Beeper Birthday Invitation

Again with the snakes and lizards and alligators . But this is what Beeper has requested to have as a theme for his 5th birthday party--reptiles. And I have to admit, at first I was at a dead-standstill with ideas of what we could possibly do to create a reptile theme party. Gator wrestling? Snake handling? And what would the handful of poor pre-school girls who would be at the party think...Gross. what's up with the reptiles? But maybe that is just me projecting...

Actually, the ideas sort of took off once I had the image of what his birthday invite would look like--something E. Soule-ish. Hence, what you see above (not as good as Elizabeth Soule's work, of course, but inspired absolutely by her work)--the march of the reptiles (and a couple of amphibians) to the cupcake.
And I have to tell you that when I showed a copy of the completed invitation to Beeper, well, he got a ginormous grin, then suddenly looked very crabby and confused. So I asked him what was wrong, to which he whispered, "Mama, I don't think I want to give these away." I'll consider that success for now.

Birthday Counting Cards: Template and Tutorial

I made this on Saturday morning for Matilda's birthday. Then, on Sunday morning, I made one for you--I mean, I made the templates and instructions to make your very own Birthday Counting Cards. Just because even though I designed these cards--I sorta fell in love with them--and then I wanted to share it with you. Because I like you and appreciate how you've been stopping by and visiting my blog every now and again when you have some time to waste.
Matilda was turning 6, so she had 6 cards of goodies--1 necklace with a photo of Carl before his surgery, 2 buttons from Belle and Boo (find them here), 3 fruit juice lollies, 4 quarters, 5 snapshots of friends, and 6 vintage paper dolls (found those in pilllpat's flickr set here...other amazing vintage paper craft stuff there too)...

I made the design so it was usable for any child up to the age of 7 (does the novelty of something like this wear off after 7 years? I wasn't sure...). I have to tell you, I really, really loved making this AND giving it. I hope you'll like it too.

And you can make your own version of this with your own selection of goodies--you can download my template and instructions here:
DOWNLOAD BIRTHDAY COUNTING CARD TUTORIAL

The Cure for Carl

This is Carl.Carl's human is Matilda. She cares about him deeply, feels he is very special, and they have been through a lot in the past 2 years they have been together. (WARNING: graphic photo follows below--may be disturbing to small children)As you may be able to see, Carl is in a bad way. Like, moving into critical territory--the shrunken woolen fibers are a chronic condition that I fear will only continue to deteriorate over time if left untreated. And that hole in the head? Well, it doesn't take a brain surgeon to tell you that requires some intensive care. Which is why we have no other choice but to take Carl into emergency surgery. He has a good chance of survival, but he may not be quite the same when he comes back out and. I only hope he will be recovered enough to join Matilda at her 6th birthday party on Saturday...

Super Smoothie and the Breakfast Sammie

I believe in smoothies--especially the super ones. They have super powers in my mind--the power to nourish, re-vitalize, cleanse, counteract the evil of every day toxins and free radicals and stuff. Now a breakfast sammie--while not the worst thing in the world for you, well, that is really about comfort and something warm and yummy you can hold in your hand on Saturday morning while you read the newspaper or play bananagrams at the table with your husband. Put them together and you feel both coddled (breakfast sammie) and like you are in capable hands you trust implicitly (super smoothie).

So, here is my recipe for the Super Smoothie (makes one generous smoothie):

• 1/2 cup of cranberry juice
• 1/2 cup of a combo of frozen blueberries and raspberries
• 1/2 of a frozen banana (the frozen fruit is the secret to a thick and lush smoothie--when the fresh fruit we have laying around the house becomes a little too ripe, we toss it in a plastic bag in the freezer and freeze it for later smoothie use)
• 1/2 cup of fat-free vanilla yogurt (Stonyfield Farms--our favorite)
• 1/4 cup of raw slivered almonds
• 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed
• 1 tablespoon of wheat germ

Put it all together in a blender and blend until smooth (even when it looks all blended, allow to blend a little longer so you are sure to get the almonds all ground up). Drink and feel smug about yourself because this smoothie is full of antioxidants and omega-3's.

Now, about that breakfast sammie--this is our house recipe:

• 2 slices of whole wheat bread, toasted (no butter)
• 1 scallion, sliced, and about 1/8 of a red pepper, diced--lightly sauteed
• 2 eggs, scrambled in the pan with the scallion and red pepper
• a little white cheddar--grated over the eggs so it get melty
• 2 slices of cooked bacon

Put everything between the two slices of toast, put your feet up, and have happy weekend breakfast (about my favorite part of every weekend).

Pre-Schooler Coloring Book

Beeper's pre-school made these coloring books from drawings the pre-schoolers made. Such a brilliant idea--wish it could have been mine. They sold them to raise money for the school--I ordered 3 (1 for Beeper, 2 for gifts). I love trying to guess what the kids were drawing...(a rocket and earth with buildings rising from the sides, I think) (a teepee and sun flowers?)And these are some of Beeper's colorings in his new color book (a stripey rainbow)......and this beautiful abstract drawing that reminds me of a pre-school Miro. Beeper's love of color and how he so judiciously applies it in all shades just makes my heart smile--mostly because it is so like HIM--so much his enthusiastic, sunny, and adventurous personality.

April Toy Society Drop

Baby Binky Bunny number 2 dropped for The Toy Society? Check. And I was really SO happy to be able to drop this on Easter morning for some random person to find. So, there I was in the bathroomon Easter morning, brushing my teeth, listening to my boy in the background playing happily with the new toy animals the Easter Bunny left in his basket (yes already, they were a king cobra and an alligator--I can't help it if baby chicks and bunnies hold no interest for him) thinking, thinking, thinking about where I should drop the Baby Binky Bunny...someplace where people would show up, even though it is a holiday, someplace where someone would find it who needed to find something like this because their circustances might not be as fortunate as mine on Easter...and then I knew it had to be the Minneapolis Children's Hospital--which is not even 10 blocks away from my home. So, that's where it ended up--tied to a small tree with a pink ribbon, just outside the main doors.

And this is what I like to believe about The Toy Society and the toy drops overall--that the people who really needs to find these plushies, find them. Whether they need them because they are ill, alone, feel unliked, are blue, or are just having a hard day...I like to believe these are the people who find their way to wherever the toys are dropped. Drawn by some unknown force and all the good will sewn up inside these plushies. My own brand of plushie spirituality.

And about that Baby Binky Bunny...not my pattern. It was designed by mmmcrafts--you can buy your own pattern and lovely detailed instructions right here. Trust me, you will not regret making one. Tell Larissa Holly sent you.

Homemade Easter Candy and Paper Craft Download Crazy

Yeah, I'm not sure what really possessed me. I mean, why did I feel suddenly compelled to attempt to make all of our easter candy this year? It seemed somehow healthier(?) because I could see the ingredients going into each item...and it seemed like it would be novel and something Beeper would like to help with. So, we did it (or at least this is what we managed to complete before I threw in the chocolate covered dish towel--the marshmallow eggs never did come to fruition)--and this is the result...Chocolate and white chocolate covered coconut birds nests, little chocolates made in molds from Bake It Pretty, more little easter animal shapes made from candy coating in ghastly unnatural colors (sure to delight small children), and those peanut butter eggs above. And really, it was not all that hard to make, but working with all that melted chocolate is messy. Probably would be better if I had spread this out over several days instead of gunning to do it all on the day before Easter. BUT, the peanut butter eggs were lovely, and the nests were a cinch--and Beeper really did like helping (sugar? melted chocolate? candy? From a child's persepctive, what's the problem?). So, that was craziness number one that seized me. Then there was this:You see, now that I had all this homemade candy, I decided that I also needed to make some little easter baskets to give to all the kiddies in our life...and then I really wanted to make some little something that was not sugar-based to include in their baskets--something that would be "simple" for me to make and include...so I was off on this quest for paper craft toys that I could find for download...and holy crap if there is not A LOT out there. So much, that I was up until 2am one night checking out site after site, paper craft project after paper craft project. And what I ended up with were these (free, all FREE!):

• paperdolls from Wee Wonderfuls
• animal stickers from Lotta Bruhn
• Cut and Fold Animals from Marilyn Scott Waters (loads more downloadables on her site too--you gotta check this one out):
• and these sweet little tags from Doe C Doe:
• And then I threw in these coloring cards from Little Brown Pen that were actually not free but that I had purchased earlier for Valentine's Day (read about that here) and thought I would re-purpose... And so, I assembled the little baskets (the strawberry crates from Bake It Pretty) in a flurry during Beeper's afternoon nap...and this was the end result...A fair bit of craziness did drive it...but it made some little people very happy, I think.

Another Bitty Birdie Hatched

Cheep, cheep, cheep. Another Bitty Birdie is in my Etsy shop now. (SOLD)

And what are these? Fabrics selections for my next Baby Binky Bunny--to be dropped this weekend for my April Toy Society drop, and just in time for Easter.

Bitty Birdie in my Shop

In my Etsy shop now. Cheep, cheep.

A Handmade Antidote to the Littlest Pet Shop

Have I mentioned how crazy I am about chickens? Yeah, I am. Also, I am quite fond of teeny weeny little things--I mean, when you can just scoop something up in the palm of your hand, how can you help but love it more? So I guess this Bitty Birdie's creation was inevitable. Like my Bitty Bebes, these will come with all the normal bitty accoutrement--bib, teeny plushie, blankie, button-tufted cushion, hat, diaper, and a little quilted box in which to keep it all tucked away safe and sound. I will have two of these for sale in my Etsy shop soon, very soon. Call them my handmade answer to those awful plastic-y Littlest Pet Shop sets.