DIY Gift Idea & Tutorial: Make a Magic Suitcase!

Henry's  very lucky to have a lot of special people in his life- three sets of grandparents, aunts and uncles, friends who are like family- but there isn't quite anyone like Erin. Erin and I have been friends forever. We went to the same junior high and high school, and although I knew her brother (he was in the sports medicine program and wrapped my ankle before every soccer game!) she and I never had the chance to really connect. After high school though, we finally got a chance to know one another and I fell in total friend love with the girl. Now she's been one of my closest friends for over a decade, a bridesmaid in our wedding, a dear friend of Hanks, and an auntie to Henry.

Erin is one of "those" women, the kind of woman that everyone always has questions for: where did you get that? How did you do that? And the most common- did you REALLY make that? The answer to the last question, when talking about Erin, is always, always yes. She's insanely talented at what she does, which is everything. She's a true Martha, a crafter extraordinaire, and although I've been bugging her for years to start a blog, all of her creations never see the light of the blog world. Instead, her friends and family get to quietly enjoy them as she often showers her loved ones with the most amazing presents. She's not just the most creative person I know, but one of the most giving too.

And today Erin is here to share a tutorial on what has to be the GREATEST child's gift I've ever seen. And lucky Henry, it's all his!

It's a magic case, filled with children's costumes, and Erin is here to give us the background on her wonderful creation.

For this project you'll need:

Vintage suitcase (use one that has flat, paintable surfaces)
Acrylic paint
Paint brushes
Paint markers
Chalk

Step 1: Form a plan for how you would like to paint the front of your suitcase

Step 2: Throw out half of step 1 and form a new simplified version for the sake of sleep. I printed the lettering out and using a lightbox, traced it onto the banner to make sure it would read nicely.

I used chalk to sketch out the design on the suitcase and printed the letters from the day before in scale with the new banner. After trying endlessly to redraw the hands I decided to scan my drawing, colorize them in photoshop and print them out.

Next, using paint pens and acrylic paint I painted the chalked image onto the suitcase. While the paint on the crystal ball was wet I sprinkled glitter on it.

Step 3: fill with costumes and fun hats! Anything that will get a child's imagination going. You do not have to spend money on this - think old dress shirt and ties, robes, dresses you don't wear...kids love it all!

Now if you will, please join me in BEGGING Erin to start a DIY/Craft blog. The world wide web could use some fresh ideas from Ms. Peters, wouldn't you agree?

Thank you EP for sharing. And to everyone else, happy DIY-ing and gifting! Please let us know if you decide to make a magic case of your own, and be sure to send photos so I can share them in a future post. And if you have any questions be sure to leave them in the comments, and I'll pass them along to Erin.

xoxo

Two.

Two, how did you sneak up on us like this? This is Henry at two, and me attempting to document all of the wonderfulness that now, in one tiny photo. We have so many funny memories and things that are happening all of the time that I never want to forget a second.

 xoxo

photo by Emily Snitzer

I tried to count the trees as they rushed by.

I tried to count the trees as they rushed by, blurs of green and brown and impending winter, branches a little more bare than they were just yesterday. I held Hank's hand tight, breathing in the cold air that rushed in through the cracked window, that rushed in and all around us. Henry in the back seat, bright eyed and smiling, sounds of trucks and pages turning, the sound of laughter and snacks in a cup, the sound of being a toddler. It was almost dark then, as we drove home from dinner.

On that drive I thought about this past weekend, sitting on the couch with my Grandmother next to me, her hands knitting, her skin so thin it looked like paper, fingers moving moving moving as she pieced together those colors. I thought about my father, sitting at the kitchen table reading the newspaper like he always does, cup of coffee, piece of toast, my mother sitting with her legs curled up, glasses on, book in hand.

It's all so simple and it's all that I know. It's what I grew up with, my everyday, my whole world in that house. And all of that is hard for me sometimes. The everyday things. The simple things. When I have too much time to think too much about how fragile it all is, how it won't always be like this, how one day we'll be driving in the car and there won't be toddler sounds, Henry grown up and on his own. Or how one day I'll be on the couch and my grandmother won't be there. Or my Dad won't be in his chair. Or my Mom won't be curled up in hers. No cup of coffee, piece of toast, glasses, book.

All my life I've had an acute awareness of the here and now. Of the fact that every single thing I have and love and cherish won't always be here. In a way I feel like this has pushed me to be sad at times, sadder than some people. But now as I get older it makes me feel much less sad, and more alive, if that makes sense. This is all I have. This. Here, now. And now I can see that this is such a gift- such a gift of being aware of this simple beauty so that I can cherish it all. So I can remember to take a step back and capture it, file it away. Simple days. Everyday things. The sound of Henry waking up, the way the sun comes in through the back window in the morning. The pitter patter of tiny feet on our kitchen tile, the squeals and laughter that fills every corner of our home during our waking hours. My father's voicemails, my mother's texts. Our son, my grandmother. Hands and legs and cups of coffee. The car, the couch, the newspaper, the chair.

Stopping, and breathing, and taking it in.

CLOSED // Giveaway: Celestial Seasonings Snooz (5 winners!)

CLOSED GIVEAWAY

Celestial Seasonings will be contacting the following people to arrange delivery of your Snooz 12-packs. Thanks to all who entered!

Winners:

Christia
Amanda Davis
PrincessKLL/Lauren
Alaina
Sabrina Crockett




This is a sponsored post/giveaway. This month I'm indulging in a few more than usual, but I've selected only the best products and fun things to share with you guys. Hope you guys don't mind too much! I thought this one was especially interesting and kind of fun. Enjoy!

When Celestial Seasonings approached me about a new sleep aid they were coming out with I was excited. Sleepytime Tea is HUGE in our house, and Hank drinks it every single night before bed. Me, not as often, but when I want to fall asleep quickly I will usually have him brew me a cup too. Recently I've written about wanting to adhere to my self-imposed 10pm bedtime and Celestial Seasonings mentioned that when they shared info about their product called Snooz. It's an all-vegan, all-natural sleep aid derived from valerian root and a handful of other natural remedies.

It comes in a small "shot-sized" bottle, and you are supposed to drink it 30 minutes before going to sleep. Sleepytime Snooz is supposed to help you get to sleep faster, but unlike the Sleepytime tea it also claims to help you sleep better, and wake up feeling refreshed.

Honestly this stuff really DOES work. I drank a little bottle of the peach flavor at 9pm, went to bed around 9:30 and feel into a deep sleep pretty quickly. This morning was a cardio day so woke up when my alarm went off at 5:45am for the gym feeling SO good. Like oddly good. I usually have to take a moment to gather myself and sometimes I'll turn off my alarm for another ten minutes but this morning I woke up feeling totally great about waking up and it wasn't difficult at all. I am super aware of myself and how I feel, and I can truly attest to this stuff working. I'm looking forward to Hank trying it tonight, and I'll probably have Veronica and her hubby try it too!

And now for the fun part:
  
FIVE of you will be in the running to win a 12-pack to try for yourself by simply leaving your name and email in the comments below, and telling me what kind of sleeper you are! Do you sleep through the night? Do you wake up often? Celestial Seasonings and I want to know. Especially me, because I'm kind of nosy and think it's fun to find these things out! haha. As for me, I usually sleep right through the night but sometimes I feel like even when I get 9 hours it's not enough. Also be sure to check out the coupon on their FB page.

For an additional entries (be sure to leave TWO additional comments letting me know you did each of these methods, along with your name and email again):

Like Snooz on Facebook, then leave an additional comment letting me know you did so.

Share this tweet on Twitter:

I entered to win one of 5 12-packs of @CelestialTea's Snooz vegan sleep aid via Celestial Seasonings and @danihampton! http://tinyurl.com/cm6rky5

So that's 3 entries and 5 12-packs up for grabs!

And like I mentioned above, if you'd like to receive a coupon and try it yourself, check out the Celestial Seasonings Snooz App on Facebook. It's a cute little quiz that ends in a coupon. I'm so into seeing how this works with everyone I know so if you try it please let me know what you think! It's not for every night use, but for those nights you need extra good sleep you can bet this is on my list.

Good luck to all who enter- I'll choose a winner this Sunday and post it at the top of this post!

xoxo

Lately.

The past week has been insane. All sorts of insane - insanely busy, insanely fun, insanely bittersweet. But all good. Henry turned two last week, friends from all over the place came to visit, I had a charity event to attend, two Thanksgivings happened, and we all survived to tell the tale. It's hard to even recap it all, so I'll just let the photos do the talking, with little blurbs in between. Welcome to our last week, via my iPhone. But not via Instagram, so do I get a gold star for that?

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Veronica's charity gala was on the Saturday evening before Henry's party, and it was a huge success! She did all of the planning and work behind it, and did an amazing job. It was to benefit our town's Fine Arts Association and they raised a ton of money for a great cause. It was a fun night full of good food, a fashion show, and some show tunes of course too.

And then since Emily and Traci were in town for Henry's party (from NYC and LA) we went out afterward too. I came home and fell into bed with a huge smile on my face- it was so great for all three of us to be in the same place at the same time. It hadn't been since oh, 2003 since that had happened. Amazing.




Then that Thursday (Thanksgiving!) was Henry's actual birthday so we woke up bright and early for a day all about Henry. And what is he super into right now? TRUCKS! So we got H. in the wagon and walked across the street to the construction site to visit the big trucks. He was in heaven and it was a perfect way to spend the morning!



Later on it was time to celebrate Thanksgiving and we had a good afternoon with family, spent time outdoors, watched Henry push around that yellow truck for hours, and ate way too much food.



Later on we headed down to my parents to celebrate and ended the weekend with more food and family. We also got in some football and tennis time, although I couldn't stop quoting Clueless the whole time Hank and I were playing.



xoxo

Journals. All 14 of them.

I finally found my box of journals while at my parents' home this weekend. I had been distraught for some time now, thinking I'd lost them somewhere along the way but lo and behold, there they were in my old closet, buried in the bottom of a box. I spent a good three hours poring over each and every word I wrote in them, books full of my words from 5th grade all the way through college- 14 journals all together. It's so remarkable to me that I wrote so consistently for so long, even after getting into Livejournal and beyond. Half of it is heart-breakingly honest and real and beautiful, and the other half makes me cringe with embarrassment at my naive and very boy-crazy self. But it's me, all of me, wrapped up in journal after journal, page after page, full of tucked away photos and movie tickets and cards from old friends. So grateful to have those back in my life. And so grateful to be able to read through those with such open eyes, and have thoughts like these: why on earth did I waste so much time thinking I was fat? How could I think that so-and-so was really interested in me? (it was astounding to read my recaps of situations in those pages and then read my interpretations of them! I was crazy!) Also: it's laughable how I was "so in love" with this guy one week, then the next some new guy was "the one." Insane, insane, preteen and teenage me. Thank god for growing up and figuring it out...or at least a little more than I had by that point.


xoxo

CLOSED // Giveaway: Win 2 Items from Hi for Kids

*****CLOSED GIVEAWAY!*****

Winner: Cora of Miles, Papa and Me! Congratulations and thanks again to all who entered! :)

With the holiday season approaching you'll be seeing a few more giveaways than usual from me over the next month or so, and this one is SUCH a great one. My friends Anita and Sam Means recently started a kid's clothing line to accompany their already successful company Hello Merch- so say "hello" to Hi for Kids! Some of you may recognize Sam from the band The Format, and you've probably seen Anita all over this blog before too. They've great people who just happen to both be insanely creative. They stared Hi by Hello after Anita kept wishing there were certain items available for their daughter Lola Birdie. So instead of wishing, she got to creating, and Hi for Kids was born!

Perfect for ANY little one in your life, Hi for Kids is printed on high-quality American Apparel items and ships from their Phoenix, Arizona based warehouse.

To enter to win two items of your choice:

Leave your name and email address in a comment below, along with which two items you'd choose from their shop.

For TWO additional ways to win:

Instagram: Follow Hi For Kids on Instagram (user name: hellohiapparel), like the giveaway photo on their page, and comment on that photo with "I've entered!" Once you've done so, be sure to come back here and leave a comment letting me know.

Twitter: Follow Hi by Hello on Twitter and share the status below with your followers, then leave another (third!) comment here letting me know.

I just entered to win two items of my choice from @hellohiapparel and Sometimes Sweet/ @danihampton! http://tinyurl.com/cejxsnt

So you have up to THREE chances (via three separate comments) to win TWO items of your choice from their shop!

We'll randomly select a winner this Wednesday, Nov. 28th so check back to the top of this post to see if you've won. Good luck to all who enter. And in the meantime, if you'd like to order something for yourself or a kiddo in your life, use code "SometimesSweet20" at checkout for 20% off!

xoxo

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star...

About an hour ago I was in the kitchen getting some things ready for our weekend while Henry was in the living room sitting in front of his toy shelves. He had just woken up from his afternoon nap and was playing with the microphone Natalie and family got him for his birthday for the first time- figuring it out, turning it on, and realizing it played songs. As I watched him I noticed he had actually been scrolling through all of the songs to get to one in particular, and was singing right along with it. I am so happy I managed to catch some of his song on camera and I thought I would share it with all of you, too. I swear, this little guy is so special and wonderful and I hope he brings a smile to your face today, as big as the one he always brings to mine!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star from DH on Vimeo.

Weekend Links

in Flagstaff last weekend, at the end of the freezing cold run with my girlfriends. Seriously- SO COLD. But still really fun. :)

Happy Weekend! It kind of feels like Monday today since this Thanksgiving holiday felt like a weekend, but luckily it's only Friday. Yesterday was AMAZING (more on it later) and the perfect way to spend Henry's 2nd birthday. The next couple of days are jam-packed full of family for us too, and I can't wait for Thanksgiving number two with my side of the family tomorrow.

Thank you all SO much for all of the sweet birthday comments, tweets, and emails. Henry sure is a lucky boy and we really appreciate all of your love.

Wishing you and yours a safe and happy holiday weekend. Also don't forget I'm offering a holiday special on my ad space for December: $50 off my XL ads and $10 off my large. Contact me for pricing and more info.

And now, some links! I'll be back Monday with a fun giveaway from a good friend, and our Thanksgiving weekend post. xoxo

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The ladies over at Fair Ivy sent me one of their surprise packages and I fell in love! It's a subscription service that sends you a box of handmade goodies (think Etsy) 2-4 times each month. This go-round I got the cutest little birdie and a gorgeous necklace.  It's such a neat idea because one, handmade is awesome, and two, who doesn't love receiving fun present in the mail? Thanks again Fair Ivy.

How we judge others is how we judge ourselves. As always, a great read from Tiny Buddha.

Love these free "hot chocolate party" printables.

Oh my gosh- these photos! Those gorgeous kiddos! Perfection.

Join me on Instamom and tag your IG photos with #ESThanks this month to add to the community feed. Visit Elizabeth St. to find out more about their project and contest.

Life Hacker's 50 Free Apps they're most thankful for.

Just discovered this blog and enjoying it.

Love this big H.

Really awesome DIY: turn your sweater into baby leggings! And how about a round up of 10 DIY advent calendars?

I'm always so intrigued by street style blogs- this one is particularly interesting to me.

With the holidays approaching, this is a great post for gift-wrapping inspiration.

And speaking of gifts, loved this gift guide over on Say Yes to Hoboken.

Some nice Thanksgiving posts from around the web: one, two, and three.

And some wonderful "Currently" posts too: here and here.

I always (and kind of secretly) enjoy checking out tabloids whenever I get a chance, so I kind of love this feature on Jezebel. Quick and to the point!

How delicious do these almond, coconut cream, and raspberry tartletes look?

Obsessed with this scarf.

Super into this school paperwork storage idea. I think this would be awesome in action for just the year in general too- ticket stubs, special photos, moments, etc.

Rosemary roasted almonds...yum!

And finally, I can't even pick a favorite post to share from this blog...so just head on over and get lost in adorableness, inspiration and just plain old good ideas.

Happy birthday Henry!

And suddenly, you are two. And I turn two today, too, in a way. Because like that commercial says, the one that always makes me cry, "when a child is born, so is a mother." When you arrived I was new also. When the nurse put you in my arms that was my very first moment of this journey, right along with you. And in so many ways that comforted me. When I didn't really know what to do, when I felt like I was a little lost and not sure how it all worked, I remembered that we were both learning, we were both on that same exact path, from the very beginning.

There are so many amazing moments from the past two years that I couldn't even begin to summarize them into a paragraph, a page, a novel. But what I will say is this: when I first saw you, when your Daddy held you up next to me so I could see the little baby they had just pulled out of my body, I felt my entire world shift to make you the center. Everything in my life clicked into place right then and there, and I can't even begin to express what a beautiful thing that is.

Now when we walk you hold my hand- my little man, my little heart who is so loving and so kind. You're funny, sweet, sensitive and wild. You laugh hard and smile often. It's hard to believe it's been an entire two years since you made your way into this world because you've already touched so many lives and brought smiles to so many faces. You're truly our light and I thank the universe every single day that you chose me to be your mama.

Happiest birthday Henry, I am so lucky to call you my son.

xoxo

video from last year:


Happy 1st Birthday, Henry! from DH on Vimeo.

Henry's 2nd Birthday Party

Henry's actual birthday isn't until tomorrow, but because of the holiday weekend we decided to celebrate with friends and family this past weekend. We had a blast and I think I had just as much fun planning and decorating. I went back and forth on a few themes, but in the end "construction" won out, and rightfully so since Henry is obsessed with all thing trucks.

I scoured Pinterest and got so many great ideas (I don't know if I'll ever not love that site!), and mixed with some of my own it was such a success. We had about 60 people over at the height of birthday insanity, and it was really crazy, but still fun. I think next year we'll do it at the park by our house- and someone please remind me I said that!

Some of my favorite parts: Emily being in town for the entire weekend and her and Traci helping out- Traci made great "construction" mustaches for our photobooth and they both helped keep Henry entertained while Hank and I set up, close friends and family arriving early for some quality time, Erin's gift- an amazing vintage suitcase she handpainted and filled with costumes (I'll be posting her tutorial here this weekend!), seeing Henry so excited to be surrounded by so many loved ones, that completely over the top and ridiculous car from his Grandparents, and that amazing chocolate cake.

Sources for party items:

Cake: Costco and I decorated it myself
Small trucks for decorating: they come in a pack of five at Target. I also put these in the kids' goodie bags
Large trucks for decorating: All were gifts and I think they were mainly from Toys R Us and Target
Small yellow cones: Dollar Store
Road on cake table: I made it out of black and yellow construction paper
Cinder blocks, cones, and orange "snow fencing": Home Depot
Caution tape and road signs: Birthday Express
Construction hats: Oriental Trading Company
Glitter "Happy Birthday" banner: Unicorn Parade
Henry's construction shirt: Target

And here are some of the million photos! xoxo