Wedding Invitation Ornament

I struggle to think of creative, personalized wedding gifts.  Of course, "check the registry" is an obvious answer, but sometimes it's nice to come up with something thoughtful and special in addition to the requested oven mitts or bath towels.  I've known several couples to be married this year and wanted to create something special for them from their wedding invitation.

I fell in love with the other Wedding Invitation Ornament posts, but I never found a very detailed guide on how to do it.  If you don't know- I'm a girl who LOVES detailed instructions.  That said, here is my rendition of a Wedding Invitation Ornament.

First Indoor Infant Photography Session

I'm so excited!  I had the opportunity to shoot a sweet newborn last week.  I used tips from assorted photography resources to set up a studio in the family's home so they did not have to travel.  Shooting babies indoors is much trickier than shooting them outside.  A: Indoor lighting is usually terrible.  B:  Using a flash on a sleepy baby is just rude, poor thing!  I set my impromptu studio (kitchen chairs, large blanket, and rubber bands) near a large glass door and got some pretty good shots!

Keep looking to see the rest of my shots!

Jack-in-the-Box Toddler Costume

I love a good pun.  I think they are fantastic, so I incorporated one into my son's Halloween costume.  I decided he was going to be a Jackson-in-a-Box.  I searched for tutorials on making a homemade costume (I didn't want to shell out $20 for a costume the kid may or may not wear), but if course I couldn't find one so I made one in hopes it may assist another mama one day.  I did base this costume from this costume I found, but the original blog is private.

Keep reading for my "How To" on the hat, neck bunting, and box for $7!

Beginner's Iced Coffee

I use the word "beginner" because I'm barely entering the world of liking coffee.  This is my idea of coffee:

40% milk

25% sugar

25% mocha/caramel flavor

10% coffee.

                   

over ice. 

According to my husband, that doesn't count as coffee. I'm trying though!  If coffee is an acquired taste for me, I have to start somewhere, right?  Thank goodness I've found some recipes I like!

Photoshop Action: Coffeeshop Sunkissed 2

I discovered an incredible resource for photo editing: http://www.thecoffeeshopblog.com/.  The writer, Rita, provides one of my favorite things: free Photoshop Actions!  These actions are great for aspiring photographers who know the basics of Photoshop Elements or CS but are trying to step up their game.  This is a before and after of a newer action called "Sunkissed 2" that I used on one of my kiddo's 12 month photos.

Birthday Photo Banner

For my son's first birthday, I wanted to display photos of him from Month 0- Month 12.  As I Googled ideas for this, I came across the cutest birthday photo banners!  I decided to make my own and this was my process:

Easy Beginner Skirt- Elastic Waist

I'm a beginner at sewing.  I searched and searched for a simple 1-yard skirt with an elastic waistband, but the tutorials were not very clear.  So, I read a bunch or tutorials and came up with my own skirt plan that didn't involve crazy zippers and button holes (the thought of doing those TERRIFY me).  Anyways, the pictures above show the adult version and the child version of this skirt.  Of course, my cool tomboy niece has it scrunched up in the back :)  Four-year-old's are awesome.  

If you have any questions or improvements to this tutorial, please let me know =]  I'd be happy to talk with you.

Here is my process:

DIY- Photo Canvas

I'm pretty much obsessed with taking pictures and cheap home decor.  Why not combine the two by making homemade photo canvases?

I happened across 4 free canvases to use. I made my first one in the summer of 2012 and made my second one in January 2013.  I'm using them to decorate the wall above my TV =]  It looked a little bare at first, but I'm working on it!  I sat down and completed one while watching a movie, so it takes about 1.5 hours (maybe less... I bet the movie distracted me some!)

Anyways, this is how I made mine!