It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

The house is semi-decorated, the baking and shopping have begun and I just got finished ordering these beauties from shutterfly ... I can't believe 2012 is almost over ... I guess what they say is true ... time flies when you're having fun :)

Stationery card

View the entire collection of cards.

I'm back!!!!! With so many things going on in the Newcomb household I decided to follow my dreams and become a stay-at-home mom which allows me the time to care for our daughter, maintain our home and blog about our lives... Ava is now almost 15 months!! I'm in absolute awe at how big she hasn't gotten in such a little time.. we celebrated her first birthday with a carnival theme.. I made a shutter fly book for her today so she could always have those memories.. I will do a blog later this week on all the fun crafts we did for her party!!! But for now I just wanted to say I'm back and thanks for standing by :)

Click here to view this photo book larger

Shutterfly photo books  offer a variety of layouts and cover options to choose from.

Get a Melissa & Doug 25% Off Coupon When You Take the North "Poll"

Melissa & Doug want you to tell them which of their educational toys you think is the best! Just click on the image below to place your vote in the North "Poll!" You'll Get a Melissa & Doug 25% Off Coupon** to use at MelissaAndDoug.com just for voting!

Aloha - 60th Birthday Bash!

So after a year Hiatus - I figured why not showcase a party I did last year about this time! My father-in-law turned 60 so we wanted to throw him something special..and that we did.. Leis and all :)

The birthday guy all geared up!!

The cake I made :) - I used Graham crackers to make the sandy beach area 

Basket full of Leis - for the guest to wear for the surprise

Veggie Tray at its finest..

The food spread..

and the tiki wreath I made...

And a little behind the scenes action :)

Keep a look out for the luau wreath tutorial tomorrow :)

Hiatus!

I am back.... since I have been gone let me give you a brief explanation of where I've been..

Meet Ava Brynn...

Born April 6th, 2011

6.5 lbs, 19.5 inches long

So needless to say I have had my hands full with our new bundle of joy :)

Posts to look for coming soon:

-My father in laws 60th birthday party luau...it was a HUGE hit!

-Kailys toy story birthday party - of course there was a new wreath involved :)

-A shrek themed bithday party for my adorable nieces 2nd birthday (Coming this weekend)

-A Dr. Seuss baby shower for a dear friend

-DIY Home Improvements we've made

-My new business venture - I am smitten <3 over this

-& we can't forget FOOTBALL season coming up - and all the fun tailgating ideas I have!

A Bow Affair...

Wow, I can't believe its been over a month since I last posted! July flew by with our Cruise, Birthdays, and my new job!!! I have had time to be a little crafty, but not much.. and with my father in laws 60th birthday party around the corner.. there will be many more projects and alot more blogging!!

This will be a two part blog....With 5 nieces I've gotten the hang of making cute bows and outfits for them all. This is a very fast tutorial on how to make the headband I made for my niece Gabbys first birthday photo shoot that I did with her this past weekend.. Boy was she cute!!

Everything in this photo I bought from Hobby Lobby (love, love, LOVE that store).. The headbands are normally .99, flower stems .99 and the gems were 3.99 a pack, hair clips were 1.99 a pack ..and the roll of ribbon about 1.99.. have in mind all of these were 50% off when I bought them.. thats one good thing about Hobby Lobby you don't ever have to have a coupon and its always on sale :)

Start by pulling the stem off the flower....they should come detached very easy..

Then, remove the center part of the flower.....

I like using two different colors to add dept to the bow and make them more fun...

Be sure to glue each layer of flower to one another, and then glue the gem into the center of the flower...

Take the ribbon and hot glue around the clip (I find that its easier on the girls heads rather than leaving it without the ribbon, but its simply your choice)

After your finished with the clip, glue it to the back of the flower and as gabby would say "TA DA" you have a beautiful little flower, and its now your choice to attach it to the band or just clip it in their hair!!

Easy, Fast & Cheap, my kind of project!!!

I'll leave you with a picture of Miss Gabby and one of the photos I took at Bicentennial Gardens in Greensboro, tomorrow I will do the tutorial on the tutu, and should you the Abby caddaby invitations I made for her party on Microsoft Publisher!! Sooo Cute!!

http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/125/BA510B75390D6C4365E04A58CBE23B50.png

Thank You Good Housekeeping!!!

No I'm not thanking my housekeepers for their good work (as if I could afford a good housekeeper ha) but have you seen this months issue of the Good Housekeeping magazine?? They have fabulous July 4th crafts and decorating ideas... one being this beautiful, easy to do wreath on the front door...

I just had to have one for our front door, although we will be in the Bahamas celebrating!!! I went to the dollar tree and picked up a styrofoam wreath and bought the American flag toothpicks at partycity, I had to buy 4 packs for the 14" wreath and they ended up being $3 a box, a little more than I wanted to pay but that was the only place I could find them, and a roll of ribbon I had left over from another project...

This was probably the easiest wreath I've ever made I basically just cut the ribbon and made a bow to attach to my wreath hanger...and stuck the flags in the wreath randomly..

I stuck them upside down and all around..

and here is the finished product....voila!!!

Hope everyone has a safe and wonderful 4th!!

http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/125/BA510B75390D6C4365E04A58CBE23B50.png