Thursday, November 5, 2009

Smallest Pumpkin in the Patch!

A few friends and I recently threw a baby shower for a tiny little boy who is near and dear to our hearts. It was a pumpkin themed shower.  I had tons of fun designing the invitations as well as putting together a few special gifts.

First, the invitations.  My Cricut came is real handy for this one!


I also made some party favors with a little pumpkin stamped on the tag.  And a few friends and I attempted to make a pumpkin shaped cake using two bunt pans.  We learned that we should have filled each bunt pan to the top in order to get the shape we wanted.  We also used an ice cream cone for the stem.  





I also put together this little beanie for the little man!



And made him and his older brother matching jackets.



















































































And the top it off I put together this little display album for his mommy!















































It was a fun party for a very special mommy and baby!



Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Toddler shirt and belt

Another little fun project I did recently was to make my little man a fire truck shirt.  He LOVES fire trucks and gets so excited when he gets to see one up close!







































I made his little belt with some of my favorite Cosmo Cricket ribbon!!!  It is so hard to find cute toddler belts.  All my little guy's new fall/winter pants are a little too big right now, which is just right...gives him room to grow.  I think I am going to whip up a few more of these little belts.


Tuesday, November 3, 2009

First handmade Halloween costume!

Growing up my siblings and I loved dressing up for Halloween to go trick-or-treating!  There were quite a few years where my mom actually sewed us our costumes.  It amazes me now the ways that she made our desires come to life in the costumes we chose!  I figure I only have a few years where I get to choose what my children will dress up as for Halloween so this year I was dying to dress my little man up as Peter Pan!  I wasn't sure how I was going to pull off the costume without a toddler size pattern.  So you can guess my excitement when I found this AMAZING tutorial!

I couldn't help but giggle with delight when I put it on him!  What do you think???






Thursday, October 22, 2009

We are having...

...a...healthy baby! Hooray! Really that is what is important, right? All the baby's measurements came back perfect as well as blood tests and so forth. We are thrilled to know this little one is doing so well swimming around in mommy;s tummy.

But, really, I know what you are all waiting for...boy or girl? Right? Okay, well here is a little background on how we found out what we are having both with Ethan and now with this new baby. First, we go to the doctor's office for our ultrasound. We politely inform the ultrasound tech that we would like to know what we are having but do not want her to tell us but rather right it down on a piece of paper and seal it in the envelope we have provided. Then, we go to the mall and browse all the cute little newborn outfits and try to find a store with both a boy outfit and a girl outfit we like. Once we have found "the" outfits we proceed to the register where we ask the clerk a little favor. We leave them with the two outfits, the envelope, and enough cash to cover the cost of one outfit. We ask them to wrap up the outfit that corresponds with what is written in the envelope and leave our receipt and change in the envelope. We then leave and return a few minutes later to pick up our little package. Lastly, we head out to dinner and proceed to open our little gift for the new baby at dinner together. How's that for fun! So, without further ado here is the video of me opening the box last night (cause Andy got to open the box when we found out Ethan would be a boy)...

NOTE: Sorry there is so much background noise and that the picture is so yellow...this video was taken with our little snap and shoot digital camera.


If you couldn't hear everything that was said then here it is loud and clear:

It's a GIRL!!!!

Was I in shock? Yes, very much so! The reason being that while at our ultrasound I was CONVINCED I saw little boy parts. I guess I was just seeing the umbilical cord. When I opened the box I almost cried...I was totally giddy!!! So, here is the outfit we picked out for our sweet little girl. We went for something cozy and cuddly this time (with Ethan we had picked out something a little dressier but he only ended up wearing it once or twice). We actually had quite a hard time agreeing on clothes this time. There were a couple other stores we found that we either really liked a girl outfit or we really like a boy outfit but not both so we ended up at Old Navy.



Our experience at Old Navy was fun. The clerk was super excited when we told her our plan. And when we opened the envelope at dinner there was a $10 gift card and a note that said, "Congratulations from Old Navy!" So sweet!


More of the story...

The ultrasound tech totally had me fooled...she told us she calls all baby's a "he" and then we talked and talked about her two boys and how crazy it is to have two boys. She had us look away while she got a closer look and printed out the following picture which she included in the envelope along with a note that said, "Get ready Daddy. It's a Girl!" On the ultrasound picture we included an arrow pointing to what she labeled as her "Princess Parts." Hilarious!


Yesterday, before our appointment Ethan and I were sitting at the table doing some coloring and practicing his counting. I asked him whether he wanted a brother or a sister and caught his response on video. Here it is:



Then this morning I gave Ethan his new baby doll in order to begin to introduce him to the whole baby concept. He LOVED IT! It is a bath time baby and comes with a little yellow towel, slippers, soap bottle, and fish toy. I think he was particularly fond of it because it has a yellow towel. Ethan also has a hoodie yellow towel just like his baby. He immediately ran to get his own yellow towel and wanted to be wrapped up like his baby.


Then he proceeded to give his new baby a bath. So cute!


It wasn't long before he was trying to poke baby's eyes out and throw baby onto the floor. He returned to his trucks and trains soon after. Boys will be boys! But his world will be rocked soon with a little GIRL!!!!

Here is her profile picture! I think her profile looks a lot like Ethan's.


We're really EXCITED!!!

Sunday, October 11, 2009

And the winner is...

This weekend turned out to be a bit crazy...sorry I am announcing the winner of my fall goodies kinda last minute!

I recruited my little guy this time to help me select a winner. Each name was printed out...


then folded up and put into one of my favorite bowls I found at a local antique store...


and he was told to hand mommy ONE...


no, mommy said ONE...


once he finally figured out what one meant he didn't like me trying to take it from him so forgive me for having to rip it out of his hands...AND THE LUCKY WINNER IS...



GRETCHEN!!!

who said...

i'm glad you're back! i dont think ive ever introduced myself but i check your blog often (i found you through littlebandofbrothers) one of my favorite fall activities is cooking and baking all the wonderful comfort foods of the season. i love all the varieties of squash that can be a main course with salt and pepper or dessert with butter and brown sugar. i LOVE baking cookies, especially now that my son and his cousins are old enough to have fun helping out.
tis the season for fattening up for winter
and i love it!


Congratulations Gretchen! Email me (beccashogren@yahoo.com) your address and I'll get your goodies in the mail asap!

Thursday, October 8, 2009

1st BLOGIVERSARY and last chance at fall goodies!

I have to admit, I didn't even plan it this way. Today is my 1st Blogiversary and the last day to get your name entered into a drawing to win these yummy fall goodies! I can't believe that a year has already gone by since my first post on this here blog of mine! I have thoroughly enjoyed sharing my creations with you and making new friends along the way. I am so blessed and encouraged by all of my readers....THANK YOU!!!

Here is a little eye candy for you today. It's a card I made recently with some of my favorite Basic Grey papers (I think I say that about all my Basic Grey papers!). Just love this color combo!



Hey There, Cupcake Card
Patterned Paper: Basic Grey
Stamps: Papertrey Ink
Ink: Close To My Heart
Ribbon: Basic Grey & Martha Stewart

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Monkey business



I know that I don't have many years before my little guy puts his foot down and says he wants to decide what he will be for Halloween. So, in the meantime I LOVE getting to decide for him! Last year I couldn't resist the little monkey outfit! Here are a couple pages I made last year!


The pictures on the following page weren't actually taken on Halloween. They were taken the day we bought the costume. I was just dying to try it on him. We were at my in-laws house, my little guy was sick with a horrible cold, and he was not the least bit happy when we made him try on this furry thing. But I still couldn't resist snapping a picture!



This year I am going to attempt to sew him a Peter Pan costume since he LOVES watching that movie! We'll see how it turns out.

Oh, and you still have one more day to get your name entered in my Fall Giveaway!!! See this post!

Hope you're all have a wonderful Fall day!

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Did you know...

...that today is World Card Making Day??? So I thought I would jump on here real fast and share this little card I made recently using some of my favorite paper by Basic Grey and cute stamps from Papertrey.


We are having a somewhat relaxing Saturday getting errands done and chores around the house. It has been nice to feel the crisp fall weather moving in. I am looking forward to sipping some of my favorite fall flavored tea tonight, Apple Cinnamon Spice...yum!

Oh, and don't miss your chance to be entered into a drawing to win some fun fall goodies from me! See previous post!

Hope you're all having a wonderful Saturday!

Together Forever Card
Patterned Paper: Basic Grey
Cardstock and Ink: Close To My Heart
Stamps: Papertrey Ink & Basic Grey
Ribbon: craft supply

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Ready for a little giveaway???

In celebration of my return to the blogging world (see previous post) I want to give you, my readers, a chance to win a few scrappy goodies. So what is up for grabs?

This bundle of fun, perfect for some of those fall photos your itching it scrapbook.

(see below for close-ups)

Bundle Includes:

Paper pack by Making Memories

Mini book by Creative Imaginations

Clear stamp set by KI Memories

Single clear stamp by Studio Calico

Waxy Flax by Close To My Heart

And a full yard of pretty lace!



Are you wondering how you can be entered to win this fun stuff??? All you have to do is leave me a comment on this post telling me what is your favorite Fall time activity. Easy, right!

Want a chance to have your name added multiple times to the drawing? Keep reading. For a chance to have your name added additional times you may choose to participate in the following:

*You'll get one additional entry for each of the following, so be sure to leave me an additional comment on this post for each item you have completed.*

-Become a follower of this blog by clicking the button labelled "follow" on the right sidebar under "followers." Already a follower? Great! Leave me a comment to remind me to enter your name!

-Blog about this giveaway on your own personal blog and leave me a comment with a link to your post!

I'll leave this drawing open for one week until midnight Thursday, October 8th. I will announce the winner sometime that following weekend!

Good luck! I hope you are all having a wonderful day!

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

It's been a while...

Yes, I am still alive! Wow, I can't believe it has really been 4 months since my last post on here! Before you judge me lazy and totally disconnected let me explain myself. Back in May I discovered I was pregnant with our second child two days before my husband's birthday! Hooray! So, my son and I surprised him on his birthday telling him we were going to have another addition to our little family! My due date is March 2nd and we will find out the gender on October 13th! We're SO excited!!!


Anyhow, my horrible morning sickness started with a BANG! the morning of 4th of July and for about 8 weeks I was sick as a dog! So, I have spent the last four months sick and then recovering from being a hermit for so long. It has been horrible being sick, but I am not feeling a lot better and actually beginning to enjoy being pregnant again. Although, it is definitely more tiring this time around since I am chasing toddler everyday. Here I am at 12 weeks!


I did manage to do a few crafty things in the last four months. Here is a peek at what I have been up to.

A card for my husband's birthday.


One quick layout with photo's that should have been put on a page long ago!


And my first attempts at embroidering and sewing any kind of children's clothing! These were made as gifts for two very special little boys!






And here's the cute tag I made to wrap up the second jacket.


What do you think? I guess I haven't been totally lazy the last few months! Thanks for come back to visit me! Check back tomorrow for a little giveaway I am doing in celebration of my returning to the blogging world!

Better Than Ice Cream Card
Cardstock: My Mind's Eye
Patterned Paper: Cosmo Cricket
Ink: CTMH
Stamp: My Favorite Things
Other: ric-rac, colored pencils

Playin' at the Park Layout
Cardstock: Bazzill Basics
Patterned Paper: Sassafras
Letter stickers: Scenic Route
Other: brads