so so simple

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.