Aly&Ash

WINNER!!!! - $100 Visa Gift Card Giveaway!!!!

2011-12-09T16:15:00.000-08:00

CONGRATULATIONS

TO:

EDNA COLE!!!

I like Jacquilyn Avery Photography on Facebook

December 1, 2011 8:40 PM

Edna be sure to email me your mailing address to I can forward your info to Rice Krispies so they can send you your gift card!!! Send address to: jacquilynavery(at)gmail(dot)com

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

Kellogg's Rice Krispies Winter Wonderland featuring Swirly Peppermint Roll-Ups

2011-11-22T00:01:00.000-08:00

Rice Krispie Treat Winter Wonderland featuring Swirly Peppermint Roll-Ups

I could not be more excited to share our final Kellogs Rice Krispies Challenge with you guys after what has been such a fun and creative year! For this last challenge we wanted once again to focus on the kids! During this time of year we all get to reclaim the magic, joy and excitement of the holidays so this project is really for everyone!

There is nothing more important than making memories with your kids and while making our project with your kiddos you will definitely do exactly that! So forget the gingerbread and whip up some Rice Krispies treats this year while you let your imagination run wild! From reindeer to penguins, houses to trees, there are no limits to what your very own Rice Krispies Winter Wonderland can hold!

Let’s not forget a yummy treat to snack on while you work! Featured in our Winter Wonderland as giant lollipop trees, you and your kids will love the taste of our Swirly Peppermint Roll-Ups! With only a few easy and kid friendly steps these versatile treats are perfect for parties, gifts and holiday snacks!

Swirly Peppermint Roll-Ups
yields: 1 large roll/6-8 Slices

Ingredients:

3 Tbs Margarine or Butter

6 Cups Kelloggs Rice Krispies

4 Cups Mini Marshmallows

Cream Cheese Frosting

6 Regular Candy Canes Crushed

Red Food Coloring (Optional)

Directions:

1. Melt margarine or butter in a large sauce pan on low heat.

2. Add mini marshmallows and stir constantly to avoid burnt marshmallows.

3. Remove from heat and stir in 6 cups of Kelloggs Rice Krispies

4. Set aside for about 5 minutes or until the Rice Krispie treats are comfortable to handle. You want them to be warm so they are easy to work with.

5. Spray your hands with non-stick spray or coat with margarine. If the Rice Krispies start sticking to your hands, add some more non-stick spray to your hands.

6. Flatten Rice Krispies onto a greased baking sheet to create a thin flat layer of Rice Krispies Treats.

7. Evenly spread a thin layer of cream cheese frosting on the Rice Krispies and top with crushed candy cane.

8. Starting at one end, gently lift and begin rolling your rectangle long ways until you have a finished roll.

Tip: Allow roll set a few minutes in freezer or fridge before slicing.

We had so much fun getting together and creating such a delicious recipe and festive display this challenge! We are excited to share how we made the rest of our creations with you too!

Everything in our Winter Wonderland is edible and made out of Rice Krispies! We used only Rice Krispies and food safe materials when creating our display. From cotton candy snow to Rice Krispies presents with licorice ribbon, we really mean that it is ALL edible!

Each member of our team has agreed to share detailed instructions on how to make all of the projects in our Winter Wonderland. Stay tuned to all of our blogs over the two weeks so you can create a Rice Krispies winter wonderland of your own.

In the meantime, you can head over to the Rice Krispies Making Memories Circle on The Motherhood. Thursday, December 8th there will be a special live chat with all the different teams.

You can also show your support for “liking” our project on Kellogs Rice Krispies Facebook page December 8^th-14th

And of course we will be giving away and other $100 Visa Card!!! The giveaway starts Tuesday, November 28^th! Each of our team members will be giving you a chance to win so stay tuned for details!!

Our whole team hopes that you are inspired to get in the kitchen with your kids and start making memories! Have a wonderful holiday season!

Disclosure: I am working with Rice Krispies and TheMotherhood and have received a stipend for participating in this project.

$100 Visa Gift Card Giveaway!!!!

2011-10-11T23:00:00.000-07:00

A WINNER HAS BEEN SELECTED VIA RANDOM.ORG!!!

CONGRATULATIONS TO #84

heartnsoulcooking said... 84: Shared on FB https://www.facebook.com/heartnsoulcooking/posts/180898051990831; October 13, 2011 9:57 AM

Email me with your full name and address so I can get your gift card to you! alyashcreations@gmail.com Thanks and Congrats again!!!
-Jax

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now it's time for the really exciting part of Rice Krispies Making Memories Challenge. I am giving away a $100 Visa gift card to one lucky reader.

Just as a reminder, here are the Caramel Apple Rice Krispies Treats that we submitted.

Here is how you can enter the $100 Visa gift card giveaway:

1. Visit Kellogg's Rice Krispies on Facebook and leave some comment love on one of our Caramel Apple Rice Krispies Treat pictures. Each picture is also labeled Team Phoenix.
-1 entry-

2. Like Jacquilyn Avery Photography on Facebook

{Already do? Just remind me!}
-1 entry-

3. Follow me on Twitter (Jax Avery)
-1 entry-

4. Like Aly&Ash on Facebook
{Already do? Just remind me!}
-1 entry-

5. Follow my Blog with Google Friend Connect.
Already do? Just remind me!
-1 entry-

6. Tweet, Facebook or Blog about this Giveaway.
-1 entry-

(tweet: I entered to #win a $100 #giveaway from #RiceKrispies with @jaxavery ends 10/19. Enter here: http://alyandash.com )

**Please leave a separate comment for each entry along with your

email address. I will pick a new winner if I do not have an email address for you.**

Each member of the team will also be giving away $100, check out their blogs for more chances to win.

Ashley - Cute as a Fox
Jacqui - Aly & Ash
Kristyn - Lil Luna
Wendy - Around My Family Table

Giveaway ends at Midnight Eastern on October 19th. The winner will be announced on October 21, 2011. In the meantime, you can head over to the Rice Krispies Making Memories Circle on The Motherhood on Friday, October 14th at 1 PM ET where there will be a special LIVE chat with the Wisk kid.

Abbreviated
Rules. No Purchase Necessary. Begins no earlier than 12:00:00 AM (ET)
on 9/15/11 and ends no later than 11:59:59 PM (ET) on 10/26/11. For
complete Official Rules, go to ( http://web.mediacdt.com/docs/BloggerRulesHalloween.pdf
). Open to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and District
of Columbia who are 18 years of age or older at time of entry. Subject
to complete Official Rules. Void where prohibited. Sponsor: The
Motherhood; www.TheMotherhood.com.

Yo Gabba Gabba Party!

2011-10-09T18:40:00.000-07:00

Asher is TWO and we celebrated
Yo Gabba Gabba style!


Asher & Brobee! We set up a stand up of Brobee in my studio filled with balloons for Parent's to take pictures of their kiddos!

As you know if you read my blog, Asher is a Yo Gabba Gabba fanatic and with all that's gone on this year we knew we wanted to give Asher the best party we could! We are so blessed with how many people love our little guy and it was incredible to see everyone come together and celebrate him!

We had 27 kids and I think 22 adults - Whew!!! I am so grateful we rented a bouncy castle because otherwise it would have been crazy! But it kept the kids entertained the whole time! We also had face painting, Yo Gabba Gabba playing on our big screen and a special surprise guest!! Here are some pictures from the day!

Decor & Treats

In addition to the Brobee Stand Up we had Muno at the food table & Plex at the present & goody table!

"Hi I'm Brobee Cake... You wanna piece of me?"
We were so impressed by the incredible Brobee Cake replica my friend Alex made! She is crazy talented!
(Local peeps email me if you want her info! She can pretty much make anything!)

My good friend Ashley from Cute as a Fox helped me make the adorable Foofa hats and Brobee horns!
Ashley made a basic party hats from pink card stock and I attached a Foofa flower I printed in color on white card stock. (Image was downloaded and resized from Nick Jr.)The Brobee hats were a joint effort the day before the party! I believe Ashley will be sharing tutorials on her blog so I'll keep you posted!
The Goody Bags were purchased at Joanns and stuffed full of all kinds of treats! M&M's, Stickers, Yo Gabba Gabba Rings, Bouncy Balls, Pixie Sticks, Bubbles, Crayons and Yo Gabba Gabba Printables from Nick Jr. The characters on the front of the bags were also downloaded from Nick Jr and printed on card stock!

Plex guarding the present and Goody table!

Ashley from Cute as a Fox also helped out by making these crazy adorable Muno pretzel sticks inspired by the ones seen here on Wendy Will Blog. They were so delicious and a favorite of the kids and adults!


Why would we need cupcakes with a Brobee Cake you ask? Well we had a few gluten and dairy free guests and we didn't want them to miss out on the sweets! (Character printables from Nick Jr.)

Special Suprise Guest

Asher's obsession with Yo Gabba Gabba didn't come as a fluke! Our family was introduced from the very first season by my husband's brother Ryan Avery. Ryan is a bit of a celebrity in our family and a huge fan of The Aquabats! His band Father's Day even opened for them once...but that's a whole different story! Through Ryan and his many adventures and achievements my husband has met both Lance Robertson (DJ Lance Rock) & Yo Gabba Gabba Co-Creator and Aquabats Front Man, Christian Jacobs.
When we first introduced Asher to the show we had hoped he would like it but had no idea of the obsession that would follow! One of Asher's favorite episodes is Summer featuring The Aquabats as the super music friends! So all in all we love Gabba and we love The Aquabats! So when Ryan showed up to the party as the Bat Commander he surprised all of us and we couldn't have been more thrilled!

Uncle Ryan and his fiance Sara getting the party started!


Our little Brobee and the Bat Commander! Best surprise ever!

The Bat Commander rocking the Bouncy Castle!

Fun in Action!
Here are more pictures of all the fun in action! Enjoy!

Lovely Love My Family

After everyone left we took the boys outside for some family time in the bouncy castle which turned into a spontaneous and super fun photo shoot thanks to my great friend Emily!

What a truly wonderful day!
Happy Birthday Asher, we love you!

Kellogg's Rice Krispies Challange #3 - Caramel Apple Rice Krispie Treats

2011-10-09T02:05:00.001-07:00

Team Phoenix (Wendy, Ashley, Jax, and Kristyn) are so pleased to present our Fall entry for the Rice Krispies Making Memories Challenge. For this challenge we were given the challenge to create a spooky Halloween display, along with a Rice Krispies recipe that can double as a craft activity with kids, perfect for a costume party with the little ones. We worked long and hard to come up with a delicious recipe that would be fun for kids and very practical to execute at a party for children.

We are so excited to present our Rice Krispies Caramel Apple treats with real apples, spices, and caramel bits right inside. These treats are delicious on their own, but dip them in caramel and add your favorite candy or sprinkles and you are taken to a whole new level!

Serve these treats on a spooky spider plate for the complete Halloween experience! Fun place cards for guests "Noah Pulse," "Doug M. Upp," "Myra Mains," and "Stella Live" really set the mood for this fun and spooky party.

Rice Krispies Caramel Apple Treats
Yield: approximately 12 servings
Ingredients:
4 Tbsp butter or margarine
1 10 ounce bag of marshmallows
1 ½ cups dehydrated apples
2 individual serving size packets of Apple Cider drink mix
1 1/2 cup caramel bits or caramel squares cut into small chunks
6 cups Kellogg’s Rice Krispies®
Popsicle, lollipop, or other sticks
Caramels for dipping the apples
Assorted cookies, candies, and sprinkles for decorating

Directions – Preparing the Treats

Before you begin cooking, rough chop 1 ½ cups of dehydrated apples into small chunks. Dehydrated apples are located next to the raisins at the grocery store. Make sure the dehydrated apples and caramels chunks are approximately the same size.
Heat 4 Tbsp butter or margarine in a sauce pan over low heat.
Add the marshmallows and stir until completely melted.
Stir in 2 packets of Apple Cider drink mix.
Remove from heat and stir in 6 cups of Kelloggs Rice Krispies®.
While the mixture is still hot, add the dehydrated apples and caramel chunks.
Once the mixture is cool enough to handle, tightly pack balls of Caramel Apple Treats around your stick. Make sure your hands are clean and greased well to avoid sticking.
Rest your treats, stick side up on a sheet of wax paper or greased cookie sheet
Refrigerate the treats until it is party time.

Directions – Dipping and Decorating

Heat up a bag of caramels on the stove-top according to the package instructions.
Depending on age and kitchen experience, you can let your child dip the caramel apple treats in the caramel or you can give some assistance.
Before the caramel sets up, have your child roll their caramel apple treat in various candies, sprinkles, or crushed up cookies. You can go crazy and incorporate your families favorite treats into this recipe.
Eat and enjoy

Plain, caramel dipped, or dipped in candies or crushed cookies. They are all delicious!

Part two of the challenge is creating a spooky Halloween scene. We decided that instead of a formal dessert table we would incorporate the caramel apple fixings right into the table where the kids will be making their treats. We have got the different apple toppings in cute candy jars with Halloween faces on each jar. The apples that are ready to be dipped look beautiful sitting on a tiered tray in the middle of the table.

It was just too hard to decide on one Halloween themed Rice Krispies recipe so we made a few extras to incorporate into the table setting. We rounded out our party with some Rice Krispies candy corn treats and cute little Rice Krispies treat grape spiders. Rice Krispies Crunchy Skeleton Bones are pictured above as well.

Here's a close-up of our candy corn Rice Krispies treats, and grape flavored Rice Krispies treat spiders. You can see some of our fixings too. Green sprinkles in a Frankenstein jar and white chocolate chips in a cute ghost jar.

We hope you celebrate this fall season with us and make your own Caramel Apple Rice Krispies treats. Whether you make them with your kids for an after school snack or have your own Halloween party, we can guarantee and kids and adults alike will love these Caramel Apple Rice Krispies treats!

Stay tuned to each of our blogs for more information on how to enter a $100 Visa gift card giveaway! We also hope you will join us for a live chat over at the Motherhood on October 13 at 1:00pm Eastern.

Part 3/3: What comes next...

2011-09-11T23:21:00.000-07:00

Alright, what is next for Aly&Ash? Well first off a hopefully seamless transfer to Wordpress (I'm so over the blogger issues!) and back to posting! I'm so excited to share some new projects and recipes and I will also be introducing a new Aly&Ash contributor later this week! And i will finally post the beauty segments I photographed months ago! (I'm such a slacker!!)

But what I'm most excited about is Momographer Mondays! Photography tips, tricks and tutorials along with a theme and link party/contest! Post an image in accordance to the theme on your own blog and then link it up! (You can post to your blog any day of the week just link it up on Monday!) This is in no way directed toward professional photographers only - thus the name! I want all you blogging mom's out there to learn some new tricks and have fun with photography! You will have all week to link up and the contest will close each Friday night. Over the weekend Liberty Elle and I will review the images and select three winners! Winners will be announced each Monday with the start of the next competition! Winners will get a swanky blog button to show off your mad skills and the 1st place winning image with blog name & link will be posted on my sidebar for the entire week! Are you excited yet cause I am! We will start next Monday (September 19th) and the first theme will be Black & White. A complete list of themes for the rest of the year will be posted soon so you can plan ahead!

If you have theme suggestions please leave them in the comments!!! I look forward to seeing your images next week and can't wait to get started! Stay tuned later this week to meet the new Aly&Ash contributer and I have a delicious BBQ Chicken Pizza recipe for ya!!! Hope everyone has a great week!

Update part 2/3: Holland

2011-09-01T02:03:00.000-07:00

When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."

"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."

But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.

So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.

It’s just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."

And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.

But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.

* * *

July of this year our son Asher was diagnosed Autistic. It was at his 18 month check up that his pediatrician recommended we have him screened at the Melmed Center here in Arizona. I have two amazing nephews with Autism so when I heard the words Melmed Center I knew the direction this was headed. I am not going to lie, I love my nephews so much and wouldn't change a thing about them, but there is nothing worse than hearing those words. I cried for a couple days - trading between anger, depression, relief, uncertainty. All I wanted to do was hold Asher and tell him over and over how much I loved him. Lucky for me, Asher is a snuggler! Autism being a spectrum disorder every kid is different. The social and developmental delays associated vary in severity but where he is completely on track in some areas he is severely delayed in others. It's been really eye opening to see Griffin pass him up in some developmental areas. Asher is still not talking, no mama, no dada. But he does make sounds. He has a wide variety of sounds, some quite hilarious! We have also learned that his beloved Yo Gabba Gabba is a comfort mechanism for Asher. Watching the show lets him kind of create this tunnel vision type bubble allowing him to block out things that may be overwhelming him. We are just beginning his therapies so we don't know the extent of his sensory issues but we're working on it! So far he goes to Occupational Therapy once a week and will start speech soon. So far he is adjusting to OT very well and making progress faster than I had even hoped for! Asher also qualifies for a home worker and we will be arranging that soon too. We are taking it step by step, day by day and doing the best we can. We plan to be very proactive in combating this disorder. I want living with Autism to be as easy as possible for Asher. I want to give him every possible tool I can.

So that is update #2. That's what we're dealing with over here in the Avery house. I'll be posting updates on here every once and a while and would love to hear from any mom's out there going through the same or similar. We love our little boy so much and know that even though this is not the journey we planned on we will embrace it. I also know there is still a lot of hard days ahead. I often find myself in moments of weakness where I get angry or sad at the hand he's been dealt and know those days will come and go and I'll just do the best I can. At this point, it's really all I can do.

Part 1/3: The more things change, well no nothing is the same...

2011-08-31T06:00:00.000-07:00

Hello friends! First of all I just wanna thank you guys for sticking by me this last year in my almost none existence! Pretty much from the moment I found out I was pregnant with Griffin some things had to take a back seat, Aly&Ash being one of them! I have contemplated several things over the year in regards to Aly&Ash, close it down, change the direction, hand it over to someone else - all leaving me too sad to think about it further. I even tried a total revamp to get myself re-motivated to post - we've seen how much that helped! I still haven't finished important pages in the menus! Arg!

A lot has happened over the year. In a nutshell we have moved...and moved again! I gave birth to our sweet little boy Griffin, Asher has grown, grown, grown and the hubs accepted a new job. A new job that allows him to work from home (YAY!) but requires travel (Not so yay!). It turns out to be a good balance though and family wise we are doing amazing.

In January of this year I also made the risky decision to streamline my business and be solely a newborn and child photographer. I changed the name of my business, opened a home studio, crossed my fingers and didn't look back. My business doubled! Then my husband expressed how much he didn't like me working on Sundays and how he really wished I would keep it a day of rest as it was intended to be. I knew he was right and hesitantly took his advice. My business doubled again. It has been an absolutely incredible year for Jacquilyn Avery Photography and I feel so blessed.

So two kids, a husband, a successful and busy photography business and oh yeah did I mention I opened an online baby boutique with Liberty Elle? cause were working on that too! Ollalie Design Studio - you should check it out! (whew!)...where does crafting and blogging fit in? I've been trying to answer that question all year! Well I think I finally have the answer - schedule!

It is so hard to have a strict schedule as a stay at home mom. I am the queen of procrastination, the kids aren't in school, so we're really free to do what we want. Well I wasn't being a goon manager to my business or my family so I made the decision to hire a nanny three days a week. It was the best decision! Cori comes Monday, Wednesday, Friday and now I don't know how I'd manager without her. She takes care of the kids, does dishes, laundry, sweeps and mops the floor - she's amazing. The days she's here I devote to my business. I get editing done, answer emails and do various other administrative tasks. But the best part... I'm still at home with my kids. When moments arise when they just need their mama - I'm here. When they need me to kiss a boo boo - I'm here. I get the best of both worlds. I am able to stay on top of everything and relax on days she's not. Tuesdays and Thursdays I don't edit and I no longer feel guilty every second I'm not editing because my editing is scheduled and organized. I know exactly what will be done when. So I plan fun stuff with the kids, get a blog post or two in during naps and maybe even sew something or do a craft! Saturdays I'm in studio and spending time with my family and we all enjoy church on Sunday and our day of rest. Life seems to slow down when you remove stress and for that I'm so grateful!

So what's the future of Aly&Ash? It's bright! I have several projects I'm excited to share and have brought on a contributor you'll learn more about very soon! I have an exciting, different and new link party I'll be announcing next week and am so excited to get back to blogging! But I do have one question for you! What would you like to see on Aly&Ash? I want to make sure I gear toward my readers and give you something good to read! With the flood of blogs these days I know I only read my favorites so I want to be a favorite you read again! I hope I can earn you all back as daily readers and am really looking forward to it!

I will be posting Part 2 of my update tomorrow (Thursday) it is a very emotional and sensitive topic but It's a part of my life I want to share and hope though Aly&Ash I can be a support to others as well as gain support from you. More on that tomorrow.

Hope everyone is having a great week & thanks for reading!

DownEast Basics Fall Fashion Makeover!

2011-08-31T00:34:00.000-07:00

I was recently given the opportunity to attend a blogger mixer at DownEast Basics here in Arizona. It was tons of fun and the new looks for fall are to die for! Here are a few of the adorable shirts I picked up! Love love love them!

I absolutely love DownEast! And if you haven't shopped there before you need to go! They have a few locations in Arizona and a great online store! And right now they have an awesome giveaway going on!

Visit any DownEast Basics store in the Phoenix metro area from 8/29-9/12 & enter to win a fall fashion makeover! 1 lucky winner receives $250 shopping spree + DownEast will donate $250 to a local school of winner’s choice!

And now...I'm headed back to the DownEast Basics website to PIN the rest of the stuff I want!!! Happy shopping friends!!!

Gluten Free Rice Krispies Lemon Bars

2011-07-20T00:33:00.000-07:00

These lemon bars are so crazy delicious, GLUTEN FREE and super easy! When Kellogg's contacted me about their new Gluten Free Rice Krispies I was so excited! I have several friends with Gluten sensitives and I really wanted to create a yummy recipe they would love! Our Lemonade Stand/Bake Sale for Competition #2 really inspired me (made me crave lemon bars) so I figured I'd give it a try! Why not substitute a cookie or pastry crust for Rice Krispies! And holy deliciousness did it ever work!

Ingredients & Directions:

CRUST:

6 cups Kellogg's Rice Krispies
4 cups Mini Marshmallows
4 tbsp Butter
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Place Rice Krispies in zip-lock bag and crush to a medium fine grain. Melt butter over low heat and add marshmallows, mix till smooth. Remove from heat and add Rice Krispies. When completely mixed press evenly into buttered pan. Let cool.

LEMON FILLING:

4 Extra-Large Eggs

1 1/2 cups Sugar

3/4 cup Fresh Lemon Juice (About 4 Lemons)

1/3 cup *Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour

1 Lemon, Zested

Confectioners Sugar

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Heat oven to 300 degrees. Wisk eggs & sugar till smooth, then add lemon juice, flour and zest. Pour filling mixture over Rice Krispies crust and bake in middle of oven for 30min. Let cool, sprinkle with confectioners sugar, cut up and enjoy!

Cool Trick: While baking the lemon filling mixture will sink to the bottom floating the Rice Crispy crust to the top! So I supposed technically they are "Upside Down" Gluten Free Rice Krispies Lemon Bars!

Click HERE to see our Rice Krispies Summer Challenge entry and a chance to win at $100.00 Visa Gift Card!

Lemonade Stand Free Printables!

2011-07-14T00:40:00.000-07:00

I know you are all dying to make your very own lemonade stand and bake sale just like the one in our Kellogg's Rice Krispies Summer Challenge aren't you! Well we are making it easy for you with a week of recipes & tutorials to do just that! (schedule and links below!) So while you focus on baking, leave the paperwork to me! All you have to to for the food labels is:

Click - Save - Print

Kellogg's Rice Krispies Summer Challenge
Recipe & Tutorial Schedule

Wednesday, July 13: Rice Krispies Ice Cream Cones, Carnival Lemonade
Friday, July 15: Chocolate Scotcharoos and Rice Krispies Treats

Monday, July 18: Rice Krispies Pinwheels

Tuesday, July 19: Constructing a Lemonade Stand

Wednesday, July 20: Gluten Free Rice Krispies Lemon Bars

Click HERE to see our Rice Krispies Summer Challenge entry and a chance to win at $100.00 Visa Gift Card!

Rice Krispies Challenge #2: Summer Pastimes & Stuffed Peanut Butter Pops

2011-07-10T18:48:00.000-07:00

It's that time again!! We are SO THRILLED to share our display for the Kellogg’s™ Rice Krispies™ Making Memories Challenge.

This challenges theme was:

FAVORITE SUMMER PASTIMES

We decided that one of our fondest Summer Memories was having a Lemonade Stand and Bake Sale.

What kid hasn't had a lemonade stand and loved it? Especially with this custom Lemonade stand we made from scratch.

For our main recipe we were thrilled to come up with something not only ORIGINAL and KID-FRIENDLY, but something SUPER DELICIOUS!

What's great about goodies on a stick is it really minimizes the mess, which is always a BONUS!

Speaking of bonuses, check out the INSIDE of our treat! They are stuffed with white chocolate peanut butter cups. They are beyond delicious.

Here's how you can make these UNIQUE and DELICIOUS pops...

Rice Krispies Stuffed Peanut Butter Pops

yields: approximately 24 pops

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup light corn syrup
7 cups Kelloggs Rice Krispies
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 cup peanut butter
White chocolate peanut butter cups
White Chocolate Almond Bark
Long Lollipop Sticks

DIRECTIONS:

Pour Kelloggs Rice Krispies into a large bowl.
Bring peanut butter, sugar and corn syrup to a boil on medium heat.
Pour mixture over Rice Krispies and stir making sure all cereal is lightly coated.
Let cool for 10-15 minutes.
Let your kids grab a handful of Rice Krispies mixture and add Peanut Butter cup to the center and roll into a ball.
Insert stick to the center of the ball and press around. Do the same for all pops.
Melt white chocolate bark in a pan on low heat stirring constantly.
Drizzle white chocolate over the pops and let cool.

It was so much fun to join forces in building a lemonade stand and creating all sorts of YUMMY Rice Krispies goodies for the table.

Our Bake Sale included:

•Carnival Lemonade

•Rice Krispies Treats

•Chocolate Scotcharoos

•Rice Krispies Pinwheels

•Gluten Free Lemon Bars (Using new Gluten Free Rice Krispies)
•Rice Krispies Ice Cream Cones

Each member of our team has agreed to share detailed instructions on how to make all of the projects on the stand. Stay tuned to all of our blogs over the next week and a half so you can learn how to create the ultimate Lemonade Stand and Bake Sale too!

Each goody is linked to the blog it will be posted at.

Wednesday, July 13: Rice Krispies Ice Cream Cones, Carnival Lemonade

Thursday, July 14: Lemonade Stand Printables

Friday, July 15: Chocolate Scotcharoos and Rice Krispies Treats

Monday, July 18: Rice Krispies Pinwheels

Tuesday, July 19: Constructing a Lemonade Stand

Wednesday, July 20: Gluten Free Rice Krispies Lemon Bars

Now it is time for the really exciting part.

Each member of our team is giving away a

$100 Visa gift card.

Here are all the ways you can enter:

1. Like Aly&Ash & Jacquilyn Avery Photography on Facebook.
{Already do? Just remind me!}
-1 entry-

2. Like Kellogg's Rice Krispies on Facebook

-1 entry-

3. VOTE for Team Phoenix by Liking Kellogg's Rice Krispies on Facebook and then LIKING each of our team's pictures.

It will be the same pictures that are in this blog post.

-4 entries total. 1 for each picture that you "Like"-

4. Follow me on Twitter (Jax Avery)
-1 entry-

5. Follow my Blog with Google Friend Connect.
Already do? Just remind me!
-1 entry-

7. Tweet, Facebook or Blog about this Giveaway.
-1 entry-
(tweet: I entered to #win a $100 #giveaway from #RiceKrispies with @jaxavery ends 7/20. Enter here: http://alyandash.com )

**Please leave a separate comment for each entry along with your
email address.**
Each person on my team will also be giving away $100,
so be sure to check out their blogs for more chances to win.

Ashley - Cute as a Fox
Jacqui - Aly & Ash
Kristyn - Lil Luna
Wendy - Around My Family Table

Giveaway ends at Midnight Eastern on July 20th. The winner will be announced on July 21, 2011. In the meantime, you can head over to the Rice Krispies Making Memories Circle on The Motherhood on Thursday, July 14th at 1 PM ET where there will be a special LIVE chat with all the different teams and a Dietitian.

Our whole team hopes that you are inspired to get in the kitchen with your kids and start making memories!

GOOD LUCK!

Abbreviated Rules. No Purchase Necessary. Begins no earlier than 12:00:00 AM (ET) on 6/14/11 and ends no later than 11:59:59 PM (ET) on 7/26/11. For complete Official Rules, go to http://web.mediacdt.com/docs/RKGiveawaySummer.pdf. Open to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and District of Columbia who are 18 years of age or older at time of entry. Subject to complete Official Rules. Void where prohibited. Sponsor: The Motherhood; www.TheMotherhood.com.

Owl Hat Winner & Mother's Day Gift Idea

2011-04-24T05:00:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day is in a few weeks people! Do you have gifts yet? If not here is a fun idea! I recently shot a Mother/Daughter session for the super talented Katie of Food Wine & Mod Podge and her mom Joy!

(Click to see more from the shoot!)

It was so much fun for all three of us! Katie arranged the photo shoot as a gift for her mom while she was in town for the weekend and Joy sent me this email afterward:

Hi Jacqui,
I just love the pictures you took of Katie and me.....what a priceless gift!!! We had so much fun with you and it shows!!! Thanks so much!!!
~Joy :o)

Pictures are one of the only things that increase in value over time, so this Mother's Day get a photo with your Mom for both of you to cherish.

Now onto last week's giveaway!

Thanks to everyone that entered! The winner of the Pokadot Imagination owl hat is...

Ranae Broadhead said... 2

i like polkadot imagination on fb...such a cute hat!

Congratulations Ranae!!

Free Easter Printable: Cupcake Toppers

2011-04-20T19:12:00.000-07:00

Easter Cupcake Toppers

Easter is right around the corner...literally! I ran to Target Monday night for a few things and it hit me...Easter is THIS WEEKEND...followed by...HOLY CRAP!

You see I have these awesome crafty friends who often drop off little goodies from "their kids" to Asher for holidays. (Remember this adorable Owl from his friend Aubrey) Yeah! Anyway I needed something quick, cute and easy since I had like zero time! So I went with old faithful...mini cupcakes! Who doesn't love a mini cupcake right! One box of cake mix makes a ton and they are the perfect size for kids! (way less mess!)

I wanted to spice them up a bit and I just love all the cupcake toppers I've seen lately so I decided to join the party and design some of my own! Now you're probably thinking I banged these out with my fancy shmancy new Silhouette I got for Valentines day right...?!? Yeah no...confession #1: It's still in the box! I know, it's shameful really but I've just been so busy. So these little puppies were cut out via 1.5 circle inch punch!
(This size is perfect for full size cupcakes too!)

Hopefully in these last few days before Easter you'll have a desire to bake some cupcakes and can use them too!

(Click image to view full size & save to your computer!)

Baking Tip:

So trust me I'm no baker! Honestly cupcakes and muffins are about it for my baking repertoire and it's taken me practice not to screw those up! But OCD I am and therefore I've figured out a way to keep the mix from spilling in between the cups when pouring into the pan or cupcake liners! It requires an extra step but it's so worth it! It also give me more control over how much batter is poured into each cup for even baking/presentation.

Meet my Wilton candy making bottle! These are super cheap at Michael's and I just cut the spout for a wider pour. Now fill it up and squeeze the desired amount of batter into each cup!

Perfect!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you all have a fantastic Easter! -Jax

Rice Krispie Treat Decor Balls & Live Video Chat

2011-04-15T21:16:00.000-07:00

Ok so before we get to the deliciousness that is edible decor, let's talk VLOGGING shall we.

Today I experienced the sheer terror of a live video chat on The Motherhood . I was all confident and feeling good until I heard the words, "Jax you're on in 3-2-1..."

Picture immediate rush of nervousness, extreme face reddening and complete blank brain! Y'know blank except the chanting, "Oh my heck! Oh my heck!" I honestly just started talking and lost all previous memory of the "script" I had been practicing for days. And of course I didn't have notes in front of me because of said previous confidence and the worry that I'd end up looking down and reading it vs. "connecting" with the viewers.

To demonstrate this point queue the word: Postpartum...WHAT??? This word comes out of my mouth, I hear it ring in my ears and I just about died right then and there. Why I was talking about having a baby I have NO idea! And I pretty much didn't remember anything else I said until watching it back a few hours later. So yeah, I'm not totally against trying it again but Aly&Ash won't be switching to a vlog anytime soon, I can guarantee you that! I'm just way to much of a dork! Ha-ha!

So you totally want to see it don't you...alright fine!

CLICK HERE
(p.s. video is on a continuous broadcast loop and probably won't start at the beginning when you play it! Just FYI)

And now that you're done laughing at me let's talk about how totally awesome Rice Krispies edible decor is!

Rice Krispie Treat Decor Balls

...not just for decoration!

As part of our Kellogs Rice Krispie Making Memories East Challenge our team decided that 100% of our table decor should be edible! My project served as the centerpiece to our table, it looked beautiful, tasted delicious...and was super easy!! This project is so versatile I could see myself using it again and again! Kids birthdays, Halloween...cause seriously who doesn't love Rice Krispie Treats!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup margarine or butter
7 cups Kelloggs Rice Krispies
1 lb mini marshmallows
Food coloring

Directions:

Melt 1/2 cup butter in a large sauce pan on low heat.
Add 1 lb mini marshmallows and stir constantly to avoid burnt marshmallows.
Add food coloring after the marshmallows are completely melted and stir until uniform in color. (You can adjust the amount of food coloring based on your color preference.)
Remove from heat and stir in 7 cups of Kelloggs Rice Krispies
Set aside for about 10 minutes or until the Rice Krispie treats are comfortable to handle. You want them to be warm so they are easy to work with.
Coat your hands with butter. If the Rice Krispies start sticking to you, add some more butter to your hands.
Form the Rice Krispie/Marshmallow mix into round balls. Try not to use too much pressure when forming the balls, you still want that light airy chewy goodness!
Place in glass canister of your choice and voila! Pretty and tasty!

*** Now since the large scale of our project and other things to make I made a separate batch for each color...but that would be A LOT of decor balls! So unless that is your goal you could definitely split up the recipe for different colors.

Wanna check out how to make the rest of our edible amazingness? Ashley from Cute as a Fox has already posted a tutorial for her incredible Topiary HERE and below is a schedule of upcoming tutorials!

Monday April 18 - Wendy : Flower Arrangements
Tuesday April 19 - Kristyn : Happy Easter Banner
Wednesday April 20 - Ashley : Easter Basket

Also don't forget to vote for us on facebook! We need your "likes" to help us win!

Click HERE to vote! Voting ends April 20th

Rice Krispies Making Memories Challenge #1: Easter

2011-04-05T05:00:00.000-07:00

I am so delighted to share our Easter display for the Kellogg’s™ Rice Krispies™ Making Memories Challenge. When our team started brainstorming about our project, our main focus was creating a recipe that our children could make with us. Not just watch from the sidelines while we made it. This challenge is not just about making a delicious Rice Krispie treat, but getting in the kitchen with our kids and making lasting memories.

We really feel great about the recipe we have created to share with everyone. We know that these chicks are just as fun to make with your kids as they are to eat!

Chewy Gooey Rice Krispie Chicks
yields: approximately 24 chicks

Ingredients:
1/2 cup margarine or butter
7 cups Kelloggs Rice Krispies
1 lb mini marshmallows
Yellow Food coloring
mini chocolate chips
Candy for beaks such as candy corn, jelly beans, or chocolate covered sunflower seeds
Pretzel sticks or twists for legs
Buttercream frosting

Directions:

Melt 1/2 cup margarine or butter in a large sauce pan on low heat.
Add 1 lb mini marshmallows and stir constantly to avoid burnt marshmallows.
Add about 10 drops of yellow food coloring after the marshmallows are completely melted and stir until uniform in color. You can adjust the amount of food coloring based on your color preference.
Remove from heat and stir in 7 cups of Kelloggs Rice Krispies
Set aside for about 10 minutes or until the Rice Krispie treats are comfortable to handle. You want them to be warm so they are easy to work with.
Spray your hands with non-stick spray or coat with margarine. If the Rice Krispies start sticking to you, add some more non-stick spray to your hands.
Take small handfuls of Rice Krispie treats and form into an flattened oval or rounded triangle shape to form the chick's body
While the chicks are still warm, decorate the chicks according to your preference. We used:

mini and regular chocolate chips for eyes
candy corn, jellybeans, or chocolate covered sunflower seeds for a beak
pretzels for legs or feet.

While the chicks are setting up, use food coloring to color some buttercream frosting yellow.
Using a grass piping tip(#233), pipe little tufts of hair on each chick.

We had so much fun getting together and creating all kinds of different chicks. They were big, little, and everywhere in between. You can really let your kids creative genius run wild.

Each chick was a little different and had it's own personality.

The second part of the challenge was to create an event where we might serve our Rice Krispie treats. We decided to challenge ourselves and make everything on our dessert table out of Rice Krispies. We used only Rice Krispies and food safe materials when creating our display. From edible Easter basket grass to Rice Krispies sprayed with food color spray for vase filler, we really mean that it is ALL edible.

The Rice Krispie balls on the topiary are held on with toothpicks, so you can just pluck one off and eat it!

Each member of our team has agreed to share detailed instructions on how to make all of the projects on the dessert table. Stay tuned to all of our blogs over the two weeks so you can create the ultimate Easter dessert table too!

Cute as a Fox - Rice Krispies Easter Basket and Rice Krispies Topiary

Around my Family Table - Rice Krispies Flower arrangements

Aly & Ash - Rice Krispies "decor" balls

Lil' Luna - Happy Easter banner

In the meantime, you can head over to the Rice Krispies Making Memories Circle on The Motherhood. Friday, April 15 there will be a special live video chat with all the different teams.

I will also let you know when voting begins on Facebook. You get to help decide which team wins! We will definitely need your support.

The $100 visa card giveaway is going on HERE. You have until April 10th to enter!

Our whole team hopes that you are inspired to get in the kitchen with your kids and start making memories!

Disclosure: I am working with Rice Krispies and TheMotherhood and have received a stipend for participating in this project.

$100.00 Giveaway! Yes..you read that right!!!

2011-04-04T05:00:00.000-07:00

As mentioned last week, I will be participating in the

Rice Krispies™ Making Memories Challenge.

With this challenge, we get to give away $100!!

That's right - a $100 visa gift card for one LUCKY READER!

So, how can YOU win?

There are several ways to enter.

1. Like my Facebook Page HERE.
{Already do? Just remind me!}
-1 entry-

2. Like Kellogg's Rice Krispies on Facebook HERE.
-1 entry-

3. Follow me on Twitter HERE.
-1 entry-

4. Follow my Blog.
{Already do? Just remind me!}
-1 entry-

5. Link to this giveaway on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog. {1 entry each}

**Please leave a separate comment for each entry along with your
email address.**

Each person on my team will also be giving away $100,
so be sure to check out their blogs for more ways to win.
{Ashley - Cute as a Fox}
{Kristyn - Lil' Luna}
{Wendy - Around My Family Table}

Giveaway ends at midnight on April 11th.

Come back April 12th to see if YOU won,
and also be sure to come back and check out the Recipe & Pics we entered for the contest. That's when Voting begins, and we will need YOUR help to make sure we win!

Disclosure: I am working with Rice Krispies and TheMotherhood and have received a stipend for participating in this project.
THE MOTHERHOOD MAKING MEMORIES KELLOGG’STM RICE KRISPIESTM BLOGGER GIVEAWAY
Abbreviated Rules. No Purchase Necessary. Begins no earlier than 12:00:00 AM (ET) on 03/28/11 and ends no later than 11:59:59 PM (ET) on 04/12/11. For complete Official Rules, go to http://web.mediacdt.com/docs/EasterGiveawayRules.pdf. Open to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and District of Columbia who are 18 years of age or older at time of entry. Subject to complete Official Rules. Void where prohibited. Sponsor: The Motherhood; www.TheMotherhood.com.
®, TM, ©2011 Kellogg NA Co.

GOOD LUCK!

Introducing our newest addition: Griffin James

2011-03-29T09:14:00.000-07:00

Griffin James Avery

Born March 16th at 6:59pm

7lbs 12oz & 20.75 inches

I am so happy to introduce our newest little bundle to you! Isn't he precious! He is seriously an incredible little newborn! Already sleeping from midnight till 9:30am with a diaper change and dream feed at 5:30am. It's incredible! He rarely cries and LOVES the sound of his mommy and daddy's voices turning his head and opening his eyes really wide to the sound!

Asher couldn't be less impressed with his little brother however! He goes out of his way to avoid him and stares at him out of the corner of his eye so we "can't see him looking!" Each day he gets a little less annoyed that Griffin is here so fingers crossed! I know when they are older they will be great friends so I'm not to worried. But with Asher only 17 months old, he still wants to be the baby and be held which I understand. Lucky for us Griffin prefers to lay in his bed or on his bean bag for naps vs. be in our arms so Asher gets a lot of snuggles!

Griffin's arrival was pretty uneventful and I feel grateful I don't have a crazy birth story to share with you! It involved a lot of waiting and waiting...and waiting! I was scheduled for induction Monday, March 14th at 5am. Our great friends Tina & Nathan came over Sunday night and we watched a movie, ate some yummy food, took silly pictures of my belly (Ok so that was just me and Tina!) But regardless we had a blast. They spent the night so we could head off to the hospital first thing and not disturb Asher. Then they would take him over to my friend Breanne's where he'd be staying the next night. All went according to plan until we arrived at the hospital and were told they tried to call us and were canceling all scheduled inductions due to lack of nurses. WHAT!!! They said we were first on the call back list and they'd call us once they could fit us in. So back home we went, disappointed and emotional.

We both crashed on the couches with our cell phones in hand waiting for the call. A few hours later Tina, Nathan and Asher were up surprised to see us home! Tina and Nathan headed back to their home and I let Breanne know we were playing the waiting game. The waiting continued all day the 14th and all day the 15th till FINALLY we got the call to come in at 10pm Tuesday the 15th. We scooped Asher out of bed, dropped him at Breanne's and headed back to the hospital. Luckily this time we weren't turned away! The nurses got me all hooked up to the machines, started the pitocin and guess what...more waiting of course!

Progress was slow but steady on the Pitocin and the nurse kept upping the dosage till she couldn't increase it any more! I could feel the contractions but I wasn't in pain or really uncomfortable which was kind of annoying because it confirmed the lack of progress on Griffin's side of things. He apparently was totally content just chillin' in mama's tummy! Once I was finally far enough along my doc.came in to break my water. All the pain I hadn't been feeling hit me like a ton of bricks and the contractions were immediately intolerable. Luckily I didn't have to wait long for an epidural! With the contractions in full force however the monitors were showing that Griffin's heart rate was decreasing each contraction. The nurse had me shifting and moving into so many different positions to see if we could release the pressure on the umbilical cord. Not the easiest of tasks being numb from the waist down!

Then just like his big brother once he was ready to come...he came quick! I went from a 6 to a 10 in about 5 minutes and Griffin was making his exit! And just like with is big brother my doctor couldn't wait any long and had just left the hospital so the doctor on call delivered him! My doctor's exact words as she left at 5:30pm, "I'm so sorry but I have to go get my daughter from the nanny...you better not have this baby before 6pm!" Official time was 5:59pm - Hahahahah! The doctor on call couldn't believe how fast Griffin was coming and was almost yelling at the nurses since nothing was prepared! All worked out though and with three pushes and a brief pause while the umbilical cord was unwrapped from around Griffin's shoulder he was in my arms!

Incredible!

He was perfectly healthy and apparently happy! This baby smiles more than I have ever seen, it's so precious! We were moved into a recovery room and where we slept and spend the next day. We enjoyed the company of a few visitors who came to meet Griffin and then we were headed home that night! Since Griffin has been here we have been completely over whelmed with joy and love. I can't imagine our family without him now and am so excited to see him grow and learn!

Rice Krispies Making Memories Challenge

2011-03-28T08:23:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to announce to everyone that I have been selected as one of 16 Rice Krispies Brand ambassadors from all across the country. We will be working in teams of four to participate in the Rice Krispies™ Making Memories Challenge. We will making different themed recipes throughout the course of the year. We will compete against the other teams to determine who has the best recipe.

I want to introduce you to the Phoenix team:

Ashley
Kristyn
Wendy
Jax

The first challenge is an Easter themed recipe and display. We are already hard at work to make our recipe fantastic!

Each one of us will be giving away a $100 visa gift card to celebrate the Rice Krispies™ Making Memories Challenge. Come back on April 4th to get all the details and enter the giveaway!

Disclosure: I am working with Rice Krispies and TheMotherhood and have received a stipend for participating in this project.
THE MOTHERHOOD MAKING MEMORIES KELLOGG’STM RICE KRISPIESTM BLOGGER GIVEAWAY
Abbreviated Rules. No Purchase Necessary. Begins no earlier than 12:00:00 AM (ET) on 03/28/11 and ends no later than 11:59:59 PM (ET) on 04/12/11. For complete Official Rules, go to http://web.mediacdt.com/docs/EasterGiveawayRules.pdf. Open to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and District of Columbia who are 18 years of age or older at time of entry. Subject to complete Official Rules. Void where prohibited. Sponsor: The Motherhood; www.TheMotherhood.com.
®, TM, ©2011 Kellogg NA Co.

Cards, Cards & More Cards!

2011-03-15T09:01:00.000-07:00

My best friend Claire is an incedible card maker and after a phone chat the other day she sent me a picture of a super cute Birthday card she had made. It inspired me for a day of card making and this is what I came up with!

Asher has a lot of little buddies with birthdays coming up so I decided to make a mini stack of Robot Cards! I made six cards just because that's what I could equally cut the polka-dot paper into! It was a lot of cutting and stamping but so worth it! I love how they came out!

Next I figured I might as well use the circles I had cut out of the card stock to make something else so 5 super easy "Thank You" cards were made! I stuck the Thank You circles on random polka-dots for each card. You can't tell in the pictures but I used sponge stickies to raise the Thank you circle up off the page directly over a polka-dot. Give it a simple but neat effect in person.

This Birthday card came via trial and error. I was originally going to use this stamp for the previous cards but didn't like how it came out with the boarder so I cut it down layered it with a flower, stuck a brad in it and called it good! I think it came out pretty!

Then lastly I made a unique card for my friends Daughter who's birthday party was that night. She is the most adorable tom boy you've ever met and I knew I needed a cool card for her! I used an Amy Butler embellishment with the same circle stamp from the previous card.

And that's it! 13 cards in one day! It's definitely a record for me! I'm excited about having a little stock pile though and think in the future I'll make cards in batches like this again! Once you decide on a design it goes quick to multiply it, I had hardly any scraps of paper left over and now have cards ready for events I forget about making a card for! Perfect!

The Final Count Down!

2011-02-28T21:00:00.000-08:00

Oh my heck people! In two weeks I will have two children! Induction has been schedule for Monday, March 14th! CRAZY!!! Then I will officially have a newborn and a 17 month old! I'm headed strait to the loony bin I just know it! ;-)

Anyone else have kids that close in age? If so I'm open to all tips, advice, suggestions and words of encouragement!! I feel extremely lucky for how chill Asher is and his love for TV...I'm thinking that is really going to work in my favor the next few months when I'm ragged and sleep deprived!

I feel so behind with this baby, I have NOTHING ready! I think knowing it was a boy has made me slack on all the getting ready duties because I have pretty much everything. But I still need to set up his room, wash all Asher's old clothes and get them put away. But I did order the crib and dresser/changer today! About time eh! I got this convertible crib and dresser/changer. Picture colors are a bit off but they are both Black.

And in case you forgot the awesmness that is my custom Nursery fabric etc. Here is the story board again:

My incredible cousin Staci from Just Sew Sassy is hard at work getting everything done for the room and has already sent me the minky blanket which I am madly in love with! Wahoo! I can't wait to get everything set up!

I found this fantastic vinyl wall decal I'm just waiting on a custom listing for and that will be purchased too!

Awesome right!!!

I also came across this adorable Stuffed Animal tutorial on Make It and Love it today:

http://www.makeit-loveit.com/2009/04/stuffed-animal-part-ii.html

and I'm excited to use the fabric scraps from the room to make a few!

So anyway...LOTS to do in the next two weeks! Wish me luck! I hope to have pictures of the completed room soon! But probably not before pictures of the new baby boy! Eek! I can't believe he'll be here in two weeks...TWO WEEKS! Ok...gotta get to work!

Febuary Sewing Project: Pillowcase Dresses Part II

2011-02-24T18:35:00.000-08:00

Love love love it! My 2nd completed dress! I was terrified but determined to do the pleated trim at the bottom and guess what..it was way easy! Yay!

I used scrap fabric from my collection for this dress so didn't have enough of the polka dot to do the tie as originally planned but a little black grosgrain ribbon did the trick nicely!

I just love the colors and how this one came out! I can't wait to finish the other two I have on the go! One has to be done by Saturday as it's a gift for my niece and well I already have the supplies for my March project so I need to get the 4th one done too!

Believe it or not this month I even snuck in an additional Valentine's day project that I'll show you all very soon! I'm kinda loving this sewing thing....who knew!

"Lovely Love My Family"

2011-02-16T07:06:00.000-08:00

My good friend Ashley from Cute as a Fox sent me this link this morning and I have to share it with all of you. As you know we are huge Yo Gabba Gabba fans around here!

and if you haven't seen Ruth Schultz's (Creator Scott Schultz wife) blog yet, go! It will truly inspire you.

Their daughter Davy was born with a cleft lip and palate, congenital heart defects and several other conditions. Ruth's blog "The Mom" is touching and inspiring and I encourage all of you to read.

If you know the show you know the famous song sung by The Roots, Lovely Love My Family, (Which out of sheer coincidence is playing in the background on Asher's TV as I type!*tear) This song has now become even more special as Merrilee of Mer Mag and Tuesday Mourning has created this beautiful print.

Ruth Schultz contacted her to purchase the print which inspired Merrilee to sell and return all the proceeds to Ruth to help with little Davy's past, present and ongoing hospital bills. You can read the full story here on Merrilee's blog Mer Mag and here on Ruth's blog The Mom.

Merrilee is currently running a promotion too, if you purchase a Lovely Love My Family print you get a print of your choice for free! I don't know about you but I'm headed over for a print or two...or three! Although I've never met them I love this dear family and feel blessed to help in any little way I can. I hope you do to!

Purchase the Lovely Love My Family print here: Tuesday Mouring on Etsy

Best Valentine's Day Ever!!!

2011-02-14T22:28:00.000-08:00

I love Valentine's day! I admit I am a bit of a holiday junkie but Valentine's day is a favorite for sure! And this Valentine's day was the best one yet!

I started the day making 35 marshmallow lollipops! I had planned on dipping them in white chocolate and sprinkles...but after a epic fail on the melting front, plain had to do! Tip: Roll the skewers lightly in butter and the marshmallows slide right on!

Half of the lollipops were taken to Asher's very first Valentine's day potluck/party! It was fun but we didn't stay long. Chasing a 16 month old around in the already hot Arizona sun at 9 months pregnant - exhausting!

After some down time relaxing on the couch with an extra large ice cold Diet Coke I regained my energy (Thank you lovely caffeine!) and added a little Asher flair to the 2nd half of the lollipops! Yo Gabba Gabba Valentines? Yes, yes they are!!!

We then drove around delivering them to Asher's little friends! I had so much fun I literally was driving around from house to house with a cheesy smile on my face! I was like, bring on the poopy diapers, this mom stuff is so much fun!

Once home from that adventure I sat down to edit the pictures I'd taken a few days ago of Asher for Valentine's day! The shoot had not gone well so I was thrilled to have a few good ones! You can see my favorites from the shoot HERE.Then I made this little Valentine which I posted to Facebook & emailed to family!

That's when things when from great to best day ever! Present time! The hubs and I don't really do gifts for each other at Christmas since we're so busy buying, wrapping and giving to family & friends...not to mention the hit it has on our bank account! But we love it and so it's worth it! So Valentine's has always been a fun gift holiday for us. And this one...I will say it again, best Valentine's ever because look what I was spoiled with!

Spoiled...YES! And SOOOOO excited!

We finished up the day with pizza and a movie! (No not a heart shaped pizza...not worth the extra $5.00!) But delicious it was and it was a nice relaxing night! I hope you all had a fabulous day as well and I'd love to hear about it in the comments! As well as any tips, for using my new Silhouette!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Febuary Sewing Project: Pillowcase Dresses

2011-02-09T18:31:00.000-08:00

One of my goals for 2011 is to learn to sew, like for real! So after January had come and gone with not at thing sewn I knew I had to get going. I enlisted a couple good friends to help me on my journey and they were more that willing to help! (I have the best friends!)

So I decided to break my big goal down into smaller monthly goals.

"One project a month...with repetition."

My February project is The Pillowcase Dress. I think they are darling and from every tutorial I read I was told they would be a great "beginner" project! Perfect! With encouragement from my friends I dusted off the sewing machine, bought some fabric and began. (Ok so there was a lot more to it then that, learning to thread the machine, how to change the feet and bobbin, how to wind new thread on the bobbin, the different stitches to use etc. But regardless I began!)

Today I finished my first dress! EEEEEE!!! I'm so excited and happy with how it came out! Now don't get me wrong looked at closely you will notice various mistakes and imperfections. But for my first completed project, I think it turned out pretty dang good!

(I hope to have better pictures soon, it was already dark when I finished but was

too excited to wait to take pictures in the morning!)

Notice this fancy little bow...yeah it's covering a mess up! Ha-ha!

The ribbon trim was an after thought and I needed to cover the seam. If I did the same thing again I'd sew the ribbon on each side separately before piecing the dress together! But you can't tell can you!!! ;)

The other struggle I had was with the bias tape under the arms. That final finishing stitch caught me in a little snag the first arm but was smooth sailing the second! I could have pulled it out and started over...but let's be real here it's in the armpit!

So all in all I'm pretty proud of my little dress! And remember what I said about how I'm structuring my goal...

"One project a month...with repetition."

Well what I did was each time I learned a new step on this dress, I would complete it on my own on TWO other dresses! Yup you got it! I have two more that will be finished pretty quick! The will be slightly different than this one in their "finishing touches" and I can't wait to show them off! Then I bought fabric last night to make ANOTHER one for my niece Aly for her birthday! The repetition has really been key in actually learning what I'm doing and I'm definitely starting to catch the sewing bug!

So this dress and the other two almost finished will hang in my studio closet for a fun little outfit choice for 12-18month girls that come visit my studio! I will admit, I tried it on Ash today (16 months) and it looked pretty fricken cute...y'know ignoring the fact that he's a boy and all! (Ha-ha, don't tell his father!) My good friend Breanne was here helping me finish it up while her daughter Aubrey and Asher played and during lunch we brought up that Asher would be joining her in Nursery soon at Church..Aubrey replied, "Yeah!! He can wear his new dress!" I thought I might go into labor I laughed so hard!

The main tutorial we used for this dress was from Prudent Baby

You can find the tutorial HERE