The Homemade Diva

Hello 2012!! (With a 2011 Recap)

2012-01-01T14:40:00.000-07:00

Happy New Year!

2011 was a busy year full of changes! I'm looking forward to what 2012 has to bring and making resolutions to (hopefully) help make the new year great!

But before I get to my resolutions, I thought I'd take a look back at the year that was 2011!

In February, my little sister gave birth to my beautiful niece, Maci. That little girl has brought so much love and joy to my life! And now that my sister has moved back (another 2011 development), I get to see that gorgeous little girl grow up. I'm so thankful every day that she's in my life and that I get to be a part of her's.

In April I (finally) became a Mrs.! After 5 years this handsome man and I finally managed to tie the knot. It took a lot of planning (and crafting), but it was all worth it. Our wedding was amazing!

And, of course, after the wedding comes the honeymoon! We got to spend 9 glorious days at Sandals Negril in Jamaica! It was amazing and I highly recommend taking a Sandals vacation if you can. Totally worth it! Hopefully in a few years we'll get to repeat the process :o)

In October, I participated in my first craft fair. I didn't sell much, but I did have fun. The fair is also where I found these:

There was couple walking around with these adorable dachshund puppies and they happened to be looking for homes for them. So Hubby and I welcomed these two little boys into our family. Meet Moscow (long hair, green jacket) and his brother Oscar!

In August, Hubby and I decided it was time to buy a new house. We were outgrowing our little 1000 sq. ft. home and there were only 2 of us! So with our future family in mind, we began the home search. After several months (and a lot of stress and tears), we signed the papers on our new 2000 sq. ft. house in October. Let the decorating begin!

As you can see, lots happened in the Diva household in 2011. I can only hope that 2012 brings us as many blessings as 2011 did!

Now to keep with New Years tradition, I thought I'd share my goals for 2012:

Spend less time worrying about the opinions of others

I spend so much time worrying about what others think of me. I'm always trying to make sure everyone likes me and no one's mad at me. And in the end, I spend a lot of time being taken advantage of. I'm gonna try and get rid of my stress and worry and focus on just being me, like me or not.

Take time to take care of myself

I think most women can relate to this one. We spend so much time taking care of others we forget to take care of ourselves. Or in my case, worrying that others will think I'm lazy or selfish if I take time for myself. I need to try and make myself a priority.

Live a healthy and active lifestyle

Sometimes I struggle to eat right or exercise enough because I have so many other things going on. So as part of my "take care of myself" resolution, I'm gonna try and maintain a healthy lifestyle

Spend less money

This year I started couponing pretty regularly (not to the extreme that you see on TV, but definitely a more normal, real-life version on "Extreme Couponing"). I was saving a lot of money, but with all the chaos of the house hunt, puppies, holidays, etc. that all fell by the wayside. I'd like to pick it back up and work on crafting and decorating with what I have and not be tempted to spend my whole paycheck on things I want but don't really need.

Blog more

I'm sad to admit that life got crazy and my blogging all but stopped. It's truly something that I love to do and was proud of. So I'm hoping that I'll be able to get back into it and start blogging somewhat regularly again. I missed you guys! :o)

So that's it! A recap of a great 2011 and my goals for a successful 2012! Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T08:44:00.001-07:00

I know it's been months since I last posted on here. It's been a whirlwind few months in the Diva household, complete with lots of stress, tears, and happiness.

Hopefully I'll be able to carve out some time here soon to give you all a heads up on what's been happening in my life.

Until then, I just wanted to take a few moments to wish you all a very Merry Christmas!! May your day be filled with love, joy, and friendship!

Merry Christmas!

P.S. I'm starting to sorta figure out Photoshop, and made this Christmas card myself! Not bad for a newbie! :o)

Strawberry Bread

2011-08-17T10:46:00.000-07:00

If you're anything like me, your salivating already just having read that title!

Yes, folks! There is such a thing as Strawberry Bread, and it's a beautiful thing!! :o)

The very first time I made this recipe (courtesy of My Baking Addiction) , I only made one loaf just to see how it would turn out. I made it one afternoon, and by that evening, DH and I had eaten more than half the loaf!

So I made more!

Don't worry, we're not gonna eat them all at once. I made extras to freeze so we can have yummy Strawberry Bread even when strawberries aren't in season. Yum!

Look at those big beautiful strawberry pieces! Go ahead . . . take a closer look . . .

Yum!!!!!!! :oD

Here's how to make your own!

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
4 oz cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cups strawberries, rinse, dried and chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and flour a 9×5 inch loaf pan.

With electric mixer cream butter, sugar and cream cheese until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Mix in vanilla.

In separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Blend flour mixture with butter mixture just until blended. Add buttermilk and only stir until just combined; do not over mix.

Carefully fold in strawberries. Dough mixture will be thick.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes

Let cool and enjoy!!

P.S. I like to spread cream cheese on my slice of bread. Delicious! :oD

Framed Jewelry Holder

2011-08-07T09:18:00.000-07:00

I was in need of help.

Some serious help.

Some serious organizational help.

I couldn't find my earrings!

Well . . . I could. It just took me an awfully long time.

You see, I (like many women, I'm sure) kept all my earrings tossed together in a little jewelry box that sits on my dresser. That little box kept my earrings corralled pretty effectively, but heaven help me if I tried to find a matching pair! I'd have to dump out the whole box and untangle them all while simultaneously praying that I didn't drop one on the floor or lose one down the drain!

So I decided to follow the other creative minds on the web and turn an old picture frame into a jewelry holder!

I started with a frame I bought at Michael's for cheap a while back. I, of course, had to spray paint it my favorite color :o)

Then, I carefully stapled some chicken wire (my parents say that that's not chicken wire, but I don't know what else to call it) to the back of a frame.

Bam! Instant earring holder!

But why stop there? I have plenty of necklaces that need a home too. So I added some hooks at the bottom of the frame.

Now this little beauty hangs in my closet. She's not only pretty but is also a huge improvement! Now that I can find all my cute earrings, I'm definitely wearing them a lot more. If that doesn't say "Success", I don't know what does! :o)

Help! I'm Being Invaded by DVDs (an Update)

2011-08-03T10:46:00.000-07:00

It was more than a year ago when I used this blog to cry out for help and save myself and my house from being over run by DVDs and their unsightly cases.

I am now happy to say that I found a solution for my problem via amazon.com.

I introduce to you, the Bellagio-Italia CD/DVD Binder!

This little baby (and about 11 of it's friends) have turned my living room from this . . .

. . . into this . . .

Soooooooooo much better!!

Now, instead of looking at an array of ugly DVD cases, I get to look at these little guys.

I also finally have a place to show off cute printables that I see all over the blogosphere.

Yay for pretty shelves! :o)

Inspire Me! (Trash to Treasure)

2011-07-29T10:05:00.000-07:00

Have you heard the old saying, "One man's trash is another man's treasure"? I'm gonna show you just how true that is!

Let's start with paper towel tubes. Most of us, when we run out of paper towel, we toss the tube and grab another roll. But what could we make if we saved them?

How about some napkin rings?

(Photo courtesy of Utterly Engaged)

I'm sure even the newest DIYers can handle a project like that.

But what about using paper towel tubes to create art?

(Photo courtesy of The How-To Gal)

I know after seeing this, I've definitely started saving my tubes. Not just cheap and easy, but stunning too!

You can make art out of all sorts of unexpected things! Like old tickets stubs:

(Photo courtesy of Madigan Made)

Or paint chips:

(Photo courtesy of C.R.A.F.T.)

I saw in a magazine (can't remember which one) that they suggested framing produce stickers and displaying them as art in the kitchen.

(Photo courtesy of Black Eiffel)

Now I know this isn't a DIY project, but I was so impressed I had to share:

(Photo courtesy of Stickerman Produce Art)

Yes, that entire piece of artwork was created using only produce stickers! Wow!

And if you all are huge sewers like me, you're used to just cutting off and throwing away all those selvage edges from your fabric. Maybe now, you'll think twice! All these amazing things were made using fabric selvage!

(Photo courtesy of Sweeter Than Cupcakes)

(Photo courtesy of Debra Mason Designs)

(Photo courtesy of Pleasant Home)

(Photo courtesy of Ric-Rac)

I hope this inspires some of you to think outside the box and look for creative uses from the unexpected.

Happy crafting! :o)

Oreo Balls

2011-07-26T15:55:00.000-07:00

So back in June I blogged about the Alice in Wonderland Bridal Shower I threw for my sister-in-law. In that blog, I promised you a recipe for the super simple and always delicious Oreo Balls. I may have been slacking (especially since my last post was almost a month and a half ago . . . yikes!), but I'm here now to make good on my promise!

(Photo courtesy of The Art of Two Tarts)

The first time I ever tried these little babies was at my own bridal shower. They were a huge hit!Then I ended up making a big batch for the day of my wedding rehearsal. That's when my sister-in-law put in her request for them at her shower. She said she didn't want a lot of sweets and junk at her shower (cuz she's a very healthy eater), but the one sweet she did want were Oreo Balls. If that doesn't tell you how good they are, you'll just have to make them for yourself and see what I mean!

Ingredients

1 bag of Oreos
8 oz package of cream cheese, softened
Meltable chocolate bark or candy coating

Directions

Using a food processor, pulverize entire bag of cookies into fine crumbs.

In mixing bowl, combine cookie crumbs and softened cream cheese. Your hands are your best tools for this part, but they will get messy.

Put cookie mixture into a freezer for 10 mins.

Then, using hands, form cookie mix into small balls and place back in the freezer for 15 - 20 mins.

Melt chocolate or candy coating. Dip balls in coating and keep refrigerated.

I hope you all try out this recipe. It's super simple and will be an instant favorite! Enjoy!

In the Spotlight: Amore Valkyrie

2011-06-14T22:09:00.005-07:00

I love being crafty.

I love imagining new things to create, and I especially love the pride I feel when I finish a project.

I hope one day to open my own Etsy shop.

I know it can be difficult to run your own small business and gathering a client base can be slow going. Which is why I like to support small, handmade businesses when I can.

A couple months ago, I received an e-mail from the creator of Amore Valkyrie, a line of jewelry on Etsy.

She asked me if I would be willing to take a look around her shop, and if I liked what I saw, could I give her a little shout out? Absolutely!

Her jewelry is BEAUTIFUL!!

This 24K Gold Vermeil Lotus Charm Necklace is stunning!

How bad ass is this Leather Wrap Bracelet? I want one!!

I am in love with this Tiny Blue Iolite Gem Pendant.

I've recently become obsessed with cute earrings. These Silver Leaves are just the type of thing that I would snatch up!

Amore Valkyrie crafts delicate baubles inspired by an Old World aesthetic, using true precious metals and gemstones. Her goal is to create jewelry that not only looks like an heirloom, but can become one. So stop by and check out all the pretty pieces she has to offer!

Alice in Wonderland Bridal Shower

2011-06-10T05:25:00.004-07:00

I know I've told you all that I'd been super busy the last couple months, but I thought I'd outline just how busy I've been.

After a year and a half of planning, FH (I suppose he's DH now - "Dear Husband") and I finally tied the knot! And, of course, following that was our awesome honeymoon!

What you probably didn't know, was that the craziness didn't stop after I got married.

DH and I got back from our honeymoon on a Tuesday. That Saturday I hosted my sister-in-laws bridal shower at my house (more on that later). The following Saturday was her bachelorette party. And the weekend after that was the her rehearsal/wedding!

I feel like I'm just now catching my breath!

Anywho, that's why I've been so MIA the past few months. Just because my wedding was over didn't mean I wasn't still crazy busy!

But I promised you a post about a tea party, so here we go!

A few months ago I came across the idea of an Alice in Wonderland Tea Party Bridal Shower. I was doing some research to help a friend come up with ideas and I loved what I saw so much that I wanted to throw a shower like that!

Then I got my chance! My sister-in-law became engaged and one of her all-time favorite movies is Alice in Wonderland. YAY! Tea Party!! :o)

I started with the invitations (cuz you know I can never just buy them). I looked around the web for ideas and loved the look of a giant playing card invitation (the queen of hearts, of course).

I even bought playing card scrapbook paper for the back of the invites so they looked like cards from the front and the back!

While the Disney version of Alice is the bride's favorite, I took inspiration from the book as well. So I addressed all the invitations to "For the Duchess ___________________" with a picture of the frog footman to boot!

I wanted guests to really feel like they'd entered Wonderland, so I had the outside of my house decorated as well. Card soldiers, flamingos . . . can you find the white rabbit? :o)

The inside of the house was filled with Wonderland/Tea Party decor as well! My bookshelves were filled to the brim with Alice art . . .

. . . tea pots, mini card soldiers, rose trees that were partially "painted" red . . .

. . . and even the white rabbit and his pocket watch!

I painted some cups from Dollar Tree in crazy designs, glued them together and filled them with flowers for the buffet table centerpieces. I even glued tiny googly eyes onto the flowers so they looked like the talking flowers from the garden scene.

Then, of course, there was the food! It must have been fate for me to throw this shower because my Food Network magazine for that month came with a little tear out booklet of 50 Tea Sandwich recipes! We had Pesto Chicken, Roasted Vegetable, and Salmon Cucumber. Yum!

For dessert we had Oreo Balls (the Bride's only request - I'll try and remember to post the recipe), mini lemon cakes, and fruit tarts. The food was adorned with cute little pennant flags (some of which, in true Alice fashion, said "Eat Me").

To drink, I made a batch of "Pretty Pink Punch". I had this punch at my other sister-in-law's baby shower and it was delicious! Thankfully the hostess of that shower has a blog and posted the recipe, so I was able to make it for this shower. I also used my Silhouette to cute some vinyl to decorate my beverage dispenser.

And what kind of tea party would it be without tea?? I spent about a month and a half scouring thrift stores for all these lovely little cups! :o)

Thankfully, all my hard work paid off and the Bride loved her shower! Heck, I loved it too! I loved it so much I saved all the decorations and such for the next time I throw a tea party! :o)

Tea, anyone?

Honeymoon . . . Jamaica Style!

2011-06-03T09:53:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry I've been so lame on the blogging. It feels like I just haven't quite been able to get back into the swing of things after the wedding and honeymoon. I'm a bad blogger :o(

But I'm back now (and hopefully more frequently from now on) to show you some pictures from our awesome honeymoon in JAMAICA! :o)

The trip was AMAZING!! We stayed at the Sandals all-inclusive resort in Negril. The hotel was beautiful, the staff was really friendly, and the food! Lots of food and drinks (alcohol too) all included!

The weather was beautiful and there were lots of things to keep a person occupied!

We discovered that we LOVE to snorkel and did it pretty much every day.

Yes, the life vests ended up giving you a wedgie, but what are you gonna do? :o) Still super fun!

We went zip-lining through the jungle . . .

. . . on a catamaran cruise . . .

. . . where we stopped at Rick's Cafe (to watch the cliff divers) . . .

. . . and had dinner at Margaritaville!

We also went kayaking . . .

. . . enjoyed the occasional carpet picnic (for the brief moments when it started to rain) . . .

. . . and enjoyed a beautiful sunset . . .

. . . or two! :o)

We had a fantastic time and look forward to many other Sandals vacations in our future! St. Lucia anyone? :o)

My Big Day!

2011-05-17T19:40:00.000-07:00

After a year and a half of planning, my wedding is finally over.

No more headaches. No more stress. No more endless amounts of craft projects I have to do instead of the ones I want to do. No more bleeding money. But after all that, I have just two words for you . . .

Worth it!! :oD

The outdoor garden was beautiful and the weather was perfect!

Here's where our ceremony took place:

And it was completely transformed that night for our reception. The soft lights from the lights in the trees and the candles on the table were gorgeous! (Not to mention the food was YUMMY!! Mexican food and margaritas baby!)

My longtime friend (and groomsman) sang us a song!

And the world's cutest baby was in attendance! I finally got to meet my niece, Maci. Now I'm seriously worried that my babies are not going to be as cute as my sister's.

The highlight of the party was the photo booth! I insisted that I had to have one. Best. Idea. Ever!

Of course, the best part of all was that I got to marry the love of my life!

Happily ever after? Yes, please! :o)

A New Beginning

2011-04-23T00:00:00.000-07:00

This is it!

This is the day my life as a single woman ends and my new life as one half of a whole begins.

We've been together six years. We've had our ups and downs, but we've managed to make it through.

I love him more than I can say in words.

I'm so lucky that today I get to marry my best friend!

I'm the happiest girl in the world!

Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-03-22T03:09:00.002-07:00

If you're a linky-party enthusiast like myself, I'm sure you've seen lots of recipes popping up all over blogland for Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies. They looked so delicious, I just had to try them!

I found the recipe here at Picky Palate.

Late me tell you . . . these cookies are DELICIOUS!! Seriously!

But what you don't really see in most pictures is how huge they are! An average person can really only eat one of these!

It makes sense, because these are really 3 cookies in one. Just look at the size of it. It fills up my whole palm!

It also fills up my tummy nicely :o) Yummy!

Love Bird Cake Topper

2011-03-19T22:29:00.000-07:00

When I first started planning my wedding to FH, I knew that I wanted the theme to be "Love Birds". When I searched for cake toppers to fit my theme I found these nesting doves.

Cute in the picture. Kinda cheap and generic looking in real life. I do not want my wedding to be generic, so I came up with a Plan B.

I made tons of the cute little fabric birds for table decorations:

So why not make a fabric bird cake topper?

I modeled my birds after the little birdies I painted on my guest book cover and on my wedding tote bag.

How'd I do?

Cute, right?

And as something a little bit special, I stitched our initials on a little heart connecting the two birds.

Now all I need is the cake! :o)

I'm Taking a Sick Day

2011-03-02T16:18:00.000-07:00

I had plans to write a few posts today. I do have a few craft projects I wanted to share.

Instead, I'm on round 4 of whatever illness I managed to contract last month (yes, I have been sick for a month!).

So instead, all I can manage is to drop you all a line to let you know I'm still alive . . . for now. Who knows? This cold/illness thing may actually kill me (but probably not, even though it feels like it).

So I'm calling in sick on the blogging today. Sorry.

I'm gonna go back to laying on the sofa now. Where I will probably remain for the rest of the day.

Anyone wanna make me some chicken soup?

Where Does the Time Go?

2011-02-13T15:11:00.000-07:00

Wow! It's been almost 2 weeks since my last post!

I'm sorry I've been neglecting you all! Life has been super busy at the Diva house. I kept meaning to get something up on here, but life has a way of making other plans for my time.

So I decided since I had a little time today, I'd show you what I have been up to the last few weeks.

I finished my birdies! I got the last of the legs attached and now they're all ready to make new friends at my wedding :o)

I whipped up some baby gifts for a couple showers I've been invited to.

I finished and wrapped the presents for my bridesmaids and my parents.

I finished my Welcome Boxes.

The completed product was filled with crackers, trail mix, batteries (for their cameras), prickly pear candy (an Arizona novelty), sunscreen, as well as gum

water

travel tissues (with handmade covers)

and DIY hangover kits!

I just love these kits! I think they're so funny! I doctored an image from the movie The Hangover and printed it on label paper to make the labels. I then filled the kits with ingredients for "hair of the dog" (a.k.a. a bloody mary), Advil, Tums, instant coffee packets, and Tic Tacs! :o)

And the last (and most important) thing that has happened these last few weeks has been this little lady:

My little sister delivered this little princess via c-section yesterday . . . which also happens to be her one year wedding anniversary to her husband! Welcome to the world Maci! :o)

Things here on the blog will probably be sparse and sporadic for a while. As we get closer to the wedding, I have less and less time for anything non-wedding related. But in a couple months when the whole shindig is over, things should get back to normal.

Thanks for being so patient everyone! And thanks for sticking with me! :o)

And the Winner Is . . .

2011-02-01T03:04:00.000-07:00

Congratulations comment number 14 . . . Kristin S.! You just won yourself $15 to CSN Stores! Yay!! I'll be e-mailing you shortly with your prize.

Thank you to everyone who entered! You all had some great ideas on how to relax and de-stress. I might have to give some of them a try! :o)

Shop the Stress Away (A CSN Giveaway!)

2011-01-29T00:00:00.004-07:00

------This Giveaway is Now Closed------

With the big day fast approaching (84 days and counting!) the stress is piling on! There are decisions to make, appointments to attend, craft projects to complete. Ahhhhhhhhh! It's enough to make a girl's head hurt! What I need is some stress relief? And what better way to relieve some stress than to do some shopping? I know I would love, love, love some pretty new clothes! Unfortunately, my retail therapy will have to wait for a bit (weddings cost a lot!). But one of you lucky readers can get an instant shot of stress relief in the form of free shopping!! Yay!! CSN stores is offering one lucky reader a gift certificate for $15 to any of their over 200 online stores. Whether you're looking for a shiny new piece of modern office furniture or you desperately "need" new shoes, CSN stores have it all!!

Here's how to enter (please leave a separate comment for each entry):

Leave me a comment telling me how you relieve stress one entry
Follow this blog (or tell me that you already do) one entry

The winner will be chosen at random on February 1st. Good luck and happy shopping! :o)

"Whoever said money can't buy happiness simply didn't know where to go shopping" - Bo Derek

Welcome/Thank You Boxes

2011-01-28T19:44:00.000-07:00

As usual, I found another project to add to my wedding project list. I decided I wanted to make Welcome Boxes for all of my out-of-town guests. I mean, they paid money to fly in and rent a hotel room, the least I can do is give them a little gift to show my appreciation.

Before even deciding what to put in the boxes, I needed to figure out what I was going to put things in. SO I ordered some nice sized white gable boxes.

I wanted to fancy them up somehow, so I printed some labels with a monogram design I whipped up.

For the inside, I'm planning on a thank you card, some bottles of water (with these labels), sun screen (it is the desert after all), a hangover kit (more on that later), maps, a list of local favorite eateries, and some edible goodies like these:

I got the idea for the gumballs here. I think they're super cute!

Since we're having Mexican food and margaritas at the wedding, I thought it would only be fitting to throw in some Mexican Wedding Cookies. Clearly I have to wait a bit to make the cookies, but I've got the bags all ready for them.

I can't wait til my guests see these! :o)

DIY Wedding Guest Book

2011-01-24T10:30:00.002-07:00

Does anyone else think traditional guest books are boring? 10 years after the wedding, who really wants to look back and see who signed their name?

I wanted something more personalized and "Jenny-fied" for my wedding (surprise, surprise, right?). I wanted something that people could write messages in, not just sign their name. And I wanted them to be able to get a glimpse of FH and I and our relationship.

So I bought an ordinary spiral bound book that had blank pages inside. The idea was to put pictures of FH and I all throughout the book, leaving room for guests to leave us little notes. But it was nothing special, so it definitely needed to be jazzed up. I needed to make a cover for it.

I talked before about how I made the artwork for the guest book cover myself.

Well the project is finally finished!

I took my artwork (on linen) and some beautiful Joel Dewberry fabric (Herringbone in Pond) that I ordered online especially for this project and created this.

All I had to do then was add some photos (a some old, some new) and I was done!

I love it! What do you think? :o)

Shey B Camera Strap on GroopDealz!

2011-01-20T21:02:00.003-07:00

Boy do I have a deal for you!

Have you all heard of SheyB? I'm sure you have! She's all over blogland, so it's kinda hard to miss her! She's a super talented lady who makes such pretty camera strap covers! They're seriously super cute!

I bought one as a gift for a family member and immediately regretted not purchasing one for myself! I haven't given it to her yet . . . maybe I'll just "forget" and keep it for myself ;o) But why? Now's the perfect time to buy one . . . or two!

GroopDealz is showcasing the wonderful SheyB Camera Straps for $15 (+ $3 shipping)!!

If you've got a SLR camera, you certainly want your camera strap to reflect your creative personality.

Choose from the 3 straps below for $15! (+$3 shipping)

"You're not boring, why should your camera be?"

Just click here to purchase.

Hurry, this offer ends on Sunday at midnight! Happy shopping! :o)

Bird Making with the Girls

2011-01-19T03:48:00.001-07:00

I'm so blessed to have such awesome friends (and bridesmaids)! Clearly I'm a very crafty, do-it-yourself kind of person, so there are a lots of crafty type projects involved in my wedding planning.

I've made a flock of fabric birds, an army of cameras, and my own guest book (just to name a few). And of course, there's still more on my list like an origami crane curtain, program fans, and (right before the big day) cupcake favors.

One of the things still on my to-do list was make the wire feet for my fabric birds. I'd sewn like 40 birds, but they were all leg-less!

My girls know how much I have to do (and how hard it is for me to ask for help) so they've been pretty much demanding that I give them something to do. So last week I had my two besties over for a little bird feet making party.

They were troopers and picked it up really quickly! We also all had our "specialties" which worked out great. Corynn was best at the big bird legs, Madison at the medium, and I thought making the little feet was a breeze!

(Look Corynn! Your finger's famous!)

With their help, I was able to finish off all the feet in just about an hour (and that includes the time we spent eating instead of working. You gotta feed people when they help you!).

We finished so fast that we started folding paper cranes for the curtain. We made about 50 cranes in about 2 hours. We still have more to make, but at least we're crane folding experts now!

Thanks ladies for all your help! You guys are awesome! :o)

Love Bird Wedding Invitations

2011-01-17T13:00:00.000-07:00

Have I mentioned before how much I love Etsy? Cuz I do. I really, really do. The cute little reversible signs in these engagement photos:

I bought them on Etsy.

My Honey Tree painting:

Bought that on Etsy.

I've even purchased gifts for my bridesmaids, my mom, my dad, and a cousin who recently got married all on Etsy.

So it was only fitting that I bought my wedding invitations on Etsy too!

I looked at a lot of beautiful invitations, but this set was the winner. It totally fits with the "Love Birds" theme and we were able to get the invitation to reflect our wedding colors (aqua and yellow).

The picture's a bit wonky so you can't really see the beautiful aqua border that runs all the way around the invite.

We also opted to have RSVP postcards instead of traditional cards. These came pre-printed with our address on the opposite side.

We were also able to purchased cards inserts with our wedding website information.

I'm so thrilled with the set! Everything is so beautiful! And I was able to purchase a set of 100 for about $170! That's super cheap compared to a lot of the prices I was seeing on the internet.

My only complication was that the only postcard stamps the post office currently sells have polar bears on them. Doesn't exactly go with my spring wedding. So I decided to splurge and order my own stamps from PhotoStamps. I used one of our engagement pictures and wa la! The perfect stamp for my pretty postcards!

I can't wait to send these babies out! Everything is so springy. So pretty. So . . . ME!

I love Etsy!

Engagement Photos

2011-01-06T10:04:00.002-07:00

I know we're already a week into the new year, but I think I'm still recovering from December! Talk about a whirlwind month! There were birthday parties, Christmas parties, cookie parties, premarital counseling (Don't worry. Nothing's wrong. It's required by the church), and Christmas (of course). And to top it all off, FH and I had the most amazing engagement photo shoot with an incredible photographer out of Phoenix, Melissa Young.

I actually discovered her thanks to a blog I found at a link party. This awesome card catalog transformation caught my eye and lead me to the blog Dream Book Design. I was poking around and found some really beautiful photos of that couple with the photo credit belonging to Melissa. Even the photo of the card catalog that caught my attention was taken by Melissa!

It was perfect timing! I just happened at that moment to be looking for a photographer to shoot our engagement photos. Not only was she affordable, but her portfolio is amazing!! She definitely had the artistic eye I was looking for. So I thought I'd share some of my favorite photos from this fantastic photographer!

And last, but not least . . . my personal favorite . . .

So if you're in the So. Arizona area and are looking for the most awesomist (Is that a word? . . . It is now!) photographer, look no further! Just contact Melissa and let the incredible photos come your way!

Thanks a ton Melissa!! :o)

Christmas Cookie Swap (and Some Recipes)

2010-12-23T10:05:00.000-07:00

I love Christmas. I love cookies. So I really love Christmas cookies!

Last year I spent a couple days making like 6 different cookie recipes. They were delicious. I was exhausted.

So this year I decided to try something new. I decided to throw a Christmas Cookie Swap! This way I get to try all kinds of different yummy goodies, but I don't have to do all the work. Selfish, I know, but be honest, you'd do it too! ;o)

So I grabbed a couple recipes to try and invited some girlfriends over.

Despite the fact that only a few ladies could make it, we still ended up with a nice spread of treats. As I'm sure you can tell by the donuts on the cake stands, we did not limit ourselves to only Christmas cookies :o)

I served a quick and easy dinner before hand, so we didn't all go into sugar comas. I just served salad and my always popular Chicken Ring. For beverages, I had iced tea, hot apple cider, and milk (cuz who can eat cookies without milk??)

I bought a bunch of plastic Christmas containers from Wal-mart ($3 for a two pack) that my guests could load up to take home their share of goodies.

Thanks to the lovely ladies who showed up! It was lots of fun. So much so that I've decided to have one of these parties every year! :o)

Now for the links for the recipes I made (which were big hits, FYI). I found these out in blogland.

Homemade Peppermint Oreos from The Girl Who Ate Everything

Apple Cider Glazed Doughnuts from Ador

These recipes were so tasty!! The cookies were easy and very moist. And the doughnuts were simple too and flew off the cake stands! I actually have a request from people who heard about the party to make some for them to try!

Well that's it ladies and gents. My last post of the year. Now I'm going to sit back and enjoy my family and friends!

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! :o)