Category Archives: Kids

06.02.11

Maps.

I have been working on a few little boys rooms as of late, which makes me giddy, because I get to use all of the inspiration that I had been saving up if we ever had a boy. Here’s one trend that has stuck with me through the years- maps. I love the idea of a world map on a child’s wall. Not only is it beautiful and educational, it symbolizes the art of exploring– which will always let creativity thrive!

Design Mom.

All of the rooms above were done with this wall mural.

05.31.11

God, I love Michaels.

I was looking through some of my old photos this weekend, and came across this little project that I did for E’s Birthday. Many of you have asked for inexpensive party favor ideas, and here is one of them.

You see, she not only has a birthday party, we also celebrate at school. So, with all of the money that I shelled out for her party, I was looking for something inexpensive to give to her 13 friends in Kindergarten, particularly since all 13 would be at her party. The Mommy Gods were with me because with all of the prep for her party, I totally forgot about her school celebration. I went shopping the night before her birthday. As always, Michael’s did not let me down. I found these monogram journals, and a 24 pack of crayons in the dollar section… better yet- the crayons were on sale for $0.50 each! So I was able to give everyone a great gift for under $20!

(This picture was taken at midnight.) All you need is ribbon, scissors and some Paper Source 2.5 inch labels. You can download the template here.

That’s right, 50 cents!

Aren’t these journals adorable?

From start to finish, the whole project took 45 minutes.

All packed up and ready to go!

05.17.11

Forever 21 Girls.

It’s no secret that I am a fan of Forever 21. Well, were you aware that they now carry both girls and maternity? The online selection leaves a bit to be desired, but if you have a store nearby I strongly urge you to visit. Check out these adorable dresses that I picked up for my girls for $9.99. (Sorry, pics were taken with my iPhone.) I love how they each rocked them in their own style. E put this ensemble together all by herself. She popped on this flower pin from Crew Cuts that I completely forgot she owned. Her Daddy made her put a skort on under the dress, as we were going to a birthday party at My Gym. Still… she made it work! I love that she feels the need to constantly add accessories.. that apple didn’t fall from the tree!

Daddy’s happy that she’ll be “covered.”

05.16.11

Lou’s Tinker Bell Party

A few weeks ago, I clued you all in on the theme of Lou’s third birthday party.

Courtesy of my friend and neighbor, Amber of Little Moon Photography, we have some amazing pictures to share…

My friend Kristy Patterson of Sweet Nothings worked meticulously on the candy table. Those of you who know me, know how obsessive I am over the details. Kristy is just as detail-oriented and was open to all of my crazy ideas. She was an absolute pleasure to work with.

I just love how everything turned out!

I created the tags in MS Word, and all of the glitter ribbon is from Michaels. The backboard fabric is from Heather Bailey.

Once again, Kristy Stone of Tastefully Treated hit a home run with the cake… Kristy is someone who understands and tolerates my OCD. After I decided I wanted a log slice for a cake stand, she went to several different mill yards in the area to find just the right one. She’s a genius!

Many of you had questions on the flowers… I actually special ordered them from Wegmans. I looked a little weathered (you’ll see below) as I was up until 3 am doing the arrangements. So worth it!

The fairies in jars were made from Christmas ornaments, Ikea Rajtan jars, fishing wire and wooden toadstools. The rainbow circles were cut from glitter paper.

The tablecloths were made in this green linen, and sewn by Windows by Melissa . One thing to note.. the linen wasn’t easy to iron. Please excuse my mismatched valance (next on the list to be replaced…)

The large toadstools are from Pier 1.

The Ninja-like fairies on the mantle are from Target. On Friday night as I was arranging them, I called Mike over to take a look (mature, I know) because of the not-so-lady-like positions that they were in. I tried my best to give them some decorum.

We had a mean game of Pixie Tag. I bought the “Pixie Dust” here.

As you can see, someone finally got her Imperial Trellis shades hung in the kitchen… I love them! The wreaths, wood chips and moss rocks are from Save On Crafts.

The goody bags are from Michael’s. I created the iron-ons in Word.

The Peter Pan hats are from Good’s Place, the fairy wings, wands, swords and tutus are from Designed2BSweet.

The moon bounce was a surprise from her Daddy. He was so proud that he found a TINKER BELL moon bounce. It was priceless, when she saw it in the backyard, she gasped and grabbed his hand. I think I may have seen a little tear well up in his eye.

Everyone had a ball, including Bailey.

The kids loved playing Fairy Freeze Dance.

Lou kept thanking us saying “this is the best birthday party ever.”

A week later, our house still sparkles with Pixie dust, I think a little will always remain, but it will always remind of us the magical party that we had for our sweet little Anna Lou.

05.06.11

A Pixie Preview.

Tomorrow is Lou’s party! Because of my own procrastination, I have been crafting like a mad woman all week. I successfully burned the tip of every finger with hot glue and have more glitter on me than a stripper at the Crazy Horse… but in the end, it will all be worth it.

Here is a preview of what’s to come (My apologies for the picture quality, these were taken with my iPhone.)

05.04.11

The Festivus of Lou.

On Saturday we will celebrate Anna’s third birthday. Today, we will take a stroll down memory lane of birthdays past.

I can’t wait to show you all pictures of number three. This is going to be the best one yet!

05.01.11

Happy Birthday to My Baby Girl.

Today my little Anna Lou turns three. I cannot believe it. Where did the time go? On Friday I told her that I was going to cry at her birthday party because she’s not a baby anymore. She stopped what she was doing, came over and took my face in her hands and said “Don’t cry, Mommy, I have to be a big girl now, it’s ok.” Seriously, now I really AM going to cry.

Anna Louise was born on May 1, 2008. She was named after my mom, Anita Louise.. who was named after her grandmother, Anna Louise. An old Italian tradition is to name your children after their paternal grandparents, therefore all of my mother’s cousins were already named Anna by the time she came along. My Nanny tried to switch it up and name her Anita… Well, that went over like a lead balloon. In stubborn-old-Italian-grandmother tradition, she never spoke to my mother. Before Neets died, I told her that if we ever had another girl, we would name in her honor. (She died two weeks before Elizabeth was born, but we had already picked E’s name.) However, (as I also told her) I could not do Anita, so we would revert to Anna. And the rest is history.

She was a big girl, so I had a scheduled C-Section. That being said, on April 30 at 11:00 pm, my water broke. As you may have read about my belief in the significance of dates, I was thrilled that she was picking her own birthday. I believe that this has a lot to do with a person’s make-up. Well, luckily I was able to hold on through the night, but because three other women’s water broke that night who were also scheduled, I had to wait. (Must have been a full moon.) Luckily we were still in time for a C-Section because at one week early, this turkey weighed in at 9 lbs. 14 oz. We brought her home and Elizabeth said that she “wanted to put her baby sister in the trash can.”