Monday, June 13, 2011

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!



Thursday, June 2, 2011

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. 

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

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!) 

Monday, May 30, 2011

If I was Ashley H....

Oh Ashley H....you're so sweet but you are confusing me a little bit.

1. I would not trick a bachelor into marrying me on the first date.  Poor William....he is so cute and was so confused by her shinanigans. 
2. Next,  don't beg men to stay when you have 16 other great choices.  It makes for great television for us but... you are being played like a fiddle.  
3. Don't pick your husband based on a coin toss...you might have to marry Mickey. 
  

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.


Thursday, May 26, 2011

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!

Monday, May 23, 2011

If I was Ashley H....

The Bachelorette...what is it about this show....I just can't help myself.  I MUST watch it!!!  I thought I would write a piece for the next couple weeks called..."If I was Ashley H...."


I will keep this week short and sweet but "If I was Ashley H..." I would be so disappointed.  (For all those who are concerned about my marriage and me lusting diving into the lives of these other men...my husband is the first to tell everyone that when I die he is going on the Bachelor... he thinks The Boss will only better his chances of winning the hearts of all of North America, he's probably right.  So???)  I honestly thought the quality of Men this time around was weak at best.  I am pretty sure if you held a gun to my head I couldn't have picked 18 of them.  Maybe that's because my Man is so great?

Ashley looked gorgeous of course...I loved the dress, especially the rhinestone straps on her back...beautiful!  I am not sure how I feel about her hair colour.  I know people loved it at the "After the Rose" taping last year.  I think she is cute as a burnett but definitely would've taken it a few shades darker or kept it highlighted.

Let's also talk about the Man in the mask and this mysterious "Bentley"...seriously?  What's with the mask?  I mean I understand you are making a statement but we decided that unless he is a planted spy he's a waste of time.  Do you think we can't see your eyes?  Unless you are hiding a black eye from the limo ride over, we think you're a quack!  And Bentley (love his name btw)...someone warned you about him, fine...give the man a chance if he's hot but are we really calling him hot????  Ugh...this could be a long season.  Oh and Canadian Chris...you nerd, you give Canadians a bad name.

So far I think JP is a front runner.  He seems down to earth, and definitely sexy!  I also liked the dental floss ice breaker guy...that was creative and cute (can't remember his name)!

Who are you loving this season?