Living, Laughing, Loving and Crafting

Chapel of the Holy Dove

2012-01-23T22:43:00.000-05:00

Hubby, son and I decided on taking a cross-country road trip from Anaheim, CA to Danbury, CT on November 2011. One of our many stops was the Grand Canyon, after we were done with that we were on our way to Flagstaff, AZ where we came across this stunning beautiful small chapel. We were amazed, and fell in Love with it! It's a small church that offers free religious books, we grabbed two for our son. The chapel is very small with a large triangular window on the back end. This stop is one of our most memorable, not only for the chapel, but the amazing views we had while taking that drive. The chapel is located on Highway 180 between Grand Canyon and Flagstaff.

Baby Shower

2011-07-22T23:17:00.000-04:00

Our baby shower was on June 25th. A friend of mine baked some yummy banana nut and red velvet cupcakes. I got the cupcake liners on Etsy as well as the cupcake stand. I wanted to keep the baby shower colors, black, white and pink with some damask. I added some pink glitter cut out paper butterflies, I used a cute paper punch from Stampin Up. And added them to most of the cupcakes, I also added some plastic diamonds that the banquet provided. The paper butterflies were also spread around the centerpieces of each table.

Cupcake Stand - http://www.etsy.com/listing/55434759/round-cupcake-stand-tower-small
Cupcake Liners - http://www.etsy.com/transaction/52239218
Butterfly Punch - http://www.stampinup.com/ECWeb/ProductDetails.aspx?productID=119848

As I mentioned before, I worked on about 50 pictures frames that the guest received as party favors. On the back of each frame, I added a small note - "Hans and Paola's Baby Shower. June 25th, 2011. Thank you for helping us with Aviana's arrival", lots of work, but everyone loved them!

My baby shower chair, wasn't the typical wicker one. I had purchased a very chic damask chair from Home Goods about a year ago, and figured it would be the perfect chair for our event.

The event was only for 4 hours, so we only got to play 2 games, one was a baby feeding game. Couples lined up, the men sat in chairs with bibs on, while the ladies were blind folded, the one who can feed their baby the fastest was the winner. That game was lots of fun, we had some "dirty" babies and tons of laughter! The second game involved the guest having to guess the measurement of my belly. My Mother came in fist place, and hubby in second! lol

I love Henna Tattoos, so we just had to hire a henna artist for all our guest =]

The food was yummy, the company was great, and the event was beautiful. Grateful to have it all in my life <3

Baby Shower Favors

2011-06-28T18:29:00.001-04:00

I made about 50 frames like this in different colors and styles for my baby shower this past weekend. I added handmade rossettes made out of different beautiful fabric, and touched it up with some random embellishments. In the back I added the date and a little comment for all our guest. A lot of work, but well worth it.

The frames can be found at Michaels for just a $1. They were on sale the day I purchased them and got them all for .66 cents each!

I'll surely be making mote detailed frames to sell on Etsy, keep an eye out. Www.daintybabe.com

Posted using BlogPress from my iPad.

New Etsy Shop

2011-06-12T21:02:00.001-04:00

I've decided to create a new Etsy shop that will be dedicated to baby items. Even though the other one is temporarily closed, this one will remain open. Please check it out, and any feedback is welcome.

Www.daintybabe.com

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Fabric Markers on Onesies

2011-04-25T17:53:00.001-04:00

My 3 year old and I drew on some onesies for our expecting bundle of joy. Since I am on bed rest this was a fun project to do. I want to eventually get some other family members to make something special for the little one. All we used were Crayola Fabric Markers and blank onesies. After you are done creating your masterpiece just throw them in the dryer for about 30 minutes or just pass the iron over it!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Ava and her Jewelry Box

2011-04-09T15:01:00.001-04:00

7 year old Ava was so excited to design her own Jewelry box. She chose the paper and painted it all on her own, beautiful job!

Www.daintycreations.com

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Jewelry Box Class in NYC

2011-04-05T16:01:00.000-04:00

A group of ladies signed up for a class through my NYC meet up group - www.meetup.com/craftinginthecity. We all got together and designed our own boxes, it was a lot of fun and each one got to leave home with a unique creation.

Paper Stars

2011-03-21T15:05:00.000-04:00

I came across this AWESOME tutorial, such an easy way to decorate a room, or a birthday party! I will definitely be making some for Evan's room, the baby's room and the baby shower! Super fun fun fun!!!

CLICK here for tutorial

It's a Girl!

2011-03-19T15:23:00.000-04:00

We are excited to announce that we are expecting a baby girl on Aug 23, 2011. I can be very impatient sometimes, and I just had to find out the sex of the baby. I've been wanting a girl, since before I was even pregnant. Heck, growing up I've always wished for a girl when that time came.

When I was laying there anxiously waiting for the lady to tell me what the sex was, I was totally anticipating to hear that it will be a boy. I guess I was embracing myself so I wouldn't be too disappointed. But once she confirmed it was indeed a little girl, I cried tears of joy. I couldn't be anymore happier. Of course whatever the Lord gave me, would've been a blessing. But to know it was a girl, It just filled me with such glee!

Craft classes available in the NYC area.

2011-03-18T01:21:00.000-04:00

I am the Organizer of a local NYC meet up group. We already have 4 classes scheduled for this month and next. This is a perfect way to learn how to create your own handmade gifts as well as meet people with the same interest. All levels welcomed. Come check us out!

http://www.meetup.com/craftinginthecity/

A few of the upcoming classes are

March 26 - Mail out in style, craft your own Envelopes with matching seals.
March 27- Decorate your own wooden picture frame!
April 2 - Decorate your very own Jewelry/Treasure box.
April 3 - Hand make your own Easter Greeting Cards.

If you have any suggestions, please contact me!

Day 5, 6 and my final day 7!

2010-07-25T13:26:00.000-04:00

So the diet in my opinion got worse as the days went by, Day 5 was harder then day 4, an so on. I decided to end it at day 7, today would've been Day 8. But I weighed myself today and I've lost a total of 12 pounds, that scared me, 12lbs in 7days?!And this morning I didn't feel well, felt super weak and dizzy and I was barely able to prepare my lemonade drink for the day. Hubby convinced me to stop. So this morning I had my glass of orange juice and my stomach feels FULL, but I still feel a bit hungry.

My plan is to eat healthy and exercise everyday. I think I will start exercising in about 2 days. So I guess orange juice for today, soups for tomorrow, fruits and veggies for the following day.

This was a great experience and the results are marvelous! But losing that much in just a few days is scary, definitely not healthy. I must admit that I never drank the minimum of 6 cups a day, and the last 3 days I added less maple syrup to my mix. I did read that the less you drink the more you lose, and that was something I didn't do on purpose. I'm just not a big drinker not even with water. Overall, it works, let's see how my diet goes and hopefully I don't gain any pounds back!

TTYL <3

Day 3 and 4

2010-07-21T21:34:00.000-04:00

Day 3 was a bit easier then day 2, I was at the food market and was going crazy! I must admit that I cheated and took ONE SMALL (yes ONE small, promise!) bite of a banana when I was peeling it for my son! :-O. I didn't update yesterday because I got caught up finishing Evan's party invitations.

Day 4 was eh, I had to sit at Wendy's while hubby, son, and a friend ate juicy burgers in front of me. Though, I am very proud because I handled it well, didn't seem to phase me much. But these past 3 hours I've been going insane, it's almost like a depressing feeling, I just feel like quitting this diet all of a sudden. I now have a headache, and I woke up feeling lazy and weak this morning,I've just been lazy ALL day. I think my period might be paying a visit very soon. Maybe that has something to do with it.

Well, I'm off to take the laxative tea and pray that it has an effect on me, since it hasn't the past 2 days.

Goodnight

Day 2 of Master Cleanse diet!

2010-07-19T21:51:00.000-04:00

Good evening,

Day 2, this is all I can say, HUNGRY...HUNGRY....HUNGRYYYY!!! Today was a pretty hard day, I was much hungrier then yesterday. We went shopping for some essentials and I couldn't help but notice all of the advertisement at the fast food restaurants. A huge pic of a yummy taco at Taco Bell, and a HUGE picture of a juice burger at Mc Donalds! I'm glad I got through this and didn't give in.

I weighed myself today, and I lost 5lbs, I doubt that those 5lbs were just from the diet. I was at the gym mid -last week and I was weighing 160, now I am at 155 somehow! :-D...Well, I will weigh myself again on Thursday, let's see how much I've lost from today (Monday) to Thursday! My goal is 130, of course I won't lose that much in 10-14 days. But that was my weight before baby Evan came along, and that's what I want to be at some point.

Now I am off to prepare the laxative tea and then head to bed. Till' tomorrow!

xoxo

Day 1 of Master Cleanse Diet

2010-07-18T19:42:00.000-04:00

Greetings to all!

Today was the very first official day of the diet. So far so good, I thought It was going to be REALLY bad to deal with my hunger, since I LOVE to eat. But it wasn't THAT bad >.>. I tried the Sea Salt wash this morning, boy, that's just something I can't keep down. I tried drinking it with a sip of water right after and it didn't work. I also squeezed a lemon in there, and it still didn't work. The measurements for that is suppose to be 32oz of water with 2 teaspoons of salt. Well, I did 32oz with 1/4 teaspoon, and I was ready to throw up. Imagine me putting in 2 teaspoons, no thank you! I will stick with the laxative tea instead, sigh.

I kept myself busy all day, which I think helped, we also went to the lake when hubby got home from the city. I caught myself thinking of food, and making a list of the meals I will have as soon as I am off the diet! LOL is that wrong? I guess it is..can't help it though!!!. Torture to smell the food hubby eats.

On a brighter note, I did work on Evan's party invitations, I will work on them tomorrow ALL day. Now to think of party favors for the guest..Hmm..

Till tomorrow! =]

Hello 2010!

2010-07-16T21:13:00.000-04:00

Wow, it's been almost one year since I last posted on my blog! It sure is hard to sit down and type your life away for a few minutes.,hehe. Props to those who blog on a regular, all love <3. I will do my best to do the same.

Well, I have a ton of things to share. First I'd like to Welcome my new followers =] ...I will blog about life, and crafts, I <3 to craft! Whilst in the subject of crafting, I started two new meet up groups where I will be holding some upcoming classes with locals, should be tons of fun and I can't hardly wait. If you are in the NYC or CT area, come join us!

NYC - http://www.meetup.com/craftinginthecity
CT - http://www.meetup.com/daintycrafting.

Hmm, what else is new..We moved to Brookfield, CT. Evan is turning 3 next month, which I will be working on his invitations starting tonight or Saturday night. Pictures to come when they are done. =] ...I started selling my crafts at this GREAT craft market in Brooklyn, more info here - http://www.artistsandfleas.com

That cute little fellow up there ^ ^^^, is the mere reason why I wanted a PS3.
And I got one as a late Mother's Day gift, yipee. He is D cutest, and the game is a ton of fun. But besides the game, PS3 is awesometastic for NETFLIX movies! woot. Oh, and I am also loving street fighter.

...And the reason why I actually decided to post today. Well, I want to start the Master Cleanse diet, not only to lose some weight, but for a healthy start I suppose. I did some research and I want to give it a go. So I want to keep a diary of my journey through it all, and this is where I will do it =]. Tonight before I hit the sack I will drink a tea laxative to prepare for tomorrow morning! Wish me luck and check back soon <3

Wonder Pets!

2009-09-02T22:31:00.000-04:00

We celebrated our son's 2nd birthday on August 15th. The party theme was Wonder Pets. I, of course handcrafted the invitations. Not one invitation was alike. I definitely used same colors. I sewed in the outline of the 1st layer, as well as the triangle banners and added some brads on each end. With some acrylic paint I stamped the number 2 on it! I loved how they turned out, the invitation greeted our guest with a "This is Sewious"..

The party was fun, I made some ming ming cupcakes, the kids love it.

Little Evan wore a cute ming ming cape that I got him from etsy. I absolutely loved it, and so did he!

You can purchase this cape here - www.babypop.etsy.com

I also handcrafted the party favors. The guest got a small picture of Evan that they can put on their fridge, I added magnets on the back!. I Wrapped it with some left over baby blue organza wrap I had from my baby shower, and closed it up with a cute clothespin.

Winner!

2009-08-02T09:25:00.001-04:00

Congrats to Stuart from New York, NY on winning 8 sets of assorted handcrafted envelopes with matching seals! Thanks to all who participated, check back often for new contest!

CONTEST - Handcrafted Envelopes with seals.

2009-07-08T16:34:00.000-04:00

I've been crafting these cute unique envelopes with matching seals. What a great way to mail out your cards in style!! They definitely stand out when received, makes your heart skip a beat :D. It just shows the extra effort one makes to mail out something so wonderful, it adds personality and love to each unique letter.

I sell these in sets of 8 with seals. The seals are scalloped shaped, all you have to do is peel them off and stick em'! You can check out the different sets I have for sale here - Envelopes

Custom orders are accepted, if you have specific colors in mind, give me a holler. I can make them for you!

I am going to hold a small contest for a set of 8 envelope with seals, just so you can get your hands on these and feel how gorgeous and fun they are!!

:Contest rules and info:

Please submit all entries to DaintyCreations@Gmail.com on the subject line put "Envelope Contest". :)

Alrighty, So I decided to change this contest around and make it super easy. Just e-mail me your name and address, I'll write your name in a paper, put it in a box, and then choose one out on the 15th!. Simple! :D

Winner will get a set of 8 assorted envelopes with matching seals!! :) Please include your address when submitting your entry. Contest till July 31st!

Busy Weekend.

2009-07-06T12:56:00.001-04:00

Well this past week was busy for us. Wednesday was a FREE day at the zoo. My hubby, son and I went there early afternoon and spent the entire day there, we didn't get rained out, the weather was perfect. Baby Evan had tons of fun. He saw birds, penguins, flamingos, seals, goats, peacocks to name a few. The little one was excited to learn many new animals, we didn't get to see the entire zoo though. Baby Evan fell asleep right when we got to see the giraffes. So we're thinking of finishing up the zoo this coming Wednesday, hooray for FREE! lol. Lots of walking was done though, so I was super tired that day.

Friday was FREE (after 3pm) at the Coney Island Aquarium! Boy was there a lot of people, it was packed up. It got to a point were it smelled bad from everyone being there under the heat, gross!. Baby Evan had a BLAST. We have 3 fish tanks at home, so he was excited to see so many different fish. He especially enjoyed the walrus, that following morning he was watching noggin and a picture of a walrus showed up on the t.v. and he yelled "mommy walrus!" it was the cutest thing ever, I was surprised that he remembered the name. He went the whole day Saturday yelling walrus, walrus!!. He also enjoyed the jellyfish and sharks.

Happy 4th of July!!! We had a fun day on Saturday, we went to a BBQ in Randall's island, Hans (hubby) friends invited us there. I made some yummy crab salad for them, which they enjoyed. Evan got to play a lot with Opa (granddad in German). We didn't spend the entire day at the BBQ, we decided to cut it early and head to Jersey to get a great camping spot to watch the fireworks. Let me tell you, parking was a B!tch! (excuse my french). We spent a long time finding parking, on top of the fact that we walked a long way to and from the car. The fireworks were absolutely gorgeous, though Evan only enjoyed it for the first 5 minutes and then he got bored. We were planning to go visit my parents after the fireworks, but traffic was soo bad, we were too tired and we just decided to head home.

Sunday was going to be a lazy stay at home day for us. But Opa decided to visit us to spend another day with baby Evan. So he came over our home for a while, then we all decided to go have an early dinner at the Riverdale Diner. After dropping Opa home in the big city, we decided to take Evan to the park, he had a lot of fun being at the playground. He is just the cutest. Later that evening I had to take a small fridge to my aunt's house, since we were there, we ended up visiting my parents and spent the entire evening there and got home late.

Our weekend was great and lots of memories were caught on film. I hope you all had an absolute week.

Jewelry/Treasure Boxes

2009-07-01T19:57:00.000-04:00

I love making these Jewelry/Treasure Boxes, and I especially enjoyed doing my first CUSTOM ordered one. A friend wanted a mickey mouse one, and so I did one and she absolutely LOVED it. She tells me she is going to start buying more Jewelry to get more boxes lol. Well, if that makes her happy, then okay! It's just an absolute GREAT feeling when someone really admires my work.

I personally do love these boxes, and have two of my own. Wish my hubby would wear Jewelry or have small treasures so I can give him one heheh. These are really fun to make, and though I don't actually create the wooden box myself, I think I will start doing so and making different styles. ANOTHER new hobby, HELP?!! >.<...I can't ever seem to stick to one specific thing. Since my hubby is a masonry contractor, he actually has all the woodworking tools I need to create them, how lucky am I?!!. So he is going to give me a basic lesson on them, sometime this week, wooooot. I am excited. We'll see how it turns out.

These boxes are a big hit in craft fairs, people drool over them. It takes time decorating them,but in the end it's all worth it. I came across two etsy shops whom also makes boxes like this, though, I think theirs are much better looking. Absolutely gorgeous - http://www.funwallart.etsy.com and http://www.sisterbutterfly.etsy.com. Here are pictures of my favorite boxes from their shop :D.

Etsy, etsy, etsy!! I Love etsy and wish I had more time to browse through the entire site. I usually find my "favorite" items through other people's favorite items or if they are listed on the front page. :sigh:. With baby Evan I wish there was more time in the day. But etsy is an absolutely awesome site and everyone in the face of this earth should shop there, YAY FOR HANDMADE!!!!

My Shop - http://www.daintycreations.etsy.com -

King of Pop.

2009-06-26T19:35:00.001-04:00

R.I.P Michael Jackson
August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009

Most Successful Entertainer of All Time. Musical icon loved by many, hated by some. CNN's headline said "Jackson dies and almost takes internet with him" - wow!!. A great singer who dominated the 80's with his music, dance and performance. He gave his all on stage and helping the less fortunate. He made songs about charity, love and brotherhood. Let's not focus on the negative and use the positive in his music to spread a message of Peace and Love through out this world. Tragic shocking death indeed. We will all miss you MJ, may flights of angels wing you to your rest. MJ, the voice of peace and unity, his legacy will live forever. .
Deepest condolences to his family.

ABC's of me!

2009-06-26T18:44:00.000-04:00

Here's ME:
Age: 24
Bed size: King
Chore you hate: Laundry
Dad's name: Luis
Esential Start your day item: my computer
Favorite Actor (s): Mark Wahlberg
Gold or Silver: Silver
Height: 5'4''
Instruments you play(ed): None
Job title: Mother, Wifey, Sister, Daughter.
Kid(s): Baby Evan.
Living arrangements: Living in a private home, might be moving soon.
Mom's name: Maria
Nicknames: Pao or Tita
Overnight hospital stay other than birth: once before when I was very young.
Pet peeves: Biting nails
Quotes you like: The greatest tragedy in life, is not death, but life without a purpose.
Rightie or Leftie: Lefty
Siblings: I am the oldest..1 sister, 2 brothers.
Time you wake up: Different times, usually when Evan is up.
Umbrella: I love my umbrella. Got it from a store in the city, here is their site - http://www.rainorshine.biz/
Vegetable(s) you dislike: Mushroom, onion, beet, and radishes.
Ways you run late: I don't usually run late, but ever since I've been with hubby I do hehehe.
X-rays you've had: Hmmm..I can't recall..I think once when I was young..Oh can't forget the xrays at Dentist :D
Yummy food you make: yumm..Lasagna.
Zodiac: Libra

Happy Father's Day!

2009-06-22T10:52:00.000-04:00

Happy Father's Day to everyone, I hope you all spent it with that special man. I sure did, and it was a lot of fun. I surprised Daddy with a handmade tie shirt that matched my son's onesie, it was the cutest thing and everyone loved it! And since he is a WoW addict, I created a special World of Warcraft greeting card.
We spent Father's Day with his family at a restaurant in Dobb's Ferry. After we were done with them, we went to go visit my Dad and spent the entire evening with him.

Here is how I created these cute tees. I first picked out the fabric I wanted to use, drew out the tie size I wanted on cardstock, then cut out the ties and the fabric. I used fusible web to be able to draw and stick the fabric easier to the shirt. After ironing the fabric to the fusible web, I drew on the back side of the fabric which is now attached to the web with a paper backing. I then cut it out and ironed it to the shirt. For added durability, I hand stitched the outlinie of the ties. Over time, the edges of the appliqué may fray but this only complements the look of the original design, giving it uniqueness.

If anyone is interested in getting a custom order like this, or a WoW greeting card, you may check out my shop www.daintycreations.etsy.com

What do YUDU?

2009-06-18T13:07:00.001-04:00

This year I treated myself to a YUDU screen printer. I love it. I've been a member of www.yuduforums.com since before I decided to actually purchase the machine. It's a great place to research on the product and it's full of helpful and happy members. I highly suggest it for anyone interested in purchasing a YUDU machine.

Well, in mid-april the forums decided to hold a T-shirt Design Contest. Of course I entered and came in Third place, wooot. It was really fun. The winners are pictured above, my entry is the last one, 3rd place!

I designed a baby onesie. I did the actual design by hand with a permanent marker on a transparent sheet for the screen printing process. I first cut out the basinet on cardstock, and traced it on a fabric, cut it out, and hand sewn it to the onesie. I then screen printed my design on the onesie, in black and yellow ink. This was a fun project.

1st Place Prize:
• (2) Yudu 110 Screens
• (10) Emulsion Sheets
• 3 oz bottles of silver, gun metal and gold (1 of each color)
• Squeegee Pro

2nd Place Prize:
• (1) Yudu 110 Screen
• (6) Emulsion Sheets
• 3 oz bottles of silver, gun metal and gold (1 of each color)

3rd Place Prize:
• (4) Emulsion Sheets
• 3 oz bottles of silver, gun metal and gold (1 of each color).

You can check out the voting stats and other entries here - http://www.yuduforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=423

New Craft Room

2009-06-16T20:57:00.000-04:00

So the past few days I've been moving to my new craft room. It was my son's room. He is now 22 months old. The room was always empty, and was only used when visitors stood the night. My previous craft space was a walk-in closet in my dining room area. Eventually, all my crafting needs got moved out to the dining room table. As any crafter knows, when crafting the mess is inevitable. And since I was crafting everyday, everyday the mess was there. Being that I have a toddler, it was hard and annoying to stay on top of everything that can be within reach of his little exploring hands. So hubby told me to take over his room, at first I said no because it's HIS room, after a little arm twisting he convinced me to move in. And here I am typing from it, though it's still in the works. When everything is done and ready I will post up pictures of the whole process.

I am currently working on a wall calendar. Should be fun. :D.

Happy Scramping.

Welcome ...

2009-06-16T10:30:00.000-04:00

...and thank you for checking out my new blog. Please come back soon, I am still in the works of getting this blog up and running.