Elise’s Winter Onederland Birthday

Elise's 1st Winter Onederland Birthday | Vivian & Violet
We celebrated our little chick-a-dees 1st birthday back at the end of December. Check out how I decorated for a Winter Onederland without spending a ton!

We celebrated our little chick-a-dees birthday back at the end of December. I wanted to share some of the highlights with you guys on the fun little party we had for her with family and close friends. Elise had such a great time. It was so fun to see the smile on her face all day. From the infamous cake smashing to just playing with all the kids, it will be a day we won’t forget.

Since Elise’s birthday was in January I didn’t want to do the usual pink theme. I thought a little winter wonderland action would be perfect and it turned out so much cuter than I could have imaged. Below are some of the shots from our girl’s special day!

My mom and I made most of the decorations and I plan on doing more posts in the future on how easy it was to whip these things up. The tassel garland on the high chair above is made out of rope, white floral wire and plastic table cloths cut into strips. The cake topper is made from a wooden dowel and this glittery letter.

The cake smash started out slow, but Esai lured her into the cake and soon she couldn’t get enough. It was pretty hilarious to watch.

The balloon garland above is made using this tutorial and adding a silver sparkly garland. It was easier than I thought. We also used Pinterest for inspiration.

For the guests, we had powdered cake balls to resemble snowballs, orange juice cookies (family recipe), and a sheet cake called the Strawberry Wedding Cake from FarmHouse Bakery in Omaha, NE that is my all time favorite. It’s not pictured but it was the talk of the party. Along with a punch, my mom made out of sprite, pineapple juice, lime sherbet, and a little teal food coloring.

My mom made all the tissue paper balls and we hung them with jute rope. We found the snowflakes you see hanging at Party City.

Thanks for reading and let me know in the comments below what you did for your little’s birthday parties. I will have DIYs on the blog soon with specific details on how to make all these easy decorations!

Party Details

Photography: Michaela Elena Photography find her on instagram @michaela.elena.photograpy

Smash Cake by Cake Gallery – Omaha, NE

Supplies & Decorations: Hobby Lobby, Party City & Micheals

Shop what Elise & I are wearing below

25
Oct
2018

DIY Baby Sushi Halloween Costume

categories: DIY & Crafts

Checked Vans | Tights | White Bow

This is Elise’s first Halloween and in true crafting fashion, I really wanted to make her a costume. I had a few more challenges doing this because we are currently living in a hotel. I don’t have my arsenal of crafting materials or a sewing machine. I thought this would be a great opportunity to show you how you can totally make a costume even if you don’t have a lot of your normal crafting things. Plus it really did not cost me much, it was around the $20.00 mark (way less than this if you have normal crafting things already such as scissors, measuring tape, etc) it is to buy a costume at Target. What is even better is if you don’t know how to sew you can still make it!

What you need:

Felt – 9″x12″ 1mm thick – colors: 1 peach, 1 tangerine, 1 black, 2 kelly green
White Onesie
Scissors
Measuring Tape
Heat n Bond Ultra Bond
Iron
Marking Pencil or Pen
Sewing Kit or Needle & Thread (optional)
Paper (if you make stencils)

How to:

Layout your onesie, place the peach felt on top of it and freehand the body of the shrimp. This will help you determine the size you need to make the shrimp. Cut it out.

Place the pink shrimp body on top of the orange felt and trace it. Cut it out. After you cut it out, freehand three parts of shrimp body. Make one smaller shell for the top, a large shell for the body and the tail. See image below.

Side note: I made my own paper stencils before I traced and cut out the shrimp body and parts on the felt but either way works.

Cut a 2″x12″ thick band with the black felt. Place it over the shrimp body and cut it to fit the front of the onesie. See image below.

Cut two 4″x12″ strips with the green felt. To make the green felt look like seaweed trim both outer edges in a jagged, triangular pattern like leaves on a sushi serving tray.

After all your pieces are cut out, follow the instructions on the Heat n Bond. Add the Heat n Bond to each individual piece. Then cut off the excess paper.

Note: Adhesive should be on the back of the material to be bonded—paper liner should face up. Make sure the steam is off or the fabric will become soggy.

Cut little slits in the orange tail to make the tail look like more like a fin.

Peel the paper and bond the pink shrimp body to the onesie, followed by the orange shrimp body pieces, then the black band. Flip the onesie over and bond the green seaweed to the back.

Note: The seaweed is in two strips, this will make it easier to put the onesie on. When I attached them to the back I made sure to have the arms free.

Optional: Lastly, I added a few stitches to either side of the shrimp tail and to the top of the seaweed strips on the back of the onesie. Just to make sure it stays secure.

Check out my Instagram highlights @vivianandviolet to see some short clips of this DIY too!

Have a safe and happy Halloween! Let me know in the comments below if you have any questions and if you like this DIY!

Shop what Elise is wearing with the costume:

Checked Vans
Tights
White Bow

18
May
2016

DIY Globe Guest Book

categories: DIY & Crafts

Here is easy and creative DIY coming at ya! I have a bunch of friends getting married this year and it brings me back to all my favorite projects I did for my wedding. Instead of having a traditional guest book, I scoured Pinterest like everyone else does. I came across an amazing idea. What I came up with was a great decorative piece I could see my husband and I cherishing in our home for years to come.

DIY Globe Guest Book

What you will need:

globe – I snagged mine at a second hand store for $2
spray paint – any color that accents your wedding colors
screw driver

I detached the globe itself by unscrewing it from the bottom of the base (there is a screw in the bottom of mine to hold it together). Spray base evenly with spray paint in a well ventilated area (I did it outside) and allow to dry. Reattach globe and your finished. We used black sharpies for signing, but you could use any color you want.

If you can’t take your globe apart, make sure to cover it well with a trash bag or some type of plastic covering to protect it while spray painting the stand.

Having a globe as a guest book was a great interactive piece that got all our guests talking. We have some many friends and family from all over the world that were there to celebrate our special day. It was fun for them to sign where they were from. Don’t let not having a wedding stop you from using this great idea. If you have an anniversary party, birthday or graduation coming up you could totally incorporate this as the guestbook. You will cherish it for years to come.

26
Mar
2016

DIY Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs

categories: DIY & Crafts

I absolutely love to dye Easter Eggs. I can remember growing up and looking forward to making fun creations with my mom. Here is a DIY on how to naturally dye eggs. This was the first time I have tried dyeing eggs this way and I can honestly say I love how they turned out. I used different natural items such as teas, spices, fruits and vegetables. It was fun to be surprised by the colors the eggs would turn out. It is super easy, you just have to be a little patient.

DIY Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs

Here is what you need:

mason jars or small bowls
hard boiled eggs
pots and/or tea kettle
white vinegar
slotted spoon
drying rack or egg carton
assorted teas- 4 bags per 1 1/2 cups of water (Passion, Wild Sweet Orange, Chai & Green Tea)
fruit, vegetables and spices- blue berries, beets, turmeric

Teas:

Boil water in tea kettle or on stove. Fill mason jars or small bowls with 1 1/2 cups of water. Steep 4 bags for 5-6 minutes then remove them (you can also use loose leaf tea). Let it cool to room temperature and add 1 tsp of white vinegar. Once it is cooled, add eggs and let it soak in the fridge till you get a desired color. I soaked eggs for 1 hour, 2 hours and 3 hours to get a variety of shades.

Blue Berries and Beets:

Bring 1 1/2 cups of water to a boil in a small pot and add 1 cup of blue berries. Let them simmer for 15-20 minutes. Strain the blue berry water into a mason jar or bowl. Let the colored water cool to room temperature and add 1 tbsp of white vinegar. Once it is cooled, add eggs and let them soak in the fridge till you get a desired color. I took mine out at 30 mins, 1 hour, 2 hours and 3 hours. Use the same directions to create the water for 1 cup of chopped beets.

Make sure your eggs are fully submerged when soaking.

Which egg color is your favorite? How did you dye your eggs this Easter season?

01
Feb
2016

DIY – Conversation Hearts Centerpiece

categories: DIY & Crafts

Love Vase – Target similar // Conversation Hearts – any local department store

Happy February! I absolutely love all things Valentines Day. It might be the hearts or the colors. I’m not quite sure, but the month of love is always one of my favorites. Here is a great idea for a cute, cheap centerpiece you can have on your table. If you are having the girls over for a night in of fun movies or doing something crazy like a couples dinner party, this centerpiece has been a crowd pleaser. The conversation hearts always get everyone chatting. It might also be because by the end of the night all the candy is gone. Use any vase you like. You can even try filling multiple vases with different colors of candy. Have fun with it!

Tag: DIY

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DIY Globe Guest Book

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DIY Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs

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