Sock Monkey Hat and Shoes

I can not believe that it is December already! Seriously, where does the time go!? We've been busy around here, but I thought I would take a second to share another project. One of our fabulous teachers is expecting, so the princess and I thought this would be a fun gift to give her for Christmas. I have to admit that I love how these turned out. Don't know that the pictures do them justice, but we'll try anyways.

And here's a little close-up of the shoe. (I'm loving these soles!)

Jack Skellington

Last March, while in Disneyland, the prince wanted a Jack Skellington hoodie. He is a huge fan, it's one of his favorite movies. I wasn't willing to pay $50 for a toddler's sweatshirt however, and immediately thought, "I bet I can make him one." It's been a few months, but I finally made it. I figured now is the perfect season for it. It was my first attempt at freezer paper stenciling, but I doubt it will be my last. 

Let me just say, it's a hit! He doesn't want to take it off and he's been singing "Nightmare Before Christmas" all morning. Just in time for Halloween.

Owl Baby Gift Set

Let me start out by saying I don't do gender neutral. Everything looks either boyish or girlish to me. So when my cousin informed they were expecting their first and they wanted to wait to find out what it is, let's just say I was hoping they'd change their mind.  I have so many ideas for girl gifts or boy gifts, but zero that would work for either. I even contemplated making two different gifts and sending whichever one once I knew if it's a boy or girl. I ultimately decided against that though, because I want to send it before the baby is born (and that is a lot of work.). I'm not even going to tell you how many different shoes I made before deciding on these ones. (I can count at least four.) Here is what I finally came up with. Not sure how gender neutral it is, but I hope they like it.

Here is a better picture of the shoes. I embroidered "HOOT" on each sole.

So I beg of you, please, PLEASE find out what you are having for my sanity's sake!

Boo Banner

We are already getting into the Halloween spirit around here. We pulled out the fall decor today, so I thought I'd share my latest addition to our seasonal decorations. My porch was in need of a little something, so I created this burlap banner to hang above the entrance last year. This was a pretty simple project. All you need is some burlap, acrylic paint, and ribbon. Cut the burlap into the desired shape and size. (I cut  seven 13"x9" triangles for the flags.) Paint your design onto the burlap. Once the paint is dry, sew the ribbon along the top for hanging. That's it! Nothing too crazy--just a little planning! I'm still loving how it turned out. This year it is a little more weathered, but it still looks good. Now, I am thinking maybe I should make a couple of matching striped burlap pillows for the chairs out there.

Better Late than Never

My babies are growing up right before my eyes. The prince had his first day of preschool earlier this month and I'm just now getting around to posting about it. It seems that every time I blink weeks have passed me by. All he needed was a totally awesome batman backpack, and he was ready to go. I on the other hand am just a little bit sad. I must admit it is rather strange for me to have time at home with no children there. I do kinda miss them. They are fun to have around most of the time. I hope they are off having wonderful adventures, and I can't wait to hear about every single one of them.

Super Boy!

I finally got a the Prince/Punk's pictures done. They turned out better than I thought they would. I have to admit I was worried. The boy doesn't hold still for long, but I think we captured him perfectly. Here are a few of my favorites from the shoot.

 Such a stud!

Painted Chipboard Letters and Canvas

This shelf and picture frame were looking a little lonely and practically every time I would walk by they would beg me for some company. I've been thinking about this for awhile, and have made a few different attempts to put something here. I'm a Wizard of Oz fan and thought it could be cute to add the phrase "no place like home." Other than that, I wasn't sure exactly what I wanted. My first failed attempt was a typography image transfer onto canvas. For some reason my image turned green, and let's just say didn't work in the space at all. My second attempt was subway art using all of the addresses we've lived at. Loved the design and concept, but something about it just wasn't quite right. The latest attempt I think may be the winner. This was a simple and quick project. I glued the chipboard letters onto the canvas and then painted the whole thing. I'm kinda loving the subtlety to it. The space looks a little less empty now, it could still use an accessory or two, but I think we are off to a good start!

First Day of First Grade

The princess has her first week of first grade under her belt. She LOVES it! Everyday we pick her up the first thing she tells us about is lunch.The girl is excited about the cafeteria. She is so happy to be in first grade and be going to school all day. I must admit that I am going to miss having her around all day, but I couldn't be more pleased that she loves school so much. I took my camera to the school with us to get pictures with her and her little friends on the first day, but she wouldn't let me take any.  Apparently I am already embarrassing, so I just have to settle for the ones in front of our house. Can't believe how fast she is growing up!

Sugar and Spice + Spunk to Spare

I've been terrible at pictures lately, so I decided it was high time we did a photo shoot with each kid. I have one shoot finished and am thrilled with how it turned out. Let's hope the other one turns out this well. (Fingers crossed.) I am having such a difficult time even picking which ones to show here because I love them all so much!  

I cannot tell you how much I love this girl!

Ready For Some Relaxation

We've been busy around here as usual. I always have this vision of nice and relaxing things in my head, but it rarely turns out that way. I've also have been horrible at getting pictures of our adventures along the way. Have no fear though, I took the little princess out for a photo shoot and got some gorgeous shots I will share later. Until then I plan on relaxing and wish I could do so here.

Image via Australian stylist Lara Hutton. I love her stuff.

A Warm & Sunny Weekend!

It is finally so warm and sunny here! It will only last a couple of days, but I will take all of the sunshine I can get. I thought I would share a few paintings today from one of my very favorite shops on Etsy, Janet Hill Studios. These paintings are the epitome of sunshine and cheeriness to me. They make me want those long Summer days. Enjoy. I'm heading out and basking in the sunshine, while I've still got it!

Disneyland

A few weeks ago we had the opportunity to go to California for the princess’s National Cheer Competition (more on that to come later.) It just happened to take place right across the street from Disneyland, so we went there too. Our kids are the perfect age where they can ride pretty much everything, but are still young enough to be into it all. Plus, they had never been before, so we were all really excited. My sister-in-law and her husband met us there for a couple of days, and we had a blast. We literally had no down time. We fit everything in in those few days, in between all of the cheer stuff. We totally lucked out on the schedule this year. We’d wake up early for competition, and then would race over to Disneyland after, then repeated it the next day. The princess came home decked out in Pirate gear and has decided on a pirate themed birthday party this year. While the Prince was obsessed with Jack Skellington from Nightmare Before Christmas. Both sang "Yo-Ho Yo-Ho, a Pirate's life for me." for a couple of weeks. Not your typical choices for most kids at Disneyland, but I love it. We all came home thoroughly exhausted, but oh so happy! Can’t wait until next year, although I need a nap just thinking about it.

I'm Still Here

After about a year of neglect, I decided it was about time to get back to my blog. I’ve had a few people out there ask where I went and if everything is alright. We are all here and doing well, we have just been busy. Honestly, I have thought long and hard about whether or not to say farewell to my blog for good. I just couldn’t decide if blogging was a waste of my time. After a long hiatus I have decided that I’ve really missed it. I need somewhere I can document what is going on with my family, keep track of all my constant inspirations, and share my latest projects, and a blog is as good of a place as any other. While I probably should have a separate blog for each of these things, I’m awful enough at one blog; I don’t think I could manage multiple ones.  I figure this is probably more reflective of me anyways.  So please come in and stay while, and be sure to come and visit often!

Image over at Real Simple. Sadly this house isn't mine, but a girl can dream.