Hand Print Christmas ornament

 In the spirit of giving I wanted to do something for the Grandparents... We have 3 sets.. but only 3 celebrate Christmas,

So we made these...



supplies needed

.. Round Christmas ball
we used clear ones but you could use coloured ones..

... Acrylic paint and a brush

..a clothes line and clothes pegs to dry the balls

.. Baby wipes for smudges and quick clean up












 What to do...

Simply paint your child's hand, then carefully press the ball into the palm of their hand.. we did a dry run with each kid so they would understand what mommy wanted them to do..

press hand against ball, then carefully release hand..
hang on mini clothes line to dry.. we then added glitter inside the ball it looked like snow.. mrK LOVED this... i added a ribbon at the top as well.. these rocked.. im sure the Grands will LOVE them :)

These cost less than $3 bucks each to make... 

Glitter Hand Prints

I LOVE glitter and I LOVE hand prints .. I love how a hand print holds the memory of the size of your child the moment you look at it..

these are great gift ideas

I traced my kids hands onto black paper .. then filled in their hand print with white glue, the shook glitter onto the glue..

these look amazing in person the shine in the sun

I framed mine to stop excess glitter from find its way into every nook and cranny in my house..


my kids loved these too..

you could do glitter foot prints as well :)

The Santa Key...

"Momma how does Santa get into our house when we dont have a fire place ?"

GREAT question honey....

my son is 4 and asked this question, my answer is simple... we leave him a key...

my hubby has a whole jar of old keys from god knows where and one of them is particularly cool , I've decided that this will be our Santa key..
and all good Santa keys need to look the part so I will be glittering ours  

Simple right... modege podge .. glitter .. a key.. and some ribbon...

then you leave this key out for Santa to find my son was delighted with this idea...

Easy hand made ball toss and catch game

My kids inevitably get board easily ..

so I made these one day.. get two jugs the same size, i used 2 2L juice jugs, you could use a 4L milk jug too, simply clean the jug out ..... Then cut the bottom off, invert it and Taaah Daaaah you have an ball catcher.. I made a dozen little balls out of tin foil but you could use what ever you like..

Quick...
Easy.. and best of all FREE Fun !!!

my kids loved these

Pretend mess free Make-up

Being a momma and a make-up artist means two things.. ONE I have kids two, it means they know what make-up is, and my lil'L is obsessed with the stuff

at age two she is always asking for me to do her make-up...

so in her stocking this year she is getting some make-up of her very own...

Simply keep those empty make-up containers you have, or remove make-up from their pans.. and fill with different coloured nail polish.. Let dry over night on a flat level surface.


You could also buy make-up from the dollar store and seal it simply by placing a layer of clean nail polish over top of the make-up ..

I also bought a set of "travel brushes" for my daughter from the dollar store, now she has her own to play with :)

and I gotta say they look super cute :)

Home made bath Salts

 BATH SALTS


my Kids LOVE bath salts and they are fun to make, and use and Give as gifts...
  For this basic bath salts recipe you'll need:

• Some salt - I prefer a mixture of sea salt and epsom salt, but there are many different types of salt both rare and common, but if your in a pinch regular Epsom salts are fine on their own..
• Some scent - you can use skin-safe fragrance oils or for an aromatherapy bath, essential oils 
• a ziplock bag, use a bag double the size of the amount of salts your putting into it
• A container to put it in - preferably air tight like a mason or other jar. (Plastic is better than glass around the bath tub if you can get it, though some fragrance or essential oils will warp and discolor plastic.) 

Directions:

1. Pour salt into a plastic zip bag (ziplcok bag with zipper closure ) . Add a few drops of essential oil. Close bag immediately and shake well to mix scent thoroughly.
2. Next add food coloring a couple drops at a time. Shake well and add more color only if needed.
3. Finally, if you have time, let the mixture sit over night and then shake the bag one last time for the most even color distribution.
4. Package and embellish your homemade gift in a glass jar or cellophane bag.
My kids love to SHAKE up the bags, I found freezer bags worked the best and can be used a few times .. this is also a cool sensory thing to do with your kids as it feels cool through the bag, and if its a mix they are using them selves they can finish mixing them up by hand :) 

in door Hopscotch and a easy way for little people to reach the sink tap...

INDOOR HOPSCOTCH
simply take some painters tape , and tape the hop scotch game onto your floor, we used a beenie baby as our "rock".. After i did this i noticed i put the numbers in the wrong order.. but my 4 year old didn't care.. this kept him busy for hours .. 

                                                                             CANT REACH THE TAP SOLUTION

I took an empty salad dressing bottle, cut off the base, and cut the top and made a "V" shape at the end, hooked an elastic around the bottom end and Taaah Daaah an instant waterfall to help little hands reach the tap ..

the Pony Project

So I have very fond memories of my hobby horse when i was a child.. my mom made like 20 of them for me my siblings and my cousins and a few close family friends..
MrK who is now 4 and LilL who is now 2 LOVE hobby horses and any broom, shovel or stick is often "turned into a horsey" so I made it my goal this year to make my kids a pony of their own, i saw lots of tutorials online about how to make one and i didnt see a pattern i liked so i made my own.. I wanted the head to look like the "knight" in a game of Chess..

so I laid out a sheet of paper and drew the horse shape i liked..
then cut out two "head shapes" for each horse, and a 1 1/2 inch wide strip of polar fleece  for each horse about 30 inches long

then laid right sides together, places strip"Between" the head shapes staring under the chin of the horse , then sew these together, then once both sides have been sewn sew a straight line from the "chin"  to the ens of the horse. the 2 inch strip gives the horse "width" in his face.. you can skip this step is you want a "flatter" pony
turn the head inside out
Take your "stick" or body of pony and pad one end so it is now soft and wont poke through the head of the horse or feel hard inside the head.. shove the stick into the head..
 Fill the head firmly with cotton batting I like the light weight kind then its not heavy for a child to use..
I choose to cover the stick of the pony with polar fleece so it was soft, then added a "tail" on the end. also slightly padded the end so it wasnt hard. and possibly used as a weapon ;)but you could paint it, I used a pre cut dowsing from home depo ($4.50 each) but you could use.. an old hockey stick, a broken ore , a sturdy tree branch broom handle

Decorate you pony as you see fit.. the "hair styles" on both ponies were all hand stitched in place, and too FOR EVER.. hahah about 3hrs for each pony.. but i know they will never some off ..

Materials used to make these ponies :
-polar fleece
-yarn
-light weight toy batting
-doweling
-felt for eyes and ears
-buttons
-ribbon
-thread scissors
 

Hey Did you miss me ???

SO if you've missed me.. Sorry life has gotten away from us
In the End of April there was a huge explosion at my husbands work, Lakeland Saw Mill. Luckily he wasn't working that night but it still shook us, two men died and several were burned or injured in the explosion.. 
So after we got over the shock of the whole thing we then realized.. WTF do we do now, do we move so Andy can find work do we stay here and wait it out and hope for a job. Luckily all of his tools were covered by Lakelands insurance so we didn't have to worry about replacing the thousands of dollars in tools he had at work..
3 months later He has now found work, but its not locally and will be gone for 7days at a time.. this will be a test of our marriage and i know hard on us emotionally.. the kids are just shy of 2 and 4 and not having daddy around will be tough on them. But you gotta do what you gotta do..

I"ve been watching my make-up business grow and to be honest and slightly selfish i dont wish to move. I'm getting my name out there and getting booked up.. its pretty exciting :)
Right now I'm trying to work on projects to round out my portfolio like Indian Bridal (Bollywood ish) , I've been working on my face painting skills and LOVING painting pregnant belly's its my newest passion and I get such joy from doing it..

I've been sewing too.. made several little dresses for Lil'L and as gifts.. its one of those things.. I love it and I will always sew.

We had a family reunion in July and it was a blast, did lost of camp crafting and weeded out lots of random art things from my craft boxes

My future craft projects are.. I spy games, and i'd like to make some soft books ... :)

Shaver Holder

So I'm sick of seeing my husbands electric shavers just hanging out on the counter of our small bathroom... Lil'L every chance she has pulls it down and twice its knocked her in the head... so Enough is enough...
I needed a plan ...
So I took a square plastic container ( I think it held juice at one time) cut off the top part.. then punched some holes in the top where the hook would go through, then on one side I cut a slit so the power cords could pass through... then I used a 3m hook (the kids that requires no nails and wont wreck the walls ) attached the hook near the outlet, then pushed the shaver cords through the slit, put the shavers into the container and hung it on the wall....

TAAAAAHHHH DAAAAAHHH a recycled project that took me like 5 mins to create... why didnt I think of this sooner ???

Valentines Day gift Ideas

Valentines Day gift Ideas

So I've been busy.. my charity Prince George Dress Dreams has been keeping me busy a little too busy to craft but I found some time tonight to help my kids make some cute presents for Grand parents and Daddy too :)

My kids are 1 and 3 and they dont really draw yet but man can they cover paper in a hurry with beautiful scribbles
And Im lucky to have this huge roll of paper that the two of them can cover in no time, the smile and giggle the whole time...
but then I am left with a huge piece of beautiful paper, I've used this paper to wrap gifts .. this was a huge hit at Christmas and at a recent birthday

and I decided to do a little recycling, I have these great little glass jars (left over from mustard) they are the perfect size for a little something... I then took my big sheets of mrK and Lil'L coloured paper and cut little hearts out of the paper, you could use a punch if you have one but I cut all of mine out by hand.. then i had mrK (he's 3years old) help fill the jars full of little hearts, he was really excited to do this and giggled the whole time and he knew it was his art the hearts were made from...
I then closed up jars and placed a paper over the top and ties a ribbon around then trimmed off the edges like a jam jar...
I then cute a heart shaped "card" and added a little note...
A Waaahlah.. a jar of love :)

MrK and Lil' L have many friends and I wanted to give them a little something ... so I took some of the left over hearts and taped them to a small heart shaped sucker and wrote on the back... "I'd be a sucker if I didnt choose you as a friend Happy Valentines Day !!!! "
Super simple and cost me $2 bucks for 20 suckers :)

Also took a second huge sheet of paper and drew large hearts of all sizes and only gave the kids red pinks and purple crayons to colour with and they went to town as usual. and the nonce done I cut out the hearts and attached them to an scrap piece of lace and hung them from the valance in the kitchen.. both kids LOVE them :)

Prince George Dress Dreams

So I have a third "child" now....

I started Prince George Dress Dreams ...

Prince George Dress Dreams is a not for profit organization accepting donations of Prom, "wedding", bridesmaid, cocktail or other "fancy" dresses that are "current", and in excellent condition.

These dresses will be given to girls in our community to make their "Dress Dream" a reality...
We are taking nominations for girls in the Prince George community that may be low income, have overcome adversity, are teen moms, or have endured other obstacles such as illness or loss of a family member.
Prince George Dress Dreams will help those who best suit this criteria to receive a dress, shoes, and other prom accessories ...

To donate or nominate a Grad please e-mail us at PGDressDreams@yahoo.ca or mpmakeup@shaw.ca

Donations we are looking for.....
Grad, Prom, "wedding", bridesmaid, cocktail or other fancy dresses of any size in great to Excellent condition
shoes
jewelry
tiaras
wraps
gloves
hand bags or clutches
and any other "prom" accessories


We are also looking for volunteers for
organization
those who can do alterations
pick up drop off "go getters"

and anyone who is wanting to be a part of our team...

for any info please e-mail PGDressDreams@yahoo.ca


This page is sponsored by....

Mp Make-up Artistry Prince George BC

https://www.facebook.com/pages/MP-Make-up-Artistry-Prince-George-BC/200088230001494


Laprairie Creative

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Laprairie-Creative/242445145794756

Santa was good to our kids... Kid Craft Retro Red kitchen and Black and Decker work bench .. Reviews from a real momma

So Santa was really good to our kids this year..

Lil'L (15months old) and MrK (3 years & 3months old) they got spoiled...

Lil'L Got the Retro Red Kitchen from Kid Craft.. and I must say this was a gift partly for me :) I think I love it as much as she does... She is a girly girl and loves to open and close , twist and turn and toss everything out of that adorable kitchen :) I put it together in about 2 hrs, one door did give me some trouble but I got it together, but word to the wise, Do do it by yourself on Christmas eve at 10pm at night.. heheheh

Things I LOVE (she loves) about it .... Its adorable , fits into a smaller space, its not HUGE, and yet isnt tiny that she will grow out of it in a year or two.. My 3year old also loves it, his play is much different than her play, he actually makes food :) its bright and colourful, and its a practical play space with lots of space for imagination.

Things that could be changed.. the phone is not attached and is often lost.. or "baked" in the oven, it would be nice if it were attached , or I may just throw on a big peice of Velcro just so we can keep track of it. the paint has chiped on one of the doors , but its still super cute...

I highly recomend this kitchen to anyone wanting to add a cute and stylish toy to your play room.

mrK got the black and Decker Work bench...

And HE loves it, and I love watching him play with it, the tools are wonderfuly cute,and safe :)

He is really into tools like Daddy, and this was a great addition to our play room, easy to put together , my husband did it without instructions, (I had ot fix a part of it later) and it took about 20 mins to assemble it.

MrK's review ... " I like the colours, the sounds and the hammer" ... " I like to cut the pretend wood, and makes the drill go.. buuzzzzzzzz" (shakes hands wildly) I like the hooks to hang my toys, and I like to hamer the hammer" ... ok so he is three .. but I think its a really usefull learnign toy, it teach hand eye coordination, you can pound nails with a hammer, and twist screws and bolts together... hoepfully he will not discover that the bolts and screws (plastic like the toy) are what holds it all together ... or he will be the one putting it back together :)

we didnt realize that two of the tools attached to the bench needed batteries out kids made the "buzzing" sounds without them.. but since batteries have been put in them, I've noticed the bench getting more play action :) My son often pretends he is Handy Manny and orders his tools around .. its pretty cute..

I do wish this toy was some what colapsable so it could be put away easier, its kinda on the big side but we have a large play room so its not so bad.. it would work in his bed room too.. but i fear he'd never sleep :)

all in all its a good buy, we found it at Costco for $50 about $30-$40 dollars cheaper than at Toys-R-Us.... we also bought the extra tools pack for $19 and that was a good buy, he loves the power drill..

Happy 2012 !!!!

So the new year is here !!! Weeeeeeeeee

with the insanity of Christmas and all the family visits and eating to many sweets I kinda got behind in my blogging.. Sorry about that...

anyhoo this year wil be my best, my kids are sleeping better, understanding more, and Lil'L is going ot be potty trained by the end of 2012 I'm sure of it.. MrK is developing and turning into his own person.. ITs amazing to me how they change, and how quickly they have become little people ..

My Goal this year is to review as many products as possible, show off as many cool project idea's I have and will do as many crafty things for my kids as I can.

I'm also going more "full time" into make-up.. Facepainting at kids parties is my "newest" thing and so far its being warmly recived.. I've all so got PG Dress Dreams going full swing right now, We are collecting donated dresses and giving them to deserving girls in our community. That and beign a full time stay at home mom my plate is full and I'm happy with that <3

It's been busy but we are gearing up and ready to go !!!!!

Hoilday Baking.... nom nom nom nom

So this year I went all out and made about 13 different kinds of Christmas goodies

easy Butter Tarts http://gocanada.about.com/od/wheretoeatanddrink/r/butter_tart.htm

mouse cookies http://www.grouprecipes.com/88220/mouse-cookies.html


midnight mint bars http://www.christmas-cookies.com/recipes/recipe467.midnight-mints.html

chocolate macaroons http://www.joyofbaking.com/ChocolateCoconutMacaroons.html

Easy sugar cookies http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Easy-Sugar-Cookies/Detail.aspx

Peanut butter cookies  http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/Desserts/Cookies/Peanut-Butter-Cookies/

chocolate chip  cookies  I made mine in mini muffin tins http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/Desserts/Cookies/Chocolate-Chip-Cookies/

Nummy Bars .. this is my Nana's Recipe
  1/2 cup butter or margarin, 1cup peanut butter. 1 cup butterscotch chips 1/2 cup chocolate chips put this all into a double boiler melt then remove from heat once cool enough to hold hand to pot add mash mellows then add to a greased pan put in the fridge and your done