Weekend Wonders: Fall Stuff

Fall is officially here and I have been seeing cute fall decor items all over the blogosphere lately. Some of my faves are below. 

Patterned Pumpkins

These patterned pumpkins at Lolly Jane are absolutely adorable. 

Book Page Leaves

I am a sucker for anything newsprint so I adore these leaves made from vintage book pages at The Ivy Cottage Blog.

Pine Cone Candle Holders

I love these pine cone candle holders made from pine cones and empty soda cans at Crissy's Crafts.

Leaf Pillows

Check out these cute leaf pillows made from placemats at Home is Where my Story Begins. 

No Sew Fabric Pumpkins

These cute little fabric pumpkins at Tater Tots and Jello look easy to make.

Framed Book Page Pumpkins

The Scrap Shoppe Blog shows us how to make these cute book page pumpkins. 

My Sweet Boy

I have recently found it easier and less strain on my back to put Noah's braces on each morning by sitting him on the edge of the bed with his feet hanging off the side and then I sit down on the floor to put his braces on. All of the sudden recently when getting up, Noah started extending his hand to me to help me up. He really isn't strong enough to help me up but I said thank you and took his hand anyway and could feel him actually pulling and trying hard to help me up. It made my heart swell with pride and love for him. He is so tender and kind hearted. He now extends his hand to me (without prompting) every single morning and even though it's not actually helping, it's the thought that counts. He tries to help and more importantly to me as a Mother, he wants to help. Such a sweet, sweet boy!

Easy Card Making System

In today's technical era of texting and emailing, handmade cards mean so much to me. I know that the person who made the card put extra time and energy into making that card. I like making homemade cards so that the people I give the cards to will know the same.

But sometimes card making can be overwhelming! The new David Tutera Celebrate Card Making System makes card making as easy as 1-2-3!

Let me explain............

Step 1 is to choose a blank card. 

The cards come in a variety of sizes and colors. 

Step 2 is to choose a layer.

The layers are probably my favorite part of this line! They are amazing! Some of the layers are embossed, die cut, glittered, etc. 

Step 3 is to choose an embellishment or multiple embellishments. 

There are various color coordinated stickers, die cut, rhinestones, tags, etc. that compliment the layers and cards beautifully. 

So let me show you how I made my beautiful congratulations card.

I started with a blank card that has a little bit of shimmer and sheen to it. I chose to use 2 layers; the congratulations layer and then a sheen pink layer. I really love the shape of the congratulations layer. 

I cut the pink layer so that I would just have a little bit to show behind the word congratulations and then I adhered it to the congratulations layer using glue dots. 

I then centered the congratulations layer onto my card and adhered it to the card using glue dots. 

Next, I chose to use the "you're engaged" sticker and wanted to make the sticker pop by backing it with the same cardstock from the pink layer.

 So I cut a piece of cardstock from the layer that was slightly bigger than the sticker, stuck the sticker on the cut cardstock, and adhered it to the card using glue dots.

Lastly, I added two rhinestones to just to give it a little bling. 

And it's finished! Beautiful yet simple and classy! 

And making that card got me in the mood to do a little more card making! Here are a couple of more cards I made. 

Bundle of Joy Card

Fall Card

This card features a favorite fall photo of mine. I added the lacy layer on top of the photo.

I really enjoyed using the new David Tutera Celebrate Card Line. The quality of the cards, layers, and embellishments is outstanding.  While I focused solely on making cards in this post, you could also make a variety of paper crafts using items from this line like cupcake picks, bookmarks, tags, etc. 

This card line will be available for purchase at Jo-ann's Craft Stores very soon! 

For more information, you can follow the David Tutera Paper Crafts line on Facebook,Twitter and YouTube.

Would you like to win some of these goodies? Three lucky winners will receive a $250 grand prize pack of supplies from David Tutera’s Celebrate cardmaking line AND a personally signed book from David. Twenty additional winners will receive a $50 Celebrate prize pack! 

Sign up here for a chance to win.

This post was sponsored by the David Tutera Celebrate Card Line and Blueprint Social however all opinions are my own. 

David Tutera Celebrate Card Line Goodies

I recently received a big box of goodies from the new David Tutera Celebrate Card Line. It was filled with blank cards, die cut and embossed card stock layers, embellishments, and other card making necessities. Next week, I'll be sharing some cards I made with the new line and I'll show you how easy the line is to use so stay tuned! But for now I leave you with a sneak peak of all these fabulous products!

For more information, you can follow the David Tutera Paper Crafts line on Facebook,Twitter and YouTube.

Disclaimer: I received free products and will be compensated for my post but all my opinions are my own. 

My Mom's 60th Birthday Party

I finally have pictures from my Mom's birthday party edited! I wanted her party to be elegant and simple and chose the color scheme of lavender and purple based on her favorite color with hints of silver thrown in. She loves butterflies so I decided to implement those in the decor as well.

I must forewarn you that the lighting in the room where the party was held and the fact that the walls were yellow tinted did not make the most conducive atmosphere for photos, but they are decent. (Click on any of the pictures below to see them larger.)

The invitation set the tone......

I must admit initially that decorating was challenging because the church had many rules like no balloons, no candles, no confetti, nothing on walls, etc. So most of the decor went into the actual centerpieces.

The centerpieces were white vases filled with branches. Dangling from the branches were purple and lavender butterflies that I cut out with my Silhouette machine and then dry embossed them with a pretty swirly pattern. The vases sat on silver cake plates and two photos of my Mom over the years were on each table. There were also two wine glass lamps on each table with vellum shades with battery operated candles inside. We swirled some purple tulle in there to bring in a little more color. 

On the food table, I needed to add some decor without taking up very much room. So I bought two purple potted plants and covered them with some pretty fabric. Then I painted two dowels white and stuck them inside the plants. I tied white twine to the dowels and then clipped on photos of my Mom with friends and family on the "clothesline" using clothespins. I don't know why but that was probably my favorite part of the decorations. 

For munching, we had a variety of finger foods including a meat and cheese tray, small sandwiches, a cheese ball and crackers, a popcorn chicken tray, and more. We had a pretty purple punch (and bottled water) for drinking - I shared the recipe for the punch earlier this week. And the best part was the chocolate fountain with strawberries, raspberries, pineapples, marshmallows, and pound cake for dipping! 

Next up was the butterfly wish tree. It sat on a table that guests saw right as they walked in. My BFF made the actual "tree" out of branches in a large hurricane. We hung a little sign that asked guests to write a birthday wish for my Mom on a butterfly that was sitting on the table that I had cut out with my Silhouette machine. Thread was attached to each butterfly so they could hang it on the tree once they were done signing it. 

The cake was made by a friend and was absolutely gorgeous - and delicious! 

My Mom's favorite charity is Operation Christmas Child. She is a very dedicated year round volunteer and makes about 100 shoe boxes each year! So in lieu of gifts, we asked people to bring items for the shoe boxes and included an insert with the invitation that had a list of suggested items. I thought it would be cute to use my vintage suitcase as a place to put some of the items. The inside of the suitcase was actually blue but  my BFF and I took some of the left over fabric from wrapping the flower pots and pinned it inside suitcase. People ended up bringing so much stuff that it spilled out of the suitcase and all over the table! 

My Mom has always thought personalized M&Ms were neat so my Dad and I decided to splurge (they are pretty pricey!) and get some for the party. I used the baby picture of her from the invitation on the M&Ms as well. They turned out so cute but I just couldn't bear to eat the "baby Anne" M&Ms. 

For "entertainment" I made "things Anne loves" word searches using an online program and we had them along with pens sitting out for guests to complete if they wanted to. I think they all got a kick out of it! 

Lastly, for favors I went small and easy since we needed so many. I wrapped candy bars in different purple and lavender patterned papers and attached a tag that said, "You're so sweet for coming to Anne's party" with ribbon. Simple and cute. 

Whew! That's it! Makes me tired again just typing it all up. It was a great party if I do say so myself and I really think my Mom enjoyed herself. I was thrilled to be able to throw a party for my Mom as a way of saying thanks for all the great birthday parties she threw for my brother and I when we were young. 

PS. Let me give a big shout out to all those who helped make the party a big success - Daddy, Aunt Donna, the BFF, Brother & K! 

Hair Cut Surprise

On Sunday, Noah woke up asking for a hair cut. This was a surprise as he typically loathes haircuts. Usually haircuts for Noah require one of us holding him while his hair is cut and he fusses the entire time, won't be still, and gets hostile. So for him to be asking for us to take him to get his hair cut was shocking.

His hair was getting longer and shaggy but because of his hair cut behavior we try and put them off for as long as possible. I asked him if his was starting to bother him and he said yes. So although it was my birthday and I really didn't want to deal with Noah's behavior during a hair cut, we decided to go ahead and take him.

Shockingly Noah was AMAZING during his hair cut.  He did not have to sit in my lap; he sat there in the chair and did not fuss, rip the cape off, etc. It was awesome.

When he was done, I clapped and said good job. He then wanted the lady who cut his hair to clap for him and then wanted everyone else there to clap for him. So silly yet adorable all at the same time!

Linked to Special Exposure Wednesday at  5 Minutes for Special Needs

 and

 Wordless Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Moms

Pretty Purple Punch

When I was planning my Mom's 60th birthday bash, I looked high and low for a purple punch recipe. After a lot of searching, I found one that was OK. After some tweaking, it turned out delicious and so many people at my Mom's party raved about how good the punch was and asked for the recipe.

It was actually super simple to make! You'll need:
One large container of Welch's Grape Juice (It has to be Welch's or you are not going to get a good purple.)
One large container of pineapple juice
One 2 liter of Sprite (We used Sprite Zero.)

Mix everything up together in a large bowl and serve cold!

We made some punch ahead of time and poured it into ice cube trays and made punch ice cubes to put in the punch bowl so that the punch would not get watered down from regular ice cubes.

So yummy! I wish I had a glass of it now!

(Linking to the parties listed in my sidebar)

Quote of the Week: Hard Things

"If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. It's the hard that makes it good." 

- A Leauge of Their Own

Weekend Wonders: Birthday Stuff

Last year on the weekend of my birthday, my Weekend Wonders post highlighted different birthday things. I decided to make it a tradition and do it again this year. Below are some of my favorite birthday gift ideas and birthday related things I have seen lately. 

Enjoy! 

Birthday Badges

These birthday badges from the American Crafts blog are super cute. 

Birthday Hats with Photos

How cute are these birthday hats made out of photos at Martha Stewart Crafts! 

Wish Card

While it is super simple, this wish card with a candle for the "i" is also super cute!

Photo Garland

This photo garland from Oh Crafts is adorable and would be cute using photos of a kid (or adult) of any age! 

Mini Cupcake Stands

Modern Moment Designs shares this adorable how to for these mini cupcake stands. 

"Oh Snap!" Party Theme

I adore this "Oh Snap!" party theme from Kojo Designs. 

Recycled Magazine Bow

Top a gift with this cute bow made from a recycled magazie. Check out the how to at Simply Stamping. 

Scrapping Saturdays: First Day of School

Kit is School Rules at Just So Scrappy

Five Minute Friday: Focus

It’s Friday – the day where I join other bloggers and take five short minutes to just write from the heart. Five Minute Friday is hosted by Gypsy Mama and this week’s prompt is FOCUS.


I’ve been using the word focus in my daily life a lot lately. It’s my newest word to use with Noah. He gets distracted easily and I’ll tell him to focus on whatever we are trying to do at that moment. For example, he wants the TV off and everything quiet when he is trying to take a sip of his drink. The rest of the world isn’t going to accommodate that like I will so I’m trying to teach him to just drink anyways and I’ll say “Just focus on me, Noah. Focus on my voice and tune out the rest.” It’s working and sometimes I find myself not even having to remind him to focus.

I find myself focusing on things lately too. I’m trying to focus on the bigger picture which to me equates spending time with friends and family. Over the weekend when my BFF and family were all here for my Mom’s birthday party, I reminded myself to focus on them. My time with some of them (like my BFF, my brother, and my Aunt) is so far and few between that I knew I needed to focus on being in the moment and spending time with them and not get distracted by worrying about little things like my blog or getting on Facebook or those little distractions that are abundant in everyday life.

As we head into fall which becomes a busy season for many of us, I want to remind myself to focus on what’s important and not get bogged down by the little distractions.

Miracle League Fall 2012

Tonight was the first game of the Fall Miracle League Season for 2012.

I had to take my standard in front of the wall photo of Noah. 

Then I shot a short video of Noah and my Dad batting. 

Noah was SO excited! 

Crazy Clemson Socks

On a recent shopping trip, my Mom and I found Noah some crazzzzyy Clemson socks! We knew they'd perfect for Noah to wear underneath his braces. He wore them for the first time today and looked adorable in them! (But come on, when does he NOT look adorable!)

Linked to Special Exposure Wednesday at  5 Minutes for Special Needs

 and

 Wordless Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Moms

Number Centerpiece

One of the things I made for my Mom's big 60th birthday bash was a wooden 60 centerpiece. I had originally planned on sitting it next to the cake but ended up using it on the entry table. It wasn't too terribly hard to make although I must warn you that the gluing steps will require extra patience. 

I think these would not only be great to have out at a child's or adult's birthday party but they would also make great table number pieces for weddings and cute decor for the 4th of July or New Year's Eve. 

To make your own you will need:

Wooden numbers (I got mine at Hobby Lobby.)

Round wooden plaque (also from Hobby Lobby)

Paint

Foam brush

Glue (I started off trying with wood glue but that wasn't holding so I switched to E-6000.)

Ribbon (optional)

Embellishments (optional)

Sanding Block

What you'll do: 

1. Sand your plaque and numbers a little bit if you think they need it. 

2. Paint your numbers and wooden plaque in the color(s) of your choosing. 

3. Once dry, glue one of your numbers to the plaque by liberally applying glue to the bottom of your number (do one at a time if using two numbers). Hold it down firmly in place for a few minutes. Let it completely dry before gluing on the other number.

4. Embellish away using ribbon, flowers, stickers, rhinestones, etc. 

And that's it! You now have a super cute number centerpiece!

(Linking to the parties listed in my sidebar)

Noah's New Fave Food

Is mac and cheese! 

It might not seem like a big deal to some, but this is a child who was close to having a feeding tube at one point because he was so underweight. This is a child with oral motor issues who in the past couldn't handle much texture in his mouth. This is a child who is a picky eater to boot so something like mac and cheese is a BIG deal to our little family! We were even able to get him to eat mac and cheese with little pieces of broccoli mixed in! 

September and Fall Decor

Yay, it's September! I always get excited when September rolls around. There are so many things that happen in September every year - birthdays (ME, my Momma, and Charlie), football, Miracle League Fall baseball season, and although the temps here in the South will still be kinda hot for awhile, it feels like the onset of fall and there are so many, many things that I love about fall.

I debated on the Coley's Corner Facebook page earlier in the week as to when I should begin putting out my fall decor. Is now too early since it is still pretty hot? One person responded saying that she puts hers out on October 1st but that's when I put out my Halloween decor so I have decided that for me the first of September is good for fall decor (though it's not out yet and my cute owlie wreath won't be out for a little while since my team pride wreath is hanging), first of October for Halloween, and first of November for Thanksgiving. I realize I'm probably rushing things a smidge but this was a long summer and I'm just so ready for fall!

When do you put out your Fall decor?