Frilly. Lovely. Tutus!!!

Ok, so here is the first "official" Root and Wings Kids Tutu. It is yet to be named, but maybe one of you can help. I have gotten two orders off of this dress already (thanks to my awesome sister), so I am excited to finally be in business! Etsy shop is hopefully coming soon.

Front

Back

Flower detail

Flower detail attached to adjustable crochet band (dress can later be worn as skirt)

Adjustable ribbon (can be worn tied at neck, or tied through crochet band)

Place your orders... please! I ain't too proud to beg.

Harper's 4th Birthday Invites!!!

Got Harper's invites today. How cute are they! We also ordered a coordinating gift tag. Check out Symone's Etsy shop at Little Bug Invitations. She is great, and super quick! And ignore the blank spots... didn't want to leave all that personal info for everyone to see. While we're at it, let's add Symone to my list of favorite Aussie's :)

 

Come back tomorrow when I post my newest tutu design!

Australia Day...

In honor of Australia Day, I bring you my favorite Aussie things:

1. My Bearded Pigeon cushions and pillows.

Pixel Rose cushion cover by My Bearded Dragon

I Love Typography cushion cover by My Bearded Dragon

2. Epheriell Designs - My daily go-to blog about crafting, vintage fashion, handmade things, running an indie business, and all things creative. Her jewelry line is super great too.

Necklace by Epheriell

3. Australian Designer Alannah Hill:

4. Yellow Tail Australian Shiraz:

5. Ryan Kwanten (say no more):

Have some Tim Tams and Vegemite to celebrate peeps.

Awesomest idea ever!!

Yes, I know awesomest is not really a word, but I couldn't think of a better way to express how how much I love this idea from Jackie over at Teal and Lime. I will be doing this! And it is the perfect addition to my "year in review" photo books for the girls.

At the end of each year, I try and take advantage of the great photo book Shutterfly deals.  It's usually a free 8x8 photo book, or a 50% off coupon. My goal/wish is to give each girl their books on their 18th birthdays, with 19 years of photos. Let's hope this last year of photo procrastination doesn't continue.

So... anyway... this baby shoe rubbing would be a great addition to this photo book. It would even look great in a cute frame. Oooohhh, the ideas are churning.

Let me know if you decide to try this. I am dying to see how it works! I will post mine at a later date... promise!

Valentine's gifts for him...

If you're anything like me, you have a hard time finding the right gift for the men in your life, whether that be a dad, a husband, brother-in-law, or a son. Every holiday, I start to stress about "guy gifts". I mean how many t-shirts, baseball caps, books, ties, and gift cards can you give year after year without feeling like a total schmuck. So, here is a list if some really awesome gift ideas from my favorite site, Etsy.com. And most of these items are one-of-a-kind, so you never have to worry about giving an impersonal gift, ever again.

For the Playboy:

Mad Men 1960's Silver Cocktail Glasses Tumblers

You can find the seltzer bottle here.

For the kid at heart:

Dozen Vintage Army Soldier Men

For the music guy:

"I Pick You" Handmade Pick

For the romantic literary guy:

Custom Book with Carved Tree Cover

For the party guy:

Wall Bottle Opener

For the cook:

World Spice Kit

For the handy man:

Vintage Industrial Tools

For the beer connoisseur:

Set of 4 Glasses Made from Recycled Beer Bottles

For the fashion-forward guy:

Antler Belt Buckle

For the dashing writer:

Vintage Sheaffer's Fountain Pen

For the high-maintenance man:

Wooden Mens Shave Set

For the athletic guy:

Wearable Wallet

And lastly, if a certain man in my life just happens to come across this post, this necklace would look really great on that certain lady in your life (hint hint):

Sterling Silver Monogram Necklace

What are you planning on getting your guy this Valentine's Day?

Just wingin' it...

So, Harper has a new obsession. I bet you're thinking... princesses? No. Shoes? No. Cheese? No. (ok, maybe all true, but not top of the list this week). It's birds. Yep, birds. It all started last week at school when they made a bird feeder. This bird feeder then spurred an urgent desire to get it home ("Now, Mommy"), and "feed the birdies." So, we did. Then, this spawned a new need. According to Harper, they now need "a place to sleep." Naturally, "after they eat, they have to sleep." Duh, Mommy.

I think the only word in a 4 year-olds vocabulary is "Now." But I have learned that when Harper gets stuck on something, it really sticks, and only she knows when these new obsessions will come (and just as easily go). So, I knew that we were gonna have to have a birdhouse, or I was going to hear about it. And hear about it. And. Hear. About. It. Those who know her know what I am talking about.

Luckily, here was Daddy to the rescue. He had gotten her a bird house kit about a month ago at Lowe's. Totally forgotten about in the garage until the new bird obsession started. So yesterday morning, Daddy pulled out the kit and the hammer, and he and Harper got to building.

Then, of course, it needed to be "pwetty". So, we pulled out the paint. Blue, green, gold, and pink (of course). Besides a few reminders that we don't need a cup of paint on our paintbrush for each stroke, it went off pretty well.

Then, strangely enough, a napkin Harper had pulled out that morning from a previous bday party, happened to be sitting on the table next to us. I had a light bulb moment... cut out the flowers and polka dot details and decoupage them to the birdhouse. Harper agreed that this idea was a good one. Good thing. So happy when I can think of ways to upcycle items I already have on-hand.

So, after Harper was done with painting (layers and layers and layers of paint later), and the birdhouse had dried, I glued the cut out flowers on with a light layer of Modge Podge. When those pieces dried, I added two more light layers of Modge Podge on top.

I then finished with two coats of Polyurethane to seal everything in. Our new birdhouse is perfectly imperfect, which is just the way I like it.

A perfect Sunday project for the entire family (even Esme).

And now the birdies are living large.

And the bird feeder that started it all...

Esme is an über hummus fan...

Yep, we have a hummus lover here. I gave Esme a carrot dipped in hummus tonight for dinner. She eyed me ("what's this ma?!"), licked the carrot, eyes lit up. She then points to the bowl of hummus on the table and said "mo". I hand her carrot dipped in more hummus. She licks it, hands it back to me and says, "Mo". So, instead of dipping the carrot, I give her a spoonful of hummus on her highchair tray. She grabbed the spoonful with her hand and shoved it in her mouth. Apple doesn't fall too far from the tree. Love this girl!

Mouth full 'o hummus

On a separate note, I went to the fabric store and got some really fun stuff for my newest tutu. I'm calling it either "Leather and Lace" or "Love Rockabilly."  Maybe I will take some votes to make a final decision. It's for a friend of my sister. Her daughter is 10 months old and so adorable. Excited to get started. Will post pics when I am done!

Making crayons with Harper...

So Harper and I decided to make some fun heart-shaped crayons this afternoon. I followed a tutorial on a blog I discovered the other day (see my other post), that used broken crayons and baking molds. And then yesterday, while scanning the dollar bins (or as I like to call them "Target crack"), I found a silicone heart mold. It had to be fate, right?! It was only a dollar, and it had to be mine. Harper and I had a blast, and it is nice to spend a little one-on-one time with her.

And the peeling begins...

And peeling...

Sorting

Learning and having fun- sorting colors into separate cups.

And. She's. Done. Leaving Mommy to do the remaining 93 pieces. Thanks Harp!

Decided to add a little pink glitter to our crayons. Can't be a princess without a little sparkle.

Crayons ready for the oven

Done in the oven. Now we have to wait until it sets.

(Note to self: Put silicon mold on a baking sheet. Trying to take molten hot lava crayon juice out of the oven, on what is similar to a wet noodle, is just asking for trouble.)

A very happy girl ready to color :)

Harper and Mommy

Had so much fun with my little monkey, even if she did abandon me mid-crayon-peel. Did I mention that my fingers stubs are killing me!

On a side note, I just want to reveal the inside of one of my kitchen cabinets. Ummm, "Houston we have a problem." I think these little people are slowly but surely taking over. And this isn't even all of them! There were 4 or 5 sitting in the dish drain, and several more in the dishwasher. Am I the only mom with this problem?