random bits and pieces of summer 2013

well hey there all!

the last half of this summer really flashed by.  there's been lots i've wanted to share here, but didn't have time.

  

so here's some random moments from our life the last month. =)

i can't find this version anymore, but they love this road tape!  they play on this for hours.  there are similar ones on amazon.

who knew throwing some googly eyes and chenille stems in the mix makes playdo even more fun ;)

i LOVE this picture.  they were waiting for a wave.  on this particular day the waves were huge, and a ton of fun.

so i love all holiday decor, but did anyone else notice that stores were full of fall decor in the middle of the summer?!  secretly, i don't mind...it's fun to look :)  on this day while browsing Michael's, the little lady tells my little guy, "you know those pumpkins they sell here?  well they grow in all these leaves, and then they take them out to sell."  of course, he had to check in there for growing pumpkins.  my little sillies.

mmm...zucchini bread.  i will have to share the recipe in a post soon.

the little lady had a sweet shop birthday party with family.  we used my chalkboard labels on the candy jars.

  

there was tons of serious furry bonding going on this summer.

the hubs had just gotten back from a weekend camping trip with guys.  so the little guy decided to play pretend camping by taking as much stuff as he could carry from his room, to the couch.  "what are you doing, Nate?"  "i'm camping on the couch."  oh, of course you are.  

it was sooooo exciting to watch them break ground on our new house.  

School for the little lady started mid August, while the little guy just began this week.

to celebrate going back to school we made edible chalkboard dessert.  delicious and crazy cute!  i found the idea in  Family Fun magazine.

this was a glimpse of our last month this summer.  tomorrow i'm posting something sweet that i'll be adding to my shop.  

happy creating ♥

sharing here:

free pretty things for you

sew much ado

Rainbow Cupcakes

A couple weeks ago we celebrated the little lady's birthday with a rainbow themed party.  I've seen loads of inspiring ideas for rainbow cupcakes and figured I'd give it a try.

I didn't think the rainbow strips of candy were going to stand up well, but surprisingly they did.  I cut the Xtreme Belts very small and it worked out fine.

But for me the most exciting part was having a proper place to store the cupcakes!  Who knew they even made a cupcake carrier/storage thingy?! Well, I didn't until a few months ago!  When I saw them, I snagged one up right away.   

In the past I have resorted to using some interesting things to transport cupcakes.  

See my pumpkin cupcakes for proof :)

Rainbow Invitation

Making the invitations is my favorite part of planning the kiddos birthday parties.

The ladybug is turning six and celebrating with a rainbow party.

(The idea for the rainbow twizzlers and cloud topper came from TomKatStudio via Parenting)

In case you missed past party invites:

Mickey Mouse Invitations

Lemonade Stand Invites

Construction Truck Invites

Linking here:
http://www.craft-o-maniac.com/
http://momsbyheart.net/
http://www.naptimecrafters.com/
http://www.sew-much-ado.com/
http://www.gingersnapcrafts.com/
http://debbiedoescreations.com/
http://thetrendytreehouse.blogspot.com/
http://somedaycrafts.blogspot.com/
http://www.yesterdayontuesday.typepad.com/
http://www.houseofhepworths.com

A Lemonade Stand Birthday Party

Remember those lemonade stand party invitations I shared last month? 

Well the party finally came along.  

And the party wouldn't be complete without a lemonade stand.

The hubs was kind enough to build this lemonade stand for us.  I've seen so many cute ones for sale, but all with a huge price tag.  
Mine cost $5.  Woo hoo!  
The bottom portion is a part of a cabinet from the "as is" section of Ikea for $5.  That's the spot to go!  


The frame around it was made with scrap wood we already had.
I put chalkboard paper on the front so we could personalize her stand.

 

Down the sides of the stand I added a string of these cute paper lemons from Wendolonia

The banner across the front was made front paint chips (gotta love paint chips) and doilies strung together with yellow baker's twine.

That super cute personalized lemonade stand tank she is wearing is from Cotton Laundry

We served regular and pink lemonade.  Guests could garnish their drinks with lemons, strawberries, or raspberries.   The drink wouldn't be complete without a pink or yellow striped straw.

The birthday girl loved serving lemonade to her guests.

The little guests took home small pails with goodies including pink lemonade gumballs.

The gumballs are in pretzel bags with a paint chip top.  The pink lemonade circle was a printable at Funkytime

These lemonade recipe cards came from Funkytime as well.

My mom made this adorable fruit salad.  She packaged it up to match the party decor.
{Thanks Mom!}

We had a small sweet table.  
Since the party was at a park, this was easier than having a cake to cut and melting ice cream.

This candy jar I made HERE and just added the lemonade gumballs.

I made the cupcake toppers to coordinate with the invitations.

The birthday girl had a blast.

Linking up at THESE link parties!