Baby Love {#3} - monthly milestones

I like sharing things for baby that I think are must-haves.  These are definitely on my must-have list!  I received them as a gift and they are one of my favorite things, and they are one of those things that you kick yourself for not inventing on your own because they are so simple and brilliant.

So what are they?  They are stickers that you put on your baby's onesie each month.  Then you take their picture, and you have pictures of them for every monthly milestone during their first year.  My favorite are these (for boys) and these (for girls) from Picky Sticky.

I use a long sleeve white onesie and put my baby in the same chair for each picture, that way I can see how much he has grown!  Here are the ones I have taken so far:

{all photos by me}

Wear your Love

What is better than combining your love with your jewelry, literally!?  This ring is so original, cool, and sentimental at the same time.  And it comes in gold or silver.

I love it!

Buy: Personalized Gifts

Want the perfect Valentine's Day gift for your wife, mother, sister, or friend (especially ones with children or grandchildren)?  How about one of these personalized items from Pinhole Press?  You can make journals, recipe books, calendars, day planners, note pads, or just a photo book with your photos.  I would love a day planner myself, to keep track of all of those doctor visits, meetings, and brunches that come up and are so easily forgotten (especially with a new baby)!

Make: Pear and Apple Butter

I love Martha Stewart's Everyday Food Magazine, and I get especially excited when I find a recipe that is for something I love and is easy to do.  Having grown up in small-town Ohio and in the country, my family made (and still makes) apple butter every fall.  Everyone has to take a turn stiring the giant pot if you want your own cans.  I craved homemade apple butter while I was pregnant, and even though I hadn't helped stir, I was sent a big jar by my very sweet aunt.  Now, thanks to Martha, I can make my own.  You can keep it for yourself, put in in cute jars for gifts, or even use it for wedding favors!  I like to put mine on my morning english muffin and if my husband is lucky, I share it with him.

Ingredients

Makes 6 cups

• 2 1/2 pounds Bartlett or Anjou pears (about 5)
• 2 1/2 pounds McIntosh or Gala apples (about 5)
• 1 cup packed dark-brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 cinnamon stick

Directions

1. Peel, quarter, and core pears and apples. In a food processor, finely grate fruit (in batches if necessary), then transfer to a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Stir in dark-brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon stick. Cover and cook on high, 4 hours.
2. Remove cinnamon stick and reserve. Transfer mixture to processor (in batches if necessary) and process until smooth. Return to slow cooker, along with cinnamon stick, and cook on high, uncovered, until mixture is thick and browned, 4 hours. Discard cinnamon stick and let mixture cool. Transfer to airtight containers and refrigerate, up to 3 weeks, or freeze, up to 3 months.

*I made mine with only apples and 2 cinnamon sticks, and it turned out great!

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Slow-Cooker Pear and Apple Butter - Martha Stewart Recipes 

Lovely Correspondence

I think stationery and card sets make great gifts.  I know that I love receiving handwritten notes, and I love sending them.  How great are these new sets by Kenzie Kate:

I would love to get one of these as a gift.  If you would like a set for yourself, go here.

A Lovely Message

Check out these wedding bands.  They have an inner message that is left as an imprint on your finger even after you take your wedding band off.  I think these are a really sweet and special idea.

By Jungyun Yoon

Lovely Ornaments

Christmastime is just around the corner!  I've always loved Christmas ornaments, but now that I'm married and will have a baby by then, I'm always looking for sweet personalized ornaments to collect over the years.  Leave it to Paloma's Nest to have something I, and you, will love!

What a great gift these would make for a newly married couple or new parents!  

A Book for your Computer?

How cool is this case for your MacBook?  Not only is it stylish and protective, but it is also a disguise!  I love it.

Get yours here

Etsy Love

Here are a few of my current favorite etsy items for home, wedding, or everyday!

These luggage tags are such a fun gift for honeymooners!

Get one here

These tea towels are a cute housewarming, hostess, or wedding gift:

Get some here

And my very favorite.  Two words.  Cake Bunting!

How much do you love these?  

Happy Weekend everyone!  xx

DIY Kitchen Towels

Want a cute housewarming gift for a friend or favor for a home shower?  Check out these chic DIY hand towels and free downloads from Wedding Style Guide.  So cute!

Things I'm Loving Now

Here are some things I am loving, which would make great gifts (for yourself or someone else):

Wear the key to your heart on your finger!

I'm dying to buy this for my little man on the way (but trying to resist the urge!)

How cute would these be as favors at a library wedding or for a book lover couple.

If your favorite antique plate or family heirloom breaks, turn it into a necklace!

This pennant bunting is great for nursery decor, or for party decorations.

These picnic plates just scream summer.

Jute baskets are perfect for casual home storage.

Lovely Bridesmaids' gifts

I'm a big fan of showering your bridesmaids with great gifts (think of how much time, money, and effort they have spent on you and your big day!) and I love personalized elements.  How cute are these silver silhouette pendants!?  You could give each of your bridesmaids one with silhouettes of themselves or a loved one.  I think these would make a great gift (if you have a lot of bridesmaids and have to limit the amount you are spending) or part of a gift for your bridesmaids!

What I Love: Paloma's Nest

It is no secret that I am a huge fan of Paloma's Nest.  I have featured the ring bowls, have given them as gifts, and have an heirloom bowl of my very own.  But now they went and added stuff for baby- a collection called the Little Bird Collection.  What a great gift for a mommy-to-be or new baby!  You can get ornaments, baby's first plate or bowl, and other custom-made, one-of-a-kind keepsakes.  I know I would LOVE one of these (hint, hint)...

DIY Book Cover and Bookmarks

I saved a great DIY project to close out DIY week!  I wish I could claim it as my own, but that would be stealing :)

This is my favorite DIY project I've seen on the blogs in a long time!  As I have posted in the past, my husband and I love books.  We have a million books.  We like to give books.  I would have loved to do this as favors for my wedding, but was afraid it would be too time consuming and overwhelming.  But with the help of this DIY project over at my favorite DIY resource blog, Twig & Thistle, the project is way do-able!

Perfect for a library themed wedding, you can cover your favorite books, or a blank journal.  Pick a pretty paper (Paper Source has lots to choose from), follow the instructions here, and enjoy!

Check out the full post on Twig & Thistle.  And you should totally check out all of the great DIY posts on Twig & Thistle!  Kathleen posts some amazingly creative ideas.

DIY Welcome Bags

It is DIY week at Oh Lovely Day, and I want to kick the week off with a DIY project I did for my own wedding.  I've been to a lot of weddings.  AAAAA LOT!  And as an out-of-town guest, I have always appreciated a good welcome bag.  So when I was planning my wedding and knew a majority of our guests were coming to California from all over, I vowed to make them as comfortable as possible.

I wanted to make my welcome bag a little more personal than the generic brown or colored paper bag with a couple of things thrown in.  I wanted them to include what I believe are necessities.  And I wanted them to be easy and inexpensive for me!

Materials for the bags:

• Canvas tote bags (from cheaptotes)
• Iron-on printer paper (from office depot)
• An iron
• A printer
• An image to print

We had a monogram that we included on our save-the-dates, invitation suite, and other wedding details, and I wanted to put in on our welcome bags.  I had to reverse the image so that when it was printed and ironed on it would read correctly.  I bought enough tote bags to accommodate each out-of-town couple or guest for our wedding.  I printed a coordinating number of monograms.  Then I found a hard surface (a table works well- an ironing board doesn't work as well).  Follow the directions on the transfer paper packaging.  I laid an old pillow case down on the table, put the tote on top of that, and placed the printed paper where I wanted it on the tote.  Then I ironed each image on until I had done enough totes for everyone.

Next you have to fill the bags.  Here are what I consider essentials:

• 2 bottles of water (this is the most important thing, and one bottle is NOT enough unless for only one person!)
• Snacks (in ours I included special K cereal bars, a bag of chips or crackers, and a small bag of Isabella's Cookies, which are made where we had our wedding and are my absolute fave!)
• Hangover helpers (tums, advil, etc.)
• A map of the area and activities & restaurant recommendations
• Mints and/or gum
• An itinerary of events, including any shuttle departure times (if applicable)
• Sunscreen (if in a beachy area)

Here is a picture of our finished product, complete with itinerary and other items with our monogram:

Total approximate cost per bag = $6

Making your guests feel welcomed, comfortable, informed, and hydrated....priceless

Has anyone else done their own DIY welcome bags?