The Lorax Peg Doll

Is anyone else excited about The Lorax coming out on DVD? We are!

Lil Bugger requests this book every single night. He has memorized it and says the lines along with me. 

{Keeping it real}

J Bugger was not happy that I painted the Truffula Trees on the Lorax, ha! He thought I should paint some pegs separately as trees. 

Point noted. 

Thrift Finds in Real Life

Remember the little Nantucket boat that I found for my nephew's Nautical 1st Birthday Party?  It was sitting on the shelf at at my local thrift store... in Pennsylvania. I bought it immediately (a whopping $.25) and placed it on my dessert table.  My brother was so excited to see my find. This is actually a replica of a real boat that resides only miles from their house in Rhode Island. Crazy, no?

My sister-in-law sent me this picture, here's the proof!

Here's the whole table again

And here's lil bugger behind the scenes photographing the table for me, so sweet

Birthday Week & 2 Giveaways over at Piggy Bank Parties

Wishing Do Driver from Piggy Bank Parties a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY today! Head over to Oink to join in the birthday fun. There are currently 2  now THREE fantastic giveaways going on!!!

Seriously, look at the adorable graphics Piggy Bank Parties created for this week!

5 Winners will be chosen to pick a collection!

Arboretum Inspiration

I love taking the kids to this beautiful Arboretum.  The Arboretum encompasses 35 acres and contains over 17,000 individual plants.  Such a tranquil and peaceful place to find inspiration. Thought I would share our stroll through the various gardens with you. 

Overlook Pavillion, 

Imagine getting married here? Swoon.

Photo of mommy by J Bugger, thanks kiddo!

Annuals Garden

Lotus Pond

Succulents 

Children's Garden

Thanks for strolling with me!

celebraTORI book signed {Special Moments Captured}

I was so honored to guest post on Tori Spelling's ediTORIal website this Spring right around the time celebraTORI was released. I immediately read the book cover to cover and fell in love with it. I totally could  relate to Tori's passion for parties, crafts, and most importantly a love of the creative process.

I was soooo excited when this arrived on my door step. My own copy, signed from one crafty mama to another. I'm not sure which is more exciting, this...

or this...

Thanks again T. You have made this crafty mama a very happy mama!

Bitty Bags and Balloons

Here's a fun little project that I am sharing over on Whisker Graphics, (and sneak peek behind the scenes of my photo shoot)-- bitty bags and balloons. What a simple and fun way to display favor bags for a party, just clip the bitty bags right to your balloon tassels!

Materials:

36" Round Balloon

Balloon Tassels (a DIY tutorial for balloon tassels found here)

Bitty Bags

Mini clothespins

Party Favors That GROW

For J Bugger's Wall-E Birthday Party guests (yes, even the adults wanted in on this party favor!) took home special "plant samples".
The kids are having a great time watching their samples grow.

After 3 Weeks

Total cost for 20 party favors: $1.50!

Seeing sunflowers pop up all over the neighborhood: PRICELESS!

Let the Games Begin! FREE Olympic Printables and Party by Mirabelle Creations

LET THE GAMES BEGIN in style with this gorgeous Summer Olympics party! Deanna of Mirabelle Creations recently created this bright, fun Summer Olympics dessert table and has graciously allowed me to share her pictures and links to her FREE Olympic Printables at the end of this post!

Deanna's own words:

For the food, I made Go For Gold Pineapple Muffins, Oreo Gold Medals, Watermelon Olympics Rings, and Golden Cherry Cups.  These were all festive desserts that could easily be recreated for a Summer Olympics Party.  The muffins were topped with the free party circles.  I designed the printables to be preppy, clean, and colorful. The stripes were inspired by the USA Olympics Opening Ceremonies outfit design.  Also, I included the word, "Inspire" on the party circles because the slogan for the London Olympics is "Inspire a Generation".  I loved that slogan since I designed this Olympics party for kids, in particular. 

The dessert table also included a free printable Party Sign, which reads, "Let the Games Begin".  For the dessert table backdrop, I found three 8x10 black frames.  I cut out cardboard to fit in the frames, then covered the cardboard with blue and white gingham fabric.  I attached a white cupcake liner to the back of the three Olympics Medals.  I attached a red ribbon and the medals to the fabric covered cardboard to make the Olympic Medals Art.  The gingham fabric was also used as a table runner on the dessert table.  I planned and put together the party in less than 24 hours -- perfectly simple so that it could be easily recreated for a small Olympics party or playdate.  

Gold Medal Oreos, so clever and fun! 

Deanna's tutorial found here

I love all the ideas that Deanna has shared, she has made it super easy for any of us to recreate a Summer Olympics party. Head over to Mirabelle Creations for more party tutorials, recipes, and Deanna's FREE Olympic Party Printables.

You can find more party inspiration from Mirabelle Creations on Facebook, Pinterest, Etsy Shop, and Blog

Instagram Week of Photoshoots

Insta-Graham Cookies image and recipe 

by Bakerella 

It's been a quiet week on the blog as I am prepping and shooting for some Fall magazine features. I've been sharing a few sneaks behind the scenes over on Instagram...

Prep work on backdrop

Party Crafting

New cake plates

Inside of cake

Photo shoot over : (

Can't wait to share more soon! You can follow along on Instagram here:

How to Make Waterproof Water Bottle Labels & Free Printable

I'm over on Oink! today sharing how to make your own waterproof water bottle labels in less than 5 minutes. It is an easy way to make hydrating a little more fun for the kids.

Head over to Oink! for the tutorial and free water bottle printable!