picmonkey invitation tutorial

I was perusing tinyprints, looking for ideas for Morgan's 2nd birthday party invite when I came across an invitation I loved. It was perfect for our "little man" theme, but the price tag? Not so much. As in, it wasn't happening. So, I decided to recreate the same invitation in PicMonkey.

Would you like to know how to do it too?

First, upload a pic to the PicMonkey website. Any picture will do because we are going to be covering it up. {Note: you do want to choose a picture that is in the same orientation you will want your invitation to be in, i.e. landscape or portrait}. 

Next, go to the 5th button down {Overlays} on the left of the program and click. Then click "geometric".

From there, select the rectangle and resize it so that the overlay covers your entire photo. You can choose any color you like {below I chose a basic white}. 

Finally, personalize your invitation by adding your text and clipart by using the 4th and 5th buttons down on the left.

I then saved the file to my computer and printed them out at Walmart {Note: Make sure you select "true digital" when printing them so that they aren't cropped at all}. 

They turned out beautifully. I absolutely love them and I really love that I saved $45 by taking the DIY route {$4.61 vs $49}.

Happy Party Planning!

xoxo,

Ashley

good thing you can't remember things from when you were two...

A few weeks ago Morgan went with Frank to get his haircut. And when he came back it looked pretty much the same just slightly shorter, and very choppy. Obviously, the woman who did it was not used to cutting kids hair. Well, it's been buggin me since then, and today I decided to do something about it by taking matters into my own hands. 

At my parents house me and my mom strapped him into his high chair and busted out my dad's hair clippers. I felt a little like I was going all "Britney" on my little boys head as clumps of hair filled the combs and fell to the floor. I mean, wasn't I the mom that was crying into his curls a few months back at the very thought of cutting his hair? Funny how easy it gets after you take the first big plunge.

As if shaving all his hair off and giving him a buzz cut wasn't traumatizing enough, we decided to take him in the backyard, strip him down and rinse the hair off by dumping water from the rain barrel on him. Little man was not a happy camper.

But, he looks so stinkin' cute, no?

xoxo,

Ashley

Here comes #2!

Morgan's going to be a big brother!

This week I had my first OB appointment, and we got to see our little one via ultrasound yesterday (with it's little heart beating at 141 strong beats per minute). Although, the plan was to wait until Morgan's birthday (and the customary 12 weeks) to announce, the excitement got the best of us after seeing him/her. So, we snapped this pics of big brother yesterday to share the news. The belly shot is my favorite! :) 

Because we had been trying for quite some time, we found out really early about this pregnancy (at 3 weeks!). So, even though I'm 8 weeks, it feels like I've been pregnant for awhile already, and we've been keeping a huge secret for 5 weeks. So excited to have "the cat out of the bag".

xoxo,

Ashley

my happy 6.4

Morgan: "awwww"

my parents backyard

petting zoo

this is my blueberry face

first licorice, he loved it

birthday party

1. Morgan saying "awww" every time he thinks he does something cute.  2. Sugar snap peas from the farmers market. I don't know if it's because they were fresh and local or what, but they were Amazing with a capital A.  3. My new {to me} little red kitchen radio. I say everyone needs a radio in their kitchen - it makes cooking and washing dishes 10 x more enjoyable. And dance parties and jam sessions are all that much more fun when the music is piping out of a good old fashioned radio.  4. Being able to go to the park and play outside almost every single day now that it's warm.  5. Adding to my little container garden on the balcony little by little.  6. Riding in our new Jeep. Driving is fun again!  7. All the new words Morgan is adding to his vocabulary. He is so stinkin' smart and never ceases to amaze us. Children truly are such a blessing and it's so rewarding to watch them learn and grow day by day before our very eyes. 8. When Morgan randomly bursts out in hysterical laughter. 9. Watching Morgan play with our little buddy his age at birthday party yesterday. They were so cute together and were surprisingly really good at sharing and taking turns!  10. Hanging a bird feeder right outside our balcony window at eye level for Morgan. Best idea ever! We now get to watch birds all day long, up close and personal.

xoxo,

Ashley

::the farmers market::

a new Saturday morning routine...

...and it just keeps getting better and better every week.

xoxo,

Ashley