{Featured} Daisy Dreaming & Shop Sweet Lulu

Friends, I'm thrilled to share with you some more press that Qualls Creative has received lately. I designed some custom invitations for my friend Kelsey, who put together the most adorable and creative 4th birthday party for her son, and her party was featured on Shop Sweet Lulu's blog last week! I've posted a photo of the invitation and you can get all the details of the amazing party here.

Photo courtesy of Daisy Dreaming.

We're trying something new this year... the DIY Halloween costume. In years past, I've shelled out nearly $50 for Mason's Halloween costumes. Not this year!

It all started last year at the pumpkin patch. Mason saw two boys dressed up as scuba divers and has been talking about dressing up as one ever since. The idea really is quite simple: a black outfit with a scuba mask, some tanks and flippers. I decided to do some research on how to build the tanks, and that's when I found this great article from Real Simple Magazine. There are so many cute DIY costume ideas!

I decided black leggings and a black, long-sleeved shirt would do for the outfit portion, and believe it or not, it was so hard to find those things! I ended up finding the leggings at Carters and the shirt at Kohls (both in the little girls section, shhh). I had zero luck finding a black, long-sleeved boys shirt... even in the middle of Fall. We ordered a scuba patch online and ironed it on the front of the shirt.

For the tanks we took two empty 2 liter water bottles. My crafty husband spray painted them yellow and added some metallic looking duct tape. He added a scuba sticker (another online find) and made straps with black shoelaces.

Lastly, for the fins, I cut them out of some cardboard and my husband spray painted them black. Then we poked two holes near the top for the shoe laces to come through so they'd attach to the shoes.

Here's the final product:

Photos I used at the top of this post are from Real Simple Magazine.

Landon's 1st Birthday

As parents with children know, things can get a little crazy and you don't have the time that you once did. That's been the story of my life for the past, oh twelve months, so planning Landon's first birthday party (I can't believe I just said that) was a little bit more rushed than I had hoped. BUT, the final result still came together and it was a very special day.

Since I love stripes and Landon is too little to pick out his own theme, I went with that. I tried to keep the colors yellow, navy and gray. I started a board on Pinterest so I could collect and keep all of my ideas in once place. Plus Pinterest is such a great starting point anyways. The one thing I really, really wanted to do was the photo garland. I've been taking pictures of Landon on his monthly 'birthdays' all year, so I thought those photos would be perfect for the garland. I ordered some striped cardstock tags from Scrapbits on Etsy to use as a base for the monthly labels (which I bought at Staples and designed myself).  The final product turned out so great and I actually have it hanging above his crib now.

I was a little stumped on favors but had ordered these adorable striped bags (from Enchanted Frog Events on Etsy) ahead of time, so I decided just to do a 'make your own treat bag' bar. We had glass jars left over from our wedding centerpieces, so I filled them with various striped favors (from paper yo-yos to pixie sticks to lollipops) and other favors keeping with the blue/yellow theme.

I'm obsessed with striped straws, so of course I got some of those too. And unfortunately I didn't get a photo of the lovely blue/white striped napkins – you can see them peeking out from behind the lemonade.

To add a personal touch, I decided to make some cupcake flags just for Landon. You can actually order these from my Etsy shop to add a bit of personalization to your party. It's really easy... just print them out, cut and glue. I got so many complements on them and it really is a cinch! 

And what's a party without balloons? My big guy Mason helped out with those. It really was a blessed day and most importantly Landon had fun. That's what it really comes down too, right? We can plan and prep as much as we want, but it's just not worth all of the effort if those we're celebrating don't have fun. I think Landon and all of our friends and family had a nice time... especially when it was time to eat the cupcakes! I didn't make Landon his own cake, but I did give him his own cupcake which he devoured in no time. 

Happy birthday, my sweet boy!

Etsy shop now open!

My Etsy shop is now open! Although I don't have a heck of a lot for sale right now (umm, two whole items), I'm working on getting it chock full of goodies just in time for the holiday season! Check back soon for note cards, prints and other fun paper goods.

{Featured} Ruffled Blog

Great news! Some of my work was recently featured on Ruffled Blog's Daily's Cocktails! Working with the wonderful Rebekah of A & B Creative, I created some signage for personalized cocktails for an engagement party.

You can read the entire post here.

{Featured} 100 Layer Cake

I have some major news! A few months back I had the privelege of collaborating with some really talented gals for an amazing bridal shower photo shoot in honor of my bestie (and real-life bride-to-be) Johnelle Mancha of Mignonne Decor. I've already gushed about her talents, so it was my pleasure doing something for her this time around. So with the vision of stylist Rebekah McNall of A + B Creative, and talented photographer Delbarr Moradi, the 70's inspired bridal shower came to life. I designed all of the signage and am so happy it came out well. And now it's been published on 100 Layer Cake! Here are some of my favorite shots, but please check out the entire post.

Cinco de Mayo Inspiration

In celebration of Cinco de Mayo, I'm featuring an amazing photo shoot designed by the talented Rebekah Carey McNall of A + B Creative. The entire shoot was just featured on Ruffled. I love everything about this, the vibrant pops of color, the flowers, all the way down to the little details.

 For more details, please see the entire post on Ruffled.

Pinteresting Finds

I've been on Pinterest for some months now, but recently have become an addict. I can't stop! From amazing branding to drool-worthy style, I've created boards for all of my obsessions. The best part? I get SO inspired after every browsing session. I want to go and design something amazing or reorganize my closet.

If you're not familiar with the site, I highly recommend it. It's a virtual pinboard where users can paste items they like and share them with others.

I've singled out a few share-worthy items from my browsing. And if you're interested, you can check out the rest of my collection here.

{Love} Crew Cuts by J.Crew

Those of you who know me are aware of my obsession with stripes and the occasional nautical ensemble. Much to my pleasure (and my bank account's dismay) the new line of baby clothes from J.Crew looks super cozy and pairs classic simplicity with a nautical twist. Perfection!

The Newest Addition

After a four month break, I'm excited to share with you our newest addition. Landon Maximilian was born on October 10th, 2011, weighing in at a hefty 8 lbs. 14 oz, and 22 inches long. We've all fallen in love with him, especially Mason who absolutely loves being a big brother. The two boys get along wonderfully, which is more than any mother could ask for.

Oh Baby!

Well, it's the end of an era. Bright and early Monday morning we're scheduled to deliver this little miracle that's been growing inside me for the last 9 months. Of course I'm beyond excited, but a part of me feels a little bittersweet. My mom arrives tomorrow, so tonight marks our last evening as a family of three... by ourselves... in our home. It's a little surreal. My husband and I are planning a special dinner and an evening of family time so we can relish it one last time before the madness begins!

And this is what I currently look like. It's official that I have no more room to give my little one. I can't wait to meet him on Monday!

SHOUT OUT

My bestie, Johnelle Mancha of Mignonne Decor, got featured on Apartment Therapy today and I couldn't be more proud. She and her lovely bf, Brian, just finished a tremendous amount of work on their charming Oakland home. I've featured some photos but you can read the entire write-up right here.

HAPPY FALL

Even though we live in Southern California and don't typically see the seasons change, Fall is by far my favorite time of year. I love it when the temperatures start to drop, when I can finally open my drawer of scarves, pull out my boots and enjoy a pumpkin spice latte at Starbucks. I am one of those people who actually looks forward to the holiday season, and for me the beginning of Fall is the kick-off to several months of food, friends, cozy nights and lots of family time.

CURB APPEAL

I while back I posted about wanting to update the look of our front door. I'm happy to say that after 18 months, it has been done! I don't have a "before" picture, but I certainly have an "after". And I came up with some ideas around what we've already done to enhance the look even further – a modern look with a traditional undertone.

1. Our new front door after a few coats of paint. 2. Modern topiaries found on Apartment Therapy. 3. Progress Lighting Cylinder lamp. 4. Metal planters from CB2. 5. Monogrammed doormat from Pottery Barn.

SUNDAY GRUB

Sunday football wouldn't be complete without some good grub, so for today's game I thought I'd attempt homemade soft pretzels, a recipe my friend swears by. Although it's a somewhat time consuming process, the end result was a hit. And of course Mason loved helping! Here's a short tutorial on how to make them:


the mall pretzels from rachelchew on Vimeo.

And you can find the entire recipe at elephantine. Enjoy!

THE SWEETEST GIFT

This week I promised Mason we could go shopping for a gift for the new baby, which he got to pick out. Naturally he wanted to get a giant cement mixer or dump truck, so I had to remind him that we needed to get something soft. We headed to a local children's boutique in hopes for the perfect gift - lo and behold we found it within 5 minutes!

Meet Bamboo, the panda Blabla doll Mason picked out. I've always been a fan of handcrafted kids toys (handcrafted anything for that matter) so this is the most perfect gift, knitted out of natural fibers by artisans in Peru. He's so irresistibly soft and cuddly, I think the baby will love him as much as I do.

NEW PROJECTS

My lovely and creative friend, Kelsey from Daisy Dreaming, and I have been collaborating lately on a lot of new and fun projects. We've come up with some really neat ideas around home decor, specifically for nurseries and children's rooms.

Things are just starting take off so we don't have a whole lot for sale yet, but I can offer you a sneak peek of one print we're ready to launch (designed by yours truly). Check out Daisy Dreaming's Etsy shop for more!

NEW & EXCITING THINGS

I know I've been totally MIA for months, but it's been a good thing! Every aspect of my life at the moment is going full speed ahead and I'm enjoying every second.

First of all, we're expecting our second baby - another boy - within the first few weeks of October. So as you can imagine, that's been taking up a lot of my time and energy... getting the nursery all set up, reviving the old baby gear we had packed away in the basement, trying to take it easy and enjoy the pregnancy - all while raising a 2 1/2 year old who is currently being potty trained. Fun! That's actually another big deal for us lately. Mason has entered his official potty training stage. He was a bit stubborn at first, but I think he's getting the hang of it. Yesterday he had his big moment - his first poop on the potty. And I've been putting him in underwear instead of pull-ups to really try and drive it home.

All that aside, there are new and exciting things waiting to be shared, so I promise to post a little more.

mason's party

Mason's second birthday party was a HUGE success! It was at Gymboree Play & Music on a lovely Saturday afternoon. We invited 8 of his little pals and their families. I think everyone had a really fun time!

Keeping with the colorful Gymboree theme, I found some fun invitations on Tiny Prints. I also ordered some colorful cupcake liners from Etsy and opted to use Gymboree's tableware (it's one of the birthday party package options). For the food, we kept it simple, serving only snacks – mini peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, fruit skewers, pretzels, fishies and pretzel M&Ms. And of course we had cupcakes! I ordered a small bouquet of colorful balloons from Party City too.

mignonne

My super talented friend, Johnelle, is owner and designer of Mignonne Décor, a home decor boutique specializing in one-of-a-kind, custom designed furniture pieces and unique vintage goods. They also offer a variety of design services including furniture revamping, home restyling and even wedding and event planning services. Johnelle reworks most of the pieces herself – stripping, repainting and reupholstering entire pieces with bold patterns, colors and gorgeous fabrics. Much of her work can be seen on her blog, Je Suis Mignonne and I'm featuring one piece in particular that I just fell in love with.

This fantastic 60s armchair has been reupholstered and re-stuffed. Johnelle used a thick black and white wool fabric for the seat, back and exterior, and a rich teal linen for the arms and piping. It's the perfect union of vintage and modern.

Mignonne is located in Berkeley, California so if you're lucky enough to live nearby, I suggest you visit the shop. She's constantly getting new merchandise and her furniture pieces don't stick around for long. J'aime Mignonne!