Jordan & Co

Category: food & crafts

  • Say YES Spring Break

    Say YES Spring Break

    STAY AT HOME ACTIVITIES

    I mentioned on Instagram that I am, most often, a “no” mom. I say no to things that will be too messy or that I don’t think we have time for, things (like annoying games with too many rules!) that just sound like a headache. But with the upcoming weeks of quarantine & uncertainty, I’m going to really make an effort to use this time together intentionally. My kids know about COVID-19, but I want them to look back on this time with happy memories, not fear and panic. So, the girls and I sat down and made a Spring Break Bucket List full of all the fun things I’d normally say “no” to. We are calling this time together:

    Our “Say YES Spring Break”!

    Even if it’s not your Spring Break (Spring Break just sounds way less scary than “quarantine”) I encourage you to do the same & tag #SayYESSpringBreak on Instagram anytime you find yourself saying yes to things you otherwise wouldn’t! Let’s encourage others, share ideas & use this time to bond as a family & make memories.

    activities

    Games & Activities:

    Rainy Day Scavenger Hunt

    Astrotrash Game

    Weird But True Game

    Disney Color Brain

    Disney Eye Found It Game

    Discover American Puzzle & Play

    AquaBeads

    Bracelet Making

    Paint on Canvases (study a famous artist on BrainPopJr or Art Hub Drawing & try to recreate one of their pieces!)

    Plant a Garden

    Lacing Cards

    Learn to Sew Kit | Embroidery for Beginners

    Hedbanz (Disney version | Harry Potter Version )

    Charades for Kids

    Shrinky Dink keychains

    playdoh /foam / slime /kinetic sand (i know, i know…but #sayYESspringbreak 😉 )

     

     

    FREE Activities (ideas YOU sent in on Instagram!)

    -Go on a walk/ride bikes

    -Dump out your craft bin (if you have one) & see what you can make

    -Make signs of support for local grocery stores

    -Write letters to the elderly in Nursing Homes (DM me if you need an address!)

    -Write letters to friends/cousins/penpals

    –Virtual Museum Tours

    -Spa Day: do manis/pedis, make-up, hair for one another

    -Outdoor Olympics

    -Create a snack list on Amazon Fresh to be delivered to the Ronald McDonald House

    -Legos!

    -Try learning an instrument you have been wanting to learn (lessons online)

    –Cosmic Yoga

    -Make Puppets out of things around the house, have a puppet show

    -Built tent forts! Hang twinkle lights & read in them!

    -Make snack bags and see if you can drop at a local school (where children are still able to pick up lunches) OR call local Food Banks to see what they need

    -sidewalk chalk

    -Bake/cook together/make ice cream sundaes/s’mores/milkshakes, etc.

    -Paint “happy” rocks and leave them around the neighborhood when you go on walks

    -Family Talent Show

    -Games/puzzles

    -Movie Night

    -Read a book aloud together as a family (or listen to an audiobook by the fire!)

    -FaceTime Family Members

    -Start painting wooden eggs for Easter

    -Set up Your Easter/Spring Book Nook!

    –Go Noodle Dance Competitions

    -Bath with some legos or glow sticks

     

    **For Educational or Homeschooling resources, see this post: Education Resources**

     

    Let me know if you come up with any other great ideas and I’ll add them to this list as they come in!

    We’ve got this.

     

     

  • Halloween S’mores with Boden

    Halloween S’mores with Boden

    As soon as I saw these cute little ghost-shaped peeps at the store I KNEW we had to make some ghost s’mores to celebrate it (finally!) being October.

    And, want to know the best part about making s’mores in Texas in early October?

    You don’t even need a heat source…the sun will provide that for you! 😉

    jk…kind of.

    If you don’t have a fire pit (or it’s just too dang hot to use it) but you’re still craving a sweet Halloween Treat, try making these spooky s’mores in the oven (or under the TX sun!)! I promise they’re just as yummy!

    And to get further into the Halloween spirit, check out Boden’s new Halloween and Fall lines below. I’m in love with all of Boden’s stylish play clothes! They are a household favorite for sure! ***And just for YOU, use code HLWN for 15% off plus free shipping and returns over $49! (valid 10/2-10/25)***

    Links for our outfits:

    Girls Outfits

    Max’s Outfit

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    smores

     

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    Looking for even more festive Halloween clothes to get in the spirit? Check out my fav picks from Boden’s Halloween Shop!

    Halloween Girl Shop | Halloween Boy Shop

    Don’t forget to use code HLWN for 15% off plus free shippings and returns over $49! (valid 10/2-10/25)

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  • Leprechaun Traps

    Leprechaun Traps

    Ok, so this little tradition started wayyyyy back when I was in my first year of teaching. I remember going out and buying a tiny rubber “foot shaped” stamp and green ink and going to TOWN in my classroom. The kiddos went nuts and it’s been a favorite tradition ever since.

    If you’re just starting this tradition this year I highly suggest these two books:

     

    How to Trap a Leprechaun- Provides a fun background and answers “what & why” for the kiddo who may be wondering what in the heck you are asking them to do! 😉

    How To Build a Leprechaun Trap– Is a great tool if you are needing trap ideas or if you have bigger kids who want to make something more challenging! It’s pretty awesome and even gives STEAM connections in some of the trap instructions!

    (For more St. Patrick’s Day book recommendations, see my March Book Post!)

     

    OVERVIEW

    Legend says that the sneaky little Irish fairies are known to keep to themselves, hide their gold at the end of rainbows, and play general mischief on humans. They are nearly impossible to catch and according to legend, if caught, leprechauns will try to barter for their freedom by granting three wishes! The task- on St. Patrick’s Day Eve, when the Leppies are known to be out causing the most mischief,  try to create the perfect trap to catch them…and score yourself some wishes! 😉

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    TRAP BUILDING

    We started going away over spring break, so now I pack all these supplies up and bring them with us because the girls were NOT ready to quit making their traps. What I typically try to collect for trap building: (it changes every year)

    • tissue boxes
    • toilet paper rolls
    • shoe boxes
    • small paper cups
    • paper plates
    • twine/string
    • cotton balls
    • craft sticks
    • pipe cleaner
    • construction paper
    • tape/glue
    • scissors
    • paints/crayons/markers

     

    Things Leprechauns Love:

    • rainbows
    • gold
    • sweets
    • green hats
    • 4-leaf clovers
    • castles
    • the color green
    • grass
    • riddles/tricks

     

    Tips:

    1. We love to add creative accents like little craft stick ladders, a giant hole covered with tissue paper for the leprechaun to fall through, a fun toilet paper roll tunnel, hanging some “bait” from a string, etc. Get creative!
    2. We sit around together to plan, discuss, look at pictures in our book, and then I let them GO TO TOWN! I step in only when they ask for help. If I’m feeling crafty (read as: needing to be in control of the craft) I’ll sit with them and make my own. It’s such a fun family activity!
    3. Not into crafts? Target has some ready-made green box traps and “leprechaun mess” baggies in the dollar spot! Or this adorable $5 “game” would be the perfect trap too!

    CATCH ONE?

    We set out our traps before bed. We’ve always set them outside, due to the mess the Leprechauns usually leave in their wake, but you can obviously set yours anywhere. In the morning, the kids wake up and are shocked (and usually pretty mad!) that the tricky little Leps have gotten away (again!) and wreaked havoc on their traps in the process, leaving behind a trail of glitter, a “better luck next year” note, and usually a small treat as a consolation prize. (skittles or chocolate coins are their fav!) One year we got so close to catching a Leprechaun that he left his tiny green hat (cough, Hobby Lobby, cough) behind! He must’ve been so mad…everyone knows how much Leprechauns love their hats!

    After trap inspection, we all go inside and eat Lucky Charms for breakfast…

    (and Daddy has his obligatory Guinness)!

    Top O’ The Morning!

     

    **Also, if you decide to WIN St. Patrick’s Day by placing this giant inflatable in your yard, PLEASE tag me so I can share it! Bonus points if you dress up in this costume and dance under it. Come on, you know you want to! 😉

  • Valentine Gift Ideas

    Valentine Gift Ideas

    • Ok, better late than never, right? The good news is, lots of these Valentine’s Gift Giving ideas are super affordable and can be purchased & here in time for the big day!

    enjoy

     

    FOR YOUR KIDDOS

    My mom always says, “Don’t set expectations you don’t intend to keep.”

    Translation:

    • Do I want to spoil my kiddos with overflowing baskets on Valentine’s Day because I love them and because gift-giving is my love language? Yes.
    • If I do this one year, will they they expect this every single year and be disappointed the year that I don’t/can’t do it. Also yes.

    So- we keep it small and simple on V-day. Just a little surprise for them to open. And hey, if you do it up BIG…good for you! If you don’t- that’s awesome, too! To each their own, right? We like to do it up a bit at Easter (see my Easter basket post HERE) – so there’s no judgement here if your house looks like Christmas morning on Valentine’s Day or if you just give your kiddos a big hug and tell them how much you love them an extra amount of times! This is just what we do. 🙂

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    I found these super cute tin pails at Hobby Lobby. I got white for the girls and red for Max! I can use them year after year and they are small enough to prevent me from trying to fill them with TOO much junk! 😉

    What the girls are getting: a candy necklace, JoJo Siwa bath bomb, heart cookie, enamel pins, a few surprise packs (ALL from Target) and a cute little sequins mermaid tail key ring for their backpacks (from Hobby Lobby). I might throw a new book in each girl’s pail from my recent Usborne haul.

    What Max is getting: “Feelings” felt activity book, some Annie’s gummies, (both from Target)  a Paw Patrol surprise pack, and Mickey Mouse lollipop spinner (both from Hobby Lobby)

     

    CLASS VALENTINES

     

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    • For Max- We went easy. I didn’t want to do candy for toddlers and lots of the cheap toys I found were borderline chokeables. So back to my old applesauce pouch it is! My sweet and crazy talented friend Steph from Joy Creative Shop (our kiddos go to school together and she is literally one of the sweetest humans ever!) created these (and ALL of my) tags this year! How CUUUTE are these Awesome Sauce tags?! Add some cute ribbon and boom- easiest, cheapest valentine’s ever!

     

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    • For Ardyn-  I always love to think of non-candy ideas, especially while they are still little and before you become “the lame mom who gives crayons” in elementary school…ahem, Q!! I think these “I heart U” crayon sets from the sweet mama @kelseypaigefrazier on IG are just SO precious and the kiddos will love them. They were the most expensive of all the class valentines I did this year, but Ardyn’s preschool class is super small so it worked out! These would be great to give out to just close friends or if you have a small class, too! Of, course the Joy Creative Shop “Color My World” tags were the PERFECT addition!!

     

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    • For Quinlin-  For Q’s fairly large class, I wanted something on the cheaper/easier side. I found this big containers of individually wrapped cookies at Target! They were called “DecoCookies” and came 8 to a box. I slapped on some simple, yet precious sticker tags from Joy Creative Shop and boom- cheap & easy!

     

     

    FOR TEACHERS/ASSISTANTS, ETC.

    Ok, the KEY to my Teacher Valentines this year was THIS precious printable Joy Creative Shop made for me. Have your kiddo fill it out and it instantly makes ANY little treat you give more personal and meaningful!!

    Best news EVER? Steph created these as FREEEEEEE printables for YOU! All you need to do is sign up for her newletter- hurry, run!!! I plan on filling them out for each of my kiddos and sticking them in their Valentines buckets, too!

    A few ideas to pair with your printables:

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    • Pair your printable with some beautiful heart stationary or initial notepad from Joy Creative Shop and a cute pen!

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    • Found this sweet heart clip board at Hobby Lobby. I used some transfer letters (also from HL) to personalize the clipboard with the teacher’s name!

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    • Literally ANY little treat! The tiny mason jars were in the $ spot at Target and I filled them with these sour hearts from Target and the XO gummies from Trader Joes. Another cute idea- paper heart boxes (craft section at Target) filled with some heart shaped candies. Orrrr…my favorite idea: A perfectly sweet cupcake from your local bakery, wrapped up with some cute twine! (white cupcake boxes from Hobby Lobby!)

    Seriously, these Joy Creative Shop printables work with ANYTHING! I’m obsessed! Go get yours—> HERE!

     

    FOR GRANDPARENTS/RELATIVES

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    Create a mini Chatbook photo book with pics from a recent trip or a fun memory and pair with your Joy Creative Shop printable! Seriously, how cute is that!?! New to Chatbooks? Click HERE for $10 off your first book order!

     

    GALENTINES (Or, hey- TEACHERS too!)

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    Pretty much obsessed with the idea of a funny mug (SimplyMade Greetings are my FAVORITE!) filled with some candy and paired with a cute O-Ring key chain from O-Venture ( My favorite gift to give!)  Fill with some candies, maybe a can of prosecco and don’t forget to add a sweet printable to tell your gal pal why you adore her so much…even if it is because she loves wines as much as you! 😉

    Have you ever received a Galentine? I received my first EVER Galentine from none other than Steph from Joy Creative last year and, I mean…it MADE. MY. DAY!

     

    SIGNIFICANT OTHERS

    Ryan and I don’t really do Valentine’s Day, but if we did- I’d give him a “Date Night” coupon- line up a sitter & make reservations to a fun new restaurant we’ve never been to before!

     

    FOR IDEAS OF VALENTINE’S WE’VE GIVEN IN THE PAST, CHECK OUT THIS POST!

     

     

    Happy Heart Day, friends!

    LoveJordan

     

     

     

     

    Don’t Want to Forget these ideas? Or would you like to share them with friends?

    pin me

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  • “Sponge Cakes”, Tea Cups, and Bunnies…Oh my!

    Ready for the cutest little bunny-filled craft idea EVER? Read the steps below for a simple “sponge cake” recipe for your little one’s next tea party! (bunnies optional)

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    • Step One: gather your supplies. You will need:
    1. sponges of all different shapes, colors and sizes (you can always buy a big one and cut it into different shapes!)
    2. scissors
    3. craft glue (I prefer hot glue gun)
    4. paint
    5. kitchen supplies to use as paint brushes (cake scrapers, mini spatulas, tiny butter knives make your little crafter really feel like a chef!)
    6. trimmings: think cute pom-pom ribbon, red poms for cherries, glitter that resembles sprinkles, rosettes, etc.
    7. plastic to-go boxes for your guests to carry home their goodies!
    8. optional: Anything to help set a festive mood. Think tea set, doilies, flowers, and don’t forget some REAL edibles! 😉

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    • Step Two: Invite some of your best buddies over for a “crafty tea party”.  Then, allow your crafters to get, well…crafty! Guide them if need be. I had a few “sponge cakes” pre-made for inspiration. Tell them to pretend they are making real cakes for a real fancy tea party! Show them how they can glue sponges on top of each other to create “layered” cakes, how to make roll-ups, etc.

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    • Step Three: While the glue and paint is drying, serve some real snacks. We went with cupcakes, macarons, and “pink lemonade tea”. We also had little bunny visitors for the girls to play with.
    • Step Four: wrap the girl’s sponge cakes up in a plastic to-go box and send them on their way! Q keeps her sponge cakes with her fake kitchen food and to this day they are some of her & Ardyn’s favorite play food items!

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    Flower headbands from Fancy Free Finery

    Images originally posted in Momazine Magazine: Issue 17 | May 2016

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    pin mespongecakespinLoveJordan

  • Ballerina Birthday

    Ballerina Birthday

    Ok guys, you’ve been SO patient with me while I edited the 24,000,000 pictures I took at Ardyn’s 4th “Ballet” Birthday Party (…and I may have gotten a little lazy on the last 1,000,000 photos) BUT-they’re done. So without further ado, here are the deets and links!

    And if you love what you see, help a girl out and go right ahead and pin that little bad boy down alllllllll the way down at the bottom! 😉

    For starters I had NO idea what kind of party to throw Ardyn this year. Usually we are in California over her birthday and we skip “a party” and celebrate by doing something fun with her cousins. But this year, she actually asked for a party with her friends, for the first time. And although this may seem a bit extravagant for a four year old’s birthday, let me just say that this is actually the first real birthday party she’s ever had. (We celebrated her first birthday with a few close family friends at a play center- but I’m counting THIS as her first “real birthday party”! )

    Anyways, I was calling around to local dance centers because I wanted to switch the girls’ dance studio where they take ballet. I found this local one and knew how gorgeous and bright the rooms were- so, before I hung up with the receptionist I asked if they ever host birthday parties. She said no…BUT that the studios were available to rent hourly. So…the planning began! Tip: Always ask if a place you love “rents out their space”. Just because they don’t officially “host” parties doesn’t mean you can’t make it work!

    The lady told me I could hire an instructor to help run the party and we basically went from there! Our instructor ran an hour long dance class for the girls and then we followed with 30 minutes for lunch & cake! The timing was perfect & the girls were occupied the entire time! I included links to all the vendors below as well as some party planning and decor tips! enjoy

    We had these gorgeous tutus from Trevi Ave Co. available for girls to put on for the party and then take home as favors! They were a hit. AND Trevi Ave Co. is offering YOU GUYS an exclusive discount: 10% off orders $26.99+, ends 4/1/18. Use code: JORDANANDCO! My girls wear these around the house for dress up and to dance class all the time! They are so adorable!

    The incredibly gorgeous “Let’s Twirl” banner (along with all the food cards & wand tags) were done by the talented Alexandra over at Lady Bird Paper Co.  Seriously, go click on that link…her work is amazing!!!

    The leaf garland was an old find in the Target dollar section last year. The cute little rack was an Amazon find! I loved that it had two heights. I put it on the lower one so that it was right at the kiddos level!

    Ardyn’s outfit and crown are by Plum NYC. (She is wearing a size 4)

    To put the main cake table together, I contacted my girl Amy from Pearl and Jane. She is my GO-TO for all garlands and all things pretty. I gave her my theme and a few inspiration pics and she put together the most gorgeous package of goodies! The pink tutu puff garland, the “Tutu cute” banner, the gold star garland, and the “Tiny Dancer” chair garland were all by Pearl & Jane!. She is SO incredibly talented and you might recognize her work from all of my monthly “Book Nook” posts!

    To put the backdrop together, I use large command hooks on the studio walls (got permission first) and then hung this cheap white ruffle shower curtain up, and then this cute iridescent fringe curtain from Shop Sweet Lulu over it. Then I layered with my Pearl and Jane garlands and added some balloon arrangements from Balloons Everyday to either side!

    The adorable wands pictured above were by a new little shop I discovered browsing Etsy one day. It’s called Spartan54 and they were so great to work with! I loved how these little wands came out and the girls were SO excited to take one home with their Trevi Ave Co tutus! AND, more good news…Spartan54 is offering you guys 15% off your order of $40.00 or more!! Use code: JORDANANDCO15

    The perfectly dainty food name cards, and the wand favor tags, again, were by the talented Lady Bird Paper Co!

    The pink letter board was a find at my local Hobby Lobby!

    The tables and chairs I unfortunately had to rent. I got them from Big D Party Rentals. They were great but got stuck in traffic and arrived with all of my tables, chairs and table clothes (that needed to be decorated) TEN minutes before the party started! Thank GOD I had my whole family there to help set up!

    Fake flowers, feathers, pink gauze runner – Hobby Lobby | Swan Plates | Crown Party Hats | Placemats | Pink Stripe Napkins | Confetti | Leaf Twine – old from Target | Glass milk jugs | pink paper straws | Cookie on top of milk jar for an extra little treat! 😉 | Swan centerpiece | Giant Balloons | Tiny Dancer Chair Banner | Pink Dipped Wooden Forks|

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    The cake was custom from Society Bakery.  HOWEVER, I’m not linking them, nor am I recommending them…I need a new cake shop. Anyone local got one for me?! The customer service was awful, the cake was not cheap, and the frosting literally started falling off the cake halfway through the party. We had to rush the girls to sing “Happy Birthday” before the cake was completely ruined. It was the craziest thing…just as if the frosting was full-on melting off of the cake. I’ve never seen anything like it- and the room was NOT hot!!!

    The GORGEOUS fondant ballet slippers I ordered from Wonder Cake Deco and they literally MADE the cake!!! Society Bakery doesn’t do fondant either…another reason I need to go elsewhere!

    The signed ballet slipper was from our first trip to see the Nutcracker, we bought this slipper worn & signed by the Sugar Plum Fairy. It’s one of the girls most prized possessions!2018-03-10_0008Q’s outfit: Trevi Ave Co & Cute Bird Accessories Bow!

    2018-03-10_00092018-03-10_0010These wands from Spartan54 were totally a hit!! The tag from Lady Bird Paper Co says “you are tutu sweet for coming!”

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    Food Ideas:

    (we did a play on words with some ballet terms)

    “demi” donuts: white powdered donuts

    “ballet school of fish” : pink goldfish

    “pink puffs”: cotton candy on ice cream cones

    “tutti frutti”: fruit platter

    “tea sandwiches”: mini sandwiches from Corner Bakery

    “perfectly pink popcorn”: popcorn, yogurt dipped pretzels & pink marshmallow mix,

    2018-03-10_0013Do you not die over the little girlies picking out their tutus?! I cannot!2018-03-10_00122018-03-10_0014

    A few fun images from the dance class. Our instructor was incredible!2018-03-10_00192018-03-10_00202018-03-10_00212018-03-10_0022

    And then it was time for lunch & cake!

    (Bonus points if you can spot the “melting cake” in the pictures!!)

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    And then I took a million pictures with these gorgeous balloons (that were too big to come home with us) before we left. Balloons Everyday really does a superb job! We use them for all our parties! As we were leaving the girls asked if they could send one up to PopPop since he couldn’t be there to celebrate. Gah- that gets me everytime.

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    And there you have it! I think it’s safe to say that Cub enjoyed herself…seeing as how she fell asleep about 0.05 seconds after hitting the car!

    I hope you found this party guide helpful! I know a lot of you mentioned that you were also throwing Ballerina parties and wanted all the links and inspiration you could get. Honestly, I worked with some of the most incredible vendors and I HIGHLY recommend all of them for any of your party needs…ballerina or otherwise!

    LoveJordan

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  • Halloween DIY Ideas

    Halloween DIY Ideas

    So I’ve already purchased costumed for the kids this year, but that didn’t stop me from accepting this “DIY Halloween Challenge”! I love a good challenge…especially when it involves costumes, and this was a great way to get the girl’s involved in some Halloween fun & crafting!

    Since the kiddos are doing a theme group costume this year (probably the last year I’ll be able to pull that off, bc…”opinions”) I decided to let them chose their own costumes for this challenge. The only guidelines I gave them was to have it be a character from a book. (I figured since they have “book character” day at school, I could actually use these costumes again. I’m resourceful sometimes.)  So, off they ran to the library and started joyously pouring through books amidst cheerful giggles.

    …just kidding.  They pushed and shoved each other off the library step stool and fought over who had which book first, who “stoled” a book from who, and “who copied whose” idea. After the mayhem, and after explaining numerous times that mommy does not, in fact, SEW… we had two very easy, very different book characters! I then let them choose Max’s…

     

    Q- “Cindy Lou Who” from the book How The Grinch Stole Christmas

    Materials:

    • hot glue (had)
    • hot glue gun (had)
    • light pink felt ($)
    • light pink elastic (had)
    • pink nightgown (had)
    • red bows (had)
    • headband (had)
    • black pipe cleaners ($)
    • large red ornament (had)
    • grinch stuffed animal, for bonus points (had)
    • scissors (had)

    Cost: under $5

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    This one was easy because Q hardly ever takes off her pink nightgown from Plain Jane. We added some elastic around the legs to give it that bubble-look and I cut a little scalloped collar out of pink felt for around her neck. I then grabbed two red bows from our massive collection and popped some black pipe cleaners onto a headband. Then I found this giant red Christmas ornament in the attic. This costume cost approximately however much a sheet of pink felt and a pack of pipe cleaners costs. Perfection!If she were actually trick-or-treating in this costume, I’d probably buy her some cute pink slippers, like these.

     

    Cub- “Mouse” from the book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

    Materials:

    • hot glue (had)
    • hot glue gun (had)
    • overalls (had)
    • grey shirt (had)
    • sneakers (had)
    • sheet of grey foam ($)
    • pink felt ($)
    • grey curtain tie back ($)
    • sheets of dark and light brown foam($)
    • scissors (had)

    Cost: under $10

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    Cub really wanted to be an animal and this was was a no brainer because it involves basically overalls and mouse ears! I shopped in her closet for the main part of the outfit and shoes. Then for the ears and the cookie I literally bought sheets of that foam stuff from Hobby Lobby. I cut out two circles from the grey foam for ears and cut out pink centers for the ears from the leftover felt from Q’s collar. I glued the ears right onto a plastic headband. For the tail, I found a grey curtain tie-back at Hobby Lobby and pinned it onto the belt loop on the back of the overalls. For the giant cookie, I used the foam again. A light brown for the cookie and then I cut out sloppy circles for the chocolate chips from a darker brown foam sheet. Voila- we gave the mouse a cookie.

     

    Max- “Max” from the book Where the Wild Things Are

    Materials:

    • hot glue (had)
    • hot glue gun (had)
    • cream hoodie romper from Kickee Pants (had)
    • white socks (had)
    • sheet of yellow foam ($)
    • brown fur trim ($)
    • white fur trim ($)
    • light brown foam (had from Cuc’s costume)
    • black pipe cleaners (had from Q’s costume)
    • scissors (had)

    Cost: under $10

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    The girls picked this solely because they thought it was cool that the character’s name was Max. This was probably the most difficult of the three costumes to put together, but still pretty easy. I started by cutting out the crown in the yellow foam sheet, measured it to Max’s head so it would be a little bit big and then glued the brown fur trim to the bottom. I then gathered up the white fur trim and safety pinned it to the butt. Then since I had extra brown felt from Cub’s costume, I cut out round buttons and pinned them onto the front of the romper. It would’ve been easier (and much safer) to just glue them onto the romper fabric, but I’m trying to salvage the outfit here. Next I wanted to add some claws to the feet of the romper but again, didn’t want to glue them onto the fabric, so I improvised: I grabbed some old white socks, glued the claws on and slipped the socks right over the footie part of the outfit. Lastly for the whiskers, I just folded the pipe cleaner into the hood and used some fabric tape to keep them in place on the inside. If I were going trick-or-treating or using this as his actual costume for any extended period of time aside from a quick picture for an Instagram challenge, I would’ve cut tiny holes in the hood and glued the whiskers in place. Loose parts on a baby are NEVER a good idea, as they can pose a choking hazzard, so please keep that in mind.

     

    If you flip through some books and your kid’s closets it’s easier than I thought it would be to come up with cute costume ideas. Here are a few other book characters I thought of:

    Fern, Charlotte’s Web: overalls, pigtails, converse and a stuffed pig. maybe add a cute spider headband?

    Pete the Cate: blue romper, cat ears, maybe pin some big colorful buttons on, and of course, some converse sneaks!

    Alice the Fairy: Cute dress, wings, wand, some crazy curly hair!

    Angelina Ballerina: neutral leotard, mouse ears, mouse tail, tutu

    Man in the Yellow Hat, Curious George: yellow romper, felt tie, yellow hat, carry stuffed monkey

    Skippy John Jones: neutral romper, giant ears, cute black eye mask, maybe a cape! ay chihuahua!!

    Madeline: blue dress, make white felt color, red ribbon tie, yellow hat, mary janes and knee highs

     

    Happy Crafting!!

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  • Happy Heart Day

    It’s February, folks! And we are determined not to let Punxsutawney Phil’s prediction of six more weeks of winter get us down. Here’s some happiness to get you in the “Love Day” spirit!

    (All shops and vendors tagged below!)
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    We took it upon ourselves to throw a fun little Valentine’s Day party, just to, you know- get in the spirit. But mostly because- cute stuff and donuts.

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    Hilariously enough, Cubby was obsessed with the sprinkled-mallow pops, Q thought they were “ah-scusting”. There was a copious amount of baby wipes used…in case you were wondering.2017-02-03_0007

    And, hello! Can we all just say: Cutest Valentine Idea EVER for the little ladies in your life? We are pretty much obsessed with these hair clips on the daily, but creating Valentine’s with them? Genius!2017-02-03_0008

    Cub legit thought it was Christmas morning…2017-02-03_00092017-02-03_00102017-02-03_00112017-02-03_00122017-02-03_0014

    And, I mean…a tshirt with your child’s life motto on it can be passed by. My little Sour Patch kid…. 😉2017-02-03_0013

    Garlands and Banners: Pearl & Jane

    Valentine’s Hair Bows: Ellia May Designs

    Q’s Dress: Handmade Consignment Score!

    A’s Outfit: All older/out of stock items from Gap, Zara & Kickee Pants

    Valentine Clips: Ryan & Wren

    Heart pjs: Gap

    Letter Board: Letterfolk Co

    Hilarious Tshirt: Chatterboxx Threads

    Yellow Bow Headband: Cute Bird Accessories

  • Reindeer Food

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    This is a tradition that dates waaay back to when I was a little girl. I believe one of my grade school teachers gave us a baggie labeled “Reindeer Food” as our favor at a class Christmas party. I remember excitedly toting this mysterious bag home and explaining the attached directions/poem to my parents. Then on Christmas Eve, out I went to the front lawn with my sister and brother to scatter our bag of oats, in hopes that Santa’s reindeer would stop for a snack. I’m pretty sure we made Reindeer Food a few times after that, but it wasn’t until I became a teacher in my 20s that I brought the tradition back. I started by giving out baggies of pre-made Reindeer Food with the cute little poem attached to my students and then eventually started making it in class with the kids during the Holidays. It was something that had such a magical impact on the children and I knew I one day wanted to hold on to the idea for my own future family.  In the years between, I made this little craft with cousins, family friends, kids that I babysat, basically anyone who let me….and now I get to do it with my own girls!  What started as a simple baggie of oats has developed quite a bit over the years as the girls have helped add ingredients to the list. I love the ever-evolving ingredient list and hearing the girls’ reasoning behind why things like “sprinkles” and “rice krispies” are a necessity. I may eat my words, but I think the concoction we currently have is a winner! For this year, anyways. 🙂
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    Magical Reindeer Food
    Sprinkle this on the lawn at night,
    The moon will make it sparkle bright.
    As Santa’s reindeer fly and roam
    This will lead them to your home!
    Our Ingredients:
    Oats (“Cause dats what dem reindeers eat.” -A)
    Nuts (this year it was sliced almonds)
    Cereal (cheeries, rice krispies, granola, or whatever is currently on hand usually goes in!)
    Sprinkles  (“to make the boring oatmeal taste yummier” -Q)
    Brown Sugar (because, sugar. duh)
    Large Glitter Flakes (“To make our grass sparkle so the reindeers can see it up from the sky and know there is food down there. It prolly doesn’t taste very good, but how else will they know it’s there?” -Q)
    Pixie Dust (aka extra fine white glitter. We got a vial of said “pixie dust” at a performance of Peter Pan a few years back and Q has saved it and sprinkles a dash into our reindeer food every year. You know, “In case they get tired from all that flying.” Think of it as a deer version of a Grande Americano with an extra shot!)
    Anything Else in your Pantry (The sky is the limit with this one. Which is of course what makes it so fun!)

    Cutest nightgowns by Shop Plain Jane !

     

  • Q’s Mermaid Party

    Well, as promised, here is the Official “Mermaid Party Blog Post”…and only 2 months late. Not bad for my blog-slacking self!

    So, my little lover of all things Mermaid only wanted one thing for her birthday this year and that was to swim with a REAL mermaid. Real, people.

    So off I went to the Magical world of Google to make Q’s birthday wish come true. Luckily I had remembered going to see The Little Mermaid the musical earlier in the year and seeing “live mermaids” lounging in the lobby fountain. So I went in search and found the exact company I was looking for. It’s called MerFriends & y’all- this company is AH-MAZING!  My only complaint was that because of the swimming factor, our group size was limited. We tried to balance by inviting a few of our oldest friends and a few new. It worked out perfectly in the end, but I still wish we could’ve invited everyone we know…because it was a day totally worth sharing!

    So here you are, images and some deets from My Little Mermaid’s 5th Birthday…

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    An under sea treasure box and bedazzled dinglehoppers were the main attraction at the girls’ table. Backdrop was made from two shower curtains and some homemade jellyfish. Thanks Hobby Lobby & Amazon. 😉
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    The Mermaid Makeover station was the hit of the party. MerFriends has a “mermaid makeover” service that you can add to your package, so of course I took the idea and ran with it. I handmade tiny mermaid clips for each girl to keep and ordered these sweet aqua sea creature bracelets from MichelleAndCompany on etsy and lots of extra pearl necklaces from Amazon. I wanted the girls to be able to go home in their full Mermaid makeover bedazzlement!
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    Favors were mermaid swimming tails and seashell bathing suit tops. Never thought to take a picture before wrapping them up!
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    Dessert Table (before I scattered sand and glitter confetti). We had gummy sharks, pirate’s booty, goldfish, and some “seaweed” made from sour straws. We got her adorable cake from Celebrity Bakery!

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    The girls pretty much couldn’t wait for the party to start. Ardyn totally thought it was her party too. Q’s mermaid skirt is from Carken Design and “Merbabe Life” tank is from Lola and Darla.
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    When Ariel arrived WITH Peter Pan, there was complete silence among the group… followed by  intense ear-drum shattering shrieks that only five-year-old girls can produce.
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    MerFriends brought each girl her OWN mermaid tail to swim in for the day, along with life jackets for each girl (all for a price, of course). Ariel gave the tiny mermaids a lesson in combing their hair with a dinglehopper- and in swimming like a mermaid, of course. At the end, they had a Mermaid Princess Coronation for Q (complete with a crown) and paraded her around the pool in this awesome seashell float I found at Urban Outfitters. MerFriends also offered lifeguard services, which we took advantage of, so the girls were extra safe while swimming!

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    After Mermaid tricks, it was time for the Mermaid Makeovers. This was by far the girls’ favorite part. They got glitter eyeshadow, glitter nailpolish, glitter hair spray, rainbow scales on their arms and the jewlery and hair clip! Yeah, we are pretty much STILL finding glitter in the backyard.
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    Next came cake! (Please excuse my cake cutting skills.) Celebrity did such an awesome job with the whole cake & I loved the purple ombrè center. Plus, it was delicious to boot. (I know, because I ate all of the leftovers.)

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    Next the MerFriends handed out additional goodie bags (mini treasure boxes filled with loot) out of the giant treasure box they brought along with them and then posed for lots (and LOTS) of pictures.  Q’s swimsuit and A’s bottoms from Kortni Jean .
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    It was pretty much the best day; one I hope she’ll remember forever. (Mostly because she’s not getting another party for a few years.” 😉

    Happy “Whole Hand” Birthday, Q!