D.I.Y. Custom Name Art

I first saw this custom name art on Etsy when I was pregnant with Leila.  I wanted to purchase the decorated letters to hang on the wall above the changing table, but just couldn't justify paying someone to do something so simple.

Deciding to do it myself turned out to be easier than I expected!  My sister and I finished these letters for Leila just four days before my due date. 

With Carson's arrival, I figured I should make his name art a priority on my to-do list.  With the help of my mom and Aunt Carrie we finished the letters in just two days.

Custom name art {for your baby's nursery}

What you'll need:

• Wooden letters to spell your child's name (I picked these up from Michael's.  They had a few sizes and colors to choose from.)
• Acrylic paint for the sides (gray for Carson, brown for Leila)
• Mod Podge (I liked the matte finish)
• Paint brush
• Sponge brush
• Coordinating scrapbook paper- one for each letter
• Cardboard or newspaper if you are messy like me
• Scissors
• Pencil

Do-it-yourself directions:

1. Paint all edges of the letters with your acrylic paint. Make sure you do a sloppy job so that a little bit of the front of the letters get some paint too. (Just in case you cut the paper too small or misplace it on the letter slightly.)

2. Trace the letter on the back (or front) of the scrapbook paper and cut it out with scissors. With some of the prints I chose it was easier to line up the pattern by tracing the letter onto the pattern itself instead of the back. This ensures it will be straight if it needs to be.

3.  Paint the Mod Podge on the front of the wooden letter. Be sure to get all the way to the edge. Adhere the paper letter to the wooden letter and smooth out the wrinkles with a clean cloth. (pictured above)

4. Leave the letters out to dry overnight. 

Ta da! It's easy and perfect for your child's bedroom.

Linking up this week with Mama Dish for their{Moonlight & Mason Jars} Monday Night Link Up Party. Go check it out!

Salt dough ornaments {New traditions}

Last Christmas I attempted to make salt dough ornaments with Leila.  I was proud of my accomplishment, but they are so easy to make, I decided to step it up a notch this year.  I saw these adorable Santa hand print ornaments on Pinterest (of course) and knew they would be the ornaments we made this year.

Aren't they adorable?

They were super easy to make too!  The most difficult part was keeping these two friends entertained while Amy and I kneaded, rolled, and cut out the dough into the shapes we wanted.

I used the same recipe I used last year to make the dough.

Salt Dough Santa Claus Ornaments

This recipe makes 12-16 toddler hand sized Santas.

Ingredients:

4 cups flour

1 cup salt

1 1/2 cups water

sturdy cardboard

parchment paper

Acrylic paint- skin tone, red, white, black/brown, blue, pale pink

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
2. Combine the ingredients in a bowl.
3. Knead the dough for 15-20 minutes (knead on the counter, it's easier)
4. Separate dough into equal sized portions and set aside.
5. Roll out one portion of dough onto a small piece of parchment paper.
6. Trace your child's hand onto a piece of cardboard and cut out carefully.
7. Dust one side of the cardboard cut-out hand print with flour to prevent sticking.
8. Cut around the cardboard hand with a knife.
9. Use a straw or similar object to make a hole at the top (base of the hand) for hanging on the tree later.
10. Poke holes with a skewer around the perimeter of the ornament to prevent bubbling.  Poke all the way through the dough for the best results.
11. Place parchment paper and ornament on a baking sheet.
12. Bake at 300 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until golden. 
13. Let them cool completely before painting. 

Salt dough Santa Claus Ornament painting guide:

(As you can see in the pics above, I also made stars for Leila to paint herself since she is not ready for the detailed Santa painting.  Read these tips on painting with toddlers...no muddy brown if you follow my instructions!)

1. Start by paining the section just above the fingers using the skin tone colored acrylic paint.  (You can see in my close-up picture that the paint I used for the face cracked.  I did not use acrylic for the skin tone which was a big mistake.  Regular washable paint just doesn't work as well.)
2. Paint the hat and the thumb red leaving the tip of the thumb unpainted until later.
3. Let these two colors dry.  (You may need more than one coat.)
4. Paint the fingers and sides of the ornament white.  Leave a little bit of the skin tone paint showing for the mouth.
5. Paint the fur trim on Santa's hat and the tip of the thumb white.  I definitely needed more than one coat of white paint.  For best results let it dry between each coat.
6. Use pale pink for the cheeks and mouth, blue for the eyes, and black/brown for the pupils,
7. Mix a bit of pale pink with the skin tone paint for the nose.
8. Let them dry completely overnight.
9. Add a ribbon or ornament hook and wrap them as a gift of hang it on your tree. 

Next year I'll be making ornaments again!  With inspiration from Pinterest, I'll be tackling something new for our homemade Christmas ornament tradition.

What are your holiday traditions?  Have they changed since having children?

Baby Shower {Children's book theme}

Last Saturday I hosted my first baby shower.

Our friend Courtney is expecting her first baby boy this summer.

Doesn't she look amazing!
I spent some time on Pinterest, of course, searching for a theme that was not too over the top. With the beautiful backdrop of the restaurant patio, I knew simplicity was key!

I loved the invitations I found here.

Our no-sew version turned out just as cute!

I purchased some stuffed animal and book sets at Kohls and used them as table decorations. (If you don't already know about their $5 book and stuffed animal deals, check it out here.)

One of the books was set out for guests to sign. You can see in the picture that I glued the invitation to the from cover.


The dessert was homemade by Betsy! She made Lemonade Rice Krispie Treats and Red Velvet Ding Dongs (Courtney's favorite). I had one of each and wanted more.

I asked everyone to bring a book instead of a card. Guests that were not able to attend sent books too. Thanks to everyone's generosity, Baby boy T has quite the book collection already!



I purchased enough fabric to make this double sided pennant banner. I wish I could take credit for how perfect this turned out! My mom and aunt Carrie planned and executed the whole project. I love the buttons they sewed to each corner. The weight of the bottom button held the fabric in place in the breeze.


Courtney was showered with love and gifts. I think everyone had a fun and relaxing time.

We cannot wait to meet her little guy this summer!