Thank you to the Academy

I received a couple of sweet awards from three crafty ladies Crafty Mummy, Delilah's Mummy, and A Girl and her Glue Gun.  They all author fabulously creative blogs and you should all take a peek at their slice of life.

Trendy Tree House Blog Award

Here are 7 random things:

1. What's with the moniker? KJ is a long time nickname from highschool. My blog is ad-free and I need to keep my blog separate from my day job as a litigator.  So that's why I post under this name.

2. Weakness #1: A Tim Horton's Apple Fritter. If I am State side, a Bob Evans Cinnamon Bun.

3. Weakness #2: Young and the Restless.  There I said it.

4. While I have a licence, I haven't driven in a decade.  I am a fan of public transportation - so, was my grandfather.  I took a bus to his funeral.  My kids are used to taking buses and streetcars - but Miss Lily says when she grows up she will be a "driving mummy", just like Sid's mum on Sid the Science Kid.

5. I learned to sew on an old Singer in grade 7.  My dad bought me a Kenmore in grade 8 and I have been using the same machine since.

6. First blog crush?  Probably the Little Green Notebook.  Second: Ikatbag. Her post about the Princess Pavillion is one of my favourite blog posts and I still think about it.  Can you imagine waking up from a nap and finding a pavillion?

7. I like to enter contests.  As newlyweds in university, my husband and I entered a curry recipe in a Kraft Dinner contest.  We called the dish New Delhi Dinner.  We won a pallet of white macaroni and cheese from Kraft (about 60 boxes or so).

The rules require me to pass on these awards to seven other bloggers. 

I read alot of blogs and I try to be very careful to give credit and point out to you bloggers and particular posts that I find inspiring.  As this is the only place where I can bend the rules, I am going to pass this on to two bloggers who I just discovered this weekend.  Maybe I just disqualified myself from the award, oh well.

These posts reminded me of the magic and simplicity of a backyard birthday party. 
Project Project  posted about a sweet robot birthday party for her little girl and Restless Risa posted about a Cowboy Birthday Party for her little guy.

I loved both of these posts.  I think you will find them inspiring too.

Have a great day,

Recital Season: Ballerina Finger puppets

I spotted this ballerina finger puppet idea on Family Fun.

Using cardboard from a yogurt box (you can use any cardboard)

you can make these ballerina finger puppets

The "tulle tutu" is actually the netting from a pearl onion mesh produce bag (yes, I have keep a mesh stash as well).

I added some craft felt for the faces and of course, some googly eyes from my stash (because you read blogs like this I am sure you have a googly eye stash too). 

The leotards were cut out from scrap gift wrap and scrapbook paper.

You can then paint two of your child's fingernails with nail polish for the ballet slippers.

(Yes, there is purple on her forehead.  It is actually a crown - we were face painting earlier in the day!).

I envision creating an entire Nutcracker cast of these puppets.    Think about how much fun you could have with the Mouse King.

I am signing off for the weekend and not certain when I will be back.  I am surrounded by tulle. 

It is recital season and I am working on 8 tutus (each tutu has 6 layers!).   

Have a lovely weekend,

Another Car Caddy

  
For a sweet little boy who just turned two, I made another car caddy (see this this post).  The tutorial is by Sharla at My Little Gems and her tutorial is found here.  This is the third time I have made her car caddy and it is a great pattern and makes a useful birthday gift.

This time, I used a combination of denim and the IKEA fabric (VITAMINER BIL).

If had a serger (maybe, one day), I would definitely try out Cottage Home's version. It is so adorable, take a peek!

Have a lovely day!

Eric Carle Butterflies

Patty over at Deep Space Sparkle has some wonderful Eric Carle inspired art ideas and lesson plans. 

Our whole family has a love affair with Eric Carle illustrations.  You may recall the lacing cards I posted about based on the Very Busy Spider book. 

Both my sister and I tried out Deep Space Sparkle's Eric Carle butterfly project with our little ones.

No two butterflies are the same.

 

  

 
Now Miss Lily's turn

Big sister showing little sister how it is done.

I may have to adapt this project for Brown Bears.  I have read Brown Bear, Brown Bear and Baby Bear, Baby Bear, each at least once a day for the past ten days.  It is on little Hopie's "list" right now.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear what do you see...I see some butterflies flapping at me... have a lovely day and as always thanks for stopping by,

Update: This post is linked to the World Wide Classroom's Bookshare, stop by and see all the other literacy projects

Shh!! Fairies Sleeping - Our Fairy Garden Reveal

Check out the competition at the Magic Onions

Finally, the Kite's fairy garden reveal.

The recap:

I posted about the fairies here. 

I posted about the gnomes here. 

I posted about the furniture here.

For our garden, we used a cedar half barrel (Home Depot).  The barrel cost approximately $20.

The fairy houses were unfinished bird houses from Dollarama.  Miss Lily picked out the shapes she liked.  We took them home and I primed them.  She painted them. I sealed them for outdoors.

I added some moss to the conical one and an old bamboo placemat to embellish the roof of the smaller one.

The plantings are irish moss and alyssum.  The paths are made from pea gravel.

She is one happy little girl.  She has been waiting for this moment for a long time.

   And just remember

Stepping Stone via Green Earth Stores

This has been a fun project.  I am certain we will continue to add to it throughout the summer.  

I have been inspired by so many blogs, especially this post by Junk Mammas to replicate the house; the wise wisdom of Magic Onions, this post on Everything Nice, this post on Sixty-Fifth Avenue, and well just about everything over at Weefolks.

Thanks for sharing the magic and have a lovely day,

This post is linked to

Me & My Bucket

Whatever goes Wednesday over at Someday Crafts

Thinking outside the box - Walkie Talkies

I love repurposing projects. 

It makes me really happy when Miss Lily comes up with a repurposing project on her own.

She wanted to turn a drink box into a walkie talkie.  So we did.

I applied black adhesive paper to the box (you could use contruction paper or electric tape), and some aluminum foil "speakers" embellished with a sharpie pen, and a red felt button.

She loves these walkie talkies and I love that she came up with the idea on her own. 

I am signing off for the weekend. I hope you have a wonderful Victoria Day long weekend! It's the unofficial start of the summer where we are - get out the sparklers!

Cinnamon Buns

Short report on the felt food project.

I have a weakness for cinnamon buns.  Here is a memory from our holiday to the Outerbanks in August (my Rodanthe posts are here and here).  The Island Perks Diner, across from the Outerbanks Motel in Buxton, has amazing homemade treats.

When I saw this tutorial on Smashed Peas and Carrots, I couldn't resist.

This is an easy, virtually no-sew instant gratification project.  The hardest part about it is trying to find a supplier of puffy glue.  I ended up using Scribbles three dimensional fabric paint a la Michaels.

Thanks for stopping by and have a lovely day!