Well - an update!

Well of course it has been months since my last post - I come and go with this blogging thing, but hopefully I can start to be a bit more consistent because.... we're having a baby!

We are expecting our baby girl September 20, 2013 and couldn't be more thrilled! Hopefully documenting her growing up will inspire me to blog more - or I'll be too tired to even think and it will be less - HA! But really, I do hope to be a bit more consistent.  My husbands' family is not local so blogging could help them stay connected with what's going on and hopefully see lots of pics of our baby girl!

We have a name all picked out - Abigail Catherine.  Catherine is my mother's name and we just love the name Abigail.  Although we've only been married since 2010, we had talked about kids long before that and had chosen our first choice girls and boys names back in 2009 when hubby got home from deployment.

So I am currently 6 months pregnant - the pregnancy has been relatively easy so far.  Had a lot of nausea in the beginning, but was only actually sick one day.  I'm starting to slow down a bit with tiredness, but we have so much to do! We finished registering at Buy Buy Baby and Babies R Us and now we are getting started on Abby's nursery! We have it all cleaned out and next up will be painting! We have our bedding fabric picked out and a dear friend will be making it for us - I can't wait! It's going to be adorable!

I look forward to sharing our journey with you all and hope you enjoy reading!

Friday Five - ecards

Ecards are all the craze right now.  I thought I would bring back Friday Five with five of my current favorite ecards that I have seen around the net.

I hope they could give you a good laugh like they do me.  TGIF everyone and I hope everyone is sleeping off their turkey hangover or out scoring some wicked good deals at Black Friday.  For us, well we celebrate Thanksgiving today with the family, so we're off to my aunt's.  Ciao!

DIY Christmas Candles

This was SO easy - I made these super easy and fun candles as Christmas gifts last year.  All you need is glitter (I used Martha Stewart brand, red and silver), red tape (the SUPER sticky kind), and candles (I bought white and red from Walmart for pretty cheap).  The hardest part was getting the glitter stripes in the same spot on the same style candles.  I found the best was to do this was to lay the candles down and line them up and tape them all before glittering.

Here is the before.

And the after.

Seriously SO easy.  You can do this! Thanks, as always, for checking in!

Kit complete!

I used to subscribe to a super awesome monthly kit club produced by the company Button Farm.  If you haven't heard of it, check it out here, it's fabulous and is always full of AMAZING and super great quality products.

I am finally getting around to actually doing (and posting) the projects from the kit and just had to share the amazing cards (and bags) I was able to make out of just ONE kit.  And I had enough scraps leftover to make at least 6 more cards (which I used to make wine tags previously posted about).

Thanks for looking! Do you subscribe to any monthly kits/clubs for paper crafting? If so, share which one in the comments, I'd love to check them out!

Another fun wedding/shower gift idea

I shared in the past about my handmade wedding gift idea (search under the wedding label for my past post).  I wanted to share another fun and easy idea.  I love to give this as a bridal shower gift.  I know lingerie is fun to give, but I also like to give something for the home (something off their registry) as I remember how awesome it was to get stuff of your registry.  Soooo....... I thought I would just combine the two.

Below you will find an example of said gift - I get them either their champagne, wine, or really any type of their glasses that they registered for and put a pair of sexy panties in each glass.  Thanks for looking and I hope this post inspires you for a future bridal shower gift!

Thankful Thursday

I haven't posted a Thankful Thursday in quite sometime, but that does not mean I haven't had anything to be thankful about! I know I have posted about my husband before, but I again must shout it on the rooftops about how very thankful I am for my amazing husband Tim.  He has been so supportive this year as we have gone through our struggles of me leaving my job and having a miscarriage.  Through all times of turmoil he has been my rock, my man, my amazing husband and I am astonished every day at his amazing love.  With Thanksgiving coming up next week, please take a moment to reflect on all that you have to be thankful for this year.  Even in hard times, there is always something to thank God for, to be thankful for even the small blessings in your life. 

Happy Veteran's Day

I wanted to take a moment today to thank all of those, active, reserve and veteran military men and women for their sacrifice to our country.  I am eternally grateful.

A special thank you to my husband for his prior service with the USMC.  I love you so much, I admire you more than words can express! XOX

Photo from our wedding day 8/21/2010

DIY Chalkboard Labels

I ordered some adorable chalkboard labels from a gal on Etsy with labeling my kitchen jars in mind.  Much to my dismay the labels were too large for the jars and bubbled and didn't allow me to use them.  Instead of ordering more and waiting around to receive them, I decided that I can just make my own!

I purchased some chalkboard vinyl from my local Hobby Lobby store for about $7.00 for a big roll.  I cut off a piece that was the size that I wanted to use and went through all of my Cricut cartridges looking for the right label design.  I found the perfect one on the Storybook cartridge which I used to make these 3" long labels.  I just LOVE how they turned out! ps: the jars were 50% off at Hobby Lobby right now too!

ps: my new FAVORITE find are chalkboard markers which write WAY better than chalk and can just be wiped off any chalkboard surface with a damp cloth or towel.

Stampin' Up Ornaments

I went to the lovely Lis Ljung's Stamp Camp a few months ago where we made the most adorable ornament (which is also featured in the most recent Stampin' Up holiday catalog).  I absolutely fell in love with the ornament and wanted to make some on my own to give away as gifts this year.  Problem was I didn't have pretty much any of the necessary supplies.  Therefore, it was time to get creative and figure out a way to make a similar ornament with what I had on hand. 

Here is the original

Here is my interpretation

As you can see mine has different components.  I don't have the die cut machine used for the original shapes, but I have the ornament punch and matching stamp set.  I also used a heart stamp and punch for the interior layer.  I hope you like my interpretation and thanks for looking! If you too would like to make an adorable ornament but don't have the right supplies don't get discouraged, GET CREATIVE! I would love to see what you come up with so please leave a link to your interpretation in my comments so I can check it out!

My Nephews' Baptism

I was so honored to participate in the baptism of my two nephews.  I have the cutest nephews alive! Tim and I were also incredibly honored to be asked by my cousins to be the Godparents of their youngest son, Jack.  Isn't he absolutely adorable!?

The proud parents and both of my nephews

Tim and I with our Godson, Jack

Tim and I with our Godson, Jack

I wish I had taken a photo, but I got them the most adorable blocks to commemorate their special day.  I am instead pasting a photo from the Craft-e-family website of a sample block so you get the gist of the gift.  I just fell in love when I saw them and I thought it was a very special way to remember such an important day.  Click on the photo below to go to their website for ordering info (ps: they offer blocks for all sorts of important occasions). 

 Another exciting thing happened this weekend - one of my very best friends, Sarah, and her long-term boyfriend, Ben, got engaged! I can't wait for your big day friend and I am so very happy for you both! XOX

So, it was quite an exciting weekend!

Post Halloween Post

So it's been a few days and I just didn't get a chance to get on here to give my post-Halloween update.  We ended up having 212 kids who trick-or-treated, just a few shy of last year.  We have some candy left over which means I have a stomach-ache.  LOL. 

We didn't dress up in costumes to pass out candy, but we did put some festive ears on. 

 Every year I give my husband a little Halloween treat.  Think he liked it?

I decorate our front porch - this year hubby tore apart some pallets we got for free and made a fence which he painted black for me to decorate on the porch.  My favorite decor of course are the jack-o-jars which are SUPER easy to make!

And I finally finished my fun wreath that I made!

Thanks for looking and I hope you all had a fabulous holiday!

Happy Halloween!

I wanted to wish all of my lovely readers a very Happy Halloween! Our family tradition is to have my parents over, eat some delicious taco soup (an amazing recipe from my best friend's mother, Lori, who unexpectedly passed away a few years ago), and hand out candy to the throngs of children that flock to our neighborhood.  Last year we had well over 200 kids! Isn't that nuts!? On a side note, candy is EXPENSIVE!!!

We don't dress up to hand out the candy, but we did go to a costume party over the weekend at my amazing friend Christy's house.  It's their annual party and she is crazy creative with all of her themed food and decorations.  The hubby and I went as bikers from the movie Super Troopers (if you haven't seen this awesome comedy, DO IT NOW).

My friend Christy's husband Chad is crazy creative too and decided this year to unleash Battleshots! A play on the classic Battleship game where instead of pegs you have shot glasses (which we filled with beer, not hard alcohol).  It was crazy fun! Here is a picture of Christy (who was a princess) and I kicking the boys butts at it!

I hope everyone has a safe and fun Halloween this evening! I'll post some more pics tomorrow of my exterior design.  I'll also give a final tally of the kiddo count for tonight (yes we are super lame awesome and tally the kids as they come)! What are you doing tonight? Leave a comment and tell me!

Halloween/Fall/Thanksgiving Decor Part 2

I am so pleased with how my holiday tree turned out! I got this lovely tree courtesy of the Junior League of Riverside.  I was actually a part of the construction of the tree which we used for centerpieces for our ball 2 years ago.  It's simply Manzanita branches secured in a pot using Plaster of Paris and then spray painting the entire thing silver.  Quite easy.  At the end of the ball we had an option of a donation for the centerpiece.  You may recall I used these for my friend Caitlin's Bridal Shower which I hosted.

Anywho, I decided I will revamp the tree for each holiday (as I post them I will tag them all with the "Holiday Tree" label which you can access on the left).  This is my Halloween version! It features beads from Michael's, flower balls (you can view my past tutorial here), black paper bats made on the Cricut, spider webs from the dollar tree, black paper spiders made on the Cricut, white raffia to cover the base, pumpkin ornaments that my mother passed down to me, and some cool skeletons that were actually on a garland I got at the dollar tree.  I just cut the garland apart to make them individual ornaments.  Oh and the cool raven at the top, also from the dollar tree.  I love it so much and couldn't wait to share it with you all! Thanks for looking!! I love to read your comments, so please let me know what you think by commenting below!

You can now subscribe to my blog by email!

I know I haven't been the best at keeping up with my blog, and as a result have lost a lot of followers who were (I am sure) sick of checking back and never seeing a new post.  Well, I have 2 tidbits of good news for you! First, I am working at blogging more, so I am hopeful that there will be new material more often to keep my followers coming back.  Secondly, you can now subscribe to my blog by email (sign up by adding your email on the left) so that you can be notified when I do post something new.  This way, you won't have to keep checking back and you'll never miss a post!

I do appreciate those of you who have stuck with me.  I read each and every comment I receive and I just love getting comments.  It keeps me motivated to post more, so a big thank you to everyone reading this!

XOX
Elizabeth

Halloween/Fall/Thanksgiving Decor Part 1

My living room is all ready for the upcoming holidays and I just couldn't wait any longer to share some pics!

My mantle is all ready for Fall/Thanksgiving.  I finally finished the 3D paper pumpkins that are on top of the finials.  

And finally, the shelves over my couch have received a spooktacular makeover for Halloween! Funny story about the purple tilted candles.... those were normal purple candlesticks that I packed away in my Fall bins and put in the attic after taking them down after last year's season.  I put them in the Frankenstein vase (which you can also see in the photo).  Well, silly me didn't even consider that because it gets hotter than Hades here in Southern California, that they would melt.  So when I unpacked them the vase was on its side with the candles melted to the side of the vase and leaned over the top of the vase.  I thought it was quite perfect for the Halloween holiday.  However, I am quite worried that it won't be nearly as awesome for my Christmas candles which have also been in the attic for nearly a year.  Sigh.  LOL.

The shelves over my TV have been revamped for Fall/Thanksgiving.  Here is a before and after shot.

Most of my decor were garage sale finds, some of it was handed down to me by my mother, and very few of the items were actually purchased by me at a store or handmade.  Thanks again for looking and check back soon for more Holiday decor!

Bootinis with Friends

My husband and I are so lucky to have our dear friends Justin and Caitlin moving in just 5 houses up the street from us.  I have known Caitlin since I was born (literally) as our moms were (and still are) best friends.  We can't wait for them to be so close and are looking forward to some fabulous get togethers in the very near future!

We decided to celebrate them getting the go-ahead on renting the place with an impromptu cocktail party at our place.  Tim made some scrumptious pumpkin muffins and Justin and Caitlin were in charge of the cocktail.

Justin, a former bartender, decided upon the gourmet Bootini! It included vanilla vodka, Bailey's, Pumpkin creamer (which was a substitute for Pumpkin Liquour which couldn't be located) and some Oreo's and Gummy Worms to add a lil' pizazz! They were amazing, a must try for your next spooktacular Halloween get-together!

Yummy pumpkin cupcakes courtesy of my amazing hubby!

 Bootini!!!

All of our Bootinis ready for consumption! Thanks Justin!!

Me and Caitlin enjoying our midweek cocktails!

PS: I really just love any excuse to use my adorable Lolita martini glasses :)

Halloween Crafts

Been working on decorating the house and some fun Halloween/Fall crafts of late.  Hoping to finish them up this week and get some photos up ASAP.  Here is a sneak peek - hoping to turn this into some sort of wreath. 

I can't believe it's October already! What kinds of crafts are you guys working on for the upcoming fall holidays?

Dr. Seuss Diaper Cake

Here is a fun Dr. Seuss themed diaper cake that I made for my dear friend Amy.  Amy and her husband Nathan welcomed baby Joaquin in August and I am just thrilled for them both!

Cake includes: baby bath wash, baby shampoo, diapers, pants, Dr. Seuss onesies, Horton softie, Dr. Seuss books, socks, receiving blankets, gift card, and much more!

Thanks for looking!

Okie Dokie

Yep, once again I have gone MIA.  Well here is a brief update on me.  I left my job of 5 years back in late January.  It's been an adjustment and a sad time for me, but overall I believe it is a blessing in the long run.  It has allowed my husband and I to spend more time together and grow closer together.  It has allowed me more time to spend on my hobbies and to work towards being a domestic goddess (not even close to that yet though).  I have a lot less stress on my plate, but something that has added a bit more stress comes with the new budget of having just a single income. 

My husband and I had been talking about having children for some time now.  Since I left my job we thought it would be the perfect opportunity.  We were pleased to get pregnant during our first month of active trying (May).  Unfortunately we lost the baby at about 9.5 weeks and I had to undergo a D&C procedure on July 18th.  It has been a very trying time for us and I'm just now getting back in to the swing of things.  Although I'm still sad every day, I realize I can't hide out at home forever.  I can't ignore everyone forever.  I know that God has a plan and that it happened for a reason.  I am hopeful that we will be successful the next time we try.  I still have a break down every once in a while.  I will post more about this in another post a little later with some tips as I know that 20% of pregnancies have this result so I am sure I am not the only one going through such a tragedy. 

Without a job, I am now starting to craft a little bit more.  I will hopefully have some projects completed soon that I can share.  I will also probably share some of my new budgeting tips that I have acquired. 

Thanks for bearing with me the past few months and I again apologize.  Thanks to everyone who has stuck around and is reading this and to any new followers who have happened upon my site.  I hope you enjoy my past posts and look forward to my future posts coming soon!

Football themed diaper cake

One of my bestest friends is a huge football fan and is due any day now.  She and her husband decided not to find out the sex of their soon to be bundle-of-joy, making coming up with a theme for a diaper cake more difficult.  I decided to do football because regardless of the sex, I know they will be a huge football fan like their mama and papa - if it's a girl we'll just add a few bows :)

Her shower was a few weeks ago and this is what I came up with. 

The details - included on this cake are the following: 
69 diapers
Burts' Bees baby wash
Glass bottle
1 Chargers jersey
2 Chargers pacies
2 Chargers bibs
2 pairs white socks
Pacie clip (football)
4 Chargers pennants
2 wood football decor pieces
Knit football toy
Knit football cap
Plush football toy
Brown and white striped football onesie
3 football burp clothes
football leg warmers
$25 gift card to Babies R Us

Thanks for looking!