Today you will hear a collective cheer in Great Falls, Montana because the Smiths are coming home with new baby in tow. To celebrate my mom and I will be throwing a book themed shower this weekend. I created these invites with the purchase of these library cards and pockets, some good old card stock, pages from old children’s books, a date stamp and a typewriter. Much easier than the circle ones I tried to tackle and I’m actually not ashamed to send them out. Hooray for babies! And best friends! And moms who are growing wheat grass and sewing amazing favors as we speak!

mini pinata favors

photos from Ryan and Lashley

The Saturday before my birthday we had a little get together with friends in a the park. I decided on a fiesta theme for four reasons:
1. It was only three days after Cinco de Mayo.
2. Picado papel is my current garland of choice.
3. I recently decided that I needed more yellow and turquoise in my life.
4. It had been entirely too long since I tried to break open a pinata. And yes, I was the only adult who gave it a try.
Although the weather didn’t cooperate for long there was enough time for scarfing down churros, hacking away at the 2 and 5 pinatas and a rousing chorus of Happy Birthday. Much to Ryan’s dismay, I think a yearly birthday party is now a requirement.

Sources:
picado papel
stripey straws
mini pinata tutorial from Not Martha
pinatas
Pioneer Woman restaurant style salsa
Martha Stewart churros
Ina Garten coconut cake (this recipe makes eating a stick of butter straight totally acceptable)

When I was teaching the other day a kid asked if I was a teenager or a grown-up. When I told him I was a grown-up he said, “Oh, because you look like you’re in between a teenager and a grown-up.” Bingo. What does this have to do with the amazing chalkboard goods you see above? Well the swell Brooke feels the same way, like she’s never really grown up. She writes a blog and runs an Etsy shop both with the name Playing Grown-Up where she shares her childlike, adventurous spirit. She’s so swell she’s offered one of you readers any item from her shop (excluding the photo booth kits). Wouldn’t those chargers be perfect for a dinner party?

Here’s how you enter:
Leave a comment on this post before next Friday, May 21st telling me (and Brooke!) what item you would choose if you won. Then stand up and shake it like your hot.

I like you. Have a good weekend.

See I have this friend, my very best friend, who is temporarily in Australia. The biggest benefit of her being there (because let’s face it I wish she was in the states and I could share a duplex with her and hold her new babe all day long) is the presents she sends of awesome Australian goods. For my birthday she sent the cutest bike tote bag and summer stamps. I made this really high pitched squeal when I opened it. Turns out the shop kikki.K is filled with delightful goods. I’m especially fond of the cykel collection but wouldn’t mind purchasing the invitation lot too. With the cost of shipping to the US, you’re going to wish you had a friend in Australia too.

Thank you for all your sweet birthday wishes. It really was a great day. Ryan pulled off a birthday present scavenger hunt and my bike is just waiting for Denver to wake up and give us some May weather. I clearly still have birthdays on my mind evident by the following loves.

First I need to mention that THIS IS NOT MY IDEA. I give full credit to the amazing Brooke of Inchmark. If you don’t subscribe to her blog already, put the big gulp down and do that now. Everything she does is genius. So I took her idea and made (on Illustrator) a silhouette family tree for my mom for Mother’s Day. I didn’t get the poster printed in time to send it to her so I emailed her the digital file while I was on the phone with her. Her reaction was classic mom, ohhing and ahhing over all the details. I like the little ones silhouettes best with their round faces. Ryan and I are at the bottom and I have one thing to say to my future children, I’m sorry about the size of your schnozes. Boy, I just love my family.

I forgot to mention that Bridget was the lucky winner of the Adelaide Rose Designs giveaway.

 

I had a fiesta on Saturday.
I wore my birthday outfit yesterday.
I just took a big bite of my birthday cake without using a fork.
There’s a table of presents staring at me.
I woke up this morning to a bike with a bow on it in my living room.

So yeah, you could say that it’s been a good birthday so far. And I’m still milking it.

I’m really loving the look of arranging flowers by separation instead of mixing. It seems simple but have you ever tried to make a flower arrangement? Hard stuff.

Short post today, I have party plans to attend to. My own birthday party plans that I’m throwing for myself. I trust myself.

So I’m going to toot my own horn today and say that I have a guest post on Oh Hello Friend today and it’s best described as awesome. I made my sister twelve different garlands for her birthday so when she opened the package it was a true party. So there I go tootin’ away. That didn’t come out right.

Spotted and hearted will be back tomorrow.

Oh, and do you like how I have zero hips? Emphasized in the headless photos.