4.14.2013

Pinterest Favs - Spring Is In the Air

Spring is here. And with that comes a little more color, a little more fun and anticipation of warm, sunshiny weather! I can't wait to slip on some flip flops, with freshly painted coral pink toes and enjoy the spring flowers outside. Here are a few of my favorite pins from the week.
 
Sources - Flip Flops, Maternity Nautical shirt, Quote, Flowers, More Flowers, Mint - loving this color, Nails & Fabulous bracelets.

Happy Pinning!

4.12.2013

An Organized Move - Tips for moving

When it was official we were moving to our new home, I was right in the middle of my first (very nauseous) trimester, and had twin three year olds helping me daily, and I had a LOT to pack. I knew we needed to come up with a plan to make the move as simple as possible. 

First I created a packing plan. I broke down how many weeks we had until the move (5 weeks in our case) and then printed out a calendar. I prioritized items that could be packed first and the items we would need until the very end. I listed everything out week by week. Things like pictures on the walls, decor, guest bedroom items, extra linens, etc could all be packed in the beginning. Weeks two and three included items like books in the den, seasonal items, clothes that we wouldn't need for the upcoming few weeks, less used kitchen items and craft supplies. The final week was the last of kitchen items, toys, the pantry and fridge items, clothing and toiletries. 

Breaking down the items into smaller chunks made it much easier to tackle and it was spread out over the five weeks. I would pack five to six boxes at a time rather than try to cram everything in to a few days. 

The next thing I did was create a moving notebook. I am going to do another post about the notebook and I will link to it here when done. 

Once I finished my packing schedule and moving notebook, I made my packing kit. I put everything in a small bin and that bin followed me everywhere for the five weeks up until the move. Here is what I included in my packing survival kit:
- Labels (plain white, found at Target)
- colored stickers (found at Target)
- Scissors
- Sharpie
- Packing tape
- Gallon size and quart size zipper storage bags
Supplies
Create a labeling system. It can look however you choose, the key is it is consistent. I labeled the room the box needed to go to in the new home in the top left corner of every label. I put the description of the contents in the bottom right corner of every label. I placed the labels on the same place of every box. This made it easy for anyone picking up the boxes (movers, family, etc) to know where to take the box. Plus it was helpful with unpacking in finding items we wanted to unpack first or needed to find quickly. 

Anything that was fragile, I added a bright green circle sticker in the middle of the label. This again was an easy way to let people know to be careful when picking up a box with a green circle without me having to tell them. 
We made sure everything possible was in a box (93 boxes total). We got our boxes at U-haul. They will take back any boxes you don't use for a full refund. The boxes were great quality. We passed them on to three other families after our move and they were all able to use them for their moves.

A few tips on boxes:
- Get lots of different sized boxes. 
- Comforters, pillows, blankets, winter coats should go in the largest boxes. 
- Books, plates, heavy items should go in small boxes because they get heavy quickly
- Wardrobe boxes are amazing for moving clothing in a snap. 
- Make sure to get plenty of tape and however many boxes you think you need, buy a few more. We made three trips back to buy more boxes. 

Setting aside a little bit of time before the move will make it so much less stressful and so much more organized. You will be happy you did! 

Happy Packing! 

4.11.2013

Big News!

I have been absent from this little blog I adore for quite some time. If you are reading this, thanks for stopping by. I hope to back to posting more frequently and getting back in to the blogging world. 

We have had some excitement in the past few months in our family. We recently moved into our new home. We have been looking for over a year and this was the home we kept coming back to over and over again. This is our forever home. Where we can picture of kids growing up, parties in the backyard, many holidays and lots and lots of love. We are excited to be here!  

I will be sharing tips I learned through the moving process. And fun, new organizational ideas because I have more space to organize in the new place! Yay! I also plan to share my adventure of decorating this house and making it our home. The twins are in their own rooms for the first time and want girl and boy specific rooms. Plus this house has a pool. It is something I am still adjusting to, but I think we will enjoy it once we feel we have all safety precautions in place. So there will be pool party posts for sure! 

And last but definitely not least . . .  We are THINKING PINK! We are expecting a little girl late this summer and are thrilled to add a new bundle of love to our family. I can't wait to share the excitement of planning the nursery and preparing for another little one as we get closer to the big day. 


Happy Blogging! 

8.23.2012

Bacherlorette Party Wine Tasting Survival Bags

 
My friend Catie's bachelorette party wish was a day wine tasting in the valley with her friends and family. The details were planned. Lunch spot - check. Stretch Hummer Limo - check. Winery, private wine tour at a wine makers studio and a tasting - check. Great friends and family - check. The last thing we needed were survival bags or goody bags for the day of.
I found the reusable wine totes online at amazon.com. Perfect size bag to hold our goodies and double duty use for the bottles of wine everyone purchased along our trip.
I have just dipped my toe in the waters of free fun fonts. I used fonts I found HERE to create the tags. For those of you who haven't explored this awesome way to create great signage - get to it. It is easy and fun, not to mention how much more spice it add to your projects!
This was the must have item I wanted in the bags. Small, cute pink cans of champagne. Perfect! Finding them was not so easy. Most of the places I tried said they usually carry them but they were sold out. Whole Foods, Cost Plus World Market and Target were all a bust. I was about to order them directly from the Coppola winery when I found them at a local specialty grocery store. 4 cans per box for $16.
The Goods:
- mini can of champagne
- bottle of water
- sunscreen (it was mid August and really hot when we went)
- Granola bar
- almonds
- breath savers
- a funky straw for the champagne
- I HAVE A HEADACHE medicine for the next morning (found at Target)
 
Favor bags like these are great for lots of reasons. Everyone enjoys getting a small gift, especially when it is a surprise. This stuff is all small but useful items for a day trip. And you can add hints of color to your event with the bags. Pick tissue and or tags that coordinate with the theme of the day or even the wedding colors. Have fun with it and your guests will definitely appreciate it!

8.22.2012

Pop of Color Bridal Shower

My fabulous friend Catie is getting married in Park City, Utah in September. We can hardly wait to arrive at the mountain and start celebrating this special couple. Her sister Lisa and mom Debbie threw a bridal shower for her. The party was filled with pops of color and hints of love. Every last detail was planned and perfected. Great job ladies and congrats to the soon to be Mrs. Nelson!
Bride to be - love this personalized hanger. Perfect for day of pictures and a great gift idea. Click HERE for similar styles.
Yummy colorful gumdrops in keeping with the theme.
Tower of sweet treats.
The signage and printables were adorable. All in bright, vibrant colors. This one listed the menu.
The food was amazing! And there was so much variety. Perfect for everyone to find something they liked - most people liked it all!
Succulents in small glasses wrapped in colored paper. They were tasteful, adorable centerpieces on the tables. Click HERE for a tutorial on making them.
Such an easy thing to do, but it makes such an impact. Add cucumber, lemon or lime slices to a pitcher of water. Takes standard water up a notch and is a perfect detail for any party.
Great idea for the mimosa bar. Pick your juice - mango, guava or mango passion fruit, then add your Brut (bubbly). Always a great idea to have an interactive drink and or food station to get people conversing at the party. Great icebreaker.
 
All in all the party was a hit. Catie really enjoyed herself. The shower flowed nicely and people really had fun. And the food was delicious. When done correctly the small details come together to make a perfect event!
 
Happy Shower Planning!

8.17.2012

Pinterest Favs - Cape Cod Dreaming

I would love to visit Cape Cod. I envision sunny days playing in the water and evenings by a fire pit after a clam bake. Mind you, I don't love sea food but I do love all things nautical and the party decor for a clam bake would make me all kinds of happy!
Sources - Recipe for a perfect trip to Cape Cod - Brilliant blue waters and casual boat rides, Great advice for meeting new friends, Beautiful lemon display for an afternoon party by the shore, Lazy summer days on sandy beaches, Cool watermelon cooloers in adorably quaint mason jars, the perfect crisp, preppy flowers, A little piece of mind.

Happy Pinning!