Christmas 2011

I just realized I forgot to post any Christmas pics, so this blog is going to be mostly for memory's sake.

I set up a little mini photo shoot around our Christmas tree to get some cute pics for our Christmas cards.

Our family Christmas tree. 

Last year Khloe was a teeny tiny two month old. This year at 14 months old, she had a BLAST with the Holidays. She would barely be done opening one box before moving on to the next. Christmas takes on a whole new meaning when you have your own babies. We had a nice family dinner and then sat down to watch Miss Khloe make a HUGE mess of wrappers and bows in our living room. Here's a few pics:

 

 

She is very much into all things girly. She always has a baby doll on her hip and a purse on her shoulder. I think one of her favorite gifts was a little purse full of baby bottles and cups. She carried it around for the rest of the night. : ) 

 We left Mobile and headed to Nana's house. Mom bought her a tent and she was very reluctant to get in until her Daddy showed her just how to do it. I LOVE Mom's reaction. Too cute.

Next up, Gigi's house. Khloe and Lauren love each other. Kloko (as Lauren calls her) loves crawling all over LaLa! :)

Love my sweet sweet family!

 Silly girl. Everything has to go on top of her head!

Let's see how many pictures it takes to get a descent family pic:

Sadly, I didn't get any good pics from Nana T's house. Everyone's schedule was very different this year so the kiddos were ready for naps by the time we opened gifts. And as all you Momma's know, pictures during the crash of nap times never turn out pretty! We did have a wonderful time there though. Didn't want anyone to feel left out!

These are just a few of the 300+ pictures we took during the holidays. The saying really is true, "It IS the most wonderful time of the year." I can't think of anything better than family, food, and fellowship with the ones you love the most!

Crafty Christmas

If you follow my facebook, you already know that this was a CRAFTY Christmas. Just about everyone in the family received some type of handmade happy. I had so much fun creating and personalizing gifts. I do LOVE receiving a gift, but I have always loved giving more! Here's a roundup of some of the Christmas gifts I came up with. 

Christmas Dresses

Being the first time I ever made an actual outfit, I was quite impressed with the two ruffled dresses and pants I made from scratch (with no pattern) My little model wore these on Christmas and Christmas Eve! :)

  She was really hyper from opening gifts (and the Grandparents spoiling) so I didn't get a great picture.

Ruffled Tree Skirt

After putting my tree together, I decided it had been way too many years without a skirt and naturally the ones that I loved at Hobby Lobby were $79.99, so I decided to make one. I've had a huge roll of cream fabric that was given to me from my Grandma for probably six months now. Since I'm planning on buying a new tree and decor next year, the neutral color was perfect and would match just about any color tree!

Without using any type of pattern, I cut a huge circle and got started. Instead of sewing, I used hot glue to ruffle the remaining fabric strips around the skirt. (If you don't know already, sewing in a circle is not an easy task!) Just to be clear, this is NOT the type of craft you are going to finish in an hour. It literally took me FIVE hours to make this beauty. In the end, it was TOTALLY worth the hard work and extreme back pain from bending to glue. Total cost: FREE and you just can't beat that! :)

 

Therapy Sacks

Using leftover fabrics from previous projects, I made nine of these rice filled heating/ice packs.  My super sweet friend, Jessica Bellinger, had a huge supply of brown rice built up in her freezer and happily gave it away when I told her about the project. Attached to each pack was a really cute poem:

This little pillow filled with rice,
Is such a comfort that's oh so nice.
Microwave for 1 to 2 minutes on HIGH
and kiss those aches and pains goodbye.
Apply it to the troubled spot,
The heat will ease the pain a lot.
Or warm those little toes, so cold.
You'll find this nice to have and to hold.
Or freeze it for a little while,
And fix that boo boo up in style.
Instead of a compress made of ice,
Use this pillow of rice that feels so nice
ENJOY!!  *Love, Heather*

Personalized Gag Gift

My sisters and I LOVE gag gifts! We have an "inside joke" for Sun In hair lightener. Instead of sticking it in a boring little gift bag, I thought it would be fun to brighten it up. This method could be used on all kind of gifts to make it a little more personalized!

Personalized Wedding Ornament

Using strips of Tooy and Dustin's wedding invitation, I created a personalized ornament for their very first Christmas Tree. The theme of their wedding was peacock feathers and bling-bling, so this is what I came up with:

Adorable, right?!

Family Pictures

A few months ago, I swooned over this gold frame in my Grandma's storage shed. After some persuasion she finally gave in and said I could have it. She had no idea she would be getting it back, with an old picture I stole from her photo album.

Using the 4x6 original picture, my scanner, and color correction, I had Sam's Club enlarge this picture to a 16x20. My grandparents do not have any enlarged family pictures that include my uncle, Bubby, who passed away when he was 12 years old. Grandma hung the picture the first chance she got! :) <3

Ruffled Camera Strap Slipcover 
 For the two photographers in my life: Rebecca & Kelli :)

 

Fleece Tied Blanket

For my nephew's soon to be "All things that move" Big Boy Room.

(Check out sleeping Pappaw in the background. No surprise to all
of us family members!! And now you all know where Jd gets it from!) HA

Fleece Scarves

For my fashion-ista nieces.

Presenting America's Next Top Model: Elisabeth Tarpley :)

Bed skirt turned Apron

I bought this multicolored bed skirt at Goodwill in February 2010. I didn't know what I would do with it, but the material was so cute and for $.99 I had to have it. Around the Christmas season I pulled it out and instantly realized what I needed to convert it to: APRONS! Kelli & Tooty LOVED them!

The handmade tag was a quote from Julia Child AND Miss Piggy: "Learn how to cook. Try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless, and above all, have fun! -JC / Word to the Wise: "Never eat more than you can lift." MP   PERFECT!

Handprint Apron

Teresa always says she's having a "GRAND" time when she hangs out with her grandbabies. I took that inspiration and created a GRAND apron. Handprints from all the kiddos and ruffles on the bottom. Could it be any cuter? I think not!

Handprint Pillow 

Letter to Nana from Khloe: "I know you wipe some away, but this handprint was made to stay. So keep it forever, a treasure it will be. This is the hand you once held when I was only 1 year old. Love Khloe Brooke 12/25/10.  Mom, of course, made the whole family cry when SHE opened it and began crying! ;)   

Homemade Salsa

I didn't save hundreds of mason jars for no reason! All the guys of the family received large homemade salsa jars! How perfect?! Cheap and homemade. Perfecto! Want my recipe? Click here. 

Oreo Truffles

Last, but certainly not least, the desert our family ALWAYS requests I bring to Christmas dinner.

There were more gifts I wanted to share, but sadly, half of my Christmas picture folder was somehow deleted. :( Thanks for reading, and I hope I inspired you to create a few crafty gifts too! Make someone's day and do something special for them. You will most likely find that it makes you happier to give than to receive! :) 

Mother's Day 2011

My first Mother's Day was last year. Two months Preggo. I threw up one minute before I took this pic! After five months of trying and failing, I was SO excited to finally have a bay-beeee in my belly!!! :)

 

My Mother's Day 2011: a seven month old Khloe, fast asleep in her proud, protective, and completely fulfilled momma's arms.

The hubby surprised me with a six foot palm tree and the absolute SWEETEST cards from he and Khloe. I cried like a baby! I adore that husband and baby of mine. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, I was put on this earth to be a wife and Momma to my lovies! {kisses}

Although I would like there to be another date in the year (other than my birthday) that is all about me, Mother's Day is to be shared. Ha! I came up with some cute little crafty projects but couldn't blog about it until Mother's Day was over. {The moms in my life stalk love my blog and facebook, ha!}

I don't know about you, but my Mom and MIL have just about everything. So, instead of just sending the totally expected "I love you / Happy Mother's Day" card, I thought it would be fun to make something special for them. What better way than use baby girl's hands and feet?!

I probably spent two hours googling "mother's day crafts." I found a lot of "big girl" crafts, but not many for babies. I finally gave up and just headed to the Dollar Tree {love} for inspiration.

Here's what I came home with:

I used the back of a Diet Sunkist box to trace one hand and one foot. I couldn't keep Miss Wiggles still enough to individually draw them for each project.

 I flipped and re-traced for the opposite hand/foot.

So much easier when you have a template!

The styrofoam squares were 4 for a dollar and fit perfectly in the cute tin cans.

The store I was at didn't have any popsicle sticks, so I rummaged around the store until I found something that would work. Straws. It made it even easier to cut to different lengths.

Next up, hot glue. {How do people go through life without a hot glue gun?!?! I've been thinking that it's time for me to invest in an upgrade on mine!}

I cut the "stems" and glued to the straws.

The hot mess/crazy baby going on in the living room during this project

Blank ink, cute fonts, and printer paper.

I used scrapbook scissors to dress the label up. (Which, I'm not REAL sure who or where they come from, but I have like 10)

 And here's the finished project:

I thought they turned out real REAL cute.

Mother's Day cards: $3.99

Grandma's "bouquet" from 7mo Khloe: Priceless (or $4.00 a piece if you ask Dollar Tree).


And did I mention I made three corsages for three very special women?!!?

When I tried to order a couple, the florist told me they started at $29.99 a piece. I decided that it just couldn't be THAT hard. I ended up making THREE for $12.00. Apparently, this is the new business venture I need to begin. That's just crazy! :)

Hope you all had a wonderful Momma's Day!! I can't wait to see how much Khloe how grown by this time next year!

xoxo