The Party!

Well, it's been my first week back at work.  Still feels a little surreal!  But week one is over and I got a little time to write up this post. 

Foster's 1st birthday party was last weekend and it was lovely!  It all turned out pretty well as I'd hoped, we had lots of fun with family and friends, lots of goodies to eat and plenty of snuggles and giggles with the birthday boy!  I incorporated quite a few of my previously posted projects into the party so come check out how it all came together!

The night before, the table was set (before the table cloth was de-wrinkled!).  The bunting banners were hung, balloon bouquets assembled and all the platters set out with sticky notes on each one, so any helpers would know what goes where. 

Tin cans were given another purpose as utensil holders wrapped in pretty paper next to a chalkboard sign with a big ole' 1 on it :)  This was on a low buffet in my living room.  Hey, when you have a smaller home, you use every surface available!  A refreshing pitcher of punch was set out here as well just in time for our guests arrival.

Paper pinwheel cupcake toppers!  They worked out perfectly!  And added the perfect amount of whimsy to the table!  I had a few extras which ended up going into some houseplants as party decor lol.

The blue tiered trays I made looked great on the table.  It may look crooked in the pic, but it's just because I used my wide angle lens!  The red cake stand on the right with the tasty sugar cookies on it (recipe to come in the near future!), was later used for Foster's 'cake smash' photo session!  Keep going... there are pics of that too!

The table looked great if I do say so myself!  One more platter and I'd have been out of luck.  It was full up to capacity!  I even had to use the shelf under the window to hold my homemade lemon gum drops!  Displayed in some DIY apothecary jars... naturally... hehe.

Yum-E!  The rainbow cake was quite a surprise to our guests when it was cut into!  Complete with a couple 'oOoo's'.  I mean, who expects to see a rainbow cake when all you see is white icing on the outside!?  What a great treat for a little ones birthday!  I will definitely make this cake again.

The birthday boy sharing a moment and some cake with his Godmother.  Eryn, you were such a great help!

Salted caramel popcorn.... yes... it's as good if not better then it sounds.  These were the little 'thank you' party favours I made up for our guests and were a big hit!  And it was so much easier to make then I ever thought it would be!

Foster was so completely wiped out after the party, that we held off on doing his cake smash photo session until the following day.  So worth it!  Dressed in just some shorts and his little guy tie, we let him at it.  Foster loved it, we got some great photos, and bath time was very colourful afterwards!  Yes, I made a second rainbow cake just for the 'smash' session.  We reused the table cloth as the backdrop, the cakestand found it's true purpose and we added in one of the bunting banners used as party decor into the scene.  So fun! 

There are so many photos that I couldn't possibly share them all.  I know all parents marvel at how fast the time flies by, but I really cannot believe a year has gone by already!  As much as I miss the wee little bundle he was and sometimes wish he would stay little forever, I am so excited to watch him continue to learn, experience new things and grow into the person he is meant to be <3

*sniff!*

Back to Work

Well, today is the day.  My first day back to work after almost 14 months off.  My little boy turned 1 this past week *sniff* signaling the end of my maternity leave.  I know I'm very fortunate to have had all the time with my little guy that I did but I'm still very sad that I wont get to see him as much, missing simple moments like how much fun he has emptying the laundry basket and climbing in and out of it!  Grandma is to the rescue and will be watching over him while my husband and I work.  Doubly fortunate considering daycare would be almost as much as our mortgage payment a month!  SO wrong...

My return to work also means my blog posting might be a little more infrequent.  At least until I settle into a new routine.  So stick with me... I'm still here :)  Having this time off has been so amazing with my little guy, but it also gave me some time to create.  I'm going to miss it!  I guess it just means my 'to do' list is going to be that much longer... eek!

PS, Pictures of the birthday party will be up soon!  For now though, I need to go dig out my travel mug....

Salted Caramel Popcorn Party Favours

Yes... salted caramel!  If you're anything like me, you can hardly resist that salty sweet taste!  I blame Starbucks and their salted caramel hot chocolate.  Those things are dangerous!

I had been thinking and thinking about party favours for Foster's 1st birthday party this coming weekend.  It's always nice to send a little something home with the guests, but I was drawing a blank for ideas.  Then, I found it...

Home made caramel popcorn!  Trish over at Mom On Time Out shares her recipe for this tasty treat.  I was sooo excited when I found it!  Thanks again Trish!  I'm not going to bother posting the recipe or the instructions here as Trish's are very clear and complete.  So, if you want it... head on over!  The only change I made was to sprinkle on some coarse salt when the caramel popcorn came out of the oven for it's final toss.  Hence why I call my variation, Salted Caramel Popcorn.  SO GOOD! 

Some nice, but easy packaging was definitely in order.  The popcorn, once cooled, was divided up into resealable plastic baggies.  I also made simple folded tags from decorative paper for the top of the bags, stamped with 'thank you' and stapled on (above the zipper part of the baggie).

I hope our guests approve!

PS, for some variations, you could add pecans or shelled, unsalted peanuts to the mix.  Or if you want ultimate decadence, drizzle some melted chocolate over the finished popcorn.  Yep.  I went there.

Enjoy!

2 Dollars & 15 Minutes

That's right.  15 Minutes.  That is how long it took me to make over my husbands chest of drawers in our bedroom.  And, can I add... I did it on the cheap.  Super cheap!  Come along... I'll show you :)

The subject.  A typical Ikea dresser that has passed it's prime.  I've been tired of looking at the blue fronts of those drawers for so long now and the clear top drawer front that shows everything through it and on it (fingerprints!).  But what to do?  Paint you say?  Nah... Podge it?  Maybe... but I was out of Podge and I wanted to do it cheap remember?  Like $2.00 cheap.

Target aquired!  $2.00 peel and stick paper by the roll.  I got it at my local dollar store.  One roll was enough for my project.  Out came the rotary cutter and mat!

I measured each drawer front individually and transferred those measurements to the back of the paper.  You can't assume all the drawers will be exactly the same, even with mass produced furniture from Ikea.  So if you do a project like this, always measure each one.  I also had to account for the pattern on the paper, making sure the pattern was going the same way for each drawer and that they all lined up. 

When applying it to the drawer front (which was cleaned and dried first), I worked from one end to the other, peeling the backing off the paper as I went.  I was able to lift up the paper and re-position a little if I needed too along the way.  I used a credit card to smooth out air bubbles and such while it was being applied.  It's easier to get them out while you are applying the paper, rather then after!

And there you have it.  A $2.00, husband approved, dresser makeover done in 15 minutes.  And I still have some left over paper for a future project.  Here are a couple more pics!

Yay!  :)

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Make It: Bleach Pen Pillowcases

How about a little laundry style drawing fun for today?  Pillowcases + bleach pen = fun new pillows!  Yes, that simple.  Want to see some more details?  Well, keep reading!

You'll need a pillowcase (or other fabric), a bleach pen and some chalk (optional).  I used the Clorox Bleach Pen and some plain black cotton pillowcases I found at my local dollar store.  I know, score right?! 

Put a layer of wax paper, plastic or foil inside the pillowcase or under your fabric, to keep the bleach from bleeding through.  You may want to tape down your fabric as well so it doesn't shift around.  Draw out your design in chalk.  Be as simple or detailed as you want.  I decided to do a pair of picture frames.  I like the imperfectly drawn look of it.

Trace over your design with the bleach pen.  You don't need to glob on the bleach.  In fact, I found that the more you put on, the more it would bleed.  So go light!  You can always add more.  Once you've finished applying the bleach, let it set until you are happy with how much it has lightened.  Also, just because you're bleaching the fabric, doesn't mean it's necessarily going to turn white.  The colour your bleached area becomes will all depend on the original colour and tone of the fabric you are working with.  

Next, rinse off the excess bleach in your wash tub and toss it into the washing machine on a cold cycle with some detergent.  Let it wash... dry.... then there is only one thing left to do....

Admire!  I really love how they turned out and that they are totally unique.  These ones are staying on my bed, but they would make a sweet handmade gift for someone in your life too.  How about doing a Mr. & Mrs. set for some newlyweds?  Some counting sheep for a child?  Or even just some Zzzzzz's?

I did a single flannel pillowcase as well to give to my niece.  The flannel seemed to be more prone to bleeding, so keep that in mind if that's what you choose to use.  However, it did bleach very well and I'm quite happy with it.  I hope my niece is too!

*PS, I used about half of the contents of the bleach pen for all three pillow cases shown here.

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Baby's 1st Birthday Prep - The Cake!

Now that we are into October, life starts getting a little busier with birthdays galor, the upcoming holiday season and..... my looming return to work, which is so close now I can almost hear my alarm clock buzzing.

To make things a little easier come Foster's birthday party, I'm making his birthday smash cake and cupcakes in advance.   Freeze them... *party time arrives*.... thaw them, decorate them, eat them!  But how could I not give a sneak peek into what I'm doing.  So here it is.  But you'll have to wait for party pictures to see how it all comes together.  Read on!

Lemon Drops

I did up a batch of gumdrops in preparation for my little guys upcoming birthday party.  Sweet lemon flavoured!  Gumdrops are very easy to make.  I used the recipe that I shared with you previously, but used yellow food colouring, the rind of one lemon and 1/2 tsp of lemon extract for the flavouring.

Aren't they pretty?  They taste great too!  Once again, you can find the gumdrop recipe here.

Make It: Mod Podge Coloured Glass

I have an affection for canning jars.  Big, little, old and new.... I love how many uses they have!  And like many, I love those old vintage mason jars in that pretty blue with the zinc lids... just not the price tags.  How awesome would it be to mimic that look in any colour you wish with a little DIY action?  Well keep reading and I'll show you!

SVG Owls - Free Download

My last post with the owl clock makeover put me in an owl mood!

A little while ago, I was generously given a Cricut personal cutting machine.  I was super excited and ready to put the little critter to work.  Then I started to realize the design cartridges can be terribly expensive.  Natrually, I researched other options and now have Sure Cuts A Lot software on my laptop allowing me to use any .SVG file (scalable vector graphic) as a shape to cut.  Of course, that wasn't enough.  I needed to learn how to make my own .SVG files!  So here are a few of my first ones.  Tested and all, this family of owls would love to find there way into real life via your personal cutting machine.

Click the links below to download any of the owls that you wish.
owl 1.svg
owl 2.svg
owl 3.svg
owl 4.svg

Stay tuned, I'll be making some for the upcoming holiday season!  Suggestions are welcome!

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