Mermaid or Under The Sea Birthday

a cheap, fun way to make a birthday special!

       I took streamers and taped them to the walls to look like water, then used green streamers to make seaweed. I cut out fish shapes, using a cookie cutter and taped them to the wall. I also found online a digital file you can buy of mermaids and underwater creatures. I just saved the picture advertising the file and blew them up in picasa. they were a LITTLE blurry , but it worked out fine! I then hung streamers from the light and made a mobile. cut out ciricles for the mermaids to get taped to and threaded them to the light. it took me all day, but it was worth it. :) I probably shouldn't say how I did that, but I can't find it in me to spend a fortune on a little party like this.

    I also made sugar cookies in fish shapes and put them on the blue table cloth and had some shredded green and blue paper on the center. I also sprinkled candy .. CHOCOLATE rocks found at walmart on the table.

Ok, so i'm not the greatest froster in the world! it's hard! :) i'm a sewer, remember!



This cake was made using mini muffin tin for the eyes, cupcakes for the claws, and my pyrex baking bowl for the body. I used licorice for the legs and arms and candy rocks for the gravel. I took cardboard and wrapped in in foil first, then taped the little paper cutout I got at Joann's for the water and then put wax paper over the whole thing. The eyeballs are ... what are those called? the minty chocolate things. ugh... sorry. I can't think right now. LONG DAY! I just realized that his eye looks bloodshot, gross! The reason I chose a crab instead of a mermaid cake, is because I don't know how often it's ever been done, and she has a thing for crabs lately! She loves them! Mermaids eat crab right? :)

    I even managed to find this wrapping paper at my grocery store of all places. I just came across it on accident.

      I found this clumsy Crab book at halmark a while ago, and bought it new off ebay for a fraction of the price. it has beautiful illustrations and has a cute, but simple story. My husband calls it predictable. I still think it's adorable! He learns that even though he has huge claws, they can be useful. The caleb the crab was found on amazon I think and it clicks like he is walking along something. she loves it!

      All in all, it was a great birthday and i'm happy my little girl had a fun day! :) I can't believe she is already 2!



Keira's Big Girl Room

           

        A few weeks ago I asked around to get some advice on my daughter's bedding choices! I love the choice I made and love how her room turned out! :) She loves it too! I loved hearing her scream and squeal as she climbed up and started jumping! :) The room we were working with was small and I wanted it to brighten up and feel light and cheerful! I think I got the result I wanted. I chose Behr "Springtime Bloom" in Satin and Disney color: I think it was "Baby Bee Yellow" not sure though. I did white trim and doors. Thank you Nancy for helping me paint.  I will also be making her a solid pink valance.  Her solid pink wall needs something. I am thinking some vinyl something. ???

BOW HOLDERS: 

A wonderful grandpa in our ward cut out the cute flowers and made the flower centers for me! I love them!

PICTURE CLOTHESLINE:

I hot glued some tacks to buttons for the end of the clothesline, strung some painted craft size clothespins on the line. Each of them had a tack hot glued on the back as well. simple as that! I used some different sort of string for it. not sure what it is.

BUTTERFLY:

This was a yellow butterfly I found at Hobby Lobby a few years ago and I painted it pink and green. I also left some yellow and added sparkle!

PAINTING DRAMA!!!:

          I thought I could knock this room out in a day like I used to be able to. WRONG! The first day painting we got a lot done although the yellow paint was thin and took 3 coats to cover! I think that is just yellow paint though. It seems I had this trouble last time I used yellow. That night my mother in law left me and took my daughter with her so I could get some more painting done. That night I was so sick. While I was painting I was having shortness of breath and felt I was going to pass out. I felt queasy and just plain tired and gross. I cut the pink wall in that night feeling that way and felt like I might die. Then It just got worse. all night I was up with.. "parvo". If you don't know what that is, look it up. :) it's a dog disease, but it works. :) (I used to work at a vet clinic for years and that's what we called it whenever someone was sick.) I didn't get painting done at all that night and felt terrible.

           The next day I worked all day and got it done. the white took 4 coats to cover and I got it all done while keira napped. I decided I'd clean up a little and I bumped the ladder that had the white paint on top. I left it out because I would paint the back of the closet doors once I got some things put away. You probably know what happened next. The gallon of paint knocked over, hit my head, covered my hair and eye with paint, fell to the floor and covered the ladder on the way. I got my eye cleaned out and saw the disaster I made. I started to freak out and called my husband who was hours away from being home. I started cleaning up best I could and called my friend for help! She came and brought her carpet cleaner and took my daugher with her to the part for a ward activity. I spent the next long hours soaking the floor with hot soapy water and sucking it back up. My newly painted walls had white runs in them. I cleaned it all up the best I could and noticed my hair was a matted crusty mess still. The inside of my ear was even covered. Gross. I went and soaked in the tub and took a brush to my hair... ouch. I went back to cleaning and putting her room back to order. The floor now looks like new and her walls ... well, the door is the only thing I notice has a run in it. I don't really feel like picking up a paint brush any time soon. The moral of the story!!!!! Don't paint when you are sick, exhausted or have small children. EVER. :) If you must like I did, put plastic down on the floor and prepare for extra days of mess.