Blossoms in Bloom

I have been meaning to announce this for a while, but life just got in the way.

Since the moment I first discovered Etsy, years ago, I knew I wanted a handmade shop. It just took a couple of years to finally get to a place where I actually could do it. But here we are!!



The name of my shop is Blossoms in Bloom, which I think every creative process is- a blossom in bloom.





I designed this Castle Caddy over a year ago for my little girls and it has seen a lot of action as they have taken it to church, on the airplane, on long car rides, the DMV (yuck). They both still enjoy stuffing their princesses into the pockets, folding up the castle, and taking their 'purse' wherever they go.





I have Castle Caddys all complete and ready for new homes. But if you are the sewing type that likes to make your projects your own, by choosing your fabrics and colors, I am have also created a detailed pdf pattern.

I also hope to add to the shop soon, including more Castle Caddys and also an original Roadway Car Caddy pattern. Plus, I have several different ideas floating around in my head for more "Caddy" designs, that I can't wait to finally create.

This is so much fun for me; I seriously love Etsy. I also was able to see the finished product of someone who bought the pattern and it makes me so happy. So head on over and take a looksies!

Seven Lucky Years

This past week, Claire celebrated 7 years being in our family. We love her to pieces. She has matured so much this last year and is learning so much. It sometimes takes me aback how much she understands, observes, and views things. She is a sweet big sister to Morgan and Luke and she is a good helper to me and Cody. She still loves to draw and create, and as always, she loves to be a bit crazy. It's what we love about her.

For her birthday party, we had a party with some girls from school and church. Claire had a really fun time, helping decorate and plan for the party, and then had a blast while the girls were here.

I, for some insane reason, decided to throw Claires party last week, even though I knew Cody was out of town for the week. So even though I started working on everything days before, I still was rushing as the guest were arriving, so most of my pictures were after the party was started or after everyone left.

For the invitation, I drew up a pretty little seven. I was so happy with the way it turned out- something a little girly.

The decorations were in keeping with the flower theme. I made tissue flowers following Martha Stewart's instructions, except to make it go faster, I used 5x5 inch squares of tissue paper. I absolutely loved the flowers. I made a couple of garlands and I tied individual flowers to close the goody bags. At the party, the girls also made their own tissue flowers attached to a bobbypin to wear in their hair.

The girls also made bracelets. I used beads and memory wire, following these instructions and it went pretty fast and easy for the girls.

The food table was raided before I got to take any pictures of it, but here it is half way through the chaos, with the sugar cookies and strawberries the first things to disappear.

Claire's cake was a giant seven covered in Easter colored M&Ms, again following the instructions of Martha. It turned out looking really neat in person. The kids oohed and ahhed over it. Apparently, seeing that many M&Ms at one time is beautiful.

Well, there you go. More details than you ever wanted, but I think the details are fun.