Crafty Mama DIY

So I've been Pinteresting quite a bit lately due to wedding AND 1st birthday planning (1st birthday, can you believe it?!), so I've stumbled across a ton of really great DIYs and I've actually completed a few that I wanted to share with you all!

I've been looking EVERYWHERE for a great framed picture that was big enough to make a chalkboard out of (and easy on the pocket), and I found one last weekend at the Salvation Army for $14.99. That was a bit expensive, but I couldn't pass it up...plus I already had the paint leftover from past projects, so that made it a bit easier.

This was what I started with:

All I need is a shag carpet and some mustard colored bell-bottomed corduroys to get down with this bad boy! Gotta love the faux wood grain stickers they used to put on frames!

After a few coats of glossy white spray paint for the frame and a few layers of chalkboard paint to cover up the artwork, voila!


All that's left is to hang it and get to doodling! With fall already in the air and Halloween on its way, I have a ton of ideas already planned for this chalkboard. I'm so excited to have another item to decorate!

My other DIY is a coupon organizer! I was seriously at my wit's end with not having some sort of organizational system for all of my coupons. They usually got stuffed in a wallet pocket or I had to fish them out of the bottom of my bag...it was annoying and most times, I forgot about them completely. So, when I saw a mini file expander in the Target dollar bin, I grabbed it and got to accessorizing with my label maker and washi tape.


Isn't it adorable?! In front, I made a tab labeled "This Trip" so that when I have my shopping list done, I can grab out any coupons I'll need and stick them in there, which means no rifling in the grocery store line! So very excited about that. I also made tabs for dining, fun, fuel, clothing, baby, grocery, heath & beauty, and household to help me keep things a bit more organized and easier to find. I'm really excited to utilize this and it makes my purse much happier looking now!

I have a ton of holiday and 1st birthday crafts in the works, so I'll be sure to keep you posted on all of those! If you have any great DIY wins (or fails) I'd love to hear about them!

It's been a while, so I'll leave you with a picture of my not-so-little pretty preemie!

Obsessed. I'm totally obsessed with her.

Mackinac Island Vacation/4th of July

I'm so very happy to say that we have all survived our first vacation with an infant unscathed. The warm weather and direct sunlight proved difficult with a teething baby, but slamming a pina colada with a view of Lake Huron helped ease the tension.

My obsessive packing organization didn't fail me, and there wasn't a thing I forgot! Score one for the mama packing method! I splurged and got Layla the overnight bag that I've been wanting to get her for months, but I held out until I had a coupon. Thankfully, it arrived just in time to be filled to the brim with onesies, headbands, and rompers.

overnight bag

Like I did the last time we traveled with Layla, I packed and sealed her outfits by day in Ziplock bags. In each bag I put her outfit for the day and a back-up outfit (each with their accessories) and a onesie and pajamas for that night. I was able to seal the bag and leave an inch open and roll the bag up to let all of the air out before re-sealing it. It allowed for so much more room in the overnight bag! Because of being on the waterfront, and this is Michigan, I made sure to pack some cold weather clothes and her swimsuits and reusable swim diaper.

I did bring a small soft cooler that fit in the basket of her stroller that I could fill with all of her bottles since we were out and about all day, every day. Of course, you never want to forget formula/breastmilk, diapers, and wipes! One thing that I was so happy that I brought was a bottle brush and a mini of her BabyGanics Dish Soap. One of the most unexciting parts of vacationing with your baby is that the simple pleasures of home (like scrubbing bottles every night) aren't left behind.

Packing for myself was done in pretty much the same fashion. I did score this awesome cosmetic travel case on sale at Walmart!
I was so excited to get my hands on the little bottles so that I could label them (of course!). The back zipper has a HUGE pocket that held so much stuff! Razor, hair products, q-tips, toothbrush/UV sanitizer (don't ask...yes I have a UV sanitizer for my toothbrush), ClairSonic/charger, all of my Murad face stuff, comb and round brush, bobby pins, perfume minis, lotions, deodorant...anything else I could cram in there, you better believe I did. I do have a separate makeup bag, so that doesn't count. haha

Our 4th of July was so great (even though we didn't get to see the fireworks!). We spent it walking along Lake Huron in all of the little shops of downtown St. Ignace. It has such a great little harbor town feel to it and I love looking in all of the kitchy, touristy shops! We did find time to go to a really adorable deer ranch and take totally cliche family photos. haha The restaurant we stopped at for dinner, however, forgot we were even there and we ended up waiting for an hour for our food...so we missed the fireworks. But Andrew and I did get to catch some on Saturday! (more on that, later!)
My little sweet babe on the 4th...those eyes! (Headband from Pretty Little Elm)

Friday was spent taking a ferry to Mackinac Island and spending the day touring in and out all of the little shops and tourist spots, like the butterfly house and the Grand Hotel. If only I had a few million crammed away, I'd love to live there! After stuffing my face with fudge, sweet tea, and pasties, we walked along the water and watched everyone fly kites. I wish real life were that leisurely all the time! I scored a bunch of cute stuff that I might post later on.

Saturday we went to a local zoo outside of St. Ignace and did some more shopping. After dinner, my mom took Layla so Andrew and I could go see the fireworks in town that we missed out on on the 4th. While we were watching fireworks, HUGE SURPRISE, Andrew proposed! It was very cute and the ring is GORGEOUS!


I'm so excited to start planning a wedding and blogging everything to share with everyone! I'm so very happy in my life right now, and it's so exciting to start a new chapter with Andrew and Layla.

Hope everyone enjoyed their 4th of July!

Memorial Day Rewind

We spent the weekend at Andrew's parents so that we would be closer to our friends and be able to enjoy a barbecue. When I checked the weather on Friday, Monday was supposed to be fabulous and in the 70s. Mother Nature, however, had other plans. We had visions of barbecue, corn hole, sunshine, and drinks, but our reality was barbecue with the garage door open to cover our head while it poured rain, and everyone cramming in the basement to eat and watch re-runs of Pawn Stars. Not exactly what I had in mind...

Anyways, when I woke up, I was determined to have a festive Memorial Day, despite the uncooperative weather, so I made some Paleo Pancakes: 'Merica Edition! (For those of you who don't know, I have, within the past few months, switched my eating habits to a Paleo lifestyle.) So, with my star-shaped cookie cutter and food coloring in hand, I whipped up a batch of these delicious bad boys!

I also have to mention the ADORABLE plates that I got from the Target dollar bin...they look like paper plates...but they're PLASTIC! I LOVE them!

For the barbecue, we provided all the meat and our guests brought different sides. I was able to find grass-fed, gluten free hot dogs to enjoy along side my bunless burger, fruit salad, and Paleo guacamole with sweet potato chips. So, so good!

This was our first time being "away" with the baby, and there wasn't a single problem! I've mentioned before that I'm a bit of an over-packer, so this time, I was bound and determined to keep my bags packed with practicality. This was also my first time packing for a baby, and I'm proud to say that I didn't over-pack!

With my beloved label maker and Ziplocks, I was able to condense all of her outfits (with accessories!) and bath stuff into a half of a bag! Her outfits and pajamas were already picked out for every day, and I even packed a few outfits in case nature decided to change it's mind...which is never out of the ordinary for Michigan. I'm seriously thinking of buying a closet organizer to pick both of our outfits for the week. I never realized how much stress that relieves in the morning! Especially for this indecisive mama!

Another great thing about going away last weekend was being able to really try out her Aprica Haven OpenAir Play Yard. She still slept her full ten hours each night! I've loved this thing since before I bought it. Not only is it super durable, it folds up with the bassinet insert set up! The bassinet "mattress" is plush and can be cleaned easily, and the bag it comes in has a lot of extra room to store sheets/blankets/etc. I love the gender neutral color (all of Layla's big ticket items are black so that I could reuse them again!) and the simplicity. Takes two seconds to set up and tear down. I'm sold! A great plus is that any pack n play sheet fits perfectly! For those of you that worry about a mobile, I use this Tiny Love Take Along Mobile that can attach to almost anything!

All in all, I would have to say our first "going away" experience was a total success! We've got lots of little trips planned for this summer, so I'm glad to have had this trial run. Since we didn't get to wear our adorable Memorial Day outfit because of the cold weather, I'll leave you with this adorable picture of Layla's post-bathtime scream sesh!

Hooded Princess Towel

Keep your eyes peeled for my green cleaning and Father's Day gift ideas posts! And I hope you all had an amazing Memorial Day weekend!