New Craft Blog

My sister-in-law Cherisse and I started a new craft blog! Head on over to fanciful shenanigans to find out how to do a lot of really cool stuff.

http://fancifulshenanigans.blogspot.com/

Little break but be back soon

As you can see I have taken a little break from my blog =(

Honestly, I have just not had the time to do it all by my self. I am working with my sister-in-law Cherisse to get it back up and running!!

Stay turned for some really fun/cute craft tutorials, Halloween, and Christmas ideas!!


Coming Back Soon..........

The Beach

this mamma loves....................

THE BEACH

That's right! Morgan, Stella, and I are heading to the beach for a fun weekend with friends.

We are finally getting out of this MISERABLY hot weather and gonna soak up a much more comfortable enjoyable sun. 

I'm not sure about you, but I don't think there is any place more relaxing then the beach. 

And let me tell you, relaxing sounds like a wonderful idea to me.

Farewell for now. I might post while I'm on vacation if I can pull myself away from the sound of waves crashing and my beautiful view from my beach chair =)

Enjoy your holiday weekend!

Playdough Tutorial

When I was a little girl my Mama (grandma) always made my sister and I homemade playdough.

It was one of my favorite things to play with when I was at her house. 

I thought I would try it out on Stella.

So we made "edible" playdough.

I am pretty sure "edible" means it just won't harm you but it definitely does not taste good!

Here is how to make ediable playdough!

What you need:

1 cup Flour

1/2 cup Salt

3 teaspoons Cream of Tartar

1 package Kool-Aid

1 cup Water

1 Tablespoon Oil

First you mix dry ingredients in a medium or large pot

Then add water and oil and stir over medium heat

Continue to stir until it looks like dough (image 4)

Lay out on wax paper until it cools

Once it cools it's ready to play with!

You can use different flavors of Kool-Aid to get different tastes (still don't recommend tasting) and to get different colors.

Good Reads

this mamma loves

TO READ!

When I was younger you could not pay me to read. 

I DID NOT LIKE TO READ!

Now I cannot put my ereader down.

Lately I have been obsessed with the author Lisa Gardner. 

She writes crime novels which are my favorite at the moment.

I just finished the Detective DD Warren series and let me tell you, I could not put the books down! (well I couldn't put my ereader down)

She still has many books I am looking forward to reading. 

I can't wait to get started on them.

I highly recommend this author for those of you looking for good reads (if you like crime novels)

Petunia Pickle Bottom

this mamma loves

Petunia Pickle Bottom Boxy Backpack

I finally got one of these diaper bags to carry around Stella's things. 

Yes I know I am a year and a half late! But I finally got one and I love it!

This bag reminded me of Mary Poppins' bag.

It seems you can fit an endless amount of stuff in it. 

They come in such cute styles and even include a wipe case and changing pad.

There area 2 diaper/wipe pockets, 4 bottle pockets, 2 organizational pockets, pacifier pocket.

These bags are seriously a mom's best friend!

FYI: All discontinued styles are 30% off HERE

Tutorial: Rolled Fabric Flowers

Because I have a little girl I am obsessed with making hair flowers.

One of the easiest ones to do is the Rolled Fabric Flowers.

Here's how you make them!

Cloud B on Zulily

Two of my favorite things have joined together until August 28th!

Zulily

 

and

Cloud B

They have the animal soothers I blogged about HERE 

They also have the Constellation Nightlight that Stella loves

Plus many more items.

I highly recommend these for you little ones =)

You can find my blog post about Zulily HERE

Go HERE to see the items on Zulily

Sephora Giveaway

Who doesn't love an awesome giveaway???

Alycia over at Crowley Party is giving away a 

$100 gift card to Sephora!

Sephora is the best place to buy makeup. There are an insane amount of options of what you can get. I am so excited for this giveaway and I'm sure you are too!

To enter go HERE

You have 5 opportunities to enter!

Stop wasting time go ENTER

Good luck!

The giveaway lasts until Sept 6

30% off!

 this mamma loves........

Good Deals

Gap, Old Navy, and Banana Republic is having an awesome sale!
 You can get 30% off online only.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE Gap. The majority of Stella's clothes are from there. And I ALWAYS wait for a sale because they have them so often. 
All you have to do is enter the promo THANKS
The sale goes until August 24th

 

Also, Old Navy jeans are starting $10 for kids. This is the lowest they go! I love their basic jeans for toddlers. All of Stella's jeans are from Old Navy. Now is the time to stock up!

Remember this sale is online only and ends Aug 24,
Promo Code : THANKS
Free shipping on orders over $50

Girl Nursery

this mamma loves..........

Decorating Nurseries

A lot of thought went into my little girl's nursery. 

When we first found out it was a girl, the wheels started turning in my head. I was so excited to decorate her nursery ANYWAY I would like!

My first thought was polka dots. We had to do polka dots. My second thought was pink and brown!

I love those who colors together.  

 I took many trips to hobby lobby to find cute accessories. Then found the perfect crib set.

Everything started to fall into place =)

 Finally, when I was about 8 months pregnant I was able to put it all together.

I painted the walls, put together the furniture, added decor, etc...etc.....

Here is how it turned out!

(a few things have been added since)

 

  

I can't wait to decorate a nursery for a little boy

(maybe someday....) 

Although I wouldn't mind decorating another girl nursery =)

SWAGBUCKS

this mamma loves..............

SWAGBUCKS

Who doesn't like FREE stuff?? With swagbucks you can earn points to be used towards free items just by using the internet. You can get gift cards to Amazon, Starbucks, home depot and many other stores. You can even get movies, school supplies and books with your points. The best part is it costs absolutely nothing! I have gotten many amazon gift cards, all for free! I just use the swagbucks search engine and randomly earn points. I highly recommend signing up and trying it out.


Go HERE to sign up and try it out.

Swagbucks

You've gotta be kidding me!

this mamma does NOT love............

Lingerie for kids?????

Keep in mind, these are not swimsuits, they are lingerie!

I am very disturbed by an article I came across today. A French designer of lingerie has come out with a line of lingerie for kids 4-12. The line is called Jours Après Lunes. Really??? FOUR TO TWELVE YEARS OLD! Do people honestly think it is okay for a CHILD to be wearing any kind of lingerie? Children do not even wear bras! I am amazed at the lack of respect people have for children. What is wrong with keeping your kids as innocent as possible for the longest amount of time? I can't remember how many times I was told, "don't rush to grow up". These items where made to look like mom's lingerie. Our course little girls want to be just like mom but when should the line be drawn? I draw the line well before we get to my child wearing lingerie. Apparently France has not clue what is age-appropriate!


Some of the items are very cute and would make a cute undershirt. There is a line for babies that actually is age-appropriate and cute. But they are marketing it as LINGERIE. Something is seriously wrong here. 

Another disturbing thing about the kid's lingerie line is the website with the girls wearing the lingerie. These sweet young girls are made to look like adults with their hair and make up done up and lounging around in their underwear. What kind of mother allows her little girl to pose for a LINGERIE line!

You be the judge read the article here or go to their website here


So what do you think? Should kids be parading around in their "just like mommy" bras and panties???

Cloud B Soother

this mamma loves..............

Cloud B Soothers

 These night time soothers have been a lifesaver for me! I bought the large lamb to put in Stella's crib and the small giraffe to take on the go. When Stella was a newborn she hardly slept! And when she did sleep, she needed noise. Her lamb was the perfect soother to help her doze off. Then I was finally able to get some sleep too! There are four different sounds soothing sounds that will comfort your baby. The sounds are incredibly calming and makes it easy for your baby to drift off into dreamland. They truly are the perfect night-time companion for every baby!

What helps your baby sleep??

Cupcakes

this mamma loves...........

Cupcakes in a jar!

For those of you who do not know me, I am obsessed with cupcakes. I love decorating them and doing fun creative things with them. And I thought this was SO creative. I made these yummy cupcakes and tried them out on my family today and they were a hit! My mom decided to take a few to her friends too. They were so easy to make. I found the recipe on Running with Glitter

Another thing that is really fun about these is if you make them so the frosting is below the top of the jar you can put a lid on them and give them as a gift!

Seriously these are SO yummy and SO easy! 

Give em a try!

Zulily

this mamma loves...........

 ZULILY

Zulily is a site with daily deals for moms, babies, kids and much much more! I am absolutely in love with this site. I have already found and purchased quite a few really great deals. They have brands that are usually pricey for a super good affordable price.

I found the cutest little potty training seat for only $10! I have also found numerous adorable outfits for Stella and for other family members. I have made this site part of my daily routine :) I check it every morning.

Go check it out! HERE

I'm sure I will be posting about Zulily many times on this blog!

Swaddle Blankets

this mamma loves...........

 aden + anais Muslin Swaddle Blankets

These swaddle blankets are seriously the greatest blankets ever invented! They are 100% cotton muslin. The are a good size (47"x47"). They are breathable and they are oh so soft! They are warm enough in the winter (at least in Arizona) and cool enough for the summer. They help the baby regulate their temperature naturally so they do not overheat by being swaddled.

When I first had Stella I went through at least twenty swaddle blankets. They were too small, not soft enough, too warm, or just plain ugly. A friend of mine received the aden + anais swaddle blankets when she had her little boy and I fell in L.O.V.E.

*According to their website they can also be used as burp cloths, nursing and stroller covers, portable crib sheet, stroller and car seat liners, tummy time blankets, and changing table covers.

They run at a reasonable price at most places around $35.

buybuyBABY

TARGET 

Introduction

I have a love for deals, crafts, baby, clothes, and many more things! I would like to share my findings of the things I truly love about baby products, mommy products, crafts I am working on and much much more. 

My name is Melissa. I have a beautiful daughter Stella who will be turning two in December. I have an amazingly loving supporting husband Morgan. I'm obviously new at being a mom but I love to experiment with different things to find the best of everything for my family. 

Being a mom is hard! Not only physically and mentally but it is hard to find great products for your baby and for yourself with all the changes your body goes through. When Stella was born I thought I had everything figured out! Everything was purchased before hand for the things I would need for my beautiful daughter. Little did I know there was a difference between this swaddler and that. Or this stroller and that one. I wish I had more advice on what worked better and where I could get the best deals. I wish I had more advice on which clothes would look good on me while I was pregnant and right after. I wish I had more advice and so many things! 


So this is what I have learned in the short two years I have been a mom and this is what this mamma loves...............

Feel free to share your opinion on things you love too!