THE HOLIDAYS. PART 2.

i love having christmas morning together, just us.

vintage ornaments, and a felted ball garland i made this year.

notice the top of the tree looks better than the bottom (1 year old in the house!)

christmas morning...we were all half asleep.
violet's the only one that can't protest these photos going up :)

half asleep, opening gifts.

 she got some foam blocks.

introducing violet to her new tunnel.

 a family photobook.

 will got a new guitar, and violet thinks its hers.

then we had cinnamon rolls, bacon and eggs, and hung out with family again. a perfect holiday :)

THE HOLIDAYS. PART 1.

photos from this past christmas eve with will's family.

violet got to wear the santa suit this year :)

violet with her wonderful nana.

this photo cracks me up :)

i miss will's stache.

for our gift to will's parents,
we decided to give them homemade nativity costumes,
 and have the cousins perform the nativity scene.

each costume was in an individual bag and labeled.

 violet was an impromptu lamb.

my sister-in-law emily and i made these costumes,
using mostly old fabric from my stash,
and a few more materials from the craft store & thrift store.
we mostly just cut pieces and there was almost no sewing involved,
as you can probably tell :)

a wiseman, joseph, and an angel.

 mary and 2 shepherds.

 here are the kids rehearsing :)

 and here's the whole gang. aren't they cute?

how fun that all these cousins can get together all the time!

DIY FELT CHRISTMAS TREE TUTORIAL

this past holiday season violet had her own christmas tree,
so she could take off all the ornaments all day long,
without me getting frustrated.
she really loved it,
and i had fun making it.

MATERIALS:
+ 1 yard of green felt
+ different colors of felt for ornaments & gifts
+ embellishments (sequin, ric rac, lace, yarn, fabric scraps, etc)
+ ornament templates (bell, star, round, retro, bow)
+ fabric scissors
+ glue gun
+ mounting squares

INSTRUCTIONS:
pretty self explanatory, but here's what i did:
1. fold green felt in half lengthwise.
2. cut from one corner to the opposite corner.
3. open felt and you will have a large triangle.
4. fold it lengthwise again, and mark where you want your boughs to be.
5. cut in straight or curved lines to make the boughs.
6. unfold it and you will have a symmetrical tree.
7. trace your ornaments onto felt (folded in half to make double).
8. cut out, and use glue gun to embellish.
9. cut out squares/rectangles for presents and use glue gun to embellish.
10. hang up tree using mounting squares
(first test the squares on your wall's paint to make sure it won't come off)

BABY V & ME - VELVET.

just for fun...

a pretty outfit picked out just for mama,

and baby too.

mama: sweater / leggings / boots / ring
baby v: jumper / tights / blazer / booties

not sure if i can survive without those comfy velvet leggings!

NOVEMBER INSTAGRAMMED.

so, the month of november was a good one.

+ kept little baby v all bundled up.

+ visited family in utah for thanksgiving

+ celebrated my 29th birthday

+ celebrated violet's 1st birthday

+ made lots of party decorations & a pinata!

FAMILY PHOTOS 2012 - TEEPEE.

more from our family photos with sloan photographers.
i promise to post a tutorial of my last minute teepee later.

BRIGHTS + STRIPES FOREVER.

this pretty outfit board really brightened my day.

it was posted by bri at designlovefest.

it is meant as a getup for a job interview,

but it'd be great to wear for teaching (minus the tights).

be still my heart, i think i could live my whole life in this outfit...

honestly i collect coats. and assymetrical ones are my fave.

striped dresses...YES. they are always a top choice.

metallic flats? i have way too many, yet i'll never tire of them.

bright tights? let's just say i've been called a tights hoarder.

now that the giddiness is spreading, find links to items here.

FAMILY PHOTOS 2012

this year we were so lucky to have our family photos
taken by angie from sloan photographers.
matt & angie are super talented artists,
and some of the nicest friends too.

we did these photos in october,
when violet was 11 months and had just started walking.
perfect timing...she could stand up by herself, but not run away from us yet :)

here is part 1 of our family session:

i'll post part 2 of our photos later, with our homemade teepee!