Muted Mondays: Kayden and My Daddy....

And her granddaddy too....I am willing to share him :)

Muted Mondays: Where is the Fork...It's Done!!!

Muted Mondays: Party Details 6 Sleeps To Go...

Happy Monday Y'all!

Muted Mondays: Birthday Week - 5 Months Old

And the personality has only grown.......
Thanks for stopping by!

The Party Dress - Before and After

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Happy Tuesday everyone! A few months ago, I found this cute dress and beret for Kayden to wear to her birthday party. When the dress arrived from Pumpkin Patch, I loved the styling but not the embellishments. After purchasing the beret a week or two later at Janie & Jack, I decided that I would remove the bow and buttons and replace it with a ribbon flower, using ribbon that matched the bow on the hat! So happy with the change and my sweet girl is tickled pink.

Party Updates - 28 Sleeps and Counting

When it comes to party planning, I think that this week/weekend have been pretty productive. Before I start with the updates, I have to admit, that I have been a cooking fool this weekend!!! It happens every once in a while where I see something delicious that I MUST make. Yesterday was one of those days. While perusing through Pinterest, I came across the recipe for a Cinnamon Roll Cake, over at Cookin Up North and wanted it IMMEDIATELY. I decided to make a half batch since the regular recipe appeared to make a larger cake than me and my sweetums cared to eat. I topped it off with a cream cheese glaze recipe that I already had and the results were AMAZING!!! If you like cinnamon rolls, then you need to try it!

Okay, so back to party planning. This week, I got the following done:
1. Finalized and reserved the rentals.
2. Confirmed the face painter (still waiting on her contract).
3. Made and addressed all of the invitations (photo to follow).
4. Finished up the art supply bags and frames for Masterpieces (photo to follow). The bags include a 4x6 sheet of heavy drawing paper and a set of colored pencils. On party day, there will be twistable crayons, rainbow crayons and watercolors available for the girls to use as well.
5. Finished up the passport printing and cutting (need to add the clip and ribbon lanyards).
6. Tried a Pinterest project and created a ribbon welcome wreath for the front door (photo to follow).
7. Bagged the Bling bracelet pieces and finished the box bottoms (still need to cut, score and glue the tops).
8. And the black berets arrived...YEAH! I need to think of a cute label to add to these.

I would love to have everything made a week in advance so all that I have to worry about on party week is the food and things that I cannot make ahead. As I said before, I am personalizing a lot of stuff, so having the guest list finalized was a must. I am adding personal labels as I work on projects and if someone cannot make it, I am going to pull her items and simply send them to her. This makes life SOOO much easier than waiting on RSVP's.

So, here are a few pictures! I got a new camera but am still am amateur photographer :( That is just not my gift and I am SOOO okay with that!
Thanks for looking and have a relaxing Sunday!!!!

Happy New Year!!!

Officially, Happy New Year blog family! I pray that everyone had a fabulous Christmas and new year! My husband's family traveled to be with us for Christmas, so our day was VERY laid back and low key....just how we wanted it. For the new year, we did our annual trip to Myrtle Beach with my twin sister and her family. She has a daughter that is five months younger than Kayden so you can ONLY imagine all of the running, squealing and giggling that went on. TOOO cute!

So, I wanted to share my WONDERFUL Christmas gifties from my dear friends Mary and Mel. The theme this year seemed to be stuff for the kitchen and let me just say that I am already putting the gifties to good use. Mary sent me some HAND embroidered kitchen towels...did I say HAND embroidered. They are beautiful and what craftsmanship!


Mel sent me quilted pot holders complete with grommets....don't those require a special tool to set?!?!?!? Anywho, I cannot decide what I love most....the black and white kitchen appliance fabric or the CUTE, CUTE, CUTE custom labels.


For the girls, I created felt iPad covers. And let me just say that those things gave me a darn fit...a serious fit! In the end, I was able to get the edges sewn on my machine and in the mail in time for Christmas.


So next on my agenda is Kayden's 5th birthday party. The date has been set for February 12th and my goal is to do one thing a day to prepare for the party. I have completed a number of tasks but there is still a ways to go. My plan is to get photos of my daily party projects to share with you all here.

Today, I focused on items for Masterpieces, the art store. I added labels to the colored pencils, cut the paper into 5x7 sheets and put all of the items into clear bags. Once Kayden, YES Kayden, finalizes the guest list, I will go ahead and make custom labels for each of the girls. I have been doing research on 5 year old parties and apparently at this age, they LOVE to see their names on stuff that belongs to them :) I need to try and get some photos up this week :)

Have a great night!

Muted Mondays: Our Budding Author

Kayden's writing contribution for the K4 classroom novel :)

Mickey Bound....Seven Sleeps and Counting!!!!

I am started to get SOOO excited as we countdown to our first annual Thanksgiving trip to Disneyworld as a family! Ken and I went ever year before Kayden's adoption and have been twice since we were blessed to call her ours! Our last year was two years ago, so we are WELL overdo. In preparing for the trip, I have been packing AND sewing. I wanted to create at least one special outfit for Kayden to wear in the parks and my wish was granted (think pixie dust :))

I created this little number for her using a Mickey Mouse monogrammed patch from the Pinpoint over at Etsy. I bought black leggings from THAT bullseye store and added a simple ribbon ruffle at the ankles. The thing that I love most about the top is the black ruffle!!! It was a pain to add, but adds a cute detail to the top. My sweet girl loves the set...that is what is most important.

The only thing left to sew is a little Disney tote bag for Kayden to carry her autograph book around. I also want to make her a custom autograph book but as the week drags on, I am starting to doubt that one...we shall see.

Have a great day blog family!

Store Openings Near You.....

Okay, not really, but I thought that it sounded catchy......

The main "activity" for Kayden's Tea in Paris Party, aside from the obvious tea party, will be some shopping in Paris. Each girl will visit three shops that will feature a craft and will give the ladies something to take home. I have already created a logo for each store and want to share them here. The three stores, logos and activities are as follows:

1. BLING (The Jewelry Store) - The girls will create a bracelet using pink and purple beads, a large pink heart pendant, and some Stretch Magic.

2. MASTERPIECES (The Art Store) - The girls will create a piece of artwork using colored pencils, crayons and watercolors and then frame them in some custom Paris theme frames that I created.


3. NOTES (The Stationery Store) - The girls will cover a basic straight bond notebook with scrapbook paper and embellishments to make it their own.
I want to add a fourth store, but I am still working on this one. I am looking for someone that can do the elaborate face painting that you see at fairs and amusement parks. We are so limited in the great metropolis of Raleigh-Durham, but I will not give up hope. Let me know what you think!

Muted Mondays: Party Time Soon.....

I hope that Monday was good to you!

Have a great evening!

I'm Back.....

Hello blog world, it REALLY has been months since my last post and boy has my life been busy! I am not going to bore you with the details, but I have HUGE news, at least as our daughter sees it: Our sweet girl started big girl school....uniforms and all. The proud mama MUST share a photo from her first day, which was August 1st!

It is so hard to believe that she is growing up and all too fast and that she will be five years old in a mere 6 months!!!!

Over the next few weeks, I will be sharing photos of recent project along with holiday plans! I look forward to hopefully being more consistent with blogging! Stay tuned!

Getting Tangled in Pajamas

Oh my goodness...can I just say that I am happy to see life returning to normal. Between the last minute surgery, the holidays and Kayden's birthday party, I am whipped!!!The soiree was last Saturday night and it was a huge hit!!! All of the girls came in their PJ's and we hired a Disney princess to come in and entertain the girls (why had I not done this before)! We were hoping to have Rapunzel come but of course NO ONE had her available since the movie is still SOOO new, so we had Tiana come instead...after all, Rapunzel was stuck in the tower and could not join us :)

So, I am lazy and decided to create a collage to avoid having to upload a lot of pictures! I hope that the images convey just how much fun we had!!!

Pictures from left to right:
Top Row: Kayden all smiles in her b-day PJ's - The cake that DH and I made - Place setting at the party
Middle Row: The invitation - Princess Tiana with Kayden and her party guests
Bottom Row: A shot of the kitchen/nook before the party - Mini take home candy buffet - Kayden and I at her barbie themed school party

Kayden's Room....FINALLY

Hello Blog Family! I must admit that I feel like it has taken us forever to get Kayden's room done, but I am happy to report that it is done...or as close to done as it is going to get. This room was truly a labor of love for my DH and I and I am happy with how it turned out.

The only thing that I might have change is the intensity of the pink color on the wall...it can be a bit shocking, but Kayden loves it...hard to believe..HUH? It would also be nice if she kept it clean every once and a while, but that will not happy until she moves out...RIGHT?!?!?!?! And I am not super thrilled about the tree graphic, but like the concept. I am thinking of having a artist come in to create a tree completely in brown or find a vinyl one that is all one uniform color.

So, here is the lowdown:

1. All of the window and closet valances along with the bed skirt were made by me.

2. All of the painting was completed by me and my DH, but mostly me. That poor man did not have the patience to hand paint each scallop...and yes, I was referred to as CRAZY on a number of occasions.

3. The mirror once belong to my SIL when she was five years old, some 40 years ago...dear God, I hope that she does not read this blog! Age is sensitive subject for some women :) I refinished the frame and had it reassembled at a local glass shop...so worth the $25.

4. The frames near the closet doors are those ordered from YelliKelli, over at Etsy.

5. I am in the process of cutting the pieces for a custom quilt using the room fabrics. The coverlet on the bed now is a fill in as we night train Kayden :(

So, our next project is my new office/workout room. This one should be complete in a few weeks. I have already picked the fabrics for the window treatments...so the hard part is complete! Now, I just need to find some time to sew!

Thanks for looking!

One Room at a Time...

I hope that everyone had a great 4th of July! We had a wonderful time visiting with my family. I had not been home since my mother's funeral, so it was just good to see everyone on MUCH better terms!

I am working like a crazed woman to try and get my daughter's room finished up...I am sure that at least one of my dear friends will love the colors! I am committed to now finish one room at a time. I am dying to get the new flooring installed in the living/dining/family rooms and make the new curtains for the space, but I vow to finish K's room before I move onto anything else. It is so funny how there are only a few more things that need to be done in K's room and it seems to be taking FOREVER.

So here is my plan to get it done:

1. Today, I dropped off the dresser mirror at the frame shop for reassembly....YEAH! The mirror that I am using at K's dresser is one that was used in my SIL's room when she was a little girl, some 40 years ago. The frame was that ugly light yellow with a gold trim. I took the mirror apart and refinished the frame part in white to match K's furniture in her room. I was a little nervous about the reassembly, so decided to have a professional take on the job...well worth the $25!!!! I might have to leave a tip for that one.

2. Today, I ordered some cute mini canvases from YelliKelli over at Etsy. There is a wall in the room where there are three hooks for K to hang up her dress up clothes. I decided to hang a canvas over each hook. Each canvas will contain an image and one of the following words, LOVE, HOPE and DREAM. Below is an image of a sample one from her site...cannot wait to see what mine looks like!

3.Today at lunch, I went to buy the rest of the needed ribbon to finish her closet valance. I waited too long and the ribbon that I used before has been discontinued. So, I will have to replace the ribbon on her window valences as well :( That is what I get for stretching this project out SOOOO long.

4. And last but not least, today I have resolved to sew and hang the closet valance before the weekend is done. We will see how this one goes.

Be on the lookout for some photos soon :)

Happy Birthday Jesus Party!

The Christmas Party at Kayden's daycare/preschool on yesterday was so much fun! I brought our Nativity from the house (Fisher Price Little People) and told the Christmas story using the characters. Then we sung happy birthday to Jesus including a candle that was blown out by every child...imagine lighting and relighting one candle six times :). What a wonderful opportunity to see the true story of Christmas through the eyes of children! Have a great day!

Christmas Cupcakes...A Trial Run

Today, I took my first step in experimenting for Kayden's birthday cake....I made and used my first batch of marshmallow fondant. The recipe was easy and quick! I used Kayden's preschool Christmas party cupcakes to conduct my experiment. I purchased plates and napkins from Target and used the designs on the cupcakes. I made six colors including white, and I was able to use my blue, red, yellow and green food coloring to get what I needed. All I can say is that the RGB color combos used in creating invitations/notecards came in handy! So, here is what I ended up with:

Overall, I am excited with how they turned out and I must say that I have a new found respect and love for cake makers; especially those that specialize in using fondant. I guess with the right tools, the task could have been a little easier, but I started to wonder about those intricate damask fondant patterns on wedding cakes. I am not sure that any tool is the right tool for that kind of job...that is PURELY skill. Let me know what you think.

Priceless

Princess Tiara - $4.31
Lunch at BJ's (she wanted hot dogs) - $5.49
Movie Ticket - $7.00
Popcorn and Apple Juice - $10.50

Seeing her face as she sat at her first movie, watching her bounce to each song, running through the theater after the lights were up, seeing Princess Tiana and sharing this experience with my own Princess...PRICELESS!

Working on Christmas Gifties and a Pizza Party

Yep...that's right. The Christmas countdown is still on and we are now at seven weeks away! I need to be focused on some birthday (Mel) and UFO (Unfinished Object) items, but I am so in the Christmas mood. I have FINALLY decided on my handmade family gifts and I cannot wait to begin creating. Anyone else out there already making holiday gifites...I want to hear about them!?!?!?!?!?

And Kayden's "Pizza at the Palace" party planning continues. Over the last two weekends I spent some time searching the web for ideas and things that I need to get done for the gala. Here are some things that I have brewing:

- Paper Chef Hats for all of the kids. I am going to try some uniform and commercial restaurant supply stores in the area to see if they carry them as well. I am still trying to decide if I want to do a crown or tiara over each one to play up the whole princess/prince theme.

- T-shirts instead of aprons. Cloth aprons were going to to be a little more than what we budgeted to spend and the plastic ones looked too cheap, so I decided to go with white t-shirts. I purchased some iron on transfers that I can print right at home. One will feature a pink tiara and the word "princess". The other will feature a blue crown and the word "prince". For the princess', I will also use pink ribbon to tie up their sleeves with bows :) This will be a great take away that the guests can use again! The only thing left to decide is whether or not to add each child's name to their shirt...thoughts?

- Favor Pizza Box for a take away filled with goodies of some sort...still have no idea for these items. I found the template for the box on the internet...what did mothers do in the 60's, 70's and 80's for great ideas?!?!?!?! I plan to make these using the pink paper used for the invitation pocketfold, pictured below.

- Cloth Apron and Chef Hat need to be made for Kayden. Believe it or not, I found patterns for both of these items online as well. I figure that since she is the birthday girl, she can be in the real thing. I need to find some fabric but I have a little time for that.

- The pizza cake...I am going to make the cake and yes, I AM CRAZY!!! I found this really cute pizza cake over at the Parenting website and thought...how hard can it really be. Instead of the icing for the crust, I am going to use a marshmallow fondant. I have been doing some research and this stuff is apparently SUPER easy to make and even easier to use. I will keep you all posted on this effort!

I have been trying to be diligent about getting things organized for the party while enjoying the holidays at the same time. This will make my January and the new year and enjoyable one! I was finally able to get a good shot of the invitations so I am posting those below. I created a pocketfold using a pink metallic paper and used more metallics for the band and the seal. Let me know what you think!

Three P's - Pink, Princess and Pizza

Yes, your thoughts are correct; these three things have NOTHING in common, but of course, this is what my, 2 going on 33 year old daughter requested for her next birthday party. What else was a motherto do, but find a way to make it happen. So for my DD's third birthday party, the theme will be "Pizza at the Palace". The whole idea is to focus very little on the princess piece and focus more on pizza as a theme.

This post serves as a warning that if you are a visitor or follower of my blog, get prepared to follow this party planning process. Her party is scheduled for Sunday, February 7, which probably seems like a long time from now. Guess what, you are right! But, invitations have to go out the week or two following Christmas, so I start planning early in order to avoid a mad dash following the holidays.

Stay tuned for the party planning extravaganza!