Harry Potter Trunk Or Treat
The big Harry Potter interest started back in 2020. Today it’s 2023, yep I’m behind in writing about it! Our first big thing we did was a trunk or treat with my MOMS Club group. Our theme that year was a Harry Potter Halloween. I will give you all kinds of tips and guide you…
Splatoon2 Birthday Party
Have you ever heard of the video game called Splatoon2 or even seen any birthday party ideas around it? Nope, me either! Back in 2020 someone told us about this video game thinking JP was at the right age for it. As with most of you I’m guessing you watched way more TV than usual…
Budget Friendly Bathroom Makeover
The last 2 years were sure challenging year for many. If you are like me I am sick of talking about it so lets just leave it at that! However, I bet a lot of us did tackle projects around the house. I guess there were a few positives. What was on your list? My…
Wood Block Signs
I am going to take you on a long journey on how the wood block signs came to be. Back in the spring when the quarantine started everyone was busy with home projects. When you are stuck at home there is no better time to start checking things off the to-do list. We did not…
Wishin’ I Was Fishin’
I think on a daily basis the phrase Wishin’ I was Fishin’ goes through my husbands head. He can literally stay on the water fishing from sun up to sun down if he is able to. I really enjoy being in the boat on the water but I can not fish for nearly that long.…
Summer Popsicle Door Sign
Where do I begin? It’s been forever since I’ve written or shared anything. As I worked on projects during this crazy time in our world I realized I’d been sharing things to Instagram but not here. I have a lot of catching up to do! The first thing to share is this super fun summer…
Reversible Spring and Easter Home Decor
I love having seasonal decor items that are multipurpose. This reversible spring and Easter block set is perfect for the multi-use home decor. I don’t know about you but in our area the craft or paint nights are huge. In the fall the executive board that I am on for a local MOMS Club chapter…
Book Character Pumpkin
Did you get the family project to do a book character pumpkin? We did! I think I was a little more excited than I needed to be for this project. I remember having pumpkin decorating contests in school when I was a kid. While this wasn’t a contest, it was a mandatory 1st grade family…
Pillow Home Decor
I love the look of having special pillows out with the rest of your seasonal home decor. When I look at Pinterest or Instagram it always looks so nice and classy to have fun different pillow home decor. Reality though, pillows are not cheap and where do you keep them? That’s a lot of bulk…
Star Wars Birthday Party – Jedi Training
When your son says he wants a Star Wars birthday party then Jedi Training it is! Earlier this year we were at Hollywood Studios and that was really his first exposure to Star Wars. He got a kick out of meeting the characters and seeing them in the brief show they do throughout the day…
Chicago Cubs Custom Shirts -Take Me Out To The Ball Game
We all need Chicago Cubs custom shirts! It had been several years since I had been to Wrigley Field for a Chicago Cubs game. A tough things for this Cubs fan to handle is that our local baseball league is sponsored by the Chicago White Sox. Ugh, putting the uniform on is hard! The last…
Amazon Prime Wardrobe – Testing A New Shopping Model
I was able to test a hopefully revamped model of Aamzon Prime Wardrobe. Find out how it works, some quirks I hope get worked out and reviews on 7 items of clothing.
Kicking Off The Season With A Baseball Parade
Baseball season is here and we kicked it off with a baseball parade. This is one of my favorite times of the year. Sports defines the seasons for me. When baseball starts it means warm weather is near. When football start it means winter. Guess which one is my favorite! Being from Illinois you have…
Mickey Mouse & Minnie Mouse Birthday Party Love
All kids love Mickey Mouse, right? For some girls it may even be a love of Minnie Mouse. Having a Mickey or Minnie Mouse birthday party is so popular in the 1-3 age range. Disclaimer: Links may be affiliate links meaning if you click through and make a purchase at no additional cost to you…
Do I or Don’t I
Custom vinyl decals to personalize anything you can imagine. Yeti’s, wine glasses, laptops, cell phones and more.
Black Friday Sales You Can’t Miss
Now that you have spent the day with family and friends and relax with a food coma it’s time to hit the Black Friday sales. Let us know what great things you found! Abercrombie – All jeans 50% off. Valid 11/15-1/2. Ann Taylor – 40% off everything with code THANKFUL. Valid 11/21-11/22. – 50% off everything with…
Cyber Week Sales Happening NOW
Your inbox is probably full of emails from stores that at some point in your life you shopped with. If you are like me you delete them or maybe you are on the other end of the spectrum and you have thousands of emails in your inbox. Regardless, there is no way to keep all…
35 Things You Didn’t Know You Needed To Know…About Me
In effort for my readers to learn a little more about me I am taking part in a blogger tag Happy reading and here I am! Are you named after anyone? My middle name is the same as my mom and grandma but that’s as close as it gets as far as being named for…
Farmhouse & Glitter
Farmhouse and Glitter, is that a combo style or what…lol! I don’t mean I am putting those two styles together, don’t worry. This year I decided to sell ornaments for the holidays. I have two styles and I bet you just guessed what they are. Some ornaments are farmhouse inspired and some ornaments are bold…
Make It Monday – Fall Pumpkins
It is officially fall here in the Chicago-land. Well, maybe we skipped fall and went straight to winter. This week it was 85 one day at 40 the next. I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised though, the changing of the seasons typically brings on air conditioning one day and the heater the next. How do…
Hot Wheels Birthday
Well let me start by saying I blew it big time this year. For those who were here and wondered I apologize and for everyone else I am sorry for the crappy pictures. This is real life and for as much as I try to seem as if I have it all together…proof that I…
Tall Girls – Finding the Perfect Romper
For those of you over 5’5″ you are probably in a similar boat realizing that maybe rompers are not meant for you. For a couple of years I’ve had that thought. I see all kinds of cute ones on people but any that I had tried were just way too short in that it’s riding…
Need A Closet Update: Stitch Fix Review
One of the reasons I want to share my shopping experiences for clothes is because I have such a hard time finding things that fit me. I dread shopping because of it. I never considered myself that out of the norm but supposedly the average women is 5’4” and somewhere between 140 and 160 pounds. …
12 Activities To Keep Little Ones Busy While On The Road
It’s summer time and that means a lot of family vacations. I love vacation but struggle with long road trips. I need to prepare for myself just as I do JP! I have more than enough always planned and ready just in case. I would much rather fly! It doesn’t usually make the day much…
Red, White & Blue Is Easy To Do
Disclaimer: Some links may be affiliate links which means at no additional cost to you I may receive a referral commission. While the 4th of July is a celebration of Independence, it’s also a day most people gather and have a cookout before the fireworks. What will you bring to your gathering this year? I…
The Low Down on A Reverse Canvas
You’ve seen them on Pinterest, the farmhouse style signs with a nice quote. It looks like a nice wood frame, white background and typically black lettering. Something you pay a pretty penny for in a store. Guess what, don’t spend your hard earned money on them you can do it your self or ask a…
Amazon Prime Wardrobe, Bust or Must?
Amazon, everyone knows who they are and most people shop with them. Are you a fan or has the fad worn off? Disclaimer: some links in this post may contain affiliate links which means if you click through and make a purchase at no additional cost to you I will receive a small referral commission.…
Shirt Making – Simple Steps Anyone Can Do
Tshirts with mom quotes, beer or wine quotes and kid related images or quotes are all the rage these days. They are super popular on sites like Zulily and Etsy. Disclaimer: some links are affiliate links where if you click through and make a purchase I will receive a small referral at no additional cost…
What Everyone Should Know About Refinishing Furniture
When you hear ‘refinishing’ furniture if you are like me you think strip, sand, re-stain and immediately say no way. I think I have DIY project ADD because about half way through I tend to think why on earth did I think I needed to do this. These thoughts are why my immediate reaction to…
Check That Off The List
Do you ever have little things in life that just drive you crazy but you deal with it or just never really make time to figure out a solution? Well one of those things for me is when you get to the end of a bottle of lotion, conditioner, body wash, a condiment in the…
School Valentine
Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. This isn’t a holiday we make a big deal about but any holiday like this this is fun for me to get creative. Our school does not allow food items when there are holiday or birthday celebrations. This is perfectly fine with me because we don’t really want…
Beach Fun
If you have a trip to a beach in the future you need what I’m about to show you. I am so excited to use ours very soon. I couldn’t post about them sooner because I made them for my family for Christmas. I stumbled across this fantastic site while I was looking for vinyl. …
Hidden Vegetable Tacos
Did you know that you can hide vegetables in tacos? Me neither. That is until I decided to get creative one night. For quite some time I’ve added riced cauliflower to anything with ground meat. This does a couple of things. First off it it bulks up the recipe. We buy our meat in bulk…
Don’t Toss the Tassel
Do you know where any of the tassels from graduations are? Until a few years ago I didn’t know where mine were. Well, I guess I knew they were somewhere at my parents. God bless my mom because she kept everything at their house. It’s been almost 20 years since I last lived there and…
How To Make A Christmas Countdown With Kids Activities
Just like you I am a Pinterest addict. Admitting it is half the battle, right? As I was looking this year and saw all of the Christmas countdowns and advent calendars I knew in my head what I wanted. I wanted a combination of it all where you have the countdown with things to do. …
Fun New Websites
Disclosure: Some of the links are affiliate links meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. I only recommend sites and products I personally use and like. I love finding new and unique items. As I make more time for my crafting I…
Healthy(er) Pancakes
Disclosure: Some of the links are affiliate links meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. I only recommend sites and products I personally use and like. I never thought I’d actually be writing about a recipe. I do a majority of home…
The Troubles of Clothes Shopping – Stitch Fix Reveal
Fall has hit, more like winter already but I guess that’s the joy of Illinois weather! As I’m sure a lot of you do this as the season changes you look in your closet and think I have nothing to wear. As you know I’m not a fan of going to a store to shop. …
Best Defense…Early Detection
In a world where pink is everywhere in the month of October and donations fly out of pockets I can’t help but cringe. Organizations talk about early detection and finding cures. What organization or medical community talks about prevention or reducing your risk??? NONE ( at least that I hear about)!!! Why? If there was…
Guide to Essential Oils
Who doesn’t love using essential oils these days? While they are not ‘new’ they sure have become popular over the last few years. The problem I have is that there is a ton of unsafe usage floating around the internet. There are several oils that are very common that are not recommended for use with…
Happy Fall
Everyone’s favorite season is fall. Not mine! Yes, it is pretty but for me it means the cold winter is just around the corner. Football has the same meaning…winter! I will complain about the winter but in all likelihood will remain here until it’s time for my dear hubby to retire. He says we’ll go…
PJ Masks, It’s Time To Be A Hero
PJ Masks we’re on our way, into the night to save the day! PJ Masks has been the favorite daytime cartoon for a while now so when it came time to pick a party theme this year I’ll give you a second to guess what it may have been! I actually found this a little…
Little Boy Dream Train Bedroom
I’ve been waiting for so long to finally do this post. The room took a little longer than anticipated to get all of the finishing touches done and then remembering to actually take pictures. This was also a long time in thought. I don’t make decisions quickly so once I get it into my head…
Sip Sip Hurray!
Today at school was JP’s pretend birthday celebration since his birthday is in the summer. I didn’t want to spend a fortune on little trinkets since it has to be non food items. We’ve had the whole school year of what other people had sent so I also didn’t want to duplicate. I know, who…
See Ya Real Soon
The Mickey theme seems to be such a popular kids party theme so my Etsy shop is growing! I’ve had a couple of requests for this and just never got around to making it a permanent listing. It’s the perfect compliment to the Come Inside Its Fun Inside door sign. People are hanging it on…
Making Old New Again
Our front porch needed something. Yes it’s one of the first things you see of the house but to ‘decorate’ it just seemed like a low priority since we don’t necessarily use it every day. I did finally get some chairs and a table and it’s nice to sit out there. I still need to…
Another Stitch Fix Review
I scheduled this post to go live on February 10th and apparently I did something wrong because it was still sitting in my drafts! ************************************************************ Although the last fix was good, it wasn’t totally what I had in mind for a quick refresh before our trip. I requested another fix. This time I did say…
Valentines For School
Valentines Day is coming up and you know me I have to make my own. Edible treats are not allowed for anything in the classroom and I was in Michaels one day and picked up the little bubbles. Perfect, and they would be what I would design the valentine around. I scoured Pinterest because I’m…
Stitch Fix Reveal
It’s been a long time since I have received a fix. I just purged my closet of things I haven’t worn in a year or things I wore because it was there even though I didn’t like the way it fit anymore. It’s baffling to me how the body changes. The number on the scale…
Christmas Ornaments
I can finally post about the ornaments I made for our nephews this year. They are in their 20’s and we never know what to get them. They are getting their own places so I think this was the first year they had gifts of things they actually needed, bakeware, irons, sheets and things like…
Top Mommy Blogs
I’m super excited to announce that my blog has been accepted into the Top Mommy Blog community! This is a community of top mommy (and daddy too) bloggers. There are a slew of categories that people are blogging about so it’s easy to find the different categories of blogs to suite your interests. My blog…
Staying Healthy In The Winter
In the Chicagoland we’ve had some pretty inconsistent weather this fall/winter. As I put my Christmas light outside after Thanksgiving we still had leaves on the bushes. I had just told my husband that I remember as a kid we would stuff old jeans and flannels with leaves to make scarecrows for the fall and…
Minnie Mouse Digital Download
The other day I was finally going to check an item off of my list and create the Minnie Mouse digital come inside door sign. It happened to be the day that a bunch of sites were taken down for a while due to a cyber denial of service attack. Etsy, Pinterest, Twitter and a…
Cancer
October is a month of breast cancer awareness. It’s also a month for liver cancer awareness. Just about every month has some kind of cancer awareness because cancer seems to be WAY to common these days. One of the things I am passionate about is prevention of all cancers. For several years now I’ve educated…
End of an Era
A few weeks ago I got an email and the subject made my heat race for a brief moment of panic. It was notification that in 30 days my PMP (Project Management Professional) certification would expire. For anyone that isn’t familiar with project management it’s like an accountant letting their CPA go. When I quit…
Summer Olympics
I love watching the Olympics. Growing up I remember going through phases where there was a sport I wanted to grow up and do at the Olympics. The first was gymnastics. I never took gymnastics but my mom taught me basics and I even had that leotard that Mary Lou Retton had that looked like…
Train 3rd Birthday
It’s no surprise around here that this year was a train birthday party. JP loves any train, not just Thomas so I wanted to make sure it wasn’t a Thomas party but we aren’t really ‘vintage’ style people either so it actually took me a while to figure out how to make the theme work.…
Growing my Etsy shop
I will slowly be adding items to my shop and will likely focus on downloadable printables. I love crafting and hand making items for parties and things like that but I want time for that to be my own hobby and not having the only time I do it to be for ‘work’. JP has…
Macaroni Day
There is a day for everything! I actually really like that there is because it helps with ideas on things to do with the kids. Supplies needed:-noodles (any kind you can thread through)-rubbing alcohol-food coloring-paper towels-cookie trays-baggies-rubber/plastic glove-yarn-tape-paper cups-pipe cleaners-hole punch This list seems long but it’s likely a lot of things you already have.…
4th of July Star Wand
It’s the 4th of July and a lot of these kiddos are probably a little young for sparklers and other fun but potentially dangerous activities that come with the holiday. Something for them to shake and catch their eye was what I was going for. Supplies needed: -popsicle sticks -festive garland -white craft paper -foam…
Father’s Day
This was a tough one for me. I had scoured Pinterest and just wasn’t finding anything that was really catching my interest for a good project for all of the little ones we have in our Fit4MOM community. I sat in the kids craft isle at Michael’s just staring blankly. This is the idea that…
Chocolate Ice Cream Day
June 7th is Chocolate Ice Cream Day. Who needs an excuse to eat ice cream though, certainly not us!! Supplies needed: -brown paint -foam paint brush -full sheets of paper (in colors that brown paint will show up on) -paper for ice cream and cherries -brown marker -glue stick For this craft I cut…
Fit4Mom Mother’s Day Craft
This week we are doing a big celebration of moms all week. The best thing is that it’s a week of free classes for people to try out. Every class…Stroller Strides, Fit4Baby, Body Back and the running club. How great is that! There have been a bunch of new moms out this week too! This…
Arbor Day
The first American Arbor Day was originated in Nebraska in April of 1872 where an estimated 1,000,000 trees were planted in Nebraska alone! Turns out there’s no ‘set’ date for it. It’s celebrated in many countries so it’s celebrated when the best time in that climate is for planting trees. To celebrate the day with…
St. Patrick’s Day
There are all kinds of fun things you can do with the kids for St. Patrick’s Day. I’ve done a lot of hand print crafts in the past and it’s a little challenging with the babies. I wanted something with paint because tracing and cutting hands take a little time. Time and free hands just…
Dr. Seuss
Dr. Seuss has a birthday in early March. I’ve actually been learning a lot about him lately as we gear up for Relay for Life season. He died of cancer and some of his phrases fit very well with cancer awareness/prevention. Having his birthday to celebrate was a fun way to make a regular play…
Things All Parents Should Know
What parent doesn’t want the best for their family? Everyone tries to do everything in their power to do what they believe is best. What do you do though when the marketing and advertising we see is deceptive? We’ve all seen the commercials with little boys in the bathroom then “life’s bleachable moments” or ‘Bleach…
Leap Year
It’s a leap year! What other fun way to celebrate than with a leap frog craft. I probably do more handprint activities than what some moms would like because hands are typically challenging with little ones. JP has been pretty good with them because when he was young and we would color or use the…
Pinecone Bird Feeder
All kids need to be exposed to different textures and not just 1 time. I remember the first time JP felt grass, he’d army crawl off of the blanket and touch it and didn’t know what to do about it. If you sat him in it he would lift 1 leg up so it wasn’t…
Reindeer Handprint Craft
I am the playgroup coordinator for my Fit4Mom group. Once a week after our Stroller Strides class I have a brief activity that we do with the kids. It’s been fun! This post is a little late since it was a craft we did right before Christmas but I’ll get caught up someday. I don’t…
Mickey Mouse Birthday Party
To view items from this party or request an item visit my Welcoming Sentiments Etsy shop. Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links which means if you click and make a purchase I earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Another year has come and gone and JP is now 2.…
Monkey 1st Birthday
This post is very late but as my multitasking mind takes over I am now on my 3rd different thing that I’m doing on the computer besides what I sat down to do. When planning his birthday party and theme I went with a general monkey theme. We don’t watch a lot of TV and…
Stitch Fix
It’s been over a year since my last ‘Fix’ and I decided to give it another try. Ever since JP was born I haven’t really bought many clothes for myself. Some of my old clothes still fit and some don’t but a big problem is that I have completely different needs. Now that I am…
Fun Foods
Red, White and Blue Oreo Pops Fruit and Cheese Skewers 4th of July strawberries Oreo Pops for a bridal shower Mummy Oreo Pops Santa! Strawberry Tree Halloween cupcakes Golf cake
Read Labels
Did you know there is no regulation around what information can be on a product label? If the label says “Green”, ‘Natural” or “Non-Toxic” it must be true, right? WRONG! Unfortunately we can’t trust a label. That is prime real estate for a company to catch your eye and hope you don’t actually check ingredients…
The Dangers of Bleach
My initial questions I had about why do so many kids have asthma and allergies led into a spider web of information so I’ll try and keep my thoughts organized and start with some of the products in your household that are contributing to repertory issues. First of all is bleach (chlorine bleach), it aggravates…
And so it begins…
My little disclaimer before I begin my with my findings…I by no means claim to be an expert. Anything you research has ‘facts’ on both sides of the debate/issue as well as 100 things in-between so you have to go with what your gut is telling you and determine what works for you and your…
My latest project
The blog has been pretty quiet lately! I had been on a crazy project at work which required a lot of extra time. We also started a new endeavor with our own side business so that has taken up most of our ‘free time’ outside of our full time jobs. We also started a new…
Greeting Cards
Here are some of the greeting cards I’ve created. I can customize anything to fit your colors, themes etc.
I had a blast planning our wedding. It was fun incorporating golf and things that are really ‘us’. Dress from Bela Sposa Boutique I purchased the custom hanger on Etsy Green orchids with pink roses My Kate Spade shoes Bela Sposa remade the belt in the color that I wanted Cake card box that I made…
Spring Mantel
It’s a little late for this posting but in this case better late than never. I don’t usually like that saying because I don’t like being late. It’s not a motto I live by but for this it’s not the end of the world! There are a lot of things going on in the spring, Easter,…
Gifts
Can cake Diaper bike Wine cork trivet Custom wine bottle label Onsie stickers for pictures the 1st year
Golf Wedding Favors
The wedding had a small golf theme, more tied in with the location and colors but I found golf related favors. I designed the logo and then worked with great people at Hanson Ellis for the golf ball lip balm and imprintgolf.com for the mints. The boxes came from efavormart.com and I found the ribbon…
Wedding – Hotel goodie bags
Now that the wedding is over it’s time to catch up on posts for all of my wedding projects. This will be a quick post for the goodie bags that I put together for the guests at the hotel. They got bottled water with a custom label (created with Storybook of course), snacks, Advil (there…
Wedding Invitation
Finally, the invitation post is here! I finished them and got them in the mail a couple of weeks ago. It’s fun getting the responses back, we seem to get about 1 a day so far. These invitations were mostly assembled in the hospital. My future father in law had quite the scare so the…
Menu
Hello everyone! By everyone I mean the 2 people that might read this 🙂 Here’s a picture of my latest (over a month ago counts as latest, right?) project to help keep me organized. It’s our menu of our dinners for the week. I knew I was going to have to be more organized when it…
Valentine’s Day Mantel
It’s that time of year where I change the mantel again. I actually did this after taking down the Christmas mantel but sometimes it just takes a while to get the pictures off of the camera and then blog about it! The new addition this year is the I heart you frame. The frame is…
New Blog
I’ve created a new blog in the hopes of getting a small business running. Many people have encouraged me, especially after my mom’s Beatles party, to utilize my ‘talent’ so here goes nothing!! My first little adventure is going to be a greeting card of the month club. How many times do you have to…
Guest Book
Happy New Year everyone! You won’t beleive what I am going to post…you guessed it, another project with a picture by Kosi Designs!! For this project I again used the Storybook software by Creative Memories. You can create a custom 12×12 coveret and here is mine! This will be our guest book. I am going…
Christmas Card
I’ve been busy lately with projects so I also have our Christmas card done. This was created with the same Storybook software and you won’t beleive what it started with…yep, another fantastic photo by Kosie Designs! For custom cards for any occasion, available in 4×8, flat 5×7 and folded 5×7 contact me!
Save the Date
Welcome to the first real post for Welcoming Sentiments! The first project that I will share with you is the save the date card I did for our wedding. Please excuse the poor photography, one of these days I will figure out how to improve! For this project I started with a great photo by…
Past Project Information
I’ve created the new blog to go along with the new busines. To view all old posts link back to http://funstuffbylisa.blogspot.com/
Beatles Party
Well we managed to pull it off. Mom was completely surprised and with so many people from a small town invited this is a big accomplishment! I had fun thinking of all of the ideas for the party. Some of them were not my original idea most were not necessairly Beatles related just good ideas…
The Beatles surprise party
Well we managed to pull it off. Mom was completely surprised and with so many people from a small town invited this is a big accomplishment! I had fun thinking of all of the ideas for the party. Some of them were not my original idea most were not necessairly Beatles related just good ideas…
Fall Mantel
Well, it’s been a great week off of work. We had my mom’s surprise party last weekend so my next post will probably be all of the details for that. We spent this past week in Lake Geneva relaxing. We went fishing, golfing and looking for property on a lake. We came back on Friday…
Pergola
It’s been a long time! A couple of posts ago I mentioned the project in process was the pergola. We finally got everything done and love sitting out there. It’s so cozy and feels like an actual room. Well I ended up not having to make the shades or curtains as I found them already…
Monthly Baby Stickers
I don’t know what was going on about 9 months ago but I’m glad I wasn’t drinking that water! In the last month there are sooo many people having babies. I made these as a gift, they are stickers that you put on their shirt and take the monthly photo. This is just a couple of…
Joe’s birthday
To say Joe loves golf is an understatement. Until recently the living room was a golf range. We spent many nights early in our relationship at the driving range! On nice days I’d hit balls too, but a lot of times I’d park myself at the bar and have a couple of drinks as he…
Welcoming Sentiments 