a couple of birthdays

I really can't believe this adorable little man is already one!  Remember the waiting game here.

My sis-in-law made these cute cupcakes with sun bathing teddy grahams. Ha!

Check out this awesome banner with a picture from every month of his first year.  Great idea.

Seashell cake balls in a beach bucket, love it!

Auntie and Unk's gift for the little guy, thought I would share this pinterest inspired wrap job. Hand crafted fabric flower and yarn.

And this adorable guy here just turned 30!

We threw a plaid themed party at our local favorite restaurant.  I used a ton of recycled materials as well as some pinterest inspirations.  It was an all around fabulous night!

I made this denim runner from our old jeans that were destined for the thrift store.

Penant plaid banner. Can you guess which one is made from recycled boxers?!

Cupcakes from Elizabethan Desserts.  I made the little flags for an extra plaid kick.

The tent was mr. roundys gift from me.  I couldn't resist making him open his gifts inside the tent!

Oh and here are our diy invitations!

quick valentines

We are out the door for our weekend outdoor adventure... but I wanted to be sure to show you two easy valentine crafts you could whip up in no time!

Using old book pages, or scrap book paper of your choice either punch or cut out heart shapes.  Simply double up the hearts and feed them through your sewing machine to your desired length!  If you don't have a sewing machine, don't worry, just glue the string in between your two stacked hearts.

Using inspiration from family chic and a photo I found on Pinterest, I set out to the hardware store to find the materials they suggested.  I wasn't impressed with the reinforced clothesline so I used some old floral wire I had at the house and wrapped it with yarn of my choice.  Super simple, and really cute!

88th birthday party

Happy Birthday to THE BEST employee I've ever had, Helen Porter.  The work ethic of this woman astounds me!  I've been blessed with some amazing help in my career, but this one takes the cake...ha.

photo party hats

black flag printable from hank and hunt

free printable from hank and hunt

I love wrapping presents!

hand stamped paper from Nepal

jersey rosette from our wedding

gift wrapping

Oh blogging how I miss thee.  Started a new job, had a quick visit to Las Vegas, and took a vacation to Yosemite all within the last 3 weeks!  I'm looking forward to catching up on housework and crafts this weekend as well as celebrating my 1 year wedding anniversary.

I did however manage to whip together this neat wrapped gift... it all starting with the Pinterest inspiration photo you see below.

tara anderson on flickr

Originally I planned to punch out my own flowers from scrapbook paper but then I realized my mom sent me a book of pre punched flowers by K&Company.

So I popped out the pre punched flowers and ran them through my sewing machine to create a paper flower garland like you see in the inspiration photo.

The finishing touch was a card I had in my collection and a mini clothespin.

p.s. yes, I will accept praise for actually completing a Pin.

change of address postcards

Inspiration:

tiny prints

To reality:

And I don't even own Adobe Photoshop!  I actually used the Pages program on my trusty Mac computer. For these beauties I used Avery Postcard templates with recipient address labels on the back.  I ran a little short on time {due to the move} so I didn't print the recipient addresses directly onto the postcard, instead I used these.  

p.s. postcard stamps are really cute at the post office right now!

photo party hats

I used this adorable picture of mr. roundy...

to make the party hats you see here.

This party essential was so easy to make I don't think I will ever buy these at the store again!  On a 8½ x 11 piece of card stock I printed the above picture of mr. roundy.  I then printed a template for the hat shape, downloaded from Martha Stewart, also on card stock.  I cut out the template and traced the shape onto the desired part of the picture.  Cut out the shape and use a blade to cut the slots as identified on the template. After assembly be sure to tape the slotted closure.

martha stewart

martha stewart

The directions suggest using 8 inches of elastic cord for the hat.  I measured my own head to estimate the desired size for adult {you will need to adjust the size if the hat is for children}.  I followed the instructions and attached the elastic cord with tape.  Unfortunately that technique didn't last the whole night.  My suggestion would be to hot glue the elastic cord to guarantee it will stay put.

birthday party for mr. roundy

I threw mr. roundy a little birthday party at a local pizza joint. The theme was black & white photography.  There were lots of photos of him through the years, in black & white of course, and a few old school party treats to make this party a success!

mason jar photo frames

carrot cake {cupcakes} with cream cheese frosting

old school pinwheels and party blowers

the happy birthday boy

Stay tuned, tutorials on the following party details to come:

- photo party hats
- carrot cake {cupcakes} with cream cheese frosting