How To Throw A Successful Gender Reveal

A few months ago, we helped our cousins plan their

gender reveal party

. From the beginning, they wanted a balloon release reveal and did not want to find out until the event. -----> Insert my role - The Box!

All you need is a 1) large box + 2) a dozen helium balloons (pink or blue). We bought the balloons the afternoon of the party and tried our best to seal the box shut. While stuffing the box, I did have to pull Gabriel in the room to help - those balloons can get tricky!

When planning a gender reveal party, make sure to have someone to gather the "top secret info" without spilling the beans. If you want to keep it a surprise, let the technician know your plans ahead of time.

The day before the party, my cousin when to the doctor to have the ultrasound. From there, she went straight to our house to avoid any late night peeking temptations! I think it's best for the parents-to-be to make the appointment a day or two before the event date to avoid anxious waiting!

This gender reveal was the second one I've attended and loved the way it turned out. Gabriel and I have decided, when the time comes for us to have a little one, we want to find out the sex at the appointment together first and then throw a reveal party to surprise our family and friends!

Are you thinking of throwing a gender reveal party soon? Here are some of my favorite ideas ideas:

Dessert Reveal 

Balloon Release 

Hand Print Reveal 

Silly String Reveal 

Scratch Off Card Reveal 

P.S If you want to capture the moment in a special way, designate someone to either take photo or videos! You will be happy you did!

DIY Stationary Clothesline

For the past couple months, I've been working on building our iba paper goods home studio. As of this week, my husband and I choose the "perfect desk",

fingers crossed

. We will hopefully pick it up in a few weeks.

Aside from finding the right desk, I've also been on the hunt for a practical office chair, comfy rug and closet storage solution. My goal is to accomplish all of these tasks before summer comes to an end.

Do you have any office items you'd recommend?

One of my favorite things about the studio is its simplicity. If you were to walk into my studio before this clothesline was created, you would have probably found stationary, samples, liners and envelopes scattered everywhere. A few storage boxes, thumbtacks and twine later,  we now have a much more organized system.

The most difficult task with this project, however, was figuring out which wall would work best. I didn't want to add thumbtacks to the wall (

which I suppose you could

). I wanted to use the window/door moldings so they would be less visible.

If you aren't interested in hanging stationary, you could always use this idea to hang photos, inspirational quote, important dates etc.

Supplies:

-thick twine

-clear thumbtacks

-hammer

-scissors

-clothespins

1. Measure wall height and determine how many hanging ropes you want.

2. Divide the wall evenly and sketch where the thumbtacks should go.

3. Hammer thumbtacks to the molding/wall.

4. Measure twine and tie to thumbtacks. Remember the cards will pull the twine down - leave extra room.

5. Grab your clothespins and begin stringing your inspiration!

A Cheery Easter Printable

Wow is this year flying by or what?! We left for vacation on what seemed to be the beginning of March and have now returned to the middle of spring. But one things for sure, I'm eager to get back into a healthy routine after all the delicious vacation food. But isn't that the best part of going away? Getting off your routine and splurging? Yes, I think so!

This week I have a bunch planned for you- I will share details from our Australian vacation and will also be sharing my newest breakfast routine. Stay tuned!

In the meantime, I designed an Easter printable (using images from JDC) for you to enjoy!

Click to download.

DIY Chalkboard Door

Since we've moved into our house, we've made it a goal to make it represent us. From the soft colors to plantation shutters and mix of textures, we're well on our way of creating a home that reflects our style. And when I say OUR style, I actually mean our style. God knew what he was doing when he gave us our taste. We have the exact same taste in just about everything home. This small coincidence, I sure am thankful for.

So now we can move onto the topic of chalkboards. Who isn't swooning over them? Black and white art you can change at the drop of a hat, turn of a season. Let's do it! My dream would be to have exactly 3 chalkboards in our home.

 1) home office 2) pantry 3) dining room

Now I know what you are thinking.. why on earth would you need 3 chalkboards in one little home? Glad you asked.  Home office = glorious to do list. Pantry = weekly menu/calendar. Dining room = seasonal graphic.

And there you have it. One day all three will be up and running. As for now, we are 1/3 of the way there and have a whole lot of paint left over. Hint, hint hubby!
....

DIY Chalkboard in 5 Simple Steps 
1. Wash surface & let dry.
2. Paint 2 to 3 liberal coats of chalkboard paint.
   (We choose Rust-Oleum brand and were really satisfied)
3. Let sit for 3 days.
4. "Chalk prime" the entire surface.
5. Wipe down & begin!

Even Gari got into it!

Clean House Freebie

With summer quickly coming to an end, I decided to create a cleaning chart to lessen my work load of "cleaning day." While home for the summer, I designate one day a week to scrub the entire house- usually averaging about 5 hours.

With my full time work schedule coming soon, "cleaning day" just won't fit in... so now I present to you my quick 30 minutes a day solution!

This is my first week starting it out (I wanted to try it out before the summer ends) and I am sort of enjoying the fact that I only have 30 minutes to do a day rather than a one time 5 hour shot.

Want to try for yourself? Click here for a free download to fill out with your own schedule!

Happy cleaning!