Fall Fairies

   Pink and Green Mama to the rescue again!  I had my nieces coming over for a visit and pulled this idea from her fabulous repertoire!  It is so simple—try it out!  I betcha have the supplies at home already!  All you need are:

• pipe cleaner
• wooden beads
• sharpie markers
• faux flowers/leaves
• pony beads

Fold one piece of pipe cleaner in half-cut another in half and wrap around to make arms.  Make sure to do arms after the head is in place.

Fold hair inside the loop of large pipe cleaner and pull wooden bead up to make the head

Sharpie away a face on your fab fall fairy

Add 3 ponly beads—2 is the shirt and 1 are the undies

Add the flower skirt and form hands and feet-tah dah!!  A lovely fall fairy!

Happy Crafting!

del.icio.us Tags: fall fairies,pink and green mama,fall,autumn,magillie,activity

Leaf Bowl

I found this charming project from a lovely blog…and now I can’t find the link to show some love!  Oh dear!  This idea is not mine and if I can find the source I will add it in this entry.

If you would like to make your own leaf bowl the steps are simple. 

• Go on a nature hunt and find some colorful leaves.
• Put the leaves under some heavy books and allow to flatten overnight.  This was a time consuming nuisance for my Goose who “wants to do the project”!
• Get a glass bowl.  I tried to score one at the dollar store but struck out.  Bummer.  You can pick one up at Michaels but be sure to take your 50% off coupon.  If you still have to make your candy corn wreath…take a coupon for the Styrofoam too.  Who knew…Styrofoam is expensive!
• Cover the entire bowl in Mod-Podge—gotta love the Mod-Podge.  ***Note*** If you have never used the Podge before you will love it.  Make sure to really wash out your brushes post project or it is nearly impossible to bring them back to life when the Podge dries in the bristles.  I had to learn this the hard way. 
• Apply the leaves.  I let Lil do this step.  Which, truth be told, was a little hard cause I wanted to fill all the space and make it look more symmetrical but alas that would have spoiled the fun.
• Once the leaves are on, coat them with Mod-Podge and allow the entire bowl to dry over night.  We kept our bowl outside since Mod-Podge has a “funny” odor according to my little one.
• Place a tea light inside and voila!!  It is a delightful centerpiece inside or outside.

Here are the pictures of our leaf bowl project.  This always helps me…I am a visual learner.

     

del.icio.us Tags: leaf bowl,fall project,how to make a leaf bowl,Michaels,Mod Podge,Magillie,centerpiece

Have fun and if any of you web crawlers can find the blog that did this-- send me the link.  xo!!

Cows n Corn

You know you live in the country when…

Okay really this is a sweet story and so typical of me.  Lillie’s first little field trip for her preschool St. Stephen’s and I am lost.  Shocker.  Yes, even with my GPS.   I am going to go down in history as the Worlds Worst Mom cause we are about to miss the hayride with all of her classmates.  Oh Geez.  I can see the big silo painted like an ear of corn and I am circling and circling—where do I enter this farm?  Where are all of the other moms parked?  Panic is setting in.  Full speed ahead I pull into the local post office.  I go in and sputter out my story-and how about we are about to miss the hayride.  Help!  A very sweet customer adorned in her fight for breast cancer t-shirt ( I heart her already) says “awww honey –you just bout there” and she proceeds to give me the 2 step directions to a place where I could pretty much walk.  Sadly, I can’t hear it-I am in full panicky mode.  She must see it- “awww honey lemme just take you there-it is on my way” I love her.  Lillie talked and talked forever about how nice it was of her to help us.  And kind stranger if you ever read this post-we made the hayride.  Thank you so much!! xoxo 

If you need a fun fall activity to do—I highly recommend cows-n-corn.  This is a Dairy Farm that makes the time during the fall season to take kids on hay rides, teach them a bit about the dairy industry and have them make and taste homemade butter and ice cream!  Best of all they can run around on the beautiful farm land and work their way through a the corn maze.   A new fall tradition for this family!

 

del.icio.us Tags: cows-n-corn,GPS,lost,fall tradition,dairy farm

A Giveaway…

In a shameless display of self promotion, a few of my blogging friends have generously offered to host a giveaway of my Magillie jewelry.  I would love if you would if you would stop by their blogs and enter for a chance to win.  Come on.  A new bobble to wear!!   Or a great gift (if I do say so myself-heh heh heh) for you to give this up coming holiday season.  It is a win win situation. 

Elizabeth runs a very funny blog : http://halfbaked-twiceasgood.com/  You will quickly fall in love with her snark – cleverly wrapped up with some sweet, southern charm.  Don’t get me wrong though…girl can still curse like a sailor!  Which admittedly, I love since I am stuck in the land of “Oh Pickles”.

Jennifer runs the blog: http://boogaboojones.typepad.com/signposts/ This former editor now passes the time chasing after two little ones and personifying signs gone awry.  You will laugh yourself to tears with the mistakes on signage found all around the U.S.  She could probably keep herself busy with my blog too!  Seriously!

But all that aside check out these two blogs, they are great!  And enter the giveaways!  Come on—whatcha waiting for?

Candy Buttons

 

Fall…at last.  I love the crisp, clean feel of the weather outside.  I love the colors and the changing leaves but mostly I love the impending holiday of HALLOWEEN!  Decorations are starting to come out in our house and Jake and I are planning how we can  make it spooky.  The other day Lillie Magillie and I made homemade candy buttons!  Rachael Ray had some great, easy candy recipes.  Hope we can try out a few more but these were so simple.  Fun for little hands to mix the colors and to make the circle shape on paper.  Try it out!  It is such a cinch.  The recipe from the October magazine is here but I will list ingredients and steps  as well.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1 egg white
• 3 drops yellow food coloring
• 3 drops blue food coloring

Beat with an electric mixer for a few minutes.  Separate into two bowls and let little hands add and stir in the color.  This is Lil’s favorite part.  She loves counting out the drops of food color as they land in the bowl.  Using a small zip lock bag add contents and twist up to look like a pastry bag and snip the tip off—you are ready to make buttons.  Squeeze out in small circle shapes on long strips of paper and  allow to stand and harden overnight. You will have pretty homemade candy the next day—for breakfast if you wish.  Just kidding. 

I think this would be great at Valentine’s Day gift for a class of kids.  Cut pretty heart themed paper into long strips and make all shades of white, reds and pinks.  Plus you could even shape the dots like hearts!  Roll up and tie with “thread” of licorice lace and slide a short twizzler through as the “needle”.  Valentine cards could say corny things like… “I love you sew” or “ You have me in stitches”.  Plus the little bit of paper that comes off with this candy when eating counts as fiber and therefore makes them nutritious. 

del.icio.us Tags: Candy buttons,homemade candy,Rachael Ray,Halloween,fall,gift,Valentine's Day,diy,Magillie

Candy Corn Wreath

It can’t be said that I keep a clean house…or even a neat one for that matter. I wish I had the trait of being neat or organized-both would be a dream. My sister says her house is only “surface clean” but is always looks great to me. I would love “surface clean” any day of the week. I do however love projects- crafting in particular. So my house may have items scattered hither ,thither and yonder but I craft. Right before Caleb’s baptism I felt the strange and almost compulsive need to make this wreath. I saw it on the the cover of Women’s Day at my mother-in law’s house. So the night before the big event we watched a movie. I completed the entire thing in that time—plus a little bit of news. This was so simple and pleasing and great to get into a rhythm of gluing all of the candy corn down.

If you want to make this project on your own you will need:

• A styrofoam ring
• glue gun and glue sticks
• black tape
• candy corn (I had 3 bags since a lot in the bags were broken or otherwise imperfect)

Wrap the ring neatly with the black tape, heat up the glue gun and get your piles of good candy corn ready to go. You can lay out ahead and I did but I really think you can just go for the gusto and start gluing. Glue candy corn facing one direction and then the next row face the opposite way. Continue until front and sides are covered. I hung the wreath up with black grosgrain ribbon and voila. It looks great, if I do say so myself. It is perfect for the season. My mom had to be Debbie Downer and tell me how I couldn’t save it due to bugs and mice…still debating if I will keep it or not. I might try out this product, Krylon’s Preserve It!

del.icio.us Tags: candy corn,candy corn wreath,holiday decorations,fall,halloween,autumn,Women's Day,Krylon,trick-or-treat,decorations,diy,Debbie Downer,clean,clean house

Jumping the Shark

I just jumped the shark… into a big ole mess of cuteness! I purchased this hat, from this shop, for my little fella this winter.  I love!  I will post pictures later!  Now-must find something for Lillie.  This shop looks promising -just by name alone!  Ha! :)

del.icio.us Tags: shark,knit hat,jump-the-shark,baby,Dear Lillie,NYrika

A Baptism

Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.  Luke 12:7

Sermon link soon to follow.

Only at our house…

My sister got these two books some time ago for Lillie.  In one, it mentions apple bobbing.  I don’t mind apple bobbing per se—I mind sharing a barrel, bin or bucket with others whom are also…apple bobbing.  By noon one day, Jake had been given the beat d0wn for the umpteenth time and he decided to put Lillie’s queries to rest.  We apple bobbed at lunch.  It was quite fun and a good couple hours of entertainment for the goose.  Perfect.

   Lillie taking her first shot at apple bobbing.

Jake showing her how it is done.  Dang--he looks good even when he is soaked and is hanging onto a big ole apple!

Lillie deciding she just has to be more prepared in order to get out the apples.  Does she get swimming goggles?  Nope.  Those are the goggles from her work bench area-which in all honesty have been with the bath toys for months.  You never know when you are gonna need to protect your eyes.

del.icio.us Tags: Poor Puppy,Bad Kitty,Nick Bruel,apple bobbing,fall,autumn