HALLOWEEN CRAFTS FOR KIDS

The cute kind of Halloween crafts, nothing gross or scary going on with this crew. I saw this paper plate craft here and needed to do something for my daughter's kindergarten class. After class, I had some left over so we took advantage and crafted up a bat storm! All it really took was some paper plates and construction paper. I like paper eyes better than googly eyes for some reason. You end up with a cute variety of expressions with paper... just in where the kids choose to place the eyes.

MATERIALS
Paper Plates: Circle Black (Bats), Square Green (Frankenstein), Circle Orange (Pumpkin).
You could also do White (Ghost), Green (Witch)... on and on and on.
Construction Paper: Black (for all three), White (for all three)
Ribbon: Green (for the pumpkin stem)
Scissors
Glue Stick
Tape
Stapler

PROCESS
Frankenstein: Cut black hair the width of the plate, about 3" tall, and zigzag one of the long edges. This is the hair. Cut 2 quarter sized white eyes, and 2 dime sized black eyes, Cut a strip of black about .5" tall for the mouth, length can be as long as you want. Cut 2 bolts that are shaped like chunky "T"s. Glue the hair on first, then the white eyes, then the black, then the mouth strip. Last, tape the bolts to the back. Frank is done.
Bat: Take one full sheet of black construction paper, fold it in half (the short way) and cut both wings at the same time. Draw first, from the bottom right corner, up to the fold (midpoint) and rounded down to the mid point of the left edge of the paper. Then start 2" down (this flat edge is where you tape the wing to the back of the plate) and draw the two concave sections, meeting up at the corner starting point. Cut 2 quarter sized white eyes, and 2 dime sized black eyes. Cut 2 small white triangles for fangs and 2 larger triangles for ears. First tape the bat wings to the back, and secure them a bit with glue. Flip the plate back to the front and glue the white eyes, then the black. Glue the fangs then tape the ears to the back. Bat is done, and his wings can flap a bit which is fun.
Pumpkin: Cut a 3" strip of ribbon and a black mouth any variety of smile or non smile you want. Cut 2 quarter sized white eyes, and 2 dime sized black eyes. Glue the eyes and mouth on and then fold the ribbon in half, tape the end to the back and secure it with a staple. Done. These are cute hung by the stem.

WHO'S READY FOR THE BBC?

Downton, Season 4 will air January 5th. Sherlock Season 3 starts January 19th. Call the Midwife, Season 3 will be in Spring of 2014. Just a little while more to wait for these fantastic shows, thank goodness for the fillers and repeats. I'm always up for a repeat of these shows, or the opportunity to catch up on those that I haven't seen yet. Right now, I'm really enjoying The Paradise. Better than Mr. Selfridge, in my opinion.

Have you ever watched The Last Enemy, again with Benedict Cumberbatch. it's on HuluPlus. I'm also catching up on Call the Midwife Season 2. There's always something from BBC that keeps me entertained. P.S. wasn't Silk amazing?!?! And there will be a Season 2 (hooray!).

A PLACE FOR PLAY

A playroom. I never thought it was necessary until toys were splattered about in every room. I realized the reason for all the fuss. A place where everything goes at the end of the day.

Before we moved to this home it was the Master Bedroom, so it's quite a decent size. When we moved in we made it our daughters room (remember the hodgepodge? and the dress up closet?). Now our girls share a room so this room is turning into the happy, sunshiney play place. A place for friends to come and play. P.S. I WILL fit the treadmill in here too. I'm determined.

This is the style sheet I came up with while planning.

From the color palette above, the far right is the closest to the wall color we chose (Valspar, Mino's Eye). My husband painted the room while I was out of town on a girls trip. Oh, how I love him. I married well.

We already own several items, the egg chair, kitchen, and shelving from IKEA, The Pkolino Little One's table and chairs. We have a few vintage globes laying around, oodles of vintage Fisher Price toys and paper mache hot air balloons. We have a cloud book shelf, a Jonathan Adler lamp and a vintage yellow table for the dress-up accessories. We also already have a Mr. TTT Bop Bag and the Wish Come True toys by FriendsWithYou. Mr. TTT is a signature piece in this room. He's always smiling, no matter how much he gets knocked around. I found a wire storage basket from Urban Outfitters to hold all of the kitchen goods. I also bought a white white shag rug for under the kitchen table. I'm making a rag rug (which may kill me) for the dress-up closet. A beautiful letterpressed calendar from Lab Partners still hangs in this room, and I have an adorable These Are Things map that needs to be hung.

For the wish list: A cute tent or teepee with white lights all around and a yellow pouf so big people can sit at the kitchen table with the littles. In the future, if I come across any kind of It's A Small World items, more vintage FP toys, or FriendsWithYou doodads... they will find a happy home in this room.

CINDERELLA BIRTHDAY PARTY

My little one loves two things: 1) Cinderella and 2) Yellow. So we had a Cinderella party with a few of her friends for lunch and dress-up.

I was really wanting to keep this simple and less expensive because I'm great at spending too much time and money on birthday parties.

I started with yellow and blue... yellow because that's her favorite color and blue for Cinderella's dress. I had some garlands and decorations from past parties. It was fast and easy to make a Happy Birthday banner and incorporate a bit of Mary Blair style. I also used her influence for the invitations. I found some Lucite blue crystals at Michael's for cheap-cheap, bought a slew of balloons, made my usual 36" balloon tassel out of ribbons that I had stashed, BOUGHT the cupcakes this time and made sure they were mini's to cut down on the mess. I was doing good, fast and easy. The lunch was easy too because honestly, three year olds eat like birds.

MENU
Melon Balls
Skewered Cheese and Ham Chunks
PBJ Sandwiches Cut with Crown Cutter
Lemonade

DECORATIONS
Streamer Backdrop
Old frame with cut-out No.3 (glittered)
Lucite Crystals from Michael's
Balloons
Mary Blair Castle (large to hang, tiny for cupcake topper)
Happy Birthday Banner
Puff Ball Garland
Glitter Puff Garland
36" Balloon Tassel of Ribbons
No.3 Photo Wall
Yellow Roses

TABLE SETTING
I had a simple white table cloth, with white paper doilies, yellow plastic plates and vintage crystal cut glass dessert plates. I took those off for lunch but used them for the cupcakes later. I had some plastic forks, napkins, canning jars, lids and straws on hand. The star wands came from Target's party section.

PARTY FAVOR
At each table I filled a blue box with dollar store puzzles and Cinderella goodies. I made little tags for each girl and tied a balloon to each one. So when they left they would get a party favor box, a balloon and a craft.

CRAFT
Prep Ahead:
6" Doilies - Dye these blue before hand by simmering on stove top with some food coloring. Try not to simmer too long, the longer they're in the water, the more fragile they are along the lace edging.
Wood Peg Dolls
Craft Paint (Lt. Blue, Yellow, White) - I used shimmer paint for the blue body and white shoes, regular craft paint for the yellow hair. When painting the hair, I globed it on in the front a bit for bangs.

During Party:
Variety of Markers (Black, Pink, Blue) - Thin is best. Black for necklace in the neck-indent, Pink for lips, Blue for eyes and headband.
Hot Glue Gun and Sticks - I maned the hot glue gun for safety.
Mini Blue Sparkle - I hot glued these even though I bought the sticker sparkles. The sticker didn't stick to the round body.
Blue Doilies & Glue Sticks - Glue the doilie-skirt together. To make it more secure add a touch of hot glue but be careful not to burn yourself. See pattern below for connecting the skirt (at the first circle along the bottom). Use this as a visual guide (no need to print it out): Match up the circular areas where the "x's" are to create a skirt. If the circle doesn't fit around the peg, cut a bit more center circle until it does fit. Once the skirt is glued together and fits around the peg, take it off, then hot glue around the peg at the ;) crotch area and then slide the skirt on to keep it in place.
Yellow Mini Pom Poms - Hot glue to the back of her head for a bun LAST.

P.S. This is the sweetest bunch of princesses ever. They arrived in their favorite princess dresses and played so well together, adding crowns, hats, beads and shoes from the dress-up closet. I adore these little sweeties. They also danced and watched a bit of "Cinderella" before their fancy luncheon.

PLEASE VOTE!!!

We really need to win this!!! Please click here to vote! I beg of you ;)

We recently painted our living room a deep teal and then the Apartment Therapy Color Contest came around. What timing!

It's an honor to be on this list... it would be even more amazing to make past the first round and it would blow my little mind to win. We are in the "dark" category, so there is some hope.

There are lots of beautiful rooms so check it out, vote for ours, please. And maybe next year you could enter something from your home! It's such fun.

A FEW GOOD ROOMS

A few of you have wanted to see my sister-in-law's home that I've been working on. Some little bits here and there still need attention but for the most part, much of the home and grounds are complete. I may post more later, but for now, here are the kids rooms and the living room, three of my favorites.

If you remember, I had a series of ideas for baby rooms, here. Some of those ideas came to fruition. For the baby's room, a combination of "In The Garden" and "Woodland Friends", and the kids room, "Vintage Circus".

The living room, I always envisioned the fragility and colors of a basket of farm fresh eggs. With varied whites, creams, tans and greys.

You can see the style boards for these rooms along with several others, here.

STELLA ON MODERN KIDDO!

I love the ladies at Modern Kiddo, they're so fun. And they have a great little "Weekly Kiddo" feature. I submitted our Stella so-so long ago. I noticed this today... Hooray for my little superkiddo!

GOLD FOIL DRESSER

Where did August go? Oh, I know... it went to this dresser. Seriously, this was a loulou. I tried to find a good dresser that was low and wide for between the girls beds but nothing out there was right. If it was, it was too expensive. So I bought the cheapest buffet I could find and chose to spend the time and a bit of cash for gold foil supplies.

I bought it looking like this.

Black base, distressed by adding paint, not by rubbing it away. A tan top, black hardware and made in China. Which means cheap "non-wood".

We figured out how cheap when my husband attempted to spray paint the top surface white. After several coats and cans later, we moved on to Kilz primer and then rolled a white gloss paint over the top. Once the top was painted I was able to start in on the gold foil.  P.S. That top surface took two solid weeks to complete. Bah!

If you've been hanging around my posts, you'll know I like to gold foil stuff. After this one, I think I earned a masters on the subject. I learned a few things this time around. The tight detail is sometimes not worth the several layered attempt... Some spots are best to use a rub on gold paste and then ONE layer of gold foil over that. However the paste is slightly darker so you can see where you put it, you don't want to apply it after gold foil. And it's best in a crevice where it's naturally darker anyway. I ended up doing a few layers in some places. I also wish I had painted the whole thing a base of gold, just lightly. So that I wouldn't have had to do so many layers. Gold leaf picks up textures and bumps which I don't mind but keep that in mind when choosing what to foil. It's so thin, it sees EVERYthing.

Here's a list of what I generally buy. I really should buy this stuff in bulk online, but I still go to Michael's and buy for each project.

SUPPLIES
Mona Lisa Gold Leaf Sizing Adhesive - 1 1/2 small jars
Foam Brush - I went through 2
Disposable Container - I went through 2
Soft Brush - I destroyed my brush so after this it's time for a new one.
Mona Lisa Gold Leaf Sheets - I think I used 6 packets
Mona Lisa Gold Leaf Paste - 1 tube, but I still have lots left for next time.
ModgePodge Gloss - 1 jar, I used about half to seal it all when I was done.

Because the entire piece is made of crappy non-wood, that is matte and a bit rough, I chose to put down shelf paper in the drawers and cupboards. This is to be used in my girls room so I needed it to be a bit lighter and smoother for their little hands.

I bought crystal glass knobs at Anthropolgie for the cupboards and I reused the black handles for the drawers. I spray painted them white, then steel wooled them a bit and then used some of my gold paste over the top. It made them look nice and old.

There's more to come on this room, I'm almost finished with it. This dresser was the toughest part. The rest is smooth sailing.

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!