the honeybunch home companion

Change of address

2012-02-28T15:37:00.003-08:00

What does one do when one relocates their blog? Is a change of address card appropriate? Should I have a rummage sale of out-dated posts and half-finished ideas? Martha I need your input.

So this little blog is moving across the street to: www.honeybunchomecompanion.com. I am leaving .blogspot at the curb after six happy years and three blog incarnations. I'm not entirely sure what's next, but I will do more of what seems to be most popular: parties, holiday ideas, easy crafts and tutorials.

My first post, bringing you some early Easter inspiration, is unpacked and ready for visitors. Hope to see you in the new neighbourhood.

Wall Art for Baby: Jazz Style

2012-02-17T15:56:00.000-08:00

Choosing wall art for a baby nursery is one of the best things about decorating a room for a new arrival. Oopsy Daisy added 170 new pieces to their portfolio recently, including this rather fabulous series of canvas art featuring musical animals. New Zealand-based artist Ellen Giggenbach created the original collages using shapes cut from rare and vintage papers, in the style of mid-century folk art. How delicious in a baby nursery! I think Laura Petrie would approve. They do look like something that would have hung in the Van Dyke family rumpus room, no?

They make me think of jazz album art from the 1940s and 50s. And make me want to spray lacquer my bob and wear skinny black pants with flats. Such a glorious time for design.

Book illustrations:

(Uber Sax by Joe McLean)

Percussion Puppy is my absolute favourite. I can't resist a dog in a bow tie.

All new Oopsy Daisy wall art designs are available to order in the shop, daddy-o.

Peel & Place Wall Stickers for Kids' Rooms

2012-02-15T15:03:00.000-08:00

Decorating a baby nursery isn't in my future, but it might be in yours. Oopsy Daisy's new Peel & Place Wall Stickers were instant love for me. Could be because we are busy planning some spring renovations chez moi, and my kids are off and running planning re-dos of their bedrooms. We hit The Bunkhouse on Avenue Road over the weekend, checking out some loft and trundle beds in the hopes of maximizing two very petite rooms, but the furniture is just the beginning. It's really all about the theme, don't you know. I'm trying to sell Henry on the Woodsy Arbor pictured above. I am crazy about it. He's humouring me, but I think his heart lies here or here. I suppose we could do an outer space hockey theme. Who's to say there's anything wrong with that?

These wall stickers are no mere vinyl peel-and-stick decals. They are fabric-based, which gives them a nice texture, heft and above all, AMAZING colour. Too bad the company images are on the low res side, because these stickers are quite incredible in person. They are also GRANDE. Like five feet tall grande. So for a hundred bucks you've got your room pretty much covered. Did I mention that each set also comes with a complete alphabet and number set so you can personalize to your liking. And of course they are built to be moved around, so kids can create one scene on Monday and switch it up on Tuesday. Or once the lights are out and parents are watching TV.

All the wall sticker styles are now in the shop, if you'd like to take a closer look.

feb 14

2012-02-14T16:18:00.000-08:00

Remember this? These mason jar luminaries could not have been faster or more simple to make. As the early evening turned into night, the luminaries got even more glow-y:

Dinner, even pancakes with powdered sugar, is made special by candlelight. Happy Feb 14th.

Tutorial: Patchwork Tissue Holder

2012-02-08T16:03:00.000-08:00

Tissue holders are an excellent project for beginner sewers. They're quick (around 30 minutes the first time), they do not require large investments in fabric and other than sewing a straight line there are no special sewing skills involved. And they turn out impressively cute, don't you think?

There are many tutorials out there for a basic one-fabric pouch. This is for a patchwork-style and it is made using four different fabrics. Let's get started.

Materials

Fabric scraps measuring 16" by 14" in total

Sewing machine, thread to match fabric

Tape measure or ruler

Cardboard or cardstock for template

Sharp scissors for cutting fabric, or rotary cutter and ruler

Tailor's chalk or washable fabric pen to trace template onto fabric

Iron

1. ASSEMBLE and iron your fabric. I used four different patterns, plus a solid linen for the lining. In total you need enough fabric to piece together two sections, each measuring 6" by 7.5". This project is perfect for teensy scraps, like these 6" by 6" samples I had on hand.

2. TAKE two fabric pieces and stack them, right sides together. This means the two "nice" sides face each other. Make a simple running stitch down one side to join them. Remember to back up your stitches at the top and bottom of the fabric so it does not come apart. (I see I made a mistake in labelling this photo: it is the right side that is sewn together, not the left.)

3. Press open the seams with a hot iron. There is a saying in sewing "If you don't have time to press, you don't have time to sew." A good press really does make all the difference in keeping your project straight, tidy and well-shaped.

4. REPEAT steps 2 & 3 with the other two fabric pieces. And press the seam open. Here is an example of pressed (left) and unpressed seams. the Unpressed seam is bunchy and will result in an uneven design in the next steps.

5. YOU now have two strips of fabric, which need to be sewn together. Line them up, right sides facing and sew a straight line down the right side. Press the seam to one side. You should have something that looks like this:

6. TRACE and cut out a template measuring 6 by 7.5". You can skip this step and trace directly onto your fabric, but it is useful to have a template on hand if you will make this more than once.

7. POSITION your template and trace it onto fabric. Play around with the orientation and positioning of the template until you find a combination that you like. Centred will result in a symmetrical finished design. Here, I used an off-centre design.

8. CUT out your fabric and lining to the template size. I like to use a rotary cutter, which is like a pizza cutter for fabric. Very sharp! You must use a special ruler and cutting mat, but totally worth the $30 investment if you are planning to take up sewing.

I used a natural linen for the lining. Needs a good iron!

9. SEW the lining and patchwork fabric, right sides facing. Sew the two 6" sides. Leave the 7" edges open. You will be left with a tube of fabric with two finished (sewn) edges and two raw (unfinished edges). Clip those threads nice and close.

This is what you should have:

10. TURN the fabric side out. Press flat. Turn your fabric so the finished edges are at the top and bottom and the patchwork is facing up. Fold the top and bottom toward the centre. I like a slight overlap (1/8") so the finished product doesn't gape open. Press lightly.

11. CUT a 1.5" piece of colour-coordinated ribbon or twill tape. Fold in half. Again, this step is not required. It is not functional, just a decorative touch.

Place the cut edge of the folded ribbon along the cut edge of one of the sides. Make sure the loop end is facing toward the centre of your fabric.

12. FOLD the finished edges to meet at the centre. Make sure the ribbon doesn't shift!

13. SEW the two unfinished edges. I use a scant seam allowance - just the width of the presser foot. If your seam allowance is too big the tissue pouch will be bulky and bunchy. Finish the raw edge with a zigzag stitch, or trim with pinking shears to prevent unravelling. Make it tidy by clipping errant threads. Carefully clip each of the four corners on a diagonal (take care to not cut into your stitches). This will make your corners nice and sharp in the final step.

14. TURN your tissue pouch right sides out. Use a knitting needle or chopstick (something pointy but not too sharp) to push out the corners. Don't push too hard or you might poke a hole through the stitching.

If there is one thing I learned from Project Runway, it is the value of a good pressing. Use your iron to stretch and pull the fabric into shape, if necessary. Add your tissue pack and you're done.

Here is the reverse side:

And here are two others, made for a friend:

Achoo.

2012-02-05T11:14:00.000-08:00

Two good things to come from having a head cold are not being able to smell the cantaloupe peels in the green bin and guiltlessly eating ice cream for dinner. And maybe lunch. I do enjoy the traditional chicken soup when I'm unwell, but for real comfort I turn to great bowls of ice cream. So there I am with a raging head cold, an ice cream moustache, and toting not a chic little tissue pouch in my bag, but a full-sized box of aloe-infused Kleenex. The other good thing about having a cold: people tend to give you a wide berth.

In any case, my cold is on the wane and I needed to do something about the state of my tissue-toting. I have not made one of these tissue pouches in years. Once upon a time they were my go-to just because gift for friends, teachers and anyone with the sniffles. It felt really good to blow the dust off the Janome and get down to business. But like I said, it's been a while, and it took me three attempts to get it straight. Be not discouraged, new sewers! Everyone has a blooper reel of projects. May I present the evidence:

Exhibit A: Faulty pattern layout and poor fabric selection. Repeat after me: Large scale prints do not work on small scale projects. Also, bad crooked sewing. Also bad crooked cutting.

Exhibit B: Same problem with the print selection. Lining choice good in theory, but not good in this design.

Exhibit C: Seams do not line up, and I punched through the stitching when I was poking the corners out. Otherwise, this is looking better:

Finally, on the fourth try, perfection:

I have put together a tutorial, if you're interested in giving these a try. I promise they will make anyone with the sniffles feel loved. Click here for the tutorial.

two Valentine ideas

2012-02-03T21:16:00.000-08:00

I thought these two ideas were perfectly lovely, and eminently do-able in the course of an hour. I don't know about you, but I just don't have a full afternoon or, heavens, an entire weekend to give over to a craft project. If I did, I would surely make this heart-shaped wreath. But after learning that it involved some 12 hours (twelve!) of cutting and assembling felt circles I decided it was best to admire from afar.

This candle, however, could not be easier. Wrap a Mason jar with a pair of paper doilies, tie with twine - embroidery floss would work nicely too - and tuck a heart-shaped cut out from a book. So much more romantic if it highlights a passage from Wuthering Heights (I have never gotten over Heathcliff) but more likely I will tear a page from a textbook that should have been thrift-shopped long ago. We are hosting a Valentine's potluck and I think six or so of these will be perfect as a centrepiece. Thanks to Creature Comforts for the idea and video tutorial.

Do you love this or do you LOVE this? Another use for that moldering Econ 101 book, and a fine project for little hands to work on. See Rebecca Cooper for the details.

So cute in a kid's room.

From the Idea Room.

kitchen sink crafting

2012-02-03T08:51:00.000-08:00

My crafting never, ever looks like it does in the magazines. It's a fairly chaotic affair with lots of running up and down the stairs for missing supplies. Despite having dedicated the largest, brightest room in the basement for play and craft we still end up at the dining table. My solution is a tray and a few small boxes. I load everything up that I think we might need, cart the supplies upstairs on a tray, plunk the tray down in the middle of the table and let them figure it out. Yesterday it was Valentine cards for the Grandmothers. I grabbed red card stock, some craft punches, ribbon remnants, floral scrapbooking embellishments, rub-on alphabet transfers, corrugated cardboard, glue and a stapler.

Stella and I worked on this design together. I love the grungy look. Here's what we did: Cut cardstock to card size (4.25" by 5.5". Score and fold the card. Cut a cardboard shape and peel off the outer layer to reveal some of the corrugated interior. We had a tag-shaped paper punch, and to that we applied the "love" with the alphabet transfers. I've had them forever (8 years!) so I was really glad to be able to use them for something. You could also use an alphabet stamp or very tidy handwriting. We used double-stick tape to attach everything to the cardboard and then stapled that to the cardstock.

Henry worked on this. The kid loves glitter and glue in equal measure. The bird is a Martha Stewart craft punch glued to a metal ring. The idea, which is explained in the interior, is to use it as a key ring charm. This card started out intended for a Grandma but in the end he decided it was better suited for his paramour across the street. He's offering this heartfelt greeting along with a week-old flower taken from a birthday bouquet headed to the green bin.

No-Sew Tutorial: Fabric Push Pins

2012-01-29T17:47:00.000-08:00

A cute & quick project for the non-crafter. Even if everything you have made until now has turned out wonky, glue-y and hopelessly homemade I promise these fabric push pins are absolutely fail-proof and will turn out perfect every time. They are rather addictive to make, and once you get going you may find it hard to stop. A set of 12, nicely packaged, would be a very sweet and cheerful teacher gift. But they are so inexpensive you may find yourself making them for everyone you know.

Materials & Supplies:
Sharp scissors
Glue gun
Fabric scraps. Solids or very small prints work best, since you're covering a tiny area. Avoid stretchy or bulky fabrics like velvets, corduroy. A basic cotton or linen is easiest to work with.
Thumb tacks Everyday tacks are OK but since you'll be at the fabric store anyway, pick up a set of Quilter's Tacks or Upholstery Tacks. They are more substantial than ordinary thumb tacks and make a nicer finished product. I was able to buy these brass tacks from Fabricland for .20 a piece. A box of Quilter's Tacks (which I prefer) is $2.30 for 24.
Covered button kit. I used size 24. Make sure you buy metal buttons. Plastic won't work - you'll see why further down. The kit comes with four buttons and the little doo-dad to apply the fabric:

STEP ONE: Remove the button shank:

This is a fussy step, but don't get frustrated. I used a small pair of jewellery pliers to wiggle the shank until it came loose, but you could use any pliers or scissors. Just be careful: the edges of the metal disc can be sharp. Don't worry if the disc becomes dented in the process; you'll smooth it out in the next step.

Printed on the back of the button kit is a circle template. You will need this to cut the right amount of fabric to cover the metal button. Cut out the template, then cut out your fabric.

Lay your fabric circle, pattern side facing down, over the opening of the button maker. Place the metal dome over the fabric and push the dome inside so the fabric is flush and flat on the bottom.

Tuck the fabric inside the button maker:

Place the flat metal disc (the one you removed the shank from earlier) on top of the fabric.

Use the blue tool from the kit to press down firmly and evenly. The idea here is to trap the tucked fabric between the two metal pieces. You'll want to make sure the disc is flat and snug with no loose fabric visible. You'll be left with a taut and perfect fabric-covered button.

Press on the bottom of the button maker to pop out your button:

Fire up your glue gun and add a daub of glue to the head of the tack. Press the tack evenly to the back of the button. Done!

Once you already own the button making kit, replacement buttons are $2 for six. I'm looking at ways to package these to make them appealingly gifty. Will post any ideas later in the week.

Nicole

Personalized Notecards Gift With Purchase

2012-01-16T18:52:00.000-08:00

Happy and lovable Valentine cards are here and ready to spread cheer through your neighbourhood and classrooms. This year brings two new lower-priced designs:

Everyone loves FREE, so don't miss out. Spend $50 on anything in the shop and receive a set of eight personalized notecards with my thanks. Choose from the Mini Moustache or Doodle Hearts designs.

To get your hands on a set, add the notecards to your cart as usual, making sure to choose your colour and personalization info, and then enter the code "valentine" at checkout. A set of eight cards will be added to your order free of charge.

Sunday Sunday

2012-01-15T15:14:00.000-08:00

Ask me last week and I'd have told you there was really nothing one could do to prepare for the long-reaching effects of a fenderbender. But after being involved in a minor collision with major inconvenience I have learned a few things. I will never, not ever again, drive my kids to school while wearing pyjama pants. I will carry a phone and a pen with me at all times. And I will not wait until the morning a house guest is due to arrive to vacuum the living room and set up the sofa bed. Because those three hours I thought I had to make banana bread and grab an armful of tulips? They were spent dealing with a squished station wagon, while my visiting sister was stranded at the airport.

But even the worst of times have their strange pleasures. While I probably won't wash down codeine with red wine in the name of hospitality again, it did make for a particularly enjoyable game of Scrabble. Pharmaceuticals, bed rest and making the late night acquaintance of Big Shrimpin' aside, I also had the time to come up with a new Valentine card design:

Oh the nerdy joy of changing an illustration's hair colour! Such fun. Even better was adding a hint of blush to the cheeks and a dash of white to the eyes to enliven the expression. Such fun, I tell you.

Now it might have been the codeine, but I found these message-and-candy pairings charming:

The images are too small to make out the text, so here's what they read:
1) "Be COOL Valentine" with a chocolate mint patty taped on.
2) "Have a BALL this Valentine's Day" with a packet of malt balls affixed.
3) "I'm CRAIS-y about you" with a pack of Craisins. (I guess you could also do this with a cute box of raisins, and change the spelling to cRAIS-y)
4) "You BLOW me away" with some Hubba Bubba.

Cute or codeine? I don't know, but my grade three is CRAIS-y for puns right now so I'm going with cute. If you would like your very own pun-tastic cards to amuse and impress your friends, they are now in the shop. Click for Boy cards or Girl cards.

the art of play

2012-01-13T17:39:00.000-08:00

You know, there is more than one way to amuse a kid. When enthusiasm for their toys gives out, it's important to have other ideas at the ready. I've been thinking about this lately as I pack up and clear out un-used toys in advance of our mini relocation. We're moving out for a few weeks while some work is done on our house, and we won't be bringing more than a few treasured favourites along. Keeping babies entertained is also a frequent topic of conversation in the shop; I find moms with babies around seven or eight months looking for "something," but most baby development toys are a variation on a theme: they're plush and colourful, they're good for teething, they usually crinkle, squeak, wriggle or jingle. They serve a good purpose, but you don't need a dozen of them. Here are some un-toy things we've enjoyed:

Babies:
Catching bubbles
Sorting and stacking Tupperware containers
Plastic bin filled with soapy water, measuring scoops, plastic toys
Reading a book with a puppet
Catching bubbles
Singing and tickling games
Wood cook spoons for drumming and hammering (a plastic container is easier on the ears than a pot)
Bedsheet "parachute" as baby sits in the middle of the bed
Music for dancing in your arms
Box of interesting things to explore and sort: feathers, cups, hats, rubber balls, spoons, small baskets and boxes.

Kindergarteners:
Laundry hamper/basket - they make excellent jails, rocketships & basketball nets
Music & dancing - one of mine loves 1950s Sha-Boom-type stuff; the other likes the Rolling Stones. Both like it when it's loud.
Sidewalk chalk; try using it on black paper too
A scavenger hunt around the yard: find a pinecone, a dandelion, something red
Sofa cushion fort
Finding sock pairs in the giant basket of mis-matched socks (they get "points" for each pair matched)
Face painting
Hide & Seek
Basic craft supplies: glue, tape, paper, feathers, pom-poms
Baking - mine love banana bread

If you have any ideas to add, please send them over and I'll add them to the post.

Glitter Pie

2012-01-09T20:30:00.000-08:00

I swear I am my own best customer. I ~~love~~, make that LOVE, getting a visit from UPS. So happy when I have new stuff to play with. Believe me when I tell you that I agonize over each and every inventory purchase, because not only do I have to pay for it all up front, I also have to warehouse it - here in my commodious 1100 square foot Toronto home. So yeah, it's sort of a big deal when something new comes in. It means I've kind of fallen in love.

My latest infatuation is Glitter Pie Art Studio In A Box. I've been eyeballing it for a while now. I love my arts 'n crafts, I love made in Canada and I love a good buy for under 30 bucks. But I didn't totally get the concept, and then I thought that maybe you wouldn't either. It is, essentially, a box of craft supplies. Groovy and awesome one-of-a-kind craft supplies (feathers, sequins, trims, fabrics, papers, glue...) picked and packed by hand by one Toronto designer/artist, but still a box of craft supplies, right? What ultimately sold me on the fabulousness of Glitter Pie were the crazy good projects demo'd by the company owner, Tiffany Pratt. I honestly can't tell if I'm buying Glitter Pie or if I'm buying Tiffany. I think both. She's so good. And how can you not love a beautiful woman who sports orange hair so convincingly? My kids went berserk for her GoGos Christmas ball decoration idea (Do you too have a carpet full of GoGos? Here's what to do with them!) and I am all over this floral wrist corsage:

Fantastic, right? Tiffany/Glitter Pie has several video tutorials, all of them great, on You Tube in addition to clips from her appearances on the Steven & Chris show. I bet she's their favourite guest. I want to invite her for my next birthday party. If you'd like a box of Glitter Pie for yourself or a crafty little person, you will find it right over here.

Thank You. Thank you very much.

2012-01-04T07:27:00.000-08:00

I came up with the idea for children's personalized notecards while pondering the holiday thank-you notes my kids need to write this week. In the past they've made their own cards from paper and sticker supplies around the house, but rather than add a project on top of a project, I figured something personalized but relatively pre-made was the way to go. Now I'm obviously biased, but I love these! Hand-drawn hearts and a crisp and cool colour palette. I'm still working on uploading the ordering page for the boy's version, but here's a sneak peek. It makes me smile:

Personalized Stationery For Girls is now in the shop. Mini moustaches to follow.nb: And here is the link to the little guy cards: Personalized Notecards for Boys.

January's Fresh Start

2012-01-02T15:33:00.000-08:00

We spent the first day of January ceremonially un-decorating the tree and packing away the baubles and tinsel for another year. While it does feel odd to see tulip pots at Loblaws when last week I was buying cedar branches and stems of bittersweet, I too like a fresh start.

My first post of the new year is a bit of trip down memory lane, all the way back to 2007 in fact, which is when artist Sarah Jane began illustrating and printing her delightful calendar series. I have spent so much attention the last two years on personalized art work that I'd almost forgotten how exceptionally lovely these prints are. I rediscovered them today during a pre-inventory exercise, which lead me to overhaul all of the product images to properly give these prints their due.

Such a fine way to honour a child's birthday.

Happy Fresh New Year.

still loving the tin pails

2011-12-03T17:40:00.000-08:00

A special order for a cherished customer, pails of cute loot for a little party.

manly gift triumph

2011-11-27T18:44:00.001-08:00

Portland General Store

There are certain people that drive me crazy when it comes to gift giving. Like Mr. H. Are dudes just generally more difficult to buy for than women? I certainly think so. Throw blankets, pottery, intriguingly scented soy candles, Etsy jewellery...entire categories are not even on the list of possibilities. Mr H. is a Major Clotheshorse. He is Felix Unger fussy when it comes to labels, fit and provenance. He has a tailor named Luigi to whom he brings a bottle of Grappa at Christmas. Mr. H has never willingly wielded a tool. Or a chef's knife. Or a camera. The lady categories are out. The usual manly gift categories are out. He doesn't really want anything. So it is up to me at every gift giving occasion to Surprise Him. It drives me crazy. Every year.

I am feeling, understandably, a little chuffed to have sorted out his gift before December 24th. No flop sweat. Here's what I came up with: a gorgeous loden green alpaca tie from Alicia Adams:

Alicia Adams Ties

And a sampler of bespoke colognes made with recipes from the 1920s. I chose Professor, for this irresistible description: "– Reminding of tweed jackets, leather, and cherry pipe tobacco. Starts off rich and dark, and eventually melds with your skin and wears like vintage wool. A perfect fall scent." I know I can't wait to smell it.

Vintage Cigar Box of Goodies by Portland General Store.

I am bookmarking this site, Schoolhouse Electric, for future gifts. Love this desk lamp:

White Christmas

2011-11-25T18:36:00.000-08:00

Source: brunchwithdarling.com via Amanda on Pinterest

I don't have a mantle, but if I did I'd like it to look like this. If you have a minute to take an inspiration break, Dottie Angel's well organized photo stream is worth a peek.

the cure for fall is winter

2011-11-17T12:56:00.001-08:00

Despite the calendar and the best efforts of the retail-industrial complex I have not felt the slightest interest in things Christmas - until today. There is nothing like a good old Canadian north wind gusting 50 kilometres an hour to shake the last of the leaves from the trees and give me a reason to wear my new fur-trimmed mittens (rabbit fur. is that awful?). Thanks to the wind making the now-naked branches of the trees shiver and my cozy if impolitic handwarmers, it is on. A little Liberace Christmas music on the iPod, a cup of London Fog at my side and I am (mostly) ready to say toodle-loo to autumn.

And so I spent the afternoon working on this festive red graphic for the shop's main page and putting together a holiday-themed newsletter, which will go out tonight. Do you subscribe to the newsletter? If not, you are missing out on a tricky 15% off code. Tricky because in the newsletter it says it's only on personalized stationery, but in fact it is on everything in the shop. The database I use is kind of a blunt instrument when it comes to promotional codes and it's either discount each product individually (in which case my hands would need supportive braces and not fur-trimmed mittens) or discount the whole shebang. I'm going for the whole shebang. So if everything sells out and my shelves are empty by November 22nd you will find me in the Cayman Islands. Because one day of winter is about all I can stand.

my chemical romance

2011-11-15T20:17:00.000-08:00

I got my driver's license in 1987, behind the wheel of my mother's flesh-toned Pontiac Phoenix. Lame ride aside, I was so enthralled with my new-found freedom that I volunteered to do any and every household errand no matter how short the distance or tedious the task. When my mother finally let me drive to the grocery store unaccompanied I was ecstatic.

I struck off for the local Food City and, as per driving school code, I began to apply the brakes three telephone poles ahead of any stop sign or signal light. As you might imagine, the flow of traffic began to slowly coagulate behind me and within minutes I was at the head of a kilometre-long traffic jam on Keele Street. I have never before or since been so glad to pull into a parking lot. But this inaugural drive was memorable for another reason: it was on this day that I discovered the cleaning products aisle. Up until this point my experience with cleaning products was limited to Pine Sol for floors, Windex for glass, Endust for polishing and Ajax for everything else. My mother was a price conscious creature of habit when it came to shopping and she stuck with what she knew. The medley of those four smells utterly defines my early childhood memories of home. I don't know why the cleaning aisle was so enticing that day. But the array of products was revelatory. I ignored most of the grocery list and filled the cart with the stuff we really needed: Brasso to polish the living room lamps, 409 spray for the bathroom (no more Ajax grit underfoot!), Drano to finally deal with that slow drain, and an expensive bottle of orange oil for the wood. Having spent a good portion of the weekly budget on non-food items, my mother was peeved. But I was hooked.

Am I alone in my fascination? I am all ears when a cleaning product commercial airs. I am that person at the CNE peppering the microfibre mop demonstrator with questions. I own a Steam Shark. I have colour-coded toothbrushes for the bathroom (grout) and kitchen (behind the oven knobs). When we make a trip to Target all I ask is for 15 minutes of alone time so that I might browse the cleaning aisle in peace. At home I clean with wild abandon. I spray and spritz and fill the air with chlorine-scented vapour. I have Talked Dirty With The Clean Of Queen. I watch You Tube videos on how to clean baseboards. I polish and wipe, disinfect and deodorize even as my lungs ache and eyes water. Sure I've tried "green" cleaning products. I do like some Method products (they make a good toilet bowl cleaner and the almond-scented wood polish is dreamy) but I've never met an eco counter-top spray or bathroom cleaner that was up to the task.

Is this all sounding impossibly housewife-y and perhaps just a little obsessive? I feel like it might be. Last week I stood in the laundry aisle comparison smelling Downy Sage and Jasmine Thrill and my standby, Fleecy, and I felt...bad. My nose hurt. Nothing smelled fresh or lovely, just obnoxiously synthetic. But unscented laundry detergent? Ugh. What's the point? Just the same, I found myself at the library checking out books on natural house cleaning. It's time I end this chemical romance.

I spent some time on the weekend testing different home-made cleaning products. As improbable as it sounds, I scrubbed the tub with half a lemon dipped in borax. Fishing lemon seeds out of the drain, I wondered if it was worth it. But it smelled wonderful and, more importantly, it did a pretty good job even if it felt strangely wasteful using a lemon for a non-food purpose. What happens when the price of citrus doubles over winter?

The basics of vinegar, baking soda and borax now mastered, I am hankering for more advanced cleaning recipes. Preferably something that incorporates essential oils. I miss aromatic cleaning. But not the sinus-clearing chemical kind. I can't say that I won't occasionally blast the grout with Scrubbing Bubbles, but for now I'm on the straight and narrow.

Holiday Card Display Ideas

2011-11-09T19:47:00.000-08:00

Our little bungalow does not have a mantel so I've never had a logical place to display Christmas or birthday cards. I usually string them along a temporary "clothesline" that spans the dining room window. It works especially well for flat photo cards that don't readily stand on their own. But this year I feel like trying something new. I came across some crackerjack non-mantel ideas:

Glass cannister from Better Homes & Gardens. I like this idea a lot. So tidy and compact.

A variation on the clothesline - check out the decorated clothespins - with gorgeous fresh garland.

Miniature clothes pins glued to an embroidery hoop by Martha. Folksy.

This dowel and ribbon idea from Country Living sounds a bit dubious to me: will a glue gun really hold the dowels in place? Will bulldog clips work? Will the whole thing be relentlessly wonky and tilted? I don't know the answers, but I like the way this looks. And I'm all for decorating the back of the front door.

At first blush, a silly notion that barely qualifies as an idea. But dropping cards into a basket (or on a lovely tray?) as they're received is appealingly simple. My kids enjoy looking at our cards and this way they're in easy reach for everyone to leaf through. Maybe this one?

So pretty! A found branch, a simple vessel. I love that candy cane card too. This won't hold a volume of cards, but a few prized cards would be lovely. Detailed instructions, if you need, over here.

Gone Fishing

2011-10-26T11:57:00.000-07:00

Taking a couple of weeks off with the family. Getting reacquainted with my camera, barefeet, seashells and no set bedtime. All great - though the last one may need some revisiting.

Ribbons & Stuff

2011-10-21T08:32:00.000-07:00

A few posts ago I mentioned I was working on some new party favour packaging ideas. Here is a peek at a board I put together and photographed this morning. I plan to have the new products updated in the shop while I am, ahem, on holiday for the next couple of weeks.

These cellophane cones really are fun to work with. Just about anything you put inside looks all glam and gifty. I threw together a hot chocolate mix (layers of chocolate powder, mini marshmallows and chocolate Chipits) so the snowflake pattern on the packaging would be more visible. But the chocolate dusted the marshmallows and I can't decide if it's appealing or shabby. I think if I were to attempt this for gift-giving, I would bag the hot cocoa mix separately and place that inside the cone.

More holiday/holiday posts to come!

Owl Cupcakes

2011-10-18T04:02:00.000-07:00

In my humble and openly anti-fondant opinion, decorated cupcakes look terrific but no one actually eats them. Adults may try to be polite and chew through a gummy layer of icing but kids will openly scrape all that hard work right off to get at the tasty bits below. Who could blame? Buttercream is the only way to go. Home-made buttercream. I shudder at the thought of store-bought icing.But look carefully at these owl cupcakes, courtesy of food blog Caramel Potatoes, and you will see something no kid (or adult) will object to: Oreo cookie tops. What a splendid idea.

I suppose, in a pinch, you could buy pre-iced cupcakes and just decorate the tops. But I find grocery store-bought cakes taste lousy too. I was liberated years ago from the rigours of baking from scratch by a chef friend who told me that there is no shame in using a box mix, so it's been Duncan Hines ever since. It's one bowl and an egg while the house fills with good baking smells and I get to wear an apron for an hour. Win-Win.

40th Birthday

2011-10-17T11:21:00.000-07:00

Mr. H finally did the decent thing and joined me in turning forty. We threw him a little party over the weekend. While I was mostly focused on planning the food and finding the lid to the martini shaker, I wanted the house to look party-ish without resorting to mylar banners declaring 40 the new 20, or Over The Hill. A quick Google search yielded a perfect idea: a photo collage:

I arranged the photos on large sheets of kraft paper, taping them into place on the back. The panels were hung as a backdrop to the food table. I left a jar of coloured chalk nearby and the kids loved writing birthday messages around the pictures. Balloons felt too young for a fellow entering his middle years, so I made a dozen tissue poofs in red and orange. They look best hung in clusters, so they were hung in groups of three throughout the living and dining rooms. Normally eight sheets of tissue per poof is sufficient, but the dollar store tissue was really thin (as you can see from the anemic poof on the left) so I ended up using 12 sheets each.

I used those non-marking 3M hooks to string some fishing line in the window and clipped more photos. I had so many great pictures left over so I randomly tucked them into mirrors and frames around the house.

A pillar candle, jumbo pine cone and white gourds made a simple centrepiece:

The red and orange scheme was inspired by this vase of branches with red berries. Even with ten kids under ten running around, no one picked the berries!I'm always too busy fixing a drink, replenishing snacks or finding a Band-Aid to take pictures during the party. And I find parties feel better than they look once they get going, so a blog-worthy shot isn't always possible. Since I was doing all the cooking, I went with food I could make ahead so I could enjoy myself too: pulled pork, home-made mac 'n cheese, corn on the cob with chipotle-chili butter and slaw with apples and raisins. But the real draw was the dessert table: cheesecake, pie, lemon squares, chocolate chip cookies, coffee cake and on the main stage a do-it-yourself ice cream sundae bar. Small bowls filled with mini marshmallows, M&Ms, crushed peanuts, hot fudge and caramel sauce and whipped cream were set out along with the ice cream. It's a ten-kilometre run day today.

Personalized placemats for the family

2011-10-11T06:28:00.000-07:00

The new placemats are proving to be a hit with more than just kids. This is a customer's order for her whole family. I don't know what has me more tickled, the mommy and daddy placemats or that dad is clearly the cook in the house. Cute!

DIY Watercolour Party

2011-10-11T03:54:00.000-07:00

I love when a kid's party feels right rather than just looks beautiful. When the age and interests of the birthday girl or boy have been taken into account, when the right amount of detail has been put forward...without crossing the line into Party Mama territory.

I came across this lovely fête and was smitten with the simplicity of the decorations and theme. How perfect for a four-year old to twirl around the living room with some friends?

How great are these ribbons wands? It looks to me like like the dowel has been drilled and the ribbon looped through that, but for a no-drill DIY option that needs only a 12" dowel (found at Canadian Tire for a dollar), a screw-eye hook and four feet of ribbon check out the tutorial from the Ribbon Wand Shop.

There are two things I love about these streamers: first, the unconventional way they're hung in simple rows across the room looks fantastic and modern; second, they've been ever so slightly coloured using a shallow bath of food colouring (and plenty of drying time). I wonder if you could also get this effect by brushing the rolled end with watercolour paint?

A pitch-perfect party favour, watercolour palettes, ends the festivities:

Party details and more pictures over at Tip Junkie.

In praise of clichés

2011-10-08T18:34:00.000-07:00

Say what you will about stylish food I prefer my fare tasty and, ideally, simple to prepare. There is something to be said for leaving the guanciale ravioli to the experts at Enoteca Sociale. With my preference for the tried and true, no one at my table is surprised to find this gorgeous soup in their bowl come fall.

Mr. H gave me a beautiful Aspinal recipe book for Christmas a few years ago. It is a lot of pressure to create a document that may very well outlive me if my daughter takes an interest in the food of her childhood. But every now and then I deem a recipe worthy of the book's handmade pages and I carefully, neatly, and always with a black roller pen, make an entry. This soup was the first one. I can't lay claim to the recipe - it's from Cinda Chavich - but I have made it so often over the years that I feel kind of proprietary about it just the same. The photo does not do the soup justice - and may well earn the scorn of food bloggers - but it was lunch and I was hungry and did not want to let my steaming bowl of soup cool while I worried about styling the photo. Do not let the humble snapshot dissuade you from making it. I promise it will be the best darn squash soup you've ever tasted. And the quickest to make too.

3 lbs squash peeled and cubed (butternut, acorn or buttercup)

1 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 large onion (I like to use Vidallia) finely chopped

1 medium Yukon Gold potato peeled and cubed

6 cups chicken stock

1/4 cup Jack Daniels

1 bay leaf + 4 sprigs fresh thyme (do not use dried)

1 Tbsp maple syrup (has to be real maple syrup or omit)

salt and white pepper

1/4 sour cream or whipping cream if serving at the holidays. I also use condensed milk on occasion.

1. In a soup pot melt the butter with the olive oil over medium heat and cook the onion, covered, until softened and transparent, about 5 to 8 minutes.

2. Stir in the squash, potato, stock, whiskey, herbs and syrup and bring to a boil over high heat.

3. Reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered until the squash is softened, 30 to 45 minutes depending on the size of the squash pieces. So cube them smallish if you're in a hurry. After 30 or so minutes pick out the thyme and bay leaf and discard.

4. Use an immersion blender or a blender and purée until very smooth. You don't want chunks.

5. Return the soup to a simmer and cook for another 10 minutes. Season to taste with white pepper and salt (though I usually find the soup stock adds enough salt). Whisk in the sour cream, whipping cream or condensed milk, or spoon a dollop onto each serving.

Painting with Klutz

2011-10-07T16:00:00.000-07:00

A Klutz shipment arrived yesterday and my kids could not wait to dive into the Face Painting kit. Neither could I, actually, because I could use some practice before I have to bring a pair of zombies to life on Halloween. My experience with face paint has not been positive. In much the same way that CityLine in the '90s made faux-finished wall treatments look great and do-able but the results at home were hideously amateurish, my face painting efforts typically end in a smudged mess that look nothing like the picture. I blame the face paint. Anything I've tried has been either greasy pencils or waxy palettes with stiff nylon bristles, neither of which produce satisfying results.

In addition to an impressive one million kits sold, which makes it the best-selling face paint kit in the universe, the Klutz kit also boasts Wolfe Brothers paint. Do you know who the Wolfe Brothers are? I didn't either so I looked them up and discovered that they are bona fide theatrical make-up and F/X artists whose products are created by artists for other artists. Hard to argue with credentials like that. I decided to give it a try. Which brings us back to this morning and a mini experiment over breakfast:

The difference in texture was immediate from the first swirl of the brush. It was creamy but blendable and dried to a powdery finish in two minutes. No greasy smears, no uneven waxy coverage. Well. Knock me over with a feather. It's the best darn face paint I've ever used. At lunch my five-year old insisted on trying it out for himself on the back of my hand:

See? So easy even a five-year old can do it. By dinner we were experts:

Klutz Face Painting Kits are available now in the shop.

Gourd-geous (but simple) fall porch fix-up

2011-10-05T03:52:00.000-07:00

I can do this! We are lucky to live in a house with a porch. It's a modest structure that would barely qualify as a porch by country house standards, but it's a favourite family spot to read sheltered from the weather and hang out while observing the goings-on of our little street. As an important part of our family life it deserves better treatment than the usual scattering of toys, newspapers and a half-dead Aster from Loblaws. Why did you die little plant? Did I not water you? Place you in the sunshine?I love design as much as the next Dwell reader, but a gardener I am not. My sister, who is, is embarrassed for me. I have offered to pay her (in BBQ and hair advice, but still) to help me but I think she prefers to feel superior when I walk the thoughtfully landscaped gardens and seasonally decorated porch of her house by the lake. "It's simple," she tells me with a wrinkled brow, unable to grasp why I continue to live with an out of control Arctic willow and two misshapen lilac bushes. My lacklustre porch remains a source of discontent. But this, this I can do! I am sure of it. I even have Kale. Perched on a stair in the plastic pot it came in...but now I know what to do with it. This fall gourds 'n kale planter idea is courtesy of a very pretty (Canadian!) blog aptly named A Pretty Life In The Suburbs. This project has the advantage of looking effortless and, I hope, is actually effortless in the making. I am on the case. Project Porch is on. Dare I promise to post a picture when all is said and done?

Halloween Cards Giveaway

2011-10-03T10:20:00.000-07:00

Canadian Parents is running a giveaway of my Halloween cards and stickers. To enter just leave a comment on their site and tell them what your kids are going to be for Halloween. Easy! Here's the contest link. Enter up to October 9th. I hope one of my customers wins!

Three Things to do with a Tortilla | Marlene's Meal Makeovers

2011-10-03T03:39:00.000-07:00

Three Things to do with a Tortilla | Marlene's Meal Makeovers

If you haven't yet met Marlene MacPherson, you really should. She's a Canadian (Ontario) mom, food lover and entrepreneur who embarked on a second career all the while living through a first, and now sadly a second, cancer diagnosis. Marlene has terrific family-friendly food ideas - I always check out the Cook Once/Produce Twice recipes - that are healthful, simple but tasty. Great ideas with a dollop of courage and a pinch of inspiration. Pumpkin mini loaves anyone?

to the bat mobile

2011-10-01T17:41:00.000-07:00

Bat mobile at The Long Thread

I'm not quite ready to deck the halls with bats and ghouls, but when I am you can bet I'm making this bat mobile. Bristol board bats are a Halloween staple of mine. I use this Martha Stewart template. I keep them from year to year (some are going on five years old now, so we make a few fresh ones every year) and we stick them to the living room window where they are spookily backlit by the inside lights, and put them on mirrors. I'm feeling this mobile, perhaps embellished with an outline of silver glitter, over the dining room table. We used to have a light there. Now there's a hole. Long story. A bat mobile would be an improvement, albeit a temporary one.

Missing: Blog Header | Reward For Safe Return

2011-09-28T14:12:00.000-07:00

I dunno where it went. I logged in and was prompted by Blogger to try the new "dynamic" view. And I did. And I liked. It made this somewhat anemic blog look full and healthy. I LOVE the ability to shuffle the deck, so to speak, with a click. Try Mosaic or Snapshot. Cool, right? But I can't find my header. If I can't sort a technological misstep in three clicks or less I tend to abandon the problem with a sigh. I hope that, like Bo Peep, if I leave it alone it will come home. But I'm not optimistic. The search shall continue...In other news I did a little photo-shoot today:

Some new party packaging is on the way. I love pink parties. As the mother of a freckly tomboy I can say that.With longing.

Halloween stuff

2011-09-27T12:39:00.000-07:00

What? Isn't it October yet?

I know I'm not living in the moment at the moment. Trying to wrap up holiday planning/ordering before we hit the beach for our annual family vacation - which could not be more inconveniently timed. But you've got to respect tradition, and we've been holidaying in November long before there was kids' school schedules or Christmas orders to consider. So throwing caution (and homework and sales) to the wind we are off for a couple of weeks at the end of October.

The problem with all this pre-planning is that I am living three weeks ahead of the rest of the world. Last week I caused panic among the soccer parents when I moved Thanksgiving up by a week. And today I discarded a winning roll-up-the-rim thingy because I thought the expiration date - October 2nd - had passed.

Slow down missy.

It's not even October and I am already moving past Halloween. So putting on the reins for a minute, the Halloween shop is open for business. New this year is a cute collection of personalized Halloween cards, including these family cards:

You might think a clear bag isn't so exciting, but there are hundreds of ways to fill and decorate these food-safe bags. You can buy the bags on their own and do your own thing, but we've come up with a cute personalized option:

Canadian Parents is running a giveaway contest featuring my Halloween cards. You'll have to visit their site the week of October 3rd to enter. Will post the link when I get it.

Happy Halloweening!

Nicole

Hot Air Balloon Costume

2011-09-26T13:13:00.000-07:00

Source: rookno17.com via Bridgette on Pinterest

This costume has it all: originality, charm and a very high do-able factor. Thanks to Rook No. 17 for the instructions.

Hot Air Balloon Costume DIY Instructions

Balloon
Basket
Ribbon
Yarn- off white, 'bumpy' yarn
Old dress with straps that you don't mind cutting up. Works best with straps that adjust.(Like overalls)
4 Brown paper lunch bags
Jacket
Scarf
Knit hat
Kids scuba mask

1) I found a 36" balloon at First Impressions Party Supplies in Monterey. (I was told this type of balloon is typically used for car lots when they want to advertise a big sale..)
Note from the Rookery: our favorite online source for specialty and big ol' knock-your-socks off balloons is "Balloon Lovers Corner".

2) I bought a basket at Michael's craft store (half off!) and cut a hole in the bottom to fit around my daughter's hips.

3) I took an old dress with straps, and hot glued the bottom of the dress to the bottom of the basket. This way, my daughter could 'wear' the basket and it would stay upright.

4) I tied yarn to the basket and fastened it to the knot at the base of the balloon to make it seem as if the rope was holding up the basket.

5) To make stripes on the balloon, I used colored ribbon & carefully double taped them from top to bottom.

6) For sandbags, I crumbled and stuffed four brown paper lunch bags each with a plastic grocery bag (so it would be light) and hung them off the four corners of the basket.

7) To give my daughter an 'aviator' look, I dressed her in a jean jacket to hide the strapped dress, added a scarf and fastened a kiddie scuba mask (that I painted black) to a knit hat.

So there you go!

Life is better with photoshop

2011-09-25T23:14:00.000-07:00

Flagrantly ignoring the apples we bought at the farmer's market Saturday, and also forgetting the dozen Cortlands bought on Friday's grocery run, we found ourselves at Albion Farms late this afternoon, inexplicably picking apples. A lot of them. It's not easy to quash the enthusiasm of city kids who encounter food growing in its natural habitat only during bi-annual trips to the local pick-your-own farm.

With more fruit than could possibly fit into the refrigerator's fresh bin, I piled apples high on a tray and plunked it in the centre of the table, hoping to spur healthful snacking while also offering something nice to look at. And then I took a picture. For no reason other than it's been a good long while since I've appreciated a non-human moment through my camera lens.

Here they are: apples au natural.

But doesn't this look much better? I fiddled around with adjustment layers > levels and added another layer to play with contrast. The higher contrast and intense colours add mood and drama to my humble photo.

This photo was my attempt to create an over-processed '70s look in the hipstamatic-style I've been admiring lately. This had many more steps but still only took about five minutes. The full tutorial is available at Photoshop Elements User.

Happy Sunday.

Insta Sleep-over Pads

2011-09-25T18:18:00.000-07:00

Source: gltc.co.uk via Bridgette on Pinterest

Take five pillowcases and stitch together. Insert pillows. Ack! How do people come up with these ingeniously simple ideas?

New, Improved Halloween Design: 50% more scary

2011-09-05T14:58:00.000-07:00

After my other Halloween designs were summarily dismissed by my 8-year old as "Cute - for a little kid", I knew I had to come with something that a Grade Three would be proud to give. I came up with this invitation design today:

Next up...something with a cat and a crooked fence.

apropos of nothing...

2011-08-12T17:39:00.000-07:00

I brake for rainbows.

Hippo Applique Onesie

2011-07-20T17:39:00.000-07:00

A little mid-summer crafting: an appliqued onesie. A dear friend had a baby a few weeks ago and, as odd as this may sound, I've been at a loss for a gift. I brought a bag of goodies to the hospital, things I knew she and her husband would appreciate but probably hadn't thought to pack (including chocolate-covered Peak Frean's, a stack of gossip magazines and some nice-smelling things for the shower) but I wanted to give something to the new guy too. It took a while but inspiration arrived in the form of a sweet nothing I overheard her whisper to her son: hungry hippo.

Welcome to the world baby.

ice cream party

2011-07-11T17:39:00.000-07:00

The kids made these crazy cute pompom ice cream cones at nursery school, and it got me thinking that an ice cream party would be a really fun (and easy and delicious and crowd pleasing) summer birthday idea. Oh those lucky July and August babies.

The invites: Print, cut out and have the birthday kid decorate ice cream cone-shaped invitations using this template:

icecream_wl[1]

Treats: We once looked into hiring an ice cream truck for our neighbourhood block party, but in the end we opted for homemade ice cream cookie sandwiches and fruity popsicles like these:

Make: Kids can make their own pompom party hats and ice cream cones. Cover a picnic table with kraft paper and place in the middle: bowls filled with different shaped pompoms, a few generous blobs of white craft glue, popsicle sticks, real ice cream cones (be sure to use the flat-bottomed variety), and plain party hats.

Play: Classic outdoor games like Capture the Flag (a ramped up version of hide & seek that's all the rage on my street this summer), a three-legged race, water balloon toss...

Grand Finale: A make-your-own sundae station will definitely be the messy highlight. Gummy candy, mini marshmallows, chocolate chips, sprinkles, chocolate sauce, bite-sized cookies. Don't expect it to look like this any place but in the mind's eye:

a batch of teacher notepads

2011-06-07T07:45:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to add a picture of finished notepads to the images section of the notepad product page, but I never seem to remember in my rush to get them wrapped and in the post. Packaging counts when it's a gift, so I took a snapshot this morning of a bunch of notepads ready to head out:

Packaged in tidy cello envelopes. Nice + Simple. Click here to jump to the product page at the shop. Three more weeks of school!

crafts for a sunny day

2011-06-06T10:57:00.000-07:00

Though the reason why now escapes me, I bought a set of fabric paint markers last year. They've sat in the cupboard for months, biding their time - as craft supplies tend to do in my house - but were finally called into action yesterday. Stella had a pair of white canvas sneakers, worn briefly the night before, and I gave Henry a long sleeve school uniform t-shirt that had a stain on the tummy. We cut the sleeves off (which were decorated separately and worn, jauntily, as arm warmers) so he could have a summer t-shirt of his own making.

I plopped a magazine inside the body of the t-shirt so the paint wouldn't bleed through to the back, and that was the end of my instructions. They were engrossed in their work for two full hours (while I weeded and read the paper).

boys in bow ties

2011-06-04T10:57:00.000-07:00

Warning: gratuitous kid picture.

I couldn't resist. We looked for a week for a kid's bow tie before finding it by accident at Sporting Life, of all places, two hours before the event. I am hunting down this company right now. Must have in shop for Christmas!

*Cara emailed me about the vest. It's from Toronto-based Patouche. I picked it up last spring at a craft show, and I'm not sure it's still available.

teacher notepad giveaway

2011-05-27T15:47:00.000-07:00

Today's Parent is hosting a honeybunch giveaway this weekend, with the chance to win one of five teacher notepads or a gift pack containing a personalized notepad and matching flat note cards.

Hop over to Today's Parent to enter by leaving a comment about your favourite childhood teacher. Winners will be announced on Tuesday, May 31. Bonne chance!

DIY party ware

2011-05-27T11:47:00.000-07:00

We once hosted a barbeque for 60 people and to avoid using disposable cups and plates I borrowed a hodge-podge of plastic cups and plates from neighbours. I spent much of the party washing cups, labeling cups with masking tape and a Sharpie, and urging guests to remember where they put down their cups so they wouldn't have to use a fresh one. I was a lot of fun that day. I now believe that when people outnumber the cups, it is OK to use disposable/recyclable. These plain white paper coffee cups have been gussied up with a slash of watered-down acrylic paint. Cute, no? And easy enough for the kids to do.

The full tutorial, with photographic step-by-step for the crafty challenged, is at Design Sponge.

Happy weekend.

interview at true cuddles

2011-05-23T15:44:00.000-07:00

Yes it's holiday Monday but there is no rest for the self-employed. Plenty of bare-faced and bleary-eyed blogging but not much actual rest. The weekend has gone by in an altogether pleasant blur of sunburned shoulders (thank you Saturday!) earned while painting some furniture outside (sorry passersby for hogging the sidewalk!) and attempting to build a sun canopy with Mr. Honeybunch. A project which ended, rather predictably, with a crushed toe (mine), hurt ego (his), some salty language (both) and a near shearing off of my nose when the roof beam collapsed millimeters from my face. We did the only sensible thing: retreated to Frank's for pizza and cold Moretti and left the canopy to stew for a day.

I can report a successful conclusion was reached this afternoon, with no further injuries (but for a torn piece of canvas trim that I had to hand-sew while standing on the top rung of the ladder). I am woman. Roar. On that empowered note, I am today's interview subject over at True Cuddles. Read it here. My daughter sprouted thirty new freckles over the weekend so the Pippi Longstocking comparison is especially apropos.

Happy Victoria Day.

15% off personalized teacher notepads

2011-05-19T15:59:00.000-07:00

As announced in today's newsletter, the lovely and always gracious personalized notepads are 15% off for the next week or so. Regularly $23, they are on for $19.50.

You may be interested to know that each notepad is made by hand in my home studio. The personalized artwork is printed out and then each pad is handcut into notepad-sized stacks and given a piece of backing board. The notepads are loaded into a press to keep the paper secure and aligned. Three layers of binding glue are painted on to the spine, with drying time between each coat. The next day, when it's good and dry, I carefully cut the pads apart using an Xacto blade, and then package them into clear cello sleeves before sending them off into the world to become the nicest grocery lists.

New: Wall Tiles

2011-05-09T11:17:00.000-07:00

I had a brief but intense flirtation with Harvey before Oscar caught my eye. And then George. But in the end Henry won my heart. Dreaming of baby names was my absolute favourite pregnancy activity. (If we're not counting double toasted bagels.) I know I'm not alone. Every baby's name is special, and the result of happy hours spent daydreaming and pondering and, probably, a little bit of negotiating too. Then one just fits. And you know you've got it right.

Brand-spanking new to the shop this week are these cutie personalized tiles. Birth Day tiles include baby's name, height and weight; Baptism tiles commemorate this special day. Both make a rather precious gift that becomes a keepsake down the road. Name tiles come in a ton of really cute designs, and would be such a lovely gift to celebrate the arrival of a sibling or moving into a big boy or girl bedroom.

The tiles are handmade in the USA by a husband and wife design team. Southern California natives Charlie and Kathleen traded in sun and surf for an East Coast community complete with Amish buggies and small town parades. The original designs are inspired by vintage fabrics, Kathleen's doodles and the pair's two young daughters. Sweet.

Now through the 19th of May the tiles are at an introductory price of $36.80. Check them out here.

New: Flat Cards

2011-05-01T13:53:00.000-07:00

As a kid I was fascinated with my mother's working life as an executive secretary. It all seemed very glamorous and terribly important. For secretaries from her generation penmanship was one of the more important subjects to master. For some reason my mother kept her spiralbound steno practice notebooks from secretarial school, and I would flip through those pale green-lined pages admiring her tidy, perfect shorthand. I still appreciate nice handwriting, especially when it arrives on a lovely notecard.

These new personalized flat card sets were made for people who enjoy the simple act of putting a nice pen to good paper.

will + kate

2011-04-29T10:53:00.000-07:00

Wasn't it sublime? The Abbey. Trees in the Abbey. The boys' choir. The sprig of sweet William in her bouquet. That dress. Especially that dress. Despite skepticism from Mr. Honeybunch I rose at 5:00 a.m. - like I said I would - and watched the entire beautiful spectacle with a box of tissue and my new favourite mug by my side. Not much work getting done today. I am still swooning.

Here's to love. Happy Friday.

easter chick crafts

2011-04-25T10:55:00.000-07:00

It's a long story, but we have a small mountain of empty egg cartons piled beside the front door. Last fall my father-in-law indulged my urban farming fantasy and went and bought ten hens, and he tends to them at his farm just outside Tottenham. Ten hens produce a lot of eggs. (Among other things.) I am sometimes a little afraid to visit my in-laws because I know we will not leave without eggs. A lot of eggs. And so we are in constant need of egg cartons, which I collect, reuse and keep in a pile by the door.

Putting together a quick Easter craft was a snap:

1. I cut out individual egg cups
2. The kids painted the egg cups (they used watercolours that were on hand but acrylic would be nice and give more vibrant colours.)
3. Once the egg cup is dry we put a few strands of shredded paper in the bottom to make a little nest. Then a dollop of white glue in the bottom of the cup and affixed a medium size pompom. Glued another pompom on top. Added a chick's beak (a diamond-shaped piece of felt, folded) or a bunny's nose and googly eyes. We added mini pompoms for cheeks as well.

Once everything dried, we placed our bunnies and chicks into small cello bags filled with yellow shred and a handful of Hershey Kisses. We set them around the table at each place setting. But they turned out so cute that next year I'd like to make them for school as well. Goodness knows we have enough egg cartons on hand.

The Easter bunny carrot garden was fun for my 8-year old to make. Full instructions are here, but in a nutshell paint the egg carton, make the pompom bunnies and 6 adorable "carrots" using pipecleaners and orange beads.

Happy Easter.

music for a snowy day

2011-03-23T15:08:00.000-07:00

When you work at home and, as I do, mostly alone, music is an important part of the day. Music covers up the sound of me talking to myself out loud while it also sets the tone for the task at hand. I have playlists for different moods and jobs. Paperwork, my nemesis, requires something optimistic and toe-tapping to keep me from unravelling during my most loathed chore, while beat-the-clock packing sessions need something with a high BPM.

I'm always kind of giddy when I discover a new artist. Last night I was at Jeff Tweedy's acoustic show - my swoony-swoon-swoon dream concert - which was made all the more perfect by an opening act I'd never before heard of, Snowblink. It was just two people occupying a small piece of a big stage lit only by a few lanterns and a dim downlight. It was hypnotic and beautiful - both the music and the set. Perfect music for a snowy day. Filled with tax preparations.

Take a listen.

Aden + Anais: Swaddle Tutorial

2011-03-21T11:54:00.000-07:00

The lovely and amazing Aden + Anais Swaddle Blankets are back in the shop. Joining the three best-selling prints, Princess Posie, Jungle Jam, and Prince Charming, is my new favourite, Mela. Included in the 3-pack is a gorgeous wispy peacock feather print that is so sophisticated and yet unexpectedly apropos for a baby. Love!

It always feels like spring to me when the baby shower gift orders start flowing. When a customer asks for a gift recommendation I turn to Aden + Anais. Why? Because without advertising and without editorial coverage these blankets became a favourite of parents pretty much just through word of mouth. These blankets are that useful and that nice. In fact, I found that parents who receive Aden + Anais blankets often come back to buy a pack to give to someone else. Now that's a happy customer.

If you're still wondering what makes them so useful, it really comes down to ~~two~~ five things:

1. Each wrap is 47" by 47", so they're even bigger than the flannel blankets hospitals use to swaddle babies. The large size is key to getting a snug swaddle that won't unravel when baby moves.

2. They are big enough to use to cover a stroller on a breezy or sunny day and big enough to use as a light and simple nursing cover.

3. Muslin is light and airy. Parents like it and babies like it. It gets softer with washing and is really durable.

4. Packs of four are unexpectedly useful: Keep one as a swaddle wrap, one in the diaper bag, one in the laundry and one as a nursing cover or burp cloth.

5. Even when you're swaddling days are over you will still use your Aden + Anais blanket.

Whew. That was an unexpectedly lengthy and effusive introduction. Back to swaddling. Here's how you take care of business:

Step 1

Lay your swaddle wrap in a diamond shape and fold the top corner down to form a triangle. Place your baby in the centre of the fold with his or her head just above the fold of the swaddle blanket. Make sure your baby's shoulders are below the fold.

Step 2

Place your baby's right arm, slightly bent at the elbow, flat against his or her body. Take the LEFT side of the swaddle blanket and bring it across baby's chest. Ensure the arm is securely under the fabric. Tuck the edge of the swaddle under baby's body. This ensures a snug swaddle that won't come loose when baby moves.

Step 3

Fold the BOTTOM point of the swaddle up and over baby's feet.

Step 4

Finally, place baby's left arm, slightly bent at the elbow, against his or her body. Take the RIGHT side of the swaddle and bring it across baby's chest. Tuck the excess fabric underneath baby to secure the swaddle.

Sweet dreams!

30 Day Twitter Challenge: Day One Continued

2011-03-02T13:19:00.000-08:00

Hallelujah the hashtag is explained. But first, when did the # symbol get renamed? Does the fact that I had no idea the symbol-formerly-known-as-pound is now called a hashtag mean I am hopelessly behind the times? In any case, I learned that the hashtag is a way to tag Twitter topics, thus making it easier to track, search and organize topics of interest. However. How to actually make use of a hashtag remains a mystery. Apparently if I were, say, a frequenter of after-parties the use of the hashtag would be crystal clear. It's all too advanced for me and I am regretting jumping ahead to the hashtag portion of the tutorial.

I humbly retreat.

30 Day Twitter Challenge: Day One Unfolds

2011-03-02T05:57:00.000-08:00

The Twitter Pledge is on: I am giving Twitter 30 days to prove itself or I will dump it forever with a clear conscience.

Signing up for an account was a snap, though I always freeze when it comes to creating an online user name. Everything I come up with sounds lame or earnest or literal. Like honeybunchsays. But I have no time to ponder the consequences right now, so honeybunchsays it is. I can go back and make a change later.

Onward and upward. Now to find some folks to follow. Under the interest tab of "Family" Twitterers I quickly found a dozen people to add. Within an hour my new homepage (called a Timeline in Twitter-speak) was populated with, um, posts:

coolmompicks says "thanks so much @designfiles! We're still getting used to it."
pioneerwoman says "me want cookies."
momfinds says "found the most awesome baby gift - I want one"

So the first one had me confused. This is why I don't like online forums: catching up with a thread of someone else's conversation is frustrating and feels faintly voyeuristic. The second post validates my fear of time suckage. The third one piqued my curiosity, so I bit and followed the link. But it took me to Cool Mom's website and I felt a little defrauded. You mean you found not just an awesome baby gift but "the most awesome baby gift" on your own website? Chuh.

Day One Twitter Report Card:
For ease of use and general site organization I give Twitter a B+. Twitterers? D

Mom Inc. in today's Toronto Star

2011-03-01T06:25:00.000-08:00

But what I really mean to say is my kids are in the paper! Check it out: the business section of today's Star has a lengthy feature on Mom Inc., the book and mom inc., the phenomenon. Vanessa Lu, a business reporter from The Star got in touch last week on the heels of the book launch. At the end of our conversation Thursday afternoon she asked if I'd mind being photographed for the story. Mind? I am never, never ever, photo-ready. I am always in between haircuts, always trying to lose 15 pounds, and always sporting down-to-the-quick nails thanks to days spent handling paper and box cartons. So truthfully I do mind having my picture taken, but I said yes because when you are running your own business these are the opportunities that you are equally afraid to accept and to refuse.

So here we were at 4:00 on Friday afternoon. Can you imagine a worse time for a photographer to arrive? The kids usually get home around ten to four, completely shagged out, starving, noses running and normally one of them is nursing a scuffed knee. That I turned it all around in ten minutes and have everyone looking peaceful and pulled together is, truly, my proudest accomplishment right now. I am Mom Inc.

It occurs to me that this confession is not the typical response of someone who is featured in the day's business section. Perhaps I'm meant to say something business-y or boosterish about honeybunch. Don't care. My kids are in the paper. I don't have a double chin. I'm good.

Monday

2011-02-28T11:43:00.000-08:00

Did you watch last night?

I did - the whole shebang - and as a result I am nursing a mild Oscar hangover today. Ever since I made peace with the fact that I really do need nine full hours of sleep, I retire at the embarrassing hour of 10:00. Staying up until midnight (because of a Post-Oscar snack of Nutella on Graham crackers that I regret doubly now that I see it in print) has knocked my circadian rhythm off its axis and I am not quite myself today. I know this not because I admitted to eating Nutella at ten to midnight, but because I find myself overcome with a need to understand Twitter. The thing that I mocked, then dismissed and then ignored is suddenly consuming my thoughts. Do I need Twitter in my life? Am I missing out? In the same way that my mother denied the existence of email until two years ago, preferring instead to call her daughters daily, I wonder if I am letting technology pass me by. To be fair to Twitter I never took the time to really understand it before categorically writing it off in a huff. I'm not sure - no where near sure - that it's something I will find relevant or fun or profitable or useful to my business or whatever other riches it's supposed to bear, but I think I am going to take a little peek. Just a little one. If my 68-year old mom can learn to Yahoo (and love it) then maybe I can learn to Twitter. I promise, however, that I will never say Tweet.

Superhero Party

2011-02-25T08:28:00.000-08:00

Calling all superfriends.

My fella turns five at the end of March. It’s been difficult to button down a party theme (dinosaurs! racing! reptilia!) but in the end the Superhero won out. Usually we do parties at home and I spend two weeks leading up to the day giddy with enthusiasm and two days post-party fishing hot dogs out from under the couch and sipping Eno. As much as I love homespun parties, I believe that a birthday party should reflect the birthday kid and I knew that musical chairs and a puppet show wouldn't rock this kid's world. So the party is at a local indoor playground where he can run around like a goofball and enjoy unrestricted access to Cheezies. Despite the location, or maybe in spite of it, I see no reason to not have a themed party and I am determined to give this bash a few homemade touches.

Here’s my inspiration board:

Superhero Party Invitation at honeybunch
Bif! Pow! at Craftpad
Mask Template free printable from Ambrosia Girl
Superhero Party Sticker at honeybunch
Robin Poster at Design Modo
Superhero Cupcake Picks at Dash is Little
Superhero Capes project from Cookie Magazine

Decisions, decisions. I will attempt to strike a balance between my crafting instincts do to it up right and the reality that much of the effort will be lost on five-year olds who really only care about the jumpy castle, presents and the free-for-all Cheezies. Stay tuned.

Mom Inc. Book Launch Party Tonight

2011-02-24T13:35:00.000-08:00

Tonight I'll be at Revival on College St. for the launch of Mom Inc., a how-to book for Canadian women interested in launching or growing a small business. The book is authored by Amy Ballon and Danielle Botterell who also happen to be successful entrepreneurs, having run their company, Admiral Road, since 2002. The Mom Inc. companion site is up and running and anyone in the beginning stages of business planning will find an absolute wealth of start-up information on such essentials as marketing plans, PR kits, and my favourite, financial statements. I was delighted to be one of the people interviewed in the book (though not for my financial prowess) and I can't wait to get my copy signed tonight. Yay mompreneurs.

Pattern Blocks: Loving A Classic

2011-02-08T11:46:00.000-08:00

By virtue of being sick for four days and in need of the kind of cheering up that can only come from a new toy, my soon-to-be five year old son came into a Hot Wheels Octo Blaster thing last week. He'd seen the commercials on television - you know, the ones filmed in slow motion so every choreographed crash is drawn out over five seconds. It really did give my heart a lift to see him so grateful and excited, though I knew that the box would be the most exciting thing about this toy. It was almost a foregone conclusion that the tentacle arms didn't shoot out blasts of water as promised, or that the colour shifting properties required a bath in water hot enough to make a cup of tea followed by a dip in a tank filled with water chilled with six Freezies. Within fifteen minutes the kitchen floor and his pyjamas were soaked and he'd wandered off to the living room...with the empty cardboard box.

Oh Octo Blast. I know your type. All flash and no substance. A classic TV toy. All your money spent on a big self-promoting commercial and none put into actually making yourself fun. Sigh. My kids have heard the rant before but until they experience firsthand the disappointment of a TV toy, they won't believe. So while I'd like to spare them the grief of a birthday wish wasted I know that I can't, not totally. Life is funny like that. What I can do is shine a light on toys that are actually interesting and fun to play with - toys that don't have their own TV commercials, catchy jingles and licensed pyjama deals - and bring some deserved attention to these laidback heroes of the playroom.

Let's take a look at Melissa & Doug's Animal Pattern Blocks, shall we? I love toys that work for different ages, so even if the box says ages three and up a five, six or seven year old could still play with it. Pattern blocks are an elementary teacher staple. The geometric shapes make them a perfect fit for primary math curriculum, but pre-kindergarten kids will also find them absorbing and satisfying. Some of the skills practiced through playing with pattern blocks:

experience how shapes work together and create new shapes
increase pattern recognition
practice shape recognition
master color recognition
learn beginning math concepts
practice creativity and problem solving - it takes some dexterity to place the tiles without disturbing other tiles, and also to determine which shape is needed to complete the scene.

The Melissa & Doug Animal Pattern Blocks set is nicely packaged and priced at $19.99. It comes with five double-sided animal scenes and 47 multi-shaped pattern blocks. It has an age rating of 3 years+. As a parent, I'd say this set could go easily to age five and maybe up to six before it becomes too easy or the animal patterns too juvenile.

There are some terrific alternative play ideas for Pattern Blocks here, from simple colour grouping and shape sorting for young kids to free-play ideas for older kids.

Pattern Block Templates:
If you already own pattern blocks and need some new patterns to play with, try Pattern Blocks Downloads. They have a bunch of free geometric templates, if your child is ready for a more challenging design.

Valentines Arrive

2011-01-18T19:22:00.000-08:00

Personalized Valentines and Stickers are here. You design them and we (with some help from Cupid) print and ship them same day. We love the sweet, happy illustrations that you personalize to resemble your honeybun by choosing the hair colour and style, skin tone, and eye colour and shape. Add a heartfelt greeting and you're all set to make hearts aflutter on February 14th. Stickers are a sweet finishing touch to goodie bags and envelopes.

so so simple

2011-01-05T17:38:00.000-08:00

After comparing party notes with a couple of other parents of January babies today, I thought I'd share pictures of a quick, easy and cheap (and what could be better than that?) decorating idea from my daughter's party a few weeks ago. Paper lanterns are a favourite of mine; they never fail to perk up a party - indoors or out - and if you're careful folding them they can be reused any number of times. So here we have one of several groupings we hung around the house. I tied satin ribbon in different colours and and lengths to the bottom of the lanterns to give them more oomph, but they would also look pretty fab interspersed with those big Martha Stewart tissue pom-poms - tutorial here. I've never used the floral wire Martha suggests when I've made them. They've turned out fine with embroidery floss, thread and fine gauge beading wire.

Happy Wednesday

quick crafts: things to do in under an hour

2010-12-19T15:31:00.000-08:00

My sister emailed me today with pictures of her and my niece's Sunday morning activity, which demonstrates there is no end to the non-ice cream things you can do with an ice cream cone. Cone robots, cone trees, cone snowmen...And I love that the dregs of the Halloween candy will come to a useful end.

A Surprise Ball is a fun homemade option to those obscenely overpriced Christmas crackers. You'll find good tutorials at Speckled Egg and at Not Martha, but essentially all you need is a roll or two of crepe paper streamers and a bunch of small and/or flat trinkets to roll up inside the layers of crepe. Think stickers, photos, tattoos, charms, candy...

I actually have hundreds - literally hundreds - of these glass votive holders (leftover from my wedding) so I am always interested in votive-related crafts. These pretty branch and pine cone votives are described at Garden Mama. A kid-friendly votive project involving white craft glue and coloured rock sugar sprinkles is over here.

free shipping weekend & 20% off manhattan toy

2010-12-08T19:54:00.000-08:00

Pulling out the big guns this weekend with an unprecedented double offer: free shipping and 20% off everything Manhattan Toy. Save! And wrap it up.

the excitement is building

2010-12-07T20:29:00.000-08:00

Here it is December 7 and we do not yet have a tree. My children are incensed. And I am fighting a swell of resentment at the notion of having to be "done". It's December 7th! My commitment to slow living is being seriously tested. I went to Sheridan Nurseries today for some cedar roping and was aghast at the emptiness of it. Clearly I missed the email that we were supposed to be all decked out by now. One bonus: everything was 25% off - if a little brown around the edges, but what the heck. So with cedar roping now in place, a holiday urn at the doorstep and a stack of Christmas cards that I'm pretty sure will get mailed this year, Christmas is underway, but it doesn't feel official until the tree works its magic in the living room. We have plans to visit the tree farm in Hockley Valley on Sunday. I have promised that it will be worth the wait - especially if we have to wade waist-deep in snow to find the perfect tree. Wasn't yesterday's snow so great? We have managed to get Santa letters written, but not actually mailed. I find it impossible to part with those little handwritten notes. I have kept every letter (along with notes to the tooth fairy and a bunch of weird little baby teeth) at the terrible risk of my daughter one day coming across the stash and discovering that her entreaties never made it out of my nightstand let alone to the North Pole.

Almost as much fun as getting a letter from Santa, the Portable North Pole personalized video is back this year with new backgrounds to foil older kids. You'll need a digital photo of your kid and about 10 minutes to plug in all the info. Fun.

Christmas!

making a list

2010-12-03T05:55:00.000-08:00

The December issue of Martha Stewart magazine has been on my coffee table for at least three weeks already - and it's full of lovely ideas, naturally - but I was most eager to find and download the free Gift List template promoted inside. I no longer trust my mental filing system, so something like this is a huge help to me.
But if, like me, you tried to find the template online you were foiled until December 1st, when it was finally available online. Download it here as a very useful and nicely organized Excel spreadsheet. There are columns that keep track of everyone on your list and gives you a running tally of expenses. Nifty!

a welcome light

2010-12-02T15:33:00.000-08:00

Love this!

For a couple of years I've been a supporter of Kiva, a micro-financing non-profit that connects lenders with borrowers in developing countries. It's been such an interesting experience reading the applicant profiles and checking in every couple of months to see how their business plans are progressing. I get a little thrill when my email rings with news of a Kiva repayment. Hooray for small business!

Along the same good lines of Kiva but more gifty, Prosperity Candles are handmade by women entrepreneurs living in distressed countries around the world. The woman pictured here is a widow from Baghdad who is rebuilding her life and supporting her children through this enterprise. It's a really inspiring organization - you should definitely check them out. And then buy some pretty candles! At $25 a piece they're perfectly priced for teacher and hostess gifts. They're made from soy-based wax with a clean burning cotton wick, so there's thought put into quality too. I love that this is a gift that gives twice: once to the recipient and once to the maker. Happy Hols.

The Return of Little Twig

2010-11-18T19:19:00.000-08:00

I'm so glad to be back in stock in Little Twig. Well almost back in stock - the shipment left sunny California today and I should have it in a week or so. I became a LT fan three years ago when the paraben boogey man arrived and I started scrutinizing shampoo and baby wash labels a little more closely. Little Twig's wholesome bath products smell nice and delivered the goods: hair is left shiny, bubbles are bubbly, and my eczema-prone daughter remained itch-free. I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but generally the things in my shop are there because I've used them - and liked them - before I stock them in the shop. I think that is an important distinction.

But then our dollar went south and the price of Twig, which was already premium, reached Holt Renfrew cosmetic counter levels. Thinking about the cost of every capful kind of takes the fun out of bath time. I stopped stocking it for a time, and tried, without much success, to find something wholesome at Shoppers Drug Mart to use at home.

But with the loonie somewhere near parity and new lower prices from Little Twig, I am delighted to have this superb line of shampoo, wash and bath bubbles back in stock. Yay.

haunting the house

2010-10-30T18:57:00.000-07:00

Despite Stella's complaints that our house isn't scary enough, I like it just fine.

Is organization overrated?

2010-09-21T12:02:00.000-07:00

If I haven't already introduced you to the lovely home of Oh My! Handmade Goodness, I hope you will excuse my tardiness. OMHG is an online community for and about independent children's retailers, parents and makers of handcrafted goods. It launched earlier this year in Chicago and I was approached to be a contributor by then-editor (and one of my favourite people) and graphic designer Sara Tams. Oh My is now based in Canada - Halifax to be exact - which means there is a growing amount of quality Can-Con related to running a small business.

As evidenced from the header above (which I suspect is from July or August but most certainly is not from September) I am a lackadaisical blogger. Don't get me wrong: I like the idea of blogging but I like the idea of a quality posts more and I find the effort required to think, write, format, proof and post daily a most daunting task. Which is why I am quite happy to be a monthly contributor over at Oh My. I can manage 500 coherent words a month. I skipped August due to summer malaise. What's a lazy blogger to do? Repost! Write once, publish twice. This month the editor of Oh My, Jessika, asked the monthly contribs for tips and thoughts on how we work-from-home folks organize our lives and spaces. Oh dear, I immediately thought. I wouldn't go as far to say it's a nightmare on par with, say, posing for the camera in a two-piece bathing suit. But it's close. It's close. Read on and you'll understand. The original post, Is organization overrated?, ran yesterday at Oh My Handmade Goodness. Here's the repost:

(photo credit http://sewingstars.typepad.com/puppylove/minioptimus/)

Full disclosure: on the subject of time management and organization I am in no way qualified to offer advice. My business GST/HST is generally filed on the last minute of the last day it’s due. I routinely chase my kids down the street waving permission slips or mittens or lunch. And I waste an unforgivable amount of time looking for files, receipts and vendor catalogues – things that I need daily to run my business. I realized how chronic the situation was earlier this year when I lost a library copy of Eliminate Chaos: The 10 Step Process to Organize Your Home And Life (the best organizing book I’ve ever read, ironically) and had to pay $24.95 for a well-thumbed paperback that to this day has not surfaced. What can I say? Disorganization is in my DNA. Procrastination is my natural state. I’ve been that way since I was a daydreaming-missed-the-bus kid and I don’t think it’s going to change even though I now run a business, a house and a family.

Like those people who love to watch the Food Network but who don’t actually cook I have an attraction to the trappings of an orderly and well-managed life. I would rather shop for daytimers, calendars, digital tools, notebooks, pretty to-do list pads, lovely pens, bunny-shaped paper clips, and Rubbermaid bins than shoes. Indeed I have bought it all. Some stuff worked but most didn’t. I have reluctantly come to accept that my desire to run a smooth operation is just one more thing that I kind of admire but have no real intention of mastering. Like baking my own bread or figuring out Quick Books. My methods may not be business school-approved but I do manage to get things done in my own way. I’ve never analyzed it (indeed, writing this post is as much analysis as I’ve ever given it) but I suppose I could boil my approach down to one central business practice and one guiding principle. I find that as long as I keep these two things front of mind then I am taking care of business.

1. A Map Is All I Need: The Essential Marketing Calendar
As a retail business owner I have to plan ahead three to six months. This means buying, advertising, editorial, budgets and sales forecasts. It is no good to sit down with a cup of hot chocolate and notepad as the first snow flies and contemplate how I am going to drum up holiday business. Neither should I order sand pails and watering cans in June. My calendar follows a traditional quarterly schedule, so it is straightforward for me to plan what products I need to have and when I need to have them. From there it’s simple to plot out events, newsletter themes, advertising plans and editorial pushes for the quarter and then the year. Your business might be dictated by a key trade show, wholesale buying season or some other factor, but the point is, a marketing calendar is a good discipline for keeping the big picture in mind. My calendar forces me to spend time working “on” my business ( planning, strategizing, analysis) when much of my day is spent working “in” my business (answering emails, phone calls, shipping orders, updating the website).

2. Right now, am I doing what I should be doing?
My seven-year old daughter will finish breakfast, wander down to her room to get dressed for school and while navigating those 30 or so steps she might stop in front of a mirror and make silly faces at herself. Which leads to the discovery of a loose tooth. Which prompts her to make sure there are no apples in her lunchbox. And while unpacking her lunch she discovers there is butter on the sandwich bread and she didn’t want butter today. Oh, and can she bring popcorn to share with the class? And now ten minutes have passed and she is no closer to getting dressed. I occasionally get sucked into her digressions, but I will try catch myself and ask “Stella, is this what you should be doing right now?” It’s usually enough to get her back to the task at hand. Working from home can be incredibly distracting and with precious few quiet hours during the school day I need to frequently check in with myself by asking “Is this what I should be doing?” It forces me to be mindful and purposeful with my time.

And that’s it folks. I roll with the punches. I get stuff done some days and next to nothing on others. Since making the decision to close my brick and mortar shop to focus on the online business, I’ve greeted each day with fresh coffee, my laptop and a good dose of gratitude that I am able to choose how I spend my day. It’s pretty great, but messy.

Owl Party

2010-09-14T19:18:00.000-07:00

Say what you will about the everywhereness of owls - I still think they're tops. I'm not alone in my appreciation for wide-eyed owlets: a customer planning an owl-themed party for her daughter's fourth birthday got me thinking...and looking. You can find owlish things in any colour to suit your fancy or time of year. The autumn colour scheme shown here is especially nice for fall birthday parties.

Of course the birthday boy-or-girl will want to greet guests in full owl costume. Directions to make the adorable headdress are at Parenting; and there is a pretty fantastic owl cape to be made over at TLC.

I've never met a kid who eats fondant, so enjoy the inspiration shot but save the fancy cakes for adults (who probably won't eat fondant either, but at least they won't take a lick and abandon their cupcake in your sofa cushions) and try your hand at the show-stopping chocolate cupcakes that feature the oh-so-good combination of buttercream icing and Oreo cookie halves (for eyes). Directions at Ezra Poundcake.

Handmade felt pencil toppers from Whimsy Love do double duty as cupcake toppers. Make them ahead or set up a craft table with pre-cut the felt - or use paper - shapes, glue and fabric paint pens. Paper bag crafts are another craftivity idea. Paper bag owl puppet instructions from DLTK's.

Clear cello envelope bags could be filled with candy or other small treats. This candy corn-filled one features layers of punched shapes (full instructions at 2stampis2b.com) but if you didn't have access to all of the various punches and papers, I think you could also colour copy a, cute owl onto basic cardstock and cut it out. Martha Stewart's standing owl treat boxes are wonderful, but they used "egg-shaped pressed paper boxes" and three colours of crepe paper and are, therefore, not for the craft faint of heart.

Ahoy! Pirate Party

2010-08-20T11:34:00.000-07:00

Henry, like some other four-year olds I've known, is lately besotted with pirates. I couldn't say for certain, but I think it started with a screening of Hook a few weeks ago. If you can get past Robin Williams as a defeated, amnesiac and middle-aged Peter Pan, Dustin Hoffman's turn as Captain James Hook really is quite exciting. Don't get me started on Julia Roberts as Tinkerbell. Oh Hollywood. So back to parties. Pirate parties. Henry's little summer camp did a terrific job with this week's theme of Treasure Island and I thought some of their ideas would easily work for a birthday party. Avast ye little mateys! Time to board the good ship Bearded Squid as we sail the high seas in search of treasure. (Get your own pirate ship name here.)

Top: Pirate Ship, Pirate, Pirate table

Bottom: Cupcake, Mask, Treasures

Get everyone in the pirate spirit with costumes and props. Kids were given black bandanas that had been stamped with pirate-themed designs (skulls, swords, treasure chests) using white fabric paint. The bandanas can be tied around heads, necks or wrists. Use cheap-o black broadcloth (or a remnant) and be sure to trim with pinking shears to prevent fraying. The triangle-shaped bandanas to fit 3 to 8 year olds measures 33" along one edge and 22" along the other two. Eye patches, cardboard swords, tattoos or face-painting cool moustaches are other ideas.

Activities. I always like having a craft table on the go. It's a good place for guests to gather and keep busy while you're waiting for others to arrive. If things get cuckoo, as they sometimes do at these things, a craft table is a good way to focus and bring the energy back down. It could be as simple as pirate colouring pages that you print out and have a bucket or two of markers, crayons and glitter pens at the ready. Or something more involved like the painted pirate masks mounted on a stick, and which the kids decorated using glitter glue pens and stick-on jewels. Little kids might enjoy making a hidden treasure bottle using an empty water bottle filled with sand. They can add glitter and jewels or secret messages before sealing the lid.

Main Event. Bake or simply decorate pre-made buried treasure cupcakes. After the batter is poured, add a Smartie or M&M to the top of each; the candy will sink and kind of melt as it bakes, making "hidden treasure". Kids can mix their own small bowls of frosting to get the right colour. Or, have candy and licorice on hand to make something like this Betty Crocker special:

If there is cake too, have some cello or small boxes on hand so guests can bring their cupcake home to eat. It all becomes part of the loot bag in the end!

Part Two: What pirate party would be complete without a treasure hunt? Gold coins, mardi gras bead necklaces, chocolates, and other small treasures can be found using written clues for older kids, or, like they did at summer camp, using coloured paper footprints to create a trail.

Flag Day

2010-07-21T11:56:00.000-07:00

One thing leads to another...a mission for a strawberry rhubarb pie from the farmer's market lead to a chance encounter with the local MP, who was handing out miniature Canada flags. I should have asked for two, but I was lugging a pair of cantaloupes and a dozen ears of corn on one arm while holding the pie aloft. It was hot. I wanted to go home. Henry claimed the flag for his room and Stella sulked, briefly, before deciding to outdo him and create a personal United Nations of paper flags. Using kebab skewers, scrap paper, tape and crayons, she made flags of countries we've visited and flags of the grandparents' places of birth. Pretty clever I thought.

It kept her busy for a good hour while I put the kebab sticks to another use: threading veggie and chicken skewers for the barbeque. I was completely taken with August's Martha. It's hit and miss for me with that magazine, but I thought this issue was great. I made the chimichurri recipe - which called for just 5 or 6 ingredients, all of which I had on hand, miraculously. Chimichurri is as good a reason as any to give the herb pot a much-needed trim, and it elevated simple kebabs into something finger-licking good and guest-worthy.

This could very well be some sort of copyright infringement, but the recipe is too good not to share and I cannot find it on the MS website. So with accreditation but no link here is the chimichurri recipe from the August 2010 issue of Martha Stewart:

Whisk together chopped:

1/2 cup parsley (Martha calls for flat leaf, but I used curly)

1/2 cup fresh oregano

2 minced garlic cloves

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

2 tsp fresh lemon juice

3/4 tsp coarse salt

Drizzle over kebabs. Bon appetit.

All Aflutter: Butterfly Crafts!

2010-07-12T20:47:00.000-07:00

It's butterfly season 'round here. Fluttery, plentiful and definitely not shy black and orange butterflies have been gracing our garden for the last week, delighting us by landing - ever so briefly - on a shoulder or tabletop or a book. I've never understood why I have a mortal fear of moths but butterflies make me smile.

We are a crafty family. Not everything turns out photo perfect. Not every project is worth sharing. I've learned that it's the process of creating and crafting, together and independently, that counts far more than the actual thing that's created. I don't mind white glue on the dining table or watercolours on clothes and hands. I don't worry too much if I don't have it all down pat. We make do and substitute. I do keep a basket of crafty basics at the ready so we are prepared to make stuff when the mood hits. To non-crafters it all seems a bit much, I suspect, but if you're wondering what's in our craft cupboard these are my must-haves:

white glue
tape (regular translucent, masking, packing)
paint brushes (cheap, abundant, all sizes, bristle and foam)
pompoms
google eyes
pipe cleaners
paper (construction, scrapbook/patterned, plain white copy paper)
wood clothes pins
watercolour palette

On that note, a round-up of butterfly-themed crafts for you to enjoy.

The classic paper coffee filter, three ways:

1. This coffee filter butterfly project uses mere three supplies (watercolours, a pipecleaner and coffee filter) and can be done by preschoolers on up:

2. Same basic idea, but using painted clothespins and crowd-pleasing googly eyes:

3. No paint? No problem. Markers work just fine too:

Everyone loves handprint crafts:

Wonderful felt butterfly mobile would be a good craft for two or three to work on together. You'll find a great tutorial (and printable butterfly template) here. The project will work with heavy paper if felt isn't on hand:

A simple hand-sewing project with lots of possibilities. The tutorial specifies a safety pin or brooch pin, but I immediately thought magnet, hair clip or head band. If sewing the buttons is too advanced for younger crafters, glue would be OK too. Cute tied to a gift.

Wondertime (how I miss you!) has a nice little activity/craft that lets kids drink like a butterfly. Henry tickled my funny bone when he came home from preschool one day telling me all about the butterfly's proboscis and how they use it to sip from flowers. Printable butterfly colouring pages are simple and fun.

For parties, Martha has this butterfly-themed loot bag tutorial. If you can't find the little butterflies, a commenter wisely suggested printing and cutting out butterfly images as an alternative.

Keeping Company

2010-07-07T12:29:00.000-07:00

Is it really only Wednesday? The first full week of summer holidays and we have been busy making hay while the sun shines and the humidex is 42 degrees. 42! Oh Toronto, you can be so hard to love. With the asphalt in the driveway softening beneath our feet I was sure tennis camp would be canceled, but the Russian matron who runs the program informed me (I swear with a hint of mockery) that tennis players - even seven-year old ones - are a tough breed. Camp is on. Which is good for us because I've discovered that the key to keeping my lot happy is to always be busy and, ideally, to have other kids around. In addition to morning tennis camp we've mixed it up with neighbourhood kids, school chums and family friends, chez nous, because we have a pool. A huge turquoise 1970s rectangle that has absolutely no redeeming aesthetic quality. Nothing. Zip. Zero. It's hopelessly out of scale with the yard. It's perilously close to the house one one side and you have to do an awkward sidestep lest you take an unintended dip while carrying a tray of barbeque fixings. Ahem. I admit that I have a love-hate relationship with my big blue rectangle - except when it is 42 degrees outside - and then it's the best pool. Ever. And thus with a trail of wet footprints on the floor, a succession of wet bottoms on dining room chairs and endless rounds of Freezie tube snipping, I have been running a small, noisy and highly unprofitable day camp for the past week. But everyone tumbles into bed with warm skin and wild hair smelling of chlorine and sunshine and I wouldn't have life any other way.

Teri, of KuKuNest and Giddy Giddy, has written a lovely family mission statement centred on seeing the world together. It's wonderful food for thought, even if travelling to the far reaches of the world isn't on your agenda. I especially liked this thought:

"Throughout the year we remind ourselves and our girls that we are saving up for our next family adventure. Things like newer cars, home remodels, newer appliances, shiny toys, etc all take a back seat to the more enduring family memories that we forge yearly."

In that spirit, I declare a truce on homely swimming pools, vinyl kitchen floors and worn-out dining room chairs. Happy summer.

Food: Making Lemonade

2010-07-03T09:57:00.000-07:00

When you've got an unruly and persistent patch of mint in the garden and it is also melt-the-asphalt hot outside, there is really only thing to do: make a pitcher of Arnold Palmers. Preferably with homemade lemonade. Here is my recipe, which deviates slightly from the Boca Raton classic:

juice of three lemons
1/2 cup sugar (or to taste) dissolved in warm water
litre bottle of carbonated water
whizz in a blender until frothy

Mix in a pitcher to a ratio of 1:1 with not overly sweet iced tea. Add a big bunch of mint leaves, stems and all. Serve in a tall glass with great chunks of ice. I heartily recommend it.

Baby Hears Mom's Voice for the First Time

2010-07-02T13:51:00.000-07:00

It's Friday. The sky is blue, the sun is shining and the birds are singing. We are three days into summer vacation and life is grand. My friend sent me this video link today (it's making the rounds - with good reason) and if you could use a little dash of extra-happiness as you sail into the weekend, you should watch this video of eight-month old Johnathan as his cochlear implant is activated and he hears his mother's voice for the first time. Dad is filming this sweet, magical moment.

Happy weekend.

Home: Typography As Art

2010-07-02T12:25:00.000-07:00

I'm smitten with the idea of a large words-only art piece. I adore Linzie Hunter's style. This is part of a series of typographic works based on the subject lines of spam emails. Inspiration is all around:

Another by Linzie Hunter:

Making my own oversized graphic print hadn't occured to me, but then I saw this homemade piece with the awesome quote by Isak Dinesen:

And followed a link to this post where I realized I too can do this:

Off now to peruse my junk mail folder...

Happy Birthday Canada

2010-07-01T12:00:00.000-07:00

It doesn't take much to make a party, according to my kids. Any gathering of folks outside our little foursome constitutes a party to them. On long weekends in the summer families on our street gather together to watch fireworks in someone's driveway. Someone brings wine, someone else brings snacks, we brought glow bracelets and necklaces and this patriotic dessert. Which tastes better than it looks. And looks better from a distance. I must have been drinking when I placed the side berries all wonky like that.

I made a couple of minor adjustments to the Kraft Kitchens recipe, which called for Cool Whip and pound cake. I used real whipping cream and a store-bought angel food cake. I'm not a Jell-O fan and, without knowing why, I feel slightly guilty about allowing my kids to eat it. I used it in today for the sake of the recipe and due to my not having a yummier alternative at the ready.

I downloaded and printed out the Maple Leaf template from here. You'll want to hit "print preview" first and change the default setting "shrink to fit" or it will print too small for the cake. 100% worked fine for me.

Birthday Party:: Indian Dance Party

2010-06-30T18:07:00.000-07:00

Hop over to Mikodesign and feast your eyes on 9-year old Sofia's India-themed party. Henna tattoos, dress-up saris for the guests, fantastically colourful food, and a backdrop of simple draped fabric and flower garlands to set the scene for a choreography lesson lead by a professional dance instructor. It's all quite wonderful and wonderfully low-key for such an elaborate sounding event.

Thinking about it?

The Himalayan Academy has a staggering library of royalty-free images that could be used for invitations and decor. Ganesh is the god of auspicious occasions:

To make this sample invite, I first uploaded the original ganesh image into Big Huge Lab's colour palette generator, which gave me the right shade of pink: #e95c7f. Next, I opened the original ganesh image in Photoshop and added a canvas of 400 pixels to the right of the image. Then I coloured the canvas pink and added the text. Saved as a jpg, the invitation could be emailed to guests or printed out a photo lab and mailed.

Love this black and white version of ganesh. Print out as a colouring page maybe?

There is a terrific quantity of free mehndi/henna tattoo designs here. Check this gallery of for readily reproducible patterns. Whipping up miniature saris is a simple matter of sewing an elastic waist skirt out of some fabulous colourful fabric. Drape a matching scarf across the body, add some dollar store bangles and you're done. If you're in Toronto, head to Sonu Saree Palace on Gerrard Street East for bargain-priced sari fabric. Otherwise I'd look at an inexpensive georgette at Fabricland.

(Kid's sari photo from Just Kidding)

Tutorial:: Felt Play Food

2010-06-29T11:43:00.000-07:00

My sewing machine, I confess, is about as overlooked as a dish of cottage cheese at a Chinese food buffet. Which is to say that I have not sat down to sew since...well, since the last time I ate cottage cheese I'd be willing to wager. That said, I am still an enthusiastic collector of tutorials and evidence of other people's wanton creativity. I sometimes like to blame circumstances for my sewing hiatus. In the case of this cute felt sandwich tutorial from Myrtle and Eunice, for instance, the lack of access to wool felt is a hindrance. Poly craft felt just won't do. Not if I'm going to embroider tomato slices and make hand-cut Swiss cheese. No sir. I need the good stuff. Does anyone in TO sell wool felt? Please don't let my felt snobbery stop you. Craft away. Download the pattern and instructions here.

Children's Book Recommendations:: Stories About Feelings

2010-06-27T18:40:00.000-07:00

As a kid I don't remember actually owning more than a half-dozen books at any one time. Acton, the town where I grew up, did not have a bookstore. But even so, books were thought of as Christmas and birthday gifts and not something you bought just because and we got our books at the library. But somewhere between here and there I stopped going to the library and started to buy books instead and the library became a quaint memory. Me and the library got reacquainted when kids came along and I realized what chumps we'd been for buying so many books when we could have borrowed them, and more besides, for free. We are a family of library enthusiasts once again. With a four-year old in the house, I look for books tagged with a Toronto Public Library "Ready For Reading" sticker, which identifies books that relate to one of the six steps of reading readiness: liking books, hearing word sounds, building vocabulary, narrative, seeing words in print, alphabet awareness. There is more about that here.

Reading and re-reading great books with my kids is something I truly love. They have free reign at the library and I try not to filter any of their selections. But while my son is loading up on books about trucks, trains or dogs I choose a few of my own. I'm gratified when one of my picks makes it into heavy reading rotation. I thought sharing some of our family favourites would make for a good post every now and then. On that note, here are a few books that tackle the messy world of feelings, both good and bad.

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.
By Judith Viorst

From waking up with gum in his hair, to his two older brothers both finding a prize in their cereal box while he came up empty-handed, Alexander's day is off to a bad start. And it doesn't get any better. Kid-sized frustrations mount throughout the day and all Alexander can think about is moving to Australia - where surely there is no such thing as a bad day. Written in 1972, this is a cool book to me because his parents don't rush to smooth out his bad feelings - or deny them - the way we might today. Alexander is allowed to have a crummy day and go to bed with the hope that tomorrow will be better.

The Giving Tree
By Shel Silverstein

It was originally published in 1964, though I don't recall reading this book as a child. I picked it up randomly a couple of years ago and so I was able to read it without any expectations or awareness that it was a well-known and beloved book. It's beautiful and sad with a moral that is open to interpretation. Why didn't anyone ever tell me about it? My take is that it is a tender and maybe even unsympathetic parable about parenting and the price of selflessness. But you'll have to decide for yourself. While searching for a cover image for this post I came across a photo of a guy who had an entire page from the book tattooed across his back. What can I can tell you? It's a memorable story worth pondering on your own and with your kid.

The Pigeon Finds A Hot Dog
By Mo Willems

A pigeon finds a hot dog and is about to tuck in to his favourite food in the entire world when he is interrupted by an innocent-seeming duckling with a lot of questions and an ulterior motive. There is something about the snappish dialogue, written using comic book-style speech bubbles, that begs this story to be read aloud with attitude and maybe even an accent. Over the course of many readings we've adopted a sarcastic Bugs Bunny voice for the role of pigeon. But whatever you choose, read with gusto. Cool typography. I didn't think a kid would pay attention to fonts, but my four-year old son understands what parts are loud or angry because of Willems' typography.

The Story of Ferdinand
By Munro Leaf

The story of sweet-natured bull who would rather sit beneath his favourite cork tree and smell the flowers than fight in the bullring in town. A case of mistaken identity leads a group of bullfight organizers to capture Ferdinand and bring him to the city to face the bravest matador. Ferdinand stays true to his nature and refuses to fight and is eventually returned home to his cork tree in the field. The sweetest story of self-acceptance. I was shocked to discover it was published in 1936. Magical drawings of Spain by Robert Lawson.

Happy reading.

Craft:: Word Cloud Birthday Card

2010-06-26T09:12:00.000-07:00

Wordle is my new addiction. Since discovering it a few weeks ago we have made word cloud birthday cards, a father's day card, teacher thank-you notes and some random artwork. It couldn't be more simple: type in a bunch of text. Repeat the words you'd like to appear bigger. In the case of David's card above, we typed in "birthday" six times, versus "cake" which was repeated twice and the smallest words were typed just once. Hit the Create button and prepared to be amused and impressed. Change the font, colour and layout at the click of a button until you're happy. A tip: to keep two words together use the tilde symbol between the words. Type Happy ~ Birthday, or Mrs. ~ Smith or other words that go together. The ~ will display as a space in your finished image. On my computer the tilde key is right above the tab button, and I have to hold down the shift key to get it to display.

To make a birthday card, I print out the image on on card stock and trim to size using a Fiskar's paper trimmer that also has a scoring blade that makes a crisp centre crease. The finished card measures 4.25" by 5.5", which is just the right size to hold a standard gift card.

Happy weekend

Food:: Muffin Tin Lunches

2010-06-25T07:31:00.000-07:00

Quirky little folks and their food. You know how some kids (ahem) don't like it when a food on their plate touches a neighbouring food? Like when peas roll into the mashed potatoes or rice grains cling to the green beans? I spend more time plating their food than they do eating it, all in the name of preventing the dreaded co-mingling. Divided plates are one solution, but I think this muffin tin take on a bento box is brilliantly appealing.

This lumberjack breakfast sampler from The Robins Zoo includes bananas, apples and orange sections, sausage bites, bread and yogurt.

A tulip-shaped muffin tin!

This example from Bento Lunch makes good use of a flower punch. So pretty, this would make terrific party food. Top row: mini ham sandwich with cheese centre, cucumber flower with carrot, celery + cream cheese.
Bottom row: watermelon, cantaloupe, strawberry and blueberry muffin bread flowers. Delightful.

There won't be any arguing over who ate all the good stuff with this snack tray for three, from Food for the Boys:

Little Wonder Days made this with a fish-shaped PB&J sandwich, cuc slices + ranch dip, berries, yogurt and Goldfish crackers. I don't know about you, but I like knowing what's for lunch at other people's houses.

If you'd like to see more, or join the Muffin Tin brigade, hop over to Muffin Tin Mom.

Family:: The Summer Bucket List

2010-06-24T06:46:00.000-07:00

I am thinking about the end of school next week with mixed emotions. I've never had the luxury (that may not be the right word) of spending an entire summer off with my kids. I'm approaching the task as I imagine a program director on a cruise might do. That is to say, there is a whole lot of planning is going on. Thinking about day trips. Little explorations. Bigger events. People we'd like to hang out with. Free stuff. Things we'd like to make or bake. Of course I'm hoping for some unstructured where-the-day-takes us time as well, but relaxing is a dirty word around here and I don't dare assume that I'll get much feet-up time. Unless a mid-afternoon DVD is involved. And I just feel so...surrendered...by that notion that I won't contemplate it at the beginning of summer.

I've been hopping all over blog-land these last few days picking up a good idea here and there.I'd like to make some sort of grand to-do list - with my peeps involvement of course - so that we squeeze every drop out of summer and everyone has a hand in creating happy memories. Lately I'm digging dry erase; no chalkboard dust to contend with and no paper. I need less paper in my life. Eighteen25 posted an amazing mondo summer whiteboard/calendar that lets you write on top of the picture frame glass. They created a pretty background of paper strips pieced together digitally, but you could also do this with a solid piece of fabric or taped scrapbook paper strips if you like:

My fondness for clothes pegs, most especially decorated ones, drew me to this project from Clean Mama. I like the idea of providing a bit of structure (I'd like to play... I'd like to read... I'd like to visit... I'd like to taste...) then trimming them into strips:

Which can be clipped to these lovely paper-covered clothes pegs (another crafty project for a quiet morning) as activities and summer go by:

There's an appealing straightforwardness about 71toes' calendar, which was a collaborative effort involving the entire family and not just mom:

There is no shame in employing a dash of Pavlovian motivation to keep the good behaviour rolling, I say. Grab this free printable of very useful Happy Tickets from Ambrosia Girl:

Adorable All-Purpose Treat Coupons - another free printable - from babalisme:

Family:: Teacher Appreciation Gift Ideas

2010-06-12T19:15:00.000-07:00

Apparently schools in the states have Teacher Appreciation Week. A full week of teacher love in the form of, one assumes, gifts and small tokens of thanks. And it's not just the primary teacher, either. It extends to those secondary and tertiary teachers of music, phys ed, French, the librarian, the secretary and principal...and on and on. At the risk of sounding churlish, that is a whole lot of appreciation to muster. So count your blessings if you're in Toronto or thereabouts and only have to come up with one decent idea next week. Here are some that caught my eye:

Those girls at eighteen25 have ratcheted up the crafty ante with this brilliant teacher's desk set. The little Hershey chocolates amid the colour-coordinated push pins totally sealed the deal. Visit their blog for a beautifully photographed and detailed tutorial.

I know, I know, I know. Bottled water is practically a banned substance in this town. But I like the idea behind this, and it could be used with something other than a disposable bottle of H2O. Tazo tea + a travel mug? Get your free label download at Domesticated Lady:

This sweetly funny S'Mores label is another freebie label courtesy of Domesticated Lady. I'd do these as birthday party treat bags too (My party was S'More fun because you were here!)

The runaway puns continue with this takeaway container filled with fortune cookies, spotted at it's all small stuff;

How about a lovely basket of the nicest apples you can find, courtesy of Skip To My Lou: