Book Exchange Birthday Party

After discussing some birthday ideas with my almost-7 year old, such as a craft party, etc, she settled on a book exchange.  We have harder times with ideas for her, since the weather here is so unpredictable in January.  She absolutely LOVES books, and goes through them very quickly.  She currently has a fixation on the Rainbow Magic books, and also still loves Magic Treehouse books (and FYI if you're not familiar with either series, there is no correlation between them even though Magic is in the series names for both).

She knew we were on a budget, and after all was said and done, we managed to keep the entire party, including our gift to her, which I'll tell you about later, under $100!

The idea behind the book exchange, which grown-ups also do for fun, is to wrap a gently used book that you enjoyed reading.  At the end of the party you each go home with a different book.   This is supposed to be in lieu of bringing a gift for the birthday girl.  I created the invitations in MS Word based on inspiration from Reid Girls Handmade.  It cost me only $3 for copies to be made on cardstock at the local office supply store.  Ribbon and envelopes are always on hand in my craft room, so no extra $ spent there.

We did a game that was like Dirty Santa, but only 1 girl stole from another, so I'm not sure these young girls understood the game part.  (LOL)  It was great watching the girls see their new book in the end, there was a lot of excitement in the room!  Each girl filled out a simple card to place inside that told who brought it and what they enjoyed about the book (see above pic).

I did some very simple decorations.  My daughter didn't want any balloons, so I used green and blue buckets (her favorite colors) to hold flowers and drape ribbon.  The ribbon tied in with the bookmarks that they made.

I bought jumbo paper clips for them to tie ribbon on.  The girls ended up recruiting their moms to help.  I had a bucket of small ribbon pieces, told them to pick out about 10 each, and tie them to the top of the clip.  I thought it was such a cute idea, and the ribbon was no extra cost for me, since I have a TON of it upstairs in my craft room.

Lastly, we had an ice cream social.  The birthday girl did not want cake, since she doesn't like frosting.  So, per her request, we had ice cream, homemade whipped cream, and fresh fruit- a selection of fresh blueberries, sliced strawberries, and sliced bananas.

It was a nice relaxing party, no hustle and bustle, and the girls all had a great time.  Best of all, it didn't break the bank.

Our gift to her was an LED book light that has a charging station (and the special edition book Belle the Birthday Fairy).  We let the girls read at bedtime (we encourage reading), and feel it gives them flexibility and not 'feeling' forced to lay there when they're not yet tired.  We've used glow bracelets in the past to provide them the extra light.  The book light was definitely something she loved- my husband even found her using it in a dark room in the middle of the day one day!

Took time to smell the flowers today...

We went to New Bern, NC, today.  We visited Tryon Palace.  If you're local, you may like to know that they currently open up the gardens FREE on the first Sunday of each month.  We took LOTS of pictures, and here are just a few.  I love North Carolina, and how green it is most of the year.

Hope you can appreciate some of these beautiful pictures!

Have a wonderful Labor Day, and muffin tin ideas are next, I promise I've been working on that!  Also coming soon, a series of lunchbox pictures.

Finally, a nice front porch!

I finally was able to put something significant on my front porch.  I always felt like it was so big when I was on the front porch, and wanted to make it feel welcoming.  This year was my year to do just that.  I finally settled on this wicker bench and chair.

What makes it even better are these AMAZING flowers that came from a farm about 40 minutes from my house.  I fell in love with so many of their arrangements, but settled on this one.  In the centers of the orange flowers are a splash of purple and white.
Here's a view of the bench (ignore the tags on the pillow, guess it's time to remove them):

And on the way to the porch, I added a pot with some more colorful flowers, close to where the geraniums are coming back from last summer!

I'm so in love with spring!  What's your favorite part of spring?

Geraniums in December?

Yes, it's hard to believe, but in the landscape area leading to my front steps, I have two geranium plants (that I planted last spring) that are in full bloom today.  It is so funny to me, but I also think I recall some of the Gerber Daisies in bloom this past week, too!  They're on the other side of the sidewalk, in another landscape area.

I decided tonight, after looking at the weather (low of 28 is the forecast), that I need to trim some of the leaves and bring them in.  They survived a freeze earlier this week, but I doubt they'll last many more.  I did about 18 leaves, put them in small plastic cups of water to root, and it should make 3 small geranium plants for next spring!

There are a few annuals that can be rooted, geraniums being one.  Once roots form in the water, you can then plant the roots in a pot with soil, keep it watered and give it some sunshine.  Then, when spring comes, you can plant it outside!

So, if it's not too late for you, enjoy your geraniums in December!

Autumn Design 2009, Part 3: Outside

Okay, so I really didn't do much outside, but in the fall I feel lost if I don't put out a nice wreath on the door and some mums on the steps.  These mums are monstrous, and I found Purple & Gold for my alma mater!  So I get a "2 for 1" deal supporting the Pirates (Arrrrrgh!) and celebrating the season.

Mums need care & feed if you want longevity.  It's best to water almost daily, especially in warm or dry climates.  Once a week, dig through and pop off any browning or dead blooms.  This will help your mums last!  It's best not to give them full sun, they need part shade- again, especially in a warm climate.

Do you have any autumn decor outside?  Please leave a comment and share!

Blossom and Handbag

So I've been wanting to make a flower out of fabric scraps... I have lots of scraps, even from hemming pants. That's how this first blossom came to life. It was the 1.5" hem off the bottom of some grey pants that I hemmed. It worked out perfectly. I wanted the edges to be raw and curl just a bit. It's hard to see in the picture. For this project, I did a loose baste stitch across the bottom and pulled to gather. then I wrapped it around starting at the center of the circle. I then stitched it together by hand. To add a little more flair I used a button from that "extra button" pouch that came with a suit I have. VERY FAST project.

That blossom was the perfect complement to this handbag I created. It's from Martha Stewart's website and is INCREDIBLY easy to make, less than 1 hour easily. I made 2 of the same in about an hour. I used a pretty wool plaid in pink and grey, which I'm in the process of making myself a poncho. To line, I have yards and yards of a gorgeous dark grey material that I'm tempted to make a suit with, but haven't started because I like quick projects. It is, in fact, reversible. And it's so cute, I've added pics of the handle untucked and tucked below.

You have to print the template and then zoom to 200%. The easiest way to do it is to cut the original printout into 4 equal parts and then expand each to 200%, then cut out and tape together the final template. The rest of the instructions and tips are on Martha's website, including the clip from her show when they showed how to make it.

What a cool idea for gifts!!! Even without the blossom this handbag is the cutest.

More to come soon!

Beautiful Zinnias!

A dear friend, Gordon, came into town to see me today, and he brought with him some beautiful Zinnias from his mother's garden. I just thought I'd share them. I thought they went especially well on the table next to my daughter's crayons- the colors worked well together. :)

What is something that brightened your day?

Organizing your weekly menu and food needs

For a long time now, I have kept a simple notepad on the fridge. It's not a blank one, but it says each day of the week, Sunday through Saturday. Day-of-the-week notepads can normally be found at the dollar store. The weeks that I sit down and plan out a realistic menu are the weeks that I find we do well with our food spending and we don't give in to the "let's just go out to eat" thoughts.

Here is what I do. Sit down, decide what you may have in your pantry, or a recipe you've been meaning to try, or whatever your approach. You may also, if you have kids, need to look at the school lunch menu so you don't end up making something very similar for dinner the night before or the night of. Think also about the time you need to spend on each recipe/meal. Then, thinking about your schedule for the week, begin assigning meals to days of the week. If you know you have ballet on Tuesday, then make it leftovers night. If you have all afternoon Sunday to make a big meal, schedule that new recipe. Make it work for you.

Then, flip the paper over and make out your grocery list. Scan your recipes that you have planned. Is there anything from the recipes that you don't have in the pantry or fridge? Now's your chance to write it down. Look at your basic needs for groceries at the same time. Milk, bread...

Go shopping. Use the list. Stick to the list as closely as you can. I know, there's always something that catches your eye at the store. Oooh, it's shiny! Oh, it sparkles! The point is, if you need it, go ahead and get it.

This method of planning works really well for me, and with practice, it can work well for you, too! I found a website that is currently offering a "Fridge Friend" for free if you want to try this out, it even has a section to make out your grocery list on the front and a few tips on each page!
PS. The flowers above are red Verbena and are very hardy in full sun, here in the south!