Bazey Mama

Nursery Inspiration

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 25 Oct 2016 05:42:00 +0000

Hi Friends!

I decided to go with an Arctic inspiration for our 2nd 'little one's' nursery. I wanted it to be warm but stick with the neutral paint already in the room. We went for a white, gray and cream palette and now that I know the little peanut is a GIRL (still so surprised!) I have added some touches of pinks and and color. The room is really small - perfect for a nursery- so it came out feeling extra cozy and warm. For questions on sourcing see the inspirations photo on the bottom. Happy designing!

I really loved this inspiration photo from pinterest but I wanted to do more of a 'snowball' look so we crafted oversized pom-poms in different sizes from cream/white and light gray/white yard and hung them with fishing line in varying lengths above the crib. You could also do this in a garland design.

INSPIRATION!

(From left to right)

1. Oeuf Crib

2. Stargazer lamp shade- Land of Nod, Geometric Table lamp base- Target

3. Arctic Rocker- Land of Nod

4. Arctic Crib Sheet- Land of Nod

5. Oeuf Changing Table

6. Marrakesh shag rug--rugsusa.com (A total steal!)

7. Hand knit polar bears- made by a friend, available on etsy.

8. Monte Rocker- Monte.com or Land of Nod

TIPS!

1. Put together an inspiration board and send it to close friends so they can be on the look out for you too! I emailed baby's nursery theme and my 'board' to my closest girlfriends and received really good ideas and inspiration from them- it also helped with some cute shower gifts!

2. If you find something that's out of stock locally ask friends or family to look at their local stores. Target is notorious for being out of stock in your store or online but having a back log of stock at other stores.

3. Search etsy and consider making items yourself. Several polar bear prints I loved my Brother-in-law made and that fun wall hanging was inspired by pinterest.

4. Hit up holiday sales and wait for your registry completion. Many decor items go on sale when you get close to your due date if they're on your registry (Amazon and Target offer this)- add items you have your eye on and purchase when the time gets close. I got that rug on a holiday sale on rugsusa.com for 70% off and free shipping, a total steal! The Arctic Rocker came from my local offerup app. Such a great find!

MAM : Day 10

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 11 May 2016 03:59:00 +0000

Seattle

Miami

MAM: Day 9

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 11 May 2016 03:59:00 +0000

Miami

Seattle

MAM: Day 8

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 11 May 2016 03:58:00 +0000

Seattle

Miami

MAM: Day 7

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 11 May 2016 03:57:00 +0000

Seattle

Miami

MAM: Day 6

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 07 May 2016 03:46:00 +0000

Seattle

Miami

MAM: Day 5

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 07 May 2016 03:45:00 +0000

Seattle

Miami

MAM: Day 4

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 07 May 2016 03:44:00 +0000

Seattle

Miami

MAM: Day 3

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 05 May 2016 22:50:00 +0000

MAM: Day 2

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 05 May 2016 22:49:00 +0000

MAM: Year 4

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 05 May 2016 22:48:00 +0000

Hi Friends!

Oh man, I've been SO ABSENT on here lately. My biggest apologies! So much has happened since I posted last---we moved to a house- a GLORIOUS house with a bedroom for Isla, guest room and nursery for the baby. That's right, we're expecting in October and over the moon thrilled about it! I am pretty consistently behind these days - late to everything, losing everything and running into everything which can solely be attributed to my kid being on her OWN schedule or my 'Mom/Prego brain' flying solo without me. I am more tired and impatient than I've ever been but the days fly by and I'm equally trying to hold onto a piece of them so none of this time is wasted and I savor every last second with Isla as an 'only child.' Lots of changes going on this month too-- Isla is almost fully potty trained, she moved into her big girl bed this weekend and I'm trying to rev myself up to work on the nursery. All good things that indicate momentous change in our life--bittersweet, so good and scary all at the same time. Parenting right.

And now--my overdue Mamas Across Miles post.

_______________________

Today when I got the text from my Florida bestie that we were failing on year 4 of Mamas Across Miles- our May tradition on my blogs I had to double check that it was May because quite honestly it snuck up on my me. I even signed April for the UPS guy today. If you haven't followed for the past three years, Mamas Across Miles was started as a blog project inspired by the book A Year of Mornings about two cross-country best friends who took a photo of each of their mornings and posted it on their blog for a year. The book is beautiful - a perfect Mom's Day or Best Friend gift if you need one and also wonderful inspiration for BFF's suffering from a long distance friendship. The days can be SO HARD and long with little ones up in the mix. Our days and weeks are made up of so many supportive texts, calls, FaceTime dates and care packages.

This year has been a big one so far- Ashli welcomed a Son in February (we love you RJ!), we are expecting a little one in October, we have both been through the illnesses and surgeries of family members and have already spent a glorious week together this year (which is hard to do some years- those 3,359 miles really get in the way!) I miss my girl and her sweet family desperately but this project always makes the miles separating us seem fewer and visiting my sweet friend feel like t's truly just a plane ride away. To our MAM 2016 and the hope that this tradition continues through the years.

The bump at 17 weeks.

Ashli's oldest kiddo, Grace.

A Curious George Birthday!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 04 Feb 2016 05:03:00 +0000

Hi Friends!

I put on two parties for my big 3-year old kiddo this year because my Grandparents couldn't travel up to my place for ours and they're pretty good buddies with my little one :) I did a Curious George party at their house and it turned out SO CUTE! Since I went way overboard on the planning and crafting on the Madeline party I tried to simplify the ideas for this one and just work on my favorites. I was able to use the same banners and decor because the primary colors worked for both parties (blue, red, yellow). If anyone's party planning I put notes below and that monkey hat 'how-to'--total crafting brilliance on my part (I'm TOTALLY tooting my own horn! :) Happy party throwing friends!!

Banner from Target, red pedestals from Target (holiday $1 aisle- they were $5), stuffed George from Nordstrom, jack-in-the-box George from Target and vintage book was mine when I was little :)

All signs I did in word- I just grabbed a picture from Google that would print clearly in high resolution on large paper and backed them on solid paper.

Lemon cupcake + chocolate with banana candies (from Amazon)

These monkey party hats! Party hats from Amazon, 'how-to' on construction below.

Invitation from Etsy!

Guests signed this vintage book I snagged at Half Price books.

Banana Split bar. SO FUN!

This little sweet face had the BEST time!

The family celebrated in style!

PS- Those monkey hats were SO easy to construct. I saw this picture on pinterest and knew I wanted to make them. I didn't want to do the ears from paper but wasn't sure how to craft them.

Thankfully I was walking in Michael's after the holidays and found these gingerbread men 80% off--Thanks to my kid with a January birthday! After giving them a second glance I decided they'd work perfect and they come in 3 shades of brown ( in one package).

I lopped off the heads and used them for ears. The inner ear was also from the heads or you can do them from the arms and just round them out. I stuck them on the ear with scrapbook sticky squares and then hot glued them to the hats. I couldn't believe it was easy as it turned out to be!

Putting on a 3rd Birthday Madeline Party!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 26 Jan 2016 19:19:00 +0000

Hi Friends!

I had the best time getting ready for Isla's third birthday party! We decided (and by that I mean, I decided :) to do a Madeline in Paris theme. If you aren't familiar, Madeline is a character from a series of classic books. The books are about a school girl named Madeline who's brave, adventurous and the smallest in her class. She lives at a boarding school with a group of 11 other little girls and their Teacher, a nun named Miss Clavel. The stories are very sweet, kind of quirky and timeless. I wanted to do Madeline for Halloween last year but Isla was set on Rapunzel so I repurposed the idea for her birthday and I'm so glad I did-- I kind of ran with it (for a good month :)

Isla had the best time with our family and her little buddies. They all seemed to love the extra touches- which always makes the extra effort put into a party SO WORTH IT! I tried to link to the products I used below if you're planning a Madeline themed party and need ideas--many of these came from pinterest and blogs I researched. There are a ton of cute ideas--have fun!!

We invited a small group of kiddos because I wanted to go all out on party favors. Each little girl got a handmade cape (I used this pattern. I'm a pretty basic seamstress and it was very easy!) and Madeline's signature yellow hat with black ribbon. A note on the cape--I used a polyester blend that was lighter and softer than wool. I lined Isla's in plaid flannel and the other girls' in navy lining. All of them turned out great. The hardest party was the Peter Pan collar. The pattern on the website was too small for me so I used it as a base pattern and drew my own. Message me if you want help with this! One cape had a button but the rest all had ribbons to tie them with. This cape is really versatile- you could add buttons, clasps, pockets--so many cute ideas!

The blue milk bottles are from Target. The hats are from Amazon. They shipped much faster than expected. I hot glued black ribbon to them after cutting off the bright ribbon. The tags are from Michael's.

The two little boys got adorable berets and a set of mustaches. oui! oui! The mustaches are from Target's party aisle. The beret is from Amazon. I must say the beret fit a 4 year old and one year old great and shipped much faster than expected. They were SUPER CUTE!

These flags are from Amazon.

These prints are from Social Print Studio- order through the app, it's very easy!

Balloons from Amazon- Banner from Target (letters from Michaels).

The banner is from Target, letters from Michaels, hanging fans from Michaels, Poster from Michaels, red cake pedestals from Target ($5!!!) and white is from Amazon.

I grabbed a Madeline paperback from Half Price books, took out the pages and made pictures for easels and that adorable book page banner. It turned out super cute!

I used book pages and a grommet pincher to do the top of the banner.

Picture of Isla's year were strung in the window. These are from Social Print Studio.

This invite- cutest thing ever. You can find it : Here.

Everyone signed this adorable Madeline print- found here.

Madeline cookie favors for everyone! (and Isla made a special Thank you sign!) The Madelines were from Target and bags from michaels. I made the tags on a home printer.

Isla and Rosalie -- her baby cape kills me- so cute!!

These two Parisian monkeys!

GIFTS!!

That adorable personalized crown and wand courtesy of the Hansens- Good work L!!!

If anyone's interested - Isla's dress is from Amazon. The dress wasn't available when I looked but it's by: Weixinbuy. It was $9 and shipped straight from China (in about 2 months) but quality wise it's totally fine, didn't shrink a lot and will definitely last us through this size. Their other clothes are cute too!

Happy Planning Friends!

xoxo.

Product Review: Plan Toys Terrace Dollhouse

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 26 Jan 2016 04:52:00 +0000

Hi Friends!

I did some serious internet research for the 'perfect first dollhouse' for Isla (who was turning 3). I had certain criteria which really helped narrow it down. I wanted something:

-wooden (and well made!)
- timeless (i.e.: not a ton of modern pieces or bright colors)
- A dollhouse more than one kid could play with

I looked at the Kid Kraft dollhouses (too bright and busy for us), Fisher Price (too plastic), Ryan's Room (a shortage of furniture apparently) and Lundby (so in love with them for ME--but too adult for Isla- they're so pretty!) I also looked into a really beautiful homemade dollhouse from Camden Rose built entirely out of cherry. That thing is a serious heirloom! In the end I narrowed it down to the Hape All Season Dollhouse , Melissa and Doug Hi-Rise Dollhouse and the Plan Toys Terrace Dollhouse . I compared price, furnished/not (all come with options), colors and size. I read a TON of Amazon comments and blogs with varying opinions. Keep in mind when reading those that everyone's kid is different and pick apart the pieces that apply to you. I loved many of the 'first' dollhouse versions from Plan Toys and Melissa and Doug but it was too simple for Isla and I knew she'd need an upgrade.

We ended up going with the Plan Toys Terrace Dollhouse. It helped that I saw this model set up in a toys store and Isla loved it! The price was a bit more for this one than the other two we were considering but I read many reviews that regretted not buying this model. I loved the Melissa and Doug version but had similar concerns as many of the reviews I read that Isla would break the elevator. The house is furnished which is nice but the furniture is VERY basic- like painted on faucets,etc. It also was just too bright for what I wanted. The Hape version was very cute and I LOVE the furniture sets- they're adorable (!!!) but it was too colorful for us. I also read a review that the stair configuration was confusing for kids- the stairs don't go to all levels. If you have a boy and need a dollhouse Hape makes some really cool models of dollhouses- very geometric and not overly girly.

What sold me on the Play Toys dollhouse was the simplicity of it. The fact that more than one kid can play with it at a time and it's not overly girly. You can also change the configuration of the dollhouse. For instance the door was blocking Isla's ability to put furniture in the living room easily so we moved it to the side. There are little clips that go in and out that make it really simple to move. Any of the vertical wood pieces, windows, sky light and door can be moved. The dollhouse is REALLY sturdy- perfect for a 3 year old who doesn't know her own strength ;) It's very open and easy to access or move things around. We are pretty much head over heels in love with our choice for Isla!

If that roofline bothers you it can be tinkered with to line-up, we just didn't care enough :)

I went through Plan Toys website and picked out the furniture that I thought Isla would like the best. It was hard to find the entire line on Amazon so I talked to my amazing girlfriends and my Cousin had an amazing hook-up and got Isla all of the furniture for her birthday! What a lucky duck! The day it arrived was like a 2nd Christmas!

From a Mom standpoint- these furniture sets are REALLY cute, really well made and the extra touches are pretty rare these days with toys. For instance the toilet set lifts up (picture below), vegetables with garden are wood and felt, kitchen includes a tiny toaster and tea pot. So many cute extra touches! These sets are fairly pricey (about $20/set) but after receiving them I see why. I would happily pay that much for a set that was going to last and is really well designed. Isla loves them!

These are the sets we received:

Neo Bathroom

Neo Bedroom

Classic Children's room

Neo Dining room

Garden Swing

Neo Kitchen

Neo Living room

Nursery

patio

pets

vegetable garden

garden swing and pets (that swing kills me- so cute!)

children's room/nursery (that is a doll in the stroller)

Mobile over the crib and changing table (the top folds out)

Nursery crib

Bathroom.

Garden

Living room (Dining behind-high chair is in nursery set)

Note: I bought the dolls from Kid Kraft because I wanted a Grandma and Grandpa. They are so cute and fit great in the house. Also: I read over and over that Hape furniture and dolls are smaller than the dimensions of Plan Toys dollhouses and furniture. They're super cute but little.

stroller and doll (that come with nursery set)

Pets

kitchen.

Changing table (top opens and is covered in felt)

Child's room bunk bed (includes bedding and additional pieces)

We are SO happy with our purchase and hope it's with us for many years to come- Good luck looking for your little one's perfect dollhouse!

Most helpful links:

For age 2-6 (great reccs!)- Mommy Edition

If you want to see some beautiful and wallet draining versions check out: Apt Therapy

Babble- link

Each Amazon and your local toy store!

Local Review: Santa Train

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 31 Dec 2015 04:01:00 +0000

Hi Friends!

I meant to post this weeks ago and forgot--oops! We went on the Santa Train and had a blast! The train left from North Bend and went on a 15 minute ride into Snoqualmie. You spend about 45 minutes in Snoqualmie at the Museum/Train Station. They have one of the cars serving hot cocoa, cookies and it has ample seating with a train table for kiddo entertainment (warning: there's also a Christmas tree set up which kids aren't allowed in. Leave it to our little beasts to get back there and try to eat the candy canes OFF OF THE CHRISTMAS TREE! *SMH*) Santa is in the Station- the line can be really long if you do it straight from the train, we did cookies first then waited about 10 minutes for Santa. You take your own Santa photo and the kids were given a wooden kids train whistle- really cute! By the time we were done it was time to line up for our train back to the North Bend. All of the train cars are a bit different- very vintage.

This adventure got really poor reviews on yelp so I wasn't sure if it would be worth it after the ticket price but we had a really great time. My best advice is to dress for the weather (you're very close to the pass and mud is prevalent--rain boots and heavy coats should be taken!) I had hand warmers in my purse which came in handy as well. The train cars aren't heated so warm clothes are definitely 'a must.' Bring a light snack and a camera. If you love a very local, vintage experience (put on my volunteers- thanks to all of you!) try this with the kiddos. We had such a great time!

Also--we did the ride with the steam train, they only ran it once this year for Santa Train. It was SUPER COOL- very Harry Potter. If you want that train make sure you double check.

Put it on the Holiday List for 2016!

Local: Giggle Jungle!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 31 Dec 2015 03:51:00 +0000

Hi Friends!

Just a quick post about a local kids play place that's worth checking out (especially during this rainy/cold season in Seattle!)

Giggle Jungle in Redmond Town Center is perfect for a rainy day. I took Isla and her little friend, Brooklyn the week before Christmas when I watched Brooklyn for her Mama (who works with the Hubby). It was crowded when they were playing but the girls had a great time. If you want to avoid crowds hit meal times or late in the afternoon. My Brother-in-Law took Isla a month ago around 3pm and said it was deserted. Design wise, the place is a bit headache inducing for an adult (imagine Katy Perry designed the place--I expected to see her pop out of the balloon area with that bra with the twirling tassles- yep, I went there) but as far as kid places go it's a good one on the Eastside (of Seattle that is). Perk--it's only $7 for the day. Cheap (and a true sanity saver!)

It should be noted that the whole place is pretty well padded- that said, they require that you're closely supervising at all times for good reason- Isla seriously bit it off this toy and conked her head- she was totally fine but I was glad I was close by.

We brought lunch in and it worked perfectly - they have snacks there to buy as well!

Hit it up!

Sandi

Elf on the Shelf: Joy

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 31 Dec 2015 01:54:00 +0000

Hi Friends!

This was our first year with the Elf on the Shelf. Isla named her Elf, Joy (after the Inside Out character) although her first choices were Ratatouille, Sleeping Beauty and Christmas Tree. We suggested rethinking those three ;) S

Isla really 'got' Joy this year and we used her for more of a fun Christmas celebrating tool than bribery to be good (which I'm fully not opposed to I just don'st think she would understand since she truly thought Joy was on her side :) Joy got into quite a lot of mischief and B and I had just as much fun as Isla did with her. Until next year Joy--we will miss you!

Here is our month with Joy in pics!

....and last but definitely not least- Joy came through and delivered the gift Isla asked 2 Santas for and reminded us of all year...the coveted shopping cart.

xoxo.

Activity Advent

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 08 Dec 2015 04:03:00 +0000

Hi Friends!

My good Mama friend, L had the brilliant idea to do an activity advent calendar for Isla like she was doing for Gemma. I loved that plan (since it didn't include loading her up on sugar) and we've had so much fun enjoying her daily holiday themed activities. There are a ton of fun printables that are much cuter than what I did but the beauty of this is that it can be as easy or intricate as you want to make it. I got ideas on what to include from several blogs as well as our already packed holiday calendar. This is a fun idea to save for next year!

I made mine from gift tags and clothespins from Michaels but the options are endless!

Our activities included a night walk through the lights in our downtown Kirkland

Gingerbread house decorating (with Daddy!)

Making Christmas cards for Isla's buddies and sending them herself (she LOVED doing this!)

Happy Holidays Friends!

Must-Watch Christmas Movies

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 20 Nov 2015 21:16:00 +0000

Hi Friends!

Isla's been really into watching 'Santa movies' lately so I decided to put together a list of my top 20 holiday movies- what's on your list? What am I missing?!

1. A Christmas Story - Classic. If you haven't watched it go get it now.

2. Classic Rudolph- I want the box set. Isla needs to experience these.

3. Classic Frosty

4. White Christmas- My all time favorite Christmas movie. Totally magical! I want one of those big red dresses at the end.

5. Elf- SANTA!!!!!!! Still hilarious a hundred viewings later. Isla loved this one this year!

6. Home Alone- Reminds me of being a kid. The 2nd one isn't too terrible either.

7. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation- A classic. So many hilarious scenes. Must watch.

8. The Santa Claus (1&2)- One of Isla's favorites this year! Nothing like Tim Allen as the 'big guy.'

9. A Muppet Christmas Carol- Some really fun adult humor. Kids love it!

10. Little Women- One of my all time favorite books and movies. Love this version.

11. Scrooge (The 70's version)

12. The Family Stone- That scene of her dancing in the bar and dropping the strata- so good.

13. Planes, Trains & Automobiles- Classic John Candy& Steve Martin. I grew up with this one.

14. How the Grinch Stole Christmas- Can't wait for Isla to see this one!

15. A Charlie Brown Christmas- Ditto above!

16. It's a Wonderful Life- My Parents used to watch this every Xmas Eve. Memories!

17. While You Were Sleeping- One of my favorite 90's movies. Love me some Sandra Bullock.

18. Home for the Holidays- Holly Hunter. The scene with the Aunt farting and the big ugly coat. I die!

19. Miracle on 34th Street (old and new!)- The new version is one of my favorite Christmas movies. I can't wait for Isla to see this one.

20. The Family Man

Apparently I need to watch Holiday Inn and Bundle of Joy-- two old Christmas movies with a great reviews! Homework!

xo.

Winter Bucket List

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 20 Nov 2015 20:52:00 +0000

Hi Friends!

I was going to wait until December 1st to post our Winter Bucket List but we're checking off one item this weekend so I figured I'd post it today. So many fun-local events to check out this year and Isla's at a really fun age where she really 'gets' the magic of the season. When we decorated the house yesterday she was dancing around with Santa and singing about 'mama Isla deck-or-ating' :) I'm trying to add one new item to my list to do this year- a new tradition!

What's on your list?!

Bazemore 2016 Winter Bucket List

1. Disney on Ice (Frozen! Happening this weekend!)

2. Suncadia with D&E. (Booked for January! I can't wait!)

3. Seattle Carousel with Isla (The kid LOVES carousels and I want a great pic!)

4. Christmas Shopping Date with L at the outlets

5. Leavenworth - DONE!

6. Holiday Family Photo Session- DONE! (and cards ordered! Winning!)

7. Take a photo of Isla on her first pair of skis (Happening during our Suncadia trip!)

8. Portland w/B (Would love to make this happen!)

9. Homemade hot cocoa with whip&sprinkles!

10. Walking Tour of Kirkland's Christmas Lights and a driving tour of lit up houses!

11. Redmond's Luminary Walk (12/5! Hoping for a dry evening!)

12. Gingerbread Houses (Our new tradition! I think Isla will love this one (if she doesn't eat all the candy in the process :)

xoxo.

Thursday

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 20 Nov 2015 05:49:00 +0000

Hi Friends!

This week has been a string of days where at 9:15pm I stop in my tracks and say to myself, "why in the hell am I still wearing a bra?" *torture device*

I'm convinced at this point I wear one at home to conserve heat- it's been so damn cold I've been living in a fleece jacket and slippers indoors. Most days I turn on the fireplace (love me a flickering flame in the winter!) and after turning it off I always find myself burning up ... come to find out my almost three year old has taken the liberty to flip it on again. Maybe teaching her how to turn it on for us when we don't want to move from the couch was a bad idea. hmmm....

Real confession over here. This happened today:

Usually I make myself wait until the day after Thanksgiving to decorate but after our Wednesday playdate when Isla experienced the Hansen's decorations and reminded me all day, "Gemma have a Christmas Tree...Isla no have a Christmas tree" I finally told her we could decorate today. We're holding off on the tree until we can do it with B this weekend or next but no excuses on the rest. At first I felt like a bit of a rule breaker but in the end I really like my house decorated for the holidays and this just means I get to enjoy it longer.

I finally finished editing a mini-session I did for our good friends that turned out SO cute... so I get to wrap up some Christmas projects for all of the sweet little ladies in my life and finish editing our France pics to make a photo book (I'm only 8 months late ;) A long to-do list but I'm rather proud of how productive I've been this week. More blogging and pics to come!

xoxo.

Tiny Prints

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 17 Nov 2015 03:52:00 +0000

Hi Friends!

I just ordered my Christmas cards from Tiny Prints and was reminded that you can stack 2 coupon codes with them. I had a 30% off + free shipping but they were offering 40% on their website for my card so they let me stack the 40% along with a Groupon voucher. YAY! I love saving $68!!

If you need a 30% off + free shipping code use: HT58Z4EF64 or I can send you my referral deal, you get 10 free cards :)

Happy Christmas Card season friends!

xo.

Building a dress-up box

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 02 Nov 2015 23:18:00 +0000

Hi Friends!

If you're looking to build a dress-up box for your kiddo or want to add new pieces all of the Halloween costumes are half off at Target at the moment. We snagged non-Disney items like Spiderman (below) and Sofia costumes for $10 and Princess costumes for $14. All accessories are on sale too--Isla is currently in love with the Anna dress-up shoes that are much too big but she doesn't even notice. Lots of deals--and early gift ideas for the littles in your life!

Those tiny braided buns are her 'princess Leia braids' - currently obsessed with Star Wars.

Thanks Hubby! geez ;)

Monday

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 27 Oct 2015 04:36:00 +0000

HI Friends!

It was feeling very much like Halloween week in our house today- Isla dressed herself and it was very Halloween appropriate :)

She also raided a fun Halloween package we got from B's Aunt and Uncle and found my chocolate stash-- this kid is.her.DAD! Choco-holic. (Did I mention I gave her half of a mini Hershey's and she barfed it in her bed the moment she laid down- awesome. Lesson.Learned.)

Tomorrow we have our first official Halloween celebration (with two others to follow!) and Isla's Halloween costume still hasn't arrived from Etsy (boo!) so she'll be digging through her dress-up bin for a costume... that should be interesting, stay tuned for that :) While we wait-- I'll be running to the Disney store for a back-up in cases Etsy truly fails me.

Hope everyone's having a wonderful Holiday Week!

xoxo.

Mom Holiday-Moneysavers!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 24 Oct 2015 04:35:00 +0000

Hi Friends!

I put this list together last year after the holidays so I'd remember to do these items this year. I thought it was a great EARLY reminder of ways to save your budget and sanity this holiday season.

__________________________________________

I'm all for a bargain and since I try to keep us on a budget I have tried to save pennies on the holidays since Isla was born. Here are a couple of my most favorite tricks and tips!

1. Start early-- it sounds so easy, I know! Seriously though- buy for your kiddos, hubby and whoever will get you a Christmas list in September/October (it's a little like pulling teeth that early but whoever gives you ideas, buy for them!) Parcel out the rest of your list from November-Dec.

2. Take family photos in late Summer/early Fall and order cards right away. If you're waiting for a deal at least design your card so the stress of assembling it is out of the way. Last year I got a smokin' deal on Zulily for Tiny Prints and ordered my cards in October- YAY! (It's a first but hopefully I'm setting a trend!) This year, I snagged a similar deal on Groupon and saw a couple in magazines too!

3. Consider limiting kiddo gifts to several themed gifts or the fun theme "Something you want, Something you need, Something to wear, Something to read"-- I'll be following this for Isla's Birthday since it's so close to the holidays--that's just a lot of gifts all at once!

4. Buy Holiday stamps when they come out on several trips to the post office. I have bought one book the last two times I went to the post office and I almost have enough for my cards. It makes the sting of sending cards a little less immediate.

5. Pay attention to deals--- hit up Black Friday, Cyber Monday, follow your favorite shops on IG so you know when sales are coming (many do big Black Friday sales).

6. Stop shopping when you're done with your list---this seems like a no-brainer but I can't tell you how many times I've shopped early for someone and then been out during the season and seen something I 'just had' to put with their gift. "Unnecessary" blows the budget!

7. Shop the Dollar Store & craft stores for Holiday decor or better yet take advantage of Pinterest- There are a million ideas out there and we're loving the ones Isla and I can do together. Thankfully Michael's and Joann's tries to liquidate their holiday goodies weeks before the holiday so the sales are great before Thanksgiving and Christmas even arrive!

Also- get decorating ideas from holiday catalogs--I copy lots of Pottery Barn and Sur La Table tricks from trinkets I pick up at craft stores and make it look like the catalog. No one has to know it was from the $1 aisle!

8. Buy one roll of nice brown or white heavy wrapping paper and use it for all presents--glitz it up with ribbon/bows/etc. It's all about the accessories right?! If you have to have wrapping paper (which can be more fun for kiddos!) buy it after Christmas for the following year- it's a super bargain. Also consider only wrapping the "Santa gifts" in wrapping paper- Santa's fancy right?! I bought Disney wrapping paper that's pink and only slightly holiday since it has snowflakes on it and used it for all of the little girl Winter Birthdays Isla went to- a serious money saver! The only downside is that you have to store it!

9. Create photo books early. They run some mega sales during November/December for photo books and gifts. These can be pricey if you're printing multiples. I am definitely the one staying up until all hours to create the 'perfect photo book' for our parents in November but this year I'm willing myself to do ours early. You can save them in the book making software (I like to use Blurb) and wait until the sales arrive and then upload them and order.

And since you know I can't end my lists on an odd number (Hello, Perfectionist :) my final item is one that is simple but hard for us 'do it all Moms' to accomplish.

10. Be Present in your family's holidays. I'm 100% not talking about doing it all and stressing yourself to the max- I'm talking about doing what's necessary and makes you feel good about celebrating with those you love and letting the other things go. That is the best thing for your budget and more important, your sanity. This is the year to pick your holiday battles right?! I promise the name cards you're slaving over at midnight the night before Thanksgiving will not change the way you feel when you look around the table at your family. The number of gifts won't change the joy on your children's faces on Christmas morning and sometimes letting go of those things is the best thing for us as Moms and our families. I saw this on Facebook last week and loved it--a good reminder to stay present, have perspective and be filled with gratitude this holiday.

Happy Holiday Preparations Everyone!

xoxo.