[Oh Martha Monday] Mother's Day

Mother's Day is just around the corner, so I thought I'd do a little idea "research" over at Martha Stewart. Here are some finds for your mama and your mama's mama. :)

balloon bouquet

stamped book bindings

[Weekly Inspiration] 4.28.2012

these pretty coffee filter flowers via two shades of pink

this neon party via lorajean's magazine

these paint swirl vases via centsational girl

these stenciled glasses via urban comfort

this cute dotted gift box via ambrosia girl

Oh yawn, stretch, sigh. The past couple of weeks have been exhausting. Lots of late nights because of back-to-back baseball games and school obligations... Which results in misbehaving kids and grumpy parents. Grrrrrr...  Which also means I haven't done anything for Smarty Pant's birthday party... a little worrisome since it's just a 3 weekends away.  Must.Do.Something.This.Weekend. Ah well, sometimes a little pressure is good.  :)

Have a good one!

[Party] Space... The Invitation

It's that time of year again!  How did that happen so fast??  My big little guy is turning 6 next month (sigh).  His fifth year was full of big milestones-- learning how to read & write, playing sports, increased maturity, lots of deep questions about the world around him... Five was an incredible year and I'm looking forward to year six!

This year, Smarty Pant's decided he wanted a Space Party.  Cool!  I'm so glad he didn't say Star Wars or some other theme that involves a lot of little people running around shooting and slashing at each other.  I don't like to intentionally give myself a headache, ya know?

Anyhow, here's how the invitation turned out--

I took the astronaut photo years ago at the Museum of Flight in Seattle and, with a little photo shop magic, added a  current picture of Smarty Pants.

If you're interested in using the astronaut for your own Space Party, I created a downloadable file. Just click the File tab and select Download to save it on your computer.

Also, here are the free fonts that I used for the invitation-- red rocket, rocket script, astronaut

So invitations are out... Let the party planning begin!

[Wordless Wednesday] Black & White Beauty

via

pssst... aaaahhhh spring!

[Eat] Old Fashioned Lemon Bars

There are a ton of lemon bar recipes out there, but this one... this one... is the best! Really.  The lemon is great with a sweet tang and a slightly caramelized top, but for me, the simple crust really makes it memorable.

[Oh Martha Monday] Upcycle Ideas

In honor of Earth Day (I'm a little late... it was yesterday), here are some creative upcycle projects from Martha Stewart.

tshirt yarn pom-poms

pig bottle bank

dress shirt pillow

card garland

pillow case tote

button clock

decorative jar lids

tshirt necklace

I'm having a slow Monday morning... yawn.  Have a great day!

[Weekly Inspiration] 4.21.2012

this diy terrarium via making it lovely

this origami bow from magazines via how about orange

this herringbone wall how-to via the gold jellybean

this parmesan crusted egg on arugula via house of earnest

this stamped votive via carolyn at homework

this stenciled watercolors tutorial via grow creative

How is it already the weekend?  We're having a Spring heatwave (94 degrees yesterday... aargh!).  I'm not a heat person, so trust me, I'm not bragging. I spent yesterday putting away all the winter clothes.  Hopefully I'm not being premature, but it feels like winter is officially over.  Bring on the shorts and sandals!

So with my heat allergy and all, wish me luck as I sit for a couple of hours at Smarty Pant's baseball game this afternoon--  I'm melting!   :)  I hoping to work on some of the SPACE birthday party details too. This month is just flying by!

Have a wonderful weekend!

[Make] 3-Dimensional Paper Stars

This weekend I started planning for Smarty Pant's 6th Birthday Party.  I can't believe a year has gone by since his Police Party last year!  I really wish I could slow down this growing-up stuff... Anyhow, the theme this year is SPACE and we're having the party offsite, so I've been trying to come up with simple decorations that I can easily transport and assemble a few minutes before the party.  That's where these 3-dimensional paper stars come in...

Stars make a fun and versatile decoration for many occasions-- birthdays, Independence Day, Christmas, fairy wands...  Below is the how-to.

Click "Read more" for the tutorial

[Oh Martha Monday] Color Blocking

Color blocking is popular in fashion at the moment-- kelly green pants, bright yellow top, royal blue cardigan, red belt, red shoes... anyone? No takers? Truth be told, it's something that I see more in fashion blogs and magazines than in real life.  So I was a little surprised when I saw Color-Blocking decor in the April edition of Martha Stewart Living.  Hmmm... what do you think?  Too trendy? Too garish?  Or a much needed touch of fun?

tablescape

bathroom

living room

bookshelves

bedroom

bedroom

now this one i could handle...

Now that I think about it, I remember decorating like this in the 90's when I was young and single-- white couch and pillows in multiple shades of reds and orange.  Hmmph.  Still have those pillows... somewhere. Nah, I think I'll pass this time around.  :)

[Weekly Inspiration] 4.13.2012

a lot of birthday party ideas....

these shadow puppet horse invites via ARDOR

this triangle banner via dear lizzy

these crepe paper dot garlands via oh happy day!

this pretty paper backdrop via emma smith on amy atlas

this space party via a little delightful

This week I also liked a midwestern-style thunderstorm.  Woo!  We don't usually get thunder & lighting storms in these parts, so it's definitely a novelty.  We need the rain, so we'll take it however it's served up!

Enjoy your weekend!