Please wash your hands...

My friend recently had a beautiful baby girl, born at 34 weeks after a long period of bed rest for Mommy.  She is absolutely precious.  With such a tiny three week old baby, it was completely understandable that my friend was nervous about an upcoming family reunion.  She mentioned having seen a mother at a store with a sign that essentially said to please not touch the baby.  However, she was too shy to ask her where she got it.  It turns out that there are several etsy shops that sell these style of signs.  However, there wasn't time to order one... thus this one was born.

The tag is pink and brown to replicate much of her nursery decor.  I designed this one using MS Word (because I still need to buy better design software).  One side asks that people wash their hands.  On the other side, her name.  (Isabel... isn't that a beautiful name.)  It was printed double-sided on cardstock and then laminated.  All that was left was to punch a ribbon hole in top, thread the ribbon through, and attach to the car seat.

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Baby Food

With the season's bounty coming in, I want to start preparing homemade baby food for my son.  Plus, he's starting to move toward chunkier foods and I don't like the options in the store.  I've started introducing him to pure avocado and peach.  And this weekend I want to try out Honest Fare's Zucchini and Potato recipe, as featured on Ohdeedoh.

What are other good sources for more advanced baby foods?  I definitely want to start working on some options for my little man... maybe even biter biscuits.

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A Guitar Man

Have you noticed that there are a lot of clothes out there with electric guitars?  Only problem... we're an acoustic family.

It's one of Daddy's hobbies.  It's something that his little girl loves to help with, and something I imagine that his little man will want to share in as well.

So here's a special onesie for our future musician....

This was by far the most complex freezer paper stencil I have done to date.

Oh that little man of mine!  Doesn't he have a great smile!

Definitely a guitar player on our hands, and a little cutie.  Want to do your own freezer paper stenciling?  Check out the tutorial below.  But be forewarned... it's addictive.
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Baby Shower: Owls & Books, Part V

Here are some free printables for the Owls & Books Baby Shower.  Enjoy!

Shower Game:
Game where participants have to determine the real children's book title from the alternative name.  Page is designed to print two per page.  Just cut down the middle, leaving two pages that are 4 1/4" x 11".

Owls and Books Baby Shower Alternative Titles Game

Favor Tags: 
These tags can be folded in half and stapled to a gift bag.  File prints four tags per page.  Print on cardstock.  Cut 1/2" off of the left and right sides as a guide.  The tags should be 3" high (1 1/2" when folded) and 4" wide.

Owls and Books Baby Shower Favor Tags

"Welcome Baby" Circle Stickers: 
Print on adhesive paper to make stickers.  File designed to be cut by a 1 1/2" circle punch.  I used the stickers to decorate the cups.  However, they could be used as cupcake topers, on napkins, or on favor bags.  The uses are endless.  Print 25 per page.

Owls and Books Baby Shower Circles

Bookplates:
These bookplates can be included in the invitation for guests to write a special message for the baby.  Print on adhesive paper.  File prints 4 bookplates per page.
Owls and Books Baby Shower Bookplates
More details are available on the shower including:

• Part I - Invitations
• Part II - Games
• Part III - Decorations
• Part IV - Food

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Baby Shower: Owls & Books, Part IV

And the final baby shower photos...

I was inspired by How Does She's Napkin Dress.  To continue the owl motif, I made little stickers to dress up the cups.

The menu included spice cake cupcakes with book cupcake toppers, chocolate fudge owl cupcakes (inspired by Hello Cupcake), red velvet cakeballs (inspired by Bakerella) as well as the more savory antipasti platter, three-quarter dip, and bruschetta.

To see the other ideas, check out the invitations, the games, and the decorations.

Check back tomorrow for free printables.

This party has been featured on:
One Pretty Thing:  Baby Shower Round-Up

This post is linked with:

Oopsey Daisy:  Baby Week
Creative Party Place

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Baby Shower: Owls & Books, Part III

More details from the shower...

We had a bowl and cards for everyone to leave a blessing for the new parents and baby.

I dyed a onesie brown and then stenciled it to match the owl motif from all the other materials.  I then stenciled burp clothes in brown and displayed two on a hanging clothesline (the others were packaged up with the gift).

The favors were little bags of brown sugar and spice cookies in the shape of baby bottles.  Obviously, I need to work on my icing technique more.

And of course Mr. Owl.  Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of his brother who was the cuter of the two.  The little owls were inspired by Not Just a Mommy's Owls.

Don't miss the earlier posts with the invitation and the games.

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Baby Shower: Owls & Books, Part II

I was inspired by Twig & Thistle's quiz card.  In keeping with the book theme, the challenge was for guests to determine the real title for each book.  (Ex:  "Evening Salutations to the Celestial Orb" is the classic story "Good Night Moon")  The other game was a crossword custom designed for the expectant parents.

To see the invitation, check out Part I of the Owls and Books Baby Shower.

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Baby Shower: Owls & Books, Part I

This was baby shower weekend and I am utterly exhausted.  It was my first experience hosting an event while working full time, having a toddler and a baby, and having my husband out of town.  Coming right off of Easter, I felt really behind going into this past week.  Thankfully I have a great family that helped with the kids so that I could get things ready.  And despite some last minute changes due to lack of time, the event really came close to reflecting what was in my mind's eye.

Given the lack of time, I did consider just doing a basic shower.  But in the end I couldn't bring myself to do it.  (1) It isn't me.  (2) I wanted this shower to be special.  This one has been a long time coming.  It was for a very special couple who has found out that they are adopting a baby very soon.  I know it is risky to have a baby shower before the adoption.  However, we decided to do one beforehand to help them get the basics for the first weeks.

The colors of the nursery are brown and green, so we went with those as the colors.  The parents are avid readers, so I chose to go with a book theme.  However, books by themselves seemed too grown-up.  We needed an animal.  Owls... they're cute, a little different, whimsical, and give the impression of being wise.  Thus, this became our "Owls and Books Baby Shower."

Since I have a ton of pictures and need some time to process everything, I'm going to break this down in a few parts.  Part 1... the Invitation.

I think Invitations set the mood for an event.  They are a great indication of things to come.  For this occasion, I designed a brown and green invitation (8 1/2" x 3 1/2").  It started with a little story:

Once upon a time… there was a couple preparing for their family to grow from two to three. So their family and friends showered them with love… and diapers, bibs, bottles, and other gear to get them ready for their new adventure

Invitees were encouraged to bring a book instead of a card.  I included in the invitations a bookplate for guests to fill out and place in the book as a lasting memory.  The invitation and bookplate both reflect the owl motif that will be seen repeatedly in the shower.

For the final touch, I lined the envelopes with a green print paper.  If you are interested in doing this, I've included a tutorial below.

Come back later this week to see the rest of the details behind the party.

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Baby Taggie and Easter Baskets

I was really pushing it this year in terms of getting the Easter baskets ready for the kids.  I am not sure where the time went.  However, everything came together and we had a beautiful Easter celebrating the resurrection and enjoying beautiful time outside with family.  He is risen... he is risen indeed.

So even though Easter is over, I wanted to share with you the final craft item for the easter baskets that I didn't get made in time to post before Sunday... a teether toy for my son.  I admit that crafts for my daughter tend to dominate this blog, something I hope to fix as my son gets older.  But even though he is only 6 months, I wanted to put something special together for him as well.  And in keeping with the nautical theme that dominates his life (his easter outfit had anchors and sailboats as well), that means a stuffed blue whale.

I added some grosgrain ribbon tags for him to play with and chew on.  It didn't turn out perfectly, but not bad for my first stuffed toy.  The front didn't quite get the straight line I wanted.

His Easter basket ended up being a little tupperware container (to be reused for felt food storage in his sister's room), three cute blue and brown bibs (which we desperately needed), and the little whale taggie.  Not much, but he is only 6 months old.

And just to share, here's the final product for my daughter.  (We re-used last year's Easter Basket from her Nana.)  Content include:  felt flour and sugar bags to pretend to cook, 4 felt donuts, 2 wooden eggs (michaels) for her play kitchen, Benjamin Bunny book (Target dollar section), white satin slippers (Target dollar section), and a little white and pink purse (Target dollar section).  No candy here.  There was enough of that in the plastic eggs for her Easter Egg hunt.

And a belated Happy Easter to everyone.

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Big Sister, Little Sister

Have I mentioned that I have a lot of friends having babies?  And they are all due at the same time, which means now is the time for baby showers.  A few weeks ago I showed you a diaper cake that I made for the soon-to-be-born Emma Grace.  Well, today I have a shower to attend for another little girl.  I am so excited because both of these little girls will grow up with my son (who hits 6 months this coming week... wow).

I thought of making a diaper cake again but decided to do something a little different.  In this case, the baby will be the second child.  Her older sister is friends with my daughter, so I wanted to do something special for big sister and little sister.  And here is the result...

Matching Shirts, made via freezer paper stenciling of course.  For big sister, a pink shirt with a bird and branch.  (And in case you are wondering, this is the same as the yellow shirt I made my daughter.  I loved it so much that I decided to do the same thing here.)  For baby sister, a onesie with the bird and the Brazilian Portuguese word for baby (part of the family is from Brazil).

I rolled both up and tied them with ribbon and a little note about the recipient.  I also added a little korker barrette for big sister (who has amazingly beautiful curly hair).

Tucked in a box with other baby items and then with a special card (note written after the picture was taken), the present is complete. 

Now I just hope Mom likes it.  I'm off to get dressed for the Baby Shower.  Have a lovely weekend.  I know I will.

This post is linked with:

Tatertots and Jello:  Weekend Wrap Up Party
The Persimmon Perch: Made It Mondays

Keeping It Simple: Motivate Me Monday
The Girl Creative: Just Something I Whipped Up
Making the World Cuter Monday
Sumo's Sweet Stuff: Market Yourself Monday
Today's Creative Blog:  Get Your Craft On
A Soft Place to Land:  DIY Day
Delicious Ambiguity: Tot Tuesday
Oopsey Daisy:  Baby Week

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Babies, Babies Everywhere

I'm not sure what was in the water lately, but it seems like I am surrounded by expectant mothers due around April and May.  So far the list includes my cousin, two women in my Sunday School Class, a former co-worker, and a friend of ours... two unknown, two girls, and one boy.  I am so excited.  Not only am I excited about the beginning of new life, but I am also excited because many of these will be the children that grow up with my son and are in his class in school.  Selfish, I know, but I love being able to get together with other families and have the kids play together.

With so many babies due, the baby showers are beginning.  And that of course means coming up with cute baby shower gifts.  I admit that my baby shower shopping changed drastically after having my own children.  I definitely learned what is practical and what is not (newborn sized outfits, particularly if the baby is a 10 pounder like my son was).  I think that is what led me to fall in love with diaper cakes.  It's a great combination of a practical gift (diapers) and craftiness.

The baby shower we were invited to requested a book for Emma Grace's library instead of a card.  (Don't you love that name.  I think I'll have to call her Emma Grace all the time.)  I love this idea, being a lover of books myself.  So, I decided to have the book be the focal point of the cake.  Here's what I ended up with...

I know that there are tons of tutorials on the internet for diaper cakes, so I won't go into a lot of detail here.  However, let me just say that this was put together pretty last minute.  It is much easier than you think, if you haven't tried one before.

I've made several over the years, and I am coming down to the fact that I like the simpler look.  So I don't add a lot of embellishment.  It's just my personal taste.

That book on top is "Are you my Mother?"  I was surprised to learn that it isn't technically a Dr. Seuss book.  But I loved reading it as a child, and it is one of those nice hard-board versions that my daughter really enjoyed when she was younger.  I just made a cover for it out of scrapbook paper so it would match and then added the stickers for "Baby Girl".  Our names are also on it so it can serve as the card.

This cake consists of 70 rolled size 1 diapers (held with hair ties) and is built around a baby shampoo bottle at the center.  I had the pink ribbon at home as well.  The letters are from a pack of pink $0.99 stickers in Target's Scrapbooking aisle.  The butterflies were punched out of the leftover pale pink paper from the book cover.  Add the pink tissue paper, and that is all there is to it.

I was rather happy with the finished product.

Here's a boy version from a year ago.  I loved the monkey stuffed animal on top and the very simple blue and brown color combo.  This one is only two tiers.

Now to come up with some other baby gift ideas.  Anyone know of any good sibling gifts?  There are some big sisters that I want to include as well.

This project is linked with:

Fireflies and Jellybeans: Show Off Your Stuff

Treasures for Tots: Thursday's Treasures

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