Olympics Party

My husband and I love the Olympics.  We love competition, rooting for our amazing country and of course getting together with friends and family to watch the games with a nice cold beer:) 
I was thrilled when my cousin, Dana asked me to help her with her Summer Olympic Opening Ceremony Party.  We had lots of great food and fun activities for the kiddos too. 

Let's start with the FIXINGS:

The cupcakes were fun to make and created a great background for the party.  I really like to incorporate decorations in with either food or fun.  This way there are double purposes for everything and you don't feel like anything is wasted. 

 Those cute little torches in the background are ice cream cones filled with Cheese Puffs (Bella's favorite snack).  The Licorice is a nice addition to the torch theme. 



The food table was fun because it had food from around the world.  There is a sub sandwich with various country flags, Chinese, Crab Rangoon and Egg Roll and the Brisket that came to the table after this shot. 

The beautiful buckets of British beer in honor of the Summer Olympics being held in LONDON!

It was fun for guests to dress up in support of their favorite country or event.  Check out some of the interesting outfits that showed up to party. 

Solomon along with his sweet baby brother, Joseph are both from Ethiopia.  Solomon wore his country flag with pride and had the name of a talented runner (I'm sorry I don't remember his name) on the front of his shirt.  He looked so cute:)  

The adorable Swim Team Family!!!

Aunt Claire supporting China!

My family just wore American shirts and colors.  We wanted to be comfy:) 

The kids had fun too!  They enjoyed these crafts which were common symbols of the Olympics.  So, I got a little mini-lesson in and they didn't even notice.  hehe

These were their very own version of the Olympic torches.  It's really simple and cheap to make.  I had several old wrapping paper rolls (they liked how big they were but you could also use paper towel), tissue paper (we used red, white and yellow) and small paper plates.  Begin by cutting an "x" in the center of the paper plate.  Then, feed the tissue paper through the paper plate.  Now glue the part of the tissue paper that you are going to stuff down the roll and YOU'RE DONE.

These were easy and fun too.  They each made their own Gold Medal.  I cut circles into yellow foam for each kiddo.  Then, they got to choose which star stickers (also foam) they wanted to decorate their medal with.  I wrote their name on them and hung each around their neck with a nice long piece of yarn.  They loved them and it was so simple for them to pretty much do by themselves.  



Solomon helped me make some paper chains which resembled the Olympic rings for decoration around the party zone. 

We had a great time and even learned a few things while we celebrated with the world.  Thanks for stopping by and as always, feel free to leave comments!!!!!

Big Girl Room

My daughter, Bella is TWO and was in need of a big step.  She was climbing out of her crib and we were worried she was going to get hurt. 
We already had a full size bed in our spare room so instead of investing in another "toddler bed" we decided to utilize the things we had.  Bella is so excited to have her mature room and I couldn't wait to show it off. 

When I was pregnant with Bella, we didn't find out what we were having.  I began her nursery with a simple theme using white furniture.  I found the dresser down the street from our home.  My neighbor had set it out for FREE and I snatched it up.  I gave it a fresh coat of white paint and threw on some new hardware, GOOD AS NEW! 
The beautiful dressing table was found at a Flea Market.  My dear friend, Nana Dare, found it for Bella and brought it home just in time for Bella's big girl room.  I also painted it white and put a pretty pink drawer pull which matches her other furniture.  The mirror was a great steal I found at Goodwill and painted white as well.  My husband hung it on the wall right above her perfect dressing table. 
Please check out that amazing China Hutch in the corner.  I found that on Craigslist and of course painted it white.  Do you notice the pink knobs?  Oh, don't miss the shutters on each side of the hutch.  Those were actually a great find from my Step-Mom, Terri.  She brought those home from Goodwill and thought they would match Bella's room perfectly. I put some hinges on them and made some make-shift shutters. This was in my dining room until I upgraded to a larger hutch.  It really fits well into her room and can hold all her books. 

The final piece of furniture I wanted to talk about is her nightstand.  I actually was gifted that from a close friend's Momma.  Thank you Cathy.  The rest of the gorgeous bedroom set is in my room but this just wouldn't fit.  So, what did I do first?  Paint it WHITE!!!!  Then, put those pink knobs on there too. 
I love taking older furniture and bringing it back to life with some fresh paint and new hardware.  I get so many compliments and rarely spend very much money. 

I love the pretty coat hangers and they too have a fun story.  The sign on top which says, Isabella was a gift from one of my friends, Donna.  I feel like she has Bella on her mind all the time because she either calls me or comes home (my neighbor) with things that are perfect for Bella.  I believe she found it at TJMaxx.  The sign below it was black and I spray painted it hot pink which matches the room.  I love the simple room theme with a splash of color here and there.  It's nice to have all her hats, jackets, hair accessories, etc, hanging up and organized. 

Probably my favorite part of her room is the sweet pompoms and birdcage hanging above her bed.  If you are interested in making the tissue poms, check out this website:  http://www.thoughtfullysimple.com/how-to-make-tissue-paper-pom-poms/.  I found the tutorial on Pinterest and feel like she does a great job walking you through the steps.  The white pom made of tulle is super easy.  Just cut a bunch of strips the same length and tie a cute ribbon around it forcing it to puff out like a ball.  The flower balls are easy too.  I just raided the dollar store and bought a few wiffle balls, ton of silk flowers and matching ribbon.  You simply hot glue the flowers into the wiffle ball holes.  Leave one hole empty on top and feed a ribbon to hang from the ceiling.  The birdcage was a garage sale purhcase that I painted hot pink (just like the coat hanger).  Sometimes I throw stuffed animals in there or even butterflies Bella and I crafted together. 

As you can see, I made the ribbons several different lengths and various ribbon styles.  It's really fun to mix it up with unique colors, patterns and sizes. 

I hope you can take some ideas away and use them in one of your rooms.  Everything is very cheap and easy to make.  I am a crafty person but I don't have time to do anything too involved.  You can do ANYTHING and EVERYTHING I did in Bella's room. 

As always, please leave your comments, advice, and questions!

Floatation from the future!

Good Morning Moms,
I have found an amazing new floatation device and it is fabulous.  This new life jacket is called, The Puddle Jumper.  We found ours at Walmart for less than $20.00.  I have seen it in most stores that carry swim gear. 

This type of life jacket helps keep the kiddos upright in the water or if anything puts them more on their back.  Bella loves it and feels like she's still independent.  I feel like a regular life jacket throws them forward and face down.  Check out how well she's swimming all by herself at the age of 2. 

I know this post is short but it's quick and simple.  Let me know how you like it!!!! 

By the way, Bella doesn't even want to take hers off.  She's been known to take a nap in her pretty, purple, Puddle Jumper.