GALLERY WALL

We had a blank wall that needed some love and art. I had gathered a few ideas online but was immediately stumped. I really needed an ocean painting. I don't have that kind of talent but my grandpa did. So I asked mom and *poof* out of a closet came the cutest little ocean painting by Grandpa Garden, all tucked away in the dark. With the best handmade mid-century frame, to boot! I remember his frame studio in his garage. It's a dream long gone, but I am happy to see one of his pieces in our home now!

With that painting, I was inspired and ready to get going creating the other things I've been admiring lately on Serena & Lily and Etsy: feathers, mixed frames, doodles, a geometric painting, arrows.

I started in with the feathers.

SUPPLIES
A variety of Feathers
A Shadow Box Frame - Mine came from Crate & Barrel
Neutral fabric - Ironed
Spray Mount
Hot Glue Gun and Glue
Scissors

PROCESS
1. Cover the back panel of the frame with a neutral cloth by spray mounting it down.
2. Cut the fabric about 1" all the way around the back panel and fold the edges over tightly.
3. Hot glued the edges down so that it's tight and smooth on the front of the panel.
4. Use washi tape to give it a finished edge.
5. Lay out the feathers on the fabric board as you want them.
6. Hot glue the feathers with small dots at the points where the feathers touch the fabric.
7. Insert the back panel into the frame, leave out the glass.

Next, I wanted a geometric painting, something with a bit of neon, and after doing it I realized I needed some gold foil in there too ;)

SUPPLIES
Wood Board Canvas
Vintage paper
Spray Mount
Mod Podge
Paints and Brush
Elmer's Glue
Pencil
Ruler
Tracing paper
Painting Tape
Gold Foil and Sizing

PROCESS
1. First lay out all of the pieces of art so far and determine the color palette. I buy my paints at Miachael's and Joann's with coupons to make them nice and cheap.
2. Draw on the wood board canvas, your desired geometric shape.
3. Lay tracing paper over the top and trace the same geometric shape.
4. Spray mount a piece of old newsprint or book paper to the wood canvas.
5. Cut about 1/2"-1" around to fold down. Use Elmer's to tack this down.
6. Mod Podge the entire face and sides of the wood canvas. 1-2 coats and let dry completely.
7. With a ruler and pencil, go over the shape on the tracing paper with nice thick pencil lines. Flip that over onto the dried board and rub down the pencil to transfer the shape.
8. Lightly redraw onto the wood with a ruler to make the lines clear.
9. Tape around the outer edges, this will stay until completely done painting.
10. One shape at a time, tape off and paint each shape. Some shapes you can do more coats and make it more opaque and others, you can do one coat so you can see the newsprint through the paint. Careful not to get the paper too wet, it may bubble.

This part takes a couple of days because I let each shape dry. I try to do a few shapes at a time. You can go over the top if you don't like something. I found that I needed to add some gold foil and redid a few shapes.

11. When all is done, take off the tape and Mod Podge the entire face and sides again. One coat, let dry.

Next, I laid out all of the pieces of art, and added a couple of photos to the mix. I had a cute tile from Spain to add, and an vintage photo of my grandparents. Then I cut out pieces of newsprint each size of the frames and then taped those to the wall in the pattern that felt good to me. Then my husband and I hung up all of the pieces over the top of the newsprint and then tore out the newsprint from behind... It was missing something.

So I made one last frame of stamps. I have a stamp collection so I just gathered a few favorites and laid them out, hot glued them down, framed and put that up to balance out the group.

Done! In only what... 1 month later ;)

GARDEN FELT BALL GARLAND TUTORIAL

I saw some amazing ribbon at Paper Source back when I was planning my daughter's 5th birthday party. A FAIRY PARTY so it was just perfect. I knew it had to be worked into the plan somehow. I got a spool and it has gone surprisingly far. I made two garlands out of it, plus I used some to sew onto the finished package... and I still have some left over. It was a good purchase.

The felt balls I got for the party were a different color palette than this tutorial. When my sister-in-law saw the finished garland at the party she said, "oh... that would go so good in...." you know, I had to make her one too, in the correct color palette of course. So I ordered up more felt balls and made her a little garland for her daughter's room.

Here's a quick tutorial so you can make one too.

SUPPLIES
Leaf Ribbon from Paper Source
Felt Balls (yellow. green. periwinkle) - I got a 20-25mm pack of 25 from HoneyCanada
Neutral DMC Crochet Thread
Needle - Use one with a large eye, but also sharp.
Hot Glue Gun and Glue Sticks

PROCESS
1. I lay out the balls in a long line in the order I want to string them.
2. Thread your needle, you'll be stringing the balls on a single strand of thread.
3. At the end of the thread, make a loop (for hanging the garland), and then tie a knot to secure the loop.
4. Thread the first ball and take it all the way to that knot, leaving the loop as the end of your strand. Poke the needle back through the ball so that you have a bit of leftover of the 2nd piece of thread on the other side of that ball. You'll need that later to secure the leaf ribbon to the ball strand. Hot glue the knot to the ball at it's end entry point.
5. Continue to thread all of the balls in the order you'd like, leaving as much space as you'd like. I spaced mine out about 2" in the end. They needed a bit more space once the ribbon was twisted around the balls.
6. At the last ball make a loop (the same size as the other end) and thread it back through that same ball. I try to NOT go through the same entry hole. Leave some leftover thread and take out the needle.
7. Tie a knot at the other end of that last ball to secure the ball in place. Hot glue the knot to the ball.
8. Going back to the other end of the strand - Tie the leaf ribbon to the ball strand, using the extra bit of thread that was left over, tie it on with a square knot. Be sure to tie it past the first leaf so the ribbon doesn't slide out of the knot. Secure that knot with a dot of hot glue.
9. Twist the ribbon around each empty space between the balls so that the two strands are intertwined.
10. Just before the last ball, tie the ribbon onto the ball strand using the extra bit of thread that was leftover.
11. Secure that knot with a dot of hot glue. 

I hope that makes sense, the loop thing is a bit tricky to explain, but it enables you to have something to hang the completed strand with. You don't have to have the loops, really. You could attach tassels from the end points instead and hang it up from the strand at any point.

Whatever you choose, it's a sweet, delicate little bit of spring to hang up in the end.

P.S. Make sure you store this wrapped around something. If it gets tangled it's mighty painful to untangle. Truth. 

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY. BOOM.

I have to really concentrate, is it fourth or forth? Every time I write out that number I try it out both ways and realize it's really fourth. It seems so wrong, but then again forth seems even more wrong. Inevitably, I end up writing 4th in all my spelling insecurity. Ha!

This is a holiday that I deeply respect in meaning but sort of get annoyed by in reality. It was more fun when I was single heading to a great fireworks show in Portland, New York or San Francisco. Before my worries of kids waking up from extreme pops and sizzles into the wee hours. Before the days of fretting my husband making it home alive after a late night gig. Staying up waiting for him, hoping the police didn't show up instead to tell me there was an awful accident of some sort....All fears I've feared over the years on this glorious holiday.

It is a fabulous occasion to celebrate. I feel a bit of pride seeing our flag waving in our yard. There's a sense of gratefulness for the freedoms that we enjoy. And we do enjoy them. Often without a second thought. Not that I feel like we should feel guilty, but there are many countries full of people in the midst of suffering and political struggles. I hope and pray for their peace. How blessed we are.

I recall traveling in Greece years ago and finding it (this was before 911) alarmingly eye opening that Americans are resented, disliked and in some cases hated. The friends I met there said we think we're so big and important, not giving a second thought to others. I felt a bit ashamed at the moment. I didn't defend us with examples of charity for those that find themselves in the middle of disaster clean up... but we do probably think that way a bit on some level. At least I could see how we could be thought of as puffed up. We've got some issues, sure.

Every country does. But I'm glad for what we have. We have a pride that won't quit. We have a mentality that rises when called upon. We have good people that genuinely want to be successful in life and try with all their might no matter their situation. All worthy of pride, in my wee little opinion. And what is pride but an inflated sense of self... as well as a feeling of satisfaction in achievement. One of those is negative, the other positive. So they see it as negative, we see it as positive, I suppose. I don't know. I'm not terribly political, just happy to be an American.

DIY GARDEN LABELS

These garden labels are easy, but they do take a bit of time. I love how they look. So cute with something green surrounding it. Mine aren't perfect, I'm sure I'll make more and get better with the clay as time goes on. These would make cute little girlie friend gifts, don't you think?

SUPPLIES
Sculpey Baking Clay
Small Alphabet Rubber Stamps
Rolling Pin
Baking Sheet
Frosting Spatula
Sanding Block

PROCESS
1. I make a 2" ball of clay and roll it out flat and thin. It's best to have one side of it relatively flat along the edge of the counter.
2.Trim the rounded edges on each side and cut 1" strips with your spatula. I like to use a frosting/baking spatula that is not angled at all so I can get a clean cut. I usually get four to six strips out of one ball.
3. Stack every other one on top of each other so that you have a double thick strip. Don't worry about making the edges even you will trim them next.
4. I like to lightly roll over these to mash them together just slightly, but don't make them thin again.
5. Trim off the edges so you have clean sides to each strip. Use your fingers to smooth the edges and the spatula to smash in the jagged edge.
6. Select your letters. I like to space them apart so if it's a short word, I can just hold the entire thing and press it in at once. If there are double letters, break the word apart and start at the outer edge. Try not to press too hard, then you'll see the outlines of the stamp block (I need practice with this;)
7. Once your word is imprinted, cut the other tip to a point and blunt cut the point if you'd like.
8. Smooth the strips as much as possible because sanding doesn't get out all of the imperfections.
9. Using your spatula, gently scoop up each strip and place on a baking sheet. Then smooth the strips again. Be sure to use the edge of the spatula to make each side of the strip straight.
10. Bake according to the Sculpey package directions.
11. After it cools, sand out some of the imperfections and the ragged back edge of each side.

Done! Cute-cute.
Stick it in a pot... or in your garden.

BABY GIFTS GALORE

People just keep having babies.

So I keep making softie balls. I've posted a tutorial in the past.

But this spring and early summer has proven to bring on an unusually large batch of newbies. Hopefully these little jingler balls find their way into their chubby little hands for play. One weekend I made a batch of 9, the following weekend I made 5 more. What is this madness? When do my friends stop having babies? Or is it just that I keep getting younger and younger friends and so I'll be making balls forevermore.

I considered making them and selling them at the craft festivals here in town. We have a number of fun events to choose from. But honestly, I couldn't justify the time it takes to make them and what to charge for them. I mean, I'm not going to charge someone $20 for a jingly ball. And anything less makes the endevor not worth my time or stress. I think I'll continue to make these for friends as they have their babies. I really enjoy giving a handmade gift. I know I always enjoy getting something handmade. It's extra special and always cherished. Hopefully these balls are too.

JUNK ROOM

We have a room that has turned into the junk room.

Sometimes it's referred to as my sewing room as it contains all of my sewing supplies and fabric and such.

Other times it's called the work out room because it houses a treadmill and a rowing machine, but let's be honest, I've used one of those machines a total of three times in the course of four months.

It has a slew of toys that should be put away in the girls bedrooms but somehow because it's an open space (at times) it has turned into their play room.

In the past it was our bedroom closet on the other side of the house from our bedroom. We recently added a master bath and closet so truth be told, this is the cleanest this room has been since we moved into this house.

It is officially an EXTRA room! I realize we're fortunate to have an extra room. Most people have a junk drawer or an extra cupboard. I know this is a good thing. But what to do with it?

What I really need is a guest room and sewing room. I'd love to have one more baby (time is running out for that idea) so it could be a baby room. On a daily basis, thoughts of what this room could be spin around in my head. It is the multifunctional guest/workout/sewing room with the hope of a baby room. That's it!

Perhaps the closet could be organized in a manner that it contains all of the sewing items and the vacuum. Perhaps a small fold out sofa could fit in there and we keep one of the work out pieces... the treadmill? It's bulky but we use it (dare I say it) more. Perhaps the kids rooms switch around a bit and they get a real play room and they share a room for sleeping. I'd love to put up some pretty wallpaper and play up the sofa side of it. So it would look like a guest room with a treadmill but it would house so much more.

Perhaps... I should keep thinking.

ESTATE SALE FINDS

One of my FAVORITE of all favorite things to do is to go to estate sales. I usually go with my girlfriend Chris, she's an estate sale pro. We try to hit them on Friday mornings if at all  possible between our busy schedules.

I used to think going to an estate sale would make me sad, walking into someones home and looking through their things... purchasing a little bit of their life. But I look at it differently now. I see the photos on their walls and their clothes in their closets and I can't help but wander through their home (it's not a house, it's a home) and think of them. Whoever they were. I think of their family and the life they lived. I don't know these people that have passed on but I find it sentimental in a sweet way, not a sad way. And undoubtedly I find some amazing little bit in their home that I want to bring to my home. And then forever more, I'll look at that something and think about that person who I really know nothing about, but in my mind they were a beautiful person and lived a beautiful life and I thank them for sharing their little something.

Here are a few finds. Some of them remind me of my childhood. We actually owned a sheriff bear cookie jar as a kid, so to see one again brought a big smile.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

It's a morning like any other, my oldest comes to my side of the bed after getting no response from daddy. She wakes me with a complaint of some sort. She's not getting a "Quiet Morning" sticker, oh well. The other one starts to stir needing a Kleenex and a diaper change and my poor husband is in a deep NyQuil sleep. I have a house full of sickies.

But my heart is full when I look at their little faces eating their oatmeal and talking about this and that. It makes me grateful to be a mom even though it's not a day of breakfast in bed and flowers, like it's marketed to be.

It makes me so very thankful for the beautiful examples of motherhood in my life, my mom, my sisters, sisters-in-law, mother-in-law, my friends and their mothers who have all influenced me in some way. Each with their unique approach to caring that I want to adopt.

I am a watcher. I can't help but enjoy seeing how you all cuddle with your babies, play with your little ones, talk to your teens and relate to your adult kids. I hope I can be even an ounce of what you all are as mothers. You truly inspire me, I love you and I thank you.

I am also grateful for my husband. Because honestly without him, none of it is possible. He helped me bring them into this world and he helps me each day to not only do my job but enjoy my job. It's a package deal, and I'm grateful I have my own little package. It could be so different, I know it is for many others.

This mom is truly blessed.

FAIRY PARTY

My daughter turned five and I'm trying to catch up on all of the to-do's that went into making her FAIRY PARTY happen. I had planned to have it outside and decorate with string lights, puff ball garlands, fairy houses and such. I wanted the craft table to be outside. But it rained the entire day so I had to adjust my thoughts and decorate inside. We had 14 kids and a handful of adults to help out. The craft table was set up in our living room and the kids could craft or play outside once the rain stopped, eat snacks and cupcakes.

THE FOOD
I planned for an afternoon party so our food was snacky, mostly from Trader Joe's. Lots of "twigs" (pretzels) and various berries, nuts and dried fruits. My sister-in-law (she's highly skilled in the kitchen) made the most adorable mini cupcakes that were not only adorable but irresistible. They were small and easy to pop in your mouth, not as messy as full sized cupcakes. It made it all too easy to eat 8+ cupcakes that afternoon. I also put out mini bottled water and Izzi's on ice.











































































THE CRAFTS
The table was set up with paper doll cut outs, glue dots, pens, crayons and embellishments to create their own fairies. The boys didn't go for this at all, since the rain stopped, they were happy to play outside. The girls loved the paper dolls though and took great care with their crafts.

THE DECORATIONS
I made a few garlands to hang from various door ways, and windows. One was a "Stellabration" sign I printed up and strung on some twine and put glitter along the bottom edge. I also had a rag garland (tutorial), and a leaf ribbon and wool felt ball garland (tutorial to come). I blew up several balloons and strung fishing line, hung them upside down, along with the tinkerbell and friends toys that we have. I also strung some daisy strands and a moss covered No. 5 (tutorial). I had two 36" balloons with tassels attached. My fairy house (tutorial) was meant to be outside, but looked so cute inside with some stepping stones and moss all around it. I also had a chalkboard sign saying "Fairies Welcome" hand written by my father-in-law. Everything looks better when he writes it.


































































































THE PARTY FAVORS
Each of the boys and girls got a little burlap bag filled with goodies. The girls got a Tinkerbell rubber stamp and fairy tattoos, a mini bottle of pixie dust, a butterfly ring and a chocolate mushroom. The boys got several chocolate coins. I wanted the bags to hang from the trees outside, but instead I hung from a vase full of branches... still cute.

The boys also got pirate swords and the girls got wings and fairy wands. These were all $2 items from Target's party section. I did add to the wands by adding more ribbon and a little bell so it would "tinker".

TINKERBELL PAPER DOLLS

I actually posted this on the big Birthday day, but since then, I've managed to accidentally erase it. Oh bother. Here it is again.

FREE PRINTABLES
Print on 8.5"x11" and Cut

I used glue dots to keep the mess contained during the party. I also laid out several types of embellishments for the kids: Sparkle stickers, ribbon, yarn, twine, sunflower seeds, fabric, mini pompoms for Tinkerbell and Periwinkles shoes, and pens to draw in shoes and faces.

TINKERBELL AND FRIENDS PAPER DOLLS

Here are all of the dollies cut out. It was a ton of cutting, and not all were used at the party, but we've made good use of them post party. The girls love to play with them after they've put them together. The cutting was worth it.

RAG GARLAND

This was originally made for my girlfriend's birthday party, a pretty spring party with greens and yellows. But, frugal me, I'm reusing it for my daughter's fairy party which also has some green and yellow in the color palette.

































Along the edge of my fabric, I cut first, about every 1/2" (in groups of four) and then rip the fabric, and repeat. If you rip your fabric instead of cutting, It makes for a better "rag" look. In the end I have piles of five different fabrics, all the same size.

When knotting around the yarn, I take one strand off fabric and loop it in half. Put the loop under the yarn strand and pull the ends through, tug and repeat.  I don't go in a pattern really, I just randomly arrange the fabrics until they're all gone. Then you can adjust them and space them for the space needed. I think mine was 1/4 yard of five fabrics and a yarn strand about 4 feet in length.

FAIRY PARTY PREPARATIONS

My little big girl is turning five and she loves Periwinkle. She likes Tinkerbell too, but mostly she loves Periwinkle. Probably because Peri is named after her favorite color. That's what happens when you're the product of two designers, you don't just like blue.... or green... or purple, you like PERIWINKLE.

So when that movie came out (Secret of the Wings) you can be she flipped a lid. I broadened her party a bit to Peri, Tink and all of the fairy friends. We're going to make paper dolls for the craft. They'll get lots of nuts and berries for snacks and of course a pair of wings and a wand.

Up until the party and after, I'll post a few of the fixings created to make this party a fairy land. I already made the fairy house a while back... remember that? A whole day of hot glue and sticks!

SUPPLIES
Craft Moss
Cardboard Cutout
Hot Glue Gun and Glue Sticks

 I used a thick cardstock, like from a cereal box, and cut out a number five. I punched out two holes at the top and tied fishing line to it so I could hang it. Then I hot Glued moss all over, starting at one end and working to the other. Super easy.

DIY PLUSH BUNNY

I made these for Easter. Even though Easter is past, I'll give a quick tutorial, because this doesn't have to be a bunny, you could make it a girlie doll, or another animal. I originally saw a dollie here. But I needed something for Easter so I turned it into a bunny. My husband helped out with their cute little  faces.


MATERIALS
Felt (Collar, Shoes, Ears)
One small button (Collar)
Patterned Fabric (Dress)
Flexible Muslin Fabric (Head. Arms. Legs)
Cotton Lace (Base of Dress)
Embroidery Thread and Needle (Pink. Brown. + Collar Accent)
Scissors. Pins. Sewing Machine. Seam Ripper (if you're like me, and make mistakes)
Iron and Ironing Board
Stuffing
Tracing Paper
Pen
Chopstick (for turning inside out, and stuffing)

PROCESS
1. Draw your plush out, flat on a piece of paper. Try to make it the size you want in the end.
2. Trace over each of the body parts with 1/2" seam allowance. Dress first, then legs, arms, head.
3. Pin the traced pieces to fabric and cut: 2 pieces (back to back for dress) for each item. Use the Muslin for the arms, legs, and head. Use the patterned fabric for the dress.
4. For felt pieces, trace over your original drawing without a seam allowance for the ears. For the shoes and collar pieces, trace with a slight seam allowance
5. Cut out your felt pieces.
Head:
6. Embroidery the face to one piece of the Muslin head. I draw in pencil first and then stitch with pink for the nose and a Dark Brown for the eyes, and nose.
7. Sew the Pink felt to the Muslin ears on the head.
Arms:
8. Sew each of the arms, turn inside out and iron flat. Stuff with stuffing and set aside.
Legs:
9. Take one Muslin leg piece, and the MaryJane felt shoe piece (with the hole). Stitch the top of the felt shoe and the inside of the MaryJane hole. Take the other Muslin leg piece and other felt shoe piece and stitch along the top only.
10. Now back those together and stitch all around. Turn inside out and iron flat. Repeat for the other Leg.
11. Stuff both legs and set aside
Dress:
12. Embroider the center collar piece to the top edge/center of the dress. Sew the button into the center of the center collar piece. Place the two-loop collar piece on top of that.
13. Back up the head piece bottom edge of the head and top edge of the dress with the collar in between. Stitch 1/4" in to connect the head to the dress. Repeat this for the back side of the dress, except without the collar.
Put It Together:
14. Back up and pin the dress/head pieces. Sandwich and pin the arms in just below the collar. Let the arms stick out beyond the edge a bit just to ensure they get sewn in properly.
15. Sew around the dress and head with a 1/4" seam, starting with one arm and ending with the other arm.
16. Once all are connected, tuck the arms up into the head.
17. Pin the legs up inside the dress, making sure that the MaryJane side is the same side as the face. Also, be sure to sandwich a piece of cotton lace (cut the same width as the dress base), in front of the MaryJane shoes. Line it up with the bottom edge of the dress. Let the legs hang out a bit past the edge to ensure that they get sewn in properly.
18. Stitch the remaining starting with one corner, past both legs and then up along one side of the dress. This should leave a 2" gap or so, to pull everything through. I like to use a chopstick when turning things inside out, to get into the small areas.
19. Press the entire thing flat and stuff with stuffing.
20. Hand stitch the remaining 2" opening.

EASTER TAG/STICKER FREE PRINTABLES

I've been in need of some simple little Easter tags this year. Here's a little something I put together for my needs. Maybe you could use it too. You can print them on sheets of sticker paper, or heavy weight paper and cut them out with a Fiskars Scallop Punch. Happy Easter!

EASTER DIY WREATH

Our front door has no shelter. It's a faulty design on our previous owner's part. I think he was still in California in his mind when he designed the front entrance to this house. As a result whatever wreath we put on our door needs to withstand the elements. For Easter, that remains to be true as it is snowing outside right now and it's nearly April. My girlfriend, Tia had a great solution at our last DIY night. She suggested using Target's Christmas garlands. I happen to have two strands and have never loved them at Christmas time. So I'll try them out for Easter.

SUPPLIES
Green Styrofoam Wreath
Hot Glue Gun and Glue Sticks
2 Garlands
Plastic Pearl Eggs

PROCESS
1. Start at the seam of the wreath with a two inch glob of hot glue and secure one end of a garland to the wreath.
2. Wrap the wreath with that garland until it's at it's end. Hopefully you're at the half point of the wreath too. Glue the end of the garland to the wreath.
3. Start again with the second garland where you left off. Glue to fasten and wrap it until at the top and glue again.
4. Hot glue the pearl eggs to the wreath.

You can really use any garland and any decorative objects. These are the items I had and could find easily at Michael's. The whole project took all of 5 minutes. I'm really not kidding. Thank you Hot Glue Gun, I love you.

EASTER BUNTING

I have some gold branches that I pull out every Easter season. I add some sweet little birdie clips from La Bonne Vie at Grand America and some little gold eggs from Jolley's Parmacy.

All was needed was some kind of beads or fabric bunting around it. So I cut up three different fabrics into 1.25"x1.25" triangles and started sewing them together. Easy.
Happy Easter!

ST. PATRICK'S DAY FELT GARLAND

This is my last minute jam. I have nothing for St. Patty's but I had some green felt, gold and green thread and a handful of golden felt balls. That's enough to pull together a little festive garland. It won't be up for long though, Easter is right around the corner.

ST. PATRICK'S DAY TREAT BAG

We don't go all out for St. Patrick's Day at our house, but it's hard to pass up chocolate coins wrapped in gold foil! They make a great little surprise gift for the kids on the 17th.

SUPPLIES
Clear Cellophane Bags
Chocolate Gold Coins
Green Ribbon
Gold Metallic Shred

DIY FAIRY HOUSE

I'm not sure about those of you with girls, but our girls love fairies. At Grandma's house there is a fairy room (she was inspired years ago for the grandkids to come). But they started to really love fairies when their other Grandma gave them "Secret Of The Wings" for Christmas last year. It was a hit from the git. They love watching Periwinkle and Tinkerbell and all of her friends. I actually don't mind watching it with them. It's really cute and there's not a whole lot to fast forward. Vidia is a bit grumpy but we can talk through some of those parts and turn it into a lesson.

So we got hooked on all of the Tinkerbell movies. "The Great Fairy Rescue" inspired this little fairy house project. I love the house that Lizzy made in the movie. She handled it with such care and now I know why. They aren't so simple to put together. It took some hours to gather the fixin's with the kids and create. With Spring on its way, it will be an ongoing project including it in the garden.

SUPPLIES
Wood Structure - Birdhouse, or gazibo
Small Saw
Brown Paint
Sponge Brush
Scissors/Garden Cutters - Tough ones that can cut sticks
Twine
Hot Glue Gun and Glue
Fixin's - Sticks. Pinecones. Leaves. Nuts. Acorns. Snail Shells. Pods
Rocks

PROCESS
1. I wanted a structure that they could actually use and have their fairies walk into so I needed something that was larger than a standard $1 birdhouse. I opted for a gazibo-like birdhouse from Joann's (although, I can't find it online). I also wanted wood so it wouldn't rot out too quickly.
2. Saw out one support post for a larger door and entrance.
3. Paint it brown so it blends well with the sticks and outdoors. My daughter loves painting so this was a good time to include her.
4. Measure one stick against the structure and snap or cut it down to size. If it's a bigger stick, you can score the stick with the scissors and then use the counter edge (if it's a tough material) to help snap it in half.
5. Cut a lot of sticks that same size. I probably used about 60 sticks.
6. Start gluing the sticks with the hot glue gun next to eachother, side by side. If they don't meet up perfectly, no worries, you can add another layer of sticks to fill in the gaps.
7. Between two posts, you can create a window by adding two small sticks horizontally and building the sticks on that wall up to the window.
8. With the wall in place all the way around there should be a large gap where the one support post was sawed out. This is for the door.

9. Take apart a large pinecone and cut off the raw eges of each "shingle".
10. Starting at the bottom of the roof, hot glue each shingle on, side by side, all the way around. Layer by layer until you reach the top.
11. Near the top, I left a space for some bark chunks to be glued into place. And then some rope bits around the "chimney". This was originally a hole in the top of the ball that held the rope loop in place. Later, I'll turn that into a more interesting chimney with acorns and stuffing for smoke.
12. For the door, I tied a large piece of twine around the last stick on the left of the large opening. One at the top and one at the bottom. I tied the knot in the center of the large piece of twine, leaving two even long strands. These are used to connect each stick to eachother creating a large swinging door. If you run out of twine, no worries, just tie on a new piece of twine and secure the knots with hot glue.
13. The last stick needs to connect to the stick on the right of the large opening. With the left over twine, I knotted the remaining until it was near the end and then a connected the top and bottom with a button. I'm actually probably going to redo this part because I'm not sold on how it turned out. But it works for now, the door closes.

Not shown: Insert some moss inside on the floor. Any wood parts that are still exposed can have leaves glued to hide them. You can then make a mini pillow, blanket, even a treasure box to carry the fairy items to the play area.

My hope is to create a little fairy garden within our garden, so that it is surrounded by plants, dirt and a little rock path. Maybe make a little postbox, fairy sign for the door and some furniture. I've seen all kinds of cute fairy house fixings out there so the ideas are endless. That's why this project may go on for a while. Once we get into the garden, I'll update.

Welcome Fairies!

PICKY EATERS SURPRISE LUNCH

I for some reason, as a single person thought I would be exempt from kids that were picky about food. Perhaps I figured because I love all foods, that they would too? I don't know, maybe it was just that blind ignorance thing... you really don't know until your own kids are making you crazy about this or that. I do have picky eaters. And now, I wave it off like everyone does, right? Not necessarily. I'm sure some of how I approach things could be better. I've seen moms offer up foods in ice trays hoping that the little sections will entice them to miraculously enjoy carrots. I know my kids like finger "snack" foods so I think this has some validity.

So I tried it. I told them I was preparing a surprise lunch. I used our old Beaba Babycook freezer containers as the plate and the bright colors surely offered some pow and punch to that surprise. They were so excited! And they started in immediately. That's a plus right there. Most days it's tricky just getting them to the table. I also tried to load it with mostly fruits and veggies.

I know they like kidney beans = protein. I know they like frozen peas = veggie. They don't do well with carrots, but I cut them in chunks for something different. I cut up apples and bananas because I knew that was a favorite. And blueberries. The one bonus (for them) was the crackers. Of course, it was the first thing they ate. They don't get those very often. This was a semi success. I will try it again after some time. I won't do it a lot because it's still new and exciting. But they did go for at least one full baby carrot and half of the peas... that is HUGE right there.

If you have a Babycook and you happen to have these laying around, they make for a great starting point for an exciting surprise lunch. I think this kind of thing could even be good for snacks, and put healthier snacks in there. There's something pretty awesome about eating things in compartments.

LA ESQUINA, NYC

On my husband's most recent trip to New York, he came back with some goodies (stickers, matchbooks etc.) from a now favorite new-to-us restaurant, La Esquina. I thought I'd share, for those of you in NYC... if you haven't been there, it's supposed to be a fabulous source for Mexican food and worth checking out.

As I recall, after living there in the 90s, there was every kind of food you could imagine, from every country... and all so very good. It was hard to choose a favorite. But one I always felt that the city lacked was good Mexican food. So this apparently solves that problem. Now all I need to do is figure out a way to get back there to try it out!

I hear it's a bit tough to get into. Unless, like my husband, you happen to be with his boss who we affectionately refer to as "Obi Brent Kenobi" and you can just walk up and wave a hand and there you are. What a force.

SICK DAYS

Winters around these parts are long and cold and tend to mean grass is a faint memory. I haven't seen grass since December. I'm really not kidding. I saw some yesterday and then it snowed last night again. By mid-February most people are playing out their previously planned vacations because we all know that it's just about enough!

We however, decided to put in a bathroom instead of going somewhere exciting so here we sit, trying not to spend money and well... getting sick over and over again. With one in preschool and the other in the beginnings of her getting-sick-years, sickness is recycled within our home endlessly. We don't get out much is the short story.

With all of this time at home, it is a challenge keeping television to a minimum. So we do a lot of crafting. I try to set up worthwhile crafting ideas to lessen the nonsense pieces of nothingness that end up in the trash after a few days. Those are ok too, because honestly, we can't keep everything they create.

Currently we're in party planning mode so I helped the kids make some party hats using paper, beads, and fabric. if you want to get serious about it, use a hot glue gun, otherwise Elmer's is fine, but I glob it on to make the beads stay which means it should dry overnight.

PROCESS
1. Make a cone with a thicker paper. I started with a 13"x19" sheet. Cut the bottom so that it's even and cut a 1/2" hole at the top to glue in a tassel.
2. Punch two small holes in the bottom at the half points.
3. Tie on an elastic after measuring roughly around their heads.
4. Make a top tassel with strips of several fabrics that the kids choose, add some ribbon and yarn, then tied string around it to make it a tassel. Secure it in the top of the cone with hot glue.
5. Have them choose their buttons and hot glue around the rim. If they want to do the gluing, use Elmer's and let it dry over night.

* They could draw on the paper first or use a patterned piece of paper. I just had white laying around.

CHOCOLATE VALENTINE'S SUCKERS

These are so easy, it's ridiculous. I had some sucker molds and sticks on hand so the only thing I needed to buy were the chocolate wafers. I buy them at a food supplier in town called Gygi's. One of the easiest places to lose your money fast.

SUPPLIES
Milk Chocolate Apeels
Sucker Molds
Sucker Sticks
Squeeze Bottle
Cellophane Bags
Ribbon

PROCESS
1. Load the sucker molds with sucker sticks.
2. Melt the wafers on medium-low heat. Stirring occasionally.
3. No need to boil, they melt so smooth and yummy.
4. When the wafers are almost all melted, turn the heat off and stir until melted entirely.
5. Pour melted chocolate into a squeeze bottle (if you have one, this makes it easy and less messy when loading the sucker molds.)
6. Squeeze the chocolate over the tip of the stick first and into the whole of the mold.
7. Wiggle the tray gently and let the chocolate settle in.
8. Chill in the refrigerator for 10 minutes or so, not long, just until it hardens again.
9. Pop out the suckers one at a time, and place in the cellophane bags.
10. Tie off with ribbon.

It's a yummy and quick Valentine's treat. Also good for Easter or birthday parties. There are so many cute molds you just start thinking, what else can I make chocolate suckers for?!?

VALENTINE'S DAY DECORATIONS

Here's a peek at our Valentine's decorations.

Last year everything was pink and gold, which is a combination that I LOVE. But this year I'm liking the vintage silver pieces in the mix. The hanging hearts are felt and fabric stitched straight and hung from the ceiling. The flower vase was painted by my grandmother many years ago. The frames are all spray painted in various pinks. And the feather wreaths are made from styrofoam hearts and feathers, hot glued all around. I've made a couple of garlands this year and my kids and I covered their bedroom doors with hearts from various crafting moments and valentines sent from their friends.