The Thrill of Thrift

 I am still reeling over my thrift store find this morning - a gorgeous smocked baby bonnet! It appears to be unworn and brand new. One of the ribbon ties needs reinforcement, but otherwise it is flawless.

Wanna guess how much I paid for this beauty?!

Nope, not $50...not $5 or even 50 cents. It was half-price day and I landed this gem for A QUARTER!!!

When baby #2 was in the works, I came across this post over at Prudent Baby. My heart melted when I saw the Janie and Jack bonnet, so I added their tutorial to my project list. I've also had my eye out for something special like it and had no idea I'd land it for such a steal!

  

My mother hand smocked many a dress for me back in the day, and I have been obsessed with the craft ever since. I've taken classes (pre-babies if you can believe!), and can't wait to share the stash my mom has saved. But first my girl will wear this darling baby bonnet this summer - perfection!

 

What treasures have you found thrifting lately? Don't you find it thrilling?!

Decorated Sugar Cookies

Last week was Spring Break around here, so making Easter cookies was high on my list of fun activities. Big brother loves cooking, so we whipped up a fantastic sugar cookie recipe. It's delicious, easy and instantly ready to roll out if you have an impatient baker as do I! It even held up nicely in the fridge between cutting sessions...someone lost his steam once we got to the cut outs and wasn't the most gentle. Even so, I think our final shapes turned out nicely!

I let the cookies cool and packed them in airtight containers overnight. Soon we were ready to decorate! 

After having such success with my cupcake frosting, I was excited to make my first batch of Royal Icing. Once again, I turned to Prudent Baby's wisdom to get started.  I made a large batch of white icing and then divided it into small bowls for coloring. Once the color was mixed, I spooned the frosting into my handy squirt bottles. I kept things basic by starting with outlines, and then filling them in for big brother to happily sprinkle.

I've got a long ways to go to match some of the gorgeous cookies I've seen in blogland, but our first go at it was fun! Figuring out the correct consistency of the icing is key, and having a little helper always produces homegrown results. And that's what makes them extra special!

As you can see, the cookies were well loved, shared excitedly and eaten quickly.

Here's to the next batch and I hope everyone's Easter was great!

M-i-c-k-e-y M-o-u-s-e!

For those that don't know, I have a fondness for all things Disney and Mickey Mouse. I was fortunate enough to work and perform at Walt Disney World during most of my twenties. Needless to say, I can't wait to take big brother and little sister to mommie's ol' stompin' grounds someday soon. But until then, we were lucky enough to meet Mickey this past week here in Charlotte!

Late last year my best friend informed me she would be working in Charlotte this spring with a Disney Live show. I was super excited, not only to spend time with my bestie, but to have the opportunity to share the Disney entertainment world with big boy. With our calendar marked, I browsed the spring consignment sales for blank t-shirts and found this pristine blue one for under $1 - score!

I found the Mickey applique via Etsy and the Disney font here. Both stitched out beautifully! I had the black fabric and thread colors already in my stash, so it was a quick and affordable project. My creative past and present officially melded!

The show was lots of fun, but the best part was meeting the gang afterwards (thanks Jessica!!). Minnie Mouse loved his shirt and made quite a fuss over it. Mommie swooned!

It's hard to put into words how great it was to experience Disney magic again, and as a mother. My performing family is just that - family. I miss them dearly and reminisce of special memories often. It was really rewarding to be on the other side as a guest, and to see my own child enjoy the fun of it all. Here's to many more Disney memories...and of course personalized mommie-made outfits to highlight the experiences!

Playful Playdoh

  

We've had a rainy, chilly week but are expecting Spring's return this weekend. Hoorah! Since we were stuck indoors, big boy and I had fun making April's preschool classroom batch of purple playdoh yesterday...and giving it a test run too!

Find my trusty recipe here.

Apologies for the dull photos. I snapped these in front of an open window, but this was as good as it got due to the gray day. Luckily the sun has poked back out today - aahhhh!

And a big welcome to many new followers both here in blog-land and on Facebook! I'm honored and excited to share my creations with you! Thank you for stopping by!

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!