Fabulous Family Tree

Memorial Day weekend my family traveled to my Mother-In-Law's (Bonnie) home in South Carolina for a visit. Bonnie and I have spoken many many times in the past about what we should do with her huge empty wall in her living room. Ever since they bought the house 4 years ago, we have been brainstorming. I have been itching to paint something on that beautiful blank canvas! We decided on this:

The most fun maternity pictures-EVER!

Hey there!

 Whoa, it has been a long long time since I've posted. I have wanted to write something a  million times, but I kept getting in my own way. I wouldn't because I had too much going on to commit to "starting back" (posting at least twice a week), I hadn't overhauled my layout, or some other equally dumb reason.   Finally I decided that all of that doesn't matter. I want to share my ideas, and have a creative outlet regardless of how often I post.

So there! That's it. I'll post when I have something exciting to share or a great project but I wont stress my self out about it.

Today I FOR SURE have something exciting to share. My Best Friend (who I have know since we were 5) is expecting her first baby! YAAAAHHOOOOOOOOO!!!!  I can't wait for this baby to pop out! Oh man, if it's a girl shes gonna have a million and a half tu-tus.

These two are going to be fantastic parents! They are a riot to be around too. We did a maternity-ish shoot to announce new baby Thompson and IT. WAS. HALARIOUS! Here are a few of the pictures from that shoot.

Taking a Break

Hello everyone! As you can see it has been some time since I have written a post. Not for lack of ideas, that's for sure-They are swirling around in my head! I am working on a new product line for my Etsy shop, which is taking a significant amount of my time. I promise to be back shortly, new and improved!

Thank you for your patience,

Faux Chalk Board Christmas Gift Tags {FREE PRINTABLE!}

*This post was supposed to go up on Friday. In light of the events of that day, I couldn't bring myself to finish writing it. I just want to say that as the mother of a second grader, my heart and prayers are with each and every family affected. It is indeed a tragedy, and words can not express the sadness that so many are feeling.*

Each year I love coming up with my wrapping theme. This year I am going for a vintage look. I wanted something original for  gift tags, and chalk drawings kept popping into my head. I guess its going to be a chalk drawing sort of Christmas!

5 Creative Ways to Give a Gift Card

So, I have been trying to figure out exactly what I want to give Carson's teacher this year for Christmas. The last two years the class has collected money for one big gift, but this year our class isn't doing that. I kicked around a few ideas, but in the end I decided on a gift card.

Why, you ask? Well, I took to Facebook to ask all of my teacher friends what the best gift they ever got from a student was. Overwhelmingly the answer was gift cards. There were a few cute sentimental gifts, and ornaments seemed to also be a good idea, but gift cards seem to majorly be appreciated. 

I can't just give a gift card, so after some googling and pinteresting I came up with 5 creative ways to present a gift card!

 1. This one came from Better Homes and Gardens and an idea from my friend Erica. One year each of her students bought a gift card, and decorated a small Christmas Tree with them. The gift cards would be adorable in these ornaments, then placed on the tree. She still uses the tree every year and thinks of those kids!

2. How adorable is this? I love it! I saw it on Pinterest last year and wanted to do it then! It came from The Creative Mama.

3. I love this wreath. It is pictured with Christmas Cards, but would be just as cute with gift cards. The teacher can use it after for cards she receives throughout the holidays. It would be an excellent to display a gift card from each kid.  Of course, Martha came up with this!

4. There are a ton of ideas and tutorials on how to make little cards to put your gift card in. Again, Better Homes and Gardens came up with some great ideas!

5. This one is my FAVORITE! If you collect from all the kids, then bind them together, your teacher would have a great gift that will fit in her purse and not clog her wallet! Check the link for the mini stack.

I hope this helps!

Time Lapse Video+ Chalkboard Drawing= A Christmas Card

I don't know about you, but at my house we have had the plague. It seems like it has done a pretty good job getting based on what I see on Facebook. Seriously, Every. Single. Person. in my house got it. I spent like a week and a half taking care of sick people. But, I guess I should be thankful that it was only a week and a half, and that everyone is (mostly) healthy now.

Now that it is officially December I can start sharing Christmas projects with you! The first thing I want to share is our Christmas Card. I am so stinking excited about it! I turned my unfinished basement into a set to shoot our picture in!

Yo Gabba Gabba! Birthday Party

Hey everyone! This past weekend we celebrated Noah's second birthday with some close family and friends at a local park. The weather was EXCELLENT, which was really a gamble. I had so much fun decorating for this party. There is just so much you can do with a Yo Gabba Gabba! theme.