o' christmas tree

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,

How lovely are thy branches!

For every year the Christmas tree,

Brings to us all both joy and glee.

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,

Much pleasure dost thou bring me!

Wishing you and your family a very 

Merry Christmas 

&

Happy NewYear

DIY Christmas Trees

For those of you who are putting final touches to your Christmas decor, this is a quick and easy way to get the kids involved with a craft, and is something that is simple to do this weekend, just in time for a pretty display for Christmas next week.

Tools and Materials

• Cereal boxes
• Glue
• Tissue paper 
• gift ribbon (the curly ribbon kind)
• Scissors

Take the cereal box and cut it into a square shape.  Roll the box into a cone shape and hot glue together.  With one of the cones,  I hole punched throughout and wrapped with tissue. (to make the tree illuminate,  place a  battery operated tea light candle underneath).

Glue and wrap with tinsel, tissue paper, ribbon...whatever is pretty in the house.  (I've seen music sheets, twine, you name it!).

Oh Christmas tree...how lovely are thy branches.

See you in January 2013!!!

the gift of kindness

Sometimes teaching kindness to our children is harder than it seems.

Within one week, two very different stories with very different outcomes have made me wrestle with how to teach my children the gift of giving and helping in a world that sometimes, honestly, doesn't really care.

Last week, a man was pushed onto a subway track, and I was appalled not just because a photograph of the man, mere moments before his death, was splashed on the front page of a gossip newspaper.  But that no one, including the photographer (who had the time to take 49 snapshots), came to his rescue.  

For reference, in a calm, unrushed situation it took a solid
15 seconds for me to take this one unfocused photo.

I think this story hit a nerve with me because my husband also takes the train....well, I'm sure it hit a nerve for many people as we let our imagination go into over-drive just wondering what we'd do if a loved one was in that position.  

So how do we teach our children the lesson of being cautious wherever they go, if they live with the faith that there will always be people around them (much like them), willing and able to help if they were in trouble? Would they be able to depend on the kindness of strangers?

Well, two days after this subway incident, I received an email from the school.

One of the families recently lost their home due to a massive fire.  Thankfully no one was seriously hurt, but they lost almost all of their belongings in the tragedy.

I must say first, that I am very proud of the school that my kids attend.  Our school community rallied behind this family, providing clothes, household items and a place to stay during their ordeal.  Within hours of the news, I was amazed to see, when I dropped off some extra clothes for them at the school office, that there were already 4 large bags full of necessities.  An outpouring of support, donations, help and prayers still continue today.  Although the journey ahead of them will be difficult, they are grateful, just knowing that they are not alone.

It is this time of year when we are provided many lessons on giving, and there are many wonderful opportunities this season to show our children gratitude and generosity.  With the many charities and food drives in high gear, it's a great way to show how we can help those in need.  Watching the response at the school has given me a glimmer of hope that maybe our children will become the next generation of kindness.  Maybe as parents, we need to backlash against the selfishness of society and model kindness to our children so they understand that when someone falls...they help them get back up.  

Someday, maybe kindness will no longer be tagged as a "gift" that happens just for the holiday spirit, but something that happens on a more regular basis for the rest of the year.  Now that would be a true gift.

DIY Gift Tags using old Christmas cards

Every year, my kids like to bring a little gift/treat to share with the class before the Christmas holidays. 

Trying to share their resources, we used whatever we had remaining from last year's mini-greeting cards.  Each card was split it into two gift tags so there is enough for each classmate. Although this is very simple (and economical!), you'd be surprised how many parents have told me they had never thought of reusing old Christmas cards this way, until now.

First, cut the card in two.  Using the cover and a hole punch, create two large holes on the side of the card.  
This is where the candy cane goes.  On the back, using address labels, I printed out multi-labels with 
"Merry Christmas, from your friend..." printed on them.  The child signs them all.

Using the inside of the card, I cut out a rectangular shape of the greeting.
Cut the corners off one side, create a hole with a hole punch, and attach with a ribbon.
The other child signs all of these.

With just one set of cards, you can double your gift tags.  Now that's a gift tag that is easy to give.

Enjoy!

something blue

According to research at top wedding sites, the most popular time of the year to get engaged is in December.  With so many sales promotions enticing us to buy for jewelry for the holidays, it's no wonder that it's a good time of year to buy that one special piece of jewelry...the diamond engagement ring.  And despite the economy, it seems that people are actually spending more than ever for that once-in-a-lifetime occasion of a wedding.  According to the statistics, couples are spending on average $30,000+(US) for their nuptials.

The other weekend, I caught a glimpse of a television show that followed a celebrity bride (a morning talk show host) who hired a wedding coordinator to plan every little detail of her wedding.   He chose the most expensive ribbon to tie around her flowers.  The flowers had to be flown in from a specific location because they perfectly matched the decor.  A dance floor had to be re-constructed because it "wasn't perfect".  Her eyes almost popped out of her head when her coordinator presented her with the six-figure dollar invoice. "The wedding has to be right", he exclaimed.  I'm sure the wedding coordinator of last year's over-the-top, 10 million dollar "celebrity" wedding would agree.  A 65 carat bridal headpiece, an homage to Audrey Hepburn, was apparently worn by that bride {source}. This for a marriage that lasted for a mere 72 days.

Is it me, or have weddings become more like a broadway production?  And are the grooms becoming less and less part of this "production"? Maybe as I watch all these wedding shows, I'm prematurely worried.  I couldn't help but wonder...what kind of bride would my daughter be someday...and how much would it cost?

Although I agree that a wedding is one of the most special moments of a lifetime, sometimes I wonder if all those sparkly details of the event overshadows the reason why you're there in the first place...to witness that "sparkly look" in the newlywed's eyes.  I don't know if having a diamond encrusted tiara like a princess necessarily means you'll "live happily ever after".

As Christmas comes to a near, I think back to when my husband proposed to me (yes, it was in the month of December), and all the planning...not just our wedding, but planning our lives together.  It was that kind of planning that made us a team.  Although we have a long time to worry about our kid's weddings...I hope that they remember the reason for having a wedding in the first place...a union of love between a couple, the start of a beautiful journey.  And that your family and friends will join in that journey, no matter what designer cake or dress is at the wedding.

Although there may not be any diamonds under the Christmas tree this year, after more than a decade of marriage, I can look back to when my husband proposed and smile.   And say that we are living..."happily ever after".  And no tiara was required.

DIY Tiffany Inspired Christmas Decor

After browsing the beautiful jewelry at the Tiffany's website, I was inspired to re-create that beautiful blue hue in our home this Christmas.  It's amazing what a small can of spray paint can transform.  The closest colour to that "Tiffany" blue, is Krylon's Blue Ocean Breeze. (found at your local hardware store...I bought mine at Canadian Tire for $5).

Here's the transformations...

Here's an old dollar store pail that held cake pops from my husband's company Christmas party last year.

Here's my old, weathered ornaments from last year, now rejuvenated.

And here's an old cookie tin...with a plain white ribbon, tied like the iconic Tiffany boxes...

It goes to show that you don't need to spend a lot of money to look like a million!

With some ingenuity and using old ornaments and items around the house, our Tiffany inspired tree is complete.

christmas merger

Sometimes I'm torn between making it or buying it.

It's the struggle between quality and time...daily decisions (dinner) or seasonal (gifts and decor). And with more quality ingredients or materials available, it seems like we've been invaded by a DIY nation.  When I browse through this season's magazines and blogs, there are so many inspirational custom and DIY cards seen on Pinterest (or check out SavvyMom's list of "18 Best Holiday Cards") that it's difficult to not feel the urge to make hand crafted cards, wrap and decor?

When we were first married, at Christmas we would spend hours handwriting each greeting and address (we send about 60 cards at any given year) on store bought Christmas cards.   Then, we had kids.  We started enclosing those cute, wallet sized Christmas portraits done at a department store photo studio.  (again, more handwriting of names and dates on the back of the photos).  And honestly, the greeting card companies have really stepped up their selection to compete with e-cards.  With so many pretty embellishments and sparkles, store bought cards really takes away the labour of gluing things ourselves!

So what do you do when you love the look of personalized custom cards, but don't have the time or craftiness to make them from scratch (all that handwriting, gluing, cutting!?!)  And what do you do with those boxes of cards you bought at last year's boxing week sale? (admit it...the prices after Christmas makes those card purchases very tempting!)

Merge the two.

I think I've found that happy medium of being creative but efficient with my time (and budget) with my Christmas cards.  I create collages of photographs, add text (yea, no handwriting!), then add the photos to pretty, glitter covered store bought cards.  I hole punch the photos and the cards and attach with a ribbon. (Of course, you just print your photo collage on card stock and say you're done!)

So in the spirit of Christmas, I thought I'd show you two photo collage ideas.  I used Picasa (it's free) so my instructions below are for that program.  But this can be done with any photo editing software.  They're pretty simple...and you can check off one more thing on your Christmas to do list.

Layer two photographs. 

(Picture Pile Method)

1)  In Picasa, click the "Create a collage" button.  The button looks like this:

2)  Choose 2 photographs...the one with the family portrait and the other of a beautiful background picture...something simple (the pine cone pic here was taken at the cottage with my phone and an Instagram filter).

3)  Add photos as a "Picture Pile" where the photos are scattered on the page. I like this so I can position and the size the photos as I please.

4)  Choose a photograph as your background image.

5)  Adjust your photo to the desired size and position.  Add text and filters.

Here's some examples:

Split Screen Photo with clip art 

(Mosaic method)

1)  In Picasa, click the "Create a collage" button.  The button looks like this:

2)  Find  or layer free clip art onto a word document, then add your text to create your message or find already created free clip art Christmas messages (the chalkboard one I found here), and save it as a gif or jpg file.

3) Choose your portrait.

4)  Add both portrait and your clip art photos using "Mosaic" where the photos are automatically fit into the page), pick your portrait.


Here's some examples:

Enjoy!

playing with bugs

As a child, I remember spending summers with a neighbourhood friend, riding our bikes to the creek, looking for crayfish, catching grasshoppers and spiders and observing our “catches” under a magnifying glass.   I never gave it a second thought of holding those multi-legged creatures back then, carrying them around in the backyard like prized creatures from a safari excursion (okay, we had a big imagination!).  Now as an adult, the mere thought of holding a bug sends me running.

Looking back at those memories, I often wonder at what point in my life did my childhood enchantment turn into measured cautiousness?  Did experiencing life outside of my backyard and in the real world complicate my views of the very things that we were supposed appreciate in the first place?  In other words, can we ever enjoy the simple things in life or will we be distracted with all those shiny new virtual games and apps that bombard us daily.

As much as I love and totally embrace those amazing educational apps that have been able to teach and expose my children to the world beyond what I’ve EVER learned at their age, a part of me still wants them to just…get on a bike.  And to be honest, as a parent I struggle to maintain my own wide-eyed enthusiasm to go along with my kids to explore the outdoors.  However,  have we as adults, modelled this media obsessed behaviour…our noses buried in our phones (and I’m equally guilty of this, spending hours on Twitter or Pinterest) instead of getting dirty and enjoy what nature has given us?  

So, this past summer, I was determined spend more time outdoors and attempt more outdoor activities so we can be more active as a family.  With new helmets and bikes, we discovered more bike trails, climbed trees and discovered all kinds of bugs.

As the weather turns cold, I start to miss those hazy days of exploration in the dirt, and hope we will continue the momentum of playing outside…now exploring in the snow, skating, skiing or sledding down the hill.  And although I still haven’t built up the courage to hold a bug in my hand, I guess for now I’ll just have to settle for the costumed ones I make for Halloween. 

Spider Costume
(directions originally posted here)

For the eyes, we cut styrofoam balls
(found at the dollar store), and cut them in half

Paint and attach green sequins to the styrofoam balls.  

Add a headband with black pipe cleaners attached
(for the Pedipalp or “feelers” of the spider):

For the legs, sewed black stockings filled with batting cotton to a black shirt

For the tail/abdomen, cut a black garbage bag and filled it with
other plastic bags or newspaper.  Add details with black
construction paper. Attach with electric or hockey tape.
 (before we went out in the dark, for safety 
I added reflective tape to the tail too!).

Wear with black pants, socks and gloves.  

dress you up

Working on a film set in my previous life has given me the privilege of witnessing the magic of wardrobe geniuses create characters though either simple clothes or elaborate costume design.  One of my best wardrobe memories was working with a famous (gap-toothed) 70's model turned actress, who wanted her character to wear a high end designer suit for one particular scene.  Unfortunately the production budget didn't allow for such indulgence, so she made one phone call and two days later an outfit specifically designed (her sunglass-wearing-fan-waving designer friend had her measurements on file), was couriered to her from France, and it was worn for the scene. Oh the magic of movies!!!

Now that my "film set" is now a school gymnasium stage, I must admit that I still enjoy watching the creativity that's put into the costumes for school plays.  Although I rarely sew, since my daughter loves of all things hippopotamus, last year we created a simple costume for one of her school assignments that didn't require much sewing (as originally posted here)

What I loved most though, was working on this project together.  We worked on it much like a collaborative arts and crafts activity, and what was incredible to me, was watching her imagination soar as she was painting, tying and trying new things to make her costume work.    

When she put on her costume for school, she saw her handy work come to life.  She got into "character" and became a hippo.  She was happiest as can be...and to be honest, the world was her stage.  And to me, that was more magical than any movie set.

Hippopotamus Costume

Here's the directions of making this hippopotamus costume again.  The magic of this, is that it can be adapted to any animal you wish. The mask is a paper mache project and the "body" is a no-sew drawstring bag with armholes...easily done if you have kids who know how to tie knots.

Materials:

For the mask

• Newspaper strips
• Equal parts of glue, flour, water (approx. 1 cup each)
• Grey paint
• Balloons (approx. 9" or the size of child's head)
• Elastic

For the body

• Approximately 2- 4 yards of felt material, depending on the size of your child. (check out your local thrift store for remnants...I found my felt fabric for $4 for 4 yards!  Just wash first.)
• Scissors

Directions:

For the Mask:

1. Cut strips of newspaper, approximately 1 inch in width.
2. Blow up the balloon. Gather all the materials.
3. Create the "glue" by mixing equal parts of glue, flour and water.  I used approximately 3/4 cups of each.
4. Wet the strips of newspaper with the glue and attach in layers on the balloon.  I only ended up using one balloon...for the snout, I attached scrunched up newspaper using the glued newspaper strips.
5. Ensure that there are holes for the eyes, the side for the elastic bands to go through (to hold the mask onto the head).
6. Creating mini cones with newspaper, attach as ears.  Scrunch up newspaper for the snout and attach.  Let dry overnight.
7. When dry, paint with craft p.
8. Attach the elastic bands to the holes.
9. When the paint is semi-dry, paint the details
10. Using a market, draw the snout.

For the no sew costume:

1. Using a large piece of felt fabric, fold in half so it's approximately the size of the child. Cut one inch slits all the way down the open side.  
2. Tie all the slits together, into double knots.
3. Turn inside out, so the the "fringe" is on the inside (revealing the braid)
4. Turn the fabric so the braid is on the back, and cut out the arm holes approximately 1 inch from the top.
5. Cut the slits at the top, and then knot the two strips together.
6. Fold the top and bottom approximately 2 inches, and cut slits approximately 1inch apart, all along the bottom and top.
7. Taking a strip of 1 inch width ribbon (I used remnants of the fabric and cut strips), attach a safety pin to one end and weave through the slits along the top and bottom, creating a drawstring effect on the top and bottom of the costume.
8. Pull the top drawstring and tie a bow on the front.
9. Pull the bottom drawstring and tie a bow on the back (so it would look like at tail).

Lights, Camera...Action!

file it under "done"

Young adults or children generally mark "significant" birthdays with an accomplishment.  (On a 16th birthday, you get your driver's license.  On a 21st birthday, you mark the birthday doing more "adult" activities...etc.)

Once you reach *ahem* bigger milestones (30's, 40's, 50's etc.), you take on larger activities, like a huge party or travel to bring in the new age.  But in between those milestone birthdays, similar to what most normal people do at New Year's Eve, I make new resolutions after my birthday.

Last year, my resolution was to ensure I create memories.  Leading up to this was the creation of this blog, which for the most part, documented those special moments.

This year, my resolution is to be more disciplined.

To keep my energy focused on being more efficient and...just get things done.  No procrastination or excuses that keep me in my comfort zone.  In fact, now I do what makes me uncomfortable, having the  discipline to do, no matter how tired I am or difficult the task might be.

So, this past week, I pulled out my "get dirty" clothes, dusted off my paint brushes, and finished a few projects that I've made excuses not to finish.  And while my projects are still in progress,  I've completed quite a few in such a short time....and now I can say, "file it under DONE".

Refurbishing a Metal Filing Cabinet

Now that school has started, it means more paper comes into the house.  Unable to find a "pretty" filing cabinet (is there such a thing?), I took our old filing cabinet, and gave it a facelift.  Here's how it went.

1)  Empty file cabinet, and use painters tape to cover handles.
2)  Using Rustoleum's "Flat White" Exterior spray paint, spray even (and very light) coats of paint, making sure you let it dry in between layers. (I used about three layers).
3)  Using a stencil, tape your design to the front of the drawers.
4)  Using craft paint, using gentle dabs (not strokes!), apply your colour.

Done.

may flowers

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Mother's Day is synonymous with flowers.  The giving and receiving of them.  Here are some beautiful flower arrangements using every day household items as vases.  They make the flowers seem so much more personal...and easy to create for Mother's Day.

Here's a floral arrangement using a 3 tiered serving tray (with floral foam).

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Simple votive candles hold little flower tops, or single roses with the stems removed.

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Here's a simple candlestick holder, topped with floral foam and carnations.

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Here's a very very easy arrangement I used one year for Mother's Day...just use pretty colour coordinated gift bags.

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April showers definitely brought May flowers.  Enjoy!