Baby Shower Themes!

Got a baby shower coming up anytime soon! I do and I can't wait for the party! I have been looking high and low for cute themes and decorations to celebrate Baby's first party! I wanted to share with you my top 6 (because top 5 wasn't enough!) finds! I hope you love these ideas as much as I do an I hope they make your party planning that much more fun!

In no particular order of cuteness . . .  

From: Vitalic Photo

A sweet little Whale Theme. I love these colors!

From: Party Frosting

Taking the Rubber Ducky to a whole new level!

From: Tip Junkie

Pink Bird in A Cage Sweetness!

From: hwtm Daily Blog

Modern Orange and Grey!

From: Celebrations

Owl Parties are a a "hoot!" (Couldn't resist!)

I also love that covered mirror or picture frame- whatever it is! And check out the drinks in the drawer! Awesome!

From: Frog Prince Paperie

Love this delicate pink Vctorian feel!

I love all of these ideas and I hope you do too!
For more amazing ideas and inspiration, follow my baby shower board on Pinterest!
Also see here for prize ideas!

Happy Crafting!
xoxo,
 Amy

P.S. 

See here for Baby Shower Cakes

See here for Baby Shower Games

See here for affordable baby shower prizes and here for cute gifts

Easy and Affordable Baby Shower Game Prizes!

I am on the verge of throwing a baby shower for my sister-in-law Sarah. I am so excited about it! I love any excuse to celebrate anything and anyone. So I thought I would take you along on my journey. I am going to start at the end, I think. Well maybe more like the middle. At any rate, I am going to start you off with a sneak peak at some of the prizes! This is one of them! From this blog

As much as I wish I was made of money, that is truly not the case. Because of such, I love little words like "free". Oh, say it again! "FREE!" 

I got this cute little printable quote by Richard G. Scott from this awesome blog called " . . . and Spiritually Thinking." There are so many amazing free printables (non commercial use only)! I fell in love with the site!

I bought two dollar store frames to put the quote in and I modge podged the quote to two wooden blocks. I think they are cute and super affordable. I've got some paparazzi jewelry to be used as two other prizes. 

 I know I have done a few posts that use modge podge, 

but if you are new to the idea, here is a quick run down. 

Need:

block of wood

modge podge

paint

paint brush

ribbon or raffia

 I started, by painting the edges of my block brown. you can of course use any color. Once that dried, I applied a thin layer of modge podge to the block. You want it to be enough to hold, but not so much that it will cause your paper to bubble.

 Place your paper on top of the modge podge glue and press down. Rub your finger over the block to smooth the paper down and to press out any air bubbles. Start in the middle and work out to the sides.
Let dry completely!!! (10 to 20 minutes)  Then add a thin layer of modge podge to the top of the paper to protect it. The glue will dry clear. Let dry.

 Tie on a string or some raffia to complete your look!

In other completely unrelated news, I just wanted to display two of the headbands I made as gifts.

I thought they were cute:)

Happy Crafting!!
xoxo,
 Amy

P.S. See here for Baby Shower Themes

See here for Baby Shower Cakes

See here for Baby Shower Games

See here for cute gifts

Cheese Rolls! An Easy 3 Ingridient Hot Meal!

This easy three ingredient meal is good enough to satiate my pickiest eater! Around here we call it a cheese roll. It is fast, it is easy and it is perfect for a summertime lunch!

You will need:
 A bag of plain Bagels
Slice of honey ham for each bagel slice
and 1/8 cup to 1/4 cup of cheese (basically you use as much cheese as you like:))

Set your oven to 350 degrees and cook for 5-8 minutes or until cheese melts.

Serve with carrots or apples!!!

Enjoy!
Happy Eating!
xoxo,
 Amy

Organize Your Earings!

What a great way to keep yourself organized! We used small muffin tins to put earrings in and then place the tin in the top dresser drawer. You could also do this with bracelets or necklaces:)

xoxo,
 Amy

Newborn Needs: The List!

One Soon- To- Be- Father asked: How Much stuff could a new baby need? My Answer: A LOT!!

Calling all moms! Calling all moms! Do you remember the daunting task of shopping for the needs of your first child? If you're lucky your friends throw you a baby shower and you score tons of awesome stuff that you need, but if not, where do you start? Lets assume you have the big stuff taken care of like:

Crib

Car Seat

Stroller/ Travel System

Bassinet/ crib

High Chair 

So what else is there? Help me complete this list!! Please! What are the baby products that I missed and what are the products that you love? Now is the perfect time to leave a comment! What were your can't-live- without baby items!!! Lets help all the new moms out there!

 So far I have:

In the Category of Sleeping:

bassinet sheets (4)

Crib sheets (4)

crib bumper (*edit- I have had two comments that say bumpers are a suffocation hazard- this is new to me, but I thought it was worth the mention so you know what the knew information is.)

quilts/blankets (2)

receiving blankets

swaddler blankets

baby monitor

When You Need Extra Hands:
Swing
Bouncer
Sling

In the Category Of Bathing:

Baby Bath Tub

Towels

Wash Cloths

Gentle Soap

Baby Lotion

Cotton Balls

In The Clothing Category (Basics Only):

Onesies (14, 2-3 per day)

Layettes (6)

Sleepers (6)

Hats (3)

Socks (14)

mittens (4)

In the Category Of Feeding:

Nursing:

Nursing Cover 

Lanolin

Nursing Pads

Nipple Shield (optional)

Breast Pump (optional)

Boppy (optional)

Cabbage leaves to put on engorged breast:) Learned that tip from a nurse too late:)

Bottle Feeding:

Formula

Bottles

Bottle Nipples

Bottle Brush

Breast Pump (optional)

Boppy (optional)

bibs

In the category of  Diapers:

Cloth Diapers Like Booty Buns

or Regular Diapers: Newborns or Small

Diaper Wipes

Desitin/Balmex

In the Category of Hygiene:

baby nail clippers

emery board

Small soft bristled brush (if your baby is lucky enough to have hair)

In the Category of Other:

Burp rags

Gentle detergent

passifyer

Mylicon Drops (gas)

baby nail clippers/ emery board

Thermometer ( I like the one that You can run across your forehead- it is not intrusive- The Exorgen Temporal Thermometer)

Helpful tips:

Hydrogen peroxide removes blood and poop stains (unfortunately these accompany new babies) I keep hydrogen peroxide in a spray bottle near my washing machine. I spray it on and wash immediately aften rinsing off excess mess- you don't want chunks circling around inside your washing machine:). If I can'twash immediately, I also spry the soiled garment with Shout.

A Few of My Favorite Products Have Been:

Boppy

Baby Legs

Nursing Cover

Bumbo Chair/ tray

( the bumbo chair was great for my third child, but not for my 4th- she was too wiggly for it- so I guess it depends, but I loved it for my son. It was a life saver!)

Now Its your turn! Please help me add to this list!!!

Happy Crafting!

xoxo,

 Amy

P.S. See here for Baby Shower Themes

See here for Baby Shower Cakes

See here for Baby Shower Games

See here for affordable baby shower prizes and here for cute gifts

Solar Eclipse!!

I hope you got a chance to see this!!
xoxo,
 Amy

Summer Lovin' Sponsor Spotlight & Review Schedule

Here is the schedule for the Sponsor Spotlights & Reviews for the Summer Lovin' Baby Basics Event:

5/19 Boob Toob & Lil Squirts

5/20 Double Blessings Nursing Pillow
 5/20 Undercover Mama

5/22 Fashion Bums

5/23 Rockin' Green

5/24 Raw Organics

5/25 Peanut Shell Shopping Cart Cover

5/26 Bobee Diaper System

5/27 Jack's Choice Amber Necklace

5/28 Spuds Inc

5/29 Boba Carrier

5/30 Mama's Milk Sling

5/31 Balboa Sling

6/1 The Lovely Yarns, 
Puff N Stuff Crochet, 
Mom's Crochet Corner

6/2 Peaceful Housewife

6/3 Katy's Bow-tique

6/4 Zooper

6/5 BBCD 

Each day you will be given the chance to get a head start on your entries for the grand prize for liking the sponsor on Facebook, following on Twitter and / or favoriting their Etsy shop.

The Alice Hansen Family Fund

Can you imagine your worst fear coming to light? Well for this sweet family it did. This week. The week Leading up to Mother's Day. My Cousin-in-law is named Heidi Ferguson. She is the author of Honeybear Lane and this week. She lost one of her best friends, her brother's wife three days after she gave birth to her third child and first baby girl. Can you imagine? Here is her story:

The loss of a loved one is a strange surreal reality. Life is completely normal except for one large, gaping hole. Each day the pain seems to become more real and defined as the actuality of what has happened sinks in. Heidi of Honeybear Lane, lost her sister-in-law, Alice Hansen, this week to complications following the birth of her third baby. She fought a hard fight to stay on this earth with her husband and three little children who love her dearly. But God wanted her with Him and there is none who can stop Him. Her husband, Heidi's brother, was left behind to take care of their two little boys and newborn daughter.

Heidi's family opened a donation account for Alice and her family. This money will go towards funeral costs, residual medical expenses, and the costs of raising children without a mother or a job. Her brother is going through a very difficult thing and while nothing can replace the ache of losing his sweetheart, any sort of donation will help to ease the burdens a little. If you would like to donate money directly, please visit Heidi's blog Honeybear Lane. You can donate easily by clicking the "Donate" button on the right sidebar. You can donate through Paypal, credit card, or e-check (a check directly from your bank account.) Any and all donations are appreciated. Please also spread the word by sharing any posts you see about it. You may use any of these beautiful printables that the talented Lara made for Alice. These printables represent the music that Alice made in her life--being a PhD in music. In addition to being a wonderful wife and mother, she was a very gifted pianist who traveled the world before getting married and having children. She shared that passion with her husband, also a pianist. Music brought them together.

Music was her passion. But her family was her life. She figuratively and literally gave her life for her children. "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."

Message from Heidi: From the bottom of our grief-stricken hearts: Thank you.




Life can change in the blink of an eye. It doesn't take much to make a difference. Today you can shine a little ray of light on this family who is surrounded by the dark clouds of loss and pain. Today you can make a difference. Whether you donate $1 or $100 dollars, together maybe we can create enough light to chase away some of those clouds. We can't bring Alice back, but we can help relieve some financial strain.

Thank you,
 XOXO,
 Amy Davis

Add Glitter To Your Frame!

Man!! Life has been so incredibly busy! I am sure you know how it is, sometimes real life takes presidence over life in the virtual world. I did want to share this fun little project with you. Let me teach you how to take rock an ordinary picture frame. The secret weapon: Glitter!

I started out with a $5 gold frame from Walmart. I don't usually love gold, but this time it was my color of choice.

You will also need:

Modge Podge

Paint Brush

Glitter

Some kind of drop mat to catch excess glitter

Clear Finishing Spray. (I used Krylon Gloss Clear Protective, non yellowing, finishing spay)

I used a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper for my work space. I painted a somewhat generous layer of modge podge on the edges of my frame and immediately sprinkled glitter over the glue.

The outside edges of the frame can be tricky to get glitter on so I kind of scooped up the glitter that had fallen on the parchment paper and pushed it onto the glue.

Allow to dry completely. Drying times vary. 30  mins to an hour maybe. When your frame is dry. Stand it up right and tap it gently to let excess glitter fall onto your parchment paper. After add another layer of modge podge (paying close attention to any bald spots) and add glitter again. I repeated the process twice, but that may also vary. Just keep gluing and glittering until you are happy with your final product. Make sure you allow ample time for your frame to dry in between. Carefully fold parchment and dump excess glitter back into your glitter jar.

When your last layer is dry, move your frame to a well ventilated area and add 1-3 coats of clear gloss allowing ample time to dry in between each coat. About 10-20 minutes. When your last coat is dry, gently tap your frame to remove excess glitter. Now, if your frame is like mine, the glitter has found its way into any nook and cranny available. You can use a compressed air duster or your hair dryer on its coolest and lowest setting get rid of it.

When your frame is finished . . . display your favorite picture!!! I used these glittered frames as another decoration for my girls' b-day party. It was the perfect touch of sparkle to make their beautiful pictures a fancy focal point.

I hope you have fun with this one! Use any color glitter that your little heart desires!!
Happy Crafting!
xoxo,
 Amy

Mother's Day Cloth Diaper Hop

Mother's Day is almost here and we are celebrating with our love for cloth diapers!

Welcome to the Mother's Day Cloth Diaper Giveaway Hop hosted by Daily Mothering! Nearly 100 blogs have linked up to bring you dozens and dozens of exciting cloth diaper giveaways. Enter my giveaway below and then hop to the other blogs listed at the bottom of this post to enter their fluffy giveaways too! Each blog has a cloth diaper prize valued at $15 or more, and many blogs have prize packs worth over $100. And, don't forget to enter the GRAND PRIZE giveaway at Daily Mothering for your chance to win this amazing $1300 Cloth Diaper Prize Pack! 

The lucky winner from our giveaway will win an Original Booty Cloth Diaper in the color of their choosing.
 The giveaway on this blog is open to US residents.


***NOTE:  Booty Buns Cloth Diapers & Amy's Craft Bucket EACH are giving away an Original Booty. Please enter both giveaways on each blog & leave comments on both posts. Who knows, you may just win both!!***

COLORS INCLUDE:

 *Pink-A-Booty      *Love Booty        *Pun'kin Booty

*'Nana Booty       *Cutie Booty        *Lucky Booty

*Moon Booty      *Royal Booty      *Snow Booty

*Night Night Booty

For those who found our blog through the linky, 

I'll give you a little bit of background about our company & diapers.

ABOUT BOOTY BUNS CLOTH DIAPERS:

Booty Buns Cloth Diapers is the official cloth diaper sponsor for Operation Showers of Appreciation. We donate cloth diapers to each of the baby showers they throw throughout the year. Our first donation to them was for their Phoenix, AZ that took place on March 31, 2012.  We also donate cloth diapers to babies with debilitating diseases. Many of the families of such children have so many other things to worry about including doctor visits & bills that diapers should be the last thing they should have to worry about. We also have desires to donate cloth diapers to developing countries; because, many babies in these countries are wrapped in old t-shirts because their parents can't afford to diaper them.

At Booty Buns Cloth Diapers, we desire to cover the booties of the world with cloth. For every cloth diaper we sell, we will donate one to a baby in need whether local or around the globe. We are trying to make the world a better place ONE BOOTY AT A TIME™, join us in our efforts!

ABOUT OUR CLOTH DIAPERS: 

Our patent pending design the world's only TRUE one-size cloth diaper that fits from 3-45 pounds; so you only need to buy one set of cloth diapers. The cloth diaper itself consists of a waterproof outer polyurethane laminate layer and a super soft suedecloth inner layer. The Original Booty comes with double gussets and back elastic designed to better contain messes. Each cloth diaper comes with 2 inserts {1 newborn & 1 large size} and a 100% cotton flannel liner to place between your baby and the diaper to make BM clean up easier. It also helps those babies who have a sensitivity to suedecloth. We also include a double sided cloth wipe so you don't have to buy anything on the side.

 Every part of the diaper is 100% machine washable ~ shell, inserts, liner & wipe.

These cloth diapers were designed by a mom who has not only your baby, but your budget in mind. She was frustrated that if she wanted to cloth diaper her baby, she had to buy 2-3 sets to cover all the sizes her baby would be between birth & potty training. She couldn't understand why a cloth diaper was called a 'ONE SIZE CLOTH DIAPER' if not all babies are 8-10 pounds at birth, or 30-35 pounds when potty training. Her family is on tight budget & couldn't justify buying 2-3 sets of cloth diapers, and knew that there are many other families in the same boat.

This is exactly why she designed The Original Booty with the ability to mimic disposable diaper sizing from preemie to potty training pants.

Night Night Booty Sized To Preemie

Royal Booty Sized To Potty Training Pants

 

Being a mom of multiple children with limited time & money, she sought a truly one-size-fits-all & gives all diaper; however, since nobody offers what she wanted and needed, she decided to create it & offer it to other moms & dads who seek to cut the fat in cloth diapering & get everything they need all at once - included with the diapers.

{Here is her daughter (left) & niece}

She worked really hard to create a diaper that addresses the top complaints about cloth diapers, while throwing in some things that she feels are necessary while cloth diapering; and, she is pleased to introduce the world to a whole new generation of cloth diapering! 

Just to review, with each cloth diaper you will receive:

2 inserts {1 newborn & 1 large size}

1 100% cotton flannel liner

1 matching double sided cloth wipe

AND. . .

with each diaper you buy, you are helping make the world a better place

ONE BOOTY AT A TIME™

You can buy the cloth diapers designed with both your baby and your budget in mind here.

Please use this RaffleCopter form to enter our giveaway