Owl themed Baby Shower

Here is a peak at the Owl themed baby shower for a dear friend.  The colors where blue, aqua, orange, green, and brown- to match her nursery of course.

I made the "BABY" bunting out of scrapbook paper and accoridan folded stips of paper to make the medallion.

 This is a piece I made to decorate the table and use in her nursery as wall art. I made it out of pieced scrapbook paper. 

 Nichelle made an adorable cake but unfortunatly we live in hill country so it tipped on the way to my house, but I thought it was still adorable!!!  She made the dots using fondant.

 For the centerpiece I snagged some dead branches from a friends yard and took of  all the peeling bark, then I cut out leaves from cardstock and carefully hot glued them to the branch and natural spots to look like a fresh spring branch. This is also now being used in her nursery. It has kind of a fun whimsical look! For a personal touch, baby photos of the proud parents to be were clipped onto the branches.
*all these photos were taken by Tara at Forever Bliss Photography

 This is printable subway art that I made with some amazing free fonts I found on the internet. We customized it with the babies name, but this is generic.

Summer Reading List #2

Here is my second list of must read or must own books.   

Anything by Sandra Boynton!  My kids liked these books from the youngest ages...We have most the collection and there are SEVERAL more books not pictured that she has cleverly authored and illustrated.  My favorite is "Doggies" if you have a child that likes dogs, this is a must!!  We have a blast reading this one- over and over and over- some of these I have memorized! 

Click Clack Moo, Cows that Type By Doreen Cronin

A great modern take on the good ole farm animal theme!

Mixed Up Chamelion by Eric Carle

True to any book by Eric Carle, this book is not just simple pages, it like many of his books incorporates di-cut pages but what sold me on this book was the theme of loving yourself the way you are!

Round Trip by Ann Jonas

I  had remembered a librarian reading this to my class in early grade school, maybe as early as kindergartin.... It was a magical book!  I never forgot about it and asked several librarians for years if they had heard of book that made a different picture when you flipped it upside down with no luck, but finally as an adult I was walking through Barnes and Noble and there was a random misplaced book on a shelf and there is was!  This is a must own!!!

what makes this book so amazing is you flip it up side down to read the rest of the story...

for example the negative of the space becomes a new picture...

This is a bridge....

Flip it around- telephone poles!

Anything by David Shannon!

We own several but No, David! Is a favorite of mine and my son adores this book too!!
Check your library for anything by him, the pictures are sure to make any child giggle!

If I Built A Car by Chris Van Dusen
This book is about an creative boy who invents his own car with out of this world featurs!  It is sure to spark the inventor in each child!  The illustrations are incredible too!!  Chris Van Dusen also other books as well! Check for them in your library and book stores!

I'm Not Going to Get up Today by: Dr. Seuss
No childrens book list would be complete with at least one Dr. Seuss book...I like all his books but this one is not as common but is certainly a great one!

I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly by: Collin and Jacqui Hawkins
They have done several books and they never get old. This one is a lift the flap book and captures the "Old Lady" story perfectly!


*all images on this post are from google images and are not mine.

Summer reading- Must read book list for children

I have an obsession with childrens books... I have a hard time not controlling myself.

So I have put together a list of some of our families favortie books. Look for them and your local library or book store. They will not disappoint!!

*all photos of books are not mine and were from google images.

Night House Bright House- by: Monica Wellington
This book is rythmic delight that your kids will love! Have them help guess the rhyming word at the end of each sentence!  Play seek and find with the many objects on each page!  The illustrations also include cameos of famous paintings. My 2 yr old has me read this one to him a couple times a day!

Any book by Laura Numeroff will be entertaining for both parent and child alike!

These books will take you on familiar journey of how these characters are constantly going from one demand to the other trhoughout the day...it will strike a chord with parents!

Which One Would You Choose by: Edith Kunhardt

An interactive book that poses the question of "Which one would you Choose?"  Great book to get conversation going and glimpses into the mind of your little one!

A Guest Ss a Guest by John Himmelman

A silly book about animals taking over a farm house!  My kids giggle everytime!

The Boss Baby by: Marla Frazee

This is a must read for any big brother or big sister!  This cleverly written book details life with the "Boss Baby"  calling all the shots for the family!

Not a Stick by: Antoinette Portis

One of my favorite for its simple, yet creative storyline and basic drawings! This book captures the art of imagineing!  Check out other books by this author as well such as Not A Box!

What Moms Can't Do by: Douglas Wood

A hillarous books about all the things mom can't do well from the perspective of a child. 

Neat color coded bookshelf

You all know I have some serious OCD tendency...  Childrens book shelves often look slightly disheveled...sorting childrens books by color rather than size helps the eye to not get so overwhelmed... plus it looks great and adds a pop of color!