Well hello blog, hello readers (if you are still around after my lack of posting) I hope you are doing well and have had a great 2013 this far. I’ve been busy on my end (clearly seeing the lack of posts) and I can’t wait to share with you my big announcement.

For the longest time, I’ve always wanted to have my own business, my own shop… but I never really knew what would work, what was right for me. I’ve opened several businesses in the past with partners and unfortunately that didn’t work out so well, so I decided I was going to do something solo and kick ass at it. I want to have a store that I can merchandise, make pretty and entice others to buy. Okay sure that’s not going to happen right now now, but I give myself 3 years. What am I talking about? I decided to open up a baking + party supply shop called : Sucre + Confetti

What made me take the jump? I still get requests about Mavrick’s first birthday (almost 2 years later) asking me either about the invitation design or where I got the elements of the party. I love designing themes and making them come to life, but planning wasn’t exactly what I wanted to do. I wanted to provide ideas to those who lack them and bring new, fresh, modern, colorful party + baking supplies to make it all happen.

Sure it’s nothing new, we know many online stores with this kind of stuff. Stuff like : paper straws, big 36″ balloons, treat bags, treat sticks, washi tape, garlands, paper plate… etc. But it’s certainly something that is lacking in Canada, even more so in Montreal. We are so hip when it comes to design & fashion but lacking in fun (not tacky) party decor. I decided enough was enough and that I would become the #1 source of sweet + stylish decor.

My site is under-construction but I invite you to like my facebook page to stay up to date. I’ve decided to change my Instagram handle from blushink to @Sucreconfetti and will plan to switch up my twitter and pinterest accounts soon. What will happen to Blushink? I will simply become Sucre + Confetti and I will offer design services under my new name. (So don’t be scared to contact me for design services if you are interest)

What will happen to my blog? It will stay … but I’ll probably change the name for it to be more “party related” I was thinking “C’est la Fête!” or something along those lines. That won’t be for a bit though so please bare with me as I try to work all of this out.

Phew… if you are still reading, hats off to you! Looking forward to sharing my new venture with you. Don’t forget to like my facebook page! Merci!

When Sienna was born, I knew I wanted to get a newborn shoot done earlier than I did with Mavrick, but unfortunately baby girl got sick 7 days after being home so mama had to wait until her nose was no longer stuffy. Since Sienna was smaller than her brother at birth and she loved being in a little ball, I was certain it wouldn’t be an issue this time around.

I put on my thinking cap and starting thinking of themed shoots. I hadn’t done a themed shoot with Mavrick which was fine, but I wanted to opt for something a little more original this time around. Sienna, since birth has been a big drinker. She LOVES milk (well all newborns do – right?). So I decided to have a vintage milk shoot as one of the themes.

I had all these props at home alread: wire basket, milk bottles of various sizes and a wooden wine rack, that I decided to use for the milk instead. So when my photographer friend saw me arrive with all my props and milk (oh yes, I brought my own milk), she couldn’t help but chuckle. She said she expected nothing less of me. I even designed a milk sign.

The other theme I decided to do was a vintage bath theme. I’m a little intense with the vintage – what can I say, I’m a fan! So I grabbed what I had in my house and staged the studio. I used blue mason jars to put cotton balls and Q-tips, rolled up face cloths, books for reading during bath time and some tin containers I purchased from Target years ago. The bath shoot was a little less successful then the milk one, but I was able to get a few good shots.

Usually once the themed shoots are done, I like to take a few shots with baby, but unlike her brother she did the ugliest faces haha. Maybe it was the flash, but she was making the biggest eyes ever! We were only able to capture 2 pictures that were worth saving. At least I was able to get one with my baby girl!

I find she looks so different now, which is why it’s so important to take newborn pictures. It’s great to capture those first weeks. Sienna was about 20 days here (so not really newborn) but still, it’s a great memory to have and you’ll enjoy looking at them when your little one is even bigger.

Have you ever considered an original themed shoot?

How I’m happy to see you! Sure you’ve already been here for 4 days already but it’s never to late to say hello, right? You might be asking why I’m so happy 2013 is here. Well lets just say that 2012 was a pretty intense year. Rough in every sense of the word and tested my desire for pretty much anything that I came across. Tested my patience, my endurance, my will, my relationships basically anything you can think of. That’s also a big reason why I’ve been MIA for a while. My desire to blog, to share my life with the world was non-existant, and once I saw the light at the end of the tunnel, the happy me slowly started to emerge again.

2012 wasn’t all bad. I had a wonderful end of pregnancy, a wonderful birth to baby Sienna, two wonderful healthy kids, a husband that loves me and not to mention loving family & friends… but unfortunately the bad outweighed the good. So au revoir 2012… you will not be missed.

What are my plans for 2013? Pretty big ones I’d like to think. Back in 2012, it was all about image. Self image, blog image, house etc. And while I can’t say I’ve fully completed those plans (euh hello, do you see a new blog design, nope… failed on that end) but it wasn’t all a waste. We massively renovated and moved stuff around the house to make space for Sienna, I lost lots of weight after she was born, and I continued to buy a piece or two a month to improve my wardrobe.

So what does 2013 have in store? Continuing to work on my 101 in 1001 list which ends this year (and I’m far from completing) so one thing I’m doing is cooking/baking a new recipe a week and I post pictures on my instagram and use the hashtag #1recipeaweek2013. I just find instagraming is so much faster than blogging (when you can’t find the time – life with two kids is hectic) but that will change… because I started working on my new blog design. (finally) and hope to have it up and running before I go back to work full time in April.

Also another important element in my goals for 2013, budget! money! debt! all of that. Because of our crappy financial situation last year and problems after problems, my goal to be debt free by my 30th birthday is no longer possible. (snif snif) but that doesn’t mean that it won’t happen. It will simply take a little longer to achieve. I did start to coupon intensely and boy oh boy it was a lifesaver. I was able to save 20-40$ a week just with coupons, so ya, I’ll keep doing that in 2013. So what did I do the first moment 2013 arrived, I was on my computer working on my budget, filling out all the necessary information on Mint.com to make sure we stay on track. We can do it. With a lot of sacrifices and the will. Does that mean that I won’t shop anymore? hmmm, probably for a while (unless its necessary or ridiculously on sale) but honestly my desire to get out of this mess outweighs any new pair of shoes (gosh i can’t believe I just said that)

Lastly, the whole image theme is part of 2013 as well. Sure I lost all the baby weight and then some, but I am far (25 lbs, oh no as of this morning 23 lbs away) from my goal so I give myself all year to reach it and hopefully keep it off. Winter is tough because I don’t go out much, but come spring I’ll start doing activities again. I’m basically counting calories and logging it using MyFitnessPal. So if you want to encourage me, or need someone to encourage you, then add me! (i’m blushink)

I’ll try and blog about my personal experiences in all of these areas, but bring more design back to the blog. I need to be inspired, I need to start crafting again, and I need to buy glitter. Oh wait, I can’t buy it, anyone want to give me some? Because honestly, how do I not own glitter?! Sometimes I think I have it all wrong!

What are your plans for 2013. Don’t call them resolutions but goals to a better something.

In May 2013, I will no longer be in my twenties. I have to say that I’ve accomplished much in the last 9 years so it’s only fair I celebrate being 30 with a bang. I’ve always wanted to plan a big party but with Sienna’s 1st birthday I week before mine, I think my celebrating might be held off for a bit. One thing for sure is I did not want to compromise on my gift. As soon as I turned 29, I started thinking about what I would want for my 30th. Then it hit me. Something I could never buy for myself because I couldn’t justify the expense, but a perfect opportunity to get it as a milestone gift.

What am I talking about?! Well a KitchenAid Artisan Mixer of course, and not any color… the pistachio… ah be still my heart.

From the moment I figured out what I wanted, I told my mom, dad, stepmom basically anyone who wanted to pitch in so I could have the mixer of my dream. I owned a pretty basic Sunbeam Stand Mixer but it wasn’t great. So I sold it, to make space for my new mixer (even if I hadn’t gotten it yet). I searched basically every week in my local flyers and online until I found a massive sale on all stand mixers at Sears.ca, and simultaneously Ebates.ca was having a double cash back event. So instead of having the regular 1.0% cash back, they were having a 2% event – yay me!

So not only did I get my mixer (but still in the box until I turn 30, I know brutal) but I also got money back for the purchase which is a pretty sweet deal! Obviously I shop using Ebates every chance I get. Why wouldn’t you?  You can find all the deals, daily double cash back, get referrals and more. If you haven’t started your holiday shopping, I suggest doing it online and earning cash back while you do. Sign up now to Ebates, if you haven’t already.

Hello baby girl; can you believe that you recently turned 6 months? That’s the halfway mark and it seems you are growing at lightning speed. It’s hard to believe, but my newborn is no longer. You are becoming one adorable little person. Even the littlest things you do make me smile and bring such joy to my life. Having a girl makes me happy is an understatement.

At 1 month you basically loved eating, and sleeping (you get that from me!) but I couldn’t help to dress you up every chance I got. At your 1 month appointment, the doctor couldn’t help but notice you almost doubled in size. Clearly you were a milk lover and you had enough rolls to prove it.

At 2 months you started to smile and made my heart melt even more! I never thought anyone could be more smiley and happy than your brother, but there you went and prove me wrong. One thing you dislike with a passion is when we wet your hair. Oh bath time is definitely not your favorite moment (it still isn’t at 4 months!).

By month 3 we could officially call you little miss chatterbox. You even decided 3am was the perfect moment to strike up a conversation (with yourself). You are such a happy baby, I still can’t get over it. You LOVE looking at yourself in the mirror and standing up (even if it’s for 2 seconds), but what you love the most are your hands. If you could, you would put both hands in your mouth at the same time.

Your brother Mavrick, what can I say… the love you have for him even at 4 months is indescribable. Every time he’s in the same room as you, you look at him with such awe which automatically makes you smile. You love it when he holds you or kisses your face. It’s the sweetest thing ever and I can’t wait until you are a little older so that you can play together.

Prior to your 4 month birthday, bathtime was your least favorite thing. Well now you love it! You splash around, chatter and don’t even cry. You even took a bath with your big brother for the first time and it was so fun to watch. You are mastering holding objects, and though you don’t realize it yet, you have an amazing pitch!

A big milestone was getting your ears pierced. I always knew you’d get them pierced early on and grandma offered to bring you. She got you your first pair of emerald earrings (your birthstone) and I couldn’t be happier. You barely cried and look even more adorable now!

At your 5 month birthday I decided to start giving you solids, but after having tummy aches and gas I decided to wait 2 weeks to start up again. I don’t know what changed in those two weeks, but now you eat like a champ. Your favorite is anything fruit, more specifically bananas and pears. As for vegetables, green beans are your favorite and peas not so much (but that’s okay your brother wasn’t a fan either).

You love sitting in the highchair and your favorite game is trying to grab on to the water bottle… oh boy do you love drinking water. You still are exclusively breastfed even though grandma attempted to give you formula while I was at a wedding, but you didn’t want any.

This picture represents how you are every second of every day — a happy, smiley, baby. It’s contagious. You are becoming a little madame – wanting to sit up by yourself  but you get too excited about what’s happening around you that you fall over. Then you roll on your stomach and you get frustrated. You still haven’t mastered the tummy to back roll… soon I hope.

You still have your fingers in your mouth the majority of the time and though you haven’t started teething yet, it’s coming… I can see it. Your favorite body part is your feet. Who needs toys when you have feet for entertainment. At your 6 month check up, you weighed in at 18 lbs and 27.5″ which puts you in the 85 percentile for weight and 90 percentile for length. You are definitely bigger than your brother at the same age.

As for sleep… it’s still on and off but you’ve been in your crib since you hit the 5 month mark. Some days you will sleep through the night, other times you will wake up 2-4 times a night, but I realized it wasn’t because you were hungry but because you needed to burp or had cramps or simply wanted your pacifier. Hopefully soon you will sleep through the night, but I can’t say I’m complaining since you are an amazing baby.

Both you and your brother melt my heart everyday. I’m so lucky to have both of you. You are my life and the reason I make it through even the toughest times. Mama loves you!

This year I experimented with my salad. I think I’ve put fruits in every single one I’ve made. Pears, Raspberries, Apples, Grapes, Oranges …. And the list goes on.#weverb12 #day4 #experiment

It’s moments like these I cherish and want to keep forever. I wish my father-in-law wasn’t diagnosed with terminal cancer so he could stay a little longer. #weverb12 #day3 #stay

Two years ago, I participated in ReVerb10 and posted daily about a prompt and reflected on the past year. Last year, I skipped it because it was quite time consuming and with a running toddler in the house and pregnant at the same time, I couldn’t commit to it. This year, WeVerb12 can also be done via Instagram (which I LOVE!). I find pictures can sometimes be more powerful then words, but who am I kidding… it’s definitely less time consuming.

You can follow my WeVerb12 moments via instagram, or check out everyone who is participating in images via this feed. I will though on occasions post some of the images in my daily prompt. How are you reflecting on 2012 and plan for 2013?