Thursday, February 28, 2013

How Charming!


I lived on Lucky Charms in college.
And to this day, I get so excited if a box makes it into my house.
They make the BEST late night snack.
My kids are a handful on their own, so we rarely have sugar cereals at breakfast.
But, for St. Patrick's Day, we always splurge on a box.
And this year, we found limited edition GREEN ONLY marshmallows!

Got a Bowl?
Lucky Charms make a great gift to give at St. Patrick's Day.
And, since it's your LUCKY DAY, Michaela has included a darling FREE Printable!
 This could be such a cute gift to have waiting for your kids when they wake up,
or anyone who loves cereal!

Here's what you'll need:
  • Lucky Charms- All green if you can find them OR original
  • Plastic Bowls- We found these cute bowl/spoon sets at the Dollar Store. 2 for $1!
  • Ribbon
  • FREE Printable Tag
  • Clear Cellophane
Just pour the cereal into the bowl, wrap with cellophane, and attach the spoon.
Now all it needs is milk and a tag!


Just download the tag and print on cardstock!
So easy and so whimsical!
To download the FREE Tag, click HERE

Need it personalized?
No problem!
Just head over to our Etsy Shop and we'll personalize it for you!



Cute Class Treat!
Looking for something fun to do for your child's class for St. Patrick's Day?
These personalized bag toppers make the cutest gift!
How lucky will your child's friends be!
Just use a Ziploc sandwich bag and fill with Lucky Charms!
These personalized bag toppers are available in our Etsy Shop.
To purchase these bag toppers, click here.

We hope you found these ideas "Magically Delicious!"

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Little Man Baby Shower {Part Two!}


little man baby shower cupcake bow tie tutorial root beer float favor

Welcome to Part Two of the Little Man Shower!
If you missed Part One, click here!

We had a whimsical few weeks with our beloved friend planning her first grandbaby's shower. Lots of collaborating, laughing, planning, more laughing, crafting, listening to her call us crazy (is that a good or bad thing?), and many warm hugs. 
He made his debut at the shower at 6 weeks old, charming everyone with his cuteness.
Sweet, dapper, little man.

Root Beer Float Favor
This was our favorite part of the shower.
So simple, yet so adorable!
What a sweet favor to give your guests!
Just purchase root beer bottles, and add a striped paper straw, and add these tags 
(or make your own!)
root beer float favor tags
Stores like Michael's and Target are now carrying these cute paper straws so it makes it really easy now to find them. Etsy shops carry them in bulk amounts. 
Here's one of our favorite shops: Grey Striped Paper Straws 

Napkin Bow Ties
 These are so easy to make and gives just one more whimsical "detail" to this shower.
Just take a napkin, and lay the utensil in the middle.
Take a strip of coordinating patterned paper and wrap it around the middle of the napkin. 
Attach the ends with a glue dot to secure.
Bow Ties!


Fondant Bow Ties and Buttons
You don't have to be a cake decorator to work with fondant.
Did you like playing with play dough as a kid?
That's really all it is, except it's edible. 
I'm a baker at heart, and have a fierce love for cake decorating.
Once I started making things with fondant, I began to realize what a whimsical touch they would give a simple cupcake, and I was hooked.

Making bows or bow ties are really easy!
Here's what you'll need:
  • fondant (comes in white or colors)
  • rolling pin
  • fondant cutting tool
  • color gel (wilton or americolor)
  • Crisco
  • ruler 
  • cookie sheet, wax paper and cornstarch for drying
Knead the fondant with a small amount of Crisco on a clean surface. I use a slip mat but you can use a clean granite counter or anything where it won't stick. I take a bit of Crisco and rub it onto the surface that I'm using also. It comes off the mat much better. 
I also put a small amount on my rolling pin.
If you are coloring the fondant, start with a small amount and continue kneading it into the fondant until you have the right color.

Roll out the fondant to 1/8 inch thick.
Using a ruler, begin to cut strips evenly down the fondant, about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch wide (depending how big you want your bow)

Take one long strip and cut two 2 inch pieces, and one 1 1/2 piece.
Take the two 2 inch pieces and fold each one over so that the ends meet, and pinch it at the end.
Bring the two ends together so they are touching.

Take the 1 1/2 inch piece and run a drop of water on it with your finger. 
(Water is glue for fondant)
Wrap the strip around the two pinched ends.
Dry all your pieces on cookie sheet lined with cornstarch dusted wax paper.
You don't need to cover it, just let them air dry for a day or two.

Making buttons is really easy too!
Use a circle fondant cutting shape or a 1A tip to cut circles out of rolled fondant.

I use a wooden lollipop stick to make these, but anything would work, that is the same shape. Indent the circle and move it around until you have an even circle.
Take the point part of the stick and make two holes.
Dry on cookie sheet with bow ties.
So simple and easy!


We also made cupcake wrappers from our Silhouette using matching cardstock and designed Little Man cupcake toppers!
These adorable cupcake toppers are available in our Etsy shop for you to print yourself!
To purchase our cupcake toppers printable click here.

The dessert table included bow tie and letter cookies!

Wear Your Bow Tie!
The invited guests were asked to bring the bow tie attached to the invitation.
And there were some extra on the table as the guests walked in.
We LOVED the way people chose to wear their bow tie!

Necktie Corsages
We had the wonderful opportunity to come across this wonderful lady Wendi, who owns Louella Rose, and makes roses from neckties!
She designs wedding packages, memorial arrangements and special occasion pieces.
They are sure to never wilt and strike up their share of conversations!
She happily made us three corsages. 
One for the new mom, and two for the grandmothers.
Visit her at www.louellarose.com to learn more.

It's the little details!
These came out ridiculously cute. We used the Silhouette to cut black vinyl into bow tie shapes and placed them on clear plastic glasses.
If you don't have a Silhouette, 
you could use stickers and they would come out just as cute!

We designed water bottle labels that can be purchased as a printable in our Etsy Shop

We also designed table cards for the food, and added whimsical words!
These table cards are part of a printable set offered in our Etsy shop.


Welcome to this Whimsical World Little Man!

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Little Man Baby Shower {Part One!}


Little Man Baby Shower - Making Life Whimsical


Michaela and I have many things in common. One being that our kids had the same kindergarten teacher. We both fell in love with this lady from the first day of school. She's the kind of teacher that still gives hugs and tells them she loves them. The kind of teacher that shows up to all 30 of the 6 year old birthday parties she's invited to, 
and attends their dance recitals and t-ball games on her weekends. 

When we heard she was going to become a grandma, our creative wheels started to turn, and we couldn't wait to collaborate with her on a sweet baby shower. 
Her new grandson, Jaxson is the center of her universe, 
so we themed the shower around her new "Little Man".

We have so many fun ideas to show you that we've broken this blog post up into two parts. This week's post is some of the prep work...the invite and bow tie tutorial, the wreath for the front door, and a "neck tie banner".


The Invitation
Little Man Baby Shower Invitation
We designed the invitation with an "actual bow tie" that can be removed and worn to the shower. Already you have them excited to come! This invite can be purchased and customized in our Etsy shop as a printable file, and then you print the invites, and attach the bow ties! 
(which we will teach you how to make!) 

We also designed a printable invite with the bow tie already on it if you wanted to skip 
the "real bow tie" look.
Little Man Baby Man Shower Invitation


How to Make a Bow Tie
We found that 1/3 of a yard of fabric makes approximately 8 bow ties.
This will depend greatly on the type of patterned fabric you used. If you use a stripe, you will get less bow ties because of how you will need to cut and have to match up the lines. Our suggestion would be to find a pattern that can be turned either way and still be symmetrical, like a polka dot or a gingham.

1. Cut a 9 x 4 inch and a 1 1/2 x 2 1/2 piece of fabric.
DIY Bow Tie Tutorial

2. Take large piece of fabric and fold it in half and the smaller piece fold in thirds. Iron each piece.
DIY Bow Tie Tutorial

3. With small piece set aside, stitch large piece a quarter of an inch in. Only one side needs to be backstitched.
DIY Bow Tie Tutorial

4. Flip the stitched piece inside out and iron again.
DIY Bow Tie Tutorial

5. Fold in thirds and with one side slightly overlapping the other. Lightly hot glue ends together, so the glue does not seep through to the other side.
DIY Bow Tie Tutorial

6. Pinch center of bow tie and dab hot glue in center. Then take the small piece of fabric and wrap around pinched center. Make sure all edges are sealed with additional hot glue.
DIY Bow Tie Tutorial

7. Attach a pin back to the back with hot glue and you're finished!
DIY Bow Tie Tutorial
DIY Bow Tie Tutorial



Necktie Banner
We wanted to make something "whimsical" that would hang at the dessert table. 
(Desserts coming next week!)
Because I can't get enough of my Silhouette, we downloaded the bow tie and neck tie shapes, along with a square shape and used the same font that is in the invite.
Here's what we used to make the banner
DIY Little Man Necktie Banner
  • plenty of coordinating cardstock (patterned and solid)
  • twine 
  • ribbon of your choice (I bought two bolts but only ended up needed one)

DIY Little Man Necktie Banner

Cut out your shapes and letters.
We wanted a neck tie shape before and after each letter.

If you don't have a Silhouette or a die cut machine, there are lots of different free printables of shapes on the internet. Just google search in images what you are looking for. Then, print the shape out on cardstock and trace it on to the paper and cut.



DIY Little Man Necktie Banner

Once you've cut and attached it all together, you are ready to string it.

Make sure to punch two holes at the top of each shape so that it lays flat when you hang it.
DIY Little Man Necktie Banner

DIY Little Man Necktie Banner
Knot ribbon in between each shape.

DIY Little Man Necktie Banner
So cute right?
DIY Little Man Necktie Banner


Bow Tie Door Wreath
What a whimsical way to welcome your guests by having a wreath at the front door that matches the shower. This adorable "Little Man" wreath is so easy to make and can be given to the new mom at the end of the shower as a keepsake for the baby's room.

Here's what you'll need:
DIY Little Man Bow Tie Wreath
  • a men's white dress shirt (If my husband asks you if you've seen his, just pretend you never saw this)
  • a wooden letter (these can be found at any hobby or craft store. We painted this one black)
  • yarn
  • styrofoam wreath
  • bow tie 
  • fabric scissors

Wrap the yarn tightly around the wreath and secure each end with hot glue on the back of the wreath. I won't lie. This is going to take a long time. I got through three Grey's Anatomy episodes, and two Sponge Bobs with my boy wrapping this. 
DIY Little Man Bow Tie Wreath
But once it was wrapped, it was too cute for words! My head is spinning with all kinds of wreaths I can wrap in yarn now!

Take the shirt and cut along each side of the buttons, so that you only have the strip of buttons and the collar left.
DIY Little Man Bow Tie Wreath

With the hot glue gun, attach the back of the collar to the back of the wreath. Then wrap the button strip around the back of the bottom of the wreath and attach with hot glue.
DIY Little Man Bow Tie Wreath

Attach bow tie and wooden letter with hot glue.
DIY Little Man Bow Tie Wreath

DIY Little Man Bow Tie Wreath
DIY Little Man Bow Tie Wreath
Adorable!


Click HERE to read Part TWO!
Have a whimsical day!