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Thursday, February 28, 2013

A Baby Shower- Baby Girl Butler

"You Are My Sunshine"

This is where it begins...the invitation. (side note: I could've sworn I took a lot better of a picture than this, but when I looked through my pictures, this is all I had. Sad day!)
Now, I am fortunate enough to have this amazing husband who bought me this glorious cutting machine called Silhouette Cameo. <click the link to check them out> I could go on and on about why this machine is one of my favorite inventions, haha. I will just tell you a few things for now:
  1. Not only can you cut paper but this little gem also cuts vinyl, fabric, adhesive labels, and it also prints for smaller projects.  
  2. You can cut out stencils for ink stencilling onto fabric, or you can cut fabric with the fabric interfacing, and you can cut out heat transfer material...thus, you can design just about anything you want to transfer onto fabric or clothes. 
  3. All of the designs are done on your home computer which will also use the fonts that you already have. No need for expensive cartridges for every little project! They also have a HUGE online store for designs that you can purchase, and most are only $.99! AND, every week, there is a new FREE design of the week for you to download! Score!
Ok, enough about the machine and more about my creations.  For the baby onsie I used this design. I then separated out the pieces and just used one of the onsies, made it just big enough to fit into my envelopes and then filled it in with my wording.  I first printed out the words with this super cute gold sparkle (which was more yellow and even more perfect since the party colors were pink and yellow), then I cut out the shapes.  I know it's a pretty simple looking invite, but a lot of the girls loved it.

I also cut out pieces for a banner with this same shape. Added some simple circles in the middle and the letters to spell "BABY". Here are the pieces and the finished product which I hung with clothespins and line.


I know you can't see the lettering in this shot, but I wanted to show that we hung this near the entryway with the party favors and clothespins for the "Baby Word Game".

It looks like I am starting out with the decorations so I will show you my next banner. (then we'll get into the yummy food and some fun baby shower games)

Here is a shot of it where you can see the letters the best. This is when I finished it at home. This is a more simple banner. I used my machine to cut out circles with a scalloped edge then cut out the letters.  Used some double sided sticky tabs to stick the letters on. Hole punched a couple holes in the top (I have found this is the best way to do it vs. just one hole) then threaded it through some matching ribbon. Between each circle I tied on some white/cream tulle to give it a little flair. You could also add on some wire ribbon along with the tulle (I didn't think of this until it was too late).  
I know you can't see the letters in this, but this just shows you how I hung the banner behind the food table. I added some tissue poms to hide the pins I hung the banner with. I used this same trick on the banner I made for Elise's party. In fact, yes, those are the same exact tissue poms. They were hanging in Elise's room so I just borrowed them from her. haha.

In a picture to come you will see framed: Tori's ultrasound picture and another piece of subway art I created on the Silhouette that says "You Are My Sunshine"
Next are the favors and prices I put together:

Here are the prizes I put together. 
  1. Candy Shaped Washcloths. Here is the link to the tutorial. The only thing I did different was use adult washcloths so that the girls that won them could actually use them. 
  2. Next are just body poofs. You know, those little mesh spongey things we girls love to use in the shower. I just wrapped those in some pretty cellophane and tied them with cute ribbon. This is what I had attempted to do but failed miserably... "Cupcake" Favors. I obviously gave up and went for something not as cute. 
  3. Last was  just a mini bottle of Bath and Body Works' Sweet Pea hand sani. 
Here's one of the favors I made. I will post a separate easy tutorial on how to put these together. Not that I don't think you could figure it out on your own...but just in case. 

Alas, the food!




The menu: (as you can see on the table, I also made labels for the food on the table)
  • Veggie Tray with dip (from Costco)
  • Quiche Lorraine and Spinach w/ Artichoke Quiche (I had originally planned on using mini quiche but Costco was out, so I got 2 full sized quiche in one pack from Costco)
  • Lemon Creme cookies
  • Raspberry Lemonade Punch- 1 or 2 cans frozen raspberry lemonade, 2 liter Lemon/Lime Soda or one of those jugs of Lemon Lime soda that are bigger than a 2 liter, 1 regular tub of raspberry sherbet. Float some cute little mini rubber duckies on top! 
Fondue Station Menu:
I made this sweet little sign stand (easel) with my Silhouette. I think I will be using that design a lot in the future. The sign I just used a border punch on a piece of cardstock and stuck on the menu I printed from my printer. 

Last are the games. I so wished I had taken some pictures of the ladies playing them. I think overall everyone enjoyed them. 
  1. Blindfolded Diaper Change- 
    1. To prep: Put diapers on some stuffed animals/dolls and bring an extra diaper for each pretend baby. Bring enough bandanas to use as blindfolds for each girl. 
    2. The game: Put the girls in teams of 2. Have them all sit on the floor, as this is the easiest way to do this.  Place a diapered pretend baby in front of them and give them their extra diaper. Then blindfold all of them. The first girl will need to remove the diaper from the pretend baby and then put the new diaper on. Then pass the new diaper to their partner along with the old diaper, then that girl will need to change the diaper. The first ones to finish need to throw their hands up and say "done" and they are the winners. 
    3. We had to do this a little different b/c not as many girls showed up as planned so we had enough for each girl to have her own pretend baby and diaper. The winner was whoever finished first and put the diaper on correctly. This was so funny to watch b/c a couple of the girls had put the diapers on the stuffed animals in the craziest ways. One put a leg and arm in the diaper instead of 2 legs. We were all busting up at this. That is definitely one I had a picture of. 
  2. Baby Word Game- This one is a common game at baby showers. Unfortunately, it was not a successful one at this shower. No one ended up winning this one. 
    1. To prep: Buy enough clothes pins for each guest. You can get the cute mini pink/blue ones that they have at the party or craft store. These are usually around $3.99 for a pack of 5-8. I think these are supposed to be used more for part of your favors or decor. I personally think the beter way to go is to head over to the craft store and buy regular old clothes pins for around $2.99 for 20 or so (sometimes you can even find mini or medium sized versions). Then buy either pink/blue (or whatever color goes with your theme) craft paint for about $.99-$1.49. Then just paint those little clothes pins however you like. Personally I think that is the cheapest fastest method. You could also Mod Podge any color/patterned paper on the craft store clothes pins...but that is a lot more work!
    2. The Game: Pin to your guests as the arrive or once everyone has arrived you can go around and pin them on everyone and then explain the game all at once. Whatever you prefer. Explain to the guests that any time someone says the word "Baby" you can steal a clothes pin from them when you catch them. Whoever has the most pins at the end of the shower or just before you do your last event (i.e. opening gifts) wins a prize. 
  3. What's In The Bag?-
    1. To prep: Buy 5-8 small baby related items. You can pick some up for cheap at some of these places: the dollar store, Big Lots, Walgreens or sometimes the grocery store has decent prices. You will also need to pick up some brown paper bags (I got a good size pack at the Dollar Tree).  Bag up each item in it's own paper bag and then staple them shut. Number each bag with a marker. *You may want to make your answer list before you bag each item up.* Place all of the bags in a basket or small box.  You will also need to provide a piece of paper to each guest for them to write their answers down on. I chose to just make a little template on my computer and print it out. I just put "What's in the bag?" at the top and numbered 1-8 with lines for the answers. 
    2. The Game: You can either place the basket in front of the guests and let them take turns passing along various bags or you can hand them out one by one and give them each an allotted time to feel the bag and write down their guess as to what's inside.  At the end, check their answers and whoever has the most correct answers is the winner. You may end up with a couple. Here is a list of the items I used for the game: pacifier (binky, soother, plug), teething ring, baby powder, diaper cream, diaper, 1 baby sock (if you put both that makes it too easy. the girls kept guessing nursing pad, which is a good idea!), spoon, small bottle. 
  4. Guess The Size of Mommy-To-Be's Belly- 
    1. To Prep: purchase either ribbon, string, or use some leftover streamers from your party decor. I just bought a couple rolls of baby themed streamers at the Dollar Tree. 
    2. The Game- have each guest tear off a piece of string/ribbon/streamer that they think will measure around mommy-to-be's belly perfectly. Whoever is the closest (or spot on) is the winner. 
Alright, well I think that about covers the first baby shower I have ever thrown. Overall, I think it went pretty well. Unfortunately the weather was a bit awful that day and not as many guests showed up, but we still had a fun little crowd and I was pleased with how my plans turned out. 

I just wanted to add that the best part of this is that it was done on a limited budget and I think it can be done with even less than I spent. I am contemplating starting an Etsy store one day where I make homemade party decor. That will probably have to wait until I have a separate craft room though. Until then, I just tell my friends that if they would like me to make anything, that I would love to help. I am willing to work with you on designs and such. So, if you have a party coming up, let me know if you would like something made and let's see if it can be done. Pricing depends on the item and supplies needed. 

Your feedback is much appreciated and loved. Please send me some love :)
















MIA Since October 2012



Friends and followers, I am so sorry I have been MIA for 4 months. I seem to be on and off with my blog posting. Lots has happened since my last post.
I think I will tell the story with pictures...that sounds more fun! Don't worry, I'm still kind of sticking with the theme of my blog and including photos of creations (crafts/decor/food)

So first comes Halloween:
This is my little display area on top of our bookshelf in our living room.

Aren't we cute little kitties?! Answer: at least one of us is :)


Next comes early November: Elise had her first birthday! I had so much fun planning her little party and decor. Despite the fact that my husband thought it was a little over the top...but HELLO, she only turns 1 one time! And, it definitely wasn't over the top in comparison to some of the party ideas I was looking at on Pinterest! Here are a few pictures from her party...
Someone was a little sleepy during cake time, but she still enjoyed the frosting.  I made the little cake which was a boxed spice cake mix and homemade cream cheese frosting. I bought the little roses that are along the botton of the cake. The banner is something the I only assembled since I didn't have my Silhouette yet. I went to a store called Pebbles In My Pocket in Orem and bought the banner pieces, cupcake pieces and letters. I then hole punched the banner pennants and strung it onto jutte. Next I tied gold, cream and pink tulle in between each piece. 
The theme was Sugar and Spice. I made a little subway sign which you can kind of see in the back left corner of the table.  I wrapped forks and straws in a brown napkin then tied them with jutte. I placed those in a shoebox I recovered with just some brown wrapping paper and decorated with flowers. I also made strawberry cupcakes with the same cream cheese frosting. In the front are mini cinnamon rolls from Costco. For the kids that were there I made PB&J star shaped sandwiches and ham and cheese crescent shaped sandwiches. For favors I ordered these amazing sugar cookies from The Sweet Tooth Fairy and had them write the letter "E" on them. I had to bag these up in cellophane bags and tied them up with ribbon. Not Shown are crackers and a couple of dips. Sticking with the spice part I made some Cheesey Buffalo Chicken Dip (you can find the recipe on the back of a regular sized Frank's hot sauce bottle) and the other dip was an Artichoke JalapeƱo dip from Costco. Also not shown, b/c it was on the kitchen counter, is an Italian Soda station. We had both vanilla and strawberry flavored syrups and club soda. 


Here is a little better shot of the banner which I also embellished with tissue poms I made. They covered the push pins nicely :)


Phew...ok next comes the big holidays... We drove to Canada for both Thanksgiving and Christmas to visit my husband's side of the family. The first trip was mostly so that the hubby could go elk hunting with his uncle. And of course, we had to take the trip up for Christmas so Elise and I could spend our first Christmas up there. Overall, it was fun to be with family for almost 3 weeks. I know not everyone is as fortunate as I to have married into such a great family. I feel pretty lucky. 

Here's just a little of December:

Again, this is my bookshelf display. 
We discovered this adorable children's store called Three Little Monkeys. This was outside of their store. We just got a kick out of how Santa had crashed into the tree and he was barely hanging on.
Someone is NOT a fan of Santa! lol. This was at Jorden's Campbell grandparent's house. 


Shoot, let's rewind a little bit... just before we left for our trip... actually, at approximately 6am December 8th we found out some big news!   
Wahoo!
Alrighty, back to the timeline... so we're up in Canada and basically the whole trip I am cursed with morning sickness pretty much all throughout the day. I still managed to finish Jorden's Christmas present:
I thought this fabric was just fitting since he was on this kick to get an Elk! The front is flannel and the back is minky. What a cozy quilt! This is my first so it was a pretty simple pattern. 


Ok, so my "morning sickness" and all the throwing up lasted on and off until I hit 15 weeks.
I'm finally feeling 100% and able to craft and cook my little heart out again. And let's just say, I've been trying to take full advantage.

A few things you will see in the posts to come (not in this order):
  • Pictures and tutorial from a baby shower that I threw for my dear friend Tori
  • Recipes for homemade marinara and meatballs
  • Greek Souvlaki wraps
  • My Italian Flag inspired pasta- This is one of my besty's faves!
  • Homemade burp cloths, a baby quilt, swaddle blankets, and a couple other baby items (along with links to their tutorials)
  • My attempt at making a nursing cover
I know, lots of baby related crafts right now.  What can I say though, I have 5 friends that are pregnant right now. This does not include my own baby to come.  3 of my friends are actually due next month, so I really have to get down to business with my sewing machine! I've got some great fabric coming in for a quilt I am making for one of these girl's baby boy. I am just ecstatic about making this quilt and am hoping to have it done in time to mail it to my mother-in-law to quilt for me. I can't wait to show you all! 

I hope you all are just as excited as I am for these fun and delicious posts to come.