Almost 1 year old!! Cupcake toppers :)

It's really almost here!! In a little over a week my little girl will be a one year old!!  It makes me really happy to see her growing up and I enjoy her more each day. This month she started out taking a few steps here and there and now she can take about 10 steps without falling. We gave her a new nickname as we see it fits her and it is "Wobbly McStumbles." Lately I have been working on some more things for her birthday. I saw a ton of cute cupcake toppers for sale online but they were a little too pricy for this family's budget so I made my own for about $4 (CHHHHYEEEAHHHH!). These are so incredibly easy and are a super budget friendly decoration you can add to your cupcakes :) I hope Emma Kate likes the toppers as much as I already KNOW she loves cupcakes!

Supplies

Scalloped punch (I used a 1 1/2 inch scalloped punch)
Scrapbook paper of your choice (I made about 30 cupcake toppers with 2 sheets of Damask pink scrapbook paper) The paper shown here is not the paper I actually used for mine :)
lollipop sticks (I found mine at Michaels craft store in the cake decorating section)
hot glue
ribbon

Step 1
Cut your paper into strips that are big enough for your scalloped punch (about 2 inch strips for a 1 1/2 scalloped punch) I did not take a picture of this step but I bet you can do it! :)

Step 2
Use your scalloped punch to cut out your toppers.

Here is what they will look like (Well, with whatever paper you choose of course).

 

I added a little pearl to the middle of mine. They were sticky on one side so I didn't have to use any glue. I found these little pearls at Michaels in the scrapbook section. You could also use little rhinestones to add some bling! :)

Step 3
Hot glue your lollipop sticks on to the backs of your cupcake toppers.

Step 4

Tie a ribbon into a bow on your stick and you have a cute little cupcake. Give this simple decoration a try! :)

Tulle pom poms

Emma Kate will be 11 months on Monday!! My girl is growing up! :) She is almost walking!! She has taken a few steps here and there but still doesn't quite have the confidence to take off. I know when she does I'll be chasing her much more than I already do! I have started working on some things for her 1st birthday and here is one of my favorites. I have seen pom pom balls made out of tissue paper and had planned on making some for Emma Kate's birthday but when I saw that I could make them out of tulle I had to go with it! Besides, this way I can poof them back up next year and maybe use them again! It was so simple to make and lots of fun! If you make some, post pictures so I can see!


Materials- spool of tulle (A 25 yard spool of tulle will make about 2 pom poms), scissors, notebook, and ribbon

Step 1- Place a notebook or book on top of your tulle. Flip the book so that the tulle is wrapping around it about 25-30 times. 

Step 2- Cut the tulle right down the center on both sides of the notebook. (See pictures)

Step 3- Take your cut pieces of tulle and stack them together in one pile.

Step 4- Fold the tulle accordion style.

Step 5- Take ribbon of your choice and tie it in a knot around the center of your tulle.

Final Step- Separate and "poof" the pieces of tulle to form a ball. Happy crafting!

Ribbon Topiary

I made this as a centerpiece for Emma Kate's birthday. When I spin it around in front of her she giggles so I think she likes it :) I'm not going to lie, it is time consuming but anyone can do it! I should have taken pictures as I did it step by step but I didn't think about it. Basically I just took a variety of ribbon cut into 4.5 inch pieces, made the ribbon into loops, and pinned them to a styrofoam ball. After the ball was covered, I took a wooden dowel and wrapped it with ribbon. I secured the ribbon using hot glue where the ribbon started at the top of the dowel and where it ended at the bottom. Next, I poked the dowel into the bottom of the ball. Then I filled my pot with moss and stuck the dowel down into it. Ok it wasn't that easy. I did have to put some clay in the bottom of the pot to help the topiary stand up straight b/c it actually has some weight to it! Last, I tied a ribbon around my pot and there you have it! See, that wasn't hard! Let me know if you make one! I'd love to see pictures!

Birthday Girl :)

I know it is hard to believe but the time has come to start planning Emma Kate's first birthday!! This past year has by far been the best year of my life. I don't even remember what it was like before Emma Kate got here! She really completes our family. I have been incredibly blessed with a husband that views it as a priority for me to stay home with her. Being a stay at home mom is the best job ever, hands down. Even if I did go back to work they would just fire me for crying everyday ;) I have seen all of her firsts and no amount of money can ever make me regret that! Emma Kate is crawling, pulling up on everything, sometimes standing without holding onto anything for about 10-15 seconds, and walking along things like the couch while holding on of course. She says babababa, dadadada, maaaaaamaaaaa, and a few other babble words. Now to think almost a year has gone by and I'm planning her 1st birthday is crazy, awesome, and fun!! Sometimes my ideas are bigger than my abilities but I'm making her invitations, decorations, and food for her birthday. I will post pictures of some of these creations soon. Oh and anything you see me do on here rest assured that a 5 year old could do it so try it if you like it!