Googly Eyes & Glitter

Crafts and the Tooth Fairy

2013-03-28T17:00:00.000-07:00

It took me till 1:15 am to finish a massive craft session putting together what I hoped would make for a very happy morning for my daughter, now one tooth short of a full set :)

It's was second night in a row I stayed up late sewing, the first night I sewed through my finger (true story) while turning a used potato chip bag into a coin purse why?? haha. This time I was more succesful!

She spent the whole day anticipating her first visit from the tooth fairy, so I knew I had to make it special. Y is one smart cookie and I'm pretty sure I've only got about a year or so before she cracks the tooth fairy/Santa code (the combination of her smarts and my inability to lie without being super awkward!), so I enlisted the help of good ol' pinterest to help me (you're so cool like that, Pinteres <3)

Part 1:

I instantly fell in love with this adorable tooth fairy doll:

The only problem was I did not plan ahead, I had mere hours, so I couldn't order one of these amazingly fabulous dolls, I HAD to buck up and make one :)

It took me two episodes of my guilty pleasure, Duck Dyansty for me to muster up the motivation to move from the couch to the sewing machine and give it a go. I used scrap fabric for the body and dress and felt for the hair. My wings are far less fabulous then the ones in the doll above, and to be honest I didn't have any tulle so I actually stole a couple pieces from a handmade tutu in the girls' dress up closet and then just sprayed them with glitter hair spray (haha this is resourcefullness at it's best!!).

I think she turned out fabulous (it was touch and go there a couple times and yes, I did resort to fabric pen face instead of embroidery . . . but still, so cute, right?!):

Part 2:

I'm sure you've seen this simple idea all over pinterest: spray tooth fairy dollars with glitter hairspray

Source: A Mindful Momma

Part 3:
Tiny Envelope with mini letter! This is pretty self explanatory, you can easily make a mini envelope by cutting out a rectangle with triangles coming off all four sides (does that make sense?). This is also your chance to plug some reinforced encouragement for good dental hygiene :)

Under The Sea Mermaid Themed Birthday Party

2013-03-27T18:17:00.001-07:00

Well, it's official, I am now the parent of a 5 year old. Crazy!! I'm not really sure how that possibly could have happened in what -- to me--only felt like approximately 2 seconds!! But it's true, my little Y has is half a decade and we threw a glam fabulous hand-crafted Mermaid/Under The Sea themed party to celebrate.

I have this horrible inability to really get anything done until it's crunch time, so I spent the 2 nights before the party crafting like crazy! I had 3 hyper kittens to keep me company (i.e. try to destroy everything and anything I made out of tissue paper) and was able to watch an entire season of Daria during these late night crunch sessions, so it could have totally been worse :P

So the first and favorite DIY decoration I want to share is the paper lantern jellyfish. I first saw it here via pinterest and LOVED the idea! At the beginning of this month I also happened to be in Ikea where they sell these awesome half-round paper lanterns for only $6 bucks a piece!! Woohoo! Of course, they needed eyes (everything is cute/better with eyeballs :P haha look at the blogname, folks! ) So I used craft foam to create gigantic eyes and eyelashes and hot glued them on! My honey hung them from the ceiling using command hooks (my favorite) and elastic string so they sorta bounced around ever so slightly :) Seriously, I love these! As I'm typing this it's been 3 days since the party and they're still hanging in my living room . . . can't bring myself to take them down just yet :P

I created two focal walls for the party. The first is my entryway wall (where I usually have all my family photos). I took down all the frames and covered the wall with 3 rows of shiny, reflective turquoise blue wrapping paper (2 rolls at $3.99 each from Hobby Lobby). I then covered it with sea creatures I made out of glittered scrapbook paper ($0.99/sheet from Joann Fabric) all with googly eyes (of course!) and seaweed AKA ruffled crepe paper streamers (2 rolls-one in each shade of green at $1.00 each from Hobby Lobby). I hot glued everything to the wrapping paper, pretty easy and pretty cheap!

The second wall I did was behind the food table. I used a pretty aqua velvet fabric piece as the backdrop and safety pinned two columns of plastic greenery (the greenery was my splurge at $17.50 for the piece, that I split into 2 . . . oh it was painful to cut something so expensive :P haha). I then hot glued saftey pins to these fabulous plastic sea creatures from Oriental Trading and pinned them to the fabric as if they were swimming in the seaweed.

The centerpiece is just a piece of cardboard with 8 layers of fringed tissue paper! I am, btw, now in love with making tissue paper fringe! If you have a rotary cutter you can make it so quick and easy! Plus, I just used ugly tape across the top of each layer and it didn't matter because the tops are totally covered by the layer above them! The letters were cut using my Cricut and I just hand sewed embroidery thread through the top of each one to make the banner.

The menu:

Whale Crackers

Starfish Sandwiches (vegetarian Chicken Salad)

Clam Cookies (btw they have the alomette cookies at the Dollar store! and also I found pearl white sixlets at Hobby Lobby)

Octopus Cake Balls (which the rockstar girlfriend of my litter brother completely made for me)

Mermaid Punch (not shown)

And, of course, the cake:

Can you deal with how pretty that is? Okay, so I totally came to the realization a couple of weeks ago that while I can make/decorate OK cakes and I could probably do my own, that it would take me forever and I would never do it as beautiful as my sweet friend, Tami from Wishes of Whimsy. She is awesome! So, I decided to stick to my strong points and outsource my cake to my friend. And boy am I glad I did! I showed here this picture from HWTM and asked her to make it one layer instead of two. I love what she gave me even more than the inspiration picture! That's edible glitter gumpaste making up those seaweed pieces and the number! When she delivered this beauty to me the night before I happily hung up my cake decorating apron for good :) Tap into your creative friend resources, mama's! You don't have to do it all!

I could have cried when I cut it open to see she even went to the trouble of making it an ombre' layered cake. I secretly wished for that, but did not ask, she read my mind!

For activities, the kids made ocean themed terrariums using dollar store hinged jars, river rock, cactus soil, succulent plants, brightly colored aquarium rocks and small sea-shells.

I had intended to also have a carnival style fishing game for goodie bags using a tension rod in a doorway draped with a large crinkly blue fabric but just plain ran out of time!

All in all a successful party and bittersweet day for this mama :)

I'm linking up with:
Gingerly Made
Gingersnap Crafts
Sugar & Dots
Lil Luna
Katie's Nesting Spot
Somewhat Simple
House of Hepworths
The 36th Avenue
The Frugal Girls

504 Main
Sun Scholars
Today's Creative Blog

Impress Your Kids: Turn their favorite bedtime story into a nightgown (or shirt)

2013-02-21T22:31:00.002-08:00

Here's a project that's sure to knock the socks of your little ones!!! (maybe even the not-so-little ones too!)

**If you have boys or simply don't want to sew, change it up and just transfer the image to a ready-made child sized tshirt! Same affect!!**

What You Need:

Adult size tshirt in plain white (I got mine at JoAnn's for 3/$9)*I used the "junior fit" shirt because I prefer the neckline*

Lesley Riley's TAP Transfer Artist Paper (this stuff is awesome!!! gone are the days of shiny hard iron-on transfers!!)

Your Favorite Bedtime Story

A well-fitting nightgown or at least a tshirt to use as a template

To Sew the Easy Nightgown:

1. Turn tshirt inside out and lay flat on a surface

2. Lay the nightgown or shirt over the adult shirt with sleeves tucked under (not shown, see next pic): also I'm using both a tshirt and nightgown as a template (shirt for sleeves and gown for angle of body)

3. Cut outside of the shirt "template"

4. Cut sleeves using the sleeves of the shirt as a template (make sure you keep the hemmed edge in tact (saves you the step!)

5. Pin and sew up sides (leaving hole for arms).

6. Pin new smaller sleeve into new arm hole with right sides facing and sew.

7. Yay! Shirt is now nightgown!!

For your Image:

1. Scan your favorite image from the story. I used picmonkey.com to bump up the contrast for stronger colors.

2. Print onto your transfer paper (be sure to remember to mirror the image before printing which is usually under the printing properties button, this only really matters if you have any kind of text in the picture).

3. Cut closely around image, place and apply according to the directions with your transfer paper.

And there you go! My girls were CRAZYYYYY for these! When it all comes down to it, they really are my target audience for all these kid projects and this one totally succeeded in impressing them :)

I'm linking up with the following:
Somewhat Simple
The Frugal Girls
House of Hepworths
Katie's Nesting Spot
504 Main
The Shabby Nest
Gingerly Made
Sun Scholars
Gingersnap Crafts
The 36th Avenue
Sugar and Dots
Lil Luna
Today's Creative Blog
Tip Junkie
Skip To My Lou

Whatcha Workin' On?

2013-01-28T13:07:00.005-08:00

*This is a new blog series, where I'll post the project of the moment :) Look for these posts every Monday!

An Un-Valentine Gift ;) DIY

2013-01-28T11:53:00.001-08:00

Now, I totally have some romantic, Valentine-y handmades in the works. However, before we get to them, I wanted to throw in an "Un-Valentine" gift for those who might not be feeling the ooey-gooey, lovey doveiness of it all :) Because, who hasn't been there :)

This is a variation of the potty pops block I posted about last year.

Here's how I made it:

All you need is a scrap piece of 2"x4" (oh, and also, awesome fyi: if you go the the scrap section of Home Depot they might have some scrap pieces in random lengths, I got several almost 4' lengths of both 2x4 & 1x3 for only 50 cents a board!!), some paints, a drill, and some suckers :) The paints I used were Martha Stewart Craft Paints in Glossy Beach Glass & Metallic Gold.

I used the font "cream puff" to print out my lettering just on regular computer paper. Then, taped it over my painted block and traced along the outside of the letters pressing down hard with a pen. Once the paper is removed, I painted in the indentation with gold.

Depending on the size of your block you can mark where and how many holes you want for suckers along the top. I didn't drill as horribly crooked as it appears, I merely used too big of a bit so they're leaning against the edge (a look I kinda like :)).

You can sand the block to give it a weathered look and spray with a glossy clear coat for longevity.

Don't share this cynical sentiment but like the pun? Just add a doesn't into the phrase :) (maybe even on the back of the block making it reversible for the fickle ;)

Naptime Bliss:

2013-01-25T16:23:00.000-08:00

My oldest and I are taking it easy while the little tykelet takes a much needed nap.

Much to my excitement, I've discovered Y (who is now nearing 5), will actually watch some old movies with me . . . as long as there's dancing and especially if there is a dog. We're watching our second Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers film of the week right now. I am madly in love with them at the moment.

She's building beds for her dollies while periodically looking up pretending to absorb the plot, and when the music starts she drops everything and moves to the center of the floor mimicking the dance moves as best she can (it's pretty epic in adorableness). Meanwhile I'm sipping a cup of decaf coffee that is actually probably more peppermint creamer than coffee (guilty) and thumbing through my favorite old cookbook finding tons of gems I never noticed before.

A pretty perfect afternoon indeed.

Everything Christmas: Step By Step Easy Photo Gift Wrap

2012-12-11T15:02:00.000-08:00

This is an extension post to my portion of the White Box Challenge on how to easily and very cheaply get your own custom black and white photo gift wrap :)

I'll try to be super thorough but some of this might be silly redundant (sorry!):

To Create Your Photo Paper

Go to Picmonkey.com
Click on "Create A Collage" at the top of the page
On the left under Layouts choose Square Deal and choose the 4 squares by 4 rows option.
Click The Photos icon and click "open photos" to upload the photos you want to be on your paper. I only chose 4 and repeated them in a pattern, but you can do whatever you want.
Since the roll of paper I was going for was a size 18"x24" I only filled 3 of the columns.
Once you have filled the 3 columns full of your pictures you can click on the little artist's pallete icon on the left and adjust your spacing in between the photos and whether or not you want the corners rounded. You might also choose some level of gray for the background *remember these will be black and white so you can't choose a color*
At this point save your collage as a .jpg file.
Once it's saved click the X in the right corner which will take you back to the picmonkey front page, now click "Edit A Photo" and open your collage.
Using the crop tool you can type in your dimensions and crop off the unused column for a rectangluar proportioned picture.
You can also change your collage to black and white so you can tell what it will look like, add any text or other items (they've got some cute Christmas/Winter themed graphics right now). I added the "snowfall" effect by clicking the snowflake at the bottom of the left column and then clicking Winterland at the top.
Once you have edited it to your liking save the image. You can change the dimensions as you're saving to 2700x3600 pixels. Save as a .jpg file

To Print Your Photo Paper:

Go to Staples Copy & Print Page
Click Oversized Prints
Click "Begin" under Engineer Prints
A Screen will pop up where you will make and view your paper. Click the blue "Add File" to upload the completed paper you saved (step 11 above).
Make sure you have your quantity and pages both set to 1 (mine is defaulting to 3)
Under "Print Options" Click "Media" to choose your size (I chose 18x24 for only $1.79 to fit a standard shirt box). MAKE SURE YOU check the box that says "Fit Content to Paper" and change your orientation to Portrait and you should see your roll of paper ready to go!
Click Add To Cart and check out. You can pay in store or pay online with a credit card. Be sure to pic a date that does not have a rush charge (2 days out for me, however they finished it and I got the email saying it was ready to be picked up that same day). They'll email you when it's ready! :)

Everything Christmas: "White Box Challenge" Christmas Wrap Ideas

2012-12-11T13:40:00.000-08:00

Wrapping the gift can almost as much fun as picking it out (maybe more??). It's your chance to put a creative spin on even the most store-bought, prepackaged gift!

I saw the White Box Challenge idea in the current Issue of HGTV and thought it'd be fun to rally some creative-minded peeps of my own and give it a whirl.

So here's the rules: Wrap a standard shirt size gift box with whatever and however you like! That's it :) You'll love these ideas!

First we have Miss Taumi. She is a sweet artist friend of mine from my college days that lives tragically half way across the country (otherwise we'd be an unstoppable crafty duo!). I'm pretty certain she's the first person who first turned me onto etsy (epic!) and many of my favorite blogs, including Oh Happy Day! I have a total style crush on all her amazing fashion and home ensembles, which luckily she shares much of it over at her blog, Loverly.

"I've been obsessed with fringe and tassels since I stumbled on the Confetti System a couple years ago. I even copied some of their fringey ornaments they are selling at West Elm this year so it seemed like the perfect jumping off point for gift wrap. I am not one for traditional Christmas motif wrapping so I found this black and white houndstooth in the party supplies at Hobby Lobby for $4.99. Then I cut fringe from colored tissue paper and made the tassels from the metallic sheets. I used the tutorial from OhHappyDay! for Project Wedding:
The No Peeking tag is from Target in a pack of nine for $3. I attached the tassels and tag with fluffy white yarn I had lying around. "

"I started with a photo of my great grandparents from the 70's. I love the orange paisley moomoo my grandma is wearing. There is a little green in it as well as maroon so I used some of those colors in the wrapping. I first wrapped the box in a lime green wrapping that I re-purposed from a gift I had been given (I keep everything!) I taped everything down with black and white polka dot washi tape from Michaels from their Smashbook collection. I layered a paper bag with old-timey adverts I kept (I keep everything!). Tied it up with some hemp twine from Hobby Lobby and added a few triangles I had left over from a garland I had made. The tag is from a pack of nine from Target for $3. "

Next we have my friend, Tami of Wishes of Whimsy. I lucked out when one of my best friends found and married this girl (2 best friends for the price of 1!). This lady is a rockstar mama if I've ever known one! She's a super party planner, craft maker, and even budding bento artist :) (a woman after my own heart!). I have been in her house and she actually MAKES the stuff she pins!!! (amazing, right?!?!). You can see all the fabulous parties and creative family home awesomeness she's constantly taking on over at her blog Wishes of Whimsy.

I had to do a brown paper package tied up with string with several variations:with snowflakes (that stay on my nose and eyelashes), with simple stamp added, then stamps and decorative tape (this is how ours are wrapped this year, I even stamped names onto them!)

Both the wrapping paper and wall decal stickers for this gift are from the dollar store!

Lastly, I did one for the guys (the ones I know are so bad at wrapping) This is one even they can do: Just a t-shirt box and decorative tape - $.97 at Walmart.

And then there's me, and I only did one :)

This customized package cost less than $2 :) I made the photo gift wrap by printing a picmonkey collage via Staples Print Center (tutorial here!) for only $1.89. I dressed up the black and white with some brightly colored yarn strings and pom pom (which I had lying around!

So there you go, get wrapping!! :)

12 Nights of Must Watch Holiday Movies: Charlie Brown Christmas

2012-12-10T17:00:00.002-08:00

The Movie:

I'm sure this is already on your list. This would be my kids' pick for favorite, I'm sure. The story of how Charlie Brown tries to beat the Christmas blues on his search for the true meaning of Christmas.

Why It's A Must Watch:

The climactic moment where Linus recites the passage in Luke 2:8-14 explaining what Christmas is really hits the nail on the head. (We recently went to the K-Love Christmas concert and the lead singer for Sidewalk Prophets pointed out that Linus holds out his security blanket and drops it as he says the word's "fear not, for I bring you tidings of great joy . . .", I can't believe I haven't noticed that in the 9 million times we've watched this movie).
Also the snowy scenes and pleasant music always leave me feeling warm and fuzzy :)

My Rating:

Family friendly for all ages BUT be aware they totally drop the S-bomb (stupid) a couple times (at each point my kids both turn to me and say "that's not very nice").

Your Movie Night:

Wouldn't it be awesome if you could knock out some of these amazing cookies? (Mine would NEVER look this fabulous, sadly)

Img Source the Pink Apron Baker

or what about these amazing Charlie Brown Strawberries (these i might be able to do)

img source HWTM

12 Nights of Must-Watch Holiday Movies: Alvin's Christmas Carol

2012-12-10T16:10:00.001-08:00

The Movie:

So, you might be familiar with the classic Chipmunk Christmas episode where Alvin buys a harmonica for a sick little boy or something like that . . . that's not this one, in my opinion this one is way better! This is the early 90s version of Alvin & The Chipmunks take on A Christmas Carol. As a very selfish Alvin who has been preoccupied with writing his gigantic Christmas list tries to finish his essay on the true meaning of Christmas that is due on Christmas eve. He falls asleep and has a dream where he's shown the past, present, and future Christmases that have been touched by the way he is (you know that ol' chestnut). I had this on VHS as a kid and loved it to pieces, I was THRILLED when my mom found it on a compilation DVD last year!!

Why It's A Must Watch:

This movie is simple, totally late 80s/early 90s (which I love), really funny and heartwarming, and only half an hour! It carries the themes of selflessness and kindness usually associated with Christmas Carol stories, but it keeps it really simple and geared toward children's issues (not as "life & death"-y as the real Christmas carol) like being greedy with your Christmas wish list, the joy of gift giving, and taking the responsibility of your job (i.e. paperroute, homework) seriously. As a bonus there is really catchy music and super-fabulous nostalgia for us parents that grew up watching this show!

My Rating:

Family Friendly all ages. The traditional visits from Christmas spirits is portrayed clearly as a dream the entire time, never scary and they are referred to as "spirits" not "ghosts". There's no language and no too troubling issues, this is a really really really mild take on the Christmas Carol, a nice way to get the point across without the heavy issues.

Your Movie Night:

Enjoy some frothy Christmas drinks like in the movie. Afterwards, you could come up with a list of ways you can celebrate Christmas as a time to give and spread joy and happiness to others like Alvin does at the end of the movie! Then go do some of those things!!

12 Nights of Must Watch Christmas Movies: Elf

2012-12-07T10:35:00.001-08:00

*I hope no one's counting just how many nights it's taking me to finish this 12-night series, I'm going to try to play catch up today* :P

You know, I resisted this movie so hard when it initially came out. I thought it looked absolutely terrible and unfunny, my mind was closed to it. But from the moment I saw it, it became an instant holiday MUST. I love love LOVE it and I think you will too!

The Movie:

If you haven't seen it (which I doubt, but just in case): It's the story of Buddy the Elf, who was an orphaned baby that was raised by a Christmas elf and has recently discovered he is actually human and goes to meet his biological father (a grumpy business man who is *gasp* on the naughty list and in great need of some Christmas Spirit). Full of great music, hilarious one-liners, and heartwarming holiday warm fuzzies, this movie will definitely leave your crew with smiles!

Why It's A Must Watch:
You will instantly find yourself in the Christmas mood after watching! Also this one bridges all generation gaps so it's great to bust out while all the family is around, it's totally enjoyable for all ages :)

Rating:

Rated PG, this is a pretty family-friendly movie. There's 1 fart, 2 burps, 1 fight scene, a snowball fight with some school bullies, and a sort of tense chase scene where the Central Park rangers are chasing Santa's sleigh (that's the part that my kiddo was afraid of mostly just due to loud action) . . . that's about all I can think of :)

You're Movie Night:

Prior to watching you can have a Spaghetti dinner (hold the maple syrup). For snacks while watching, have some Christmas cookies and Cocoa

Craft Idea:

You can make these in about 5 minutes, here's how:
Grab 3 colors of felt (hat, ribbon, feather), some scissors, glue and a dinner plate
First trace your plate onto the color you want the body of the hat to be. If you have large felt you can trace the whole thing but it won't be a problem at all if you're just using the 9x12 sheets, just get as much of the circle on there as possible (as shown). Cut out your circle then fold it into 4 and snip along one edge (just a radius of your circle) *if you used the sheet, make sure the edge your cutting is on the side that is missing it's curve*
You can use the scrap edge of your felt as a guide for cutting the hat ribbon (I made mine about 1-2" wide). Create a cone with your circle and glue together (you can trim any overlapping felt if you wish). Then glue on ribbon and cut and insert a little felt feather!

My girls love these hats!

Everything Christmas: Countdown Begins (Our Advent Calendar)

2012-12-05T11:28:00.001-08:00

So, it's December 5 . . . I'm always late. Nevertheless, I'm essentially thrilled with the outcome and we escaped to Leavenworth this past weekend, so it's okay that our Advent Is starting 5 days late, right? Right.

I knew I wanted to do an "activity" countdown, where every day has a different Christmas craft, snack, or activity to do. The problem was just how to display it. There is a SLEW of brilliant ideas to choose from out there, remember these awesome 10? But it wasn't until I found this awesome one at Shanty 2 Chic that I knew I'd found my match.

Here's how mine turned out:

Her instructions were super clear and it was actually crazy easy!! *Love when that happens*
*Confession: I made 2 because I sorta hated my first paint choice, so that shows you how quick and easy they are*

I strayed a little from the plan outlined on her website.

First off I used finished boards rather than the furring strips. The furring strips were only $1.95 a piece but I kinda wanted a smoother sleeker finish (the furring are awesome if you're going for more of the rustic look). So the boards I bought were $7.96 a piece, but even though that essentially quadrupled the cost, the project as a whole was still only around $30.

Here's the cost breakdown:
2- 1"x3"x8' boards @ $7.96 each = 15.92
2- Bags Wood Clothespins @ $1.97 each = 3.94
1 Can Krylon Glitter Blast @ $6.97 = 6.97
Gorilla Glue and finishing nails (i already had, so not sure on the cost)
25 Pack Chevron Bags $6.25
For a whopping total of $33.08!

**Note: You need 2- 8' boards but you really only use not even 1 and 1/2 so if you buy 3 you can make 2!**

The second adjustment I made was cut the back board at 40" instead of 36" It's a little taller, so the gaps in between the branches can be a little bigger. I made 4" gaps from the top of the 2x4 base to the bottom of the first branch and in between every branch from there on up. Here's a pic of the measurements I did (although you could tweek this to fit your needs, if you want to hang bigger bags or christmas cards I would go even taller and wider with your pieces (and maybe use up the whole of both boards):

I also used the Gorilla wood glue to glue on my clothespins (which I eyeballed for distances apart) before painting.

I left the wood unpainted (2nd time around) and sprayed it with the Diamond Dust shade of Krylon Glitter Blast which is really just a creamy color with crystalish glitter so it just adds a snowy sparkle to the light color of the wood.

I bought 25 pink chevron paper bags from Modern Tape on etsy (yes, pink is a Christmas color in our house!) and they got to me SUPER fast! I cut out numbers using silver paper and my cricut to adorn the bags. The activity cards I just made quickly using picmonkey.com (they have some awesome new wintery graphics like the wreath I used).

Here's some of the activities tucked away in those little envelopes:
Christmas Concert, Downtown Light Parade, Trip to Leavenworth, Ice Skating, Sledding, Nativity Craft, Snowman Pizzas, Christmas Movie Night, Living Nativity, Decorating Gingerbread Houses, Making Christmas Cookies, Snowflake Painting, Angel Handprint Craft, and much much more!

So there you have it!

If you don't count shopping time you're only looking at about an hour, and only 6 cuts with a miter saw! So I know it's December 5, but you still have time to do this . . . It's not too late!!

12 Nights Of Must-Watch Holiday Movies: Love Actually

2012-11-30T17:00:00.000-08:00

The Movie:

This one is in a gridlock tie for my favorite movie of all time, it's that good! We named one of our children after a character in our favorite story line, it's that good! It is a compilation of interwoven love stories all taking place at Christmastime. There's a lot of love, some heartbreak, a lot of laughter. The heading across the top of this picture labeling it the "ultimate romantic comedy" is really not that far off.

Why it's a must-watch:

1. For starters, it's like 10 movies (funny, cute, good, sad, heartwarming movies) wrapped up into 1 and BONUS all these plot-lines are tumbling towards an amazingly climactic Christmas!

2. Also: Hugh Grant <3, Collin Firth *swoon*, Rowan Atkinson :).

3. Multiple proclamations of love including an unrequited one that will have you in tears and probably the best/most epic proposal scene of all time.

4. Really, really good soundtrack (you'll probably go buy it after you watch this)

5. Cutest wedding surprise (you'll totally want to swipe this for your next friend that gets married):

and so many many many more reasons!

My Rating:

NOT kid-friendly, it's rated R. There's a small handfull of F*bombs and a couple of pretty racey scenes including some nudity (to be fare, the "sex" scenes are between an adorably polite and awkward pair of strangers that are stand ins for a movie, but still sex scenes none the less). This is definitely one you'll want to watch after your kiddos tuck in for the night.

Your Movie Night:

No, no fancy craft idea or clever food here :) Just order some takeout and have a Christmas Date-Night in!

Click the picture for more Must Watch Holiday Movies

Everything Christmas: Jack Frost used our bathroom

2012-11-30T14:52:00.000-08:00

I know I'm not the first parent to come up with this idea but it got rave reviews from my kidlets so I'm sorta feeling like a genius at this point and I just had to share. For about $3 you can transform your bathroom mirror into a snowy wonderland. I bought the spray flocking snow for $1.99 and a $1.00 snowflake stencil at WalMart. You should totally do this!

Everything Christmas: 10 Things to do this Christmas (Pacific Northwest)

2012-11-28T13:48:00.001-08:00

Eek! It's only a couple days till December! I've been busy busy trying to map out our pre-Christmas festivities. Are you looking for things to do this Christmas? I'm guessing if you do a little hunting you'll be able to find similar holiday adventures in your area. Here's a list of experiences you might want to add to your schedule as you plan for this Christmas Season if you're in these areas of the Pacific Northwest:

-Christmas Train Ride - Polar Express Hood River, OR (Adults $26-46, 2-12 $18-38), Chehalis, WA (polar express sold out but still has several Santa Steam Train openings for $12/ticket), Mt. Rainier Scenic Rail Mineral, WA Santa Express, Northwest Railway Museum Santa Train Snoqualmie, WA, Lake Whatcom Railway Christmas Train

via MountHoodRR

-Coeur D'Alene Holiday Light Show Cruise "Journey to the North Pole" (Adults $18.75, Over 55 $17.75, 12 & under FREE)

-K-Love Acoustic Christmas Tour - Pasco, WA; Bend, OR, Portland, OR

-Leavenworth Lighting Festival (First 3 December Weekends) *Stay Tuned for post on visitng Leavenworth*

img src Pine River Ranch

-Holiday with Lights @ Wild Waves Theme Park in Federal Way, WA ($12.99 admission if you purchase online, 3 & Under Free)

-Snowland at Great Wolf Lodge in Grand Mound, WA (because nothing says Christmas like a waterpark? haha j/k this looks really fun!)

via Great Wolf Lodge

-Argosy Cruise Christmas Ship Festival Seattle, WA

-The Nutcracker (there's tons of these everywhere, you'll have to google your specific location/time)

-Zoo Lights @ the Oregon Zoo in Portland, OR

-Wild Lights @ the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, WA

12 Nights of Must-Watch Holiday Movies: Mickey's Christmas Carol

2012-11-26T18:42:00.001-08:00

The Movie:

Dicken's Christmas Carol has really stood the tests of time when it comes to holiday classics. My favorite version? Mickey's Christmas Carol. It's the story you know, a grumpy old Scrooge given the chance to see the errors of his way and turn things around on Christmas, as told by an array of Disney characters.

Why it's a must-watch:

It condenses the classic Christmas tale into a family-friendly, enjoyable little half hour! Watching a seemingly hopelessly horrible Ebenezer Scrooge have a drastic change of heart and awake Christmas morning bursting with generosity and goodwill all in about 25 minutes is the perfect shot of Christmas Spirit at its best. It's also fun to watch for all the Disney "cameos" from other movies and stories!

My rating:

Family friendly with little bits of scary. (It's super short so you can watch it first to be sure)

If you're familiar with The Christmas Carol you already know there's a little bit of scary going on, Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his partner and 3 spirits. That being said, as this is for kids it's pretty mild. If you're interested, I'll breakdown the scary factor:

The first ghost is played by Goofy and while there is a little bit of spooky "ooo"-ing, it is paired with all the silliness and clumsiness that Goofy is known for. The Ghost of Christmas Past is Jimeny Cricket and not scary or ghost-like in any way. The Ghost of Christmas Present is played by a giant who is also friendly and unscary. The Ghost of Christmas Future is Pete and the most unfriendly of them all (he's wearing a death-like robe). You briefly see the Cratchets (Mickey & Minnie) sadly standing by the grave of their son, Tiny Tim (this is in a glimpse of the future), which can be upsetting and there is also a brief scary scene where Scrooge is falling into his grave (it is quickly transformed to him in his bedroom awaking from the dream) but it can be a little too intense for small ones.

Again, if you're familiar with the story you know any sadness is reversed by an explosion of love & goodwill at the end :)

Your Holiday Movie Night:

Make these cute and easy Oreo Mickey pops!

via The Idea Room

After watching think of some ways you can spread some Christmas joy to others (maybe making cards for a nursing home, buying a toy to donate, etc.).

Click the picture for more Holiday Must-Watch Movies:

12 Nights of Must Watch Holiday Movies: How The Grinch Stole Christmas

2012-11-25T18:34:00.002-08:00

The Movie:

I don't know if its possible for me to love this movie more. It's a true feast for the eyes (I want to live in Whoville!) with all the swirls of Christmas decorations and amazingly fun colors!

The is the story of a grumpy old Grinch who's had his fill of Christmas and decides to steal it from the good-hearted Who's down in Whoville.

Why It's A Must Watch:

It's a gem to be passed down a generation. You probably watched as a kid, as I did, and now we can share it with our own! It's got that classic Christmas theme of a heart changed and a moral/lesson that's heartwarming for everyone to remember:

img source The Cooke Family

My Rating:

This should be fine for any age!

Your Movie Night:

Sip on some Grinch Punch

Grinch Punch via Babble

and enjoy some Grinch Cupcakes! (They have a heart hidden inside!!! amazing!)

via Sugar Swing: Serve Some

or Grinch cookies :)

And use this idea as a bouncing board for your own acts of kindness you can do this year at Christmastime:

via The Sharpened Pencil

Click the picture for more must-watch holiday movies!

12 Nights of Must-Watch Holiday Movies: Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

2012-11-24T16:46:00.004-08:00

The Movie:

It really wouldn't be Christmas without a Rankin/Bass stop-motion Christmas special, would it? While Rudolph and the Island of Misfit Toys gets a lot of the fanfare I would venture to say that Santa Claus Is Coming to Town is the real Rankin/Bass that should be on your must-watch lists this season (nothing against Rudolph, I like Rudolph!)

This is an all-encompassing tale of how Santa Claus came to be as told by a Fred Astaire (swoon) puppet mailman who is answering children's letters with questions about Santa. You follow along as an orphaned baby Chris is adopted by funny toymaker elves (The Kringles) and how he brings toys to the solemn children of Somber Town. You find out how he met Mrs. Clause and how and why he fills stockings.

Why It's A Must Watch:

Learn everything you need to know about Santa Clause in less than an hour! The music is fun and catchy (with the exception of a psychedelic solo by Jessica aka Mrs. Clause :P haha), the story is sweet and heartwarming. And also, there's Fred Astaire :)

My Rating:

Family Friendly! There is a Winter Warlock character that can be slightly scary for little little ones at the beginning, although Chris shows kindness to him and quickly melts his icy heart leaving him insanely caring and nice and with only magic left to make Reindeer fly :)

Your Movie Night:

Make some Santa-themed snacks to enjoy during the movie:

Santa Berries Via Pinterest Santa Party Mix via Cookies & Cups Santa Crackers via Martha Stewart

Then, when your movie's over sit down with a pen and paper and write your own letters to Santa. You can even drop them off at a giant red mailbox at Macy's. USPS also offers a service where they will postmark and re-mail a letter you've prepared from the North Pole if you want to create a response letter for your child from Santa. More Info Here.

Click the picture below for the other posts in this series:

12 Nights of Must Watch Holiday Movies: The Holiday

2012-11-23T16:49:00.001-08:00

The Movie:

I can't quite put my finger in it but it seems like I, in general, love movies that take place in or have anything to do with England. Then if it goes so far as England + Christmas, it's a sure winner :) So obviously, I was destined to love this movie. I always see this in the $5-7 dollar bins at stores and want to buy it for everyone :)

This is the cute romantic story of two women (one in London & one in Los Angeles) who trade homes for Christmas. That's all I'm giving you because you must watch it!

Why It's a must watch:

Christmas romance at its best!!! This is a super lovable romantic comedy. Not quite the cheesy, perfect-packaged romance of the Hallmark movies, there's some heartache and difficulties too making for a more believable story (so you'll likely be able to get a non-sappy other to watch and enjoy it with you :P).

My "Rating":

This movie is rated PG 13 and that seems about right to me. There's a very little bit of bad language and maybe 2 scenes in bed (they're not sex scenes and no nudity, but you realize that had just happened). It's really a quite pleasantly mild movie, in my opinion.

You're Movie Night:

Unless you have older kids, you're probably going to save this one for a date night or ladies night :) To make it special serve some English candies or snacks. You can hit up your local Costplus World Market or order online. Here are some of my favorites:

I hope you're enjoying my series on 12 Must Watch Holiday Movies! Click the picture below for the other posts in this series so far:

12 Nights of Must Watch Holiday Movies: White Christmas

2012-11-21T17:00:00.000-08:00

The Movie:
This movie is like Christmas candy for the eyes! Even looking at the DVD Case puts me in the Christmas mood :) It's the musical story of two song and dance duos that hook up to put on a Christmas show to benefit a struggling ski-resort lodge in the midst of a snow-less winter season.

Why it's a must watch:
It's a classic and probably already on your list. I love it for the way I feel in just the first few words as Bing Crosby sings I'm Dreaming of A White Christmas, the fantastic dance numbers, the amazing color spectacular, and the heartwarming plot that all melt together for dazzling array of Christmas fabulocity. It's fun & catchy (be prepared to be singing "Sisters, sisters, there were never such devoted sisters . . . " for the next few days). I also can't resist singing "I want to wash my hands, my face, my hair with snow" every year when it finally snows!

My Rating:
Really family friendly and fun for all ages.
The opening has an attack scene in a war setting, other than that I think it is smooth sailing!

Your Movie Night:
Snack:
This would be a great after-dinner movie to enjoy with some yummy white cake like this amazing one from AskChefDennis.com:

img source A Culinary Journey With Chef Dennis

Craft Idea:
Gather together all the goods you'd need to make snowflakes while watching then deck out your house in it's very own "white christmas" when it's over. Pinterest is bursting at the seams with awesome snowflake craft ideas at all different age/skill levels, here are some of my favorites:

Snowflake Ballerinas from Canadian Family

Three Dimensional Paper Snowflake from Ellinee.com

Craft stick Snowflake by The Ballard Bunch

See you tomorrow!

12 Nights of Must Watch Holiday Movies: The Most Wonderful Time of The Year

2012-11-20T17:45:00.003-08:00

The Movie:

*Confession: I watch HOURS upon HOURS of holiday movies on the Hallmark channel once they start their 24 hour lineup of them in November. There are so many out there that would otherwise go undiscovered.

I caught It's The Most Wonderful Time of The Year a couple years ago and added it to my exclusive list of Christmas musts.

I'm betting you have NOT seen this one, and it's super cheesy and light but really cute! It's the story of Jenny, a single mom, preparing for Christmas where she'll be cooking her first Christmas dinner for her super-wealthy boyfriend's parents (not delving super deep here, but bear with me). The only relative from her side joining them is her uncle, Ralph (Henry Winkler bonus). Ralph meets Morgan stranded in the airport and brings him home to Jenny's in lieu of sleeping on the airport floor at Christmas. Morgan is a chef, handsome, and of course great with Jenny's son (you see where I'm going with this . . . ).

Why it's a Christmas Must-Watch:

It's cute and so feel-goody and everything wraps up so nicely! It's a great escape from holiday stresses and gloomy real-world news.

My "rating":

Family Friendly!
This movie is not rated as it was made for TV, but being so it's really mild. I can't think of any language, I'd feel totally safe watching it around my kids although they'd be bored as it's not super entertaining for little little ones. There's 2 attempted robberies (which seems weird as I type it, they're not big in the plot), and one "fight" scene where a bully-type man is knocked out with a trash can (again, that sounds more dramatic as I type it out then it actually is in the movie).

You're Holiday Movie Night:

Tonights movie night would be great for older kids (maybe 8+) and on up. Make it a dinner & a movie night with a mini-Christmas dinner (using all the cheats like Stovetop Stuffing and Instant Mash Potatoes!).

Alternately, if you can't find anyone to get into the sappy mood of it all, this would be a WONDERFUL one for mama to wrap presents to :)

See you tomorrow with another great movie night! (click the picture to see more must-watch holiday movie nights)

12 Nights of Must Watch Holiday Movies: Olive The Other Reindeer

2012-11-19T17:00:00.000-08:00

The Movie:

I was probably only 13 or 14 when I first stumbled across the book that this movie is based on.
I instantly fell in love with the quirky illustration style and the cute idea of mishearing "all of the other reindeer" as "Olive, the other reindeer" :) When it was made into a movie a couple years later, I was thrilled! If you haven't watched this movie yet, you are in for a total treat! It's the story of Olive, a little dog, who ventures to save Christmas when Blitzen is injured during flight practice.

Why It's A Must Watch:

Laugh out loud clever moments, fun music, and silly animation!

Since introducing this movie to my kids I've seen it somewhere in the realm of 10,000 times and it still has parts that make me laugh out loud (pretty much everything Tim Meadows as Richard Stands says)! This is a definite crowd pleaser for all ages!

My "rating":

This is family friendly for all ages. There is a high-speed chase between the postman and the bus where the action level is mildly high, that was the only part my littles ever showed any anxiety.

Your Holiday Family Movie Night:

This movie would lend itself great to a family snuggle in Christmas themed jammies!

Snack Ideas:

Feast on Reindeer Chow (aka Muddy Buddies) and Hot Cocoa

Craft/Prop Idea:

You can all be reindeer like Olive if you grab a few pairs of Felt Antler Headbands (I'm almost always able to find 2 packs at the dollar store year after year) or you could make your own which I sorta suspect sounds a little easier than it really is :)

Come back Tomorrow for another Must-Watch Holiday Movie!

12 Nights of Must Watch Holiday Movies: Introduction

2012-11-19T08:30:00.000-08:00

My first Christmas-themey series starts tonight!

Part of gearing up for an ultimate Christmas holiday has always included an arsenal of the best of the best (in my opinion) holiday movies. I've compiled a collection of these ol' trusties that I can come to year after year for a generous dose of warm fuzzies, laughter, and Christmas cheer.

My very exclusive list of MUST WATCH Christmas movies has been fine tuned over probably the past 2 decades. The current combination is garunteed to put you in the mood if you're not feeling Christmas-y yet. I can garuntee each movie will get a minimum of 2 viewings (I'm lying, it's more many more) in my house before the season is through :)

For each of the next 12 Nights I'm going to share one of these must-watchers with you along with all the tips you need including snacks, crafts, or date ideas to make each night a fabulous movie night in your house. There's a few that are surely already on your list, but maybe some you haven't seen. Hopefully you'll be able to adopt a few of these Holiday Movie Nights in your house this season!

See you tonight!
Click the photo above or to the right for all current must watch holiday movie posts :)

Follow Me On Pinterest!

2012-11-15T06:49:00.004-08:00

Yay! Googly Eyes & Glitter now has it's own Pinterest!! Follow me by clicking the button below :)

a fall favorite: easy caramel apple dip

2012-11-07T16:40:00.001-08:00

If you have never made this, you are in for an amazingly yummy treat! This dip always gets rave reviews at any get together and it could not be easier! All you need is one 8 oz. brick of cream cheese and a bag of caramels.

To make the dip:
1. open caramels and place in a microwave safe bowl
2. Melt in microwave according to bag directions (about 1 minute, maybe check at 45 sec.)
3. Stir melted caramels
4. Mix in cream cheese using a hand mixer till combined (will be a milky caramel color and will taste like love)

Serve with apples!

I'm linking up with Today's Creative Blog