Sunday, June 23, 2013

matryoshka party - jaina's outfit

Well, if the theme of your party is Russian nesting dolls you've gotta come dressed as a little doll, of course. I had a fun time making a little outfit for Jaina to wear. If you didn't catch the first round of pictures from her Matryoshka Party make sure to check them out!


I made her appliqued onesie, her apron, and her babushka. I knew she wouldn't leave that kerchief on for long, so we took as many pictures as we could.



Aren't those little feetsies just dear?

For the kerchief I just measured a bandana (they're 22x22", by the way) and cut a piece of fabric just a little bit bigger. I pressed the edges down about 1/4" all the way around. After that, I just zig-zag stitched around with colorful thread.

 I used this adorable calico from Joann Fabric for both her outfit and her doll.

For the apron, I used her denim skirt as a guide. I just kept cutting a square of pink fabric down until it seemed like the right scale for the skirt. I pressed and hemmed the edges and sewed a cute piece of ric-rac to the bottom.

The waistband was, again, trial and error. I used the waistband of the skirt as a guide and cut a strip of fabric long enough to tie a bow. It was about 3" wide and 43" long. I folded it in half, long ways, with right sides together. Then I sewed along all edges, leaving a gap right in the center a little wider than the lap of the apron. I turned the band right side out, ironed it, then tucked the apron in and sewed the rest of the band closed.

Sorry I don't have any progress pics of all that. I was totally in the zone, and never thought to pick up the camera. Here are some shots of the individual pieces.



Make sure to check out the tutorial for the appliqued onesie.

I also made a pair of bloomers for her to wear to eat cake.

I made the same cake the week before on her actual birthday. This time I used a 30oz. can, and I liked the size a lot better. 

Nothing like eating cake in your bloomers, under the trees, with all of your parents' friends watching. ; ) Now she'll think she gets cake every weekend!


For more photos and a full vendor list click here.

(Linked up to Sunny With a Chance of Sprinkles Trendy Littles link party.)

Saturday, June 22, 2013

twelve months in a papasan chair

People keep asking how old Jaina is, and I still can't believe my ears when I say, "One." When I was pregnant with her each month seemed like an eternity. Now every month catches me by surprise.


Isn't it fun to see how much she's changed? From that little teeny peanut to that silly little girl with tons of personality.

I must admit, I bought that floral "Rockasan" from Pier 1 cause I knew it would take fabulous pictures. ; ) It has been super comfy, though. The first week or so I couldn't get out of it because of my c-section, but since then it's been an excellent nursing chair. Though I hardly nursed in there since Jaina slept 12 hours a night since she was three months old! (I know, I hate saying that cause everyone gets mad at me.) But if she had been a night waker, I easily could've dozed while nursing in my 'san.

It's almost her 13 month birthday, and I'm trying to decide if I'm gonna keep up the monthly pic. I wonder how long she'll let me do that. I can just see me telling my 16 year old to put her white t-shirt on, it's picture time. ; )

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

jaina's matryoshka party!

We did it! It was quite the weekend, but we successfully pulled off our first birthday party. It was a bigger-than-normal deal to me since I'm interested in planning parties for others. You know, for money. I wanted to do a good job and get a lot of killer pictures. Oh, and celebrate the anniversary of my daughter's birthday, of course. ; )

Well, we got LOTS of pictures, and I'm sure I'll be putting a lot of them up here. Enjoy the first round!







Thanks so much to everyone who helped out! We couldn't have done it without you.

I plan to do a breakdown of the decorations, treats, and activities. Stay tuned!


Vendor Credits

Party Styling: Kara of Kara’s Domestic Life
Photography: Faith Scheuerman
Cheesecakes: Carol Scheuerman
Linens: vintage
Fonts for invites and signs: Free Fonts for KevinandAmanda.com
Drink dispensers: Target
Stamps: Hero Arts from A.C. Moore
Candy melts and lollipop sticks: A.C. Moore
Kerchiefs, newsboy caps, patterned paper, cellophane bags: Hobby Lobby
Fabric for matryoshka outfit and invites: Joann Fabrics
Mason jars: Walmart
Matryoshka doll pattern: Sew Daily Shop on Interweave Store
Bubbles, plates, napkins: The Dollar Store


Click here for how I made Jaina's Matryoshka Costume.
And click on over here to read all about the decor.



Friday, June 7, 2013

texas and the approximately three pictures i took while there

Last weekend I went on a girls' trip to Dallas. We visited some dear friends, got to stay in their cool house, went shopping, went flea marketing, and stayed up late every night. And I decided to bring an 11-month-old.

It wasn't one of my better decisions, but since she's still nursing it was either stay home or take her along. She did so well, but when you travel with a baby everything is about her. You can't talk to people while you eat, while you're driving around, or while you're walking places. Every bit of your mind space is occupied by naps and mealtimes.

I had intended to do a big Texas Trip Recap complete with full itinerary and lots of pictures, but the whole taking pictures whilst making sure your baby doesn't pass out from heat exhaustion thing didn't quite work out. The few that I did get turned out really cute, though, so enjoy!

 Three out of four flights she fell sound asleep during takeoff. 
And I even managed to have my Kindle within arms reach. Score!

We got a whole row of seats to ourselves. Woohoo!


Always say yes to the pack of peanuts, even if you don't want them. They make the best baby toys.

First Monday Flea Market in Canton, TX. It got HOT. 
Her look says it all.

 Someone learned how to say "dog" on this trip. Though it sounds more like "dah, dah."

Finally fitting into the cute strawberry suit from Miss Kari!

First time going swimming! Just what we needed after a hot day.

Best nachos of my life from Fuzzy's Taco Shop, with a delicious cactus pear margarita on the side!
Thanks, "Uncle Larry", for staying with Jaina that night and the next. I actually remember those meals!

Can't believe this is the ONLY picture I got from our Dallas by Chocolate tour!
I bought these beautiful French macarons from Rush Patisserie. They were pistachio, raspberry, and lavender flavored. I always thought macarons were cookies with cream, but they're actually like little meringues. Very light. Here are the other stops from our tour:

Two Corks and Bottle: a wine bar where he gave us a sort of wine/food pairing 101
CocoAndre Chocolatier: a traditional chocolate shop with lots of cool chocolate molds
Some other place I forget, probably cause it wasn't that great
Dude, Sweet Chocolate: sort of an avant garde chocolate shop. You've gotta check out some of the flavors on their site. Some of them are totally out there, like chocolate with bleu cheese and sea salt. Sounds awful, but it's all so good. I brought home some chocolate fudge with Peruvian coffee which sounds boring, but it's probably the best chocolate of my life. I'm trying to savor it.


Thanks, so much, Larry and Tamaron for hosting us! And thanks, ladies, for putting up with me when I was grumpy about taking care of a baby. I guess I'm still a rookie mom. I definitely learned a lot, and am excited to go back when I don't have a little one in tow!


Tuesday, June 4, 2013

cake smash

My baby turned one today! We're having a party for her in a little over a week, but we celebrated today with a little cake.

 

I used a tin can to make it! I used my own recipe, but the tips from this pin on how to properly line a can (so that you can actually get the cake out) were very helpful.


We sang Happy Birthday,


and showed her how to blow out a candle,


then let her have at it!


That's her holding up one finger when we ask, "How old is Jaina?"


It was yellow cake with cream cheese frosting, and I put her little yogurt snacks on as decoration. I figured they were probably better than other decorations full of dyes. I thought they were cute, and she freaked out when she saw how many of them were in front of her.


That's "Squishy Face"; a game we play that she's doing herself now. So cute!!!


The cake had been in the fridge, so it was solid enough to pick up and even drum on. 
(I love the cross-eyes in the bottom left.)


Aaaand now it's in her lap. The messier, the better! She had some good practice for her party. ; )