spring wardrobe

See that ad over to the right for EstepWorks Photography? We’re having a family photo shoot with him in the upcoming weeks {our first date was rained out … late winter/early spring is very unpredictable in the NW} and I’ve been trying to come up with coordinated – but not too matchy – outfits for our family of six to wear.

. . .

A few days ago I received an email from Jessica letting me know about a fun contest she is hosting. All you have to do is come up with a design board of your favorite spring outfit and include two pieces from her jewelry line to be entered to win a pretty generous prize.

. . .

So I combined the two thoughts – outfits for our photo shoot and outfit for a spring design board – and came up with one giant collage to suit the entire family.

Here it is:outfits

 

What do you think?

For the record, I think ‘his’ outfit is a bit prepier than ‘he’ would actually go for {especially with the little pom-pom boutonniere which I happen to adore}. I am loving Kayce Hughes’ shirt dresses and those joyfolie shoes are the sweetest things ever.  I tried to include pieces that our family actually owns so that when photo-day arrives I could achieve a similar style.

So there you have it … my version of our family dressed for spring.

You can enter the Design Your Look contest at www. jesslc.com. It is pretty fun to come up with a dream outfit … or six.

a spring wreath

A few weeks ago I spent some time with two of my oldest friends {not old as in age, but old as in I’ve known them for a long, long time}.  Both mentioned that they had their burlap wreaths up and that they wanted something a little springier for their front doors.

So Lindsay & Erin, this one is for you …

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Here is what you’ll need:

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:: wreath form {mine is 10 inches, but you could definitely go larger}

:: linen for the ruffles {about 12” x 72”}

:: embellishments: eggs, nest, sheet moss, glitter, glue, white fabric, green felt

:: scissors, sewing machine, glue gun

STEP ONE: cut four strips of fabric {approximately 2.5” x 72”}

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I find it helpful to fold fabric to cut down on cutting distance.

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STEP TWO: wrap wreath form with one strip

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Using hot glue to adhere the end.

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STEP THREE: stitch the remaining three strips of fabric together to create one long strip.

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STEP FOUR: stitch the ruffle

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With the machine set to the longest stitch, sew along one side of of the strip {about 1/8” in}.

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STEP FIVE: ruffle, ruffle, ruffle

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{pull one thread to gather the fabric}

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STEP FIVE: attach the ruffle to the wreath

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with a bead of hot glue, adhere one end of the ruffle

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STEP SIX: wrap the ruffle

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Add a dab of hot glue under each ruffle edge to hold in place.

To finish, cut off remaining ruffle and glue down to hold.

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So pretty on its own!

. . . to embellish . . .

STEP ONE: glitter the eggs {fun + messy craft to do with kids}

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STEP TWO: add moss to wreath

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cut moss to just larger than nest and attach to wreath with hot glue.

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STEP THREE: add the nest

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STEP FOUR: add mini flowers {tutorial here} and twigs

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STEP FIVE: glue eggs in the nest

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and you have a sweet spring wreath.

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happy spring

thank you notes for kids

One thing I’d really like to instill in my children is the art of the thank you note.

My sister is so good about sending notes {in the mail!} and I always appreciate her thoughtfulness in doing so.  Plus, I think reminding my munchkins to be full of gratitude is a good thing.

I have a small line of printable note cards that I designed with kids in mind.

We decided to try out a few designs after our February birthday craziness calmed down.

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Fill-in-blanks for my now SEVEN year old {still tearing up at the thought}.

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Super easy and quick to fill in the fun stuff {perfect for those who don’t want to sit for hours writing thank you notes}.

And for Audrey’s thank you notes, I used a couple of my favorite designs:

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flower {in blue}

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frame {in taupe}

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and tweet {in pink}

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I like a small note card so that I can write a nice sentiment quickly {these are 3.5 x 5}.  Because inevitably, while I am trying to complete a task, this little darling is moving all over the place and climbing up on the table.

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I think she just wanted in on the action of writing thank you notes.

You can see the entire line of printable cards by clicking on the button.

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I want a dog

Both Ryan and I grew up with family pets.  My dad is a lover of all animals and we always either had a dog, cat, rabbit, goat, bird or some combination.  I am not overly affectionate with other people’s pets, but I have always loved my own.

Ryan and I have often talked about getting a dog.  Its only natural. Get married. Buy a house. Have a few kids. Get a dog.

But I have two problems. 1. I’m not a big fan of dog hair {or wet dog smell or dog poop}. 2. We are not the type who will take a dog for a long walk everyday. Not that we’re lazy …we just have a pretty busy life {you know, four kids, a couple of businesses and all}.

So here’s our solution: English Bulldog. They may drool, but they don’t shed much. And boy, oh boy, are they lazy. Perfect.

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via

We have wanted to wait to get a dog until we were out of the baby stage … which we are approaching.

Yesterday I saw a man walking the beefiest looking English Bulldog. A few hours later I saw the above image {on My Sweet Savannah} and it clicked: I want a dog.

So … I’d love to hear your thoughts on dog vs. no dog. And if you know anything about living with a drooly english bulldog, please feel free to share the ups an downs.

**UPDATE**

Okay, maybe I don’t want a dog. At least not an English Bulldog. I’ve loved reading the comments and one thing I can say … I have three boys who are not necessarily smelly now, but in a few years, I’m sure they will be. I don’t think adding a smelly dog to the mix is best for my sanity. Maybe I should take Holly‘s advice and notice the leopard carpet in the photo instead of the dog!

urban outfitters {and the march giveaway winner}

Well, hello Urban Outfitters. Don’t you have some cute stuff for the house.

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So many fun, unexpected {and pretty inexpensive!} decorations. You can take a peek at www.urbanoutfitters.com.

. . . . . . .

Okay, okay. Now on to the big giveaway announcement …

rebecca

Congratulations Rebecca! Please send me your mailing address and I’ll ship out your goodies {emily@jonesdesigncompany.com}

. . . . . . .

the APRIL giveaway will be announced soon

legoland adventure

We’re back from our Legoland adventure. And it was a good one.

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We flew from rainy, windy 40 degree Seattle to sunny and mild 70 degree San Diego. Ahhhh. Just what I needed.

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My poor No. 3 had not seen the sun in a while …

My three boys and I traveled with my mom, my older sister and her two kids and we realized when making reservations for a rental car that we couldn’t fit all of us in one car. So we decided to hire a limo to take us to our hotel. BEST IDEA EVER. We didn’t need a car once we were at Legoland and just hopping into a car and avoiding the hassle of a rental car was great. Plus, the kids thought it was pretty fancy.

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Legoland {in case you were wondering} is an amusement park perfect for young kids. There are themed areas {pirate, castle, adventure, duplo} with many life-size lego statues.  The rides are mild, the park is super clean, the people are friendly and its great for lego-lovers.

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train

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The scariest ride {my fave!} was just the right amount of thrill for our oldest boys {7 & 6} who were brave little guys and went on it together.

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My littlest boy {age 3} was too young and short for a few of the rides, but had so much fun on the many he could ride.  Like these cars that they have full control over. I’ve never seen a crazier driver – so glad we have 13 years before he can drive for real.

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There are also a few little ‘shows’ like this fire fighter one with a catchy song and lots of great stunts. We watched it both days. The big boys thought it was great to sit in the ‘wet zone’ where they were drenched with a fire hose.

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One more fun part of Legoland … miniland. My mom and I were excited to see all of the miniature models of cities, landmarks, scenes. But my oldest surprised me and he loved it even more. At one point he said, “I just want to stay here and stare!”. He even had me photograph different scenes so that he could try to recreate them at home. Love that kid.

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It really is impressive to see what the lego-artists have created.

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Our final day was spent with hours of swimming before getting back on the plane to come home.

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Such a great time with my boys {and family}

If you are thinking about taking a trip to Legoland, here are my tips:

1. If your kids are much older than early elementary age, it may not be the most thrilling for them.  It was perfect for our group, but I could imagine a 10 year old not being quite as entertained.

2. We spent two days and it was just right.

3. If your child is under 38” there are not a lot of rides they can ride. Still lots of fun activities and playgrounds though.

4. Don’t eat the hotdogs. Do try the apple fries.

5. We stayed at the Sheraton right up the hill and we loved it. Nice staff, great restaurant, beautiful grounds. Plus we got a great deal on Priceline.

6. Go to the park during the week. Our first day {Thursday} we hardly waited in a line for any ride. Friday was a bit busier, but we still only waited for 10 minutes at the most.

7. Put sunscreen on your kids. Oops…lesson learned.

. . . . . . . .

Today is the last day to sign up for the March Giveaway.

If you would like a chance to win these goodies:

click {H E R E} to enter.

legos {a love-hate relationship}

I grew up in a house full of girls … girly girls, at that. My sisters and I played barbies and ‘house’ until we were far too old to be playing dolls. We were all three cheerleaders.  We fought over clothes.  We watched Miss America and 90210.

So for me to now have a house full of boys  – it is all a new experience.  Until a few years ago I had never played ‘cops and robbers’ or had sword fights with light sabers. I didn’t even know there were such things as Nerf dart guns or a Star Wars character called Boba Fett.

But my boys’ love of legos has been the most surprising.

They LOVE legos.

I love that they love them {good, creative fun} but I don’t love all of the teensy tiny pieces I find all over the house. Especially with a mobile baby who loves to put teensy tiny things in her mouth. I love that the boys can spend hours playing imaginatively with the guys, but don’t love that Mr. Lego decided to put the best guys in the most expensive sets.  I love that they can create cars or ships or the millennium falcon, but I don’t particularly love building with them {I’m really no good at it}.

But this weekend, I’m pretty sure I too will love legos.

The boys and I {and their cousins, auntie & grandma} are off to San Diego to visit

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We can hardly wait.

{If you happen to see me there acting as giddy as a child when I see the spectacular lego sculptures, it’s because this weekend I really will LOVE legos.}

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