We’re having a party – Page 17

An Ice Cream Social and a Christmas in July sale

Etsy Goodies, Food and Drink, the Boutique at Karla's Cottage, vintage paper/collage art, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / July 13, 2009

Sweet Jenn at Sweet Eye Candy Creations is having a party today, and I've been to one of hers in person, so I know just what a wonderful hostess she is!

In honor of the occasion, I made a couple little dessert treats myself, but out of vintage wallpaper.

I also took Miss Sugarwings out for ice cream, but after seeing the perfectly groomed and darling children Jenn has shown eating ice cream at her house, I didn't photograph my wild child fairy grand baby smeared with bright blue "Cookie Monster" ice cream. We found a yellow brick road (an actual yellow brick sidewalk through some landscaping) in front of an ice cream store at a shopping mall and she danced and sang Wizard of Oz songs up and down that side walk until it was almost as blue as she was from the dripping ice cream.

When she decided to lay down in the day lillies planted along the yellow brick road, and tell me that she needed to go to sleep in the poppies, I wiped as much of the blue goo off of her as I could and we headed home.

My contribution to the party is photos of vintage wallpaper ice cream cones, that I whipped up this morning when I realized I had nothing to show for the party and I certainly didn't want to miss Jenn's shindig!

This mini notebook is covered in Flocked wallpaper, front and back, ledger paper on the inside covers and Neapolitan ribbons tying it up.

I've made an ice cream cone on the cover with a wallpaper waffle cone and two scoops of wallpaper ice cream in strawberry chocolate chip (glitter chips) and chocolate with pink swvarsky crystal sprinkles. The scoops are both coated in sugared glitter and I've added a strawberry colored velvet posy to a chocolate covered velvet leaf in the corner.

The edges of the pages are coated in chocolate covered ink.

Its available in the Boutique if you are interested.

I've also made this little sweet treat, and since a party should have favors to give out, this tag is going to be a gift to go along with the next purchase in my Boutique.

edit- OMG- I am so sorry about the background of the ice cream cone photo!!!!! I had no idea what the print said, it was just a page from an old magazine that I thought had pretty type. So, that photo is replaced now with a cropped out version. I'm SO sorry for not noticing that was there, and hope that it gets replaced on Google Reader, sometimes they are slow with changes.

This is an odd Christmas card, isn't it? Robins are usually thought of as a first sign of spring, not a winter bird. But, it seemed fitting to use this to illustrate a CHRISTMAS IN JULY sale at my Etsy shop.

So here are the details of the Christmas in July Sale

1- Anything and Everything in the Etsy shop is HALF OFF. Including sale items!

2- All you do is make your selection, but DO NOT pay for it. The discount has to come from me, it won't show up in the Etsy shopping cart.

3- This sale is for readers of my blog only.

4- You need to email me at: karlanathan@sbcglobal.net to let me know what you purchased.

5- I will send you an invoice with the sale price and shipping.

Remember, if you don't email me for the corrected invoice, you won't get the half off discount!

The sale might sound complicated, but its not. Just make your purchase, email me and wait for the invoice before paying. I offered this sale price last Christmas to clear out inventory and thought it might be a good time to clean house and offer some discounts again.

So, go fix yourself a refreshing and rich dish of your favorite ice cream and visit Jenn's list of parties, and of course, check out my Etsy shop to ~~help me get some clearance items whooshed out of there because I am sick of all that crap and want it gone~~ enjoy the sale!!

Happy Birthday Beth!

jewelry, Moving to DC, vintage paper/collage art, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / June 12, 2009

This is another post written before I left for Virginia.

One of the things we have planned while hanging out in the DC area is a big birthday celebration for Beth. She is flying out for a couple of days to visit and we are meeting up with blog friends in the area for a shopping day in Leesburg, but before that, she and I are going to go out for a ritzy dinner with Robin.

I wanted to make something special for as a gift for her, so when I came across this vintage bracelet, that says "Virginia" on it, that gave me an idea for something sentimental.

Its an old ID bracelet, and I'm sure the owner's name was Virginia, but I thought it was the perfect base for a charm bracelet to commemorate the trip.

Well, that's a tiny photo, huh? Sometimes I have no idea what I am doing.

Her birthstone is pearl, so I added lots of genuine pearls to the chain. Another stone for June is a moonstone. I had some sweet little moonstone settings that my Sissy had given me and told me to only use for special pieces. I think this is special. Beth is like my Kansas sister, my real sisses are all the way across the Midwest in Indiana.

This little silver treasure chest is meant to signify all the fun days we have had out treasure hunting together. Plus, I bought it at our favorite flea market in Sparks while on one of those treasure hunting trips.

The Eiffel Tower symbolizes our Miss Frenchie's sale.

Of course, more pearls. And a vintage heart charm, because I know how much she loves old things with a lot of history, that aren't in perfect shape. And also because I just love her to pieces!!

Now, I need to make a card and get it wrapped. Plus pack my suitcase, gather all the goodies I am packing for the other girls we are meeting up with, and get ready to hit the road. Hmm, seems weird writing this before the trip and planning for it to post next week. Well, next week for me, Today for you as you read it.

Do you remember seeing these? When I first showed them, I mentioned they were for a special event coming up. They are the little gifts that I am packing to take to the other blog pals who are meeting in Leesburg.

Some are old friends, some are people I have been wanting to meet. This is going to be a very special day, all organized by Heather, who planned it all and sent out the invitations. I owe her a big thank you for making all the arrangements from meeting places in the morning to dinner reservations that night. Also a thank you for inviting me, as well as timing it so I could be in the area to attend.

I just can't wait! And yes, there will be LOTS of photos. This will be my last "pre-made" post, the next will be in real time and I'll have pix of the trip.

Here is a list of who Heather has gathered up for this party:

Lori www.myfaeriewindow.blogspot.com myfaeriewindow.blogspot.com/>

Beth http://bethleintz.typepad..com/

Andrea http://www.velvetstrawberries.typepad.com/

Robin http://thriftymissprissy.typepad.com/

Jessica http://www.suchprettythings.typepad.com/

Stephenie justalittlebitpink.blogspot.com/>

Heather   prettypetals.typepad.com/>

Amy http://www.inspireco.blogspot.com/

Pamela http://pamelajanes.blogspot.com/

Hope http://besottment.typepad.com/

If you'd like one of these journal/tag books, I am offering one as a gift in my JUNE GIVEAWAY. You enter by leaving any comment on any post.

There are also some for sale in the Boutique.

Crowning Glories

Sugarwings, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / June 10, 2009

Andrea is asking us to show our crowns. And since I am a crown lover, just had to play along, even though I will be in DC and unable to participate in real time. So, I'm pre-posting this before I leave.

Funny, I never really thought of myself as a doll person, but I look around my studio and seem to have become a doll collector at some point…. Little figurines, statues, toys, all sorts of babies.

And I've always loved crowns, but just didn't realize how much till I went to my first Silver Bella. I think that my crown love was a hidden away secret till I joined a group where crown loving was accepted and common!

Tiaras and crowns were always something I enjoyed, but not really wore, or used much in every day life. Now, they are a big part of my life, and I seem to have an abundance of them. These that I am showing you are from a quick walk around my studio. My home itself is all royall-ed up too. Can you have enough of them?? Not as far as I am concerned.

Especially if they are hand crafted or vintage. This one is both., I made it from a vintage metal trim.

Working on this photo shoot for Romantic Country with my pal, Carol and seeing the darling crowns that she made, was right up my alley.

Carol taught me how she makes these little sparkling beauties from gutter guard wire. I wrote the article and included instructions from her on how they were assembled, then of course, HAD to make up a bunch myself!

This one is sporting a glittered dove.

And my sugared Twinkle figurine wears a crown that once was part of a vintage earring.

I'm not always lucky enough to find old jewelry that is crown shaped, but when I buy vintage pieces I always try to find bits that could be elements to form a crown, like this fairy's rhinestone bauble.

And of course, little cake topper ballerinas come with a crown already in place. I just enhance theirs a bit with a rhinestone or crystal.

You could almost call this fairy's crown more of a hat, than a crown. But in my mind, it is -of course- a crown!

Every fairy deserves a royal headpiece! Sugarwings loves them too. Although she calls them "corns".

In the land of never ending cupcakes

celebrations, fairies, Food and Drink, give away, paintings, the Boutique at Karla's Cottage, vintage paper/collage art, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / May 18, 2009

My weekend at Jenn's retreat was such fun, I'm still running it over and over in my head today. So, I gave in to the daydreams and did a little cartoon of the event. Here are a few highlights, hmmm, maybe you needed to be there to get it?

Maybe this one will explain the cupcakes all over the drawing? It was a weekend full of never ending cupcakes!

Jenn was the Queen Flower Fairy, so she is the one flying in the center of the painting, wearing a crown.

The luncheon and craft tables were set so beautifully with pastel colors, lots of flowers, and each had a concrete cherub.

The crowns that Jenn made for the lil angels inspired the one I drew on her fairy portrait.

Jessi and Kim were across from me at my table. I also got to sit with Carol, Suzanne, and Analise.

Poor, sweet, Carol had a painful black eye. That explains the big purple smudge on her face in the drawing. She and I were roomies, and I am afraid that in the middle of the night when she had a leg cramp and fell face first onto the floor, I laughed way too much.

Honestly, I didn't realize she was hurt! But it might just be one of the reasons why Angela said that she was so surprised when she met some of the people whose blogs she read. She says we aren't at all what she expected. I asked her what she meant and she said, "I thought Karla would be NICE!"

That has to be my favorite quote from the whole weekend. And there were lots of good ones!

I'm afraid that Typepad is giving me fits, and I can't do links to the people I am mentioning. If you'd like to visit them, all of their links can be found on the En Le Jardin site, here.

We had such a lovely luncheon! Jenn had set up the room ahead of time and kept it under lock and key till the surprise unveiling at lunch time.

Definitely worth waiting for!

Carol is a pro with her camera, so we got in early to get some good shots. Don't tell anyone, but while we were getting a sneak preview of the room, I also got a sneak taste of some of the treats.

Tonight, Typepad is being extra unkind to me, I need to finish before my screen locks up again. There are plenty more photos of En Le Jardin and I'll be back with more later on. But I wanted to remind you that all comments all month of May are entered into the drawing for this hand painted charm, and vintage paper tag.

Also, I added some tags to the Boutique. I'll leave you with a few photos of the newly listed pretties.

Happy little Garden Fairies

celebrations, fairies, parties, Travel, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / May 17, 2009

This past weekend at Jenn Hayslip's home was over the top beautiful, just like she is. Every inch of her home is swathed in gorgeousness. She never missed a detail of making our visit the best it could be.

It was all such a pleasure, that this is how I felt all weekend, ready to burst with joy!

We weren't just treated to Jenn's graciousness, we were treated to a giant dollop of Southern Hospitality by her neighbors too. They offered up guest cottages for some of us to stay in. Here is the view from our balcony.

Not a bad scene to wake up to each morning, huh?

You guys might have heard me gush a few times about Silverbella and how much I love going there? Well, of course, I love that event and always will, but this trip to Macon was even more special. I always say that the best part of Silver Bella isn't the classes(but of course, they are interesting and its great to meet the talented bunch of instructors). My favorite part of Silver Bella is the camaraderie, of meeting like minds and spending time with a group of women who feel the same way.

Jenn's classes were adorable, her home, the treats, the day trips, the limo, all of it was abso-freakin-lutely special. But most of all, it was the time to just hang out and talk, bond, and laugh for hours that made this so remarkable.

Jenn never missed a detail, and provided for all of our needs in her own extraordinary way. And I love details! Her attention to our care and happiness created a magical time, where we could forget about "real life" and be silly, happy garden faires for a few days.

Thanks, Jenn, for bringing together such a delightful group for such a memorable weekend!

I’m loving my pretty little Christmas!

Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), Etsy Goodies, fairies, holiday decor, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / December 15, 2008

Have yourself a pretty little Christmas!

Heather is having a holiday gathering for us to show our pretties. I had a "What do you LOVE about your Holiday Home?" party last year and am so sorry that there is no time for me to squeeze that in this year. So, I am so glad that Heather is doing this, I love parties, and any party Heather throws, has to be an extra pretty one!

Since time is short with shows I've had, and trips I'm taking and a two year old that I am running after, my decor is about as "edited" as I've ever seen here at my cottage.

Sugarwings has her own little pink tree in the living room, right at her level, so she can foof and refoof it all she wants to. I've kept my hands OFF of her tree, trying to teach her that I won't mess with her stuff if she won't mess with mine. She has been in complete charge of her tree, but does still tend to want to get into my things when she thinks no one will notice.

So, this year, there is no big tree in the living room. A few small, white trees are set out, and kept pretty simple too.

Using what I have and adding some embellishments really appeals to me. For the top of this armoire, I plopped some white trees into urns, and draped them simply with ropes of beads (the beads don't show up as well in the photos, sorry). Then I set out a wintry branch, with a single white ball next to it.

Fast and easy!

Another little tree with beads and no ornaments sits by the sofa. If tiny little fingers decide to explore this one, there is nothing breakable to worry about.

But I was missing the pretty lights that would have gone onto a big tree, so I filled an urn with white lights and topped it with clear, plastic balls. Its not the same, but does have a nice glow.

All of the rest of my pretties went up high, like on this cabinet in the kitchen.

The vintage tree is a music box that plays Jingle Bells. Sugarwings likes for me to wind it up while we visit the reindeer. The deer represent Pop Pop, Grammy and Sugarwings. Hmm, I should add some rhinestone jewelry to the Grammy deer. Or at least a millinery bloom.

Now, I do love snowmen, and Santas, and angels, of course. But my favorite at the holidays is the deer. Oh, and the elves! Santa's little friends and helpers!

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And I am big on using my regular decor and just spiffing it up with a few little additions.

Like filling my kitchen window with pink roses and sweet pixies.

Yes, there were dirty dishes in the sink in the last picture I showed. But look at how pretty they are! Beth got dishes she didn't want in a box at an auction and passed them along to me. Of course, I wanted them!

There are many more pixie pals lurking in the boxes under my stairway. Lots of well loved ornaments and beautiful things, that I just didn't unpack this year. I do miss all the elaborate displays, but on the other hand, I am really enjoying my "Pretty Little Christmas". Heather's title for her party really touched on my feelings for my house this year.

Normally, I am all about being Over the Top. (yes, with capitals)

But this year, my compromise with the fairy grand baby with the the time constraints has made me happy.

There is a little something in every room. Just enough to make me smile and know that Christmas is just around the corner. Not enough to have taken up much time or to have been any trouble at all.

2008's decking of the halls probably took less time to finish the whole house than I usually spend on one tree.

Well, that right there is enough to make me smile!! Is there ever enough time? I might make this year's streamlined Christmas a new tradition!

Remember I was saying how lucky I was to meet so many wonderful friends through blogging? One of them sent this dainty fairy pin to me. Later, she'll go on a jacket, but for now, she perches in the dining room centerpiece. Thanks, Hannah!

And thanks, Heather, for hosting this get together. I look forward to having time to follow the links and visit all the homes participating.

Also, thanks to all of you for your overwhelming shopping spree for my Christmas special on Etsy! The shop is half gone, but there are still some goodies left. Please check for details in the previous post if you'd like a chance to win a present from me, while you are visiting my Etsy store during my "thanks to my readers" sale-a-thon!

Please remember to ASK FOR AN INVOICE FROM ME.

Joyeux Noel at Miss Frenchie’s Barn

antiques/junking, Miss Frenchie's, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / December 5, 2008

Things are looking Frenchie-fied at the old barn today! Set up began for Miss Frenchie's Holiday Brocante and that rustic building was in for a major transformation when everyone started hauling in their goods.

Elizabeth brought in a huge truck load. So did Gwen. My measly pick up truck load felt kind of pale in comparison to the goods the others were unpacking! When I left this evening, those two were still bringing stuff in. (and the temps were dropping to below 20 degrees after a balmy, mid day height of 30)

Deb, Carol, and Elizabeth had a Vision for the set up. Yes, a Vision with a capitol V.

And the place was certainly a diamond in the rough to start with. The place is perfect for this event, lots of space and big, high ceilings. But definately in need of Vision.

I had brought some velvet curtain panels to use as table toppers, but when I saw that I had rusty old tools as background, my plans changed and I moved the curtains to the wall behind my space.

Bringing my 'portable' mural was a good idea too. It is an 8' x 4' plywood board that I cut and painted a couple years ago for a show. Its been out in my shed and I'd forgotten about it. I like the way it brightens up my corner and has a festive, holiday feel. The painted tree has hooks on its branches, and I will hang ornaments from each one. In this photo, there are stockings on the hooks, but they won't stay there like that.

My space feels like the dessert table at this buffet…. Look at some of the in progress set ups for the other ladies:

And all of this is just a few little peeks, not much was ready yet. I can't wait to see what Deb and Elizabeth do in their corners, they have that Vision to make happen.

Hmmm, what could be going on up above?

Giant, blow ups of vintage French Christmas cards will grace the railing! It just keeps getting better and better.

Come by to see us if you can, I can guarantee, it will be special!

Autumn Gathering

jewelry, magazine pictures or articles, paintings, parties, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / October 23, 2008

Today there is an autumn gathering at Artsy Mama’s, and even though I don’t do much in the way of fall decor, I had to participate, just because Kari throws such fun parties!

To battle the fall chills, I trade out my summer curtains for some heavier wwight, velvet ones, and bring out a warm quilt.

The crazy quilt thrown over the arm of the sofa was made by my mom, so I get a double dose of warmth from it, one from the actual quilt and the other from warm memories of my mom’s hugs.

(That small chest being used for a coffee table is full of Sugarwing’s toys. I guess I should cover the inside of the wire screen, the toys are peeking through!)

One of my favorite garage sale finds this year is the vintage, framed white witch for $2. She is set out on the table for Halloween, but I might just keep her around a while.

Since I am trying to get ready for Silver Bella, I have skipped over fall pretty much. Last year, I was participating in a Christmas Home Tour and that kept me hopping, so autumn was over looked then too. Maybe next year, I can go whole hog, but for now, I will just enjoy all the elaborate displays I see in blogland.

Remember when I said I was all done making jewelry for the year and put all the supplies away? hmmm, my crafting whims don’t seem to follow the schedules I set for myself. I ended up painting these charms yesterday, so that means, the crystals, jump rings and tools need to come back out again!

Yesterday was also "Fun with Buttons Day" here in my studio. I painted a few to see how that went, and I think that they did fine. I lightly sanded some Mother Of Pearl buttons before painting them, then topped them off with paper glaze.

Other buttons were turned into magnets.

This ceiling tin message board was featured in Somerset Life, I am taking it to Silver Bella, and added some more magnets to it to sell.

They range from $1.50- $4 and as I was pricing the button magnets, and some other $2 and $3 items, I was wondering to myself just how much crap I had to sell to make this show worth doing if I was selling so much of the inventory at such low prices??? Oh well, it is the thrill of making it and the fun of setting up and talking with everyone as they look through it all that makes it all worth doing.

Here is a magnet that isn’t a button, it is a vintage box that I had some beads in. Won’t it be cute on someone’s fridge with a surprise tucked in it? I glued two magnets to the back of it, so it would be sturdy enough to use.

While I was gluing away, I replaced some missing rhinestones on the lid of this old pill box.

And of course, that wasn’t enough! I lined it with flocked wallpaper and fitted the inside with a crown.

The sweet little birdy in the martini glass got a crown too. Hers is one of the gutter screen crowns I made from Carol’s design for the Romantic Country article we did together.

Yum, this says fall to me! We brought in green tomatoes from the garden to finish ripening and so far, they are turning as we had hoped!

Sorry I didn’t have much more in the way of Harvest decor to show you, but I can promise tons of it if you go visit Kari and follow her links to parties across blog land!

If you are here for the party and are new to my blog, please check the previous post for details about my giveaway. I have presents to give out and all you need to do is leave a comment on any post to enter.

Enjoy the autumn pretties out there!

ps- thanks to everyone who commiserated with me about my poor nose. It doesn’t seem broken, just slightly green and lumpy today and feels much better!

And speaking of giveaways- look at this gown!!

Details here.

Flaming Fall Fun

Etsy Goodies, Food and Drink, holiday decor, parties, vintage paper/collage art, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / October 13, 2008

Between throwing a party and hauling our boat in from the lake for the winter, I managed to sneak in a few minutes of crafting time.

These tags are listed for sale at my Etsy shop now if you are interested. I certainly have been neglecting that shop lately….

The wallpaper they are laying on came in the mail Saturday, isn’t it gorgeous!! I can’t wait to make something with that. Maybe I’ll get to tomorrow, I am having a craft day with some friends.

The weather for our bonfire on Saturday could not have been more perfect!

I think we had about 20 or so for dinner, I pulled a bunch of tables and mismatched chairs together from the patios and studio and set it all up out in the courtyard.

All the rectangle shaped tables were covered in white table cloths, and I put my only fall colored one on a round table in the center of the line.

(you can tell I didn’t waste any time ironing them!)

My centerpieces were a hodgepodge of whatever was around.

This white, glittered pumpkin is one that I have used over and over, it is from Hobby Lobby and I added glitter to it.

The rest of the centerpieces were just vases of flowers I picked from the garden, a few votives,gourds, and some real pumpkins. Simple and easy, no money spent, not much time put into it.

This pumpkin (from a garage sale) I sat in a flower pot and placed on a tray full of gourds and a vase of flowers. It really has a cool glow in the candlelight!

So does my pretty friend, Angie.

Here is the aftermath, once the food was gone and we moved on to the bonfire.

Dinner was simple and easy too. Well, at least it was for me! Everyone brought a side dish, I just made a spaghetti squash casserole (from my garden) and the cupcakes that Sugarwings decorated for me.

My husband grilled salmon and chicken, all I did was set out the food and plates buffet style in the house. I love parties that are effortless. I’m never shy to tell people to bring something with them, for one thing, it is fun to taste all the different things that people make. For another, I want to be able to have fun and be part of the group, not stuck in the kitchen.

(to Beth’s left is her handsome husband, Jeff. Too bad you can’t see his face, he is a cutey. But you can tell he is a cyclist, look at that physique!!)

I don’t know why we don’t use our bonfire pit more often. When we, sadly, had to take down the old barn, we kept the foundation and filled it with gravel, then added a curving gravel pathway back to the area. The big, gravelled space in the clearing of the woods makes a perfect area for a fire.

For parties, I string white lights along the path on one side and set out candles on the other.

The evening was one of those nights when it wasn’t so cold that you HAD to have a fire to stay warm, the fire was more of an accent to stare at and enjoy.

Although the flames did get a little hot when I decided to throw an old chair onto them. We all had to back away for a bit till the heat let up.

My husband thinks I have too much junk and he is thrilled when I surprise him and burn some of it at a party. Well, you do what you can to keep them happy, huh?

Putting together a baby shower while babysitting a grumpy baby

celebrations, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), Etsy Goodies, flowers, Food and Drink, Sugarwings, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / August 16, 2008

For a while today, I didn’t think I’d be able to pull off tonight’s baby shower!

Sugarwings spent most of yesterday and today with me, and while she was very helpful making birthday cupcakes for her mommy yesterday, today, she was a bit of a challenge.

That is not like her at all, and had me worried. I hope it is just a phase she is going through.

But I kept things very simple for the party and served ready made foods, like a mix of pink jelly beans in a cut glass dish.

And a basket full of mixed nuts with dried fruits.

Then, Beth brought a cheese cake and someone else made brownies and treats. All I had to do was set the table, make some herbal tea/punch and open wine.

Setting the table looks much more complicated than it is. I layered pink flowered table clothes (the baby is a girl!), and borrowed one of Sugarwing’s vintage doll cradles that I had painted roses on to hold the plates and napkins.

The plastic silverware is sitting in her fluffy bunny basket (from Easter) that is lined with a floral napkin.

I snipped a few flowers from my garden and tucked the blooms into child’s tea cups and popped a little ballerina in with the flowers. Since I didn’t have time to go to the store and buy flowers, these little rose buds and a handful of pink baby’s breath from my yard were the only bouquets I had.

I’ve found that, making myself be creative with what I have is much better than going out to buy something ready made. At least it is cheaper!

A few nesting tea cup birds from my Etsy stash of stuff for sale, and some birdies I got from Robin and Lori, and I was done.

I wrapped up a few more packets of bath salts to give as party favors.

Then, placed a doll crib in the living room to fill with presents.

Oh- and I also hung some pink glittered birdies from my Sissy on the chandelier along with a tussie mussie from my friend, Heather. I love the long, dangling ribbons on the cone, and might just leave it there for a bit and enjoy it.

Of course, the fun part was when the doll bed was filled with pretty pink presents for the expecting momma to open! (she was a good sport and wore the party hat I made for her too, even though it was kind of top heavy, but I think that at nine months pregnant, she is used to being off balance by now!)

Sparkle joined the party and spent most of her time on Aunty Beth’s lap.

Beth gave Shanna the cutest gift. She is planning on knitting a blanket for the newborn, but it wasn’t done yet, so she made a tiny one and wrapped it around a dolly as an IOU.

I gave Shanna my all pink version of the Sugarwings and Twinkle book, and added a hand painted cupcake to the teaparty page, along with a teacup that I drew onto rosebud paper and cut out.

I wanted it to have some special touches.

Here are a couple of the names that are being considered for the new little girl due this week:

Lizzelle and Audry– How pretty!! I like them together, Audrey Lizzelle.

Tomorrow is Sugarwing’s 2nd birthday, and I certainly hope she is back to being herself again so she can enjoy her party. It is so sad to see her unhappy and grumpy. I feel like we’ve been given a changling and someone is hiding our sweet little fairy girl!!