults I just had dips and snacks, and around them I placed pretty pink flowers to girly the table up. For cups I got plastic wine glasses to make it more elegant.

The cake was a TON of fun to make! and it turned out great! My daughter loved it, along with the other little girls! It was simply two metal mixing bowls turned over on each other, covered in fondant sitting on some grass that was baked in a small casserole dish, and I just decorated it with tips. I used a string of pearls from the craft section at Walmart, and my little ponys to pull it. I made a back drop for the cake to sit in front of out of a "science project board" I painted a sky and grass and put a castle decal on there I found at Walmart. I covered the cake table in a princess masquito net I found at Jysk. It wa a big hit!

I had so much fun planning this party. All of the craft projects were easy, and quick. It was rather enexpensive for the amount of things I did. Hope everyone had fun!

GET IN MY BELLY!!

2010-04-14T10:39:00.001-06:00

This is a cake that I did for a friends baby shower. In my opinion, it's the cutest cake I've ever made. Its a chocolate sheet cake with buttercream frosting covered in fondant. The belly was baked in a metal mixing bowl, and the boobies were baked in Pyrex ice cream dishes. The dots were an after thought, since I ripped the fondant on the dress while putting it on. Don't you love when accidents make things better?? The foot and the belly button are just shaped balls of fondant underneath stuck in the buttercream icing. Anyways then I put it on a cardboard box, that I hot glued some fabric too. Gotta make it presentable ya know! ;)

Where it all began!

2010-04-13T16:24:00.002-06:00

When my daughter turned one I was SO excited to throw her a birthday party. I had never thrown a party before, of any kind, let alone one for kids. It was kind of intimedating, but I was determined it was going to be amazing for her. Even though it is impossible, I wanted to make it so special she would remember it for years to come! lol, delusional mother or what? Anyways, not having ANY idea what I was doing, or being aware of all of the wonderful things available online, I was pretty limited to my own imagination. I think it turned out pretty good for what it was, however.

I had her party at the local Pet Land. They do a great little animal presentation. It was a lot of fun and not very expensive. Plus NO CLEAN UP! Always a great bonus.

I got the vine for the banner at Walmart, and traced and cut out "Happy Birthday" out of felt paper in animal prints.

I found little painted animal shapes at michaels for $0.39 a piece. (which made me VERY excited) so I hot glued them to a little piece of wood so they would stand up straight and placed them around the room, on tables, around the food and cake, etc.

The cake was two-layers. Bottom layer was chocolate, top was vanilla. I used fondant for the first time. It really wasnt as hard as I thought it would be. But my cakes have def. improved since this one.

I painted little wooden letters from Michaels pink and hot glued them to tooth picks for the letters. and the palm trees were $0.35 just like the animals! The hot pink ribbon around the bottom is to cover my fondant "inexpertise".

I got some super cute safari fabric at Walmart for cheap so I bought a yard and made a little placemat for thecake to sit on.

I found little sun hats at the dollar store instead of the typical paper party hats. I sewed on animals that I cut out of the left over safari fabric and hot glued hemp around them to make "safari hats"!

For snacks I had dips and veggie trays for the adults. For the kids there was animal crackers in animal print boxes, and PB&J sandwhiches cut out with animal shaped cookie cutters.

The favors were small bags with animal pictures on them. Each had a play dough with animal playdough press, animal stickers, and animal figurine. All found at the dollar store.

Even though I had no idea what I was doing, and had no direction..this party was a BLAST! Plus this is where I realized that there is nothing more that I love to do than to plan and host parties!!

We'll give it a go, I guess!

2010-04-13T14:46:00.000-06:00

ok...Well, I have been thinking about starting a blog since...FOREVER. I guess I'm done just thinking about it. So wish me luck, here it goes!

My hopes for this blog is that it will be a place that others can find inspiration and ideas to organize events that will create memories that will last a life time! Parties can be so much more than stressful events that overwhelm our lives for the days prior. They can be opportunities to spend time with our families, create beauty, and give more than gifts...we can give memories! The best part is, we can do it on a budget, and we can do it OURSELVES!

I LOVE parties, I love to plan them, host, and attend them! I hope I can help you all find the ideas, time, and motivation to make each occasion a celebration of love, creativity, and FUN!