Counting my blessings


These are my blessings...I thank GOD for them every day. 


Each day I can kiss and hug these sweet guys, I'm a happy woman and grateful they are mine. 

Never Let The Things You Want Make You Forget The Things You Have


It's also a blessing that you take time to read my posts, and for that, I thank you! 

xoxo,
Natassja 




Sweet little gifts...DIY style!

As most of you know, I'm new to the world of sewing. I received a sewing machine for my birthday and have fallen in love with the craft. It's almost, a little therapeutic for me. Creating cute gifts, made with love,  for people I adore.

Here's a look at some of the little gifts I've made lately. I couldn't share these projects until the gifts were given, as not to ruin the surprise! So, hopefully, you're inspired to make your own handmade gifts for the people you love too! For the tutorial that I followed, for these bow ties, visit the link below!

Baby Bow Ties

My third nephew will be arriving soon, so I was excited to make these little coordinating baby bow ties for three little brothers.



I pinned these adorable baby bow ties months ago, and finally got around to making some! The only thing I changed was added the elastic for easy off and on and sewed the smallest bow tie to the onesie. What do you think? I think they came out pretty cute! I made each one larger by a couple inches for the older brothers. Hopefully, we'll see in May sometime, how they all look wearing their little preppy bow ties! 

Click here for the bow tie tutorial

Sparkly Tutu

Oh, how I love a tutu! What can I say...I am a true girly-girl!:) 


For Christmas this year, I made a few tutus for the little girls in my life! I followed an easy tutorial I found on Pinterest, but changed some little details here and there. These tutus turned out super cute, however the sparkle in the tulle, lingered for days!! I apologize again to the parents of these little princesses with sparkly tutus,  the glitter goes everywhere!! 

Click here for the Tutu Tutorial I found on Pinterest! 

Burp Cloths & Onesies 


One of the first gifts I made, were these adorable little burp cloths and matching onesie. They turned out to be pretty simple to make {using a sewing machine of course, I wouldn't want to hand stitch, but it is doable!}

For the onesie, I just drew out a pattern for a tie on a piece of paper & then traced it over the fabric. I cut it out & sewed it on the onesie. I also made a bow tie, but I didn't get a picture.


Here's the burp cloth tutorial I used to make these! 
This blogger, makes lots of cute stuff! Check her out for more inspiration!  

These are just a few of the little sewing projects I've been working on...I hope to finish the 'how-to' for the Valentine's Day apron I made a couple weeks ago. If you missed the party, check it out here!

Thanks for stopping by & as always, please share your ideas for easy DIY projects too! I will be introducing a beautiful lady who will guest blog for me soon....Hoping she will share something from her fabulous repertoire of handmade gifts too!

Stay tuned!  



Crafty blog readers!

My readers are crafting too! I recently shared my post for Easy Breezy Valentines Decor and asked you to share your own heart garland to share pictures! Well, here's to you!!

Here are some pictures of the adorable heart garlands made by my blog readers!! LOVE!!

Thank you Antra for sharing your sweet little garland!


And for some more easy to do Valentine's Day decorating...stop by  Inspired By Living for this ADORABLE easy art project! 

You may see posts from this beauty again very soon! 


If you have pictures to share of your own heart garland, or other cute Valentine's craft...please share!! I would love feature yours too! 

Valentine's Day Party


Our 2nd annual little tot Valentine's Party was a success! We had a great time, despite some creative differences between our mini artists a couple times, we had a wonderful time! There was even time for mimosas for mommies!! :)

Here is a look at the fun day we had! 
We had a delicious buffet of treats to savor in the morning with our coffee and mimosas! Red velvet cupcakes, a breakfast pinwheel and Oreo truffles brought by our friends to share. In addition to chocolate croissants, fruit salad and of course, my black truffle oil popcorn! Which, at first thought, wasn't a "breakfast/brunch" choice, but oh so good!! 

DIY Photo Backdrop

{The girls had to show Jack how to pose!}



You know I love a photo booth, so of course this year's Valentine's cards had to include another photo! 
This easy backdrop was made with a roll of clearance Christmas paper white side out, streamers and more felt hearts! I threw in some sparkle hearts for fun too! If you missed the felt heart garland post, be sure to check it out & you'll see more felt hearts!!


 Valentine Craft Time

 But before getting our little hands dirty, Jack had to share his Valentines...a homemade apron for all his little friends with a small Valentine card inside!


 

 I'm proud to say that these aprons didn't come from Pinterest, not that there is anything wrong with "Pinspiration" but these are an original design and made with love!! {And a little aggravation too!} I wanted to make Valentine's for the kids that were unique and practical. Making something from scratch, wasn't easy, but I can happily say, they turned out pretty cute! Now, on to the finger painting!




 Thank you Stephanie for bringing over another craft for us to do also! A cute window sun catcher made with contact paper and tissue paper!


After crafts and snacks, we worked up a craving to dance and be silly! 

And have girl talk with out the boys...

 Or just have some more cupcakes?? 

A BIG thanks to these ladies for bringing their little ones & sharing a fun time with us! 


I'll share the how-to for my apron, our final Valentine Cards & blooper photos from the party in another post! They are hilarious! Stay tuned! 





Easy breezy Valentine's Decor!

Valentine's Day is around the corner, so I wanted to share some easy decor ideas to add a little love to your space! These are easy to do and add a little touch of Valentine's Day with out too much fuss! {And if you have a little one...they will love to point out the colors!}

Felt Heart Garland


To make these garland strands, you can use pretty scrapbook paper, fabric or felt. I used different colors of felt, because I love how easy it is to work with and it's inexpensive! 

First step, cut your hearts out!

Next step, attach your hearts. I used my sewing machine to sew them together with a simple zig zag stitch, but if you don't have a sewing machine, you can use a simple needle & thread or use a hot glue gun to glue them on a ribbon. 

Last step, admire and hang your new heart garland! :) 



Little Pop of Flair

Again, with just a little scrapbook paper, cut out a heart & tie a piece of string or ribbon to add a little flair! 


Easy, breezy Valentine's Day decorations for your space! 
If you have cute and easy ideas to share...please share them here! 

Thanks for stopping by & if you make your own heart garlands...I would love to see your pictures!! 
Email me! 





This is love...

I just wanted to share a quick post with you today. I'm sharing what inspires me to be a better wife and mother, each day. My guys, the hardest working and most loving husband and the sweet little boy God gave us. Some days are easier than others, but I'm always determined to give them my best. It's cheesy, I know...but like I said recently to a friend, having her first baby, you fall in love all over again; seeing them hold the baby...what else would compel you to give them your best?

My amateur photo skills of my little guy.

As soon as Daddy arrives, he doesn't even change clothes to read for his boy! The best.
Funny enough, the idea to share this post came from watching Cinderella with Jack. He loves "Gus-Gus" and we just love watching it together. So, in the words of Cinderella,  "this... is love"