Baby Changing Clutch

I’ve been carrying a diaper bag for 13 months. Every once in awhile I throw a couple diapers and a wipes container down into a purse, but I hate how they end up getting smashed up at the bottom of the bag. That really bothers me. This is why I normally carry a diaper bag on all occasions. Ugh.

Diaper bags are so big and bulky. So my solution is a baby changing clutch. This will allow me to take my purse without the annoyance of any diapers getting smashed up. Yay!

I checked out my fabric stash and found two pieces of coordinating fabrics. I didn’t take any actual measurements for this project (I rarely do), but I made sure that both pieces of fabric were wide enough for a container of wipes and a couple of diapers so that they would be covered completely. Then I guessed on the length of this roll-up clutch.

I sewed the pieces together (right sides together) and then flipped them. I sewed ribbon to the fabric… but not to the entire length. This allows me to tie two cute little bows to keep my clutch perfectly in place.

DIY Day.

New Colors

The changing of seasons is something that I always welcome. I really do appreciate each season, but I’m always ready to move on to the next. It feels like winter has been longer than usual this year. Do you agree?

So, to welcome spring with my arms wide open, I’m redecorating my living room, dining room and kitchen. Our home is very much open concept, so all three of these rooms act like one large room. This means, that when I do one room, I do all rooms. Here are the colors that I’ve picked out:

I love how they play off of each other so nicely. Truly, I was surprised that these are the three colors I landed on, but I’m in love with them and can’t wait to see how each one compliments the others!

Our walls are very neutral (and will stay that way). But these three colors are going to transform the space in a variety of ways. I’ll keep you updated throughout this process. It’ll take some time while I try to shop wisely and keep the spending to a minimum. My husband is being very supportive of my need to “freshen” the place up, but I know he’s also keeping a watchful eye on our bank account.

My goal is to transform our home on the cheap. Wish me luck!

Bargain Alert!

Item: Adorable pillows

Price: $7.15 (for both of them!)

Place: Hob Lob

Belated Birthday Party Recap

Why did nobody tell me that I’d be too busy at my daughter’s first birthday party to take pictures?

I’m very disappointed that I didn’t get very many pictures, but we had a blast nonetheless. The Winter “One”derland theme turned out great and I think the kiddos had a blast playing and trashing my house. The day after the party the stomach bug attacked our house with full vengeance.

Here’s a recap of some party planning details:

Invitation

I made invitations using Shutterfly and they turned out great! I had cupcake pose with the party information and then added the pictures to the invite. Our photoshoot was more difficult than I had imagined. Who knew that an 11-month-old wouldn’t sit still and do exactly what I asked?

 

Decor

In a previous post, I showed my archway of snowflakes. My cupcake LOVED them. In fact, they are still hanging up because I’ve been too lazy to pull out our ladder and take them down.

I also wanted her to have a birthday banner. It took more thought than it should have, but I came up with this beauty.

Again, I really wish I would’ve taken more pictures, especially of this banner. It turned out great, promise! It reads: Ella’s Winter “One”derland! I hole punched 2 holes at the top of each square and threaded through some white ribbon. Each square was individually tied to the curtain rod in my living room.

Food

This is my favorite part of any party. And of course I didn’t get any pictures.

Because of the time of the party, I didn’t prepare anything except for snacks. I chose to keep it healthy and did fruit and veggie kabobs with dips. I found a delicious recipe from Betty Crocker  for an applesauce cake and it was a hit with both kids and parents! The kids each got a cupcake with no icing. Instead, each cupcake had a penguin topper.

Favors

In a previous post, I shared the adorable penguin hat that each kid got. Cupcake was the only one who didn’t seem impressed. She yanked it off the second I put it on her head.

Each kiddo also got to take home a little snow globe with their picture on the inside.

Other

The party was really simple and low-key. I didn’t plan any activities. The kids just played with toys and chased each other around the house while the parents enjoyed each other’s company. Overall, I’m happy with how it turned out.

My wheels are already turning for next year’s party!

Pick it up please!

With Christmas in the not so recent past, I had about had it with our playroom and the overwhelming number of toys that had made their way into our home. They were everywhere! I was beginning to feel the need to just sack everything up and toss it out with our weekly garbage. My kids would have not been too happy with that, or me for the matter. Thank goodness that I thought it through a bit more and came up with a plan. A little rearranging, a bit of purging, and buying one simple piece of DIY furniture my life feels much less chaotic.

 

(Ignore the empty middle shelf, the play dough container was being used at the time of this photo op)

It’s amazing how doing something so easy can warm your heart and bring such a peace to an otherwise not so peaceful room. Trust me, if I had taken a before photo, the floor was covered in hundreds of Mr. Potato Head pieces, play food, books, etc.. Aaaahhh!

I even was able to get my husband to hang the cork boards we’ve had hidden away for a year, and now there is a place for all of the artwork our children bring home from school. And since everything now has a place of it’s own, it’s so much easier to pick it up and put it away… even for my 2.5 year old. SCORE!

 

Check out more DIY projects at ASPTL.

Winter “One”derland Party Hats

Imagine a bunch of little kiddos wearing these adorable penguin hats at my daughter’s birthday party next weekend.

Does it put a smile on your face too?

Seafood Bisque

This soup is delicious. Seriously.

My husband and I took a bite and turned to each other and both said, “this has to become a staple.” We laughed for a minute and then my husband added, “even during the summer.”

Please try it and tell me what you think. I’m already looking forward to making it again soon!

Recipe courtesy of Betty Crocker.

Seafood Bisque

Total time: 25 minutes

Servings: 8

1/3 cup butter

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

2 can (14 oz each) chicken broth

4 cups half-and-half

1/2 cup dry white wine or water

1/2 cup chopped drained roasted red bell peppers

12 oz cod fillet, cut into 1-inch pieces

12 oz uncooked deveined peeled medium shrimp, thawed if frozen and tail shells removed

1/2 cup basil pesto

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1. In 4-quart pot, melt butter over medium-high heat. Stir in flour. Gradually stir in broth, half-and half and wine (or water). Stir in bell peppers and cod. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally.

2. Stir in shrimp. Simmer uncovered 2 to 3 minutes or until shrimp are pink. Stir in pesto, salt and pepper.