Izzy's Attic

Recently I bought this adorable lacy Petite Romper and matching headband from Izzy's Attic at Etsy for Serenity.

It's totally adorable and fun to wear for photos!

Izzy's Attic has several colors to choose from: aqua, yellow, light pink, fushia, and black.

They also offer baby, little girl and big girl sizes.

The quality Izzy's Attic's work is excellent, prices are very competitive, customer service is the best and shipping was super fast.

You can't ask for better than that!

Izzy's Attic also offers adorable matching headbands for all their lacy Petite Rompers!

And don't forget to check out their Halloween costumes!


You can find Izzy's Attic on Facebook too!


Have fun!

Crochted Newborn Elf Hat

I recently created this crocheted elf hat for a newborn photoshoot.
It's inexpensive, very quick and easy to work up - even beginners can do it!


Long Elf Hat:

Abbreviations:
sl st = slip stitch
ch = chain
hdc = half double crochet

Crochet hook needed:
I, or size needed to obtain gauge.

Gauge:
4 hdc = 1"
3 rows = 1"

I used the equivalent of one skein of Sugar 'n Cream cotton yarn for the entire hat.

That's less than $5 for one hat!

Row 1: Start with a Magic Adjustable Ring, ch1, 10 hdc into ring, join with a sl st. Tighten ring.
Row 2-29: ch1, hdc in first hdc and in each hdc around, join with a sl st. (10 hdc)
Row 30: ch1, 2 hdc in first hdc and in each hdc around, join with a sl st. (20 hdc)
Row 31: ch 1, 2 hdc in first hdc and in each hdc around, join with a sl st. (40 hdc)
Row 32-39: ch 1, hdc in first hdc and in each hdc around, join with a sl st. (40 hdc)
Row 40: ch 1, hdc in first hdc and in each hdc around, fasten off.

Attach a pom-pom on the end.
Weave in all the loose ends.
All done!


POST-IT NOTE: I used a Clover Pom-Pom maker to make the pom-pom for my little elf hat (I bought a bunch of sizes when they went on sale over half off at Michael's a few years ago), but this super easy cardboard technique works great too!

Pin It

Have fun!

Fairy Door

A couple days ago I came across this post by My Trendy Tykes.

A Fairy Door!

How adorable is that?!

I couldn't wait to gather the supplies and make one too!

I found everything I needed at Hobby Lobby thanks to Nest of Posies' Tooth Fairy Door post.

She made the cutest yellow Tooth Fairy door for her little boy:



How sweet!!

I had to make one for Serenity!
She loves the Tooth Fairy and goes on and on about them.
She can't wait until she's old enough to start losing teeth so the Tooth Fairy can visit.
She's had a tooth that's been "loose" for like a year now!
And we are always watching the Tooth Fairy movie with The Rock in it over and over.
That's one of the best family movies out there - right next to Aliens in the Attic!

While at Hobby Lobby, I found a girly door with a little arched window for $9.99,

Americana acrylic paint on sale for 97¢,

A pack of 2 little door knobs for $2.99, and

A door knocker for $1.99.

Not too bad.

After completing the door, I have plenty of paint leftover and an extra door knob in case I want to paint another one later.



I painted the window a light yellow color that I mixed with Modge Podge.
I wanted the window to have a frosted look and I think I achieved that.
I got the idea from a pretty DIY Beach Glass Tutorial on Krafy Kat.

I made the mixture for the Fairy Door window a little different:
I added a tiny bit of yellow paint to small amount of Modge Podge.
Next, I painted a couple of coats to the window - letting it dry in-between coats.
It was easy and it worked.

I used Epoxy to attach the door knob and knocker.

The door knocker really works too!

I used similar magic strips that Nest of Posies used to "hang" the door on the wall.

Then I got on Word to type up a little note from Serenity's Tooth Fairy:

"Dear Serenity,
I stopped by to check on your teeth while you slept.
They are looking GREAT!
Here's a quarter for taking such good care of them!
I'll be back soon!!
Your Tooth Fairy,
Feather Elfweb"


Feather Elfweb
She is cheerful and friendly.
She lives in high places where the clouds meet the earth.
She is only seen in the mist of an early morning.
She wears pale blue like the sky and has transparent green wings like a cicada.

Isn't that a pretty name for a Fairy?!
She sounds sweet and beautiful too!

I found a Fairy Name Generator online.
Just enter your child's first and last name and the Fairy Name Generator will tell you your child's Fairy's name and a little bit about her.

You can find more Fairy Doors on ohdeedoh and read about the Mythology and History behind the Urban Fairy Tale from Jonathan Wright of Ann Arbor.

If you'd like to paint your own, you can find all the supplies you need at your local Hobby Lobby.

They even had tiny house numbers in case you'd like to add your address number on the door.

Or you can buy your doors and hardware online here and here.

If you rather buy a door that's already been painted, try here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, or here!!




Have Fun!!

Princess Echo

I found a tiny Mediterranean Gecko in our bathtub today.
I quickly plugged the drain so it wouldn't getting away before I could show Serenity.

She was so excited and climbed in the tub with the gecko to gently touched it.

She immediately asked to keep it.
I wasn't expecting that, but I wasn't totally against the idea.

So I got online to find out a little information about them:

They are considered a harmless invasive species that probably originally came from Southern Europe.
They like man-made places to sleep, hide, hunt, and lay their eggs - usually 1 or 2 at a time.

Image from: Journals of an Amateur Naturalist


The eggs are tiny and similar to birds' eggs, only much smaller:

Image from: DFW Urban Wildlife


The geckos are most active at night, and are attracted to the light around your house where bugs gather.
They feed mainly on small roaches, crickets, flies, mosquitoes, moths and spiders.
I'd like an army of these little critters to keep us pest-free!

Image from: Biological Ramblings


A Mediterranean gecko's tail will detach just like a lizard's tail when it needs to escape a predator.

And also just a like a lizard, it will regenerate a new one after a while.

Image from: Flickr


Unlike most lizards, the Mediterranean gecko will vocalize by squeaking and/or chirping which is probably territorial, fighting, and/or breeding noises.
To hear the sounds they make, click here.

Pretty cool!

During the day and around a light source, they are sorta pinkish-looking, but at night they get darker.

Hmmm....

Looks like it would make a good little pet for a 4 year old, but if it's not doing well in the next couple of days I plan to release it.

My hubby took Serenity to Wal-Mart and bought one of those little $5 reptile habitats.
A pink habitat!

When they got home we gathered a few things to make a home for it:

Tiny pebbles
Small rocks
PVC elbow
Plastic cap from a jar
Water

First she put the PVC elbow in so it would have somewhere to hide and sleep, then poured in the pebbles.



Then she added the plastic cap and filled it with some pebbles and a rock.
I poured a little water into the cap.



Next she arranged the small rocks around the habitat.



Daddy carefully captured the gecko in a cup and let Serenity put it in the habitat.
She can't quite say "gecko" - it comes out sounding like "echo".
She has also decided it's a girl.

So.....



Hello Princess Echo!



Have Fun!

Pinterest is addicting!!

I just signed up to Pinterest today!

I've heard about it before today, but didn't really know what it was about.

Last night I stumbled across it and was hooked let me tell you!

One of my followers on Facebook, Lanetta's Creations, sent me an invitation and I've been glued to my computer ever since!!




It's so visual!

I love how the pictures of each interest are so prominent and the titles are itty bitty tiny.
So much easier to cruise through quickly and see as much as possible in a small amount of time.




It helps me to keep track of all my favorite tutorials, kid stuff, recipes - whatever really and access them quickly.

Then you get to flip through everything fast (or slowly) to find what you like best too!




However getting caught my boards caught up with all my favorites might take some time - like I said soooo addicting!!

If you haven't signed up yet, what have you been waiting for?!
Need an invitation? Just email me and I'll send you one!

Don't forget to follow me on Pinterest once you join too:



Have Fun!

Independence Day!

Hope y'all are having a wonderful 4th of July with friends and family!


Have fun!

Pinwheels, courtneycourtney and Target!

Leslie from Rainbow Dashing, sent this sweet pinwheel clippie to Serenity.
It matches great with her fun Summery little courtneycourtney dress!




Her dress is a couple of years old now, so it's gotten a tiny bit short, but it's in excellent condition and still fits my petite babe.




I love this outfit on her - it's so cool and comfy for shopping at Target on a HOT Southern Summer day!


Post-It-Note:

I found Serenity's shopping buggy on Ebay a few years ago for around $50 (including s&h).
Her sweet baby doll is an older version of the Corolle Les Dollies named Tina.


Have fun!

Chuck E. Cheese Coupons!!!

Here's some new Chuck E. Cheese coupons!

Just right-click, then "save image as" to save it to your computer!

Chuck E. Cheese coupons are great because you can print them over and over!

These coupons were in Sunday's paper and they are good until September 24, 2011!





Find the newest Chuck E. Cheese coupons HERE!


Have fun!!

Fresh Homemade Butter!

You wouldn't believe how incredibly easy it is to make your own!

It really is - I promise!

All you need is 1 quart heavy whipping cream, a mixer and 15 minutes of your time.
I used my KitchenAid, but any mixer will do really, like a hand mixer or a blender.

You can even make butter in a jar!

You just have to shake or roll it around for 30 minutes or so.

This takes a lot of energy, so it would be a fun thing that kids can do!

For little kids, use a plastic jar instead of a glass one.

Here's a fun butter in a jar tutorial from 2 Little Hooligans.

I think Serenity would get a kick out of making butter by herself!

4-year olds - they want to do everything "by themselves"!

Any brand of heavy whipping cream will work too - yes, even the cheap Wallyworld brand.

The first time I made homemade butter, I bought Borden's ($6) and the result was a creamy, very pale yellow butter.
For my second time, I bought the Wallyworld brand Great Value ($4), and the result was a creamy, light yellow butter.

Both tasted delicious!


Here we go:

Pour the entire quart of cold heavy whipping cream into your mixer.

Turn it on the highest setting.
Try to get the freshest cream you can find.
I think that's probably more important than spending the extra money for a brand-name cream.



After a couple of minutes or so, you'll get a heavenly whipped cream.
I could lick the whole bowl by myself!



Perfect for a delicious homemade iced coffee!

Iced Coffee:
2 ounces CoolBrew (or your own coffee concentrate)
1 tablespoon fine grain raw sugar
1 glass cold low-fat milk
1 glass of ice
1 dollop of fresh whipped cream

Mmmmm.....



Okay, after scooping out a little bit (just a little!) of fresh cream, turn your machine back on.
After a few more minutes, it'll lose that fluffy, whipped texture.
It will start to look creamy and darken slightly.
I didn't try it when it got to this stage (maybe next time), but I bet it would be scrumptious on fresh baked bread!



Let's keep going!
After a few more minutes, you'll come to the part where the butter is just about to separate from the buttermilk.
At this point it will turn a light yummy yellow color.
You're almost done!



Once the buttermilk separates from the butter, it will splash everywhere!
Be sure to have the guard on your mixer.
You can use plastic wrap or a dishcloth too.
Or let your child sit next to the mixer with their mouth open to catch the flying buttermilk!



As you can see, the buttermilk has completely separated from the butter.
All done!



The next step is to strain the butter and collect the buttermilk in a bowl.
I recommend using a very fine mesh strainer or a cheesecloth.
If you like your butter salted, you can add it during this step.
I didn't take pictures of how I separated the butter through a mesh strainer, hand-squeezed the excess buttermilk out, and then rinsed the butter.
Sorry about that!

But you can find the most excellent step-by-step picture tutorial that I followed at The Hungry Mouse.

Click HERE for the tutorial!!

Allrecipes.com has the exact same method for homemade butter, but without all the beautiful pictures.
Still, I loved reading the helpful reviews about how much people enjoyed making their own fresh homemade butter.
So many were amazed how easy it is to make your own!
I know I was when I first learned the whole process took less than 15 minutes!

Rhinestone Beagle has a nice tutorial up too, and she uses a very fine cheesecloth to strain her newly made butter.


I ended up with around 1 1/2 cups of fresh buttermilk and a little under a pound of unsalted butter from 1 quart of heavy whipping cream.
It would've been a tad more - but I had to snag some of that delicious whipped cream for my coffee.
Try using the buttermilk to make yummy pancakes and biscuits!



Have Fun!!

Hip Klip/Klub Combo

I entered the Purse Bling GIVEAWAY hosted by Teaching Tiny Tots and won this funky cool Hip Klip/Klub combo for Serenity.

It came in today and she's been wearing it all day - only taking it off during nap-time.

It's great for preschoolers, little girls and boys, tween, teens and Moms!

It's not very big, but perfect to keep track of all your small items:
money, phone, lip gloss, tiny toys, coins, a cool rock, or that perfect little sea shell!

Serenity kept her vending machine and snowcone money in it during our afternoon in town today.

It's also helped to get Serenity interested in money and how to use it - on a very small scale of course.
But she learned that a Barbie snowcone was 1 dollar and 2 quarters.
And some vending machines took 4 quarters, while others took 2 or only 1!

Oh and check out Purse Bling's little Twist and Pout Lip Balms - they are on 10% off right now!

Have fun!

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day!!





What's in the photos:

The tent:
I built the frame (all by myself!) using my hubby's power tools, and just threw one of my favorite old quilts over it. Serenity likes to take naps in her new tent!

The ice chest:
My sister Paige put it together. She found an old ice chest that used to be my little bother's, some colorful Beanie Baby fish she had in her collection, and then tied a bit of ribbon to a stick and a little yellow felt fish.

LOVE!

The lantern:
$5 from Wallyworld!

The jar:
$10 from Wallworld. There is a pink and black "butterfly" inside a beautiful mason-like glass jar. It flies around pretty realistically when you gently tap the lid!

The picnic basket:
$4 from Wallyword. The blue-checked cloth is from an old sheet that used to be my sister's when she was a little girl.

The rag quilt:
Serenity's baby quilt that I made.

The pillow:
Big, fluffy, soft, heart-shaped, and PINK! Around $10 at Target - I'm pretty sure that's where I got it.

The letters:
Chalkboard letters I painted. I found a big box of Crayola chalk for under $2 at Wallyworld. You can find out more about the chalkboard letters in my blog post here.

The Drawings on the Letters:
The first "D": Her name. She learned a few months ago and she's very proud of her accomplishment.
The "A": A rainbow!
The second "D": That's Rapunzel in her tower with her long hair flowing down, and Mother Gothel waiting in the grass at the bottom.

The headband:
I made it using Heather Ross' Tadpoles in a Jar fabric, silk flowers, a tiny crochet daisy, feathers, and a Swarovski crystal.

The Flag Bunting:
I made it too! I used mixed-mashed fabrics that weren't too-too "girly" to blend with the overall theme of the shoot.

The Doll:
A lovely handmade OOAK doll made by Bamboletta. Her name is Haven!

The Dresses:
Serenity's dress says, "Me and My Dad". Serenity and Haven's dresses are unique, OOAK from courtneycourtney!

The Girl:
My Beautiful, Happy, Quirky, Funny, Energetic, and Smart 4 1/2 ~going on 16~ year old Daughter Serenity!!



Have Fun!

Unicorn's House

Kim from Grow With Me Gifts sent a darling little unicorn with a wooden house to Serenity last week.

We were in NOLA hanging out for a week with some friends when it arrived so Serenity didn't get a chance to paint it until this week.

She was so excited to get home and see this waiting for her!
She named the little unicorn, Pinky.

She had a lot of fun painting the little house - and paid very close attention to details too!


She used a lot of orange!
I found the paints Serenity is using at Michael's for only $4.99.
It's a 12 pack of washable paints - that's a lot of paint for such a good price.
It came with two trays of light and dark colors - including pink!


Serenity surprised me by never using pink for her unicorn's house - whose name is Pinky!
The closest she got to the pink was painting the back of the house red.
Silly baby girl!


I love following Kim's blog, Grow With Me Gifts.
She's always doing so many fun kid's crafts with her sweet daughter Brianna!

Thanks again Kim for Serenity's pretty new unicorn Pinky and her house and the fun afternoon Serenity and I spent together!

Have fun!

Chalkboard DAD Letters

This year for my husband on Father's Day I wanted to do a special photo with Serenity.

One of the things in the photo shoot will be some DAD letters that I painted with chalkboard paint.

It was very easy - even for someone like me who can't paint!

Here's what you'll need if you want to make your own:


One can of chalkboard paint - you'll have plenty leftover for other projects!

$9.99 at Wal-Mart:



A foam roller for a smooth finish.

$3.99 at Wal-Mart:



I liked using these little foam paint brushes.

About $.89/each at Wal-Mart:



Letters from Michael's.

Less than $5/each:



This is after the first coat - I probably should've lightly sanded the letters first to get the paint to stick better:



This is after the second coat:



And this is after the third coat - I definitely should've sanded the letters first:



My fingers are messier than Serenity's when she paints!


All in all, I like how they turned out. There are a few things I would've done a little differently:

1. Lightly sand the letters first.
2. BE PATIENT and wait longer in-between coats.
3. Start this project earlier!!

When I'm finished the photo shoot I'll share my pictures so y'all can see how it turned out!

Have fun!