1st year anniversary gift that will keep giving EVERY year!

Wanted to share a fun anniversary gift idea for all of you newly weds out there! 

This has been so much fun for me and my husband has always loved it!

For our first wedding anniversary I wanted to do something special and creative for Doug. Since the tradition was "paper" I decided to choose a song that was special to us and re wrote the lyrics on some paper. I put it in a pretty box with lots of blank pages. 

My promise was that I would re write a song every anniversary forever and ever. So far, so good!

 The first year's song was "Love your love". 2nd year was "Then". Last year was "A great guy like you" ("A woman like you"). This year I decided to re write the song "She's everything" as "He's everything" because it was the first song that Doug played for me and said it reminded him of me, about 6 1/2 years ago! So far, all of the artists have been men which has made it fun to re write! Obviously I started this before my new career in print making, but I will still write this years because I think that's what makes it so special! 

Happy 4 years, Doug! And I thought I loved you then. Ha!

xoxo

Col

It can't get more rewarding than this...

Today is a bittersweet day in Newtown, Connecticut. There are red balloons all over town and people gathering to honor little James Mattioli on this, his 7th birthday. Although he is not on this earth to celebrate, his memory is being honored by friends and family in Newtown and by myself, you (readers and friends) and the Etsy community. 

I cannot express how honored I feel to be a part of something so personal to so many people who have been on my heart and in my thoughts and prayers for months now. I can't think of anything more rewarding. Here is how it all began :)

Weeks ago I got a repeat order from a customer who was buying something for her daughter's teacher. I ALWAYS glance at the address/location of the order to see if it might be Carmel, Indiana (where I am from), St. Louis, MO (where I live) or somewhere tropical/a dream destination. I have racked up offers of places to stay in Portugal, Australia AND England already! This time around however I couldn't help but notice that Kristen was from Newtown, CT. I would have seen this on her first order but it would not have grabbed my attention then as I had never heard of it. I reached out to express sympathy only to discover she was closer to the tragedy than I hoped or expected :( One thing led to another and some weeks later, she has handed out 100 of these prints to her connections to 12.14.12 be they victim's families, friends and teachers. She decided on "Love always wins" (the town's mantra on the road to healing) and we hope that the message can bring peace and happiness to everyone! The names of each victim borders the quote and the credit for the concept of this design goes to Kristen herself!!

While the print is meant to honor all of the victims and their families, we would like to especially dedicate it to little James, Kristen and her family's personal connection to 12.14.12. In Kristen's words: "James was one of my son Christopher’s dearest friends, a boy who loved life, his family, baseball, Treadwell’s pool, and all things fun.  His smile will forever be etched into our hearts, and he is dearly missed by our family." 

Half of the proceeds of this print will go to his memorial fund. If you would like to make a donation in lieu of purchasing a print, please make a check out to:

James R. Mattioli Memorial Fund 

c/o Newtown Savings Bank

39 Main Street, Newtown, CT 06470

To learn more about James and to see his adorable face, please go here:

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/newstimes/obituary.aspx?pid=161773043#fbLoggedOut ♥ 

To purchase a print which will serve as a reminder that LOVE ALWAYS WINS, please visit my etsy shop here!: https://www.etsy.com/listing/127201130/love-always-wins-half-of-proceeds-to-be?ref=shop_home_active

Thank you for reading this post! I am not the best blogger in the world but then I have never had something SO important to write about! Please share with family, friends and anyone you think would like to make a difference in the future of James' memory. 

xoxoxo

Colleen

SIDE NOTE & FAVOR!!! Kristen has reached out to many places requesting donations for frames to give to those who received a print already so they may hang it in their home. If you have any ideas or connections for frames please reach out to me: cocostinedesigns@etsy.com - THANK YOU!!

And the winners are...

Ryan was pretty excited about his big task this morning! 

And the winners are...

Congrats!!!!! To redeem your PDF please email me: cocostinedesigns@gmail.com with your dates, names and color choices! If you need a reminder, here is the PDF link on the site!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/101291064/pdf-printable-version-for-what-a

Thanks so much everyone! I am 3 away from 500 likes on FB and hope to reach my goal by my 1 year tomorrow! Owe it all to my incredible family, friends and customers!

xoxo

Colleen

GIVEAWAY TIME! :)

To enter to get a free What a Difference a Day Makes PDF simply "like" my Facebook page (if you haven't already) and leave a comment here! I will put all of your names in a hat and let my 15 month old pick one out :) 

I will reveal the winners on the 22nd! This will give more people a chance for a free PDF of a new print! So pass this on to your friends for a chance to win! Goal = 500 likes!

Thanks for the love and support :)

xoxo

Colleen

Somebody call 911!!!!!!!

St. Louis. Is. HOT. I know it's hot everywhere and I get it that everyone is miserable this summer. But I firmly BELIEVE that St. Louis, Missouri exceeds all other levels of hotness in this great country!

THAT being said, we had our first real family pictures taken last Tuesday in 105 degree weather. Our sweet photographer Lissy { http://missprissiness.com/blog/?p=12580 } still made it super fun and bearable!!!! I am so lucky that Lissy's sweet mom, Mary, purchased several prints from me a few months ago. During the communication portion (imagine that!) we got to know each other and I became quite fond of Mary and inquired about her extra large family! Through our email "chat" I learned that ONE of her daughters was a photographer in STL AND, coincidentally, had just taken a good friend of mines pics! It just worked out perfectly. Small world indeed!

Wanted to share a few of her sneak peaks. Not too fond of my hair but what's a girl to do! Circumstantial :) Ryan was a gem though and we had lots of fun!!!!! THANK YOU, LISSY!!!!

The last few months of my life have been (to say the LEAST) a WHIRLWIND. Some days I didn't know how I was going to make it work... but with the help of my wonderful husband, my family & 2 new FAB babysitters, it has all fallen into place :)

With over 1100 sales in my Etsy shop since MAY (almost 1400 total!) & being a full time mommy... I feel like I have been lacking in other important departments in my life. But as of 3 weeks ago my sister Shannon has joined me and is helping me immensely!!! SO excited to have more time with our Teddy Bear, family & FUN EVENTS coming up!!! (Weddings, the lake, a bachelorette, our anniversary & celebrating Colleen's wedding!)

Meanwhile, Ryan has been growing up SO fast. He is a wonderfully happy, smiley & energetic baby- all 9 months of him!!!!!! Doug and I feel so blessed to have him in our life. (WE COULDN'T LOVE YOU MORE, SHIVY!)

Just wanted to do a quick post and thank everyone for their love and support. I cannot believe how lucky and blessed we are!
xoxo
Colleen

Peyton Manning: My Sports Hero

My dad was a Baltimore Colts fan before they ever came to Indianapolis in 1984, cheering for the great Johnny Unitas. His passion for Unitas was inspiring to me and one can understand why for Indianapolis natives, today is a very sad day. My sister said it best when she texted me this morning, "it feels like I've been dumped!" Shan, for once, the glass is half empty but... I know we can fill it up! Since 1998, Peyton has done wonders for the city and for the people of Indiana. He brought Indy to LIFE! He brought us a Superbowl! He brought us good deeds and the Peyton Manning Childrens Hospital. He brought us Hope. And I know I will be forever grateful to him for these things and so many more. Thank you Peyton. So much... for all that you did to make us proud of you, of the Colts and of the city of Indianapolis. Wherever you go... I will cheer hard for you! (Let it be known however that I am still and always will be a COLTS fan. And one more thing. I know that Jim Irsay is a GOOD man who had a TOUGH decision to make, but I know he loves Indy too and for that, I am also grateful.
NOW... we could use some LUCK!!!!!! :)

5 months... what?!!!?!?

How can my little bitty angel already be FIVE MONTHS OLD?!?!?!?! I got out a new toy from mom mom o today and he seemed pretty interested (hence the expression on his face! :) I just love him more and more every single day!

Team Project

My sister Janet called me this weekend and asked if I would be willing to help with her son's (my oldest nephew) team basketball project. Each player wrote something special about one another and she asked me to design the poster. I was so excited! Here is what I came up with. What a neat idea for a sports/team gift! They are being printed as I type- 11x14 - and the boys will recieve them at their banquet on Saturday :) So proud of my nephew, Nicholas!

Graduation Inspiration!

So... I am having SO much fun with my etsy shop. I have shipped to 18 different states and have already had 2 repeat customers. I just LOVE it! Ok... reason for THIS post... my 10 year high school reunion is this coming May and I have been reminiscing. Then I was thinking about what I could do for a fun unique graduation present and then it hit me. I hope you enjoy and pass it along to anyone you think would like! I can personalize for ANY school as long as I have the information! High School Graduation Present!

MY SUNSHINE :)

Who knew that such a little person could inspire such pretty art!!!

You Are My Sunshine Print

Counting my blessings

I am feeling so incredibly blessed today. I woke up this morning from a fun weekend with college friends and my family to a smiley, happy baby and a husband who remembered to bring the stroller inside (it really is the little things). As I was driving to grab my daily DC from McD's... I heard one of my favorite songs and it dawned on me as I was driving with my left hand and holding Ryan's hand in the back seat with my right, just how incredibly blessed I am. I AM going to miss these moments. Nomatter how hard it might get. Nomatter how much I miss my family. Nomatter what. These are the best days of my life. I thought the exact same thing right after college, and again when I met Doug, and again when we got married. But I will always look back on this time and smile. Everyone told me that having a baby would change everything and it has. But only for the better. Only for the BEST :)

Ryan is taking a little nap right now and I just can't help but look around and count my blessings. I am so thankful to God and to all of those in my life who have gotten me where I am today. xoxo
See my print on etsy:CoCo Stine Designs - You're Gonna Miss This

Getting ready for St. Patrick's Day with a little Irish Prayer ;) CoCoStineDesigns

Feeling inspired...

I am feeling so happy and inspired today. I have receieved a few texts and an email today of encouragement that really put a smile on my face! It feels so good to be doing something that I love and have always wanted to do!! I was inspired by Pinterest to create this for my sister and her husband (as a gift for being Ryan's God Parents) and listed it in my etsy shop, too. These are dates that are important to them: Shannon's birthday, David's birthday, they date they got engaged, married and the birth dates of Connor & Danny! A special thanks to Meg Saak for the tagline! I'll keep you posted whether or not they like it and may suggest it as a gift you give in the near future! I know I would LOVE it!

My New Adventure!!!!

I am so excited about my new adventure inspired by my love for arts, crafts and the little things in life. Timing is everything and I now have the time to do what I love! I have so much work to do to get everything listed on etsy, but I started out with a few basics :) Please keep me in mind for special occasions! They make GREAT gifts and are so very special. I am working on prices for canvas and metallic prints, too!
Visit my etsy shop: CoCo Stine Designs

0-3 month re-cap! Oh how he has grown!

Best 3 months EVER!

Well... everyone kept telling us that a baby would change everything, and everyone was right! But... our lives have only changed for the better and I would never want to go back to the day before our little Teddy. Ryan is such a good, happy, sweet little boy. This is a picture our good friend Andy Yee took on Thanksgiving. One for the books- definately our most thankful Thanksgiving day so far!

 Since Ryan was born... another very special event has taken place; that being the engagement of Colleen & Scott!!!! CONGRATULATIONS you guys! We couldn't be happier for you! Let the celebrations BEGIN! xoxo

 This is the picture that went out as our Christmas card this year. We did a few "photo" shoots & Ryan really started to warm up to the camera!! 

 Christmas was the merriest day of all! We spent it in INDY and Ryan got to see all the comotion that takes place in mom mom and pop pop's basement with his big cousins. He is SO good in the car and we had a blast! That was Ryan's 3rd trip to mommy's hometown (so far!)

 GO TIGERS!!!!

 Ryan is my BEST ERRAND buddy!!!!! 

 Uh oh... someone is going to be on the move very soon!

 Almost rolling over! This picture was taken today. What an amazing 3 months it has been. We are so blessed to have a happy, healthy baby and I am the luckiest mom in the world!

Our ray of sunshine... Ryan Daniel =)

Well.... almost 6 weeks later and I am finally getting around to posting the most important post of ALL... the reason for this blog: the birth of our little angel!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hard to believe he has already outgrown his little newborn onesies =) Here is how it all happened...

At 2:40am on September 28th, my water broke while I was sleeping. Everyone said... when it happens you'll KNOW and I now know that to be true!!! I was surprisingly very calm- I called my mom ALMOST immediately (OF COURSE), texted my sisters & best friends & took my time showering/making sure we had everything ready! Doug called his mom & then the hospital. The Dr. on call said we needed to come in as soon as possible and so... we checked in at 4:30 am =) 

They admitted us into room #11 which, is our lucky number, and so I knew everything was going to be perfect!! We weren't surprised that I was barely dilated because we learned that at my appointment the day before. At 7:30am they induced me and I lasted until 12:30pm before I got my epidural. From then on out... it was smooth sailing! Our darling nurse Lily took EXCELLENT care of us!

I am so thankful to my wonderful mother-in-law, Jeri, for being there for pretty much the ENTIRE day. She made the wait for my mom to get there so much more bearable and of course, it wouldn't have been the same without her! Thanks Jeri, we love you!

My mom arrived shortly after I received my epidural and it was a very happy moment!!!!! She has been the biggest support throughout my whole pregnancy, especially when I was on the road for work and I am so lucky she was able to hop in her car and be there for us! I love you SO much mom. If I'm 1/2 the mother to Ryan that you are to me... he will be SUPER lucky! 

And so then... we waited. My mom and Jeri went home for us to grab a few DVD's and some lunch... but came back with the BEST SURPRISE OF ALL!!!!!!!!!!! My sister Shannon dropped EVERYTHING to be there for me and as a teacher and mom of 2 kids... I know it wasn't easy. Shannon, you are my role model and my very best friend. God only knows what I would do without you. Also... thanks for the sign! 2x

We had one more special visitor before things really got going. Colleen & I have been friends forever. She introduced me to Doug never imagining we would one day be married and name our first born after her!! (And Kelly O'Ryan ;) Col... there are really no words to express how much your friendship means to me. You ARE my family here in St. Louis and I love you more than words can say. Ryan loves you SO much.... it runs in the family. xxoxoxo thanks for being there for me ALWAYS.

Hours later, and after watching the Cards beat Houston while Atlanta lost to the Phillies (clinching the wild card!), we were ready to start pushing. It took 33 minutes for us to meet our baby boy... and the feelings that I (we) felt cannot be described. Luckily and unknown to me... one of the nurses grabbed our camera and shot the ENTIRE birth. I wasn't sure how I felt about that until I saw the pictures. I will cherish them forever. Here are a few of my faves!

Ryan Daniel Stine - 9.29.11 - 12:33am - 8lbs, 2oz, 20 inches long

And that is our story. We have never known love like this before and we could not be happier. We were so blessed with a wonderful pregnancy, easy delivery and... a perfect baby who we could not love more. He has brought so much happiness and joy to our lives and we could not imagine life without him now!!!!

 

Grandpa for the first time!!!!!!

Uncle for the first time!!!!!

Pop Pop for the 6th time.... but by his reaction, it might as well have been his 1st ;)

p.s. to my AMAZING and wonderful husband.... I love you more now than before. Thank you for giving me the greatest gift of my life. I can't imagine taking this journey with anyone but YOU. You are already the best dad in the world. xoxox