Image Map

Saturday, April 30, 2011

Calendar updated for May

I have updated the calendar for May with things to do in Utah County with kids here.  Take a look at all of the free or low-cost activities we have available in our area!

Friday, April 29, 2011

Rolled flower headband

My sister-in-law Tara taught me how to do these headbands a few months ago.  They're super easy and fast, and way cute.  It's also a really great way to use scraps.

Start with a fabric strip 2 inches wide.  My strips are usually about 20-30 inches long.


 Fold one corner on one end over (like pictured below.)


Twist the fabric starting at the folded end.


Wrap the twisted fabric around itself.  Glue to felt using fabric glue.
I use this fabric glue which works great. 
This glue does ruin wood finishes so make sure to do this project on a surface you aren't attached to.


I use clothes pins to secure my fabric in place while it dries.  Then I keep twisting and wrapping it around itself, gluing to the felt until it's the size I want.


Once the glue has dried cut the felt to the size of the flower leaving a little bit of extra fabric.

 Glue the loose end of your fabric to the back like pictured above.  I used hot glue for this part.


Glue the flower(s) to your headband (I use hot glue) and add some bling!  I made tiny flower for this infant headband.  I get complimented on this headband every time she wears it!

This would make a great baby shower gift for someone expecting a little girl.
Pin It

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Paul Ream Wilderness Park

Lily and I took a trip to the Paul Ream Wilderness Park today to see the ducks.  We always just call this the "duck park."  You can get to it via the Provo River trail, or by driving.  Once you get to the park you cross a bridge and there is a small pond with a bunch of ducks, a playground, and grass.


Lily loved it.  These ducks are used to being fed, so they are very friendly and just hung out with us the whole time.


I saw some people having picnics, but make sure to bring a blanket if you want to sit on the grass because where there are a lot of ducks there is also a lot of duck poop.

This park is very close to the Provo River which is very high and fast right now, so if you have a kid that likes to explore I may wait to visit until the river goes down a bit.  The picture above shows how close the river is to the walking path that goes right by the duck pond.

This park also has a covered pavillion.  I love going here to see all of the ducks and so does Lily.

Paul Ream Wilderness Park
1600 W 500 N
Provo, UT 84604

Total Acres: 7
Pavilions: 4
#1 - $45, 16 tables (power/lights)
#2 - $25, 4 tables (power/lights)
#3 - $35, 8 tables (power/lights
#4 - $35, 8 tables (power/lights)

Featured Amenities:
Bathrooms
Playground
Provo River Trail access
Uncovered picnic tables w/grills (no fee)
Duck pond
Fishing access

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Flower clip wall hanging

Before Lily was born I made her a bunch of flower clips using silk flowers.  I wanted a creative way to display them in her nursery so I came up with this.


 I used a frame I already had and just took out the glass and backing.  I laid the flowers out in the frame on the floor to figure out where I wanted to string picture hanging wire across to clip the flower clips to.


 My husband screwed through the back of the frame with small screws, leaving a small space between the screw head and the frame.  He added thick picture hanging wire, stringing horizontally across the frame opening.  He twisted each side around the screws.  It didn't take long and was pretty easy.


Then I just clipped her flower clips to the wire strung across.  I love it because it keeps her clips accessible while adding a really cute wall hanging to her nursery.

Learn to make the flower hair clips to clip onto this here.
Pin It


----------------------------------------------------------------------

Check out this project and more here:
Today's Creative Blog Blackberry Vine  Tip Junkie Not Just a Housewife Hope Studios Coastal Charm The Thrifty Home Savvy Southern Style   Blue Cricket Design Tea Rose Home  The Thrifty Home Women Who Do It All The Shabby Chic Cottage Beyond the Picket Fence Fireflies and Jellybeans House of Hepworths  A Glimpse Inside  The Brambleberry Cottage  Thrifty 101 Elements-interiors Sweet Peas and Bumblebees Shabby Nest 30 Handmade Days  Tatertots and Jello By Stephanie Lynn Cherished Treasures Be Colorful Between Naps on the Porch Craft-o-maniac

Monday, April 25, 2011

Chuck E Cheese's in Orem

For Lily's birthday we took her to Chuck E Cheese's in Orem.  I hadn't been in years and was a little skeptical but ended up being very pleasantly surprised.  We got a gift certificate worth $20 to City Deals here for only $10.  We had also signed up for the birthday club here so we got 20 free tokens on top of the coupon they sent us for a large one-topping pizza, 4 drinks, and 45 tokens for $19.99.

Total cost (all paid through City Deals)  $10.00 
(My husband and I couldn't have eaten at Subway for that price!)

All that was included:
1 large one-topping pizza
4 refillable fountain drinks
65 tokens


 Lily loved it.  She liked the rides and absolutely loved the show and the pizza.  Personally I thought that the life sized characters were a little creepy and run down but she didn't seem to be phased a bit!  The rest of the restaurant was in tip-top shape and very clean.  The pizza was delicious.


We went at 4:00 on a Tuesday so there was no one there.  It was awesome!  With the tickets we won Lily got a bunch of bracelets which she wears with pride.  I definitely recommend this activity for your kids and due to the low cost I plan on going back soon!

Chuck E Cheese's
40 W Center
Orem, UT 84057
801.225.4554

One-year-old birthday party ideas

Lily's first birthday party was a ton of fun.  First I chose a color scheme to coordinate everything.  I think choosing colors for any party only takes a little effort but makes a huge difference.


We sent out invitations to 16 of Lily's closest baby friends.  It sounds like a lot, but we actually didn't invite anyone in our play group because I feel like if you invite 1 you have to invite all 20.   I used Microsoft Publisher to make the invitations, and then printed them as a 5x7 photo at Costco.


 I got cat and dog finger puppets here to use as cupcake toppers.  It made decorating really easy, and the kids loved that they got a toy out of it too.  They looked great displayed on the cupcake tree I made here.


 I used a couple of the finger puppets to decorate her cake as well. 


We set the favors I made here out for each kid to take home.


 I also made a birthday party dress for her as well in the colors I had chosen.  I used the pattern I made here.


We didn't plan any formal games, but moved our "Dr. Pepper table" (we don't drink coffee) to create an open space for the babies to play in.  I brought out a lot of Lily's toys and they all had a fun time playing.

I didn't even try to get a picture with all of the kids, but we had a lot of fun!  I liked that I kept it short because then it didn't get awkward since there were no set plans.  I loved having so many friends to share her birthday with, but a smaller party would have allowed more one-on-one time with our guests.
Pin It


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
View this post and more at the following places:
http://www.bystephanielynn.com/2011/04/sunday-showcase-party-with-accent.html http://petitehermine.blogspot.com/ http://lambaround.blogspot.com/ http://craftomaniac.blogspot.com/ http://embellishinglifeeveryday.blogspot.com/

The DIY Show Off

Friday, April 22, 2011

Easter tradition: Egg rolling

This is a tradition from my husband's side of the family.  I'm going to be honest - I didn't really get it at first.  Yet it's something I still look forward to every year and would miss if we didn't do it.

After all of the kids color their Easter Eggs, they bring them to Peteetneet in Payson because it has a wide open area with a huge hill.  Once we are all there we have a picnic and then take our eggs and roll them down the hill.  That's it - that's the tradition.


The first year I went I kept trying to figure out the rules.  "Are you supposed to get the farthest?  Is your egg supposed to go the fastest?  Do people throw them as far as they can?"  Nope.  They just roll them down the hill.  Then they walk down and get them and hike back up the hill and roll them again.  They don't necessarily all roll them at the same time - there really isn't a game behind it (although I'm sure it'd be easy to get one started if you were interested.)

Once I got over trying to figure it out, it actually really grew on me.  Eventually your egg with hit a bump or roll too fast, and shatter into pieces which is fun.  It's kind of fun to be able to do something fun with the eggs you decorated.

This is also an activity that is really fun for little kids.  For once, a kid that is always being told not to throw rocks or grass or bark (or pets) can now throw or roll their egg all the way down the hill until their heart is content!

Easter tradition: Adult (or older kid) Egg Hunt

Egg Hunts are about as traditional as it gets when it comes to Easter.  There are a few things I hate about egg hunts though...like the fact that only little kids to get to play.  And I hate that one person hides and the rest all have fun looking and getting candy.  So...I made up my own rules for an adult egg hunt, and it has become one of my favorite traditions of the year.  This is a great way to do an egg hunt for adults or older kids who aren't invited to the younger kid egg hunts or get bored with them.



First we split up all of the candy and eggs evenly between everyone's basket.   We also count all of the candy so we can tell if we have found everything later.


 Then we all split up and hide our eggs anywhere inside or outside.  Traditionally we do it at my inlaws' house because there is more room to spread out and hide things.  The rule is that you aren't allowed to watch other people hide their eggs, so if you run into someone you just kind of have to avoid each other.  We also have a rule that it doesn't have to be in plain sight but you shouldn't have to open anything to get to it.  They can't be hidden in cupboards or drawers or boxes...etc.  They could be in a pot though because you don't have to open that.  The fun with playing with older people is that you can come up with creative places to hide things.


 Once all of our candy is hidden, we meet back together.  Once everyone is finished we "go" and it's a race to see who can find the most eggs.  You can't find your own egg.  Everyone runs around as fast as they can looking for eggs inside and outside.  Once we think we have found everything, we meet back together again.
 Next we go around as a group and we get to point out the eggs we hid that nobody found.  We play "hot" and "cold" and give clues until people find it.  This is usually the best part - when we get to brag about the good places we found to hide things in.


After all of the eggs have been found, we count our candy to see who won.  Bethanie (the youngest) has won every year!


After we see who "won" we push all of the candy into the middle.  I am all about being fair - "winning" is just for bragging rights not to get the most candy.


Then we sit in a circle around the candy and take turns grabbing one piece at a time as fast as we can until the candy is gone.  We sit in order starting with the person who found the most candy.  We get pretty fast - that way people don't sit and think about what to choose next.


Once the candy is distributed we empty our eggs and trade for things we really wanted.


I highly recommend this tradition to anyone with older kids (we're playing with a 5-year-old this year so they don't have to be too old...just old enough to understand the rules.)

 
I love the way we do it because everyone gets to hide, and everyone gets to seek.  It's still competitive, but everyone ends up with the same amount of candy in the end.  Older kids and adults can play too and everyone I've ever played with loves it!

We haven't done our egg hunt this year, so the pictures above are taken from the last few years' egg hunts.

Free Kids Birthday Clubs


 Last week while in the checkout at the Provo Maceys, the cashier let me know that if you take your baby in on their first birthday, the bakery will give them a free "smasher" cake.  Sure enough, when I took Lily in the morning of her first birthday, the bakery was happy to let me choose a cake and even wrote a birthday message on top!


 I also had signed Lily up for a bunch of birthday clubs (listed at the bottom of this post.)  This week the coupons started rolling in!  Today I took her to California Pizza Kitchen for lunch to redeem her free kids meal valid anytime the month of her birthday.


 I was very impressed with all Lily got!  The kids meal came with a pizza (there were other choices on food but this little girl really likes pizza), a drink in a souvenir cup, and an ice cream sundae for dessert.  The list price for the meal was $5.95 but with our coupon it was FREE!  (I ordered a small salad for about $4 for myself, but I made sure to tip for the full amount before the coupon.)

Lily was really excited when I put the sundae in front of her.  I usually don't have sweets around for her to eat, so when I started feeding her the ice cream she ate it as fast as she could before she got an ice cream headache.

Below is a list of birthday clubs for kids in Utah County.  Sign your kids up NOW so you don't forget!  You have to sign up at least 2 weeks in advance for some of these clubs, so it's better to do it early while you're thinking about it.

Toys R Us (ages 2-10)
Tucanos (over 6)

Thursday, April 21, 2011

1st birthday party - Cupcake tower

 I really liked the idea of having a tall cupcake tower to hold the cupcakes I had in mind for Lily's birthday party, but they can get kind of pricy.  I also wanted something I could customize to match the colors of her party.  I found this blank white cardboard tower (below) on eBay for $18.

 I figured if I was going to pay $18 for a customizable cupcake stand, I wanted to be able to customize it for more than one occasion.  I bought scrapbook paper for covering each layer, and ribbon for around the edges.


 I took each layer and traced the shape on the wrong side of the paper.  I then cut out each shape.  For the bottom two layers I had to use more than one sheet glue the pieces together.


 Once each circle was cut out, I used this removable adhesive applicator to secure the paper onto each layer.  This way I can switch out the paper to match the theme of each party I use this tower for.


After the paper was added I used double sided tape to add the ribbon around each row.  I used the tape because I wanted it to be removable.  It was fine for a one-time-thing although it did tend to come off when tampered with.  It worked for this party, but if you are worried about it coming off I might use a glue gun.  I just don't know if you'd be able to get the ribbon off when you were done.



The top tier is the perfect size for an 8-inch cake, so we added a small birthday cake for her on top.
This was a perfect way to display Lily's cat and dog cupcakes for this party!