Sew Crafty Saturday: Chrsitmas Craftiness

I don't know about you, but we wait until after Thanksgiving to decorate for Christmas! Sadly, I just realized that I didn't take any pictures of our adorable November décor. Whoops! One of our favorite new things we did this year to remember all that we have to be grateful for was a fun Thanksgiving activity in a jar. I saw a few ideas on Pinterest and then made my own to suit our family's needs. I typed up strips saying thing like, "I'm thankful for my muscles. Do 15 jumping jacks." or "I'm thankful for my sister. Give her a big hug." or "I'm thankful for my dad. Do something nice for him." We had so much fun with it, that I made it with my class as a fun take home project. We also made a paper chain writing what we are thankful for on each chain.
Speaking of chains, my son is at that monster stage where he doesn't make it very easy to decorate. Knowing this, I decided to make it easier on myself and am not going to put any ornaments on our Christmas tree this year. We are going to decorate it with lights and a felt chain, and let the girls make crafty ornaments. I'm super excited to see how the tree turns out! As for now, many precious items are being placed well out of the monster's reach.

Misc. Monday: Arts & Crafts Party Success!

 

Lilly's crafts party at Michaels was a wonderful success. They let me plan all the crafts and decorations, provided invitations and thank you cards, and had two very sweet girls help the day of the party. I had the children decorate white gift bags as soon as they arrived, so they had something to carry all their crafts home in. Next, the girls painted canvases. We helped them tape their first initial on the canvas and they painted stripes over it. We let them dry for the remainder of the party and pulled the tape off right before they got picked up. We also made headbands and bracelets, colored coloring sheets and didn't even get to the bead project I had planned. Lilly opened her presents as the girls munched on the rainbow cupcakes my mom baked, and Lilly was very appreciative of her special day. **(I apologize for the amount of pics. I really could not help myself).

Misc. Monday: Party Prep

every little artist needs a paint palette placemat



these cans will be full of craft supplies on the big day

 can't wait to hang up these garlands

Lilly is having her 7th birthday party at Michaels craft store on Sunday, so I am in full party prep mode over here. I have spent next to nothing on decorations and have spent the bulk of the party fund on crafts for the girls. This party will be perfect for her because all she loves to do is read, draw, write, and do crafts. I'm excited because I don't have to clean my house; it's a win win!

Sew Crafty Saturday: A Whole Lot of Crafting Going on!

We have had a few bouts of sickness around here, which has forced us to slow down and has kept us at home. This resulted in HCM's door basketball hoop getting recovered, a new skirt for Iris, Lilly's Danish turkey project, and a new doll that Iris planned and (partially) stuffed all by herself! 

Sew Crafty Saturday: New Kitchen

 

Pictures do not do it justice. My new kitchen is adorable and it makes me smile! We often have dinner guests and the boy is ready (even if we are not) to be a part of the dinner table, so it was time to get a new one (at Ikea, of course). I couldn't resist the green cabinet, had to make new curtains, and picked up the new menu board to complete the transformation.
I love love love the curtains. I made another complete set that lasted just three days. Every time I looked at the old/new ones, I knew the print was too small and dark. These new/new ones couldn't be more perfect. The ruffle brings a smile to my face.