Thanks Gina

The other day I hung out with my friend who has this stroller.

For a while now she's been telling me how awesome it is, etc., etc.

But the other day she came to my house and practically forced me test drive it.

Wow, was that a mistake.

big.big.big mistake.

Because it is awesome.

Really super awesome.

Like will hold all 3 of my kids who will be super close together in age awesome.

And now I want one.

Really really bad.

But...

the only not so awesome thing about this amazing stroller is the price.

So I'm off to do the only thing I know how to do in this kind of dilemma.

sew.

and sew and sew and sew.

It's going to take a lot of bibs, burp cloths and onesies to be able to afford this bad boy.

Do any of you have the Uppa Baby Vista stroller? What are your thoughts on it? Is it as awesome as I think it is?

Whimsy Couture Giveaway!

Yes, you read it right a GIVEAWAY!

I know it's been forever, right!

I'm so excited to get back into my weekly (or bi weekly...we will see how it goes) giveaways!

This week's giveaway comes from Whimsy Couture.

Let me introduce you to Denise, the mastermind behind Whimsy...

"I was born and raised in Germany and moved to the States over 10 years ago. I live in the outskirts of Washington D.C. with my husband, two kids and a dog.

I learned sewing in school when I was 12 and loved it ever since. Years ago when my little boy was born I discovered how fun it was to make baby clothes and slowly went into drafting patterns. My own pattern line started around Summer of 2009 with only 2 girls dresses. I went to a pattern making class and got the hang of it. Then more and more patterns came out. My goal is it to offer patterns for everyone, kids, adults, pets etc.

Whimsy Couture offers downloadable patterns which on most sites will be emailed. The customer can start sewing right away. I try to keep my patterns as much "handmade" as possible so the commercialization will be at a minimum. Although a commercially produced or printed pattern looks more professional, I like it more handmade and personal. I also offer great customer service with help and advice for newbies.

Garments made from my patterns may be sold on etsy/ebay and everywhere else!"

Denise also has a blog where she offers great sewing articles, free tutorials and more! Head on over and check it out!

Here are just a few of the adorable sewing patterns that can be found in Whimsy Couture's Etsy shop.

bubble skirt patterns

tons of dress patterns (for girls of all sizes)

romper patterns

Seriously is there anything cuter than a baby in a romper?!

legging and pant patterns

and so much more!

This week Denise is giving away
a 3 pack of sewing e-books!!!

How can you win?
(Please leave a separate comment for each)

1. Visit Whimsy Couture's shop.
Come back here and tell us what your favorite item is.
2. Follow my blog.
3. Follow Whimsy Couture's blog.
4. Follow me on Twitter.
4. Blog about it.
Make sure to let me know the blog address you linked from in your comment.
5. Make your neighbor a meal.
Then leave a comment telling us what you made :)

Giveaway will end at midnight
Thursday, February 3rd.
Winner will be announced the following day.

Shop Update-Ergo Drool Pads!

You've been asking for them and now they are here!

I've finally added some drool/sucking pads for the Ergo (or Beco) baby carrier to my shop.

Check them out here :)

And if you're thinking to yourself, "What is an Ergo baby carrier?"

Let me fill you in on my number one must have baby item!

In my opinion, the Ergo is

by far the best

hands down

baby carrier

ever.

It's a little pricey

but worth every penny.

It's so much more comfortable than the Moby wrap, traditional sling, Baby Bjorn, etc., etc.

Just trust me on this one.

Then go try one for yourself.

You will thank me.

Ok, enough about it's awesomeness...

once you get the Ergo you will soon realize that your baby loves to suck on the straps.
It's inevitable.
Since it's kind of gross to have baby slobber all over your straps
and it's not good or convenient to be constantly washing your baby carrier
Ergo came up with these teething pads.

Great idea but so boring!

So I decided to make a much cuter and more fun version of the sucking/drool/teething pads.

Plus I even added a little ribbon tag to hang your babies toys from.

Check them out in the shop and grab a pair before they are gone.

And be sure to stop back by tomorrow for a little giveaway!

What I Wore

Hey friends!

Hope you all are having a great week!

Here's my weekly What I Wore Post.

(If you are new and wonder why I take pictures of myself everyday click here for the scoop)

Enjoy!

play date with neighbor friends

navy shirt: Old Navy

grey cardigan: Forever 21

jeans: H&M maternity

red flats: vintage (my mom's old shoes from the 70's!)

bible study

shirt dress: Macy's

leggings: Forever 21

black flats: Naturalizer

little kid birthday party during the day...

shirt: H&M

jeggings: Forever 21

boots: Cathy Jean

bracelet: 31 bits (awesome jewelry for an awesome cause..check out the link)

and then out to dinner for a friend's birthday at night

long sleeve white shirt: Banana Republic

sweater wrap: Macy's

jeggings: Forever 21

boots: Cathy Jean

necklace: Walmart

early morning trip to the Farmer's Market and the park with the hubby and kiddos

shirt: Nordstroms

jeggings: Forever 21

boots: Cathy Jean

friend's baby shower later in the day

ruffle top: Target

jeggings: Forever 21

boots: Cathy Jean

belt: vintage

headband: made by me out of vintage lace and goodies

church

shirt: Macy's

jeans: H&M maternity

flats: Naturalizer

necklace: Walmart

hanging at the house

salmon striped top: Old Navy

jeans: H&M maternity

flats: Naturalizer

beach day with kids

tank top: Old Navy maternity (hand me down from friend)

white tank underneath

capris: Old Navy maternity

flip flops: Old Navy

Creative new blog

I just stumbled across Meet the Dubiens,

an awesome blog with tons of fun stuff for kids!

I loved it so much much I had to share it with you.

Here are just a few of her creative ideas...enjoy!

Bubble pictures

Just mix up the bubble liquid using dish soap and acrylic paint and blow colorful bubbles onto paper.

Play makeup

I love how Jill filled up her old makeup containers with nail polish for her daughter to use as pretend makeup.

Bath paint

Bubble bath+cornstarch+food coloring= super fun bath time!

Owl Hand print Pictures

I'm a sucker for owls.

And my kids hand prints.

Together it's the perfect match.

Snow Ice Cream

I wish it snowed here

just so I could make this.

Jill also makes a fun lunch for her kids every Friday.

I was shocked at all the adorable ideas she came up with.

I have a feeling my lunch battles would be over if I tried one of her edible creations.

Felt Valentines

There is no such thing as too much mail

(felt mail that is)

or too many Valentines.

Here's a special set of Valentine inspired mail

I whipped up for my little mail lady.

lovey. dovey. felty. fun.

Attack of the Markers

Last night Little Miss Trouble

(a.k.a. Mackenzie)

struck again.

This time it was with a marker.

exhibit a

exhibit b

exhibit c

I was in the other room with Wesley and Aaron when the crime took place.

After her graffiti fun, Mackenzie ran up to me and turned herself in.

Mackenzie: "Mommy, I made a bad choice. I was coloring with the marker ALL over my hands and my sheets".

Me (running to her room): "Show me. (I walk into her room and see the marker)...AARON!"

My first words to Aaron, "Why does it always have to be on the bedding!"

At least it was only on the sheets this time.

There's never a dull moment in this house.

Never.

Princess Tiara Tutorial

What little girl doesn't love dressing up as a princess?

And what proper princess doesn't have a tiara?

Today I'm going to teach you how to make a simple and easy princess crown or tiara for your little Princess.

And no princess outfit is fully complete without a princess wand.

In case you missed the princess wand tutorial check it out here.

Princess Crown or Tiara Tutorial

Supplies:

-headband (The purple glitter headband and the pink headband came in a 2 pack in the dollar section at Target)

-felt

-rhinestones

-hot glue gun

Step 1:

Make a crown template out of card stock or scrap paper.

This is a little tricky to explain...

Basically you need to come up with a crown shape at the top of your template and then leave a bunch of extra room at the bottom. It might be helpful to scroll down a bit to see how we are going to attach the felt to the headband to get a better idea how to make your template.

Then, once you have your large template, make a smaller crown shape that fits inside the top of the larger crown shape as an accent.

Step 2:

Cut your crown shapes out of felt using your templates as a guide.

Step 3:

Wrap the larger crown piece around the headband as shown above.

Add a strip of hot glue to the top center of the headband and to the inside of the crown shape, then quickly press down to secure it to the headband and the back piece of felt.

Wow, I feel like I'm doing a really awful job of explaining this. Hopefully the pictures are helpful to clarify things.

Step 4:

Glue on your smaller crown piece.

Step 5:

Following the shape of the large crown piece, cut the back piece of felt to match.

Step 6:

Decorate your princess tiara/crown with rhinestones, glitter or puffy paint to your liking and...

Tada!

A beautiful princess tiara for your little princess!