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Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Party // Minecraft - Free Printables!

As promised, here are the FREE PRINTABLES for a Minecraft Party. If you're looking for all of the party details, click here.

 This Creeper printable will fit nicely around a tall
 2"x4.75" juice box.

And this TNT printable will fit around a 2"x2"x2" box.


Click "Read more" for the Free Printable & Instructions

Monday, July 28, 2014

Party // Minecraft - Part 2

I mentioned in a previous post that we were gearing up for a Minecraft Birthday Party. Well that party was this past weekend and I believe the birthday boy and his guests had a great time.

Weather in July is always warm in Southern Cal, so we held the party at an indoor play gym. The kids bounced, slid, jumped and zip-lined to their hearts' content. So basically, there were a lot of sweaty and hungry kids at the end of 2 hours. And those kids were ready to get their Minecraft on!

My youngest LOVES Minecraft so we decided to decorate the party room with all the Creepers, Steves, Mobs and archaic Weapons that we could gather. There aren't a ton of Minecraft decorations out there, so it was a fun challenge for me to make some of my own and also "repurpose" what is already out there.


Click "Read more" for the full post


Thursday, July 24, 2014

This Week // 7.24.2014


summer reflections via joy st. claire | available on etsy

I've got the de-clutter bug. It doesn't happen often enough so when it comes around, I have to roll with it. I wish "the bug" wouldn't come around when temps are in the mid-90's… but if I'm sweating, I guess it also counts as a workout. It started with my linens, then moved on to all the random home accessories that I've collected over the years--I finally said goodbye to all the tropical/beach house stuff from the 90's. Of course that stuff is coming back in style, but… NO. Then I moved on to the kids toys. That was kind of sad… no longer my little toddlers. But off to homes that will appreciate and get some use out of them. I still have a ways to go since I'm apparently the only one in the family who occasionally gets this de-clutter bug. The rest of the family? Pack Rats. The whole lot of 'em. 

Things I liked this week…

I spend a lot of time outdoors and am looking for a full coverage hat for summer and fall. I'm thinking felt, I'm thinking brown. This one. Or maybe this one. And if money grew on trees, this one.

What You Learn in Your 40's = Skip the drama, everyone's just winging it.

These chicken kebabs sound delish. Yogurt marinade? Paprika? Yes please.

In the real world I'm never a size 00. Except sometimes here. But man… they're comfy, cool and I snagged them for 50% off. Two thumbs  up.

Our attempt at "family game night" quickly petered out. Perhaps we should try again.

I usually don't DIY things that won't last beyond a season… but this is awfully pretty.

An art piece made from drinking straws.

Have a nice weekend!



Monday, July 21, 2014

Party // Minecraft - Part 1

My Little. My funny and rambunctious, yet sweet and caring child… He turned SIX last week!! When I started this blog, he was just eight months old. Sometimes I have to think in terms of blogging to get a perspective on time. All I know is that it's going by much too quickly.


He is the child who easily makes friends, likes to perform… jazz hands and all, is a friend to everyone and just loves to laugh and play. He is also the child who is concerned about others, will sit and comfort a friend, and likes to throw in surfer words like "dude" and "epic" whenever he can-- "Mommy, that chicken was epic".  :D  Right now he has the missing front teeth lisp so it sounds even better.


This bundle of happiness is also a HUGE fan of Minecraft. His party is later this month, but since he's a summer babe (no celebrating at school with his buddies) I decided to make a little something special for him at home.

Behold Mr. Balloon Creeper! I was going to make it out of small square plates, but he's a balloon guy. He requested a bag of balloons for his birthday-- he's the only person I know who likes to manually blow them up...  So we had to go with balloons. I know they're not square (it's not Minecraft if it's not square and pixelated), but aside from shiny mylar, I don't think square balloons exist. Well, at least not yet.  :)


He's also my guy that likes to sit down and assemble things, so with Grandma's help we spent a couple of hours folding up these Minecraft papercraft cubes and this cute mob. I never thought of a mob as cute, but… this one is! Either that, or Minecraft is growing on me. He's playing with them now and we'll use them later as party decorations. I briefly contemplated printing my own-- there are many freebies on the internet, but then decided that it'd be more cost effective if I just bought the pre-made version. I'm pretty sure my printer ink costs more than this! It's actually really well made and easy to assemble.


One thing I did design myself, is a Creeper Juice Box "skin". This is just a draft… I'll be sharing the final version and free download in an upcoming post. Stay tuned!


Another fun detail is this Perler Bead "mob". With their pixelated look, these beads lend themselves perfectly to the Minecraft theme. I shared this "mob" on Facebook earlier this month. These guys are going to be incorporated into the party as well… But more on that later!


So, that's pretty much what's been going on at Casa de BBB… This and a ton of play dates, swimming, sports, camps and birthday parties. I don't think we've ever had such a busy summer, but it's a good busy and it's relatively unscheduled and free of self-imposed stress… So I'm not complaining!

Have a nice week!


Wednesday, July 2, 2014

This Week // 7.02.14

We're back! You may not have noticed, but I went and disappeared on ya for a couple of weeks. I'm stealthy like that. Or Not. Okay, maybe I should've prepared better and prepped some filler-posts before we left but… bygones! I'll share more of our trip to Aulani and Kauai in another post… I still have to weed through about 500 photos on my poor little camera phone.

But here's a sneak peak--

And another one--

So here's what's up for this week--

I shared some of my Favorite Summer Projects over at homework. If you haven't discovered it yet, Carolyn's blog is jam-packed with creative and beautiful project ideas. She also has one of the prettiest sites in the blog-o-sphere. But don't take my word for it, check it out!

After snickering at the "pajama pants" that are in style, I went and bought a pair. Soooo comfy for summer and not too spendy with the additional 30% off. [code: SHOPMORE]

Looking for an easy DIY tee for the July 4th festivities? This one is cute and looks fairly easy to make.

I'm trying to focus on finishing up our Master Bedroom restyle and am therefore going to ignore all the great sales going on this week. But this Tag Sale + extra 20% off at Anthro…  And this Sale + Free Shipping at Madewell... And an Extra 30% off Summer Styles at JCrew… Well, I hope someone scores some great deals!

Apples & strawberries dipped in anything sweet is so up my alley. This idea is great for a party.

I'm looking for extra-large artwork for my dining room but am struggling to find the right look… this elegant DIY might be just the thing.


If you're in the U.S., have a fun and safe Independence Day weekend!