Tinker Inspired 4th Birthday Party!

Ooh Lulu! Une fête d'anniversaire à la française

My niece Luiza turned 7! She and her family spent the entire summer in Paris (how cool right!) Luiza loved her summer there, and to celebrate her mom decided to throw her a French themed party. The colors: of course reminiscent of the French flag.
The French touches were everywhere in the food: delicious pastries and candies, breads, dips, homemade cake...yum! And to set the French ambience: pictures of Luiza during the trip, and paper decorations adorned the space. A carefully planned party, so charming and sweet that would make you say: "Ooh Lulu!
I will try to post some pictures of the party production in a later post.

Father's day Free Printable

Print this tree trunk .pdf file in card stock, and let your kiddos make leafs using their fingerprints or handprints in different shades of green. After it dries just put it in a frame!


Download the file in this link:
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B03A6Jmd-JS4RjRFUlV1SGhaNms

Puppy Themed Paw-ty!

I just finished working on this cute puppy party! Happy Birthday sweet Natalie, have a tail wagging time ;)

Jr. Explorer Theme

Mason celebrated his first birthday with a Jr.Explorer party! 

Envelopes with ladybug detail

Invites, envelopes and tags

Tags

Butterfly Garden Themed Party

I used this theme for my daughter's 3rd birthday.  It was girly, colorful and modern! 

Invites & Envelope Seals

Invite Closeup

Dessert Table Setting

Cake topper designed to match the invites

Mother's Day: Commercialization Of a Sentiment?

Anna Jarvis, a West Virginia native, is credited with launching the campaign that resulted in the tradition of Mother's Day.  At first, people celebrated Mother's Day by attending church and writing letters to their mothers, but as time went by the increasing retail activity associated with Mother's Day enraged Jarvis. She felt that the day's true sentiment was being sacrificed at the expense of commercial profit. Before her death in 1948, Jarvis is said to have admitted that she regretted having started the Mother's Day tradition.
The second Sunday of May became officially Mother's Day, and it is  now the most popular day of the year with the highest telephone, restaurant and retail activity.  Sons and daughters use this day to honor and to express appreciation of their mothers by purchasing everything from chocolate and flowers to the coveted designer handbags and diamond jewelry.
Do you think we should go back to Anna Jarvis' original intent and stay true to the Mother's Day sentiment; or, should we indulge our mothers by purchasing gifts instead?
Personally I think any gift (no matter how expensive) accompanied by a handmade note, card, picture or letter is the perfect balance of both ideas. I have received many beautiful gifts on Mother's Day from my husband and children, but I must admit that my collection of Mother's Day handmade items is for me the real treasure!
Here are a few cute handmade ideas to inspire you to make your own...

Personalized tree pillow by: Blue Leaf Boutique on Etsy

Mother's day picture bouquet

Mother's day heart card

Sentiment garland by: The Country Chic Cottage (tutorial)

DIY Candle votive by: Homemade Serenity Blog

Mom portraits!

I heart mum t-shirt: idea by The Londoner Blog

DIY handprint flower vase

budded tree branch and bird pendant by: Morgan Prather on Etsy

Ponies & Puppies Party

I was contacted recently by Sharon from the blog MOM OF 6.  She wanted to use my equestrian invite artwork for her daughter's 8th birthday party, and she wanted me to include a puppy in the illustration (a golden doodle, like their dog Bentley).  
She used the illustration to create invites, thank you notes, and to personalize goodie bags.  Here are the results!!

To read more about this party visit Sharon's blog: MOM OF 6
For more horse/ equestrian party ideas visit my posts: 
Equestrian party
Equestrian invite
Party decor: prize ribbons

Easter Inspiration!

The Easter Bunny will be hopping with excitement after seeing all of these cute ideas!!

Decorated Eggs

Paper bag bunnies

Butterfly table setting

Herb pots

DIY Grocery bag egg basket...click here for the tutorial

Carrots and hummus snack

Nail polish Egg

Easter bunny cracker carrots

Easter egg lunch

Egg Flowers

Animal Eggs

Silk Flowers!

Check out the tutorial on how to make these elegant silk flowers from Simply Vintage Girl.  

My New Obsession: Photo Books!

OK...I admit I am guilty of digital picture neglect!  When my first son was born, I like most moms started taking lots of pictures and printed them regularly.  As time went by, and digital cameras entered my life...well I printed less.  I bought digital frames, emailed pictures, started sharing on social sites...and TOTALLY STOPPED PRINTING!!  Needless to say: I have an enormous gallery of pictures just sitting in digital limbo.
One of my new year resolutions was to do something about those neglected memories.  It all started with a coupon in my emails..and now I am obsessed! 
Photo Books can be a little expensive, but there are so many companies out there that do them...you can always find a good deal or discount!
This is a great way to keep all those precious moments forever in a quality printed collection.  Show your pictures some love and start printing them! in a book, calendar, card, magnet...

Recycled Rainbow Crayons!

There is nothing better than taking something that is old, and making it new and exciting all over again. 

If you have kids I am sure you have an enormous collection of broken crayons sitting in a container somewhere in your house...well it is time to give them new life!

What you need:


-Old crayons

-Silicone mold or muffin pan

-Knife

-Oven

1.  Gather all your broken up crayons and peel of the paper labels (Crayola brand melt better than other cheaper brands)

2.  Separate crayons into different color families or favorite color combinations

3.  Cut crayons into small pieces and fill mold (you might want to spray the mold with oil first)

4.  Preheat the oven to 200 degrees

5.  Bake 20-25 minutes or until crayons have melted

6.  Allow mold to cool; then pop out crayons

TIPS:

-Don't use a silicone mold that you plan to use for food in the future.

-If you are using a muffin pan you can line it up with aluminum paper, so you can reuse it for food.

-You could also melt the crayons in the microwave (use a microwave safe container), and then just pour the melted crayons into the molds.  This technique works better if you are planning on making layered color crayons.

Valentine's Printables!

Here are some freebies for you! print them out in card stock and cut(use scissors or a 1 1/2 round punch) to make labels or cupcake toppers...you can also print them in sticker paper and use them anywhere (how about the tops of play dough cans as a fun treat for your kids classmates!) Just click on the images to access the pdf file!