sick sixteen

My little Zoe-bean is 16 months old now and she's still crusty with a cold. Sick. Yuck. This is the first time she's been sick like this, runny nose, cough, phlegmy...you get the picture. But amidst all her miserableness (is that even a word?), she's still got super sweet goofy smiles, and her big open-mouth wet kisses, sure to make everyone else sick too! But look at that face. Gotta love my little monster, she's growing up so fast!

recipe for disaster

Recipes don't like me. You would think that as long as you follow the recipe, the end result shouldn't be too bad, right? For me, not so. I have yet to meet a recipe that ever turns out the way it's supposed to. After several tries I'm still unable to make an edible risotto.
















Today was our big baking day for the mini papercut's birthday party on Sunday. 140 vanilla cupcakes + vanilla buttercream + extra frosting for the cake my grandmother was baking for the special occasion. Now this isn't the first time I've used this recipe, but I haven't made it in over 2 years, so I figured better follow every step exactly to ensure no mess-ups. WOW, what a mistake that was! Let's just say the first batch of 24 cupcakes ended up in pieces and eventually in the garbage. Yup, that's right 2 dozen cupcakes completely wasted. Thankfully the recipe was also wrong in how much it actually makes (it was supposed to make 48 mini cupcakes and we ended up with 60 after you take into account the ruined ones) and I only needed to repeat the recipe 1 more time.
















In the end we had roughly 150 perfect vanilla cupcakes, after I stopped following the instructions:) But I don't think the mini papercut minded all the wasted cupcakes at all!

11 months old

Yesterday the miniest of my papercuts turned 11 months old. I can't believe that in a month my baby will be a 1 year old...a big girl :( She's walking and babbling, getting into everything she's not supposed to, and eating up everything in sight! I adore my little munchkin, with her sweet open-mouth kisses and her secret smiles. She makes my heart sing:)

2 months away

Here's my mini. She's 10 months as of yesterday, and I can't believe that in 2 months she'll be 1 year old. My smiley little lady looks so sweet, you'd never know how mischievous and wild she really is :)























She's gotten very loud in the last few months, and currently thinks she's Spiderwoman, trying to scale our TV cabinet to reach the top. What's up there she wants so bad, I have no idea, but gotta love her spunk and determination!























I know I say this every time, but really, where has all the time gone?

stand in the place where you are

The summer is moving along at a brisk pace. A lot quicker than I had anticipated. Maybe it's because we've kept busy, maybe because we haven't had a minute to stand still. Didn't school just let out yesterday?

Well at least one of us is standing still at the moment:) Yup, that's right, my mini papercut is standing. All by herself. Not holding onto anything. Not content to cruise and crawl, she is now standing on her own! She's attempted to take a couple steps, only to land on her tush, and is waving and clapping her hands now too. Gotta love this kid!

ready, set, go!

Well the day has finally come...the mini papercut has figured out how to stand up. I thought I had at least another month before she started doing this, but she is in a BIG hurry to catch up to her older siblings. She is no longer content to sit and watch, she wants to be right in the midst of all the chaos and fun.

The first time she pulled up to stand, I promptly told her to 'SIT BACK DOWN!!' You can see how much she listens to me:) She's 8 and a half months now, and I can't believe how much she's already doing. Before you know it she's going to be running after her sister and brother, yelling at them to 'Slow down and wait!' If she'd only heed her own words and not be in such a rush :(

sunday morning

On Sunday we christened the mini papercut, along with her three cousins...yes, it was a family affair! We had beautiful sunny weather and wonderful family and friends in attendance.























I'm not a very religious person, but I always look forward to my kids celebrating these sacraments. And the fact that we could have all of her cousins christened on the same day made it so special! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend:)

four months old

I meant to post this on Monday and never got around to it. My mini papercut is 4 months and 2 days old today and just as sweet as can be. She's smiley and spunky, and even on her crabbiest of days she always has smiles for everyone. I can't believe how fast the time is passing and I wish she'd stay this small for just a bit longer:)

for you + me...mostly me

Rag Doll, Oliver at the museum by little BIG pants

I've been browsing a lot on Etsy since Christmas, mostly for items for the mini papercut. I've found numerous shoes and coats that I want to get for her, but when it comes to all the little dolls and toys that I am in love with I have to ask myself...who am I really buying this for?






















Bowser by Tiddlywinks

















Black + White with Yellow Birds Soft Play Blocks by Two Stray Cats

Most, if not all of the toys that I have hearted or am in love with are not age appropriate for her. She's too little to even care, but as I pour over the pages of animals and dolls I realize that I have no intention of letting the mini play with any of them until she's much older, and that my main reason for choosing many is because they would look cute in her room.














Butterscotch Tweed Fox by Sleepy King






















Small Apple Tree Clock by Decoylab

So again I ask myself, who is this really for? I have to admit that I think it's mostly for me under the guise that I'm buying for her. Maybe it's because she's my littlest one or maybe it's because everything I've seen is so darn cute that I just can't help myself!
















Magnus Elephant Plush Animal Toy by Magnus and Mathilda

Either way, she'll be getting quite a bit of mail in the next little while that will probably bring mommy more joy than her! Oh well, she can play with them when she's older;)

at last...

Our nursery nook is complete, and I love it! Although it only consists of a dresser/change table, a crib and a wall shelf (all from Ikea), I think we were able to create a whimsical space for the mini papercut that doesn't take up a lot of space, but delivers huge impact within our master bedroom.


















Although the rest of the bedroom is still 'under construction', my little Zoe has a corner all her own. I wanted a space that was created solely for her, and even though the colour palette of the room and the pattern of the crib bedding is not typical of what you'd find in a child's bedroom, by utilizing elements that appeal to my husband and myself, her nook is definitely something we enjoy having in OUR space! Having said that, the addition of a bold floral mural and a few playful pieces here and there makes it decidedly HER space:)












































I enjoyed every moment of decorating the mini papercut's nursery. I wanted it to be beautiful and charming, while still feeling clean and modern. Keeping the furniture simple and adding whimsical touches keep the nook from feeling cluttered and overdone. I also love the idea of using items that you wouldn't normally associate with a kid's space for organization and display.


















We used a leather desk organizer as a diaper caddy, and a vintage sugar container to hold things like nail clippers, pacifiers, and other odds and ends. A pastel yellow candy dish is the perfect place for washcloths and keeps them in close reach. And one of my favourite finds is the table lamp that doubles as a nightlight that somewhat resembles a milkweed pod.


















I also wanted to re-use an old shelf from Ikea that my husband had in his office. I thought the space needed a bit of sparkle, but I didn't really want to purchase a new shelf when I had one that was perfectly fine, although not that attractive. I was inspired by this post on Apartment Therapy, and figured it might be a great solution for the shelf. Much to my surprise it looked amazing, and when the nightlight is on, it reflects some of the light throughout the room.




















Other little touches that personalize the space include the paper butterfly garland, the name art above the dresser and the paper flower bouquet. My mini papercut definitely has a corner of the room that belongs only to her. I'm just happy we get to share:)
















































Items in the Nursery Nook:

Paint Colour: Midnite Hour by CIL Dulux

Hemnes Dresser from Ikea

Gulliver Crib from Ikea

Didi Citron yellow + white fabric from Tonic Living
Amy Butler Grey Wallflower yellow + grey fabric from Cotton Thread Fabrics on etsy
Amy Butler Yellow Full Moon Polka Dots fabric from Cotton Thread Fabrics on etsy

Owl Bookend by Zuny

Jubilee the lamb from doggiepiggie on etsy

Socko the sock monkey from Muffin Top Designs on etsy

Milkweed lamp, pastel yellow candy dish, leather desk organizer, vintage sugar container all from Home Sense

name art, paper butterfly garland and paper floral bouquet all by Little Papercuts (that's me;) )

two weeks old

The mini papercut is now two weeks, as of yesterday. She loves to eat, and during the day she loves to sleep...night time, not so much:) But I can't complain, she's been pretty easy to fit into my other kids' schedules, and we can already see how stubborn and scrappy she's gonna be! We're in for a lot of trouble with this one:) She's the perfect fit!

now we are five ;)

This past Monday marked my 38th week of pregnancy. For those of you who have been following me, you know that I've been dying to complete my nursery nook for the mini papercut before his/her arrival, and last week we pretty much got everything into place (pics will follow soon, I promise). Well, it looks like we were just in time, because on Thursday, at 7:40am, we welcomed our third and final child into this world...and yes it is a girl! Phew, no repainting ;)




















Since my first child was a girl, named with the letter 'A', and our second child was a boy, also named with the letter 'A', we thought it only fitting that our third and final child's name should start with the letter 'Z'. So without further ado here is our mini papercut...Zoe :)