thanks friend

nursery {for a baby girl}

well my daughter is 9 months old. time to post about her nursery before i move her into a big girl room.

when I did the nursery i did it on a shoestring budget. I tried to use things I already had. plus some paint. and a little fabric. the furniture was purchased at consignment sales or garage sales. or was free. the big project with the nursery were the yellow strips on the wall. a lot of work. worth it though in my opinion.

put a bird on it?

remember that ugly {yep, i said it, ugly} painting i got from my grandma? well some primer and paint later...


now what to put on it?

my friend liz shared this link with me. so funny. maybe i should put a bird on the painting?

these are a few of my favorite {spring} things

moss covered "rocks".

{um, not rocks, styrofoam, which is a little more kid friendly than rocks. $3 at walmart.)

foliage or "faux"liage in my case.

{one day i hope to replace my fake plants with real ones. before i do that i need to get a greener thumb. pottery barn seems be loving foliage too, as their spring catalog is filled with it. plants pictured are from ikea, but normally i buy at hobby lobby when they are 50% off. remember that fake plants can be "taken apart", which i highly recommend!}

birdies.



{bird, a couple bucks at michaels. birdhouse $1 at michaels. birdcage... a little more expensive, but i've been wanting a bird cage for a while, so i have been saving my christmas money to buy one. or in my case, two. they were 40% off at michaels, so i got two for around $15.}

numbers.

{hand painted = free! i highly recommend buying trace paper. super helpful.}

branches.

{love the shadow boxes! already thinking about what to put in them for summer and fall!}

spring entry

i've been decorating up a storm lately.

that is what happens when you exercise and eat right. you don't feel the need to nap.

i guess.

remember those shadow boxes i used in my winter entry {with the gloves and snowflakes}? well, they are back. this time with branches and butterflies!

once you have the shadow boxes you can change out what is in them to fit your mood or the season. i bought the butterflies for a couple bucks at michaels {shhh, don't tell hobby lobby} and the paper and branches were found in my home.


before i show you these next pictures i give this disclaimer: my entry is the hardest place for me to take pictures. i prefer natural light so i don't need to use my flash. unfortunately our entry is lacking in lighting. boo hoo.

so, i may try again later {with my husband's guidance} to get some better pictures. in the meantime, more of my spring entry.

5 minute art

hmmm. something is missing.


{5 minutes later}

there. that is better.

DIY art: part 1

my grandma gave me this:


i am sooooo excited!


{right now you are probably thinking, what the what? has this lady gone crazy? if you want a hint of my plan with it, go here: layla}

frame it!

i got this idea from pottery barn earlier this winter season. immediately i knew i would be copy catting the idea, but did not save the picture on my computer. when i went last night to the pb website i could not find the picture. so i improvised.

yep. a picture of a picture.


i know. lame. but i wanted to show you where i got the idea. give credit where credit is due.

this is my version. i found some white gloves and hats on clearance at target {$6 for it all!}. i also waited until shadow boxes were half off at hobby lobby. armed with a gift card i bought two for $20. i added a little "bling" with the snowflake ornaments from my mom and some pinecones found on family walks.




to complete the winter entry i left out a pair of birchwood skis and my semi homemade garland {added more snowflakes and took out the red ornaments}. i wanted to find a way to incorporate my white skates but was a bit fearful of their sharp edges with my little girls in the house.

so there you have it. unoriginal. copy cat strikes again!

butterfly favors

so many ideas here. butterfly stickers. butterfly pencils. butterflies. butterflies?

yep. real live butterflies.

i found a blog that the favor to the party was real butterflies. there are places online where you can order caterpillars and if you time it right for the party, each kid can get their own butterfly to take home. i seriously considered this, but opted for something easier.

bubbles.


24 mini bubbles for $2 during the hobby lobby 50% off bridal event.

cool. fun. but not as cool as real butterflies. sorry.

butterfly decorations

here is martha's butterfly globe:


here is the copy cat:


here are butterflies everywhere:


here is the copy cat version:




{i used the curtains from my daughter's room to make the canopy. i thought it felt springy and was different than garland. i used a needle and thread to attach butterflies to it.}

here is the butterfly template i found to cut out all those butterflies!

butterfly banner

just a reminder. i am unoriginal. most ideas from this butterfly party were copied.

found this idea here:


originally i saved this idea to use in the girls' bedroom. their room is a birdies and butterflies theme and i thought this branch idea with their names would be perfect above their beds {that is, once they start sharing a room}.

in the meantime, i thought it would be a great way to make a birthday banner:


the bird on the branch was super easy to make. here is the pattern i found on a blog: bird pattern.

the branch was taken from my yard {actually, it is a curtain rod in my daughter's room}.

the banner was made from paper doilies and left over scrap book paper. i have learned the fastest, easiest way to write letters on a banner like this is to just freehand paint them on. not perfect, but easy. the banner is held together with tape and jute.

butterfly cupcakes

ok, not really butterflies but perfect for a spring time themed party.

basic rainbow chip cupcakes decorated with...can you guess?


marshmallows!

really, this couldn't have been easier. maybe slightly time consuming, but if i were decorating an actual birthday cake i think the time factor would be about the same. 22 cupcakes in 1 hour 45 minutes.

not bad.

simple technique. i found this video that was very helpful.

a butterfly menu

this was a lot of fun. creating a spring time menu that incorporated as many butterflies as possible.

this is what i am serving tomorrow.

kiddos will enjoy "butterfly" macaroni and cheese {bow tie pasta}, butterfly shaped crackers and cheese, fruit {wrapped in a little baggie and then tied with a black pipe cleaner to look like a butterfly.}

adults will have a different menu, but nothing too butterfly related!

everyone will eat one of these. almond bark covered butterflies! {i say one because they were a lot of work!}


there were a lot of other ideas, but with the average age of the party goer being 18 months, i decided to keep the menu simple. here are other ideas:
- pb & j cut into a butterfly shape with a cookie cutter
- butterfly shaped cookies
- fruit pizza with mandarin oranges and strawberries cut and arranged to look like a butterfly
- arranging a fruit or veggie tray in the shape of a butterfly

i am sure there are many more ideas out there to copy. what a fun food theme for a party!

a quick reminder

as we commence 2011 i ask you: what are your decorating goals for the year?

is it simple like touching up paint {that is my goal}. is it undertaking a big project like a bathroom {that is my dream}. is it decluttering and purging {that is what i need to do}.

whatever your goal ladies, i want you to remember that decorating, party throwing, whatever, needs to be for enjoyment. it is not about keeping up with the joneses. it is not about trying to impress. it is not about finding contentment. if you are not content with what you already have, well, you will probably never be content with what you will get.

it is about creating a home that you love. it is about showing your love to others by throwing them a party. it is about doing what you can with what you have where you are.

butterfly straws

i found this idea from bh&g i believe.

i took cardstock and traced a butterfly {easier way i have learned is to print the butterfly on card stock - it saves a step}. when you cut the butterfly out, cut out two slits where you can put the straw through. you can use this technique to embellish pencils and pens too.

butterfly invites

usually i skip invites to birthday parties to save on money. email and facebook work just the same. then i realized it is fun to give the kids something tangible to show they are invited to something.

nice and simple. i used rub on butterflies that i bought at hobby lobby. the paper, half price at hobby lobby.

my house is about to be taken over...

by butterflies.

details of a special two year old's birthday party to come soon.