raspberries, flower crowns, and baby bumps

Today, I am 35 weeks pregnant. The fact that a living, wiggling, pooping, snuggling newborn will be in my arms soon is really sinking in. There is soooooo much left to do to get the house ready for her arrival, but since I'm not allowed to lift anything Jaina and I spend the days HAVING FUN. Which I think is a great use of the time before baby comes.

My grandma brought me the flowers that were in church last week for the anniversary of my grandpa's death two years ago. She was going to be out of town for a few days and brought them for us to enjoy while she was away.

They've been pretty, but reached their peak a few days ago. So during Jaina's nap today I thought I'd try my hand at a flower crown. These are all the rage on Pinterest, and it seemed easy enough. I didn't have any floral wire or tape, so I used regular wire and electrical tape to attach the flowers to a plastic headband.

What a fun project! I want to get a few more plastic headbands to have on hand so I can make crowns for all the Hallead girls whenever we have leftover flowers. Too bad it only lasts a day, though. I guess that's what makes it feel so special. 

 There's the neighbor's stalker cat being a creeper.

Also, the angle of this picture is deceptive. My belly is HUGE.

 This little girl was in RARE FORM today.

She's very into making "funny faces" right now, and was going through her whole repertoire.

It felt like a nice tribute to Pappap, somehow, to use his flowers to MAKE something and to HAVE FUN. He was all about having fun. ;)

The little thicket behind our house is full of raspberries every summer. There were finally a few ready today! 

None of them made it into the house. ;)

Once Daddy came home we had our very own photographer. 

"Baby" made it into a few shots. Can't wait till Jaina learns the art of actually naming her playpals. ;)

Life's about to change a lot, my love! Can't wait to go on this adventure with you.

matryoshka party - decor and a feature!

Today, Jaina's party is being featured on Hostess with the Mostess! They've graciously agreed to feature it in one of their weekly Party of Five posts. Pretty psyched about this! It's always nice to be recognized for your hard work. 

Click here to check it out!

I know it's been a while (over a month, whew!), but let's check out these party details.

The main decor inspiration came from all of Mom and Mimi’s vintage linens. These set that folksy tone I was after. 

I also used vintage cake stands for the desserts and these cute, old children’s chairs I have to set the drink dispensers on. 

I used lots of ribbon and ric-rac; from the drink tags around the jars to the ribbon tassel bunting I created for the pavilion and Jaina’s highchair. 

The cupcake toppers, favor bags, and invitations were made with kraft paper, rubber stamps, and black embossing powder. 

I also made matryoshka doll banners using black and white printouts of Jaina’s face and patterned paper. I got the idea from this adorable face banner on Pinterest. (My friend, Holly, from Curious Sprinkles, also made one way back for her son's first birthday. Super handsome.) 

I used several sets of matryoshka dolls as decoration. The boys especially liked the set of sailors and pirates. Jaina’s special present this year was a stuffed doll that I made. She was the star of the dessert table!

 Everyone loved the painted matryoshka cut-outs.

And the kiddos had fun hunting for these adorable matryoshka eggs.

There is no one photo that can adequately sum up how hilarious it is to try to get seven children five-and-under, holding bubbles, to pose for a picture, so here's a little montage. I should make a flip book of these.

The boys all got "Russian hats" (newsboy caps from Hobby Lobby), and the girls got babushkas (plain bandanas). I also found bubbles at the Dollar Store that looked an awful lot like nesting dolls.

The grown-ups got Russian Tea Cakes.

I put them in cellophane bags and stapled cute paper to the top. Totally my go-to wrapping choice from now on.

And you wanna know the coolest thing about this party? Not counting the items that I'll be using over and over for years to come (like the drink dispensers and jars), the decor and favors for this party only cost me $35. I'm not kidding. I used so much of what I already have that I only needed a few special items to bring it all together.

Check out more of the decor and Jaina's cute matryoshka outfit!

And check out my feature on Hostess with the Mostess! Woohoo!


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

 

mama's got a brand new camera

I haven't posted in 6 months, and NOT because nothing's been going on. I have so much to say, but a blog is only as good as its pictures, and our camera has not been up to the challenge. Well, we finally got a new camera because......... our baby girl arrives in FOUR DAYS!

I've been on partial bed-rest and "work-rest" (or house arrest, as I call it) since February, so I have had a ton of time to work on house and baby projects. I plan on catching you up on all of them. Here's a list to give you a idea:

- baby beanie
- crocheted baby girl crown
- blanket for my cousin's wedding
- baby blanket
- carseat warmer
- yoga band skirt
- nursing cover
- booties
- baby sunhat
- baby sweater
- newborn photo props ("stork pouch", etc.)
- nursery curtains
- bedskirt
- baby carrier sling

And that's just what I can think of off the top of my head. Those were all things I could do from a mostly seated position without really lifting anything. TV is only interesting for so long.

So excited to bring my baby girl home and excited to finally document all of my projects!