Christmas Crafts For The Littles

I've been on the lookout for cute Christmas crafts to do with my sweet little, and I thought I'd share my top ten faves with my fellow mommies-of-toddlers. Some of these are cute ideas for Christmas ornaments- which I plan to do for the Grands. Some of these are just cute art ideas- because let's face it, what's cuter than a reindeer made by those precious, chubby little hands!

P.S. - I adore #7 and it may be a new tradition we start this year.

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

 

Six.

Seven

Eight

Nine

And last, but not least, number Ten.

Happy Monday, Lovelies!

Last Month To Be One {Birthday Plans}

Today marks the one month countdown until our sweet Mary Grace turns two.

Where oh where has the time gone, I ask.

I cannot wait for her special day so we can spoil her even more than usual ;)

We are doing things a bit against the norm for her special day. Instead of a big party, we decided to take her on a fun little beach trip.

Last year I went a bit over the top and we gave our sweet girl a wonderful first birthday party. But we know that, really and truly, when they are this little the parties are mainly for the adults.

I know by next year she will start wanting parties so she can have all her little friends over, eat cake, and celebrate. This year she is still so little that she really won't know what the big fuss is about, so we decided that as a family we would take a little trip to the coast.

We've booked our condo and all I have left to do is make her birthday outfit {of course ;) } and order her cake {we will take it with us for her special day}, and craft a cute banner.

Oh my, this is so much simpler than planning a huge party! Maybe she will ask for a beach trip every year!

I'm going with a Mickey Mouse theme, and have decided on the 'Oh Two-dles' idea for her cake and outfit {if you watch Mickey Mouse clubhouse, you'll totally get this}. I'm also thinking of making a cute banner to hang up, which I could also use for her 2nd birthday pictures.

Oh, TWOdles by bsjames on Polyvore

I can't believe I'm already planning for her second birthday!

 

Little Artist

I love doing artwork with kids. As a teacher, it was always my favorite time of day. Now, I get to do all those adorable, messy projects with my wee one.

Art supplies make us happy, happy, happy.

Finished masterpieces

Little one made this in her Sunday school class. Love those little scribbles!

Display Dilemna.
I've been brainstorming ways to display our little artist's masterpieces. Our stainless steel fridge is only magnetic on the sides- boo. Thus, I've had to look for ideas on how to display our lovelies in ways other than cluttering the fridge. I hit up pinterest and found some cute ideas. This is our art wall today- but I'm planning to add some cute chalkboard decals, ribbon, and pins to make a cutesy display.

 Pitiful, I know.

Inspirations

I'm thinking this design will work best for the narrow area beside our fridge.

Love the quote.

Here are some Pinterest inspired projects we cannot wait to try.

Perfect for Daddy to hang in his shop!

Great little happy for the grands.

Reminds me of the Halloween cards we made last year.

Here's to fun times spent making art!

Pinterest Project- {Sewing Closet Reveal}

I've been in desperate need of a sewing space for some time now. I had set up shop in our home office but it was such a hassle. I had to keep things packed up and out of the way of the hubby and little one. I am oh so in love with my new sewing closet. I don't have to constantly take things out or pack things up- which makes sewing so much faster and enjoyable.

I browsed Pinterest to come up with these inspirational designs.
We decided to go with this design for the shelving.

And here it is!

We had origianlly planned to use a kitchen counter for my workspace. I wanted something smooth that wouldn't snag my fabrics. We ended up using this large piece of crafter's board. It's super smooth and I love the way it looks. I added a light coat of stain and voila!

I could not be happier with the finished project. Tackling this project has jump started my motivation to complete others on our to-do list. Specifially, the tackle closet under our stairs. It's a jumbled mess of fishing poles, line, tools, and tackle boxes.

I am loving this design! We are thinking of doing something similar either on our porch or carport- that way it could also store our gardening supplies. I'll admit, the thought of moving the fishing gear  outside is very appealing!

 

That's all for today, lovelies!

Check back tomorrow for a very special Friday Five- complete with a jewelry giveaway!

Happy Thursday!

DIY Sewing Closet: Inspiration

I've plunged head-first into this DIY project : sewing closet. I wanted a small space where I can keep my sewing things- somewhere out of the way. My Dad and I are hoping to be finished within a week, so be on the lookout for the big reveal.

Until then, here are the inspiration photos we used to create our own plan of attack.

This is how we've decided on arranging the shelving.

Love the under-shelf lighting

Happy Monday!

Pinterest Project {growth ruler}

I fell head over heals for this DIY ruler growth chart on Pinterest. Super cute, durable, and easy to move {as opposed to marking on the door frames}.

I knew I needed help, so I did what every girl does- I called my Dad. He used this DIY step-by-step guide and the end result is fabulous! Now all that's left to do is hang it and start measuring sweet Mary Grace.

Happy Crafting!

Frame It Friday

Confession time.

• There is not one single photo of my child hanging on my walls.
• As a matter of fact, there isn't a single thing hanging on my kitchen or living room walls.
• I have so many things I want to display to help warm our home but never seem to tackle these projects.
• We have pictures taken every 3 months, yet I have not ordered any prints. Ever.

Please don't judge me to harshly. They say the first step to recovery is admitting your problem. Honestly, when it comes to framing pictures I really don't have any excuses- other than it has snowballed and become so large that I'm not sure if I'll ever catch up.

Baby steps, dear. Baby steps.

While browsing through Pinterest {where would we be without it, right?} I stumbled upon this link which gives 5 ideas on things to frame. Along with pictures, adding these are a sure fire way to warm up any home.

Hello inspiration!

 Music
Smile is one I always sing to Mary Grace when she cries, Shall We Gather At the River is my favorite hymn, Precious Memories was hung on my grandmother's wall and always reminds me of her, and Beautiful by Dee Carstensen is sung to Mary Grace each night {it was also played at our wedding}. Simple, easy, and meaningful!
 







Maps
I plan to frame a few maps of places I'd love to go as well as a map of our small hometown.

 

Personal History Documents
Love notes, Mary Grace's future artwork, cards from my great-grandmother,  letters from my dad..... anything meaningful. Right now, these precious documents are hidden away in a hat box in my closet. Soon they will have a new home where I can see them often and reminisce.

Toys
I'm going to add to this- childhood items. Whether it's Mary Grace's handmade smocked gown or her favorite book, or first birthday invitation -  these would be great to place on her walls!

{Love this idea of framed book covers}

{L.O.V.E how they framed the gown, bonnet, and shoes}

Recipes
Genius I tell you. I always struggle with what to hang in my kitchen. Problem solved.  My Granny's recipe for homemade cake icing, Nannie's bread recipe, Aunt Betty's hamburger pie {which she always baked for me in a heart shaped dish}....

There you have it - the top 5 favorite things to frame. I'm going to add one more category below.

Quotes & Scripture
I love quotes and have one for every occasion in life. While in college I started a quote book - just a simple little notebook where I keep my favorite quotes and scripture. It's great  to look through when searching for that perfect line to add to a card, or during those valleys in life.

 

What are some other fun ideas fit for frames?

Happy Friday, Ya'll!