Baby Names: Not that name again...

Like many soon-to-be-parents, naming our child was a topic of discussion for months...years even (we began before I ever got pregnant!) I searched the web, books and more trying to find something different, but not too different. With the last name, Rodenbaugh, we didn't want our children to have to spell things out.

My first child came along, a boy...we totally had a name picked out for him. Called him by it the whole time we were pregnant. I have yet to give up the name because...well, I want it in reserve just in case, without it getting too popular (I swear I jinxed Aiden!). He came out and we took one look at him and thought, he's Alexander (the name we had picked for his middle name).

So when baby number 2 was on its way, we couldn't just name the baby something short and sweet. We concentrated on girl's names (good thing, it was a girl) -- I liked Ava, but the popularity of it and the length of Alexander Wilhelm vs. Ava Paige just didn't feel fair. We kept coming back to Adelaine. It was different from Addison (the #1 name for 2006) but not too different. And the nicknames were endless: Addie, Lainey, Delaine, Della, Adel...so she could grow and adapt with it. So now, we have Alex & Lainey.

So here's some that I've heard around. Some I love, some I love but just couldn't get that trendy, some were on our list...And some I just love that my friends thought about or named their child. Don't let the numbers fool you, they are in no particular order....

Girls:
Comfortable:
1. Audrey
2. Isabel
3. Charlotte
5. Kaylen
6. Claudia
7. Eva
8. Sylvia
9. Alison
10. Greta

Cute, but not too cute:
1. Brynlie (Bryn for short)
2. Dailey (Dae: I was a huge fan until my husband pointed out: Dailey Paige would be her name)
3. Ellery (Ell or Ella for short. )
4. Dehlia
5. Addly
6. Brylie

Trendy but Different:
1. Harper. (Yep, from the book)
2. Tatum (I keep hearing it more and more)
3. Addien (pronounced: A-D-EN...kind of a feminine form of Aiden)
4. Devyn/Devin
5. Annlie
6. Auden
7. Jaymes
8. Kerrin

For Boys:
1. Wilson
2. Jude
3. Adler
4. Ace
5. Abram
6. Lauer
7. Bauer
8. Keaton
9. Trace
10. McClain
11. Ryland
12. Easton (girl or boy)
13. Kennison
14. Lewis
15. Harlan
16. Eben
17. Anderson
18. Ellis
19. Reed
20. Callum

Cakes: They're not just for diapers anymore!

So I got to thinking...I've made cakes for showers, new moms and even the towel cakes for the new couples. By why stop there...everyone deserves a cake that looks great, without all the fat!

New Cakes!

Now I am offering cakes for every occasion. Know a gal who you want to give her something different than diapers when you visit her at the hospital? A SpaCake it perfect. It has a towel, lotions, and some other relaxation items. Perfect for moms, new and old...best friends...congrats on the new job...or graduation gifts. Walk into the party with a gift that wows!

The smaller cakes start at $15 and up.

For the guys, there's one of two cakes: the PamperMen cake -- with all the ingrediants above, but custom for a man (shaving creams, and more) and the GolfCake -- a golf towel, topped with golf balls, tees, and a little pencil for keeping score.

Mens smaller cakes start at $20.

Visit my website and diaper cakes at:
http://potpourribykerri.googlepages.com

Diaper Cakes...Sock flowers

These have taken off like...hot cakes! Especially the two smaller ones of the TenCake and the Cupcakes. They are great and affordable, look fantastic as centerpieces at the shower -- and they are made of all VERY usable things new parents need.

Here's what one person recently wrote to me about the diaper cake, tenCake, I made as a gift (shown with blue/left).

Kerri,

I know we haven't formally met, but I received from Gayle one of your masterpieces. Given that my wife and I just had twin boys, the need for diapers has clearly become a priority in our household these days. With that said, I wanted to compliment you on your talents and thank you and your family for the sentiment. Be well and happy holidays.

Sincerely,

MS

Shown here is a 10Cake, with 2 sets of flower socks (with bow); Cupcake, with receiving blanket and flower socks; Sock Bouquet, 6 in a bottle (pink)

Visit my website with my diaper cakes and more:
http://potpourribykerri.googlepages.com

Holiday Cards.

So, I know -- my holiday cards aren't the cheapest you can find out there, but they are unique and I will "customize" them for you in terms of how the photos look, feel, color and more.

The 5x7 size is a great size to get great photos, especially in the multi-photo format. You don't have to get that ONE great photo of the family or kids together...you can do each individual. 5x7s do not cost anymore to send as the 4x8s. You'll notice that other sites are also offering 5x7s this year too.

For Example: One customer contacted me and she liked three of the designs. I told her which would fit having multiple photos best. She emailed me her photos and I was able to arrange those photos in several ways on each giving her several options to select from. In her final design, I thought the typically brown text looked great, but not with her photo, which featured the kids on a black couch, so I actually changed the couch color to brown to match the text.

Visit my website with my cards, invitations and more at:
http://potpourribykerri.googlepages.com

First Post

Hello All,

This is my first blog for Potpourri. I hope to update everyone on the latest happenings and have people respond with things they like on the site, things they hope to see, and more planning tips. I also hope to link and post about friends of mine who do great things in art, photography, etc.

Enjoy the site.
Visit my website with my cards, invitations and more at:
http://potpourribykerri.googlepages.com