Carter's Mickey Mouse Birthday Party Project #2 - Mickey Mouse Wreath

For Carter's Mickey Mouse birthday party, I wanted to make something cute to hang on the front door, but I was out of ideas.  I needed something easy and inexpensive.  I was lucky enough to run across this tutorial on Serendipity (Cristin has such a fun blog - be sure to check it out!), and I decided to make a tissue paper wreath.  I purchased the Martha Stewart fringe scissors that she recommended (on Amazon), and they made this project SO much easier.  Now I'm looking for other things to use my scissors on!

Here are some pictures of my completed wreath.  I embellished it with some die cuts that I purchased on Etsy (very inexpensive) but you ladies lucky enough to have a Silhouette machine or a Cricut could make your own.  I also added a paper-covered letter "C" (used Mod Podge to cover it) and some coordinating ribbons.  Total time spent on this project was around a couple of hours - super easy!

Now I'm thinking of so many other possibilities for these cute wreaths.  I am going to make an Easter one next.  Let me know if you make your own, I would LOVE to see them!



More easy and inexpensive projects to come, as well as full party details and pics.  Thanks for letting me share!

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Carter's Mickey Mouse Birthday Party - Project #1

We just recently celebrated our little Carter's 2nd birthday.  I'll be honest here and say that I haven't quite had my normal crafting "mojo" lately.  I normally go ALL OUT for every party, including lots of different DIY projects, so this is not normal for me.  Right after my miscarriage, I started getting really bad headaches, and have suffered since then almost every day.  I've been having some other pretty scary symptoms as well (numbness, dizziness) so I've pretty much worried myself sick.  I have been to several doctors, and will be getting an MRI done on Monday.  I'm honestly scared to death about this MRI, but I've been trying to distract myself as much as possible, and making things has always been therapeutic for me.  So, since my little man needed some special decor for his BIG day, I made a few little goodies that are very inexpensive and easy.  Just thought I'd share a few of my projects over the next couple of days, with a full party post coming soon!

My first project was this cute Mickey Mouse topiary.  I found the three styrofoam pieces at the Dollar Tree ($2 total for all three pieces), used a clay pot from Michael's ($1.67),  a dowel from WalMart ($ .37) and had red and black spray paint, black tissue paper, ribbons and paper shreds already on hand.  So, my total cost for this project was just under $5 including tax - can't beat that!

All I did was glue the styrofoam pieces together, spray them black (note - styrofoam doesn't take spray paint very well - it starts sort of eating away at it.  You should use a light coat if you are going to do this), hot glue the dowel into the bottom of the "Mickey" shape, and then stab it into the floral foam in the pot.  I then cut a bunch of pieces of black tissue, added some hot glue to the back of them, and stabbed them into the floral foam using a pencil eraser.  I added paper shreds to cover the floral foam in the pot, and then glued two white paper circles to the front to look like Mickey "pants."  For a finishing touch, I tied on some ribbons that matched my other party colors (red, black, aqua and yellow).  Easy, and very cute!

More projects to come, including an easy party wreath, some fun "subway" birthday art, and an amazing banner made by my mom!

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More Baby Gifts...Mod Podge and Chicks!

So yesterday, I shared my sweet little cupcake baby gift (if you missed it, click here), and promised to share what else I was sending to my sweet friend "down under" for her baby's nursery.  She chose the "Penelope" bedding from PBK, and I wanted to come up with something to match it.  Unfortunately, my budget was pretty tiny, so I used some things I had on hand to make a sweet frame for her baby girl's picture.  I think it turned out really pretty!

I used a frame that I purchased at a craft store (can't remember which one, but I am pretty sure it was JoAnn's - the great thing about this one was that it was already painted white - yay!  Saved me a step!)  I simply shopped my stash of scrapbook papers, and found one that matched perfectly with the bedding.  I used my trusty Mod Podge to apply the paper, and then sanded the edges off a bit so they would look more flush with the edge of the frame.  It looked sort of plain, so I made a couple of fabric flowers.  If you don't know how to make these, search "fabric flower tutorials" on Google and you'll find a ton of them!  I added a few feathers and some tulle (the key ingredients in all things girly, in my humble opinion) and voila!  A cute frame - for under $3 or so! 

See how pretty it looks with her bedding?

Next, I decided that I needed to send my friend's older daughter a little gift (after all, a soon-to-be big sister needs a little recognition!), and once I found these A-DORABLE Easter chicks at Hobby Lobby I knew  I  she had to have them!  I previously professed my love of these darn chenille chicks here - but I'd never seen all these colors until this year!  Love!!!  (See Jessica - I found blue ones - yay!!!)  I added a little note for the new big sister, and put them in a tiny pink lunchbox that I found in my craft stash.  What's that?  You don't have a tiny pink lunchbox in your craft stash?  Hmmm...maybe I do have a problem! Haha!

It looked too plain for me, so I had to add another fabric flower and some little felt leaves that my mom made for me - thanks Mom!

Look at ALL that cuteness!!!!!

The finishing touch was a little "chick" onesie and another little bib, rolled up and placed in a clear cellophane bag.  It's all in the presentation, don't you think? 

I hope my friend loves these little goodies as much as I loved making them.  And I hope she doesn't read my blog!  Georgie, if you are reading this, just don't tell me - I am hoping this will be a big surprise!!!!

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Thank you! And a Sweet Baby Gift...Part One

Hi friends!  I wanted to start off this post by thanking everyone, from the bottom of my heart , for your kind words regarding my miscarriage post.  Your thoughts and prayers truly helped carry me through some of my darkest days.  I am still dealing with the loss, and I definitely have some hard times, but I am slowly finding my way out of the well of sadness I found myself in when I wrote that post.  Thank you for sharing your stories and for praying for me - I truly appreciate it more than you could ever know!!!  I have some more thoughts to share, but I need to organize them in my head before I type them out.

Today I have a "sweet" idea to share for an inexpensive but oh so adorable baby gift. This is not my original idea, but this is just my take on it. I've seen these all over blogland and on Etsy, and I knew I could make my own! I actually shared a similar project here back in October.  I guess I really like cupcakes!

I did some shopping for a friend who lives in Australia and who is having a baby girl.  She wanted some bedding and decor from Pottery Barn Kids, and PBK doesn't ship to Australia.  The nerve!  As I was packaging up her goodies, I couldn't resist throwing in some sweet little things for her sweet little Annabel.  So, since I took an insane amount of pictures of my little creations, I thought I'd share this idea with my blog friends.  I am not doing a full tutorial, since this is pretty self explanatory, but I'll tell you quickly how I did this.

You will need:

• Onesies/socks/burpcloths/bibs - whatever you choose. For this example, I used a onesie and a bib.
• Cupcake liner
• Cupcake box with insert (I bought mine at Hobby Lobby)
• Hair clippie (or other item for topper - more ideas below)

What you will do:

Simply roll up the onesie (or whatever the larger item is you chose from the list above), and then roll up the bib around the onesie. You might need to adjust this a little bit, until it looks like a cupcake! I've seen these with all sorts of things in them - little socks sticking up out of the middle, washcloths, bibs, shirts, etc. The key is to get something that is not too bulky, otherwise it won't fit in your cupcake liner.  Once you have a shape you like, put a rubber band around your cupcake so it will stay together.  I recommend the little clear ones that are typically used for little girls' hair, but I didn't have any of those (actually, we probably own 10,000 of those, but I couldn't find any - big surprise!) so I had to use a regular old rubberband - I just hid it well (see how the bib edge is sort of folded over below?).

Next, you will need to add a cute little topper. For mine, I chose a little clip I made, and I just clipped it on to the onesie. I have seen little hair bows, even fake cherries and strawberries on these. Use your imagination for this part.

Finally, place your little cupcake in its liner, and then in the box - how easy was that?!?!? This is definitely a stand out gift at any baby shower - you are sure to get lots of "oohs" and "ahhs" over this little cutie.

Tomorrow, I'll be sharing what else was in my package sent to my friend in Australia - here's a hint - it involves Mod Podge and Easter chicks - interesting, no?

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Loss...

I don't normally post anything "heavy" on my blog.  I try to post about fun things we do, decorating projects, holidays, parties, etc.  Those are the moments I want to remember, not the times when I feel overwhelmed, or stressed, or I'm dealing with some problem or concern.  However, today I need to post something that is heavily weighing on me right now.  I need all the support I can get, and I hope writing this out will help me in some way.

A few days before New Year's Eve, I found out that I was (very unexpectedly!) pregnant.  Rodney and I were shocked, to say the least, but we were both very happy and excited to be adding a new member to our family.  I immediately started dreaming of having a new little baby to love, and started planning all of the little details (things like where the baby would sleep, whether I had kept the car seat carrier, etc).  I would find myself daydreaming about Carter being the big brother, and how much fun he and I would have at home with a new little baby to play with and take care of.  In Target I found two little pairs of matching baby booties on clearance - one pair pink, the other blue - and I couldn't resist snatching them up!  Oh, I had so many hopes and dreams for this new little baby.

I went in for my first OB appointment and had my blood drawn to confirm the pregnancy, and about that same time I started getting some major morning (all day) sickness.  I was so relieved that my progesterone level and everything else looked great!  I felt just like I did with every other pregnancy, and after the blood work came back I thought everything was going along smoothly.  I couldn't wait to tell the kids and everyone else.  I was so excited and just giddy with anticipation of all that was to come.  Rodney and I laid in bed at night and whispered about how crazy our lives were about to become with six kids.  We were both so excited and happy about the very unexpected turn our lives were about to take.

Rodney went with me to my first real appointment, because I knew that I would probably get an ultrasound.  After a quick check by my OB, I was sent into the ultrasound room.  I was a little nervous, but I had only had "happy" news in that room in the past, so I figured everything was going to be just fine.  Well, unfortunately, everything was not fine.  The ultrasound technician found that the baby was measuring a bit small, and had a slower than average heart rate.  The biggest concern, however, was that the baby had a large yolk sac.  I had never heard of a large yolk sac before, but the tech told us that it is often a sign of an impending miscarriage.  I couldn't believe what she was saying.  She said, in the same breath, that it was sometimes "nothing," and sent us to talk with our doctor.  Rodney and I numbly sat there and waited for my doctor to talk to us.  I was praying the whole time that he would say that everything was probably going to be ok.  Unfortunately, he gently told us that there was only about a 15% chance that the baby would make it.  He basically told me that I should go home and wait for a miscarriage to happen.  Devastated doesn't begin to describe how I felt in that moment.  I went home and cried for most of the day, and Rodney and I just kept looking at each other in disbelief.  Surely, our baby would beat the odds and be ok, right?  We had to hold onto hope, because statistics were not in our favor.  I prayed continuously for the next 48 hours.

After a couple of days of crying out to God, and doing everything I could to just get through the day, I started having some serious cramping.  I called the nurse and she had me come in for another ultrasound.  This time, we were shocked to learn that the yolk sac had shrunk!  My doctor said he had never seen this happen before.  I started to believe that maybe we were, after all, getting our miracle baby.  The ultrasound technician even said that she was "cautiously optimistic."  I prayed even more fervently and started to believe that maybe, just maybe, everything was going to be ok.  The heart rate was still low, and the baby was measuring a bit behind, but there was hope.  We were scheduled for another ultrasound this past Monday, and we were hoping to see a strong heartbeat and some growth.

We had to wait in the waiting room for an agonizing hour before we were called back.  I was told to get undressed as the tech left the room.  Lying on that ultrasound table, I cried out to God as I never have before.  I begged him, bargained with him, and pleaded with him to make this right, to heal our baby.  As the ultrasound tech started the exam, she turned the screen toward me, and I knew right away that we were not getting our miracle.  My hopes and dreams ended right there, with a dark ultrasound screen.  The next few minutes are a blur to me - plans were made for me to have a D&C since I hadn't had a miscarriage on my own, papers were signed, hugs were given and "I'm so sorrys" were said.  None of it made any sense.  Could this really be happening?  Surely not.  We were having a baby - weren't we?

Yesterday I was given a D&C by the same doctor who delivered my other three babies.  How awful it must be to be a doctor who is so accustomed to helping give life, having to see it end.  As for me, I still feel pregnant.  I would have been ten weeks along today.  My hormones are a mess, and tears have been covering my face all day.  The nurse just called to check on me, and I couldn't even choke out the words to tell her how I was feeling.  She wants me to call her back tomorrow because she is worried about me.  I am worried about me, too.  I can't believe that this is now a part of my story.  I want to believe that there will be another baby, but I am not sure if my husband wants to go down this road again.  I keep praying to God to give me peace, and I hope that with time that comes.  For now, I am holding my three precious babies close, and looking forward to the day that I will hold my angel baby in Heaven.

Miss you everyday

Miss you in every way

But we know there’s a

day when we will hold you

You’ll kiss our tears away

When we’re home to stay

Can’t wait for the day when we will see you

But baby let sweet Jesus hold you

‘till mom and dad can hold you…

You’ll just have heaven before we do

~"Glory Baby" by: Watermark

Christmas Memories - 2010

I wish I had the time (or actually the energy) to do an individual post on our Christmas activities this year.  We had a lot of fun, and did many of the things on my "wish" list - we went to ride the Pink Pig (an Atlanta tradition), we had an elf party, we went to the Christmas parade downtown, we decorated, we made treats for friends, we attended Lindsey's holiday dance show, we visited Santa Claus, we had fun with our elves, and we spent a lot of time together as a family.  Unfortunately Emily got very sick a few days before Christmas (she had either the flu or a similar virus, even though she had a flu shot.  At one point, her fever got above 106 degrees), so a few of our plans got thrown out the window.  We tend to have bad luck in the weeks surrounding Christmas as far as illnesses go - last year our entire family (except for Carter) had rotovirus!  Anyway, since I'm so behind on posting, I thought I'd just share a few pictures of our Christmas season 2010!

The Macy's Pink Pig:

Christmas Parade:

Lindsey's Holiday Show:

Snowman Treats for Emily's Classmates:

Some of the CRAZY Things Our Elves Did This Year:

Carter Enjoying His "New" Horse, Rocky - this horse was Rodney's when he was little.

Seeing Santa (poor Carter!):

Getting Into the Christmas Spirit:

Snuggly Christmas PJs

Enjoying a New Christmas Book:

Christmas Eve at Bebe and Bapop's House:

While I am sad that a few of our plans got messed up at the last minute, I am SO thankful for all of the fun memories we made this Christmas.  It was truly one of the best Christmases we've ever had!