Hug Pillow

Ever since coming across From an Igloo's fantastic Keepsake Hug Pillow, I had been saving it until my son was born.  And now that he's here, it became the perfect Mother's Day gift.  So leading up to Mother's Day, I became a little factory making three versions... one for my mother, one for my mother-in-law, and one for me.

Her tutorial is great.  I tweaked it slightly by making it an envelope-back for a 12x17 pillow form.  My favorite part was customizing each pillow to the recipients' house (mine is the blue one).  Special thanks to my sister-in-law who just finished designing my mother's house and gave me leftover fabrics so that the pillow would perfectly coordinate.

Is there anything cuter than a baby hand print?

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Read Me Inspired {The Very Fairy Princess}... The Fairy Garden

And as promised, here is more about our Fairy Garden from our "The Very Fairy Princess" day.

There are tons of inspirations out there for creating a fairy garden.  I originally got the idea from HGTV's Family Gardening Club (it was their July project).  Then I came across The Magic Onion who apparently hosts a Fairy Garden Competition with tons of fun ideas.  I recommend both if you want to create your own.

Garden #1
Here's how we tackled it.  After a little shopping trip and some quick "shopping" around the house and yard, we surveyed our materials and came up with somewhat of a plan (or at least as much of a plan as a 4-year-old can have).

We then filled our bowl with soil and planted our fern "tree" and our little "bush".

And then we just played until we had what we wanted... a beach, water, a little walking path...

flowers along the picket fence...

birds "hiding" in our tree...

and even some butterflies flitting about.

Garden #2
And this leads us to garden #2.  After finishing the above, Little Princess realized that there was no place for the fairies to eat.  So, we found an empty pod in the shed, found some herbs that needed to be planted anyways (leftover from a summer preschool gardening program she was in), and began a "dining garden."

This really became fun.  We glued rocks into chairs and tables and even glued beads into shell "bowls".

After we added shell "planters," the only thing missing was a bridge to connect the two gardens.  Popsicle sticks and floral wire remedied that problem, and the garden was ready for its Open House.  (Actually, Little Princess has decided that we are still missing a house and a bed, but Mommy said that will have to wait for another day.)

Enter Tinker Bell, stage right...
First, Tinker Bell has to scope things out.  She starts down by the beach, and after playing in the water, is ready to explore.

I think I'll rest for a moment.

Where does this bridge lead?

What a perfect spot for a snack.

(You might notice that at this point Tinker Bell apparently got tired of her wings ;) )

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Simple Valentine Votives

I have a confession.  I'm not really all that into Valentine's Day.  That may seem odd given the number of Valentine posts that I have written and that I dedicated this week to Valentine's Day crafts.  But I have really never celebrated it much.  It always seemed like a commercialized holiday meant to guilt men into buying jewelry and flowers.  Personally, I prefer my husband to bring home flowers on a random Tuesday than on the day that the media tells him he should.  So, we have always had under-stated Valentine's celebrations... a special meal, time together, etc.

But with a 2-1/2 year-old, I suddenly have a desire to make the holiday special.  I remember my mother fixing special valentine's treats and surprises.  One year it was a cute little clothes-pin doll with a red and white pattern dress that she had made to look like me.  It's funny how those things stick in your memory.  My mother is an amazingly talented woman and I find myself wanting to create those same types of memories for my daughter.

Most of these posts have been about crafts for my daughter.  However, with this renewed interest in Valentine's Day, I have also found myself wanting to do a little decorating.  These votives were a simple and cheap (i.e. free since everything was in the house) option to add an extra touch.  I used these two love quotes that I found, both related to food since I planned on putting the votives on our kitchen table.

"Life is the flower

for which love is the honey."

~ Victor Hugo

"Love is a fruit in season at all times,

and in reach of every hand."

~ Mother Teresa

Here are the instructions, though I admit that this is so easy you don't even need them.
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Pottery Barn-inspired Butterfly Chandelier

A Proper Tea is much nicer than a Very Nearly Tea, which is one you forget about afterwards."

~ A A Milne, Winnie the Pooh

 

Back in November I was corresponding with Jen from Balancing Beauty and Bedlam about budget ideas for decorating girls' rooms, and she kindly featured one of my ideas.  As I read all the kind words that people posted in the comments, I gained confidence that perhaps I could one day write a blog.  Perhaps people would like my ideas.  Perhaps they weren't as corny as I feared.  (As a "professional" woman, I have often been teased - good naturedly, of course - by my friends for my "Martha Stewart" side.  I think it has made me a little shy about admitting my love for crafts.)  Now, two months later, I have started Pink Tea.  I'm excited and nervous, but worst thing that happens is that no one reads this.  So, let me say thank you, Jen, for giving me a chance on her blog.  And thank you to everyone who commented on that post.  It was the encouragement I needed.

Now on to the Chandelier.  I LOVE Pottery Barn Kids.  I'm sure if anyone saw me getting the mail, they would wonder why I get so giddy the day the PBK catalogue arrives.  I eagerly read it two or three times, marking all the pages and ideas that inspire me.  I knew I had a problem when I walked into a friend's bathroom and could name all the items that were from PBK (and yes, the bathroom was adorable).  If there is ever a support network, I may need to join.  So, when it was time to re-do my daughter's room this past summer, it was finally my opportunity to re-create one of my favorite pieces... the Butterfly Chandelier.

 

Source:  Pottery Barn Kids

Isn't it gorgeous!  I love the whimsy of it.  However, the $79 price tag wasn't in my budget.  Refusing to give up on my dream of having this in my room, I kept mulling over how to make it myself.  Thus, this version was born.

PBK Chandelier:  $79

Supplies from Craft Store:  Less than $10

Satisfaction for making it myself:  Priceless

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