Prince Charmings

Mama, can Jonah be my prince charming?

Do you blame her for asking?!


Who wouldn't want this little stud for a prince charming all dressed up in his tuxedo?


As much as she adores her little brother now, I have a feeling these will be words to tuck away for some time down the road when she might need a little reminder of how much she loves her brother.

But he sure does look cute in that little tuxedo I scored a few months back for just $15, doesn't he??!

We've been going to a lot of weddings lately and especially since Sienna got to be a flower girl for my brother and new sister-in-law's wedding a few months ago she has been convinced that every bride and groom are princesses and prince charmings.

And to take it a step further, she is desperate to have one of her own!

It's all she talks about.

This is her literally asking in the middle of the wedding....

"Mama, one day when I grow up I'm gonna get a prince charming like Daddy, he's gonna give me a ring right here (points to finger) and then I can get a baby in my tummy too!! I can't wait!!! I can't wait!!"

Not.Even.Joking.

She really asks for this several times a week. Don't even get me started on the baby in the tummy deal she's always daydreaming about...


It might be my fault for telling her that Daddy is my prince charming, and you know, she really loves that guy. I don't blame her for wanting one of her own, but the girl is not even 3 yet!

Hold the stage coach and horses please!

But, alas, when we told her Jonah wouldn't be her prince charming forever she settled on the ring bearer, but I don't think it was quite what she hoped for...

Thank goodness!

But they did have fun dancing together after we convinced them it was ok to hold hands.

Now for the true confessions...

I was the same way when I was a little girl.

(I just had to show this old picture of me I found while I was packing for the move!)

I guess some of us are destined to be mothers and something just tells us from the start!

Although, wouldn't you say by the look in my sister's face here that she might not have agreed...

Quick n' felty stocking stuffers

Need last minute stocking stuffers for your teddy bear little princess?

I thought these felt treasures were the perfect, quick, last minute and inexpensive stuffer idea!

...and I sort of hoped you wouldn't mind me using Miss Bear to model Sienna's future hair decorations just for now.


I put all 3 of these together in oooh 15 minutes using pretty much felt scraps, glue and some old hair ties!

The head band is my personal favorite with the large teeth edge bow and a thin strip for band that I stitched to a scrap of thin elastic I had in my box of "don't throw away because you might use it for something somewhere sometime"
(hehe, glad I have that box now!)



I had some smaller scraps of pink felt about 1.5" x 3" that I thought would be perfect for a little pony tail holder bow.

Then I liked that so much that I fancied it up a bit for another brown one to go with this adorable dress I made her that you'll be seeing very soon....!


All I did for these pony bows is pinch together the square of felt (or 2 in the brown case), held it in place with a dab of fabric glue and covered up my messy work by wrapping around a thin strip of felt down the center. Just before I sealed the wrap with glue I stuck an old hair rubber band against the bow right under the wrap!



Since I give my ponies a tug and yank when I take them off... and so does the mini me in my life... I did do a couple of hand stitches to sandwich close the rubber band between the outer wrap and the bow. I used embroidery thread here, but I think any type of doubled up thread should be ok.


Don't you just love these easy little felt bows?!

I know I've seen these from a few different crafty bloggers out there, and I'm so sorry for not listing all of them, but I do know that I recently saw a great and simple tutorial for felt bow clips over at Craftiness Is Not Optional.

Very doable at the end of a shopping budget!

Then... while I was starring at all those scraps of felt I remember the brilliant idea that I saw that I almost forgot about until just in the nick of time!

Felt baby doll diapers!!


Now these honestly are NO SEW at all!

Just a few snips, tucks and stick ons.

I made a few different sizes for her various dolls, but they're adjustable so they even fit her smallest baby pictured above :)

I saw these a long time ago from the lovely ladies at Kojo Designs and almost forgot all about them until now!

Check out their tutorial here.


Another 15 minutes for these guys and I still had half of a nap time to spare!

Go head, stop reading now and go try it!

BUT WAIT!

Before you go....

I also want to take a few minutes here to say that one of my favorite Christmas presents, any presents all year are all you wonderful bloggy world friends out there that give me more motivation, inspiration and fun than I ever imagined this crafty mommy blogging business ever would!!

Thanks so much for all encouraging comments you and the great ideas you all share!

Merry Christmas to all!!

Monkey see, Monkey love

And do ya blame me?!


When I saw Jess's clothes pin Christmas wreath tutorial from Craftiness Is Not Optional it was a done deal for me!

This was so quick and easy I couldn't believe it. I literally sprayed the pins while my kids played outside and they even helped me string the beads on the wire. This could be a great school craft project for kids to give to their parents... hum.... file that one away in my mental note box!

I did a few things differently than Jess, like spacing out the pins with 2 instead of one bead so the cards didn't overlap as much. I also didn't bother gluing... I might see why later, but it seemed to stay just find without it??

Hers looks fuller and a little better to be honest, but I didn't know how else to fit all these wonderful Christmas cards!


Speaking of which... I have a secret confession that I can now confess because it's completely a thing in the past....

I hate used to hate Christmas cards.

WHY?

Why would anyone "hate" Christmas cards.

One word:

c.l.u.t.t.e.r

What do you do with all those lovely cards that collect in your "too nice to just toss out" pile?

Now I know!!!!!

And now I keep checking the mail obsessively hoping that we'll get more and more of them.

I love them so much now that I even, for the very first time since we've been married, sent out Christmas cards of our own with this cute Grinch smile from Sienna!

See :)

And because it's just me, I simply had to write a little poem to go with it.

Wanna read that too???

Of course you do or you would've stopped scrolling!

Twas a month before Christmas,

when all through the house not a Da Da was stirring, where was my dear spouse?

His boxers were hung by the laundry with care,

In hopes that I’d wash them for when he’s next there.

The children were nestled all snug in my bed,

While visions of sanity danced away from my head.

Two days had passed since he went on his way

to a new job in Portland, here with the children I stay.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,

I sprang from the very far edge of the bed to see what was the matter.

Away to the window I flew like a flash,

To see a For Sale sign nailed down with a smash!

The bump on my belly of a new baby bro

Gave the lustre of change, much more than we know.

When, what to my wondering mind became clear,

that we’ll have 3 under 3! Oh me, oh my dear!

With a little walking Jonah, so lively and quick,

He’s all boy for certain, rough, tough and quite slick!

More fun with Sienna as she grows faster each day,

She tries hard to mirror mamma in every single way.

“No Sienna! No Jonah! Now Children please listen!

To sell this big house each corner must glisten!

To the park! To the zoo! Let’s get out of this place!

Can I do it? I must! Oh where’s my poker face??

And then, in a twinkling, I heard a small voice.

Your family and friends will help you;

for this just rejoice!

As I drew in my head, and wiped a small tear.

We have beautiful children & lots of reason to cheer!

So thanks to you all for the love and support,

We’re sad to leave Phoenix, our time was cut short.

But knowing the friendships we have just won’t end

A visit to Portland, may we subtly recommend???

You see... we have some big changes to announce this year, and you know, this Christmas card thing was a pretty convenient way to spread the word!

Thanks Jess for changing my heart about Christmas cards and for the great tutorial!


P.S. If you read this and think "HEY! Why didn't I get one this year? Well... this is my first year and I drastically underestimated how many I needed to order, so actually, only a very select few got them this time around. BUT, rest assured... there will be more. Oh yes, there will be more!

Easy Fairytale Princess Hat Tutorial

After seeing all those magical Disney princesses dancing around it's hard not pretending you're one too!

But even with the lovely little princess dress her mommy made her, she just seemed to be missing one very important thing....

A princess hat of course!

So I whipped one up in fairly or should I say fairy little time (wink, wink)

Wanna try?

Here's what you need:

• A quilter's square of fabric (I used satin, but you can do whatever)
• A matching square of strong interfacing or felt, or something thick to keep it up.
• Ribbon or tulle
• Elastic string
• Optional ric rac or decorative trim
• The usual sewing goodies

Here's what you do:

Step 1: Trace a basic cone

I used an old unfolded party hat to trace a basic cone shape and just made the top slightly taller to be more princess like.

You could kind of fudge this by making a semi-circle approximately the length of your child's head if you don't have a party hat to spare. The height doesn't really matter too much, but the taller you make it the harder it might be to stand up.


Step 2: Cut the fabric

Use your pattern to cut a cone shape piece of fabric and interfacing/felt. You'll end up with 2 pieces.

Step 3: Sew the interfacing and fabric together

Sew the interfacing and fabric together at the curve only. It helps to start in the center and sew in each direction.

Fold inside out to hide your seems. This is a good point to add any decorative trim or ric rac you might want to the rim of the hat.


Step 4: At the elastic string for a hat strap

Imagine the cone in 4 sections; you'll want to sew the elastic string from one end of the middle 2 sections to the other. In other words, just put it in the middle. But the sections helped me visualize exactly where when I was doing this :)

Sew those babies in place with a little back and forth stitching.


Step 5: Attach the ribbon and tulle

Place long strands of ribbon and tulle into the middle of the fabric side of the cone.

Fold the strands into the cone by folding the cone inside out, so the felt part is showing and the fabric part is on the inside. You'll want the long strands to go through the middle of the inside out cone and the ends just barely poke out of the top.


Sew the strands in place at the top by going back and forth a few times at the top side and tip of the cone.

Now go ahead and sew all the way down the cone to close the seam. I used a size 16, heavy fabric needle to go through all the layers. A straight stitch is fine here, but I went over it with a zig zag just to be sure it'll with hold the test of a 3 year old.

Snip off the little extra ribbon and tulle you have at the top...

Turn right side out and voila!


Or should I say...

Bippity Boppity Boo!


Her last princess dream comes true!

Ok, probably not last....

Let's just wait until she hears about prince charming.


But for now, princess friends is all this little lady cares about and thank goodness for that!

I know it's Christmas, but this is one amazing halloween costume

Ok, ok, how can I bring up Halloween at a time like this?

Well, when you have a really good reason like my friend, Mary's untouchable talent you just have to give your hat tips whenever you can.

All of her siblings pick a theme each year for Halloween and assign each niece/nephew to a character. When they decided on Alice In Wonderland this year Mary knew the older kids would quickly scoop up the "easier" or more popular costumes, but what she didn't expect was that her little man was going to instantly set his heart on the Caterpillar of all things!

If coming up with a 3T size Caterpillar costume wasn't enough of a challenge imagine sewing it literally 9 months pregnant!

And then realizing you're just going to need another costume for the new arrival!

....and then, actually pulling it off with a week to spare between delivery and Halloween...

A.M.A.Z.I.N.G

Hop over to her blog to see more pictures of the rest of the cast and the adorable themed party decorations they had to go with it!

Remember the magic

We're going where Daddy??!!
I'm too excited to sleep!!

And to be honest, so was Mommy!


It all started when Daddy decided one Monday morning that he thinks we need to go to Disneyland before Sienna turns 3 and needs a child's ticket. I agreed like a good wife to a constantly planning husband would thinking that we had a few months to go and sure, maybe it'd happen after the holidays. Little did I know he meant...

Let's go to Disneyland this very week!!

As in why aren't we packing yet?!

Hold the Dumbo ride! He means business!

So we called my Other Mother who lives a short drive from "the happiest place on earth" and asked if they had any plans that week. Of course she did, but since she loves us so much she rearranged everything so that 2 days later she not only let us stay at her house, they decided to come with us!!

Who can resist joining in on the first family trip to Disneyland??

We managed to go on the perfect day, with the perfect weather and almost absolutely no lines at all! Can you believe that?! The best part of all was the we had some extra help to trade off sitting with napping children tucked snuggly in their strollers while Mommy and Daddy dashed off to some rides all alone!


The gentleman that I married always makes sure I get to take the splash in the face on the Matterhorn, but I still love him.

You're probably thinking, Matterhorn?! Aren't you pregnant?! Uuhhhh, yeah, about that, I made sure to hold the baby belly on the turns....

I guess that's the difference between pregnancy #1 and #3!

Or maybe it's my daring personality and I just can't help but pass it along to my kids inside the womb and apparently outside as well....
Yup, that's our 2 1/2 year old on her first roller coaster!

She LOVED it.

I, on the other hand, have to say watching her on that ride was probably waaay worse for this pregnancy than any Disneyland level coaster I rode on. But, she loved it and still talks about it weeks later.

We met all of the princesses and characters who Sienna proudly tells any available warm body that she now personally knows. Funny that she recalls the encounter as such a time of bonding when she was clearly too star struck to make actual eye contact with the characters or with the camera...

You may think little Jonah was too young to enjoy this adventure, but I'd have to argue that it's a magical place to be for a toddler with new walking legs!

He was on a mission and had the walkers to take us with him!


No Jonah should go to Disneyland without meeting his famous whale!

I'm pretty sure he has no idea what a whale is yet, because I don't think he'd be smiling like this after a few more years worth of references to his namesake....

When we got home we asked Sienna what she thought of her first and undoubtedly most spontaneous Disneyland trip...

I'm gonna guess that this smile means Disneyland definitely is the place where 2 year old dreams come true!