WZWW #6 - Monochromatic, how to do it right.

Flashback What Zoe Wore post!  She's 3 in these photos.  A cute, smiling, totally amiable, non-confrontational 3 year old.

Who liked to wear monochromatic color.  Again, I ask, why can she pull this off?  Because she's 3?  Because she's so darn adorable regardless?  Because it really does look good to pair the same color in different hues and I just really am clueless about how it all works?

And can I just point out that pop of navy at her feet?  That's got to be a happy accident that it works so well as an outfit, right?  I mean, no 3 year old has fashion sense this articulate, do they?

Bubble Top: Target, hand me down, from about 4 years ago

Capris: Thrifted, $1.00

Canvas Tennies: Walmart, clearance, $2.00

Pretty sure those capris are actually supposed to be shorts.  My children do not have height on their side...

*Be sure to check below for all the fun parties I link to!*

Not sure where the summer went, but it's almost august.

It's almost August.  You know what that means!  
Yes, summer vacay is almost over.  But that's not what I'm talking about.

Gift it.  Gift it good. is coming up!  Yea!

For those of you who are unaware, Gift it. Gift it good. is an annual event around here.  All month long I share awesome guest posts about handmade gifts, give you some of my very own gifty tutorials, and round up some seriously awesome gift ideas from all around the web.

It's pretty much my favorite time of year.  Except for Christmas.  Which also involves giving gifts!  Go figure.

You can see the very first ever Gift it. Gift it good. series from 2012 here.  

And check out last year's Gift it. here.

So why am I telling you this NOW, in the middle of July?  Because I need you!  I'm accepting guest post submissions for this awesome handmade gift idea event now!  Some basic details: 
1. You should be a blogger of some sort.
2. Your gift idea/post submission doesn't need to be a NEW tutorial, but you may need to edit it to fit the guest post and relate to the series.
3. The idea/project needs to be YOURS.  I don't want you to submit anything you don't have the rights to.
4. I'm looking for anything and everything!  Birthday presents, Mother's Day, Teacher Appreciation, Neighbor Gifts, You Just Got a Promotion Gifts, I Kind of Like You gifts, everything!  Semi-handmade or handmade, gift basket ideas, round ups of your favorite go-to gifts, etc.  
5. email me with questions, comments, etc. 

bugaboo blog (@) yahoo (.) com

Let's make Gift it. 2014 the best yet!

*Be sure to check below for all the fun parties I link to!*

It's always time for chocolate.

I love chocolate.  It's a deep-rooted, passionate, long-lasting, feverish kind of love.  It may not be the healthiest love affair ever, but it is what it is, right?
This is a cake I came up with one night while standing in the kitchen during a particularly potent bout of chocolate-love-itis, when there was nothing in sight that would sufficiently relieve the fever.

I pulled from a few cake recipes and added some twists of my own, then rounded it all out with a dose delicious, homemade chocolate butter cream frosting.

There's a recipe card I'm pretty sure you want to print out.  Yep.  Fellow chocolate-itis sufferers unite!

I admit, I'm a novice when it comes to my own baked creations.  Experiments in the kitchen go awry more than I'd like.  But sometimes I hit on something truly delicious.  This cake is NOT your average chocolate cake.  It is NOT light and fluffy.  It is not soft and squishy and moist.  While this guy surprised my with its density, it wasn't a bad surprise.  And I decided I actually kind of liked it - it was a pleasant variation on the typical treat.

I've concluded that it's a cross between a cake, brownie and chunk of fudge and have dubbed it "Chocolate Fudge Cake".  And really, how can you go wrong with a cake, a brownie and some fudge all rolled into one?

Honestly.  How??

*Be sure to check below for all the fun parties I link to!*

Frames. And what they hold.

This is not a post about frames.  

I repeat, this is not a post about frames - despite the title and the first photos.

I was "commissioned" by a friend to help with photos at her son's wedding reception/open house.  I went to church with her until she and her family moved away last year, but since they still have family and tons of friends in this area, they planned an open house here for just after the wedding and reception.  She needed help with decorations, setting up, the cake, and photos.  She also wanted a photo booth set up, and that's where my "expertise" came in.  As you know, I'm no good with cakes, so we left that to my sister in law.  My sister is an artist/photographer, so most of the photography was in her hands.  I helped making centerpieces and setting up, but I also did a bunch of stuff for the photo booth.  I'll share more about that a little later, but first up, these frames:

because although this isn't a post about frames, they are crucial to the story.  
I spray painted frames.  Spray paint and I have a long history together.  I hated it.  I loved it.  I made mistakes that turned out pretty cool.  So I decided to return the old standby for this project.
I scored some FREE art (yes free!) at a rummage sale with these giant frames.  There are actually 8 frames total, and to match the wedding colors, I painted some lavender ish and one lime green ish.  That one had me worried.  I painted it once and it wasn't quite right, so painted over it which was worse, then painted it lightly again with the first color and suddenly it was perfect.  So it was a totally custom spray paint color, a la me.  I also did a silver one, a black one, left one wooden and one white one which I don't recommend doing if your backdrop is also white - ahem.

More info about the photo booth itself later on.  

Now, to the real point of this post.

Bad art.  Due to the frames I needed and received (for free!) I became the proud owner of some pretty awesome bad art.  The kind of bad art you can't even turn into something cool.

I was taking the frames apart for painting purposes when Zoe wandered into the garage.

"What are you going to do with those?" She asked, pointing at the, ahem, ART.
"Throw them in the garbage." I said without even thinking.
GASP!! "You can't do that!!!" She exclaimed, "THEY ARE BEAUTIFUL!"

And then she rescued them.
Later, in her bedroom, I saw them on display:

With some of her more "beautiful" stuffed animals.

Which left me with some questions.  

1. Who decides what is beautiful and what is not?  Who decides what will be tossed away in the garbage and what is worth saving?  To my "experienced" eyes, these weren't worth keeping even for painting practice, but from a 4 year old perspective they were full of emotion.  They had stories.  They needed to be seen.
2. What else do I carelessly discard without a second thought?  Cards and letters that my daughter has "hoarded" for years have gone into the trash pile, only to be saved again and again with tear-filled eyes.  Who am I to say they aren't worth it?  Are there other things?  People I haven't given a full chance?  Someone who needs help that I've walked past without glancing?  My own kids when they vie for my attention but I'm "too busy right this second"?  What am I discarding without thinking of the actual value?
3. How do I get rid of something horrible and ugly that my child has latched onto with her heart and soul?  No, really, this is an honest to goodness question.  How can I sneak these out?  Will there be irreparable harm done if I do?  What have you done in similar situations?  Give me some advice.  Really.  

Because while I love that she sees beauty in nearly everything, I still don't want nearly everything in my house.  Know what I mean?

*Be sure to check below for all the fun parties I link to!*

*Be sure to check below for all the fun parties I link to!*

WZWW #5 - Bold? You call this bold??

This was actually at the very end of last summer.  She needs a haircut in these pics... don't judge.

One thing about Zoe - she's not afraid of pattern.  Or color.  And she's not afraid to mix and match both.

Which is fairly typical of all 4 year olds who are allowed to choose their own outfits, I suppose.

But they don't all do it quite this successfully:

How does she pull this off?  No, really.  I'd like to know.  Because if I paired this together I'd get hauled in to What Not To Wear... if there still was a What Not To Wear (oh, stacey and clinton!  Why have you abandoned me?!?)

Deets:

Tank: Walmart, last year, 3.50

leggings: Walmart, last year, 5.00

Adorable pink moccasins: Minnetonka, gift from Oma (I probably wouldn't spend this much on moccasins for the girl, but they're so darn cute) $22 ish.  (They're about $32 online, but we got them instore.  You could probably find them on Amazon as well.)

Somehow, my daughter does bold without it being bold.  This is totally normal for her.  If I ever see her do HER version of bold I'll be sure to snap a pic.  It's bound to be amazing.

*Be sure to check below for all the fun parties I link to!*