Contrast

Last night I took some pictures of my impatiens seedlings that just sprouted this week so I could write a post in celebration of the arrival of Spring. I was planning on snapping some shots of some sprouting flowers outside this morning, but just as I thought I could put away the winter clothes and start planning for warmer weather, I woke up to this:


Here are the tiny little seedlings that I started indoor a few weeks ago, nice and warm in the comfort of my basement - a stark contrast from the conditions outside!

I decided to plant my flowers from seeds in recycled egg cartons this year to save money. Rather than paying upwards of $2 each for impatiens, I spent a mere $20 to plant 48 plants, including 6 tomato plants. I also saved money by using egg cartons and seed starting soil rather than purchasing an expensive seed starting kit. There's no reason we can't surround ourselves with beauty this summer while working with a tight budget! In total I spent approximately $20, (seeds- $5, soil - $5, plant bulb for shop light - $10, egg cartons - free!) while if I had purchased my plants from the store I would had spent upwards of $100! I'd say the $20 was money well spent, wouldn't you?

I would love to hear the creative ways that you are finding to save money without sacrificing the things you love this spring!

The Festivities

Nadija's second birthday was a huge success and she had more fun than I've ever seen, running and giggling all day long. She played so hard that she was ready for bed by 6pm! Here are some pictures of her party:

Here's my big two-year-old proudly wearing her special birthday shirt,
holding a few of the balloons from the party.

Her homemade birthday cake adorned with real flowers


A smiley little flower perched on the back of each dining chair


And of course gift bags filled with spring related gifts including
flowers, bubbles, printed coloring pages of spring time things and crayons.

Birthday Preparations

It's been all work and no play around here as we prepare for Nadija's second birthday in between re-organizing our house to make room for her little brother. I thought I would share some pictures of the shirt that I made for her to wear at her birthday party. The theme of her party revolves around flowers and spring. Seeing as she was born on the first day of spring, I thought this fabric was fitting. It was super easy to make and took less than an hour.

I simply chose my font, set the size to 550, used steam-a-seam to iron it onto the shirt and zig-zagged all the way around for durability. Easy peasy! I may add a flower to embelish a bit more and will be whipping up some sleeves to attach to it to give it a layered look. Afterall, the temperature is still only in th 50's so a short sleeve shirt just won't cut it.


For her party I will be adding some silk flowers to her cake and giving flower themed favors, such as printable coloring pages with flowers on them and some cute little bendy, plush flowers that I found at Target.

We have a winner!

I'm happy to announce that we have a winner for last weeks wallet giveaway! Random.org generated #8, Marie Isabella! Congrats to our winner and thank you to all who participated! I so enjoyed reading your comments and favorite boys names!

Wallet Giveaway!

A few weeks ago I mentioned possibly offering a giveaway for a prototype cosmetic pouch that was slightly less than perfect. After thinking long and hard about it, I decided to offer one of my tri-fold wallets instead. This wallet is the first off the sewing machine after finalizing my design. I'm so in love with this design and fabric combo and am so excited to offer it to one of my lucky readers!

So, here's the low down: to enter the giveaway either subscribe to or follow my blog and leave me a comment letting me know that you did so. Also in your comment tell me your favorite name for a baby boy (yep, hubby and I are still in disagreement on our little man's name!) All entries must be submitted by midnight CST on Sunday - be sure to leave an email address where I can reach you. I will announce the winner on Monday morning. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.