Uneekpillows - click here

Pick of the Day- Uneek Pillows

This isn't my first purchase from the awesome Etsy store. If you remember I posted an adorable Serendipity pillow on my Facebooke page. I fell in love with this store after that purchase. So much that these amazing Halloween pillows are all mine. Pictures don't do her work justice. You wonder, why would you buy FIVE ( handmade no less) pillows? Well how could you not when they range from $10 to $14!!! You will not find another pillow at that price and that well made! I can't wait for more and forget about Christmas!! So take a stroll in this shop. You may want to wait till she restocks...LOL I think I bought half the store.

This Is What You Call OCD - A Tutorial To Drive Yourself Nuts AKA Xander's Invitations

t

Xander's Invitations:

So let's just begin by saying I do this to myself EVERY year! I have these huge ideas for Xander's birthday party and then question my sanity while preparing for it. TThe first year was "Hey!! How cool would it be to have the entire ceilings of my house covered in Yo Gabba Gabba colored balloons?" Uhhhh why didn't anyone tell me that blowing up balloons the night before would mean balloons on my entire floor not the ceiling? Or what about the THREE, yes THREE, birthday cakes that I made shaped as Muno, Brobee, and DJ Lance. Last year, well that was another nightmare. Poor Xander. We will get into that another time. But let's just say I didn;t learn my lesson the first year and decided to make every kid tshirts. Again CRAZYYYYY. SO let's get back to this year! So we all know we are doing a pirate theme, and I get this great idea (not) to do a message in a bottle. Cute right? Well I couldn't stop there How about the message in a bottle is housed in a treasure chest. Oh wait that's too boring right? How about a message in a bottle housed in a treasure chest with pirate garb and trinkets?!?! As if the message in a bottle wasn't cute enough.

So I ordered really cute invites from PartyTimeFun on Etsy
http://www.etsy.com/shop/PartytimeFun

So this is where the OCD kicks in... I thought how cute would it be if the edges looked old and tattered? SO I took all the invites I printed out and decided to burn the edges.
KIDS DONT TRY THIS AT HOME!!

I also had to put an insert to have the parents RSVP with the amount of people attending and also to let me know all the kids shirt sizes, since you guessed it!! I am making shirts for allt he kids again. ( Can we say IDIOT)

So here is that OCD thing again... I thought to go with the theme of old and tattered why not make the paper distressed and tattered looking. How you ask?

Well I took a bowl of left over coffee and a paper towel and blotted a plain piece of paper with the coffee and let it dry

After you let it dry it will put it in the printer and print out whatever little message you want to leave. This is what it will look like

I then cut them with jagged edges to look like this

So I found a pirate themed message in a bottle kit at Oriental Trading
http://www.orientaltrading.com/
It came with the bottle, eyepatch, skull ring, stickers for the outside of the bottle and few items I didn't use like a blank invitation and sand (mom's you can thank me later)

I rolled the invitation and the insert up and tied it with thin brown twine and stuck it in the bottle

I then put together the treasure chest and the goodies. I also got these at Oriental Trading. They are meant to be favors but I used them as part of the invitation

So I stuck everything in the treasure chest and will box it up and ship out or for his classmates I used kraft paper gift bags and printed out their names in a Pirate font and attached the bags like so

So this ladies and gentlemen concludes my sucky tutorial or maybe my documentary of a crazy person you choose :o) Next will be some of the cool pirate gifts I got the little guy. Some from my beloved Etsy, some are not. Thanks for stopping by :o)

Xander's 3rd Birthday Party - Where You Ask?

Jersey Shore Pirates - Brick, New Jersey

So this year we are having Xander's party at this awesome interactive pirate adventure called Jersey Shore Pirates. They dress the kids up as pirates tattoo them and paint their faces. Then we set sail on the Metedeconk River to fight mean bad pirates. The age range is suitable for ages 2 and up. They have different packages to choose from or renting the whole ship isn't in your budget you can make a reservation and pay per person. Check out their link by clicking on the above title: Xander's 3rd Birthday Party

It's Been Awhile

Yes, I know... It's been awhile since my last post. Life gets in the way sometimes and you need to drop what you are doing and take care of what needs to be taken care of. But I am back!! I am getting ready to work on Xander's Pirate Birthday Party. I will try to document as best as I can what I am doing and how-to's. His gifts are all pirate themed. I will be posting pics and links of where to buy them. I am not by any means a blogger. So forgive me if my tutorials suck! My first tutorial will be his invitations. So stayed tuned...

Something From Cassie - click hereI

We are huge fans of pirates here. Xander's birthday party is being held on a pirate ship this year. So get use to seeing some pirate themed goodies on here for the next month. I came across this awesome pennant while browsing through Etsy. Cassie is one of the sweetest shop owners I have come across. She has such an amazing eye for colors and combinations. That is what caught my eye with this banner. Who would have though to use these awesome colors together for a pirate theme? I am excited to use this for Xander's birthday but I can also hang it in his room. Thanks Cassie!! So stroll on in to her store. You will love it!

Arts Cow - click here

OK... SO I know this isn't from my beloved Etsy, BUT, it's pretty cool and did I mention CHEAP? Arts Cow has some really great personalized items. Where else could you get a custom photo backpack for $16.99? So take a look. You might find some great little gifts.

So So Hippo - click here

I think I have died and went to hoodie heaven here. I have a thing for clothes with plushy things on them. I guess that's why I use felt with my appliques. So So Hippo has a variety of monster hoodie designs and what is even cooler? They have them in adult sizes!! That's right moms your size!! So check this cool shop out.

Hopewell Creek Designs by Neafus - click hereI

Now that the holiday weekend is behind us let's start the week off with a great pick of the day. I love this shop at Etsy!! They take pretend play to a whole other level. I can't wait to order the pirate campfire,, pirate hat and the lantern is just awesome!! So check this store out.

Awesome Birthday Crowns by Maureen Cracknell - click here

Another wonderful Etsy find!

Maureen Cracknell's birthday crowns are one of the most beautiful and well crafted I have seen on Etsy. You can customize them and they are adjustable so they have room to grow with your child. Make this a family tradition as Maureen has with her own family. You child will feel even more special on their special day with a crown made special for them

Throw Away That Sharpie - click here

Throw away that sharpie!! This is an easy way to tag all your kid's things for camp, school, day care, you name it. You can create your own labels. Check out the packages or choose per sheet. They are dishwasher and laundry safe. I am so happy that friend told me about these. Thanks Kathleen!!

Good Cop, Bad Cop

Good cop, bad cop, which one are you in the family?

Why is it I always seem to be the bad cop in my family? Why am I always the one telling Xander "no" or "sit down and eat your dinner"? The best is when "Doc" says " Xander what did Mommy say?" or "Xander, Mommy said no" I would like to believe it goes with the territory and it's the same for all mommy's. So tell me which one are you?

Heartsy.me - Click here

I stumbled across the best site next to Etsy, of course, Heartsy.me. It is a Groupon for Etsy sellers!! How fantastic is that? For me anyway. You can receive up to 70% off some pretty cool items. So go check it out. I already have my eye on a few things on there.

Rocky the Zombie - Click here

I love finding awesome clothes for Xander on Etsy and I hit the jackpot here at Rocky the Zombie on Etsy. They have a variety of infant, youth and women's clothes. You will want one of everything and the best part is you won't break the bank. So stop in and take a look.

Celentano Woodworks - Click here

So I stumbled upon this shop one night and it brought back my desire to learn an instrument. Now if I could get past the fact that I am dreadfully uncoordinated. Their ukuleles are so amazing! Take a peek in their shop. It will put a smile on your face :o)

Copy Crafts - Click Here

Copy Crafts has some great quiet book patterns that would make a great project or gift for anyone with kids.  They have so many great projects.  Their patterns are so easy to use also!  My favorite is My Fan Club.  Not a sewer?  Check out their Print and Play sets.

Miss Pretty Pretty Imaginative Play Toys - Click Here

Pick of the Day:  Miss Pretty Pretty Imaginative Play Toys

I love this shop.  I own the "Not So Spooky" Playhouse and it is a favorite in my house.    They don't stop at just playhouses there are also other fun things, like, the mermaid tails and crown or the pirate vest to go with the Pirate Hideout Playhouse.  If a playhouse isn't in your budget they also off awesome patterns or DIY kits.  I have a few of the patterns myself and they are so easy to follow.  They are also offering discounts on sample playhouses yet to be made.  So stop by this awesome Etsy store.

ICandy Designs - Click Here

Pick of the Day:

I know I have featured this shop on my Facebook fan page before but I just love her work.  The second picture is something she made for me to give to Doc for Father's Day.  I love the superhero painting.  What kid wouldn't want to be turned into a superhero?

Favor Box Bakery - Click Here!

Pick of the Day:

Here is an amazing little shop I found on Etsy.  I think this is one of the best party favor ideas ever.  It's a box of cupcake mix for your guests to take home.  Who doesn't love cupcakes!! They have something for every occasion.  Birthday, bridal shower, baby shower, kids theme birthdays you name it.  Take a look!

Cutie Hats - Buzz Lightyear Click Here

Check out Cutie Hats @ Etsy for some of the cutest hats around.

Oh Boy!! Here We Go!!

This picture sums up my everyday life :o)

Hi, my name is Danielle and I am a slave to Xander's World.   There I said it.  They say the first step is acknowledging you have a problem.  I didn't always have this problem.  I was once a well rounded, contributing person to society.  I had a successful marble and granite installation business and a great social life.  Then almost three years ago my world got rocked.

August 29th at 10:21am life, as I knew it, changed forever.  Coming into this world at 6lbs 13oz, Xander Grey arrived.  I always knew what kind of mother I would be or should I say wouldn't be.  I wanted to be the well put together, always dressed perfect with the perfectly behaved and dressed kids.  I wanted to have Martha's ease of crafting, cooking and her impeccable organizational skills and Carrie Bradshaw's closet all wrapped into one.

Now let's fast forward to the present or should I say reality.  You think "How does she do it all?" I would like to say with their ability and style, but let's get real here, I am lucky if Xander eats his defrosted Bagelful for breakfast and I remember to change out of my pajamas and brush my hair and teeth before dropping Xander off for school.

I am venturing into the blog world not to showcase my writing ability because, let's face it, I'm a Jersey girl!  We pluralize all our words or just make them up as we go along, but because I am a mom, and a wife that has made my life about my son, my hardworking husband and a little venture in making children's clothing.  I think most people can relate to the craziness and the struggles that make up my life.

So come hang out with me over here in Xander's World.  If you get nothing else, you will at least get a laugh at the crazy people I encounter or things that not only happen to you but happen to me too.  And, if all else fails you will get some awesome ideas for gifts, throwing parties, or even some fun crafts.

**** If you love Xander's shirt I am having a giveaway to anyone who follows my blog, they will get a Xander's World tshirt free with the purchase of any XW item in our store. When you make a purchase put in the seller's notes BLOG ****  (Limit one per customer.  Limited time only)