Valentine Subway Art

I wanted to increase my Valentine's decor supply this year so I went looking in my supplies and found a 12 x 12 piece of MDF that I had used for a previous project. I painted the board with some white craft paint (took a few coats). I had ordered some pink and purple Silhouette vinyl off Scrapbook Steals a while back and wanted to use it in a project, so putting it all together, this is what I came up with for Valentine's Day this year:



I used my Silhouette Cameo to design and cut the vinyl.






It ended up being a fair amount of finicky work, but in the end I was happy with the finished product! Yeah for Valentine's Day!

Valentines Wreath

This year for Valentines I thought it was time I made a wreath.  It must be a wreath year or something for me! I found this branchy looking wreath at the thrift store for $1.00 and then a pack of playing cards for 50 cents as well as the little berries too! Cut the cards into hearts and stick them on.  You could hot glue them or just intertwine them good. I think it has turned out quite cute and it was super easy and cheap to do! Happy Valentines Day!

Tess

Family Motto

When Darin and I were first married we wanted to come up with a family "motto." After much thought and many different ideas, we decided on the phrase "What happens to one, happens to all" to be the chosen motto. I love this motto for the way it will help us to be there for each other as a family through it all....the good and the bad.
Since deciding on the motto I have wanted to incorporate it visually somewhere in our home, and this week I finally found a spot and got around to it! I am excited to have this reminder up for us to see (until we move in June....).



(I created the vinyl lettering using the Silhouette Cameo. That thing is way too fun!)

Do you have a family motto?

"Rapunzel,Rapunzel, Let Down Your Long Hair!"

Like many little girls, my daughter has a major love for the character "Rapunzel". Since seeing the Disney movie "Tangled," she has been using my husband's ties, our blankets, scarves, and pretty much anything she could find to create her own long hair.
This summer while at the Disney store, I saw a Rapunzel braid that was easy for Anni to put on herself and that wasn't as heavy as many wigs out there. I thought it was a great design and gave the effect of having that sought after long hair. The only problem was the price tag of $25. I knew that there must be a way to recreate it!

Here is the Disney store version: (picture taken with an iphone)


Here is my version.

The yarn was bought at Wal-Mart. I loved this as it is so soft and doesn't tangle as easily as your traditional yarn.


I put an elastic at one end and used a dresser (because my husband is studying for exams and is not home......) to hold it while I braided.




I used little pieces of the yarn to tie the loop together and tucked the pieces of yarn in.


I made some flower clips that Anni can take on and off and change as she pleases.


I can't wait to see all the fun Anni has with her new "hair" on Christmas morning!

Family History This Christmas

Christmastime is such a great time to spend time with our families, and often we get to see family that live far away. I came across this article that I thought had some great ideas for ways to link our families (past and present) together a little better!

I know I am going to try to do a few of these this Christmas!

Go Here to check out the article!

The trivia game would be a blast, and I think I might have to do something like that "family tree" next year!

Genealogy Fan Chart

The past few months I have come down with a severe case of Genealogyitis-----I love it! Here is an exciting link to check out! You can create a fan chart of your family tree by simply logging on to New Family Search.

What a great idea!

Genealogy Fan Chart

Christmas Fun 2011

Since the Holiday season is underway, I thought I would share are a few of the activities and good finds I have come across. These are simple and affordable, so enjoy!

Storytime Advent:
Anni LOVES books, and so for our "advent" this year I wanted to incorporate the reading of Christmas books. I have been collecting Christmas books all year from the thrift store. I am going to wrap each one individually and have them in a box under the tree to open one each night. This will also help with her urge to open presents early.


Snowman Fun! At the Real Canadian Superstore right now they have "Snowmen Kits" for $9. The kit includes a nice big felt hat, scarf and all the accessories for a decked out snowman! This is going to be fun, and I am pretty sure $9 is cheaper than I could have made it for.




Gingerbread "Boys" or "Girls"--the cheater's version. My husband grew up with the tradition of making gingerbread boys each year. As I have kept up the tradition the last few years I have found the only downside is making the actual dough! Talk about putting your mixer to the test! This stuff is thick. When I saw that Pilsbury had come out with a tube of gingerbread dough for a couple dollars, I decided that was well worth it! I also found this at Superstore.


Costco.ca! I have loved online shopping for gifts this year. Costco.ca is one of my favourite and most trusted sites. They have a real range of items for every budget. For example, my dad is so hard to shop for so I was excited to find him this WWII puzzle! He is a history buff and loves puzzles! Yeah for Costco.ca!

5.Nativity Window Stick-Ons -- I didn't know what to call these things, but you know what I'm talking about. Anni has been having fun playing with these on the window. They came on a sheet at Wal-Mart for $0.99.