Having a Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day! Hope you are having a good one. I sure am.

My hubby and kids presented me with these lovely flowers, along with some sexy heels I had been wanting and my favorite Endangered Species Chocolate. For a moment, I thought it was Valentine's Day again. It's nice to be loved.

Hayden also gave me a gift she made in her preschool class. I remember the days when Jacob would do the same. I can't believe Hayden is old enough now to be creating something special for me without my help (although I'm sure her teacher did some of it; thank you Ms. Penny). I just love the adorable way this work of art incorporates her tiny little fingerprints. There's no doubt they are hers.

As usual, I crafted some gifts for my mom (Nana) and grandmother (Granny). In a past post, I asked for advice, while making a piece of jewelry for my mom (her most requested gift from me). Here is the finished bracelet, using both the chain and the pink ribbon to jazz it up a bit. Thank you Jocelyn for your input. I think she'll really like it, along with some J.R. Watkins products I got her (her family is from Minnesota, near the J.R. Watkins company) and nail care stuff.

Also from that past post, Hayden and I decided to give Granny the flower we made as part of our latest Eco Emi DIY. She's the one that taught me to upcycle. Can you believe she's been saving odds and ends others perceive as trash for years and transforming them into new treasures? I wrote a note to her (she is a huge fan of handwritten notes) about how much I appreciate her teaching us this concept and showing everyone how to see the beauty in all things.

I actually got to see Granny at my cousin Holly's baby shower yesterday. Here she is checking out some photos with my mom (her daughter). I thought it was a sweet moment worth sharing.

They may have been looking at a photo of my mom with me and my sisters (Lori and April). It was nice to get a pic of all of us together.

I'll be seeing Lori and my mom at Sunday dinner tonight (April, you will be missed). I'm anxious to have some of the kale salad my mom tossed together before bed last night (so it could marinate and she wouldn't have to make it on Mother's Day). I had sent her this yummy Tone It Up recipe for her to try, but she decided to go more tropical and make one with mango. Yum!

It reminds me of the kale salad I made in this past post, when Hayden was just a baby (for those of you reading my blog for the first time, the pic below is of Hayden in that old post; she has grown quite a bit since then). I might have to make it this week. So good.

 Happy Mother's Day! :-)     

     

May the 4th be with you

Some of you may be looking forward to Cinco de Mayo tomorrow, but my kids are more excited about the 4th of May, also known as Star Wars Day. May the 4th be with you. Get it? "Fourth" sounds like "force."

Anyway, I thought it would be fun to link to another blast from the past post, in case you are celebrating, too. These Rawdorable Star Wars cupcakes have been a big hit in my house, and I hope they will be in yours, as well. May the 4th be with you!

Oh, and don't forget to check out the mother and daughter crafts from my last post. Mother's Day will be here soon.

Mother & Daughter Day Projects

My last post was an Eco Emi unboxing, so it's no surprise that today is my usual follow-up DIY post (here's my last Eco Emi DIY post with links to the others, as well). I had planned on making it a Mother's Day gift-themed project, but based on the color scheme and sparkling gold paper confetti shreds, I knew I had to include Hayden in this one. It just had her written all over it.

Hayden obviously thought the same thing as she climbed onto the table and dug into our materials from this month's box. Look at her ready to make a masterpiece of her own. She's such a good little helper, who loves to craft like her mama.

Here's what we had to work with this time: those pale yellow and sparkling gold paper confetti shreds I already mentioned, a pastel pink silky fabric pouch, light green tissue paper and a gift box tied shut with a piece of elastic string.

Hayden couldn't wait to do something with those sparkling gold paper confetti shreds, so we started with a DIY for her. All we needed were the shreds and the piece of elastic string.

We tied the elastic string to create a hair tie. Then, we cut off the excess, saving the rest of the elastic string for future projects (maybe a beaded charm bracelet for Hayden).

Next, we gathered groups of three shreds (two pale yellow and one gold per group of three).

We folded the first group of three paper confetti shreds in half and looped it onto the hair tie.

We continued to attach more groups of three shreds until about half of the hair tie was covered (okay, so maybe I did the attaching, but Hayden helped count out the groups of three shreds). We didn't cover the whole hair tie, because the other half would be used to wrap around Hayden's ponytail a second time when worn, as you'll see at the end of this post.

Once Hayden was happy with her project, we moved on to something you can make for mom. Hayden keeps reminding me how the April showers bring the May flowers, so we decided to make a flower, using the pastel pink fabric pouch. We started by removing the ribbons, which we saved for another project.

Next, I deconstructed the fabric pouch. Don't worry about all the fraying, as you'll hide it while creating your flower.

I folded the fabric lengthwise in thirds to help hide the fraying and to make it the perfect size for forming a flower. I opted to use some gold duck tape (I always have decorative duck tape on hand) to attach it to a pencil "stem" (I used a pencil that was missing an eraser, since it would be hidden anyway).

This is when it gets a little difficult to follow and explain. I just kept folding, taping and shaping the fabric until I created a flower. Here are some step-by-step pics to give you a better idea of what I did:

Once the fabric flower was finished, I decided to add some tissue paper leaves. I folded a square of light green tissue paper in half diagonally to make a triangle. I, then, formed the triangle into three leaves and attached them to the base of the flower with more duck tape.

I also added some sparkling gold confetti shreds to the base of the flower for fun. Hayden thought it looked pretty. Here she is holding the finished flower, while wearing the hair tie, too.

Ha ha. She even pretended to smell it :-)

As for the gift box, I still plan on using it for Mother's Day and I encourage you to do the same. Handmade gifts make the best Mother's Day presents, in my opinion. For example, my mom tends to hint for handmade jewelry, so of course, I have a piece in the works for her right now to give to her in the box (hopefully she's not reading this). I used gold wire to spell out "Nana" (that's what the kids call her). I would do the same thing with paper clips to create personalized jewelry in my youth, but I thought this was nicer. I just need to decide if it's going to be a necklace or a bracelet, and if I want to use the links from this past project or the pink ribbon from today's DIY. What do you think?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions left in the comment section. Have a wonderful weekend!      
 

Happy birthday to me

Well, today is my birthday, so I was extra excited to receive my April 2013 Eco Emi box in the mail yesterday. Actually, it's a nice gift to myself every month.

Hayden was anxious to check out what was inside and film it, as usual, too. "Mommy, let's do a video," she said, although I was unsure I'd be able to post it. I've been having computer issues lately, but lucky for you, my son was kind enough to lend me his laptop for this post.


Here's our video from yesterday and a list of what was inside this month's box with our thoughts on each product. Enjoy!

OluvCare by OluvSkin: I really enjoyed the bar soap from this brand that I received in last year's February Eco Emi box, so I had a hunch I'd like this, too. It looks like solid olive oil (it actually contains 100% extra virgin olive oil) that melts into your skin with the warmth of your touch. It's a multi-purpose salve that can be used on dry skin, cuticles, cuts, burns, diaper rash, etc.

Moisturizing Hair Milk by Shea Radiance: Don't be fooled by the word "milk," as this product is listed as vegan. Hayden had fun spritzing it in my hair, as I did using it to tackle her tangled curls. Our locks were soft and ready to for a rainy day. We got poured on going to her dance class that evening, but we remained "unfrizzed" and smelling sweet (the delightful scent seems to become stronger when wet).

Unscented Deodorant Towelettes by Crystal Essence: I was first introduced to these natural deodorant wipes in another Eco Emi box and I've continued to use them. They are just right for when the temperatures heat up and you need a little freshening up. I carry them in my purse for "emergencies."

Dead Sea Mud Mask by Rainwater Botanicals: Hayden was a bit turned off by the gray mud, although she loves making mud pies. I, on the other hand, have been a fan of mud masks for years. They are so detoxifying to the skin. I think I'll use this one today. Oh, and for those of you who may be wondering, I really enjoyed this company's pumpkin mask from my November Eco Emi box.

Dahlia Creme Eye Shadow by Lauren Brooke Cosmetiques: I've been loving Lauren Brooke Cosmetiques since I received that eyeliner in my very first Eco Emi box. This eye shadow pairs perfectly with it and my aging eyes. Now that I'm older (I'm 37, as of today), I tend to prefer creamy makeup versus a powder, which can settle into fine lines (yes, a have a few of those). This subtle pink glides on like a cream, sets like a powder and gives a light rosy glow, that only you'll know you're wearing it.

Organic Hemp Shine Lipstick by Colorganics: Hayden claimed this right away. It is a moisturizing lip shine that can be worn alone or over lipstick. Hayden especially likes the fact that it is shaped like a lipstick, rather than a classic lip balm. P.S. They come in other hues, too ;-)

Organic Gluten-free Guacamole Dip by Simply Organic: At first, I was excited to find a guacamole mix in this month's box. I mean, who doesn't love guacamole? However, guacamole is so easy to make that I've never needed a mix. I was also surprised to see it contains dairy. I, personally, don't make guacamole with dairy, but for those of you who do, you might want to check out this mix.

Comforting Geranium Mineral Bath Salts by Aura Cacia: This has my name written all over it. I can't wait to take a relaxing aromatherapy bath. This one has geranium, lavender and rose. Since my kids are off from school (I'm not sure way schools are closed around here today) and my hubby took off work to be with us, I'm going to take advantage of him being here and take that bath now. Happy birthday to me!

Have a lovely day!      

An upcycled Earth Day gift to the birds

My son's teacher tends to be a bit spontaneous, which keeps her classroom fun. For example, I attended Parent Observation Day this year. She surprised all the adults by having us put on a play for the students with only minutes to prepare. It was quite entertaining.

Anyway, just yesterday, she gave the class a homework assignment to make an upcycled, yet weather-resistant, bird house out of items found around the house. It's due tomorrow to be displayed at a green expo for Earth Day. Here's what Jacob came up with in a pinch.

Basically, it's just a plastic snack container (this one was originally filled with almonds) with a large hole drilled into the front for a "door," a smaller hole drilled beneath the "door" to hold a stick perch and two more holes positioned on either side of the top for attaching an old wire to hang it. Jacob opted to paint the container, leaving just a bit unpainted near the top to act as a skylight.

It was just luck that all the colors coordinated and blended so nicely with the scenery. I hope his teacher likes it. I'm sure any minimalist bird would (Jacob said that although his classmates were planning more elaborate designs, he thought most birds would prefer something simple like this).

Happy early Earth Day everyone! :-) 

*****

BTW, there are a lot of special offers going on in honor of Earth Day. For example, I recently ordered some items from Josie Maran and received a free gift with my purchase (I got a mini mascara). From what I understand, the offer is valid through Earth Day (Monday, April 22), while supplies last.

To-Go-Ware is offering 20% off with the code EARTHDAY20 today through April 30th.

One Lucky Duck is offering 10% off items from their glow section though Friday, April 19th (tomorrow), with the code GLOWSAFE10 (I'm a big fan of many of the items in the glow section, including 100% Pure, RMS Beauty, Sprout, Priti Polish, Simply Divine Botanicals and more).

NaturalZing is offering $6.99 flat-rate shipping on all orders (orders over $99 receive free shipping) this weekend (ends Monday, April 22) and will toss in either a free package of white milled chia seeds (mention FREEWHCHIA) or 4 oz. red maca (mention FREEMACARED), while supplies last. 

Just so you know, no one asked me to post these offers. I just decided to share them as they popped up in my e-mail. Enjoy!      

Beginner's luck

Thank you everyone still reading today after my much needed break. The kids are back to school, dance, Lego League, etc., and I'm back with another Eco Emi follow-up DIY (if you've missed the rest of them, here's January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, my first September Eco Emi DIY, my second September DIY, my first for October, my second for October, November and December of 2012, as well as January and February 2013).

But first, I wanted to share a few pics from one of our last days of Spring break, when we took Hayden bowling. She experienced some beginner's luck, both on the lane, as well as in the arcade.

Here she is getting ready to roll the ball for her first time. She just had to have a 7-pound ball, because it was purple (the 6-pounders were blue green).

Although mommy (yours truly) gave her a little guidance, my stubborn little princess tried to maintain total control of the ball. Watch it go straight down the alley.

It reminded me of the post I did about Jacob's trip to the bowling alley quite a while ago. Just look at him now.

I love his reaction in this shot.

After bowling, we headed to the arcade. Most of the games were too advanced for Hayden, so I let her try the grabber machine. She had her eye on the stuffed blue star inside. I never expected her to get anything out of the machine ...

... but she never ceases to surprise and amaze me. Talk about beginner's luck. 

The star reminded me of all the gold suns, moons and stars, as well as the deep blue fabric pouch, from last month's Eco Emi box. I had yet to do my follow-up DIY, so I decided to use these items and the box to make a journal. Maybe I could use it to write about our day. 

To start, I prepped the paper for the inside of my journal. I had hoped to make some recycled paper out of all the scraps from past Eco Emi boxes, but due to time constraints, I ended up using standard white printer paper. I cut 10 pieces of paper in half, resulting in 20 smaller sheets. 

I, then, folded them over, so I'd end up with a 40-page mini journal. The pages were the perfect fit inside the top of my Eco Emi box lid.

I cut the lid off, as shown, leaving the tabs on the sides. 

I folded the cardboard in half to create the journal's cover. Then, I added the pages, securing them in the center with a rubber band.

Having the rubber band down the center not only secures the pages in place, but it also allows you to still add and remove pages in the future. 

To dress up the cover of my journal, I decided to use the fabric pouch. I removed the ribbons ...

... and took out the side seams. At that point, I was able to line it up under the cardboard.

I used a hot glue gun to adhere the fabric to the outside of the cardboard. 

I made sure to cut slits for the tabs, which I slipped through the fabric. Then, I finished attaching the fabric to the inside cover.

I hot glued one of the ribbons down the center of the journal's cover, draping the excess inside to become a simple bookmark.

I added this bead I found for that extra special touch. 

Speaking of special touches, I also glued some of those gold suns, moons and stars to the front of the journal for decoration. 

Lastly, I cut the other ribbon in half and glued them to the tabs to act as a tie closure.

Here's how I tied it shut. What do you think?

Oh, and I guess Hayden wants her star back :-)