Savannah is 5!

 What a weekend! Savannah had her 5th birthday party on Saturday and I thought I would share some of the highlights.  The theme? Tangled of course, I had originally planned for it to be more of a Valentine princess party but about a month before hand I found a cute Tangled crown template and it just kept evolving into a Tangled birthday party.  If you haven't seen the movie some of the things won't make much sense but I think most of the girls had seen the movie so it worked out.  I did send out an invitation but it was my original idea of a Valentine princess party-I will post a picture later.  Once I realized where the theme was going I tried to keep to Tangled as much as possible, In the movie Rapunzel loves to paint and when she goes and visits her own kingdom (doesn't know it at the time) she does a huge sun out of caulk in the town square. I liked the picture out of caulk until my almost 2 year old thought it was funny to sit and scoot her bottom over the colors and therefore get chalk everywhere, wasn't so cool then.  The day was perfect it was sunny with a high of about 75 and a light breeze.  

Birthday Invitation

The crown template can be found here and the sun flowers are actually hair clips-Once I discovered the crown template I went through my stock of paper and found a pretty silver and white for the crown base and diamonds but I didn't have quite enough, so off to Joann, who happened to be running a 6 sheets of card stock for $1 sale and found a beautiful gold sparkle paper and a gold and silver shimmer paper, so I remade all the crowns out of the prettier paper.  The birthday girl's crown had the extra touch of stick on faux pearls, found at Michaels for $1.

My original plan was to have the girls monogram hanging from the chairs but with the chairs being yellow they didn't have the impact I wanted so I used tape and taped them to the tablecloth in front of their seat.  As the girls arrived to the party I handed out a crown and hair clip.

Actual setup from the party

I have noticed at birthday parties that there is a lot of time between when kids are done eating and adults-so to keep the crew occupied I made mini coloring books by printing different free coloring pages online and using a cool Tangled coloring pages which are found here.

  My gold Sparkly lanterns to replicate the lantern scene from the movie.

Since Rapunzel loves to paint I set up a place for the girls to watercolor on paper or they can paint on the large hanging paper. 

 

Outside the back deck we have a beautiful large maple tree.  This is my last minute Thursday drive in to work idea that came out very nice.  Throughout the movie Flynn Rider (Hero/Thief character) comments on how his wanted poster doesn't show an accurate nose. So I printed a bunch of Flynn Wanted posters with different noses.  The 'Create your own wanted poster' from Disney you can find here.

Takeaways

As a takeaway gift for the girls we purchased the Princess statue play set from Disney on Sale for $8.50 and used them on the dessert table.  After the party was over they girls could take one home, but of course this can be problematic with a lot of girls wanting the same princess.  It actually worked out that the girls got their favorite one with no fighting.  The dessert menu was Vanilla cupcakes with cream cheese icing decorated with sprinkles and jellybeans, brownies with M&Ms, chocolate covered marshmallows and chocolate chip cookies.  We also had Blue Bell ice cream but we forgot to get it out.  The party started at 12noon with lunch and actually didn't end until 4pm with all the girls playing nice outside-I couldn't ask for a better birthday party!

Rapunzel in her tower -a last minute Friday morning idea

I do have a good bit of pictures from the party but I did not want to post any pictures without consent from the parents.  As soon as I get consent I will post them.

Birthday girl and baby sister

Birthday Girl in her new birthday clothes

My new Bag

Hello! Just completed my new bag  last night!  This one I made a zippered pocket on the inside.  Actually it is getting easier and easier the more I make.  The handle has double layer of firm interfacing along with the top band.  I interfaced with duck cloth between the outside and inside fabric layers.  I also made 2 fabric flowers not seen in the pictures.  I love the magnetic snap, and it is super easy to install, in fact I got two so I can add one to my diaper bag.  Look for more as I have been asked to make more so I will post an update soon!  Happy crafting!

New Fall Diaper Bag

 Say hello to Sophia's new diaper bag!  Over labor Day I picked up some very pretty fabric from a local boutique in Savannah.  With this beautiful new fabric I decided to make a handbag, but I have never made one before-what if I mess up and waste fabric?  The solution?  Make a practice one.  As Sophia's old diaper bag was a little worse for wear I used some of my fabric in stock and made her a new one.  I definitely like the style but I think I will make it a bit deeper.  The width is great and I love the one strap-it is very comfortable on my shoulder. 

 It has enough room for a paper book, my diaper clutch (pattern coming soon) 3 extra diapers, plastic bag with stuff (medicine, spoons, bibs, pacifiers, etc) and extra lovie.  I could probably fit my phone, wallet and keys in a pinch.  Has a button on the inside to keep things closed plus keeps my 18 month old out. 

I used duck cloth for lining and strengthening the outside fabric on the bag and two layers of stiff interfacing at the top and one layer of interfacing for the strap.

The pattern is free and found here.  I widened the bag by 5 inches but left the top of the bag the same and used only one strap instead of two.

Happy bag making!

Welcome Fall with new curtains

Fabric from Joann home decor-approx $30 a yard

Fall is all about redecorating!  This valance style curtain is simple to make and hangs on a regular curtain rod.  To make this curtain measure your window length and width, either inside the frame or outside depending on what look you want.  Add at least 1 inch for seams on top of the width and at least 3 inches to the length for your rod to go through (using a 1 inch rod, so you'll need more if you are using a larger rod) Cut out fabric and lining.  If you plan to not use lining add 2 inches to the window width for a seam allowance.

Picture Back with curtain rod allowance

For curtains with a lining-read here-
Pin together and sew 3 of the four sides leaving the top open, right side to right side. (for those unfamiliar with this term, right side is the side that will be viewed such as the outside of a dress or shirt.  The wrong side is the side that will be hidden by lining).  Once that is completed turn fabric right side out (side that will be viewed), iron flat making sure to lightly roll the top material towards the back so that when it is top stitched the lining will not be easily be seen from the front.  Pin to hold and top stitch the 3 sides.

For curtains without a lining read here-

Iron seams for 3 sides (not the top)  double fold 1/2 seams  so you have a neat edge.  Top sew the three edges.

Finished pleats

Measure you allowance for your curtain rod, you should measure 2 1/2 inches from the top and fold down towards lining and iron.  Tuck the end about 1/2 inch for the completed edge on the back.  Iron and pin in place.  Top sew seam on the backside of the curtain..  The curtain back should look like the picture above. For the bottom pleats-accordion fold the ends for the desired look hand sew in place.  And you done!
 Happy redecorating! 

My uncrafty Post

I  wanted to change gears a bit and share something that happened with my oldest daughter and now my youngest.  When my oldest was about 19 months old, she caught a cold (pretty normal, yes I know) except that it never went away.  Over the next 4 months we spent every week almost at the doctor's office. And every time it was the same..here is your antibiotic, bye bye!  Now I think doctors are awesome and they help alot of people and our particular doctors are great, but there was something wrong.  Children don't spend 4 months with a 'cold' and don't get better.  She ran fevers, she had runny noses, coughing and developed sleep apnea.  In December our doctor recommended the ENT (Ear, Nose, Throat Specialist) which we saw and they recommended that we remove her adenoids and tonsils.  So at the ripe old age of 2 1/2, my oldest had her tonsils and adenoids removed.    That following fall the ear infections began, same thing 4 weeks out of the month and we were at the doctor's 5 times.  At the last visit the doctor prescribed an antibiotic just so we could make it to the ENT again.  What is the next step I asked?  Tubes was the reply.  During this time I researched on the Internet and discovered that food allergies can cause all the problems mentioned above.  So I decided to remove milk from her diet, which included all cow's milk, cheese, yogurt anything that had a trace of milk was removed from her diet.  Interesting enough there are alot of things that contain cow's milk that one would not think of.   After one day off 'milk' she was 75 percent better, within a few days ear infection was gone completely.  It was amazing!

So what does this have to do with the youngest?  Well, last week my youngest started throwing up, not sick throw up but almost like a spit up except her whole dinner would come up.  It started on Wednesday and on Friday we took her to the doctor and they said they didn't know what was wrong but it was probably 'teething'.  So Sunday we decided to switch her to soy milk and amazingly she stopped throwing up.  She is now eating better, not as fussy and sleeping better.  Pretty much everything I classified as 'teething' is gone.

I don't think cow's milk is a bad thing but I believe in being aware because I wasn't when my oldest first became sick.  Had we switched her to soy right away we would have saved a lot of time, money and energy.  If you think your child has a food allergy talk to your doctor and try the elimination process.  There are also lots of information and blogs on adults and children with food allergies just google it, and children can grow out of it.  My oldest is almost 5 and has been back on milk for about 1 year with no problems, no ear infections or respiratory infections. 

*Note*  Please Please talk to your doctor if you believe your child has allergies and you want to do food elimination.  Children require certain vitamins from certain foods and your doctor can advise you on what new food or substitutions you can use to make sure they are getting enough.

Treats and Sweets! Ideas for making some spooky good eats!

Picture by norwichnuts

Monster Cupcakes

Using your favorite chocolate cake recipe or box –bake cupcakes according to the recipe/ package directions.  Cool completely.  Using your favorite chocolate frosting, lighting coat the top of each cupcake (enough for the Oreo cookies to stick to the top).  Sprinkle crushed Oreo cookie crumbs on top of each cupcake until covered.  Take M & Ms and split in half, and place 2 halves on the cupcake for eyes.

Chocolate Pretzel Rods

2 cups white chocolate candy melts or white chocolate chips

Orange colored sugar or sprinkles

Chocolate sprinkles

20 pretzel rods

Line a baking sheet with waxed paper.

Place candy melts or white chocolate chips in a double boiler. Heat over low heat until melted.

Spread orange sprinkles and chocolate sprinkles in even layers on two separate shallow plates.

Dip pretzel rods into white chocolate, using a spoon to coat the rods well.

Press gently into orange sprinkles. Turn, then press into chocolate sprinkles.

Place pretzel rods on prepared baking sheet. Let harden for 20-30 minutes.

Serve immediately or store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Mummy Dogs
1 roll/pkg Pillsbury Breadstick dough (12 count)
12 hot dogs

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Unroll all 12 breadsticks from package. Cut each into 3 equal strips. Take 3 strips, one at a time and wrap around 1 hot dog starting from the top of the hot dog. Leave a small space towards the top of the hotdog for the ‘face’. Continue wrapping all dogs then place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until lightly golden brown.
Remove and let cool for 5 minutes. Use mustard or ketchup for the eyes.

Ghost Nutter Cookies   

 1 pound white candy coating, coarsely chopped

 1 package (1 pound) Nutter Butter peanut butter cookies

  Miniature semisweet chocolate chips

  

   In a microwave-safe bowl, melt candy coating, stirring occasionally. Dip cookies into coating, covering completely. Place on waxed paper.

    Brush ends with a pastry brush dipped in coating where fingers touched cookies. While coating is still warm, place two chips on each cookie for eyes. Let stand until set. Store in an airtight container. Yield: about 3 dozen.

Easy Spider Pizzas

 2 cans of Grand’s Biscuits (large size)

1 jar of pizza sauce

Mozzarella cheese sticks

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lay out biscuits and flatten or roll out.  Top with pizza sauce.  Cut cheese sticks in to then strips and then cut the strips shortways into smaller strips, (this makes it easier to make circles) and use to make a spider web design.  Bake for about 20 mins.  Use black olives to make a spider by cutting one in half and splitting another one into strips for the legs.

To the left top is my spider pizza-harder than I thought..Bottom left is the cooked version.  Umm maybe pizza skulls would be better?

Well, those are good and all but not very healthy (what! cupcakes not healthy? Whatever do you mean?)  What about regular foods?......no problem! Here are a few tips for making them a bit spookier.

Use cookie cutters in spooky shapes to make regular sandwiches more sinister.

Use cheese sticks described above in Easy Spider Pizzas to make ‘spider webs’ on any dish that has a cheese topping.

Add black olive spiders to salsa and dips.

Slice the end of celery into strips to make celery brooms.

Make Dirt Jell-O cups by filling cups with Jell-O and once Jell-O is set sprinkle Oreo cookies crumbs on top and use Gummy Worms stick out to look like real worms in dirt.

Need to spruce up a favorite punch for Halloween?  Here’s how…

Place glow rods under the bowl for an unearthly glow-

Freeze a small batch of green punch and place in the bowl as a slime ring

Add plastic eyeballs, spiders and insects into the frozen ring or just leave them floating in the bowl *Note –use items of larger size to avoid a choking hazard, if in doubt find something else.

Place dry ice in a dish under or around the punch bowl for a Witches’ brew.  *Note- Dry ice should never be touched without proper handling or ingested, keep away from children.

Happy Crafting (and party planning!)

KidZ Speak!

Welcome to KidZ speak!

You have decided to plan your first ever Halloween party.  As the date gets closer you realize....how are you supposed to keep 30 5 year olds from running a mok and you being demoted from cool and crisp party coordinator to stressed-out party referee?   Here are a few tips to help you plan the best party for parents and kids...

 Make a tentative schedule for the party and time frame for which the whole party will last taking into account number of kids, ages and time of the party.  A 2 hour party is more than enough for most kids (and parents) but if you have older children or a mixed group you can always plan a movie after the scheduled party time.

Stick to the schedule as best you can-if you plan for cake at 5:30 have cake at 5:30 even if you still have 2 games left...you can always go back and revisit games afterwards.

Plan out activities in advance but not too many...activities keep everyone out of trouble but kids enjoy free play too-and your child will have a chance to show off their favorite toys.

Arrange groups of toys by type in different rooms or areas outside, that will keep kids from congregating in one space which usually equals somebody fighting.  Toy groups might include a puzzle table, lego table, baby play room, or even dress up station.

Another great idea is to make the kids table into a coloring station using butcher paper or postal paper, it is thick and can double as a tablecloth.  Arrange paper across the table and tape with masking tape underneath. then arrange crayons or markers in glass jars (we reuse salsa jars) and place them on the table.  The kids can color while waiting for their food.

Make the kids work for their candy.. you can have games with candy as a prize or make a 'candy hunt' by placing candy around the yard and have the kids find it.  With older children you can divide them into groups and have 'clues' to where the candy is hidden.

If you have an older or mixed group, let the parents know that there is a Halloween movie that will be played following the party, giving a chance for the younger ones to head out, and the older ones can enjoy some down time. Note: It's a good idea to let parents know in advance what movie will be played-many children scare easily or parents are particular about what their children see....parents knowing in advance helps them to 'plan' to stay or call it a night.

Look over the party areas-are they safe for the ages that will be attending?  Do you need to put up some baby gates or put away some favorite crystal?  Being aware of possible hazards to certain ages can be stress relief especially for the parents.  Do you live on a main road-recruit some adults to help supervise the outside play can help too.

Any other tips-just email and I will add them here!

Happy Crafting! (and Party Planning!)