Jungle Themed Baby Shower

I absolutely love hosting parties.  I love the ability to be able to be creative and crafty without overspending my budget!  I feel like I could just spend hours searching for ideas to match the theme of the party.

I had the opportunity to host my sister's baby shower last summer and it was a Safari/Jungle Themed Shower.  My creativity went into overdrive!  I did buy some pre-made decorations such as the banner and table cloths to match the theme, but then I made centerpieces and the cake to match.

For the centerpieces, I purchased beer glasses at the dollar store and hot glued an animal print ribbon around the top.  I used a matching button to cover where the ribbon ended.  I then hot glued wood jungle animals to the bottom of the glass.  On the day of the shower, I sent my poor husband out in the rain to cut multiple types of lilies from our garden to match the decor.

The shower was planned for the late morning, so I planned brunch food.  The food wasn't completely jungle themed, although, we did have a nice monkey cake!!  The table was full of bagels, crackers, breads, fruit, cheese, and french toast casserole.  We also served some hot dishes as well.

The cake was served later, but it was a safari themed cake with 4 different flavors.  I personally made the cake which cut down on the cost considerably!

One of the activities for the guests was to write a message to the baby on a piece of fabric with fabric markers.  There was 4 different coordinating fabrics that matched the baby's nursery as well as a 5th fabric with monkeys on it.  The 4 basic fabrics were used for messages.  After the shower, the fabric squares was then made into a quilt for a keepsake for the baby.

We also played 2 different games.  One game was a matching game of animal names.  One side had a list of baby animal names and the other column was a list of adult animal names.  Click here for the website I used for the answers.

The second game was a little more interactive and LOUD!  I created 20 different baby-related activities to perform.  Some of the activities included diapering a baby, putting together a baby bottle, reciting a lullaby, and answering trivia questions.  Each of these activities were put on a slip of paper and inserted inside a balloon.  The balloon was then blown up and tossed on to the floor.  Each guest selected a balloon and had to pop the balloon to find their activity.  It was a great game for laughs and fun!

At the end of the shower, each guest received a jungle-themed favor.  The favor was 3 Oreo cookies, each one dipped in coordinating colored chocolate (green, white, and brown) and then placed inside a small Ziploc bag.  I then made tags out of animal print and green paper to cover over the Ziploc part of the bag.  Holes were punched through the paper and plastic bag and the baggies were tied with animal print ribbon.

The party was a huge success and the mother-to-be was showered with love by family and friends!!

Blessings,

Jennifer

Growth Board

When I had my first son, I wanted to start documenting his growth, but I didn't want to start marking the wall because I wanted to be able to keep the measurements if we ever moved to another home.   We actually did end up moving, and it was the best decision I made to make my own growth chart.  There are so many versions of growth charts out there, but I wanted to make one that matched the decor of his room (at the time) and that wasn't expensive.

There are so many ways to make this growth board, so just let your imagination and creativity run wild!!

What you need for this project:

6' wood board (I use pine)

Paint

Plastic tape measure

Scrapbook paper

8- Chip Board Animals (or ones to match your theme)

Letters (stickers, vinyl, stencils, etc)

Coordinating Ribbon

Hot glue

Mod Podge

To start this project, be sure that you pick a nice piece of wood that is not bowed or has many knots.  Once you select your wood,  you will want to paint the board at least 2 coats on the front and back.  I used left over paint that we used for the baby's nursery, however, you could use an acrylic paint or pick up a small container of paint from your local home improvement store.

While the paint is drying, select your papers that you will want to use on the board.  I usually try to find a book of scrapbook papers that match my theme so all of the papers are coordinating. 

Select the papers that you want to use and cut 14- 4"x6" pieces.  

Prior to gluing the the papers to the board, arrange the papers on the left side of the board until you are happy with the pattern and design.  Remember that some of the papers will have a wood design on them, so be sure to organize the papers accordingly.

When you are satisfied with the design, glue each page to the board using paper mod podge.  You will want to overlap the pages slightly to avoid the board peeking through each page.  Once all papers are glued to the board, apply a coat of mod podge on top of the papers to seal them to the board.

Now it is time to attach the tape measure.  Start the tape measure at the bottom of the board and line it up along the right side of the paper border.  I have attached the tape measure with mod podge and also with hot glue.  I would personally recommend using hot glue for a quicker and stronger attachment, but either medium works well.  After the glue is dry, apply another coat of mod podge to seal the tape measure and papers together.  

Once dry, measure two pieces of ribbon to wrap around the board with a small overlap at the back of the board.  Using hot glue, attach ribbon to the bottom of the board and at the top of the paper border.  Be sure to cover up the end of the tape measure with the ribbon.

Make letters with either vinyl, paper, or paint with stencils to spell out a saying or quote that you want on top of the board.    I like to use See Me Grow or using a name.  I then attach one of the wood designs above the ribbon with hot glue.

Now it is time to attach the remaining wood designs.   Again, place them on the board prior to gluing in order to arrange them in a way that you like.  Place the designs on every other paper as some of the designs may cross over to another paper.  Once you are happy with the design, attach the designs with hot glue.

Allow the entire board to dry for 24 hours prior to use in order to allow the glues to dry and harden.  You can then either attach the board to the wall or just let it sit against a wall.  

Now you have a growth board that can move with you and matches your baby's nursery!

Blessings,

Jennifer

Paper Mache Wedding Cake

I am always trying to find creative ways to give a gift to someone.  I think it is virtually impossible for me to give someone just a gift card!  When I was planning my sister's bridal shower, I was trying to come up with ideas for a centerpiece and a creative gift.  I decided to make a wedding cake out of stacking paper mache boxes.    I wasn't sure what I was getting into, but it actually worked out perfectly!

Here is what you need for this project:

4 tiered stacking boxes (round or square)

White acrylic paint

White 3-dimensional paint

Ribbon (one thick, one medium, and one thin for flower arrangements)

Coordinating artificial flowers

hot glue

green flower tape

To get started, paint each box with the white acrylic paint.  Although optional, I painted the inside of the boxes as well since I used it as multiple gift boxes.  Each box took about 2-3 coats of white paint for an even color.   Once the paint dried, I then took the white 3-dimensional paint to make designs on the box.  For this project, I alternated the design with dots and swirls.   You can be creative here and design each cake with scroll work or even copy an image of the wedding cake selected for the wedding.   Be sure to avoid the bottom area where the ribbon will go around the box.  

Once the design is done, set the boxes aside to dry completely.    The 3D paint does take awhile to dry and can be difficult to work with if it is not completely dry (I am speaking from experience!).   While the boxes are drying, it is time to make the floral pieces.  Again, use your creativity to make an arrangement that matches the decor and style.  I used white roses and periwinkle with silver ribbon to match the wedding colors.   Each small arrangment had 2 roses with few flowers of periwinkle and fern leaves mixed in.  After the arrangement is put together, wrap the bottom stems with green flower tape to keep it together.  I then tied a small bow with the silver ribbon and hot glued it to the front of the arrangement.

You want to make a small arrangement for the bottom layers of your "cake."  To make the large arrangement for the top of the cake, I glue the flowers directly on to the lid of the top box.   Again I used a mixture of large open roses, periwinkle and fern leaves and glued them into an arrangement with a few silver ribbon curls.

Once everything is made, it is time to put it all together.  For the top 3 boxes, I used the medium width ribbon and the large ribbon for the bottom box.  Carefully wrap your ribbon around the bottom of the box and cut off the ribbon after a small overlap at the back of the box.  Using hot glue, carefully apply the ribbon to the box.  Repeat with each box.  

Once all of the ribbon has been applied, stack the boxes on top of each other and place the small flower arrangements on the boxes where you would like them to be.  Once you like the look of the "cake," hot glue each arrangement to the ribbon on the box.

Once everything has dried, your gift cake is done!  This can be used in so many different ways.  For my purpose, it was used as a centerpiece on the gift table, but I also filled each box with gifts for the bride.  After the shower, the boxes can then be used to store keepsakes from the wedding.

Blessings,

Stackable Box Snowman

I absolutely love the winter time.  One of my favorite decorations to have around the house is snowmen.  There are so many designs and cute faces on all of the decorations.  I wanted to have a snowman decoration that I could have in my home for the entire winter season and not just for Christmas time.

I made this stackable box snowman which was very easy and inexpensive, and it has held up for several years with kids playing with it as well.

Here is how you can make your own snowman!

Supplies:

Stackable paper mache boxes (4)

Acrylic craft paint (White, Black, Orange)

Extreme Glitter Paint

Glamour Dust

Fleece

Buttons (3)

Small cone styrofoam

Black Pom-Poms

Ribbon

The biggest part of this project is painting each paper mache box in the white acrylic paint.  I painted the lower three boxes with 3 coats to get a bright white color.  While the last coat was wet, I covered each box in the glamour dust by sprinkling it on the wet paint.  I used a dry paint brush to spread out any areas of concentrated glitter.

While the white boxes were drying, I painted 2 coats of black on the top box for the hat.  Once dried, I used the extreme glitter paint in silver and painted one coat on the hat.

I cut a piece of narrow ribbon to wrap around the box just below the lid (the box will sit upside down on the snowman).  I then hot glued the ribbon on to the hat.

Now that the base of the snowman is done, it is time to decorate.   I cut the pointy end of the cone shaped styrofoam to form the nose of the snowman.  This was then painted orange.  

Using hot glue, I glued the pom-poms on for the eyes, glued the orange nose and then drew the mouth with a sharpie marker.  I also glued on each button, one on the middle piece and 2 on the bottom piece. Finally, I wrapped the fleeced around the middle boxes lid and tied it to form a scarf.  The fleece was then hot glued on to the lid.   

Once everything was dry, each box stacked on to each other and the snowman was formed!

This fun snowman has been used for props in pictures, as a decorations, and sometimes a toy!  He has held up well and always puts a wintery touch the house!!

Blessings,

A Toy Story Birthday Party

One of my favorite times of the year is when it comes time for my boy's birthday parties.  I love the discussions of themes and ideas for the upcoming birthday.  Of course, this past year, my 4 year old decided on at least 10 different themes until a month before his birthday.  This year he decided on Toy Story, although it was originally a Woody party until I started making plans and my son asked, "Where is Buzz?"

Once a theme was decided, Pinterest became my new best friend.  I spend more hours than I would like to admit looking at all of the ideas for a Toy Story party.  Truthfully, I was completely overwhelmed at some of the blogs claiming to throw a Toy Story party on a small budget.  I was excited to find a toned down version, only to be wondering how in the world did they have that type of party on a small budget??  You can easily get sucked into all of these great party planners and bloggers having everything perfect, but realistically, I just wanted a fun, economical themed party for my son.

I made my son's invitations on my computer and then sent them to be printed.  This was the most expensive cost, but I always order them during the holiday specials to get a discounted rate.  I ordered the invitations in a 5x7 size and then framed one of the invitations for a party decoration.

In previous years, I always bought everything themed for the party.  Plates, cups, napkins...you name it, it had a theme and we also paid a lot of money for them too.  I finally realized how much of a waste it was to buy everything that we ended up using once and never had a use for again.  

For the Toy Story party, we worked with a theme of colors.  Mainly red and blue with some green and purple mixed in.  We purchased red and blue bowls for the cake and ice cream and bought red solo cups for drinks. 

I actually had bandana fabric left over from another project, so I used the red bandana fabric for the cake table and the present table and then used a blue and red fabric for the table to eat at.

Even if you don't have fabric in your home that works, you can easily find some cheap fabric on sale at your local fabric store that is sure to match your theme!  I would recommend a fabric that can be used again or used for a project later.  The fabric washes nicely and can be re-used for another project.

Since my son is a huge fan of Toy Story, he had several Buzz Lightyears, Woody's, and Mr. Potato Heads around so they made easy decorations around the house.  My son loved being able to dig out all of his Toy Story toys and being able to see them displayed around the house.   Since we didn't have any army men, we did purchase some for the sole purpose of the party.  However, I highly recommend buying them at a dollar store.  I was able to find a package of at least 50 army men for $1.00!

We also had red balloons left over in the house, so they matched our theme perfectly. You can also easily get solid colored balloons at a dollar store or grocery store.  I always used to buy balloons from a party store, but no one ever paid attention to them and they ended up in the garbage soon anyway!

For a banner, I made my own using cardboard and twine.  Fortunately, my son's birthday is 4 days after Christmas, so we tend to have many cardboard boxes around the house!  I cut out small pieces of cardboard about 4x6 in size.  I then painted each piece of cardboard in coordinating Toy Story colors.  Once dried, I painted each one with a letter for "Happy Birthday Noah".  Each letter was then attached to a piece of twine using a fabric loop on the back of the cardboard.

I also printed out the Toy Story drawings from Andy's room from here and hung them on the wall near the main table.

Now before I continue, I do have a small disclaimer.  Everything for the party was a minimal cost for us, however, I own a bakery and made his cake myself.   If you chose to have a cake like this one, it would cost you quite a bit more!!!

However, if you want to make your own cake, my easiest suggestion would be to make a 9x13 cake and color your frosting any color that matches the theme.  I found 2 of the Toy Story characters at the dollar store (Jesse and Rex) and the other characters I found together at Target for $16.99.  The characters were a perfect size and weight to sit on top of the cake!!

I did have a few games planned, although most of the kids were 4 and under and had no desire in playing anything beside the toys in the play room.  I did realize later that the games I had planned were a little more difficult, so these would be great for older children.

One game was dropping army men into a cup.  We placed a SOLO cup on the floor and the kids stood on the 2nd floor over the railing from the loft.  They each got a turn trying to drop an army man into the cup.  It was a lot harder than we thought!!

The other game had even less interest, so I don't have any pictures, but it was tossing a snake into a boot.  We had a rubber snake from the toy box and a boot from our closet.  The kids were supposed to try to get the snake into the boot.  I guess the new toys from Christmas were just too exciting!

After opening presents and having cake, the kids were definitely tuckered out and had a great time at the Toy Story party!  Upon leaving, each kid received a Toy Story themed Pez dispenser as a thank you for coming.  I was able to find 1 dozen of these Pez dispensers here for a the same price or even less for what we usually pay to fill a goody bag for each kid!!

It was definitely a great feeling to see the kids enjoying the party and knowing that we spent much less on a party with just a little creativity!

Blessings!

Kid's Tool Workbench

I absolutely love watching my older son play using his imagination.  He is so creative and comes up with some of the funniest ideas.  My husband and I decided that we were going to stop buying so many of the electronic toys that take away the imagination and start giving him more creative/imagination inducing toys.

I noticed that he loves to copy his dad and grandfathers by working with tools.  He will go around all day fixing the chairs with his screwdriver or hammering nails in the wall.

So for Christmas, we decided to give him a kid's toy workbench.  I started looking around and all the ones I could find were $60.00 or more.  Now, we are willing to spend some money on the kids for Christmas, but within reason.  We realized that a toy workbench will be used hard and eventually will be forgotten about when the next best toy comes around.

Ever since my boys were babies, I have always given them a handmade gift.  My oldest son's first Christmas handmade gift was new pajamas.  My youngest son's first gift was a blankie!  So, this year I decided to make the tool workbench.  It seemed a little intimidating, but it was so easy and I spent 1/2 the price!

I started this project by searching for a suitable table.  I found ours on Craigslist for $3.00.  It was a small entertainment stand with laminate covering.  The first task was to prime the table with a white primer made for laminate wood.  If you use a table with laminate, I would recommend 2 coats of the primer.  I was in a hurry due time constraints, so I only primed it once.

I then found some left over paint that I had from another project and finished painting the table.  My next step was to stencil the top of the table with tools.  I had several ideas for the stenciling, one being stenciling his name, however, I realized that my younger son would most likely be playing at some point, so I painted tools on instead.  I used my Silhouette Cameo to design the tools and make a stencil on contact paper.   Using acrylic paints, I stenciled the table and then my mistake happened!!  I removed the contact paper and accidentally peeled away some paint as well.  After a few minutes of fretting, I decided to just go with it.  I pulled out my coarse sand paper and sanded it down even more.  It actually turned out great, it made the table look well used!  

Once I was completely done with painting, I sprayed the table with a matte polyurethane spray to protect the table (although I'm not sure anything can protect it from 2 boys!)

The next part was quick and easy.  I purchased a peg board and it's attachments from a local hardware store.  There are severals ways to do this, but I chose to buy the pre-cut board with the attachments to save me a few steps.  However, this project would cost even less if you bought the peg board and cut it yourself!    

I screwed the peg board to the back of the table at the bottom and top to keep it secure.  Be careful if you buy a table that is made from particle board.  It is a little hard to screw the peg board on to, but it does work!  I added all of the different attachments to the boards to hang his tools on and it was finished!

All it needed was some tools and he was ready to create!  We asked other family members to purchase play tools for him for Christmas and he was thrilled!

This project was definitely a success and I just love listening to him hammer away at his house that he is building!

Blessings,