Reindeer Gift Tags

The weather today is horrible and rainy, so I was trying to come up with something fun for the kids to do. I ran across this idea a while back and can't recall where--It was obviously before my obsession with Pinterest!

All you need are some willing kiddos, brown paint, and gift tags (or even paper will do).

Paint a kiddo's finger and let them press it wherever they want. Don't tell them where, come on step back, I know a few of you want to! Let this be their creations!

After they are done, let them decorate! You could even pull out the glitter, jewels, red fuzz balls, or whatever else you have in your art bins! We weren't able to get too crazy because my llittlest little woke up!

Ta Da! You have the cutest gift tags under the tree!

Elf on the Shelf Breakfast

George made his first appearence of the year this morning and he brought with him a yummy North Pole Breakfast, complete with snow covered donuts, snowballs, candy canes, and treats for the kiddos. They loved it!

I found the idea for this breakfast over at Little Pumpkin Grace and borrowed the idea from her and put my own little twist on it!

That sneak George the Elf even cut out snowflakes that hung from the ceiling. These took a lot longer than you think, though, because George sort of forgot how to make them! A lot of paper was harmed in the making of these!

George decided to hang out on the sled that was filled with little baggies of snowballs (mini marshmallows) that came straight from the North Pole! I love his little mischievious grin!

He laid out snow covered donuts on his favorite Santa Plate. Apparently, these are one of Santa's favorite treats!

George even brought Nathan and Emma their very own little treat bucket that was filled with a fun Santa Pez dispencer, a Christmas shirt, a North Pole puzzle, and some warm, toasty Christmas socks. Nathan's shirt said, "Jingle Bells, My Sister Smells." That George, he has a funny sense of humor!

He left a little note for each kid, also, letting them know how proud he was of their good behavior. I loved watching their little eyes as I read the letters to them. Christmas is such a magical time of year and it makes me all sappy.

George left little cups of hot chocolate to drink. Ems and Nathan decided to throw some of their snowballs in their cups--floating glaciers!

Our first annual North Pole Breakfast was a success and I can't wait to make this a fun tradition for our family, one that our kids will do with their kids, and that they will remember for years to come. Thanks Little Pumpkin Grace for the inspiration!

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Under the Table and Dreaming

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Princess Storybook Invitation

I'm still alive, just swamped! We had my daughter's princess birthday party a couple of weekends ago, so I have a lot of projects from there to share. But first, here are her invitation! These were definitely a labor of love, but I couldn't be happier with the way they turned out!



I started out with chunky board books and 5x5 prints. Then, I modgepodged the prints onto the pages and let them dry. I added a bit of pink scrapbooking paper to the spine of each one as a finishing touch. Love.

Pirate Part, Part 3

It's time to wrap up the pirate party posting! Even though I had a blast putting this pary together, I can't gaze at it and admire it forever. Afterall, I have a princess party to plan in a little more than a month!

So, I thought I would start this post with the invite. We did the whole message in a bottle thing. Nathan loved giving them to all his friends. They thought he was pretty cool, which he is.

I surfed the net for a few ideas for the invite and mashed all those ideas into one perfect paper. We printed them on parchment paper, burned the edges, tied it up with hemp rope, and stuffed it in the bottle along with sand, a pirate ring and some seashells.

Next up are the favors. I lurve them! I found the cutest pirate gumball machines online and had to have them. I designed a cute little tag to go along with it and let my silhouette machine do all the cutting. I love that thing.

The first game we played was our Captain Hook game. My hubby cut him out of plywood and we painted and sealed him. He kinda became a part of our family because he was one of the first things we made for the party. So, there he sat, in our breakfast room, watching us eat.

Anyway, we filled up black water balloons (cannon balls). Each kid had to walk the plank (a wooden board) and then throw cannon ball at Hook. They loved it!

Then, we had a treasure hunt with clues hidden all over the yard.

The last clue led the kids inside to a pirate chest filled with these bags that I made. I bought the plain bags online and then ironed on a skull. I filled each bag with chocolate coins.

We had a tattoo parlor and a treasure dig outside in our sandbox, too.

So there you have it! Can't wait to show you what else I have in the works--some kid crafts, home improvement projects, and a princess party!

Pirate Party, Part 2

So, here is part two of my son's pirate party: the food! I am such a sweets person. I'm a bit ashamed to admit that sometimes I will drop my older kids off at school and head directly to our little local cupcake place and order the Ultimate Chocolate Cupcake. It is seriously THE.BEST.CUPCAKE.EVER! Its what gets me through the day sometimes.

So, needless to say, I try to have a lot of sweets at my parties. I fill the kids up with sugar and send them home--every parent's dream. Since I have a newborn and a limited budget, I didn't get to do all that I wanted, but my sweet tooth was still happy.

I made the banner out of burlap, cardstock, ribbon, and tulle.


I dipped marshmallows into red candy melts and then added some black sprinkles on top. It was seriously the easiest, fastest thing ever.


Here are my cookies. These take me a bit to make, but they are mouth watering good. I probably ate like 10 while I was icing them. Figured Operation Lose Baby Weight could wait until after the party.


Argg! These were so fun to make and so delicious! I am pretty sure that none of the kids got one, though because the parents went crazy over them. I am already getting moms asking me if I will be making them for my daughter's party in October. I sure will! They were fun to make, but my kitchen looked like a food explostion happened afterwards--not fun to clean up.


And the cake...yummy! I told you I love sweets! I bought the cake from a mom who I had heard great things about. Her shop is called Cake it Easy Bakery, in case you are local.


I served each kid dinner in these adorable gable boxes that I bought off Etsy. Then I designed a label in photoshop and printed it on sticker paper, cut it with my paper cutter, and stuck it on the box.

The label said "Ye Hearty Grub" and then listed all the food that was inside. I had Golden Nuggets with Ruby sauce (chicken nuggets and ketchup), Pirate Booty (fun popcorn snacks that are actually called Pirate Booty), and a Ship O' Fruit with a Sword (the waffle bowls that I posted before filled with fruit and a little sword pick). The kids loved having their own boxes and I think the parents loved not having to fix a plate of food for the kids.

I will try and finish up the pirate party tomorrow. Then I have a ton of cute projects I have been working on to share. Can't wait!

Pirate Party, Part 1

My son's 5th birthday was a couple of weeks ago and I am just getting some time to go through the pictures--that's what happens when you have three BUSY kids! I can't wait to share all the party details with you, but it will have to happen in stages because, well, of the three busy kids.

We don't have a mailbox at our new house. Ack! Can you believe that one of the first things I asked my hubby when we decided to build this house was where was I going to tie balloons for my kids' parties. I always tied them to the mailbox! Yeah, I notice things like that...

So, this was my solution.

I found a little pirate boy on etsy, bought him, changed his hair and eye color to match my son's (I used him throughout the party),, and drew him on some plywood. Then I had the above mentioned husband cut him out, and we all took part in painting him--even the kids. I think he looked perfect outside, AND I had a place to tie the ever important balloons!

Once all the kidlets entered the house, they had to make a stop at the Pirate table and become true pirates, hooks and all!

I designed the sign in photoshop and slipped it in a frame I bought at the dollar store. All the rest of the pirate gear I bought at different places online. Then I sprinked the table with chocolate gold coins. I think those were gone within seconds! I also cut out some vinyl with my Silhouette machine and put it above the table. It reads: Pirates Only: All others will walk the plank. Loved it!

Once the kids were true pirates, they had jobs to do. I set up the kids' tables in our breakfast room. Don't be afraid to move around your furniture. My breakfast table found a new temporary home in our office for the day.

I covered the table with plastic table clothes I found at the Dollar Store. Also, I made a simple banner and hung some paper lanterns that I bought at Hobbly Lobby on either end. Each little pirate had a treasure chest to decorate. I set out crayons, markers, and foam stickers to make the chests pirate worthy.

I also had an activity placemat that I designed in photoshop. They had to make their own pirate map and complete a maze. There was a pirate joke on there, too--my best one. What is a pirate's favorite letter? Arrrrrr!

For the kids who finished fast, I had a pirate tent set up with some of my son's pirate books. We like books. I will find any excuse to buy or borrow new books, and a party is no exception. This pic was taken after the little pirates had some fun with the tent, so its leaning. Ah well.


I still have a ton more to share, but my baby is a cryin'! Tomorrow I'll share my sweets table with you and a few more decorations. Then its on to pirate games and the food!

Fun Fruit Cups

It's no secret that I have a thing for chocolate. It is also no secret that I crave fruit. When other people wanted pickles and icecream during their pregnancies, I was sending my husband out for midnight watermelon and strawberry runs! That was fun for him during the winter! ;)

Anyway, why not combine the two into a fun treat for the kids (and mamas too)!

First gather all your materials. You'll need candy melts, waffle bowls, and sprinkles.

Follow the directions on the candy melt package and then dip your waffle bowl in the melted chocolate. While its still wet, sprinkle away--the more srpinkles the better! The candy melt will usually harden in 10-15 minutes, but if you need it sooner, then pop them in the fridge.

There you have it! The prettiest fruit cups in the land!