Mother's Day Totes

My mom, the avid Pinterest and Facebook user, decided to "hint" at what she wanted for Mother's Day by posting the Pin on my Wall. Subtle, right? It worked. She got what she wanted, although it was a couple of weeks late because on the first try, my daughter was unhappy with the results. (Not too unhappy since she kept it for herself) So, handy (ha ha!) tote bags it was.

Dad

Mom

Part one of this process was that Adam and I had to stamp our hands on the totes. After that came the kiddo and a couple of details. Sadly I didn't get a finished picture of them, but I used yellow fabric paint to make a swirl in the center, and green to do the outline of a leaf in the corner of each.

Drying

When I mailed them I was a little nervous about the paint sticking to itself in the envelope (it's over 100 degrees here) so I made sure to fold them design out and they made it to their respective locations just fine.

4 in 14 May

As the month was turning yet again, I was trying to think of a cute theme for my May "pretty shelf". May brings to mind Mother's Day, but somehow decorating a shelf saying I was great seemed a little too far. (Although perhaps the kiddo gets a guest starring role next year!) So, I went a little on the lame side with the whole "April Showers, May Flowers" route and tried to find things I already had that reminded me of Spring and flowers.

May Flowers

Here is the shelf as a whole. If you have seen my other months, the bird and rabbit are March recycles, and the vase is a February recycle. This was a bit of a harder month for me, since I was really trying not to spend money on anything new.

February Recycle

 Next to the vase, I added this colorful little bucket that I picked up in the Target Special Finds bin for a dollar around Easter time either last year or the year before. They have them all the time in different designs at different holidays / seasons.

Kid Creations

If you have ever celebrated even one holiday with a kid in Pre-School or Elementary school, you know what these are. Yes, mine are now about 8 years old. No, I have never lit the candle inside. Yes, they did melt in the moving boxes at one point. Don't care. Still keeping them. In fact, hoping to get more when I get grand-babies ( a LONG time from now).

Silliness

The last little fun flower I added was this chipboard album I made a couple years ago. Since it is sturdy and on a ring, it stands up like an easel all on it's own. This is one of my favorite pictures of her - we are at the World's Largest Gift Shop in Las Vegas and the giant hat is made of foam, the poker chips are pillows. We were there waiting on family to gift shop, so we decided to get silly with some of the SWAG.

4 in 14 April - Project

Back around Christmas time I saw this fun idea on Pinterest to leave little gifts on your neighbors doors. For some reason I decided it would be fun to do it again for Easter. I thought it would be fun to leave little egg on the doorsteps for our neighbors with treats inside.

Printed "tags"

I started by printing a few sheets of these little "labels" on some pastel computer paper. 

All Trimmed

Thank you straight trimmer for making cutting these little guys a breeze. So far I think this project is about five minutes in and I am almost done. Loving that. Now for the treats....

Yum!!

I bought the assorted bag of non-melting candy. We already have temperatures in excess of ninety so chocolate was out of the question. We sorted it out so that no one person would get all the same thing. 

Pink!

Each of these little eggs held five little candy treats in them. The left over was my daughter's favorite part, as she is a fan of the Bottlecap candies. The last piece of the puzzle was to put the little strips in the eggs. 

Egged!

We folded it a little bit so that the "From the" part was tucked inside and all that showed was the "You have been egged" part. Our original plan was to leave them for people to wake up to Good Friday morning, but life got away from us. So instead the next morning they were found. My husband and daughter really enjoy their "ninja" skills slinking through the neighborhood delivery these.

4 in 14 April - Recipe

So this week I decided to "steal" from my husband his invention for dinner. Very tasty, and kind of pretty to look at. I think we may need to have this for dinner again soon!

4 in 14 April

So, March was a bust. I had trouble just getting in one post. For those close to me, that comes as no surprise. My personal life has been craziness finding out my kiddo isn't well. Our family has undergone a serious life change. That being said, in an effort to regain some sort of normal I am trying to get back on track with my blog.

So back to my pretty shelf....

I scored all these items a while back at Hobby Lobby. The eggs came in a four pack, and are printed burlap. I love the little ceramic animals.

My Stitch Fix #2

It came!! Another cute little box with the lovely Stitch Fix logo. Again, promised myself I would try on everything. Excuse the slightly fuzzy photos. This time it was the kiddo as photog and she's still learning. I should also mention, I don't look at the price sheet until after I try on, since I don't want cost to be my only deciding factor if I really love a piece. And I know me......that would sway me.

Add caption

Rylin Pintuck Detailed Silk Blouse
$78.00

My first thought was that this looks pretty much exactly like item #1 in Fix #1. This one is black and that one was navy, but they are essentially the same and if you recall I returned that one as well.

Returned.

Hydie Geo Print Crochet Detail Blouse
$68.00

Same style....again. And not a flattering style for me. Also the black shoulders are a crochet type panel and the bra straps were showing. I. HATE. THAT. The fabric pattern was just so-so. I am not super in to the geometric patterns that seems popular right now.

Bye-Bye

Pierson Lace Detailed Short Sleeve Shirt
$48.00

Not a huge fan of lace or mint. And again, the bra strap issue. I did like that this was an actual short sleeve, which I had asked for, instead of sleeveless.

See-Ya

Hailey Geo Print Tie Waist Dress
$58.00

I didn't even bother to put shoes on and "style" it as they suggest because laying out I really liked it and was sure about this one. Then I looked in the mirror and thought......oh, what a cute potato sack. Sniffle. I was a little sad.

Tear Filled Goodbye



If you are familiar with Stitch Fix you are probably looking for photo number 5 right now. Scroll on back up to the first three pictures. The jeans were the fifth item. Johnny Skinny Jeans. I love skinny jeans with my boots. They were the right length, SOFT, stretch and comfy, smaller pockets on the bum (which makes a gal's bum look better) and fit like they were custom made for me. It was love. I was sure they were my new favorite jeans.
$88.00
I cried a little when they went back in the return envelope.

My Stitch Fix

Thank you Randi for telling me about this awesome thing called Stitch Fix. It was like Christmas when the box showed up, and I couldn't wait to see what they chose for me.

So, first let me just say that I do not pose for photos well. Don't. Never have, never will. So, no commentary on the weird face I am making in at least several of these pics. Also, it had been a rough day at work hence the rockin' ponytail I am sporting. Don't judge.

With that.....here we go!!

Hubby was trying to make me laugh

Esten Button Up Sleeveless Blouse
$54.00
Navy

Sorry the picture is so dark, but this shirt is Navy and it has tiny hidden buttons down the front. The fabric was amazing. So super soft. I did not like that it was sheer and would have required a tank underneath. Also, this shirt hung so loose that I felt like it made my stomach look larger than it is.

Returned

Yup, still trying to make me laugh. Sigh. 

 Burlington Ruffle Overlay Sleeveless Blouse
$48.00
Pink

Way.Too.Big. Again, fabric was soft and it was super cute - before I tried it on. This was nicer than the blue one in that it had a liner inside for modesty sake.

Returned

Colibri Solid Tab Sleeve Blouse
$48.00
Green

Loved that this has the buttons on the sleeve to hold them up short. Loved that it was nice and long. Didn't love that it was so big. That loose top, legging look just doesn't seem to fit my shape well. I did look in the mirror at this one for a bit trying to decide, and ultimately I just didn't "love it $48.00 worth".

Returned

Did I mention I hate posing?

Cassandra Tailored Button Up Shirt
$28.00
White

When I opened the box this was my second favorite piece. Nice heavy fabric, great structure, fitted, totally me. Sadly, my "girls" just didn't agree. The button puckered at the chest and from the side there was no mystery left to anything. I was the most sad about this one not working out.

Returned

Camelot Stripe & Polka Dot Cardigan
$28.00
Navy

#1 fave piece! Love cardigans. It's an obsession. Blue is my favorite color. Machine washable. The sleeves are really long so I can pull them down over my hands - I really like that in a sweater. I think the combo of stripe & polka dots is fun and different. And I couldn't argue with the price point.

This baby stayed with me!

I liked this one so much I actually posed for a fun pic!

Being Silly!

So, overall I was a little sad that I kept only one piece.....but on the other hand my wallet was happy I only kept one piece. :)
And I am loving the piece I got. Too bad it was 85 degrees today and I wore a dress. :(
From the overall experience the best part was just the idea of having to step out of my comfort zone - the idea that I WILL try on everything no matter what it is was a little exciting to me. It felt like my own little version of Stacey & Clinton shopping with me.

I can't wait until my next fix gets here at the end of March. Stay tuned!!