Teacher Appreciation (Free Printable)

Posted on May 2, 2012 by Nicole

It’s “Teacher Appreciation Week” at Maddy’s school.  And judging by the fact that Maddy talks about Miss Sarah and Miss Ching every two-and-a-half minutes (yesterday I had to convince her that Miss Sarah didn’t want all the change from her piggy bank, and the day before that she stole the house key off my keychain and tried to give it to Miss Ching so she could visit anytime) – I knew I had to make something special for these two spectacular women.

And in case you’re wondering, yes those things really did happen… lol.  ^_^

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101 Idea “I’m Bored” Jar

Posted on April 27, 2012 by Nicole

Summer is fast approaching, and I have small(ish) kids in my family that I usually end up babysitting (but don’t tell them that) during summer vacation.  Definitely fun times.  Except when they approach me with dreary faces and dully pronounce the two most irksome words known to mom (and babysitter)-kind:

“I’m bored.”

My usual response is, “Hi Bored.  I’m Nicole.”  However, that didn’t solve the problem.  So I moved on to playing the Wicked Witch every time I heard those dreaded words and would use them as slaves for their free child labor give them housework and chores that needed doing.  Good for me – not so cool for them.  Plus, I didn’t really like playing the Wicked Witch…  That’s just not how I roll.

So I did what I always do when I’m looking for ideas: I skipped merrily off to Pinterest Land.  ^_^  And this is what I came up with:

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Tea Party Tablecloth for Child Size Ikea Table

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Nicole

My daughter has been into two things lately: bugs (?!) and tea parties.  The bugs I won’t discuss, other than to say that I’ve never seen a three-year-old girl who is more excited to stick her chubby little fingers into the mud and pick up all kinds of creepy crawlies (I know, right?!).

I’ve been letting the hubs enjoy that particular fascination with her, while I take care of the tea parties (which are much more my area of expertise.  Except when she announces that she’s serving spider and chocolate chip tea to her teddy bears and I…  And yes, that’s been happening a lot lately.)

Anyway.

For Easter this year I decided to load her up with all the tea party goodies she could ever want, instead of loading her up with processed sugar and chocolate (never a good combo in this house).  This included a new tea set, some pretend sweets, and a pint-sized tablecloth to cover up her yucked-up craft table!!  (Mommy couldn’t be happier about that extra bonus.)

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How to Antique Fabric Using Coffee Dye

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Nicole

Sometimes I have ideas that call for vintage or antique materials.  However (as much as I wish otherwise) I don’t have the money to actually go out and purchase them all (is there anything else in life where old = expensive?)

I bought 5 yards of crisp, new, bright white lace for a child size tablecloth recently, but I really wanted to achieve the antiquey, vintage feel without the antiquey, vintage price.  Using some common household supplies, I was able to get the aged look I was going for.

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Daddy’s Homemade Earth Day Hummingbird Nectar

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Nicole

My pops is a total green-thumb, and anything garden related is instinctual for him.  I guess that trait skips a generation though, because I have a habit of loving my plants to death.  I either drown them by overwatering, or fry them in what I consider a nice sunny spot, or strangle them in a small pot, or, or, or… My dad keeps trying teach me though, bless him.

Anyway, as well as being a gardening genius, daddy has a natural affinity for animals that frequent his green oasis.  This includes hummingbirds, as we have sat back and counted as many as 15 hummingbirds feeding at his many feeders at one time.  Yes, I know they are territorial – it’s actually kind of funny to watch them chase each other around.

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