Baby Girl's Nursery.

So I've just begun trying to figure out how to decorate our baby-girl-to-be's nursery. Which is late for me, considering I had our son's all ready to go by the time I was 5 months pregnant with him. Amazing what a pint-sized toddler wreaking havoc on your day can do to your effectiveness (or the lack thereof, rather)! So I plan to post pictures once the room is complete, but for now I'll just give you a sneak peek at some of the ideas I plan to implement into the room. I plan on doing a pink, black, cream & green theme with paprika accents. That might sound like a bit much to you, but I think it will work well (the inspiration comes from the bedding I will be making from Amy Butler's luscious Lotus line!).

here's a frame I just made this past weekend...love the rhinestone accents & distressing around the edges...

a little bird art...can't go without an adorable birdcage...

one of the many fabulously fun paper flower balls I plan to hang from the ceiling

I'm thinking I'll use this cute egg crate (from {Anthropologie} ~ get one while they last!) for jewelry or hair bows/pins or something of that nature...

this chandelier is just for inspiration, as I have yet to find an old chandelier to spray paint and redo myself...anyone for ideas on where to find such a piece besides hitting a lucky garage sale?!

And below is a picture of my son's nursery (it basically looks the same now, except that he has a different dresser and toddler bed instead of the crib ~ that's the beauty of using "non-baby" themes for a nursery, I guess!). You may recognize it, as I had posted an image of it before, since the bedding was put on the Etsy Baby Gift Guide earlier this year!

Mama’s Holiday Wish List Meme.

TodaysMama and Provo Craft are giving away a sleighful of gifts this holiday season and to enter I’m sharing this meme with you.

1. What 5 items are on your holiday wish list this year?
*slouchy boots
*organization to our "new" office/craft room/music room/toy room (due to new baby girl on
the way! well worth it!!)
*additions to my china collection
*health & happiness of my family
*and, most importantly, more time in the day (not possible, I know, but still...I can wish!)

2. What is your favorite handmade gift you have received?
*Christmas flannel pajamas from my fabulous mom!

3. What handmade gift have you always wanted to tackle?
*jewelry frame

4. What was the best Christmas gift you received as a child?
*a 2' dollhouse

5. What items are on your kid’s wish list this year?
*basketball hoop

6. What is your favorite holiday food?
*snickerdoodle cookies -- mmmm, mmmm good!

7. What will you be hand-crafting for the holidays?
*well, this list could go on and on, but I'm really striving for at least a couple
hair bow display boards, a jewelry frame, play food & baby blocks.

8. What is your favorite holiday movie?
*Elf

9. Favorite holiday song?
*really, there are so many...but let's go with "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" -
always a fantastic choice to kickstart the season!

10. Favorite holiday pastime?
*setting up (and adding to!) our Christmas village

Now it's your turn to share...

Christmas Family Photos.

So are you one of the thousands of families who does an annual family photo to send to friends and family at Christmas time? Ours is. And probably much to my husband's disapproval, but, hey, I like all the traditions of Christmas, and this is one I'm not about to give up. (Afterall, I love receiving them from other people, and the only way to stay on their list is to send them one yourself, right??) Well, it's really the annual letter I send with the picture that really boggles him, I think. Having been brought up in the midwest, he tells me the letter must be a midwest thing, but I'm not so sure. So you gotta let me know if your family does these, too, and that way I can set him straight! :) And while you're at it, how do you display yours? Like the above picture? In a basket? I'd love to hear! Anyway, if you are one of those families, it's about that time to get your family Christmas photos underway, if you haven't yet started that whole process (only 6 weekends left before the arrival!).

So our family is a big fan of taking the pictures ourselves (the last couple years, we've just used the self-timer on our basica camera and gotten some great results out in nature), but of course, you can always line up a professional or a friend who's a natural with photography.

From that point on, I like to use my good friend, Astraea, who is much more tech-savvy than me and does a fantastic job bringing your family portrait to the peak of greatness! If you're looking for some affordable, one-of-a-kind photos, be sure to check Announce This out (click "Holiday Greetings" at the top for samples).

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread.

So with the holidays here, I wanted to bring you some good eats to share with your family. And what better than the beloved (at our house anyway!) holiday pumpkin. The good news? It tastes fantastic! The better news? It not only sneaks a vegetable (i.e., pumpkin) into it, but my son absolutely LOVES it!

1 1/4 C vegetable oil
2 cups pumpkin puree (canned)
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 (4 serving size) packages instant pudding (try butterscotch, coconut or vanilla)
1 teaspoon baking soda
5 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
1 cup chocolate chips (optional)

In a large bowl, mix together oil, pumpkin, sugars, pudding mixes, cinnamon and salt. Slightly beat the eggs, and mix into the batter. Mix in flour and baking soda until just combined. Stir in nuts and chocolate chips, if desired. Spread batter into 2 greased and floured 9x5 inch loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, or until tester inserted into center comes out clean.

I like to keep ours in a gallon zip-lock bag in the fridge. It will last longer, and it sets up perfectly when chilled. Then just toss the extra loaf in the freezer and pull out when company arrives, or you just need another slice for yourself!

If you try this one out, let me know how you like it! Happy baking!

Adorable Gifts for Every Kid

Believe it or not, it's time to start shopping for Christmas gifts...I know, I know...it doesn't seem possible. But trust me. It is!

For those fantastic kiddos in your life, why not spread the love to some beloved small businesses by buying handmade? Parents.com has featured several different Etsy shops (if you're not familiar with Etsy, it's a site centered around all things handmade, and the talent there is quite amazing, if I do say so myself!) that are worth your checking out. They have a list for baby gifts, and also one for kids.

Our own Gourmet Play's (www.gourmetplay.etsy.com) "green eggs & ham" have been featured, and we couldn't be more excited! Here's what Parents.com had to say about them:

For the Petite Foodie
"Prove that green eggs and ham do exist with this clever felt meal. Each item is made with felt and stuffed with fiberfill for a puffy, lifelike look. Our favorite feature? Each set comes packaged in a cellophane bag with designer fabric and tag so there's no gift wrap needed."
So stop by today and let us know what you think! But hurry - we can only guarantee delivery by Christmas for all orders placed by December 10th!

Happy shopping!

Gobble Gobble.

Thanksgiving is definitely thee holiday that gets totally overlooked, isn't it? Poor thing...sandwiched right between Halloween and Christmas...what terrible timing. So let's not forget it this year...it is such a great time to teach our children the meaning of appreciation and, well, giving thanks, afterall.

Below are a few darling crafts I stumbled upon (courtesy of parents.com) that I find to be fresh and fun. Go ahead and try a couple out with your kiddos. I've posted directions for making my favorite, which is the turkey made with yarn. What's yours?


Yarn Turkey (upper right hand corner, above)
How to make it: Cut a 1-inch sliver off the bottom of a 9-inch polystyrene ball. Wrap sphere neatly in thick dark-brown yarn, covering surface completely; knot on bottom. Make a 4-inch ball from light-brown yarn and attach to body with a wooden craft stick. Create simple facial features using felt: white circles (approximately the size of a quarter, with 1/8-inch pom-poms for pupils) for eyes, yellow triangles for the beak, and long red felt teardrops as the wattle. Cut feather shapes from colored craft paper and bend in half lengthwise to create seam. Glue wooden craft stick to the bottom third of the feather and insert in a fan shape on turkey body.


The adorable little plymouth rocks placecard rocks (above left upper corner) are also fabulous and a great way to keep the little ones entertained while you slave away in the kitchen!! They'll simply love creating and being able to add their own masterpieces to the "adult table"!

Want instructions for the rest? Visit here.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Relaunch of Haute Tot Couture!!!

So we closed down our Haute Tot Couture shop for a while to redesign some of our mod kids' couture clothing, and I think you're going to love it!

Below are some of the items, most of which can be customized for any size from 3 months to 6 years old. Take a peek and let me know what you think!!

As a grand reopening special, any blog follower will receive a FREE GIFT with any purchase made from November 5th - November 12th! Just remember to leave note upon checkout mentioning the grand reopening special!!

So just one more day until Halloween...are you ready?

If you're like me, and always looking for some last minute ideas, then I have a "treat" for you today. Perhaps you're hosting a party Halloween Eve or Halloween night and want some good decorating or treat ideas? I've found some good ones...for both adults and kids ~ we all are kids on Halloween, afterall, aren't we?


treat tree - what an adorable way to decorate and display your treats for your party! just find a branch and spray paint it black, then stick in a pot with rocks (black, white, whatever...) or even candy corn to hold it in place. then purchase or sew up some easy square bags, fill with your treats, and tie close with ribbon to hang from tree.

cute and easy pretzel swirl sticks - just coat in melted chocolate and roll in halloween colored sprinkles (would also be great treats to give out to trick-or-treaters - just wrap in cellophane and tie with twisty or ribbon!)

halloween lollipops - just buy some ordinary lollipops, cut some orange and white fabric into squares (pinking shears will give you that nice scalloped edge as shown), tie with some coordinating ribbon, and add a face with a sharpie. kids will love these!

Take Care of You.

This morning I was at a church Mom's function and was reminded just how important our own health is...we always make sure to schedule regular check-ups with the pediatrician for our little ones, but when's the last time you saw your own doctor? As the speaker said, part of being a good mom and taking care of your kids is taking care of yourself. How true.

So with October being breast cancer awareness month, I thought I'd share some products that help express that idea to make sure to take care of you, too!

bracelet, $24.95, from www.handmaid-jewelry.com

tshirt, $23.99, from www.shop.advanceweb.com


bpa-free water bottle, $9.99, from www.lifelinefirstaid.com

Hello Halloween.

Can you believe it's already this week? Wow. So I thought I'd bring to you some fabulous little Halloween "treats."

I love the idea of decorating for every season (any excuse I can get!), but I must say that I'm not a big fan of the ghoulish stuff for Halloween. So I found this simple and beautiful way to display a little "boo" in your holiday just right. Simple, yet classy and festive ~ not to mention you can use the apothecary jars afterwards for displaying soaps, foods, flowers and beyond.... What do you think?


I also love this doorway setting and absolutely think it's so fabulous to combine carving, stacking and painting in one...how creative, beautiful and welcoming all at once! Also love the black branches above the doorway....


And who can resist decorations that are edible? I really love the concept of these sugary, sparkling treats because while they look like the traditional candy corns, they're obviously not and instead taste much better in my opinion since I am not a fan of candy corn. Are you?