Personal Post: Holidays Bring on Baby Fever!

Hey y'all, happy Friday!  Originally when I started this blog, it was mainly a place for me to be able to post about all of the things I am thinking about, from crafts to babies.  Most people in my life don't know that Mr. B and I are thinking about trying to get knocked up soon, so this is one of the places I can turn to to get a little baby gaga.  The holidays are really starting to bring out my baby fever in a big way.  I start thinking about all the cool things that kids get to do during the holidays.  I remember the fun of being a little kid and experiencing the excitement and anticipation of Christmas.  These are some of the things I am most looking forward to about being a parent, and seeing them all around me is making me a little antsy.  I am trying to be patient, but those who know me, know that is not a quality I possess.  Ideally, it will be a couple of months before we actually start trying, but it is definitely going to be hard to not jump the gun with all of this holiday baby cuteness around me.  Luckily, it will be a busy month with plenty to do to keep my mind off this baby fever!

DIY Placecards

It should come as no surprise that this project involves one of my favorite things in the world: glitter.  I made these place cards for our Thanksgiving meal and  they were so easy I had to share them with you!  All you need is some card stock, a rubber stamp, a glue stick, some glitter, and a fine tip marker (I used a Sharpie).  I didn't want to spend the money on pre-made place cards when I could stock a stationary store with all the card stock I have at home, so I used my plain white card stock and cut out rectangles that were about 3" by 4" and folded them in half.  I chose an autumn leaf stamp, but you could use whatever shape you wanted, depending on your event.  Rub your glue stick on the stamp, making sure you don't leave behind any big clumps (I kept a wet paper towel handy to wipe off any stickiness on my fingers).  Stamp your paper, making sure you cleanly pull off the stamp at the end (this was almost like a "ripping off a band aid" motion).  Cover the stamped area with glitter and then shake off the excess.  Then use your marker to write the names of your guests.  And that's it!  There are tons of possibilities for designs, all you have to do is change up the stamp and the colors!

(This pic was taken after our meal, which was served outside, so the weather made the paper a little wonky.)  Love it!  And if you want to know how to make those super stylin' votives in the background, you can click here for the tutorial!  Thanks for stopping by, and happy hump day!

Christmas Inspiration

I don't know about y'all, but I am definitely starting to feel the Christmas spirit!  It is finally cooling down here in So Cal (I'm wearing boots!) and now that Thanksgiving is over, I'm ready to deck the halls!  Here are some of my inspiration shots for Christmas decorating and wrapping!  (Click pic for original source, all pics via Pinterest.)

I'm pretty proud of myself, only two pics with glitter!  Woohoo!  Happy decorating!

Thanksgiving Photo Frame

Hello and happy Monday!  I hope you all had an awesome Thanksgiving and a nice little mini vacation.  Thanksgiving at our place was so much fun.  It was nice to have both sides of our families in one place (and it was even nicer not having to drive anywhere!).  I'm hoping to make Thanksgiving at our place an annual tradition!  One of my favorite things we did Thursday was a thankful frame.  I bought a frame with a wide white mat, and everyone signed it with something they are thankful for.  Now all I have to do is put a picture from the day in the frame, and we have a perfect memento!  How cool will it be to look back over the years and see who has celebrated with us and what we all have been thankful for over time?  Can't wait to make this one a yearly tradition too!

And now the countdown to Christmas begins!  Less than a month to go!

What I've Been Pinning This Week

Happy Black Friday!  I hope you are all in a turkey coma and had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  Here is what I've been pinning this week!  (Click pic for original source, all images via Pinterest.)

Love this simple but pretty wrapping idea!

Super cute DIY magnets!

Love this warm and cozy holiday outfit.

Awesome idea for pregnancy announcement!

Printing on brown paper bags=genius!

Hope you all have a lovely holiday weekend!  Try not to get crushed by enthusiastic shoppers and I'll see you next week!

Feelin' Thankful!

I'm sure many of you have spent some time this month thinking about all the things we have to be thankful for.   I am certainly no different, and today I have something unique to be thankful for!  I am thankful to my mom for giving me her genes for long, thick, strong hair, not just because I love it, but because yesterday I was able to donate 10 inches of that long, thick hair to the awesome charity, Locks of Love.  This is something I have always wanted to do, but for one reason or another, never had the chance to.  I had not done a major hair cut since before my wedding (about two years it's been growing) and it was time to chop it off!  I want to thank the awesome crew of Ariada Salon and Spa in Glendale for not only giving me a sweet new 'do, but for taking care of the donation process as well.  If you are in the So Cal area and are thinking about donation, this is the place to go.  They had the paperwork ready for me and took care of everything from the cut, to sending off my package of hair.  They also took this  pic of me with my lovely (and kinda creepy) donation ponytail!

If you have long hair and are thinking about a new style, definitely consider hair donation.  It takes anywhere from 6-10 donations to make one hairpiece for a child who has lost their hair to a disease.  Check out the Locks of Love website for more information!

Hope you all have an awesome Thanksgiving! 

Holiday Napkin Holder

Today we have another super easy DIY to glam up your holiday.  One of my favorite things about this project is that it is temporary, so after the holidays, you can de-glam (if you really want to).  For our Friendsgiving, we did a buffet, so I wanted an easy way for people to grab their utensils.  And then I wanted a pretty place to store said utensils.  So I went digging in my vase cupboard and found this simple round vase.  I knew I didn't want to do anything permanent because this is a versatile vase I use often.  So I grabbed some masking tape and the ever present glitter...

I wrapped the masking tape, sticky side up, around the vase, overlapping a bit in the back so it would stick.

Then I got to glittering-- just shake the glitter out onto the tape and wipe away the excess with a wet paper towel.

And here is the finished product stocked full of napkins and utensils.  Easy peasy and totally removable after the holidays!

I hope you all are as crazy busy crafting and cooking as I am!  Two days to go!

Thanksgiving Banner

So since I am being a bad, bad girl and skipping my weekly weigh in this week, I thought I would share another Thanksgiving craft with you instead!  This was another super easy project, thanks to my school access to a die-cut machine.  I cut out the letters for "Give Thanks" at school, and then cut out the triangles for the pennants (they are 5.5" on the top and 7.5" on each side).  I glued the letters to the triangles, punched a hole in the top of each triangle, and threaded the pennants onto some brown ribbon.  I used some tape to get the letters to stay in the right spot and that's all she wrote!  It's a little hard to tell in this picture, but I am using the same decor from Halloween for Thanksgiving, the only difference was turning the "Boo" vase around so now it is plain white.  Easy peasy!  Definitely have a lot to do this week to get ready for Thanksgiving #2, but also definitely excited for a nice four day weekend!  Happy Monday!

Easy Thanksgiving Table Set Up

When Mr. B and I agreed to host our annual Friendsgiving, I knew that I didn't want to spend a lot of money on the extra stuff like centerpieces and table decor (we would rather put our funds towards the good stuff--booze!).  For the tables, I decided to use simple yet glam votives (tutorial is here!) and pictures of our guests from throughout the year.  I figured, why spend on money on flowers that will have to be thrown away when we could look back on all the things we have to be thankful for instead.  Between our wedding and the other events I have hosted, I have a plethora of white frames (all from Ikea), so all I had to do was some Facebook stalking and picture printing.  All in all, I probably spent about an hour putting everything together, and everyone loved being able to see all of our happy moments from the past year.  Overall, table decor success!

And yes, in the above pic, one of our outdoor tables is painted with chalkboard paint (love that stuff!).  If you are hosting a Thanksgiving gathering this year (or Christmas or New Years) this is a great alternative to traditional centerpieces!

What I've Been Pinning This Week

Hello all and happy Thursday!  Since we didn't have school on Monday, it totally feels like Wednesday to me, and that is one awesome day mix up (much better than it actually being Wednesday and feeling like Thursday!).  Here are some of my favorite Pins from this week!  (Click pic for original source, all pics via Pinterest).

This shirt is awesome mainly because of the Zack and Kelly reference.

Love these super cute DIY coasters!

This is just about the cutest thing I've ever seen.

Love this ottoman!

I think this is my Christmas wrapping inspiration for this year.

That's all for this week's Pins!  Tune in tomorrow for some more of my Friendsgiving crafts!

Raspberry Brie Bites

I originally got the idea for this perfect holiday appetizer from (where else?) Pinterest, and this Pin.  As with most of the ideas I get from Pinterest, I read the original blog post, and then decided to take the idea and wing it.  I gather my supplies:  crescent rolls, raspberry jam, and brie.  I found brie that came in this tube like shape.  It was easy to cut and work with, but I think when I make these again, I will use brie that doesn't have a rind (I know some people like it, but I am not much of a fan).

I unwrapped the crescent rolls, and placed a dollop of jam and one round slice of brie on each one.  I am not very precise in my measurements, so I just eye-balled it.

Then I wrapped up the crescents and baked according to the package instructions.  Be warned--these will make a mess of your baking sheets (mine of course take a beating on a regular basis so they are not in the best of shape to begin with).

Here is the finished product!

These guys were definitely yummy, but I think next time around, I will use the round biscuit dough instead of the crescents.  These were a little bigger than I was thinking, and they were kind of hard to eat.  I also think I will increase the amount of brie, these had more of a jam taste than a cheese and jam taste.  But all in all, they tasted good, and most of them were eaten, so definitely a successful appetizer!

Wine and Beer!

So this weekend Mr. B and I hosted our first ever Thanksgiving.  He and his college buddies have been celebrating their own “Friendsgiving” for the past nine years, and we were happy to be able to host this annual tradition.  I made a bunch of crafts for our party and these are two of my favorites.  I was lucky enough to score these silver buckets from my mom (she’s moving, which means I am scoring some good loot these days!).  I made the “wine” and “beer” signs using leftover burlap, stickers, and ribbon.  All of the supplies were already on hand, so this project was practically free!  I cut out the triangles (about 2 inches on the top, one inch on each side), attached the letters, and taped them to the ribbon.  I tied the ribbon on the buckets and used some extra tape to hold them in place.  Voila!  Super cute and festive drink containers. 

Make sure you check in all week for lots of holiday crafts!

Weekly Weigh In #7

Had a good week this week!  I think this made up for my lack of a weigh in last week, and will hopefully get me some brownie points because I won't be able to weigh in this coming weekend either.  I know, I know, I'm a horrible person, but I just have too much going on these days and my schedule is all out of whack!  But I am still trying, and that's what matters!

Stats as of 11/10:

Starting Weight: 187
Ultimate Goal Weight: 145
This Week's Weight: 160
Total Lost This Week:3
Total Lost: 27

Make sure you stay tuned this week for the full report of our first Thanksgiving of the year!

Festive Holiday Votives

As I mentioned yesterday, Mr. B and I are hosting two Thanksgiving celebrations this year, one for our friends this weekend, and one for our families on Thanksgiving day.  So I have been doing some crafts to get ready for the big days!  Since I am a fan of all things glittery and sparkly, I decided to glam up some old votive candle holders.  I actually already had all the supplies for this project: votives, glitter, a sponge brush, some Mod Podge, and a sealing spray.

The steps for this project are pretty simple.  Take your Mod Podge and spread it evenly on the votive glass.  Cover with glitter.  Let the glue dry for a while and then spray with the sealer (otherwise you will leave a trail of glitter everywhere these votives go).  Here they are pre-sealer...

And the finished product!

So much more festive than plain votives.  Plus, since they are in a neutral metallic, they are going to work for both Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Super easy, and super pretty!

What I've Been Pinning This Week

Hello all and happy hump day!  So excited to be halfway through the week!  We are hosting our first of two Thanksgivings this weekend, so I am busy prepping for those, doing lots of crafts that I will be sharing with you soon!  But for now, here are my Pins from the week!  (Click pic for original source, all pics via Pinterest.)

Use these chalkboard clips to identify items along a buffet.

Such a great way to add a pop of color to your kitchen!

A bottle of wine for every day in December?  Best advent calendar ever!

DIY maxi skirt that even a novice like myself could make.

Love these adorable, easy to make felt flowers!

And my most repinned image of the week was the DIY maxi skirt, with 81 repins!  Stay tuned later this week for some cute Thanksgiving crafts!

My New Obsession

A couple of weeks ago, I was going through the mail when I came upon a Disney ad.  I am a super Disney freak, and Mr. B and I are both passholders, so I assumed it was something from that.  But it wasn't.  It was, in fact, an invitation, asking us to come check out the newest Disney Store franchise: Disney Baby.  I mean, come on.  This store was practically made for me.  As of right now, there is only one location open and guess where it is?  Come on, guess.  The shopping center that is literally RIGHT DOWN THE STREET from our house.  Seriously.  It's like not even funny at this point.  Sadly, right now the store is doing me no good, as all I do is go in there and drool over everything and think about how when I actually have a baby, none of these items will be in stock anymore.  And it's not like I can buy them now and stock up, because that is just jinxing at its best (or worst?).  So for now I just have to look and wish and hope that all of these products are produced for years to come so that one day I can actually make a purchase instead of just ogling the merchandise.  Here are some of my favorite Disney Baby items for you to enjoy/drool over.  (All images via Disney.)

Are you squeeing as much as I am?  I hope so.  If you are not lucky enough to live in So Cal near the only Disney Baby location, many of these items are available at your local Disney Store too. 

Weekly Weigh In #6

Alright, so this isn't even a real weigh in.  I wasn't going to post one this week, but then I thought that might lead to bad habits and skimping in the future, and I definitely don't want that to happen.  Basically I didn't even do a weigh in this weekend since my days were totally packed with craziness.  I wasn't home at my normal time, and I just had to much going on for an accurate weigh in.  But next week, I will do one for reals, promise!  Here's to a week of good eating and actual 5K training!