Sweet 1st Birthday Centerpieces

I am a huge fan of reusing and repurposing things as much as possible. There are so many everyday items that can be put to good use instead of thrown away or recycled.

For my daughter’s first birthday party, I needed a low-cost table centerpiece. What better thing to use than all those baby food jars we were going through!

This was a very simple centerpiece to make and only took a couple weeks of planning ahead to gather enough empty jars and to order the candy used to fill them.

I cut strips of solid and patterned papers in two different widths using coordinating pinks, purples, yellows, blues and greens to match the party theme (more on that later!). Then I used double-sided tape to wrap the paper strips around the jar.

Colorful lollipops completed the look and made for sweet, tasty centerpieces at the party. The best part: the jars made great party favors for guests to take home to enjoy later!

Simple Scrapbook Layout for Fall

Although I am really into photo books these days (mostly as a time saver), I still really enjoy the creativity and organic nature of scrapbooking.

I put together this simple layout for fall — perfect for showcasing two or three photos of the family at the pumpkin patch or running through autumn leaves!

I purchased some colorful leaves stickers and a sheet of striped paper in bold autumn colors and supplemented with some coordinating solid color paper. I used my handy paper cutter and square punch to create the elements that will serve as backdrops for my photos.

A few leaves stickers strategically placed around the page completed this simple layout. This page is all set for my fun fall photos — and I even have some stickers leftover!

What are your fall-themed scrapbook page ideas? I’d love to see them!

DIY Minnie Birthday Card

Everyone who knows me knows how much my family loves Disney. Afterall, my first date with my husband was watching a Disney movie. So when my daughter got invited to a Minnie Mouse Bowtique-themed birthday party, I knew I had to make the card to go with the gift!

I used my circle cutter to make two different size black circles. Then I grabbed some pattern paper in various shades of pink, polka dots and birthday theme to create Minnie’s bow and backdrop for the card. Black sticker letters spelling the birthday girl’s name completed the front design.

On the back, I added a strip of the same polka dot paper and some white paper to create a space to write a message. Finished it with a sticker number.

The result is a simple but adorable birthday card, a perfect match for the Minnie gift bag!

This idea would also work great for invitations or hanging/wall decorations for a Minnie party.

Simple Teacher Gift for Fall

Teachers can never be thanked enough for the hard work and dedication they put in to molding our children’s young minds and helping them learn and grow each day. I was inspired by some ideas on Pinterest to create a simple thank you gift for my daughter’s daycare teachers for the start of the fall season.

This easy gift consisted of a small apple cinnamon scented candle wrapped in red tissue paper with a homemade gift tag. To make the tag, I handcut a small apple out of red paper I had on hand, rolled up some scrap paper behind it for a 3D effect and taped the finished apple to some patterned paper for contrast.

A holepunch and some dollar bin twine were all that was needed to tie the card to the wrapped candle. I used a gold permanent marker to write the message on the tag, tying the look together. It reads, “Happy Autumn! I couldn’t have picked a better teacher than you!”