An Animal Birthday Party

I can't believe my little boy is already 3 years old!...sometimes I with I could press a 'pause' button on life because it really does seem to go by much too quickly!

We had such a great time celebrating his birthday with family & friends last week! I decided to throw my little man an "Animal Birthday Party," because he has been loving his stuffed animals lately (especially one particular stuffed deer puppet given to him by his grandma...which is why I thought a golden deer birthday crown would be perfect for the occasion!)

I didn't get around to making all of the party decor but I think everything still turned out pretty cute!

Here are some photos of the birthday decorations and details...

Lion Art + Banner: The banner was made using scrap card-stock and twine. The Lion art is actually a piece I have hanging in the playroom. But the colors and theme were perfect, so I brought it upstairs for the party!

Tassel Strand: This was a surprisingly easy project and I love that it's a little different from typical party decor. I found the gold tissue paper at Party City...you can find the TUTORIAL HERE. 

Streamer Wall: I looped various streamer colors over a long piece of yarn and then draped it over the main wall in our dining room. I also took advantage of my CHALK BOARD and drew a simple bear outline to go along with the party decor. 

The Bear Cake: I had a wonderful time putting this bear cake together and I am so excited to share the tutorial with you! I basically used a 6" round cake pan for the head, 8" round for the body, cupcakes cut in 1/2 for the ears, and whole cupcakes for the arms and legs (which are actually 2 cupcakes stacked on top of each other). More detailed tutorial to come soon! 

Animal Party Crowns: Originally I tried to buy animal party hats, but I couldn't find anything that I really loved...so I decided to make my own! They were a little time consuming, but I loved how well the colors matched the rest of the decor and it was fun having "crowns" instead of hats! The party guests seem to love them too! 

Our Special Guest: Who knew that my husband's Ewok Halloween Costume would be able to make a 2nd appearance (I thought it was doomed to stay in the attic forever!) The kids loved having a bear friend at the party, and the adults got a pretty good laugh as well! 

How to Make Your Own Baby Food

Have you ever read the ingredient labels on store bought baby food? Well, I hadn't (not until my 2nd child was born anyways), and I must say that I was shocked to see all of the unfamiliar added ingredients and preservatives in many common baby food products.

When my daughter began to show signs that she was ready to start eating some real food I decided that I really wanted to try and make it myself. Not only was it the healthier option, my doctor informed me that it may also help with her acid reflux.

At first, I was a little intimidated to try and make my own baby food. But, after a little research and preparation, I found that it was really very simple (and it was even less time consuming then I had originally thought!)

Here are my simple steps to making baby food...

1st - Steam, cut, + prepare produce. Puree in blender then pour into ice cube trays.

Once puree is frozen, break cubes out of tray and place in a freezer safe bag or container.

Also, take a few servings of fresh puree + place directly in the fridge (to use over the next few days)

When baby is ready to eat, place 3-4 cubes in a small cup or bowl

Thaw in the microwave just until food is warm, stir, + be careful of hot spots :)

Then feed to your baby!...or your toddler! :) - Homemade baby food tastes so much better then the store bought brands my 3yr old will even eat it!

Do you make your own baby food? If so, I would love to hear some of your tips or recipes!

*To get a more detailed explanation on how to make your own baby food + personal food suggestions click below!

Paper Crane Baby Mobile

The hustle and bustle of the holidays have come to halt, which means I have a little more free time to work on some designs for my baby girl's nursery!

 The first project I decided to concur was the homemade baby mobile...the poor girl has spent the last 3 months in a white crib, with white bedding, white walls, and nothing interesting to look at. But now she at least has a pretty mobile hanging above her crib, which will have to do until I decide what exactly I want to do with her 'accent wall.'

 Although I am looking to add more pattern and color to the room, I still want the end result to look simple and peaceful...which is why I was so pleased with how the mobile turned out!

 Keep reading to get the details and materials for this project...

More Easy Cupcake Frosting Ideas

For those of you that remember, a while back I posted this video with an easy cupcake frosting technique:

Months had gone by and I hadn't noticed how many people were watching it. When I decided to check it had over 1,000,000 views!!! So I decided to make some more. Here are 2 of the 5 that I made yesterday. The other 3 we be posted soon. Hope you enjoy! Thanks for watching!

"It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas"

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving weekend!

My husband and I decided to stay away from the crazy "Black Friday" shopping and instead we took the fam up to the Mountains to find a Christmas tree. It was quite the hunt but well worth it! It took me the majority of the day yesterday to get the lights strung (I ended up running out of lights plus I re-did them a couple of times)...and go figure when we finally finished decorating 1/2 the lights went out - arg!

I don't know about anyone else but I have been feeling the itch to "get my craft on" this holiday season (darn Pintrest!) If your looking for some fun Holiday DIY projects, take a look at some of the past projects I have posted...

Simple Yarn Gift Wrap

Cardboard Gold Stars

Felt Ornaments

an easier "Homemade Knit Stocking"

Golden Nutcrackers

Christmas Sugar Cookies