Babies 1st Birthday *no sew* Tutu Dress {Tutorial}

Remember this onesie dress I made for a close friends baby shower just over a year and a half ago? 

Some months ago, Ms. Peyton finally grew big enough to fit in it. How adorable and perfect does she look? It puts a huge smile on my face when I get photos of little ones wearing their dresses that I create.

The big milestone was coming up for little Peyton; her first birthday. Her parents asked if I would like to make her birthday outfit--and of course I totally agreed to! They gave me free reign in designing it. Oh, the options!! After getting the ok with mom, I knew I wanted to go for a tutu dress. Mom said go all out--pink and girly. I told her she would not be disappointed!

I found this SUPER helpful tutorial on cutting the tulle for the skirt and this tutorial for creating the actual skirt using slip knots; both are from Angie at Treasures for Tots. She has a lot of tips for creating these cute outfits. After some googling and bloghopping I decided to make a 6.25" skirt for Peyton. Most baby tutus are made anywhere from 6"-8" in length but even at 12 months, little Ms. Peyton was still wearing 6-9 month onesies, so I didn't want the skirt to be TOO long. In the end, a 6.25" skirt worked perfectly, with my cardboard cut at exactly 12.5". (Jo-Anns will give you their cardboard pieces that they wrap their fabric with--I always keep a stash of these as they come in handy for many projects!)

I really wanted a multi-pink effect and some sparkle; I used two different shades of pink with the lighter one being a shimmer 'finish.' 

You can see the lighter pink has a shimmer effect compared to the 'matte' dark pink tulle

For some strange reason the first time I make something new I ALWAYS get nervous. Either that it won't work, it won't come out right, or that I did something wrong. I got very excited once the skirt started taking shape from just the very beginning. The pattern I used with my colors was simple; I rotated using 2 pieces of each color tulle. I didn't want a striped look, but I wanted a dimensional look--this worked perfectly.

My tutu skirt came along perfectly. In the meantime, I had also fell in love with these 'necklace shirts' I saw on Pinterest. They are just so girly and adorable and I thought it'd be the perfect compliment to the tutu for Peyton's dress. I used a white onesie and pink fabric paint. I hand-drew the individual pearl strands rather than using a 'stencil' and it turned out wonderfully; a little more work, but the finished product was totally worth it. The paint dried fairly quickly and the color was perfect. Again, it was the first time I had used fabric paint in a long time, so I was nervous. The one tip I'd recommend is to definitely have a surface on the inside of the onesie so the paint doesn't bleed through to the back...not that I had to make an entire second onesie or anything. ;)

Along with the dress I made a tulle flower to pin onto the pearl strands of her onesie (similar to those in the necklace shirts) but Peyton wasn't a fan and kept pulling at it so we had to take it off--thankfully I didn't sew it onto the onesie! She also had an adorable pink bow for her hair which she refused to keep in. BUT, of all the things she totally loved the tutu and had no issue with strutting her stuff in it her entire birthday! This was the main thing her mom and I was worried about--that she would pull and fuss with the tutu, but she had no problems with it. Maybe she knew how cute she looked. :) Keeping it tied in a simple bow was all it needed to stay up on Peyton throughout the day.

She did everything from opening her presents, to riding her pony to playing with her new toys in her tutu! The only reason we had to take it off was for her cake; no one wants a dirty birthday dress!

 

I definitely recommend making these skirts for birthdays, costumes or for photo shoots.  

They are totally affordable, easy to make, customizable and SO cute!

Maybe oneeee day I'll be able to make these for a little girl of my own. :)

'50 SUCKS' Bouquet Gift {Tutorial}

Need an idea for a cute, personalized, playful and do-it-yourself gift? Try one of these sucker bouquets! I found Denise's bouquets that she's made for a few different occasions on Pinterest and have been itching to make one ever since. My aunt recently turned 50 and I knew it would be the perfect time to create one of these beauties!! Meet the '50 SUCKS' bouquet:

Only a few supplies are needed for this project and it's a fairly simple assembly!

All of my supplies were purchased from the $1 store:

Glass vase with flared rim

*Styrofoam (ball shape is preferred)

*Suckers

Hot glue

Embellishments (optional) 

I created a '50 SUCKS' flower tag with scrapbook paper attached to a skewer and used silk florals that I already had on hand

*The size of your styrofoam ball will determine the amount of suckers you will need. I ended up using a little over 50 suckers also using the flowers and smaller suckers to fill in gaps. The widest part of your styrofoam ball should be a little larger than the circumference of the rim of your vase. You're typically safe with about 50 - 70 suckers.

Directions: Fill your vase first--for weight and aesthetic purposes. I chose to use a few lollipops. Cut your styrofoam ball in half and press it down onto the rim of the vase with a little hot glue on the edge to keep it secure. All that's left is to start adding your suckers! I assembled mine in rows, working with the bigger suckers on the bottom moving my way up--and adding the smaller ones last to fill the gaps. If you don't plan to eat the suckers in the near future, you can use hot glue to really secure them--I chose not to do this. I added my sign to the top, used a few orange silk flowers to fill bigger gaps and help with the shape of the arrangement, and used the leaves from the flowers at the bottom of the bouquet to give it a more 'floral' look.

If using a glass/clear vase, note that pieces of styrofoam will fall into the bottom of your jar while creating your bouquet. If you want to avoid seeing this, use either a colored vase or any other type of container/jar that isn't see-through. Since my lollipops had white sticks the small bits of styrofoam were hardly noticed.

Denise has a small video tutorial on how she makes her arrangements; you'll notice that I made mine quite differently and I'm sure there are many variations you can come up with based on your supplies on hand and the size of bouquet you want to achieve!

Here is my aunt with her bouquet--she was over-the-top excited for it and everyone got a kick out of it!

To celebrate my aunt's 50th birthday we got a lot of our family together and had one big party. The celebration was in part a Gator party as well since it was game day and my family are huge fans. What better way to dress up for a sports team than with hair bows? I made enough hair accessories for all the girls to represent the orange & blue!

 

Over time I have found that satin ribbon works best for the base of creating simple bows; both sides are the same color, it is easy to work with and makes the perfect bow shape without a lot of effort! Add a few smaller contrasting ribbon bows, a center embellishment and a clip to the back and you're all set! 

Here are a few of us girls on the big day:

Kim with her hair bow and Gator gear

Tia wore a headband and my aunt pinned one to her tank

My nana even had a clip in her hair :)

  The sucker boquet and ribbons were a huge hit at the party! I can't wait for the next opportunity to make another bouquet as it was a fun, quick and simple project. Who's birthday is next?? :) :)

Peanut Butter Delight - Doggie Cupcakes {Recipe}

July 29, 2007 -- When this little booger entered the world.

November 28, 2007 -- When this little booger entered MY world!

 

Starting off at a little over 5 pounds (at 4 months) and nothing but a Maltese furball, Bailey was the first puppy I ever had. I purchased him on November 28, 2007--yes, on Black Friday. The deal was; Larry gets a new flat screen TV and I get my puppy. I didn't think I would actually end up getting a dog (as we had just took the big leap and moved out on our own) but once I met Bailey I knew I had to have him--and the Black Friday price specials didn't hurt either. ;) After waiting about a week for him to finish getting his shots, our whole world was turned upside down once we finally brought him home. From potty training to kennel training he was one handful of a puppy! But getting Bailey was the best thing that I had ever done--he is so fun and so loving and brings us so much happiness every day! This year on Friday, July 29, 2011 he turned 4 years old. I can't believe my baby has grown up so fast! (I know--we talk like he is our child...but until we have REAL children, he is definitely our baby!)

Bailey's first bath

Bailey is definitely a huge part of our family. :) 

 Thankfully he loves the pool just like his mommy. Well--he likes being on the raft anyway. :)

And you know this pup belongs in the sunshine state since he loves his boat rides!

 He's a little goofy at times...

And likes to beg--a LOT.

  

 And even though he's a little 'not-worth-anything' dog, he gets plenty of love from everyone!

If I had a dollar for every time I heard "I don't like small dogs, but I love Bailey" then I'd be a millionaire.

I am truly grateful that Bailey is such a perfect pup!!

 

 I think it's safe to say that thanks to the tremendous love from his grandma and grandpa (Larry's parents) Bailey has gained a little weight! At 4 months he was a mere 5 pounds but after 4 years he has grown into a whopping {almost} 14 pounds! And even though the vet just said it wouldn't hurt that for his age Bailey lose 2-3 pounds, I couldn't resist making him a yummy treat for his birthday!

 

:Dog Birthday Cake Recipe:

Peanut Butter Delight

(recipe was found at Birthday Dog Cake Recipes)

Ingredients:

1 cup white or whole wheat flour 
1 tsp baking soda 
1/4 cup peanut butter 
1/4 cup vegetable oil 
1 cup shredded carrots (I left this out--like his mommy, Bailey doesn't like all kinds of veggies!)
1 tsp vanilla 
1/3 cup honey 
1 egg

Directions:Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C)

Mix together flour and baking soda. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour into a ring mold sprayed with a nonstick spray for 40 minutes. 

**I chose to make cupcakes in various sizes rather than one cake. Note: Bake the cupcakes at about a quarter of the time to prevent burnt cakes--not that I learned from experience or anything. :) 

Cinnamon Frosting:

Combine the following ingredients and blend thoroughly:

12 ounces nonfat cream cheese (room temperature) 
3 tsp cinnamon 
1 tsp vanilla 
1 tsp honey

Bailey loved this recipe and was nice enough to share his treat with his best friend, Harley! (Larry's parents' pit bull) Along with his cupcakes and a few treats from the pet store Bailey also got a few new toys since keeping his stuffed animals in one piece is pretty hard to do with a pit bull in the house!! :)

He could smell that somethig was in the oven!





Bailey loved his new toy frog! I also found a blue star that reminded me of one of his first toys that he LOVED--needless to say he was anxious to get ahold of it!



 

 

Hiding one of his treats under a pillow--crazy pup!



Harley and Bailey waiting patiently for their cupcakes.



Bailey eating his first mini cupcake!



I think it's safe to say he loved it! :)

 

Harley swallowed his whole full-size cupcake in about 5 seconds!



This was sent to me on Bailey's birthday--what perfect timing!

If you want someone who will eat whatever you put in front of him and never say it's not quite as good as his mother's...
Then adopt a dog.

If you want someone always willing to go out at any hour, for as long and wherever you want...
Then adopt a dog.
If you want someone who will never touch the remote, doesn't care about football, and can sit next to you as you watch romantic movies...
Then adopt a dog.

If you want someone who is content to get on your bed just to warm your feet and whom you can push off if he snores...
Then adopt a dog.
If you want someone who never criticizes what you do, doesn't care if you are pretty or ugly, fat or thin, young or old, who acts as if every word you say is especially worthy of listening to, and loves you unconditionally, perpetually...

Then adopt a dog. 

I can't imagine what my life would be like without being able to spoil Bailey or come home to the love of my pup every day!!

 



Cookie Dough Brownies {Recipe}

We celebrated my good friend Sarah's birthday at the restaurant Cafe Tu Tu Tango.We had a blast! Lots of good laughs and fun times with great friends. I decided to make a dessert that everyone could enjoy. Hello fabulous Cookie Dough Brownies, recipe courtesy of Chef In Training.

I asked Sarah's boyfriend out of 5 different amazing recipes I found on Pinterest which one he thought she'd like best. He picked this one, and knowing that she LOVES cookie dough, I thought it was a good choice too! Without further ado, here is the delicious recipe!

COOKIE DOUGH BROWNIES

Brownie:

• 1 cup butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1-1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 1-1/3 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp salt

Filling:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Glaze:

• 2 cups milk chocolate chips
• 2 tablespoons shortening
• 3/4 cups walnuts, optional

Step 1. Cream butter and sugar together.  Add eggs and blend well.  Add vanilla, salt, cocoa, and flour. Don't over-beat.  Pour into a greased 9x13 pan.  Bake at 350 F for 20-25 minutes or until done.  Cool completely.

 

Brownies all done and cooling

Step 2. For filling, in a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light & fluffy. Beat in milk and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour. Stir in mini chocolate chips. Spread over brownies (works best to just press out with clean hands.); chill until firm.

The filling tasted AMAZING

Waiting patiently for the brownies to cool down

Step 3. For glaze, in a microwave safe bowl, melt chocolate chips and shortening in 30 second intervals, stirring after each time, until smooth. Spread over filling. Immediately sprinkle with nuts, pressing down slightly.

Ready to chill the brownies and cookie dough!

The chocolate glaze--this was a different icing than I have ever done, but it turned out perfectly!

Step 4. Let glaze harden before cutting in.

 

 

Now, being that I am no pro baker (and usually have the assistance of Betty Crocker!) this was such a simple recipe and turned out DELISH. Everyone at dinner loved it and Sarah MAY have had more than one piece. :) The directions were straight forward and simple enough to follow. The only "flaw" I encountered was that the brownie and cookie dough filling weren't evenly proportioned. There was a lot more brownie than cookie dough, but no biggie--it still tasted amazing! :)

 

The birthday girl enjoying her dessert :)

The birthday girl and I!

Some of the gang at the end of dinner!

If you ever need a twist on a simple brownie, here you go! ENJOY!