Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Print Instagram Photos with FoxGram

I had recently found out that there is a website that prints out your Instagram photos. I love my photos on Instagram since most of them are of my daughter and trips that I have taken from NYC and OKC. I was not sure how the quality of these photos would come out, but I am beyond impressed. FoxGram is a great place to get your photos printed, I recommend this to anyone thinking of doing so or who has been trying to find a place to print them out. I know I will be going back to place another order of prints soon!
 





6 Months Old

So the day has finally come, My Little Girl is officially now 6 Months Old. Gosh, I look back and I have trouble figuring out where all the time has gone. It passed by so fast! I'm glad I have gotten the opportunity to take plenty of photos and videos that I can look at and just loose myself in the moment, but today is such a bitter sweet day for me. A part of me can only hope to keep her little forever, but I know that no matter how hard I try to keep that from happening it is inevitable. As we go through this journey together, I can only pray to be the best Mother and Mentor that I can possibly be. She will need guidance, not a best friend to teach and council her when troubles arise. I look at her and boy, has she come a long way. No longer the little baby that would just coo, she has a voice of her own and she lets it be known. I fear she will grow independent a little too fast since I believe every child hits this stage at some point. My heart will break when that day come, but today, right now, I will just enjoy my little one. She needs me now more than ever!
 
 
To the happiest little girl in the world, Happy 6 Months Levia!
 
 
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Since turning the big 6 Months, I went a little over board setting up the background for her photos. Everything was done with scrapbook paper. So very easy!
 
I made a photo collage of it all. Hope this gives some people future ideas.
 
 
On another note, the paper crown she is wearing was also made by me. It's featured on one of my previous blogs. :)
 
 
 
 


Monday, December 17, 2012

Almost 6 Months

Tonight is the last night my Levia is 5 Months Old. I look back and feel like I just left the hospital. It makes me so sad, in a good way though. Hitting the 6 Month mark, has been on my mind all day long. It means she is one step closer to being a one year old little girl. A part of me wants to hold on to today forever, but I know this chapter of her life will forever be tucked inside my heart. I remember so well how she was the first few weeks after coming home. How she loved being swaddled, or how she would sleep on my husband's chest only to stay curled up even after we had picked her up to put her in her bed, or the soft little snores that I could hear from afar. These little things are what I loved about her. ( Luckily I recorded all these little milestones, so that one day I could just go back, press play, and simply watch my NewBorn baby girl. ) Today, she knows what she wants, she knows what makes her happy, she laughs at the silliest things, I know what her cries mean, but above all, I simply just love her for her. She is my first born, my daughter, my other half, and my first true love. I will embrace tonight the best possible way I can, and just keep in mind that no matter how much it hurts to see her grow I will just have to capture every moment, even if it means over doing it.
 
 
I will be the best Mother to you always my Little Levia. I may dread you getting older, but I know for a fact that no matter what, you will forever by my Baby Girl. When you see me tomorrow, I will welcome you with a "Happy 6 Months My Love!"
 
 


DIY Crown

Tonight I worked on a little accessory I have been wanting to make for a while. My daughter will be 6 Months in 2 days, so that means that I will be taking her pictures soon! I'm so happy and sad. Happy that she is growing up healthy and beautiful, but sad because she is no longer my little baby. I love her so much, it would be nice to enjoy her at this age forever. :') I do look forward to the future, what it will bring for us I do not know, but I plan to embrace it all with arms wide open. :) I got a little off topic. Haha. Anyways, I decided to make her a princes style DIY crown tiara for her pictures. I had seen a few and I always thought they were beautiful. ( I also plan to use it on her first birthday ) How exciting! I will say that it took me a while to make it since I used quite a few different materials. I used ribbon, scraps of cloth, scrapbook paper, lace, and some hemp. In the end, for it being my first crown I am amazed at how pretty it is. Even though I feel like it could be a little better, I can't wait to put it on Levia and just see how beautiful she will look wearing it. :)
 
 
The only thing this picture did not capture well was the colour pink. The pink that I use is a more of a baby girl pink, soft but bright. Only this picture has it looking bland and a little on the pastel side.


Friday, December 14, 2012

New York 2011 and The Bowery House

I cannot believe how fast time has passed by, just last year my husband and I walked through the streets of NYC. We absolutely fell in love with the city that we look forward to going back some day. One would think that New York is an over populated city and that the lifestyle there can be hectic, I would have to disagree. The streets of New York is jam packed with cars and the streets get littered with thrash so easily, but in reality you don't need a car to get around there. The subway system is all you need. I would have thought that we would have had a problem understanding the subway system but it was so easy. We were able to get to our destinations with no problems. Not once did we encounter a rude person, everyone was willing to help with directions. One things that I loved about the city was the amount of art that you can find by just walking through the streets of New York. Everything was just BEAUTIFUL! We went to The Top of the Rock Observation Deck, Empire State Building, MOMA, Museum of Natural History, The Statue of Liberty all by using a CityPass. ( I definitely recommend any one visiting NYC to buy one, it was worth it! We also went to a few other places with out the CityPass. )
 
Here are just a few of my photos, all taken from my phone. 
 
 
This was taken at Moma, I was inside just gazing in awe at all the snow falling. ( It was my first time ever seeing snow. )
 
 
This was on our way to the 9/11 memorial site. I couldn't hold back how stunning NYC can be. ( It was about the time when Occupy Wall Street was going on. )
 
 
Here I sand on the rooftop of The Bowery House looking into the back alley. I loved how some of the balconies had trees and sun bathing chairs. I guess that's how you get your back yard in the city.
 
 
Here, we had stopped to look at a map so that we can decide where we wanted to go next. I couldn't help but to snap a photo of people walking by one the wet, snowed on streets of New York.
 
 
I find it to be such a blessing to have been able to got see the memorial site for 9/11. In my heart I can feel the hurt and sadness of everything that was lost that day. To see this place of tragedy turned into a place with so much beauty, I can only say that all of the people of 9/11 will always be remembered. It was breath taking! Absolutely beautiful!
 
 
I always though this scene was beautiful, being able to be so high up and look out for miles. It's because of these photos that I would go back. The people there was the cherry on top of the sundae, they are also what made our experience in NYC so memorable. 
 
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While in NYC we stayed at The Bowery House. It was a great experience, never had we stayed in a hostel type hotel, but we would stay there again in a heart beat. The desk clerks and housekeeping were great. The amenities were amazing, from having great refreshments at the front desk, a stunning lounge area, to the beautiful rooftop, ( simply amazing at night!) to the simple yet cozy rooms. I would recommend this place to anyone looking to have a great stay in NYC.
 
 
The front entrance of The Bowery House.
 
 
A photo of the rooftop from The Bowery House. ( How stunning is this place? )
 
 
This last photo is of our room key. I love how they do not use a card like other typical hotels. Everything inside The Bowery House was so elegant, from the showers to even their faucets! They pay close attention letting the little details take center stage.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Fresh Fruit

Today for the first time Levia had her first slice of fresh Orange. She LOVED it! We have tried Bananas that I will usually mash up for her, but today I used the Munchkin Fresh Food Feeder (2 Pack). It is one of the best products out there for babies. Not only is she able to eat fresh fruits, but she can do it without me having to worry about bits and pieces getting lodged in her throat. The mesh netting on this product is durable and it keeps the seeds and pulp from passing through, I just cannot wait to try out with more foods/fruits.
 
 

Monday, December 10, 2012

Sophie Gets A Leash

I have a feeling that Sophie The Giraffe will be a toy that Levia will grow up with. She has her at all times! Only problem is Levia drops her and throws her at times, I just know she will get lost if we take her out with us. I will also have to worry about Sophie falling on the floor, she'll just keep getting dirty and I won't always be able to wash her at all times. So I have made this little dilemma into my project. I introduce you to Sophie's brand new leash. I made it with some ribbon, a clip, and some needle and thread. It was so easy, it's one less toy I have to worry about landing on the ground. Sophie looks great!
 
 
( I would also recommend when it comes to any time of cord, never leave a child unattended. There is always a choke hazard with them. I only leave put the cord on Sophie when Levia is with me to keep her from falling on the ground, if for any reason I decide to let her sleep with it, I take the cord off and keep it far away from her. )


Sophie The Giraffe

Yesterday I went and bought Sophie the Giraffe by Vulli. I have to say it is by far one of the best teethers we have bought. (Along with the Razberry) Levia absolutly loves Sophie! We gave it to her last night and her face lit up, she gave it one big gummy grin and started chewing away. She loves her ears the most. What I also love is how easy it is for her to hold it, I never imagined how soft it is, but I had no idea that it also squeaks. Levia has yet to work it, since she has little strength to work that part of Sophie. I recomend this to all Mothers. The price on it can be a little on the higher side but had we bought her first, she would have saved us the hassle of buying other teethers.
 
 
 
 
I must add that if you have a Dog you may want to keep it far away from him. As soon our dog heard it squeak, his ears raised, he got attentive, and lastly he came runnind towards me with so much excitement. I felt so bad, Sophie was not meant for him. Now I have to watch where Sophie is left, we had accidentally left the Tommee Timmee Chewther and he got to it. We had to throw it away, but now we has Sophie (which we should have bought a long time ago).


Little Delights

So yesterday I did a little bit of baking. I believe I saw this on Pinterest, not sure. They used apple slices instead. I thought I would try it with peaches, and I have to say I love them. They came out amazing! If I could tell you what they taste like, I would say they almost taste like my Mother's Home Made Empanadas. Seriously! All you need is Pillsbury crosant rolls, cinnamon, sugar and a can of sliced peaches. I took some photos of the steps. It is worth making again.
 


Thursday, December 6, 2012

Hand Made Baby Mobile

I love baby mobiles that I decided to make one for Levia. Even though she doesn't have her room yet and for now it hangs in her play area I am still waiting for the day to put it above her crib. This project was so easy. The wires for the mobile belonged to one that my niece had (with glitter butterflies). It was beautiful but it didn't have the look that I wanted. I love the shabby chic style so I decided to make my own. The paper was bought in Wal-Mart (Scrabook Booklet $5), they have so many different choices. I went for birds since they are my absolute favourite!
 
 
(I finally got around to taking a few close up pictures.)
 
 
 
 
 


Daddy's Little Girl

I have always wanted to go out and take a picture of my husband and my daughter together. Since he is in the USAF, I wanted to incorporate his boots. I love my daughter's little feet! So putting both their feet together was just perfect. They have a strong bond that I wanted to carry it through a simple little photo. I know deep down inside that she is a Daddy's Girl.
 
 
I look at this picuture of them and I cannot help but think that she will one day grow up. No matter what the future brings, my husband and I can both agree that she will forever be our Baby Girl.
We love you always LeviaCaroline!
 

Monday, December 3, 2012

Baby Girl Headbands

One thing that I have found hard to find are cute simple headbands. This is the reason why I have made quite a few for my daughter. Headband DIY projects are always fun! I don't see myself stopping anytime soon.
 
I have a few different styles that I have made. These are handmade bows from fabric that you can buy at craft stores, a little bit of hot glue, and the bands are from any store that sell them in packs ( I cut them and adjust them to Levia's size).
 
 
The nex two are ones that took me a while to make since it has flower and feather details put on them. The pink head band has a vintage ear ring that I sewed on to for an extra girlie touch. As for the brown one I glued a sticker of the letter "L" on to a piece of cardboard and then glued it on to the headband. I love how both came out. (The brown headband was made big so Levia will wear it later).
 
 
 
This white one was made from a pin that I bought at Kohl's. I took off the pin backing and glued the flower on to a hair band. Not only was it so easy, but Levia has a very chic headband to wear with her dresses.
 
 
I love this black one especially since it was one of the first headbands I made for her photoshoot. Trying to find a black headband for a baby girl is nearly impossible. I ended up buying this one from Wal-Mart for one dollar. It was what I had been looking for! I cut the band on it and simply adjusted it to Levia's size. ( So easy!) 
 
 
These last two were made last night. I love how simple these are. I know I will be making more of them in different colours!
 
 
 
 
 
 


Sunday, December 2, 2012

Hand Made Owl

Just the other night I worked on a DIY (hand stitched) project. I am a fan of Owls and I figured I would make a stuffed animal for Levia. I wasn't sure what pattern or what style, but I managed to find some patterns that I liked and put them together. I am in Love with it!!!
 
 
 
One thing I worked extra on was the tag. It's the little things that matter to me so I hand stitched "To:L.C.     Love:Mom". :) I cannot wait for her to enjoy my little gift!