Spring Wreath Project

This was my first DIY project.  I have struggled and feared having my children grow up because I always envisioned myself having little toddlers, playing peek-a-boo, doing finger plays, building out of blocks and playdough, etc. Over the past couple of years though, the girls have been getting older and I am embracing all the things we can begin to do as a family that were partially put on hold because they were little, or at least one of them was too little do it on their own.   When I came across this idea on Pinterest and read the step by step process outlined by Mandy over at Sugar Bee Crafts blog, I thought we (the girls and I) can do this! 

 

STEP 1:  We went out to Walmart, Michaels and Dollarama and purchased the supplies we needed. 

- wreath (Walmart $6, well over that at Michaels)

- assortment of pink buttons (Dollarama)

- burlap ribbon (Michaels)

- 2 bunches of large tulips (I initially bought 3 but didn't end up needing them all Michaels)

- wooden letter to represent your family (Michaels)

- glue gun and sticks

- twist tie

The cost of all the materials was approximately $30-$35 in the end. 

 

STEP 2: Little A and I spent some one on one time and she designed our letter using the buttons.  I did not step in or make changes to her design but instead really worked hard to let her be creative giving her ownership over this part of our wreath. 

Step 2:  Prepping the flowers.  Use really strong scissors or even better, wire cutters.  I found cutting the stems to be a little shorter was better and easier to weave into the wreath, but it's better to start off a little longer and then cut to what you need or works best for you.  I separated the leaves and the flowers from each other. 

Step 3:  Weaving the flowers into the wreath is a bit tricky but once I figured it out and showed H. she was pretty good at it.  H. is very artistic and has a lot of patience. I did the top half, then left a hand width space or slightly more, and H. did the weaving on the bottom half.  Alternate weaving 2 or 3 flowers into the wreathe with the leaves to fill the spaces in between and to hide the stems.  Make sure you leave enough space on the right hand side to place your letter afterwards. 

 

Step 4:  I used hot glue gun to attach the letter K between the two sections of tulips

 

Step 5:  I did NOT know how to tie a beautiful ribbon, let alone a burlap one so YouTube to the rescue!   For the life of me I cannot find the video but here is a step by step on how to create a simple burlap ribbon.   First, I wrapped the middle section on the left hand side with burlap so that you couldn't see any of the stems.  I secured the burlap in place using a hot glue gun.  Next, I created the ribbon, following the tutorial and attached it to the middle section using a hot glue gun which proved to be dangerous for me several times throughout the project.

 

Step 6:  Display.  The kids and I are so happy and proud with the finished product and every time we come home it's a beautiful sight to walk up to.  I feel like this DIY project is just the beginning for us.  Happy spring!

 

Happy Mother's Day! 

Simply Casual

Last week the temperature took a dip back down in e and it was cooler than we had been experiencing, but this week its full on summer weather!!!  Anyway due to the chill, my body kind of aching and a lack of time/desire to shave my legs I spent a lot of time in pants.  Some weeks you just want to live in your jeans,  but due to work office dress code these two simply casual outfits were a perfect match. 

 

#1  Leggings, tunic, a lovely spring floral scarf I picked up at Reitman's for $5 and I added some bling with a new/borrowed from my mom H & B bracelet.  Click on over to the Blended Blog to check out how other ladies are styling this prompt. 

H & B Renee Bracelet

Simons Tunic (similar)

Floral Infinity Scarf

 

#2 Linen pants, printed top, blush purse (by far my favorite color this season) and nautical wedges.  Oh, and this is my old hair that desperately needed a makeover which it got over the weekend :) 

Bird Print Top RW & Co.

Casual Trousers (similar)

Wedges (similar)

 

Here are the Polyvore I  looks created for week 4 utilizing  my capsule wardrobe. 

 



 

 

 



Playing Barbies: Child-led play

Last weekend I got down on the floor, took an extended time-out from my never ending "to do list", and played Barbie's with my six year old.  Little Miss A. and I haven't had a lot of one-on-one time lately, to be honest my running 6 days a week for a minimum of an hour is slowly killing all of us but it's almost over, and recently my little girl who is usually easy going, happy to play with her little dolls and stuffies, has been completely melting down over everything.  She can't make a decision on what to wear, who to invite over for a play date, what story to read, what game she wants to play, etc.  I don't think it's all related to a lack of one-on-one time because we still spend a TON of time together but we haven't had as much evening/morning time cuddles as usual.  (I feel guilty about this but I have more/less let myself off to the hook  because this running thing is only temporary  and it's something I choose to do for me, and I need to be okay with that).

 

Last Sunday, I seized the opportunity to have some special play time with Miss. A.  Maria Montossori came up with a term that is wildly used in early childhood,  "play is the work of a child" and as an early childhood educator I firmly believe in this.  There are many types of play and purposes of play, but on Sunday I choose to participate in child-led play.   Anya and I went down to play Barbies and as I watched and followed her lead, once in a while I would lend a suggestion that would continue the game or provide her with a prompt.  Our friends got dressed in summer clothing, got themselves ready to host a "birthday party", which Anya had attended just the day before, and mostly her ideas were a reenactment of the birthday party she attend.  We danced to music, played limbo, sat in the pool, created a movie theater and a concession stand.  Through our time together we used other toys and materials to create  a setting, thus being creative, and problem solved together.  We built a dance floor out of our craft trays, used big blocks for benches around our pool which was from a Polly pocket set,  used food stickers to create a concession stand, ect.  We enjoyed our game for approximately 55 minutes before it naturally came to an end at which point Anya turned to me and said, "Mama you can go now."  It wasn't spoken with any sadness/regret but rather in complete contentment with our special time together.  She was ready to move on to something new and on her own.  It's difficult to find time to just play without any distractions and also to get into the mindset of imaginary play, but if you have even 15 minutes to play with your child in this way, it will open a window into their lives, their way of thinking and the way they see the world around them.  (This is not to make you feel bad if you haven't been doing this because remember at the beginning of the post I confessed how I had been spending a lot of time on my running and just day to day things.)

 Sorry the pictures aren't the best but I didn't really take many because I didn't want it to impede on our playtime. 

Week 2 of the Capsule Wardrobe- Spring is Here!!!

Oh boy, it's been so busy around our house.  I seriously need more hours in a day to get everything I need/want accomplished.  It didn't help that we all went down with the flu last weekend, one by one, from Thursday to Tuesday it was puke palooza in this household.  We are all on the mend now, thank goodness. 

 

Anyway, I am linking up with the Blended Blog to attempt to style their prompt this week, a graphic tee.  My closet is primarily filled with work clothes and old shirts for around the house, so I only have ONE graphic tee, I know I need to invest in some, and it's not  a cool saying or anything but I wear it all the time as part of my mommy uniform.  This weekend was no different, I pulled on my graphic Guess tee, white jeans, comfy Roxy shoes and off we went to Costco! (FYI, I hate going to Costco but it's got to be done).  Be sure to check out how others styled this prompt. 

Costco trips are completely overwhelming and entirely too much work!

My spring wardrobe capsule is working so well.  I love getting up in the morning knowing my outfit is ready to go, no thinking necessary.  Check out week 1 worth of outfits here. 

Week 2 Work wear

This week my two favorite outfits were:

 

1.  Jumpsuit.  I love everything about this jumpsuit!!!!!  In fact I have discovered that I  love just about any jumpsuit/romper I have tried on.  They are comfy and easy to dress-up or dress down. Throw on a blazer, heels and some jewelry and it's perfect for work or date night! I snagged this one on sale at the Bay in December just before we heading to Cuba for vacation and have been dying to wear it since. I wore it out a few weeks ago, when we still had snow and then recreated it last week, without the snow! 

2.  Old stripped dress.  I was debating whether to place this in the donate pile when I was planning my capsule but choose to stick with it at least for this season.  I find this dress is super comfy but because it hugs all your curves you have to be feeling good about your body the day you choose to wear it.   Little miss wanted to be part of the fun and get in on some pictures. 

Silly faces

Shop this post:

1.  White Jeans (similar) Gap

2.  Graphic T-shirt Simons  (Yes, please)

3.  Romper (similar)  Bay

4.   Stripped dress (similar)  JC Penny

 5.  Roxy shoes Roxy

Spring 2016 Wardrobe Capsule

I took the plunge two weeks ago and created a spring capsule wardbrobe. Lately  I have been feeling overwhelmed by all the  choices in my closet  and the process of getting dressed on busy morning ends up putting me in a bad mood.  I am of the philosophy, "less is more".  When I have stuff everywhere, I quickly become over-stimulated, can't make a decision, and struggle with where to begin.  A part of me  screams in frustration on the inside and the other part of me has a desire to crawl into bed and hide under the blankets.  During such times my strategy is generally to, a) go for a run and clear my head, or b) walk away, make a list and then tackle the items based on  the order they are on the list.

My process:

 

1.  After looking on pinterest for inspiration, capsule wardrobe example,  and reading this article I decided to include the following items in my capsule wardrobe:

             6 t-shirts                        

             6 blouses

             5 pairs of pants

             5 bottoms (skirts)

             5 dresses

             5 sweaters/outwear

I didn't not include my daily wear, like lulu pants and cleaning shirts, my jewelry, shoes, or workout clothing.  

 

2.  I pulled EVERYTHING I own and  began separating the items into fall/winter and spring/summer wear.  I placed my fall/winter stuff away into storage and my summer stuff that didn't make the cut in this capsule into a large plastic tub in my closet. I also made a huge donation pile and shipped them out of the house.  I was overwhelmed and exhausted by this step!

      

 

 

3.  Out of my sprint/summer stuff, I started to pick my pieces out for my capsule.  I especially focused on items that I could wear to work, as most of my week is spent at work, but also keeping in mind that I like to have a few items for date night, and mommy wear.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4.  I sorted and downsized until I had my wardrobe down to the list above.  Everything else got placed into my summer container in my closet so that the only things in my drawers and closet are more or less the wardrobe capsule.  

5.  I organized and created my work wardrobe for the week with Polyvore so that I can just get up and get dressed.  I always think about what my days at work will entail, (will I be in meetings, working with young children in classrooms, providing Professional Development, etc), and what the weather prediction is for the week.    

 

 

 

What I learned:

Through this process I realized  I had a LOT of stuff!  I am not even a hoarder, I donate stuff all year round but apparently not nearly enough.  For the first time ever, I have an nearly empty drawer in my dresser.  I LOVE IT!!!  I feel happy seeing neatness and organization in my closet and drawers.  I am worried about lasting three months but I feel pretty sure I can make it with this wardrobe at least for two months.  I also found out which pieces I love the most and which ones I need to replace with different pieces.  I feel confident that I wont just be buying random pieces but will be much more focused.  

One of my favorite outfits this week was my coral pencil skirt, chambray shirt, little brown belt as an accessory, statement necklace and comfy,  Nine West, nude pumps. 

 

How do you organize yourself and your closet?

 

Style Perspective: Crushing on Coral

This is going to be short and sweet as I seem to have limited time this week for any extras.  :)

 

This past weekend we had one days where the temperature rose to 21C!  The sun was shining and everyone rushed outdoors to get their dose of vitamin D. As we headed out to do some errands, visit with some friends and family, followed by a visit to the park, I knew that I had to seize the opportunity to style the Blended Blog style perspective challenge for the week, spring sweater, jeans and flats.  Be sure to head over there to see all the awesome ways to style this look.  In my closet spring sweaters are usually cardigans and I was happy to pull out this bright, coral colored cardigan out of  my newly created spring 2016 capsule wardrobe, which I hope to share fully with you this weekend,  and this is what I came up with. 

This locket was a gift for mothers day last year.  My husband purchased it from a local craft fair and I wear it all the time.  It's one of my favorite pieces. 

My WalMart, $10, floral flats make a re-appearance (at least for one day).

Shop the Post:
Polka Dot Tee: Loft
Spring Coral Cardigan: Loft
Flats: Polyvore 

 Thanks for stopping by. 

March Reflections

One of my goals this year, particularly via this blog, is to take time to reflect on our families adventures throughout each month.  I did one in January, and then didn't get to in for February.  This morning I sat down with the computer while the house was still and chilly, and sorted through all the pictures/videos that were stored on my cell phone.  It's such a long, painful, time-consuming process but I am always shocked to see how much we did as a family in one short month.  So here we go.

 

1.  EASTER and Easter Holidays

Click here for a recap of our Easter shenanigans.  Having my sister and her family here for a quick 2.5 days was so busy that it made my head spin at times, in a good way.   Following the Easter hubbub, I had the week off from work with the girls and I am dreading going back to work.  We baked, crafted, watched Harry Potter, lounged, enjoyed the outdoors and the arrival of spring, went to the fun factory and drop-in gymnastics, and caught up with some old friends.  One of my favorite parts was watching the girls settle into just playing together at home, their favorite game at the moment is pretending they are characters from Harry Potter and they travel to Hogwarts.  

Hermione is off to Hogwarts.

Sisters taking on Hogwarts!

Spring Wreath project with my big girl. 

Yummy, yummy.  Morning glory muffins. 

 2.  Anya's Skating Show/Wrap-Up

The skating season is officially over and Anya has improved tremendously this year!!!!!  She has come a long ways from three years ago when she couldn't stand on skates without falling down every 30 seconds and lying to her coaches that she has to go pee so that she can get off the ice (clever girl, but I caught on after the second time).  Now this girl is ready for Advanced Can Skate next year.  She is able to go forwards, backwards, do basic cross-overs, two foot jumps on the spot, basic spinning motions, etc.  This years theme for her was the 80's, so she rocked the neon pinks.

3.   Babysitting Baby Cooper

Our newest nephew was entrusted to us for a few hours.  Oh, how sweet babies are.  Don't get me wrong, that ship has sailed, but having a new baby in our life in a breath of fresh air. We spent time just cooing at him and watching him break a smile here and there.  The girls were so nurturing  and once again they just wanted to take turns cuddling him.  I am happy that they are both old enough that they don't view him as competition for love and attention but instead feel that they are playing an integral part in teaching him and watching him grow.

Love this family of ours.