Invitations Made Easy- and Fantastic

In addition to sharing updates on Henry and our family, I really wanted to share some tips & tricks I discovered when planning my wedding. I have multiple friends getting married and I definitely understand how stressful and overwhelming it can get. 

When I first started browsing various invitations, I think my jaw literally dropped when I saw some of the prices. I thought, how in the world can simply inviting people to my wedding eat up so much of my budget? From there, I started shopping around.

One of my favorite options (that I decided to use for my wedding) was purchasing invites that you print off on your own. I got these gorgeous invitations from Hobby Lobby and the best part- they go 1/2 off! Hobby Lobby's entire wedding section periodically gets marked down 50%, making these such an affordable option. I got a pack of 25 invitations that also came with RSVP cards for only $15. They fit my theme perfectly, and were honestly cuter to me than the mega-expensive alternatives.

The invitations came with the following:

• The outer envelope to mail everything in
• The inner envelope with that fantastic pattern
• A pearl to glue on the inner envelope
• The invitation itself with the border and image already printed on the paper

What really got me excited was that the RSVP cards came with these as well! They included the RSVP card with that adorable pattern on the back of the card, and an envelope for guests to mail them back in.

Instead of printing them myself, I decided to go to a local print shop that was able to get these done in 2 days for a very affordable price! Saved me a lot of time, and I didn't have to worry about messing up my cards with trial & error.

Not only does Hobby Lobby after these DIY invitations, but I've noticed other stores such as Michaels and even Walmart do as well! Not only does this save you money, you can personalize them any way you'd like by adding pearls, a little (or a lot) of bling, or some ribbon and tying a bow.

If you want to save even more money, Hobby Lobby includes very detailed instructions to print them off yourself, as well as templates online.

I hope this excites some of you as much as it did me. Please comment if you have any questions and let me know your experiences if you try these out!

Summertime Adventures

Since I'm starting a new job soon, I really wanted to try and spend as much time as possible with little man during our free time. There was actually a day under 80 this week, so we decided to go to the zoo!

While Henry is still a little on the young side to have any clue what was going on, it was so much fun! We walked around with Carl, my mom, and younger brother and we had a blast. I've always loved the zoo, and getting to take my little family was the best. Of course, Henry barely noticed any of the animals there but the minute we got home he went crazy when he saw the cat. Oh well, ya win some you lose some. I was just excited to get some fresh air (and the giant pretzel with cheese didn't hurt either).

I'd love to hear if anyone has fun suggestions for things to do with little ones around the KC area- I'm trying to get out of the house and get Henry out in the fresh air as much as possible :)

My Current Obsession

After seeing repeated ads, and thinking "I should really try that" time and time again, I finally decided to sign up for Ipsy- and I'm so glad that I did! This company is so much fun, and great for someone like me who never ventures away from the same old beauty products I always buy.

For only $10 a month, you'll receive a Glam Bag chalk full of samples! From concealers, to lip glosses, to full sized eye liners, all products are chosen based off of a quiz you take when you first sign up. Since you're asked your skin tone, hair color, and various preferences, you receive products that you'll actually use! 

When I go to buy makeup, I tend to stick with the same ol' products that I just pick up at Walmart or Walgreens. With this subscription, I get so excited mid-month knowing I have brand new products coming. 

If you want to try this out for yourself, just use my referral link to sign up and take the quiz, then you'll start receiving your products. Not only do you get fun products you may not have ever tried on your own, they come in really cute bags! Here's the 3 I've received so far: 

If you decide to try this company out, comment and let me know how your first bag turns out! I love seeing the different products that people get. That's all I've got for this post- now to try and get the little one to take a nap (ha!). 

8 Months

I have so many ideas on things I would love to share, that I decided to start with a post that would embody what 90% of my posts will probably be about: Henry. This crazy little man keeps me on my toes 24/7, and he's so darn cute I can't help but take about 1,000 pictures a day! While I don't want to overload everyone with baby pictures all day long (I promise, I have more to share) I also can't not share. So without further ado, Mr. Henry:

Favorites: army crawling around, bananas, and putting everything in his mouth
Crawling: so close. He gets on his hands & knees.. then falls back on his belly.
Mood: he's such a happy guy most of the time, we're lucky.
Teething: he's got two on the bottom, and one coming in up top!
Sleep: we've discovered a miracle- flavored rice cereal. He cannot get enough, and if we give him a bowl right before bedtime it keeps him full enough to sleep all night. Hallelujah! (here's a link for the kind we buy. It's got a great variety of flavors & he loves them all).
Hates: sitting still and not getting to take mom's phone when she's on it.

With me starting a new job this Saturday, moving to a new house at the end of July, and my best friend's Bachelorette party coming up, things are gonna be crazy. I decided to start this blog as not only a creative outlet for myself, but stress relief as well. There's something therapeutic about taking time out of my day to sit and get all my thoughts down, and if someone enjoys reading it in the process, fantastic!

Thank you for taking the time to read, and I hope you'll stick around :)