Panty Poem

I found this adorable gift idea on Pinterest and you can go to the original site here. I thought this would make a great lingerie shower gift. Personally, I still have some of my lingerie with the TAGS on them. And I've been married for almost five years!!! I get more wear out of sexy undies than anything else because you can have them on during a date and be instantly ready for dessert ;) I bought all the panties from Victoria's Secret and tried to find pairs that fit with the poem but that also were fun, different, and (most of all) sexy!!!

I typed up each line of the poem and made my own gift tags to tie on the panties:

To last all the way to old age - starting with your wedding day

Here are panties for every season - A sexy underwear display!

(I picked a pair in one of her wedding colors)

We have a pair for March 31st (frilly, lacy and white)

Raise a toast to the Sexy Bride on your wedding night!

Racy red ones for the Honeymoon - a sexy thong with lace

We hope you leave the hotel room and see the rest of the place!

Slip these on for your first big fight as a married couple

When Jordan sees you in this set, he'll forgive you on the double!

White ones for the 1st Anniversary - you'll be feeling naughty

Jordan won't believe his luck for marrying such a hottie!

When the time is right for you and Jordan 

(and don't be saying maybe)

You'll wear a little pink or blue in honor of your baby!

As the years go by your marriage might hit the 7 year blues.
Just remember this feisty animal print and your love life will never snooze!

After 10 years of married life, you'll still be going strong

But if you need a little boost, just put this number on.

When your years of wedded bliss ring in the big 2-5,

Slip on this spicy number and keep the sparkle alive

(these were my favorite panties...they have little bells on them!)

Finally when you're old and grey, with these you can't go wrong

Sorry Jordan, but at this age, she won't be rockin' a thong!

(for this pair you buy a pair of "grannie panties")

I put all the panties in a large hat box (found at Hobby Lobby). She can use the box to store all of her lingerie or other sexy surprises!

Birthday Banner

I am not very good at crafts but I refuse to pay a bunch of money on Etsy for someone to make something that I can totally make myself. I've figured out a simple way to make a cute birthday banner and I use this same technique for all the banners I make (great for parties, showers, etc!). It's SO easy and they always get lots and lots of compliments! Here's how I do it!

Supplies: I'm a big fan of over-buying. I buy WAY more than I need for a project so that way I don't stress if I mess up and then I just return all the left over stuff I don't use.

• 12x12 sized patterned paper (I buy one piece per letter that I plan to do)
• 8 1/2 x 11 sized plain paper (Again, I buy one piece per letter)
• Photo stickers
• Chipboard letters (I get ALL my supplies at Hobby Lobby, these are kinda pricey but often go on sale and you can get 40% off coupons all the time online. The packages come with two of each vowel but one of every other letter so, for me, I have to buy THREE packages in order to spell out "Happy Birthday Kye" because all those dang y's!)
• Paper cutter. I have one from my scrapbooking days. Make sure it has a good ruler on it too, makes life easier!
• Hole punch
• String or ribbons or twine
• Hole protectors (optional)

Instructions:

1. Cut the patterned 12x12 paper into 6x6 squares (so yes, you can get two squares out of each sheet)
2. Cut the solid 8 1/2 x 11 paper into 4x4 squares (so you should be able to get four squares out of each sheet)
3. Cut the pieces of photo stickers to fit on the chipboard letters and place in center of each solid square
4. Place photo stickers on back of solid square and stick on center of patterned square.
5. Punch holes in the top corners or along the center edges (but not too close to the edge or they will rip) of each patterned square. When I made this one I had an after thought that it'd be SUPER smart to use hole protectors on the backs (those little stickers with holes in them) of the patterned squares to protect the holes from ripping. I'll probably do that next time!
6. Thread the string or ribbon through the holes, leaving extra space to be able to separate the letters. I have also made these where I tie a ribbon from one to the next instead of having them all on one long string. It just depends on the look you're trying to achieve. For this one I wanted a western type look so I used some string I had a roughed it up a little bit. I also put it through the top of the patterned squares so you could see it and it added to the look.

Finished product (you can click to make pictures larger)

Toilet Paper Roll Favors

I found the instructions for these cute favors on Pinterest (from this site). I'm using them as a way to pretty much butter up the hospital staff when I go into labor, but they'd be great party favors too! I contacted my FAVORITE Etsy seller, Chickabug, and she came up with the little labels for me. I'm not very good with wording and she ROCKS. Plus, aren't they super cute?!?!

Here's how to make these favors yourself!

What You Need:

toilet paper rolls (I ended up making 32 total...Zach jokes that I'm giving them out to the entire hospital but I just wanted to have PLENTY!)
12x12 scrapbook paper (you can cover 4 rolls per sheet)
Mod Podge
Paint brush for Mod Podge
Ribbon
Labels (I ordered the PDF from Chickabug then cut them out using a 2" circle cutter)
Treats (I used M&Ms)
Scissors

What To Do:

1. Cut out all labels
2. Fold paper in 4ths then cut out the squares. I then put one roll on one of the squares and cut it narrow enough to fit the roll. I used that piece of paper as a guide to cut all the other papers.
3. Cover roll in Mod Podge
4. Roll paper around toilet paper roll. I put extra Mod Podge over the seal to keep the paper on the roll
5. Fold down ends on one end of roll then pour in candy and fold down the opened end
6. Wrap ribbon around roll and cut. Then I wrapped it where the ribbon came together in the front of the roll so the seal of the roll was covered by ribbon in the back. I put Mod Podge where the ribbon came together in the front and held it in place for a few seconds.
7. Put more Mod Podge on top of spot where ribbon came together as well as on the back of the label. Then put label on top of ribbon and hold.
8. The instructions on the blog I found said to cover the label in Mod Podge as well...and I tried that but it smeared my labels so I just held it down for awhile and it worked fine!

It was VERY inexpensive and VERY easy. Although, it was time consuming. I didn't mind it taking the time since I am doing nothing but waiting on a baby anyway ;) But for a party favor it may be a little bit tedious! I think they turned out cute though and can't wait to be handing them out at the hospital!

Stepping Stone

I feel VERY bad that I can't give credit to the blog where I got this idea from...I simply can't remember whose I saw it on, but I loved the idea and totally copied it!

Supplies I bought:

• box of stepping stone concrete mix from Hobby Lobby - $8.99 (it had enough to make two stones as I plan to make one for myself too!)
• small round concrete mold (also from Hobby Lobby) - $2.99 (can reuse when making another one as well)
• decorative stones (from the Dollar Store) - $1.00

How To:

• I really just followed the instructions on the box.
• Zach mixed the concrete with water then poured it into the mold
• I let it set for awhile b/c you don't want to put your kids feet (or hands) in it while it's too moist or it won't set
• We put Kye's feet straight down in it (pressing them down pretty deep) then straight back up and it turned out pretty good!
• I waited a little longer then put all the stones around (making sure to press them down enough to really stay)
• And I waited even longer to carve Kye's name and the year in the stone. I continued to check it throughout the day and carve the letters over and over to make sure they were really deep. 
• It took about a day to fully dry and popped right out of the mold no problem! 
• The mix must be a special type of concrete because the bottom of the stone is very smooth.

This made a WONDERFUL Mother's Day gift! Inexpensive, easy, and something she'll always cherish. I'm excited to have one for myself!

Block Cards

I enjoy crafts but I also enjoy easy and cheap ones :) I saw this in a magazine and thought "finally! something we can do without having to go out and buy stuff!" We used this technique for making Kye's Valentine's Day cards, but really you could use it for any occasion.

All you need is some paper, crayons, and blocks. Easy enough? It took me AGES to figure out how to make the blocks stay still so I could make a rubbing of them on the paper with the crayons and Zach came over and figured out how to solve the problem right away. Surround your phrase with other blocks to keep it still! It worked great!!!

I did all the rubbings since Kye is too young but with an older child this would be super fun and entertaining. I rubbed the "outside" of the cards with cute Valentine's Day phrases ("SWAT," "Te Amo," "Be Mine," "So Sweet," and "I Love You") then thought it'd be a sweet touch to rub "Love Kye" on the inside of all the cards. After the rubbings were complete it was time for Kye to decorate! I gave him Valentine's Day colored crayons (reds, pinks, and purples) and heart stickers then let him go to town!

We made them for the grandparents, aunts and uncles, and even the great-grandparents! While I only heard from a couple of people who got them, I think they turned out pretty adorable, don't you?

Of course anything made by Kye is precious ;)

I'd love to see the block letter cards you come up with!