Party Favors

For my baby shower, I was so deeply humbled to think that so many people not only wanted to be at the big event, but wanted to make sure I was having a shower in the first place.  As tradition goes, usually you have one shower for your first baby.  Well, this is my fourth baby.  I suppose the fact that she is the first and only girl after three boys has a lot to do with the heavy interest and great turn-out.  Not to mention the fact that I can't hide an ounce of my excitement, shock and satisfaction that I am finally getting the daughter I've dreamed of.  

I have to disclose that I have never wished any of my boys had been girls, I just had this overwhelming desire to raise a daughter - no matter how or when she got here.  It was definitely a risk to try for that fifth time (I had a miscarriage right before conceiving her).  I had convinced myself I would get my fourth son and I had all but given up my dream, but to my utter surprise I was blessed with the girl I always believed would come.  I still get very emotional when I think about that defining moment at my ultrasound when the doctor said, "You're having a girl!" 

My desire for a girl and the sheer thrill of knowing she was finally coming are worn on my sleeve.  I have the greatest family and friends who were gracious enough to throw and attend a shower for the upcoming Princess and me.  I wanted to show a small token of my appreciation for the very literal showering of gifts.  

I started by making Chocolate Covered Oreos.

I dipped the Oreos into Chocolate Almond Bark, 

then drizzled Vanilla Almond Bark on top (dyed pink with food coloring)

I did the opposite for the Vanilla dipped Oreos

I stuffed a couple of these rich treats into little favor bags found at Robert's

Each bag had little Baby Blocks on the front - created with the Cricut

The little champagne bottle is filled with red, pink and white M&Ms

The label says "About to Pop"

I found some cute bundles of bamboo spoons 

and green dish cloths that made up the rest of the favor

Then I stuffed it all into a diaper and gave each guest a "Full Diaper"

Though it can never fully express my gratitude, I hope the guests enjoyed the shower and the small token of appreciation they took home.

Nursery Update

The nursery is coming right along. In fact, I'd say it was darn near complete. There are only two things missing - the glider/ottoman and two frames that go above the crib.

At our baby shower, baby and I sort of made out like bandits! All of the darling gifts we received have been hung, set up or put in their place and boy am I ready - she just needs to cook and grow for a couple more months. Having the shower early was really great - I wanted to make sure my mom and step-mom could both be there and this was the best date - but it makes for a long 2.5 months remaining in my pregnancy! :-) Nesting is so fun!

Thank You Cards

Using the same basic layout and tweaking it a little, I made my first set of Thank You cards, or a set of cards of any kind for that matter!  I used a stamp pad to antique the edges, the Cricut for shapes, some scraps from previous projects, some paper I bought at Wal-Mart and a few embellishments. It was fun and I will have lots left over!

My dad had a bunch of school pictures in a packet so I decided I would make my first attempt at a real live scrapbook page. That will likely be the next little project I take on.

Ribbon Lamp Shade

I found this lamp base at Wal-Mart for $8.95. There was a white lamp shade on clearance for $5 so I got it and hot glued various ribbons to the top. I trimmed each ribbon with pinking shears on both ends, glued them on, then added the pink ribbon at the bottom of the shade, the brown ribbon at the top of the shade for trim and the pink satin bow. I love how it looks in the nursery! Too bad I can't find a light bulb!

Coming soon:  Card making!  I can't believe I actually made all these cards!  Thank you, Cricut, for giving me the ability to be crafty when I never thought I could be. It has been a really fun project.  They are not done yet, but I will post when they are.  

Headband/Bow Holder

I saw a cute bow holder online somewhere - probably Etsy.  Yesterday at Wal-Mart I saw some cute unfinished flowers and other shapes with hooks on them.  I bought one, painted it white and applied some Hot Pink vinyl using the Plantin Schoolbook cartridge.  Tall Ball Grass. Then the word "Grow" from the Home Accents cart - hot pink is Shadow and white is normal.

The one I saw had ribbons glued under each hook, dropping down about 14 inches below the bottom of the hook to hold clips & bows, but I already had the bow holder so I didn't do that. 

Funsie Onesies

Fabric and the Cricut - my mind is spinning with possibilities of future projects - aprons, canvas bags, T-shirts, jeans, and on and on and on.

All you need is some Heat N Bond, cute fabric and something to stick it on to.

MATERIALS NEEDED FOR THIS PROJECT:

• Cricut Machine - Pressure: Max; Speed: Med; Blade: 5

• Cutting Mat

• Scissors

• Heat N Bond

• Fabric

• Onesies

• Iron/ironing board, set to Low or Wool

STEP ONE: APPLY HEAT N BOND TO FABRIC

1. Cut 12 x 12 or 12 x 24 pieces of fabric and Heat N Bond

2. Follow directions to bond them together

STEP TWO: CUT YOUR IMAGES

1. Place your fabric/Heat N Bond onto the cutting mat and press Load

2. Press the Multi-Cut button

3. Select your image, size and press Cut.

4. Unload your fabric and remove from cutting mat.

STEP THREE: PEEL AND APPLY

1. Peel paper backing off fabric image.

2. Place image in desired place on Onesie.

3. Iron on, following Heat N Bond instructions (8-10 seconds, usually)

Another cute Cricut project!

Those To-Die-For Flower Clips

I was invited to a really, really fun and REALLY, REALLY girly party the other day.  My friend Misty had Scentsy and those absolutely adorable crocheted beanie/headbands with all the flower clip accessories.  They had a bunch of super cute newsboy caps, too.  It was all so girly and I was so happy to be part of something so dang feminine since my life usually consists of dirty boys and rough and tumble sports.  Not that I would trade it!  It's just a nice addition.

So, after I bought two of those must-have flowers and four headbands, and spent a grand total of $31.95, I had a touch of buyer's remorse.  I ALWAYS get buyer's remorse.  I love a bargain, though, and it lessens the regret significantly. So I went to Robert's with the intention of making my own flower clips.  Like the tutu attempt, they may not turn out as cute, but they are good enough since the price is right.

MATERIALS NEEDED FOR THIS PROJECT:

• Assorted colors and sizes of craft flowers. 

• Hot glue gun and glue

• Alligator clips - I got mine at Wal-Mart, but they are a little too bulky. Look for the flattest clip you can find.

• Buttons, brads or other flat embellishments for the center

STEP ONE: Choose and layer your flowers

Call this a practice run.  Layer your flowers together to see how the finished one will look.

STEP TWO: Glue or Brad together

On some of them, I hot glued them and on others I simply used a decorative brad. 

STEP THREE: Glue to alligator clip

And you're done!  Super cute.  We (my two older boys helped) made twelve of these adorable accessories.

Hot glue gun technique:

Check out the adorable collection we made for the baby! Here are a bunch of pics from our project: