A Baptism for Penelope

This past weekend we had our newest little angel baptized! Baptisms always get me teary eyed! They are so beautiful and such a joyous celebration! We were also fortunate enough to have some very special out of town guests come in that we haven't seen in years! 

All of my kids have been baptized in this same gown that has been passed on    from 3 generations on my father's side of the family. My father was baptized in this gown and I was, too. As you can see, it looks a little antique so I wanted a headpiece to match! My dear friend, Denise, made this lovely little floral headpiece with the birdcage. You should check out her shop, Wonderland Bowtique. She also made these adorable purple rosette sandals! Perhaps I need a separate post on her attire for the day. The lace romper in the above picture was purchased on Amazon for only $12.99.

Preparations started about 2 months in advance. I didn't want to end up stressing myself out at the last minute like I always do. The theme was a lavender/plum and Champagne(gold/silver). I really do love the way the colors looked together!

I made all the printables myself including invitations, envelope liners, bible verses, and thank you notes. I bought the white candles in a jar from the Dollar Tree and dipped the rims in a champagne gold paint.

"For it is by Grace you have been saved." Ephesians 2:8

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart." Proverbs 3:5

Final product!!! This was my first experience making a naked cake and I think it turned out rather well! I would recommend giving it a try. It's super easy and looks great, plus, you don't have to spend too much time perfecting it because it's not completely frosted!  I used a 9 in round baking pan with white boxed cake and purple food coloring.The centerpiece is fake! I used silk flowers and a styrofoam half sphere to put it together. This is one of my favorite tricks! I even did this for my wedding cake years ago.

I've been in love with making these tissue tassel garlands, lately. This was my first try with the mylar tissue. I used the Martha Stewart fringe cutter, but I still have mixed feelings about the thing. It doesn't cut as well as you would expect it to, which makes me angry, MARTHA! But, I still like if for a general guide.

I really fell in love with this invitation. I love creating my own. I purchased the rose graphics from an artist on Etsy. Making your own invitations is really easy and you can use something as simple as Microsoft Publisher. You don't really need the fancy Adobe Photoshop, although it's nice when editing photos. I printed out my own invites on a fancy card stock and they look very professional, especially with the envelop liner. If you are doing invitations yourself, spend the extra money on the nice paper. I did a tutorial on the envelope liners here: Jazz up your invites.

Baptisms are so beautiful!!! Gosh, I'm getting teary eyed again.....

And now.... on to the next celebration!

Tissue Tassel Garland

My daughter's 6th birthday party was this past weekend and I'm excited to start sharing some of the deets with you. The first detail I wanted to share in a post all its own was the tissue tassel garland!

I've been dying to make one of these and the color scheme just seemed to fit so well. This is also something perfect for spring, Easter, or an "

April Showers

" baby shower theme! I love the pastel rainbow colors!.

Materials used

tissue paper in assorted colors

crafting thread

scissors

hot glue gun

Step One:

Fold your tissue paper in half twice.

Step Two:

Along the second fold cut tissue paper in half. Put one half aside. Fold the other piece of tissue in half length wise aka hot dog.

Step three:

Fold over a 1 inch flap. This is to help guide you when cutting so you don't cut too much.

Step Four:

Cut length wise starting at the folded corner. Cut about a 1/4 - 1/2 inch apart. Do not cut into the folded area.

Step Five:

Open up the folded tissue and cut on the folded edge from top to bottom to form two separate pieces of tissue.

Step Six:

Set one piece aside and unfold the other piece of tissue.

Step Seven:

Roll the tissue paper.

Step Eight:

GENTLY twist the tissue starting at the center and twisting an inch in each direction.

Step Nine:

Make a small loop and begin twisting the already rolled tissue paper together adding a dab of hot glue as you go. Add a dab of hot glue at the start of the loop, at the end, and throughout the twisting to ensure a secure set.

Step Ten:

complete the process with as many tissue tassels as you like. Once you have assembled the amount you desire, fluff them down so none of the tassels are curled up. String them on the crafting thread and hang in a fun place!

This is such an inexpensive and easy craft to add some fun and festive color to your season or occasion. I love the versatility with the colors and you can save the tassels and stitch it throughout the year.