After months of letting our wall go very bare and seeking your advice, I decided to hang one large print to occupy the space. It fits the clean aesthetic I’m trying to keep in the house and isn’t it soothing to look at? It’s the treetop print from the (brand new!) shop of First Mate Photo Co. To celebrate their shop launch, Rebecca and Chad (the husband and wife team behind the business) are offering up one print (up to 16×24) to a lucky reader.

To be eligible to win all you need to do before eod Thursday, May 2nd is:
- Comment on this post telling me what print you would choose from First Mate Photo
- For an additional entry: pin one of the prints then let me know in the comment section

Winner will be chosen randomly and then contacted by me via email. I think I need the sail boat for my bedroom and this deer print would be pretty in a nursery.

One of the things I appreciated most while I was going through post partum chaos was the gift of food. I had to keep a stash of snacks next to my bed because I would be so ravenous when I woke up. So I created this snack box for new moms that is super easy to put together and would earn you lots of brownie points. The full post with the free label downloads (courtesy of Kirsten) can be found right here on Julep. FYI: don’t buy chocolate covered almonds at Sprouts, the chocolate/nut ratio is totally off.

Here are some more posts from this week you just might like:
- My best friend shared the story of her baby girl who received a life saving liver transplant at six weeks for National Donate Life Month
- 12 months of Beck (5 and 10 months are my fave)
- Cinco de Mayo is an excuse to eat excessive amounts of guacamole and to make one of these fiesta worthy projects
- Seven toddler approved books
- I love a good party diy, so I rounded up 23!
- Admit it, a custom address stamp would be super useful

Lastly, I’m teaching a new class for the Alt Channel on Monday – Contributing 101. Let’s make it a date!

I love the colorful bulb lights from La Case de cousin Paul (first seen on Oh Happy Day) but I don’t make it to France as often as I would like to and high shipping fees aren’t my jam. So I came up with a way to get a similar colorful and textured look (the texture is what makes the lights different from other rainbow bulbs) with a few supplies that are easily accessible from anywhere and you can get the tutorial right here on BuzzFeed.

Fair warning: if you click over you’ll most likely get sucked into the catchy headlines on the site and waste loads of time.

Today’s post is from sweet Joy, the gal behind Frock Files. 

From my mom, I inherited a lot of things, including a love of paper and flowers, and an interest in writing. So it only seemed fitting to combine the two in a project for Mother’s Day this year.

This wreath houses three big paper flowers using straws for stems, which act as compartments for notes. Each year you and your loved ones can roll up a different love note for your mom to place in the stems of the flowers.

Supplies:

- Straws
- Petal templates (small & big)
- Tissue paper (12 sheets)
- Scissors
- Tape
- Green felt (4 12” x 12” sheets)
- An embroidery hoop
- Hot glue gun
- Ribbon (2 feet)
- Paper (for the notes)

1. Stack several sheets of tissue paper and trace the shape of small and large petals on them. Cut around them.

2. Fold the tissue paper back and forth like an accordion to give the petals texture.

3. Wrap the base of the petals around the straw, starting with the small petals and ending with the large ones. Glue or tape in place. Continue with as many flowers as you’d like to make. Trim if desired.

4. Cut leaf shapes out of the felt. I used just under 100 leaves measuring about 2” each on my embroidery hoop, which measures 14” in diameter. You may use more or fewer depending on the size of your hoop and your spacing.

5. Beginning with the outer rim, hot glue the leaves so that they overlap. Once you’ve worked your way around, do the same with the front rim.

6. Trim the stems of your blossoms and hot glue them to the hoop

7. Write love notes to your mom on small pieces of paper and slip them into the straws at the center of the blossoms.

8. Have your siblings write notes too. Tie with ribbon and hang on your mom’s door.

9. Pat yourselves on the back for being excellent offspring.

What would you write on the note to your mom?

See more from Joy on Frock Files

On Saturday we held a small party for Beck. He loved the attention and just kept on clapping in excitement. While a majority of the guest list couldn’t make it, the dear friends who did come made it a special day for Beck and us. Here are some of the details:

Kirsten designed this accordion folded invitation that I loved right away because it captures Beck’s personality. On the backside there is a repeat 1 pattern so it acted as an invitation and envelope in one.

I thought and thought about decorations and kept on having party planner block. I think it was the fact that I had looked forward to my child’s first birthday before I was even pregnant. The day before I decided on the marquee style 1 sign and the addition of the 1s on the balloon strings, nothing too over the top but it achieved the look I was going for and Beck was delighted by it all.

For the marquee sign, I followed Jordan’s vintage marquee diy instructions and it was project success. For the balloon strings, I cut 1s out of paper and hot glued them on the end.

The party was held in the morning so breakfast food was served (which I didn’t get many photos of). We had a make your own waffle station set up so they stayed fresh and there was also quiche, blueberry muffins, sausage and juice. A simple menu but everyone left full and I didn’t have to stress over it (mostly because Ryan helped a lot, we’ve been watching Barefoot Contessa).

I printed Beck’s round little face onto glassine bags and set a stack of them next to donuts to take home as favors.

As I look through these photos I can’t help but smile and think of what a perfect weekend we had celebrating our little guy. I have to admit that as a blogger I can get caught up in having every detail be just perfect and stress about coming up with something innovative. While deciding on details for this party I kept on feeling overwhelmed by it all and I realized that that was silly and I should be simply enjoying the day. So I let some things go and stuck with fairly low key decorations and I really loved how it all turned out. Goes to show what combatting overthinking can do for you.

Yesterday we celebrated Beck’s birthday, just our family of three, and it was perfect. We started the day by singing a chorus of Happy Birthday as we opened the door to Beck’s room and he clapped and giggled. I asked him how he felt about being one and he babbled back to me in a very serious tone. He could sense our excitement and was so happy all day.

A little while ago Meta shared her family tradition of having a birthday table where the night before the table is set with presents and cake for the birthday kid to wake up to. I liked the idea so much I decided to adopt it and the minute Beck got his first glance at the happy table, he couldn’t stop pointing and chattering about it. Here are a few more photos of the birthday boy.

It’s occasions like this where I get really bummed that none of our family lives near us. Last week I was planning the party and missing my sisters so I requested that they send Beck videos of their kids wishing him a happy birthday. After the festivities, we sat down and Beck watched them all so intently and would crack a huge smile when the kids did something silly. It was really sweet. Now I want to make that a yearly tradition as well so we can always have family involved.

I’m so lucky to be a mom to this sweet little boy. I can’t wait for many more birthdays to come.

PS Tomorrow I’ll share details from the small party we threw and more about the light-up 1 sign.

sources: happy birthday banner made by a friend, wooden push toy/rocker from My Sweet Muffin, mini cake stand from Oh, Hello Friend, birthday hat was homemade 

This weekend is Beck’s first birthday. I’m looking forward to seeing his face when he comes downstairs and discovers balloons and I’m curious as to what he’ll think about cake. While his party isn’t animal themed, I made this birthday parade for Julep and you can find the full (and easy) tutorial right here. Because of this, Beck can now correctly identify a zebra, giraffe and hippo. Time to get that boy a You Tube channel.

Since I have birthdays on the brain:
- 10 super kid’s parties
- The best diy party hats
- Cake is my fave

And just a few more:
- Best of the week!
- I wish it was picnic weather around here
- Dang stylish baby blankets

Every year for Mother’s Day I gift my mom a Pinhole Press photo book full of family snapshots from the previous year. And like a typical mom, she loves it (she’s not just telling me that because I’m her favorite child). This year she even made sure to request it since she’s living in France and was afraid I would forget. Here’s a peek at a few pages from the book this year. The photo of Beck right after he was born makes me teary eyed.

(My mom’s favorite page is the year in review where I list major events mixed in with silly things we talk about on our family website and funny events.)

Ever since I started printing books with Pinhole Press, I can’t go back to any other service. The quality, clean layouts, and thick matte paper just can’t be beat. And lucky for you, today they’re offering one reader a photo book of their choice.

To be eligible to win all you need to do before eod Saturday, April 20th is:
- Comment on this post telling me what the subject or your Pinhole Press photo book would be
- For an additional entry: tweet about the giveaway mentioning @pinholepress

Winner will be chosen randomly and then contacted by me via email.

PS Be sure to check out their stellar Mother’s Day gift guide.

Pinhole Press is a YAMF sponsor but I would love their pretty photo products even if they weren’t.

Today’s tutorial was created by the talented Alana of Humunuku. These cloth portfolios would make a great Mother’s Day gift or be a pretty way to house a menu at a party.

To make your own cloth portfolio you’ll need:
- Cloth or Decorative Paper (9″ X 13.25″ & 6″x1.75″)
- Paste or Glue
- Acid Free Double Sided Tape (optional)
- Brush
- 2 – 5″X7″ Matte Board (or old board from an old sketch pad)
- 2 – 4″X6″ Photos
- Ruler
- Razor or Scissors
- Wax Paper to protect from glue

Step One: Draw a 1″ border around the edge of the backside of your cloth and lay face down.

Step Two: Brush glue on front side of matt boards with brush. Apply each board to far ends of the drawn rectangle on the book cloth. Make sure to smooth the fabric down on the front. There should be a 1.25″ space between both boards.

Step Three: Cut corners of book cloth from each edge.

Step Four: Apply glue to each flap with brush and fold over to apply to board. Apply glue in same fashion to an additional piece of cloth to cover the inside spine.

Step Five: Use glue or acid free double sided tape to adhere both photos to the center of each board.If your boards begin to bend from the glue, you may want to leave the portfolio under a heavy book overnight to straighten it out.

Voilà!

See more from Alana on her blog or shop (I adore her soap packaging).

I don’t have the best memory of my childhood but I do remember the monumental day when I was introduced to the concept of a gift closet. I was over at my friend’s house preparing to go to a birthday party and her (cool) mom told her to hurry and pick something from the closet as a gift. She then went to the magical closet where there was a stack of toys still fresh in their packaging and I thought, “When I’m an adult, I will have one of those.” Most kids dream of fame and fortune, I dreamt of having a new Barbie to give at a moment’s notice.

Well, now I’m an adult and I was reminded of this closet when my family’s birthday season hit and I found myself being habitually late sending gifts. So I decided it was time to make my dream a reality. Here’s the foundation of my stash and tips on how to create your own.

Layer 1: Games and Movies (for the whole fam)
If you see a gem in the $5 movie section, buy it. If you notice your favorite TV series goes on super sale, buy it. If you discover a new game you adore, add it to the closet.

Layer 2: Items for those people you gift to the most (I’ve got 6 sisters and they all have a birthday each year)
A friend told me about this candle that when lit, makes you think you’ve entered an Anthropologie. Going in the closet. Original artwork is one of the most thoughtful gifts and accessible now with online shops. I love Courtney Khail’s watercolors (like this lime one) so one is wrapped ready for the perfect recipient. And I really can’t think of a person who wouldn’t like the One Line a Day journal.

Layer 3: Every Weekend a Baby Shower
Since I shop for Beck regularly, I make it a habit to scan the clearance rack and buy items that are too cute to pass up. I also like to have some favorite items to share like this wooden camera from Twig.

Layer 4: Receptacles + Amazon
It’s nice to have cute trays (IKEA!) and plates on hand for cookie deliveries and vases for grocery store bouquets. Also keep in mind some favorite reads that can be added to your Amazon order when you’re shy of hitting the free shipping mark.

Layer 5: The Final Touches
Sometimes a gift just needs a little something extra like a set of happy cards or a chocolate bar (the almonds & sea salt in dark chocolate will change your life). This might be my favorite layer, I love having an excuse to collect happy bits.

Completely doable, right? I bet Martha has multiple gift closets probably filled with truffle butter and diamond cuff links.