Our canvas growth charts make a terrific personalized, thoughtful gift for any new mom, baby shower gift or child’s birthday.
Printed on thick, matte finish, cotton canvas our modern growth charts are gifts that will be treasured for years. The bright vivid owls, trains, butterflies, and dinosaurs are richly colored, as they are printed with the highest quality, eco friendly, archival inks. This custom craftsmanship creates a long lasting growth chart keepsake. Canvas growth charts feature aluminum corner grommets.
First things first …
Choose a wall to hang your growth chart from. Hang the bottom 24” (2 feet) above the floor. Wherever you hang your chart from, avoid anywhere where the canvas will be exposed to long periods of direct sunlight.
You have lots of options for hanging your personalized growth chart. Here are a few that we think are cute.
Hooks
3M makes a lot of great “no hole” products. These hooks are plastic, but are made to look like metal. They run around $4 each and are the perfect size for our aluminum grommets — even better you don’t have to use a hammer, nails, screws, etc.
Ribbon
To make the hooks cuter, tie ribbon to the grommets and hang the ribbon from the hooks. You can choose a ribbon that matches the design like we did here with the baby blue ribbon or the ribbon could create a pop of color if you used red or orange.
Wooden Character Hooks
3M makes little clear plastic hooks that we attached to these little wooden characters — we found them at a local craft store for about $1 each.
We used the 3M stickers to attach the characters to the wall and the hooks to the characters. What a fun way to hang your growth chart and continue the theme of your child’s room or nursery.
Here are some answers to some frequently asked questions about our personalized growth charts:
What should I use to write on my canvas growth chart?
To mark your child’s height and age on your canvas growth chart, we recommend a fine-tip permanent marker.
How should I care for my growth chart?
If you need to clean your canvas growth chart, you can wipe it gently with a soft dry cloth. Place your growth chart such to avoid prolonged exposure to direct sunlight.
What if my canvas growth chart wrinkles or my child folds it?
If your canvas wrinkles or your little one gets carried away playing with their growth chart (our little emmy loves to hide behind hers and play hide and seek), you can gently iron the back of the growth chart at a low temperature.
What if the edges of my canvas growth chart curl?
As our premium canvas is made primarily of cotton and natural fabrics sometimes have a tendency to curl slightly, we recommend ironing the backside of the canvas
Happy Growth Chart hanging!
Delight Dad with these stylish and fun gifts!
Show the special man in your life how much you love him with these great gift ideas …
1 iPod, 2 Petite Lemon Gallery Wrapped Canvas Photo Poster, 3 Beer Holster, 4 Car Wash & Detail, 5 Reef Flip Flop with church key bottle opener on the sole, 6 Petite Lemon Father’s Day Card from Shutterfly.com, 7 Tickets to a sports game with buddies (Image Source), 8 Kindle, 9 Date night with Mom
It’s not hard to celebrate Dad’s all year long! Remember to tell him that you love him, tell him a joke to make him laugh till his belly aches — and let him have a night off once in awhile. He’s sure to be thankful.
Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads out there!
Petite Lemon
Easy Peasy Party Planning
Throwing a Birthday Party? Not sure where to start? Start with an invite and turn it into a Birthday Party!
We started with this adorable new invitation — Celebration Banner Pink Birthday Invitation. Check out all of our fun and fresh Petite Lemon Birthday Party Invitations.
Then we thought we’d create some fun and easy birthday party decor — so we created matching Cupcake Toppers and a Happy Birthday Pennant. Both available as free downloads here (Pink Pennant, Blue Pennant, Pink Toppers, Blue Toppers).
The invite, pennant and cupcake toppers are available in coordinating blue and pink colors, shown in the post above (Pink Pennant, Blue Pennant, Pink Toppers, Blue Toppers).
Here are some other coordinating birthday party items to inspire you:
{Clockwise}
Paper Party Hats (such a party classic!), Spotted Cupcake Liners (added dot details gives cupcakes that extra touch!), Sparkly Steamers (an eye catcher!), Paper Blooms (big, bold and fun!), Fancy Drinks + Straws (fun straws make drinks more fun!), Popcorn Containers (such charming little containers!)
Check out our original Easy Peasy Party Planning post, as well as other Petite Lemon blog posts on Shutterfly.com’s Community Blog, Picture More.
Happy Birthday!
Petite Lemon
MOM'S … TAKE TIME FOR YOURSELF!
With Mother’s Day just a few days away, we thought we’d encourage moms to renew and relax. With all that there is to do, it’s tricky for Moms to make time for themselves. Here are some tips to do so:
Change Your Expectations
Remember, it’s OK to cut corners — let the laundry pile up, don’t over schedule your family, clean the kitchen the next day. Sometimes its more fun to just ease up, let go and just enjoy the moment with your family.
Get a Pedicure!
Who doesn’t love having their feet rubbed! If you are on a budget, think about making a spa day with girlfriends at a beauty school.
Ladies Lunch or Dinner
Set aside time to spend with friends — schedule an evening with girlfriends in advance so you can take some time to enjoy the company of good friends. You’re sure to go to bed full of good memories, love and laughs.
Say No
Every time you say “yes” to someone else, you may be saying “no” to your family and priorities. Start small by listing out things you would like to say “no” to — a group, a volunteer commitment, a project. Be honest and gracious, “I apologize but I’m unable to make that commitment.” Before you know it you may find yourself with more time to focus on what matters in your life and with a bit more time for yourself.
Hire a Sitter for the Day
Have a baby sitter or neighboring teen come over during the day so that you can grocery shop, catch up on house projects or just enjoy doing nothing for a day.
No Cook Night
Get take out from your favorite place and eat on disposable plates — you don’t have to cook OR do the dishes!
Make time for yourself — happy, healthy Moms have happy, healthy kids!
(This poster is available for purchase here!)
Happy Mother’s Day!
Petite Lemon
BETTER THAN A SHEET CAKE
Begin planning your child’s next birthday party with the perfect invitation and then focus on the best party — the cake!
For your next birthday celebration, try out one of these fun, fresh ideas instead of the usual grocery store sheet cake.
1) Bundt Cakes
Try out a new style of cake with a Bundt — create your own fun flavor and frosted topping, or if you are not the baking type head over to your local bakery.
2) Dipped Marshmallows
Easier to create than they look, a dipped marshmallow is a fun and yummy treat! Dip with any of your favorite toppings such as carmel, chocolate, sprinkles, or crushed graham crackers.
3) Fancy Doughnut
Dress up an ordinary doughnut with embellishments such as frosted piping, chocolate syrup, crumbled cookies, or mini chocolate chips!
4) Cake Pops
A new twist on the cupcake — create a cake ball, put it on a stick, dip in frosting, top with sprinkles and voila!
5) Big Lollipops
Excitement is sure to follow when you serve giant lollipops — display in a vase or wrap in cellophane and tie with a cute ribbon.
6) Dessert Panini
For a totally new spin on desserts, create a dessert Panini and use cute cookie cutters to create fun shapes!
And here’s a great Pro-Tip from our Petite Lemon Momprenuer Trace — dish out ice cream ahead of time! Scoop ice cream into cupcake liners, top with sprinkles and pop in the freezer before the party starts!
Check out our original “Better Than a Sheet Cake” blog post, as well as other Petite Lemon blog posts over at Shutterfly.com’s Community Blog, Picture More.
Cheers!
Petite Lemon
SEND EASTER GREETINGS
With Easter just around the corner, send some Spring Cheer to your loved ones. We have several sweet photo cards that are sure to delight!
What are some of your favorite Easter memories?
Happy Easter!
Petite Lemon
SPRING CARDS + NOTES ON NAMES
Unsure how to list your family names on cards and stationery?
Whether you are married with no kids or married with two names, here are some charming ways to list your family names:
YOU ARE: Married with Kids
Your card may look like this:
YOU ARE: Married with NO Kids
Your card may look like this:
YOU ARE: A Two-Name Family
Your card may look like this:
As the years seem to fly by, add in a year when you list your family name to make it easier to identify each special card or announcement you create.
Consider adding in your little one’s or pet’s age. It’s a great reminder for friends or family and it’s also fun to look back at cards and see little ones at various ages.
And lastly, PROOFREAD! You’d think this was a no brainer by name misspellings often happen, especially for multitasking moms and dads.
The darling Spring card that we’ve used as our sample is available in both green and pink — and with matching address labels!
Cheers,
Petite Lemon
HOW TO – MAKE A BURP CLOTH
Do you remember seeing these cute burp cloths on this blog post? Today we’re sharing a tutorial on how to make them yourself. Burp cloths make a perfect baby gift or are just to make for yourself. They are made out of cloth diapers so they will soak everything up!
Supplies:
- cloth diapers (make sure and get the pre-fold kind. You can get 3 ply or 4 ply…just depends on how thick you want them)
- fabric pieces (I use fat quarters. I used cotton, but you could use flannel if you like too.)
- scissors
- sewing machine
- pins
Optional Supplies
- ribbon
- hem gauge
Step 1: Wash all your fabrics, ribbon (if you are using it) and diapers in hot water and dry them. Your fabric will fray on the edges, but that is okay, we won’t notice this in the finished burp cloth. You want to pre-shrink everything because each fabric shrinks a little differently. So it’s good to shrink them all first before sewing them together.
Step 2: After everything is dry, iron them to make them easier to work with.
Step 3: You are going to cut your fabric. For the length, you are going to measure the length of your diaper and add 1 inch. (Each diaper is a little different, so it’s best to measure what you have.) Then the width will be 6”. My diaper was 17” long, so I cut my rectangle to 18” x 6”. This allows for a ½” hem on each side.
Step 4: Lay the fabric strip on your ironing board and using a hem gauge (if you have one), press a ½” hem down each side. If you do not have a hem gauge, you can just eyeball it.
Step 5: Lay the fabric strip down centered in the middle of the diaper with pressed hems facing down. Pin the fabric into place.
Step 6: Now you are ready to sew. Sew through all layers….you want to make your seam as close the edge of the fabric as you can.
If you want to add ribbon, you can now sew strips of ribbon to each side of the fabric.
Happy Sewing!
Petite Lemon
FREE DOWNLOAD – HAVE FUN PLAYING UP & DOWN
To go along with our Stop & Go Sign, we’ve made an Up & Down Sign. One child holds the sign directing everyone when to go “up” or when to go “down!” — kids can jump or hop up and down! Up & Down is a fun way to help get the wiggles our of your energetic kiddos!!
You’ll Need:
- White Cardstock
- Scissors
- Popsicle stick or straw
- Glue
Making our Up & Down Sign is easy!
- Download and print out Up and Down circles on cardstock
- Cut out signs and apply glue to back
- Place popsicle stick on back of sign
- Adhere backs of signs together
- Have fun!
Cheers,
Petite Lemon
FREE DOWNLOAD – HAVE FUN PLAYING STOP AND GO
Inspired by own little Petite Lemon, Zeke (4) — our Stop and Go sign is pure fun for all little ones, anytime! Choose one child to hold the sign. Everyone else playing lines up across the room and the child holding the sign directs everyone when to “stop” or when to “gooooo!” — kids can run, dance or skip! Stop and Go is also fun to help little ones enjoy their daily chores or routine, such as getting dressed, eating, or picking up toys!
You’ll Need:
- White Cardstock
- Scissors
- Popsicle stick or a straw
- Glue
Making our Stop and Go Sign is easy!
- Print out Stop and Go shapes on cardstock
- Cut out signs and apply glue to back
- Place popsicle stick on back of sign
- Adhere backs of signs together
- Have fun!
And check out our Stop and Go Sign post on Shutterfly.com’s blog!
Cheers,
Petite Lemon
