Love Month...

Since February is the month of Love... I felt compelled to share the following verse and commentary I received today.

1 Peter 4:8 – Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 

In the midst of a call to holiness, Peter gives us a vital key toward living for God. Loving deeply is able to connect the truth of God’s word with our inconsistencies in living a godly life. Without truth, love can enable destructive behaviors. Without love, truth can become a weapon that is even more devastating. When we cover each other as we are exposed, we find a place of healing and restoration.

Happy Month of Love!

DIY Baby Shower Invitations

This weekend was full of projects! We managed to get the changing table primed and painted, started on a new art project for the nursery, a DIY gift for a special someone and we made my baby shower invitations!

I found this adorable “How To” from Stamp That on Tip Junkie.  We took the idea and made it our own. 

The thing I love the most is no two invitations are the same! We decorated each one differently and used different colors so each one is unique. The main difference in our onesie invites compared to the ones you can find here is, we decided not to use the stamp. After some trial and error we discovered the stamp on the inside was a little messy and sometimes hard to read. Instead we printed the messaging on a separate sheet of card stock and taped it to the inside with double sided tape.

Another thing that made our invites a little more unique was that we added either ruffles, ribbon or rub-ons to the back side to make a little ruffled bottom on the onesie. So cute! (sorry the images are a little blurry, but you get the idea)

We are incorporating the onesies in the baby shower as well by playing this fun game we played on my bachelorette party. Everyone brings an unwrapped onesie that best represents their personality or favorite memory with me, and then I have to guess who brought which one. (We included an insert in the invitations with instructions for our guests).

Here's an example:

We’re going to have everyone pin their onesie on a clothes line when they come in to the shower to incorporate them in the baby shower décor.

I can’t wait to see all the fun, creative ideas!

Weekend Project...DIY changing table makeover

My upcylced & repurporsed and DIY boards on pinterest have inspired a weekend project! We have been hunting for a cheap spin on a changing table. One because we don’t really think we will change the baby on the table that much and two because we know this will not be a piece the baby can grow with since we’ll be eventually moving her to a bigger room.

We first looked to IKEA, but even some of their dressers were more than what we were willing to pay. We then went to craigslist and began daily searches in the free ads. There are so many goodies for free, but beware there are also a lot of odd posts in the free section as well!

We ended up landing this dresser for $35. This was a pretty cheap deal. I plan to sand, primer, paint and also spice it up.  I’ve found some great inspiration from Young House Love, Before Meets After, and The Etsy Blog. Since we’re dealing with a very small space and our crib is white, I will probably paint the dresser white, change the knobs and then do something fun on the two top doors. Stay tuned for the big reveal! 

Ps. I still owe you a reveal of our factory cart table too! So many projects and so little time. Hoping for many more pretty weekends before the baby arrives so we can get everything done.

To My Sweet Valentine…

Thank you for everything you do, everything you are and everything you have helped me to become. Today and every day, I am grateful that God blessed me with such a wonderful husband and best friend. I love you today and always. I can't wait for all of our adventures together!

p.s.   I checked YES…

Happy Valentine’s Day!

More free stuff for mommies!

With Valentine’s day right around the corner, many of my favorite sites are sharing the love to mommies. Not a mom, but have an upcoming baby shower or want to get a new mom-to-be a special gift for free? You can take part in the freebies too!

Carseat Canopy is running a special promotion for a free carseat cover or $50 off for the whole caboodle set. Just use Promo Code "VALENTINE" at carseatcanopy.com.

1.  Go to CarseatCanopy.com.

2.  Click on "Shop Now" and select any carseat canopy you like.
3.  Once you have made your selection, you'll automatically be directed to the shopping bag.
     Enter the promo code " VALENTINE " and we will deduct 100% off the cost of the canopy
     - all you pay is the shipping fees!

 I ordered the “Raven” style canopy today. This will match will with the Northern Lights free sling I mentioned in my previous freebies post. I just received from Seven Slings earlier this month. You can also get your free sling today by using the Promo Code “CARSEAT”.

I also received a promo code for a free $32 nursing cover at the Udder Covers website. You just pay the shipping. The code is "Family2012". Go to the Udder Covers website, click on "Shop Now", select the product you would like (they also have 3 piece gift sets available with this promotion) and you will automatically be directed to the center of the page where you can enter in the promo code! Type in "Family2012" and it will pull up the ones available. They are selling out fast. You can use the code more than once - you just have to open a new browser/window to do so. 

Good Luck!

More Free Stuff!

Got to love freebies! I've ran across so many free printables recently that I wanted to share the love.

I think Valentines day can be overrated sometimes, but I love the idea of this coupon book of love printables. I did something like this for Joel one year. I just used construction paper and wrote out a couple coupons like, free 30 minute massage, 1 get out of jail free card (lol),  homemade dinner of your choice, date night on me, etc., but I love these free printables where everything is already done for you. It's such a cute, simple, meaningful gift idea.

I also love these free adorable owl book marks. Most Valentines day cards get tossed after V-day, but this is such a cute gift to be able to keep and use for daily reading.

There are so many unique gift ideas out there that are free of cost besides the ink and paper from your printer! Tip Junkie has a ton of free printables on their site. You'll find everything from invitations to birthday cards. Check it out for a cost effective gift idea!