Wednesday, June 26, 2013

BAM! SHA-ZAM! Back in the business of GLITTER BOMBING!

Welcome to the Glittahood. So happy you are here:)


Today, giddy excited to be back in the Glitta Bombing sparkling saddle after a little hiatus.
Back to spreading the love + sparkle with my experiment in kindness on my blog~a flash mob of fabulous~
Glitter Bombing.

The deets: I am accepting nominations for awesome, tiny + new businesses that we are going to flash mob with love + support from around the virtual partyhood. All you need to do to be a part and help spread the kindness is~like their Facebook page and/or any other of their pages and if you have a minute, just leave the person a word or two of encouragement and support. That is it. The nominees will have no idea at all about what is happening. The element of surprise is making me giddy:)

If you would like to nominate someone deserving to be Glitter Bombed, please secret message me. Glitter Bombing will happen at random times to add to the drama + excitement::)

Thank you for always supporting me + my ridiculous ideas. I am not a perfect person, but I always try to be helpful + kind. It is not always appreciated and often forgotten, but that will never dissuade me from trying to spread goodness in this world. Those times that I can touch someone and spread a tiny bit of happiness make it all worthwhile. And fun. Giddy. Throwing Glitter on someone's page is a chance to do something extraordinary for a stranger and, in turn, will do something extraordinary for you.


Totally unsuspecting Lova to be Glitter Bombed:

Letty {Edible Designs by Letty}

Nominated by the clearly awesome + ridiculously kind ~Kristi {Your Blissful Day}




Friday, June 21, 2013

On Moving Up....


When he was about 15 months old, my son had early intervention therapists in our home. Six times a week speech, OT, play therapy and social skills therapists would come to our home-changing our lives and the life of our child. The doorbell was always ringing. When he was three, he was placed into a special education preschool year round. He would get on the tiny little school bus in the morning and get off in the afternoon. Every single day he as we walked down the driveway, I would ask him how his day was and the response was always the same-silence. But I asked every day and carried on conversations with him-even though they were never met with responses.
When he turned five, he was sent to elementary school-in a tiny class for kids with varying abilities and challenges. He had limited verbal skills, but he truly began to blossom when he began kindergarten. He still had speech, OT and social skills and he worked so very hard to communicate. He could name words when asked, but to use words in conversational context was beyond challenging.
He remained with the same special education teacher and team for 1st grade as well. These teachers can never fully realize on how much of an impact they had on the life of my child and his future. On one very ordinary day, the bus dropped my son off and as we walked down the driveway back to our house, I asked him for the millionth time how his day was and he said "good." "Good." It was the simplest of responses, yet the most profound. This boy was having a tiny conversation with me. Nothing much more was said, but the beauty, hope and meaning of this ordinary day suddenly became extraordinary.
He continues to inspire and amaze us. He is still in between special education classes and therapies, but he also hangs in the regular education classes for some of his subjects. He struggles with many things, but he is happy. He is a beautiful soul.
He had his 4th grade moving up ceremony this week and I am touched by this child's happiness, strength and how far he has come. He is the Chimp on the top row, holding up his certificate for the world to see. He was the proudest and happiest in the bunch. He was waving it for everyone to see. I have never felt more love towards my child, nor a stronger sense of pride in this boy. He is my hero. He is the definition "good."

Cherish your children. They always amaze. Be grateful. And always take time to be present.

xo

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Everything is coming up Glittered Roses {Cute Tute}



Hey. Happy Thursday:) Here is a short + sweet tutorial to create glittered roses as seen in this adorable 4th of July freebie shoot. You can download the FREE banner + bottle wraps printables here.


Junk you need:

any size/color roses (the roses I used were el cheapo pink ones from my local grocery store)
chunky clear glitter (you can use fine glitter for a softer look)
craft glue ( I used Turbo Tacky Glue)
small paintbrush
paper plates for glue and glitter
diet dr. pepper


gather up adorable supplies

remove leaves from roses and cut them down to approximate final size
 (they will be way easier to work with when they are cut down)
pour a small amount of glue on plate
add quite a bit of glamorous glitter to second plate 

use small paintbrush to paint glue around edges of rose and wherever you want sparkle
there is no right or wrong way to paint the glue on-totally easy

take rose by stem and dab in glitter pile, then roll around a little to coat even more

glitter will be clumpy and you will see white glue, but it will dry clear

 set roses in a vase or container to dry


arrange in a sweet vase

admire your ridic skills while drinking a Diet Dr. Pepper:)


 If you make them-send me pics! YAHOO!

Monday, June 17, 2013

On Fathers and Sons...



He woke up at 6:30 this morning. I could hear him brush his teeth, open and closing his drawers to get dressed and then I heard him go downstairs, open the front door and go outside. I knew he was getting the newspaper. From upstairs, I could hear him throwing the sale flyers on the floor and the crinkling of the newspaper as he was flipping through the pages-searching. Then, silence. After about a minute, I heard the little feet coming up the stairs and he came to show me: him + his Daddy. In the newspaper. I have never seen a prouder look on my son's face. I have never seen my husband more charmed by his mini-me sweetheart. Winners of the father son look-alike contest for a day, but a forever memory for my beautiful guys. I am the luckiest woman in the world. 
Happy Father's Day. 
Wishing you a day filled with happiness + beautiful memories. ♥

For the record-I think the dog pic should have been disqualified. LOL!

xo

Friday, June 14, 2013

4th of July FREE Banner + Bottle Wrap Printables



Patriotism comes in many forms and colors.
You know I love to roll with the wild and unexpected-especially on holidays.

To thank you for your support + love -I created this jazzy little 4th of July Firework Banner printable for you. It actually can be used for any party and I think you should use it every month out of the year:) I adore the fact that is an unexpected color palette mixed up with the traditional  red, white and blue.

I asked/begged one of my British Besties to design something cute to coordinate-and to show that Brits heart Americans and vice versa and aren't holding any grudges over Independence Day. LOL. Come on, funny.

My lova, Bird's Party created these spectac bottle labels to coordinate and I am beyond grateful.

Happy 4th of July. Thank you to all of those brave + awesome men and women that serve our beautiful country. We love you. Stay safe.

FAB + FREE STUFF:
Fireworks Banner
Bottle Wraps



firecracker paper straws

I added a little glitter to the star-couldn't resist:)


Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Sparkling Sequin Cake Band {for cute cakes}

magic rabbit cake topper by this broad


Welcome to tutorial Tuesday. On Wednesday. More interesting. Today I am sharing with you a super easy and dazzling sequin cake band.

I wanted to add some sparkling sequin drama to The Great Gavini's cake and whipped up this dazzler of a cake band. A simple, speedy + inexpensive way to add some magic to your desserts and display pieces.

Junk you need:

Sequin trim {I purchased 1 yard of 2 inch wide silver sequin trim at Hobby Lobby for $3 per yard. It was more than I needed or the cake, but I wanted to have some to spare in case I had a craft wreck}

Craft glue {I tried several for this, but found that tacky glue worked the best}

Sequins {any colors, sizes or shapes}

plain silver sequin trim which is actually gorg enough to use on its own
I purchased one yard-any craft store should have

I found Turbo Tacky Glue to work the best and provide the strongest bond
Be generous with the glue~it will dry clear
You will need to let this cure overnight


Affix sequins in any pattern or no pattern at all
If you are using tiny sequins, you may want to use tweezers or a tool for placement


sparkling adorableness for the cutest Chimp

I did not reuse this because cake frosting was all in the crevices of the backing.
It is inexpensive enough that you will not have to stress over keeping it clean

Just a simple idea with glimmering results.
Try different widths of trim and use them for decor, cake stands, boxes.
A beautiful + totally impressive addition to any party. And so freaking easy:)