i know...i know...  i just threw up a little in my mouth too.  blek. the cuteness... it is making me feel faint...  i think i might need to lay down!  

phewf.  that was close.  this all started one day long ago, while i was paroozling pintrest and found this...

right?  it's like, THE cutest DIY'er i have ever seen.  however, when i followed the link, here, it didn't really work, so, this is what i came up with.  my version.  

i painted some lil plastic animals, put an eye screw into the top of the pink hippo, cut some felt, used embroidery thread to sew the top and put a shmancy safety pin on the back.  i used thin wire to make the jump ring to hang the lil guy from it.  and viola! 

whats your spirit animal?  i'm thinking you need to make yourself and everyone you know one of these immediately...now go!

valentines day can be such a mixed bag of emotions, failed attempts at romantic schemes, hallmark holiday strike lines, forced tokens of loves expression, true doting, breakfast in bed, stained sheets (um, because of the breakfast in bed...come on guys!), name written in the sky style romance (yeah. this totally happens) and super sweet surprises from your girlfriends (these are my fave). 

if you are a parent with a kid in school, i bet you've had the wonderful experience of  spending the night before valentines day pulling your hair out as your child takes 9 hours and forty two minutes trying to choose between transformer cards or go with the retro pack (which you are fond of and trying to sway his decision cause you wanna get the rock outta there already before you curse this love day into non existence)....thunder...thunder...thundercats...ohhhhh! 

then, just when you get home you realize, oh geeeziss, i need to have my 2nd grader address these to all of his 52 class mates, friends, teachers, family members...okay...back to calling off the holiday! where's the whiskey?

k...everybody remain calm. sit back, sip your whiskey and remember the cutest moments when you were little, walking around the classroom, dropping little treasured envelopes into cute valentine receptacles. trying to play it cool when you drop THE valentine into you know who's big heart. aww. adorbz! 

few hints: stay in that cute moment. be patient with your lil one.  they can mispell things and not start a card over.  but most of all....forget the store bought cards!!! oh my stars...come on...they just get tossed, hopefully recycled, candy pillaged and probz not even read. get creative...make something the other kidlets can keep and don't get swag candy to add the the hoards of sugar they will ingest that day! 


here's what we did this week.  you'll need:

• some sort of air dry clay. i used a paper based clay and liked it a lot. any craft store will carry it.
• a rolling pin
• some sort of letter stamps. i just got some leather stamps, but you can get little alphabet rubber stamps from michaels for $1.50! the dollar store might even carry them.
• i found little screw eyes at the hardware store, but anywhere that sells jewelry stuff will have something similar. this is for the pendants. 
• if you wish to make magnets out of the hearts instead...easier...then grab some little magnets at the craft store...i got mine at the dollar store. 
• paint. i used acrylic, but man...spray paint would have been a lot less time consuming. more expensive, but you'll only use a bit and have the rest for other projects in the future.
  
• wax or parchment paper
• heart shaped cookie cutter

start by placing a sheet of parchment paper on your work surface. roll out a handful of clay with your rolling pin.  cut out heart shapes.  you can keep re-rolling out the scraps of clay to get all the hearts you can out of that chunk of clay.  you wont need much.

using your finger, smooth over the edges.  now, stamp out cute conversation heart sayings on them or if you have a list of the names of the kids in their class, you can personalize them.  if you want to make necklaces, you will carefully screw in the screw eyes into the tops of the hearts.  if you are making magnets, you will glue them on the back after you are done painting them.

they'll need at least a whole day to dry out.  when they are dry, paint them.  ours needed a couple coats.  i did the first coat and then Loji, my little guy, helped me with the rest.  he helped with stamping too. 

i picked him up from school the other day with some markers, card stock i picked up from the print shop and cut into small cards there on their nifty paper cutter, and took him to the coffee shop to draw little cards for his friends.  we had so much fun!  he loves to draw though...if your little one doesn't care to...you don't need to...you're done.  they'll just bring the little treasures to school and pass them out. 

here's some pics to show you what we did....have fun!

ever go to a potluck that is full of families...little kids running around, foaming at the mouth like rabid beasts, hangry, lord of the flies style, because every one has brought dishes that are dressed to impress but not so kid friendly? i have.

i was making such a dish.  my little guy running around my house, already a bit rabid, because i was so busy preparing this dish that i hadn't prolly so much as looked at him in half an hour.  i stopped and had an "aha moment".  grabbed a bag of grapes(washed), some kitchen twine (you could use embroidery thread, dental floss or double up some bakers twine) and a very large embroidery needle.  i sat Loji down and started beading grapes on necklaces to give the kids at the potluck we were going to.  he was so stoked!  

just knot one end, string a few on and they will be begging to take over.  it's a win win.  he sat down, had a pre-game snack (i dared him not to eat one...he ate half of the entire bag), got a bit artsy, stopped bugging me to please, oh please sword fight him, i got to continue with my pintrest fail in the kitchen, and the kids at the soiree whom he gave them to....wowzers.  i believe Loji was engaged to at least 4 of the little girls there by the end of the evening.  just make sure they are long enough to fit over their heads easily.

the only downfall, is that they will love them so very much that they will not leave you alone once they are through with theirs, because they will want another.  and another.  warn them that everyone gets one or make more.  

right here, is a quick lil post about what you can do when you've got some old hardcover books, a young adventurous artist, and just about anything they can paint, draw, or colour with.  i got this box of books from the recycling depot for another project and brought one out because loji wanted to watercolour but i couldn't find our watercolour paper.  so...hmmm...book pages...obviously.  when i suggested he pick a page, he looked at me with these sneaky unbelieving eyes....like, "you're seriously gunna let me paint in this book?"  "go big buddy. make that book super awesome. it's better filled with your beautiful art that blended up to make more blank paper. "  to this he went to work. he had a lot of fun. 

when he was done painting, we would just leave the book open to dry.  he'd walk by it later and notice it was dry and flip to another page and begin a new masterpiece. i am excited to see the book get filled right up with colourful pages.  at with point, maybe before, i'll make a cool book cover for it.  perhaps give it to his daddy for father's day next year.  or just keep it for the archives. love this already.

these are so sweet and will be the perfect touch on easter/ostara morning.  i think i will leave little nests all over the yard and in the house tucked here and there and not say anything about them until everyone catches on.  love the eggs and bunnies and symbology of this fertile time of year.  love the hunt...the excitement and thrill of tiny treasures.  and as you also may know, i LOVE crafting out of recycled materials.  love this project.

(i recently fell in love with the artbarblog.com and that is where i got the idea.  she's got some cute ones.)

materials:

• chopped paper – construction paper, newspaper, catalogs, magazines
  

• paper cutter or scissors (or a shredder would be best!)
• elmer’s glue + thick paint brush
• one bowl of the size that you want your bird’s nest to be
• plastic wrap
  
  

how to:

first, cut our paper into strips about 1/4″ in thickness and vary the strips in length from 6″ to 12″. next, put plastic wrap on the inside of the bowl you want to shape the nests with.  mix glue with water (half and half), and brush it all on the inside of the bowl on top of the plastic wrap.  then take individual strips and arrange them criss-crossing around the bowl.  after a while, paint on more glue which helps keep the layers down.  add more paper strips, until about four layers are formed.  put some of the strips around, like a real nest and others just across so the pieces stick out. when your fingers got too sticky, wipe them on a wet towel.

let the bowls dry overnight. then….get someone to drumroll with their hands on the table…another with their feet on the floor.  lift the nests out of the bowl and peal off the plastic. voila!  the most beautiful and delicate nests!

this was such an epic day!  we invited a bunch of our friends with little ones and had people bring all kind of bits and bobs and dyes and such to have an egg art party.  obviously, mimosas were had and shared for us "big kids" and sweet and brunchy potlucked yum yums too.  i was so surprised at the creativity that happened. it was pretty magical.  i experimented with natural dyes which i made prior and brought in jars.  check this website out (radmegan.com) for amazing recipes to do so...(click the picture below to do so).

on the table, we laid art paper to line it and protect the table from spills and splatters.  next time, i will mos'def put high quality water color paper because it was a serious masterpiece when we were through.

everyone brought so many awesome things to experiment with.  i brought stamps and gold stars (which were my fave), crayons, glitter, mesh netting, string, rubber bands, stickers, oil to add to some of the dyes to create a marbled tecture and my collection of egg cups to display them when they were finished...to name a few.  my friend jen even brought a real batik wax and candle situation to get crazy with. wow.  this is my idea of a good time.  mimosas, sunshine and wunderlust.  the kidlets and adults were equally enthralled in their creative masterpieces.  try this at home!

after a day or two of weeding our garden beds and cleaning up the winter debris, we got all our seeds out.  i went to "seedy saturday" where heirloom seeds are sold and traded and brought home the beginings of a bountiful harvest.  we got out the egg cartons i collect to plant our seedlings for the year.  my little man always helps me with this on the spring equinox.  there is something so magical about this for me.  we have such sweet convos about the changing of the seasons, what we loved about winter, what we are excited for about spring, and looking forward to in summer.  i always braid in notions about how the seeds we are sowing in spring will be so fun to enjoy all summer.  we talk about what we will make with the fruits and veggies that will grow and the picnics, bonfires, and potlucks we will share them with our friends.  i love this day.

i cut down the center of the carton, separating the two halves and cutting off the little side tab to recycle it.  then i stack the two together and fill with organic soil.  loji loves doing this part.  i usually leave cleaning the porch off after winter rains and pine needles dropping until after we plant our seedlings. he also likes poking holes with his pinky and placing seeds in them.  he tries to convince me that all we should grow is watermelon and corn and i explain to him, or try to, because i halfway agree with him, why that isn't what we are doing.

then because the soil isn't packed down at all and you want to keep it pretty loose for the seeds to sprout, but don't want it spilling all over the sides...we water the first few times with a spray bottle. i used a sharpie to write on the sides of the egg cartons what seeds were which.  i usually use popsicle sticks to label them, or clothespins that have snapped apart, but was pretty much fresh out.  so, a sharpie it was...

then, i put them on baking sheets or pans so that the watering doesn't make a mess and put them in a sunny window.  it takes only a day or two to start seeing the sprouts.  loji and i make bets which will come up first and run to check every time we think about them.  radishes and brussel sprouts won the first round this year.  if you have a good farmers almanac use that or google where you live and what gets planted outside when.  i also use this step to help loji learn to research things that interest him and help him find out things he'd like to know.  today we will be planting our lettuces, arugula, kale, cilantro, dill, beets, broc., and brussel sprouts.  since the cardboard of the egg crate will be a bit moist, it is so easy to tear them each individual sprout in an egg cup right off and plant the whole thing right in the ground.  before i do this, i pinch a little whole in the bottom for the roots to easily grow right through.  the carton itself mulches right into the soil and actually protects the youngster in the ground a bit.  love this time of year.  kinda giddy like a school girl.

the low down...soon, i will get better at posting these tid bits as i am doing them, leading up to the holidays and parties i throw them on, so you too can share in the culinary crafting adventure i set sail upon.  hop aboard matey!  squack...hop aboard matey (totally done in a parrot accent, much like the one from Aladin).  for now, here this is for next year's reference for you to go ahead and take magic back along side us! 

little recap on St. Patrick's Day....we decided to take magic back!!!  the actual story of st. patrick and his day is totally lame and sad... but, like many "holidays" it has come to the americas through hemispheres and time, passed like a silly secret through ears and culture until it has become completely unrecognizable to it's origin. YAY! so good, in this case. this is the day my family celebrates magic! rainbows, leprechauns, and pots of gold. adventure seeking, charms, spells, and going green. crafting, food and friends.   long live the druids, the shamrockers and magic homies like yourselves!

rainbow ice cubes....umm, yeah. took me days to finish these icy gems...freezing each layer separately and such.  found natural food colouring that was extremely spendy and not as poppin as i'd hoped, at whole foods.  but deeeam! i had fun drinking my irish whiskey with one of these babies floating in it.  the kids were suuuper excited about them.  i found enormous silicon ice cube moulds somewhere... forget where, but am in love with them. i have seen them on amazon if you wanna go that route. 

menu:  

• cheese plate:  all kinds of cheeses that had green touches, bartlet pears, green apple chips, pistachio this, basil that, sage something or other...you get my drift. yu-um.
• caprese stacks:  beefsteak tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, mint leaves, and homemade basil pistachio pesto on a bed of arugula.
• mini cabbage:  okay, so obvz these are brussel sprouts with applewood smoked bacon from our friends farm in Powel River, but...you know...irish theme...cabbage. nuf said.
• potatoes:  obvz had to have a potato dish.  these are fennel chicken broth baked mandolin potatoes.  3 ingredients (besides salt and pepper) and are sooo good. i will post the recipe ...calm down.
• venison rack:  marinated in a lemon parsley caper chimichurri and lightly seared on the bbq and baked off to perfection.  salivating just thinking about it.  served with chimi on the side.  
• dessert: mini pavlovas with kiwi and blueberries tossed in a mint, lime simple syrup and topped with matcha whip cream and lime zest.  holy f*$k it was good.  plus, i totally cheated on the sugar in the simple syrup and used half sugar and half Zero, a natural sweetener with a super low glycemic index. yup, getting nerdy over here.  it was magnificent and fresh with now sugar crash afterwards.  recipe to follow.

i really wish i had amazing pictures of the table pre-aftermath...but...nope.  was totally in the zone. the magic zone.  fueled by magic, guiness and irish whiskey and solid gold friends and family. loved this evening.  only 3 couples and a houseful of kids.  that's how we do.  

play dough is so super easy to make you won't even believe it.  i'll give you the recipe i use here today, but this post is about how to jazzy your kids imagination right up by switching up what you give them to play with alongside the dough.  these pics were taken on st. patty's day a couple years ago.  note the shamrocking that is happening. 

i love thrifting old school kitchen doomahickies for this.  things like egg slicers (did a major big time dorky happy dance when i thought of that one), cookie cutters, honey stirrers, rolling pins and potato mashers/ricers are so awesome.  anything that creates texture or different shapes, really.  forego buying toys and play dough kits and just open your kitchen drawers or hit up the thrift store.

the most patting on the back i ever did to myself as far as play dough is concerned...  (that might just be the most random sentence i have ever typed)... is when i thought to place a square of canvas material under the happy play dough fun times and realized it doesn't stick to it and keeps it off my table.  clean up is sooo much easier if you do this!

cooking time: about 10 minz a batch
ingredients:

1 cup water

2 Tbsp. oil

Food coloring

1 cup flour

1/2 cup salt

2 tsp. cream of tartar


i know what you are thinking cause i thought it and did it the first time i saw this playdough recipe! "i'll just quadroople the recipe because i want a zillion different colours..."  well, don't.  if you do, you will have to divide the dough you make and add the colour to the dough with your hands and a now rainbow cutting board.  oof.  just make a separate batch for each colour. it's fast.  and fun.

k, now that we have that out of our systems, add the water, oil & about 4-8 drops food colouring to a saucepan (obvz the more you put in, the brighter the colour will be).  stir to mix that up super good and then add the rest of the ingredients. 

stir constantly over medium low heat so it doesn't lump up.  it will start to thicken and pull away from the sides.  once it starts to form a ball, remove it from the heat and let it cool for a few minutes so you don’t burn yourself.  plop it onto the counter and knead it gently.  once you start having way to much fun in the kneading department....it's ready for your kids to have a go!

my son is obsessed with ice.  he makes magic potions, freezes them, does science experiments...you name it, it looks cool frozen.  this one was fun.  i had snuck some of his old dinosaurs out of his room to make a cute craft i peeped on Pintrest.  i swear he hadn't touched them for over a year.  those prehistoric friends were soooo five minutes ago!  

i glue gunned them to several metal lids of jars and then spray painted them bright neon colours.  i was going to store art supplies in them...but, as they were drying outside, i came out and he had pulled them right off the lids. i was suuuper choked and asked him why the heck he would have done such a thing.  he answered my question with a very similar question inquiring how the heck i could steal his dinosaurs.  touche'.  after some snuggle laughter therapy, we decided to do something really fun with them cause they were definitely dressed up for a party now.  this is what we came up with.  an ice age story.

we threw them in a metal mixing bowl and added a few crystals, some crazy alien looking guys, a magic trinket or two and invented a story about why they would have frozen in there like that. then, we popped it in the freezer and forgot about it for a couple days until his buddy Jasper was over and we pulled it out.  i had them run some warm water over the bottom of the bowl and it slipped right out.  i grabbed them some stools and they stood and played with that chunk of ice for what seemed to be hours.  laughing and reinventing the story over and over....it was so stinking cute.

this happy fun time has spurred on a bright future of frozen possibilities.  i am constantly finding random containers with random objects frozen inside of them. yup.  fun.