diy: Pretty Little Bows /  by Katie Brightbill

My Maggie is turning one next weekend, so I spent this weekend prepping for her party (and getting super sentimental... ONE already?). It's a girly fiesta, so I figured out how to make festive little bows for the little guests' favors. I'd always wondered if they were easy to make, and the cost of buying them motivated me to look into making my own! :) 

Supplies:

  • Felt rectangles the size of a sheet of paper (they're like 30 cents at a fabric store- big spender!)
  • Hot glue gun & plenty of glue sticks
  • Scissors
  • Cute ribbon. Mine is actually gold glitter tape from Paper Source. 

1. Fold the felt in half both ways.

2. Unfold it and cut an inch wide or so to the crease on the width side.

3. Your strip should be about 1 inchX4.5 inch.

4. Use your hot glue gun to make two stripes in the middle of the felt strip.

5. Fold in one side toward the center.

6. Fold the other side toward the other (do these steps quickly because the glue dries so fast).

7. Pinch the middle with your fingers to shape it.

8. Cut the ribbon or glitter tape to wrap it around the center.

9. Glue the ribbon on the back and you have yourself a pretty little bow!

Now hot glue it to a hairclip or headband, tape it to beautify a birthday present, or string it and make some garland... the possibilities are endless! Once I successfully made one (in about 3 minutes flat, mind you), I went a little bow crazy. Big, small, glitter center, felt center... kinnnnd of addicting!

See? When I'm motivated, I really can be crafty. You can too!

Hair Twist /  by Katie Brightbill

Today I'm going to talk about hair. I've always heard moms complain about bangs needing to be trimmed or bangs needing to be grown long and I said "when I have children they will not have bangs. Too much maintenance!" And I've actually stuck to it (even though I sometimes love the look of bangs on little girls). I never cut Sophie's bangs when she was little. I just let the hair grow altogether. It's sooo much easier! The front hair still tends to be a bit shorter than in the back, but it's much simpler to have a long strand fall out of a ponytail and just put a bobby pin over there and voila! You can see her face again!

The hairstyle in this picture is the one that gets the most compliments and is probably the easiest thing in the world for me to do do for her. It's the perfect style for her ballet class because they like the girls to have their hair out of their eyes. Just pull hair (brushed or not!) to the side like you're putting it in a side ponytail. Use an adult ponytail holder so that you have plenty of space to twist it in a tight bun and get all the extra flyaways (little girl ones always leave tons of excess hair and look messier). Put a bobby pin on the other side to hold the shorter hair in place and you're done! As the day goes, the bun loosens to perfection, but with the adult ponytail holder, it doesn't fall out unless your daughter pulls it out herself!

It's Friday, I'm in Love /  by Katie Brightbill

Don Pisto's: 510 Union Street, San Francisco

I'll be honest, my husband and I don't get dates quite as often as we'd like, but about once a month we get out on our own to get some good eats and peaceful conversation. We're kind of foodies, so we like to try new things all the time, but some places are just so good we can't help but go back for more.

Our current rut is for Don Pisto's in North beach. So good they don't even need a sign out front! They don't take reservations, so if you get there any time past 6pm, just plan on waiting awhile... get there even earlier on the weekends! The interior is pretty small, but the tables aren't too close, so you can still enjoy a private conversation. I'd feel comfortable going in jeans and flats, but I prefer to dress it up when I don't have a stroller to push: a comfy short dress, tan suede booties, a denim jacket and some big earrings is a good north beach date uniform for me.

My recommendations: their guacamole is absolutely delicious, the tortilla soup is giant (serves 2 generous portions) and tastes unbelievable, and the al pastor tacos (pictured) are our favorites. Really, you can't go wrong.

Hope you get a chance to get out on a date this weekend!

XO,

Kate

Back to the Books /  by Katie Brightbill

Emma is starting pre-school later this month for the first time. Eeek how did time fly by so fast?! How is my little girl already heading off to school? I will definitely be a mess the first day, even though she will only be attending part time. The plus side of it is that I'll be able to have some quality one-on-one time with Cohen.

I'm telling you-- shopping for cute AND great quality clothes for kids tends to be difficult. I am a tad picky! I started scouting outfits for her school days way ahead of time.

Here are a few of my top back-to-school must-haves for Em:

Elephants Above /  by Katie Brightbill

Maggie is turning one in a couple of weeks, and one thing that I neglected to buy for her first year was a mobile. When we were at the Renegade Craft Fair a couple weeks ago, I was perusing the aisles of artistic brilliance with Maggie, and saw the Petit Collage booth. She was enamored with the gorgeous bamboo and paper mobiles hanging and I was enamored with the sign that said 50% off! It also was a pleasant coincidence that theirs were the mobiles I had pinned and pined over. Perfection! Do yourself a favor and visit their website. Their products are made impeccably!

*Kate*