Bow-tiful Bow Holder

I am getting ready to move to a new house. Which is often times a very BIG pain. One thing I do enjoy about moving is the opportunity to really organize and clean out. The house we are moving to has 3.5 bathrooms! Which for us is a huge upgrade. We are used to sharing one bathroom between the six of us. As excited as I am, you can imagine my disappointment when I realized two bathrooms didn't have any drawers in the vanity area. CRAZY!? Yes, I agree. I had to figure out a way to store the girls' hair bows. I have seen and tried several different "bow holders" over the years. They were either too flimsy or not large enough. So what did I do, you ask?! I made my own.

I took this old calendar holder that has been sitting in my garage for probably six years now...

I took the back of it off since it was no longer going to be needed. Then I spray painted it. I chose brown so that it would match the same color scheme as the girls' shower curtain.

After it was dry and several weeks later (because I am a slacker) I added some wire mesh to the back. I did wire mesh, because it was free. We already had it in the garage. I have seen this done with chicken coop fencing, also.

The only other tools you will need is a pair of wire cutters and a stapler with staples. (I love that power stapler!) You cut the wire mesh to fit the length of your frame. Then staple it on the backside of the board. It was super simple.

After it was complete I stuck all of our bows on there. We have quite the collection--but I guess that's to be expected with two little girls.

I'm looking forward to hanging this in their new bathroom.

~Celeste

Halloween Candelabra

The other day my good friend and I were exploring a home decor store, when we came upon a darling Halloween Candelabra. I was instantly in love with it and probably would have bought it until I realized it was over $60. I let the idea of having one go until the other night. I decided to google 'How To Make A Halloween Candelabra'. Instantly a blog popped up with a really cool idea of how to make one. I thought to myself it can't be that hard and headed out to our local thrift store.

I bought this chandelier for $8.00This old lamp for $5.00

Then I stripped them to pieces. I took out the wires, light sockets, and everything else I wasn't in need of.

Then I searched the dress-up box for old broken beads.

Put my lamp and my chandelier together.

I spent $2.00 on black spray paint at Lowe's. Then I spray painted everything!!

After it was dry, I hot glued the beads around the chandelier.

Added some candles and some creepy cloth for decoration effects and TADA....

My very own DIY Halloween Candelabra!

And it only cost me $24.00 including the candles.

School Days Autograph Book

Yes, it's happened. I have turned into my Father. And spending money for something that is just going to get thrown away in a couple years has become, well, difficult. When they sent home the note that Year Books were $15.00, I choked. Okay not really. I did throw the note away, though. Then as the end of the year approached, I felt terrible. I didn't want to be known as "The Mother Who Didn't Buy Her Kids A Yearbook". And I didn't want my kids to feel any less important. Sure, yearbooks are fun to look at once or twice, but they usually end up in the trash. Most of mine did anyway. I thought about it and decided, the best part of yearbooks is signing each others. I decided even though I couldn't justify the $30 in Yearbook fees--I would still make Yearbook signing day fun. (While I still can--cause I know this wont suffice them forever.)

Using blank index cards, my cricut, decorative paper, a hole punch, and book rings I created these autograph books. Maybe it's still not as cool as seeing every one's picture, but it sure beats having to use a sheet of copy paper for your autograph page!

Disclaimer: I have nothing against our school's year book committee. Or Yearbook's in general. I think we have a wonderful elementary school and a wonderful, hard working PTA. Thanks for a great year!! :]

~It's Time To Appreciate Our Teacher's~

The first week of May is that time of year that we appreciate our teacher's. 

At our school they wanted us to show our love for our teachers all week long.  They had ideas like a service project, favorite treat, a list of things we like about our teacher, bring their favorite school supplies, etc.  So I have 4 different ideas I wanted to share with you.  Thank goodness tomorrow the kids are just making a card/picture for their teacher:)

Idea #1 --

What better act of kindness than brightening some one's day with flowers!

We purchased these at our local market for $5, stuck a fun printable that I found over at Skip To My Lou onto a skewer with ribbon and it made a cute gift for their teachers on Monday!!

Idea #2 --

A surprise treat in a can!

I have always wanted to make these.  I have seen them for quite some time and just never had a reason to make them.  Well Our Best Bites posted some cute Mother's Day printables along with a Teacher one and I knew this would be perfect for the kids to take.

I got can's with pop top lids, cut the bottoms off with my can opener and washed/dried them out.  Next we filled them with their teacher's favorite treats and than stuff tissue paper down inside before hot gluing the lid back on.  This helps prevent any glue from sticking to the candy if it drips:)  Than decorate and attach the label!!  Very quick, easy and FUN gift!!

Idea #3 --

"10 Things I Like About _____!"

The kids were funny trying to come up with things to write.  Dalton wanted to write things like "She meets us in the morning, than we sit down" - basically his whole day - lol. 

I thought it would be fun to give them a cute little note pad along with a pencil.  They were only a dollar at Walmart and we had these cute pencils in a pack Ellie had.  I saw this idea to stick a flower (which I doubled) through the eraser with a corsage pin (which I have tons from doing flower balls) and than cut off the end with a pair of wire cutters.

The idea was to make lots of pencils with flowers and put it in a vase like a flower arrangement:)  I may have to try that next year!!

Idea #4 --

This last idea I have been wanting to do for months and almost did it for Christmas but kept it tucked away till now.  I got the idea over at Eighteen25 from those talented ladies. 

I found a bead container at Micheal's for $1, got all the fun coordinating school supplies at Walmart and than added extra goodies that looked cute with it!

I then traced the top, cute out paper, added ribbon underneath and any other embellishments that went with it!:)  I cut out their names with my Silhouette and glued them on last.

These were my favorite and I loved how they turned out. 

I hope these help give you some ideas for your teacher's or even mother's this week.  Head over to those websites for other GREAT ideas!!!!:)

And...

♥A HUGE Thank You to ALL our Teacher's out there!!♥

{Countdown to Easter}

I wanted to get this posted before I head out of town for our Spring Break:)  I found the idea somewhere out there in Blog world and thought it would be great for our family this Easter. 

It is a quick, easy and fun countdown that you can start this week with your kids...

Supplies:

-egg carton

-plastic eggs

-treats --I used Hershey Kisses and Cadbury Eggs...mmm!

-Easter grass

-number stickers, rub-ons, or vinyl (which I cut out with my Silhouette)

-12 different Easter activities

Here are my ideas...

1. Read an Easter story.

2. Color an Easter picture or two. 

3. Send an Easter card to someone you love.

4. Visit the Easter bunny. 

5. Make egg shaped sugar cookies.

6. Make Resurrection rolls.

7. Do an Easter craft.

8. Have an Easter egg hunt.

9. Make a treat & “Egg” our neighbors.

10. Watch an Easter movie.

11. Dye Easter eggs. 

12. Happy EASTER!!

Our kids are excited to start it on Thursday.  We have lots of fun things planned:)

I tried to focus on some Spiritual things for FHE and on Sunday.  If you have any questions just send me a message!!

Easter Decorating Ideas

I love holiday decorating. Here are just some fun and easy Easter ideas: I can't take credit for this one. I got it off of this really cool blog!

Tile with vinyl sayings, pictures, etc... This is just plastic Easter Eggs in a glass vase. I liked the iridescent look. I tied a cute ribbon around it for a little embellishing.

Wooden Egg door hanging. Seriously this was like $7.00.

I found this cute little Easter Bunny at a craft fair. I think it looks fun next to my Easter Blocks.

Subway Art & Blocks

I love spending time making crafts, but with four little ones, it's easier said then done. However, I have been trying to get a little more crafty lately.

Shannon posted about her new love for Subway Art. It instantly caught my eye and I decided to create subway art would be just as fun. I have dabbled a little here and there. The first one I did was for St. Patty's Day. Then I made one for a friend of a friend who is having a baby boy.

I love making blocks with names, seasons, holidays, etc... I helped my friend make a set earlier this month. Then I created a set for Easter. They turned out way cute. I can't wait to decorate this month.

Hope this sparks some creativity for everyone!

Celeste

{BaBy PrOdUcTs WoRtH ShArInG}

My baby is going to be turning one in little over a month - sigh! 

So bittersweet:)

There is quite a gap between him and his older siblings.  When we became pregnant it was a huge surprise.  We had gotten rid of almost everything and it was fun to be able to shop around for baby stuff again.  I found some great baby products that were never around years ago when I had the twins.  I thought it would be fun to share them with you today - in no particular order.  My sister and I had babies a few months apart so some of them are her picks.  Maybe you have heard or seen most of them.  Please let me know if you have any others that are worth sharing or your opinion on these products!!:)

To start off I found all but one of these products over at Amazon.com.  That is one of my favorite websites!  Whenever I need anything I look there first - just not baby stuff either.  Another great site is Diapers.com, they have tons of baby things at great prices too. 

But at Amazon they have a deal were if you sign up for Amazon Mom's you get 15% off your purchase and than an additional 15% off if you have stuff like diapers and wipes shipped every month through their Ship & Save program.  My sister and I get cases of diapers for around $23 and wipes for $14.  It makes them cheaper than Costco even:)  You also get enrolled in Amazon Prime free for 3 months so your stuff is shipped in 2 days for free!!  Than each month that you order $25 or more you get another month of Prime for free up to a year.  Kinda sounds confusing but it's so worth your money:)

Aden and Anais Muslin Swaddle Blankets & Sleep Sacks

My cousin Jen received these as a gift a few years ago for her twin girls.  So when I became pregnant she highly recommended them to me.  They are so soft, stretchable and breathable.  Doug and I learned how to swaddle the twins in the NICU but I could never find big enough blankets.  These are GREAT for doing the swaddle technique.  I like how thin and soft they are.  The blankets are still Logans favorite.

The sleep sack below is also from Aden and Anais.  It's 4 layers of muslin that keeps your baby warm during the winter months.  I love Logan's and I like that I don't have to worry about blankets during the night.  It's also VERY roomy.  My sister and I just bought one that is a single layer that I can't wait to use this summer.  We purchased them from Babysteals.com - another FAVORITE website I check daily.  They have another one called Kidsteals.com that I have found lots of fun things from too!  Both are deal a day websites with stuff up to 75% off sometimes:)

There are lots of other sleep sacks on the market and one other favorite of mine was the Halo Sleepsack brand.  I got a fleece one that I really liked during the really cold winter months.  I also purchased it for a GREAT deal from babysteals.com.

Bumbo's

Ok, I know Bumbo's have been around for awhile but I never had one with the twins.  So I was excited to try one out with this baby.  I LOVED it - and so did he!!  Logan like to be up where we were and looking around at everything:)  I used ours as a high chair for him when he first started eating as well.  I highly recommend getting one of these - WITH the tray, I think it helps them sit up better!!

Baby Bjorn Carrier

The Baby Bjorn carrier is such a wonderful thing to have.  I had received another brand with my other kids and never liked it, so I never used a carrier with them.  But after my SIL Jesica said how much she loved hers I started researching it.  It's rated one of the best out there.  So I purchased one and fell in love with it.  It came in handy going on walks with the kids, shopping or just toting him around getting things done when he was fussy.  It was easy to get on without any help and very comfortable to wear.

JJ Cole Diaper Caddy

This may be something that isn't really necessary but I sure liked mine.  It's a diaper/wipe caddy from JJ Cole.  I found mine at Diapers.com for a wonderful deal too.  I liked how nice it looked sitting out in my living room and it kept everything together.

Woombie's

I really should have put this one up on top.  It's by far my absolute FAVORITE thing I found.  When searching around for ideas on how to get Logan to sleep I came across this fun little thing.  The Woombie worked miracles the first night we used it:)  Baby's are used to sleeping tightly wrapped, it's what they are used to in the womb.  That's why we swaddled him.  But as he got bigger and moved around at night he would always work his arms out, waking himself up from the jerking motions of his arms.  The Woombie keeps them snug and tight inside a stretchable, breathable "cacoon" while they sleep.  Their website says it works wonders for babies with colic as well.  I wish I had these for my twins!!

Dr. Brown's Bottles

I nursed Logan from the beginning so I never have used bottles.  With my first babies I nursed Ellie and bottle fed Dalton.  He loved Advent bottles.  They never had Dr. Brown back then.  My niece Payslee bottle feeds and LOVES these!!  My sister says they help with gassy tummy's and are recommended for colicky babies.  She switched to Advent for awhile and Payslee got an upset belly and spit up more.  So this is Mel's pick for a great bottle!

Logan got used to sleeping in his bouncer while I got ready each morning.  He would fall asleep to the sound of my hair dryer.  Even after he got bigger and started napping in his crib (in our room) I admit it would run long after I was done just so he would sleep longer.  It helped to drown out the noises of everyone in the house.  Well my blow dryer started to wear out and I started looking for other white noises.  You can download Apps from Itunes that have similar noises but I wanted a CD.  I found this one on Amazon that was highly recommemded.  It's been wonderful to have for bedtime and naptime.  The disc is 75 continuous minutes of white noise.

Bumkins Bibs

I thought my sister was crazy for buying these bibs because they are so pricey.  You can buy cheap 5 pack bibs at any store for the price of just one of the Bumpkins bibs.  Well after trying out hers and loving it I caved and bought me just one.  I absolutely love them and would definitely spend my money on them.  I have three now and not one has stains on it.  I have had them for 3-4 months.  I bought another local chain store brand and within a week they were stained and yucky.  Bumpkins bibs wipe off/wash nice, stay on tight and are a great product!!  Totally worth spending the extra money to have them last.

Baby Mum-Mum

I hated those yucky, messy cookies we used to give the babies when they were teething and learning to eat:(

My mom recommended these to me when Logan got old enought to start chewing.  He LOVES them!!  They dissolve just like the puffs and are not messy at all.  I like that they are big and will last so I can get dinner ready;)

Nuby Mesh Feeders

So I will admit I always thought these things were weird.  But this time around I thought I would give them a try with Logan.  I don't like banana in them - ugh a huge mess and horrible to clean out of the mesh.  But everyting else is great.  They work wonders on soothing him while he's teething too!

Cloth Diaper Burp Cloths

Last but not least these wonderful burp cloths.  I found them searching on Etsy one day.  After buying 3 for around $15 my mom realized she could make me more.  So we bought a 10 count package of cloth diapers and material.  They turned out so cute and I recieved 3x's as many for around $15.  She has started making them for my sister and as baby shower gifts.  I like how big and obsorbent they are. Logan gets all silly when he plays with his.  They are turning into his lovey's:)

I hope you find some of these products useful and fun like we did!!  Please let me know if you have any questions:)