I Have Been Featured!!

I have been waiting in anticipation all weekend! Finally Monday is here. Ucreate, a fantastic source for all things creative, is featuring my tutorial on how to make burp cloth cupcakes today on their website! You can view it here.



Make sure you stop by and check out my tutorial, or you can find it on my website here.  If you stop by Ucreate's website make sure you leave a comment on my tutorial! :)

Thanks so much for all the bloggy love!

Don't forget to enter your link for Mingle Monday! 



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Mingle Monday: 1.23.2012

Welcome to another fantastic Mingle Monday!! For anyone just joining us, I feature a blog hop on Mondays -- though usually it is posted Sunday afternoon -- for everyone to link their blog to. It's a great way to meet new people, find some new blogs that you can obsess over, and recruit some new followers to your own blog!

Feel free to grab my Mingle Monday button so you can remember to come back week after week.

Visit as many blogs on the link list as you would like. Make sure you leave a comment and tell them you are stopping by from Mingle Monday!

Become a follower here on my blog so that you can take advantage of any and all freebies that I offer {usually once a week}.

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And make sure to have some fun!!


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Organizing a Little Boys Room: aka... cleaning up after a tornado!

Anyone who has small children knows that they are not born with a desire to clean up their messes. None are worse than little boys. With short attention spans, they move quickly from one toy or activity to another. Which means that by the end of the day you have a home covered in little messes from the entire day. My little guy just turned 3. I have tried desperately to bribe inspire him to WANT to clean. Ha!


Usually around the holidays my hubby and I {though it's usually me since he works outside of the home} go through the kids toys and either pack up or donate a bunch to make room for any new things they get for Christmas -- and in my sons case his birthday. 

This year, due to circumstance, it didn't happen. Unfortunately that has led to the chaos in both the playroom and my kids' bedrooms. My sons room just happened to be first on the OVERHAUL list. 



Part of it is that my hubby has been out of town on business and I have been holding down the fort on my own. Needless to say things have been a little hectic and just didn't get taken care of... until now! 

I had pretty much had enough of the mess, and the nagging for the kids to clean up THEIR messes that I took matters into my own hands. 

This was my approach:
I while back I bought some hanging organizers at JoAnn's for like $2 on clearance. I thought {at the time}
What a great way to store the kids' stuffed animals. They would be put away, out of sight, but still accessible." Boy was I wrong. Both kidlets emptied our their organizers onto their closet floors. So much for that brilliant idea. 

So, first up!? The stuffed animal pile. I kept a couple out that they actually play with. The others got packed away in a clear storage bin that will go in the garage. Why clear? Clear storage bins make it easy to see what's inside. It's the ONLY way I am storing things in my garage anymore. I got tired of opening bins to see what was in them -- even when they were labeled. 

Next up? The clutter and toys that have taken over his floor. 


I made a HUGE trash pile. All the loose papers he has been hoarding from around the house and various church handouts got tossed. The wipes box and the diapers got put away in the closet where they actually belong. Books were put back on the bookshelf, and I bought a new addition. This wonderful kids room organizer from Target. I can't find the white one online, but it's this same organizer in white... weird. 
My super smart sister-in-law helped me to put it together. I have put together a million {okay not that many, but close} bookcases and shelving units all by myself. BUT, the darn angled piece on the bottom of this one was tough! The instructions were not helpful as to which way to place that piece so that all those nifty holes lined up. My SIL figured it out! It only took both of us with our college degrees to put together a stinkin' organizer... BUT I LOVE IT!! 

Here's how his room looks now {and I do mean, like right now}.


The bigger toys that don't really have a "home" now have one on top of this new organizer. 


The diapers and wipes were put away on the shelf in his closet and the hanging stuffed animal organizer has been put away for now... until I can think of another use for it. 


The bookshelf has been reorganized and now you can see the carpet! I had forgotten what it looked like! 

And here's my little guy in all his mischievous glory!


Next up on the organizing list? His sister's room... ahhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!


How do you get your kids to clean up? Do you have a routine? Do you sing a song? Do you time them? Do you offer rewards? What's your secret!!? I would LOVE to know!

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How to Make Cupcake Toppers: The Easy Way!

There are so many different ways to decorate for a party... but cupcake toppers have quickly become one of the most popular. It's a fun way to snaz things up a little.. put a little extra f-u-n in your party!

Or, use them in gifts, like these burp cloth cupcakes. Perfect as a baby shower gift, or table centerpiece for a shower.


Whatever the occasion, there are countless places to purchase digital cupcake topper designs or even pre-made cupcake toppers.

Maybe some of you haven't yet experimented with these fun guys. Well, if it's because it seems like a lot of work to put them together you can rest assured that it doesn't have to be.

Here's a super simple way to put together your cupcake toppers.

Start by either purchasing or designing your toppers. I have some available in my shop or even some free printables you can download.

My designs are created for 2" punches. This time I used a 2" flourish punch by eksuccess. See how I turned the punch over? This let's me center the circle center of the topper on my punched shape. I know exactly how it's going to look when punched out.


Here's the finished punch. Just continue for the rest of the toppers that you would like to make. You may need to trim your printed paper so that your punch can reach all the way to center the circle.


Now for your other supplies. You will need a package of lollipop sticks. You can find these at any craft store where cake decorating products are sold. I have also been able to find them at Wal-Mart from time to time.

Second, you will need a package of 1" round labels. You can buy these at office supply stores and maybe even Wal-Mart {depends on each store}.

Simply stick the label onto the end of your lollipop stick like this. Press it firmly onto the top surface of the stick.


Then find the center of your topper and press the stick and the label firmly to the back.


Here's how it looks from the front. No need to bother with foam squares, glue dots, hot glue, tape, or even a back to your topper. Using the label gives it a clean finished, polished look.


Here are the finished 3 toppers that I used. The labels are made to stay put, so you won't have to worry about your cupcake toppers.... they will stay put too!


So, now that you know the easy peasy lemon squeezy way to put these cute little guys together, go ahead and start using them!


Have you ever used cupcake toppers before!? If so, what occasion did you use them for??
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"Sweet" Baby Shower Gift Idea: Burp Cloth Cupcakes

Have you ever been to a baby shower where someone comes up with a super clever gift idea... and you think to yourself.. "man, I wish I would have thought of that!!" I know I have done that... more than once!

Today, I am giving you an idea for the next shower you attend.. or throw!


Nothing is cuter than some colorful cupcakes! But these aren't the edible kind... they are actually made using 3 of my chenille burp cloths!! Yep... how fun is that!?!? Not only is it cute, but it's a totally awesome gift too!


Want to give away some of these cuties at the next baby shower you go to!?!? Here's how to do it!

Take the burp cloth and fold it in half length-wise {like a hot dog bun}.


Then fold it in half again. This gets tricky because it doesn't like to stay folded.


Then start at one end of your rectangle and carefully roll it up. {This would be easier to take a picture of if I had a third arm!}


Since it has a tendancy to unroll itself, just make sure you hold on tight. You might have to straighten out the non-rolled part of the rectangle as you roll to make sure that your layers are all lined up.


Then grab a regular sized rubber band and use it to hold your roll together!


Repeat for all of your burp cloths.


Now comes the fun part. The embellishing! This is where you can be as creative or as simple as your want. Here's what I did.

Take a piece of 12"x12" scrapbook paper and cut a 2" strip for each cupcake.


Take one of your strips and wrap it around the base of your roll.


Be sure to pull the paper fairly snug. Otherwise it won't stay put once you are done.


Trim the excess paper leaving about a 1/2" overlap.


 I just use a piece of scotch tape to tape the band in place. It's really easy to do one-handed {since you will be using your other hand to hold the band in place}. I try and line up the tape pretty close to where the end of the burp cloth roll is -- figuring that is the "back" of my cupcake roll.


Here are all three with their completed bands.


All that's left is for you to get creative and decorate those cute little cupcakes! I tied a simple white organza ribbon around each one and placed them in a jumbo cupcake liner. Then I used my baby cupcake topper printable to add a little something extra!


These would make a great centerpiece for your tables if you are throwing the baby shower. Make a couple, and place them on a cake stand on a sign in table. Or visit your local bakery supply store, purchase a jumbo sized cupcake box and wrap them up in the box!


If you are interested in the printable I used, you can buy it now.  It is only $1. You will receive a PDF file with pink, blue, orange, and green toppers {just in case!}. Use it again and again, and AGAIN!
Purchase your PDF file here. 

There will be a post tomorrow on a short-cut way to put together cupcake toppers!
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