DIY Fall Wreath

Fall Wreath

Its that time of year again! The time when we start to get into the back to school rhythm and I start to think about christmas fall decorating. 
I think fall gets a bad rap when it comes to decorating. Halloween stuff comes out in August and by October all the Christmas decorations are out. I try to give fall its just deserves, and so I submit to you, the Fall Wreath. 

I found the inspiration for my wreath on this awesome blog 
She has amazing tutorials and TONS of home decorating ideas. Check it out.

I started out at JoAnn Fabric's with a handful of coupons. If you can get the materials for this when they are having a good sale its way, way, way worth it. I made my wreath for about $12.00. Here's what I used:


-2 bunches of fall leaves (you could also use the garland)
-1 bunch of berries ( it also had a little pumpkin attached)
-1 18" grapevine wreath
-scizzors
-hot glue (I didn't use any because my wreath is protected by the storm door)


start by removing the leaves from the stems and then cutting the leaves apart so they are single leaves with a little stem. 

leaves sans stems

I really how in my inspiration picture all the leaves are going in the same direction. You could put them in the wreath in any way that suits you, but I liked it that way. Stick the leaves into the wreath or hot glue them if you so desire.

Once you have all the leaves in you can hang it up or add your berries or other embellishments.
That's it! easy as can be, cheap, and done in under an hour.

Surprise Diaper Shower

My great (because good wouldn't do her justice) friend Kelly is expecting her second baby (and first son) next month. I wanted to throw a shower for her, but when I would slyly ask her what she needed for the baby the answer was always the same. Nothing. She didn't find out the sex of her first baby so all the clothes were neutral colors and being only two years old, everything could be reused right down to the crib bedding.

I am one of those people who thinks its okay to have a full on shower for every baby no matter how close together they are or what the sex happens to be. Every baby and pregnancy is special in my opinion and deserves equal amounts of preparation, love, and parties.

Anyway, back to Kelly...I made the decision to throw her a surprise diaper shower. Since she didn't need any baby clothes or gear, each guest brought diapers and wipes of various sizes. Every mom (and dad) knows that there is no such thing as too many diapers!
I used diapers to decorate and of course sent those home with the guest of honor as well.
Here are some pictures of the diaper decor:

Diapers on a Line Banner

I used blue/brown striped scrapbook paper and cut out the letters using templates I made in word. I'm sure you could print an outline of the letter directly on the scrapbook paper thus saving some trees, but I didn't know how to change the paper settings on my printer. I taped the letters onto the backside of each upside down diaper and placed each diaper over a clothesline. I was going to tape the letters onto the diapers right side up and use clothespins to hold the diapers onto the line, but as I got started my husband suggested to do it this way and it was much easier than messing with all the pins.

Diaper Cake

This diaper cake was surprisingly easy, albeit, time consuming to make. The instructions I found on line called for using rubber bands to wrap around each diaper and then each layer of the cake. I used regular curling ribbon because
a. that's what I had on hand, and
b. I hate it when my hands smell like rubber bands.
The video I followed is here.The diapers I used were a size 1, and I used a total of 61 diapers. 34 on the bottom tier, 18 in the middle and 9 on top. another layer could have been added, but I was too tired to add one.
In addition I cut strips of brown fabric (I bought a yard at joann's for $3.00) about 4 inches wide and then ironed about 1/2" on each long side to the back to make a hem and bring the total width of the strips to 3". I wrapped those around each layer and secured them with a straight pin then tied a coordinating ribbon around each one. to finish it off I stacked the layers and inserted a dowel rod down the middle of the entire cake to keep it stable.

Diaper Stacks

the final diaper detail was the little pyramid of diapers tied with a ribbon. I used those around the living room to finish off the theme. I stacked three rolled diapers in a triangle shape and tied them with the same ribbon as the diaper cake.

The wooden baby box was purchased at Micheal's. they also had pink/brown ones. I used the box to hold the favors which just so happened to be Eat n Park cookies in clear cellophane bags. I didn't get a picture of those because I was too busy eating the left overs!

I was really worried about the surprise, but it went off with out a hitch and we all had a great time. Best of all Kelly got stocked up on diapers for her new baby boy.

note to self: No more coffee at 8 pm!

As I sit here on the couch, cradled by the silence that comes at 1:18am, I can't help but want to start screaming and wake everyone up. I'm struggling right now to walk the delicate line between doing what is good (for my family, and the earth) and turning into a raving lunatic who outlaws any questionable things in the house no matter how convenient they make living our lives day to day.

About 2 hours ago I started reading about which plastics are better than others (because apparently none of them are all that great) and they effects the really bad ones have on people (and lab animals). About 1 hour ago I went through my kitchen like a tornado checking the bottoms of all my plastic cups and containers checking to make sure I wasn't inadvertently poisoning my family. Thankfully most of what we use on a daily basis fell into the "Ok" plastic category, but a few things had to be tossed, including an unopened package of red "party" cups that coincidentally should not be used for alcoholic beverages.

I'm not really sure what I'm trying to get at with this post. I just want nothing bad to ever happen to my girls or husband and I also don't want to drive myself crazy trying to stop it. I guess this is the plight of every wife and mother....No wonder I'm getting gray at 27!!!

crocheting beyond hats

I've been crocheting for a few years now and I've made pretty much only hats, mittens, scarfs, and baby blankets. My best friend from high school is having a baby this July and I really wanted to make her something other than the typical blanket. I found a very cute pattern on Etsy that I wanted to try for her baby (and use for my girls too!) It turned out so great, and you can find the pattern here if you want to try it for yourself. I hope she likes it!

Mother's Day 2010

I had an awesome mother's day this year thanks to my fantastic husband and two great girls! We spent saturday night with Grandma and Pappy and the rest of the Weissenwald clan, then sunday I was treated to breakfast out (@ Eat n Park, of course) and gifted with cards, some beautiful pink tulips and a new hot pink IPOD!!! They treat me well.

Shayla and I also spent some time making some gifts for her Grandma, Nunny, and Lola. For Grandma and Nunny we painted 6 inch tera cota pots and filled them with plants and flowers. Since we couldn't mail Lola a painted pot, we decided to make a canvas bag and paint the girls hands and turn them into flowers. Kacey's little hand made the perfect tulip, and Shayla used her hand one on top of another and maid a pretty purple daisy. I of course forgot to take a picture before mailing it, so as soon as Lola sends me one I'll post it. all in all we had a great mother's day weekend!

wedding "cake"

Last Saturday I celebrated with the Wright and Fisher families at Beth's bridal shower. We had a great time eating, laughing, and helping to prepare Beth for married life. (although, is anyone ever really prepared for married life??)

I'm really glad I got to play bakers' helper in Courtney's kitchen, and Aimee's personal consultant for all things wedding and craft related!!

I decided to gift Beth with a wedding "cake" made out of bath and hand towels, and wash cloths. I turned out great and I can't wait to make some more for more of my friends!

Easter Egg Hunts

We had a very busy Easter weekend this year. Shayla went to her first "friend" birthday party at Avery's house, Mickey's birthday party, as well as Easter get togethers with Uncle Johnny, Aunt Priscilla and CJ and Grandma and Pappy.

Pirate Game

I know, I know. Stop buying tickets and maybe the team will get better. That's easier said than done, especially on fireworks night. I can't help it I'm a Pittsburgher and everything is kosher for us as long as it ends with a Zambelli fireworks display!

oh the good ole days

Last night we had a blast at an 80's party for a friend's birthday. We danced (and sang) the night away, and it left me wondering why aren't all parties dance parties anymore? Makes me think more of those are in order!

Mom, you just have a little beard right there.

When big sister turned 3 I started to get emotional about stuff. My little baby was growing up, her baby sister was growing just as fast and I was starting to worry that I was going to forget this time and the things that my girls said and did. Then one day while we were laying on the couch big sister was looking at my face and ever so sweetly said, "mom, you just have a little beard right there", and pointed to my lip. This of course sent her father into hysterics and left me wondering why I wanted to remember these things?!?