Honeymoon Bridal Shower - Vintage Travel Theme

One of my dearest friends is getting married in June and I had the honor of throwing her a Honeymoon Shower in my backyard. First things first, the invitation "boarding passes" went out, setting the mood for the party. The invitations instructed guests to "Claim Megan's Baggage" for her honeymoon in St. Lucia and gave a list of gift ideas along with Megan's sizes. 

My vision for the party was soft colors and lace with travel and vintage touches. I searched through several thrift stores for old books and luggage. 

For the flower vases I used salsa and pasta sauce jars that I accumulated over a couple of months. The tea lights were placed in baby food jars and tied with twine.

Megan requested that we didn't play any traditional bridal shower games so I came up with a couple of other things for guests to do at the party, including "Help Megan Pack For The Honeymoon" and a stack of cards for guests to write Megan a note to read on the flight to St. Lucia. She is a very nervous flyer and was excited to have something to look forward to on the plane. 

The meal plan was for heavy appetizers. I decorated the table with vintage books and luggage (from Michael's) and used doilies to create the "Come Fly With Me" banner.

Drink stations are always one of my favorite parts of planning events. I purchased this little bathroom toiletry cart, which resembles an airplane beverage cart, from Target on clearance for $14.00. I set up the Mimosa jar on top of an amazing vintage World Atlas that I found at a thrift store and then added the mini bottles of wine and bottles of water.

The dessert table came together with just 4 glass containers holding cheesecake, cookies, brownies and chocolate-covered strawberries with a simple yard of lace fabric for the backdrop. 

 

I wanted to give Megan a special place to open her gifts. The gazebo in the yard was perfect! Mason jars filled with baby's breath and a chandelier framed the space. I fell in love with the "And They Lived Happily Ever After" pillow purchased at Marshall's.

The guests brought home mason jars with a mini bottle of lotion and trail mix. 

Another fun party that was a joy to put together! If you have any questions, just let me know either in the comments or email me at growingupgardner@yahoo.com.



-Amanda

Using free photo editing sites - and pictures!

Now that Picnik is no longer available for use, I've been playing around on a couple of other photo editing sites, specifically iPiccy and Picmonkey. Both are great and easy for fixing up pictures or turning plain photos into much more interesting images. I used Picmonkey to jazz up a few pictures I took of the kids this week.

Before:

After:

Little miss is really into posing herself. She runs around to different spots, poses and yells, "how about this?" while I snap away.

My silly little boy. It's so hard to get him to look at the camera these days. This is the one shot I got of him looking towards me. 

 I like adding "boost" at 10% then adding the "tranquil" effect over. That's exactly what I did with this photo.

This one is cross-processed with the color green. Her eyes really pop!

iPiccy was useful when I was editing the pictures I took of Kim's baby boy, Andrew. The "bloom" effect smoothed out his blotchy new born skin to perfection.

Before:

After:

Those lips are irresistible! 

 

My niece, Celina, asked me to take pictures of her before Prom last Saturday. I softened many of the photos using Bloom, faded to about 30%. Then used the focal soften feature to blur out the background.

Between the two, I'm leaning more towards Picmonkey, but it really depends on the type of photo I'm editing. For example, for dramatic filters, I go with Picmonkey. If I just want to fix the exposure and maybe add a little something extra, I use iPiccy.  I've also heard good things about Fotoflexer and Piclr but I haven't had a chance to use them much. And then there's Adobe Lightroom sitting in an unopened box on my desk.


-Amanda

Noah, 14 months. The good, the bad & the adorable.

{The Good}

Noah is a healthy and growing little boy. His personality is starting to show more and more each day and we love him to pieces. His favorite playtime activities are being chased and hide-and-seek (me hiding in the same spot and scaring him over and over). He loves to see new things, be outside, and play with his sister.

During month 13, Noah learned how to stand from a sitting position and is starting to move faster while walking. I'd even call it nearly running. He is very active and has already learned how to climb on our bed by using the ottoman. He also climbs the stairs to his slide and goes down it on his own.

After many months of having only 6 teeth, a few more popped out this month. Total count is now 9, including one molar.

Noah nurses twice a day (morning and night) and is still eating great. He has decided that he doesn't care for scrambled eggs or bread anymore, but that's probably my fault for giving it to him for breakfast too often. Now he eats yogurt or oatmeal and a sliced banana in the morning.

Noah is not as verbal as Noelle was at this age, but he understands many things and simple instructions. For example if I say, "Brush mommy's hair," he'll get a brush and attempt to brush my hair - which sometimes is just whacking me in the head. Some other instructions he understands:

Stomp your feet.
Clap your hands.
Give me a kiss.
Give that to me.
Pick up the (fill in the blank).
Get your blanket.
Come here.
Don't touch that.

{The Bad}
Noah recently started acting out. At first it was just crying for not getting his way but he has taken it to a new level. Now he either falls down and gently hits his head on the ground or stops his feet and then falls or uses his hand to hit something near him.  It seems a little early for these tantrums but they only last a few seconds before he moves on so I'm not too concerned. Picking him up or redirecting him seems to be the best way to handle it. Other than these little instances, Noah is a happy and content kid.

{The Adorable}
Noah is the best little cuddle bug. He will usually lay his head on your shoulder if you pick him up (even strangers) and he loves to cuddle while drinking milk before bed.

Noah, 

Thank you for making every day fun. When I wake up I can't wait to see you and hear your giggle. Each day I wonder what new thing you'll learn and what you'll discover. I love how you snuggle with your blanket when you're sleepy, how excited you get about a cup of juice, the way you splash around in the bath, when you run to my legs when you're scared, how you smile at everyone you see, your sweet voice and your precious hugs.

We love you so much!

Target Easter clearance - 90% off

Easter items went 90% off at my store yesterday - but the signs didn't change to 90% until this morning. Noelle has been begging for a pink tulle Easter dress that is on the clearance racks so we went to check if it was marked down to half off today (it wasn't). But we did find some other goodies!

Color-changing Bouncy Ball - .29
2 Stickers - .19 each
10 Cadberry creme eggs - .07 each
6 Crinkle paper - .15 each (Why is crinkle paper so expensive? This was a great time to stock up for parties and gift wrap).
Pink Bowl - $1.49

There were dollar spot items scattered around so I rummaged through and grabbed 9 pairs of socks and 4 blank cards for .10 each!
FYI - the dollar spot items go to salvage after 70% off but for some reason these were left behind and I was able to purchase them.

The ground beef was marked down from $3.69 to $2.49 and had a $1 off coupon sticker. I paid only $1.49 each! I would have cleaned out the whole section and stocked my freezer but there's no room!

Merona ruffle tank top - Sale price $6

Used $3/1 Merona clothing item

= $3

Don't forget to check the grocery aisles for Easter items (cereal, goldfish, cake mix, etc). Those items don't always have a clearance sticker but are usually marked down.

-Amanda

Target Trip - a few great deals (with links)

There are a few great deals going on at Target this week. I've been waiting for a sweet coupon stack for shampoo & conditioner and luckily one popped up just in time.

Dove Shampoo & Conditioner - $3.49 each
Dove Hair Spray - $4.49
$2/1 Dove Hair Care Item
$2/1 Dove Hair Care Item
Target Coupon - Buy 2 Dove Hair Care Items Get a Dove Styler FREE. 
= $2.18 for all three!

Method Dish Soap - Sale price $2.69
$1/1 Method Soap MQ 
$1/1 Method Cleaner TQ
= .69 (stock up - this is great dish soap!)

Jose Ole Taquitos (a Mr. G favorite) Sale price $4.49
$1/1 Jose Ole MQ
= $3.49

Traditional Medicinals Organic Mother's Milk Sale Price $3.99
$1/1 Traditional Medicinals Organic Tea TQ
= $2.99 (usually $4.99)

Spent - $9.35
Saved - $13.29

-Amanda

{new life}

My best friend since the 4th grade had a baby on Monday morning. Kim and Adam welcomed their second son, Andrew. He is perfect.

I'm all about newborns. Especially the ones who will grow up to call me Auntie. These babies fill my heart with so much joy. I want to be the fun Aunt who always has the best snacks, plays a challenging game of hide-and-seek, and gives the warmest hugs. 

At nearly 9 pounds, Andrew is what Kim calls a "little fellah" compared to his big brother who was a pound heavier at birth.

There's nothing softer than newborn baby skin. It's the silkiest velvet that you've never felt. And I'm completely aware that sentence doesn't make sense. And it shouldn't. Baby skin is indescribable.

I love every wiggle, yawn, squeak, and stretch.  Each is a reminder of how great our God is. How every person is a miracle, masterfully created. 

Andrew,

You have the coolest mom of all time. Her friendship has been one of the best things in my life. Because of her I've been able to laugh through every embarrassing moment and had a shoulder to cry on through every heartbreak. Her wit is unmatched and her love is unconditional. I know you are going to grow up to be an amazing man and I can't wait to see what God does in your life and what you do for His kingdom. 

I love you,

Auntie Amanda