In a winter galaxy far, far away...

We actually had our first real snowfall of the year today it snowed for only about 10 minutes and nothing stuck, .now the sky is blue. With a long weekend snow sounds really fun and it reminded me of these...

I had to share these awesome snowflake patterns that my thoughtful sister-in-law Lindsey sent to us. Clone troopers, Darth Vader and Bobba Fett  are represented.  Luke and I started cutting one night and hung them in the window the boys look out while they eat breakfast - they were a pretty fun surprise. Happy cutting!

Happy 2012 EST

Since we are on the Pacific Coast we get to celebrate two New Year countdowns. At 10 seconds to 9PM PST, the children party like its really midnight. Sometimes we watch the apple drop in New York, this year they just ran outside and shouted as loud as they could (which was pretty loud for this crew). Quickly after, the party (for them) is over. It's PJ time and they are all tucked in for the night and the adults continue the party, it works well for everyone, especially the next day when they've had a good night's rest.

Happy 2012 to you whenever you live.
If you live on the East Coast and heard some extra shouts, that was us. Thank you so much for celebrating New Years with a reasonable bedtime.

Christmas Eve Centerpiece

We are lucky enough to have real holly in our yard - berries and all :) Sometimes a simple centerpiece is my favourite and I like this one extra because the height is so low, it is great for visiting over. The lit candles are so cosy reflected in the thrifted silver tray.

What does the Mayflower bring? Placecards, Pilgrim

When I saw these mayflower place card holders at 4CrazyKings I knew they would be a perfect craft for us.  Luke even got in on the crafting. (and it's a good thing or our masts would be terribly tilted.)

I forgot to pick up coffee stirrers so we used bamboo skewers I had on hand. Oh and I just ran in and asked Starbucks for a stack of sleeves and they were super happy to hand some over.  We were also impatient with gluing (but hot glue would have worked nicely) so we used a tape/stapler combo.  The nice thing about skewers is they poked right through the masts and no adhesive was needed for that part.

Thanks for sharing your ideas MamaKing!

We remember and are thankful.

Remembrance Day Poppy Wreath

Growing up in Canada it is traditional to wear a red poppy on your lapel in November to remember those who have fought (including current soldiers) for our freedoms.  We also walked from a church service on Remembrance Day (Nov 11) to lay wreaths of poppies on the war memorials on main street.  I liked to see red poppies in crowds of people, knowing they too are thankful for this sacrifice.

During the First World War, red poppies were seen on the war-torn battlefields of northern France and Belgium. The story among soldiers was the crimson red of the poppy came from the blood of their comrades soaking the ground. The sight of poppies on the battlefield at Ypres in 1915 moved Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae to write the poem In Flanders fields.

This is a simple wreath, I used a small foam core ring and hot glue.  I used green felt in the back ground around the inside and outside of the ring.  Here is how it looked in progress.

I didn't take any pictures making the red poppies because they are so easy, I used plain red and glitter red to give it some dimension, layers different size circles and finally added a black center.  The ribbon is cream grosgrain with letter stickers. A small reminder when we enter our home of all we have to be grateful for.

Halloween recap - FBI Special Agent

Halloween recap - Robin Hood

Pumpkin Gingersnap Ice Cream Sandwiches

One of my favourite things about Fall is the flavours.  Try this together - pumpkin ice cream, sandwiched in ginger snaps. (I recommend Trader Joe's brand - Yum!)  I'm a fan.

Apple Picking

Apple Picking by Raymond A. Foss

Crisp air
Ripe fruit
Heavy on the bough.
Cool in the hand.
Filling my bag.

Snap of a McIntosh
Tart on my tongue
Shared with you
Sweet on your lips.

Holding hands
Kisses behind a branch
Warm smiles
On blushed cheeks.

Cherished moments
Memories formed
Traditions started
For us.

Hickory Dickory...Halloween decor is starting

So my children have been so excited to get out the Halloween decorations, we realized we were a little "preschool" and less "cool".  We are adding a couple things...after a lot of cutting here is our first addition...

Kind of creepy, kind of cute...but mostly creepy. Thank you Martha for the idea. Thank you Mom for the idea to cut the mice from felt instead of paper, they are sturdier and reusable.  I hot-glued some paper on the back so we could stick the felt to the stairs with painters tape).  Surprisingly enough I've had several people (kids) touch them, "Wow, they even feel like mice!!"

Freezer Paper stenciling is easier than it looks...

So I don't say things like this very often "easier than it looks", often I end up cursing new projects.  I thought it was super easy with pretty instant results. It took me too long to try this I wanted to give anyone who was thinking about a little push. I actually did these shirts in May but finally took the "after" shots the other day to post them. By the way great gift idea for Christmas....watch for shirts on sale now.

There are lots of great tutorials to read if you search, so I won't go into too many details.  My basic tips are:

1. Keep the design simple and easy to cut out - here I did the sign for fish ladder (are these signs anywhere else but near Seattle? Go salmon!) and a simplified radioactive symbol.

2. Print then trace design onto the freezer paper, use a craft knife to cut out the area where you want the paint to show.

3. Lay t-shirt flat, put a piece of cardboard or thick paper inside the shirt to prevent paint seeping through (see red shirt collar?). Put freezer paper shiny side down and iron onto the shirt.

4. I dumped the paint onto a plate then used a sponge brush to dab paint on the shirt. Don't rub the brush that will pull the material.

My kids love these shirts (oh the basic shirt is from Old Navy - ringer tees I think they were 2/$10). It fun to have a shirt that no one else has and I like the simple designs. 

If you have even thought about this, definitely try it, it would be easy on totes, aprons and dishtowels.  So I have to thank Melanie from the Cain Family, who left me a comment in Feb 2009 and told me to try this and how fun it was. That was the first I'd heard of it and I can't believe it took me until this year to try it! Silly me.