Hope's First Birthday (yes last year)

I know Hope will be two soon but I'm still trying to get all my crafty thoughts and ideas in one place. Plus it seems like yesterday anyway...
The theme-flowers, butterflies and bright cotton candy colors.

The invitation...

I fell in love with this stationary from Tiny Prints, is it possible to be in love with paper? The Heather Bailey fabric underneath I used as a tablecloth for the drink table and still have ideas for making it into some sort of lovely for Hopers to wear one day...


The ensemble...

MeMe gets credit for finding this super tutu complete with flower petals and a matching hair clip. Auntie Emalya transformed this plain pink leotard by sewing on matching ribbons for shoulder ties and Nana handmade the "I have to have that" birthday fairy wand I saw in Chasing Fireflies here.


The decorations...


I loved this flower balloon idea from Martha Stewart here. They were easy to make and I found the colors I needed at our local grocery, Grant had to get in on the fun too :)



Everything in beautiful with Heather Bailey paper but I loved these butterfly straw decorations from Martha here. My lovely model...


The cake..



I give all credit for the cake and cupcakes to Couture Cupcakes, just as yummy as they were lovely! Click here for my original inspiration.


The presents...


Hope was totally spoiled on her first birthday of course, this huge cupcake was handmade (yes she made it) by Nana and there was even a handmade gift inside. It really deserves it's own post...


Hope meets Bitty Baby!



The Goodies...

I found these mini tin watering can at Hobby Lobby, filled them with candy and stickers and then stuck maracas and lollipops through paper cut outs for the "flowers." I think Emily and I listened to a little Bob Marley and put these together while the kids were napping, oh when can you come back for craft time Auntie E?





I bought this pack of the flower horn blowers on sale at Swoozies, then later kicked myself for not buying more and had to scour the internet for at least one more pack :)


The mess that is the first birthday...


Oh me has another year really almost gone by? Say it isn't so, my baby girl not a baby anymore? How I do love each and every stage, a new word every day when Grant sounds like "quack" and cereal sounds like "see-O", becoming your own little independent person, refusing to wear any shoes except the red ones, having to do every thing Grant does like sitting in the dug out at his Wee Ball games and climbing up to the top bunk, and oh the kisses and hugs that are Hopers!

Hopscotch Camis GIVEAWAY!!!!

One of my favorite blogs to gander is Grosgrain! I love looking at the photography almost as much as Kathleen Dougherty's fabulous creations. If you are familiar with the blog then you know that if you create a link then you have a chance to actually win a fabulous creation, so here's my link... Hoping and wishing and keeping my fingers crossed! Wouldn't one of these tops look adorable on little Hopers?

Hopscotch Camis GIVEAWAY!!!!

Smitten with Opal

I'm totally smitten with Opal and Tammy Swanson and Swanson Photographs! I discovered Opal, a petit clothier, from Small Magazine (an online magazine that if you haven't seen click immediately) which is such a treat that it really deserves it's own post! I love love love the photography the beyond gorgeous clothes and even the music that I think I will have to pull up the sites just to listen to! There is so much to see-the Opal website and blog and Swanson Photographs and blog. Start here and here and here and here to gaze and listen heavenly upon the wonder...

Found it

I love the "name game" when I first meet someone, I guess it's that sense of connection I'm looking for. I do it with everything, when I see an actor in a movie I then must try to recall all the other movies I've seen them in and so on. Months ago I saw these gorgeous images of a bakery on flickr and just knew I had seen them before. Too far away that I would actually have been there so I went searching through my magazines (I literally have stacks under my bed) trying to make that connection but no luck. Last night I found it (three months later). There it was Miette Confiserie,in the first issue of my Boho with the page turned down and everything! I love the vintage wallpaper, how the pictures are hanging on the wall, all those jars of candy! Even their website is gorgeous with more peeks into the shop.Well I feel better now...

Bird One

Here is bird one on my quest to be Tamar Mogendorff. I really love the raw edges and stitches Tamar created, it was fun to make thinking a litte messy is the look. The fabric for the body of the bird is actually from a shirt I bought at TJMaxx for $7
(the tag is still in it) many moons ago, decided I didn't like it, waited past the 30 days of take back so I chunked it in the fabric pile. Recently, through my interent love I saw that the print is actually by Liberty of London, thank you TJMaxx! Did I take the bird outside, put it in a tree and take a picture? Afraid so, may be losing my mind but having fun in the process!

Tamar and birds

OK so there are two Tamars with Birds that I love! The first makes these lovely dream catchers you can find in her etsy shop and on her blog. These dream catchers were even featured in Cookie Magazine's (my favorite parenting magazine) holiday guide for 2008. The second are these bird houses and cages I saw in chasing fireflies and tinypeople. You can see more from Tamar Mogendorff here. I really would love to try my own hand at something like this, I've been into birds ever since decorating Hope's room and I still can't get enough!

Flickr Friday

Because of Flickr I simply must learn to embroider! And the list gets longer...(doesn't yours do that?)

embroideries
Originally uploaded by Hillary Lang

♥ birdie
Originally uploaded by ♥*anita*♥

my embroidery
Originally uploaded by All Dolled Up!