Friday Favorites

Happy Friday! Is there a full moon coming?! Boy, has it been an interesting week in toddler town ;)  Being two is really hard so I think some ice cream dates and park time is in order for the weekend.  Painting this afternoon seems to have saved the day :) 

{@thebirdsnestblog}

On to some Friday Favorites...

1.  Have you been to Ulta lately?! They're having a great sale on liters of shampoos and conditioners and most of them are marked down to under $15! I'm obsessed with my Goldwell Dual Senses Fade Stop Shampoo + Conditioner and with my coupon they were just $12.  I can't.  I'll be going back to stock up before the sale is over.  If you've never tried Goldwell products, you need to run there or order online.  The Fade stop extra rich shampoo has raspberry seed extract and it smells so amazing.  The normal price for this is around $42 so this is a huge savings and I can totally justify stocking up ;) Trust me, you need this in your life.  

{via Google images}

2.  If you follow me on Instagram (@thebirdsnestblog), you've seen a few pictures of the fun watercolor blanket I made for my niece.  I'm so happy with how it turned out and I can't wait to make another one for Olivia. Spoonflower is such a fun company! For more pictures and a tutorial, see this post.  

3.  I'm probably the last person to start following Gimme Some Oven, but I'm obsessed with her recipes! So many great ones...especially this one for homemade naan and this one for pineapple guacamole - yummmm! I love trying new things and I can't wait to try these. 

4.  Lastly, I really want to try Squirtable Sidewalk Chalk with Olivia.  I think she'll have a blast and it seems really easy to make with simple ingredients.  She loves to be outside and is really interested in new things, so this will definitely be put into my summer bag of tricks shortly. 

I hope you all had a great week!  Happy weekend! XO 

A Watercolor Blanket || Spoonflower

Hi Friends! 

I recently collaborated with Spoonflower and I am in love with the finished product! Spoonflower is an online shop where you can create and purchase fabric, wallpaper, and gift wrap.  You can upload your own designs or choose from hundreds of designs from talented artists to create a truly unique product. Another nice feature is that you design and sell your own designs so others can use your prints for fabric, wallpaper, and gift wrap.  How cool is that?!?  I knew I wanted to make a special gift for my niece's birthday and Spoonflower delivered exactly what I envisioned! 

To begin, I uploaded a watercolor picture that my sister had custom painted.  She didn't know what it was for so it took a little coaxing to get her to paint it without sharing why ;) Having a summer birthday, I wanted to create something fun and summery so I went with the popsicle theme and really wanted to showcase the watercolor aspect of the picture. Allie from Spoonflower was so helpful with this project and suggested using their new lawn ultra fabric, which is SO soft and printed beautifully.  After the picture is uploaded, you chose the fabric and amount then add it to your cart. Shipping is super fast and you receive a customized product! 

For the back of the blanket, I used some hot pink quilted fabric that I had and purchased hot pink pom pom garland for the border...swoon.  Pom pom anything is my jam.  I cut the fabric into a perfect square, measuring 36" x 36" and pinned the fabric together, inside out. Then, I sewed around the edges while leaving a small opening to flip it right side in.  After the edged were all sewn and the fabric was flipped with the design on the outside, I pinned the pom pom garland along the outer edges of the Spoonflower fabric.  I chose to put it on the outside because I really loved the look of the border against the watercolor fabric.  The garland was slightly tricky because you need to sew the inside and then go back and sew the outside to ensure it lays flat, but if you use a zipper foot it's much easier to accommodate the bulkiness.  I had fabric left over, so I'm planning on creating little pillows to go with it.   

Note:  These pictures have not been enhanced at all so you can see exactly how the fabric was printed with amazing colors . 

I'm so happy with the finished product and I cannot wait to use Spoonflower again to create something one of a kind!  A huge thank you to Spoonflower for providing this fabric to complete my vision!  Be sure to check them out on Instagram as well, @spoonflower, and their website: Spoonflower.com. 

It's a Beach Birthday Party!

Yesterday, my sister had a birthday party for Brynn and it was such a cute beach themed day! She turned two earlier this month so she was a pro at blowing out her candles and listening to everyone sing Happy Birthday to her.  Poor Olivia had a 102 temperature so she had to miss out on all the fun and stayed home with Rob.  She woke up this morning singing "Happy Birthday, BB", not knowing she missed everything so we'll have leftover cupcakes tonight ;) 

The birthday girl! 

Everything was decorated with a beach theme and my personal favorite were the cupcakes and crab veggie platter.  Pinterest inspired, of course.  To make the crab, slice the top off of the pepper and turn it upside down.  Slice "legs" and "claws" and assemble!  I also used olives and capers for the eyes.  Such a simple, fun addition to a plain veggie platter! For the cupcakes, my sister used mini Teddy Grahams and lifesavers, along with blue icing and crushed golden oreos.  They came out so adorable!!  Now, on to all of the pictures...

Kiddie pool filled with ice and beverages...brillant

Lastly, a sneak peek of the gift I made for Brynn... can't wait to show you during the week! 

Have a great Sunday! 

Puzzles, Salads, and a Toddler Trick for Dinnertime

Happy Friday! I'm so looking forward to the weekend! We have my niece's birthday party on Saturday and can't wait to spend some time in the sun with family and friends.  My hubby is home from being away for work and I don't know how other mama's do it! He rarely travels for training but by the end of his trip, I was ready for him to come home.  Read: Mommy needs alone time...by herself. Olivia really is a good girl, but you could tell she was missing her Daddy.   Now on to our totally random week ;) 

Since it was just the two of us for dinner, we ordered take out one night from a falafel place that I was excited to try.  It was really good and Livvy is a huge fan of hummus so we shared and everyone was happy. 

We made a couple trips to the park and enjoyed toddler time at our local library.  This is her third time being in the class, which runs for 6 weeks each time, and she loves it. Normally, Brynn comes with us but she wasn't feeling well so Livvy was a lone rider.  It was interesting to see how she did on her own and at first she was nervous but then jumped (danced) right in.  She also loves to do the puzzles there.  It's a great break in the day if we're bored and she loves books so it's a perfect place for us.  

Mid-week we were knee deep in toddler town and I needed to get some cleaning done.  She normally helps me, which I love because she's like a mini-me walking around spraying things, wiping, etc.  She even cleaned her kitchen, which was adorable because as she watched me cleaning out the fridge, she did the same with hers.  Afterwards, she was over it and moved on to better things...the dog food.  Have at it, kid.  I'll wash your hands.  She brought a pillow over and plopped down, "cutting" the dogs food as the dog watched her every move.  Honestly, it used to skieve me but now I need that four minute break to run around and get things done.  Again, there's always soap;) (Sorry, mom).

Keeping with the randomness of this post, I also discovered a fun way to get Olivia to eat things she may not always chose.  Since she's turned two (maybe even a little before) she's been more picky and eats very small portions before proclaiming "all done".  For lunch one day, I made her meatballs and diced them into four pieces and stuck toothpicks in them.  She ate every last piece!  I'll definitely be doing that again.  Obviously, you need to watch your little one because they can be sharp, but she was great with them.  

Lastly, I've always loved salads and I was browsing my Instagram feed (@thebirdsnestblog) and saw a delicious salad from Panera.  It was a quinoa salad bowl and looked so good so I had to recreate it.  I added fresh strawberries to mine and it was yummy!

How was your week?? Do you have any toddler approved tricks to get them to eat?  How about any yummy summer salad recipes?? I'd love to hear! XO 

Meet & Mingle || Us + Him

It's Meet & Mingle day! Every week I'm sharing some of my favorite girlfriends and their blogs.  This is a great opportunity to see who's "behind the blog" and to get to know other bloggers.  This week, I'm so happy to share Misty from Us + Him with you!  I just love her blog and she has the sweetest little girl.  Can't wait for you to get to know her more, too! 

Your blog name & it’s significance

Us + Him is the name I came up with when my Mike and I planned on BOTH writing for the blog. Unfortunately it never ended up happening. We have recently discussed it and he still may, but even if he doesn’t, it’s a good name to represent what the reason for our blog is - our family, aka myself and my daughter (plus any future children), and our life with my partner, her (their) father!

Tell us a little about your family

Mike is my boyfriend (we are not currently married, but “legally” married in the law’s eyes since we have a child together. I often call him hubby because it’s just easier than saying ‘boyfriend', plus that word just doesn’t seem to cut it for what our relationship is. We are Canadians from Southern Ontario. We are homebodies and Mike and I both work, he full time, and myself part time. It get busy so often by the end of the day we are just tired. However we try to go on adventures in our neighbourhood whenever we can - try different parks, splash pads, etc. Brynn is 2 this month and she is the light of our lives. She was entirely planned and we couldn’t have been more blessed, she was such a good baby. Now she is very independent, fearless, and is a risk taker, but I wouldn’t change it for the world.

Currently in my shower [favorite beauty products]...

Right now I am using products from Haven Living and The Honest Co on B since I try to use whatever natural products I can. For me, I buy whatever shampoo happens to be on sale when I need shampoo, and I’m finishing up a big container of Aveeno body wash I got. it smells good but it’s super bad for me. I’m slowly trying to switch to better products using the Talk Dirty app, which you can read about on my blog. A brand that I LOVE that IS safe is Lush. I use many of their products like face masks, sprays, bath bombs, and soaps.

I never leave the house without...

My phone. I just can’t, which is sad. I don’t use it very often outside of the house or work but it’s my main camera and I am forever taking photos! So it must be with me.

First thing you do when you have 5 minutes to yourself

Lay down. Then whip out my phone and play the games 'Candy Crush' or ‘Covet'. As I said above, I really don’t use my phone much lately so when I DO get a chance to play my silly iPhone games - I DO! Then if I have longer than 5 minutes I will usually blog or go on Facebook, reply to emails, or take a bath, depending how many minutes I have. Note - I consider minutes to myself to mean every other chore is done. Otherwise, lately, chores come first unless I am just beyond exhausted. I am trying SO hard to keep the house clean every day.

Favorite cupcake

I love them all. I actually have always loved cupcakes (I have one tattooed behind my ear). Not only because they’re delicious, but because they’re so cute! So I couldn’t possibly pick, but The Cake Box in Southern Ontario makes some pretty amazing ones!

Top three baby items you’d recommend to new moms 

- Aden + Anais muslin cloth swaddle blankets

- A soother (Sorry, but it’s true! Plus it reduces the risk of SIDS)

- A sling or wrap for baby so you can wear them and be hands free (plus they love the comfort of it, among many other benefits)

Currently obsessed with…

Fitbit and the My Fitness Pal the app, which are helping me organize and maintain an active lifestyle! You can also read more about that on my blog :)

Top three meals you make for your family

- Pasta with veggies and meat, pan fried and tossed in oil and herbs, or spaghetti

- a meat, a veggie or two, and a carb (the classic dinner!)

- Stir fry (mostly a winter staple, but delicious and underrated)

I really need to try some new recipes! Pretty sure I have 85373933 recipes pinned on Pinterest, I need to make a few!

Favorite blog & why 

Right now our summer is SUPER busy so I am having SUCH a hard time keeping up with social media especially blogs… but I, like every mom on the planet, just love the Garvin family, and Jess Oakes at Positively Oakes. Plus I have an amazing group of ladies inspiring me every day in the Fab Female Bloggers group. There’s so many ladies just KILLIN it with their blogs these days, and I am so grateful to call many of them friends.

Social Media Links:

facebook.com/usandhim

pinterest.com/usandhimblog

instagram.com/usandhim

www.usandhim.com

Thank you so much for sharing a slice of your life with us, Misty! Be sure to pop over to her blog and visit her social media links and become a follower! 

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If you'd like to be featured for a Meet & Mingle, please contact me at thebirdsnestblogger@gmail.com.  Feel free to grab a button while you're here. ;)

Festive Fourth of July Weekend

Hi! We're just finishing up our long weekend that was so needed! Lots of fun, sun, and food...perfect weekend to me. Friday was our five year anniversary so we celebrated going out to a nice dinner and spent some family time together.  I also met up with my girlfriends and their kids earlier in the day at a local park.  Fenced in park = toddlers running free! Surely they would sleep for hours with all of this fresh air.  Most of them passed out in the car on the way home then boycotted nap time, jokes on us ;) We're ending our weekend with some gardening and grilling.   

Hope you all had a great weekend too!

Festive Nautical Snack || Blueberry Yogurt Bark

Hi! Today I'm sharing a super easy, festive snack that is perfect for the fourth of July and all summer long! It's no secret that we love our Re-play tableware.  It's perfect for kids and adults, too. I absolutely love their new Nautical line, which is a Kelly green, navy blue and bright white. 

Shop Re-play

I love making fun meals and festive snacks so this opportunity was right up my alley! When Olivia was a baby, I would make her frozen yogurt dots which she loved and it was perfect for sore, teething gums. Now that she's older, I thought yogurt bark would be perfect for her.  This is based off of an idea I saw on Pinterest, which used dried strawberries. 

Yogurt Bark:

Baking pan

Plain Greek yogurt (or flavored whichever you prefer)

Fruit 

1.  Line a baking pan with foil (sprayed with non-stick cooking spray) or parchment paper so the bottom and sides are completely covered. 

2.  Spread a thin layer of plain Greek yogurt in the bottom of the pan.

3.  Layer with fruit and gently press the fruit into the yogurt.

4.  Freeze for a minimum of two hours. 

5.  Break apart & enjoy! 

I stored mine in a freezer bag once it was broken into "bark" pieces and Livvy grabs one whenever she pleases. You could use all types of fruit...pineapple, strawberries, raspberries, or even for a sweet twist - chocolate chips, sprinkles. 

*Emphasis on a thin layer...the first time I made it, it was too thick and very difficult to break so a thin layer is perfect to break into pieces. 

To finish this fun Nautical breakfast, I added strawberry "shark fins" and some "life preservers" ;) Enjoy!