D.I.Y. "Keep Calm.." Nursery Art

 When I first started scouring the internet looking for inspirational nursery decor ideas, of course I hit up Pinterest {like a boss} the most, Pottery Barn Kids, and a fantastic website called Project Nursery. I pretty much searched for ideas I loved that I could copycat.  Pinterest is where I began seeing these "KEEP CALM" diddies, and honestly at first, I didn't 'get' them.  

But then my eye caught a few clever ones, like "KEEP CALM & EAT CUPCAKES" or "KEEP CALM & LOVE BUNNIES"  

Okay, whatever, I'll admit it- I STILL don't totally get it, but they are becoming more whimsical and funny to me, so I started thinking of an idea that could be funny/whimsical/ironic/humerous to put in our baby's nursery.  {Believe me when I say that I think we will all appreciate the tidbit of humor when we're up with our infant son for the third time in the wee hours of the morning!}  This is my own lil' concoction I came up with ~

I'll totally be making these as gifts, as you can presonalize them any way you'd like {IMO- the funnier, the better!} and frame them up.

My lil' pumpkin{s}

Halloween:  I've been pregnant twice through Halloween, this being the third time.  With that said, I have never sported my baby belly before, and it's something I've always wanted to do!  So, this round, I done did it!  I painted a pumpkin on my lil' pumpkin!  It was interesting to do because I free-handed it by looking into a mirror to see what I was doing.  It was almost like painting backwards, but it turned out really cute.  I sported it when we took the kids out trick or treating.  I had one group of women take a photo of my belly & ask me if it was real, to which my husband replied "Yeah, and I helped!" ;) It really was the cutest thing since sliced bread... or pumpkin pie!



My sweet, little family :)



Gift Basket Obesessed. Oh well!

My boys were invited to a friend's birthday party & I found this adorable idea on {you guessed it!} PINTERESTTTTTT!!!! {<--- Imagine me using Oprah's yelling voice as I say that!}

I've attached the link at the bottom for those who would like to try their hand at it.

For this little guy, I used a polka dot container I found in Target's $1 section that I had been holding on to. {And yes, I know my husband thinks I'm a hoarder because I buy those things and keep used containers and glasses, but I can't let go because of projects like THIS one! What if I NEED a container to put together a cute gift?!} Michael Jackson had it right when he sang  ♪♫"Don't stop til' ya get enough!" ♪♫

I grabbed craft sticks, some floral styrofoam, mini airheads, my glue gun, and a giftcard.
Check out the link provided if you'd like to make one of these adorable things!

Click here to view original basket idea & instruction :)

DIY Coasters & Gift Basket

Hello, my name is Kara and I am a pinner. 

Pinner, yes, as in Pinterest.  I truly do have some kind of addiction to Pinterest, which I will admit at times is really not a good thing, however I find SO many crafts and ideas on there that are so freaking awesome!  Like the coasters I'm about to show you for example... These were my own little concoction, but the idea of making coasters using mod podge and scrapbook paper originally developed from what I'd seen on Pinterest. The ones on P were made using tile that you buy at your local hardware store, and the ones I made, well, a tad different. 

I wanted to put together another thank you basket for a friend who threw me a very cute "diaper & wipes" themed party.  Instead of coffee creamer & mugs, this time I took the coaster route and put together what I think was a pretty cute little basket.  I will now share details with you incase you want to make some for someone that you also think is awesome... or for yourself.  Whichever rings your bell.

WHAT YOU NEED:

- 4-6  4" brown cork mats, found in the gardening section at Walmart near the pots. 

- Mod podge

- Paint brush or sponge brush

- Scrapbook paper to your liking

- Waterproof, acrylic spray paint sealer

- Scissors {Oh, how demanding this project is! *eye roll*}

- Small sheet of sandpaper




Start with these... {they are a whopping .87 each... it may cost a little bit more than the tile you can buy, however I like that these are round & already have the cork on the bottoms!}




Turn them upside down so that the cork is on the bottom. Peel off any price tags, and using your sandpaper, give the smooth side a few rubs over just to allow the mod podge to adhere better.



Using your scissors, you can either trace out the actual shape of the cork mat and cut your circle out, or you can use a glass that is slightly smaller.  I'd recommend using something round that is slightly smaller so you don't risk the edges overlapping.

Ex: here is the size I chose & cut out for the look I was going for...

Using your mod podge, go ahead and paint the surface, being sure to cover the entire surface to ensure that your scrapbook circle will adhere.

Arrange your circle, and be sure to smooth out any air bubbles with your fingers, starting from the center and working your way outward.

After any air pockets have been removed & you're happy with the layout, go ahead and apply more mod podge to the top.  Be sure to coat the entire thing (paper & edges)

Allow the mod podge to dry 15-20 minutes before applying another coat. I personally applied 4-5 coats of mod podge to my coasters because I wanted to ensure they'd be waterproof.   I allowed mine to dry & set for a day before I sprayed them down with my waterproof acrylic clear coat spraypaint, which is the last step.  Make sure you spray them well, as the waterproof sealer helps ensure these babies WILL be waterproof & ready to serve as coasters for any drink, hot or cold.

I found this adorable, brown felt basket at Michaels craft store during their fall sale; it was on clearance for $1.99! Totally cute! I snatched it up, and added some crinkle paper, a package of pecan cranberry pancake mix, hot cocoa mix, organic maple syrups, and my coasters, which I mixed & matched.   Then I wrapped the whole thing up in gift basket wrap and tied it with a little bow. 

I really love homemade gifts like this, especially baskets; they make me feel warm & cozy, even while I'm putting them together! I feel like you can add such a personal flair to any gift basket by selecting colors, flavors, designs, etc which makes it great!  

Cute "Thank You" Gifts



Jars for Pumpkin Spice Creamer




Pumpkin Gingerbread Biscotti




Mugs n' all!

I had my first baby shower at Seasons 52 {which I need to post pictures of!} on Sept. 8th.  It was Mad Hatter Tea Party themed and oh-so-cute.  They had a candy bar for the take away gifts where you scoop your own candy into these little "Eat Me"  jars {think 'Alice In Wonderland!'} ... but anyway, I don't want to go all into that until I post the pics because that takes the fun out of it!

I needed to make thank you gifts for my hostesses {I had 3} so I went onto Pinterest to get some ideas.  I decided on the Pumpkin Spice coffee creamer that you can find on there; I'll post a link at the bottom of this incase you wanna try.  And then I thought since we're heading into fall, I'd do the creamer and also some pumpkin biscotti.  I found a recipe for pumpkin gingerbread biscotti and used that.   The mugs I found at World Market & Marshalls.  I picked one that I thought would suit each personality. 

I'd never made biscotti before, so I was apprehensive.  You have to bake it twice to get it nice and crunchy.  I dipped mine in white chocolate {which I highly recommend!} but I also left a few undipped.  I sampled some to make sure they were edible and yes, I'd definately say dip ALL of them in white chocolate. It just gave them an extra sweetness that I felt the ones that were undipped were missing.  Then I wrapped them in clear baggies & tied on a pretty tag that I used stamps to make and labeled them.  Those bad boys went into the mugs.

The pumpkin spice creamer was pretty good, I thought.  It's lacking the chemicals & sugary sweetness that you find in the store-bought creamers, but since it's homemade and fresh I think it's better for you in the long run anyway!  The only thing was that I noticed the spices and creamer separated in the jars that I put them in, so they needed to be stirred before used in coffee.   For the jars, I just bought plain mason canning jars.  On the lid, I took some scrapbook paper and cut out a design and mod podged it to the lid.  I thought it was cute & clever, and added some personality to the jar.   This would definately work for any mason jar gift project, from candy in a jar to cookie or brownie mix.  You could personalize it with different colors/designs, etc.   I also wrapped a tag around that.  I found the brown leaf tags at Target for $1 and I rubbed their edges with brown and turquiose/blue ink to distress them.  I also stamped them using the bottom of a wine cork & ink to give them a little design and take away the "blahs"... uber cute!

Click here for Pumpkin Spice Creamer recipe :)

Click here if you'd like to make the biscotti :)

10 more weeks to go!

Well, I have 10 more weeks left of baby growing to go and then my due date will be in sight!  My belly button has officially "popped" and I'm not sure how far it is truly capable of stretching, considering the baby will add a few more significant pounds in the new few weeks. :-O
We have always had bigger babies; our first was 8lbs 15oz and our second son was 9lbs 3oz.  At our last sonogram, the sonographer said 'dis widdle peanut is in the 80th percentile for size.  As I am barely scraping by on education, I'm guessing that means he shall also be a larger baby. 

This pregnancy has thrown me for a teeny, tiny loop because it's been different from the last two.  All the nausea went away for several weeks in my second trimester, but now that I'm in my third, some of it has returned.  My midwife said that can happen & recommended I continue taking my zofran.  Bleh -_-    I'm also down to visiting her now every 2 weeks instead of once a month, and will soon be taking a tour at the birth center that I plan on delivering Mister at. 

Speaking of which....  I will be going drug-free.  I've never done this before, but I'm looking forward to the experience because of everything I've heard and read about it.  If you go without an epidural, labor normally progresses much faster and you have a quick recovery time.  They have birthing tubs you can get into and the warm water helps eleviate contraction pain and relax the mama.  My plan is to pretty much just go with the flow and as T.I. puts it- 'I can do whatever I liikkkkkke'....

Tomorrow is my first baby shower! It's going to be at Seasons 52 and it's Mad Hatter Tea Party Themed!  I know- it's SO 'me'!!! :)  I've heard the food there is awesome, and the ambiance, too.  I kind of have a little cold or something type thing that I've been trying to beat out with salt water gargling and vitamin c, so I'm praying that by tomorrow, I will have improved & can go and enjoy myself! Can't wait!!! x

Maternity Pix



This one seems to be everyone's fav!





This one is probably MY fav...




The boys & I

 I had maternity pictures done by a sweet friend from church last week.  It was pretty hot, so my hair got sticky & fell pretty fast, but it was a nice blessing to have these done! She's also going to take some of the baby once he's here.

I had my glucose test done today.  Instead of the stuffy, medical way that normal OB's & "Hospital" Midwives have you do it where you have to fast & then drink that nasty orange super-sweet-drink, my midwives wanted me to eat.  I had 4 oz orange juice, 8 oz milk, 2 pieces of whole wheat toast w/ butter, and 2 eggs, scrambled.  I asked why they allow you to eat instead of having to drink the nasty glucose stuff, and she said because it's natural sugar, compared to the orange drink which you would never consume in real life.  Makes sense.  Then they did the blood test & everything was dandy.  I've gained 24 lbs so far, which I am not thrilled about, but at this point it kind of feels out of my control anyway!

20 weeks with the newbie :)

I am 20 weeks, 4 days (but who's counting?) with the new baby & today is the 4th of July! I will post more pics from our 4th of July celebration later on. 

Just wanted to update with a belly pic!

It's a.... boy? ! **HOPEFULLY**

I'm 18 weeks & we had our first sonogram.  I was SO excited to find out whether we're having a boy or girl, but it kinda felt like a bad dream when the sono tech told me that the baby's legs were crossed and the umbillical cord was in the way. At one point, even the baby's hand was down there.  In the end, she concluded that she thinks it's likely a boy.  The kids seemed kinda bummed at first because they've been wanting a sister.  Jadon whined and said "But even our DOG is a boy! Now the house is gonna be more crazy!"

Baby curled up in a lil ball :)

Little baby face profile. Definately has the O'Donnell head like all my kids! Hah!

Baby face with little hand & arm up

Anyway, I wish that she had been more secure in saying it is DEFINATELY a boy- I just dont like the idea of me going shopping for boy things or adding boy things to my registry & it turning out to be a GIRL!   My mom is STILL convinced I am having a girl, and my friend who is throwing me the baby shower also thinks it's a girl!  I dont know WHAT to think!

morning sickness is not just for mornings.

I am now 10 weeks pregnant with our little moose.  I've been sick with nausea since 5 weeks, on a daily basis.  It's no fun. :(  My midwife was kind enough to call in zofran, which is a medicine that helps reduce the brain's puke signal.  It's a fake-out.  I guess it's helping... I'd be afraid to know how I'd be feeling if I weren't taking it! I take it 3x a day.  I'm glad, though, that I have only thrown up twice in the last 5 weeks.  Once in the sink, and once in the pot the other day.  Have you ever felt nauseated and then when you throw up it's this horrible process where your body is like writhing and contracting?  Well, my gag reflex is SO sensitive right now that I don't have to go through any of that. If I just lean over & open my mouth, it comes up like Old Faithful with absolutely no muscle contractions in the tum-tum.  Gross.

Do you feel nauseated after reading all that I wrote?  If you do, I really am sorry, but I'm also kinda secretly pleased because now there is someone else who feels the way I feel.  Isn't that awful? -_-

I'll have to post a picture soon of my bump. My bump, my bump. My lovely lady lump.

x x

Exciting News!!!!!!!!

I do have some exciting news.  Last week, I took a pregnancy test (3, to be exact) and they all came back positive!  It was an array of mixed feelings because our two boys are 7 and 5, and oh-so-independant and it's going to be a definite step backward bringing a baby into the house.  But nevertheless, I am excited about it & hoping for a girl!  (Boys are great, too, so if I get a boy, I will still be happy.)  I wasn't sure how far along I am because I had some issues with my monthly "lady bid'ness" which wasn't helpful with determining dates.   So, my new midwife sent me to have a sonogram.  Today we went for the sonogram, and I had high hopes of seeing a little heartbeat or something, but all that was to be seen was a little, black, sac of amiotic fluid where the baby (who is the size of a poppyseed) is growing.  You couldn't see anything except this tiny sac.  They believe I'm about 4 weeks along, which if accurate, will give me a due date of November 15th!  I'm going back to see my midwife the 2nd week of April for blood work & for another sonogram screening.  By then, we should be seeing something.  :) Cheers!

cupcakes and mo' cupcakes!

I had an order for chocolate lava cupacakes. I was so pleased with the outcome & they loved the cupcakes!  I have decided that I'm no longer going to offer cakes, but focus on cupcakes.  I'm going to come up with several flavors I offer that are fun & different.  I have an amazing red velvet that I've shown in a few pics that are awesome, the chocolate lava is awesome! I have a chocolate peanut butter cake (also pics shown) that is friggin' amazing.  I'm going to work on some specialty cuppies, like banana cream pie, etc.  And it's gonna be awesommmmmmmmmmme -_-

These were amazing!

Cupcakes, bdays, Valentines- Oh My!



"Beatles" themed cupcakes

I forgot to post a few things from the past month or so, so I'm trying to catch up.   See the pic of the Beatles themed baby shower cupcakes I made? I made strawberry & chocolate cupcakes, but most of us were doing the Daniel Fast with the church (no sugar, meat, dairy!), so we just stood along side of them and drooled but did not touch.  That was a thrillllllll! -_-  I heard really good reviews from other people though, which was lovely.  A friend around the corner is preggs with twins, and she sampled a strawberry cupcake and told me that's what she wants me to serve at her baby shower that I'm working on.  Sweetness.
My 28th birthday came & fell on the Superbowl.  I had major competition for my husband's attention considering how much he loves football.  We went out to dinner the night before to Macaroni Grill, which is one of my most loved "chain" places to eat, but the service was awful!  Normally, I'd get kind of annoyed, but it was actually pretty amusing.  Our poor waiter was a really clumsy, goofy, but sweet guy who resembled Clark Kent.  He spilled over the olive oil all over our table when he was pouring it, and forgot to bring us our caesar salads & refills.  But as I listened to everyone around us complain to the manager about their food, etc, I was more entertained than upset.  Does that make me sound like a terrible person?  When I got the shrimp dish I ordered, it was mad bland & I was continuously adding salt to try to flavor it.  Clark Kent was a nice waiter though, and brought me a bowl of sauce to help me out. There was also 1 sausage nub in my food....... or maybe it was a finger? I don't know; I ate it anyway.   I made cupcakes for my birthday to share & loaded them with sprinkles.  I want to pretend I'm still 5.



Sprinkles make everyone smile :-)

 
For Valentine's Day I made a cute lil' assortment of cupcakes to surprise my dearest love & I got him the cutest card from TinyPrints.com.  I personalized it.... the outside said "Danny, I love you more than I love cupcakes.." 

 "..and everyone knows how much I love cupcakes!"   {Very fitting for The Sugar Mama. :) }

I also made some cupcakes for the lovely folks in his office to share, and I made cake pops for Jadon & Micah's teachers.  Cake pops are seriously precious.  I'm kind of obsessed!


^ the Cupcakes for my Luv Bunneh....





Viera Pt. 2

Grandpa Kevin & J-Dizz (Jadon was sad he was leaving)

Gpa K & Micah

Too sexy for those glasses

We had our visit again this year in Viera, FL with Danny's dad, grandma, and also had the pleasure of Danny's Uncle Frank joining them.  The kids woke up that day and I let them skip school (oooOOOOOH! I'm TELLing!) and we drove to the Cracker Barrel in Viera like last year.  I ate like their biscuits like a boss.  Then, we went back to the nice shopping center just like last time and walked around.  Uncle Frank treated everyone to Coldstone (even though we had just had brunch at CB, we made room of course...).  I had my favorite, Birthday Cake Remix.  The kids had such a blast with Grandpa Kevin.  We later went to a nice park and relaxed while they played.  Jadon was especially sad when it came time to part...poor lil' guy.

Dr. Zeuss.....{modern day Seuss 2012}

I love Dr. Seuss.  I think he was brilliant.  I wish I could be paid to be outlandish, since I tend to have moments where I am outlandishly brilliant. -_-

I told my sister that I had a few thoughts and ideas about it.  Firstly, it's time to step it up a notch and make sure that the stuff being written also educates children. . .

"All ball, all fall,
Fall off the wall"

I think the moral of the story is nice, but it could be more direct since we have now entered into 2012.

Here are some little diddy's I put together. I hope you enjoy.

Spot, Spot, you see a spot,
Spot, dot, it is a dot,
Dot, hot, you're feeling hot?
Go get a pad, your mum forgot

Bump, hump, lady lump;
It's time to buy a bra

See dog run, run and zip!
He yanked the leash, she slip, slip, slipped!
She slipped and so she broke her hip
Dog, run, run fast away
You will be euthanized today

THE END.  

iHelp: gumpaste roses

In iHelp= I will help you. :) I am kind of one of those people who learn as they go along.  Most of this kind of stuff I learned from the internet before winging it, and this is one of those times..... Behold~ Gumpaste Roses




You can make gumpaste yourself from scratch, but there are a few chemical key ingredients you will need in order to pull this off.  I did not make it from scratch, but instead went to Michael's craft store & bought a 16 oz canister; all you add is water & confectioner's sugar.  After you follow the directions, you're ready to add in whatever food coloring you prefer. 

Roll your gumpaste out until smooth & appropriate thickness



Using a smallish round cutter, cut out several circles



(See circles) :)

Grasp one of the circles between your thumb and index finger and squeeze

You want to squeeze around the edges to form the thin, rose petal type edges

Begin from one side of your petal, and curl it inward toward the center

With the other circles, cut them in half

Take the halves and use the same thumb-squeezing technique to make smaller petals

Then later the petals, wrapping around the center bud.

Continue the petal layering process. You may like to alternate positions of petals to create the type of rose look you want.  You can also fan out the edges a little bit to make them look like the rose is opening.

The end product :)  You can snip off the excess gum paste on the bottom of the rose and let the rose sit out to harden.

t w o t h o u s a n d t w e l v e

What did you do on New Years Eve?  Danny & I have never been big celebrators of the New Years.  We know that when we go to sleep that night, it will be the next year when we wake up in the morning and that has just never really excited us to the point of celebration.  However, this year, we used a Christmas coupon from my grandma to keep our boys over night.  We decided to go to Daytona Beach because they would be setting off fireworks at midnight off of a ship on the coast.   We stopped (again) at Krispy Kreme and got some hot chocolate (Danny got ice coffee) and some "HOT NOW" donuts... those things are rediculous! (We consumed a dozen of them in 24 hours; that can't be good.  I'm going to have to kick it into high gear up at the gym this year!)

When we got to the beach, we rode on the ferris wheel that is right off of the beach.  I underestimated how it feels to ride one of those babies.  Danny sat nex to me in ours and our thing tilted a little, making me feel a lil' nervous.  Good thing I wore my depends!

We didn't stay until midnight because I got tired & also didn't want to share the road with the drunkards that were stumbling around the beach. -_-

My prayer for this year is to just draw closer to God and His word and to see Him move in my life and the lives of others.  I hope to spend more of my time helping & loving people in need, and less time focusing on the drama that seems to be such a distraction from doing the things God really wants me focusing on.

Opening Gifts on Christmas (& watching A Christmas Story, of course)

Brag Braggerson & Pouty Pouterson playing the new Guess Who game...

The amazzzzzing chocolate peppermint cake I took to Christmas dinner

My kidlets in their Christmas robes. Arg!

Poops @ Daytona Beach, New Years Eve

Getting Makey-Outey

Ferris Wheel Joy

More Ferris Wheel Joy

...Ferris Wheel.

View from UP on Ferris Wheel

                                                                    Happy 2012!