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!

Long time, no blog... Guess I've been too busy living life to blog about it!  We just got back from Arizona where we squeezed a month's worth of sightseeing into a few short days.  Here it is...

Day 1

We survived the plane ride and arrived in Phoenix in the morning.  We went straight to the Phoenix Zoo, and by straight, I mean that we only had a few directional mishaps.  Little Miss E fed a giraffe with Uncle Caleb.  

  

Adam and I wandered off and found this ginormous cactus.

 

Then we came across this scary Dracula-like monkey. 

  

Little Miss found a place to cool off, and although I took about 274 photos of her splashing around, this out of focus one is my favorite! 

  

After the zoo we went to a little outdoor marketplace in Tempe.  The only thing that was purchased was a box of Beanboozled Jelly Bellies.  That went a little something like this...

"Here try this.  It could taste like licorice.... or skunk."  

Makes you want to vomit, huh?!?! Well guess what, Barf was a flavor option too!

  

We had lunch at a pub and waited for Uncle Ian to arrive from Texas.  Ian had no idea that his long-distance girlfriend, Jamie, was coming along.  There are next to no secrets in our family, so this surprise was huge!  Wow, did I ever drop the ball on the pictures... This was the best one!

  

We finished the night with a long drive to our home-away-from-home in Williams.  

Day 2

The Grand Canyon

 

Yep, the Grand Canyon.  Enough said.  

  

Nice Ian!

  

We ended the day with a stroll through Flagstaff where we caught a local Easter celebration, strolled through some cute little shops, sampled some locally brewed beverages, and took in some fine art.   

 

Day 3

Hoover Dam (and a detour)

 

  

They are looking for my lens cap that took an unfortunate leap to its death over the side of the Dam.   

 

After the Dam tour a few of us thought it would be fun to just buzz on over to Las Vegas, just to check it out.  This is what we saw.  Well, this and quite a few people exercising their right to have open containers while strutting up and down the sidewalks.   Well, both of those things and a few freaky adult stores, some scary gang-looking people, and a few sets of fake hooters. To all you naysayers of the Vegas detour... you were right!

Day 4

Easter!! and Sedona

Munchkin had an unfortunate accident during Mass.  She finished out the service wearing a blanket and Adam had to wear my brother's jacket.  So, no great Easter pictures.

  

After a nice brunch, we spent the day hiking and taking in the sights of Sedona.  In my opinion, it was more beautiful than the Grand Canyon.

   

 

We walked up to the Chapel of the Holy Cross.  

 

Luminaries lined either side of the Chapel.  

Sedona is said to be filled with "vortexes" or places with high energy.  We climbed up to the Cathedral Rock Vortex.  I developed a terrible fear of heights on the way up and began trembling and crying.  I think it was the energy from the vortex that amplified my fear.  (Yep, that's my story and I'm sticking to it!)  

Day 5

Train Ride to the Grand Canyon 

 

The last day Adam and I decided that we would take the girls back to the Grand Canyon by train.  The train ride kicked off with a western shoot-out.  Then we boarded  and enjoyed a two hour ride to the Grand canyon. We walked the west rim and found some breathtaking views.  The ride was a little long but exciting and authentic.  

  

Each attendant and actor was dressed to play the part.  They even had a mock stage coach robbery on the return trip.  We saw our fair share of wild life, four antelope even raced right beside the train. 

We had such a great time while we were away.  The trip went by way to fast and I almost miss the beautiful landscapes. Now we are trying to get back into the swing of real life, and me back into blogging. 

Stay tuned for some exciting projects!