New Buffet Table for Dining Room

Hello friends!!  I hope your week is going well!!  We are having a good week here and really looking forward to the weekend :)

As most of you know our Master Bathroom project is/was consuming a LOT of our "spare" time....but we are SO close to the end of Phase 1 and 2.....so last weekend we headed out on a little shopping expedition.....to start looking for the accessories and decor to "finish" off the room.....

And....as usual.....when I'm looking to buy something.....I couldn't find.....ONE.....SINGLE.....THING that would work for the bathroom.....GAH!!

BUT....also.....as usual.....I found plenty of other totally non-bathroom related things that I LOVED!  Double GAH!!

AND....There was one thing that I COULD NOT pass up!!  SO....I got this dining room buffet table......

Ahhhh....I love it SO much!  The "quatrefoil" like pattern on the bottom of the buffet table is what totally sold me on it!!  If you remember.....I've already shown you my DIY quatrefoil art that I have in this room HERE....

AND what's even better.....I got it at a great sale price!  YAHOO!!  It was originally priced $399 (in my opinion way over priced) and I got it for $209!!  ROCK ON!!

Don't get me wrong....I don't really consider $209 a cheap price, but for this piece I thought it was a good deal!!  It came from Kirkland's, so it's not solid wood.....but for a buffet table that is really more for looks than anything else....it will work just fine :)

It wasn't a total impulse buy....I've actually been looking for a buffet table for this very spot for a year or so.....and I had thought about getting this one.....

  Source:  Reflections Three Piece Cabinet Set

And it is SO cute....but it is about three times the price of the one I bought....and the deal breaker....it's really too large for the space we have in our dining room.....

And I also thought about remaking one off of craigslist....but I've been stalking it looking for a while.....and just couldn't seem to find one that I liked for a price that I wanted to pay......

So anyway.....I'm so happy with the one that I got.....and the Hubs was with me and he didn't give me too much static about buying this when we were really supposed to be buying stuff for the bathroom.....thank you honey!!  Love you :)

So....just for fun.....here's another pic....

And here's an upclose look at the quatrefoil design on the buffet table....



Pretty cool!!

So....anyone else found any great deals lately?  Oh....please do share :)

Until next time....

XOXO-

Kristal

Liebster Award!!

Wow!!  Something really exciting happened to me last week!!  I was notified that I was awarded the Liebster Blog Award by Lori at The Stonybrook House!!

So....THANK YOU Lori!!  Getting this award really made my whole day!!

And....for the rest of you......if you've never heard of this award....well.....don't feel bad.....I hadn't either......but here is what Google tells us about the Liebster.....

"The origins of the Liebster Blog Award are somewhat unclear but the general consensus is that it originated in Germany. Liebster means favorite or dearest, to showcase bloggers with fewer than 200 followers. Upon accepting the award the recipient must then pass it on to five more blogs of note."

As you may (or may not) know, sometimes it is hard to get feedback concerning your blog.....so......to know that someone is reading it.....and also that they like it enough to recognize it as one of their favorites.....well.....that just made me feel like a superstar :)

So....as mentioned above.....once you receive the award....then you are supposed to "pass on the love" to five more blogs with 200 followers or less.....

So....I started digging into my list of favorite blogs.....and what I realized is that a lot of the blogs that I thought were "small" are actually quite a bit bigger than I thought!!  So....I am bending the rules just a bit....and awarding the Liebster to three of my favorite "smaller" blogs.....

So.....I am recognizing the following awesome blogs by awarding them the Liebster Award.....

Melissa and Ian at Living Beautifully....One DIY Step at a Time

Meredith at Welcome to Heardmont

Kelly at View Along the Way

These blogs are all really great!!  So....I hope you all might get a chance to check them out sometime!!

And for those of you "receiving" the award.....the Liebster Award suggests that you do the following....

1. Link back to the person who awarded it to you.

2. Post the award to your blog

3. Give the award to 5 bloggers with less than 200 followers.

4. Leave a comment on the 5 blogs to let them know that they received the award.

 

 

So.....thanks again Lori!!  You Rock!!

Until next time....

XOXO-

Kristal

Downton Abbey?

Hello friends.... I hope you all are having a good week!!

All goes pretty well here....we've had our usual struggles this week....but overall life is good :)

So....we have a lot to do this weekend, BUT I can't get something off my mind......and I'm wondering if any of you have heard about.....

Has anyone heard of a show called Downton Abbey?  I believe it is a PBS show....yeah....yeah....I know.....when I think PBS.....I think Sesame Street too.....or maybe Reading Rainbow if you really want to go old school.....geez I loved that show when I was a kid.....

But anyway.....I digress......

I've been hearing a lot of people talk about Downton Abbey....and how they can't stop watching it once they start.....

When I first heard of it.....I thought.....ummmm......that sounds boring......but now that I'm hearing how so many people love it......I'm thinking.....well.....maybe I should give it a shot......

So.....for those of you that have never heard of it.....here's a pic from the PBS website.....

Source:  PBS

And here is the synopsis available on the PBS website.....

The Downton Abbey estate stands a splendid example of confidence and mettle, its family enduring for generations and its staff a well-oiled machine of propriety. But change is afoot at Downton — change far surpassing the new electric lights and telephone. A crisis of inheritance threatens to displace the resident Crawley family, in spite of the best efforts of the noble and compassionate Earl, Robert Crawley (Hugh Bonneville, Miss Austen Regrets); his American heiress wife, Cora (Elizabeth McGovern); his comically implacable, opinionated mother, Violet (Maggie Smith, David Copperfield); and his beautiful, eldest daughter, Mary, intent on charting her own course. Reluctantly, the family is forced to welcome its heir apparent, the self-made and proudly modern Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens), himself none too happy about the new arrangements. As Matthew's bristly relationship with Mary begins to crackle with electricity, hope for the future of Downton's dynasty takes shape. But when petty jealousies and ambitions grow among the family and the staff, scheming and secrets — both delicious and dangerous — threaten to derail the scramble to preserve Downton Abbey. Created and written by Oscar-winner Julian Fellowes (Gosford Park), Downton Abbey offers a spot-on portrait of a vanishing way of life.    

I think they are on Season 2 now....but I've been told that the entire Season 1 is available on Netflix.....and since we already have Netflix.....well......maybe.....

SO.....anyone out there watching this show?  PLEASE DO TELL!!  I'm really interested to know what you guys think about it.....is it worth my time?  I mean.....nobody really NEEDS another TV show to watch.....right?  BUT if it's really good, then I can probably be persuaded :)

I'll let you know if I decide to give it a go.....

Until next time.....

XOXO-

Kristal





Easy & Inexpensive Ways to Make Your Child's Birthday Special - A Recap of Kali's 2nd Birthday!! Part I

Hello friends!! 

I am SO excited to finally have everything that I need together, so I can share all the fun details of my little girls 2nd birthday party!! 

It was a blast!!  And we had SO much fun putting together all the details for the party!!  So.....without further delay.....here are my thoughts on......easy and inexpensive ways to make your child's birthday special.....  

I think that I will have to break these thoughts into two posts, since one might get to be a bit too long (like War and Peace long).....so let's call this Part I.....

So....the back story.....birthdays are a BIG deal around our house....and it all goes back to my Mom and Dad.....they made a BIG deal about birthdays!!  And when I say that I don't mean big lavish birthday parties or gifts.....actually there was very little of that......

We had very simple birthday parties and got a couple gifts.....but my parents made us feel so incredibly special on our birthday and they always got us gifts that we really wanted and had waited to get.....sometimes for a very long time......so it was a SUPER special day!!

So....I'm a little crazy about birthdays.....mine included....I still start a countdown with reminders to family members about a month out....LOL.....but seriously.....I do.....

So.....when we had our little girl.....oh boy.....was I ever excited about her birthday!!  So......I wanted so much to make here feel as special as I did as a kid on her birthday!!

So.....here are my thoughts.....

1. Start with an Adorable Invitation

Ok.....so your child may or may not be into invitations....some children love picking these out....some could care less....but either way....the invitation sets the tone for your party....so be sure to spend some time picking out something that will give your party goers something that will make them excited about coming to your party :)

Also....I am old school....so I love sending invitations in the mail!  I think there isn't much more special than getting something (besides junk mail or bills) in the mail.....and children get really excited when there is something just for them!!

So.....I use Shutterfly to make my cards......and I've already shown you the cutie patootie invitation that we sent for Kali's birthday HERE......but what they heck.....just for fun (and because I love it)....here it is again.....

 

Source:  www.shutterfly.com

2. The Party Theme Should be Something that They LOVE

Ummmmm.....Duh!!  This one seems like a no brainer....but I have to admit that I almost messed up on this one.....

I guess it's the fact that people kept asking me....what is the theme for Kali's party....and I started feeling pressure to come up with a theme....to conform.....and you know it would have been so easy just to pick something.....Strawberry Shortcake or Elmo or Princesses or whatever.....and don't get me wrong....those are all great themes for a party!  BUT....Kali isn't really into any of those things.....

So....instead....the Hubs and I sat down and talked about the party.....and what the theme should be.....and we ended up talking about things that Kali loves.....dancing, music, and balloons......yep.....that's my girl :)

I'll talk more on the balloons later.....but concerning the dancing and the music.....well....we decided to do something a little fun and a little crazy for a two year olds party!!  We decided to turn our formal living area into Club Kali!!  LOL!!  And....it turned out to be SO MUCH FUN!!  And the kids ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!!

Here are some pics.....

We supplied some fun party favors to use in Club Kali....mainly glow in the dark necklaces and bracelets....and bubbles....lot's of bubbles!!  We had little containers of bubbles for the kids to use and a bubble machine for the room.....did I mention that Kali also loves bubbles.....oh yeah....she does!!

Here's our Club Kali sign and party supplies with the room before our party goers arrived.....

Oh yeah.....I forgot to mention....we got the lava lamp and the "disco" ball going too!!

And here's a pic once our party was getting started.....

My awesome sister-in-law took this picture...no idea how she did it....but I love it SO much because it truly captures the moment!  The kids were having a blast with all the glow sticks and the bubbles and the disco ball!!  We played Kid Jams....which my sister supplied.....which was really cool.....it is today's music, but with kid friendly lyrics.....

And here's one more....with the birthday girl joining the fun.....

The room isn't full here....but trust me....it was for most of the party!!  Kali had an absolute blast.....And she danced the whole time!!

And the best part.....this little set up cost us very little.....we did buy the bubble machine $10 and the glow bracelets / glow necklaces, which you can get at the dollar store and I think I spent $10 on those too.....so for $20 Club Kali came to life!!  :)

3. Serve Food that Your Child Loves Even if it's a Little Odd

Ok....first....we did serve a good dinner for everyone.....we had Fajita's and all the fixins (as we say down south)....AND we had chicken strips and french fries from Raising Canes for all the kiddos.....YUM....I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.....

But where we had some fun was setting up our dessert table....ok....our girl LOVES cake....but she also has a few other favorites.....she also LOVES chocolate and marshmallows.....

Anyway....we had so much fun setting up our party table....here's a look at our "Chocolate Bar".....

And here's a look at our "Candy Bar"....complete with LOTS of marshmallows.....

In case any of you missed it....you can find out how to make the little chalkboard signs HERE....

And here's a look at our whole party table....

Ohhh....so happy with how this cute birthday party table turned out!!  And.....again....it wasn't expensive....I used glass containers that I already had around the house.....so really the only cost was associated with the cost for the chocolate and the candy.....the little DIY chalkboards.....and I did buy a few paper plates and napkins too :)

4. Outsource the Things that You Aren't Good At....

Ok....so maybe outsourcing isnt' cheap....I'll admit that....BUT....if you outsource things (especially those you aren't good at), then it will GREATLY reduce your stress level and even better give you more time to spend with your child on their birthday and during their party.....which is sure to make your birthday girl or boy feel SO special!!

So....I outsource the cake and cupcakes for our party EVERY year....and of course....every year I think....we'll maybe I could make it this year....and then I think....are you crazy!!  LOL!!  Don't get me wrong....if you are skilled at cake making, then by all means do it yourself!!  I would too!!  I however have no skills in this area....so outsource it is....

And this is what we got this year......

Soooo cute!!  We got the cake at a bakery called Cakelicious.....and it was SUPER delicious!!  So many people raved about how delicious this cake was.....it was chocolate and SO good....YUM!!

And we also got some of these delicious birthday cupcakes....

They were really good too!!  AND a huge hit with the birthday girl!!  I think she ate three of them....and by ate I mean she licked all the icing off and then gave the cake back to me....LOL!!

Here's the birthday girl enjoying on of her cupcakes...

That girl!!  She is such a hot mess!  LOL!!

5. Set the Tone for the Party with Your Front Door Decor

Decorating your front door should be fun!!  So....don't stress!!  You can use almost anything!!  The key here is to set the tone for your guests and of course to let everybody know....woo hooo.....we're having a PAARTAAY in here!! 

A super easy way to decorate is with balloons and streamers....a banner....something that ties in with the theme of your pary (think picture of Elmo, etc)....

Or if you are feeling a little creative, then you can make something!!  Since we were having a little girl's birthday party....I decided to make a super girly wreath for our door......and here it is.....a deco mesh happy birthday wreath :)

I added the "K" in the middle to give it a more personal touch.....and the cool thing....this baby can be recycled for say.....an Easter wreath.....oh yeah.....I love things that can do double duty!!

Of course....you guys know I've been on a deco mesh wreath kick for a while.....but if anyone is just tuning in for the first time.....then you can see the other ones I've made (and how to make them)  HERE , HERE, and HERE.

I made this one a little differently than all the others.....and here's how.....

First I made a wreath form.....using two crafting circles and some pipe cleaners.....then I covered the crafting circles with some tulle to make it look a bit prettier....

And then....just like all the others....you just fold and bunch the deco mesh.....and attach it to the form by tieing the pipe cleaners around the mesh....

Here's a close up of the the mesh tied onto the form....

And here's a look after adding the purple layer and then the pink....

And soon......TA-DA!!  You've got yourself a cutie patootie little wreath for your front door!!

Sooo....whew......with that we've covered my first five easy and inexpensive ways to make your child's birthday special..... 

So....I've got five more to go.....but since it took me like a week to get these first five ready....well....it might be a while.....

I'm curious though.....what do you all do to make your child's birthday special?  Do you have family traditions or are you making it up as you go?  Do you follow a similar pattern each year or is every birthday completely different?  Ah....please do share :)

I'm looking forward to hearing your ideas!!

Until next time.....

XOXO-

Kristal