Wednesday, December 7, 2011

"Let It Snow, Let It Snow"

 {Snow Day}



It doesn't snow very often in New Mexico where we live, actually our twins have only seen it rain and snow twice since they were born...so I just couldn't resist this awesome photo shoot opportunity with the twins....in the SNOW!!! Some of you can relate, we live where the sun shines almost 365 days a year, warm even in the winter and we have been in a severe drought for many years...so the real need for heavy coats, scarves, gloves and a hoodie just doesn't make much sense to have that kind of winter gear on hand if we might or might not need it!  Not to mention how fast they out grow their clothes...now of course if we lived in Utah or the mountains of Arizona again we would need to buy the twins' that fabulous winter gear! But still worried about them getting cold and regretting not having the "perfect" winter gear...

Outside dressed in layers we went to capture a few good shots in the red wagon in the snow! I am sure they were cold, actually freezing but we were only out there for less than five minutes! They thought it was so funny, they laughed and even wanted to eat the snow ball Daddy gave them to hold!! The expressions on their little faces are worth a thousand words, they both are so precious!!










The snow photos turned out beautiful...it was so worth getting cold to make memories we will cherish forever!! Just a little part of the journey of our life story....




Vintage Momma










Monday, November 28, 2011

{A GIVEAWAY!!!!} BasilBerry Designs..."Made With Twins In Mind"



 BasilBerry Designs..."Made with Twins in Mind" 

As the holiday season approaches us with all the Black Friday sales, Shop Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday....I thought it would be a great time to formally introduce our Etsy Shop to my readers! BasilBerry Designs..."Made With Twins In Mind" came to life after the birth of our twins in October 2010. My sister Shelly and I decided since the options for twin boy/girl clothing were limited and shall we say not as trendy...we would start making matching designs using iron-on-transfers and onesies. We love them and many others are loving them as well, so we decided to open up shop on Etsy to make them available to everyone. 

 This is a special endeavor for us, our Etsy shop bears the name of our late father who we lost to a battle of colon cancer when we were just young girls. As sisters we are united by our loss and are best friends. We live in different states and being able to start this together at this time in our lives means so much to both of us.

{Our Christmas Collection 2011} is now for sale on our Etsy Shop, this is just a sneak peek of our Christmas designs!! 








{On our BasilBerry Designs Facebook  page} we are currently having a GIVEAWAY!!!
BasilBerry Designs is having a GIVEAWAY!!! Win this beautiful Black and White Damask Print Receiving Blanket....just have your friends "LIKE" our page. Don't forget to have your friends comment on {this picture} telling us who sent them to qualify to win!!! We will pick the winner Tuesday, November 29th at 9:00 PM Central time. Let the fun begin....
 
We welcome you to our Etsy Shop and follow us on Facebook, take a look around and let us know how we can make a custom design for special twins or babies in your life. 


Vintage Momma



Friday, November 18, 2011

"Sleeping Baby" Photo Contest


A few months ago a local photographer, "Just Molly Photography" had a "Sleeping Baby" Photo Contest on Facebook. I really wanted to enter the twins in the contest, but was not sure which photo I wanted to use as we have a million photos of the twins sleeping. One morning last November {they were one month old}, I turned over in bed to check on the twins while they were sleeping in the pack n play right next to the our bed....and in that moment I grabbed my Blackberry phone and snapped a photo! It was the most amazing photo I think we have of our precious little angels! The quality of the picture is not very good, but who cares about that when you see it! So, I entered the photo in the "Sleeping Baby" Photo Contest...our "Sleeping Babies"!!!


The contest had great photos of sleeping babies and children...to win the contest you had to refer your friends to "Just Molly Photography". I have never worked so hard in my life...I called friends and family, emailed friends and family, sent facebook messages to everyone I could think of. Some of my friends asked their friends and then those ask their friends...it was CRAZZZZY madness around here for a few days! We "WON", but only by one vote or maybe two...I can't remember...
As the winner's of the photo contest we won a free session in Molly's October Family Session...it was a "daydreaming" theme!! It was so much fun to win, and even better to get our family picture taken for free! I want to share a few of our "daydreaming" photos with all of you....







We had so much fun with this photo contest that I thought I would invite my readers to the "Cutest" photo contest hosted by Tiny Prints!! Below is the details on how to submit your little darlings into this contest...."HURRY" don't wait you might just win the grand prize of $1,000 cash, plus a $500 Tiny Prints gift certificate, what a perfect prize just in time for the Holiday season!


Tiny Prints.....
Tiny Prints Talent Search Contest is looking for the cutest photos in the following categories:
Cutest Baby (From ages of 0-24 months)
Cutest Kid (From ages of 25 months - 10 years old)
Cutest Family
Cutest Couple
Cutest Pet & Owner
You can enter the Tiny Print Talent Search Contest via
Facebook or on their website.

Good Luck!!


{I am not being compensated by "Just Molly" Photography or Tiny Prints in any way...just passing along this fun photo contest to all my wonderful readers!}

You can find "Just Molly" Photography at....
website...

facebook page...




Vintage Momma

Monday, November 14, 2011

Birthday Traditions....for Vintage Momma

Vintage Momma's Birthday....just another "day in paradise"! I am sure most mommas can agree that after having children, your birthday is "just another day"...atleast that is the case for me anyways! I want to share two very special traditions I have on my birthday!! Most people have traditions at Thanksgiving, and at Christmas but not me...it's on my birthday!!! "Yippee"...it is always such a surprise.


Since October 1999...for 12 years now, my sister Shelly and I pass back and forth a card she sent me on my birthday. It reads...Sister, Wishing you a perfect day, a perfect year...perfect hair!  Happy Birthday  You just have to know me to understand the funny part about this card....PERFECT HAIR!! I am a big hair girl, always have been, and always will be! Using a toothbrush {years ago by the way, not now} to rat my hair up, and extra, extra hairspray...my mom would always yell at me on our way out of the house, "Just one more squirt"! Fun times, Fun times!!



This card is full of emotions...love, happiness, sadness that we couldn't be together, but most of all our love for each other! She is my best friend...she is my sister! Seriously, this card has been to Texas, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico...not much more blank space to write on this card. This card has been misplaced, found and misplaced again but some how this card has been sent back and forth not missing a birthday yet!!







Last year on my birthday my wonderful husband Matt bought me a gift, he said was from the twins {the twins were less than two weeks old} so you know they had no idea what they getting their momma. It was a EZ Cracker...Egg Cracker/Separator {as seen on tv}!! It is still in the box never, never been opened!!






This year again my wonderful husband Matt bought me a gift and of course it was from the twins. It was a Perfect Meatloaf Pan Set {as seen on tv}...it's been a month since my birthday and it is also still in the box! I laughed so hard, when I opened my gift...seriously another cheesy gift!! I love my husband's humor..it always makes life fun! I do think I will use it...we love meatloaf!


So from now on...it is just a funny tradition to get me a crazy, funny {as seen on tv} cheesy gift for my birthday!! I can't wait until the twins are old enough to go with their daddy to buy my birthday gift...you just never know what might be next!! I love it....making memories along our life journey! Don't forget to make memories along your life journey...




Vintage Momma

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Cowboy and Cowgirl Twin 1st Birthday Party

~Welcome to HPH Twin Ranch~


We would like for you to join us on the Birthday Party Trail Ride...this Western themed Cowboy and Cowgirl Twin Birthday Party was an amazing, fun filled day for all of us! Every little detail was thought out, planned, and accomplished to achieve the birthday party of our dreams! We hope you enjoy the ride...


{Party Invitation}

After alot of thought, we decided to have a Western themed Cowboy and Cowgirl Twin Birthday Party. Like the design of our twins' nursery, we did not want the typical children themed party. As I searched for the perfect invitation, I finally found what I was looking for at Chachke Designs on Etsy. I purchased the printable party pack that included the invitations. Chachke Designs was great to work with and was very helpful! I love the printable party pack...I was able to use all of it in some way or another throughout the whole party! I had the invitations printed at my local Staples, and printed the other designs on my home printer and it all turned out amazing!  The first impression of the party is the invitation so find the perfect one.


{The Cake}

I have to admit...I spent alot of time searching, and searching for the twins' birthday cake.  I saw alot of the same western themed cakes...cow print, bandanna print and I wanted something different than everyone else. So I got my map pencils and paper out and designed my own...I love the way it all turned out! Cakes these days are alittle pricey to have made...I had alittle "sugar shock" when looking for a cake designer. I had a local cake designer make the "big" cake {a white cake with brown butter cream icing with off white ticking around the cake} and two smash cakes to match the "big" cake, they were only $41.00...now that is more my price since this party was done a shoestring budget!!




 I got creative with the printable party pack to decorate the cakes...I used the bandanna print to decoupage onto a cardboard number one I bought at Hobby Lobby, tied a ribbon around it and place a "Happy Birthday" cupcake topper/label from the printable party pack in the middle of the ribbon, placed a dowel through the cardboard and used it as a cake topper.  The H, P, and H lettering on the cake was also from the printables, I just cut a "H, P, and H" out of the Happy Birthday banner and glued them to a bandanna circle die cut, hot glued that to a dowel, tied a raffia ribbon around it. For a finishing touch, I added a few sunflowers to the corners of the cake.  For the smash cakes, I made pendant banners and placed a sunflower in the middle of the cake.




{Bar B Que Lunch}


Since most of our family and friends had traveled to the twins' birthday party we thought it would be nice to have it at "High Noon" and provide lunch!  A Good Ole' Fashion Cowboy Bar B Que was on the menu!!! We could have made all the food ourselves and slaved in the kitchen the day before and made sure we had enough food to feed everyone...but who wants to do all that!! Not Me...so we had our lunch catered by Dutch Oven Wally. It was fabulous...even though Dutch Oven Wally wasn't able to come his wife Robbie did a great job! The menu...Homemade chips and salsa, watermelon, Bar B Que brisket and chicken,  cowboy beans, country corn on the cob, and tumbleweed salad with ranch dressing, jalapeno cornbread, and all the fixins'!! The smell of the mesquite wood from their cooker was amazing, it really made you feel like you were at the ranch around the campfire!!








{Party Decorations}


The decorations were no exception when it comes to attention to detail for this Cowboy and Cowgirl Twin Birthday Party.  My husband, Matt and I planned it all out, going to the party venue several weeks before talking each other through our plans. I have to say...it was just as we had visioned it to be!! We made a fence for our guest to walk down when they arrived at the party, sheriff badges for all of our guests to wear during the party, a mustache photo booth, mason jars filled with wild flowers from the golf course on each table, a "Gift Corral" table for the birthday presents, a "Waterin' Hole" table for the drinks, and the focal point of the party...the cake table!! The decorations took me a long time to complete...I made them between naps each day for about four weeks before the party and also spent many a nights wrapping up all the last minute details! I used burlap, a hot glue gun, raffia ribbon, twine, card stock paper, leftover baby food jars, hay bales, wooden dowels....you name it I probably used it for the decorations for this fabulous party!















{The Party}

Our little Cowboy and Cowgirl arrived to their birthday party not on horseback....but on Daddy's John Deere Gator with Daddy and Auntie Shelly! They were so excited to come to the party, even though they had no idea what was really going on!



The twins were the first to get their photos taken at the mustache photo booth..minus the mustaches!! All our guest had photos made at the photo booth before they left the party...everyone had so much fun!





The twins had a blast watching me open all their presents! Everyone gathered around and sang "Happy Birthday" and then it was "Cake Smashing" time! Harrison just dug right in, loving ever minute of it and Huntleigh was not sure at all, just sticking her finger in the cake and licking off the icing.














{Happy Trails}

The twins' birthday party had to come to an end...we had so much fun visiting with family and friends, eating wonderful food and most of all making memories that will last a lifetime! Matt and I made "Happy Trails" trail mix, and my sister, Shelly designed a one year photo collage for party favors for all our guests.



 



~ Happy Trails from Harrison and Huntleigh ~




Vintage Momma

{I linked this post to these parties}...












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