Easter's On It's Way...again!

I say this all of the time, but time is flying! I've got probably less than 10 weeks left to bake little sister all the while finishing big boy's room and preparing hers. I'm getting so excited to meet our girl! Of course there are several crafty and creative endeavors on my list, so please bear with me as I create and take the time to post them! :)

In the meantime, I was looking back at projects I completed this time last year. One of which is the adorable felt peep. Looks like the tutorial link no longer works tho - bummer. However, I did save the pdf pattern, so here it is in case you want to whip up some for your special baskets. Enjoy!

Fire Truck Party: Part Two

I revealed the invites and several key themed accessories in Part One . Now on to the actual event! It was so much fun (& easy!) to plan, plus it didn't cost a fortune. Birthday party success!

I used the birthday boy's Ikea easel to welcome our guests. Yellow chalk and a couple of printable party logos instantly set the theme. (more on the logos below) Aren't the polka dot balloons fun too?!

I pondered how I was going to create this year's birthday banner...I wanted something simple but all of my ideas were complicated. Thankfully a trip to Dollar Tree saved the day! I found this red and black banner, and the only flaw it had were monster truck icons on each end and the center - ha! I simply had Maureen of AndersRuff create a firetruck and "3rd" circle printable logo to transform my bargain banner. Themed perfection!

Now on to the cupcakes...mmmnnnnn! In the past I've created a themed cake, but again, I wanted to keep things simple this year. Cupcakes are so easy and fun for all ages. There are SO many adorable decorating ideas floating around, so I decided to jump on board the toppers craze. My pal Maureen of AndersRuff created the cutest printable toppers. I had so much fun punching, cutting and assembling - you can't beat no mess decorating!

Our dining room buffet was the perfect display for the cupcakes. I used red and white polka dot fabric to highlight the scene. Big thanks to my mom for supplying the cake stands and white trays. And I couldn't resist using a favorite fire truck, firefighter and accessories to round out the table!

I'd love to say the cupcakes were made from scratch, but alas they are from cake mix. However, it's seriously the best cake in my opinion! Dr. Oetker makes the yummiest organic flavors and are my go-to for special occasions. I used Jacinda's Decorator Icing recipe from Prudent Baby and piped it on in sweet swirls. (I used the butter + vegetable shortening minus transfat + meringue powder version, and it was ah-mazing!) They were absolutely delicious and happily consumed by all...especially by this pregnant mommie!

Party day was super, including the weather. The firetruck and it's crew were prompt, gentle with the kids and achieved near rock star status. After the cupcakes, ice cream cups and "fire extinguishers" (aka juice boxes) were consumed, everyone kept busy with indoor toys or the backyard playset. We are so lucky to have such great friends and family - kids and adults alike!

After the birthday blitz settled, it was time for thank you notes. (Proper Southerner here!) I re-printed the backside of the party invite to use as a notecard and used the same envelopes and labels as before.

Thanks again to all who celebrated the big day with us, and thanks to you for taking the time to check it out!

Resources

Party Printables including Invites, Toppers & Logos - AndersRuff Custom Designs

Printing - Office Depot and my home HP PhotoSmart

Polka Dot fabric & balloons - Hobby Lobby

Basic Banner, Yellow Napkins - Dollar Tree

Cupcake Liners & Topper Sticks - Michaels

Dr. Oetker Vanilla Cake Mix - Earthfare

Red Plates - Target

White Napkins - Ikea

Vanilla & Chocolate individual Ice Cream Cups - WalMart

Photography - Maureen Anders & yours truly ;)

and 

A Great Year!

 I just realized that I've been blogging for a little over a year now - wow! I'm so glad I started and am thankful for every reader - that means you! Having a space to share my creativity is lovely, and so is the crafty community out there. I'm learning so much, and look forward to all that lies ahead. Having a newborn may slow me down a bit this summer, but I have a feeling little girl will bring out a whole new level of craftiness. Thanks again for taking the time to check out my space, and don't forget you can follow me now on Facebook too!

Fire Truck Party: Part One

Calling all firefighters to the station! It's time to share the 3rd birthday celebration!

This year's fire truck theme has been on my mind almost since the close of last year's party. My boy loves a service vehicle, so I knew a home visit by the neighborhood fire crew would be a great way to celebrate. A couple of phone calls had us on their schedule and I was ready to work on invitations!

I worked with Maureen of AndersRuff (another super creative mommie & great friend!) on this adorable personalized invitation. I had the red envelopes in my craft stash from a previous holiday card, created mailing labels with a coordinating font to the invite, and made 2" circular return address labels.

Once the invites hit the mail, it was time to applique the birthday shirt. I found this great design over at Applique Alley. It's especially nice because it can be personalized with a number or initials. 3 is the way to be!

The party favors were also an exciting part of my planning. I'm always cruising Target for clearance bargains, and happened upon these repositionable sticker sets last summer. I wrapped them in solid yellow paper, tied on an organic lollipop with red raffia and included a personalized thank you tag.

And it just so happened that one of big boy's smaller toy bins matched the color scheme and served as a useful container to store the favors. I kept it on our foyer table so we could pass them out as our guests departed.

Stay tuned for Part Two of the party details. I can't wait to show the cupcake display, birthday banner and more of the actual fire truck visit! It was such a fun day!

Resources

Printable Invitation & Thank You Tags - AndersRuff Custom Designs LLC

Envelopes - Paper Source

Gray t-shirt - Garanimals

Applique - Applique Alley

Fireman Sticker Play Set, Raffia, Toy/Favor Storage - Target

Yellow Gift Wrap - Dollar Tree

Yummy Earth Organic Lollipops - Earthfare

Feeling Lucky

Life feels like it's moving in fast forward this week. Big boy's 3rd birthday went off splendidly, and now baby #2 is due in less than 90 days! Nesting is in high gear, and I can't seem to say it enough - where does the time go?! No matter, I'm feeling lucky to have good health, a wonderful family, lots of terrific friends, and just the amount of resources we need to accommodate our growing family. And the spring-like thaw just makes it all even sweeter - don't you agree?!

Are you gearing up for some St Patrick's Day fun? I was hoping to grab my Irish Soda Bread at Trader Joes this week, but it's yet to come in. This preggie mommie was not happy! As I wait for the deliciousness to begin, I found several outstanding freebies if you're looking for some Irish fun. Head over to eighteen25 to grab adorable subway art, gift tags and lucky toppers. Thanks ladies for the downloads - love 'em!!

I promise that I'm working on some upcoming detailed posts with party details. Stay tuned as I can't wait to share the crafty and celebratory fun!

Party Mode

Our household is eagerly preparing for a fun 3rd birthday weekend. I can't wait to share this year's party! While I'm away crafting, baking & celebrating, I thought I'd share some pics from our boy's first two parties. I'll do my best to create dedicated posts to each party eventually, but for now, please enjoy the abbreviated fun!

A frog theme kicked things off for the 1 year old celebration. I handmade the invitations asking everyone to "hop over," served themed food and packaged themed favors. My mom and I had a blast creating this cake!

Double layer cake with cupcake eyes and peanut M & M feet.

Then, turning 2 was all about the Choo Choos. We set up the train table and hosted a train inspired party. I appliqued this shirt for the occasion, and made bag tags as part of the party favors. Here's the front door welcome sign. I was fortunate to only have to add the "2" portion as it was a fantastic borrow from another crafty mommie from her son's transportation birthday bash - thanks Maureen!

I tried to make as much of the decor as possible, including this birthday banner. I crafted it by tracing train cookie cutters onto card stock, printing the letters, cutting & threading through raffia.

There was also a train cake...a main engine with lots of cars. It was a bit of a task, but worth it in the end!

As a child I always loved birthday parties, so having my own child to celebrate is such fun...tiring for a mommie at times, but fun! I am constantly amazed at the number of other moms out there going all out for parties. The blog-o-sphere is just full of 'em - have you seen the insanity?! Tons of inspiration is floating around, and I'm excited to pair it with my own spin for a happy and easy celebration. Now off to make some birthday magic!

Corn Chowder

I first made this chowder moons ago when my husband and I were simply boyfriend and girlfriend. He's asked me to make it again several times, but I somehow misplaced the recipe. Then we moved, got married, and started our family. Well, much to my nesting delight, I recently came across the missing recipe while going through a stack of books I'm purging. I immediately made a batch and the recipe is settled in our permanent binder of go-to meals. Here's a pic of the deliciousness in my cast iron pot. Find my take on the recipe below!

Vegetarian Corn Chowder

adapted from Rachel Ray's Clam Chowda

2 tablespoons butter

2 slices bacon, chopped (I like Morningstar Farms)

1 medium onion, chopped

2 ribs celery with greens, chopped

4 springs fresh thyme

salt & pepper

2 teaspoons (or more) hot sauce

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

1 pint half-and-half

2 cups stock (I use vegetable)

1 cup raw hash browns (usually found in the dairy case & I use much more)

2 cans kernel corn (I drain the water, but you can add what you like)

In a medium pot over medium high heat melt butter. Add bacon, onions, celery and thyme sprigs. Season with salt, pepper and hot sauce and cook 5 minutes. Add flour and cook a minute more.
Add half-and-half and stock and bring to a bubble. Then stir in potatoes and corn. Bring soup back to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes, until potatoes are cooked and soup has thickened to coat the back of a spoon.

Even though we're enjoying some spring-like temperatures, I'm sure there are still more cold, gray days ahead. Give this a try on one of those nights and snuggle in before it's too hot for soup!