Just me My Soldier and our 4 little chicks

Kiwi Crate Review- Farmers Market

 

It's been a while since I talked to you guys about Kiwi Crate, so I thought I'd do another post today.

To see my first post (which includes an overview and review) you can click HERE.

In a nutshell, Kiwi Crate offers awesome art kits for kids.

I am a huge fan. They are put together in a thoughful way, they aren't "busy work".

The themes are awesome and the materials are top notch.

You can subscribe to monthly kits OR buy individual crates. I LOVE that they are now offering this option.

Another great option they are now offering? They now ship to CANADA!

YAY!

Okay. Moving on. :) This time we received the Farmer's Market Crate.

It was the perfect theme for us since we are longing for spring.

Each crate comes with 2 activities and extension activities.

The first activity was sewing fruit with shoestrings,felt,and cotton balls.

The girls worked SO hard.

Harper LOVED this activity. It was a bit too advanced for Sadie.

She gets frustrated very easily so this wasn't her favorite part.

But I sat her in my lap and help her put the fruit together and it was just fine. And I had an excuse to play too! :)

The second activity was making custom aprons with fabric oil pastels and stencils.

This one was a big hit.

The extension activity was punching out coins,dollars,and credit cards and playing store!

This has always been a favorite game at my house, so this one got two thumbs up. :)

Harper was fine with posing before they got started, but Sadie?

At this poing she was busy getting the cash register from the basement and pushing the shopping carts around.

That girl doesn't joke around when it comes to playing store.

So the final verdict? We loved it.

I do think the sewing is best for kids over five, but that's just me.

We LOVE Kiwi Crate and I still think it's the best idea ever!

Oh, one more thing...there is a HUGE contest going on for National Crafting Month.

You can win a kid's dream crafting room. One grand prize winner will take home one of everything in the Kiwi Crate DIY Materials pop up shop and a Pottery Barn Kids table! (Valued at >$750).

Yes, I entered. How could you NOT? Enter here!

Hope you have a beautiful and blessed Monday.

xo

S

 

Disclosure: The link to Kiwi Crate is an affiliate link. If you choose to purchase a crate I will receive a small percentage of the sale (8%). If this bothers you, feel free to go to the website without using my links. :)

Scrappy Sunday-Martha Stewart Crafty Goodness

Happy Sunday! Today I have some really fun stuff from the folks at Martha Stewart Crafts!

You might remember a while back I got to review the Doily Circle Edge punch...well this time I've been sent some fun holiday products to share with you.

And make sure to read the promo info under each product...MS is sharing a fun discount code for all of you, not to mention a fun contest!

Rich Essentials Glitter Set

you should have seen harper and sadie's EYES when they saw this big box of glitter!

it's beautiful.

you should have seen MY eyes when i thought about what would happen if the babies got their grubby mitts on it. HAHAHA!

i waited for naptime yesterday and we made some pretty holiday ornaments.

here's a couple of close-ups...these are just the super cheap plaster ornaments (on clearance!) from Michaels:

aren't they so pretty? and YES, it was messy. but the glitter trays helped. and also...

i don't get too worked up about stuff like that. it's just glitter. and the bigs had a BALL.

next i decided it was time for mama to have craft time. here's what i made:

don't you just love these? and i had so much FUN making them.

i have big plans to make lots more of these to adorn holiday gift boxes.

here's some info from martha stewart crafts:

Bling On The Holidays with a Glitter Girl Party!

The holidays are the perfect time to add some sparkle to your life. Create a glitter wonderland with help from Martha Stewart Crafts! Their glitter collections and project ideas will help you add dash of glitz to just about anything – from holiday decorations to party invitations. Why not share the fun and hose a Glitter Girl Party to get to glittering?! Invite your girlfriends over for some wine, snacks and an evening full of bedazzling creativity.
 
Try starting with the “Rich Essentials Glitter Set” from MarthaStewartCrafts.com. The rich array of 24 elegant colors lets you shine on the sophisticated side, whatever you’re glittering. Creating party invitations or sending out holiday greeting cards? Another glitter get is the “Essential Christmas Glitter Glue” pack – perfect for writing on cards and scrapbook pages, and the fine tips are ideal for detailed and dimensional designs.
 
The Martha Stewart Crafts “Decorative Boxes,” in designs like stars, poinsettia and pine cones, can be covered in glitter and used as ornaments, decorations or unique gift boxes. One fabulously simple décor idea: glitter a group of them and then cluster together as a table centerpiece.
 
Worried about the mess from your Glitter Girl Party? Martha Stewart Crafts has the solution! Keep crafting surfaces clean by using the “Glitter Tray and Rack,” which features an opening in one corner to easily brush excess glitter back into its container. And, if something does spill, the “Glitter Cleanup Roller” makes removing it a cinch. Plus, the roller remains sticky even after washing!
 
So go ahead and add a sparkly sprinkle to your holiday cards, decorations, party invitations, place cards or gift tags! For project ideas and glitter guidance – and to find the items mentioned above – visit MarthaStewartCrafts.com.  Order by 12/31/12 and save 20% when you enter Coupon Code BLOG20 at checkout!
 
Feeling inspired? Save 20% at MarthaStewartCrafts.com when you enter BLOG20 at checkout through 12/31/12 – and enter the Martha Stewart Crafts "Bag Your Holiday Bills" Contest for your chance to win $2,500! Contest entry & details: Enter here  -- or for mobile, here!

and one more share...

Doily Lace Loaf Trays

love these new baking packages. this is what i will use to package pumpkin bread or gingerbread for the h&s's teachers.

my favorite part is that they've included the sweet little tags and ribbons.and DOILY trays? i know. love.

confession- i tried baking a loaf of bread to show you how it will look, but a.i burned it and b.it was TOTALLY the wrong size.

HAHAHA!

but here's a look:

and some info:

You put so much goodness into your holiday cookies, why settle for boring packaging? Ditch those old beat-up tins! Decorative treat bags, boxes and wrappers from Martha Stewart Crafts add the finishing festive touch to your homemade gifts – so they’ll look as good as they taste!
 
Martha Stewart Crafts can even dress up your breads and fruitcakes with the “Wonderland Bakeable Trays.” Beautiful and functional, you can bake right in these trays – then use the cellophane bags, ribbon and labels to turn your confections into gifting perfection.

Feeling inspired? Save 20% at MarthaStewartCrafts.com when you enter BLOG20 at checkout through 12/31/12 – and enter the Martha Stewart Crafts "Bag Your Holiday Bills" Contest for your chance to win $2,500! Contest entry & details HERE.

 

sorry about the L   O   N   G post y'all! but hopefully you found it inspiring.

make sure to take advantage of those discount codes!

xoxo

disclosure: baking trays and glitter are c/o martha stewart crafts. so grateful for their generosity and kindess! :)

*love*ly things 2012

**note- i wrote and scheduled this post a LONG time ago...but i have to add something. thank you so much for the comments you all left on my post yesterday. i don't even know what to say. i'm astounded at the response, and very humbled. i'm trying to find a way to respond to each and every comment, but it might take me all year. :) thank you,thank you,thank you!!**

 

well hello february!

and hello to all of you! today is the start of something fun...

*love*ly things is well...just what it sounds like!

all the things i love.from craft projects, to photos, to shopping, to guest posts to some of my favorite women. oh...and fun giveaways too!

from romantic love to crafty love, photo only posts to longer posts...well there's a little bit of everything.

because,after all, this month is all about love.

i love february. i love love. and pink and red and lace and flowers and...okay.i think you get the picture. :)

i wanted to celebrate my favorite month with something special.

here's the first project i'm sharing...

love jars.

one for each of the bigs. and one day there will be one for all four girls!

here's a closeup of each jar.

miss sadie's love jar:

and miss harper's love jar:

 

inside each jar are 14 slips of paper. one for each girl to choose on every day through valentine's day.

each slip of paper has one thing i love about each girl.

"i love your big brown eyes" and "i am so proud of your kind heart" are a couple of harper's slips.

"i love your silly jokes" and "i love your snuggles" are two of sadie's slips.

simple and easy...but i can guarantee that each day these slips will bring huge grins to two pretty faces. :) sometimes the bigs have a hard time in the morning. they are tired and grumpy and i'm thinking this will bring some much needed happiness and encouragement to our morning routine.

 

supplies for each jar:

ball jar

twine

doilies

tags

chevron stamp (mine is a dollar stamp from michael's- thanks to my sweet friend jen)

colorbox orchid ink

thickers

studio calico notions (i don't believe you can buy these anymore)

pearls

glue dots

1.5"x1.5" photos of each child

other ideas for the jar: love coupons, favorite candies, special photos, tickets, jokes, etc.

so glad you stopped by today! hope you'll be back for more love. check back tomorrow for some elle's studio deliciousness. :)

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

xoxo s

scrappy sunday 7/17

today is actually more of a make it monday type post. but i wanted to post it today...ugh. nevermind. i'm confusing myself. HA!

i wanted to share some of the crafty things i've been doing with the girls. nothing revolutionary, but some of you have asked me to share, so share i will!

i've been on a tear of actually USING my pinterest pins. yes, that's right. lots of them. who knew that i could actually turn these ideas into projects. HA!

here are some breakfasts i've made for the girls lately...both from my for the chickies board.

i do special breakfasts for the girls every couple of weeks. the bottom one is supposed to be submarines (note the straw periscopes) but it totally looks like fish. HA! oh well, i know a 3 year old and a 5 year old that didn't even notice!

luckily,there's lots they don't notice as i am prone to messing things up! :)

 

now onto the slime i made the girls using metamucil. oh yes, you heard me right. haha!i found the recipe here, on wonder time. 

1.In a plastic jar with a tight lid, have your child shake together 2 tsp Metamucil and 1 cup water for 1 minute.

2. Pour the mixture into a small saucepan, bring to a boil over medium heat, and cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes.

3. Transfer to a bowl and stir occasionally as it cools.

and when you're done, you get something both really COOL and really GROSS.

the girls were FASCINATED with this stuff and played with it forever. warning, it's super messy! :)

 

another thing i wanted to recommend was ashley ann's world's best bubble mix. we don't buy bubbles anymore...they just don't cut it. these bubbles are the BEST!

the last things i wanted to share were some fourth of july crafts we did. again, i found all of these ideas online and pinned them.

they can be found on my fourth of july board.

 

first and foremost, the most important thing when embarking on a craftstravagaaaaanza is to paint your fingernails in festive holiday colors.

but i'm assuming everyone alread knows that (Duh!) so i'm moving on.

first up were pasta and glitter fireworks.

i don't have a finished photo of these b/c ummm...i'm pretty sure they are still drying somewhere?

 

yeah, that's right. these didn't work out so well, harper actually said "oh NO! this is like the lionmousemonster craft". HEHHEEH! but you know what? we had FUN.

then we made firecrackers.

 

i saw this one on pinterest, but also on my friend dav's blog. i love it when i find good toilet paper roll crafts, as we save them all and have SO Many!!!

 

 

didja notice??? we embellished our rockets? firecrackers?

whatever...we embellished them with pom pom trim, feathers, and washi tape.

you bet we did!

so there you have it. craft overload, yes???

hope you enjoyed!

and in case you didn't, here's one last non craft-related RANDOM picture that makes me laugh really really hard.

happy sunday y'all!

xoxo

s

 

 

vintage paper heart flowers

**gussy sews giveaway still open below**

random note- stephaniehowell.com was finally open for purchase so i snatched it up!

you can now access my blog by typing www.stephaniehowell.com !!! of course, the typepad link still works as well :)

now, for today's craftiness...

last week i was staring at some pretty vintage pink chenille stems that a friend gave me, thinking i wanted to use them for something.

i came up with this simple diy and thought some of you might enjoy it.

 

supplies: heart punch,vintage book,vintage chenille stems, assortment of buttons and sequins, various floral centers,glue dots

 

punch hearts from book pages. punching two-three pages at a time actually minimized the tearing, as old pages tear SO easily!

you might want to sharpen your punch first by punching some foi

layer hearts until you are happy with the results. i used glue dots to stick them together, but you have to be VERY careful as the paper rips so easily. you can see i made a boo boo on the "petal" to the left. hehe!

adhere button or floral center to center of blossom:

adhere blossom to chenille stem:

for one stem, i simply stuck hearts at random intervals. it's more of a "sprig".

display flowers...i prefer milk glass of course. i just think these add a sweet little vignette to my craft room!

 

hope your day is beautiful!

xxo

s

make something monday

**last day to enter the lisa leonard giveaway!!**

have you made anything lately? we've been having fun over here and trying to make something every day.

here's what we've come up with lately:

i had a bunch of bazzill swatch cards around the house and wasn't sure what to do with them. i held onto them b/c i knew i wanted to use them (i wasn't consulting them enough to keep them for their original purpose).

i decided to make miss h a little book of sight words. i added some jump rings and sight words...easy peasy. she loves flipping through it.

 

 

we also made this fun paper plate rainbow ring toss that i found on pinterest. click on my pin and it will take you to the original source. it was fun to make AND fun to play. and we had all the materials on hand which is always nice!

 

i painted the biggest "h" from our mantel aqua. i was tired of the reddish/brownish rust color and i've been feeling our living room really needs another pop of color (besides the red china cabinet). i think this might do the trick!

 

we started summer of fun this week. i'm so excited and want to thank emilie for sharing this great idea on her craft blog! it's just perfect for my girls...the only modification i had to make was to take out all of the cards for the "activities with dad" category. :( boooo!

 

and as for my favorite crafting adventure of the week

 

i present to you our lions. and i use that term very very loosely. we are calling them our limousemonsters.

we started out with great intentions! we were going to make these lions that i found on unschool me:

so we got started. but we soon realized that the construction paper pack i bought last week only had red,blue,green,black,and white. WHAT??

so we improvised.

we colored paper plates for the faces:

but soon realized our googly eyes and pom poms were too small for the faces. we already had a major case of the giggles at this point. these lions just weren't looking right.

 

and then mama had a glue incident:

the bigs were flat out laughing at me at this point. hmmph. harper said "MAMA! you're the biggest and are SUPPOSED to be the best at art!!!". she's clearly never seen my impressive stick figures. i am SO an arteeeeeeeeeeeeeest.

see?

don't act like you're not impressed right  now.

it was all downhill from this point on.

harper started making moustaches:

sadie was trying to eat the glue, i think...

but we had SO much fun making our liomousemonsters. or whatever the heck they were.

teeeeheeee!

art is so in the eye of the beholder.

happy monday, y'all!

xoxo

s

Harper's May Flowers Party

the sassafras blog hop is still open below!

i'm sitting here all alone, j's at a social event, the girls are OUT, and i'm recovering from the party today. looking through the photos, i've decided that they bring me so much joy...i want to blog them TONIGHT instead of waiting until next week. :)

hope you all don't mind!

harper decided she wanted a "flowers" theme and i came up with the idea of doing a "may flowers" party.

i had fun working on this party for a few weeks. most of the supplies are things i already had.

i thought i'd share what all i did. if you have any questions, please ask in the comments below. i LOVE to share ideas!

lanterns from oriental trading embellished wiht doilies,slice cut flowers,and jbs buttons.

party hats from the party store. decorated with slice cut flowers and 5s and jbs buttons

garland made from fishing line, silk gerbera daisies and daffodils and crepe paper (for the leaves)

 

i decorated the chandelier over the table with pom poms left over from harper's party last year, fringed crepe paper, paper chains (made with patterned paper in my stash), 5s cut with the slice, and various garlands i had around the house.

an overview of the table. that's her invitation to the left.

begonias from the grocery,photos,invitation

cookies and cupcakes from back in the day bakery. i made the cupcake toppers using SC notions, girls paperie embellishments, and toothpicks.

sprite in the bottle, with a flower embellished paper straw to drink out of. straws from shop sweet lulu

i put the cupcakes in a three tier basket in flower cupcake wrappers. i added some faux grass to the basket as well (yes, i really stuck with the flower theme..HA!)

marshmallows dipped in candy and flower sprinkles, another overview of the table

i filled watering cans (from the dollar spot at target) with bouquets and embellished the cans with doilies, slice cut flowers and 5s, and jbs buttons.

flower pinata...sadie was SCARY with that stick!

cute little ones dressed in florals

 

gifts from mama and daddy

 

window decorations made using dollar store flower doilies and slice cut flowers

favor boxes. these are from michaels. i topped them with doilies, gerbera daisies, twine, and tags cut with my slice. i stamped "❤ h" with studio calico stamps.

in the boxes:

flower socks from target dollar spot

flower shaped pot of lip gloss from michael's dollar spot

tiny flower pot with planted marigold or daisy seeds inside- target dollar spot

flower ponytail holder

2 flower hairclips

 

the pinata goodie bags. these are from shop sweet lulu. i topped them with doilies (also from shop sweet lulu) and 5s cut with my slice (do you sense that i got lots of use out of my slice???)

how CUTE are these flower pots i found at michaels? they matched our theme and colors PERFECTLY!

living room...a pretty sweet dance party took place here. HA!

entry area...martha stewart pom poms, photo banner, favors,etc.

 

i think this banner is one of my favorite things from the party. i found it at the party store, in the fiesta section. it's made of plastic. i added fabric flowers (thanks ginny!) and photos of h to it to make it a bit more special.

the mantel...lots of h's and layouts of my sweet girl. i kept the ice cream cone wrapper banner there too.

i had the idea to set up a "party photo booth" outside. i bought a few yards of floral fabric and hung it on the porch.

i set up a basket of accessories for the girls (HUGE sunglasses, beads, mustaches, leis, and a bunch of flower petal headbands and hats) and let them dress up and pose together.

h took a photo with each guest...so fun! we are going to print the photos and send them with our thank you cards.

the birthday girl and her gifts and the look on her face that made ALL the work SO worthwhile.

shirt by amy tangerine

it was hard work. it was. but also REALLY REALLY fun. and best of all? after the party was over tonight, harper crawled in my lap, put her little hands on both sides of my face and said

"thank you for making my birthday so special, mama".

and i melted. i would do this every day of my life for her.

i love my girl.

xoxo

s

spring/easter garland

when i was in the dollar general this weekend, i picked up a bunch of these sweet doilies.

they were in the easter section, one dollar per package of 40. i got two packages of pink, two of yellow, and two of the white eggs.

i wasn't sure what i was going to do with them, i just knew i loved them.

then it came to me...a banner. inspired by papel picado. i grew up in texas, and you see this kind of mexican folk art EVERYWHERE. i have always loved it.

so using the thin (almost tissue paper-ish) doilies,

 

 

 

& regular old twine,

i made a simple banner that looked like this. and i loved it. it took about 20 minutes and cost next to nothing.

 

 

i looked at it for a good while as i was feeding the babies and decided that it needed something else. so i added some notions to the eggs.

and didn't really like it, but didn't have time to fix it. my attentions were soon called elsewhere (you know the drill...watch me mommy! watch MEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!).

i obsessed about it all night long, b/c that's how i roll...and it's not like i was sleeping anyway ;)

and when i got up in the morning, i added these:

and then it "felt" right.

i love it!!

 

and oh- no sewing required. these doilies have holes in the perfect place at the top, i simply strung the twine through two holes on each doily.

so there you have it!

 

 

 

up next? i plan on making some all pink banners for birthdays, etc.

the hoarder in me kind of wants to go buy MORE MORE MORE of those doilies. i can't control myself. hehehe!

and another project in the works?

a peeps banner.

see you soon, happy monday!

xoxo

s