DIY Paper Hydrangea Flower Balls

When I came across these beautiful hydrangea flower balls this morning while blogging, I did a double take because I couldn't believe they were made of paper.

Hydrangeas are some of my most favorite vase flowers. My parents have an amazing hydrangea garden of various colors growing in their yard, and every Spring, I sneak over and trim a few stems each week. I have sweet memories of my childhood girlfriends pulling them from neighboring yards and carrying bunches of them, pretending they were wedding bouquets. They are such stunning flowers.

These paper hydrangea balls were used as centerpieces for a pink themed baby shower featured on Frog Prince Paperie. The complete step-by-step tutorial can be found on Pizzazzerie- the great entertain in style website.

The perfect decor for any baby shower, bridal shower, or wedding. Who could ever imagine something so pretty could be created from the simple materials of styrofoam, paper, a Martha Stewart punch, and corsage pins!

Food Fun

I was warned numerous times when I was pregnant that raising a boy would mean purchasing Spray and Wash by the gallon, and bumps and bruises almost every day. Did I believe the warnings? Sort of, but I thought if I was careful enough, I can avoid the accidents. Boy was I wrong! A couple weeks ago Micah fell off a chair while pretending to be Captain America and dislocated his elbow. Compared to the six stitches he had when he was about two, this was a walk in the park to say the least. Because Micah's left arm was in a sling, almost all the fun things you can think of doing outdoors during the Summer slowly began to fade away. This was going to be a very interesting experience.

Last year we visited the Children's Museum of Tucson, Arizona. I loved the idea how each room of the museum was like a pretend city- supermarket, restaurant, post office, doctor's office, etc. Micah had a great time there, so I thought it would be fun to recreate that at our house with each room. The the supermarket part was his favorite, so we played that for hours and at the same time he was counting and organizing the food into different groups without knowing he was learning so much along the way.

I decided to write this blog to share some of the amazing play/learn toys that are out there today. Some of my favorite toys of Micah's are from Melissa and Doug's Food Play. Our Melissa and Doug collection at home has grown, but my favorites are still:

The Sushi Slicing Set, The Grill Set

Stir Fry Slicing Set, Ice Cream Parlor Set

Pizza Party Set

Melissa and Doug products are great because they are all made of wood, pieces are connected to one another by velcro so cutting and slicing seems realistic, and each piece is extremely durable. Which leads me to the con part. The pieces are so durable, that when flung, can do possible damage to a nice french door. And the price... well, Melissa and Doug toys can definitely do some damage to your wallet as well!

Lots of toy stores carry the plastic food pieces, but from my experience, those pieces get chewed up and the plastic caves in. I recently went to IKEA and found that they carry felt foods. Velcro connecting pieces as well, but for about the third of the price of Melissa and Doug AND no damage to be done here! Here's what we picked up:

With all our play food, we were able to recreate our day at the museum and I think Micah forgot that his arm was in a sling!

Here are some amazing creations that Etsy designers have come up with that I had to share (if I ever have a baby girl, I will definitely be buying these!):

Pancakes, Cheese & Crackers

Frosted Doughnut

We'll be back enjoying the outdoors again soon, but I can definitely get use to this quiet play :). Enjoy!

Shaun White+Bakerella= One SWEET Night!

I must say, I've been a little obsessed with this year's Winter Olympics, mostly eager to watch Shaun White- amazing skater/snowboarder. Ok, maybe I'm somewhat biased because he too is a Southern California native, but there is much more to my adoration for Shaun White than his title. My little Micah first sat on a skateboard at the age of 2. Since then, one of our greatest activities is just riding around the front of the house or sitting on our boards talking. Since my husband had been working late all week, I thought it would be fun to allow Micah to fall asleep each night to the Winter games (after all, it only happens every 4 years!). So goes our nightly routine... PJs on, lights out, game on! Micah saw Tony Hawk and I saw his smile instantly. During an interview before Shaun's run, he was asked to describe his experience in the Winter games. His reply...."Freaky-Deaky". Long story short and sweet, Shaun pulled off the Double Mc, got Gold and proved to still be the best snowboarder in the world! Micah was able to see it all, but about five minutes after the victory run, he nods off and quietly says to me, "Nite, nite Freaky-Deaky". The sweetest words I could ever hear :). So how's a mom to respond? I replied,"Nite, nite my Little Freaky-Deaky". Little did Micah know, I will forever remember that night in my heart.

After Micah fell fast asleep, I watched a little more of the games and managed to get some work in. Work wasn't very productive, as I ended up spending more time on Bakerella's website than I should have. If you have never visited Bakerella, you're definitely missing out! Angie Dudley's creations are so unbelievable- each like little masterpieces! I literally have to wait for Micah to be asleep before surfing the site. He's asked me to make practically every goody posted! His favorite...

and how can you blame him for his choice?!?

From Oscar trophy cookies, to red velvet cupcake pops,

I hope you enjoy a little taste of Bakerella!

The Bookbook

I stumbled across the amazing Bookbook last week, and my eyes literally lit up! What a concept! The Bookbook is a hardback leather case for MacBooks, with a one-of-a-kind vintage look. I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it! Although my Mac never really leaves my office all too much, this is definitely on my wish list!