breakable objects and other christmas items

For some reason, I got it into my cute little head that glass ornaments and glass plates would be prefect gift ideas for family and friends. I ended up etching the initials of some friends onto the ornaments and I was brave/foolish enough to let the boys stuff them with feathers. We had a lot of fun and only broke a few. (I ended up breaking more on my own later on) They were pretty cute and I may end up making them next year for my own tree.

I also ended up making more of these plates for my side of the family and some of the families we go to church with. These were less fragile(thank heavens) So far my glass etching projects this winter has reached a total of 46 items. That's 21 ornaments, 13 vases for a wedding, 11 plates and a glass cake pan for my mama. I am officially putting away the etching cream and taking a break.

I saw the plans for this cute wreath made out of scrapbooking paper on some local daytime news show. If I could remember which one, or even which company sponsored it, I would post a link. But I can't, I think the fumes from the glass etching cream have gotten to my head. This is the near finished product. There ended up being so much glitter and sparkle that every time I walk past it I smile. Man, I love glitter. It was pretty easy. All I had to do is cut out a few hundred leaf shapes and push pin them into a Styrofoam wreath circle. It took a bit to do it, but it was easy and fun. And hey, It sparkles!

birthdays

We have had a couple of birthdays since the last time I was on here. Bear turned 1 and is the cutest little monster ever. He reminds me quite a bit of my brother. No wonder my mom lets Brother get away with so much. There is a twinkle in Bear's eye just like Brother's. You can just hear Bear's thoughts "Yes I know what I am doing is naughty, but gosh darn it I am cute, so you will just have to let me get away with it." And most of the time we do. I am in so much trouble.

I had so much fun making these cupcakes. I got the recipe from the Hello Cupcake Cookbook, my new favorite. http://http//www.hellocupcakebook.com/ Bear loved them so much, he ate 2. I made a ton, but lost all the pictures. Luckily my cute neighbor had taken a few of the one I sent over to her.

Today is Z-Dog's 7th birthday. Last night we had a huge party with a bunch of his friends. The theme was legos. We borrowed a TON of Legos from our friend and all the kids loved them. We had a couple of games and pizza. It was amazing how quiet 13 kids can get when they are busy building with legos. Other than the utter exhaustion I felt after I was done, it was actually an easy party to plan. The legos pretty much took care of the whole evening. Those little blocks are just amazing.

Z Dog is an amazing kid. He is ultra charismatic and super smart. He loves to read, a fact that I am so excited for. He has tried starting Harry Potter, but I asked him to hold off for a little bit. I am anxious to share my little book collection with him. I have been collecting all the books I loved as a kid. He has started Sideways Stories from Wayside School, one of my favorites.