Best Of 2011

As the year comes to an end I thought I would share with you my top 5 favorite projects of 2011

(1) My top Favorite Project would have to be My Kids Playhouse

This was such a fun project, I love all the bright and cheerful colors.  My kids have spent many hours in here playing and creating. 

(2) My Son's Camping Theme Birthday Party

This was a fun one, I loved all the fun outdoor details I used.  The cake turned out fantastic with the help of my boys.

(3) Our Built In TV Unit

I love how this turned out this really makes the room special.  This is also one of my favorite projects because my husband and me did this one together.

(4)  Trunk to Coffee Table

This was an easy Transformation but it feels like it was always supposed to be there.  I love the worn out parts and the beaten down leather, such a character piece.

(5) Wooden Christmas Trees

These just make me smile every time I pull up to the house.  They are just so fun.

I hope 2012 allows me to show more projects and I look forward to seeing all of your creativity.  

More Family Blocks

Is everyone done with all their Christmas Celebrations?  We have a total of 4 so we still have one more to go, I just don't know if I can bring myself to do one more turkey dinner.  

So far we have had some great times with family and the kids were more than spoiled this year.  A couple more days of family time with Grandpa and Uncle and then it is time to clean up the decorations and organize for the new year. 

Before Christmas I made these for a gift but couldn't share them before she opened the present.  I love the colors we used in these and I believe the recipient did too.

Going Away Party

It feels like just yesterday that my good friend broke the news to me and told me they were moving all the way across the world to Australia.  That was months ago and we said well we have lots of time left.  The time has ticked down and know we only have a few days left.  

This weekend I was honored to be able to host a going away party for their wonderful children. It was such a blast, we rented out the pool at our local hotel and the kids had a great time swimming.

I decided to go with a teal and Red Theme.  The Centerpieces had balloons and paper airplanes.

The Cake Table ~ I just love the colors

Luggage Cake ~ I used a buttercream for most of the cake and some fondant for more of the detail.  I also used edible printed images. 

Among the large amount of food we had I made these fly cookies.

I am hoping that they will have a great journey and explore and experience so much in the 4 years they will be gone.  They will be dearly missed by me and my family, but what a great excuse to do a family trip to Australia. 

Thanks For The Feature

I am thrilled that my Hope Blocks were featured over at Pocket full of Pink.

Gift Idea for Grandparents

If you are looking for a gift for that special Grandma or Grandpa in your life but they have everything, here is an idea for you. 

I made my grandparents a book with all their Children, Grandchildren and Great Grandchildren's Birthdays in it.  

I picked a book with a picture window so I could make this monogram to put in it.  

I made the inside simple and just printed out lined paper and put the month on the top.  I still have to fill out the birthdays for them.

Once a new Baby is born they can fill it in themselves to keep track of all the birthdays. 

Pinkalicious Party

Can I tell you how much I love doing a girly birthday cake, they come few and far between for me but I just love to do something girly.  

My Niece turned 4 and for her birthday the theme was Pinkalicious.  You can't have a Pinkalicious party without a big cupcake cake. 

This was a little bit softer icing than I usually decorate with but I think it turned out pretty good. 

My Sister In-law made these party bags for the kids finished off with Pinkalicious tags, each one of the girls got a Pinkalicious book and the boys got some boy goodies.

I love all the little details and even the water bottles got a little bit of Pinkalicious.  

This cake idea came from a website I follow My Cake School so if you want to create it you can check out her site for full details. 

For All Their Hard Work ~ Teacher and Coach Christmas Gifts

This truly is my favorite time of year.  Every year I try to make something for the teachers and our coaches as they work so hard and put a lot of time into my children.  Between all of their school teachers, music teacher and Karate teacher we had a total of 12 gifts to make this year.  

This year I wanted to share a little HOPE.

I started out by cutting all my wood using 2x4's and 2x2's.  With 12  to do there was a lot of blocks. 

I started by painting all the blocks.  I am sure my husband was happy when that part was done as I had them throughout my kitchen for a few days.  

Once that was done I used vinyl stencils for each of the letters and then sponged the letters white.

My favorite part is sanding the blocks, although it takes awhile I feel like it gives them the worn look I  like. 

After helping me to take all the vinyl off my children just couldn't resist making a big train with all the blocks.  

I know this picture is a little blurry but I had to share it.  Makai wanted to help me so I said he could carry the blocks upstairs so he stacked them as high as he could and told me "Don't worry mom, I will use my neck to hold them"  I think this was just about as far as he made it.   

I really hope all the Teachers enjoy their little piece of Hope.