Brie and Me

I used my left over Christmas tree felt for this quick, easy DIY Tinker Bell skirt.

Whenever we come from a major family trip - something annual hopefully - I print pictures from the trip for Brie to enjoy, and to help her remember. I especially want to help her remember other family members who live pretty far from us. I originally just used painter's tape because it doesn't mess up with the walls but they're also not very sturdy and pictures kept falling off. So I decided to get some scrapbook materials and now we have a changeable photo gallery along our hallway. Very easy to set up with just a few materials: Command Wire Hooks Value Pack, Small, White, 9-Hooks (17067-9ES) BAZIC Mini, Natural Clothespins, Wood, 50 Per Pack Fashionclubs Hessian Rustic Burlap Twisted Jute Twine String Roll 330ft I ordered the pictures printed from Shutterfly. I made sure to put the photo gallery on Brie's eye level. That's why I got command hooks, because those are easy to remove and re-place when Brie grows taller. I actually have big plans

When my toddler's appetite spikes, I make sure I make the most out of it. Here is one of those breakfasts that Brie enjoyed and actually finished. It took a while - the whole morning - but hey, I'm not complaining! Brie usually sits down for breakfasts, gets full, then starts play time. An hour or so after, I make sure that same breakfast plate is within reach and she either nibbles while she plays or I sneak in a bite for her every now and then. Not pictured: a cup of orange juice, a cup of milk (with Nesquick), and a cup of water. I always make drinks readily available throughout the day because we are still breastfeeding and weaning very, veeerryy sloooowwllyyyyyyyy

I am not a real baker. I bake for personal consumption and sometimes, when they're good enough, I share with friends, family, and my husband's officemates. I also have an intense love for Goldilocks fresh  brazo de mercedes logs. I know if it's fresh. And I definitely know if it's not Goldilocks. So lately... I don't have access to Goldilocks and I'm not very good with complex recipes so I looked around and did an experiment aaaaand here we go! Wait. I did say I'm not a real baker so do excuse the crappy piping. I have no idea how to wrestle a piping bag. Meringue cups ("shells") Ingredients 5 egg whites 1/2 tsp cream of tartar 1/3 cup white sugar 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional) Directions Preheat oven to 320 ° F In a mixing bowl, combine the egg whites and cream of tartar. Beat at low speed using an electric mixer until foamy.  Increase speed to medium and gradually add the sugar, continue mixing until you get stiff peaks.

We had a wonderful, memorable second birthday party for Brie! Most of decorations we had was Pinterest-inspired. I'd like to share some pictures to inspire other parents looking into a "My Little Sunshine" baby/toddler girl's birthday party.

Disclaimer: you have to understand my level of "craftiness" which is... not very high. So this project was pretty huge for me. First of all, it took me a week to complete 3 base/nude dolls and 6 outfits. A week . If you've had experience working with felt and you're handy with your thread and needle then I bet you can do all of it in a day. Also, if you're not very particular with sturdiness then you can even completely skip sewing the edges. I know that for my next project (a felt quite book), I am skipping as much sewing as I can. That's for another series. So we start with the base, nude dolls. I made three. For each doll, I actually cut two and sewed them together so they're sturdy. I imagined Brie handling them more than the dresses, thus the concern. Downloadable link:  Printable dolls That's it! Next I'll be sharing the six dresses I made. I intentionally split the dresses into top and bottom so they can be mixed and matche

Ariel's has been Brie's favorite "dress". She calls the bra "boobs". I love it. It's also the easiest to pair! How can you miss a fish tail? This was very straightforward. Bra. And tail. All I added was a bit of design on the top of the tail. This is what Ariel looks like assembled. Downloadable link: Ariel felt dress up doll printable Materials used: Felt fabric Fabric scissors Needle and thread Fabric glue

Brie hasn't actually seen Snow White. Can you believe that? It's on the list. She knows Snow White because of her 5-Minute Princess Stories and because of her Disney Princess Duplo Lego Set. I sewed the puff sleeves but I highly recommend gluing them on like Cinderella's puff sleeves. I just wanted to see how it would turn out sewn. This is what Snow White looks like assembled. Downloadable link: Snow White felt dress up doll printable Materials used: Felt fabric Fabric scissors Needle and thread Fabric glue

Who doesn't love Tangled? It's actually a bummer we (I?) couldn't watch the new series! I hope they release it on DVD after all the episodes are out. Rapunzel was easy only because I knew I couldn't pull off the ribbons on her front dress so I didn't bother trying. Instead I just added some color to make it cuter. This is what Rapunzel looks like when assembled. I would have liked longer hair. I still want longer hair... I bet I can make longer hair. Next time. Only when I was making the printable pattern did I realize that Rapunzel's ankles should actually be showing. So Brie's Rapunzel dress is longer than it should be. Downloadable link: Rapunzel felt dress up doll printable Materials used: Felt fabric Fabric scissors Needle and thread Fabric glue