Big buildings, beaches, countrysides, mountains, different air, different people & different scenery is what this quarantined time at home has made us miss the very most. So real quick, with few words, a look back at our short trip to Chicago last November.
Here’s hoping we’ll still be able to get a glimpse of the beach this summer. Fingers crossed.
~xoxo
One day last week, on a particularly warm day for March, I suggested to Isla that we make some lemonade. Her almost eleven year old self automatically responded with “Yay, let’s have a lemonade stand!” I gave her an empathetic smile and she said “oh, right”.
She dragged a table and stool out onto the back deck and proceeded to make the lemonade. Lemons to lemonade! Im finding, as we all might be, that moments of days or our days as a whole are turning out better than our normal “lemonade”. Wishing you the very best!
~ xoxo ~
Hello there! My greatest wish is that you and your family are staying healthy and happy during this particularly challenging time for most or perhaps all of us.
On a lighter note, with Spring and Easter right around the corner, I’ve created a few lists on Amazon with some fun Easter basket and filler ideas for toddlers to tweens.
First up, some great ideas for toddlers. Our littlest is almost two and a half, so this list was created with him in mind, but it could most definitely be suitable for both boys and girls, ages 1 to 4.
Below are some of the things that I have recently added to that list, but click here for the entire list. Items will also continue to be added between now and Easter. Yay!
Link to all of the items above by accessing my “Easter – Littles” Amazon list.
Stay wishful and well! xoxo
(Spring has been in full swing here this week here in the Midwest – my apologies for the rainy day photos.)
Not sure I’ll ever outgrow paper flowers or paper anything for that matter! When sprucing up for Spring and cleaning out my workroom in the basement I found one of these tissue paper garlands that I’d used to decorate for Tate’s first birthday party. I was at first just going to hang it as bunting (it’s original design), but thought what better way to say “Spring” (and detract a little from 70’s wall-consuming mirrors) than with flowers. Plus, they make every day feel a bit more festive!
Supplies needed:
Instructions:
So simple, but just in case . . .
1 – Fold. Spread the garland out and lay it on the floor or on a hard flat surface. Then, fold the left side over on top of the right side. Line up the centers of the top portion with the centers of the bottom portion.
2 – Adhere. Use tape to adhere the bottom most top pieces with the top most bottom pieces. Making sure they are flat and very secure.
3- Hang your flowers. I already had command hooks fastened to my wall (mirrors) so I just used the distance and height that they were at, but place them enough distance apart that you get a sag (so that they middle flower hangs lower than the outer flowers).
4 – Cut your leaves/ foliage. I didn’t even use a template for this. Just cut some leave-like pieces from your cardstock and then fold them in half so that it gives them a little dimension. Place adhesive on them and hang wherever you choose.
And one with Tate in the frame . . .
So simple! So inexpensive! And can carry my not-so-pretty mirrors through Spring and even Summer!
Happy March and almost Spring to you!
Last Valentine’s Day I made these simple name chocolates for my littlest valentines. So this year, I thought I might make a tradition of it and attempt another homemade treat. And really what better excuse than perhaps the “sweetest” day of the year to finally try my hand at making marshmallows (and use a candy thermometer for the very first time 😊) . . .
I used this recipe included in Susan Branch’s book Martha’s Vineyard, Isle of Dreams.
The taste, the look and the feel of them are so dreamy! Eating them or drizzling them with chocolate = the perfect pair.
Making them was definitely much simpler than I’d assumed. Even the clean up wasn’t so bad. Once warm water hits the mess, it simply melts away.
My favorite thing about Valentine’s Day is that it’s a great excuse to be a little extravagant and do the unnecessary. Now go make some marshmallows!
~xoxo-~
Many years ago (when I was young), making your Valentine’s Day box and seeing what others created was always one of the highlights of the school year for me. I was always truly amazed at the creativity others had. In not only what their end product was but even more so at the materials they used to create it. Remember this was not only pre-Pinterest but pre-internet days!
With my littles, not as much emphasis has been placed on creating or even needing a Valentine’s Day box. And I’m definitely ok with that – we’ve been doing good some years just to get the cards made and signed! With that being said, if your little one DOES need an easy and inexpensive idea for carrying and/ or receiving their cards this year, decorating an empty oatmeal container works perfect for this. Mine are definitely not contest worthy and I’ve kept them rather simple but you can do as much or little as you please. Just a little color makes everything cuter – especially if you add hearts!
In addition to the oatmeal containers, the only supplies I used were paint, glue, scissors, paper, mod podge, a paint or foam brush, a heart punch, and some scrap fabric and ribbon.
We made the red gingham container from two pieces of scrapbook paper and a little mod podge (watered down Elmer’s glue will work). And as for the pink one, we simply painted it and added some heart confetti that I had punched out of some scrap paper. Place holes on two sides of the container at the top with a scissors or a hole puncher, thread some fabric or ribbon through them and then knot it on the inside of each to create your handle.
And one with baby legs in the background . . .
It’s really so simple! Just use what you have around the house. Add a cute little tag with their name on it or have them write it across the front. If you need to, you can even add a slit in the lid or don’t use the lid at all.
I hope you are feeling loved this week!
~xoxo~
. . . just a glimpse of what takes place during our wild friday nights these days.
Hello there!
I have one more fun and enthusiastic 😊 valentine for you! The “always cheering for you!” pennant valentine.
They require a little time but if you have a tween that likes to craft, these are a fun idea for a class valentine.
Supplies Needed:
Directions:
There are so many pennant diy’s out there that I almost feel it unnecessary to provide you with step by step instructions but I’ll give you a summarized version just in case. It is similar to this one – Crate & Kids Blog Pennant DIY.
Step 1 – Cut out your templates, trace them onto your felt and then cut out your two felt triangles/ pennants (one is larger than the other). The felt I used for my pennant (the larger triangle) is a little thicker felt than the felt I used for my letters and trim (the smaller triangle). Also, cut your piece of trim for the edge of your pennant. I cut mine 1 to 1.5 inches thick and then the length of the wide edge of your pennant.
*Note: You can also use canvas for your pennant but you may need to sew your edges to prevent it from fraying.
Step 2 – Cut your letters. Divide and cut the smaller pennant (the felt that you cut for your letters) into the number of letters that are in the name you will be spelling out. Or feel free to make each letter in the name a different color! Use each piece to make your letters so that they correspond with that portion of the pennant where they will be placed. Have fun with this and don’t worry about your letters being perfect – unique is perfect for this. Especially if your tween or little one is helping out.
Step 3 – Glue your letters and trim onto your pennant. I used tacky glue. With the trim, fold it in half so that it wraps around the wide end of the pennant. After gluing it, I placed a book on it to hold it down until the glue dried. Once dry I trimmed the open ends so that they were flush with the angled edges of the pennant.
Step 4 – Stitch or sew. This step is optional. I used some embroidery floss and stitched only along the trim, but if you would like to add a little more detail (and have the time – depending on how many you are making) sew or stitch the letters as well. I would normally do this, but “no sew” pennants may be more feasible if you are doing these for a class valentine.
Step 5 – Print out or make your cards. I have formatted my cards so that you can print two per one sheet of 8.5 by 11 inch sheet of card stock. Fasten your pennants onto your cards by using a few small pieces of double sided tape.
Step 6 – “Yay“ your done! Give to your valentine(s) and cheer on.
These are perfect to hang on a locker, in a cubby or on door or wall at home.
Happy (almost) February!
~xoxo~
I “heart” Valentine’s Day for one main reason. Pretty paper and cute cards! Almost always a staple of the simple yet sweet holiday.
My ten year old little lady is the only one that will need class valentines this year. Her only request was nothing too “mushy”.
Out of several random ideas, gnomes (“especially their cute noses”) made the cut . . .
We made our gnomes into magnets that are conveniently a clip. If you can’t find the large clips (I’ve linked them below), really anything solid yet lightweight can be used as the base to make your gnome magnet. The clip is just an added bonus.
To make your gnome magnet valentines. . .
Supplies Needed:
Directions:
Step 1 – Cut out a small piece of felt and fur. I cut and used a 3.25 x 3.25 inch piece of felt (for the hat) and then a piece of fur a little longer and just a tad wider than my clip. So if you are using something other than the clips that I used, cut your felt and fur accordingly. *Cut your fur a little longer than your clip or base so that you are able to trim and shape (your beard) later on.
Step 2 – Glue the fur onto your clip or base. Then fold about a quarter of an inch or so of the felt upward onto itself and glue down. Wrap your felt around the front portion of the clip only, and then overlap and glue onto the clip and then together in the back. (My hat went about a half to three quarters of an inch down onto the clip over the fur/ beard). Glue your overlapping felt together all of the way up the backside of your hat. Roll the top down once and glue and then once more and glue it again. I used hot glue for all of this (for fast drying purposes).
Step 3 – More Glue. Embellish your hat with a small button or felt heart (that you have cut from your scraps). Glue them onto the hat with either hot glue or craft glue. Lastly, glue your cute little wooden nose just underneath the hat. I used craft/ tacky glue for this so that I didn’t end up with hot glue in my beard. Once your glue has dried and everything has set, turn your gnome over and glue a small magnet onto the back of your clip or base.
Step 4 – Give your beard a trim. Ours ended up being all shapes and sizes.
Step 5 – Print and Attach. Print out the cards and sign (I have formatted the pdf so that you can print four cards onto a letter size piece of cardstock). Or simply use small blank pieces of card stock and write your own message to include with your gnomes. I have used a small hole puncher and attached mine with some string, but do as you wish here. Put the card and gnome in a small bag or simply clip the gnome onto the card.
The End!
In other news, we’ve had plenty of winter weather here as of late. School has been cancelled the past two days. Two kids have been at home with me watching the rain, snow and ice fall (while the other ventured to D.C. for a planned school field trip). It’s been all things cozy – especially potato soup and blueberry muffins + warm coffee. I’ve been enjoying it so (maybe a little too much) but I’ve also been missing some routine. High hopes that we keep some of the “cozy” while some shadow of a routine returns next week.
P.S. – Wander by next week for one more Valentine idea! 💌
Spending every nook and cranny of the day reading a magical book – Susan Branch’s Martha’s Vineyard – Isle of Dreams. A beautiful way to spend a day of rest (or at least minutes of rest here and there). A lovely story, cozy recipes, and the best of the best quotes all in one place!
Happy first day of 2020!
plaid pockets & pink shoes 