Archives for August 2011

Wednesday’s Wowzers: Can’t Wait For Tonight!

August 31, 2011 7 Comments

Happy Wednesday, friends!!

Man alive, I can't believe today has finally come. Almost a year ago, I was pulling out my calendar and marking this very day. And now it's finally arrived. You see... tonight I will be going on a fabulous date to see Les Miserables. My dear friend secured tickets for us months ago. Date nights are a rare occasion... and convincing my husband to see a Broadway musical is an even rarer occasion!

So I hope I can soak it all up! I will probably be singing "On My Own" all day long...

On that happy note, let's get to the inspiration!

I have always LOVED flower tutorials. These starched flowers are exquisite! Jones Design Company generously offers the tutorial.

I so want to try this! Linda has a tutorial for upholstering chairs! Go check out Craftaholics Anonymous for all the details.

I am always looking for a unique party theme. Smashed Peas and Carrots hosted an absolutely darling "Just Stay Little Dress Up Party." One picture never does a party justice, so go check it out! I love that Maggie cut out cheese in the shape of little gingerbread girls. Darling!! And by the way, these cupcake toppers were made from fabric!

I adore this bed quilt at This Crazy, Blessed Life. Isn't it stunning?!

Don't we all love freebies?! My grafico is offering this adorable Halloween kit for free! I just downloaded it, and it's super duper cute!

I LOVE all things s'mores!! So these chewy chocolatey s'mores cookies are just sitting on this screen, daring me to make them! You can find the recipe at Peppermint Plum.

I'm loving that fall is creeping its way into the blogging world. I am ready for it! Just Sew Sassy created this gorgeous rolled burlap and rosette fall werath.

Are you ready for fall?

I can't wait! I'm switching gears and going full steam ahead with fall creative goodness!

Have a happy day!

Filed Under: wowzers

Seven Seas Party {Mockingbird Cottage}

August 30, 2011 4 Comments

I am thrilled to introduce my very talented guest to you today!

The lovely Melissa is the mom of one of my darling little first graders from years past! I have kept in touch with their cute family over the years... And now I get to share some of her creativity with you!

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Hey there! My name is Melissa.

I've known Alison for about four years now, ever since my little girl was in her first grade class. She is still my daughter's all time favorite teacher! So many fun memories! 🙂 I have been a "Mommy Blogger" for almost four years (mostly recording my favorite funny moments) and finally have started another blog to fuel my creativity and do more to beautify my home. I have many projects to share! My new blog is Mockingbird Cottage. Stop in and say hello sometime!

Today, I am excited to share with all of you my latest labor of love!

My son, Chase, just turned seven years old. He is always looking for an adventure and is absolutely obsessed with animals, sea creatures, and maps. So, I thought that The Seven Seas would be a perfect theme for his adventure-style birthday party.

It was a really fun party!

I made the invitations tri-fold style and tied them with rope. No envelopes needed! I absolutely love this paper from Three Bugs In A Rug! It was so perfect for Chase's theme. Such cute paper!

Here is a glimpse of all sides of the invitation.

When you open the top flap, there are all the details of the party. In the middle, there is a poem I wrote about a Seven Seas Adventure.

Here are the words to the poem:

Ahoy Mateys!

Seven years to Celebrate,

Since Chase became our young first mate.

Seven Seas are calling him now

His sights are set toward the bow

The days spent at Port six cruised by way too fast

But new adventures await as he raises his sail to the mast

Chase invites you to join the crew as his vessel sets sail

Exploring depths of the ocean where sea creatures dwell

We'll dive right in to games and cake

Wear a swimsuit and sunscreen so you don't bake

The day is Monday August 15th from 2-4 o'clock

(Modern day time)

Make sure you do naut get land locked and get left behind!

Having you on board will be sure to please

We'll see you at the Seven Seas!

Some party decorations to welcome Chase's friends:

A party store made up these darling balloons of a fish and an octopus. We loved them!

(And there were tears shed by my two youngest when they finally popped a few days later.)

I thought it would be fun to use our chalkboard to copy a fish market sale.

I loved making this banner so much! I again used 3 Bugs In a Rug paper and used skewers behind the paper to make sailboats as part of his name display. This was my favorite party project!

My kids and I made newspaper sailboat hats for all the party guests.

Easy-Peasy! (and cheap!)

The crew had to find their sailor hats in Davy Jone's Locker. Then all of the other decorations for the table mostly came from things I had around the house or we made together as a family for this party.

I wanted to put a banner on the front of the table and then I thought of the idea as making it as Shark teeth. The tablecloth is made of old map tissue paper. We put a couple of fish in some fish bowls and added around any marine life toys we could find. Again, I let my kids help do this!

The party games were fun, and didn't cost anything!

The joy of playing in the water in the summer-time! 🙂

Dribble-Dribble Dunk! was a big hit! It is just like duck-duck goose, except the players take a pitcher of water around the circle and dribble a drop down each person's neck and until they dunk someone! The giggles were so great with this game!

After Chase's friends went home, we had dinner with our family that evening.

All of the food was named after one of the Seven Seas. We had octopus of the Black Sea, Caspian Sea with traveling Swedish fish, Persian Gulf Shrimp, Pirate Ships of the Indian Ocean, Sea Shells off the Adriatic Sea, Chicken of the Red Sea, and Ocean Water from the Mediterranean.

I tried to make some grilled chicken and pineapple to look like a fish. It was very, very simple; and so yummy too!

My birthday boy loved it, so that's what makes me happy! 🙂

Cupcakes were super-simple. Blue frosting with gummy sharks and fish. There wasn't time for anything fancier. 😉

Thanks so much Alison for letting me be a guest on your blog and share a thousand photos!

I'll be posting more ideas on my new blog soon, so be sure and watch for that! I'd love you all to visit!

Filed Under: guest post, party Tagged With: birthday, birthday party, Seven Seas

Scrappy Color Book

August 29, 2011 25 Comments

When it comes to craft supplies, I'm a hoarder. I have an insane amount of scraps that I just can't bear to throw away. I even collect scraps that other people are willing to donate to me! I love when I don't have to buy a single thing for a craft... I can just put it together with what I already have on hand. (Not gonna lie... Mr. Oopsey Daisy is a huge fan of these kinds of crafts too!)

Lucky for me, I organize my scraps by color... which worked out perfectly for this project!

Today, I want to show you my scrappy Color Book.

As I considered what to do with my many scraps, I immediately remembered Everyday Celebrations' color book. It had been on my to-do list for a few years now, so this was the ideal opportunity for me to create my own scrappy color book! Little Man is learning about colors right now, so the timing was perfect.

I not only raided my stash of fabric scraps... I also threw in some ricrac and ribbon, too! I searched high and low for scraps of all different sizes and textures.
I'm a dork, I know. But one of my favorite things is to organize by color.

Seeing my rainbow of scraps really makes me happy!

Last year, I made 2 gigantic quiet books. I used the leftover muslin to make the pages for this book.

Now for the fun part!

I arranged a page of scraps for each color, careful to leave a good inch around the edges for seams. I adore ricrac, so I included it on every page. I used different shades of fabric, and even used a bit of burlap on this page for texture.

I cut the words out of fabric scraps using my Cricut. Because the letters need some stiffness in order to be cut, I applied Heat 'N Bond before cutting them on the Cricut. Once cut, they are all ready to be ironed on!

Now for the sewing... nothing too technical!

This is a scrap book, after all! (I still consider myself a sewing novice, so scrappy projects are perfect for me!)

Once the pages were complete, I pinned them right sides together, and sewed all the way around, leaving an opening.

I flipped it inside out, punched out the corners, and then top stitched all the way around the edges.

Once all the pages were sewn together, I inserted grommets in each page, and tied on some scrappy ribbons to add some punches of color!

The entire project only took a couple of hours, and I LOVE how it turned out! It's a rainbow of scraps!

Here are just a few of my favorite pages:

As for Little Man, this project was a definite success!

He loves to name the colors on each page and feel the different fabric textures.

And another quiet book I can toss into our church bag for instant entertainment!

Have a happy week, friends!!

Linking up to Today's Creative Blog, Whipperberry,

Filed Under: craft, kids, learning tool, quiet book, sewing Tagged With: colors, quiet book, ribbon, ricrac

Sunday’s Snippets: Our New Ride

August 28, 2011 6 Comments

If you're new to Oopsey Daisy, welcome!! For me, Sundays are all about family. Each Sunday, I take a break from my usual creative routine to share little bits and pieces of my life. Our crazy everyday lives are full of "oopsey daisies" too! Feel free to stop by and say hello. I would love to hear what you've been up to!

Yes it's true. We have a new ride!

And guess what? This ride was 100% free! Yet again, thank you Craigslist! We have a very cozy Craigslist connection. Now instead of listing any items for sale, our friend (who happens to have very good taste!) asks US if we want them first. Because this little Cadillac Escalade needed a new battery, she offered to just give it to us.

Much to Little Man's pure and utter delight, we accepted her kind offer!

One battery later....

Daddy and Little Man set out for their very first ride!

After a very brief lesson, Little Man set out on his own. But then this happened. CRASH. Luckily he only crashed into a bush, but it was devastating nonetheless.

His Daddy learned a little patience. (This was great preparation for teaching Little Man how to drive a REAL car!). He had to learn to be understanding when Little Man wanted to give up after that first crash. After a little coaxing, the two of them set off again!

For some reason, this picture looks so stinkin' funny to me. Mr. Oopsey Daisy reminds me of the giant in Gulliver's Travels. Either way, we quickly learned that Power Wheels are NOT intended for adults. (We may or may not be taking this Cadillac to the shop very soon.)

Soon enough, Little Man was on his own again.

And he couldn't WAIT to share a ride with his cousin. They just cruised around the neighborhood before hitting up the swimming pool.

I have a feeling that we'll be seeing many more rides on this little Cadillac.

(By the way, in case you're wondering, I used my telephoto zoom lens to zoom in on these boys as they were cruising around! That way I could watch them from the comfort of my own front porch!)

Oh how I love summer for memories such as these.

What are you up to? What have been the best parts of your week?

Filed Under: snippets

Date Night In a Bag {Dating Divas}

August 26, 2011 6 Comments

You are in for a treat today!

Today, I get to share the fabulous Dating Divas with you. I love Corie and the other Divas so very much. I can always use more ideas for dating my hubby! I'm posting over at their place today... so come stop by and say hello!

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I am so excited to be a guest at Oopsey Daisy today! I absolutely adore Alison and her wonderful site!

Whether you're in the mood for a yummy recipe, a new craft idea or want great ways to teach your kids...this is the place to be!

My name is Corie and I am from the website, The Dating Divas! I have been married to my man for almost ten years. It is so easy to get lost in the daily shuffle of life and forget to “date your spouse.” The Dating Divas consists of eleven girls who love to date our husbands! We post original, inexpensive and fun date ideas that are a perfect solution for any marriage! We also feature crafts, marriage tips, ideas for holidays, and SO MUCH MORE!

We enjoy dating our hubby's so much that we want to share our ideas with YOU.

We live in a world where everything needs to be hassle- free and fast!

How would you like a date night in a bag, sort of like fast food? This date idea can be ready in a jiffy! We know life can get hectic and this idea is something you can prepare now and have ready whenever you need it. I like to use our date in a bag whenever the kiddos are in bed and we actually have a little bit of free time. A big thanks to Aileen from Lil' Buckaroo Designs for the incredible printables!

Introducing......Date Night in a Bag!

You can make your very own date night in a bag! The first thing you need to do is grab a bag. I found mine at the Dollar Tree for $.50. Then, all you need to do is glue the printable bag cover on the outside of the bag.

Download Bag Cover here!

P.S. Did you notice the "His" tag on the bag? That tag simply means it is "His" turn to plan and fill the date bag. After "His" turn, there is a tag that means it is a "Hers" turn.

Download "His & Her Tags" here!

The Date in a Bag Ingredients

After you get a bag, you need to think of a date idea to go inside of it. My husband and I wanted to see the movie, Red. So I Netflixed the Red movie and bought a ton of red treats to go with the movie.

I then put all of the items in a bag and voila, date night in a bag is ready to go! Now whenever we have a chance for a date night...we are SET!

How would you like TEN different date ideas to put in your bag?

Okay, you've got it....Download "Date Night in a Bag" ideas here!

Dating your spouse doesn't have to be a big event. It can be something that is simple and easy! This is a fast idea that will have lasting effects on your date night. 🙂

Be sure to check out our site The Dating Divas to find many more fun and creative ideas!

Thanks for having me!

Filed Under: swap Tagged With: blog swap, date, date night, download, printables

Win 3 Customized Headbands {Craft Anyway!} – Now Closed

August 25, 2011 74 Comments

This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to the winner, Brandy Miller

Today's giveaway is perfect for mommies and grandmas of little girls! Let me introduce you to the Craft Anyway! shop.

Craft Anyway! is a darling accessory etsy shop! Trina is the sweet owner of this shop, and she is SO talented. She specializes in creating customized headbands and barrettes. It can be tough to find customized accessories these days! I have been browsing her shop, and here are a couple of CUTE finds:

This yellow ricrac flower headband is so sunshiney and happy.

I love the argyle button on this white ricrac headband. I would wear this one in a heartbeat!

This pink and purple headband screams all girl!

If you want to go ahead and purchase headbands from Craft Anyway!, use code "oopseydaisy15" at checkout. You can get an extra 15% off all the way through September. What a fun gift for a little girl! And remember that you can customize a headband to match an outfit! Genius.

PLUS Trina is also giving away 3 custom headbands! How cool is this?! You can customize your own headbands with your own little girl in mind!

Here is how you can win your very own set of 3 custom headbands:

Please leave a separate comment for each entry.

1. Visit the Craft Anyway! etsy shop and describe a custom headband you would love to win. Let me know in a comment.

2. "Like" the Craft Anyway! Facebook page. Trina is just getting her Facebook page started--so go show her some love. Let me know in a comment.

3. Follow Oopsey Daisy or let me know that you already do.

This giveaway will end on Wednesday, August 31 at midnight.

As always, giveaways will be announced via Facebook and Twitter and winner will be e-mailed directly.

Good luck my friends! I can't wait to see who wins these cute headbands!

Filed Under: giveaway Tagged With: accessories, Craft Anyway!, etsy, headbands

Wednesday’s Wowzers: Crunch Time

August 24, 2011 6 Comments

It is crunch time here at our house.

The house is halfway clean. The rest will get done tomorrow. We are in the middle of making Little Man's room into a big boy room--something that actually brings a tear to my too-tired eyes! I am desperately trying to shove all of the clutter everything into closets and hidden cabinets. And I am still trying to figure out what in the world I should put on my mantle.

You see, my in-laws are arriving in town later today. This is the first time they have visited since Little Man was born. Little Man is excited to see his Papa and Nana. I know I will be glad once they are here. But for now--straight up anxiety.

I took a brief break from the craziness to find some creative inspiration!

I have to agree with my friend Bev at Flamingo Toes... trying to find a headband I love is risky business! But this sweet and skinny ruffled headband is gorgeous! I would definitely wear this one. Bev is always dreaming up new gorgeous accessories!

I love how ladders are everywhere right now! Kojo Designs created a ladder to use as a rustic garden gate. Genius!

My sweet friend Kristyn from Lil' Luna has been offering some adorable printable shower games! I love this "How Sweet It Is" game. You match the pregnancy words to a candy bar. So cute. Last week, she shared a fun Price is Right game, too. I can always use more ideas for hosting a baby shower! Thanks, Kristyn!

I adore these dry erase back to school boards! Wouldn't these make cute chore charts too?! Run right over to The 36th Avenue to see the tut!

My hair is still growing out, but I'm anxious to try out My Yellow Sandbox's 30 hairstyles in 30 days! Isn't this "knots" style pretty?? Go check out all of the gorgeous 30 hairstyles and tell Abby hello.

Don't you love this sweets table from this Never land Party?! Get all the details at Homespun With Love. What a cool, unique theme!!

Enjoy your week!

What are your favorite finds in the blogisphere?

Filed Under: wowzers

Spinach Lasagna {Elephant’s Trunk}

August 23, 2011 5 Comments

Happy Tuesday!

I am thrilled to share a fabulously talented guest with you today, and she's sharing a yummy recipe! I met Lauren at Creative Estates. She is a doll! I so enjoyed spending time with her in April. I know this recipe will leave your mouth watering!

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Hello Oopsey Daisy readers!

My name is Lauren and I blog at The Elephant's Trunk. I also have an Etsy store of the same name. I am so excited to be here today to share with you a favorite recipe my Mom made growing up all the time and that she has now passed on to me. Hopefully, you too will enjoy it and pass it on to your friends and family.

Spinach Lasagna

Ingredients-1 pound of ground sausage-4 cloves of garlic-1/2 a white onion -16 ounces of tomato sauce -1 1/2 cup of water-1 tablespoon of chopped basil leaves -1 cup of mozzarella cheese-1 cup of muenster cheese-15 ounces of ricotta cheese-10 ounces of frozen spinach -3 eggs-1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese-1 teaspoon of salt-No boil lasagna noodlesPre-heat your oven to 350 degrees and begin by browning your sausage. Chop your onion and add it into your sausage mixture as it continues to brown. Mince your garlic cloves and add the garlic to the sausage and onion mixture. In separate sauce pan combine tomato sauce, water, and basil leaves over medium heat stirring occasionally. Once the sausage is fully browned add sausage to the sauce mixture and mix all together well. Bring sauce and sausage combination to a simmer and then turn heat to low. Cook frozen spinach according to directions and then add spinach as well as mozzarella, muenster, ricotta, eggs, Parmesan, and salt to a large mixing bowl. Place to the side.

Grease a 13x9 inch baking pan and layer the bottom of the pan with a thin layer of the sauce mixture, then apply a layer of no boil noodles followed by a layer of the cheese mixture. Continue this process until the pan is full. Sprinkle the top of the lasagna with some Parmesan and place in oven to bake for 45 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!

Thank you so much for having me Alison!

{Lauren Bird}

www.elephantstrunkLLB.com

http://www.etsy.com/shop/LBird226

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Lauren is such a talented lady! You've got to check out her blog!

Lauren is truly an artist! She creates beautiful canvases like these ones.

I love how she created these monograms using wine corks.

And definitely stop by Lauren's etsy shop! She creates fun things like these key wine charms.

Thanks for coming to Oopsey Daisy, Lauren!

You can find out how to be featured on Oopsey Daisy here.

Filed Under: guest post Tagged With: Elephant's Trunk

Twinkie Party Family Tradition

August 22, 2011 8 Comments

A few weeks ago, I shared one of my favorite family memories/traditions at A Little Tipsy. Can you believe that we have a family tradition all about Twinkies?! Well, it's true! In our family, traditions are more like inside jokes. So here's a little peek into just one of my favorite family traditions.

{Beware of some serious cheese in this post!}

Here's my little family growing up. See me with my bangs and big red sash??

Something you should know about us...

I have the coolest family. We had tons of family traditions. And most of them are incredibly cheesy!! We did crazy fun things that I rolled my eyes at as a teenager--but now I beg my parents to bring on the fun once again!

Recently we introduced my husband and son to a tradition we had growing up as kids...

The Twinkie Party!

In our family, a Twinkie party is a "fancy" celebration of our accomplishments.

This tradition is more like an inside joke, and it begs an explanation.

So here's the story:

Once upon a time my Dad and Mom met at a little school called BYU. He liked her. Then she liked him. After a little off-and-on romance, my Dad decided that he definitely wanted to pursue their courtship seriously. So he planned a surprise!

He kidnapped my Mom from her apartment. Blindfolded her. Even placed a box over her head so she couldn't see a thing. He drove her to a park and set up a chair. So there sat my unsuspecting Mother, blindfolded, as my Dad set the scene for a romantic date. He set up a small table and chairs. He even covered the table with a lace tablecloth and lit candles too. He set the table with fine china, and poured some soda pop in crystal goblets.

When he finally took off the blindfold, my Mother was in awe of the romantic scene, but finally laughed out loud a their entree. My Dad had cut a Twinkie in half horizontally and placed it on each of their plates. It was the first-ever Twinkie party.

Growing up, we were cheap. Really cheap. So whenever we wanted to throw a little celebration, we had a family Twinkie party--just like my Mom and Dad!

It had been years since our last Twinkie Party. I couldn't wait to share this tradition with my husband and son!! To spruce things up a little bit, I made this Twinkie stand. Don't these Twinkies clean up nice?!

How about some Twinkie toppers?? (You can download these at the end of this post.)

And why not a fun frame?? This is a spin-off of Mique's Rule the World printables. I was seriously laughing out loud the entire time I made this.

So we laid out our own lace tablecloth, and set out the fine china. We lit candles because my Dad always says, "This is called ambiance.... you pay twice as much for this in a restaurant!"

We filled our goblets with scrumptious Ginger Ale. Soda pop is always a delicacy--at least it was for us growing up as kids!

Before eating, each of us named some recent accomplishment. Then we all did a "Hip hip hooray!" cheer for that person. We cheered for big things like my parents celebrating their 33rd anniversary. We also cheered for little things like my husband having the chance to go wakeboarding recently!

It was Little Man's first time cheering, but he loved yelling "Hip hip hooray!" He thought this was the best part of the whole evening!

After cheering for everyone, we sliced our Twinkies (my Dad says this is because it makes it feel like it's twice as much!) and feasted on these little beauties! We ended the night by cleansing our hands on warm wash cloths--just like you would do in a fancy restaurant!

Do you want to know something funny? I don't even like Twinkies! But this was one of the most hysterically fun nights I've had in a long time!

Do you want to throw your own Twinkie party??

Just click here to download your own Twinkie toppers, print them on cardstock, cut them out, and hot glue the front to the back with a toothpick sandwiched in between!

Download your own "Given enough Twinkies..." sign here. Print on scrapbook paper and slide into a 5x7 frame.

Please tell me that I'm not the only one with "cheesy" family traditions!

Filed Under: download, party Tagged With: tradition, Twinkies

Sunday’s Snippets: Our Hometown Celebration

August 21, 2011 8 Comments

I love Hometown celebrations!!

I grew up celebrating "Western Welcome Week" every August here in Littleton, Colorado. For 10 days, we celebrated our town with fireworks, pancake breakfasts, canoeing, hot dogs in the park, and even a parade! I ooohed and aaaahed at the fireworks as a kid. I even marched in the hot, sticky parades, pompoms in hand.

Now I can share in the fun with my own little family! Western Welcome Week is now in full swing. We joined my sisters and Mom to watch a fireworks show to kick off all the fun!

Don't you love camera timers??

I set my camera up on the tripod so we could get the whole family in on the shot.

In case you noticed, these glow stick necklaces entertained us all night long. 🙂

I just had to show this picture of my cutie-patootie nephew. Isn't he a doll?! And growing up way too fast!

My sweet husband is such a good sport.

I think he was more excited for his Boston Market picnic than the actual fireworks show!

After waiting a few hours and maxing out every possible entertainment solution for the little boys, the fireworks finally began. Talk about breathtaking! We got to lay directly underneath the fireworks. There were so many fireworks, they actually had to set them off from 2 different locations!

I brought along my camera of course, and I was determined to take pictures of the fireworks in Manual mode, no flash allowed! So I set up my tripod, followed these tips, and I was amazed!!

Here are some of my favorite shots...