My How Time Flies...

I can't believe my little boy is about to turn 2 this month; he's still a baby to me. I just realized I never shared photos from his first birthday last year. Better late than never right?! His party was a complete DIY project. Thankfully I had help! My friend Samantha designed the cupcake and cake toppers which turned out amazingly. My friend Esther made the cookies, I made the cake, the cupcakes, and the birthday banner, and my friend Anna took the pictures. In my humble opinion I think it was the best cowboy themed birthday ever. :)

                     
You guys better get ready for mushy gushy post later on this week about what I've learned from Mr. Noah over the past two years. I also need to start planning his birthday party! Look out Pinterest, here I come!

photo credit: {Anna's photography Facebook page & her website}

Get Organized!

I have a confession to make, I'm not a very organized/super clean person. I may be able to trick you into believing I am if you come over with plenty of warning time ahead (so that I can clean all of the visible spaces!). I'm tired of the messes and the junk room, ahem, I mean office and since it's the beginning of a new year I figured why not make a few resolutions and while I'm at it HECK, I'll go ahead and make a THEME for this year...two words: GET ORGANIZED! Are you sensing my seriousness and dedication to getting this done? :)

I've been perusing Pinterest to see if I can find some inspiration. 

1. Jewelry 

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I have no words to explain the current state my jewelry is in.

2. Mama's Closet

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I just bought a copy of The No Brainer Wardrobe by Hayley from The Tiny Twig. I'm so excited to get through it, get my closet organized, figure out my style, and how to get dressed without all the extra time and fuss. I would love to be able to pick out an outfit and be dressed all in five minutes.

3. Tot's Room

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Noah's room is a literal disaster area. I keep waiting for FEMA to show up but they never do so I guess I'm going to have to clean this one up. ;) Seriously though, my husband brought up a good point the other day, he said something along the lines of 'are we teaching Noah to be okay with living in a mess by letting his room stay like this?' I would say yes, yes we are, this has to stop!

4. Craft Room

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(sigh) What can I say... the four areas in our house I mentioned above are just a mess! I'm ready for nice clean spaces that create a sense of calm and maturity. My soul feels more at ease when my surroundings are pleasant. I'm going to blog about the progress of each room to keep myself accountable. :)

What about you? Are there areas in your home/life that needs organizing? 

A Little Bit of Christmas & a Happy New Year!

my new french press, our beautiful Christmas tree, Noah opening gifts at Nana & Grandpa's house, Oh Sweet Joy iPhone case :), pretty mantel decor at N & G's, Noah & presents, and the Cars blanket I made for him. 

We didn't do a good job of taking lots of photos this year which comes as no surprise to me. I was having too much fun experiencing everything to be taking photos but I'm going to be working on that year. That and really figuring out a goal for this blog and giant list of other things, but that's another post for another day. I hope you all had a very blessed Christmas and a wonderful time bringing in the New Year. 2012 is going to be a great one, I just know it. :)

Have a Very Crafty Christmas!

This year has been by far my most crafty Christmas of all. I've made salt dough ornaments, a Christmas wreath, felt mistletoe, a blanket for Noah, chocolate covered pretzels, etc. and I've loved every minute of it!

I don't know why I've never made salt dough ornaments before, they're so simple and fun to make! My friend Samantha and I gathered our kids together and made a few one afternoon. We had a lot of fun even if our youngest kiddos didn't participate much. Noah kept trying to eat the dough so I sent him off to play. Maybe next year he'll have more fun with it.

Fresh out of the oven.  See those hand prints? Those are sweet baby Noah hands. Some very special people are going to receive those as gifts tomorrow. :) I made these a few days after our get together at Samantha's. Yes, they are that fun to make. You're adding this to your Christmas to-do list right now aren't you?! You can google the recipe. Bake the ornaments in the oven for 2 hours on 250.

Don't you love the moose? He thinks he's one of Santa's reindeers. Thanks Esther for the AWESOME cookie cutters they've come in really handy.

Noah had a lot of fun painting his initials. I may be biased but I think they turned out really awesome!

Merry Christmas Eve!!

-Mandy

Cold Hands Warm Hearts Gift Swap

This was the first year I have participated in the Cold Hands Warm Hearts gift swap and it was so fun! I hope I can do it again next year. :) My partner this year was Ashley and I LOVE everything she sent me! The girl did a good job.

 Haha! And this is why I don't do outfit posts. I don't know how to pose.

 It looks like I'm saying "I caught a fish and it was this big!"

Outfit deets: 

Ear/ Head Warmer (Cold Hands Warm Hearts)

Gloves (Cold Hands Warm Hearts -Old Navy)

Shirt - Ann Taylor Loft

Jeans - Forever 21

Boots - Steve Madden

This was the little handmade tag she wrote a note to me on. 

It's so cute, I had to use it as an ornament. :)

Aren't these little doves just gorgeous? I'm pretty sure she made them herself and that just makes them extra special. They're so sweet, I love them!

I don't know if she read my mind or what but I've been wanting some feather earrings. :) 

And who doesn't love Tazo tea? 

Ashley has an etsy shop, My Little Sunshine, where she sells lots of beautiful handmade goodies as well as a fabric shop, My Sunshine Fabric. You definitely need to check both out and get yourself some pretties. 

Thanks Ashley!

Our day in pictures.

Christmas Craftings

So, I've noticed a lot of felt holly on the good ol' internet lately; like here. I'm kind of in love with felt at the moment. There are so many wonderful things you can make with it and so many beautiful colors to choose from. To sum it up, felt is great. Anywho, I decided to make a little holly with berries as part of my Christmas decor. 

And hot glue those berries down. I also hot glued a yarn loop in behind and backed it with felt so that I could hang the holly. :) That was so easy you're probably thinking, 'I don't think I needed all those pictures and step by step instructions, but thanks.' Well, you're welcome. Winky wink. Also, I know the first picture has led you to believe that my felt holly/mistletoe thingy is hanging on my Christmas tree right now. Well, it's not...it's actually a part of another Christmas craft that I've got in the works. You'll just have to stay tuned for that one. Until then...GET YOUR CRAFT ON!

-Mandy

P.S. Did you know I'm doing my very first giveaway on someone else's blog? Yep, I am. You should definitely check it out. While you're there you should dive into Anne's blog (Wattlebird), it's full of outfit inspiration, diy's and just lots and lots of craftiness.

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