We had a way busy week, with special visitors in town. That meant every day we were out and about. Olive loved seeing everybody and being passed around. She’s a very social baby, so all the people around were just her kind of scene. I, on the other hand, have needed a bit of a break.

However, I have been able to get some more sewing done recently. I can’t wait to share what I’ve been making with you all. I’ve got some patterns and tutorials to share with you from around the web that I think you’ll love. Plus, I’ve got a couple tutorials in mind to create. So excited to get started!

Now on to the party. Here’s a favorite:

I love lumpia from the local filipino food cart! These are so yummy, thanks to Pursuit of Functional Home. Now I’ll be able to make my own.

On to this week. A few guidelines:

 
1. Please follow my blog. Links are on the sidebar.
2. Keep it family-friendly. I reserve the right to delete links.
3. Have fun! Visit some of the other blogs and share some comment love.
4. Post my button or a link to the party somewhere on your blog.

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I Made It! Monday Fun and Easy Craft Ideas | Ninth Street Notions

I am in love with those “vintage”-style photo shoots. You know the ones I’m talking about: a lot of times you see a girl dressed up like can-can girl and a guy like a cowboy, or a gangster, or something of the sort. When I was 10, my grandma took my sister and me to Knott’s Berry Farm, and we had one done then. I fell in love with them then – the joy of dress up forever immortalized in a picture frame.

And so, ever since we got married, I’ve been bugging Erik that we needed to get photos like that. But we’ve never had a good opportunity. Recently, though, a photography company came through town and set up shop in a local store. As a surprise, my mom purchased a little package for us, so that we could get our first family photos done with Olive. And it’s all 1930s style!

We picked the photos up this last weekend. I adore them. Of course, the company took a number of pictures and tried to sell them all to us. However, for one reason or another, we rejected most of them. One, for example, had Olive looking all Victorian dead baby style. Um, no.

However, we bought a couple of them. The family photo turned out pretty cute, too. Especially since I insisted Erik had to wear the vest and hat they provided, although he didn’t want to. There was no convincing Olive she wanted to wear the adorable lace beret they put on her, though.

To proudly display the large family photo, I decided to create a little mantel to celebrate it. I added in a couple of vintage touches, as well as our family name sign to round it out.

My favorite little bird. This time around I determined he added a cute vintage flair to balance the mantel. Maybe he did, maybe he didn’t. But I love that little wooden bird and so he finds his way into a number of vignettes around the house.

The teacup adds a bit of brightness and fits perfectly with the look of the mantel.

And although I didn’t create a banner for this particular mantel, I felt it needed a little something. I found this vintage doily, and it was perfect! I love the delicate look it adds to the entire scene.

I can’t be the only one who loves these vintage-style photo shoots. What’s your opinion? Yay or nay? And have you had them done before?

Family Mantel Fun and Easy Craft Ideas | Ninth Street Notions

I love to get together with my friends. I’m always looking for any excuse, really. I haven’t really had the time, though, since Olive came along. It can be tough to come up with a whole dinner menu, execute it, get the house cleaned, and keep her happy. Olive (like all children, I’m sure), has an amazing sense for when I have my hands in something. When she starts crying, I’ve no doubt just put something on the stove or started mixing bread dough by hand.

But I was thinking about it all wrong. Maybe right now I can’t create elaborate multi-course dinners, but that doesn’t mean I can’t do some partying. Having friends over is enjoyable even if it’s for something as simple as dessert and coffee. In fact, maybe a bit more so because I appreciate the excitement and respite that much more. Plus, there’s a lot less pressure when you can simply hand over an adorable baby for your guests to ooh and ah over.

And so the work began. Erik was a big help getting the place clean and watching Olive while I did some cooking. We went shopping together at Safeway to make preparations. Safeway was awesome for finding everything. Because I knew I wouldn’t be able to bake everything I might like, it was great to have some pre-made options from the bakery. A yummy cheesecake with a simple fresh raspberry sauce is always delicious.

Since I still wanted to bake something, but didn’t have time for the elaborate coconut meringue cake I would have liked to make, I jazzed up a box mix with coconut milk instead of water. The filling was a pre-made lemon curd, and I frosted it with whipped cream. I was a little worried about too much sweetness, so I stopped in the deli and picked up some new cheeses to try. I got a sweet Irish cheddar, while Erik picked out a dill havarti.

For a bit of freshness, we picked up some fruit in the produce section. But, I couldn’t resist making some chocolate-dipped strawberries, too.

There were dishes of almonds for some crunch, and of course, everything was paired with Gevalia coffee. Since the party was at 3 in the afternoon, I didn’t want anyone to worry about caffeine, so we got a decaf coffee. My mom was so excited to find I was serving Gevalia. It’s her favorite. I got a number of compliments on the beverage of choice. Gevalia is ground extra fine for a rich coffee taste that’s always smooth and never bitter.

So, in the end I learned that even if you don’t have enough matching cups (Check out the three kinds just in this shot.) or enough time to do a lot of baking on your own, that’s no reason not to get together with friends. Rope your husband into some cleaning and call up your friends. Pick up some pre-made goodies like cake, fruit, and cheese, and you’re set.

What’s your favorite quick dessert to serve?

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Coffee & Dessert Fun and Easy Craft Ideas | Ninth Street Notions

Once again, we had a pretty busy weekend. Held a little party that I can’t wait to share the details with you!

But first, a little project from last week’s party:

What a fun way to decorate your outdoors! I’ve seen a lot of bunting around the blogosphere, but I think this is the first I’ve seen out of oilcloth, and it’s awesome! The colors are great. Be sure and check out the DIY Outdoor Bunting by New Wave Domesticity.

Did you know that when I feature your project I share it not only with my blog readers, but also my Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter followers? It’s a great way to get some exposure for your blog. Be sure and share that little tidbit with your fans, so they can join in on the fun!

Now on to this week’s party. A few guidelines:

 
1. Please follow my blog. Links are on the sidebar.
2. Keep it family-friendly. I reserve the right to delete links.
3. Have fun! Visit some of the other blogs and share some comment love.
4. Post my button or a link to the party somewhere on your blog.

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I Made It! Monday Fun and Easy Craft Ideas | Ninth Street Notions

I’m sure you all remember the date night anniversary present I planned. Well, I promised I would share with you some of the ideas I’m using. Here’s one of them, all based on The Princess Bride. Because, after all, how can you go wrong with such a fun and romantic movie for a date? Even if you have seen it a million times.

So I decided to go with your typical dinner and a movie idea. The initial idea came from Dating Divas. Except I didn’t love all of their ideas for food and everything. I knew it wouldn’t quite be up Erik’s alley. I left this invitation for him in his wallet, so he could find it the morning of the date.

Before he left for work, he winked and said he had a pretty good idea what date night was all about.

Now, the deets for the date. I found an idea from a restaurant for a dinner menu. Their menu inspired my own, but obviously with a few changes since I’m not a restaurant with restaurant sources.

(First off, I have no idea why I put “screeching” eel on the menu. I printed it out and immediately realized that that wasn’t right. But I didn’t feel like printing out another one. Ooops.)

I shared the BLT appetizers with you a little while back. The noodles were to cater to Erik’s love of Asian flavors. I thought it was a fairly clever way of mimicking eel when I obviously have no way of actually obtaining eel. For the ROUS, I cooked up some flatiron steaks on the stovetop. We prefer grilled steak, but we don’t actually have a grill. On the stove with a cast iron pan is actually a super delicious alternative.

Once dinner was over, we played a Princess Bride game I located online. We just did the free trial, so altogether this date cost nothing as I already own the movie. The game was fairly cheesy and basic, but it let us be kinda silly playing it together.

When the trial was over, and Olive had her bath and was put to bed, we watched the movie. It’s one both of us have seen a million times, but still makes me laugh. Maybe this wasn’t the most exciting date, but to me that’s not the point. We don’t have a lot of cash on hand, and we also have a baby to take care of. Dates are all about us, but they do have to fit into our life. A free date that allowed us to get little Olive to bed on time is just perfect.

In keeping with the theme, what’s your favorite Princess Bride quote?

Princess Bride Date Night! Fun and Easy Craft Ideas | Ninth Street Notions

Last week, I shared with you the BLT appetizer I made for my date night. I wanted to share with you the side dish I made for the same dinner.

Erik loves Asian-flavored everything. His favorite dish is pho, and we must go to every Thai and/or Vietnamese restaurant we see. Since that’s the case, I decided to make the noodle dish I was considering have an Asian flair to it.

Now, mind you, this isn’t terribly authentic, but it’s terribly tasty, so I think that works.

First, I started with some soba noodles. I love those things. They cook up quickly, and the noodles are a nice departure from the typical pasta, using buckwheat.

Cook those up and toss with diced yellow bell pepper and a sauce made of various yummy flavors.

Sesame seed oil, tamari, chili garlic sauce, rice vinegar, and a little honey.

Yum!

Just a bit spicy, but you can add more to taste. Because, I’ll let you in on a secret: I don’t really measure ingredients for a recipe like this. The amounts are my approximation. Just taste and go is my theory.

Asian Noodles: A Recipe Fun and Easy Craft Ideas | Ninth Street Notions

We’ve been having a lovely weekend here. We headed to Sumpter, OR for their giant flea market on Sunday. I scored a free end table that I can’t wait to get working on and share it with you. Yesterday we went mushrooming again where we didn’t have quite as good a score as before, but we had enough for dinner. Yum!

Now on to the party. A favorite from last week:

I just love fun party themes! And this cafe-themed baby shower was super cute. It came complete with a make-your-own-chocolate milk bar. Thanks to small fine print for this idea.

Now on to this week. A few guidelines:

 
1. Please follow my blog. Links are on the sidebar.
2. Keep it family-friendly. I reserve the right to delete links.
3. Have fun! Visit some of the other blogs and share some comment love.
4. Post my button or a link to the party somewhere on your blog.

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I Made It! Monday Fun and Easy Craft Ideas | Ninth Street Notions

Once again, we had a nice and busy weekend. Kinda tired the poor baby Olive out, though. We went mushrooming for the first time on Saturday. I had a great time! I was worried it was going to be like berry picking, which I’m not a huge fan of, but it wasn’t. It felt much more like a treasure hunt. Can’t go wrong with that.

Now on to the party. Here’s a favorite from last week:

What a perfect recipe to have on hand as summer comes quickly upon us! Strawberry Freezer Jam by Domestic Bliss Squared.

Now on to this week. A few guidelines:

 
1. Please follow my blog. Links are on the sidebar.
2. Keep it family-friendly. I reserve the right to delete links.
3. Have fun! Visit some of the other blogs and share some comment love.
4. Post my button or a link to the party somewhere on your blog.

<div align="center"><a href="http://ninthstreetnotions.com" title="Ninth Street Notions"><img src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb403/Amanda_Brandenberg/MadeItButton.jpg" alt="Ninth Street Notions" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

I Made It! Monday Fun and Easy Craft Ideas | Ninth Street Notions

My little family is the most important thing in my life, outside of my faith. To me, it is what most of my attention should go to. And why not? Happy families make happy communities. Working hard at my marriage and at raising Olive is what will set Olive (hopefully!) on a path to her own happiness in a responsible way.

Transitioning to motherhood has been a little difficult. I was used to being able to accomplish so much with my day. I was always busy – cooking, sewing, crafting, volunteering, and housekeeping. Taking care of Olive has seriously cut into all of those things. My house is not nearly so clean as it once was, although Erik is a doll and really helps out. I’ve only been able to do a little sewing. Cooking mostly involves getting out the frozen meals I prepared during my pregnancy. I do make sure to volunteer as much as possible, as that is very important to our family.

I’m sure you’ve noticed that blogging has taken a hit. I simply do not have the time to write as much as I used to while I’m taking care of Olive. Never mind the fact that I don’t have time to create projects that you all want to try yourselves.

Blogging will never be as important to me as my family, and so of course you know it will get back burner. But I still love creating and trying new things. So as Olive and I every day are settling into more of a routine, I hope to increase my blogging and crafting. I want to keep up with you all, so please know that I check out your projects that you post to I Made It! Monday. Keep ‘em coming!

Someday I hope to be one of those super moms you see in the blogging world. You know the ones – they have 20 kids, their house is immaculate, and their cupcakes are splendidly decorated. Just kidding. I’ll never be one of them. But as long as Erik and Olive are happy and healthy, I’m happy. Maybe I’ll even write a little blog post once in awhile. Until then, join me in my transition journey. Bear with my writing absences. Some of my topics will probably change as Olive grows, but I’m glad to share them all with you.

What are your tricks for finding balance in your busy life?

Finding Balance Fun and Easy Craft Ideas | Ninth Street Notions

We had a way busy weekend. Saturday we went to a wedding, which was lovely. Afterward, we went to go see The Great Gatsby. I had been dying to see it for over a year, so I was very excited. It was also the first time I’ve left Olive with anybody for more than a half hour. My parents watched her, and she did great. Erik was much more nervous than I was, I’ll tell you, though.

Sunday we had some vintage-style pictures done of our little family. I can’t wait to see how they turn out! Afterwards, our friends had a little gender reveal party. They’re expecting a girl in September. Another friend for Olive!

Now on to the party. Here’s a favorite project from last week:

What a pretty poppy teapot! It was created by La gang a Nat. Be sure and check out how she got inspired!

Now on to this week. A few guidelines:

 
1. Please follow my blog. Links are on the sidebar.
2. Keep it family-friendly. I reserve the right to delete links.
3. Have fun! Visit some of the other blogs and share some comment love.
4. Post my button or a link to the party somewhere on your blog.

<div align="center"><a href="http://ninthstreetnotions.com" title="Ninth Street Notions"><img src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb403/Amanda_Brandenberg/MadeItButton.jpg" alt="Ninth Street Notions" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

I Made It! Monday Fun and Easy Craft Ideas | Ninth Street Notions