Picasso Pumpkins

When it came to carving pumpkins, I drew a blank!  I wanted something easy but not the typical jack-o-lantern face with triangle eyes.  Then it hit me... Why should I have to come up with anything?  I employed Little Miss Eleanor to do the honors of drawing the face.  Brilliant! 

 

Looks just like her, right??

 

 

They turned out better than they would have, had I drawn the face.

 

...and thus, Picasso Pumpkins were born!

Happy Halloween!

My Girls

I'm still here... just coming off of a brief hiatus.  We just celebrated a couple of birthdays which called for a brief photo shoot.  Since my version of Photoshop was on our computer that was lost in The Great Flood of 2012, I have been using a new photo editing website called Befunky.  (What's The Great Food of 2012, you ask?  Well, while the rest of Ohio was in a drought, our home, that was up for sale, was under water due to a faulty toilet hose.) Anyways, Befunky.  It's very similar to the former editing site, Piknik, and although I miss Photoshop, Befunky has some fun effects and makes editing quick.  Without further adiue...

 

 

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Thanks for stopping by, have a great day!

What She Wore Wednesday

Welcome to another round of What She Wore Wednesday. 

 This week Little Miss has decided to pair a whimsical floral top with a vibrant floral skirt.  This loud number begs the question, how much floral is too much floral?  Throw in a pair of striped leggings, because no outfit is complete without a few stripes, and PRESTO!  You will find yourself on the next episode of What Not to Wear. 

Today’s Tip:  When combining patterns, consider sticking to a theme.  Go all in, especially when working with a floral print!

What She Wore Wednesday

Welcome to another long awaited installment of What She Wore Wednesday, featuring my two year old fashion guru, Little Miss.  This week's outfit isn't the wildest thing she has ever come up with.  You certainly won't find this beautiful butterfly sun dress and polka dotted leggins in Vogue, but I wouldn't pick a fight if she wanted to leave the house in it. 

 

  

This outfit worked its way into the What She Wore Wednesday series mainly because of the way her two sidekicks are dressed.  

  

Check these darling babies out!  On the left we have Baby (Yes, her name is Baby.) She is sporting a pair of brown, orange, and yellow patterned slacks with a manufacturer-issued pink blouse.  She likes her britches large so she chose a 9 month size.  On the right we have Sally.  She chose to go topless but kept her outfit conservative by pulling her size 2T pants up to her armpits.  

 

Disappointed that she has been shown up by a couple of infants, Little Miss suggests that you stop back next week so she can prove she is still the best dressed, most fashionable two year old you have ever seen!

Sweet Memories

Just so you are up to speed, our family has recently taken up residence at my Grandma's.  She is recovering from a hip fracture and since I have been blessed with both the ability and the flexibility to help care for her, we packed up and moved in for awhile. 

Living with Grandma can be a real challenge, but it has its perks, too.  One of my favorites is the chance for my girls, husband, and myself to make new memories with her. 

As we were taking a Gator ride today, we drove past the beach area at the pond.  I commented about the out of control weeds and almost instantly my mind flashed back to a time, so many years ago, when I was in that very spot with my Grandpa. 

Grandpa and I had spent the day pulling all of the weeds from the sand and spreading fresh, soft sand over the beach.  He would dump the sand from the skid-loader bucket and I would work it around with the rake.  As we finished up our job, I remember him taking the rake and tediously making perfect lines in the sand.  Then, as we walked across it toward the house, he suddenly picked me up and said, "When you only see one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you."

What a sweet memory!  A sweet, priceless memory of my faith filled Grandpa!  I love knowing that we are creating moments like this each day that we are here.  There couldn't be any greater compensation for my work!

Home For Sale!

     Adam and I have been in the big-decision-making business lately.  About four weeks ago, we were offered the opportunity to move in with my Grandma to help care for her as she recovers from a hip fracture.  Without looking back, we made the move.  It isn’t quite as noble as it might sound as the benefits are pretty good for us, too.  This move put us closer to our family, our friends, Adam’s work, and a community that has always felt like home.  Living with Grandma is an open-ended, but temporary, arrangement.  Even though it seems to be going well on both ends, I’m sure she is as relieved as we are to know this.  She gets stronger and more confident every day and soon she will be able to stay by herself again! 

      This led us to our second big decision. We have known for some time that selling our home was in our future, but with our house sitting empty while we stay at Grandma’s it seemed silly not to try now.  So, we did it!  We put up the For Sale sign!

 

Just in case you are looking for real estate in Vandalia, here’s a few reasons you should buy our home.

 

It is an incredibly charming cape cod home built in 1956.  It sits on ¾ of an acre at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac.  The tree-lined yard offers tons of space and the privacy to enjoy it.  

  It has 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a full finished basement, and boasts many custom features such as a built-in book case, window seats, and wall paintings.  One of my favorite features is the beautifully restored hardwood floors that run throughout the house. 

 

 Basically, it is the perfect home!

 

I know I'm biased, but I'm only presenting you with the facts!

If you are interested in more details or a private showing please contact me!

leah.koenig@live.com

What She Wore Wednesday

Welcome to week three of What She Wore Wednesday, my take on popular blog segments that share style tips, ideas, and how-to's.  Here, I share the fashion stylings of my two year old.  Be prepared for some serious style inspiration!

 

Never mind that it was close to 90 degrees today, boots-with-da-fur are always a good choice! 

 

And who said that wings were only for bugs and fairies?  

In her hands she is holding plaid shorts which became an unseen addition to this attractive outfit.

 

Today's Tip:  Furry boots are never out of season, no matter how bad they make you sweat!

Thanks for stopping by!  Check back soon for more fashion inspiration!

What She Wore Wednesday

Welcome to the second installment of What She Wore Wednesday where I feature the incredible fashion stylings of my two year old, Little Miss.  As I've said before, all outfits in this segment are of her own making!  They have not been staged in an effort to deliver a funny photo.  They are a genuine attempt, on her part, to pick out clothes that she thinks look nice, and I've decided that instead of fighting with her about it, I would just take her picture and share a laugh!

Here we go...

 

She knew enough to put her pretty pink tights on with her fancy church shoes.  She just forgot that they would look best with a dress.  

 

Today's fashion tip: Tights can be worn under a dress or all by themselves.  Pink or nude colored tights look extra special when they give the illusion that you are wearing no pants at all!

Hope you have a fashion filled Wednesday!

Let's Go Fly a Kite

A few weeks ago, we spent the afternoon flying a cheap little plastic princess kite.  What simple fun!

And even though we didn't make our kite, I found this great site with awesome instructions that will teach you how to make your own.

http://www.my-best-kite.com/how-to-build-kites.html  

 

Munchkin spent her time eating dandelions. 

 

What simple things do you miss?

What She Wore Wednesday

So recently, I've stumbled onto quite a few blogs that feature a segment titled What I Wore, where bloggers share photos of themselves and then tell you all about, well, you guessed it, what they wore.  Sometimes they make me envious and leave me thinking, "why can't I look that cute?"  Other times they irritate me and remind me that people can be so vain.  On a rare occasion, they give me some much needed style inspiration.  I'll be honest, I'm no slave to fashion.  I love to try, but my ever changing post-baby body leaves me clueless!  Since I feel like I look my best in black yoga pants (that have never seen a yoga class) and a plain t-shirt I'll leave the fashion tips to all those other bloggers and bring you my version of this style segment.  It's called What She Wore Wednesday.  Here, I will share with you all of the ridiculous ensembles that Little Miss E creates as she practices matching clothes and dressing herself!  I promise, there hasn't been, nor will there be any staging for this segment.  All outfits are genuine attempts, by my independent two year old, to look her best!

Without further ado, here is your first installment of What She Wore Wednesday...  

  

She said that the jeans she had on did not go well with her high-heels, leggins were better.  Who doesn't love stripes??  She actually wore some striped socks for awhile, too!

 

Weighing in at a whopping 24 lbs. she proves that horizontal stripes don't always make you look pudgy! 

   

According to Little Miss E, the only flaw with this outfit is that her panties aren't striped!

Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to check back often to see some more style inspiring ensembles!  

Burlap Wreath Tutorial

My love affair with burlap continues.  Months ago I entered a giveaway to win a wreath just like this.

 Of course I didn't win.  Surprise, surprise!  So, I decided to make my own. 

And in case you are as obsessed with burlap as I, here is how you can make your own, too. 

 For starters, you will need a scissors, about 2 yards of burlap, a foam wreath form

 

 and some of these little pin guys from the floral section of your favorite craft store.  

 

Okay, here we go.  Cut a 2 inch strip of burlap and wrap it around the wreath form, hot gluing as you go so it stays in place.  (Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, you'll need a hot glue gun, too.)

It should look something like this. 

  

Next, cut about 1,000,000,000 squares of burlap, approximately 2.5 inches. (Yes, this is a slight exaggeration, but not by much... you'll need a TON!)

   

Then, one by one, you will fold them in half.

  

And then fold them in half again.  

Stick a pin through the corner that has both folds. (The corner shown above.)  

 

I used two folded squares per pin. 

Finally, start sticking the pins into the wreath.

 

Keep sticking, and sticking, and sticking.  This should should take about FOREVER.  Just when you think you'll never be finished, it will be done!  I placed pins on three of the four sides of the wreath so that the side against the door was flat. 

I added an ivory bow for a little something extra.  You can add whatever you'd like... get creative.  

 

  

 

Hope these directions are clear.  If you make your own I'd love to see your pictures!

Have a great Wednesday!

Crafting Vacation

My days have been non-stop lately.  I'm not complaining, it's just a fact.  Actually, I am complaining a little bit because I've had no time to indulge in any good blogs, much less write one!

Well, I've decided to make some time today.  Yep, I'm creating time.  Did you get the memo, there are actually 25 hours today, and I'm spending my extra hour blogging.  So, picking up where I left off... We had  just gotten back from vacation and I was going to show you all the fun things I whipped up for the trip.

 

The Easter Bunny brought Little Miss this Elmo shirt and Munchkin these bibs.  

The bibs are also available at my Etsy store. 

 

I found this plain black mini backpack stuffed inside some luggage.  It got a makeover and was perfect to carry Little Miss' airplane activities.  

 

No great shots of this dress, but I think its my best one to date!  It was perfect for Easter Sunday!

 

 

As usual, there is always one last thing to do before I go anywhere.  Mumchkin reaped the benefits, and wore this sweet necklace onesize that I finished minutes before we got to the airport.  

That's all for now.  Thanks for stopping!