hat-a-tat-tat

for some reason i have the hardest time finding hats i fancy for paisley. it very well could be because i am just way too picky. whatever the reason, it led me to this decision the other day-'I SHALL SEMI-HOMEMAKE MY OWN HAT.' yes i just typed that in all caps. i loved how the hat came out...

it is a very uncomplicated project and one that you can involve your children in by letting them choose their color and style hat and also the fabric for a flower, or an applique'.

 here is a simple tutorial on how you can semi-homemake a fashionable hat for your kids! 

winter hat project

what you'll need:

        1. hat of your choice(mine were $1!)

          2. either a flower or iron on applique' 

          3. hot glue gun

          4. iron

                                     

hat with an applique'

step #1  

  

evaluate the size of your hat. if the hat is to large you may have to do some adjusting. the hat i chose was just the right size so no adjusting needed! 

      

step #2

       

decide wether you would like to use an applique' or flower on your hat. for this one i chose an iron on applique' which works great for boys! position the design where you like on the hat.

step #3

place a light pressing cloth over the design and hold for approximately 30 seconds. if your hat is a thicker material you may need to press it a bit longer.

step#4

reverse the fabric and repeat the ironing process!

hat with a flower 

step#1

 choose your hat and flower design. i chose a flower i had previously made but you could use anything from 'store bought' to something homemade!

step #2

adjust the size of your hat if needed. this hat was a pinch to long so i folded it up.

step#3

add a bit of hot glue to the crease of your fold to secure it.  

hot glue or clip on your favorite flower or bow!  


finished product:

there are so many variations to this you could easily have a different hat for every outfit!

with the winter months approaching, get creative and get your kiddies involved to help make some lovely winter hats!

how'd she make that?

ever see something at a party or event that you really liked and thought 'how'd she make that?' but just didn't have the nerve to ask? this very thing happened to me when i first caught a glimpse of flower poms! they are beautiful and inexpensive to make but can add an extra special touch of charm and uniqueness to your event. wether you need them as decor for a wedding, child's birthday party, or your upcoming holiday celebration, they are the perfect embellishment for any affair!

here is a simple tutorial on how to make them.

flower pom's

what you will need:

1. scissors

2. clear jewlery wire

3. pipe cleaner

4. your color choice of tissue paper  
(10 sheets)

here we go......

   step# 1

   start by opening up your paper and arranging it length wise on a flat surface

step #2

    begin folding the paper accordian style with each fold being about 1 inch in width 

    step #3

    secure the tissue paper by wrapping a pipe cleaner around the center

    step#4

     cut either rounded or pointed edges at the tips of the tissue paper on both ends. 

   step#5

  begin to pull back each layer of tissue paper towards the center of the pom until you have pulled back each and every piece! 

  

   here is the finished product!

   now adjoin your fishing wire around the center and hang from the ceiling with a thumb tack! 

   very easy and very chic! an instant conversation piece at any celebration!

*you can also make smaller versions of flower poms by cutting the tissue paper in smaller sections before you start. smaller versions can be used as gift toppers or decorations set around a room. 

tayla and astaire

these girls are friends of mine from afar. tayla and i went to the same bible college in tulsa, oklahoma. thanks to facebook we have been able to keep in touch. our daughters are a few weeks apart and we know if they lived in the same town they'd be best buds! tayla is one of the most creative mommies i know. always putting out something new. thats why she is getting featured in today's blog. you can order designs from tayla at 

my sweetie peetie

tayla makes so many amazing flower headbands. i love them all! 

she also makes tutu's! this is a different twist on a tutu she made for astaire's first birthday, so unique! they call astaire 'astaire bear' so her party theme was all about bears! tayla made the onesie which featured a #1 and bear applique' and the "bear ears" headband to go with the "bear bottom" tutu!

love the polka dot lady bug bow!

stunning costume for the next time your little one needs to look like a fairy princess!

i adore these fabric flower headbands! and the lovely model astaire of course!

here is a full outfit! perfect for your little ones next photo shoot! it would also make a fabulous birthday outfit! 

tayla makes all kind of wonderful hair accessories and other fun things! check her out at my sweetie peetie 

thanks tayla and astaire!

first things first

here it is, the very first blog. i am excited!! i have a passion for life, for beautiful and creative things, and i can't wait to share that passion with you. this blog will consist of a variety of things. i have so many wonderful creative friends that have beautiful babies, throw great parties, and just make beautiful creations. i think it's time these things be shared with the world. i am not an expert at grammar, so don't expect perfection in what i write. i like to type in all lower case and i pretty much just write what comes to my mind. 

for the first blog i'm highlighting my daughters first birthday. her name is paisley grace and she is amazing. 

paisley's polka dot birthday 

this banner was made from card stock and tied together with satin ribbon. the bottom layer is from the freebies template at  clever some day -pick a design you like, print off a large size, trace it onto the card stock and there you go! just cut out the card stock and you have your first layer. add the circle and the letter and you have the start to your banner! i added polka dots with colorful paint and hung the banner with white thumb tacks that blend into the ceiling and clear jewelry wire. 

the dessert table came out so colorful! the cakes were from west side bakery in akron, ohio. they make beautiful cakes (they also did my wedding and baby shower cake)! i am also a vegan, and they make vegan desserts as well so the two smaller cakes are both vegan.

 my daughter paisley's adorable outfit is from diva baby designs on etsy. i highly recommend using them for your daughters next tutu! she custom made the onesie, tutu, and bow. adorable!

these are the kiddos favor bags. all i did was purchase cheap brown paper bags (you could use any color!). i printed off the children's names in coordinating colors and cut them into circles to stick with the polka dot theme. cheap clothes pins to hold it all together which i painted polka dot's on to add an extra special touch! (i used the end of a baby q-tip to make the dots on the clothes pins)

i love this  picture of my mom and daughter. but i really put it on here because it was one of the only pics i got of the feature wall at the food table. it is blurry but you can kind of see all the cut out circles that i stuck on the wall to add to the polka dot theme. 

 the colorful  food table. i tried to stick with foods in the theme colors which was pretty tricky when it came to pink! there aren't too many pink foods. thankfully i found this great recipe for 'pink hummus' from weelicious.com  it turned out great and people really enjoyed it!

here is my 'orange and pink polka dot punch' and yes i can see that my pink punch didn't turn out quite pink. what can you do. however the tags on the punch came out great. started with a piece of card stock and picked my template from clever some day. printed the template off and then traced it on to the card stock. then i printed out the name of my punch on white paper, cut it out to the same template as the card stock, doused it in painted polka dots, put a whole punch at the top and added some polka dot ribbon. 

little paisley sitting at her decorated high chair right after her smash cake. love the balloons! thanks to polka dot market they matched her theme perfectly! i also got some great lanterns from there too. if you need anything polka dot it's the place to go, they have everything and are so enjoyable to work with!

here is a gret pic of the back of paisley's custom onesie and tutu from diva baby designs on etsy.