High Five for Friday!

1. Charlotte's first Halloween was a success! Since she was Olaf (costume tutorial here), I couldn't resist being Anna. Even though we only went to a few houses, we still had a great time!
2. My mom made me a fall table runner and I LOVE it! This picture doesn't do it justice, but it's absolutely perfect! Now I need her to make me a Christmas one just like it!
3. Charlotte barely squeezed into her first Halloween shirt that I bought for her last year. Good thing we only had to wear it for one day. Silly me bought a nine month shirt for my nine month baby. 
4. So. Much. Candy! My work collected leftover Halloween candy for the troops overseas. This was part of the 26lb stash we donated. I just wanted to swim in it! 
5. Charlotte is spending more time on her feet than sitting or crawling and she gets stronger every day! Sometimes I catch her for about 5 seconds standing without holding onto anything. We are going to be in trouble when she starts to walk.

Linking up with Lauren Elizabeth for H54F!

Treat Yourself to Some Downtime

“This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Weave Made Media® and PEOPLE® , and PEOPLE StyleWatch®, but all my opinions are my own. #weavemade #MeTimeMags http://my-disclosur.es/RgFrEH”

Mom, wife, full time employee, seamstress, maid and the list could go on and on. Having multiple jobs and responsibilities is just a fact of life, but forgetting to take time for yourself doesn't have to be. In an age where our personal lives are no longer private, thanks to social media, we often get caught up in fabricating our lives to be more busy, more fabulous and more fulfilling than the next guy. How are you supposed to enjoy life if you never take a miniature to just stop and smell the roses?

Tonight I'm doing just that and I couldn't be happier. I find it so important in my busy schedule to take an hour a couple of times a week to do what makes me happy. Growing up, my mom used the phrase "me time" when she just wanted to slip away and not be disturbed for a little bit. Sometimes she would even tell me to take "me time" in hopes I would return with a better attitude. Needless to say, this idea of setting aside time for myself has always been a part of my life. 

Now that I'm a mom, I treasure my evenings as time to get caught up on everyday chores. However, sometimes I skip the chores, grab a drink, my People magazine and allow myself to get sucked into all the celebrity gossip. It's amazing how refreshing just 30 minutes of uninterrupted quiet time with your favorite magazine can make you feel. Before you know it you'll be ready to tackle those after dinner dishes and maybe even some laundry before it all starts over again tomorrow!

And when I want to get caught up on all the latest fashion trends, I will crawl into bed with my favorite nail polish and read my People StyleWatch magazine while my nails dry. I can quickly go from being in a fashion rut to suddenly having new inspiration with my existing wardrobe. 

You don't have to break the bank to enjoy your "me time". I think a lot of people define "me time" as getting out of the house and going on a shopping spree or pampering yourself at your local spa. But let's face it, we are all on budgets. So splurging on a a couple of magazines for hours of entertainment is totally feasible. And you don't even have to call it a splurge when you use this coupon at Safeway to get $1 off on one (1) participating magazine title PEOPLE, PEOPLE StyleWatch, Sunset, and InStyle available through the Just4U online portal 10/23/14 - 11/20/14 (while supplies last)

What better way to shake those Monday blues and stay warm inside on these cold fall nights than to cuddle up with a People or People StyleWatch magazine and leave the outside world behind for a little bit?

Charlotte's First Visit to the Pumpkin Patch

To say I've been looking forward to visiting a pumpkin patch with would be the understatement of the year. I have been dying to have this moment with Charlotte. Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and her first birthday all in the next 3 months is almost too much for my little heart to handle! Our first stop on this three part journey was the pumpkin patch at Burnside Farms.

Look how cute and pretty everything is? I love the mini market and all the scenes with the pumpkins. We chose to Burnside Farms over the other big fall festivals and pumpkin patches in the area mainly because they didn't charge admission. Since this was Charlotte's first visit, we knew we didn't need to spend money on activities and games she couldn't partake in. Plus, how can you resist this cute and quaint little farm?!

Charlotte was not at all a fan of posing next to this pumpkin. I don't know if it was the coarse grass or the foreign object next to her, but about 3 seconds after putting her down she completely lost it and demanded to be picked up.

We tried again by the smaller pumpkins to see if that was less intimidating, but no such luck. The only way she would cooperate would be if I was holding her. I did give her a mini pumpkin to play with so she would be less afraid of the larger ones.

Charlotte still wasn't overly thrilled, but had warmed up to the pumpkins once she had one of her own to play with. The two mini pumpkins we ended up with cost us a whopping $1.87 (man, I wish more things in life were that cheap). Even though they had some good looking full sized pumpkins, we decided we would save the real pumpkin and carving for next year when Charlotte can help a little more.Without the added pressure of having to pick the perfect pumpkin, we directed our attention to Charlotte and capturing memories of her visit to the pumpkin patch. Here are some of my favorite shots from the day:

Even though the pumpkin experience was a little stressful for Charlotte, at the end of the day, all that mattered was that she had her Daddy to protect her from the scary pumpkins and hoist her up on his shoulders to carry her home.

DIY Olaf Costume

If you're anything like me, you have probably waited until the last minute to figure out Halloween costumes for your children. You would have thought since this is Charlotte's first Halloween, I would have had her costume figured out months ago...that couldn't be more wrong! Last week a quick panic came over me when I realized I hadn't even thought about a Halloween costume and it was in just two weeks!

After a good Pinterest session, I decided on Olaf. Since Frozen is so hot right now (see what I did there?!), I decided to ride that train while I can, because I'm sure by this time next year, no one will even know that lovable snowman's name.

In an effort to not break the bank on a costume she will only wear for an hour or so, I decided I would try my hand at making it. After all, she isn't going to remember this Halloween and dressing her up is for pure selfish reasons on my part so the simpler the better. My only stipulation was to make sure it was cute enough for pictures! 

What you'll need:

Tulle

White ribbon

White short sleeve onsie

Embroidery machine (optional)

Black fabric (additional fabric if you are making Olaf's face by hand)

Glue

Scissors

Black tights

Black long sleeve shirt

Making the skirt was my first step. I didn't bother doing a full tutorial on this, since there are already 1,000 of them out there. Here is the one I used for the tutu. This was super easy and doesn't require a sewing machine or any sewing skill so don't be afraid!

The next step was to make the onsie. I chose to do a short sleeve one because I wanted a black one sleeve shirt underneath so she had twig arms just like Olaf! I found an embroidery file that was an applique of Olaf's face, so I simply made the shirt that way. If you don't have an embroidery machine, his face is simple enough to make on your own. I would either hand draw his face directly on the onsie or cut out pieces of fabric and glue them on. 

Now for the final touches! Simply add black tights, black fabric circles to the tutu and your black long sleeve shirt, and that's all there is to it! I'm so proud that the only money I spent on this costume was to purchase the embroidery file for the shirt. Everything else I managed to have from leftover projects or were part of Charlotte's existing wardrobe. 

The only thing left is a head piece of some sort. I know Olaf doesn't wear a hat, but I was thinking about maybe a basic white bow with some pipe cleaners coming out the top like his hair. Let me know if you have a better idea. I would love to hear about it!

High Five for Friday!

1. Monograms, monograms and more monograms. Who wants one of these awesome monogrammed vests?! Check my Instagram tonight for a flash sale of my entire inventory of vests! I will monogram and ship for $45!
2. Who doesn't love a fire-pit on a nice cool fall night?! We spent some quality time with our family over the weekend and it's moments like this, under the stars with a warm fire and a drink in my hand that makes all my problems insignificant.
3. Charlotte is already looking up to her older cousin. He is so sweet to her by making sure she has all her toys and books. 
4. We had so much fun celebrating my mother-in-law's birthday at Tides Inn. Charlotte got a special souvenir (the stuffed crab hanging from her mouth), and it hasn't left her sight since.
5. We had donuts in the office yesterday, so of course I had to wear my matching donut sweater!

Linking up with Lauren Elizabeth for H54F!

Monogrammed Quilted Vest - WIWW

Who's ready to bust out that fall wardrobe? I know I am! You hear me say it every year, but this is truly my favorite time of the year for so many reasons. The weather, the holidays, the clothes, these are just a few reasons why this time of year makes me giddy. Speaking of clothes, how cute are these Old navy vests?! As soon as I saw these with their adorable gold zippers, I just knew I had to have one (or 2). And once I got these bad boys home, I slapped on a gold monogram and voila, my most favorite wardrobe piece was born!

I don't normally buy things in this color, but I decided that I needed to try something other than my standard red, pink and blue. I'm kinda diggin' the green and find it super easy to incorporate into my current wardrobe. For this outfit I kept it simple and paired it with boots, jeans and a white tee. So there you have it, my new essential wardrobe piece; the quilted vest.

I will be posting these vests for sale on my Instagram account this weekend only. Sizes, colors and quantities are limited, so be sure your following for all the latest sale updates. They will be $45 monogrammed and shipped.

Linking up with Lindsey @ The Pleated Poppy

Minnie's Bow Headband

I wish I could say I was this creative and came up with this idea on my own, however, that would be a lie. Amanda over at Dixie Delights shared this adorable DIY last month and as soon as I saw it, I just had to try it out for myself! Imagine all the possibilities!

To start, you just need a set of Minnie Mouse ears (I went with the classic ones you can get in the parks), some elastic, alligator clips and any bow you want. This project takes no skill or time so dust off those mouse ears before your next trip to Disney!

First you want to carefully cut off the original bow that came on your ears. Don't worry though because you will be able to have the classic Minnie look again by using this same bow whenever you like. Now you need to glue your elastic to the headband where the bow once was. You'll want to glue on the underside so the top can be where your new bows will attach.

Now that your elastic is secured to the headband, go ahead and make your bows using your favorite fabric. For mine. I used Lilly and Star Wars (perfect for Star Wars the Weekend) fabric, but this is where you can have fun. Get creative and find fabrics that coordinate with your Disney Park outfits (what, you don't have a separate wardrobe for your Disney trips?). You can even find holiday themed fabrics if you're planning on being in Disney for Halloween, Christmas or New Years.

Once you've settled on a bow, or four, simply take your alligator clip and slide it under the center piece of the bow at the bottom. Normally you would attach your alligator clip to the backside of the bow, but for this project you want it on the bottom.

And there you have it! Slide it in to the elastic and now your bows are interchangeable! Make sure you put an alligator clip on the original bow as well so you can still wear them the classic way! Below are all the ones I've made so far. I've decided that I need to make bigger bows, but I didn't have any big enough pieces of scrap fabric, so for now these will do, but be prepared to see some real obnoxious ones!

I now have ears for every outfit and occasion! I seriously can't contain my excitement. Imagine all the different Minnie ears I'm going to have on my next trip in December! What do you think? If you have a trip coming up, will you do this for you and your family?