happy sunday crafting

as mentioned, i will be hosting laura's wedding shower on sunday!  i love crafting and decorating and hosting, so i started today to ensure time for all my ideas.

kitchen shower invitation

it's super nice today, so while jack played out back, i began working on my garland.  i used a 2.5" circle punch to create the circles in all sorts of yellow, red, and orange.  jack helped, so i didn't grab pics of that step.  next, i used my xyron sticker maker to apply adhesive to half of the circles:

i think the colors look so fun!

next, i took my craft basket (i am using baskets/pans/anything to fit the project to carry crafts around so i can craft while jack's all over the place.  it's fun!) out back.  crafting in one of the two rooms i usually use wasn't an option this gorgeous sunday! 

i also grabbed a beverage :)

using 5-ply rafia from cost plus-world market (not sure how they are going about their name nowadays, but this is what i call them) in a nice orange and red, i afixed the circles to eachother.  and it turned out SO FUN:

right?  so bright and happy.

next, i worked on these paper chains from martha's craft dept.  i love paper chains and make them a lot.  i make them, but don't always hang them.... that might be why there aren't any postings of them :(.  i liked the idea of using the punch and chose one that was garden-y to bridge a gap between some table setting stuff i'm using and the polka dots on the invites and garland.  the chains seem out of place now, but there is a plan in place that ties everything together.  i used a different craft basket (pan) since i needed the stability and a nice place to store the scraps:

previous beverage's supporting cast

i cut out 2.5 inch strips, punched, then attached together

and my hard (not hard at. all.) work together for you to see!

exciting news in the costanzo fam!

i do believe i promised i'd be posting more since the purchase of the new computer and more down time.  but i think i spoke too soon.  there is super exciting news in the costanzo family:

i am so excited to share that this little girl,

laura and i at my sorority presents in 1998 - we had to wear white, don't judge.  isn't she the cutest?!?

is all grown up,

her birthday last year.  still the cutest!

 and is getting married!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

the happy couple at our caroling party:

miss laura lynn will become a mrs. on april 30th!  we are so happy for her and eric!  jack's the ring bearer (adorable!), and i'm a bridesmaid!  the colors are tangerine and gray (SO freaking cute and springy!)  i'm hosting a shower for her on the 10th, so maybe more posting as the prep for that goes on?  no promises, this is such a fun time to be a big sister, i can't even contain myself!!!!!!!!!  can you tell?!?!?!?!  YAY!!!!!!!

i'm a little dramatic.

you'd think from the last post, that we didn't live in sunny, ca.  we do, and it's already nice.  i guess i was just freaking out because of the few days in a row inside - maybe cabin fever?  it's absolutely beautiful this week, with an amazing looking forecast for thursday:

Partly Cloudy	Mostly Sunny	Sunny	Partly Cloudy	Few Showers
--	79°	80°	77°	69°
High	High	High	High	High
52°	54°	57°	54°	48°
Low	Low	Low	Low	Low
Chance of Precip: 20%	Chance of Precip: 10%	Chance of Precip: 0%	Chance of Precip: 20%	Chance of Rain: 30%

Details

Details

Details

Details

Next 5 Days

i'm so excited about thursday, i'm not going to freak out about those measly showers on saturday.  spring is springing around here:

our crabapple tree is beginning to blossom

my 'favorite tree' is all fresh with new leaves

however, one of our liquid ambers is still confused:

living right next to each other, one tree (left) thinks it's fall, while the other (right) is budding away

jack riding his bike!  yay, sun!

on another note:

easter decor is up!

please excuse the quality of the pics (5mp), my 'nice' *i'm not thrilled with it* camera is at best buy (again!  it happens to me every few months).  here's hoping they junk it out so i can get a credit for the full purchase amount to use on another, hopefully 'nicer' one!!

lions, and tigers, and bears, oh my!

it's not just raining cats and dogs, folks.  it's raining lions, and tigers, and bears (an fyi, that's way more than cats and dogs).  seriously, we are so over it.  we have water all over the place. 

that's a pond, but not where a pond should be

the streets are almost flooding

we miss fresh air.  we miss our swing set.  (maybe i just miss these things, but i'm pretty sure jack does, too).   we're just over it.  and it looks like we have a couple more days, oh joy.  where is the sun?  oh, it'll be here sunday...

Weather for Fairfield, CA

47°F | °C	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
Current: Rain
Wind: S at 17 mph
Humidity: 91%	53°F | 46°F	57°F | 49°F	55°F | 45°F	59°F | 46°F

Detailed forecast:

The Weather Channel

-

Weather Underground

-

AccuWeather

what have we been doing, you ask?  well..... we've set up a blanket/pillow library complete with all of jack's 

favorites, including:

which you can wear proudly by purchasing this, here:

we've read books to bailey:

i think that was thunder aaaaand he's obviously in the best little mood

we've stared longingly out the window at the grass and swing set - pepper is super sad :(:

we've made paper butterflies as a peace offering to mother nature:

we've put on a puppet show with these chicks and played 'hi-ho cherry-o' more than a few times:

and we've had a dance party or two (or six, who's counting?!?!!?):

right now it's movie time because what's a rainy day without cuddling for a movie?!?!  (we've also made our own movie or two!) 

soooooo, what do you  do when it's raining lions, and tigers, and bears?!?!?!?  OH, MY!

christmas in the city

we had a fabulous christmas this year! we celebrated one day by venturing into the city for a view of the holiday decor. it was raining and we weren't the only ones that thought this a great saturday outting, but we had a blast anyway!

we took BART, jack mentioned numerous times how george, as in curious, took the subway to the zoo (reminds me that this george obsession has been going on for some time!):

jack held on for dear life

raining, but pretty

yes, virgina, there is a santa clause

jack is THREE!!

time flies. really, really flies. our little man turned three on february 6th! we celebrated with a car themed birthday the saturday before (so lucky he's a boy, his actual day was super bowl sunday!). we had a ton of friends over for snacks, treats, and playing in the yard. it was almost 70* here with sun all day!!

so proud to wear his birthday hat!

i made this banner using a letter stencil and creative memories circle cutters. my silhouette was a life saver for all of the other banners i made!!!!

sadly, i lost all the pics i took in the computer move. i've sent out an s.o.s. to family and friends, so i hope to add more to this post then. here's a little video of all of us singing:

tag team, back again!

disclaimer - stay at home mom...

1. 4 Places I go....

• target.
• parks.
• swim lessons.
• starbucks.

2. 4 Favorite Smells...

• fresh cut grass.
• caramel candle *woodwick.
• babies!!!
• the smell of stale beer in an old bar.

3. 4 Favorite Shows or Movies...

• american dream (totally cancelled).
• hope floats.
• gone with the wind.
• ellen/glee, a tie.

4. Some recommendations....

• laugh a lot.
• no regrets!
• spend qt with yourself.
• share it all with your partner.

5. 4 People I tag........

• courtney
• kristin
• devon
• mandie

becca's shower

a dear friend of mine, becca akbarian, is getting married!!

here we are circa 1999 (and we definitely partied like it was 1999) at the Cantina (del cabo san lucas, if you were around me at. all. in college). it was our thursday night hang-out! like our piercings?!? we were SO in college.

and another:

and now, i'm one of hers! her bridesmaids and i threw a shower for her in late february complete with boudin's soups, salads, & sandwiches, champagne, lingonberry punch, wine, homemade desserts (all to the bride's specifications!), gifts, catching up, and showering with love. it was so fun! we're all looking forward to celebrating becca's marriage to mike in may and it was super fun to start her wedding celebrations at our home :).

blushing bride, neice, and future mil

the table, minus the soup. i made the runner to modernize the tablecloth - see the matching and coordinating pillows on the couch? poms were ordered on etsy (easy to do by myself, but super cheap, so why try?)

i made twine garland with 'congrats', 'love', 'i do', 'kiss', and 'becca & mike bynum' - i also made a ton with circles that hung overhead in the dining room (kinda visable in pic with becca and bouquet). they coordinated with the invitations i found on etsy, too - bridging the gap between those colors and the colors in my home. super easy and fun to make! (special shout-out to les and dev -- les for making me buy the xyron sticker maker and dev for making the gorgeous garland in piper's room with it!)

dessert table complete with compost cookies, carrot cake and red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. table looks plain, but there was A LOT going on decor-wise in this room. the fresh dessert table really lightened things up.

stressing over the bouquet... but, TA-DA! becca is all set to rehearse on may 19th!!!!

SO excited over here!! (and bathroom remodel)

so, i am now blogging from my new computer (YAY!). it's been some time since i traded in my old work laptop for mom jeans... and since that time a lot has gone on (see last excuses post :)!). i'm going to slowly go back and post about all those events, but the very first sd card i put in the new computer was of our bathroom remodel. so, here goes my first catching up post:

our bathroom was GORGEOUS! i mean that with all the sarcasm one can muster. absolute gorgeousness. i used to LOVE sending people to the restroom on their first visit to our home. i'd wait outside the door listening for gasps of horror and would greet them with a smile and surprise eyes waiting for their response. most just laughed. i mean, the bathroom was LAUGHABLE. check it:

if you're wondering, the toilet is, in fact, sh-lacked with wallpaper cut outs. it really, really is.

so is the sink!!!

surprisingly, besides the cutsom toilet and sink, and wallpaper (which was also pasted to the back of the wood door, mind you. such a treat to be surrounded by this amazing pattern and color palatte), the rest of the bathroom wasn't too shabby. on a very, very tight budget (with major help from JD and Sheila Gail), Pete and I transformed our bathroom into this:

new sink, faucet, mirror, pulls, decor.

new toilet, bead board, and PAINT, PAINT, PAINT!

we left this part in... 'cause it's funny, hard to replace, and aparently michael jackson had one JUST LIKE IT:

thanks to les for reminding me of this post.

some evidence (or maybe not, but try googling michael jackson + swan faucet):

'a vast master suite with three wall-mounted televisions, two massive marble poopers with gold fixture including one with gold swan shaped faucets'

-source

"you stink, justin matisee!!!!"

My favorite movie quote - any guesses? That's exactly how i feel about myself and blogging. I stink. It's not for not wanting to, there have been some hiccups and otherwise more 'fun' things going on lately. A list of happenings (aka, excuses):

Christmas.
Nye in the mountains.
Nice weather.
My birthday.j
Nicer weather.
Jack's birthday.
Birthday party!!!!
Thursday playdates.
Chicago.
Becca's shower.
Home reno (bathroom!).
Sewing.
Crafting.

Excuses, excuses. But posts to come, i promise! I'm hosting becca's shower this weekend, then will be back to normal. In the meantime, some info about the best invention ever. No chip nails!!! Let me tell you, I've traveled, painted, replaced a faucet and sink, toilet, and redecorated. I've sewn, made garland, cleaned bathrooms, bedrooms, and done a ton of laundry. I've done dishes and cooked. Ive had my nails painted for almost a week and they look AMAZING. No Chips. I don't know about you, but one carry on trip and my nails are shot - and I've done SO MUCH MORE. Seriously, amazing. You've gotta check it out!

Mmmm. Breakfast!

This morning, Jack served up a delicious sandwich freshly prepared in the kitchen Santa brought him. Such a nice little man :).