Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Strawberry Diaper Cake

I have always wanted to try and make a diaper cake. They are so cute and so fun! My friend Josie from work is having twin baby girls next month so this was the perfect opportunity to try to whip one up.


Materials I used:
2 58 packs of Luvs size 1 diapers
2 Strawberry cuddly blankets
2 Strawberry nightgowns and hats
4 washcloths
2 bears
4 Dr. Brown's bottles
2 onsies
5 Felt Strawberries
Curling Ribbon
Pink Tulle Ribbon
Wrapping Paper
2 Cardboard boxes
Hot glue gun
Straight pins

Where I got stuff from:
http://www.babymallonline.com:
This website has adorable sleep gowns at discounted prices. They have coordinating hats and blankets. Too cute! I also found some funny sayings onsies. Everyone loved them.
http://www.etsy.com:
Type in a search for felt food. So many cute cute items! I did a search for felt strawberries and found the adorable fruit seen on the cake.
The dollar store: I found the cute bears, washcloths and ribbon here. Just can't beat a dollar!
Walmart: I admit it. I'm a Walmart shopper. It's always our last stop when we go to town. I got all the diapers there. I've also seen Dr. Brown's bottles there although this time I picked 'em up at Toys R' Us to make sure I got what I wanted. Our Walmart doesn't always carry them. They were THE best bottles for my kids. They sucked in a lot less air so they didn't spit up as bad. When I gave them milk from the other bottles they just spit it all back up.
Home: I had everything else already although I had to borrow pins from mom. Thanks mom!


To make the base you need the bottom of one medium size cardboard box. Start by folding some wrapping paper down the sides of the box.

Fold the paper down on the ends and secure with tape.

Your base is complete!

Take out half a package of diapers.

Start layering 1/3 of diapers in a circle.

Secure with a ribbon.

Wrap more diapers around first layer.

Secure with another ribbon.

Repeat with remaining diapers and secure. You might not have to use as many steps as I did but I couldn't get my hands to hold onto that many diapers at once!

One layer down, three to go!

Stack two layers together.

Wrap blanket around both layers and secure with pins.

Cut out a circle to fit top of layered diapers. Notice how I used the box the nightgowns came in? It's all about recycling and using what you've got!

Wrap paper around circle and secure with tape. You'll need two more of these.

Place on top and pull blanket around sides of circle.

Repeat with the next package of diapers and blanket.

To make the cake topper start by hot gluing three bottles to the top circle. Don't worry the glue comes off easily.

Tie a simple cute bow around the bottles.

Now the fun part! Dress up your bears in cute sleeper gowns and hats. I pinned a strawberry in one hand of each bear and then pinned them onto the circle. Glue remaining bottle in the front in between them.
Pin another strawberry on back by the bottles.

Pin remaining strawberries by the bottle in front.

How cute are they?

I used four washcloths to make rose accents at the bottom. (Quick tutorial on next post.)

I folded up the onsies and pinned them on the corners of the back of the cake base.

This one was my favorite!

And there you have it!

So much fun to make!

Just keep it out of reach of the kids in the party. One little girl kept pinching one of the bears noses. Before we knew it she threw out her arms and tried to take off with the whole top layer. It was too cute.
Josie just loved it and it was a big hit at the party. I can't wait to make another one!



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Saturday, February 21, 2009

Pebble Creek Ski Trip

Thursday night we took Mr. Wayne skiing for the very first time. It was free ski night sponsored by Jim at Diagnostic Imaging (the ultrasound tech that travels to our hospital). Every year he reserves the hill for a night so the employees of local hospitals and clinics can join together for some fun. We got free ski lift passes, free hot dogs and chili, free hot chocolate and juice, and discounted ski rentals.
***
Collin had all kinds of trepidations before we even hit the slopes. He was NOT going to go down a steep hill. He was NOT going to go on the chair lift. He was NOT going to go fast. Boy did that change once we got there! The man teaching Collin to ski (whom we think was Jim's son) had to keep telling Collin to slow down! He did an excellent job teaching Collin to snow plow and Collin said he had a blast. He even went on the chair lift twice. He told me later that it was scary. It was to me too but I didn't tell him that!

I wasn't sure how my body was going to react to skiing. This is my first time trying since I was diagnosed with lupus. I must say the cold sure did not agree with me! I felt too stiff to move so trying to maneuver down the slopes was a nightmare. Oh well, it was definitely worth the pain to see Collin having so much fun. I wouldn't have missed it for the world! Now daddy wants to take Collin back sometime during the day. Maybe if it's not so cold I could go too even if it's just to take pics!




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Friday, February 20, 2009

Fun Challenge


My mom had this challenge posted on her blog,
and I thought it would be fun to participate!


The first 5 people to respond to this post
will receive something made by me.
It will be my choice what I send to you.
But...there is a catch...ready?
1- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
(But I hope you do!)
2- What I create will be just for you.
3- It'll be done this year!
4- You have no clue what it's going to be.
5-The catch?
Oh, the catch is that you must re-post this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog! (then come here and post, that you put it on your blog.
The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did will win a homemade gift by me!
Anyone up to the challenge?

MySpace comments, images & graphics


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Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Valentine Dinner

Over at the Jensen household we made a frugal Valentine dinner.
I made a heart shaped pizza with heart shaped pepperoni's.
I bought some simple Valentine props like paper doilies,
heart plates, and plastic wine goblets to build up the
atmosphere. It all came from the $ store. Then we used
leftover baby shower napkins. Hey, they were pink!

I think the kids thought I was a little bit nuts when

I suggested we eat in the dining room. We hardly ever

eat in there!

Collin showed Carlee how to cool off her pizza...
...and his own unique way of eating it.

Thankfully she didn't follow his example!

Or this example!


The kids loved drinking out of these cups. Cheers!
It was yummy 7-Up with maraschino cherry juice
plus two maraschino cherries in the bottom.

Carlee kept on dipping her cherries and sucking off
the pop. After what seemed like hours of this I took
it away. I know, I'm a mean mom!


To make up for her stolen drink I did let her blow
out a candle. That got her mind off it right away.


I think this smile speaks volumes of how
much fun we had. It was nice just being
together and acting a bit silly.
Hope you had a happy Valentine's day!!
Check out my food blog for pics of my V-Day
cookie bouquets and more fun!!





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Friday, February 13, 2009

Friday Fill-Ins

1. It seems like only yesterday when we took the kids to their first days of school. Time really does speed by too fast.

2. Flush when you're done, please? We have to constantly get after Collin to flush. Is it really that hard to remember??

3. If I thought you would take me to Australia I'd do anything for you! Still dying to get there.

4. Heart is what I think of most when I think of you. I try to find something good in each and every person. Sometimes it's a real challenge!

5. To me, Valentine's Day means spending a day with loved ones. It's saying a simple I love you or a thank you to someone you appreciate. It's not all chocolate and roses. For me the best part is spending time with the kids creating fun heart meals or crafts. Seeing them happy is all I need.

6. Heaven gives me strength. It's going to be nice to ditch this tired old body for a spirit upgrade. This body better last a long while yet though!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to giving some people in our area a "heart attack" (not literally of course), tomorrow my plans include visiting family, handing out valentines, as well as other secret fun V-Day activities and Sunday, I want to sleep in, attend church, then sleep some more! Chances of that are slim...




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Thursday, February 12, 2009

A Wee Bit Frosty

Thursday morning as I was headed to work I couldn't help but make a U-turn to go grab my camera. I then proceeded to stand out in 1 degree above 0 weather with a smile on my face. Crazy yes, but I promised myself the next time we got a frost that I would drive around and enjoy the beauty that freezing temps can bring to nature. I really enjoy driving under the trees pictured above to drop the kids off at granny's house. During the winter they provide a beautiful frosty canopy and during the summer they provide welcoming shade.



Even the clouds were beautiful that morning!

This is my favorite shot. I love the shape of the tree's branches.


I also couldn't resist capturing a shot of the Number Hill in Arco.
I usually have such bad tunnel vision when I drive that I miss the beauty around me. It felt wonderful to take my time a little and really see what I normally speed by. You can find beauty in anything if you take the time to look.



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Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Wordless Wednesday










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