Night Owl 8th Birthday Party!

All I'm going to say is I'm the worst.  Let's move on.  I'm planning Q's French soiree birthday party next weekend!  But here is her 8th birthday Night Owl themed slumber party from last year.  I can't believe it's been like 2 years since I posted.  I'm SMH at myself.

She only had like 3 girls so I could go a little nuts with the favors and ideas.  Her colors were aqua, lime green, yellow, and navy inspired by a bunch of cute owl stuff I found last year at Michaels (dollar section!) in that color palette.  Here are the invites:

 

I bought the owl clipart from Miss Kate Cuttables.  I found a similar invitation on Pinterest (yes, I'm an idea poacher).

With the clipart, I made the favor tags and water bottle labels.  Feel free to use this label template for yourself!  Just click HERE to download a sheet of 5, and I like to print the labels on cardstock.  I cut them out and use clear packing tape to cover the ENTIRE label and wrap around the back.  It makes a waterproof-ish label.  Not like you could submerge in an ice bucket, but if water drips down the side, it doesn't smear the ink.  Please remember that these are for personal use only!

The cake was from a local bakery called Love & Buttercream.  Their cakes are good, but not as good as their FRENCH MACARONS.  Ack.  To die for.  Anyway, they matched the cake colors to the invites.

And I made owl cupcakes for Q to bring to school. Sadly, Q's school says no more treats from now on due to nut allergies.  :(  So no school bday treats this year.  These owl cupcakes are made with split open Oreos and Reese's Pieces!  Obvi, you could also use orange and brown M&Ms, but I didn't have to pick around colors as much with the Reese's Pieces.

  

 
Now to the favors.  Ok, I kinda went a little nutso.  Here's what I bought:

 

Row 1, Left to Right:
1.  Travel toothbrush & toothpaste (Dollar Tree)
2.  Fuzzy socks (Dollar Tree) & Hair Ties (Michaels-- 3/$1.00)
3.  Party blowers!  I bought the blowers at Dollar Tree & made the tags
Row 2:
4.  Back massager (Michaels dollar section) and stickers (local paper store)
5.  Cute small frame (Michaels dollar section)
6.  Owl erasers
Row 3
7.  Owl soap
8.  Notepad (Michaels) & pen
9.  Sleep mask (Michaels dollar section-- my fave item!)

Also, they each got a nightshirt that I designed and had printed at Overnight Prints:

AND (OMG, I know I went crazy) I found the most adorable Etsy shop, Gail Rene's Creations.  I picked out coordinating fabrics, sent them to her, and got these PERFECT owls back.  Gail is wonderful!  I had such a great experience.

We played owl bingo, they decorated pillow cases, and the girls watched "Because of Winn Dixie".  A fun time was had by all!  I think I like party planning more than my kids like their actual parties.  :P  No, it was her first slumber party, and I think she really enjoyed it.

Crafty Valentimes

I go in spurts with my Valentine's craftiness.  Some years I've bought boxed Valentines, sometimes not.  I was pretty early this year in my planning.  Q (she's in second grade) picked these out from Pinterest:

They actually turned out pretty good!  Here are ours:

Here's what we did:  1.  Take string (I used white embroidery floss & pink/red baker's twine), cut 2 pieces into 6" length and tie in knot about 1/3 of the way down.  2.  Tape to box at longer end.  3.  Cut scrapbook paper (I used one pack of Target's Dollar Bin paper) down to box size (ours ended up being 3.5" x 8").  4.  Wrap paper around candy using tape to adhere on back.  5.  Print out labels.  6.  Cut & stick labels on front (side without tape seam).  7.  Attach Hershey kisses on to string using small heart stickers (tape would work too).  8.  On back or sides, write To and From info.

Here's another site that includes a printable and uses Reese's miniatures.  She includes a color printable which would be way easier, but I didn't want to use all that ink, and I liked the patterned paper.  I didn't want to do the Reese's because of nut allergies in my daughter's class.

Next will be V's daycare Valentines!  She wants to do heart-shaped crayons.  I've been furiously scouring the crayon bins for broken crayons to melt down, and I don't know as if I have enough.  We may have to go with Plan B.

Hearty Paper Bag Book

So hubby gets some candy and the girls and I made him a paper bag book this morning while he was grocery shopping. The idea came from Rosy~Posy via The Crafty Crow, and I'm so excited at how it turned out!

Page 1: Cover-- used decorative tape I've had for awhile at the edges and stickers from my stationery stash


Page 2 (Viv was trying to help): V's page. Paper doilies from Target's $ Spot and decorated by V


Page 2: Q's page. Q wrote her name on the doily. The valentine scrapbook paper was also from the Target $ Spot!

Page 3: The girl's favorite page. I put red lipstick on them and had them kiss the page. Heh. Q drew the hearts on the right page.


Page 4: on the right page is Ryan's old dog, Brentwood. When asked why he was included in the valentine book, her response was, "because he's dead." (?)


At the end, little inserts with stapled-on ribbon pull tabs. Insert #1: pic w/ Q in the hospital.


Insert #2: Asked Q what she thought of her daddy when she looked at him.


Insert #3: love note from Q (she told me what she wanted to say, and I told her the letters, but I didn't have to help her write the letters at all).


Insert #4: Ryan w/ newborn V. Note the panic/terror in his eyes this time around.


Insert #5: I asked Q one reason why she loved her daddy. The note below means he makes her forts out of cushions...close enough translation.


Insert #6: the little doobies...


Before you go thinking our family is all sweet and nice, take a gander at our newest favorite pasttime...fun with fake poop! Ryan likes to make the girls put it between their legs then have it fall out like they're pinching a loaf on the floor. Good times. Sorry it's sideways...

Snowmageddon

What do you do with two sickly, snotty, coughing kids on a snow day?

• Make a Valentine's Day tambourine (from No Time for Flashcards found via The Crafty Crow, my absolute fave kid's craft site!)

• Pack up treat bags for daycare Valentine's Day party. Q picked out Tinkerbell valentines for her to give and pop-up doggie ones for Viv to give. We added Reese's PB hearts, a heart sucker ring, valentiney pencil, and fruit by the foot in a baggy which says "Whoooo loves you?" with an owl on it. Never met a pink and red owl I didn't like. So lots o' junk food, nothing crafty. I had every intention of melting down broken crayons in my silicon heart tray, but I didn't have the energy.

• Have a Pee Wee's Playhouse marathon

• Print out rainbow coloring pages. Preferably weird ones with angels in them.

• Cut bread into hearts for grilled cheese

And I'm spent! I don't know how you SAHMs do it. I guess that's this thing people call "being a mother". I am embarrassed admitting I couldn't do it full-time. Sorry this post is heavy on the Poladroid. I uninstalled it awhile back because my anti-virus software said it found some questionable file related to it, but I couldn't stay away for long. Seems ok so far...

Hope you're all having a great week! xo

3 Little Girls

3 Little Girls
Originally uploaded by Girl Land

I made these for my mom for Xmas. Bought her a generic necklace (which she got early), a very boring but completely utilitarian Snug cami (invented by a Detroiter!) and then these lovely little girls: V, Q and Cousin Sophie.

She puts little knickknacks up on her windowsill above her kitchen sink, so these will fit in nicely. I am also thinking about making her a shadowbox home too. Maybe for Mother's Day...to be continued.

Crafternoon was yesterday, and it was fun. Not a ton of people, but still a good time and I did sell a little bit. Will be posting much of the stuff in the shop even though some of it's Christmas, and it's a little late for Xmas stuff!

Today was a pajama day. Didn't get out of my pajamas. No shower either (ew, right?). But it was lovely! Painted these girlies, mixed some batches of reindeer food (oatmeal + glitter) and made some reindeer candy canes out of poms, google eyes and pipe cleaners for Q's daycare buds.

Feeling ambitious? You may be after you see this way cute project. My lovely Aunt Judy sent me a link to this felt mushroom tutorial courtesy of Pink Chalk Fabrics. I loves my toadstools!

xo!

Behold the Kitsch

My eyes! My eyes! This is extreme kitsch overload...even for me! Just finished putting this together. The wreath, Merry Christmas plaque and the pom poms are new, the deer and Santa are vintage. The larger Xmas plaques are hard to find, but I did find them on Etsy. Jennifer of Lulu's Cupcake Boutique was awesome in getting them to me tout de suite. Thanks, Jennifer!

Sorry for the massive overuse of Picnik effects as of late. My camera is crap. I can't take a good picture after sunset to save my life, and the Lomo effect especially really helps. I need to invest in a new camera, but after snooping on Flickr to see what some of my other peeps are using, it's looking like I am going to have to spend some major dough to get something good. Which I may or may not be willing to do. To be continued...

The Fantastic Felicity Fox Brooch

We took Q to see The Fantastic Mr. Fox over the weekend. Ryan and I both adore Wes Anderson, but we weren't sure if Q would like it. Apparently the singing and dancing animals more than made up for the fact that much of the dialogue went over her head. Plus, buttered popcorn and Sprite smack dab in the middle of the day didn't hurt either.

photo courtesy of totalfilm.com

Needless to say, I-- we-- loved the film. My favorite character was Ash who was played by Jason Schwartzman. I mean, how could I not love anything with anthropomorphic animals in it? Especially ones who live in a hollowed out tree trunk house?

I am sure all you crafty gals out there who have seen it noticed Mrs. Felicity Fox's wonderful fox silhouette brooch. Well, I set out to recreate it with Shrinky Dinks! Now you can make your own.


1. Save this image to your computer. I took my Girl Land logo and modified it to look relatively similar to Mrs. Fox's cute cameo. Be sure to click on it to enlarge it all the way before you save it.


2. I always paste my image into an MS Word doc so I can move it to the outer edge and not waste my Shrinky Dink paper. Print image at 100% on inkjet Shrinky Dinks paper. I found my Shrinky Dink paper at Hobby Lobby, but apparently other brands of the same type product can be found at Michael's and Joann's.

3. Cut out the image. Around the scallops are hardest, but even if your cuts aren't perfect, no one will notice.

4. Follow the instructions on your paper package. Your image should shrink from original size to about 1.5" wide by 2.5" tall. This shape domed nicely in the oven! I pulled it out before it could flatten all the way-- I thought it looked nifty.

5. Spray with an acrylic sealer or clear nail polish. Hot glue a pin back onto your brooch, and voila! All you need is a yellow red apple dress, and you'll be a foxy mama too.




If you want something a little more Kristofferson, I think that Enna's wooden picture frame brooch is adorable. Happy Shrinky Dinking, all! xo

Holiday Crafternoon

Come see Girl Land at the December Crafternoon for some last minute Xmas shoppin' action!

Christmas? Really?

Look at my newest Target Xmas purchase! They're like matryoshka dolls, but Xmas characters. It has paid for itself already. The girls have been hypnotized.

This guy's my fave:

Also bought this Alexander Henry. Will be making some appliques for the shop (gasp, I know). I thought they'd look cute on a stocking. The top right angel reminds me of V and the bottom right of Quinn. Might make some packaging with "GLIY" on it as in "Girl Land It Yourself". heh.


Only 2 days, 10 hours!!!! Eek. V & Q have just gotten over the flu, and I'm PRAYING I'm not next. Bad timing!!! Send some healthy wishes my way, would you? xo

Pink & Yellow

My friend just bought this little custom set to give to some friends who just had a baby. I'm so into the bright and sunny pink & yellow color combo (reminds me of lemonade)! So my friend decided to go with a lil' book tote and custom bookplates, and she'll add some books to the mix.

Hope Baby Katie and her mommies love it as much as I do!

Hope you all had a lovely weekend. I'm just coming off my Martha high! xo

Quickie No-Sew Appliqued Romper

I bought a bunch of blank shirts and rompers for Q & V for spring with the intention of appliqueing. Did one for Q last week to see how well the appliques hold up in the wash without being sewn down (very good!). Today I did an apple romper for Miss Viv with scraps of vintage fabrics.

If anyone wants to try, here is the apple pattern I used.

Spring Has (Officially) Sprung!

Happy 1st day of spring, everyone! I have been doing a bit of redecorating and spring cleaning in my craft room. My fabric was getting OOC!!! I am scared at how much I squirrel away when I finally DO learn to sew. Yeesh.

We're going to see Ryan's family tomorrow which will be nice. Q will be busting out her new and springy cropped coral polka dotted cardi, so I thought it only fitting she have a new barrette to go with (I love the round vintage button from Barbara and my friend Noreen gave me the hearts):

I've been rather schizo feeling lately. One minute I'm happy go lucky and crafting and making banana bread (in the oven as we speak), the other I'm feeling agitated and depressed. I've really been at a crossroads lately with some of my friends. Some I've pretty much cut ties with due to melodrama and just general weirdness (I'm too old for that shit). Others are still there, but I feel like I have to walk on eggshells around them, and I hate it. Hard to explain. I can guarantee, however, that if you are one of my IRL friends reading this, I'm NOT talking about you, so don't worry. I digress (sorry)...

You also may not have noticed that I have been remiss in posting any OSB updates. Yeahhhhh, I was kinda on sabbatical from weight loss measures, but I am back on track again. In fact, I just received my 10 lb ribbon from Weight Watchers today. This week alone, I lost 3 lbs, so yay me. :) I try to deny it, but the only thing that works for me is something that supplies the food (ie Nutrisystem). I really love the Wii Fit too. It's a little disconcerting to think that I probably will not reach my goal until the fall. I'm shooting for reaching my goal by November 20 which is my bro's bday (whoot) AND the opening of New Moon (heh).

I have a lottttt of weight to lose, but all I can do is keep trying and be happy thinking of the flowers coming up in my yard. Very soon these will be all along my side fence!

Happy weekending all!!! xo

Silhouette

I was putzing with Photoshop this morning and came up with this silhouette of Q:


Based on this pic:

My mom doesn't think it looks too much like her. Ryan thinks her hair looks mullet-esque. I need to take a look at some hand-cut versions somehow and add details. I don't know as if I like the pic either. It's a few months old. I think I may wait until V has some hair and take some new pics on a white background. I primarily used these directions and messed with it freehand.

I'm so excited-- I get a girl's night out tonight. My friend is having a wine & cheese party with no boys allowed! Whoo hoo! Of course, she'll get a personalized set of these. Ryan picked out a good Italian red we had at Thanksgiving. We had to email the info off so it could be compiled. Here's the description I found online:

"The Briccotondo is a ruby-red wine with purple highlights. The nose is packed with black fruit, especially blackberries and plums, with slight spicy overtones hinting at black pepper and cinnamon. Sweet, soft tannins come together in a closely-woven texture that merges with the fruit, while a crisp freshness provides a long, tasty finish."

Hmmm...tasted like red wine to me!

One more fun little thing on a sunny Saturday. You can generate your own saying on a candy heart! It's the Acme Heartmaker! I'd love to make some of these to include in my Etsy orders, but so far, all the sources I've found have been a wee bit cost prohibitive.

Happy weekending, all! xo