tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35127379512056935732024-03-13T19:32:39.115-07:00 Beautiful DIYUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3512737951205693573.post-64853828178737645022014-05-27T14:23:00.001-07:002014-05-27T14:32:58.654-07:00Alice In Wonderland First Birthday Party - Part Four<div style="text-align: center;">
I'm not known for my cooking abilities. To be honest, I really don't
have time. So for food my parents picked up fried and baked chicken. That was my attempt to make all the protein lovers happy. My
lovely sis-in-law made rice pilaf. Both hot items were placed in two of the prettiest rental chafing dishes I've ever seen.<br />
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. The rest was garlic bread, crackers,
sandwiches, fruit, lemonade and pastries from the grocery store. I like to pretend I'm a baker so I made my baby girl a dark chocolate cake
(from a box). It's frosted with (homemade) vanilla butter cream and decorated with
fresh fruit. My simple cake looks so impressive on the fancy cake stand! I'm sure it's really meant for weddings, but I think it looks amazing at this party!<br />
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We also rented a popcorn and cotton candy machine. The kids were in heaven with the cotton candy! For most of the littles in our circle this is a total luxury. As soon as they stepped foot into the backyard these munchkins were greeted with fluffy sugar and colorful popcorn. <br />
Needless to say, they had a blast. It was the ultimate party for our little family. I'm sad this is the last baby we have added to our brood, but what a glorious way to celebrate that <i>last</i> first birthday!<br />
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Many
thanks to <span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ExpoPartyRentals" target="_blank">Expo Party Rentals</a></span> and their superb customer service. Sarah
went above and beyond in helping us make this a special day for our
sweet baby girl. The set up crew was courteous and professional. The
rental products were simply gorgeous as well. </div>
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Thank you also to the family and friends who pitched in with cleaning, cooking, prepping, decorating, and attending the party.</div>
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We love you all and are so blessed to have you in our lives!</div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3512737951205693573.post-31304308301033409822014-05-14T18:00:00.000-07:002014-05-14T18:00:01.771-07:00Alice in Wonderland First Birthday Part Three<br />
I love pretty linens and china. I've been lucky enough to inherit some of my grandmothers tea cup collection and I pick up bits and pieces at yard sales when I get the chance. However, I don't have enough of everything for a large party like this one. Besides, we had a large range in ages attend our Wonderland party.<br />
Therefore, the kid tables and the adult tables were slightly
different. I wanted a Mad Hatter tea party going on with the
adults using my vintage tea cups. It didn't seem wise to have the munchkins
around some of my grandma's tea cup collection, so they ended up with
Drink Me labels on apple juice bottles. I'm sure they would rather have apple juice than tea anyway. Everyone had the double gold band salad plates and
Parisian flatware. I think my tea cup collection looks perfect with the
rental china. The touch of gold really ties everything together.<br />
Both tables had a baby blue
cloths with a white runner. How cute are the covers and bows on the kid
chairs? They almost look like little dresses! So sweet!<br />
(All the salad plates, flatware, linens, tables and chairs pictured are from <span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ExpoPartyRentals?ref=br_tf" target="_blank">Expo Party Rentals</a></span> )<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3512737951205693573.post-22214843138808459632014-05-09T18:00:00.000-07:002014-05-09T18:00:00.722-07:00Alice In Wonderland First Birthday Party Part Two - Crafts<div style="text-align: center;">
Kid parties are the perfect time to go crazy with
craft projects. Since we have a photography business, we have a large collection
of baby portraits to display. I picked up these hinged picture frames
from the dollar store and enlisted my older kids to help paint and
glitter them. I wanted the back side of the frames to be cute as well so
I covered the backs with scrapbook paper and amusing Alice In
Wonderland quotes. The first time I read the book I was about 9 years
old. Reading it as an adult was a whole new experience. Strangely
enough, I can relate to most of the quotes. Yes, at times I feel as though I have fallen down a rabbit hole and we are all mad here!</div>
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Our
favors were small bags with round chocolate mint patties inside. My goodness I love those candies! We placed little clocks on them with the time of our daughters birth. Credit to that little detail must go to my oldest daughter. She's one smart cookie! To finish them off, I printed
up little labels to staple to the top of the bags. They turned out cute and sweet and I was more than happy to take home the left overs.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">( Rental items are all from <a href="https://www.blogger.com/%3Cdiv%20style=%22text-align:%20center;%22%3E%20&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;%20Kid%20parties%20are%20the%20perfect%20time%20to%20go%20crazy%20with%20%20craft%20projects.%20Since%20we%20have%20a%20photography%20business,%20we%20have%20a%20large%20collection%20%20of%20baby%20portraits%20to%20display.%20I%20picked%20up%20these%20hinged%20picture%20frames%20%20from%20the%20dollar%20store%20and%20enlisted%20my%20older%20kids%20to%20help%20paint%20and%20%20glitter%20them.%20I%20wanted%20the%20back%20side%20of%20the%20frames%20to%20be%20cute%20as%20well%20so%20%20I%20covered%20the%20backs%20with%20scrapbook%20paper%20and%20amusing%20Alice%20In%20%20Wonderland%20quotes.%20The%20first%20time%20I%20read%20the%20book%20I%20was%20about%209%20years%20%20old.%20Reading%20it%20as%20an%20adult%20was%20a%20whole%20new%20experience.%20Strangely%20%20enough,%20I%20can%20relate%20to%20most%20of%20the%20quotes.%20Yes,%20at%20times%20I%20feel%20as%20though%20I%20have%20fallen%20down%20a%20rabbit%20hole%20and%20we%20are%20all%20mad%20here%21%3C/div%3E%20%3Cbr%20/%3E%20%3Cdiv%20class=%22separator%22%20style=%22clear:%20both;%20text-align:%20center;%22%3E%20%3C/div%3E%20%3Cbr%20/%3E%20%3Cdiv%20class=%22separator%22%20style=%22clear:%20both;%20text-align:%20center;%22%3E%20%3Ca%20href=%22http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-miRxLia0geg/U0NzwJaKYDI/AAAAAAAAAdI/s61mJzhafSs/s1600/framedecor.jpg%22%20imageanchor=%221%22%20style=%22margin-left:%201em;%20margin-right:%201em;%22%3E%3Cimg%20border=%220%22%20src=%22http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-miRxLia0geg/U0NzwJaKYDI/AAAAAAAAAdI/s61mJzhafSs/s1600/framedecor.jpg%22%20/%3E%3C/a%3E%3C/div%3E%20%3Cbr%20/%3E%20%3Cdiv%20style=%22text-align:%20center;%22%3E%20&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;%20Our%20%20favors%20were%20small%20bags%20with%20round%20chocolate%20mint%20patties%20inside.%20My%20goodness%20I%20love%20those%20candies%21%20We%20placed%20little%20clocks%20on%20them%20with%20the%20time%20of%20our%20daughters%20birth.%20Credit%20to%20that%20little%20detail%20must%20go%20to%20my%20oldest%20daughter.%20She%27s%20one%20smart%20cookie%21%20To%20finish%20them%20off,%20I%20printed%20%20up%20little%20labels%20to%20staple%20to%20the%20top%20of%20the%20bags.%20They%20turned%20out%20cute%20and%20sweet&nbsp;%20and%20I%20was%20more%20than%20happy%20to%20take%20home%20the%20left%20overs.%3C/div%3E%20%3Cdiv%20class=%22separator%22%20style=%22clear:%20both;%20text-align:%20center;%22%3E%20%3Ca%20href=%22http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zENPnPFVmiw/U0N0YgTF1OI/AAAAAAAAAdQ/BxuFEb_5s-s/s1600/favors.jpg%22%20imageanchor=%221%22%20style=%22margin-left:%201em;%20margin-right:%201em;%22%3E%3Cimg%20border=%220%22%20src=%22http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zENPnPFVmiw/U0N0YgTF1OI/AAAAAAAAAdQ/BxuFEb_5s-s/s1600/favors.jpg%22%20/%3E%3C/a%3E%3C/div%3E%20%3Cbr%20/%3E" target="_blank">Expo Party Rentals</a>.)</span></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3512737951205693573.post-70177734894461121912014-05-05T18:40:00.000-07:002014-05-05T18:40:09.157-07:00First Bithday Party Wonderland Style Part 1<br />
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If we are truly honest with ourselves, a baby's first birthday party is really for the parents. And if we are really, really honest, it is for the mom. I don't have a problem with that. Why not allow mom to celebrate the hard labor and sleepless nights of the first year? <br />
Naturally, my daughter didn't have a preference on the theme of her first birthday. So I took full advantage of her apathy and designed an
Alice in Wonderland party for <i>us</i>.<br />
Her birthday is in March
and the weather can be pretty sketchy here in Fresno at this time so we
rented a gorgeous clear top tent. I'm so glad I played it safe! The
party day was sandwiched between days of showers! Since the tent was set up the morning before,
the lawn was kept pretty dry preventing a muddy mess during the
party. I love that the clear top let all the light in and you could see fluffy white clouds in our sparkling blue sky.<br />
I scoured Pinterest for inexpensive decorating ideas. We all know tissue paper is crazy cheap at the dollar store, so tissue paper flowers was a no brainer. You can easily find tutorials on Pinterest for different kinds of flowers. I managed to get about 5 flowers in my color theme from each bundle of paper. They might be easy to make, but it is time consuming. One of the best parts is I pre-folded them then placed them in a bag until the day of the party. I didn't unfold the petals until just before the party. With the help of family we were able to fluff up the petals and hang them up in clusters of three inside the tent. How pretty are they against the sky?<br />
Another dollar store decorating idea was the playing card garland. It's really simple and stuck to our theme. But why have just one style garland when you can have two? Bless my hubby as he blew up tons of balloons and strung them up as well. Balloons lend such a sweet, festive look and can really support the color theme you have chosen.<br />
Stay tuned... my next post will be about a couple craft projects I did for this party as well. In the meantime, here are some gorgeous HDR photographs my husband did of the tent along with detail shots we both took.<br />
I hope you are inspired!<br />
Many thanks to <span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ExpoPartyRentals" target="_blank">ExpoPartyRentals</a></span> They have beautiful products and outstanding customer service! <br />
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Photography by Ambient Art Photography</div>
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ambientartphoto.com</div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3512737951205693573.post-88972914520207346252012-11-07T16:17:00.000-08:002012-11-07T16:17:01.549-08:00Removing Stains From American Girl Dolls<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My husband bought an American Girl doll off of craigslist for our daughters 5th birthday. It was a GREAT deal!<br />
The hair on this doll was perfect but there were a few marks on the limbs. I used a magic eraser on most of the dirt and marks then I found this <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nY7ofc7c9iM&playnext=1&list=PL766DA0EFEA6AD0E9&feature=results_main">TUTORIAL</a>. I had the Proactive Repairing Treatment on hand so that is what I used on the one big stain still on the leg. I couldn't put her outside because the doll was a surprise so I just popped her in a cabinet in the laundry room. It took several days (most likely because there was no sunlight) but it worked perfectly otherwise. This doll is like new now. Couldn't be happier!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3512737951205693573.post-20734263620248194142012-11-07T15:57:00.000-08:002012-11-15T20:52:12.676-08:00Rapunzel Pinata Tutorial (Ribbon Pull)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Last year we discovered the ribbon pull pinatas. (I don't know the official name for these, but that's what I call them.) The first one we used I bought at Target on sale. We simply don't have a place to hang a traditional pinata and I think our kids are too small to be swinging around a bat in a circle of people.<br />
The way you play is each kid takes turns pulling a ribbon. All but one will pop off easily. Whoever pulls the ribbon attached to the trap door will open up the pinata and let all the candy out. Simple, easy, and SAFE!<br />
Here's how I made our Rapunzel Ribbon Pull Pinata (inspired by a traditional pinata on this <a href="http://twigglebox.blogspot.com/2011/03/rapunzel-birthday-party.html">blog</a> ).<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3512737951205693573.post-982229228794713362012-09-09T20:33:00.000-07:002012-09-09T20:33:31.045-07:00Pregnancy Announcement!!!!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When our eleven year anniversary rolled around, my hubby had no idea what a surprise I had for him. I told him the kids and I were preparing a special breakfast and to stay in bed until we told him it was ready. He obviously had a bigger gift than breakfast awaiting him. I put up this little clothes line of onesies then the kids and I all held numbers. My daughter held a 1, my son a 2 and I had a 3 with an arrow pointing to my belly. Since I'm pretty sure this will be the last kid in the family, I wanted to put together a fun and creative pregnancy announcement for my man.<br />
This little bun in the oven was a complete surprise to me as well. We weren't expecting to get pregnant with a third. I always wanted another baby though. It was a constant on my mind and God seemed to think now was as good a time as any to add to the family.<br />
So here we go with another sweet baby coming next year. I can't wait to meet my little one!<br />
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This is the photo Brett took of us as our Facebook pregnancy announcement. </div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3512737951205693573.post-20875370339017670102012-08-01T08:15:00.000-07:002012-08-01T08:15:44.357-07:00Inexpensive Hand-Tied Wedding Bouquet {DIY}<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A friend of mine was recently married, but being the talented makeup artist that she is, she did everyone's makeup and ran out of time for her photographer to take bridal portraits. So I recommended my husband take post-wedding pictures of the two of them. This turned out to be such a fun solution to a very common problem. So many weddings are rushed and there is often little time to shoot those crazy romantic and fun portraits of the special couple. <br />
The night of our shoot she did her makeup, had her hair done up all over again, he rented a tux, and I made up this sweet little bouquet for her to carry. Everyone knows Trader Joe's has fabulous, inexpensive flowers, so I just picked up $10 purple flowers with red roses and whipped up a simple hand-tied bouquet. If you've never made one, give it a try. They are so beautiful and easy to make. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">How To Make A Hand-Tied Bride Or Bridesmaid Bouquet</span></span></div>
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1. Start by gathering up the flowers in your hand one stem at a time. Be sure to alternate the different colors so all the flowers are evenly dispersed throughout. Since roses were the fanciest flower in this bouquet, I made sure they didn't get lost among the others. As you gather all the flowers together try to create a dome shape. Use stronger stems around the outside perimeter to give strength to the overall design.</div>
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2. Take a skinny rubber band, wrap it around the middle of the flower stems and tie it in a knot. If you use a really thick rubber band you will end up with a lumpy "handle".</div>
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3. Trim all the stems to an even length.</div>
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4. Wrap green florist tape around the stems, covering up the rubber band and extending down the length of the stems a couple inches.</div>
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5. Use wide ribbon to cover up the florist tape. Tie a knot or bow and use hot glue to tack the ribbon in place wherever you see a weak spot which may slip. </div>
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You can buy all kinds of gorgeous ornaments to cover the stems at craft stores. For our purposes, we kept it simple with purple ribbon.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Flowers are beautiful, but the bride and groom will always be the shinning stars in a wedding.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3igIL0N4jOw/UBbmR3NyU8I/AAAAAAAAAd0/C7jqKR9oRPw/s1600/IMG_3687+S.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3igIL0N4jOw/UBbmR3NyU8I/AAAAAAAAAd0/C7jqKR9oRPw/s1600/IMG_3687+S.jpg" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3512737951205693573.post-24177292806248133892012-04-29T12:08:00.000-07:002012-04-29T12:08:01.391-07:00Creative Family Portraits<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Like any other art form, photographers develop their own styles. Some have the soft vintage look, others decorate their images with artistic flourishes in Photoshop, and then there's my husbands. His style emerged immediately. My guy knows what he likes and does it well. I like to describe it as classic dramatic because his images are clean with a high contrast in color, light and dark. He doesn't go too trendy which is great if you want your pictures to have a timeless look to them. He also loves to be creative and fun, especially with family portraits.<br />
I love how this image shows the personality of each of us. I will admit, I'm probably too relaxed in my parenting. My son is crazy and lives dangerously. Our little princess is 100% girl and can easily spend the entire day in her dress up attire. Our little dog just tags along and is a constant companion for all of us.<br />
I think it's great when you can capture the silliness of kids to always remember the fun of being little.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3512737951205693573.post-41288186356113808922012-04-26T13:42:00.000-07:002012-04-26T13:47:03.866-07:00Starting Over - Again<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The last month has been CRAZY. I made a big job change and switched to a new salon. It has been stressful trying to notify my clients, order product, try new products, make sure I have all my supplies on hand, buy supplies I'm lacking, (so far there has been more cash out than in), get a business license, and adjust to being an independent contractor. Right in the middle of all this I also got into a hit-and-run car accident. Madness! But at some point, you just shrug your shoulders and press on. I'm hoping this change will simplify my life in the long run. Since I will no longer be an employee, I can go home early on a slow day and pointless meetings will be a thing of the past.<br />
I may be stressed out and tired, but this brings us one step closer to achieving our long term goals of owning our own little salon/photography studio. Hooray for that!<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3512737951205693573.post-18683487422565072742012-04-07T18:36:00.000-07:002012-04-07T18:36:35.935-07:00Feather Headband TutorialIt's been a long time since I've done anything crafty so I made a point to make <i>SOMETHING</i> for my daughters Easter outfit. Joann's finally has this really fun netting and I bought a couple yards just to have on hand a few months ago. Everything else was already in my craft stash so I used whatever looked appealing to me and hot glued it all together. I hope you like it!<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I hope you all have a blessed Easter!</span></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3512737951205693573.post-41292450314686749692012-02-01T07:59:00.000-08:002012-02-01T07:59:38.676-08:00An Afternoon At The ParkWe took the kiddos to the "park" the other day. Actually, it was just an empty field and gravel path near our house. Our kids didn't care, as long as we played together as a family. This was also the golden hour for picture taking so I dressed the kids up as well. Kill two birds with one stone. My hubby wanted to play with the dramatic lighting of the setting sun and so he used an off camera flash placed to the side of our adorable subjects to be sure they wouldn't be lost in the growing shadows. Here are the best shots of the day:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g_clmljyzp4/Tyle9-_29nI/AAAAAAAAAcU/gRy_5Rkyh7g/s1600/IMG_7592edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g_clmljyzp4/Tyle9-_29nI/AAAAAAAAAcU/gRy_5Rkyh7g/s640/IMG_7592edit.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nIIdTwjT-Ko/TylfvSIPiQI/AAAAAAAAAck/iqi5HPz6IkY/s1600/IMG_7616edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nIIdTwjT-Ko/TylfvSIPiQI/AAAAAAAAAck/iqi5HPz6IkY/s640/IMG_7616edit.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3512737951205693573.post-63291064739188567032012-01-20T09:49:00.000-08:002012-01-20T09:49:55.894-08:00Inexpesive Pirate / Neverland PartyMy original thought was to have a pirate party for my little guy; however, I ended up officially calling it a Neverland party. I love to encourage guests to dress up and I thought mermaids, pirates, fairies, lost boys, etc. would be fun costume ideas. The birthday boy himself wore a costume which loosely resembles that of Jake and the Neverland Pirates. I made the vest out of felt (which I bought for around $2) and I used the trim and buttons I found in my sewing supplies. His shirt was a 25 cent yard sale find, and everything else we already had on hand.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6drEC_bUbpM/TxmfPAyJjEI/AAAAAAAAAas/SKahYplMF9s/s1600/Jamestwocollage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="512" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6drEC_bUbpM/TxmfPAyJjEI/AAAAAAAAAas/SKahYplMF9s/s640/Jamestwocollage.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>The hanging pirate decorations I bought at a yard sale for a quarter as well. It was a brand new three pack and they were so long, I cut them up into shorter pieces.<br />
The banner was made from paper we had in the kids craft stash and all the other table decor was from around the house.<br />
The plates, napkins and cups I found on clearance for 75 cents each at Target last summer.<br />
I made the cake myself and the favors were just treat bags with Pirate Booty and extra gold coins.<br />
Everything turned out pretty cute and wasn't too elaborate or complicated. It was perfect for my little pirate!<br />
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<span id="goog_606350469"></span><span id="goog_606350470"></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3512737951205693573.post-50033111257025510522011-12-10T03:24:00.000-08:002011-12-10T03:24:00.515-08:00Salt Dough Ornaments<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2A_TtrTvB6I/TuFxy-DstsI/AAAAAAAAAWM/9md_OSPojqo/s1600/saltdough2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2A_TtrTvB6I/TuFxy-DstsI/AAAAAAAAAWM/9md_OSPojqo/s400/saltdough2.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Dh5GBgDhq60/TuFx9hguJTI/AAAAAAAAAWc/-_QEy4e0jsE/s1600/saltdough4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Dh5GBgDhq60/TuFx9hguJTI/AAAAAAAAAWc/-_QEy4e0jsE/s320/saltdough4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I_Ve0_kCf3o/TuFyGQDL7yI/AAAAAAAAAWs/YloGriegHeE/s1600/saltdough6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I_Ve0_kCf3o/TuFyGQDL7yI/AAAAAAAAAWs/YloGriegHeE/s320/saltdough6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm still learning how to manage my time at home. This new hair styling job takes up way more time than I'd like and my housework will often fall to the way side. Sometimes I simply choose to play with my kids over keeping a clean kitchen. Here's one of those days!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I found this super easy recipe for salt dough and as soon as I realized we had all the ingredients, it instantly rose to the top of my to-do list.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZjpRP446GnM/TuFyCCPYjrI/AAAAAAAAAWk/MQr7hhuuoeo/s1600/saltdough5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZjpRP446GnM/TuFyCCPYjrI/AAAAAAAAAWk/MQr7hhuuoeo/s320/saltdough5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MOt_CSFN4Xg/TuFyLdvRNFI/AAAAAAAAAW0/cb9Z2u7jHSU/s1600/saltdough7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MOt_CSFN4Xg/TuFyLdvRNFI/AAAAAAAAAW0/cb9Z2u7jHSU/s400/saltdough7.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NGsLPVtgACk/TuFyQwHV5nI/AAAAAAAAAW8/4s4mRPkJLm0/s1600/saltdough8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NGsLPVtgACk/TuFyQwHV5nI/AAAAAAAAAW8/4s4mRPkJLm0/s320/saltdough8.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>The recipe I used was:<br />
<br />
1 cup salt<br />
2 cups flour<br />
1 cup water<br />
<br />
<br />
I kneaded it for about 7 min. then we rolled it out, used cookie cutters, and I poked a hole in the top with a straw. Easy peasy.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EgTRCP6qYFQ/TuFyU8uBItI/AAAAAAAAAXE/A3WVhVap3zw/s1600/saltdough9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EgTRCP6qYFQ/TuFyU8uBItI/AAAAAAAAAXE/A3WVhVap3zw/s320/saltdough9.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />
We had to bake them for around 2 hours at 250. When they cooled we used acrylic paint, white glue and glitter to decorate. I did all the writing with a black Sharpie. It worked like a charm and was much easier than a brush.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5X8QsJ-OLqI/TuFypdpUPxI/AAAAAAAAAXk/zEWx_O4RjR0/s1600/saltdough13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5X8QsJ-OLqI/TuFypdpUPxI/AAAAAAAAAXk/zEWx_O4RjR0/s400/saltdough13.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wUeMkMJ9oaY/TuFyem0TABI/AAAAAAAAAXU/si9j6-nvgas/s1600/saltdough11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wUeMkMJ9oaY/TuFyem0TABI/AAAAAAAAAXU/si9j6-nvgas/s400/saltdough11.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EL8QOggDBpk/TuFyZwrxxuI/AAAAAAAAAXM/ruZh97CMskU/s1600/saltdough10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EL8QOggDBpk/TuFyZwrxxuI/AAAAAAAAAXM/ruZh97CMskU/s400/saltdough10.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>After they were completely dry, I sprayed them with a high gloss spray. I love a little shine on kid projects. They somehow look a little more finished.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aib2Nz7LXyg/TuFx4I5XN7I/AAAAAAAAAWU/Mn2SbvLPqRk/s1600/saltdough3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aib2Nz7LXyg/TuFx4I5XN7I/AAAAAAAAAWU/Mn2SbvLPqRk/s400/saltdough3.jpg" width="266" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> The kids had a blast! (And I obviously enjoyed our project as well!)</div><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jxVMpfoW4Uo/TuFxo31KqnI/AAAAAAAAAWE/WiVqwp65dIw/s1600/saltdough1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jxVMpfoW4Uo/TuFxo31KqnI/AAAAAAAAAWE/WiVqwp65dIw/s400/saltdough1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3512737951205693573.post-90923666753726471982011-10-19T05:20:00.000-07:002011-10-19T05:20:00.931-07:00Creative Gift Wrap<div style="color: #20124d; text-align: left;"> I always feel silly when I try to wrap gifts for guys. Deep down, I want to throw something frilly together; but I end up making it simple and boring. In the end I guess they never care; however, this time around I actually came up with a decent idea. </div><div style="color: #20124d; text-align: left;"> We happened to have black wrapping paper in the closet. I think I picked it up at the dollar store, or someplace like that. It reminded me of a chalk board so I wrote on it with chalk. </div><div style="color: #20124d; text-align: left;">Instead of a ribbon, cheap twine looked pretty cute. Then I hot glued some silk leaves on it in place of a bow.<br />
I think this would be really cute for a teachers gift too or or even your child's first day of school.</div><div style="color: #20124d; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gQm4CyU8ERU/TpxmrkvrwvI/AAAAAAAAAVA/AxAa3lutH1M/s1600/gift+wrap+003edt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gQm4CyU8ERU/TpxmrkvrwvI/AAAAAAAAAVA/AxAa3lutH1M/s400/gift+wrap+003edt.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #20124d;">This worked out so well, black paper might become a gift wrapping staple for us.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3512737951205693573.post-88383059744049505292011-10-15T02:53:00.000-07:002011-10-15T02:53:00.097-07:00How to Smooth Out Frosting {Princess Barbie Cake}<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jaqb6GoijxQ/To5hBKhmJAI/AAAAAAAAAU0/PP9aefIy4eg/s1600/4thedti.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jaqb6GoijxQ/To5hBKhmJAI/AAAAAAAAAU0/PP9aefIy4eg/s400/4thedti.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="color: #741b47;">For the cake itself I baked an entire cake mix in a 9" Pyrex bowl. It took close to an hour to bake. Then I made 3- 9" round cakes. All together it took about 2 1/2 cake mixes. Cut circles in the middle of all the cakes, stack layers with frosting in between, wrap Barbie in plastic wrap then drop her down into the center. Pretty easy and much cheaper than those princess cake pans you buy at a craft store</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Smooth Frosting </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Start by making your own butter cream frosting. Here's the recipe I used:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">In a mixer combine - </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">1 cup butter</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">1 pound powdered sugar (add just a little at a time)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">1 teaspoon vanilla</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">a couple teaspoons water (or milk) until you reach the desired consistency</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I needed about 4X the recipe for this cake.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-a-SjqRfO9Ts/To5cL63KJ0I/AAAAAAAAAUs/atnHq-Yvy4g/s1600/IMG_8732.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-a-SjqRfO9Ts/To5cL63KJ0I/AAAAAAAAAUs/atnHq-Yvy4g/s320/IMG_8732.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> Smooth frosting out the best you can. I used upward strokes with a spatula.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Now refrigerate until it's crusted over. About 10-15 minutes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YO_LRovLK6A/To5cUcpI-pI/AAAAAAAAAUw/3YPzsvLXTAE/s1600/IMG_8737.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YO_LRovLK6A/To5cUcpI-pI/AAAAAAAAAUw/3YPzsvLXTAE/s320/IMG_8737.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Place a paper towel onto the frosting and smooth your hands over it. You can feel the lumps and gently apply just a little extra pressure to those areas. Gently peel off the paper towel. It shouldn't stick too much. If it does, you either pressed too hard or didn't refrigerate it enough.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XPc9VAhfJDM/To5b3djH6_I/AAAAAAAAAUk/B2s6voYqV8Y/s1600/IMG_8738.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XPc9VAhfJDM/To5b3djH6_I/AAAAAAAAAUk/B2s6voYqV8Y/s320/IMG_8738.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Refrigerate it again then apply your piped designs.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DS_5V8EAEfk/To5cC7jTmuI/AAAAAAAAAUo/0QmdBsAqGIU/s1600/IMG_8755edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DS_5V8EAEfk/To5cC7jTmuI/AAAAAAAAAUo/0QmdBsAqGIU/s400/IMG_8755edit.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; font-size: large;">A perfect princess cake for your princess!</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3512737951205693573.post-379562033688073272011-10-06T19:57:00.000-07:002011-10-06T20:02:30.617-07:00A Party For My Princess<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IEtnC1EiwoA/ToHioYShVpI/AAAAAAAAAUI/cdGKdyw24cA/s1600/IMG_8724edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IEtnC1EiwoA/ToHioYShVpI/AAAAAAAAAUI/cdGKdyw24cA/s400/IMG_8724edit.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I know it's been a while since I last posted. Our days are finally starting to settle into a routine leaving me a little more time to do things for myself and work on creative projects.<br />
Even though our little world has been turned upside down,<br />
I still threw a Barbie Princess birthday bash for my sweet girl.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Zb2zT80dF6A/To5orhaSz-I/AAAAAAAAAU8/hIkBpYvUDU0/s1600/emmas4th+016edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Zb2zT80dF6A/To5orhaSz-I/AAAAAAAAAU8/hIkBpYvUDU0/s400/emmas4th+016edit.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I decked out a simple pink tiara with goodies from my craft stash.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YzYrqjKkt6U/To5omfTddmI/AAAAAAAAAU4/DJ_ZJjCut04/s1600/emmas4th+012edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YzYrqjKkt6U/To5omfTddmI/AAAAAAAAAU4/DJ_ZJjCut04/s400/emmas4th+012edit.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Barbie Princess Dress we found at a yard sale. Lucky us!</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7Eur_TL2RO0/To5ZyjJ--hI/AAAAAAAAAUY/JFycWfmV_Us/s1600/4thedti.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7Eur_TL2RO0/To5ZyjJ--hI/AAAAAAAAAUY/JFycWfmV_Us/s400/4thedti.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UQRgOjg2O3o/To5Z6i8EKzI/AAAAAAAAAUc/_AK_43xwcBQ/s1600/emmas4th+002edit2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UQRgOjg2O3o/To5Z6i8EKzI/AAAAAAAAAUc/_AK_43xwcBQ/s400/emmas4th+002edit2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y7zXKL1UW9w/To5Z9s1PO3I/AAAAAAAAAUg/9Y2e9ftjCh8/s1600/emmas4th+005edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y7zXKL1UW9w/To5Z9s1PO3I/AAAAAAAAAUg/9Y2e9ftjCh8/s400/emmas4th+005edit.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="color: #741b47; font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #741b47; font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">{Barbie Princess Party Details List}</span></span></div><div style="color: #741b47; font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;"><u><br />
</u></div><div style="color: #741b47; font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;"><u>Decor we had on hand:</u></div><div style="color: #741b47; font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">Pink curtains (hand-me-downs)</div><div style="color: #741b47; font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">Pink tablecloth overlay (from her grandma's fabric stash)</div><div style="color: #741b47; font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">Birthday banner (from her 1st birthday)</div><div style="color: #741b47; font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">Pom poms (from her bedroom)</div><div style="color: #741b47; font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">Pink pails (left over from a bridal shower)</div><div style="color: #741b47; font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">Yard sale fan (one of her toys)</div><div style="color: #741b47; font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #741b47; font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;"><u>Party items we found on clearance:</u></div><div style="color: #741b47; font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">Pink plates </div><div style="color: #741b47; font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">Princess napkins</div><div style="color: #741b47; font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">Pinata</div><div style="color: #741b47; font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #741b47; font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;"><u>$1 party deals:</u></div><div style="color: #741b47; font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">Tiara party favors for girls</div><div style="color: #741b47; font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">Sword party favors for boys</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Yard sale dress for the birthday girl</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><u><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Menu</span></span></u></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Heart shaped PB&J sandwiches</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Watermelon</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Strawberries</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Juice with club soda</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">and of course a Barbie cake I made!</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">(I'll give details on the cake next week. So stay tuned...) </span></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3512737951205693573.post-72608946819542172442011-08-20T01:06:00.000-07:002011-08-20T01:06:00.562-07:00Playing With Mirrors and Vibrance<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>The other day, I decided to take photos of my niece on our massive mirror. I'm not a skilled photographer like my hubby, but I still think they turned out pretty cute.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XoRaKRcuBzI/TkwfybJy1EI/AAAAAAAAATw/2_FUfxlO8IM/s1600/mirrror1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XoRaKRcuBzI/TkwfybJy1EI/AAAAAAAAATw/2_FUfxlO8IM/s400/mirrror1.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Afpduem4RXQ/Tkwf2k6yX6I/AAAAAAAAAT0/t9MEY3A1Fnw/s1600/mirrror2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Afpduem4RXQ/Tkwf2k6yX6I/AAAAAAAAAT0/t9MEY3A1Fnw/s400/mirrror2.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8uNB6m3Qydk/Tkwf8slZ9wI/AAAAAAAAAT8/zzPH3ix2TQs/s1600/mirrror+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8uNB6m3Qydk/Tkwf8slZ9wI/AAAAAAAAAT8/zzPH3ix2TQs/s400/mirrror+3.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div style="color: #134f5c; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Here's how I bumped up the "vibrance" in the pictures.</span></div><div style="color: #134f5c; font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: #134f5c; font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">1. Open your picture in Photoshop</span></div><div style="color: #134f5c; font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">2.Go to "Image"</span></div><div style="color: #134f5c; font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">3. Select "Adjustments"</span></div><div style="color: #134f5c; font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">4. Click on "Vibrance"</span></div><div style="color: #134f5c; font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">5. Adjust your "Vibrance" and "Saturation" until you like how it looks.</span></div><div style="color: #134f5c; font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: #134f5c; font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">That's it! Now you can turn a not so great image into something pretty cool!</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qE6i5MwuBtY/TkwfvWHBDFI/AAAAAAAAATs/cRzZP8CPg7E/s1600/mirrror+052.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qE6i5MwuBtY/TkwfvWHBDFI/AAAAAAAAATs/cRzZP8CPg7E/s320/mirrror+052.jpg" width="213" /> </a></td><td style="text-align: center;"> </td><td style="text-align: center;"> </td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A little dull... to FUN!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Lo_v45b7MqQ/Tkwf4wtQ1BI/AAAAAAAAAT4/ptzGhomAev8/s1600/mirrror4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Lo_v45b7MqQ/Tkwf4wtQ1BI/AAAAAAAAAT4/ptzGhomAev8/s320/mirrror4.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3512737951205693573.post-7514849491250448312011-08-14T14:45:00.000-07:002011-08-14T14:45:30.904-07:0011.8%11.8% is the unemployment rate in California and my husband recently joined that percentage.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">BUMMER.</span></div>I don't mean to drag all of you down, but I do want to share. I know we are among MANY and if you are in the same situation, I feel your pain! <br />
So it's time for both of us to find work. The last time this happened it took 6 months for him to get a job.<br />
To promote myself and hopefully drum up some clients we put together a little portfolio while at family camp (it was already paid for so we went on a little vacation despite our turn of events)<br />
First I did hair and makeup for some fellow campers and Brett took pictures by the lake. Here's what we came up with:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6YeZHX6dTMc/Tkg9KVm6t3I/AAAAAAAAATY/RieA6st9PC8/s1600/IMG_7039+%2528Small%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6YeZHX6dTMc/Tkg9KVm6t3I/AAAAAAAAATY/RieA6st9PC8/s400/IMG_7039+%2528Small%2529.JPG" width="265" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u29N5O_YzS8/Tkg9JKVUDqI/AAAAAAAAATM/4l2OMmxftIc/s1600/IMG_7070+%2528Small%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u29N5O_YzS8/Tkg9JKVUDqI/AAAAAAAAATM/4l2OMmxftIc/s400/IMG_7070+%2528Small%2529.JPG" width="265" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-23OMYg19fIU/Tkg9Js0XO5I/AAAAAAAAATQ/bthqvjuaaRI/s1600/IMG_6801+%2528Small%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-23OMYg19fIU/Tkg9Js0XO5I/AAAAAAAAATQ/bthqvjuaaRI/s400/IMG_6801+%2528Small%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a0CANmT3xms/Tkg9J8IVkII/AAAAAAAAATU/DmMMhKYkG-U/s1600/IMG_6806+%2528Small%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a0CANmT3xms/Tkg9J8IVkII/AAAAAAAAATU/DmMMhKYkG-U/s400/IMG_6806+%2528Small%2529.JPG" width="266" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Then we turned our cabin into a photography studio. I did the hair and makeup of this staff volunteer and Brett took these pictures. This is how they turned out:<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-io9N3xr8Xs4/Tkg9lTrngII/AAAAAAAAATg/7xBpLkbi12M/s1600/IMG_7203+card+%2528Small%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-io9N3xr8Xs4/Tkg9lTrngII/AAAAAAAAATg/7xBpLkbi12M/s400/IMG_7203+card+%2528Small%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UC9qCOs4id8/Tkg9li6JFtI/AAAAAAAAATk/qnC2eWYJdK0/s1600/IMG_7251+%2528Small%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UC9qCOs4id8/Tkg9li6JFtI/AAAAAAAAATk/qnC2eWYJdK0/s400/IMG_7251+%2528Small%2529.JPG" width="266" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9B2OC-h3p3w/Tkg9mDqhtxI/AAAAAAAAATo/gQRfLyVaWrI/s1600/IMG_7301+%2528Small%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9B2OC-h3p3w/Tkg9mDqhtxI/AAAAAAAAATo/gQRfLyVaWrI/s400/IMG_7301+%2528Small%2529.JPG" width="266" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v8vIVwiOUNg/Tkg9k5L267I/AAAAAAAAATc/bcLiEM1K-Eg/s1600/IMG_7340+%2528Small%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v8vIVwiOUNg/Tkg9k5L267I/AAAAAAAAATc/bcLiEM1K-Eg/s400/IMG_7340+%2528Small%2529.JPG" width="266" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>I hope to get back into the salon world in the next couple weeks. I just can't decide if I want to do commission or booth rental. After a few meetings with a few key people those questions should be ironed out and I'll be able to make a decision. Either way, I won't be making a killing by any means. But every little bit helps right? <br />
I plan on writing for my blog still. I need the distraction! So hang in there! My life has just received a little twist and I need to adapt. After all, it's the twists that make life interesting right?<br />
<br />
<span id="goog_1020672387"></span><span id="goog_1020672388"></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3512737951205693573.post-55750798467872061692011-08-14T07:46:00.000-07:002011-08-14T07:46:17.239-07:00And The Winner Is...For the Pink Poodle Bows Giveaway my two participants obviously had pretty good odds of wining. :) But even still there could only be one winner and it is<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Cameron!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I hope you enjoy you pattern! Thanks to both of you for participating!</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3512737951205693573.post-83213926007212229212011-08-11T06:43:00.000-07:002011-08-11T06:43:00.379-07:00Home Atmosphere<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BiFNCVIAVjE/TiNcDW-9L_I/AAAAAAAAAP4/J-BOu5Sdj9k/s1600/summerschedule6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BiFNCVIAVjE/TiNcDW-9L_I/AAAAAAAAAP4/J-BOu5Sdj9k/s400/summerschedule6.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> <span style="color: #0c343d;"> We've had a few rough weeks. You know the kind. Something arises and you get stressed, cranky, and have zero patience for the kids or anyone else in your life. Insomnia strikes and now you're constantly tired as well. </span></span><br />
<div style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> What do you do? Fume? Throw a pity party? Get depressed and let the house go to pot?</div><div style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> I contemplated my options. I didn't like what life looked like when I gave into the negativity. I refuse to let unkind people or unfortunate events steal my joy. So I accepted our circumstances. Life happens. Troubles come. It's inevitable. I want my kids to see grace under pressure. Experience patience and joy when the road is rocky. That seems so <i>unnatural</i> and can be <i>really hard</i>, but I want my home to be a place of peace and a haven of rest for my family. So I slowed down and wrote a list of how to stay calm and what my focus should be each week. My list will probably look different from another persons, but this made a huge difference in the atmosphere of our home.</div><div style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">1. Cuddle</div><div style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">2. Read to the kids during the day and read something fun for myself before bed.</div><div style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">3. Lavish extra love on my family.</div><div style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">4. Try to stay home as much as possible to simplify my week.</div><div style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">5. Play outside.</div><div style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">6. Be content.</div><div style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">7. Write down my blessings and what I'm thankful for.</div><div style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">8. Ask my kids what they are thankful for.</div><div style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">9. Make a special meal. </div><div style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">10. See house work as a way of beautifying our home rather than a drudgery.</div><div style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">11. Avoid negative talk and complaining of any kind.</div><div style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">12. Have a movie night.</div><div style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">13. Stick to a schedule so the day goes smoothly and naps are taken on time.</div><div style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">14. Invite a friend over. </div><div style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">15. Pare down the to-do list.</div><div style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">16. Cuddle some more!</div><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">17. Read my Bible.</span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">18. Pray. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">What do you do when hard times come? </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3512737951205693573.post-76067932165709947592011-08-06T06:25:00.000-07:002011-08-12T13:01:14.871-07:00Pink Poodle Bows GIVEAWAY!!!!!<div style="text-align: center;">A few weeks ago I discovered<span style="font-size: large;"> <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/pinkpoodlebows?ref=ss_profile">Pink Poodle Bows</a> </span>on Etsy. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nsnYS71oX3k/TjHXZUfD7dI/AAAAAAAAASI/AkX4pVu03ug/s1600/iusb_760x100.8701534.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="42" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nsnYS71oX3k/TjHXZUfD7dI/AAAAAAAAASI/AkX4pVu03ug/s320/iusb_760x100.8701534.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Alisha has some seriously cute sewing patterns on there. I instantly fell in love with the </div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/68104152/the-madison-dresssizes-12m-5t">Madison Dress</a> </span>with the ruffled bodice...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pFpFEBi_stw/TjH-AFqQ2pI/AAAAAAAAASM/Bgq0WHxVx4k/s1600/il_570xN.217186933.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pFpFEBi_stw/TjH-AFqQ2pI/AAAAAAAAASM/Bgq0WHxVx4k/s320/il_570xN.217186933.jpg" width="230" /></a></div><br />
and made it for my daughter!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-95xOmr8z06I/TjHUOdnlKDI/AAAAAAAAASA/5JCak6QnMbU/s1600/zoo+summer+2011a1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-95xOmr8z06I/TjHUOdnlKDI/AAAAAAAAASA/5JCak6QnMbU/s400/zoo+summer+2011a1.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Her patterns are really simple and soooo sweet. There are skirts, tops, dresses,<br />
rompers, pants and even diaper cover patterns. She's a talented woman!<br />
You can even check out her <a href="http://pinkpoodlebows.blogspot.com/">BLOG</a> where she has other sewing tutorials. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hMF2bzXmr7w/TjHVyapBG8I/AAAAAAAAASE/_5Ql-cYxsY4/s1600/zoo+summer+2011a5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hMF2bzXmr7w/TjHVyapBG8I/AAAAAAAAASE/_5Ql-cYxsY4/s400/zoo+summer+2011a5.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Lucky for us Pink Poodle Bow is giving away ONE </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">free PDF pattern!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Make sure you are a follower of my blog then head over to her <span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/pinkpoodlebows?ref=ss_profile">shop</a> </span>to find which of her patterns is your favorite. Leave a comment at this post telling us which one you'd like and I'll draw a name on August 14th . I'll announce the winner August 15th 2011.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TZiaOAXq1SE/TjHT0t9HFaI/AAAAAAAAAR8/dK3xCHv-zRk/s1600/summerzoo2011a3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TZiaOAXq1SE/TjHT0t9HFaI/AAAAAAAAAR8/dK3xCHv-zRk/s400/summerzoo2011a3.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Good Luck!</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3512737951205693573.post-42151491940251510822011-08-02T06:28:00.000-07:002011-08-02T06:28:00.414-07:00New Life For Old Shoes<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DcwbR9lwtK8/Ti8V1Tpk9JI/AAAAAAAAARk/YFYDy4RLJ-k/s1600/blackshoessupplies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DcwbR9lwtK8/Ti8V1Tpk9JI/AAAAAAAAARk/YFYDy4RLJ-k/s320/blackshoessupplies.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> I bought these shoes at a yard sale for my daughter a few months ago.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Her favorite color is pink, so I decided to pretty them up for her.</div><div style="text-align: center;">First they needed a good cleaning so I threw the shoes into the washer </div><div style="text-align: center;">then I scrubbed the toes with a magic eraser. </div><div style="text-align: center;">The pink laces came from another pair of shoes </div><div style="text-align: center;">which I brightened up with Oxi Clean. </div><div style="text-align: center;">Now for the fun part!</div><div style="text-align: center;">I sewed on some felt flower buttons I purchased ($2.50), a little scrap of yellow ribbon </div><div style="text-align: center;">and some small round buttons I already had on hand.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Once sewed on, I applied a little glue to the underside of the petals </div><div style="text-align: center;"> just to make sure they don't fall off.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">A whole new look for just a couple bucks!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rpQQweqtFTA/Ti8WP--cp4I/AAAAAAAAARo/b_vQkvoQW4M/s1600/blackshoes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rpQQweqtFTA/Ti8WP--cp4I/AAAAAAAAARo/b_vQkvoQW4M/s400/blackshoes.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3512737951205693573.post-81603420131939383722011-07-30T03:54:00.000-07:002011-07-30T03:54:49.848-07:00Sunday BestI<i> love</i> to dress up my little doll. Lucky for me, she's quite willing to let me put her in sweet little dresses and be ultra girly. Every Sunday, I dress myself and the kids up the best I can from top to bottom. We look like a million bucks but I never shell out as much dough as it looks like. Here's a perfect example. This is among my favorite looks for Little Miss:<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xgYEuPEg03Y/TjPelkxFLYI/AAAAAAAAASc/utyY3PudIF8/s1600/emyellowdress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xgYEuPEg03Y/TjPelkxFLYI/AAAAAAAAASc/utyY3PudIF8/s400/emyellowdress.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div style="color: #274e13;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;">Dress $6 </span></div><div style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;">from consignment store</span></div><div style="color: #274e13;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;">Headband <i>Free</i> </span></div><div style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;">I made it </span></div><div style="color: #274e13;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;">Pearls $1</span></div><div style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;">Target</span></div><div style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;">Shoes $12</span></div><div style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;">T.J. Maxx</span></div><br />
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I will sometimes spend a few extra dollars for shoes or a hat if I think it will top off their wardrobe. I know this sounds silly, but I think accessories can really make an outfit, even for kids!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0