Our growing family and where I have been…

I know…I know…it has been forever since I have posted on this little blog of mine! I decided at the beginning of the summer to make some transitions in life, mainly being to take a break from the computer and social media. It has been a very refreshing time and exactly what I needed.

I have been free to spend every day focused on Hazel and Owen: having fun, exploring, creating, playing, using our imaginations and building lasting memories.

Dollhouse Therapy Challenge: Kitchen Plans

I have partnered with Miniatures.com for this post. All expressed opinions are 100% my own. Full disclosure.

Dollhouse Therapy officially kicks off today! I am so excited for this challenge and all of the people who have already jumped on board to join Primitive & Proper, Nalle's House, Semigloss Design and myself. The four of us are sharing our first room plans today and will be revealing the afters the last Tuesday of April. Today, I am showing you the room I plan on working on: the kitchen!

Last month, I tried to get a jump start and get the living room done, and while I did make a lot of progress, I am sad to admit the room is still not finished. Thus no room reveal as I had hoped in March. Soon though, I promise.

Even though that room isn't done, I am eager to work on the kitchen and have some fun plans for it along with some new additions via Miniatures.com.

Easter Basket Gift Ideas for Toddlers & Preschoolers

This post contains affiliate links. I may receive a small commission for any sales made through them. Full disclosure.

It's hard to believe Easter is next weekend! I am always so last minute getting my kids' baskets made up. If you are in the same boat, and have a toddler or preschooler in your house, I have a round up of some adorable gifts to fill their baskets.

We always have an egg hunt for the kids first thing (outside if the weather cooperates and inside if not), which we fill with little candies, stickers, or small toys. And then eventually the trail of eggs leads to their baskets. 

DIY Monster’s Inc. Birthday Party

This post contains some affiliate links. I may receive a small commission for any sales made through them. Full disclosure.

One of the things I am notoriously bad at here on this little blog of mine, is posting my children's birthday parties relatively soon after the event. My son Owen turned three last September…and we had a fun Monster's Inc. party for him. He is obsessed with Monster's Inc. and Monster's University! I wish I had shared this sooner, but alas…better late than never, right?

I must admit, I completely missed sharing his second birthday party here, which was a super cool car party. {Insert embarrassed emoji face here} Maybe one day I still will. Till then…here is how we did it up for him turning the big three!

DIY Miniature Faux Fur Vanity Stool

Okay, so I will freely admit it…I am hooked on miniatures right now. The Dollhouse Therapy Challenge has gotten me so motivated, not only to get our dollhouse renovated, but to make lots of lovely little creations for it. Today, I am sharing a super easy DIY vanity stool that could work for a dollhouse (or Barbie if you prefer like my Hazel does).

If you are a die hard miniaturist this is obviously not to 1:12 scale, but for our purposes, it works. The little dresser we have is actually smaller scale and the stool is probably a bit larger. Our dollhouse, that I shared a "before" of here, was a handmade yard sale find and wasn't made to scale anyways, so we aren't bothered a little mixing and matching. Goes with the whole "eclectic vibe" we are going for anyways.

Dollhouse Therapy: A Mini Renovation Challenge!

Remember a couple of weeks ago I shared the "before" post for our fixer upper dollhouse? Today, I am excited to tell you about a challenge started by one of my blogging friends, Cassie of Primitive and Proper. She invited me and two other bloggers to share our dollhouse renovations together over the course of the next few months. We are calling it…."Dollhouse Therapy"…how great is that? Working on this little house literally is therapy for me.

I am so excited to be teaming up with these girls for this challenge because I know it is exactly the motivation I need to follow through with this makeover. (I am the queen of getting something started and leaving it for the next shiny, new project enticing me.) This challenge is basically holding me accountable so my children know their mom can get stuff done…

Choosing a Rug for the Transition From Toddler to Big Girl

I have partnered with Rugs USA for this post. All expressed opinions are 100% my own. 

My daughter Hazel will be five this summer. I can't believe how fast the time from toddler to preschooler went by. Her brother, Owen, was born when she was 15 months old, so she only had her own room for a very short period of time. For the past few years they have shared the smaller of our two bedrooms, but just recently, we moved them into the master bedroom to give them more space for toys and creating their own individual sides.

Hazel is so excited to have her own "big girl" room and we have been planning together how to decorate it. Today, I am sharing the first piece of the puzzle…her new area rug.

Here are some important facts about Hazel: she's a total girly-girl who loves pink and could play Barbies all day long. She tells me she wants her room to be "all pink and purple with Barbies and unicorns and rainbows and hearts and stars…" etc. etc. etc. She has a lot of ideas. Let me tell you.

Miniature Fixer Upper {a dollhouse makeover ‘before’}

We are used to having a fixer upper to work on ever since buying our first home back in 2010, but when my husband brought home a handmade dollhouse that he found at a yard sale a couple of years ago, I was instantly smitten and knew we needed to show this home as much love as we have our own. Today, I am showing you the "before" pics and sharing the progress we have made thus far on our "other fixer upper."

Ever since I was a little girl, I have been enamored with dollhouses and miniatures. I would literally save up my money to go to a craft store called "Pleasures & Pastimes" that had a large aisle for dollhouse aficionados. The store eventually closed, but my love affair with dollhouses and their accessories never has.

Balancing Motherhood & DIY Blogging

The two most time consuming jobs I have ever had are as a mother and a blogger. And both pay the least. Go figure. But somehow I still love both roles enough to keep doing them. Okay, okay…well the first one is a full on heart commitment, right? Even on the roughest of days.

The other, I could let go by the wayside if I wanted to, and yet somehow I don't. I keep trucking on as a mother and a blogger and try to strike a balance between the two. It's tough though…I'm not gonna lie.

Today, I am sharing how I manage to make it work…

DIY Pet Rock Monsters {Crafting with Your Kids No. 3}

Once nice weather hits, I am all about bringing my kids outside to do art and craft projects. For this installment of Crafting with Your Kids, I have a simple and fun tutorial on how to turn ordinary rocks into "pet monsters." My youngest, Owen, is pretty obsessed with the movie Monsters, Inc., so I knew this would be right up his alley.

When I was little, I loved painting rocks, so I was pretty sure my kids would too. And the cool part about this project is, afterwards, they have a fun little "pet" to play with and display on a shelf in their room.

Say Yes to the Messiness of Childhood & a Free Printable!

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Wet-Nap®, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #ConquerTheMess http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV

Kids are the most creative beings on the planet. Always surprising us with their ideas, imaginative play, and the wonder they embrace as they navigate this world. Sometimes their creative ideas come at a cost though…a huge mess. Many times as a mom, it can be easier to say no to these activities. After all, we already have a bazillion messes to clean up, don't we? The dishes, the laundry, the toys strewn about. We can find ourselves eventually in a rut of saying no more often than we ever imagined we would. I know, because it has happened to me.

I used to imagine the kind of mom I would be. Always laid back and coming up with creative fun. Always willing to let them use their imaginations to do wild and crazy things. Then real life sets in. And you realize all of that is a lot of work.

DIY Felt Deer Antler Headband

When my daughter Hazel turned two, she was so fascinated with deer that we threw her a whimsical, woodland themed deer party for her birthday. I made her a sweet little felt antler headband to wear that day and always intended to share how I did it here. As life goes, it didn't happen, but I am finally sharing it now. Two years later…

I receive emails from time to time from other moms who want to make a similar antler headband but don't know how. If you are one of them reading this…my apologies for the delay in this post (bad blogger!). I have tried my best to explain how I made it in reply emails, but pictures always help, don't they? It is really a very simple diy project that only requires minimal materials. I am including a free antler shape template at the end of this post to make it even easier!

Hazel’s Frozen 4th Birthday Party

I seriously never thought I would do character parties for my kids, but as they have gotten older and have their own interests, it would be pretty hard not to, right? So the challenge for me then? Still make it as creative and unique as possible, while keeping with the theme they love. For Hazel's fourth this year, she knew for months what kind of party she wanted. A Frozen party. And not just any Frozen party: an Elsa party.

I guess I just had to let it go about my hopes and dreams that she would choose a unicorn party (her second choice), and go with the flow of the Elsa Frozen party. 

Summer Days. Sun Filled Days. The Longest Days.

"Some day these will be our old days, let's make them worth remembering." -Kacy Crowley

Summer is flying by. I kind of hate that. Some days are long, though. Not only does the sun stay out longer and make the daylight hours last, some days as a mother with little ones can feel like an eternity. If you are in a similar situation, you probably now what I mean. This post is for you…

Hazel’s Sheriff Callie Inspired Cowgirl Birthday Party

My daughter Hazel is coming up on her fourth birthday (hard to believe!) and if there is one thing I am terrible at as a blogger, it is getting my kids' birthday posts up around their actual birthday. Today, I am finally sharing Hazel's third birthday party which was a Sheriff Callie inspired cowgirl theme. Even though this post is near a year late, I hope you enjoy seeing how we celebrated and get some inspiration if you are planning a similar party soon!

When we were deciding on a theme, Hazel kept coming back to Sheriff Callie, an adorable show on Disney Junior that we would watch from time to time. She was fixated on being a cowgirl like the main character. 

Spring Easter Bunny Free Printable – “Some Bunny Loves You”

Is spring ever coming? Some days it really doesn't feel like it around here, but that doesn't keep it off my mind! Today, I have a free printable that I made to celebrate Easter and start bringing bits of the season into our home. I am joining with several other bloggers sharing free printables and vignettes for spring, hosted by Ella Claire. Be sure to visit all the others at the end!

A few weeks ago, my children were drawing at the table, when I sketched a little bunny and wrote, "some bunny loves you" at the bottom. I shared this sketch on Instagram and people seemed to like it, so I decided to work with it a bit in Photoshop to make this printable.

DIY Abstract Art “Masterpieces” on Canvas {Crafting with Your Kids No. 2}

Well, it's no secret I love art. All kinds of art. And I love sharing this passion with my children. Today, I have a simple and fun project that my two littles ones (Hazel & Owen) worked on with a little bit of help from me. We collaborated on these pieces to make abstract art masterpieces (in our humble opinion) to decorate our home.

I love coming up with projects or artwork that both parents and children can work on together, to create new decor for the home. This is one such project and is the second "official" post in my Crafting with Your Kids Series. This has been a long time coming, as my kids and I made these at the end of the summer. I used them in our decor in late September as part of a mantel vignette. They have moved around our home since then, but are special pieces that I love displaying.

How I Keep My Decorating Style with Young Kids in the House

Is it possible to keep your personal decorating style with young children in the home? This is a question I pondered for a couple of years after my first daughter was born back in 2011. Eventually, I found the answer was YES! You absolutely can. You will, of course, have to compromise in some areas for matters of safety and mess making, but overall, it is still possible to have a stylish home that you and your children can enjoy.

Last summer, I shared a guest post over at Yellow Bliss Road with 5 Tips for Kid Friendly Decor. Today, I am resharing portions of that post, along with more thoughts and ideas on how to keep your own style and make your home inviting and safe for the little folks.

14 {Non-Candy} Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas for Kids

This post contains affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.

Valentine's day is just around the corner, but there is still time to get some cute gifts for the little ones in your life! Today, I have compiled a list of gift ideas inspired by my own kiddos, Hazel, age 3 1/2 and Owen, almost 2 1/2. They would love all of these things or already do as they have a few on this list. All of these items are under $25 each and come from Amazon.com*. Most are available with free Prime shipping if you are a member (more details below). 

I hope you enjoy these and find some inspiration here!

Whimsical Thread Spool Garland

After a long, much needed blogging break I am back! A lot happened over the holiday. Some glad, but there was a tone of sadness over it when we found out my uncle was diagnosed with cancer the day before Christmas Eve and he doesn't have much time left. And then we lost my grandmother on January 6th. She was not in great health, but it was very quick and unexpected just the same. It has been a rough few weeks for my entire extended family…prayers are welcomed!

I am now easing back into blogging and wanted to start with a post that I worked on before my break but never got around to sharing. I am looking forward to getting back into the swing of things this new year, but with more balance and less pressure than I felt near the end of last year.

Today, I have an easy and whimsical diy project for you: a thread spool garland that I made with my children in mind. Originally, I had planned to use it for a small Christmas tree in the playroom, but ended up preferring it on its own. I simply hung it from a peg rack on my daughter Hazel's side of the bedroom mixed with a few Christmas touches.