Fowl Single File

Forest Friends Baby Shower

2012-01-27T06:07:00.000-08:00

Over the last couple years we've seen many fabulous parties with the woodland creature theme, haven't we? I've been patiently biding my time just waiting for an opportunity to get my paws on a cute critter theme - so needless to say I pounced on the invitation to help my friend's mom plan her baby shower. She registered for a lot of the Carter's "Forest Friends" line of bedding and baby gear so it was only natural that this should be the theme for the whole event. Cute little forest critters galore!

My favorite part was coming up with the centerpieces. Mod Podge and cute "Deep in the Forest" scrapbook papers I ordered from Oriental Trading spruced up these dollar store vases with ease. Even easier (and affordable) was that I used pine cones and chestnuts that my daughter and I collected from our neighborhood to fill them. I also put a dent in my yarn scraps by wrapping styrofoam balls and adding them to the mix for a little color.

The shower was back in October, so I was able to take advantage of all the neat scrapbook papers the craft store carries in Autumn. I cut some into circles and placed them beneath the centerpieces and I also made lots of flags for buntings to decorate the tables. You can barely see it down in the corner of this photo, but A Subtle Revelry has the cutest sly fox printable that is the perfect size for buntings! Or are they called banners?

My second favorite part? The dessert table! Three different flavors of cupcakes to choose from and the most delicious "Tree Bark." It was actually a recipe for Halloween Candy Bar Bark, but I skipped the white chocolate drizzle (fo' shizzle) and the result was straight up tree bark. Word.

1. I borrowed the little tree cupcake toppers from a photo that I saw on Polka Dots and Pirates. I made them using heavy scrapbook paper and an owl stamp, then hot glued a wooden craft pick to the back.

2. Free printable alert! These cute, cute owl cupcake toppers were made using a download from Marabous. I used my circle paper punch to punch out the owls and then glued them to some card stock.

3. Another free printable alert! I always consult UCreate Parties when I'm planning so I wasn't surprised when I found these little bird cupcake toppers by Chickabug there. They were the perfect topper for the toasted coconut bird nest cupcakes!

4. I used scraps of the "Deep in the Forest" paper and my trusty circle punch to make the critter cupcake toppers. Recognize them from the centerpieces?

The food table is pretty self explanatory. It's food and it's on a table. Not a lot to explain there. I must give credit for two fabulous ideas I used, though. Cedar rounds as stands for the platters - genius! They fit perfectly with the forest friend theme and they smelled nice, too!

Using pine cones to display the food tags...another genius idea that I did not come up with on my own. This one came from a search I did on Kara's Party Ideas where I found a couple different people employing this idea (here and here).

Card stock, some decorative paper punches, a few stamps and wooden craft picks. Oh, and of course your trusty glue gun. Easy as pickin' up a pine cone.

Linking Up Here:

The Night Before Christmas Embroidery

2011-12-14T07:03:00.000-08:00

Well, the plan was to make a collection of these hoops to hang as Christmas decorations, each highlighting a portion of the ever popular "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" poem. Last year I made the Not a creature was stirring mouse for Gwenny Penny's Haul Out the Holly. This year I completed the Hung by the chimney with care stockings. I seem to be averaging one per year...check back in a decade or so if you want to see the completed set.

The mouse hoop, by the way, is a tutorial complete with a template! See the little gray mouse down there? I made him for a giveaway a long, long time ago and he was the inspiration for my overly ambitious let's-make-a-set idea.

I also got a little sidetracked and made a hoop for one of my favorite Christmas carols.

I know what you're thinking. "Why can't the little pink bird just fly up to the top of the tree to hang the shining star upon the highest bough?" Because that wouldn't look as cute embroidered and framed, now would it?

Linking Up Here:

Anatomy of a Penguin

2011-11-29T20:37:00.001-08:00

Welcome to the post where I show you how to make this cute fondant penguin! I've made these little guys a couple times before for cupcake toppers at penguin-themed birthday parties and when Gwen asked me if I'd like to participate in Haul Out the Holly I thought this would make the perfect tutorial to share with you. What could be more festive than adorning your holiday treats with fondant penguins?

Before we begin, a little bit about working with fondant:
I buy my fondant pre-made from the craft store (Michaels or JoAnn's). There are recipes for homemade, but I think it's downright affordable at $8 for the box in the picture - and even less if you've got one of their 40% off coupons.

Here are two great resources for coloring fondant if you're a first-timer and need some direction: Wilton's brief tutorial or this handy YouTube video.

During the penguin-making process, keep the balls of fondant that you're not currently using in a container with a lid or a plastic baggie to keep them from drying out.

To reinvigorate slightly dry fondant, smear some Crisco on your hands and knead it into the fondant until it's a pliable, workable consistency.

I store my leftover colored fondant (each color in a separate plastic sandwich bag) in plastic Tupperware containers in the pantry. They last for about a month before they get totally dried out. I wrap the unused portion of the brick of fondant in a plastic Ziploc bag, inside it's original box and it keeps for a really long time. The end might get kind of dried out, but you just chop it off and the rest is fine.

Fondant critters can keep for a couple of weeks in a container with a lid in a cool, dry place.

Alright. Let's make a penguin!

Phase 1: The Body

1. Roll some black fondant into about a 1/2" ball.
2. Shape the ball into an oval or jellybean shape.
3. Elongate one end of the oval by gently pinching and rolling it between thumb and forefinger.
4. Gently tamp it down on the work surface to make the base flat and even. The end result should be a shape somewhere between a bowling pin and an egg.

Phase 2: The Tummy

1. Roll out a small piece of white fondant pretty darn thin.

2. Use the 1/2" circle cutter to make one circle of fondant.

3. Cut the circle in half.

4. Form one of the half-circles into kind of a horse shoe shape.

(You could skip the circle cutter and just freehand it, whatever gets your goat.)

Use a damp paintbrush to apply water to the tummy piece and place it on the black body. Use just a tiny bit of water; dipping your paintbrush in the water and then dabbing it on a paper towel or napkin works to remove excess water.

Phase 3: The Wings...or are They Flippers?

1. Start by making two pea-sized balls and rolling them into little Tic Tac shapes.

2. Use your thumb and forefinger to pinch one end to flatten it while using your other hand to shape the unpinched end into a point. This should make a nice teardrop shaped wing.

3. If the teardrop shape has become too big for the body, simply use the paring knife to chop off its tip and reshape it.

4. The end result should be two stubby teardrop shapes that'll make perfect fondant flippers!

Use a damp paintbrush to apply a tiny bit of water to the tip of the wing. Press it gently into place on the penguin's body.

Phase 4: The Feet

1. Roll out a small amount of orange fondant to maybe 1/8" thick (maybe thicker if the final product is going to be slightly submerged in frosting). Cut out a 1/2" circle.

2. Cut about 1/3 of the circle off.

3. Cut the third in half to make two triangular shapes.

4. Pinch the triangles a bit to shape them.

5. Now there should be two wedge shapes (thicker triangles, basically) that will be the feet.

6. Use the paintbrush handle as a rolling pin to flatten the top point of each triangle. Place the two triangles side by side, almost touching and apply a tiny bit of water to the flattened portions.

Place the penguin's body on top of the flattened portions of the feet and press down gently. I've shown you what the feet should look like from a couple different angles. If desired, use the dull side of the paring knife to score little marks on the feet to give them the appearance of being webbed.

Phase 5: The Eyes

This is pretty simple. Use a sharpened pencil to make eye marks. If you want the eyes larger, just wiggle the pencil ever so gently from side to side and then up and down in the fondant. There. Now you've given your penguin the gift of sight.

Phase 6: The Beak

1. Make a super-tiny ball of orange fondant. A good way to measure it is to make a pea-sized ball and cut it into quarters. Use one quarter of it to make a tiny cone shape.

2. Use the pencil to make an indentation wide enough for the base of the beak to fit into.

3. Use a damp toothpick to dampen the hole and carefully put the beak into place. It can be reshaped a little - either with your fingertips or the dull edge of the knife - once it's securely in its hole.

Let the whole thing dry overnight so none of the anatomy falls off while you're adding accessories. I usually put him on a piece of wax paper on a plate on top of the fridge, far out of the reach of curious passersby.

Phase 7: The Hat

1. Roll a small ball of fondant from whatever color you wish. The ball should be about 1/3".

2. Use your thumb and forefinger to make one end slightly pointed and the base flat, kind of like an egg shape.

3. Use the eraser end of a pencil to make an indentation in/hollow out part of the base. Make the indent large enough to fit on the penguin's rounded head by pushing out the sides of the indent with the pencil eraser.

Apply a small amount of water to the indent and place it on the penguin's head, gently pushing the fondant down around where his ears might be (you don't want him to get an earache from that frigid Antarctic wind). Let it dry for about 5 minutes.

1. Use the dull edge of the paring knife to score little lines around the edge of the hat.

2. Use the eraser end of the pencil to flatten the very tip of the hat, making an area just large enough for a ball to sit on.

3. Make a tiny ball of fondant and attach it to the tip of the hat using a damp paint brush. Let dry for about 5 minutes.

4. Use the sharpened end of the pencil to poke the ball and give it some texture - like the pompom on top of a cute stocking cap. You may have to use your fingers to hold the ball in place and kind of reshape it if it becomes deformed while you poke.

And there he is, Folks. A fully accessorized fondant penguin ready to make your holiday treats merry and bright! You can return him to his home on top of the fridge for about 24 hours to dry completely and then he's pretty darn sturdy.

Have fun experimenting with different accessories for these little guys! Here are a couple of ideas from penguins I've made in the past (click on the photos to be transported to the original posts). You can use them to decorate cakes or cupcakes or whatever the heck else you want!

Penguin Goodies in Pink and Purple

2011-11-25T14:58:00.000-08:00

These get more and more fun each time I make them. This is round two for penguin cake and coordinating penguin cupcakes. This time I did a pink and purple color scheme for a little girl's first birthday party.

I love the way the hat turned out and the black frosting, once again, turned the birthday girl's mouth bright pink...almost a magenta color! Sorry I don't have a photo of the psychedelic tongue.

I tried to match the accessories for the fondant penguins to the pink and purple frosting and cupcake papers. Plenty of pink and purple to go around!

Check out the original penguin cake and the original penguin cupcakes!

Preserving Fall with Mod Podge

2011-11-23T07:03:00.001-08:00

The mad scientist has formaldehyde, the woodworker has shellac and the crafter has...Mod Podge! I discovered that it can be used to somewhat preserve fall leaves! It keeps them from getting totally brittle and dried out so they can be used for decorating. See? I made this garland of mod podged leaves and pine cones a couple weeks ago and it's holding up really well!

It was pretty simple, really. I put one layer of Mod Podge on each side of the leaves while they were still fresh. It takes quite awhile for each side to dry, but after the coats are complete the leaves are pretty sturdy! I used a hole punch to make two holes in each leaf through which to feed the twine. I also tied some random pine cones into the mix.

Some leaves worked better than others for Mod Podging. My neighbor's tree has beautiful red leaves (some manner of Maple) with feathery edges that shrunk and curled up after applying the Mod Podge - so I had to forgo that particular variety.

Anyhow, I hope you find this helpful. I realize it's a little late for fall projects now that Thanksgiving is almost here and you'll likely be switching out autumn for winter decor soon. You could Pin it for next year, though!

Polka Dot Party - Favors and Decorations

2011-11-15T16:43:00.001-08:00

Okay. This is the last time you'll have to hear about polka dots, I promise! I must document the party favors and decorations so they can live eternally in the blogosphere - so just bear with me!
Let's start with the favors, shall we? Fabric-covered clothespins paired with coordinating gift tags...a cute way to spruce up present wrapping! This was my first foray into Mod Podge and I think I'm hooked! I used this tutorial to help me along.

Another new adventure for me was bow-making or clip-making...basically making cute hair accessories using grosgrain ribbon (which I ended up ordering from Hip Girl Boutique since the craft store didn't really have the cute polka dots I was looking for).

Hip Girl is also where I found tutorials for making the ladybugs, the bow ties and the pom pom/korker things.

I also made some magnets using scraps of polka dot paper and those flat glass beads. I know this craft was all over the place not so long ago and I was happy to have an excuse to try it out! I definitely see more of these in my future. (The tutorial I finally settled on was this one from Not Martha.) The ladybug cork boards were an impulse buy at the craft store - I love those little ladybug push pins and they made great favors!

I guess I should mention how party goers could win these fabulous prizes! First, by wearing polka dots to the party and then by getting a bingo during our party game. Polka Dot Bingo looks like this:

I made it using any polka dotted clip art I could find - even an itsy bitsy teeny weeny yellow polka dot bikini!

Now on to the decorations, which were pretty simple this time around: some streamers to decorate the dessert table, some random polka dot balloons and a couple tissue paper fans for the center pieces.

The balloons I had to order online from Party City because I couldn't find them in our local store - but they were definitely worth the extra shipping and handling because they're just so festive. The tissue paper fans also came from Party City. I just used my handy dandy glue gun to attach some card stock circles and wooden skewers to transform them into polka dot flowers! The toadstools are little syrofoam thingies meant for floral arrangements that I found at Oriental Trading. The containers are canned vegetable tins covered in card stock and filled halfway with marbles to give them some weight.

The streamers are home made by me, my circle paper punch, my glue stick and my sewing machine. This is definitely a craft I'll revisit for future parties. It's so easy and fun and versatile!

Whew! I think I covered everything. As always, if you have a question just shoot me an email!

More Polka Dot Party Posts:

Fall Cake with Edible Acorns and Leaves!

2011-10-24T05:59:00.000-07:00

This cake I recently made for my sister's birthday is the epitome of Fall (for me, at least). It highlights all of my favorite things that I associate with the season: nuts (I love all nuts, but acorns are my favorite), pumpkin spice (the aroma and the flavor are unbeatable!), and brightly colored leaves (Maple in particular).

I took cues from the book Hello, Cupcake for almost all aspects of this cake. I used its Pumpkin Spice recipe and my own recipe for cream cheese frosting. A note about cream cheese frosting: it's kinda translucent so you have to add a pretty hefty layer if you're covering a dark-colored cake. The more frosting the better, I say, so no biggie.

I also followed the book's method for making candy leaves - with just one alteration. I tried using real leaves like the authors suggested but I had major issues with them getting inexorably stuck to the candy. Very frustrating! Luckily I had plenty of candy melts and using some fake leaves from the dollar store did the trick! I'd say that close to half of them broke during handling, but they're so easy and quick that we just made more than we needed. Besides, the mistakes melt in your mouth and make the process even more enjoyable!

Again, we (I'm saying "we" because I had my daughter alongside me throughout the process) used Hello Cupcake's method for making little acorns out of Kraft caramels...with another slight alteration. I thought the addition of sprinkles made them too bulky. The dipped chocolate by itself makes a mighty fine acorn cap, don't you think?

There were plenty of caramels for my daughter to experiment with while I was acorn-crafting. She made a lot of worm shapes that she formed into letters - mostly "L" and "U." Her creations bore a striking resemblance to Barbie limbs! The people at Kraft must've used Barbie's skin tone as inspiration for their caramel color because it's an exact match. I wish I'd taken a photo of the tray of Barbie body parts in our fridge.

Polka Dot Party Dessert Table and Food

2011-09-30T04:54:00.000-07:00

We always rent a shelter at a local park for Susannah's birthday parties because my house just isn't big enough for all the guests (and party prep is so much easier when you don't have to worry about keeping the house clean). The park shelter venue does pose a few challenges, though. It is covered, but you've still got mother nature to contend with: streamers blowing wildly and napkins flying in the wind...not to mention the birthday candles that won't stay lit for long.

Another challenge is that the options for dessert tables and food tables are a bit rustic so some extra effort on the part of the party planner is required to try and cute-ify them.

See how the bright, vibrant colors help to draw attention away from the big gray cinder blocks? (At least I hope they do.)

Everything about the cupcakes was vanilla because you're still able to see the cuteness of the polka dot cupcake liners with light-colored cake. Oh, except for the pink frosting which I flavored with a raspberry extract - yum! The picks were home made with card stock scraps, two sizes of circle paper punches, my trusty hot glue gun and little wooden craft sticks that I found in the kid section of the craft store.

More popular than the cupcakes - which took me by surprise - were the sugar cookies. Guests of all ages found them not only cute, but delicious as well! I used this sugar cookie recipe and royal icing recipe from the Bake at 350 blog. I also followed Bake at 350's instructions for putting dots on my cookies - so easy and so fun!

We like to keep the food simple (since there's no fridge or freezer or stove at the park) and kid-friendly. It's nice to prepare everything the night before and know that it'll be okay without refrigeration during the hours before the party while we're at the park setting everything up.

My circle cookie cutter and I are like this now [you should conjure a mental of me crossing my fingers emphatically right about here]. We've been through a lot together: watermelon, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches...

...and cheese. Except for the Swiss cheese which already has "polka dots" on it, so why be redundant? Let's not forget the polka dot cereal mix (Kix and Cocoa Puffs), which I served in these little polka dot nut cups that I found on etsy.

Doesn't it all look so festive and fun atop this polka dot wrapping paper that I found at the party store? It wasn't available in pink, but it was the perfect width to cover the picnic tables - no trimming required!

I also served some smoked sausage and Ritz crackers which were all very circular and polka dot theme appropriate. I wish I'd gotten a photo of the punch because it matched the theme perfectly, too. It was pink with discs of orange slices floating on top - circular AND color coordinated!

I did remember to get a photo of these cute straws I found on etsy. Don't you love it when shop owners let you order specific colors of their products?

More Polka Dot Party Posts:

Polka Dot Party Invitations!

2011-09-24T07:00:00.000-07:00

This polka dot cardstock that I found at the craft store was the key to my super-simple invitation design. It came in a variety of colors and was the standard 8.5 x 11 size so it fit beautifully in my printer. A paper trimmer and a glue stick was all that was required for assembly!

As is my custom, I utilized some clever puns - both on the front and the back, because there's no such thing as too many puns.

Like my crafty use of black and white beach balls to obscure personal information? Foiled your plan to stalk me, didn't I?

People took the promise of an extra prize seriously, and donned their best polka dots for the occasion!

(Also available in green...)

More Polka Dot Party Posts:

Polka Dot Party Eye Candy!

2011-09-22T05:30:00.000-07:00

We had a polka dot party for Susannah's 6th birthday this weekend! I've got a ton of left over party "stuff" and photos to sort through and I'm still kind of reeling from the busyness of the past few weeks. Polka dot party planning was a fun but time-consuming pursuit! This post is going to be all eye candy. Future posts will include more details and links so I can give credit to sites that inspired me and share some helpful tips that I learned along the way.

*the invitation post is up!*
*the dessert table/food post is up!*
*the favors and decorations post is up!*

The Sincerest Form of Flattery

2011-09-01T13:58:00.000-07:00

Remember when you were little and being imitated (especially by a sibling) was the most annoying thing on earth? "Mo-om! She's copying me!" I think my poor mother had to hear that from me and my sisters too often. Now that I'm grown up and oh-so-mature, "copycat" is not longer a slur in my vocabulary (unless we're talking about my sister who just got the same haircut as me...what a copycat!).

Remember my camping cake from a few months ago? Here's Heather's version...which I just love! Check out how she made the sides of the cake look like a tree trunk. Oh, and she used brown sugar for the fire pit, which didn't get blown all over the place at candle time like my graham cracker crumbs did - genius!

How about my penguin cake from days gone by? Look at Hannah's version. I love her take on a more contoured beak!

Thank you to Hannah and Heather for sharing their finished products with me! It feels good to know that people think my stuff is neat enough to imitate.

My Pear Bag

2011-08-15T07:03:00.000-07:00

"Pear" refers to the fabric of which the bag is constructed, not the intended use of the bag. Besides, I don't think I'll ever have enough pears to necessitate a designated pear bag.

My pear bag is used mainly for toting around Susannah's dance and gymnastics stuff - very handy and very cute! I used the free pattern for the Diana Hobo Bag from Think Liz. It was super easy to follow for a novice bag-maker like myself. The only thing I did differently was add a strip of fabric at the base of the yoke. I think it helps to break up the pears and apples flying everywhere!

I have some of this fabric left over and I'm excited about using it to make something else just as fun and fruity!

A Cake for a Camping Party Theme

2011-07-15T05:00:00.000-07:00

Long time no see, guys! The wait was worth it, though, because I'm showing off something both delicious and cute today (double-whammy!). My cousin asked me to make a birthday cake for a camp out-themed birthday party and here she be, Mateys! (I don't know any camping lingo so I'm resorting to pirate speak even though it has nothing to with anything here.)

I had so much fondant fun with this project! I can't believe I was ever intimidated by this stuff. It's so easy to work with and I love that I can just whip it out and work on the various pieces in my spare time.

No camp out cake would be complete without a campfire! The stones and logs are fondant and the flames are colored candy melts. Oh, and the mashed up graham crackers that I used in the fire pit flew around a bit when the candles were being blown out, so I might try to think of a substitute if I ever make this again.

Have you ever seen such a cute log? The hatchet was cute, too, although you can't see it very well in this photo.

I got the idea for the birthday kids' heads peeking out of their respective tents from Lillybit21's flickr photo stream. I just have to give her what the kids these days are calling a "shout out" because this is such a cute idea and her version is even cuter than mine! I hope my overuse of the word 'cute' doesn't diminish it's meaning in any way. The cuteness is just so overwhelming that I can think of no other adjectives right now...and I call myself an English Lit. major...tsk tsk tsk...

An Appropriate Time For Watermelons

2011-06-16T06:41:00.000-07:00

Somewhere between going on vacation and being stricken by a mystery virus I seem to have lost my mojo. My crafty mojo.

I guess I'm just feeling kind of uninspired lately. I'm hoping things will return to normal once I get caught up on yard work and housework, once Susannah's ballet recital is over, once...I can't think of any more excuses. I actually just finished a cake for my cousin's kids last weekend, but I had to almost force myself to work on it - a sure sign that something is "off" with Megan. She LOVES cake-creating! Usually she stays up late making cute little fondant creatures just for the fun of it. (Another sign that I've lost my mojo: I start referring to myself in third person.)

Luckily I have some stuff that I made last April that I've been waiting to share until it was more seasonally appropriate. More watermelon stuff! For me, watermelon spells summer - even though the words have but a few letters in common - but you know what I mean. Remember the hot pad and potholder that I crocheted last summer? Well, I combined them with a few more watermelon goodies to make a gift basket for my daughter's preschool fundraiser raffle.

Crocheted washcloths to match the potholder and hot pad, fabric coasters and a set of watermelon note cards. Juicy!

Remember these watermelon cookies from last summer? They would've made a nice addition, too!

April Showers Bring...Cookies!

2011-05-19T06:34:00.000-07:00

Apparently, April showers bring cookie flowers as well as real flowers. We took a trip to a local bulb farm and I must have been inspired by the tulips we strolled amongst, because these are what we made for our Mother's Day barbeque this year.

Some F.Y.I.'s: The super-simple tutorial for making polka dots can be found here at Bake at 350. I also use Bake at 350's recipes for sugar cookies and royal icing.

Making Music and Movement Merrier

2011-05-03T06:12:00.000-07:00

Like the alliteration in the title? I've got a thing for M's this morning. Actually, I wanted to title this post Bust a Move (or something equally as fly). Just some combination of Music and Movement and Scrap Busting - becuase that's what these two simple projects are all about.

See? Bean bags and CD storage for the Music and Movement class that Susannah and I go to on Thursday mornings! I've been subbing for the teacher for a couple of months now, so it's been in the forefront of my mind more than it would be if I were just an attendee. I think the majority of my "what am I going to craft next" inspiration reflects whatever is going on in my life at the moment. Hence, these fun bean bags!

Now we can do the Bean Bag Boogie song as many times as we want and with as many moms and kids as we want - because I made a whole slew of these bad boys! Oh, and to safely store the CD's with all our groovy music, I made this little beauty:

I began with this tutorial from Georgia at Puking Pastilles as my jumping-off point. I ended up tweaking it quite a bit - I wanted more of the CD's to peek out of the pockets, I didn't need it to be car visor-friendly, and I'm intimidated by bias tape...so my version is quite different. I couldn't have done it without Georgia's tutorial though, so thanks for the concept!

Of course, once I'd made one for Music and Movement, I decided that Susannah needed one, too. The bean bags and the CD holder are perfect scrap busting projects and I couldn't stop busting!

link party buttons

2011-04-30T06:41:00.000-07:00

Easter Cookies: Simple and Not So Simple

2011-04-19T05:51:00.000-07:00

Our local Moms' Group had their annual Easter egg hunt this weekend and it gave me an opportunity to try out some of the cute Easter recipes I've seen floating around in blogland these past few weeks.

Dana at Made shared her recipe for these cute cookies along with a tutorial that is oh-so-helpful. They're supposed to be little Easter eggs hidden in the grass! I did mine slightly differently, though. I didn't want any of the Easter designs on my M&M's to be visible, so I pressed them onto the top of the cookies before baking rather than mixing them into the dough. They're cute, delicious, and simple to make - they've earned a permanent spot in my recipe box for sure!

Misty at Creative Itch made some chick cookies that inspired me to try my hand at decorating sugar cookies with royal icing...intimidating for the likes of me, but they turned out fairly cute.

Simple design, yes. Overall, not so simple for a first-timer, though. I wasn't expecting the process to be so time consuming and I still have a few technique kinks to work out. I'm sure I'll improve with more practice. If anyone's curious, I used this tried and true sugar cookie recipe from Bake at 350. I also used a royal icing recipe from there, too, and I was happy with it - but keep in mind that I'm no expert in this arena.

There you have it. Some cute cookie recipes that I highly recommend trying if you've got the time before you begin your Easter festivities!

Holy Hockey Puck Cake, Batman!

2011-04-13T06:25:00.000-07:00

All the black buttercream on this thing will turn your tongue and lips a beautiful, bright magenta! Not very manly. The cake itself, though, was right up my husband's alley.

It's always a bit of a struggle for me to come up with good cake idea for a guy because I tend to specialize in "cute," not manly. This time I think I nailed it, though. My husband is a big Canucks fan (Vancouver, B.C.'s NHL team...you know, ice hockey). So how perfect is that giant hockey puck cake? I also made little fondant hockey sticks and hockey pucks to adorn some of the cupcakes...so I guess some "cute" kinda snuck in there. Ooops! Betcha didn't think hockey gear could be so dainty and cutesy.

After the cake was completed I had it signed by Ryan Kesler, my husband's favorite player. How did I a get an NHL star to do such a huge favor for me? Let's just say I have connections. By the way, thanks, Ryan - he LOVED it! (Yeah, we're on first name basis, Ryan and I.)

I'm not sure it comes through in the photos, but the base that the cake is on is supposed to be a sheet of ice - think hockey rink. I used white candy melts tinted with a bit of blue gel. I found some neat sparkle sprinkles at the craft store that I added before the candy was set. I also used them on the hockey puck cupcakes, but like I said, I think the effect was more impressive in person. Can you see 'em?

The Canucks face off with the Chicago Blackhawks in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs this year. I think the first game is tonight so I'm hoping that this post will bring us luck, mainly for my husband's sake. For the most part, I'm just a fan by association. It' hard not to have a couple of t-shirts and some winter accessories with the team's logo when the guy who buys your Christmas presents is a huge fan. It's also hard not to know at least the most basic stats when you live with said huge fan. I do enjoy hockey, but only in a tertiary, noncommittal kind of way, and I probably pay too much attention to a team's color and logo design to be considered a true fan.

Either way: Go, Canucks, Go!

The Cutest Place-Markers For Your Easter Table

2011-04-05T06:55:00.000-07:00

Or, if you're not having a formal Easter dinner, these could be food tags for a potluck style buffet. If neither of those ideas appeal to you, these make wonderful random bits of spring decor. Not to mention they're a perfect craft for kiddos of any age.

This is actually a craft that I did with my family last year, resurrected from a previous blog post. It's one of my favorites and definitely worth sharing again. (Besides, I haven't posted anything in ages and I'm getting kinda desperate!)

The End

A Wee Rainbow Scarf!

2011-03-17T05:37:00.000-07:00

As soon as I saw this project at Childmade, I halted work on all of my current projects and headed directly to the fabric store to purchase six colors of fleece.

It's so incredibly simple to make. Fleece doesn't fray, so you just cut the pieces, sew the strips together and sew the cloud and pot at either end. It brightens up an otherwise cold and gray Washington day!

Oh, and did I mention that the pot of gold is an actually a pocket for storing your St. Patrick's Day treats?

Rolo, anyone?

Pussywillow Hat

2011-03-11T05:41:00.000-08:00

Yes. It's still cold enough for hat-donning here in Washington...winter hats and rain gear. We do get the occasional sun break, during which we flock outdoors to photograph our crocheted hats.

Fashioned in the likeness of our neighbor's cat, Tinsel, I now present to you my first ever crocheted hat:

I'm not sure I got the placement of the ears just right. Something about this hat suggests wombat rather than cat, and I think it's the ears. Oh, well. Susannah likes it and it fits her well.

The original concept for this hat came from a pattern for a Kitty Cat Hat listed on Crochet Me. I discovered the pattern through my favorite crochet blog, Crochet Every Day, where Megan (the proprietress) did a quicker Hello Kitty version of it. Once I saw it I knew that Susannah needed one in gray! The rest is crochet history.

*wink*

Alphabet Projects

2011-03-04T07:43:00.000-08:00

My child knows her alphabet and its many sounds, but she needs practice writing her letters - especially lower case. The problem is that it's not her favorite thing to practice, and I want to keep it fun and stress-free. Enter: these cute letter projects I found at Totally Tots. I use them to sweeten the deal. Five year old practices writing upper and lower case letters, then she gets to make a coordinating art project.

Totally Tots did a series of "Now I Know My ABC's" posts a while back and they're a great resource for alphabet activities! We've just been using their ideas for letter projects, but they also include books that go along with each letter. Fun, huh?

This is what we have so far and I'm sure we'll be able to post the rest in the next couple of months!

*Update 1/18/12: we made it through maybe half of the alphabet projects and then our enthusiasm died out. Totally Tots has everything from A to Z if you want to see the rest!*

Not Baaaad for a Sheep Cake (and Cupcakes!)

2011-02-22T05:58:00.000-08:00

A friend called and asked if I would make her a sheet cake for her roommate's upcoming birthday party. It must've been a bad connection, though, because this is what I came up with:

Sheet cake...not sheep cake! Oh well. I'm sure that's not the first time such a mix-up has occurred. It's probably a common mistake - and a happy mistake, because how cute are these fondant sheep?

Of course there's a pun. A most perfect pun, too, because it was for a belated birthday party. Get it? It helps if you say it out loud. Go ahead, "It's pasture birthday." Shear genius, right?

And, shorn' nuff, I had to make some cupcakes to go with the sheep theme.

Have you ever herd how difficult it is to photograph sheep. They just don't cooperate. Hay, you! Turn around and smile for the camera!

Don't they say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery? If that's the case, momskitchen should be totally flattered because the sheep cupcakes that she posted on Flickr were my source of inspiration for these little guys. Also, since I've got to give credit where credit is due, the idea for the sheep peeking out of the side of the cake came directly from Majesto Cakes. A sheep cake that was shared at Coolest Birthday Cakes was the basis for much inspiration, too. Rachel even shares how to make the fondant sheep look fluffy and she uses an entirely different clever pun!

I wool definitely be making these again some day. Wouldn't they be perfect for a barnyard-themed party? Or for the "in like a lion, out like a lamb" thing that teachers sometimes do for the month of March? Or just Easter in general.

I Mustache You a Question...

2011-02-14T06:25:00.000-08:00

...Will you be my Valentine?

A felt mustache hot glued onto a pencil. We made 20 of these to share at preschool today.

Creative credit for the witty pun goes to The Craft Monkey. You MUST see what she did with the whole mustaches-for-Valentines theme! Since I'm not gifted in the mustache-drawing department, I used a template from Finley and Oliver (she actually used her 'stache to applique a onsie - cuteness!).

We also made a handful of these sucker lips - an idea that I found at Cupcakes, Kisses 'n' Crumbs.

Since there are just too many cute Valentine ideas out there, we made some flamingos, too! We saw this idea in a Ranger Rick magazine that we checked out from the library months and months ago.

Pillows in Red and White

2011-02-09T07:04:00.000-08:00

Susannah's preschool teacher has taken a handful of moms under her wing and into her sewing room to help us enhance our sewing skills. She shared her amazing fabric stash with us, and by the end of the day, we each had a flower pillow case to show for our efforts! Now, I think she needs to call an exterminator because I've been on a pillow-making spree ever since I got back from her house. I've definitely been bitten by the sewing bug...or at least the pillow-making bug.

There's the flower pillow that started the whole thing, down there in the grass. I made the other two coordinating pillows in no time flat and now I have a lovely set of red and white! The circles and large flower are raw edge applique and the smaller pillow sports my favorite fabric flower made from Wise Craft's fabric flower tutorial.

I'm getting ready to tie them up with some red ribbon and send them off to preschool where they'll take part in our fundraising raffle. Just five dollars a ticket and you could be the lucky winner of this red and white pillow set!

The Ghost of Valentine's Day Past

2011-02-04T07:05:00.000-08:00

I haven't gotten my rear in gear for this year's round of preschool valentines. I'm just not feelin' it yet. I have a pretty good idea of what I want to make and Susannah's totally on board with my ideas (she's so easy going!) so I just need to hit the glue and scissors and make it happen - with her help of course. In the meantime, I shall share with you the valentines we made last year because they were totally awesome.

These were my favorite valentines from last year because they're just so stinkin' cute! Sea creature sucker-toppers (or pencil-toppers) that I created from a pattern I found at Future Girl. If you follow the link you'll find tutorials for how to make them!

Okay. Can I have two favorites? I forgot how much I loved these alligators! Free downloadable template. You can stuff 'em with candy. Not too girly. Corny pun included...what's not to love?

You can find them at Skip to My Lou

There's A Penguin In My Fridge!

2011-01-26T07:03:00.000-08:00

A penguin cake, that is.

I wish it was that simple: just open the refrigerator door one day and there's the penguin cake, nestled in with the carrot juice and yogurt. And on the shelf right above him are the penguin cupcakes - frosted and ready for a birthday party full of hungry preschoolers.

Actually, I'm kinda glad it didn't magically appear in my fridge. It was really fun to make and I learned a lot of valuable information that I can now add to my cake-making bag of tricks. One, it takes A LOT of black food coloring to turn white frosting to a true black which, in turn, gives the partygoers gooey purple tongues. Two, it's a breeze to sculpt a cake when it's frozen - much less crumbly that way. Three, working with fondant is not nearly as tricky as it seems, it's quite a forgiving meduim (but it tastes disgusting).

Overall, I'm very pleased with how my little penguin friend turned out. He's five layers of 8-inch white cakes with black buttercream frosting and fondant face, tummy and nose. I totally copied this photo that I found on Flickr - so a huge thank you to "jenifah007" for sharing her genius and inspiring me!

Remember those fondant penguins I posted about awhile ago? If so, you'll probably recognize them as the toppers on these cupcakes. The diving into the water guy is still my favorite!

Check out round two of penguin cake and cupcakes...this time in pink and purple!

Penguin Schemes

2011-01-19T14:07:00.000-08:00

My cousin has asked if I would be willing to make her daughter a penguin cake for her upcoming birthday party. HECK YEAH! I'll make a penguin cake and some penguin cupcakes!

I'm still in the scheming phase. Some might call it the planning phase, but I think "scheming" elicits images of Mr. Burns sinisterly tapping his fingertips together and muttering "excellent" - and that's more fun.

You can tell by my use of ALL CAPS and !exclamation points! that I'm excited about this project. I'll be sure to inundate you with penguin cake photos and penguin cupcake photos once everything's finished.

So far, these fondant penguins are all I have to share. Everything else has to be done the day before the party. [note added 01/26/11: check out the finished product] This is my first time working with fondant, and I must say that it's not nearly as tricky as I thought it'd be. I wish I hadn't spent so many years being intimidated by it. Don't get me wrong. I still think fondant tastes disgusting and should be used in moderation - but it's perfect for making little penguin embellishments!

(By the way, the feet in the air penguins are going to be anchored in some blue frosting to make it look like they're diving in...they'll make more sense when I get them on the cupcakes.)

"

Cross Stitched Names

2011-01-14T09:37:00.000-08:00

You know what I've noticed about little girls? They love anything that has their name on it - or even just their initial. Like those cute applique letter shirts that I'm sure you've seen or perhaps you've even made one (or several!). Since I have little faith in my abilitiy to applique something worthy of gift-giving or of sufficient craftsmanship to make it out of the washing machine intact, I'll stick with cross stitch.

Sorry about the photo quality...taking pictures of things in glass frames is really tricky.

These were Christmas presents for two of my nieces. I worked on them off and on all year and then had them framed. Thank goodness for my 50% off coupon. I had no idea that custom framing was so pricey! It was worth it, though, because they turned out quite lovely.

I'm Losing My Wife to Crochet!

2011-01-04T06:59:00.000-08:00

That's a direct quote from my husband, and he's probably right. I've often got crochet on my mind and a hook in my hand. I can't help it! It's the only craft I've come across that I can work on anywhere and for any length of time. On a four hour car ride to Canada, while I'm waiting for Susannah at dance class, when the hockey game is on...it's so easy to glance up from your project without losing your place and to pick it up or put it down at a moment's notice. Plus, the little amigurumi projects are so cute and easy - and they make gifts! This is what we gave Susannah's preschool teacher for Christmas this year:

I ended up making three pears altogether and gave them to some special people, along with some pear butter that I made in October. I also made some apple butter and I suppose a jar of that with a crocheted apple would make a nice gift as well, but there are more puns to be had with pears!

Now for the details that you are probably not interested in, but I record them anyhow because I may need to refer back to them one day: the pattern for the pear is from Amigurumi World: Seriously Cute Crochet . For the smaller pear, I used Lion Brand Wool-Ease worsted weight yarn in Avocado (#174). For the larger pear I used Vanna's Choice medium weight yarn in Kelly Green (#172). The Vanna's yarn was a dream to work with and it was kinda shiny and smooth.

Canopy in Purple

2010-12-22T08:59:00.000-08:00

It's so flowy! It's surprisingly easy to make! It's a whole lotta tulle!

You'll have to excuse the poor photo quality. It's currently suspended from a curtain rod that I rigged across the molding in my hallway - not a lot of natural light here, even with the front door open. I think it's over 7 feet in length from the loop that it hangs from to the hem of the tulle, and the diameter is that of your average hula hoop. This is the only spot I could find in the house where I could assemble it without drilling a hole in my ceiling. My sister is the lucky homeowner who will have to break out her drill once I give this to my niece.

These little butterfly clips hold open the entryway in case she wants to drape it over the head of her bed or something.

I'd seen a couple of tutorials for canopies this past summer and I ended up following the one I found in my Family Fun magazine because it was the least complex. Aside from the hula hoop, there were just three main ingredients: felt, tulle/sheer fabric, and glue - lots and lots of glue. Can I just say that I love draping tulle and whatever that sheer purple fabric is? It's so forgiving for those of us who have trouble cutting straight lines!

I used a couple different tutorials for making the felt flowers. The loopy flowers, the pointy flowers, and the big hibiscus-looking flowers were all so simple to make - especially since I cheated and substituted glue for some of the sewing steps. Oh! I finally found a use for the dragonflies Susannah and I made last month!

Tutorial for Christmas Mouse Hoop-La

2010-12-14T10:43:00.000-08:00

Round up these supplies:
template for mouse (download here)
cardstock paper
scissors
erasable fabric marker (mine was water soluble)
felt scraps (any blend of wool or man made material)
graph paper (any gauge will work)
fine tipped Sharpie pen or something similar (in a dark color)
7 inch wooden embroidery hoop
Scotch tape
pencil
a window
10in. x 10in. (roughly) piece of fabric
embroidery floss
embroidery needle
pins
craft glue

Download and print the template for the mouse. It's easier to trace it you print it onto cardstock, but regular paper will do in a pinch.

Open a Word document and type the words using the font "CAC Shishoni Brush" at size 65. In case you missed it, the words are "not a creature was stirring." Print the words out onto regular paper.

Cut out the mouse body pieces (the three raindrop shapes) and the words.

Trace the mouse body pieces onto your felt using the fabric marker. You can choose any colors you like. I went with a heather brown for the body and ears and a light pink for the inner parts of the ears. You'll need one body piece and two of each ear piece. Cut out each raindrop shape and remove any tracing marks. Set them aside.

Draw a circle on your graph paper by tracing around the inside of your embroidery hoop with a dark-colored pen.

Tape your piece of graph paper to a window. I've heard that there is such a thing as a light box for tracing purposes, but since I don't have anything fancy schmancy like that, I use a window. Oh, and make sure there's daylight outside!

Tape the words and the mouse body piece how you want them to be laid out within the circle. I chose to do the words near the top (using the graph paper lines as a guide so that nothing was crooked) and the mouse near the bottom. Just be sure to leave some space on either side of the mouse for his ears and whiskers. The tape peels off easily so you can adjust things as you go.

Pencil in a mouse tail. I chose to make mine cross over the letter "g" - but you feel free to make your little mouse's tail do whatever it wants. When you're happy with the tail, trace over it with a fine tipped pen.

Iron your fabric and tape it over the graph paper on the window. Tape all four corners and add a couple of pieces of tape to each side to keep the fabric from shifting while you're tracing.

Trace the entire design (the outer circle, the mouse body and tail, the words) onto the fabric using the fabric marker. When you're done tracing, remove everything from the window and make sure your fabric is tape-free.

Trace a circle about 2" outside of your original circle. I happened to have a larger embroidery hoop, so that's what I used. It doesn't have to be a perfect circle by any means.

Cut along the large circle that you just made. I used pinking shears, but regular scissors will do.

Secure your fabric in your embroidery hoop. The traced circle should act as a rough guide so you can center your design. Check to make sure that it's still centered when it hangs by quickly hanging it on the wall. It'll hook onto any nail or tack.

Stitch the letters. I used 4 strands of a dark pink embroidery floss (DMC 3731) and a back stitch. I think a stem stitch would look really nice, but alas, I know not how to do that one. Make sure not to embroider the part of the tail that crosses over the letter "g." See the photo below for more detail.

Stitch the mouse tail. I used 4 strands of a dark brown embroidery floss (DMC 838) and a whipped back stitch.

Attach the mouse body. Pin the felt body piece onto your fabric, using the traced raindrop shape as a guide. I used a running stitch and 2 strands of a light brown embroidery floss (almost matching the color of felt) but I don't know the color code because it was part of my thread scraps. What? Doesn't everyone have a nest of random lengths and colors of thread that they can't throw away because they might need them some day?

Leave some space at the point of the raindrop shape for embroidering the nose later. See the photo below for more detail.

Erase all the leftover tracing marks. I used a squirt bottle to lightly mist any visible marks with water. Set it aside to dry while you work on the ears. To speed up drying you can prop it up near a heater vent or use a low setting on your hair dryer...or just be patient. It really doesn't take very long.

Assemble the ears by pinning the smallest raindrop shape to the larger raindrop shape. I used 2 strands of a light pink embroidery floss (almost matching the color of the felt) and a running stitch. Again, it was a scrap thread so I don't know the color code. Don't judge.

Pinch the point of the ear between your thumb and pointer finger.

With your free hand, pass a needle with 1 strand of brown embroidery floss (to match the felt) through both layers of outer ear felt (the larger raindrop shape). Start at the bottom and go up through the top, leaving a tail of thread. Then turn your needle and go down from the top and through the bottom. That's probably confusing to read, but hopefully the photo below will clear it up. Basically, you're just trying to discretely secure that pinched shape.

Knot together the two strands of embroidery floss that are dangling from the bottom of the pinched ear.

Use some really sharp scissors to snip off the excess embroidery floss and the bit of felt just below the stitches you made.

Pin an ear on each side of the mouse body and stitch them into place with 1 strand of embroidery floss to match the smallest raindrop shape. I stitched a three-pronged shape right at the pointed end of the raindrop. You should be able to see it in the photo below.

Now it's time to stitch on the face! For stitching each facial feature, I used the same dark brown embroidery floss that I used to make the tail. With your fabric pen, draw an elongated "x" shape across the tip of the nose (or where the nose will be pretty soon). Use 1 strand of embroidery floss and back stitch the whiskers.

Use 4 strands to make a cluster of french knots at the tip of the raindrop shape, overlapping some of the whisker stitches.

Use 3 strands to make one french knot for each eye.

There you have it! Your finished mouse in all it's fuzzy felt splendor!

Now that the embroidery is done, let's secure the fabric to the back of the hoop and make everything look neat and tidy. Trim about half of the excess fabric off. You just need enough left over to fold to the back of the hoop and glue down, a little more than 1/4 inch.

Make a line of glue about 2 inches long along the wooden part on the back of the hoop. Fold over the fabric and press it down onto the glue. There will be little creases in the fabric, but it'll be smooth enough to hang flat on the wall. Work around the hoop in 2 inch sections, making sure that each section is secure/dry before you move on to the next.

Now you've got a nice little wall hanging!

You can either call it quits here or continue on and add some embellishments around the hoop to kind of frame it in. You might add some coordinating ribbon around the flat sides or some buttons and felt stars, like I did. Just use your craft glue to attach them to the hoop/fabric.

Now you're done and you have the cutest little Christmas decoration to keep or give away ('tis the season, you know).

That Chirping Sound Is Coming From My Yarn Basket.

2010-11-30T06:24:00.000-08:00

If I didn't have other obligations, I'd go on a bird-making spree! These amigurumi birds are so simple to make and so darned cute...everyone should have at least one. Perhaps after the holidays I'll make that my mission. To each man, woman and child: a bird! That'd be an interesting New Year's resolution.

I used a tutorial from a great blog called Bitter Sweet to make little blue bird and little pink bird. I did just two things differently than the tutorial suggested. One, I used a G hook because I didn't own an F hook at the time. Two, I sewed on a small half-circle of felt for a tummy.

I gave these to a friend of ours for her fourth birthday - but not before they had a chance to get into some mischief. Apparently, crocheted birds have a very low tolerance for alcohol. Something to keep in mind if you plan on making any of these.

A Truly Corny Thanksgiving Greeting

2010-11-24T06:30:00.000-08:00

Corny pun alert! I stretched my punning abilities to the max coming up with the wording for these last-minute Thanksgiving cards. The front is simple enough.

An ear of Indian corn - which is extra special because it's made from the fingerprints of my favorite five year old. We got the idea from a project that Susannah did at preschool last week - her teacher always plans the best activities. We had to find a template online because my corn-drawing skills just aren't what they used to be.

Cute little greeting with a simple and obvious pun on the front...but then when the recipients open it - BAM! - they're hit with a barrage of creative (or annoying, depending on how you look at it) puns. One after the other....corny puns abound!

I made this photo extra large so that you don't miss a single pun. Happy Thanksgiving.

Just So You Know...

2010-11-18T06:48:00.000-08:00

It's giveaway week at Crochet Everyday! I've "donated" some washcloths that one lucky commenter can win. They may not be perfectly symmetrical, but they're really pretty colors and I highly recommend them for everyday kitchen use. If you're interested in winning these beauties, click right here and enter. You have until November 24th!

Dragonflies in November?

2010-11-15T06:31:00.000-08:00

I saw this quick and easy tutorial for making twig dragonflies back in September (at Somewhat Simple). Susannah and I have been collecting these maple keys (I've always called them helicopter leaves and Susannah refers to them as bunny ear leaves) for the past few months in anticipation of this craft. I love how they turned out - and the glitter makes them kind of Christmas-y!

Looks a bit like they just jumped out of a plane and are skydiving, doesn't it? Like I said, these were really simple to make. Just some maple keys, some twigs, a bit of glitter (we used glitter glue because I'm a mean mom and I have issues with loose glitter in the house), some beads for the eyes and a hot glue gun to hold it all together!

I think the red one is my favorite. He's like a chameleon dragonfly on the changing blueberry leaves.

I love nature-inspired projects...especially this time of year. They go nicely with the nut critters we made, too. Now we just need to make something out of all the beautiful leaves and we'll have a complete fall collection!

Nut Critters

2010-11-08T06:36:00.000-08:00

We live in a neighborhood with lots of nuts. Not my neighbors - they're perfectly sane. I mean actual nuts...lots of nut-bearing trees. Chestnuts, walnuts, hazelnuts and acorns abound this time of year and Susannah and I invariably collect the really good lookin' ones when we're out walking around. Then, we use them for crafty purposes.

We used some glitter glue, felt, beads and a hot glue gun to create these little nut critters. The turkey has a chestnut body, an acorn cap head and helicopter leaves (you know, the things that drop from maple trees) for its feathers.

The hedgehog is my favorite. He's got a chestnut body and an acorn cap face. We glued zig-zagged strips of felt onto the chestnut to make his spines. Isn't he cute?

Isn't there an old saying...something about "a hedgehog in the hand is worth two in the bush?" I think that's how it goes.

Half of a walnut shell transitions nicely to a turtle shell, don't you think?

I'm not sure what we're going to do with these nut critters, but they're a great rainy day craft project and, judging by the weather forecast, I think we'll be making more in the days to come.

As Spooky As Crochet Can Be

2010-10-31T13:50:00.000-07:00

It's hard to be spooky when you're a little crocheted pumpkin or a little crocheted bat - but it's easy to be cute, and I much prefer cute over spooky any day!

I made the pumpkin as part of my first-ever crochet-along via Crochet Every Day. He turned out kinda lumpy and he definitely has a "back" (which is kinda flat) and a "front" (which is more presentable)...just like a real pumpkin, I suppose.

The bat pattern was featured at Crochet Every Day and can be found here. I wanted to make it for Susannah right away because she's intrigued by the bat in Stellaluna and enjoys pretending to be "baby bat" these days. She doesn't play with it much, though. Not because she doesn't like it, but because bats are nocturnal and sleep during the day - duh! Right now it's hanging upside down from a drawer knob in her makeshift blanket cave. It'll probably be there until it gets dark outside.

The Batty Bat song that the Count sings with the little bat puppets on Sesame Street has been playing in my head for the past couple of days now.

These Place Mats Match These Washcloths

2010-10-25T06:08:00.000-07:00

I love dark brown and that pretty blue color together. It's not quite turquoise and it's not a regular old blue, so I call it "that pretty blue color." Oh! Maybe it's more of a robin's egg blue. No matter what you call it, I like it with dark brown and I'm pretty sure my sister does, too. I hope so, because the birthday presents I made her feature this delightful color combination.

Just what every gal wants for her thirtieth birthday, right? Washcloths and place mats. I'm sure she'll absolutely swoon with excitement once she discovers what's inside that hastily-wrapped present from her dear sister, Megan. Actually, I think she really will appreciate them because they're handmade - which automatically equals thoughtful. Plus, I think she's planning on painting her kitchen "that pretty blue color."

I used some crochet patterns that I found on the Lion Brand Yarn website to make the washcloths. The back loop stitch washcloth (the stripey one) and the sedge stitch washcloth (the not stripey one) were really easy patterns for this virgin washcloth-maker. You know, they could be used as hot pads, too, because they're made from cotton yarn.

These babies are reversible/double-sided so depending on her mood (or how dirty the other side is) she can flip them over! Am I trying to make place mats seem more exciting than they actually are? Perhaps it is a bit more enthusiasm than two layers of lightweight interfacing sandwiched between your average cotton fabric from JoAnn's with a little bit of trim and top stitching to give them some character deserve...I like 'em, though.

Spider Web Treats

2010-10-22T06:03:00.000-07:00

When you're birthday is October 18th, there's a good chance you're gonna get a Halloween-themed party. My thirty-year old sister knows that all too well. This year I made her a spider web cake...

...and spider web cookies to go with it.

Skip to my Lou posted a simple little tutorial for making the web cookies and that went so well that I decided to try it on the cake, too. Luckily, my daughter went through a bug/arachnid phase and we still have plenty of plastic creepy crawlies around the house.

Happy birthday, Jennie!

Linking up to these parties all around the world wide (spider) web.

A Rainbow of Thanks

2010-10-18T06:13:00.000-07:00

I think I mailed out the last thank you card yesterday. Susannah's rainbow birthday party wouldn't have been half as much fun without the friends and family who came to participate in the festivities. I hope these simple notes let them know how much we enjoyed celebrating with them.

Before I depart I must give the proverbial "shout out" to one last source that I relied on for rainbow party inspiration and cuteness. Paper Glitter has an entire set of free rainbow party printables that added some extra cheer to the event. I used their tags to decorate the favor buckets, the favor bags and the utensil holder.

I have composed this colorful pun-riddled ode (of sorts) in their honor:

Have you red the Paper Glitter blog lately? They're always introducing new lines and themes. Orange you glad they offer so many free, cute printables? Their generosity saves you money and provides endless inspiration for party planning. I just want to go to the top of the highest building and YELLow "Paper Glitter has great free stuff!" Alas, my town has no really tall buildings to speak of, so I'll just blog about it instead. It's true that I am a bit jealous of their design talents. Oh, who am I kidding? I'm absolutely green with envy...I wish I could think of such cuteness and then have the technical and artistic skills to create something grand!

Have I gushed enough yet to convince you to pay Paper Glitter a visit? You don't even have to be in the party-planning market. It's a fun blog to just visit if you're feeling blue. Seriously. You can't help but smile at their sweet designs. I promise it'll be hard to purPULL yourself away from their site once you delve into it...so you might want to warn your family ahead of time that dinner's gonna be late.

I swear Paper Glitter did not put me up to this and is offering me no compensation or anything like that. I'm just truly impressed with their talent and grateful that they share it with us.

Bumblebee Girl Costume

2010-10-12T07:34:00.000-07:00

I took advantage of our perfect fall weather yesterday by getting some photos of Susannah in her Halloween costume. Presenting...

...and Bumble Bee Girl again. This time from the back:

I dig the little antenna shadow - and yes - that's a stinger on her rear! Let's highlight some of the details, shall we? Pipe cleaners attached to a headband make a quirky and affordable pair of antenna and a crocheted cone shape makes for a non-threatening stinger.

Crocheted leg warmers add some extra stripes and the yarn pompoms add some, dare I say, whimsy to the whole ensemble. The stripes on the shirt? Well, those are strips of yellow felt sewn on with a zig zag stitch.

I've been buzzzy making this bumblebee outfit for my little honey for quite some time now. It's my first time attempting a homemade costume, and although I did bumble some aspects of it, I'm pleased with the final product. I totally forgot to put her wings on her for the pictures, and that does sting a little because what's a bumblebee without wings? She still seems to bee able to fly without them, though.

Hive gotta go comb the internet for some link parties at which to share this stripey get-up!

By the way, the official pun count for this post is 6.

Spooky Snack

2010-10-11T10:08:00.000-07:00

It doesn't get any spookier than...

They look pretty spooky flying across that cheddar moon, don't you think? Even spookier is the fact that the full cheese-moon is perched atop a mini bagel...and don't pretend you're not frightened by the bit of cream cheese used to hold it in place. Mwah ah ah ah!

I hope they don't frighten the preschoolers when snack time rolls around.

Thank you to Little Nummies for sharing this idea with a mom desperate for a creative snack!

Holy bat snacks, Batman! They're flying off to make the link party rounds!

You Can Have Your Turtle and Eat it Too.

2010-10-07T06:12:00.000-07:00

If it's made out of bread dough, that is.

Directions for how to make turtle rolls were shared on SparklePetal back in May and I'm finally able to mark them off of my list of things to try. Sure, they look a little bloated after baking and there are certain things I'll do differently next time, but there will be a next time - these were fun to make and eat!

The directions say to use your favorite recipe for bread dough, so I chose one for honey wheat bread from my big, red Betty Crocker binder. It was supposed to yield two loaves of bread and I wasn't sure how many turtles that translated into. Now I know that it's not six. The turtles are HUGE if you use a two loaf recipe to make six of them! I think I'll use the same recipe next time and make twice as many turtles.

A big thank you to SparklePetal for sharing so many helpful photos and tips on shaping these fellas!

Cake and Sweets at the Rainbow Party

2010-10-04T10:04:00.000-07:00

In the days leading up to the party, I'm sure I had the messiest (but most colorful) kitchen in town. I am now a huge fan of Wilton's gel food coloring. It yields the most brilliant colors without changing the consistency of the frosting or batter - or whatever it is that you're baking. Case in point: these mini cupcakes. They're so vivid - and yes - that's a Double Rainbow Guy reference.

This was my first attempt at making my own tiered tray. I used a wonderful tutorial posted by Julie at Joy's Hope and a metal tray, a glass candlestick, and a ceramic plate from Goodwill. Oh, and a can of spray paint left over from last year's jellyfish pinata. I think it might end up back at Goodwill because the candlestick came detached at some point during the "party's-over-let's-pack-up-and-go-home" phase of the birthday.

And, of course, what's a rainbow party without a rainbow layer cake? Six layers, to be exact.

There are a handful of tutorials for rainbow layer cakes floating around out there and I chose to follow the directions I found at I am Baker. It was surprisingly easy, although time-consuming because you have to chill the cake between adding layers - which was totally worth it because I had no Leaning Tower of Pisa issues or anything like that. Technically, the frosting was not bright white but you could only tell if you were being hypercritical and holding up a piece of white paper to it (or if your husband was using the flash to photograph it). It was delicious, though, and since I had to use boring white cake mix I was counting on the frosting to make this cake taste as good as it looked. It worked. The recipe for cream cheese frosting at I am Baker is perfect!

I would like to take a brief sentence or two to thank the folks at Twizzlers for making my cake decorating dilemma so easy. I didn't want to leave the cake plain white but I also didn't want it to be too busy. The "BLAM! That's a colorful, in-your-face rainbow cake!" was reserved for the interior. Chopping up the rainbow pack of Twizzlers into 2-3 inch pieces as well as tiny pieces that resembled stars was just right. Thank you, Twizzlers, for having all the colors I needed in one package.

I thought outside the rainbow for these last two sweets. It occurred to me that not everything had to be strictly rainbow. My theme could encompass rainbow-related things as well. For example, ROY G. BIV's cousins, Umbrella and Raindrop:

I got the idea for these cookies on the Family Fun website and I found the best recipe for sugar cookies at Bake at 350. I'm new to decorating sugar cookies with anything other than store bought frosting and a butter knife, so Bake at 350 was an invaluable resource for me. It's got everything a freshman baker needs to know, including recipes and how-to videos. So very helpful!

Let's not forget ROY G. BIV's great aunt, Sunshine...a perfect addition to any rainbow party!

These were my take on an idea I saw in the August/September issue of Simple and Delicious. I love how bright and cheerful they are! Just a note about candy corns, though. They sweat. I made these the night before the party and when I took them out of the fridge the next morning there was an orange syrupy substance dripping down the cupcake papers. Next time I'll apply the candy corns just before serving.

Well, folks, this concludes my major rainbow party posts. There may be more random posts to come if I remember something rainbow-y that I forgot to share, but I think I've covered most everything. If you have any questions, I'm not sick of talking about the party yet, so email me and I promise I'll reply promptly...probably with more information than you wanted.

An Embroidered Bicycle Pouch for a Bike

2010-09-30T06:44:00.000-07:00

Yeah, you heard me right: it's a pouch that attaches to your bike AND it's got bicycle embroidery...how appropriate and quaint.

The bicycle pattern is available for FREE at Flamingo Toes...thank you, Beverly! I never could have come up with such a cute doodle on my own!

I've made one of these pouches before for my sheep giveaway, but this time I added straps to the back so it can be lashed to the handlebars.

Thanks again to Make it Modern for sharing this wonderful box pouch tutorial!

Now that it's finished and strapped to my bicycle, I really want to keep it! True - I don't really need it. I've got a grand wire basket to hold all my stuff. Why would I need a pouch? Because it's cute, that's why. Alas, I have made this pouch for a dear friend's birthday and I will give it to her later tonight. I think it is a very thoughtful gift for a gal with a basket-less bicycle. She can keep all sorts of little necessities in it while she's out and about...a garage door opener, house keys, a bit of spending money, chapstick, mace (she might venture into a sketchy neighborhood), cell phone, or what have you.

The interior is this cute star fabric, which is right up my dear friend's alley. Did you know that we have matching star tattoos? A testament to us being 19 years old and sooooo free-thinking and independent...ah, youth. Anyhow, I'm sure she'll really dig it and find that it's a very thoughtful gift from her old pal, Meg.

Favors and Crafts at the Rainbow Party

2010-09-28T06:18:00.000-07:00

It's nice to have festive decorations and a well-stocked snack table, but I think it's the crafts/activities that really matter when you're planning a party for kids. Great party favors are important, too. In the past I've usually incorporated a pinata because that counts as both an activity and some party favors. This year I skipped the pinata all together because we already had three crafts and some pretty rad favors.

Go down the line of rainbow buckets and choose some color-coordinating candy...don't forget to grab a rainbow crayon. Stuff it all into your goodie bag along with your choice of crocheted cupcake or colorful rubber duckie. Thanks for coming!

A couple of notes about the favors: Try as I might, I just couldn't find a purple duckie! Michaels had red through blue for just $1 each. Also, those are big buckets so I devised false bottoms for them using a paper bowl. Otherwise I would've spent a fortune on candy! I found those rainbow crayons at Oriental Trading (25 crayons for $8.99)...they actually make a perfect rainbow when you color with them. Susannah helped me make the goodie bags using her Do-A-Dot daubers and printable tags from Paper Glitter. Lastly, here's some more info. about the amigurumi cupcakes and the buckets if you're interested.

Now for the crafts! The kids (and adults, too) got to make their own rainbow ribbon ring!

Michaels had a sale on their basic ribbon (3 spools for $1) so I bought a variety of rainbow colors. I cut them all beforehand and singed the ends with a lighter so they wouldn't fray. The wider ribbon with the rainbows and clouds on it was also from Michaels but wasn't such a bargain - until I whipped out my 40% off coupon, that is! We tied the ribbons in a double knot around a canning jar rim, which are also very affordable this time of year. I found that the rims for wide mouth jars allowed ample space for both ribbons and hands. That's important because you need to have a good grasp on that thing if you're going to be dancing and twirling around with it. The buttons (another Oriental Trading purchase) were glued on with Fabri-Tac, which dries really fast.

Another fun craft: string together a rainbow necklace! A tub of pony beads from the craft store (sorted out beforehand by my lovely assistant, Susannah), a tub of wooden polka dot beads from Oriental Trading and some hemp string were the simple supplies needed for this craft.

The little plastic divided plates kept the beads from rolling off the table as the kids created their rainbow accessories. I think having them already sorted out and easily accessible in the mini loaf pan helped keep them off the ground, too.

Remember the Do-A-Dot daubers we used to decorate the goodie bags? Well, I brought those to the party along with some smelly markers. I hope I didn't stifle anyone's creative genius by leaving the pinks, blacks and browns at home. Maybe that's taking the rainbow theme a little too far? Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple ONLY.

I photocopied some pages from Susannah's Do-A-Dot activity book and the kids had a fine time coloring them. I don't think it was illegal to reproduce them since they weren't being used commercially or whatever.

See? They were so busy crafting that no one noticed the absence of a pinata.

Food and Decorations at the Rainbow Party

2010-09-25T06:41:00.000-07:00

There was no way I was having a rainbow birthday party without these tissue paper paper pom pom decorations that I've been seeing everywhere. What a perfect craft (they're easy to assemble). What a perfect decoration (you can make any color to fit your theme and they're cheap!). Look what Buggie and Jellybean did with them...that is kind of what I was going for when I lashed them to a beam at the park shelter we rented for the party.

I used Martha Stewart's tutorial to make them and I also posted a bit more about them here.

Another super-simple and affordable craft I used as decoration were these strip rainbows.

Now, I don't know their official name, but they're made out of strips of paper, so strip rainbows seems appropriate. Once again, this was not an original idea by me. I didn't have time to use watercolors on white paper to make the strips like Clean Mama did, so I took the easy way out and used colored card stock. I made a bunch of them and strung them up mobile-style (kinda) with some fishing line. You can see the dangling strip rainbows if you look really closely:

Don't focus on the cluttered tables and the big red eyesore of a cooler. This picture was taken during party set-up. The snack table was much more presentable in its finished state.

Can you tell that a local hardware store had a coupon deal on bandanas? Thirty-three cents each - no limit! I think the party-planning gods must have been smiling on me! I restrained myself from stocking up on them (because how many bandanas does a girl really need?) and just bought one in each color of the rainbow. I used thumbtacks to attach them to the sides of the picnic tables because (a) I ran out of time to chop them up make an actual bunting and (b) because I'm cheap and now I can use them again.

On to the snacks. They were all pretty simple. I tried to keep either the food or the dish it was served in bright and cheery to match the theme.

These fruit kabobs would have been closer to rainbow status had I not forgotten the cantaloupe at home in the fridge. My vision was red (strawberry), orange (the cantaloupe that I left behind), yellow (pineapple), green (Granny Smith apples), no blue because blueberries were too expensive and tiny, purple (big, juicy grapes). Fruity and delicious!

The veggie tray is only half a rainbow. I've got red and yellow bell peppers, carrots and cucumbers. Are there any veggies for blue and purple that you can think of that would work at a party?

The rest of the food is not especially noteworthy/photo worthy. Just some chips, trail mix, cheese and stuff in colorful bowls and platters. Oh, and I'll do the desserty, sweet goodies in another post...there were lots of those!

Another easy way to add color to the table was buying paper plates, napkins and plastic cutlery in six colors. Luckily, I had a lot of leftovers from previous parties so I didn't have to purchase much.

I covered a cardboard six-pack container with paper, added some ribbon and a cute printable from Paper Glitter to create a perfect spot for the forks, knives and spoons. We've got all six colors represented with the plates and napkins...and, yes, those are gold spray-painted rocks keeping those napkins from flying away with the breeze. Get it? Like gold at the end of the rainbow?

Alright. There's your daily dose of rainbow.

ROY G. BIV Eye Candy

2010-09-23T06:04:00.000-07:00

Rainbow party accomplished! Susannah is five years old and I can put one more notch in my party-planning belt.

This was by far the most fun I've had planning a party. There are so many great rainbow party ideas "out there" that I think the hardest part was having to pick and choose which to use. This post is just going to be a party showcase of sorts with lots of photos because I have to share them NOW! In the days to come, I promise that I'll post more details (inlcuding links) about...

the cake...

...the goodies...

...the decorations...

...the crafty activities...

...and the favors.

There's a strong possibility that you're gonna be sick of rainbows by the time I'm finished.

Links to more details about:
* the food and decorations
* the party favors and crafts/activities
* the cake and other delicious sweets
* the handmade invitations
* the thank you notes

Pom Poms and Buckets

2010-09-17T06:07:00.000-07:00

I'm in full-on party preparation mode over here. I view the world only in terms of how it relates to my rainbow party. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple...those are the only colors I see.

Chances are you've seen these tissue paper pom poms before. I've seen them around and always thought they were lovely. After I saw what Amy at Buggie and Jellybean did with them at her rainbow party, the deal was sealed - I had to make rainbow tissue paper pom poms for Susannah's party (and probably in corresponding colors for every party hereafter).

Right now they're hanging from a ceiling hook in the spare room/craft room out of reach of the cat and child. I'm not sure where they'll be at the party. We're having it at a local park and I hope I can find something to attach them to. I kinda like them all clustered together like this, too. This is the most affordable party decoration I've encountered so far. I found the tissue paper at the dollar store and I already had some bendy wire stuff leftover from a wreath I once tried to make. Each one cost 25 cents for the supplies and they were quick and easy to assemble. I used Martha Stewart's tutorial, by the way.

Another inexpensive decoration that is also functional is this set of buckets. One for each color of the rainbow, spruced up with some ribbon and some free printables that I found at Paper Glitter.

I'm going to use these at the food table. I think they'd hold an awful lot of pretzels, chips, and the like so I'm going to have to devise a false bottom for them. I found them this summer at Michael's craft store for $1 each! The ribbon was also from Michaels, and I still have a ton left on the spool...frugal party planning is buckets of fun!

I Invite You to Check Out These Invitations

2010-09-13T06:47:00.000-07:00

The invitations for Susannah's last two birthday parties were riddled with puns, but alas, I couldn't come up with a single rainbow pun that really worked. So, these invitations to her upcoming rainbow birthday party have nary a pun. Kinda sad.

Well, they may have scored low on the witty factor, but they blew the competition away in the cuteness category (at least I think so)!

Nothing too terribly fancy. Just some fun scrapbook paper, white cardstock, and a handful of glue sticks. I've never gone through so many glue sticks before! Did I mention that I found a tutorial for making your own envelope liners? Check it:

The tutorial called for wrapping paper (which I plan to use in the future because how affordable is that!) but I couldn't find any that suited my theme. So I just used my paper trimmer and some scrapbook papers. This was a great way to personalize the invitations even more and use up some of that fun paper! So, thank you to Annie Get Your Glue Gun for sharing the line your own envelopes idea!

Here's a shot of the inside (with all the personal information eliminated to foil any stalkers or party crashers that may be lurking about):

Again, pretty simple but still colorful and fun. I'm very pleased with the way they turned out and I think the project yielded the prettiest box of scraps I've ever seen. In case you're curious, the papers I used for the front of the invitations and the liners came from Oriental Trading - the only place that I could find actual rainbow designs. Just a note about Oriental Trading products - they are cheaply made, but accordingly priced, too. Perfect for budgets and kid-friendly crafts!

GIVEAWAY! It's Another Sheep!

2010-09-11T06:34:00.000-07:00

Well, by golly, we've done it! Two hundred followers! This calls for a giveaway and since I'm a sucker for tradition, we're going with the sheep theme again. I'm afraid I used up all my good sheep puns last time (during my 100 followers "Make Like a Sheep" giveaway) so this post may not be as entertaining - or annoying, depending on how you feel about cheesy puns.

Anyhow, here's what one lucky member of the flock can win in the "It's Another Sheep" giveaway:

A sheep that's cute as a button! Hmm. What pertinent information can I tell you about this sheep? The buttons are sewn onto this lucious green fabric, as are the felt head (and ear). The legs and outline are basic embroidery. The frame measures 6 1/2 inches square. You can hang it on a wall, or it also has tabletop-sitting capabilities...I spared no expense when selecting this frame for my loyal followers.

Okay, here's how to enter:

1. Leave one comment on this post.

2. I'll close the giveaway at 6:30am (PST) on Wednesday, September 22nd..

3. I'll use a random number generator to determine the winner.

4. I will notify the winner via email, so make sure that's available to me either through your blog or your Blogger profile or leave it in your comment.

5. I will ship internationally, so everyone's welcome to participate.

I wish you luck and I thank you for following along!

Crocheting a Rainbow of Sweetness!

2010-09-07T06:10:00.000-07:00

How long ago was it that rainbow-themed parties kept popping up all over Blogland? My records indicate somewhere around March or May. At any rate, guess which crafty mother fell in love with that theme and has since been biding her time and planning for a special day in the middle of September? Now guess which lucky soon-to-be five year old is going to have a kick-astronaut rainbow birthday party? (No, there's no outer space theme thrown in there. The substitution of "astronaut" for a three letter a-word is something my sisters and I thought was pretty clever back in the day. I still think it's clever.)

Here's something else I think is clever: little crochet cupcakes. One in each color of the rainbow.

Technically not every color of the rainbow. I forwent the whole ROY G. BIV thing in favor of an even number and a simple purple instead of getting all specific with indigo and violet.

The yellow cupcake is my favorite. It's so bright and cheery! I used an Ana Paula Rimoli pattern from Amigurimi World. I didn't do the face, though, because the black eyes that I had didn't show up very well against the dark brown fabric. Not as cute, but more realistic. As realistic as a cupcake made from yarn can get, I suppose.

I know I'm going to use them as decoration at the birthday party, and they'd also make nice party favors. However, there will be more than six kids in attendance...so maybe they'll be prizes for games or something. (You'd think I'd have that all figured out by now since I've been planning this party for nigh on six months.)

I hope you're down with the rainbow theme because it's about to get all Lisa Frank up in here. If you were shopping for school supplies in the 80's and early 90's you know what I'm talking about.

End of Summer Watermelon Shindig

2010-09-01T06:55:00.000-07:00

Blustery weather and the fact that I had to dig out a sweater to wear yesterday can only mean one thing: Fall is on it's way - if not here already. I'm SO glad I got in one last day of summer fun with a watermelon-themed get together (about a week ago). It wasn't anything fancy. Just some friends coming over to splash in the wading pool, blow some bubbles, and eat some treats. My favorite part were the watermelon cookies up there. Aren't they cute? I noticed a couple of different versions of them popping up in link parties this summer, but I went with this one from Homemaking Fun, which I found via Google image search. I did take photos along the way and I'd be happy to post a tutorial if anyone's interested...maybe I'll hang on to it until next July when a watermelon post would be more appropriate.

See how perfectly the cookies coordinate with the watermelon hotpads I crocheted not so long ago? There was no hot food served (the temperature was in the 90's) but the hotpad made an appearance anyhow because it fit the theme so nicely.

Kids and adutls alike enjoyed this simple watermelon stamping craft, which I totally copied from Frugal Family Fun Blog. There's another watermelon craft on there as well, so be sure to check it out if you're planning a shindig of your own.

I didn't get any photos of the process, but we used a potato (cut into a half circle and dipped in paint) to stamp the watermelon onto the paper. We used a paintbrush to apply green paint for the rind and brown paint for the seeds. The paint dried really quickly because of the heat - how handy!

Other than swimming and eating juicy, fresh watermelon, this was the extent of our last summer fling! Thanks for stopping by to share some juicy goodness. Now I'm off to share this at some link parties!

Farewell, Summer!

Sister Sister Sunday

Printables for Stroller Scavenger Hunts

2010-08-26T07:55:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but we do a LOT of strolling when the weather permits. It's one of the few ways that I can get exercise and keep track of a four year old at the same time. Trips to the library, the post office, grandparents' homes, the hardware store, etc. in the stroller are also environmentally friendly...I love multi-tasking!

We also discovered Rails to Trails this summer. It's a program that converts old, out of service train tracks into trails. A good portion of the Rails to Trails that run through our county is paved and straight and wide and perfect for strollers! It's also pretty uneventful scenery-wise. It travels through farm land crosses a few highways...not a lot of variety. Sometimes Susannah needs more distraction than the singing, chatting, and snacking can provide. So I came up with a savenger hunt of sorts.

I printed out some pictures of things we often see while strolling, found a clip board, and brought along a dauber. Susannah had a great time keeping her eyes peeled for all the different objects, insects, etc. When she spotted one she'd get all excited and mark it with the dauber. It was such a success that I made another version for neighborhood strolling:

Now that I've got the main template down, it's really easy to just add new/different pictures for whatever suits our needs. I plan on making fall versions, too. Maybe even one for the car! Anyhoo, I used Google docs so that I could share them with you. You should be able to download both the rural version and the neighborhood version. I'd recommend printing them in black and white in order to conserve pricey ink.

Neighborhood Savenger Hunt - Summer
Rural Savenger Hunt - Summer

Happy Strolling!

A Green and Refreshing Smoothie

2010-08-22T06:59:00.000-07:00

Around here, summer time is smoothie time and I'm always on the lookout for new recipes. A couple of weeks ago Susannah found an interesting recipe in a National Geographic Little Kids magazine she checked out from the libarary. It was a March issue and it's billed as a Shamrock Smoothie. I don't know about you, but March weather in Washington does not put one in mind of smoothies...so we called it a Green Smoothie and went along our merry way. Here are the before and after shots:

It's got tang! It's got zip! Not only is it refreshing to the taste buds, it's a refreshing change to your average berry smoothie! Oh, and it's pretty darn healthy.

I love this recipe format because Susannah was able to use it as her shopping list and then follow the recipe all by herself (aside from chopping up the kiwi and measuring the limeade) - and she was thrilled about that! In fact, if anyone knows of a good resource for kid-friendly recipes in this format, PLEASE tell me about it.

The health inspector might disagree, but I think it's okay to prepare food in your swimsuit when you're four years old. Don't worry, I was fully clothed.

Cheers and bottoms up!

Here's the recipe in case it's too difficult to decipher the photo:

1 peeled banana, sliced and frozen

1 cup frozen green grapes

1 kiwi, peeled and chopped

1 cup washed baby spinach

8 oz. lime yogurt (only the 6 oz. cups are available here and that seemed to be plenty)

1/4 cup limeade

Put everything in the blender and blend it until it's all comined and happy and green!

Note: if you don't think the tart flavor will suit you, use orange juice instead of limeade. You could also try using vanilla or plain yogurt instead of lime OR add some honey. Happy blending!