Sara Stoff

Bye blogger!

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Stoff) — Tue, 04 Mar 2014 20:15:00 +0000

Ch-ch-ch-changes! I have been working behind the scenes on a big move! Today my new site is up and running. The web address is the same but the blog portion has a slight change. sarastoff.com/blog/ is the new home for my blog. If you follow via bloglovin it should change over without you having to do anything but may repost a few old posts. Go check it out!

makeup

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Stoff) — Wed, 19 Feb 2014 11:00:00 +0000

The girls got some Barbie makeup from a friend. The pictures really speak for themselves and I get teary eyed every time I go through them. Lilly is becoming such a good big sister and Rosie looks up to her so much. Watching them love each other makes my heart ache in the most beautiful way.

Lilly + Cheetah

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Stoff) — Tue, 18 Feb 2014 11:00:00 +0000

This picture is from Nolan's last birthday party. Lilly asked the face painter to make her a cheetah even though it wasn't an option on the board. Cheetah's are her favorite she says. Carolina kindly obliged and she was so happy.

Last month we were standing in line at Animal Kingdom to go on the Kilimanjaro Safari. The girls were playing around on and I was watching the animal info video that runs on loop. When a cheetah came on the screen I got Lilly's attention so she could see her favorite animal. Soon after she laid eyes on the sprinting cheetah it took down and killed a baby antelope. Yeah. Her commentary went as follows: A cheetah! Where? (gasp of excitement) Oh! (concern) OH NO! (baby antelope down) NO! Mommy! Why did the cheetah do that?! Insert a life lesson on the food chain and circle of life that she listened to about a third of and we were happily on the safari. Cheetahs are still her favorite for now. But her reaction to the reality of cheetahs was priceless.

7/52

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Stoff) — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 19:01:00 +0000

"A portrait of my children once a week, every week, in 2014."

Lilly: Playing at school with a friend who she says she "got in love with".

Rosie: Enjoying some alone time while sissy is at school.

Valentine's Day Party

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Stoff) — Wed, 12 Feb 2014 18:52:00 +0000

When I was a kid my mom always made a big deal of holidays. We had little Valentine's Day parties every year usually with just my sister and I and maybe a friend or two. Now as a mom myself I realize how much effort my mom put into making these little occasions so special. I catch myself thinking that making little things special isn't worth it. I rationalize by telling myself that the girls won't remember or appreciate my effort.

This year my mom set up a little Valentine's Day party for my girls and they loved it. Rosie only ate the sprinkles off the cupcakes. Lilly at the sprinkles and icing (but no actual cupcake). Icing was everywhere and the squeals filled the house.They loved coloring in their little notepads which came in heart covered pails as a present. It took just a few little things to send them over the moon. It was one of those days when your foolishness slaps you right in the face.

Today I'm thankful that every day is new and that I can put my foolishness aside and learn to love my girls in new ways. And I'm thankful for my mom who still makes a fuss over the little things.

Meet and Make with Sarah Hearts

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Stoff) — Tue, 11 Feb 2014 11:00:00 +0000

Last Thursday night Amy and I attended the Valentine's Day Meet and Make hosted by Sarah of Sarah Hearts. It was so much fun to catch up with Sarah and makes some new friends too. Sarah had a mixed media project set up for us and we created some cute Florida and Valentine's inspired art.

Amy and I arrived at the same time, which was late, because of kids. We were 'fashionably late'. I didn't get any before pictures of Sarah's set up or delicious treats but as you can see in the aftermath photos above everything was great. AND I finally got to hug Jordan who I met via Instagram. I'm pretty sure we are kindred spirits.

It was such a great time. I am more and more impressed with Sarah every time I hang out with her. Girl is going places. Mark my words.

6/52

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Stoff) — Mon, 10 Feb 2014 11:00:00 +0000

"A portrait of my children once a week, every week, in 2014."

Lilly: She is getting so smart. She can write her own name and mine (mommy). And drawing hearts is her new thing now. She did all the above on our chalkboard wall and got almost as much chalk on her face as on the board. I may have cried some happy tears when she unveiled her creation.

Rosie: Epic post nap bed head. I couldn't just choose one shot because duh. Those eyes and cheesy smile. I am so thankful she gets to be mine.

Leu Gardens

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Stoff) — Fri, 07 Feb 2014 11:00:00 +0000

On Monday, Rosie and I went to Leu Gardens with some friends while Lilly stayed out at the beach with Nana. It took Rosie about an hour to come out of her shell but when she finally did she was all over the place.

I brought along my new 50mm lens and should have used it more to get some practice but the company was too sweet to not enjoy. So thankful for these families in my life.

playing in the sink

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Stoff) — Wed, 05 Feb 2014 11:00:00 +0000

I have wanted one of these vintage step stool chairs for such a long time. I finally bought one from a local antiques market and the girls immediately claimed ownership of it.

While Lilly was at school I let Rosie climb up the stool and play in the sink. Later I noticed the similarity to some pictures I took of Rosie having a sink bath almost exactly a year ago. Her little hand against the sink in both sets melts my heart. It's amazing how time flies.

family time

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Stoff) — Tue, 04 Feb 2014 11:00:00 +0000

Some of Ben's family has been in town (at the beach) for the past month. The weather hasn't been the best for the beach- we are having an unseasonably 'cold' winter here in FL but it has been nice to spend time with the family nonetheless.

Lilly and daddy playing a game.

"Pretend that my name is Sydney and that I'm five and that your my big sister and that this is my baby giraffe." Talking and pretending all. day. long.

Rosie 'helping' gigi with her puzzle.

5/52

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Stoff) — Mon, 03 Feb 2014 18:54:00 +0000

"A portrait of my children once a week, every week, in 2014."

Lilly: On the carousel at the Magic Kingdom this week. On this specific trip we watched Mickey's Philharmagic for the first time and Lilly LOVED it. She kept the 3D glasses on almost the whole time and reached out to grab things several times. I teared up. Man, I love Disney.

Rosie: Barging her way through some rose bushes (ouch) to get to the fountain. Girl loves water.

The Garbage Truck

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Stoff) — Wed, 29 Jan 2014 11:00:00 +0000

Yesterday, when the garbage truck went by, Rosie jumped and turned to look at me with fear in her eyes. I went and sat with her and told her the truck was just loud. But it was outside and couldn't hurt us.

As I sat with her and thought about her fear I wondered if that is how God sits with us. He listens to our fears and thinks about how silly they are. He considers how little we understand about the world we are in and His nature. He is so gentle with me. He shows me my silly fears and tells me that He is bigger. He is so much more.

Canvas Restyle

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Stoff) — Tue, 28 Jan 2014 11:00:00 +0000

I had a few old canvass... canvas?...canvai?... I had an old canvas (we can pretend its just one) that I don't care for much anymore. I decided that instead of selling/thrifting/giving the canvas that I would simply repurpose it. I painted three coats of white over the print to create a clean slate.

The Wizard of Oz was one of my favorite movies as a kid. Dorothy was my go-to costume and I had my own ruby slippers made for me by my mom. So when I was thinking about what to do with my newly clean slate this seemed like a natural next step.

I printed out the words I wanted to use and cut them out to create a stencil. I used a felt tip pen in a light color because I was concerned about poking through the canvas with a ball point or pencil. Then I used acrylic paint to fill in the letters. The house is made out of washi tape (from target) and painted on the heart to add some color. Then I painted the edges of the canvas black (looking back I wish I had done that first).

4/52

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Stoff) — Mon, 27 Jan 2014 11:00:00 +0000

"A portrait of my children once a week, ever week, in 2014."

Lilly: playing in the tub. Girl does not want her picture taken these days.

Rosie: 'helping' in the kitchen.

Buttons

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Stoff) — Sat, 25 Jan 2014 19:04:00 +0000

My mother-in-law has brought back assorted vintage buttons for me from two trips to the UK. I have only ever used one of these buttons. They are so special to me that I have a hard time committing them to a project. It feel too final, which is silly because I could just remove them in the future and re-use them but still. So they sit in my sewing box like little hidden treasures. Do you have anything that is too precious to use?

3/52

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Stoff) — Tue, 21 Jan 2014 00:53:00 +0000

"A portrait of my children once a week, every week, in 2014."

Lilly: being bribed to pose "kissing" the shark.

Rosie: loving life and the swings.

2/52

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Stoff) — Wed, 15 Jan 2014 16:25:00 +0000

"A portrait of my children once a week, every week, in 2014."

Lilly: late night coloring while face timing with Nana.
Rosie: discovering that magnets work on the dishwasher too.

winter at the beach

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Stoff) — Fri, 10 Jan 2014 20:21:00 +0000

january is my absolute favorite time of the year to visit the beach. it is just a bit more calm and cool. And peaceful. We have family staying at the beach which makes it even better. apologies to those of you living in really cold places right now. ;)

Cardboard Washing Machine

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Stoff) — Tue, 07 Jan 2014 11:00:00 +0000

There is irony in the story I'm about to tell.

Yesterday I had the itch to paint something AND had a card board box laying around from Christmas so I decided to make the girls a washing machine. I got the idea from a post on Apartment Therapy (originally found here) and added some color to match a pink kitchen set recently gifted to us.

I used an xacto knife to cut the hole and acrylic paints and a sharpie to decorate. The paint heart was unintentional and just about made my day. Also- I did end up having to put a little hole in the side of the door so the girls could get it open if it was pushed in too far.

I really love making things out of card board boxes because they last long enough for the kids to enjoy and can be easily tossed when they no longer play with it. Disposable toys are a small house's best friend.

Oh, and the irony- I did this instead of doing my own laundry... which desperately needs to be done.

1/52

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Stoff) — Sun, 05 Jan 2014 03:18:00 +0000

Taking a leaf from Miss James, "A portrait of my children once a week, every week, in 2014."

Lilly: Playing in the sand.

Rosie: Exploring the tide.

Christmas Crack!

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Stoff) — Sat, 14 Dec 2013 17:25:00 +0000

It's that time of the year! Christmas Crack re-post.

This recipe was handed down to me from my mother-in-law. I'm not sure where she got it but it is pretty much like putting heaven slathered in gold (or something that tastes good) right into your mouth. We call them Sweet Chex. Make them. Trust me. Your family (and you) will thank me.

Supplies Needed:

1 box of Chex cereal (corn chex will turn out more crunchy then rice)

1 cup of butter (2 sticks)

2 cups of brown sugar

1/2 cup corn syrup (I use light)

a dash of salt

1/2 tsp baking soda (yep, soda.)

a double lined grocery bag (extremely necessary)

wax paper or cookie sheets (multiple) for cooling

First make sure you have one paper grocery bag inside of the other and pour in your chex cereal. Then you boil the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and salt in a pot for a minute and a half. It will bubble up and look weird but that is normal. Next remove it from the heat source and add the 1/2 tsp. baking soda and stir. (The puffiness will go down a bit.) Pour your mixture over the chex in the bag and roll the end up.

Then you microwave this puppy. Microwave it for four (4) minutes taking it out every minute to shake. And shake it up good. But be careful because it will got hotter with each minute. I eventually have to throw a towel over it while I shake. When your four minutes are up you pour the chex out onto your wax paper (I use wax so they don't stick) and spread them around with a spatula. You can let them cool for a few minutes and then put them into tupperware or mason jars or whatever! You will probably have to break them up a bit as they clump together as they dry. I always make at least one batch for my family and then make another and divide it into mason jars, add a ribbon and deliver them to family and friends.

They are super easy to make and so good. They take a total of 15 minutes from beginning to eating. I am literally eating them as I type this up. No joke.

Enjoy!

♥

SWAG BAGS!

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Stoff) — Fri, 22 Nov 2013 18:16:00 +0000

1. Culture Flock Clothing 2. Everyday Party Mag 3. Piper Polish Co. 4. Kori Clark 5. Pen and Paint 6. Sunshine and Carousels 7. Chrissie Grace Designs 8. Houndstooth and Nail 9. Jamberry Nails 10. The Twinery 11. Kidecals 12. Shimoshi Hair Fragrance 13. Bleue Boutique 14. Ashley Brooke Designs

Amy put it best- the swag is out of the bag. We had so much fun assembling swag bags for The Crafty Social attendees. And we were really overwhelmed by the generosity of our friends and people who simply don't know us! I loved every bit of swag. And I especially love the bags provided by Culture Flock Clothing because they were just too perfect for our event. The whole heart is made up of creative supplies for crying out loud!

And a special offer for you! Kidecals who provided the cute keyboard decals is offering a coupon to you! Use code "BLOGTHISKIDECALS" for $5 off your purchase! So check them out! I mean, you should probably do yourself a favor and check everyone out. We definitely hit the jackpot with sponsors.

ps- Amy has way cuter pictures of the swag on her blog so you should probably check that out too.

♥

The Crafty Social: Recap

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Stoff) — Mon, 18 Nov 2013 14:06:00 +0000

I don't even know where to start. This weekend was amazing. The Crafty Social went off without a hitch (haha- well, kinda. but what event doesn't have issues) and we were over the moon!

The mixer was so fun. Brooke from Indie Booth set up here photo booth for us and had a ton of amazing props. Carmen of The Flaire Exchange made the amazing tassel garland backdrop for us. I may or may not have hogged the Photo Booth. (spoiler: I did) And Jenny of Jenny Anyway ran around taking pictures of all the beauty. She has such a great eye. I am so excited to see the shots she got.

ps- The photo booth pictures are up on Indie Booth now!

We had macaroons and Yum Yum cupcakes. Jelli of Peplum Events did an amazing job setting up our dessert table and making flower arrangements for the tables. And let me just say the flower arrangements were uh-maz-ing. There were gigantic purple flowers that turned out to be cabbage (wut) and cotton. Actual cotton. There were flowers in pumpkins too. Yeah. Not to mention she assembled all the arrangements right before the event. Girl has mad flower skill.

Our guests arrived and had a blast. The laughter from the photo booth was contagious. I think I got a chance to say hi to everyone. And it was so great to see people making new friends. Desserts were eaten. Drinks were drank. Fun was had.

At 8:20 we drew a name to give away one more ticket to the DIY workshop, which went to Megan, and we transitioned into the back room where the crafting supplies was set up. The swag bags were waiting for our guests and it was so fun to watch them dig into all the fun stuff. Then we gave away two amazing door prizes. I taught a hanging yarn planter DIY (which I'll share later this week) and Sarah of Sarah Hearts lead the group in painting wood beads for statement necklaces. It was great to be able to talk with the group in a more intimate setting and see all the different takes on the necklaces. Each was unique. It was such an inspirational atmosphere!

BUT The Crafty Social would have been nothing without our attendees. I am so thankful for each and every person who went out on a limb and chose to spend their Saturday night with two gals from instagram. The internet is real, my friends. The supportive community. The kind words. The friendships. It's all real. See it for yourself! #thecraftysocial

If you came to The Crafty Social- thank you. Amy- thank you for sharing this dream with me and working with me to see it come to life. Sarah and Jelli- thank you for taking a chance with two strangers from the internet. Jenny, Carmen, Brooke and all of our sponsors- thank you for making our event unforgettable. It was such a great night. Let's do it again, ok?

ps- we want to hear about your experience at The Crafty Social! Link up below!

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♥

It's almost here!

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Stoff) — Thu, 14 Nov 2013 17:15:00 +0000

On Tuesday night, Jelli, Amy and I went to Sarah's house to prep for The Crafty Social. I am so excited that this is happening. If you are local in please come by!

Saturday Night. Downtown Credo. 7pm.

Things I don't want to forget.

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Stoff) — Mon, 11 Nov 2013 17:25:00 +0000

I have really enjoyed spending some one on one time with little Rose since Lilly has been back in school. She has such a sweet little personality. There are so many things I'm afraid I'll forget. Like how she pats the ground whenever she wants someone (or something... like the duckies) to sit next to her. And she has this pose she does any time you pull out your camera. She sticks one arm and leg in the air (the other arm too is she's not using it for holding something) and sticks her tongue out. So so silly. She learned that one from big sister. She loves being outside. She especially loves dirt. If she can find it she will have a hand full of it. When we are at the park she is constantly bringing me things. A stick, a rock, a leaf, a blade of grass. Then she goes back and fourth between wanting to hold them and wanted me to hold them so she can go gather more. I sure do love that little nugget.

Rosie's black leather bow care of Un Petit Meow. Check them out. We love them!

♥