Your little eyelids flutter cause you're dreaming

Welcome to Sloane's sweet little second birthday party (it was over a month ago, but I still haven't collected all the pics from various cameras I wanted to post).  We had a night owl theme party. Her guests ate pizza for dinner and played until 8pm, and wore their pajamas of course.

This little gem used to be bronze. I have two of them in Krylon Watermelon now. 

the little lady...I just adored her pjs. 

my mama made the cake, I designed it.  S wanted a blue moon and stars

Candy bar

I made the cupcakes and the little owls using a circle punch and a stamp 

my favorite project (it stayed up for days) a little timeline of Sloane's last two years topped with a "happy birthday" bunting

We also had tons of stars & owls hanging from the ceiling and balloons galore, but those photos are on another camera and are for another time.  Even if I didn't photo document the way I wished I had...these people still had fun.

cousin Kolten

The girls: Brielle & Sloane

title courtesy of Taylor Swift: Never Grow Up (sob)

linking up at Ginger Snaps Crafts & Whimsy Wednesday

I have dreams of orca whales and owls

The birthday is upon us.  I have a couple of days to put it all together. Luckily my friends Pinterest and Etsy are around to assure that I never have an original idea in my head.

We sent these out a few weeks ago.  The designer (see link below photo) only charges 5$ for this design, took them to copy co (a mere 10$ later), used left over kraft paper envelopes from the wedding invitations, slapped on some washi tape to seal and was very happy with the results.

via

I've got my wood-chopping step-dad whipping these up for me on the fly.

via

My mom will be making a similar bottom layer to this cake and then a crescent moon top layer, then the cupcakes will have the owls on them.

holy awesomeness via

Remember these?  More wedding leftovers transformed into a new purpose!

via

Luckily my friend Kate had already accessed a similar tutorial for my baby shower a couple years ago and made a couple of these adorable Styrofoam ball owls.  Now I just have to make the stars.

again go here

What's a party without something to wear?  ChubbyFeets on Etsy...she's delightful to work with (honestly), I purchased the pants add-on and had her do a crescent moon shape on the top, rather than the bow tie and it is perfect, she chose just the perfect cut of fabric to make the moon. Fast service and shipping and GREAT prices. Cannot wait to see the little birthday girl don these. All the better to snuggle with her after the party. She was fast, like maybe even fast enough for you to get some for Christmas! 

This years party will be a lot more low key than the first birthday, but I am looking forward to it all the more for that reason.  And the menu as requested by the birthday tot: pizza & "pop" (7up).  Now I am off to spray paint, bake and scour my brain to find a small party game for the littles.  And will maybe whip up some small favors too, I mean I have a whole 48 hours to do all of this (and clean the bathroom).  

title courtesy of Regina Spektor's Hotel Song

nothing you confess could make me love you less

I want so desperately to not be one of those manic brides.  The ones who can't think about anything else.  But with only 48 days left and lots to do, I feel a little manic maniac.  In the midst of this wedding planning, I have a toddler and life is happening.  So much beauty and so much pain.

looking forward to making him my official Mr.

totally free printable from Wedding Chicks

My step-sis Heidi got married this last weekend in lovely Winter Park.  Here she is with her dad (my step-dad)
They danced to The Pretenders: I'll Stand By You
....still makes me sob thinking about it.

My awesome former boss Micaela finally earned her rest from 3 years of a fight with cancer
She taught me so much I cannot begin to express the amount of savvy and spunk she possessed.

My mama and step-dad at the wedding...awesome parents, fabulous grandparents



My brother and very soon-to-be sister in law (Sept. 8th) & my nephew Ledger
Excited for their wedding but know that it makes my wedding seem to come even sooner!





Working on the invitations this weekend just waiting for a few little lovelies to make it in the mail...

via 100ProofPress

via Somerset Memories

via Annie42

and a little something for the Mr.

via GalloGrotte

title courtesy of the aforementioned song-- The Pretender's I'll Stand By You

I wanna hear you laugh like you really mean it

It's wedding Wednesday and I got a lot checked off of my list today.  The most important being the tent-- the tent is reserved and ready to go up (in roughly 99 days). 

I ordered a striped one-- dark purple. Think less like circus and more like Jacqueline Bouvier & John Fitzgerald Kennedy's reception.

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If I only had the Kennedy budget so I could swing that flooring. 

A few weeks ago I ordered some adorable vintage labels from WonderlandRoom on Etsy. I just couldn't figure out how I would incorporate them into the wedding.

Then I thought of putting them on baby food jars.  I saved all of Sloane's because I made my own food for her, so if you do have a baby before your wedding, or know someone with a baby this can be the perfect size little favor jar.

The etsy labels were self adhesive so that was easy as can be, I took the food labels off with Goo Gone spray gel and adhered the new label distressing it a ltitle bit with my paper folder to make them look a little more authentic. 

I plan to fill each of them with something that (loosely) corresponds to the label and let people carry home one that strikes their fancy.  I bought the mini dominos at an antique thrift market and the war bonds jar has some pennys in it. 

I have been enjoying finding little treasures to fill them, like these vintage match books. 



Some of these beauties will fill the jars, and some of them will be stored in an ash tray near the candy cigarrette station. 

Next up on the list, another brilliant idea from my bestie (seriously, I can't think of anything on my own, that's why I have Pinterest and Breann). 

When my sister found out she was pregnant last fall we realized we would need to change our wedding date, I had already ordered my save the date postcards and was just about to recycle the whole lot. But instead Breann suggested I use them for confetti or a garland. So I put my circle punch to work the other night while watching the new HBO series The Newsroom (I'm gonna give it the old college try). I plan to mix in the new ones as well since I have the sihlouette on a peacock blue background and the LOVE is printed in bright gold.  Can't wait to grab some twine and ribbon and make this up.  Stay tuned.

linking up to: Ginger Snap Crafts Family Home & Life  My Girlish Whims  Sugar and Dots Crafty Texas Girls and The Sasse Life  and Her Library Adventures 

title courtesy of Snow Patrol: Hands Open

give me your green eyes

Here's a quick and dirty little frame job I did for an etsy print I ordered awhile ago.  I got this little beauty at a Kansas City thrift store for 99 cents.  The frame is solid wood and heavy.  It says 1979 on the canvas under the artists name, which I cannot really make out. 

I never liked the ship and always intended to alter it, I just didn't know how I would do it.  Then inspiration arrived: our light grey and emerald green bathroom! 

A little double sided tape and I have my lino print on a canvas that matches the colors in my bathroom.  Quick and easy.  The whole project cost me about 7.00 (with shipping). I love that I can see the message (albeit transposed) behind me as I try to tame my cowlick and pluck out invading grey hairs each day. It inspires me that my messy pony tail and dry shampoo are really something to be embraced rather than eschewed. 

tempest tossed ship

new piece <3

title courtesy of the counting crows (really, who else?): have you seen me lately?

i'm so in love with ya honey...

As I fed my daughter breakfast and put my hair up in the prerequisite post-baby up-do (only a bit more chic than rocking a ponytail every day) I remembered that tonight is date night in honor of Keenan and my 5 year anniversary of sorts.  We don't celebrate our real dating anniversary because we don't know when it is.  Our relationship just naturally evolved from a single conversation that occurred the first time he spoke to me on October 5th, late at night at a party we were both attending after the play Seascape by Edward Albee. 

The conversation began with a compliment (he walked up and said to me "Shannon I think you're gorgeous." I was immediately struck speechless and my eyes hit the ground), which whenever I think about the way we met I remember how much impact we have with our words.  I remember that a well-timed compliment can change someones life.  Another time in my life an apology had the same effect on me.  It wasn't something I sought or expected but it came to me in a free and sweet fashion and it changed the way I thought about significant things in my life.   

I find a lot of relationship inspiration in the blog Today's Letters.  I love how unabashedly the couple speaks of working on their relationship and they share what makes their marriage work.  Every time I read the letters they write each other I remember the power of words and I tell myself to be kinder, speak more sweetly and listen harder. 

When I contemplated what type of person I wanted my child to become I kept coming back to the notion that I want her to be kind to others.  I think that there is less and less focus on kindness in our culture, in fact being "nice" can be seen as weakness, or undesirable.  So many times I hear people "apologize" for their words in this way:  "I'm sorry but that's the way I am" or "I am sorry but I am just a bitch."  That isn't an apology it's a rationalization.  And when I apologize during an argument I often find the time to attach my rationale for my comment to the apology.  This isn't the type of apology I'd like to receive "I'm sorry but..."  Usually when we attach a "but" you can throw away everything that came before the but and only listen to what came after. 

So today 5 years after a compliment I want to commit myself to being as kind to Keenan as I am to those whom I work for. 

buy this beauty here

 title courtesy of Anne Murray: Danny's song

and then I think about my fear of motion which I never could explain

new art for the nursery acquired by goods/services trade (so hippie of us). So excited to hang it on Sloane's wall. It's so fitting as she just LOVES to hear "You are my sunshine" right now. I just love Amy's work, and the best part is that she is a sweetheart too.

We set a wedding date. We chose 4/27/12. I kind of wanted 4/9, it was my grandparents anniversary, they were married 60 years when my grandfather died last august. But it was on a Sunday in 2012 and since a lot of people (all K's fam) will be coming from out of town I didn't want to have a Sunday affair. So 27 was the next best because 2+7=9. (My step-brother mathmagical teacher Chance would be so proud of my numeric notions).

I read an article in this month's Real Simple (thanks to my 1$ off coupon) on how to stop procrastinating. They have printed it online. It's worth a look-see. I have been making myself do at least one thing off of my list of "things I have to do but don't want to" each day. The wedding date wasn't on that list but it might have seemed to be as long as it took us to hammer it down. Today I apply for new (hopefully cheaper) insurance for baby and finish up my state taxes (I know procrastination at its finest).

All this talk about things I don't want to do makes me want to talk about the things I do love to do. List #23 prompt.

guilty pleasures...ahhh

music
amy winehouse: rehab
insync: bye bye bye
ceelo green: forget you (although I prefer the radio edit)
petula clark: downtown
justin beiber: baby

food
girl scout carmel delight/samoa cookies
sour gummy worms
chips & salsa (copius amounts)
margaritas (with chips & salsa)
imported chocolate (especially swiss)
cherry coke

etc
thrift store shopping
reality tv
yard saling
etsy
blog reading
beverly hills 90210 (the original)
the skulls (ah joshua jackson)
alfie or the holiday (ah jude law)
elizabethtown (ah kirsten dunst falling in love with orlando bloom)

title courtesy of the Indigo Girls: Galileo

isn't she lovely?

via

this look is perfect...must try it...I love that she posted a hair tutorial! How great! Now to get my sister to perfect it on me in person!

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title courtesy of Stevie Wonder:Isn't she lovely?

It takes two when it used to take only one

for sale here

a challenge... this is probably a bad week to try to do any sort of "more" of anything...but I was doing such a good job of blogging in February, and now I can hardly believe it's March 15th. Really?! I would've have guessed it was the 8th.

So this week I am going to jot it down, more. I can't just let life get away without writing about it...Can I?

title courtesy of Ryan Adams: Two

she had eyes so blue they looked like weather

Silently, one by one, in the infinite meadows of Heaven,
Blossom the lovely stars, the forget-me-nots of the angels.

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Evangeline

forget-me-not pendant

from a garden in oregon

oval beauty

title courtesy of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers: It'll all work out

i dreamed i held u in my arms

I want this.

tonight is an impromptu date night. dinner at Sol Cantina & then making an appearance at a small get together. too bad my hair is in desperate need of dye. the blonde is beginning to show through. maybe putting it up might distract from reality?! yikes!