Miss B saw a magician at school, and fell in love with it. She got a bunch of magic kits and hats etc. for her birthday, and it inspired her to be a magician for Halloween. I convinced Miss M that a magicians bunny was the perfect fit to match her sister. luckily I still had the white fur coat from the Ausi costume last yea (See below).
I hand made the bow ties, wand and bunny ears. I customized the hat, the bunny nose and the magicians gloves. Notice Miss M's carrot painted on her finger? so fun.
Leah Laurie Photography had a Halloween mini photo op, and took these amazing photos. The kids had a great night! I love Halloween.
Brianna wanted to be a witch. I suggested a cat to go with it to Miss M and she loved the idea. Then Miss B decided that she wanted to be a cat as well. If I'm making two cat costumes, I'm going to need some inspiration. Our Cats, Herb (Grey) & Ausi (White) have been in our little family a lot longer than the kids. I'm glad we did this tribute to the kitties, because it was the last Halloween that Ausi would spend with us. She passed away of old age the following August.
The ears and tails are hand made, and I covered their gum boots with fur. I also made them baskets covered in fur. I attached the whiskers with eye lash glue.
The costumes sure kept them warm! I even got this picture mentioned on a blog, Mommy Shorts
Miss Bs Pumpkin Bum Print
BEFORE
Quick Sewing Tips
~ Use a New needle for every project. A dull needle can ruin a project.
~ Clean the lint out of your machine regularly and keep it oiled.
A Magician and a Bunny Costume.
Ausi & Herb Costumes (Our Cats ~ Meow)
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Scary Ghost Costumes
The Girls Shared Bedroom Reveal!!
Last look at the girls nursery before the renovation
Upcycled Dinner Reward Chart
From an old nutrition slider chart to a two child reward chart. We were having a hard time during dinner time with our two little girls, so I created this to reward the behaviour we like. Each girl can earn up to three points a nights, one for eating a good meal, one for eating veggies, and one for using good table manners. Once they reach ten, they get a special treat. It could be a special dessert, or a special activity. All that I know, is that it has helped!
All I used was some modge podge and scrap book paper, as well as some washi tape and sticker letters. Upcycle WIN!
%20our%20two%20toddlers%20responded%20really%20well%20to%20the%20reward%20chart%2C%20and%20can%20earn%20up%20to%20three%20points%20per%20dinner.%20%20One%20point%20for%20eating%20a%20good%20meal%2C%20one%20point%20for%20eating%20veggies%2C%20and%20one%20point%20for%20using%20good%20table%20manners.%20%20It%26%23x27%3Bs%20helped%20our%20kids%20want%20to%20have%20a%20better%20dinner%20time.%20%20parenting%20win!)
Miss Nadia's Mermaid Baby Shower
I love to throw a party, and hand making the decorations is really the best part. My dear coworker had a beautiful baby girl in May of 2014.
I surprised her by commissioning a mermaid outfit for her newborn photo shoot with Jennifer Dodd. It really doesn't take much to make a party successful, all you need is good food, and a comfortable atmosphere, but thoughtful details never go unnoticed. I chose clear balloons (which took 6 stores to find) to mimic underwater bubbles, and I painstakingly recreated the mermaid mom/baby cake toppers from a pin I found on Pinterest. I used modge podge, green glitter ribbon and scalloped craft scissors to create the mermaid tails, and used cutouts from the invitations to craft their tops and hair details.
After the party, I added magnets to the NADIA letters because babies love magnets, and I love sentimental keepsakes. I love throwing parties :)
Pumpkin Bum Prints
This little pumpkin bum belongs to Miss B
Miss B's First Haircut and the First Haircut Keepsake Card
Miss B's Hair has always been epic. She arrived to this world with a head full of jet black hair. She even had hair on her ears and shoulders, but that went away in a few weeks.
Over the span of almost three years, it grew out into a flowing main of blonde locks that always seemed to catch peoples attention. It got a lot of comments over the years.
I told her that as a reward for successfully finishing potty training, she could get her first haircut. I think her daddy had a harder time with that one than any one else.
I've got a friend who makes these amazing First Haircut Keeper Cards and sells them on Etsy. They are awesome! I'm so glad to have a special card to put in her baby book with that lovely length of hair. She has three different styles to choose from. She even has kits for hairdressers who want to send home their newest clients home with a special keepsake. Her appointment at the salon was a success - she was so well behaved and brave. With a few snips of Heidi's scissors, she instantly grew up from a little todder into a big girl. Thanks to Erin at Aura Lounge on Etsy, and Heidi at Image 1 Salon for being apart of something that means so much to us.
AFTER
Miss B's 1st Underwater Themed Birthday
Call Me Sentimental....
When Miss B was born, I started a tradition. I decided that every year, I would create a Christmas Ornament for them to keep when they move out of our home. Three Christmas's later, I now have two littles to make these for. I'm incredibly sentimental, and so far, I have managed to craft ornaments that hold serious sentimental value. These clear plastic globes are from Michaels craft store. I filled them with old garland that we inherited from my daughters great-great grandma. The green stickers were saved from our wedding. Total cost was maybe three dollars, but they turned into priceless keepsakes.
Pleated Pillow
Pretend Makeup from Recycled Containters
A few years ago, I never would have considered giving my daughter pretend makeup. I thought that little girls shouldn't think about makeup. They're too young and innocent to tell them they need makeup to look beautiful. Then my toddler became obsessed with my makeup. If I was putting some on, she HAD to be there doing it with me. I realized that she doesn't think of makeup any way other than that her mommy uses it. I decided (and convinced the hubby) that allowing her to play with make up would foster a healthy relationship with makeup and that I'd have a better time teaching her how to use it modestly when she's older if I taught her that it's okay now. It's not taboo. When she's old enough, she will use it. Why not let her play pretend and let her do what mommy does. Not a Biggie in my books. So I made her her own set of makeup, so my expensive stuff doesn't get wasted . She was SOOO excited to have her own mirror and brush set. I figure that if she's looking in the mirror saying "I'm Boootiful" than it's a good thing.
*Now that Miss B is older (15 months) they play with this make up all the time together. It's really so sweet.
Step One
Collect old make up containers. I found eye-shadow, blush and foundation compacts worked great. Give them a good thorough scrub after a soak in vinegar. I used a toothbrush, cotton swabs, baking soda, and a microfiber cloth. Dry Thoroughly.
*be careful not to rub off the stickers when you wash them, you'll be left with a sticky mess where the sticker was. You can use baby oil or olive oil to get rid of the glue residue though.
Step Two
In a well ventilated space, use your old nail polish to fill the compartments with polish. Be careful not to use too much.
Have nail polish remover on hand for spills. Get creative with mixing colours. Heads up- this is really stinky!!! After I was done, I put them all on a cutting board and moved them to the basement to dry (and continue stinking).
Step Three
Let it Dry for Weeks . I got pretty excited to give it to Miss B so I didn't let it dry long enough. Dry to the touch wasn't dry enough. This is what happens if you rush the drying process. Two weeks is probably sufficient.
Step Four
Get a pretty make up bag, some brushes and a toddler friendly mirror and let them play. Do each others make up and then look in the mirror and tell each other that you look beautiful. My kids love this pretend make up. and any reason to get them to say that they look beautiful is a good thing.
