Loving: This and That

Okay apparently I am loving a lot lately!  I just kept adding more and more stuff to this collage.  And I love it all!  There's a little for T and a little for me.

- Little boy jacket, sweater, shorts and shoes: All of these darling treasures are from Zara.  I have been eyeing their kid's clothing for a long time.  And now that they are online I can finally get them!  Be sure to check out these little girls' picks: dress, romper, top and shoes.  Ah, so cute!

- These little cardboard foxes are amazing!  They are perfect entertainment for little kids and the cutest decoration for a little bit of whimsy in your child's room.  I can't wait to break these out for Talinn!

- How cute are these star crayons?  I think they might be perfect for T's little hands and may not break as easily.  I kind of want to give them a shot!

- We just go this rug from Land of Nod for T's room.  It's amazing!  The graphic print is perfect for the colorful, whimsical feel of his bedroom.  

- This magazine holder is a perfect touch for any room.  The detail is perfection.  

- I just got these chevron shades from Target.  I paired them with bright red lamps in our living room.  They are so fun and bold and on sale!

- We've been on the hunt for a knife block.  I love the look of this one.  West Elm always has such great accents.

- These candlesticks are perfect!  They have just the right touch of rusticity.  

- I think it's fun to have a little bit of fun in your decor and this ferris wheel does just that.

- This scarf from J. Crew is on my wish list.  I love the accent of bright orange with the leopard print.

- Again Zara.  Man oh man I just love what they have.  The print on this shirt is pure perfection.

- I just happened on these Etsy bracelets and I adore them!  The colors are so fun and perfect for summer.  

- I recently got one of these bracelets from The Way We Are.  She has such amazing pieces!  I've been wearing mine every day.

- I've been on the search for a bubble necklace.  This one is perfect!  And not too bad on the wallet.

His & Hers BlaBla Kids!

One of my favorite things that I got for Talinn before he was born was his blabla.  I think they are cute and whimsical! These guys are always my go-to for baby showers.  The recipients are so happy with them.  They come in two different sizes.  The smaller ones are good for baby hands while the larger ones are good for toddlers.  Here are a few of my favorites.

{Luigi | Lilipop}

{Socks | Suzette}

{Wink | Prudence}

And don't even get me started on the costumes for these little guys.  Too, too cute.  And if you are crafty (which I am not), you could use these as inspiration and make your own!

{Pirate | Red Riding Hood | Bird Costume | Superhero}

Finger Painting!

For Mother's Day, I decided to do something special for Talinn's grandmas.  It was an opportunity for us to do something completely out of the norm.  So I made fingerpaint and Talinn created his first artwork.  And I think it turned out fabulous!

I used a recipe that I found on Pinterest and I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out.  Here are the ingredients:

3 tbsp of sugar
1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 cup of corn starch
2 cups of water

You just combine everything and warm the mixture on the stovetop until it thickens.  Once it does, let it cool and add the food coloring!

1) The mixture looks like this once it thickens.
2) Here is the food coloring I used.  I wanted a large variety of colors so this was the best way to go.
3) Add the food coloring and stir.
4) Create all your colors and mix well.

And then paint!  I will warn you this is a very messy project.  Your child and home will get messy but the good news is that I am still finding paint spatters around the house and they come up pretty easily.  Also as you can see I used my regular white dishes and silverware.  I just washed them really good and then tossed them in the dish machine and they came out good as new.

The hardest part was getting Talinn cleaned up!  It took a good scrubbing to get all the finger paint off him.

Also once Talinn realized he could eat the paint (although it's not the healthiest thing but probably better than pre-made finger paint), it was hard to get his hands out of his mouth!

And here's the finished project!  We made three pieces of artwork in total.  We framed two of them and sent them off to his grandmas for Mother's Day.  All in all it was a super fun activity!

I'm definitely on the search for more fun activities like this.  Any suggestions?

What We Wore: A Day at the Zoo!

So this is a double outfit post: what I wore and what Talinn wore to the zoo.  This is my typical mom uniform.  I wear it at least once every weekend.  I just switch out the scarf and voila I have a new outfit!

I originally saw these scarves on Good Life for Less and immediately was smitten.  I love the floral print and the pop of colors.  The price was right so of course I bought two.  But if truth be told I could buy...every...single...one!

On a side note, I used to hate TOMS.  I saw them everywhere on style blogs and I was like BLAH why are people wearing those?!?  They look like bandaged feet!  But then I caved and bought a pair...and I LOVE them.  They are so comfortable and cute. Clearly, everyone knows better than I do!

{Jacket: Similar, Sweater: Similar, Tee: Similar, Scarf: Forever 21, Jeans: Similar, Shoes: TOMS}

I've also decided to share some of the outfits that my son wears because I love dressing him!  When I was pregnant, I thought about how fun it would be to dress a little girl if I had one (enter: visions of pink, ruffly tutus).  But then I found out I was having a boy and I had to get creative.  I think having a little boy requires you to shop a little harder and mix and match more.  You don't just walk into a store and see a head-to-toe baby blue outfit and think: that's adorable (like you do when you see a pink one).  And of course I've had to find my own baby boy accessories like bow-ties and suspenders to replace the ribbons and bows!

{Hat: Boden, Shirt: Carter's, Sweater: Gap, Jeans: Similar, Socks: Boden}

This hat is my favorite.  We have certainly got our money's worth out of it this winter.  I love the combination of colors: the orange pompom, the grey and navy stripes and the red applique car.  It's so boy but also super cute.

We got the shirt at Carter's during a buy one, get one sale.  We bought a TON of stuff because it was such a good deal!

So there you have it.  Dressing a little boy can be fun!

Welcome to the Big Top: T's First Birthday Party

Talinn recently turned one.  It was a little bittersweet.  I'm happy we reached this milestone, but sad that my little baby is already one!  

We had a great big circus celebration in honor of his birthday.  I had a lot of fun planning, designing and crafting for the big day.  I took my lead from the invitation and designed everything around a red, yellow and blue theme.

Here are some of the details:

When I bought decorations, I tried to buy things that might have a longer shelf life.  I didn't mind spending more on some of the items like toys or books since I knew they would get use after the party.  The elephant decal was expensive, but we moved it to Talinn's room so now it's a permanent decoration!

I made a lot of the decor including this flag banner and I was so happy I did!  My projects turned out better than I expected! 

I also made a photo banner because we've been taking photos of Talinn with his giraffe "Jimmer" since he was one month old.  And I thought what better way to display all those photos and how he has grown!  I mounted each photo on circus paper (such a good buy!) and then printed out numbers to correspond with the months.  Each photo is attached to a long piece of Ric-Rac with a small, red clothespin.

{Adult Favors}

{Kid Favors}

We sent all the adults home with jelly beans.  The seal was a free printable from One Charming Party.  And the kids went home with a zebra tambourine stick.

We also made circus themed food: kettle corn, homemade lemonade, mushroom swiss sliders, chicken fingers, sweet potato fries and jam sandwiches cutout as lions and elephants for the kiddos.

And the banana split cupcakes we had were amazing!

And last but not least, the birthday boy!  My mom made his circus pants and his little bow-tie.

Source List:

Invitation- Hello! Lucky
Red and white circus tents- Etsy

ABC is for Circus- Amazon

Wooden elephant, seal and bear- ACME Party Box Company

Circus paper- Etsy

Red clothespins for the photo banner- Amazon

Elephant riding bike- Amazon

Elephant on top of ball decal- Etsy

Cupcake liners, napkins, blue cake stand and candy containers- Shop Sweet Lulu

Vintage circus posters- El Cheapo Posters

Lollipops- Hammond's

Elephant teapot used as a vase- World Market

Handmade tablecloth by my mom- Hawthorne Threads

Strong man- World Market (in store)

Zebra tambourine sticks- Eleganter

Inspiration:

Cupcake topper and flag banner

Tablescape

Photo banner

Jam sandwiches

Circus party

Carnival inspiration boards

Loving: Kids Stuff!

1. These little dolls are adorable!  If I had a little girl, I would have a hard time picking a favorite.
2. A little gift shop near us has tons of these little hot air balloons in their window.  Every time I go by, I want to stop in and buy a few.  I think they would be great for Talinn's "big boy" room.
3. The Menagerie book ends at Serena & Lily are expensive, but they are so cool.  This little dinosaur is right up my alley.
4. I've been waiting for the moment when we can start coloring.  It might be a failed experiment, but I'm ready to give it a try.  These crayons are a little bigger and might be perfect for his little hands.
5. Speaking of arts and crafts, I'm ready to make playdough!  Talinn has been very interested in the texture of his food.  He's been squeezing avocados, painting with milk and pinching blueberries.  This makes me think he might love playdough.
6. This pirate ship pull toy is amazing!  The detail is impeccable.  What little boy wouldn't love pulling it around?
7. These sweet little bunnies would make for the perfect Easter gift.  
8. I love the idea of this book, where you make your own toys.  What a great way to encourage your child's imagination!
9. This is the perfect project for a little one.  Edible finger paint!  I can't wait to try it out!