A R D O R

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2013-06-17T12:45:00.000-04:00

We had a great Father's day weekend, I hope you did too! As you can see our weekend consisted of a lot of food and playtime. We went out for sushi (Elliott's favorite!) on Friday and Saturday - we may have a problem. I made waffles on Sunday morning and chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwiches for dessert after a group effort dinner at my parent's house. It was a delicious weekend. Elliott is seriously lucky to have such an awesome dad. They have the best time together playing and learning. I love seeing them together and Elliott is always trying to be more like Preston in every way possible. I'm lucky to have such an amazing man. We had fun spoiling him over the past few days. Hope your weekend is off to a great start!

HAPPY WEEKEND!

2013-06-14T14:35:00.001-04:00

We are kicking off Father's day weekend with the new superman movie tonight followed by far too much Preston spoiling, I am sure. He's getting a few gifts including these and this, and on Sunday we are heading up to my parent's house for more Father's day goodness and tuna steaks! You haven't lived until you have eaten a good tuna steak. Other than spoiling dads, we are really loving the summer weather and all of the activities that come with it. Basically anything involving bathing suits, ice cream and BBQs. Hope you all have a great Father's day weekend!

DIY PAPER BOUTONNIÈRES

2013-06-13T20:18:00.001-04:00

Make sure the dads in your life are looking as dapper as ever for Father's day with a paper boutonnière! I would not be able to spell that were it not for spell check. Seriously though, these little flowers are adorable on dads and littles. And pretty darn easy too. Check out the full tutorial here on Momtastic. Happy dapper-ing!

WE LOVE: OUR RECORD PLAYER

2013-06-12T15:19:00.002-04:00

The good people of RedEnvelope offered us a gift for Preston for Father's day and I immediately chose the crosley record player. Our family loves music and a record player seemed like the perfect gift for him. I purchased a few records I knew he would love and hooked up the player in literally a minute. So simple! We absolutely love it. It is compact enough for our apartment, has great sound and the fact that we can transfer our records to digital files is a huge plus. I'm a very practical gal, and the thought of buying a record and not being able to hear it in the car etc. just wasn't happening. This is the perfect option for us. The warm sound with vinyl is just the same as ever. We even found a record single of our song at a thrift store. So romantic! If you are in the market for a record player this is a fantastic option. And of course, Elliott loves dancing around like a ballerina to the music.

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DIY FATHER'S DAY BOTTLES

2013-06-11T16:51:00.000-04:00

Father's day is coming up this weekend. In case you are looking for a fun and easy gift for the special dads in your life, here you go! Here's how you do it. Buy his favorite bottled drinks. Preston loves these. Remove the labels with some warm water and soap. Then download the labels you want (below) and tape em' on! And if you really want to make them special, take your favorite picture(s) of the littles and shrink it down to a 1 inch circle, cut them out and glue them on. It's that easy! I got the crate idea from Jordan, which we love. We chose a smaller size but it's the perfect way to present the drinks. Then Elliott helped me write a little message on the side with some patterned tape. That's it! I am pretty sure Preston will love it.

Download the ones you want here:

best dad ever banner

best dad ever stripes

drink up stud

so glad you're my pop

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2013-06-10T14:24:00.001-04:00

We had the best weekend. My parents wanted to take the grandkids for a few days, so of course we took full advantage. We stayed up far too late going to the drive-in. It was great! Saturday we went to a fantastic little murder mystery party. We dressed up in our best 20's garb and accused ourselves of being the murderers. It was the best! Not to mention the food was so, so tasty. Saturday also happened to be Preston's half birthday, so I spoiled him with a fancy Italian dinner and a waffle maker. When we picked up Elliott on Sunday evening from a long weekend of fun with my parents and his cousins, he immediately passed out. A great sign of a fun filled weekend for a kiddo.

P.S. The second photo was borrowed from Michelle. Who also happened to be one of the hosts to the awesome murder party. Thanks, Michelle!

HAPPY WEEKEND!

2013-06-07T17:28:00.001-04:00

This weekend is much needed. Preston and I are going to the drive-in tonight and we have a special event tomorrow with some blogger buddies. How are we doing all of this with Elliott? We aren't! My mom offered to watch him and his cousins all weekend. I know. You want my mom to be your mom. We are also working on some special posts for next week including some father's day projects and a dance video. You're excited aren't you? You should be! Have a great weekend!

DIY FATHER'S DAY POP UP CARD

2013-06-06T19:21:00.000-04:00

We all think the dads in our lives are the best, right? Just nod. Show them you really care with a fun pop-up card! I was going for understated and simple, but you could go big and bold too. Pick their favorite colors or designs. Really make it for them. You can see the simple step by step over here to make your own.

WE LOVE: DENVER

2013-06-05T11:04:00.000-04:00

Remember how I said I would share more about our trip to Denver? Here are a few pictures that kind of sum it up. We had a blast with Melanie and co. hanging out, eating seriously amazing food, going on an ice cream crawl (the winning flavor was salted oreo - life changing!) hitting up some parks and a lot more. We had never been to Denver and we were surprised by how much we loved it! The downtown area is full of fun things to do and sites to see. I am so glad we visited in the warmer months so we could actually enjoy walking around. We owe all of our fun to our hosts of course. Thank you, Blodgetts for an amazing time. Denver, we hope to see you again soon!

Is this kid not the cutest? He is so sweet and just down right lovable.

DIY MOON + JUPITER PIÑATAS

2013-06-04T11:21:00.001-04:00

Last weekend was my nephew's birthday party and that boy is all about science. Mostly the human anatomy, but he'll take space too. For his piñata he asked me if he could have a Jupiter one. So this is what I came up with! I knew it would have to be detailed and accurate (science kid, remember?) so recreating Jupiter strictly from crepe paper was out of the question. And I thought since I was at it, I may as well make a moon one. Because, who doesn't love the moon?

I found the best images I could and printed them out. The Jupiter images had to be printed out at a local print shop since I wanted them larger.

Next, cut out the images with some scissors. It's mind blowing, I know.

For the cardboard, I used a tri-fold display board. You know those ones you used for your fourth grade science fair? That one. I took my handy spray adhesive and glued the images onto the cardboard.

The next part is slightly tricky. I used scissors as much as I could, but had to resort to wielding the exacto knife. Very, very carefully. But it was totally worth it.

Next I cut off a three inch strip of the cardboard and bent it around and hot glued it onto one of the circles. This is easy, but takes a little time since you want to make sure the glue is dried before letting go.

You will want to attach a string or wire or what-have-you to hang this lovely from when it's finished. I poked holes through the three inch cardboard and threaded some twine through. Now, fill the almost piñata with all of your treats and goodies and glue on the second image!

Now to make it a real piñata. Fringe! I used tissue paper because I was all out of black crepe paper. And it had to be black because this is space after all. I cut three inch strips - enough to cover the three inch strip of cardboard - and fringed it with some scissors.

Then, row by row, glue it on! I glued down some tissue paper before I added the fringe. Just so none of that unrealistic pesky white cardboard would peek through.

Voila! Not so hard and perfect for a science loving birthday boy.

In case you're wondering why these children have no clothes, it was a swim party. Very eclectic.

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2013-06-03T11:43:00.002-04:00

This weekend was so awesome it's ridiculous. Saturday was the best day ever. My nephew's birthday was amazingly fun. We made a giant water slide of sorts that went down my parent's hill in the backyard. It was crazy! Elliott went down and climbed back up and slid down and ran back up, over and over. Needless to say he was beat at the end of the day. It was a just a really great family day. Yesterday was a total relaxation day. Which was much needed. Elliott even took a real-life nap! It's been a while since he has done that. I know people say "four year olds don't really need naps" but I need him to need naps. Hope you all had a great weekend! Happy Monday!

HAPPY WEEKEND!

2013-06-01T00:54:00.000-04:00

This morning I sat down at my desk to start in on some work and I saw this. And honestly, I have no idea if it was the man or the boy, but someone has a sense of humor in this house. This weekend is going to be filled to the brim with fun. We had a dinner tonight with some new friends that we are just getting to know. Earlier today, Elliott (while he was supposed to be taking a rest) snuck out of his room and into the kitchen and ate seven of the dozen donuts Preston bought this morning. Seven! So back to dinner. Elliott got sick, all over these poor people's kitchen. All over me, and well, you get the idea. No more donuts for that boy. Not till he's old enough to clean up his own sick anyway. Tomorrow we have a lot of fun family fun planned including my nephews birthday party for which he requested a piñata of jupiter. So you know I had to make one! More on that next week. We have a few other things in the works, but basically, it is another fun packed weekend. Hope yours is equally as fun! Till Monday!

DIY SUPER TIE TAC

2013-05-30T16:41:00.000-04:00

Preston is our super man. He is super stoked for the new movie (so am I!) So for Father's day I made him this leather tie tac in the superman emblem shape. Subtle, but so on the nose. If that's even possible. You can make your own in any shape your heart desires over here on Momtastic.

WE LOVE: PAINTING

2013-05-30T12:29:00.000-04:00

One of Elliott's absolute favorite activities to do at home is painting. Whether it be simple watercolors, acrylic works of art for loved ones, or helping me paint a dresser or two, he loves it! And to be honest, so do I. I have to admit, I am not as talented as I would like in the detailed painting department, but I love what a fresh coat of paint can do to a chair, a bird house or a canvas.

I don't normally talk too much about our various house projects here, but Elliott's bed is in dire need of a paint job. It's just bare wood, so a primer and color in one would be ideal. The only trouble I am having is finding a color that would go with his room. I recently found out about Ace Hardware and their new line of paints. I love that they group them into color families that will go well together. Leaves all the guessing and worrying whether this color will go with that color up to the professionals. Here is a funny little video about Ace's new paint lines. Check it out for a good (informational) laugh.

This is a sponsored post. Thank you SO much for supporting the companies who help make Ardor possible!

DIY WATERCOLOR MONOGRAMED STRAW TOPPERS

2013-05-29T12:59:00.001-04:00

I made these fun little straw toppers for Kelly over on Studio DIY while she is off traveling. They were super easy and a lot of fun to make and they are perfect for summer partying! Great for keeping track of your drink. It's actually a free download and a DIY. Lucky you! For the full tutorial, head over to Studio DIY and check it out!

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2013-05-28T21:40:00.000-04:00

Hope you had a great memorial day weekend. The last few days have been a blast. We had such a great mini vacation to Denver visiting with friends, eating amazing food and just having fun in general. Can you just imagine how these two littles got along? Adorable! We also started the new season of Arrested Development. Which we are loving! Why that show was ever canceled is beyond me. We have way more pictures of the trip but are still rounding them up for another post coming soon. For now, I am beat. I just drove close to 9 hours. See you tomorrow!

HAPPY WEEKEND!

2013-05-23T21:25:00.000-04:00

Signing off a wee bit early this week. We are so excited for this weekend. We're taking a little road trip to visit some friends for memorial day. A mini vacation is much needed! I hope you all have as much fun as we are bound to have. It's a new city to us, actually a whole new state! So we're pretty stoked about exploring a little and just hanging out with these crazy people. See you on Tuesday! Until then, have a fantastic long weekend.

DIY PARTY HATS

2013-05-23T16:01:00.000-04:00

A couple of fun party hats for you party animals out there. This is a really simple way to make your own party hats exactly as you want them to make your party that much better. They're perfect as a craft for the kids to do at the party too. It took a few days for Elliott to stop begging me to wear the "E" hat. Can't believe I didn't get a picture of that! Bad mom. If you are interested, you can see the full tutorial over here on Momtastic. Happy partying!

WE LOVE: PATTERNED SIDEWALK CHALK

2013-05-22T13:43:00.001-04:00

We ordered this sidewalk chalk a little while ago and we are thrilled with it! I love the pretty patterns and the colors. Since the weather has been warm, Elliott has been outside nearly every day coloring with these. He mostly colors roller coasters that look like other things, but you know, they're still roller coasters. He loves the chalk so much, he insisted we get some for his "girlfriend" for her birthday, so of course we did just that. It's a tad bit more expensive than the chalk you can buy at the store for $1, but that chalk is so dull! And patternless! Now that our chalk has stripes and polka dots, I don't think we could ever go back.

As you can see, he loves it. After we finished dressing up the concrete wall we took a pass or two through the sprinklers. Always a good time.

DIY CONFETTI CUPS

2013-05-21T15:17:00.002-04:00

Everyone loves confetti. Especially confetti that doesn't get everywhere. And everyone loves an easy DIY. Here is a super easy DIY that will dress up your cups for your next party. I think we might use these for Father's day. If I can keep myself from using them till then! But they really would be awesome for any get together you have.

First, start off making some perfect confetti. Remember how to do that? Well, just in case you don't check it out here. Pick tissue paper in some rad colors.

Grab some mod podge and a paint brush and paint little mod podge circles where you want the confetti to go. Try not to make the circles bigger than the confetti or you will end up with residue and no one likes residue. Stick your tissue paper confetti on the painted circles and you're done! Happy confetti-ing!

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2013-05-20T12:55:00.000-04:00

This weekend was so much fun. We went to Elliott's little girlfriend's dance recital which was awesome. There isn't anything a whole lot cuter than 4 year old girls dancing around in tutus. Yesterday was Mother's day for my mom. She was out of town for Mother's day so we celebrated this weekend. Complete with tacos, gifts, chocolate cake and a piñata. The piñata was a blast! Even the adults took turns smashing it. I think we will have to make that a new family tradition. Father's day, Halloween, Christmas, all will be piñata holidays. Elliott decided his gift to his granny would be an original painting. And he decided that he should paint a hot lava roller coaster. Can you see it? Hope your week is off to a great start!

DIY GEO LEATHER BOOKMARK

2013-05-16T18:13:00.002-04:00

One of my favorite parts of the day is when Preston reads with Elliott. Especially when they read chapter books like the BFG. Preston does the best voices! I made them this bookmark so they could hold their place. It's my way of participating in their boy time. You want one of your own, don't you? Well, here's the tutorial! Just for you.

NEW TO THE SHOP: CEMENT HEXAGON NECKLACES

2013-05-15T17:37:00.001-04:00

These have actually been ready to go in the shop FOREVER, and for some reason I never added them. Well, now I am! These are my favorite necklaces of all of the necklaces of all time. Is that an oversell? Meh. Cement, hexagons, gold. What else do you need? They're officially in the shop now and ready to be yours.

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2013-05-13T12:17:00.000-04:00

This weekend was fantastic! I was spoiled rotten. On Friday, Elliott and I spent the day with some friends (specifically his girlfriend - yes, he's taken) and Saturday was spent running errands, doing chores and spoiling me. Mother's Day? More like Mother's weekend! Sunday was filled with amazing food including this, and oh so thoughtful gifts like some framed art from little man and these lights! Preston made them for me and hung them over my new desk! That man. He knows me so well. We're going to add a third light and I think I will paint the lids to add a bit of color. I love them! It took a while to explain to Elliott that the gifts were for me and there weren't any for him. But I did let him open a few for me. I hope all you mama's had a great Mother's Day! Happy Monday!

DIY MOTHER'S DAY GIFTS

2013-05-10T10:51:00.000-04:00

Two easy-peasy and pretty DIYs perfect for Mother's Day gifting. A confetti tote and color-blocked earrings! This tote would be perfect for Mother's day gifting. Fill it with all of her favorite things and you are officially her favorite. Guaranteed. And the earrings, make them in her favorite colors. Simple as that! The best part? The kids can help. They are that easy. Make your own confetti tote here and your color-block earrings here.