Embellished Pillows

Pillows are fun and easy to make. In this tutorial I will show you how to embellish your pillows with pleated fabric. You can embellish other things with pleated fabric. You could embellish the front of a sweater or dress, a picture frame, book, or book mark with pleated fabric. You cold embellish a hair clip, headband, or make shoe clips. Okay, you get the idea! I just got a new chest for Sophia's room. I put it below her window and planned to make a cushion and throw pillows for it. I thought I'd make it look like a window seat. I still need to make a seat cushion but I just finished the pillows and I like the way they came out. I was inspired by Emily from Jones Design Company to embellish pillows with pleated fabric. I cut three long strips of fabric. You can use any kind of fabric you want. Or grosgrain ribbon would look really cute too. I don't measure too often. I'm just kind of that way when it comes to crafts. Sometimes it's not a good thing though and I end up having to redo things and it's a major hassle so I'm not recommending this. Anyway, I made sure the strips were all the same length and estimated how long I thought they should be. I spaced each strip out … [Read more...]

What’s New With Sophia?

What is new with my baby? It has been a while since I posted any pictures of Sophia. I have dozens but since she is moving all over the place so very few of them are of her not looking away or covering her face. She's wild, funny, full of energy and teaching us new things everyday. She loves to crawl around, show everyone how big she is, say Dada and Mama. What is new with my baby? Below are a few photos to show you.  Recently I tried putting sunglasses on Sophia before we went outside and she didn't like it! I managed to get a couple shots while I held her hands down to prevent her from taking them off! It's not easy getting good pictures of her these days. We went to her Grandpa's Birthday party in Orange County and she loved being in the swimming pool with Dada and her step sister Lauren and step brother Devon. The first time she's been on her new bike she got for her birthday. I think she likes it! She had fun at the park, crawling around with Dada. This is the first time she's crawled on grass. She loved it! … [Read more...]

Make Playdough at Home

Have you ever made your own play-dough? It's easy to make playdough at home. And it's a great activity for kids. It's fun for them to get involved in the process and it is not as messy as you would think.  The recipe is quick and easy and  you probably have all the ingredients in your pantry. I found the idea on  Pinterest. It is from this website (http://www.childcentralstation.com/2013/03/homemade-play-dough.html). What you will need: 3 cups flour, 1.5 cups salt, 6 tsp. cream of tarter, 3 tbsp. oil, 3 cups water, food coloring Mix all the ingredients in a big pot and stir over medium heat for about 2 minutes until the dough forms by pulling away from the sides. Knead the dough into balls until it gets the consistency of play-dough. Place the dough in plastic bags and add food coloring. I think this is the most fun part of this activity- squishing the food coloring into the dough. Make playdough at home and have fun! … [Read more...]

Ribbon Covered Hair Clips

Last time I was at Hobby Lobby I saw ribbon covered hair clips. The clips were covered with grosgrain ribbon and looked simple and cute. I was inspired to make some myself. I finally took the time to do it today. It didn't take much time at all. This is another basic tutorial I'm sure you could figure out yourself but maybe this will give you a little motivation to do it. These are cute for yourself, your daughter, or as a gift for a friend.   You'll need a few basic supplies; metal hair clips, grosgrain ribbon, glue {fabric or hot}, & scissors Step 1: Roughly measure a piece of ribbon a little longer than the ends of the clip & cut. Step 2: Place glue on the parts of the metal you can put glue on. Step 3: Carefully place ribbon evenly over the clip. Step 4: Place a small amount of glue on the inside of the clip, fold the ends in & place over the glue. Very simple! If you can get your toddler to hold still, put one in her hair. Hopefully your toddler won't pull it out like Sophia likes to do. … [Read more...]

Easter with my Baby {2013}

Easter with my baby was low key and uneventful! A couple of days before Easter, I took Sophia to get her picture taken with the Easter Bunny. I was a little worried she might cry when I handed her over to this huge person in a rabbit costume. She totally surprised me. She acted like I was handing her over to her Dada! The photographer snapped away while she just sat there. It was really cute. I loved it!  Lauren, (Sophia's half sister) came to visit and Sophia has been in heaven ever since we picked her up. Saturday night they had fun dying Easter eggs. Easter Sunday was a mellow day. We attempted to head up to the village in our home town, but the snow was coming down (as you can see above). We did a quick turn around and went back home. Dada and Lauren went and saw a movie. Momma and Sophie played with her new blocks. My Mom and Brother Billy sent me a picture from Dana Point- enjoying coffee before Mass on Easter Sunday. Happy Easter 2013 … [Read more...]

Party Favor Bags

 For Sophia's Birthday Party I made very simple party favor bags. This is another simple DIY project. They are so easy and come out looking pretty cute. I used wrapping paper for the material. You can use any kind of paper you like that works for you. I like using wrapping paper because I can use it to wrap packages and have things coordinate. I also used this wrapping paper to line the envelopes I made for the invitations. I measured the paper 9.5 x 11 inches and cut. Place the rectangle in front of you and equally fold the two sides in. I used a glue stick and covered a half inch along the edge of one side and placed the edge of the other side over the glue. I folded the bottom up about a half inch and glued it down to the bag. You can fold over the top and use a sticker to close the bag. Or I folded the top about an inch down and then punched two holes and tied a bow through the punched holes. … [Read more...]

Letter to My Baby Girl

My Little Angel, I want to write down some of my favorite things about you so I never forget this stage of your life. I love your enthusiasm and energy. I love how you wave your arms, kick your legs, and roll your little ankles when you are excited. I love that you love people especially when you get their full attention (like at the grocery store or post office). I love the way you throw your arms up to show them how big you are followed by vigorous hand clapping. I love your sweetness. I love when you lean over without any request with an open mouth and give me a kiss. This is one of my favorite things. I love when I tell you to lay your head down and you lay your little head down on my chest. I love your sense of humor. I love when we laugh and you mock us. I love your forced fake little laugh! I really love to hear the real Sophia giggle. Your giggle lights up my day. One of the cutest things you do is wait for me to come get you in the morning. I watch you in the monitor standing up, just waiting. You look around observing your surroundings, you make happy noises, bounce up and down, and just wait. Sometimes it’s fifteen minutes I will watch you in the monitor … [Read more...]

Feeling Lucky this St. Patrick’s Day

I'm feeling lucky this St. Patricks Day. It was a beautiful day to be up on the mountain with my family. Being Irish, I've grown up with hearing things like , "If you're lucky enough to be Irish, then you're lucky enough." I feel like I am very lucky. I think a general sense of optimism accounts for some of this luck. I have a feeling of good fortune that comes from knowing I have friends and family that care about my well being. Choosing to focus on the positive more often than on the negative — and to consciously think of the things I’m thankful for — have played a part in my feeling lucky on more days than not. What about you? What is something (or who is someone) you feel grateful for today? What makes you feel lucky? A Great Quote and Reminder Feeling Lucky to be Blessed with this Little Girl  May the road rise to meet you, May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face, The rains fall soft upon your fields. And until we meet again, May God hold you in the palm of his hand. May God be with you and bless you: May you see your children's children. May you be poor in misfortune, Rich in blessings. May you know nothing but … [Read more...]

Is Your Baby a Picky Eater?

My baby is a picky eater! It's one of the most frustrating things; preparing healthy food for your baby/toddler only to have them toss it on the floor or turn their head or keep their mouths shut when you try to feed it to them. When this happens over and over, it gets very discouraging. It's hard not to feel guilty as a mother about what my child is or isn't eating. However, after researching this topic, I've discovered that my daughter’s picky eating is not my because of me. I've learned that picky eaters are born, not created. Although this news is reassuring, I still want to do everything I can to find nutritious foods she likes. When I find something healthy she likes I am  encouraged and want to share it with any one else out there struggling with this same dilemma. This recipe is from my friend Amber who makes all kinds of homemade baby food her baby loves (lucky her). She brought some over the other day and we tested it out on Sophia. She really liked it, which made me feel good. Roasted Bananas and Blueberries Arrange 3 bananas (unpeeled) and 1 pint blueberries on a baking sheet. Roast in a 350 degrees F oven until the berries burst and the banana peels are deep … [Read more...]

Baby’s First Birthday Party

We just celebrated my babys first birthday party. We had a small celebration for Sophia's first birthday on Sunday. She had no clue what was going on but the adults enjoyed it and I had fun putting it together. I made a banner (Sophia is 1), tissue paper flowers (you can find the tutorial here), party hats (you can find the tutorial here), and gift bags (you can find the tutorial here). You can learn how to make a table runner like the one in the picture here. We served spinach salad with chicken (you can find the recipe here), bread from Schat's Bakery, fruit, and cupcakes from Mimi's Cookie Bar.  The favor bags were filled with dark chocolate covered acai berries. We made a simple flower arrangement of long stem pink roses. We blew up a picture of Sophia and put it in front of the fire place. She was amused by the life size picture of herself! The babies looked so cute in their party hats. Sophia held hands with her little boyfriend Timmy! Mommy was proud! Daddy was happy! Sophia was a little overwhelmed! … [Read more...]