Valentine

I know the date has past, but I still wanted to share with you the fun Valentines we gave out this year!! The kids and I had so much fun coming up with ideas and making these, best part??? They were SuPeR simple!! For Jake's we did these:

They were perfect and only cost me $2, for the glow bracelets. Jake even helped cut them out! Since he LOVES Star Wars they were perfect!! (Want to use these?? Well you can get your own from here!)
Here are Emmah's:

These have to be one of my most favorite ones we have done!! Emmah helped to design the tag and then stuff the bags!  (The original idea came from here)
I then decided that we needed some for the kids at daycare...there are some school aged as well as younger ones too. So of course I went a searching and found these on Pinterest!

Be sure to check them out...there are 4 different varieties, I only used 2.

Halloween Treats

I am one of those people who LOVES to make fun and festive treats for my kids...and I think they enjoy bringing them to school too! (I mean they do ask, so they must like them right???)   Now on most occasions I make cake pops, since they are a favorite of my kids and their friends!! Most teachers think they are pretty tasty too!! But this year I decided to try something new!!   I got some melting chocolates, sucker sticks and cookies and got to work!!   Here is the end results:   An alien invasion cookie style...

 

And a bunch of ghostly ghouls:

  Enjoy the treats...there may be TRICKS tomorrow!

Chevron Fun

We are on the move and planning to finish up the basement, meaning the playroom and my craft room! YEAH!!!   With a number of projects on my list I have started to work on some of the small ones bit by bit. One that I have been wanting to do is chevron initials for the playroom. I have a current color scheme going of yellow, red, turquoise, and lime green. So I got my supplies and got started!!  

Supplies:

craft paint

canvas (I used 11x14)

wooden letters

painters tape

foam brush

pencil

ruler

 

To start I measured off 3 horizonal lines each 3.5" apart. That was where the bottom of my chevron hit, this kept them evenly spaced and pretty staright.

I then taped my chevron...this wasn't easy, but wasn't too bad once I got going. Once I got the first row of chevron, I then drew a vertical line from the tip of each down point (sorry, you can't see the pencil lines) this helped me to make sure that all my zig zags were even.

 

Once I had it completely taped I then painted using my craft paint. I didn't completely cover the tape, and also made sure to keep the paint off the sides of the canvas...I plan to go back and paint this one of the other accent colors.

While my canvas was drying I took that time to paint my letters. For the letters I used another bold color to make them stand out. When all the paint was dry I pulled the tape off and then hot glued the letter right in the middle.

 

Here is what the finished product looks like:

 

And I can't wait to hang this up!! This one is of course Jake's, Emmah's is turquoise and green...they are going to look great!!

Ruffles

I LOVE that my daughter has finally taken some interest in her girly side!! It has seemed to grow in the last couple years too!!! (Best part is she is a HUGE sports fan too, so she is a perfect mix!!)

I absolutely LOVE ruffles....on pants, shirts, dresses, skirts, home decor, you name it I think you can put ruffles on it! So of course when I saw this ruffle skirt I just knew I had to give it a try!! Even better that it is made with t-shirt scraps so it is low budget!

Ruffle Mania Skirt

Supplies:

• tshirts ( I worked with 4 adult and 2 smaller kids sized)
• thread
• scissors
• elastic

1. To begin you will need to make a base for your skirt. I used a sz medium adult tshirt and cut off the arms and sewed the openings closed. Depending on the length you like you may be able to skip that step.

2. Your next step will be to cut strips out of the tshirts. I cut mine about 2" in width, but depending on how wide you want your ruffles you can cut them wider or thinner.

{Here is my collection of tshirts, I mixed colors and patterns}

3. Next you will need to ruffle your tshirt strips. (Here is a link to a tutorial if you are unfamiliar with ruffling, see kate sew)

4.The next step for me was to layout my ruffles...mixing the solid with the print. I also at this point drew lines on my skirt so that my ruffles would be lined and would be evenly spaced and straight on the skirt.

5. I now began sewing my ruffles on one at a time. This took some time and be sure to make them go all the way around the skirt, varying where the each begins that gives you the mixed up look. You can also make your ruffles longer so they go all the way around without mixing on each layer. Be sure to leave about 2-3" to make the waist band.

6. To do my top waist band...I sorta imporvised by cutting a strip to cover the top of my base skirt. I did this since my base shirt actually had a design on it, but if yours is plain you won't need to do this. For the waist band, fold over the top of the of the base skirt and sew, leaving a 2" opening to put in the elastic. I cut the elastic between 2-3" smaller then the waist measurement that way its comfortable.

7. To add the elastic, sew in one spot along the waistband. I chose what would be the side. Next, put a safety pin at the other end of the elastic and move it through the waistband. Once you have it all the way around sew the end to the other end.

8. Wear and enjoy! Here is my final project! I just LOVE how it turned out and so does my daughter, now it's time to make one for me!!

{Please excuse the strings....I forgot to go back and take another pic!!}

Batter Up!!

This season we have 3 people who are taking the diamond! Emmah is playing softball, Jake is playing baseball and Tob is also playing softball. (Although he has cut down in recent years it really keeps the schedule hopping!)

I LOVE to watch them play!!
Here are a few shots of Emmah:

Here is a couple of Jake too! (I have some other ones, I'll post them soon!)

This shot is definitely a FAVORITE! The 3 of them all play on the same baseball team and have sisters on this team...they were watching and rooting for the girls! TOO CUTE!!!

Snow...FINALLY!

We have been waiting and waiting and waiting...to get some real snow here in Michigan. Although a few months ago we got our first snow, it didn't stick around long and wasn't much to shake a stick at. Well the end of last week finally brought what we have been waiting for...SNOW!!Although we didn't get the fun of our first snow day we did get a chance to go out and have a little fun! 

Crazy kids, crazy fun!!

Pay Up

In our house we have recently started to give our kids allowance. We felt like they were asking for EVERYTHING all the time and we didn't want to just keep shelling out the money. So with that being said the allowance has started. Each of them earn $3 a week as long as they keep their room clean and their bed made. I am working to put together quick and easy check-off's for them to use for this. We require them right now to save $1 and eventually when we raise their allowance in a few months, they will also be giving a $1 every week.I didn't want to pay the kids to do chores, isn't that part of being in a family? I mean no one pays me to do laundry, cook dinner, clean the house (of course this is assuming I do those things!!) They do each have chores they are expected to do, and they really aren't anything real challenging. I started a chore chart not too long ago, but it didn't work out too well, so we're re adjusting!I am thinking something like this:  Mine will have the days along the side with the chores along the top. Each week they will have a extra chore to complete and not something they are normally responsible for, to pick this they will chose from a can with popsicle sticks. I hope to have 5-7 chores in there they can choose from. Do any of you have some great ideas to share?? I would love to hear them!! (I promise to post a tutorial when I get them together, my plan is to start the first week of August with the new charts so we are in full swing when school starts!)

Tis the Season

This year in our family we have added A LOT of babies! I thought that opened up a great opportunity for some cute pics with some adorable coordinating shirts!! So of course I totally jumped on board and got started.

I wanted to make them somewhat matching, but still have some individual style. I decided that I would go with a tree for the girls, and festive ties for the boys.

These are the 2 girl variations.

And the boys!!

Here they are altogether...can't wait to get some great group shots tomorrow!!

Letters to Santa

Well we decided it was time to let the big man know what we wanted for Christmas and although we went and met with him, we wanted to be sure he remembered what we wanted!! I mean he is a busy guy! So here are this years letters to Santa:

Visit with Santa

Tonight was the all important trip to see the man in red....SANTA!! The kids were somewhat excited to go, but the excitement really hit once we arrived. They knew exactly what they were going to ask for and were really hoping they made the "nice" list!!

It was fun to hear them chat with Santa and tell them their wishes, it really brings out the magic of Christmas. The belief in jolly old elf who can bring you wishful joys on Christmas morning. The glow in their eyes and sweetness of their smiles!

I love the look on her face here...that sneaky, yet sweet look!

Jake and his joyful smile, can bring a smile to anyones face!!

Many wishes that they make the "nice" list and that all their Christmas morning wishes come true.

Hustle & Bustle

Oh the fun has truly begun!! The kids and I are officially on Christmas Break and the parties are starting!! We have many fun holiday celebrations planned with friends and family I can't wait to enjoy all the fun!!!

We are starting off tonight with some skating and fun with friends, a family party next week, another friend party, and so much more!!

I love all the fun family time and holiday traditions that come with this time of year. I love to share my special memories with my kids and help create some for them! We are enjoying reading our holiday book a night, have been to see the AWESOME holiday local light display, and are looking forward to the more we have to come!!

What are some of your favorite holiday traditions??