Family Recipe Box, Cherry-O!

Okay, I'm going to go out on a limb and assume my 22 year-old sister, Julia, doesn't read my blog.  This is her graduation gift (George Mason, class of '10), and I haven't given it to her yet.  When my brother graduated from VT a couple years ago, I made him a 5x7 album including a recipe from and picture of each family member that chose to participate (don't leave out the kids in the family).  Then I realized a recipe box would be easier to add to.  This decorable magnetic-closing recipe box, Cherry-O paper pack, ribbon and embellishments are available from Close to My Heart.  I cut the letters out on my cricut, covered them with paper, inked the edges and covered each with liquid glass (also available at CTMH) to give them a glossy 3-D feel.

The beauty of this fun project is its simplicity.  I bought this coordinating set of Cherry-O recipe cards already printed "scrappy style," and they come with stickease and dividers.  I just slapped on a sticker and a matted photo and I was done!  (Your gift receiver does not need to know how easy it was.)

Practical tips:
-  Because you hope that this will actually be used in a real kitchen, I recommend sliding each card into a sealable cellophane bag for protection.  Clear Bags seriously has any size you need.
-  And secondly, I am going to attach a decorated clothes pin to the back of the box to hold the card up where the chef can read it.

Super Mario Birthday Party

Happy 5th birthday to my sweet Savannah-banana!  It's safe to say Savannah is a bit Mario-obsessed, even commenting on his handsomeness.  So we didn't really have a choice on birthday theme this year.  I brainstormed the design of her party invite by printing off some Mario clipart to see what we could do with it.  When she started playing with them like paper dolls, I wondered what she would do if I put her face on Princess Peach.  And there we have it.  I popped Mario and the mushroom with 3-D foam squares, stickled it up, and the back has the party information and gold coins.

For a crafty person, I struggle in the kitchen so when there's an occasion when cupcakes will do, I jump on it!  The red/green mushrooms in the video game made the easiest cupcakes ever.  Thank God!  The only commercially marketed Mario do-dads I could find were these two candy tins at Michael's.  For an impromptu center piece, I turned my cupcake carrier upside down and cut off some ribbon from the balloon bouquet.  Weak, but it did the job...

As summer approaches, Michael's puts out the bulk items for camps and Bible schools.  I got red (Mario), green (Luigi), and black (the bad guys, Waluigi and Wario) for just over a buck each.  You have to be quick because as the 4th of July approaches, the red caps become really hard to find.  I hot-glued a white felt circle with puffy-painted letters for each cap.  However, if you want to be 100% authentic, the puffy paint should be the same color as the cap.  As for the mustaches, PaRtY cItY, baby!  I love that place.  I got the 'staches on clearance right after Cinco de Mayo, but there is a year-round "Fiesta" themed section that also has them.  (This is my soon to be 7 year-old.)

The party was held at Kidz Play in Winchester, VA. It's an AWESOME place with a variety of climbing/bouncing structures as well as some Little Tyke action for the little ones.  That's the birthday girl (AKA Princess Peach) on the middle of the plank.  (And just in case you're wondering, their basic party package is OVER $100 cheaper than Pump It Up's in Leesburg.)

Mommy and Savannah-  For a baby with a rough beginning, look at you now!  I can't wait to see what the next 5 years has in store for you.  Who said the middle child doesn't get any attention?  : )

Convention Roomie Gifts

Before I officially begin this post, I need to offer 2 pieces of backstory:
1.  The following pics are from the Close to My Heart annual convention at the Gaylord Resort at the National Harbor.  Four days of paper-crafting euphoria!  ~sigh.
2.  Yes, I am aware my photography stinks...I'm working on it.

So, it's tradition to give gifts to your roommates at convention, and this was mine.  I totally snatched this idea from a preschool mom and I'm sorry I don't even know which.  Someone gave it to the preschool teacher as an end-of-the-year gift.  Appropriate, I thought.  It's super easy: 

1.  Dollar Store!  Choose your container 

2.  Stuff it with tissue paper or colorful paper

3.  Tie a coordinating ribbon around the base

4.  Set a styrofoam ball on the tissue paper

5.  Use straight pins to pin chocolate minis around the ball, starting at the bottom.  (Push the pin through the end of the wrapper, not the compartment holding the actual chocolate.)

6.  Bunch shredded white paper (purchased at Michael's) on top for the whipped cream and stick a red tootsie pop into the center.  Voila! 

A couple more just for variety.  : )

Lazy mom activity #43

Let's be honest.  We can't always be Bobo the clown, swing-pusher, artsy, Mary Poppins in one neat little mommy package all of the time.  Sometimes we need a couple minutes to check Facebook with a cup of coffee BY OURSELVES!  (Interesting concept for my kids.  I haven't shut the bathroom door since '03.)  Here is a favorite new activity that I will juice until my kids get bored with it- which they haven't yet.

Ingredients:
Bag of mini marshmallows
Box of toothpicks

Directions:  Build

Course this is for the older toddler set, not for little ones that still put things in their mouths.  My kids like to see how long they can make their row of houses before they run out of supplies (usually marshmallows.)  Happy building!  (and Facebooking...)  : )

Car Wash Tears

If your 2 and 4 year old want to "help" wash the car, let them.  Just be sure to use some sort of no-tear formula soap.  Trust me, everyone involved will be happier for it.

You Rock!

There's nothing like someone telling you they like your blog to light a fire under your butt to update it.  Seriously, sometimes I forget I even have them.  (My other one is coffeebreathcori.blogspot.com- I think)  So here is one of my favorite recent pages, my little rocker girl Madeline right around her 2nd birthday.  She's not shy, this one, and I have to wonder if the Hannah Montana reference will be lost on her by the time she can appreciate these pages.  Time will tell...

Another reason I'm so in love with this page is the paper.  I'm pretty sure the CTMH Gods said, "We need to design a paper pack just for Cori."  BAM!  Here it is- hippie rocker meets craft nerd.  Whoo!  Rainbow swirly, tie-dye paisleys?  Now we're talkin'.  Maybe it's because with three girls, I'm usually reduced to pink petals and ponies.  I love the...darkness of the paper combined with the bright swirls.  Okay, enough gushing.

Kissing Cousins

When we get all the kids together, there's never a dull moment- especially when Gram breaks out her most recent "treasure" find.  (That's her doing the jig in the background.)  I believe these lips were actually suckers made of high fructose corn syrup and some carbon compound.  : )

Animal Cookies is one of my favorite CTMH paper packs pretty much because I have kids.  The primary colors just pop and it's easy to coordinte non CTMH products with it- ribbon, glitter, letter stickers, etc.  Very versatile!  It also gave me an excuse to break out the foam numbers.  Thank God for liquid glass.