Daily Craft - This hat is a hoot!

I'm participating in another birthday swap with some Ravelry folk in one of the birth boards and was determined to find the time to crochet something fun for the recipient.  I seem to have much more free time in the evenings now that Owen has transitioned to regular milk and we got rid of the bottles.  Is that a good excuse to spend more time crafting?  I hope so!

Almost as soon as I started my search for a cute hat to crochet, I came across this rather fantastic owl hat from Repeat Crafter Me and knew it was the one. She's actually written the pattern in newborn through adult sizes, so nobody needs to feel left out! It was a quick pattern to work up and my only complaint would have been that I misjudged the size of the buttons to use for the eyes (although that's user error and the pattern writer should not be held responsible). 


I do hope the recipient loves it. It's just so cute that there may be more owl hats in my future...

Daily Deal - My Memories Scrapbooking Software FREE!! (This week only)

Thanks to my sponsor, My Memories, I have a code to download their awesome digital scrapbooking software for FREE (a $40 value).  No raffles, no quizzes, no random number generators, no strings attached.  (Of course, if you'd like to become a follower of my blog, I'd love that but it's not a requirement!)  This is completely free to my readers for this week only.  Just go to http://www.mymemories.com/ > Software > Choose the My Memories Suite.  Enter the following code at checkout (I recommend you cut and paste).  FreeTreatHA109

So, a little bit about the My Memories Suite software.  This is my go-to for any kind of scrapbooking stuff.  I will admit to being a pretty bad at scrap-booking on paper.  I do love making photobooks though, which makes this software the perfect addition to my arsenal as I don't have to rely on the presets offered by whatever site I'm ordering the book from.  In addition to the pre-set templates that the software has loaded, there's a TON of beautiful paper and element downloads on the My Memories site - some free, some paid.  The beautiful part being that once you've purchased a kit, you can use it as many times as you like, rather than just the once like regular paper.  It's so easy to move elements, change picture sizes, add shadows, borders, layer "papers" and so on.    

I've been working on Owen's first year book for a little while now.  Here's a sampling of pages that I've compiled using the software along with the Sweet Baby Boy kit (a steal at $3.99).

Another great use for the software is for holiday cards, invitations, etc. I used it to do Owen's birth announcement, birthday invitation, baby shower invite for a friend, holiday card for 2012...the list is endless when it comes to possible uses.  There's also a neat function to create a "movie" from your scrapbook, which is something I hope to explore should I ever finish Owen's book!

Once again, the code is FreeTreatHA109 and it will only be active through November 11th.  What are you waiting for?  Go get your download! 

Daily Baby - Happy Birthday Owen

Hard to believe that my little boy is one.  He's an actual PERSON, not just a helpless, tiny, scrunched-up thing.  We had his party this weekend and he was surrounded by family and friends, all of whom are very much appreciated for attending!  I was having a bit of a decorations meltdown at the park as there was just enough of a breeze that nothing wanted to stay put.  I had to take a deep breath, remind myself that it doesn't need to go on Pinterest, and be secure in the knowledge that the people there to celebrate were far more important than the balloons staying upright.  Armed with a roll of duct tape, my brother went for the uncle of the year award and fixed it all while I ran home to pick up the birthday boy, who was being dressed by his auntie, who should also get an award for leaving home at 4:30am and driving 5 hours to be there. Little man celebrated his first year with his first slice of pizza, stealing and chowing down on a cake pop from his auntie's hand, and sharing his first cupcake with mommy. 

So, after my first year of parenthood, I look back and wonder if I'd do anything differently.  To be honest, I don't think I would.  We've had our ups and downs.  There have been moments of sleeplessness and frustration, far outweighed by joy and laughter.  We have a happy, friendly, funny little boy who delights us and those around him on a daily basis.  He makes us proud, which makes me think we must have done something right.  It's been an adventure, but a grand one.  I can't wait to see what the next chapter brings.

Happy Birthday my little love.