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Sunday, October 30, 2011

Little Warrior Forest Bear




Armed with a hot glue gun, an old dish towel, felt and some brown fabric, I created a 5 minute, no sew, little brave costume for Káel. We just got back from a friend's birthday party, with an old school cowboys and indians theme. Sarah's little boy, Lief turned 3 and it was a party of the year. All the kids had so much fun. If you're wondering, (which of course you are I'm sure) ;) if Sam filmed a video...he did! I'll be sure and post it when he's done editing. I kinda wanted to leave my little Forest in his sweet, fringed garb all day. But, the nap season of the day took it's toll on little sir and it all came off.

Well, we have a masquerade party that we are going to this evening.  So, I'm going to go finish up our masks and do some extra primping of my face and brown curly locks.

Before I sign off, can I just say I've had A BLAST with this fall fest follower party!? Oh my goodness! It's been so much fun connecting with SO many amazing new faces and beautiful hearts! If you have left a comment on my blog and/or are a new follower this weekend, and I haven't responded or connected with you yet, give me a day or two and you'll hear from me. I've read every new comment and have smiled SO big! Can't wait to explore more of your posts and get to know ya!

I better go before it gets too late! Muah!

Friday, October 28, 2011

Follower Fall Fest Party

Happy Fall!  And a big hello to all of you lovelies that are stopping by for our Fall Fest Party that us 3 girls are hosting! (Casey Leigh, Much Love Illy , Danielle  )

Fall, I think, is truly my favorite time of the year. I love the crisp bite in the air and the array of colors on the trees, which I swear are the color pallets of my heart. One of my most treasured fall moments is when I walk through a barrage of leaves falling. It feels like the trees are throwing a party for me.  It's like magical nature confetti. ;) 

Changing seasons can also be an excuse to get your friends together and have a party (and I love throwing parities!). It's a more recent discovery of mine, but I LOVE it. I think I'm rather addicted actually. However, being a mom of a toddler means  that my time can be disheveled, leaving me a very small window of time to do all the things I want to do. This little party was super cheap, super fast and easy. Sure, homemade from scratch pie tarts and baked goodies are FABULOUS, but...there's no way in heck that is realistic for me as an everyday or even weekly thing. Lately, I'm lucky if my hair gets washed and the dishes get cleaned. Ha! I'm not going to let my lack of Martha Stewart finesse stop me from enjoying  lovely hearts and making things pretty. 

I look forward to exploring all of the amazing blogs that are linking up today and this weekend! I hope you enjoy my little snippets and ideas. Have the loveliest of days and I pray this is the happiest fall season you've ever had!

I made all of the party tags from old brown paper grocery bags.
Trader Joes is one of my favorite grocery stores! You can get a box of a dozen natural mini-sweat potato pie bites for $1.99...stick 'em in the oven and boom. They also have my favorite pumpkin bread mix for $2.99. All you add are eggs, water and oil. Stir it in a bowl, bake it and you're set. 
I found the cutest mini bread loaves pan and couldn't wait to try it out. 

I bough some old, mix-matched silverware at the thrift store, then spray painted the handles. Cheap, sweet and recycled. The caramel sauce recipe I got from here. I've always been scared to try to make something like that, but it was SO easy and only took 10 min, promise. 


Honey Crisp apples are THE BEST, hands down!  They make for the perfect caramel apple ice-cream bowl. 

It's getting dark which means the temperature is dropping. Time to light the fire pit and warm your hands! I found a bunch of mittens at different thrift stores for $.50-1.00. I stitched a felt heart on top and all of a sudden they are perfect party favors  for crisp, cold fire pit nights. 


Forest boy and I made a fall crown out of fake leaves that we spray painted and then hot glued to twine. My little woodland adventurer sprite. 


 Friday OCTOBER 28th


WE ARE CO.HOSTING A PARTY!!!

We are often asked how to grow your blog.  Here's your chance!!!! 
WE ARE BRINGING DIFFERENT READER AUDIENCES TOGETHER!
OVER 7,500 FOLLOWERS

HOW WILL IT WORK?
You will link up on any ONE hostess' site 1,2,3,4.  Our links will be interlinked.  Your post will be displayed on all our sites.  Then want to mingle? Party hop?

1. Write a post about anything Fall, Halloween, Recipes, Costumes or just introduce yourself!
2. Go to the links on any of the host pages beginning Friday, October 28th and link up. 
3. a requirement: you must visit each of the 4 hosts sites!
4.Make new friends!!  Increase YOUR readers!!!
GRAB THE BUTTON AND TELL ABOUT THE PARTY!!!!!

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Monday, October 24, 2011

A Forest Pirate's Birthday

Sam just finished editing the video from Káel's 1st birthday party, yesterday! Isn't he AMAZING!?!? Thanks babe! I'm SO excited about it! It was a Forest Pirate themed day, with a treasure hunt, water fun and goodies, buried in the sand for all the kids to discover. We were overwhelmed with love as a ton of our friends came out to party with us and jump into the mood of "aaaargh" and "ahoy mate!" Our parents came out and even my Gran, all the way from Dallas. I love my family. A huge love thanks and shout to our amazing community family, thank you for making his day unforgettable!   I'll be posting some REALLY precious pics later in the week of details from the party, but in the meantime, here are some little snippets for you to enjoy! 

Friday, October 21, 2011

2 Weeks of 1 Year Molars


I have to say, these past 2 weeks have been some of the hardest so far in mothering. One word, molars! Um...how did I miss the ONE YEAR molars? I thought they didn't get them until two? Well, shows you how much I've been reading up on the stages of my baby lately. Geesh.  All of a sudden, my happy, easy going kid has turned into the biggest whiney pants, clingy and "mommy only" child on the planet. Who ARE you? What happened to my Forest boy? Of course, this all happened right in the middle of several deadlines for my new business and blogging commitments,  etc. I've been reduced to the speed of a slug on Benadryl. It breaks my heart that he is uncomfortable. Every remedy I try doesn't seem to have any lasting effect. Amber necklace, homeopaths, medicine, frozen wash cloths, frozen peas, frozen anything, Mickey Mouse Club, you name it. Nothing lasts more that 15 minutes max. Trying to fit bulk sewing in the mix of that is almost impossible.
poor babies. they have it so rough. can't speak any language, can't understand you, bones shoving up through their gums, and always falling down and getting a busted lip or head. :( 

Just to give myself a peek back to my daily reality, later down the road, a day goes like this: 

Sam's off to work. 

Mickey Mouse or Little Einstein's goes on. (Don't you dare judge me for using the television.) ;)

Ok, he seems entertained. I scurry to my sewing center (aka dinning room) and start working on one of my piles for a group of dolls. This time it's cutting out heads. Ah, somehow Káel found the remote and turned the tv to the health channel which has some sort of surgical procedure on. Nice. Gross. 

Get up, change it back, hide the remote. Crying commences. Find something to replace the remote. Ugh, where is his fake cell phone? 

In the process of finding the cell phone, I notice food dried to my floor and all of a sudden, crumbs everywhere! I start feeling clasterfobic. I grab the broom and a cloth and start sweeping it up "real quickly". 

Gah, get back to sewing Jess, you have a big deadline, less work today means more tomorrow. 

Go back to my sewing. I get maybe one or two heads done and fitted with a hair template. A very distraught and uncomfortable baby waddles up to me and throws his head on my lap, sounding very much like a moaning, dying engine. Ah, he's somehow pulling the scissors off the table!? How do you reach that. Ah, not the iron! The next 5-10 min are spent soothing, trying to feed, keep alive and/or find entertainment for my little boy. (Did I mention that he just learned to climb up onto chairs...and tables?)

As I rush into the bathroom, trying to find his pacifier (Yep, still use that too.) I catch a glance of myself in the mirror. Oh my GOSH! THAT'S what Sam saw as he headed out the door this morning!? My almost grown out bangs, half greasy, half dry hair with the ever multiplying gray strays, spiraling up to heaven are discouraging. Don't forget yesterday's mascara leftovers, always a nice touch. Sigh.

Now where's his paci? What will make him happy? Why won't he eat anything? 

He tripped, and barely bumped his knee. Usually he laughs and continues exploring. Not now. The world has officially come to an end. The only thing that will console him is mommy, holding him for several minutes. Poor little darlin'. AAAAAAH!  Afer he does that 10-15 times, literally within 30 min I'm crying too. Don't forget to throw a poop explosion in there and I mean EXPLOSION. Of course, that really has never happened before in his whole 1 year of existence on this side of my uterus. 

Maybe a nap? Each day it's been hit or miss. Wait. Is that quiet, I hear? Oh, the quiet is heavenly. 1 hour later, I hear his little voice letting me know he's awake. 

Then it's starts back to square one. This repeats several times, usually worsening the later it gets. By the time Sam comes home, I'm tired of being touched and clung too, I'm depressed because what I wanted and needed to get done is still laying in a sad pile on my table and my house is a wreck. 

Dinner time. My "eats anything" boy only eats oatmeal, steamed apples, and frozen peas and sweet potatoes right now.  Mostly sweet potatoes. So, we try our luck with one of those. Then, it happens. I'm trying to finish stitching a couple legs while Sam coaxes bites into our mini human and I cut clean through my pointer finger with my sharpest pair of scissors. I know I need stitches. Nope, pressure, hand above my head, more pressure and a bandaid that turns my finger blue. Yep. 

Finally, bed time. Quiet. My sewing pile and messy house call my name but, I'm so exhausted from this unknown territory, known as 1st year molars, that I just want to sit and do nothing. I cry. Like I have been doing every night for the past 2 weeks.  Poor Samuel.  What a sight to come home to. He's the sweetest though. After hearing my blubber about why I'm crying for the umpteenth time, he goes and get's a surprise dinner, sit's down and starts helping me stuff a huge pile of doll arms and legs. Come to find out, he's better than I am at the task and has the kindest smile on his face. As crazy as it sounds, it felt like a date. He knows how to make me smile again. I felt Mt. Everest lift off of my shoulders. 

Of course, once we go to bed, a few hours later, I wake up to screams. My heart breaks and my body yells at me for sleep. The only thing that will coax my baby back to dream land is a bottle, Infant Benadryl and mommy holding him. I can't stand to see him in pain and not be able to tell him why it hurts so bad. I drag myself back to bed.

Ugh...morning is almost here.

I get a text from a friend telling me it won't last and before I know it he'll wake up and magically return to the baby I know. I cling to her glimmers of hope. Reread it Jess. Reread it again. 

Little boy, I wish I could make your mouth feel better. I feel so helpless, and...crazy. No, seriously, crazy. haha. Our friends keep telling us that, one day you'll wake up and be like your old self again. I can't wait. Bless your heart. Even though I'm at the point of pulling my hair out, I know one day, when you're older, I'll long for even one of these rough days, just to hold you. Right now, you are cuddled under my arm, watching a kids show and trying to call someone on my iPhone.  My sewing pile is glaring at me, but you are happy at the moment, and you are enjoying my closeness. That works. I'll take it. I love you little babes. 

-Momma



Tuesday, October 18, 2011

More Dollies

The next 2 weeks are going to be SUPER busy for me as I finish sewing all my little dollies. I'm gearing up for November so that doesn't leave me much time to whip these little cuties out. I haven't felt this excited and productive in a long time. Eeeee! It feels so wonderful to be creating something that I love!

Have the loveliest of days!

-Jess

PS
Etsy store opening November! :) 

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Them Molars...

Oh little boy...

This week has been full and long, hasn't it? I can tell you don't feel like your normal, happy self and I'm guessing you're getting your molars in. You've never acted this uncomfortable or woken up this much in the night before. Bless your heart, sweet love. I have to say, I feel really special when, out of the blue, I'm the only one you'll be consoled by. Even when I'm sewing and trying to meet deadlines, I try to push through the frustration and enjoy your need for me for a simple minute. I love you handsome love. You're getting so independent so fast.  All of a sudden, I feel like I want to hit the rewind button for just a day and hold you. Oh, thanks for still holding my hand when you walk, even though you don't need to. You are my favorite.

These booger seasons of teething won't last much longer and you'll be tromping through this or that adventure again, not even remembering it.

Well, you are napping now and I'm going to get your supper ready.

Dream away...

Momma

PS
Any tips for this heavy duty teething? 

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Sneak Peek: Fall Project

It's been a wonderful week of cloudy and cozy fall weather, which has me nestled in my little bungalow with my sewing machine. I've been spending hours adjusting my patterns and adding finishing touches to my little creations, trying to meet my goal for the end of the month. If you follow my instagram, you've already seen this, but I wanted to give you guys a little sneak peek of some of the goodness that's coming. :) I'm REALLY excited to introduce all my new little friends to you in a few weeks! My goal right now is to open the doors to my online shop by Nov. 1st, if I can finish building my stock up by then. We'll see and I'll keep you beauties posted. :)

Hope your week has been full of simple smiles and fall. :) 

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

I have been on a sewing conquest, the past several weeks, as I prepare to open my business selling my vintage inspired dollies! Lately, it feels like I've been doing nothing but stuffing legs and arms, legs and arms...and more legs and arms.  haha. I can't wait to share more details and glimpses of the little creations. They are SO sweet!

Meanwhile, my little handsome boy has officially become a full time walker! Yep! 2 days ago, he proved that he can stand up all by himself and now walks EVERYWHERE! When he does,  he has the proudest smirk on his face. I'm kind of glad it took him this long to walk because, it's made his baby stage last longer. I have to admit, I have found a little whimper in my tone when I talk about him walking...my baby is a big boy now. :( Thankfully, he is always ready to give me snuggles and blow me kisses.


Yesterday, I caught some kind of weird, 24 hour bug that I thought was the flu. Thank God it wasn't the flu. I'm pretty much recovered today after the sweet care of Dr. Samuel. ;) I tell you what, being knocked off of my feet and bound to the couch with fuzzy blankets and Thera-Flu, makes me appreciate all my normal healthy days, dear goodness!

Have you started decorating for fall yet? We just got our first pumpkins of the year last week. (which made me SO happy!) I am also getting really excited about the fall party on the 28th! I can't wait to see everyone's posts!

Well, I'm going to go back to stuffing and stitching! Have the loveliest day! 

Thursday, October 6, 2011

A Few Christmas Finds

Yesterday I did a post on my successful thrifting trip and told you I also found some Holiday goodies! Well, here are a few of my jingle bell treasures! I still haven't totally decided how I'm going to decorate for Christmas yet, but my new finds are definitely providing me with some vintage inspiration. ;) 
Late 50's early 60's tree skirt  25 cents! (I loooove this!)
An old DIY mistletoe, hanging ball from the late 50's  - only 25 cents.
Another DIY ornament from the late 50's, still in the package! Only 60 cents!
I found an old Christmas children's book to use for Christmas cards, only 60 cents,  as well. Káel decided he wanted to help me while I was trying to take a picture. ;)
I SO cannot wait to read Christmas stories to Forest boy this year! 

Thanks for your clicking votes, as always dears! <3
Click To Vote For Us @ the Top Baby Blogs Directory! The most popular baby blogs

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Enjoy the Boho?

I was a home alone momma for 3 whole days (first time) last week, while Sam was gone on a business trip. He was so sweet and asked for us to send him a picture every day... this was his fav. ;) 

Hey Loves, the site Top Baby Blogs has reset their numbers again and I need your help. (They reset every 6 months and I didn't even realize it was that time.) It would be so amazing if over the next few days, you could click on the brown box on the right hand side of the blog that says, "Top Baby Blogs"  and then vote for us by then clicking the owl that you see that says, "vote." :) I have loved meeting so many amazing girls that have come our way from that site and, I would really enjoy the opportunity to meet even more lovelies in the future! Seriously, if you haven't explored the pages of that hosting site,  you really should take some time and do it. You'll find some amazing blogs and might meet some new friends!  If you like reading and following the Boho Baby Bump, would you please send a click our way when you stop by for a visit? ;) Thank you guys SO much, seriously!

If you'd like to send us a vote, you can click HERE and then click the little owl. :) Can't wait to show you the vintage Christmas goodies that I found this past week! Pics will be posted tomorrow! :)

Thanks loves!

<3
Jess

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Attic Sale Finds

Do you enjoy a good garage sale? Oh man, I sure as heck do!  I can garage sale, attic sale, thrift shop sale or scour a junk yard for good finds and be in total heaven!

While on the way to have breakfast with a friend last Saturday morning, I saw that an old local church was having an attic sale. So, I decided just to "drop" by. ;) I ran in, not expecting too much. But, then I saw them... swarms of sweet, little older ladies with broaches and smiles, calmly directing everyone where to pay and such. I started walking a little faster, following the arrow signs inside the building. JACKPOT! A huge gym full of vintage amazingness and it was all dirt cheap. I spent 30 minutes in sheer delight, searching the piles of old fabric, the stacks of vintage dishes and the tables full of lamps and other items all in perfect condition. Here are a few of my finds. I found some reeeeally sweet vintage Christmas goodies, too. But, I'm going to save those for a post of their own. :) 
I was so excited when I found these metal embroidery hoops. I'm going to stretch some old lace and fabric in them for my bathroom wall. All of this for  $1.50.
$3 old children's globe (This came from Value Village)
$3 yellow pleather ottoman. (Káel LOVES this!)

$1 vintage felt baby slippers, in perfect condition and even in the original box!
.25 for these old little measuring spoons.
My favorite find, a 1962 cyclo-teacher! It's in perfect condition, all the pieces and just waiting to be used. I think I'm going to frame a few of the inserts. The illustration are too precious.  I'm really looking forward to my Forest boy being able to play with this! Eeee! I love it! $4


$1 game from 1970 that teaches money skills.
Aaaah! I LOVE my new $2 mid-century lamp! *squeal*

Hope you all are having a good week so far! I can't wait to show you the goodies that I found for Christmas! 

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Some of you may remember, a couple of months ago when I threw a "Farm Fresh" baby shower for my dear friends, Rebecca and Jesse, celebrating the arrival of their first baby boy! (See previous post here). We held it at their huge farm and it was a blast! We ate chili in jars, laughed and opened presents, while a group of the guys decided to relax at Jesse's firing range. What baby shower involves a firing range!? haha! I loved it! Well, Samuel shot an amazing highlight video of the day and I think this might be my favorite video that he's shot so far! He just finished editing it and I wanted to share with you guys. Becca's little boy, David Luke arrived a couple weeks ago and he is just perfect! Enjoy! 
All the guests at the baby shower took a painted bottle vase with flowers home as a party favor. 
Using the pages of an old children's book, all the guest wrote little notes and prayers for little David Luke.
The new parents, Rebecca and Jesse and lots of friends!

Becca and her mom.
It was THE biggest joy and honor to throw this party celebrating the arrival of Rebecca and Jesse's little boy! They are such an amazing family, so giving, kind and full of love! We love you guys so much and can't wait for our boys to go on adventures together at the farm!