May 2012 Archives - A Pumpkin And A Princess

Toddler Room Makeover

May 30, 2012 16 Comments

It’s been two years since we purchased our home and I feel as if I’m never finished when it comes to updating the rooms. One of the things on my to do list has been to update the lighting in the kids rooms. We have high ceilings and their light fixtures are small compared to the size of the room. This week I finally got down to business and started on my daughters room. The new lighting inspired me to give her room a mini makeover.

Last year we switched out my daughters espresso colored furniture to white furniture with a pink and purple theme. But the makeover came to a halt after the baby was born and it was time to pick up where I left off.

The main thing on my shopping list was a lamp to help with the lighting problem. We decided to continue with her pink and purple theme so this lamp was the perfect new addition.

I took the little miss shopping with me to help pick out new accessories. While we were there we picked up new light bulbs for the ceiling light fixture and the new lamp. You can see our entire shopping experience on google +.

Want to see the difference the new light bulbs and lamp made? Here is the before….

and after!

The close up below shows how bright the new light bulbs are. Her room was poorly lit prior to the light bulb switch and lamp, now it’s bright without the yellow tone. What we did was replace our 60 watt light bulbs with 13 watt GE Reveal and Energy Smart light bulbs. The lamp below has the 13 watt Energy Smart Daylight light bulb.

The wall decor is still a work in progress but I quickly made these dimensional butterflies using scrapbook paper and glue spots.

Another fun accessory is this stacked frame. I like how well it compliments her wall color and it’s unique shape.

My daughter was really excited to see her room makeover. Her favorite part is no doubt the new lamp. Now the biggest concern is reminding her to turn off the light when she leaves the room. She has been playing with the lamp non-stop since we bought it, she even asked if she could sleep in her room with the lamp on tonight. Maybe just maybe the new lighting will make her feel comfortable sleeping in her room again.

I’m really happy with the mini makeover and I’m still asking myself what took me so long to update the lighting in her room. I even went on the GE website to use their savings calculator and found out that I’m going to save $108 during the life of the light bulbs by switching to 13 watt bulbs. You can calculate your savings too by visiting the GE website.

Here’s a coupon you can use on a GE Energy Smart product.

Connect with #GELighting on Twitter and Facebook

Linking up to these parties, TCB, My Repurposed Life

I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This content has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and GE. #CBias #SocialFabric All opinions, pictures, and experiences are my own.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Berry Container Gifts

May 29, 2012 22 Comments

Berry containers seem to be pretty popular right now. They can be used as party favors, photo props, teacher gifts, or really any handmade gift. I was excited to see that Lifestyle Crafts came out with the Berry Container Die in a recent release. But the fun doesn’t stop there, just look at all the new dies in the Spring Core Collection.

If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter you may have already seen my sneak peek this past weekend. On Saturday I had fun using my Epic 6 and the berry container die to create some adorable handmade gifts.

In case you’re not familiar with the Epic 6 I have a little tutorial on how to construct the berry container. It’s pretty easy to use and doesn’t take very long at all. First you place your die on top of the cutting platform then your paper on top of the die.

Put your cutting mat on top and run it through the Epic 6 machine. You also don’t need an Epic 6, the Lifestyle Crafts dies can be used with any die cutting machine.

Once you have your pieces fold at the perforated line. Add an adhesive to the top of one die cut and place the other die cut in the opposite direction. To finish it off glue on the strips to hold it all together.

The best part is that you can customize them into anything you’d like. I tied bakers twine to one and added a strip of paper to the other using a Martha Stewart decorative punch.

The possibilities are endless with this cute new die. One of the birthday party themes we’re considering for my daughter is a garden theme. How cute would it be to use these little berry containers to hold party favors?

Remember you can save 20% off all Lifestyle Crafts products by using the code PUMPKIN.

Thanks for stopping by! I’ll be back tomorrow with my daughter’s mini room makeover.

Linking up to these parties, TCB, My Repurposed Life

Food Photography Tips

May 27, 2012 18 Comments

I am halfway through my photography course and excited to share what I’ve learned so far. In case you’re new here I signed up for a 6 week online food photography course through Social Fabric. The first week we introduced ourselves and discussed who inspires us. I talked a little bit about the in my first post but I would say Dine and Dish, Whipperberry, and The Pioneer Woman are the top three people I aspire to photograph like. I think their photographs are absolutely stunning with the dark background and vibrant colors.

In the second week we learned about lighting, which is probably the most crucial aspect of a photograph. A poorly lit photograph can be very unappealing. I’ve found it’s best to photograph next to a window with the light hitting the subject’s side. A white piece of paper or foam board is great at reflecting the light back onto the object, erasing any dark shadows. My assignment for week two was to photograph a simple item on a plan white piece of paper. The picture below was taking at almost 8pm. It’s not entirely bright but I did photograph it next to a window and used a white board to reflect the light onto the sprinkles.

Week three was all about the photo editing software Pixlr and photo styling. Some of the tools we learned about were sharpening, dodging, burning, and levels. Another important lesson is to have a well balanced photograph. Balance in a photo is achieved when colors, lines, and shapes are combined correctly. Learning how to style photos has been my favorite part about the course. I have always used scrapbook paper for the majority of my projects. I think the options are endless! If you look back at my pictures from this year you’ll see a “wood” background in a lot of them. I found these wood-like scrapbook pages at Hobby Lobby a couple months ago and really like how they look against food.But I’m starting to venture off and becoming comfortable using random objects around the house. Another favorite background of mine is kraft paper (you can find it at the dollar store).

Right now we’re learning about the rule of thirds and the technical terms in photography. I have to admit learning ISO, aperture, and shutter speed have always been difficult for me. I found that once I actually took the time to play around with my camera and adjust the settings, it’s pretty easy to understand.

Next we’re going to work on combining everything we have learned in the course. I’m excited to put it all together and improve my food photography skills. I will update you again at the end of the course and tell you everything I’ve learned.

Filed Under: Photography Tagged With: food photography

Crafting With Kids: Patriotic Crafts

May 25, 2012 19 Comments

Happy Friday my friends! Are you excited about the long weekend? I know I am! We don’t have any set plans but we are considering driving to Reno, Nevada to visit family. If we decide to stay home we’ll probably have a relaxing weekend and backyard BBQ to celebrate Memorial Day. In case you’re looking for a few patriotic crafts and treats to make with the kids this weekend here are a few I shared last year.

Patriotic Paper Chain and Star Banner

Mini Star Pies

Popsicle Stick Flags

Thanks for stopping by! I’ll be back tomorrow with a cute gift idea and an update on my photography class.

Linking up to these parties, TCB

Filed Under: Crafting with kids, Holidays, Summer Crafts Tagged With: 4th of July, kids crafts, patriotic crafts

Summer Reading

May 23, 2012 19 Comments

As a mother of three my days are spent chasing babies, packing lunches, cleaning, playing dress up, and planning meals. Add blogging to the mix and things can get a little hectic around here. When I began blogging I didn’t think my blog would grow to what it is today. I am so incredibly grateful for the friendships I’ve made through blogging and for all my readers who keep coming back to see what I have to share. But I have to admit it can all be a little overwhelming at times. Earlier this year I was involved in a lot of blog work on top of my mommy duties. The days would come and go and at the end of the week I couldn’t remember much of what happened. It made me realize how much I needed to take a step back and make time for myself. As mothers I think we often worry about caring for others and rarely take time for ourselves. As much as I love caring for my family and blogging, I know its time to focus on finding time for myself. I even created a pinterest board for inspiration.

My husband recently noticed how overwhelmed I was getting and asked me “what’s something you like to do but haven’t done lately?” I immediately thought about reading. To me sitting down reading a good book and enjoying a cup of tea is the best way to relax.

As Summer approaches I’ve made a bucket list for myself. One of the items on my list is to read five new books by August. So this morning I went shopping for a few of my favorite things. We started our morning off by stopping at the farmer’s market for fresh berries.

While shopping I found a large variety flavored tea but my favorite is Bigelow green tea with lemon. I keep telling myself I’m going to pick a new flavor but I have a hard time changing things up. I’m guessing other people like it too since this was the last box I found.

I’m starting my reading list with The Vow. Have you read it or seen the movie? Next on my list is Bloom. Oh and I want The Pioneer Woman Cooks too but that’s another topic. :)

Then during nap time I made myself a hot cup of green tea with a drizzle of honey and slice of lemon.

Can you guess what area I find the most relaxing? That would of course be my porch with it’s new mini makeover. To me a good book, fresh fruit, and a big cup of tea is my “me time.” Its what helps me clear my head when I’m feeling stressed or even wanting to unwind at the end of a busy day.

How do you find time for yourself? What do you find relaxing?

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study forCollective Bias. #CBias

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwiches

May 23, 2012 30 Comments

Having a daughter means I spend a lot of time playing dress up and having tea parties. What’s great is that my best friend has a daughter around the same age as mine, so we often arrange play dates for the girls. We recently had a princess tea party filled with delicious sweets and crafting.

The weather has been nearly 100 degrees and I knew an #IceCreamTreat would be a great way to cool us down. So on last week we went shopping at Smart & Final to buy some strawberry ice cream. Since this was a pink affair strawberry ice cream was a must. ;)

We bought everything we needed to create a sweet little tea party.

I tried the First Street strawberry and cookies & cream ice cream. This has to be the best strawberry ice cream I’ve ever had! We planned on adding more strawberries to it but it was perfect the way it was, with nearly a strawberry in every bite.

I made the girls strawberry ice cream cupcakes. I used the same ice cream cupcakes recipe I shared a few months ago. But the fun didn’t stop there. I also made ice cream sandwiches out of chocolate chip cookies. The ice cream sandwiches were for my best friend and I to enjoy. To make them I let the cookies & cream ice cream soften a little then spread it in between two chocolate chip cookies. I then rolled them in confetti sprinkles and placed them in the freezer to harden.

The setup was quite simple with a pink quilt laid across the yard for the girls to sit on. I have yet to buy my daughter a glass tea set but this musical play tea set worked perfectly. It even makes a pouring sound if you tilt it over.

How cute are these princess wands? I would have loved to have one as a child. I found them at Hobby Lobby for $1.50 each.

They also decorated their own crowns with stickers and rhinestones.

The tea party came to an end with the girls pretending the pom poms hanging from the tree were pinatas. At one point my daughter was actually confused, wondering where the candy was. I wish she could stay this little forever. Hopefully she’ll want to continue having tea parties for many, many years to come.

Stay connected with Smart & Final by visiting their

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I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™. #CBias #SocialFabric

Linking up to these parties, TCB

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Filed Under: Desserts, Parties, Recipes Tagged With: ice cream

The Easiest Pillows Ever {Placemat Pillow Tutorial}

May 21, 2012 71 Comments

A few weeks ago I showed you my budget-friendly porch makeover with its bright and colorful pillows. The yellow pillows were from Kmart but the turquoise pillows I actually made out of placemats. It was my first time making placemat pillows, but with how easy they are to make you’ll be seeing a lot more during the holidays.

I remember seeing placemat pillows all over blogland last Summer and thinking I should make some. Well I finally got around to it and I’m in love with the simplicity of this project. What’s great about placemat pillows is that they’re fairly inexpensive to make. I bought my placemats for less than $3 each and the stuffing I already had on hand but you can find it at your local craft store.

To make your own you’ll need a seam ripper, placemats, stuffing, and a sewing machine or you could even hand stitch the seam close if you’d like.

Carefully open one seam and stuff the pillow. For this size of placemats I used half a package of stuffing for each one.

Insert pins and sew the seam close. If you need to, push the stuffing to the opposite side while you’re sewing then fluff the pillow when you’re done.

You can add flowers to embellish them or even a coordinating trim. I added fabric rosettes with a fabric button center. I’ve been on the lookout for the i-top button maker but can’t find it locally. But I did find this neat little device at Joann’s for a couple of bucks.

Fabric Rosettes Tutorial:

1. Iron interfacing to the back of your fabric.

2. Cut strips of fabric 1-2 inches wide depending on how big you want your flower to be.

3. Fold fabric strip accordion style and glue the ends together.

4. Press rosette down and hot glue the center together.

5. Add fabric button if desired.

I’m loving the porch makeover with its blue and yellow theme. I’ve received a lot of compliments from guests on how bright and cheery my porch looks.

Thanks for stopping by!Linking up to these parties, TCB, My Repurposed Life, Home Stories A2Z

Filed Under: Decor, DIY, Sidebar Feature Tagged With: DIY, sewing, tutorial

What I’m loving: Instagram Edition

May 20, 2012 6 Comments

Happy Monday my friends! I’m starting to get around a little better and have been working on finishing up a few projects. In the meantime here are some things I’m loving at the moment…

I {heart} Anthropologie! While in Chicago I went shopping at one for the first time, I pretty much fell in love with everything there.

I {heart} crafting with my toddler. She made a pretty fabulous birdhouse last week. I’m sure the birds will appreciate the bling. ;)

I {heart} living in a large agriculture area where I can find locally grown produce within 5 minutes of my house.

I {heart} beautiful cathedrals. This was from our visit to Chicago as well.

I {heart} cheesecake and a good magazine. I can’t seem to get enough of
cheesecake lately. I think I’ve tried three different flavors in the
past month. What’s your favorite?