November 30, 2011 4th Day of Advent 25 Days ’til Christmas FEED THE BIRDS Here’s the interior of today’s Advent Shadowbox: And here’s how it looks from the outside: The recipe on the card is taken from the fabulous birdseed wreath tutorial on The Dereila Nature Inn website. This is the wreath that I made as a test product last night: And this […]
November 29, 2011 3rd Day of Advent 26 Days ’til Christmas Tuesdays are for Correspondence Write a Letter to a Friend Each Tuesday in Advent, we’ll be writing a letter, note, or email to someone we love. {Santa included, of course!} Today’s Advent Shadowbox is filled with Christmas stamps, holiday cards, and charcoal pencils: On the Glass, […]
NOVEMBER 28, 2011 SECOND DAY OF ADVENT 27 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS Our Advent Mondays are Giving Days You Know How to Proceed It’s Time to Gather Cans and Coins for All Our Friends in Need MAKE A DONATION TO THE DAILY BREAD FOOD BANK Here’s a look at our Advent Shadowbox Calendar for the day: And here’s a close up of the text: […]
November 27, 2011 First Day of Advent 28 Days ‘til Christmas No Time to Sit Around & Wait! It’s Time to Test New Recipes For Santa’s Cookie Plate! This is what the kids will see on the hallway table when they come down the steps this morning: And this is what they’ll read on the […]
One of my favourite childhood Christmas traditions was my mother’s Advent Chain. On the first day of Advent, a simple chain of interconnected red and green construction paper loops would appear in the kitchen doorway. Each day, my brother and I would tear a loop off of the bottom of the chain to reveal a new family activity. Among our […]
BIRTHDAY pARTy: Take Home Activity DIY Flowered Headband “Loot Bags” Inspired by Frida Kahlo Theory & Practice : Supplies : Preparation : Printables _____________________________________ Theory & Practice Originally, I thought we were going to have the time for five activities at the party. Inspired by both Frida Kahlo and my daughter, both of whom tend(ed) to draw their self-portraits with […]
BIRTHDAY pARTy: Activity 4 Chanel-Chic Pearl and Ribbon Jewelry Theory & Practice : Supplies : Preparation : Action : Results : Printable Card _____________________________________ Theory & Practice When I think of Chanel, I think of two things: suits and pearls. (I suppose we could add handbags and perfume to this list, but I’m not that type of girl). Since we weren’t about to start […]
BIRTHDAY pARTy: Activity 3 “Secret Wish” Fashion Photo Ornaments – Inspired by Steven Meisel Theory & Practice : Supplies : Preparation : Action : Results : Printable Card _____________________________________ Theory & Practice As I had stated on the invitation, we had planned on doing both “fashion photography” and something “seasonal” during the BIRTHDAY pARTy. Since we already […]
BIRTHDAY pARTy: Activity 2 Pop Art Name Plates – Inspired by Andy Warhol Theory & Practice : Supplies : Preparation : Action : Results : Printable Card _____________________________________ Theory & Practice Once we chose Andy Warhol as one of the party’s inspiration artists, it didn’t take long to figure out that a “multiples” project was on the horizon. […]
BIRTHDAY pARTy: Activity I Mini Action Paintings – Inspired by Jackson Pollock Theory & Practice : Supplies : Preparation : Action : Results : Printable Card _____________________________________ Theory & Practice Looking over Jackson Pollock’s life and work in books and online, I thought I’d try to have the pARTy guests imitate his “action” style by placing a large canvas […]
GETTING stARTed: INSPIRATION, INSTRUCTIONS, ORGANIZATION _____________________ INSPIRATION Look to the Masters Once we sent out our invitations, the pressure was on to come up with a series of crafts for the pARTy that the guests could pull off in a period of two hours and that would be safe, inexpensive, and fun. I had five “creative types” […]
Who puts the “Art” in “Party”? You! After hosting my daughter’s sixth birthday at our house two years ago, my husband and I decided that we would add a new “sanity” clause to the house rules: we will only host a friends’ birthday party for our children every other year. This fall, my daughter wanted to […]
