Two Months

Baby Update

I can't believe my baby girl is two months old! She's growing and changing so quickly and we have had so much fun watching her discover and learn new things every day! She's starting to look a little less bald and she's going to have her daddy's hair colour, along with some more of his traits that are starting to become more visible. Although, I do have to say she still looks a lot like a mini-me! 

 TWO MONTHS

10 lbs 10 oz and 22 1/2"

• Smiles all the time
• Can roll over
• Can't get enough of tummy time
• Enjoys car & stroller rides
• Loves funny sounds
• Is sleeping for 5-7 hours at night
• Loves to airplane w/ Daddy
• Is 'talking' all the time

Holiday Hacks

Easy Gift Giving Guide

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With Christmas just around the corner this is usually where my sheer panic sets in, between the boy's large family, our neighbors and our friend's growing families the gift count gets higher and higher each year. It's easy to break the bank and overload anyone's schedule! With a newborn in tow this year I've opted for a more simple solution! 

1. Break Everyone Down into Groups

Make a list of everyone you need to get gifts and break them into more manageable groups (such as: neighbors, teachers, grandparents, friends etc.) This way you can come up with 3-4 gift ideas that work for everyone versus coming up 563 different gifts for everyone. Now when you find that perfect gift for the grandparents just times it by two and you've got two sets of people done!

2. Go the DIY Route

Going the DIY route is not only fun but it can save you some Christmas cash as well! It's also a great excuse to try out some of those favourite pins on Pinterest you've been dying to try. (Check out some of my favourites) All my neighbors this year will be getting a cute little Christmas tree cupcake! They will be fun to make and lets me cross all my neighbors off my list!

3. Check Out New or Small Businesses

I love supporting entrepreneurs and small business owners, but there is also an added benefit around Holiday season, many of them offer great deals to compete with the big box stores, and they offer more unique products for the ultimate gifts. Check out one of my new favourites Lost My Name an adorable personalized story book for kids, not only a great gift but a wonderful keepsake.

4. Convenience Over Time 

Anyone can buy a gift card and unfortunately they can come across as impersonal, so what's a gal to do? This predicament often puts us in a time crunch for the holidays. Well now you don't have to give up personality for time. Awesome sites are popping up all over the place that offer the perfect solution, with customized gifts that are both time savers and extremely personal! My new favourite for this holiday is Chat Books which turns your favourite Instagram photos into your own book for only $6! In the Christmas Spirit enter the code: GYAC6NLU and get your very first book FREE!

Comment with your favourite Holiday hack or gift idea this holiday season and automatically be entered to be 1 of 3 winners to receive 15% off your very own Lost My Name Book!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS & HAPPY WRAPPING!

One Month

Baby Update

Our little girl just turned a month old! I can't believe it's already been a month since she was born, it feels like both she just got here and as though time is flying by and we've had her for much, much longer. To commemorate her first year's milestones I'm doing the obligatory monthly photos to be able to watch her grow, but I figured I would spice them up a bit to make for some fun keepsakes later on with themed photos. Here's her very first one, she's cooking up a Thanksgiving feast!

ONE MONTH

9 lbs13 oz and 21 3/4"

• Loves to cuddle with Mommy & Daddy
• Has a big smile complete with two dimples
• Loves warm baths
• Hates the cold
• Likes to watch the dogs
• Can lift her head up on her own
• Likes to sit in her swinging chair
• Loves back rubs

Fall Treats

Little Owl Cupcakes

Fall is by far my favourite season. The crisp air, snuggling under cozy covers, the comfy layers and boots, waking up with a cup of warm coffee and the smell of pumpkin and spice. . . everywhere!

I wanted to spread the fall festive cheer and decided to make some super simple fall treats!



These cute little owls are adorable and so easy to make!

Here's what you'll need!

• Cake mix of your choice (I wanted pumpkin but they were all out so I went with a rich red velvet)
• Frosting of your choice
• Two packages of Oreos
• One bag of Reese's Pieces

How to create these little critters:

• Bake cupcakes according to instructions and let cool
• Put on a thin layer of frosting on all cupcakes
• Split oreos in half and use the side with creme filling for the owl's eyes, push firmly onto top of cupcakes
• Use the brown pieces for eyes and stick in a yellow or orange piece for the beak
• To create the feathered look I filled a sandwich bag with icing and clipped the tip to make a makeshift icing bag. I pipped eyebrows above the eyes and little squiggles in rows below the beaks for the body.
• Let sit, then share and enjoy!

WhOo's Going to Make These Sweet Treats?

DIY Baby Blanket

A Quick & Easy Project

This was a blanket I made while I was counting the days for my little one to arrive. The blanket stitching at the end was the perfect way to pass the time until my girl decided to make her debut! It's a great project to customize yourself for a baby shower or your own little nugget. 

What You'll Need:

1. Three prints of flannel (I used these great one sided receiving blankets here) 
2. Pen & Paper
3. Scissors
4. Pins
5. Needle & thread

Here's What to Do:

• Trace any letters and designs onto your first desired print and cut out. If you're not the best doodler you can print out images or bold letters and use those as easy stencils!  

                                 

• Place your cutouts as desired on the fabric you want for the front of your blanket and pin into place. 

                                                                              

• In a contrasting or coordinating thread (I went with hot pink) stitch around each cutout to securely fasten it to the front of the blanket.                    

 

• Once the front of your blanket is as desired, line up the front fabric with the remaining third fabric (wrong side to wrong side) and sew all the way around.
• With the same bold thread as before use the blanket stitch to go around the outside of the blankets, you can make the stitches as close or as spaced out as you like.

You're All Done!

Finally, gift it or wrap your little bundle of joy in it!

Happy Sewing!

Happy Halloween!

Our Little Pumpkin!

Wishing Everyone a Happy and Safe Halloween 

XoXo

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

DIY Fabric Flower Letter

Adorable Floral Letter 

This is a great project I found on where else? Pinterest! I wanted to recreate it for my daughter's nursery door. But I've seen these floral letters used for home decorations, wedding tables and much more. You can make them festive with holiday colours or make it to match your decor. 

Here's What You'll Need:

1. Cardboard box (I used a family size Cheerios box)
2. tape & scissors
3. decorative paper
4. scraps of fabric
5. hot glue gun
6. ribbon

Let's Get Started:

I traced out the letter of my choice on my cereal box (It took me a few tries to get it just the way I wanted). I cut the remainder of the box up into the same size strips, these will be used to make the letter 3-D. Mine were 1" wide, but you can make them smaller or larger depending on how deep you'd like your letter to look. Tip: If you're planning on making larger flowers a deeper side helps contain them, whereas a smaller edge shows off smaller and flatter fabric flowers well

Next, tape the strips to each side of the letter, making sure to use a little extra tape on any place it curves so there aren't any gaps! I then chose to cover my outside edges with a decorative turquoise paper so you wouldn't see the plain cardboard. 

Now, we're ready for the flowers! You can make them all uniform or mix and match different styles and colours. I used a couple of different fabric flower techniques and a variety of colours to give it a bright cheerful look. Here are several great blogs with different types of fabric flowers that you can easily create. Mix 'em up or pick your favorite! 

• Full Textured Flower from Make It & Love It
• Rick Rack Rosettes from Crafting Chicks
• Fabric Rose from Project Wedding
• Dahlias from It's the Little Things
• Tight Lollypop Twist from Mad Mim 
• Pansy & Dahlia Flowers from Flax and Twine

(If you're wanting to hang your letter now is a great time to punch holes on the back of your letter and tie on a ribbon of your choice!)

Once you're satisfied with your fabric flowers it's time to attach them to your letter! I laid mine out until I had a look that I liked then hot glued the bottoms of each flower to the bottom of my letter. I fluffed up each flower. You can also hot glue paper folded like an accordion or styrofoam on the bottom of your letter before gluing your fabric flowers down to give them varying heights. 

And Viola! You have a fresh, fun, fabric flower letter! Make a bunch to spell out something fun or just make one for a special someone. 

Happy Crafting!