Happy Bee-day

One of my good friends recently celebrated this sweet girl's first birthday.  Isn't that the cutest little face ever?  I remember clearly the day Julie and her husband called to tell us she was pregnant with Baby A.  We were just a few months pregnant ourselves and so excited for their growing family.  One year later, they are celebrating their sweet girl with a Bee themed party.

She made this adorable flag banner.  It reads "Happy 'Bee' day" how cute!  You can find a tutorial for a flag banner here.  She just sewed her triangles onto a ribbon and then hot glued white felt letters on.  She said she started it a week before the party.  Did I mention she is a busy mother of two?  How in the world do you pull this off when you have two kiddies to take care of?

She made Baby A's dress and headband as well.  The dress is a pillowcase dress with the bee made out of felt and sewn on.  The bee and flower on her headband were just hot glued together and pinned on.  You can find a tutorial for the dress here or here.  I love how the yellow just pops.  Baby A looks gorgeous in this colour.  I think her Mommy is pretty cute too!

First Birthday Party Project #6- THE GIFT

This is it folks...the last post about The Boss' First Birthday Party.  It seems only appropriate as it was more than a month ago but, work is really getting in the way of my hobbies these days!  Don't worry if you missed anything, you can find all my projects here.

The final post is about her present, and let me tell you this was the most work, but the most fun and rewarding DIY for the party.  I decided to make her a play kitchen since one of my pet peeves/ fears about becoming a mother is that my house would turn into a Toys R Us.  While some of the toy/baby junk collecting is inevitable, I thought why not make her a play kitchen that way it can look pretty too!  I was inspired by a few I had seen others make, but first saw the idea on Dwellings By DeVore here and here.

This is what I started with...

and Finished with this...

Like I said before this took a long time.  I collected pieces for about 4 months before I got started, not because it would take you that long but because I was excited and enjoyed the process.  When my Nana decided to re-do her bedroom I jumped at the opportunity for a free side table.  I then collected from Anthropology (my splurge pieces- the drawer knobs and the apron hook), IKEA, Home Depot, The ReStore, Zellers (our Target), my favourite fabric store and my favourite thrift store.  I got my carpenter friend to cut the hole in the top of the side table for the "sink" (a serving bowl) and the "facet".  Once the holes were cut I sanded everything and my hubby attached the back.  We used a piece of MDF for the back, this made it heavy but it worked well.  

Here's a picture of The Boss (and her stuffed "Douglas") at Home Depot getting the MDF cut...she was probably about 8 months old here.  This is the picture on my phone because I love it so much! 

Once the back was attached I primed the entire piece and sprayed it PINK!  I did a few coats and let it dry then I sprayed the entire piece with polyurethane to keep it from chipping.  I then tapped off the area for the chalkboard and used chalkboard paint, once this dried I used wood glue to attach the frame.  My hubby then attached the "sink" and "facet" with a silicone adhesive, and attached my hook for the apron and the "towel bar" (a cupboard handle from IKEA).  The burners are a small floating shelf from IKEA that was hanging in The Boss' bedroom, I simply painted the burners on with black paint and attached two knobs with silicone adhesive. 

I found these great accessories at IKEA.  How perfect are these plush vegetables and this set of pots? 

I also made the Girl an apron...totally free hand.  It's not perfect but it does the job and looked so cute on her!  Maybe one day I will write a tutorial about it (email me if you really want to know!).

Baby Girl working hard in her Kitchen...

I'm linking to these parties:

Ladybug Blessings

Finding Fabulous 

Tatertots and Jello

The Trendy Treehouse

It's So Very Cheri

Hope Studios

Today's Creative Blog

Sugar and Dots

Domestically Speaking

The 36th Avenue

First Birthday Party Project #5- DIY Games {Part 2}

This is the second last posting about The Boss' birthday.  The other day I posted about one of the games we played.  The other game I planned for The Boss' party was inspired from an Easter DIY found in the April 2011 issue of Canadian Family magazine.

Materials Needed:

• Old or new socks
• Sandwich bags
• Dried Beans
• Embroidery Thread
• Ribbon
• Scissors
• Hula Hoops

1. Fill sandwich bags with beans.  You don't want the bean bag to be to packed so you might have to fill the bag and try it in the sock.
2. Stitch the eyes and nose on the sock approximately where the heel of the sock would be.
3. Put the beans in the sock and tie it off at the top.  Cut the tube section of the sock in half creating the ears of the bunny.
4. Tie a bow separating the head of the bunny from the body of the bunny.

I unfortunately didn't get a photo of these finished and in their little bucket but I had them in a pink sand pale with two pink hula hoops.  This kids took the bunnies out of the bucket and tossed them into the hula hoop.  Super easy and kid friendly!

First Birthday Party Project #5- DIY Games {Part 1}

What's a party without some party games?  So when it came to planning The Boss' party I was trying to think of games that were fun, creative and age appropriate.  Since I am obsessed with baby girl hair bows (do I even need to tell you that?) see here and here, "Pin The Bow in The Boss' Hair" seemed way more appropriate for our little lady.  This was a fun twist on Pin the tail on the donkey...seriously who ever came up with that game...and why a donkey?  Anyway,  it was super easy to do.  I used this chic bulletin board I made here and just printed a picture of The Boss.  My sister-in-law and mother-in-law made the bows for me and I glue gunned them to thumb tacks.  Look how cute!

First Birthday Party Project #4- Birthday Hat Flare

I wanted to do something fun for the little girls invited to The Boss' party.  Since I am obsessed with baby girl headbands and hair bows, see here, I thought it was only natural to make the girls hair bows!

To make your own bows follow my tutorial here.  I made these bows pop more by using a different coloured ribbon in the center of the bow.  Once the bows were done, I simply used a hole punch and cut two holes  in the girls' party hats and attached the bow.  Cute, cute, cute!  The girls got to take these home with them after the party.

Below is a picture of The Boss and her buddy sporting their bows.  The cutie beside The Boss was the best little party go-er...my poor baby was teething bad and not too cooperative.  I believe the song "It's my Party, and I'll Cry if I Want To" suited her for about the first 1/2 hour, so unlike her.  The great part about these hats was when The Boss refused to wear her hat,  the bow was a great compromise.  She still looked sweet sporting just the bow!

First Birthday Party Project #3- Outfit

I apologize for the lack of posts lately.  I have been working like a crazy person and working on a new idea.  I am super excited about something new but we will see if it will take off the way I want it to.  In the meantime, it is time to talk about The Boss' outfit at her party!  Project # 3 is her Outfit.

Here's what she wore:

THE BREAK DOWN

Onesie...

The onesie was easy peasy!  I started with a white onesie from Old Navy, but you could use any one at all.  I printed out the number one in a font I liked from the computer and cut it out.  I purchased a piece of broadcloth from the ends section of my fabric store in a bright pink colour.  I iron on two sided adhesive, then placed the one from the computer on the cloth and cut it out.  I then ironed the number onto her onesie.  I didn't sew around the edges because it didn't need to live through the wash.  It was a one day wear.  If you wanted it to wash nicely you would want to sew around the number to ensure it stayed on nicely even once you washed it.  I finished the shirt by making a bow and sewing it on.  I love it!

Tutu...

  This tutu is so easy and the perfect gift for any little girl in your life.  Start by purchasing lots of tule and some pretty ribbon.  The more tule the better.  I think I ended up using one yard of the green and yellow and two yards of the pink.  I wanted pink to be the main colour.  After all The Boss is all girl!  

Start by cutting a piece of ribbon long enough to go around your girls waist with enough to tie a bow at the back.  Find the center of the ribbon and put that on the belly button of your little one.  Wrap the ribbon around their waist and tie knots where the two ends meet at the back.  The best part about this project, is that you can estimate most of this.  Since it is tie on you make the bow bigger or smaller depending on how accurate you were.  The Boss didn't know any better so I was able to do it all in front of her.  Once you have your ribbon, cut the tule into strips.  Mine were approximately 18 inches long and 3 inches thick (this size is totally flexible dependent on the size of child and tutu you want).  TIP: When cutting the tule it is easiest to roll it up like a sushi roll and then clip off the piece the width you want them...in my case 3 inches thick.

Once you have all your pieces (yes cutting the pieces is the worst part of it) sit down in front of the TV and tie them on to the ribbon.  You are going to attach the pieces between the two knots starting at one end and finishing at the other end.  Feel free to add the colours at will.  TIP: If you want one colour to be more visible than others add more strips of this colour. I did a lot more pink and yellow than I did green.  Fold each piece of tule in half, wrap the tule around the ribbon and pull the tule through the loop. Tie the pieces as close together as possible.  Continue until you have filled the section between the knots.  Tie the ribbon in a bow and your done!

First Birthday Party Project #2- Flag Banner

For The Boss' party I was dying to do a flag banner.  While in Florida I picked up this fabric at JoAnn with the intention of making a banner for the party.    

I ironed interface to the back of the fabric to give it some substance then cut triangles out of the fabric.  Mine were 7 inches across the top and 8 inches in length.

Once all the pieces were cut, I set up a pattern with the pieces I had.  I decided where I wanted each of the colours.  I then sewed the triangles to a white ribbon the length of the area I wanted to hang the banner.

Once it's complete hang the banner.  It looked AMAZING!  It was youthful, fun and added a great splash of colour.

Helpful Tips

• Make your triangles 7inches wide and 8 inches long
• Use a thick ribbon (I used one 1/4 inch thick and it was hard to sew on).  Next time I would use a thicker ribbon and sew along the top and bottom of the ribbon.
• Buy small fabric pieces, you can probably grab them in the ends section if you are a frequent shopper and look often.  I bought a 1/4 of a yard of each fabric and only used about half of each piece. 

First Birthday Party Project #1- DIY Water Bottle Label

This is the first of a multi-part series.  Here I will post all of the projects I did for The Boss' first Birthday Party, starting with custom water bottle labels. I have seen custom water bottle labels on a number of blogs.  I love them and love that they add a beautiful custom touch to your decor.  I wanted to order some for The Boss' party but knew the Hubby would flip at spending money on "something so unneccisary" so I decided I would try my hand at making my own.

My Husband bought me Photoshop Elements 9 for Valentine's Day.  Since it took me close to a year to figure out how to work my MacBook you can imagine how long it's taking me to use Photoshop.  Every now and then I try something and then end up closing my computer or going to Photobucket (way easier btw).  This time I was determined so I got out my computer, read a tutorial here, and then set to work.  It was EASY!

I used a background from a digital scrap booking kit designed by my friend Jen from Jen C Designs.  You can find her blog and online store here. Coincidentally enough the kit this background came from was inspired by The Boss' nursery even before she was born!  I set the size of the label, chose a backdrop I liked and then added the flower and the "e".

Here's the finished label.

And here they are on the bottles

Helpful Tips 

• Make your label 1.75 inches tall and 8.5 inches long
• Use a digital scrapbook kit, great ones can be found here
• Take your time and try a few different things.  If you are working on photoshop when you love something lock it so it won't move when you move other elements around.  (Probably a total rookie thing...but helpful to me!) 

First Birthday Party!

The Boss turned one a few days ago so this weekend was filled with celebration for her.  We are so grateful for her and she truly is a gift from God.  Over the past few months I have been working on projects  for her party so I have lots to share but thought I would give a sneak peak before I revealed all of my projects.

There was party decor....

Food...

Cake....

Swimming....

and Presents....

A huge thank you to all our family and friends for celebrating with us.  Thank you especially to my Mom, Mother-in-law, Sister, and Sister-in-law for helping me so much with setting up.  Many more photos and tutorials to follow.

ONE

Today The Boss turns ONE.  

I love my little Koala and can't imagine my life without her.  Today she will spend the day with Mommy, no work for me, well...maybe a little during naptime! 

 Saturday is the big party and then tons of reveals in the next few weeks of all my First Birthday Party Projects!

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

Party Invitations...Check!

It is officially birthday month and The Boss' big day is only 20 days away...well 22 days, depending on whether you are counting her birthday or her party.  My love for Etsy continues with the design of The Boss' Birthday invitations.

And now that the invitations are printed and in the mail...

let me introduce you to Fernanda of Thirty One Designs.  

Her shop is named "Thirty One" after the amazing Proverbs 31  describing the woman, wife, mom, and successful business woman that she admires and longs to model her life after. So appropriate being Mother's Day weekend don't you think?  She is creative, talented,  AND  we share the same Birthday!  She's been in business since 2008 and has over a thousand happy clients.  After telling her about this blog she generously offered a free design from her store for one lucky reader.  Here's how you can be the next winner.

1. MANDATORY You must be a follower of Cheeky D in Heels. (Leave a comment)
2. Visit Thirty One Designs and come back here and tell me your favourite design. (Leave a comment)
3. Like Thirty One Designs on Facebook.  If you don't win Facebook friends get a $1 off anyway! (Leave a comment)
4. For two entries blog about this great giveaway including a link back to Cheeky D in Heels and Thirty One Designs so others can participate and come back here and post the link to your post. (Leave 2 comments)
5. Bonus 5 entries for purchasing something from Thirty One Designs and tell me about it. (Leave 5 comments)

*Please post a comment for each step and include your email address so I know how to get in touch with you.  Feel free to disguise it. (ex. cheekydinheel(at)gmail(dot)com)

The contest runs from Today until Monday, May 13, 2011.