Friday, December 30, 2011

winter sensory bin

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it's almost january, so that means we need a new winter sensory bin!  i used several items from the dollar store and hobby lobby (clearance items).  here's what it looks like:

the winter sensory bin is made up of:

blue rice (from our creation story sensory bin)
white/blue/purple pom poms
blue/white/purple pony beads
blue ribbon pieces
large blue sequins
iridescent asterisk sequins (they look like snowflakes)
iridescent star sequins (also left over from the creation sensory bin)
winter erasers
jingle bells
blue plastic table gems (used for table decoration)

Bear drove his dumptrucks and cars through the "sNOw"he even busted out some of our little gardening shovels and dug in the snow. 


and that's about it :)

Thursday, December 29, 2011

homemade postcards

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right now Bear and i are participating in the postcard exchange hosted by Deborah over at Teach Preschool.  it has been sooo much fun!  

this is such a higHLigHT in Bear's day.  every time we check the mail, he wants to know if there is a postcard for him in it.  so i sent out emails to some of my friends on facebook who live out of state/country to see if they'd send us a postcard too!  the response oVeRWheLmED me!  what amazing people i'm blessed to know.

we have U.S. and world map posters on the wall in his room where we keep track of where we've received postcards from. we mark locations from the postcard exchange with sTaRS.  then we used hEaRTs for the people that i'm friends with. 

as far as the postcards we send out, we bought quite a few at our zoo to send.  since it's been colder, we haven't gone.  so i got resourceful and we made our own postcards out of manila folders.  i cut them down to standard postcard size and drew the separation line on the back.  we got out the stamps and markers and Bear decorated them.




blessings to you all!

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

me and Reece's Rainbow

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i recently posted this new mixed media collage print on the Crayon Freckles etsy shop.

"My Heart"


as soon as i was done creating My Heart, i knew that i wanted to create a second piece for the other end of the spectrum.  that's where the inspiration for my newest piece came from.  i have a few friends [both real life and in the blog-o-sphere] who are adoptive parents.

for the ones that are waiting for a child, i see their inspiring dedication to the journey toward meeting their child. for those who have already completed their family through adoption, it's joyous for me to see the overwhelming love and unity their family has. 


i'm planning on donating a portion $5 of every sale from both of these pieces to families on Reece's Rainbow to help meet their adoption goals.   I plan on sending a copy of the donation receipt to the buyer so that they can know exactly what family they are impacting.


i'm excited about this new venture....
hope that i will be able to help some families
bring their little ones home.

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

tip-toe thru tuesday

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welcome to tip-toe thru tuesday!!! how was your Christmas?
ours was amazing!  we had some great family time and hilarious family pictures...
((think everyone smiling and Bear picking his nose))

here are the toP 2 pOSts from last week plus two of mY faVEs (in no particular order). if you're featured, grab a fEAtuRed button from my button page!! 
Pallet Cabinet from Shabby Love

now it's time to party!!!

PoST aNYtHiNG you've created (show me some etsy shops and giveaways!)

Link to your post directly

Link back to my page with a text link/button somewhere on your blog

Stay around and check out a few of the other links. wE aLL LovE fEEdBaCK!

what have you got to share this week?

Monday, December 26, 2011

in {her} shoes...preparing for a new year

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when the idea of the in {her} shoes series came to me, i didn't realize what a bLeSSinG it would be.  through it, i've met and befriended some aMaZiNG wOmEN.  


this is the last monday in 2011.  that being said, i'd like to invite all of you to participate in my in {her} shoes series.  if you're a mom (or grandma, or dad, or are TTC), i would love for you to share a glimpse of life in your shoes, whether you're a blogger or not.  if you're  interested in participating in this guest blog series,  email me at andiejaye@cox.net 

here's a rundown so that you can see if this is something you'd like to participate in...

there are a few questions i’d like you to incorporate into your post anyway you’d like:

• what is the most challenging part of being a mom?
• what is the most rewarding?
• in your opinion, what’s the most important value(s) parents can instill in their children?
• if you children could describe you in 3 words, which ones would they pick?



any other information you want to add is great! i don’t care what structure you put it in or how you do it.  i'd just love to hear your story!  so let me know if you'd like to contribute to my in {her} shoes series!
linked up here

Friday, December 23, 2011

have a blessed Christmas

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Merry Christmas my dears!

i just wanted to let you all know that i'm going on a bRiEF blogging hiatus... just until after Christmas.   i'm going to dedicate the next few days to focusing on faMiLY and this bLeSSed sEAsoN.  i'll be back on monday.  love to you all...

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

tip-toe thru tuesday

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welcome to tip-toe thru tuesday!!!  to start off,
i want to wish you all a blessed Christmas! 
here are the toP 2 pOSts from last week plus two of mY faVEs (in no particular order). if you're featured, grab a fEAtuRed button from my button page!! 

now it's time to party!!!

PoST aNYtHiNG you've created (show me some etsy shops and giveaways!)

Link to your post directly

Link back to my page with a text link/button somewhere on your blog

Stay around and check out a few of the other links. wE aLL LovE fEEdBaCK!

what have you got to share this week?

Monday, December 19, 2011

salt dough ornaments

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i just wanted to share with you that the in {her} shoes series is on vacation
until the nEw YeAR

we'll welcome back the series on january 9th, 2012 with one of my bestest bloggy buddies...

posts this week will be solely Christmas oriented.  that being said...
here comes a Christmas craft for kids now!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
we made saLT doUGh ornaments!!!  i got this recipe from the amazing Laura over at Art for Little Hands in her Salt Dough post. {sorry. links no longer available} 



stirring the thick mix was fun...but a bit hard

we used many tools to play and create
((even a toy steamroller!))

the baking took a while...i had to keep standing the snowmen back up

the painting was fun!  we used tempera paint. 
then a coat of mod podge to add some shine.
have you ever made your own salt dough or playdough?

Saturday, December 17, 2011

the transformation........new etsy item

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i've got another new item in my etsy shop!  i've been creating collage art for a while, but never like this.  miXEd mEDiA coLLaGe aRt is my new love. 

this piece is called the transformation
it's based on one of my favorite quotes ever!
just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly


this is sitting on a shelf in our preschool area.  i can't find the right place to hang it. 
i want it in every room...

Christmas tree candle decoration

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i thought that decorating a Christmas tree candle might be fun for Bear.  i bought a white one and a green one at dollar tree.  the white one was my project and was a total fAiLUrE.  but Bear's turned out great!

i gave him the glitter glue and the star he asked for and let him go! 



Friday, December 16, 2011

My Favorite Finds bow board giveaway winner

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over the last 2 tip-toe thru tuesdays, there were a total of 12 entries for the cute bow board that Carrie over at My Favorite Finds made.  and it's time to announce the winner....


kerry from my life His Mission!!


thanks to everyone for entering! 

DIY felt parking lot playmat

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this year, i'm focusing more on handmade Christmas gifts.  this wasn't a Christmas gift, but it's an idea for those of you with kiddos that love to play with cars.

Bear was playing cars and lining them up on our dinner table.  i asked him if he wanted me to make him a parking lot.  of course he said yes, so we picked up the materials the next day.

i used two stiff pieces of felt so that it wouldn't bend as easily.  i fabric-glued three felt strips on the back to create the spine so it can fold in half.  the most time consuming part was painting the lines on it.  they aren't perfect.  i had to do this quickly because he wanted to play with it later that night.  he was ecstatic with it, so that's all that matters, right?



i'd love it if you left a link for any homemade gifts you've made so i can check them out!

Thursday, December 15, 2011

say what you mean

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isn't it funny how we often say one thing, but mean another.  as in, we aren't always as clear as we should be to get our true intent across.

here's a prime example:
 
Bear was getting ready to play in his room with his dad.  so i said,
"please pick your toys up off of the floor."

mom translation:  put your toys away in your room where they belong

preschooler translation:

he picked his toys up off of the floor, didn't he?  haha!  guess that'll teach me to be more specific next time!

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

setting the Christmas table

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Christmas is fastly approaching.  with it comes planning and preparing.  here are some wonderful ideas i've found to make your Christmas table beAUtiFuL, peRSonAL, and weLcOMinG.

i love the blue and red combo!

made from fresh materials!
Homemade Advent Crown from Sun Hats and Wellie Boots


i think this would be gorgeous with poinsettia leaves and petals!




these would be cute spread out all over the table

Twinkle Little Christmas Stars from AngeliqueFelix.com

one angel could be made for each person
Christmas Angel Table Lights from At Home with Ali
these could be used every year!
Printed Napkins from Sun Hats and Wellie Boots

afterward, guests could take these home and hang on their trees with ribbon
Salt Dough Holly Leaf Place Markers from Rainy Day Mum

just a few ideas i wanted to share with you! 
what are your plans for your Christmas table?
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