two holidays in a row. not a bad way to start spring break! to be honest, being the incredibly introverted person that i am, i've barely ever given April Fool's Day a second thought, but this is my sweet sister-in-law's favorite holiday so i decided to muster up some enthusiasm. she's always coming up with fun ways to surprise her husband and kids, so i stole some of her cute ideas from year's past. cake for dinner & pizza for dessert! the kids were thrilled... until they discovered the "cake" was mashed potato covered meat loaf. at which point they were not so amused. thank goodness for the deep dish "pizza"! the crust was made from cookie dough, then topped with a layer of cream cheese frosting, a layer of "pizza sauce" strawberry jam, grated white chocolate "cheese", and bits of strawberries, kiwis, and blueberries. yum!
April 01, 2013
March 31, 2013
March 30, 2013
little mischiefs studios
It's not often that i find myself working on logos these days, but my incredibly talented sister-in-law, Becky, has a growing photography business and was in need of a unique look to match her creative style. Becky is masterful at capturing lifes magical candid moments, and with her whimsical company name i felt her logo should be as playful and energetic as she is. After exploring a range of options we ultimately settled on my very first sketch! the journey was fun, so i thought i'd share a small glimpse of the process.
March 05, 2013
freebie :: teacher appreciation décor
Not to rehash the past, but you may recall that last year i found myself stressing over "teacher appreciation" décor for my 1st grader's class. With Teacher Appreciation Week already quickly approaching i've heard from a number of lucky moms in the same predicament! so, by popular request, here is a download for the elements i used in the door design (pdf). fingers crossed this helps save even just a bit of someone's sanity! (& don't forget the teacher appreciation gift!)
February 13, 2013
freebie :: yoda best valentine
My 3 year old son, Pi, is obsessed with Star Wars. I recently made mention of "Chewbacca", and without skipping a beat he corrected me with "you mean, THE MIGHTY Chewbacca!". boys! After nearly eight years of all things ultra girly, this is new to me. So, just for my little man, i took a giant step back from the pink and decided to create my first ever boy valentine (although now that it's done, my 5 year old daughter wants them for her class too!).
The idea was inspired by the genius lightsaber valentine i saw on the Brassy Apple (glow stick! blew my mind), but i wanted to include my little guy's favorite character from the films, Yoda. since i went to all that work i thought i'd share for anyone looking for some last minute fun. just download (below), print, trim, & add a glowstick (which you can find super duper cheap at the craft store). & may the force be with you this valentines day!
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February 10, 2013
True Love winner!
Congratulations to Jen, she was the random winner of the True Love giveaway! (picked via the Random Number Generator.) Many thanks to all those who entered, i wish i had a collection to share with each of you lovelies.
February 02, 2013
freebie :: DIY arrow valentine
A couple of years ago the always inspiring Design Sponge posted an amazing vintage arrow craft, and i've wanted to try it ever since. Arrows being extra hot right now, and co-ordinating well with the True Love collection i just created, i decided this was the year. However I did need to do some tweaking... mostly because i am fairly certain my daughter's 2nd grade teacher would be slightly less than thrilled to have 25 children running around with sharp pointy objects on Valentine's day! But also i figured paper and washi tape would do the trick rather than feathers, glue, and paint, and be much less messy for my littles joining in.
SUPPLIES::
unpainted wooden pencils
smallish felt or foam sticker hearts (2 per arrow)
washi tape
patterned paper for feathers (i used the True Love papers!)
co-ordinating tags (free printable download!)
baker's twine
spray mount adhesive
xacto knife (or scissors)
1:: To start, download, print and trim the tags. 2:: Cut feather's from patterned paper using the template, or for you lucky crafters with a digital cutter (like a Cricut etc) and SCAL, use the cuttable svg file download. 3:: Adhere the rectangle tags near the top of the pencil (spray mount adhesive is my preference, but any glue will do), and then randomly wrap bits of washi tape hither and thither. 4:: Thread feather through top, and attach two sticker hearts to the bottom. 5:: Tie tag to arrow using baker's twine. 6:: Give to your favorite peeps!
Some advice, go for the stickiest washi tape you can find! a few of the options in my collection weren't holding on so well (which led to much swearing!). "Recollections" from Michaels is one i found worked well, as well as the MT brand (found at Paper Source).
if this project isn't quite for you, maybe a previous year's freebie is more your style. there's a sweet little candy box; an owl box; a lion lollipop valentine; a tea tag; a heart garland; and of course some paper "fortune cookies". (seems i kinda like crafting on valentine's day, ha!) AND, for an absolutely adorably delicious Valentine treat, check out the BasicGrey blog.
xoxo
for an SVG cut file of the feathers, click HERE!
true love (& a giveaway!)
Suddenly seeing February on my calendar reminds me i've neglected showing off the recent Valentine's line i created for the lovelies at BasicGrey! True Love. Inspiration for the line came from just that—it's an evolution of a wedding announcement and bridal shower invitation i created for my sweet nephew and his true love last summer. Being that they are both serious bookworms, we thought it would be fun for the wedding invitation to reflect their mutual passion. The result was a deconstructed "book", complete with cover, love story, & library card pocket containing ceremony details and a photo. Although the colors have changed, many of the elements can be found sprinkled throughout the True Love collection (including their silhouette portraits and a plethora of arrows!). You'll also spy bits of my love for vintage lace and handkerchiefs juxtaposed with graphic stripes and chevrons. delicous!
Did i mention this wedding was for the sweet little boy who was the ringbearer at my own ceremony 16 years ago? glory be, i'm getting old!
With Valentine's fast approaching i thought i'd share a little True Love. Leave a comment, and on Sunday February 10th, one random winner will be chosen to receive a heaping pile of goodness mailed straight to their door! including all of the 12x12 papers, the 6x6 papers, the embellishments pictured below, an XOXO garland, and much more! (although sadly even i couldn't get my hands on extra stamp sets, they have gone super fast!).
oh, & check back real soon for a co-ordinating DIY Valentine freebie download ;)
January 25, 2013
mini chalkboard valentine
Looking for a nifty Valentines craft idea? Since chalk art is still all the rage, i thought i'd share a fun little activity i came up with last year for my daughter's elementary school class.
SUPPLIES
chipboard hearts (6"-ish)—i found stacks in the dollar bins at the craft store
chalkboard paint
foam brush
hole punch
ribbon
colorful chalk
1:: Begin by punching holes in the top to attach the ribbon hanger. 2:: Cover the chipboard with two coats of chalkboard paint. 3:: Attach ribbon. 4:: Get creative with chalk!
My favorite part about this Valentine "card" is that it's re-usable and impossible to mess up. This year i'm using them to surprise my littles with love notes hanging on their bedroom doors or other spots they're sure to find them. The fun part (besides hearing them squeal with delight when they see a new one) is taking a few minutes each day to think of something special that i cherish about my kiddos. A great thing to do at any time of year.
{note:: in class we used regular old chalk, which works great, but to make them extra vibrant and smudge proof, spring for some "chalk ink" like i used in the photos above!}
November 06, 2012
freebie :: slime label
I made the mistake of asking my daughter what activity she wanted me to do with her class for their Halloween party this year. The enthusiastic answer was "make slime!". After googling recipes and youtube videos i realized that was an overly ambitious plan to attempt with a room full of 2nd graders and tried my darndest to talk her into just about anything else. But let me tell you, she may appear sweet as sugar, but once that 7 year old has her mind set, there is no stopping that train. So i waved the white flag and went ahead with her special request. The result was a disgusting mess, a lot of fun, and did i mention a disgusting mess? But ultimately worth it, since for nearly a week the remnant slime has occupied my three children's every spare moment. (Hence the first blog post in nearly 3 months!) This is a great activity for any time of year, not just Halloween, so i thought i'd share the recipe and a freebie printable download of the label.
We packaged our creations in 8oz plastic containers, but even a simple ziplock bag works well. enjoy!
