boy

Child Gift-Giving: WANT, NEED, WEAR, READ

/ Jodi / 42 Comments

Becoming a first-time grandma recently, along with several of my besties, has caused me pause to consider child gift-giving.

It is sooooooo easy to get carried away and spoil – especially these first ones.

So I was thinking it is time to establish the “trend” for hopefully lots more grandie gifts.

I have read several places a good rule of thumb to simplify child gift-giving is to consider four categories:

  1. Want
  2. Need
  3. Wear
  4. Read

Consider gifts in the four categories – buying one of each:  One thing they want, one thing they need, one thing to wear, and one thing to read.

Well – let’s see if I can stick with this…

In the meantime, my bestie’s first grandchild turned one, so going with a fish theme (just because I thought it was fun), I made the above little T-shirt for him (to WEAR), bought him some bathtub fishing toys (I think he would WANT to play with), some socks (I’m sure his mama could say he NEEDs), and the Dr. Seuss Book “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish” (to READ).

Happy Birthday Ben!  I hope the years don’t continue to go as fast as this first one did!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Ahoy for Baby Boys!

/ Jodi / 38 Comments
Prussian Blue, Cobalt Teal Blue, Quin Gold Watercolor Whale 8x10

Prussian Blue, Cobalt Teal Blue, Quin Gold Watercolor Whale 8×10

After all the pink love last week, I had the pleasure of creating something blue and nautical for a sweet little boy we are preparing to welcome.

Prussian Blue, Cobalt Teal Blue, Quin Gold Watercolor Nautical Anchor 8x10

Prussian Blue, Cobalt Teal Blue, Quin Gold Watercolor Nautical Anchor 8×10

How lucky am I that one of my BFF’s had a grandson about six months ago and another BFF is having one within weeks of our granddaughter’s due date.  Seems it will be one of the greatest joys in life to share motherhood and then grandmotherhood with life-long friends.

blue-nursery-whale-watercolor-8x10-original-framed-to-11x14

So yesterday was the “Ahoy It’s a Boy” shower, and I made a couple of watercolor paintings for this little guys’s nautical themed nursery.

blue-anchor-watercolor-framed

I matted the 8×10 paintings with navy blue matting and framed them with white 11×14 frames.

It’s hard to take photos of paintings under glass without reflection and in good light, so these photos are a bit off in color, but I thought they turned out really cute, and I hope they will go well in this sweet little guys’s new room.

I thought it would be fun to make them into greeting cards too.

nautical-blue-whale-and-anchor-watercolor-greeting-cards

Can’t wait to meet you Baby Boy Griffith!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

 

 

 

 

Funsie Onesies

/ Jodi / 35 Comments

onesie party my crib 2am bring a bottle

One of the fun little activities we had at Jackie & Matt’s baby shower was an opportunity, for those that wanted, to create a hand-painted onesie for Baby Ben.

onesie ladies I have arrived bow tie

Since I knew I’d be busy at the shower, I made a few ahead of time.  A quick search on Pinterest offered tons of cute ideas.

onesie dad you got this

If you are looking for an inexpensive, but unique, creative and personal gift to welcome a new bundle of joy, consider creating your own little funsie onesies with a little fabric paint and a pack of cotton onesies.  (Be sure to pre-wash the onesies before painting.)

onesie lil stud muffin

There are so many cute and creative possibilities!

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Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

A Carnival Baby Shower for Jackie & Matt

/ Jodi / 48 Comments

3

Oh what fun we had planning, preparing, and celebrating the soon-to-arrive Baby Ben with our McHendy daughter and son-in-law, Jackie & Matt.

I was designated the “official” photographer, so get ready for lots of photos.  I was so busy worrying about capturing it and so busy just enjoying it, that it is just now hitting me, after I shared the photos with Jackie (and she posted on her Facebook page), how close I am to being an “almost” grandma!

When Jackie shared the photos, she wrote:

Matt and I have always hoped we could welcome our baby boy into a community of people who will love, encourage, and support him. On Saturday, we were shown a million times over that we without a doubt have that for our baby boy, Ben. Thank you to everyone who braved the snowstorm and made it out to the shower. We are so blessed for all of you (and for all the people who couldn’t make it)! A special thanks to my mom,Jill Henderson, my mother-in-law, Carol Kallis, my future sister-in-law, Becca Cura, and my second mom, Jodi McKinney for throwing us one creative, awesome shower!!

So for the past half hour ( I am drafting this Sunday evening), I’ve been bawling happy tears and cherishing these very special moments.

I hope you enjoy viewing these photos as much as we had in creating and being a part of them.

(If you click on the first – or any one of the pics – you can scroll through the photos in full size.)

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

Snail Mail

/ Jodi / 21 Comments

snail mail watercolor card

Who remembers the nursery rhyme about what little boys are made of?

Snips and snails and puppy dog tails. (What is a snip anyway???)

Well – not sure about a snip, but I thought a snail would be fun to paint in watercolor, and I had a little boy I needed to send a birthday “snail mail” card to.

It was fun to make a colorful snail for a very colorful little boy.

Don’t underestimate the power of snail mail….

Doesn’t it make your day when you receive a card or note in the mailbox?  It is so rare anymore, but oh the joy – oh the appreciation we feel when we receive a handwritten – or better yet a handmade note or card.  Right?

Want to do something EXTRAordinary?  Send someone a handwritten “snail mail” note or card today?  I guarantee you will make their day!  🙂

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi