Welcome Home Baby #2 / ~All Aboard~ Birthday Party

Well hello there! So it's been a while since I have posted. What have I been up to? Well, I had a baby since last time I blogged. We had the honor of welcoming Sawyer to our little family. We couldn't be happier.

 

 

 

  Also, running around like crazy! Life with two boys leaves little time to blog, but so much more time for fun and games. We recently had Nolan's birthday party, he is totally and completely obsessed with Trains. He eats, sleeps, talks, and breaths Choo Choo Trains. So of course, the year that baby #2 comes, he begs and chooses his own birthday party theme. Of course, I am super tired, since I just had baby about 2 months ago. So I tried my best, I didn't plan a year in advance like I usually do, I'm so sad I didn't go all out, but I did try. We celebrated in a venue this year, his favorite place, The Train Shoppe. Such a cute little place for Train enthusiasts to hang out in, it's tiny but oh so very cute. Turns out they have rooms for birthday parties, and at the same time you can travel back to time to the old west. They have a train ride with guns and all, so you can shoot targets. You can also enjoy train towns and city displays, for only a quarter you can choose the speed of the train, and even blow the whistle. This place is heaven for Mr. Nolan.

Taking care of the details was so much fun, as usual.
 

 

Enough said, here are the details of Nolan's 4th Birthday Party (All Aboard the Nolan Express)
 

 

 

 

 

Popcorn anyone? Nolan was thrilled to have a Train piñata with his name on it.

 

 

Some yummy cupcakes.

 

 

Everything had Nolan's name on it, even the juice barrels.

in case you can't see it, they say (NOLAN'S RAILROAD CO.)

 

 

My absolute favorite thing about the party was, and still is, these awesome coal sacks. I stenciled COAL on them, and underneath NOLAN RR CO. all the kids loved it, and it was original. They had candy and a train whistle inside. The kids were ecstatic!

 

 

The cake was super beautiful! I wish I was this creative and talented, but she did an awesome job! Nolan was completely in love with the little Train. Aren't those clouds super cute and fluffy? I love how 3D the cake was.

 

 

The "Nolan Express" was a huge success, Nolan had a blast with all his friends, and to me that was priceless.

 

 

 

Well, another successful party has come and gone. Thank you for stopping by. Ta ta for now!

Ahoy It's a Boy Baby Shower

A couple of weeks ago, my mom and my friend hosted my baby shower. Everything was darling, from the theme, to the colors, to the games and the yummy menu. I must confess I got involved and helped with some stuff, decision making and DIY.  This was so fun! I chose navy blue and gold for the colors, along with a Nautical theme.

These are the invitations that were sent out. Aren't they so fun?
 

So in love with these water labels!
 

 

 Gold chevron straws...
 

Made these cute cones for popcorn,  they were a hit!
 

 

 I so wanted a life preserve, since they were a bit pricey and couldn't find one I liked, I decided to DIY mine.
 

My mom has a lot of party hosting materials, such as these super cute gold dessert stands, perfect for the cupcakes.
 

One of the sisters in our ward (church) volunteered to make this super delicious cake, and boy was it amazing, she is so talented. I loved how preppy it looked!
 

Little nautical banners for Centerpieces, super simple and not very hard to make.
 

Props to my mom for always knowing how to make the perfect food display and set up. Not to mention for always having the yummiest menu ever!
 

 

My aunt Erica made me the cutest diaper motorcycle, isn't she so talented?
 

Favors! don't you just love the gold safety pins?
 

 

 

It was such a lovely evening, I felt so special! Thank you to everyone that made this event possible, basically my entire family, and to everyone that came and participated, thank you for showering me.

Thanks for stopping by friends!

 

*Simply Beautiful Christmas*

This years theme was Simply Beautiful. Although this Christmas we didn't have a place of our own to decorate, I still wanted to make it our own Christmas. Therefore, we were able to craft, and make things simple yet beautiful for our enjoyment. Don't let your home situation stop you from owning the holidays.  

 

A look back on all the holiday craft and ideas this Christmas

 

 My little man and I had so much fun making these two crafts together. He felt so involved and we bonded.









 Easiest and cheapest Christmas Wreath ever!





 



 These I made for friends, nail polish for the girls and socks for the boys.
 

 My friends and Neighbors loved this healthy Christmas Treat
 

My favorite Christmas Gift Wrapping yet!

 

 

And there you have it, I had so much fun making the little details. These are the things that control freaks such as myself, enjoy and are must haves.

 

 

Thank you so much for visiting with me this year 2014, where did the year go? I appreciate everyone of my readers and followers. Thank you!

 

**Merry Christmas**

 

 

Claudia H

Gifts: For Your Mistletoes

Ok, sometimes it's hard to get everything done and ready for Christmas, here are a couple of ideas on quick and creative last minute gifts, or stocking stuffers.

For the girls

 For the boys!
 

 

 Very quick and simple. They will love it!
 

Thanks for stopping by today!

Claudia H

Wrapping Gifts The Simple Way

Gift Wrapping is probably one of my favorite things to do during Christmas, making things look beautiful is my passion, and I happen to have the patience for such a sport.

 

 Being an elf is a lot of work, but oh so fun! All the paper, and the ribbons, and the colors! I absolutely have so much fun with this activity. It was all so easy, honestly I just went to the dollar store, and found this simple brown paper and white paper. The ribbons on the other hand were a bit pricier, luckily my mother had a great collection of them, so I didn't have to spend too much.

 

 

I used the Classic Red and White. It's TIMELESS!

 

 

What's more beautiful than a natural and organic look, achieved with brown paper and twine. It gives me a Regency period feel.

 

 

A punch of green is just perfect to give it an organic look.

 

Cohesive? Dare I say yes!
 

I know it's not about the "Presents" but rather about His "Presence", however, I just adore the way they look underneath the Christmas Tree.
Simply Beautiful!

 

 

How do you gift wrap for Christmas?

Thanks for stopping by today

Claudia H