Tools for Baby

Belle's teacher is expecting a boy, and we had her baby shower this past week at school. Now up until this point, most of my baby shower creations have been girly to the core so I had to do some major searching for inspiration. My inspiration came from a newly discovered blog that has quickly become one of my favorites. Ironically, it's called Girl. Inspired. She had made an outfit for her son that included a shirt with a hammer applique. I wanted to think a little outside of the box on this one, and ended up inside a box- a toolbox to be exact. Here's how I packaged my gift:

I found a toolbox at Target and used scrapbook paper to make a tag that said "Tools for Baby Lee." Then, I filled the bottom of the tool box with diapers, wipes, baby soap and lotion. It looked like this:

Then came my favorite part of the whole project. I made these adorable onesies:

I used felt scraps and my ever present friend Heat n' Bond, stitched around the edge of each tool with my sewing machine, and we were in business! :) I loved packaging these in the toolbox.

I was so glad to discover I can do boy gifts! :) There's a few more boy baby showers in the near future.

I can't wait to have some more fun exploring and trying new things!

Janessa

What a weekend!

We had a crazy busy weekend! The girls had two birthday parties on Sunday. (I love that we do Saturday night church now!) One was Rose's sweet friend from dance who was turning 4, and the other was their cousin who turned 7 last week. If you know their mama, you know Belle and Rose rarely attend a party without a handmade gift so I went on a crazing making spree this weekend. You think I'd learn by now to plan a little in advance so my weekend sprees wouldn't be so crazy! Here's what I made:

Rose's friend got an art kit, complete with a crayon roll, of course :)  Plus, an extra crayon roll for her big sister.
I put the art kit together in this:

Both my girls have bags like this that I fill up with activities we can do on the go.
We keep the bags in the car, and pull them out anytime we need them. The girls love it! We're hoping Ryann loves it too.

My niece got a spa kit complete with a personalized bath wrap
(just discovered how I could make these from a towel- super easy! YEAH!)

My nephew got a crayon roll too!

So excited about this cute "boy" fabric I found :)

I made the girls shirts b/c one of the parties had a "Rock Star" theme.
This is about as rock star as we get around our house- we're a little more redneck than rock star :)

Overall it was a fantastic and fun weekend, but for some reason I am exhausted...

Janessa

Best Daddy Ever!

The girls are growing up so fast! It seems the more they grow the smaller my house gets. At this point we are in a small two bedroom house, and the girls are sharing a room. I expressed my concern to my sweet husband a few weeks ago that the girls were in need of their own space. He started brainstorming and came up with a great idea. Not only did he come up with the great idea- he actually made it happen this weekend! :) Here's what he did:

The girls had bunk beds and a little space to play, but no space of their own besides their bed. So...

Daddy built super sturdy platforms and turned the girls' beds into loft beds! They love it!!!

He built a platform and we had stairs so both girls can easily get in and out of bed.

Belle loves what she calls "My play spot". She's been under there for hours writing in her diary! :)

Rose likes to take everything out in her spot and play in the living room :)

... or in the middle of the bedroom.

PLUS, as an added bonus- he hung shelves for me so we could organize all the bags we have- school, dance and Awana bags. I love this man!!

So Daddy was officially the hero of the weekend. Way to go Daddy! :)

Janessa

Happy New Year!

I am overwhelmed with the ways God has blessed me! As we usher in a new year, I couldn't let the day pass without highlighting a few of my favorite moments from 2011:

I look forward to the many adventures in 2012! :)

Janessa

My Newest Obsession

I seem to have a lot of these lately! I have been in super crafting mode this week. I am loving having time off from school to spend time with my girls and attack all the Christmas projects I've been putting off. Plus, it's been so nice I've moved my workspace to the table outside so the girls can play while I get all my projects done :) One of my favorite projects this week has been the crayon roll. I am by no means a skilled seamstress so this easy project is right up my alley. Just a few scraps of fabric, a hair tie, a button (you can substitute the hair tie and button with a ribbon) and my good old Viking and here's what you get:

I love it! Plus, you can change up the fabric to make it for boys, girls or even adults. I made one with colored pencils recently. I may just make one for myself to throw in my purse. I don't know about you, but I am constantly digging around in the bottom of my purse to find a pen. This would be a great solution to that problem! :) It's the little things in life...

I'll work up a tutorial on this the next time I make one.

Janessa

I've Officially Crossed Over...

Well, I guess I am finally giving in and admitting that I am officially a Dance Mom now. I'm not sure how to do this job, but I guess I'm going to learn :) Both Belle and Rose have been involved with Christmas shows with their dance studio, Tampa Bay Dance FX. They are having so much fun! This is uncharted waters for me because I grew up playing sports so I am counting on learning as I go. There is a little part of me holding out some hope that the girls will enjoy dance AND want to play sports. I guess only time will tell. Until then, here's my life...

Rose does the Penguin Cha-cha in this adorable little outfit. I wish I would have had my video camera out a few shows ago because I looked over when the show was finished and the girls were visiting with the audience, and Rose was signing autographs!

My one-legged elf. I couldn't get her to stand still for a picture.

One of Rose's best buddies just happens to be the owner's son.

Her choice for a future husband is a tough race between Owen and Buzz Lightyear.

The older girls at Dance FX are awesome with the younger girls. Belle loves Miss Mac!

Now, 10 years ago if you had asked I would have said I would never become a dance mom. Don't tell anyone, but I think I might actually be enjoying it. Shhh! That's our little secret! :)

Janessa

The Christmas Countdown Is On!

Last year I went looking on the Internet to find an easy advent calendar. I ran across the cutest idea at Tatertots & Jello and decided to give it a try. I grabbed a few cookie sheets at the Dollar Tree, some festive scrapbook paper and my Modge Podge (love this stuff!) Here's what I came up with:

I glue gunned a ribbon to the back to make a hanger for it.

I made these fun magnets by gluing scrapbook paper to small magnets.

The girls love taking turns each day putting a magnet on. Plus, as an added bonus when there's a picture of a candy cane on the magnet, they get a candy cane. When there's a picture of a present, they get a small present. I love the dollar section of Target for these little gifts. :) The 24th has a present which always ends up being new pajamas because you have to have a new pair of super cute jammies for Christmas morning pictures! Baby Jesus is our last magnet to remind us of the real reason for Christmas. The girls love it, and it was super easy to make :) Anyone else have a cute idea for counting down until Christmas? I'd love to hear any new ideas!

Janessa