Saturday, December 25, 2010

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

for the love of edible housing....

Dylan has been coveting all things Christmas decor since he first laid eyes on all the shiny trappings a few months back.

Aside from his very own roll of tape, what the kid really, really, wanted was a gingerbread house.  Building a house out of candy....wow, it doesn't get much better.

Well, week after week went by, and I would not entertain the thought of purchasing this classic Christmas trimming.  Lets face it, they're kind of disgusting.  Hard gingerbread, baked who only knows when, adorned with candy that is hardly edible, but made famous soley for it's mark on the Candyland board... all held together by a yearly allowance of high fructose corn syrup. It sits around collecting dust, and who only knows what else...but you can eat it if you'd like.  Brilliant marketing, I'd say :)

Last week the boy won.  I finally cracked.  I was trying to check a few presents off my list, and in exasperation I told him we could buy the blasted house....but we had to wait for the others to get home to make it.  I only purchased 1 quaint home, because I wasn't in the mood for a gingerbread village to gobble up all of my free space....however,  I knew the others would be devestated if we didn't enlist their help.  The sheer thought of a house made of candy was enough to make Stella squeal with delight when we put the kit in the cart.

Well, no sooner than all had gathered round to watch me open up the box, the fighting began....just as I suspected it would.

4 kids= 4 different ideas on exterior design, 8 little hands to keep busy on a house measuring less than a square foot, and somehow dividing all the candy evenly.  No small task.

I quickly told them that if we couldn't all work together, I would throw the house out the window.  For effect, I promptly showed them the window I had in mind, and how it opened and closed :)  It was Friday, and I had zero tolerance for fighting.

And so, while the icing on our walls hardened, I sent them off with a pad of paper and told them not come back until they had a plan they were all happy with.

In the end, they all chose a different wall and split the candy even steven.  One side is pretty sparse, as Stella chose to consume her candy :)

Wouldn't you know, we had a marvelous time...and my kids can get along :)


And now the daily question is "When are we going to eat it, mom?"
Perhaps I shall try to pass it off as my dessert on Christmas :)

Have a blessed week friends!

Monday, December 20, 2010

Christmas- Take 1

We celebrated Christmas in Chicago a few weekends back, and once again good times were had by all.
Naturally, it was the weekend of "the big storm", as seems to be the case every year. Thankfully, we made it back safe and sound.  Personally, I think it's just God's way of granting me a few more hours time to talk with Tim :)

 the cousins

 Stella finally received her beloved owl pillow, that she points out to me @ Target every.single.time.
 My new pink coffee pot!  Yes, it makes coffee that much happier :)  

 The gals



Wednesday, December 15, 2010

reason # 435 why I love this person....

Because it is still 2010,


and I. HAVE.TRIM.

he makes a pretty fantastic pancake too.

and the winner is.....

....#12, Lisa Bosma!!! 

Congrats, you are the proud new owner of 2 fantastical pairs of pom poms.

And thank you all for checking out our store, and all your kind words! 

Friday, December 10, 2010

It's. a. give-away!

I've decided to open an etsy store. 

Go ahead, click the logo and check it out.  My linking skills are impressive :)

I have wanted to do this for some time now.  You know, have an outlet for all my handmade treasures....but the task overwhelmed me a bit, so naturally I brushed it aside and busied myself with other things.

Well, last month when the kids and I began making pom poms, I knew it was time.  A cheap and easy way to try it out...and a good teaching lesson for the kids.  It's been a fun process to work through. Together we chose a name we are all happy with,  picked out colors, discussed packaging, used our math skills to figure out cost and pricing, and they all added their 2 cents while creating the logo.

As of now, we only have pom poms for sale....



....but I've got alot of ideas strewing about, so I'll keep you posted :) I would love to get back to making these....


Just for fun, and in honor of our "grand opening"  we'd like to give away 2 pairs of pom poms, your choice of color.

You may leave 2 comments- however, one comment must include one of your favorite things you like to shop for on etsy.   I'll choose a random winner next Wednesday 9pm-ish, and post :)
.
And since it appears about 10 people check this blog, you've got a really good shot at winning :)

P.S.  They make great stocking stuffers!

Have a blessed weekend friends

Thursday, December 2, 2010

bathroom business

While some people dream in black and white, my head is frequently filled with an eclectic mix of polka dots, stripes, and flowers...in complimenting shades of magenta, teal, and chartruese, naturally. 

On any given day, there are usually way too many crafty ideas swirling around up there. I love just looking at my fabric, scheming up ways to use it to it's best potential.
Too many ideas, too little time.

Needless to say, whenever I spend large amounts of time in one particular room of our house, my mind and imagination take over, and I get the urge to change it up a bit.

Well, this is my view as of late....


How's it going, you ask?  Well, she can successfully hold it from breakfast till naptime...and then from naptime till bedtime. Mind you, she sits on the toilet every 30 minutes.  During her "sleeps" she wears a diaper, and lets it all out.  So much so, that between her and Ellery, I am washing sheets like it's my only domestic job around here.

But, that is not the reason for my post :)

I have actually wanted to refresh my bathroom for awhile now.  We competely remodelled it back in Jan of '05,....and Tim will confirm I was a bit of a pester, quite certain Dylan was going to be born before it was complete.  Well, he got it done, and it has been exactly the same ever since.  A ridiculously long time for me, I'd say.

The way I see it, the shower curtain is kind of the "focal point" of a bathroom....at least it is in mine.  I think it's much easier to find a fabric you love, and match a paint color, rather than the other way around.  So, that is where I decided to start.

 While I simply adore this shower curtain from Anthropologie.....


...it retails for $119.

Let's face it.  There is really no way to sugar coat $119.   Tim would blow a gasket if I spent that kind of money on a shower curtain....considering he'd prefer the $1.99 clear liner to be the only curtain any day :)

So, I found myself a tutorial blog, and decided to try and make it myself.

And let me be the first to tell you, it is worth every penny of that $119. I would charge more :)  This project was a true labor of love.

My new shower curtain....



As Sydney put it  "I think it's too colorful mom" 

Perhaps, but I spent way too much time on it to dislike it :)  Now that I am the proud owner of a seam ripper, I may take the brown stripes out and replace them with something plainer.

Any thoughts on paint colors, friends?