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I had the pleasure of being my sister’s Maid of Honor last August – my first time being in a wedding party! I was thrilled to be part of my sister’s wedding day and excited because it meant I got to plan a Bridal shower.

When my sister first told me she wanted a gnome themed Bridal shower, I wasn’t quite sure if she was serious about it or just pulling my leg. After confirming that was indeed her choice of theme, I began designing and acquiring gnome related items. She was very specific about the style of gnome she wanted so while I found plenty of gnome statues, none of them quite fit with her vision. In the end, I designed my own gnomes to use on her invites and as cardboard cut-outs for table decorations.

The invite:

The main food table was decorated with mushrooms, fake grass and plants, and a white picket fence. A banner with the Bride and Groom’s name was strung across two topiary trees and cardboard cut-outs of gnomes were placed throughout.

I think that food is one of the most important aspects of a shower, so I spent a lot of time scouring the internet for finger food recipes. The final menu I made included bacon wrapped dates, baked brie pops, mini twice baked potatoes, veggies and dip in small flower pots, stuffed mushrooms, and chicken salad rollups.

Other guests were kind enough to bring the amazing fruit bouquet, mango salsa with tortilla chips, and a fruit salsa with cinnamon chips.

Desserts included s’mores bites and a beautiful cake with adorable toadstool cupcakes made by our friend Katy.

Drinks were a non-alcoholic watermelon punch and red wine sangria, as well as layered cherry jello shooters.

For favors and an activity, I had a flip flop decorating station. The guests were asked to RSVP with their shoe size and favorite color and I picked everyone out a pair of flip flops when Old Navy had their $1 flip flop sale. Glue guns, ribbons, beads and flowers were provided and guests went to working adding a little extra pizazz to their new sandals. It ended up being a lot of fun to see what everyone came up with and guests then had a pair of comfy shoes to bring to the casual camp themed wedding.

Another component of the shower (as seen in the invite above) was donating to the underpants gnome. Guests each brought a pair of fun new underwear for the bride-to-be and we strung them on a line in the living room. They were paired with an advice card and the bride had to guess who had given them based on the advice written and the style of underwear chosen. She had a lot tougher time guessing then I would have expected and there were many laughs shared with the crazy marriage advice and the gag underwear that were about 5 sizes too big.

Finally, I also made a few gnome themed props from foam core and posterboard to take some fun photos of the bride-to-be and her guests.

Even though we were stuffed from all the appetizers, we finished the evening off going for dinner and then out dancing. I had a ton of fun planning this shower and providing a special day for my sister and now can’t wait to one day be able to plan a baby shower for her!

Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites: Official Puppy Hugger Shirt

September 13, 2013 chantelledoll

There is no question my little girl love’s her puppy’s. Since she’s been able to crawl, she can often be found on the floor cuddled up to one dog or the other.

One of her first words was “dog” and she squeals in delight when she sees our dogs first thing in the morning or when we come across another dog outside.

When I found this shirt at Carter’s, I knew we had to have it. The saying couldn’t be more suited to her and the fact that our newest family member is half French bulldog made it all that much more perfect.

I have loved Carter’s clothes for both my kids. Their stuff is very cute and it is comfortable for playing and sleeping in. I ended up with a lot of puppy themed articles for my son and I love that their current line has a lot of puppy themed stuff for the girls. Keira wears some of her brothers hand-me-downs, but I am a sucker for pink on my little girl and may just have to go back to Carter’s to check out some of these other puppy items:

Crafts, Little Hands

TMNT Pool Noodle Nunchuks

September 10, 2013October 10, 2013 chantelledoll

They’re heroes in a half shell and they’re green!

We’ve been bitten by the Turtle bug. I made the mistake of buying my 3.5 year some of the old 1980’s Ninja Turtle Episodes from the $5 Walmart DVD bin and then Grandma was kind enough to pass on my younger brother’s collection of Ninja Turtle action figures to us. Now it is all turtle talk, all the time.

When the theme song comes on, Camden likes to put on his backpack (AKA Turtle Shell) and run through the house showing off his ninja moves. He kept asking for nunchuks so I made him a quick set of toilet paper tube nunchuks, but with a puppy and younger sister these just didn’t hold up. I keep seeing the pool noodle light sabers floating around interest so I decided why not use a pool noodle to make a set of nunchuks. They are soft enough that they won’t hurt, but are much more heavy duty then the cardboard toilet paper tube.

All it took was a pool noodle, some duct tape and a bit of rope. To cut the pool noodle, I simply used a serrated kitchen knife.

It was a quick and cheap project and I came out looking like an awesome mom. I even had enough pool noodle left over to craft up one of the aforementioned Light Sabres! Win win! I did search Pool Noodle Nunchuks on pinterest later to find out this wasn’t a completely original idea, but I still felt it was worthy of sharing.

It has been a couple weeks now and they are still holding up after a lot of use. If I were to make another set, I would probably try to find a black or grey noodle and add colored duct tape in one of the turtle colors – blue, orange, red or purple.

Our next Turtle project? I have already told Camden we can try to make some turtle ooze like seen on this blog – I just need to pick up the ingredients.

And for Halloween, Camden is insistent that he is going to be Raphael so I may just have to forgo the pumpkin and carve one of these watermelon’s to coordinate with his costume!

Doll House

Designing for the Dogs

September 9, 2013 chantelledoll

We absolutely adore our dogs and at this point we don’t see ever not having a dog in our house. As silly as it seems, they were a huge factor in many of the design decisions for the new house. They are members of the family and we want to make it as comfortable as possible for them to live in the house with us.

I was very happy we could fit a full bathroom on the main floor of the house. Currently we are having to wrap a towel around the dog and haul them all the way upstairs when they are muddy and need a bath. This is no small feat when your dog weighs 70lbs! To ensure easy hose-downs, we also added a pull-out spray hose in the tub and went with a slightly larger tub to give them plenty of room to turn around in and shake.

Our entire main floor is hardwood and tile. This will allow us to lead them right through the house and to the tub without having to worry about muddy paw prints staining the carpet. For the hardwood choice, we upgraded from maple to a harder hickory in hopes that it stands up better to scratches. We have also gone with a natural finish rather then a dark stain so that it camouflages what scratches we do get. Upstairs, the carpet had to be dark enough to hide both kid and dog stains and still be something fairly comfortable to lay around on.

The dogs will spend their time gated in the back entrance when we are away from the house. Because of this, we have had a custom unit designed for the back entrance that will include built-in dog dishes and a large space for a dog bed. My original thought was to build the dog dishes into the kitchen island, but it made more sense to put them in the back foyer where they are still easily accessible and where the dogs will spend a lot of their time.

The cubbies were just going up at our last walk-through, and I couldn’t be happier with the way it is all turning out. I love the convenience of the benches and cubbies in our current place, so this area was a must have for me. It will be nice to have a designated space for the dog dishes and a space for the dogs to sleep rather then a dog bed lying out on in the middle of the floor.

Outside the house, the backyard is going to provide a whole new set of challenges as we try to figure out the best way to divide the kids space and the dogs area. We already have some ideas in mind, but luckily we will have until next Spring to figure that all out.

Celebrations, Gift Ideas

A Welcome Basket for Doobie!

September 9, 2013October 10, 2013 chantelledoll

My sister and her husband spent Saturday travelling to their breeder to pick up their gorgeous new purebred white lab puppy. They have wanted one for a couple years now and decided to finally take the plunge when they found out two of their favourite dogs were going to be bred. I know it has been a long 8 weeks waiting for puppy to get big enough to pick up and I am so excited for them to finally have little Doobie home.

Isn’t he cute??

My sister has been great about giving my kids gifts and celebrating my growing family, so I wanted to do something special for her new little arrival. You can never have too many toys and treats with a puppy so I found a variety of things for her and packaged them in a small basket.

Other puppy necessities in the basket besides the toys, treats and bones included rug cleaner, dog shampoo, paw wipes, pee pads, a Litey Leash and the bone shaped poo bag dispenser hanging off the side.

Welcome to puppy ownership! Hopefully there aren’t too many restless nights, pee spots, or chewed items in your future.

Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites: Birthday Freebies!!

September 6, 2013 chantelledoll

Yesterday was my birthday. Leading up to the not-so-big day, I decided to try and take advantage of as many birthday deals as I could and signed up online for all kinds of loyalty clubs. There is a lot of good stuff out there and it was a fun to see my email inbox full of birthday wishes and coupons this week. After some printing and planning, we set out for our day…

We began the day with breakfast at Denny’s where I got to enjoy a free Grand Slam – I just had to present photo ID and purchase a drink. I opted for the French toast slam and the kids shared their own junior grand slam with eggs, bacon and pancakes.

Next it was off to the mall to pick up my free birthday gift from the Sephora Beauty Insider Club, check out the Lego store and try to find some new pyjamas for the baby. We accomplished the first two items, coming home with an adorable mascara and face highlighter from Sephora. I guess the PJ’s for the baby will have to wait.

The morning went quickly and it was soon time to head to Grandma and Grandpa’s. We made a quick stop at Booster Juice to get my free birthday smoothie for Camden to enjoy on the car ride and I stopped through the Starbucks drive through to get my free Birthday latte – Mmmm, Pumpkin Spice! The email from Booster Juice was for a full size smoothie, but I had them just give me a snack size for my little guy.

With the kids safely at Grandma and Grandpa’s, I went and met my husband at the new house for our 1:00 appointment with the finisher. We got to go over our plans for the shelving in the closets and check out the progress on the house. The cabinets were all in and it was a nice birthday surprise to see that the bathroom countertops had been installed.

After picking up the kids the plan was to go for ice cream, but they have been sick this week and both desperately needed naps. I received birthday emails for ice cream from Baskin Robbins (buy one cone get one free, $5 off a cake), Dairy Queen (buy a med blizzard get one free and $3 off a cake), and Marble Slab (free small cone with one mix in, $3 off a cake). Luckily my husband picked up a DQ cake on his way home from work so we did end up getting ice cream in the end!

The good thing about most of these freebies is they are valid for the entire week surrounding your birthday. I plan to redeem my free birthday burger from Red Robin this weekend and we’ll likely take advantage of the BOGO Orange Julius when we are out and about.

Looking for other Birthday Deals?

Milestone’s emails out a gift certificate for a free entrée if 3 other entree’s are purchased. The website also makes mention of a free birthday “surprise dessert”.

Join Red Lobster’s Fresh Catch Club to receive a coupon for a free entrée on your birthday. When you join the club, you also get a sign-up email with a free appetizer or dessert.

Sign up for the Boston Pizza BP Buzz and receive a free starter for joining, free dessert on your birthday, and a free two topping individual pizza for your first anniversary.

The Body Shop will send you a $10 off coupon to use during your birthday month, but you have to sign up for their Love Your Body Club at a cost of $10. I don’t buy enough from The Body Shop to feel this was worth it, but it does give you 10% off all purchases throughout the year so it is a good deal if you do shop there often.

Old Navy emails out a birthday coupon for $10 off your $50 purchase. (Just fill in your email address at the bottom of the webpage.) I have been needing new pants for my son so I think I might take advantage of this. I might also top up the order with those PJ’s I still need for the baby!

Michael’s sent me a birthday message and coupon for 20% off my entire purchase. This coupon is good for the whole month so I am sure I will come up with a project/reason to make use of it in the upcoming weeks.

So there you have it – sometimes it pays to give out your email address.

Know of any other freebies I missed? Please share in the comments!

Celebrations, Parties

A Farm Fresh Candy Stand

September 2, 2013July 29, 2014 chantelledoll

I can’t begin to tell you how excited I was when my brother in law agreed to let me take over the candy buffet for his wedding! I did a small candy buffet for my son’s 3rd birthday party, but it was small peanuts compared to having to plan something for 250 wedding guests. I was happy to have a creative project this summer, and judging by the happy faces at the wedding I think it was well worth all the effort and planning.

The bride and groom both grew up on farms so there was definite country vibe to their wedding. I originally toyed with doing a bright, colourful candy buffet, but decided on more of a farm stand inspiration because it seemed to suit the couple better. Sunflowers, bright red bandana’s, burlap and mason jars were easy décor choices and fit in with the red, black and white color scheme of the wedding.

The couple had some fantastic engagement photos that were taken on the farm and I really wanted to find a way to incorporate some of them into the décor. I had a photo frame sitting in my basement so I strung some twine across, printed the photos in Polaroid format and strung them up with mini clothespins. It was an inexpensive element and I love that it added a personal touch for the couple.

Signage for the buffet was designed and assembled by myself. Printed elements included candy bags, chalkboard inspired candy labels, vintage style farm signs with the bride and Groom’s favorites, and a large “Candy Stand” sign.

The same M&M and Skittles inspired logo was printed in black and white on small brown paper candy bags. These were a labour of love and involved a lot of cursing and paper jamming in my home printer.

The basket stand was my big showpiece and a bit of a DIY project. I found inexpensive wicker baskets at the dollar store and was originally going to have my husband build something out of wood to hold them. I ended up coming across a metal shoe rack for $10 and wouldn’t you know, the baskets fit perfect. To make it more rustic, I simply covered the metal rods in brown paper lunch bags and twine. It is not exactly what I envisioned, but I am still very happy with the result.

Another fun idea I came across in my pinterest searches was to use berry baskets to hold sweet treats. I was looking for alternative ways to display my candy besides the standard glass bowls and apothecary jars and these ended up being both cheap and unique. My “Berry Patch” was created by displaying various berry candy in the cardboard berry baskets.

The Groom’s favourite candy was gummi coke bottles so I decided the best way to display those would be an actual Coca-Cola bottle case. I trimmed out the bottle dividers and lined it in checkered paper to make it look a bit prettier and then used a coke bottle as decoration.

The bride really likes cows so I decided there needed to be a dairy section. I found old fashioned glass milk bottles and filled them with chocolate covered raisins and scotch mints to look like white and chocolate milk. The small glass containers that held the rest of the candies and the bride’s favourite, Chocolate Macaroons, were an IKEA find.

Fresh Eggs are a pretty common product at farm stands, so the natural choice was to include some Kinder Surprise eggs for the kids. I found this great egg basket at a thrift store and also set some out in egg cartons to finish the look.

A variety of old fashioned candy sticks were set out in mason jars and displayed in small stands I made out of small dollar store crates I glued together with wood glue. The most difficult part of this project was definitely narrowing down and deciding on only 8 candy stick flavors!

Once the party gets going at a wedding, I always find the reception venue to get so hot. I decided to add small freezies onto my candy buffet as a cool treat for the kids and adults. I provided scissors to cut them open and people were free to take the sealed ones home with them if they so chose.

As I’ve gathered the supplies and then slowly started buying the candy over the past couple months, my three year old has grown more and more excited. I am pretty sure he ate his weight in candy at the wedding and he has now been introduced to freezies.

All the elements came together better then I could have expected and I am so happy with the final result. It was a fun project for me to tackle and I am glad I could use my creativity and skills to play a part in the Bride and Groom’s special day.

Congratulations again to one of the sweetest couples I know!

Candy Buffet Sneak Preview (dolledupdesign.wordpress.com)
Love is Sweet (dolledupdesign.wordpress.com)

Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites – Toddlers in Tutu’s (& Tuxedos!)

August 30, 2013September 2, 2013 chantelledoll

I bought my 15 month old daughter a gorgeous dress off Zulily months ago to wear to my brother in law’s wedding this weekend. The problem? I really thought she would be walking by this point! The dress is mostly WHITE and falls past her knees – far from ideal when your method of getting around is on your hands and knees across the dirty floor.

My solution? Outfit change! She will wear her white dress at the church and for photo’s, but I needed to find a second outfit that was a little easier to crawl around in. After searching many children’s stores, I spotted this pretty aqua colored tutu at Target and decided to pair it with a simple onesie and the white cardigan she will be wearing with her dress.

It looked cute on the rack, but after trying it on her I knew it was the right choice. It still may not be the most practical outfit for my little crawler, but it is beyond cute and that is what really counts right!? I just love tutu’s on baby girls!

The only thing that might possibly be cuter at the wedding will be my little ring bearer in his very first tuxedo…

I can’t wait to get everyone dolled up and celebrate with the happy couple tomorrow!

Doll House, Our Forever Home

Finally, We’re Getting an Ensuite!

August 28, 2013October 10, 2013 chantelledoll

We were out to the house again last night and I am excited to finally have a pretty decent exterior shot to share! The siding has been slow, but it is just about done now and it looks beautiful. I can’t wait to see the finished product with the stonework around the base of the garage.

Our current house has what is called a “cheater ensuite”. We have access to it from our master bedroom, but there is also a door into it from the hallway and it serves as the main bathroom for everyone. It has been working fine since the kids are still small, but as they grow it is going to be nice to have our own separate bathroom spaces and a bit more privacy. A true ensuite is one of the few things I feel is really lacking from our current house and I am very excited to be getting an incredible ensuite with a jetted soaker tub and multi-jet shower just for us adults to use.

I absolutely love the steps up to our ensuite and the built in shelves we added beside the soaker tub. The shower will be on the other wall, but I will get to that once tile is started.

Our new house has three full bathrooms vs. the one and a half bath we currently have. We made the decision to add a tub to the main floor bathroom to have a space for overnight guests and, more importantly, a place to bath dirty dogs. We currently have to pack our 70lb and 40lb dogs all the way upstairs when they are muddy and need a bath. It will save a lot of backache to have the bath/shower unit on the main floor. The kids are also still young so I foresee them bathing their in the evenings when I have work to do in the kitchen or if it is a messy spaghetti night where they need to go straight from table to tub.

The actual tub we chose for the kids and main floor bathroom is a little larger then your standard tub. I have had to give up a bit of counter space, but I think the nice, round tub will be great for bathing kids and dogs in.

The bathrooms cabinets are the same natural maple we have gone with in the kitchen. There is a bank of drawers for each kid in their bathroom and the open shelf on the bottom will hold extra towels.

I was also excited to see the bathroom cabinets had the drawer hardware already on. They are clean and simple, just the way we like it!

And finally, a picture to show the progress happening in the kitchen. They seem to have been working at a pretty good pace and have already gotten one wall of upper cabinets installed.

Celebrations

An Apple for the Teacher Cupcakes

August 27, 2013 chantelledoll

My mom just retired from teaching this past spring. I spoke to her recently and she told me that with September quick approaching she has had a few moments of anxiety over having to go back to school/work, and has had to remind herself that she is retired!

We celebrated her retirement with a small family party and I was put in charge of cupcakes. It only seemed appropriate to make apple cupcakes so I made these simple cupcakes using gummy leaves and pretzel sticks for the stems.

They turned out very cute and would be a quick treat to whip up for the first day of school or any other time you want to show your favourite teacher how much you appreciate their hard work. For mine, I did a cherry chip cake with cherry frosting, but you could do almost any cake flavor with red icing.