Elmo birthday up cake stand - wrapping paper trays

I wanted to have cupcakes at the part but finding a display tray was hard. And of coarse I didn't want to spend any more money. So, I used some leftover cake circles from my baking days and some cans. Voila! A cupcake tower for an elmo birthday party!!

Elmo birthday t-shirt - Sesame Street- etsy inspired project

I loved the elmo t-shirt I found on etsy. It looked so easy to make I couldn't resist making one. The patch was purchased on ebay about a month earlier, it came from China and shipping can take over a month. So, buying a patch early was crucial!!

I love the way it came out and I love that total cost was $8 :)

Ikea RAM picture frame makeover - love the way it looks !!

We've been getting the house ready for the birthday party. I have to admit, some projects aren't a necessity but I love the motivation ! I had these old ikea picture frames in the garage, just waiting to be painted. So, after years of waiting they are finally put to good use :)

Summary of steps:

1. Painted the frame and the cardboard insert to match my son's room. 

2. Used artwork my cousin did when she was a small child. Cut artwork to fit.

3. Hanged on the walls

So easy, I wish I would have done it sooner.

Before:

After:

Elmo birthday banner - Sesame Street - tutorial

Another project for my son's birthday party was this banner. I have to admit it took less time than I imagined. I also did it all with leftover construction paper. I love the way it looks !! Easy project :)

Elmo birthday cupcake topper- Sesame Street - etsy inspired project

I designed all of these cupcake toppers using Photoshop CS2 and Publisher.

The Elmo clip art I found online and modified it on photoshop. Each design is 1.5" in circumference and is printed on sticker paper.

I did two different methods to see which one I liked best. I also used lollipop sticks instead if toothpicks because of the kids.

Overall a great way to decorate cupcakes!

Front ( method 1 & method 2 comparison)

Back ( method 1 & method 2 comparison) : 

Elmo Birthday Party Gift Bags Tutorial

Party gift bags are done !! Hooray !!

Just looking for some filler items to add but so far so good :)

Inside: 

Coloring book

24 crayon box

Sheet of stickers

Ball

Snack

Project was easy. I would recomend purchasing the red bags at michaels not the dollar store if you have a 40% coupon (more cost effective).

Also, Elmo's nose goes on top of the eyes... Oops!

Life lessons, my MacBook crashed. My son's pictures and videos could be lost forever

Today, was a day of hard life lessons. I never imagined I would write about this but here it goes. My MacBook crashed. I can't tell you the sleepless night I spent. It's barely 2 years old and this happens. I never owned a MacBook before but I bought it because I wanted something to store my son's childhood in. There are no documents or ther programs. Just my son's childhood picture and videos. I backed up maybe 4-6 months ago. In baby years that's a lot of data to loose. I made an appointment at the Genius Bar at my local apple store the second everything happened ( thank goodness for iPhones). I ended up leaving the laptop at the apple store and praying for it to be repaired quickly. 

So, where did I go wrong ?

First, I never had a designated desk to keep my laptop, it always floated around the house with me. 

Second, I should have taken those few minutes to back up regularly

Third, had I kept up with my son's shutterfly books. My computer crashing would not be a major issue. Except for videos which are priceless but something is better than nothing. 

I cried several times at the apple store. The guy was nice but he wasn't too reassuring :/

Right now, I have only my iPhone and an old PC I purchase over 6 years ago. 

Did I learn my lesson? Yes, I'm going through all my PC documents and pictures this week. Organizing and getting shutterfly books ready to go. That way all of life's memories are saved.

Learn from my mistakes, take the time to back up data and print the most precious memories before it's too much to handle.