Unlike last year, I've been quiet about my industrious advent calendar-making this year. Thanks to a world-class babysitter (what would we do without moms?), I had the luxury of working on this year's calendar at a leisurely pace, and though I'm not sure it packs quite the visual punch of last year's, I'm so so pleased with these itty bitty houses. There's a lot of love poured into them. Yes, I made 24 balsa wood houses from scratch. Did you know you could cut balsa wood with scissors? Such ... Read more
DIY Magnets + Giveaway!
I had half-heartedly tossed out the idea of doing some simple DIY projects and here I am, actually following through! I also have a giveaway and a story at the bottom of the post if you're interested. Anyway, many moons ago, I got this idea to make magnets and in my enthusiasm, I ordered a bunch of supplies. I probably don't need to elaborate that my magnet-making scheme didn't pan out so well, and now I have quite the surplus taking up room in my basement. So, just in time for the ... Read more
First Day of School!!
I am a procrastinator and an overplanner, quite the deadly combination. Because I make K weekly outfits, I uncharacteristically haven't been thinking too much about school clothes other than the first day outfit. We got the requisite new shoes, snacks and lunch food, and her school implemented a new system involving cash donations for supplies (e.g. pencils, notebooks, etc.) which I finally got around to doing, so I was feeling pretty prepared. Then I realized: backpack!! And then: lunch box!! I ... Read more
Backyard Art Camp – Wayne Thiebaud
Today, I'm jazzed to talk about art with kids! A while back, I was contacted by Jane of Buzzmills, and she invited me to participate in the awesome Backyard Art Camp series she is co-hosting with Melissa of A Happy Stitch. The idea is simple and brilliant: choose an artist, learn about said artist and work, then create a fun project inspired by the artist in some way with your kid(s). I was immediately in. And knew instantly who I wanted to feature: Wayne Thiebaud. Wayne Thiebaud is an ... Read more
A couple of DIY party games
K's party had a loose water play theme, so I made these cute little spongeballs that I saw on Pinterest. I pin DIY projects like crazy, but I knew this one would be a snap to execute and would be economic and totally fun, so it was a must-try. I used this tutorial, which is excellent and I highly recommend it! These sponges absorbed a lot of water and the kids had a blast. Another game I made was requested specifically by the birthday girl. She wanted a "Pin the button on the dress" game, ... Read more