A Birthday Gift that is inexpensive, easy to make and perfect for anyone? Check this out!

Recently we celebrated my wife's birthday and I wanted to make her a little something, maybe a sweet treat or something that she could enjoy for a while after the birthday festivities ended.

Randomly, I came up with this brilliant idea after a trip to Costco while I was putting boxes in our recycling bin. What could I do with cardboard? Then it hit me! My wife was turning 40 in a few days, why not cut out a big four and zero and attach her favorite chocolate mini candies to it?

Thankfully the Halloween candy packs are out his time of year so finding the candy was really easy. And I already have a stash of hot glue sticks in a drawer ready for the next craft project. I freehanded the numbers and then cut them out with sharp scissors. I added a small dot of hot glue to each candy and then pressed it to the cardboard, it was a breeze and would be easy for kids to do under adult supervision. The whole project took less than an hour and has provided much enjoyment for the recipient (my wife) and her co-workers. 

The next time you need a quick birthday gift, run to your recycling bin and craft up this awesome gift! It would be great for all ages.

Family Game Night!

One thing our family really enjoys is playing games together. We've done a family game night since they were little; learning valuable lessons like turn-taking or how to count money by playing Monopoly or learning to deal with disappointment as one child would end up in a puddle tears when he had to slide down the big slide while everyone else was at the top in Shoots and Ladders and then seeing how he could make a come back and win the game. Not only has game night been a tradition in our family but it's also a way for us to connect, to talk, to laugh and to simply enjoy being present together. 

  

As they get older the games have become more complicated and LONG! I don't understand some of the games we play (Dungeons and Dragons!) and basically just go along for the ride. But this game, Rock Paper Wizard that we recently bought for L's birthday is awesome! 

It’s great fun for a family of 4 or more or for a large group of friends, ages 10+.

"Choose your wizard’s spell and cast some magic by repeating one of the hand gestures found on the cards in front of you. Everyone says 'Rock, Paper, Wizard' aloud, and upon saying 'Wizard', forms a hand gesture and points it towards a target/person. Each card describes the spell’s effect, which can push an opponent towards the exit, advance yourself towards the hoard, or manipulate the coins each wizard must collect to win."

I love that it's fast paced, easy to understand and that there are no dice involved. :)

What games is your family enjoying right now?

LOVE- A New Spin on Fingerprinting Art

We have all experienced and enjoyed creating a painting with our fingerprints as children. Kids gets so excited when you give them the opportunity to get their hands dirty, completely cover them with paint and produce art. Well why not put a spin on it and instead offer them to paint with their toes?

The Bee Yoga Fusion YogaKids created absolutely stunning artwork by painting with their feet. At first they were hesitant, dipping only a big toe in or a heel and then they took the plunge and covered their entire foot in paint. It was a lot of fun!

First I printed the words LOVE on card stock, here is a PDF for you to print and cut.
https://drive.google.com/a/cocktailmom.com/file/d/0B-0MoU6EgXKidk9hcGNTcmJ0Y2s/view?usp=sharing

I prepped the activity by cutting out each of their letters first but if you have older kids try having them do it themselves. I taped the letters to look similar to the LOVE statue in Philadelphia, PA on white card stock using washi craft tape so that it wouldn't ruin the paper when I peeled the letters off later. We used tempura paint but any craft paint will also work well.

Once the entire paper is covered in foot prints, set it aside to dry. Once the painting is dry you can slowly peel off each letter to reveal the word LOVE in white.
This would make a great Valentine's gift! And is a great craft for kids in kindergarten through fourth grade.  

Felt Ornament Wreaths

Combining fine motor activity with a craft is thrilling for me! Seriously…I love being able to have the kids create a craft while building the muscles in their hands that will lead to better penmanship. This beautiful felt wreath will keep your kids entertained longer than you might expect. So who cares that it's after Christmas…stock up for next year!

Here is what you will need:
various colors of felt
yarn
plastic needle, found near the knitting and crochet hooks at your local craft store
jingle bells
heavy duty hole punch

I prepped everything for my Yoga Kids so that they could get right to work creating and I will warn you that depending on the number of kids that you have this might take a while. Cut each piece of felt into 1 inch squares and then using a heavy duty hole punch put holes in the center of each square. This is the brand of hole punch that I use, Crop-A-Dile and it can go through tin! Highly recommend getting one to have in your crafting closet.

String a piece of yarn onto each needle and tie off the end so that the kids can begin putting the squares on the yarn. Encourage them to create a pattern with the various colors of felt. When thy have determined that their wreath is big enough tie the two ends together and secure the jingle bell at the top. With the remaining yarn make a loop to hang on the tree. Enjoy!

Snow Globe Kids Craft Ornament

If you have small kids then your tree is probably decorated with various handmade ornaments that they had such pride in creating and presenting to you. Well I have one more to add to your tree….snow globes!

Here is what you'll need:

clear plastic cups

colored pencils

glue

card stock

cotton balls

glitter

Using card stock make a circle slightly bigger than the clear plastic cup, cut out. Then cut a 2 inch x 3 inch piece of card stock for the center of the snow globe. Have your child draw a picture on the rectangle shape and fold down ½ inch from the bottom and glue to the center of the circle. Then let your child glue down all the cotton balls that they can get to fit on the circle. Punch a hole in the bottom of the plastic cup and thread some yarn through it. Sprinkle some glitter in the bottom of the cup and then put glue around the rim of the plastic cup and secure to the circle. 

Hang on your tree and enjoy!

Great Gift Idea for Elementary Aged Boys

Are you searching for a creative gift to give a boy that won't be discarded like a pair of socks once he unwraps it? Something that isn't electronic and yet will hold his interest?
Order this book today and give it to every little boy on your Christmas list.

(I get nothing for promoting this book, we just love it in our house!)

Klutz Book of Paper Airplanes

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/p/toys-games-klutz-book-of-paper-airplanes/25238605

Pages and pages of easy to follow directions to create really impressive paper airplanes that every boy will love. Pair this book with a ream of white office paper and get ready to have some FUN!

25 Gift Ideas For Kids (That Don't Involve Bringing More Plastic Crap into Your House!)

Yes, kids love to open gift on Christmas day but as a family who has often lived in small spaces, we have had to invite other ideas for gifts that grandparents, aunts and uncles could send the boys. Gifts that don't take up any room in our house. Gifts that were more experience driven rather than consumerism of stuff.
Here is a list of ideas that we have enjoyed in our house.

1. Membership to a children's museum. For several years this was our #1 gift request because when we would visit the grandparent in their state we used the affiliate program and was able to go for free. We would often also go to a children's museum while traveling or on vacation. We got a lot of bang out of that buck!
2. Aquarium membership. 
3. Subscription to a children's theatre. 
4. Spring break camp (we don't normally do spring break camps so this is special in our house).
5. Season pass to minor league baseball games.
6. Season tickets to college women's basketball games, we are close to the University of Maryland and the women's basketball games aren't as crowded as the mens' games which works well for our family. And the tickets are less expensive.
7. Night at Great Wolf Lodge.
8. Adopt an animal at the zoo, http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Support/AdoptSpecies/
9. Tickets to an amusement park.
10. Movie tickets.
11. Gift card to a place where we wouldn't normally go that is an experience, for example a Pump It Up or a trampoline gym or a climbing wall facility.
12. Magazine subscriptions. When the boys have finished reading them I take them to their school to use in their positive behavior school store.
13. Online video game coding program, my youngest has really enjoyed this one. Learning how to make his own video game has taught him to look at all video games differently. http://www.tynker.com
14. Online video game like https://minecraft.net
15. Minecraft Homeschooling game, we haven't tried this yet but it's on our wish list for this year. 
16. Gift card to an arcade.
17. DVDs.
18. CDs.
19. Video game.
20. Gift card to purchase Apps for iPhone/Ipad.
21. Art classes.
22. Cooking class.
23. Paint your own pottery type of experience.
24. Subscription service  that comes in the mail: http://www.greenkidcrafts.com/join/ delivers STEM and creative projects for the child to do at home.
25. Gift card to book store or comic book store, I would personally rather be overrun by books than plastic crap any day of the week!

Pregnancy Announcement Picture

There are so many ways in which to tell your friends and family that you are expecting, but this is hands down my favorite! I had a wonderful photo shoot with a family that is expecting their second child and wanted to announce it to their family in an anti-cheesy way. They aren't fans of the heart shaped hands on the belly or the dad kissing/talking to the belly shots, which I can't blame them I'm not a fan either. So we came up with this simple, creative way to document the arrival of their newest family member. Using sidewalk chalk we wrote the year in which each member was born and the year that the baby was due to arrive. Hopefully we can recreate this shot with the baby sitting in his/her place next fall!

Valentine's Gift for the one you LOVE!

My wife gave me the most thoughtful Christmas gift that I thought would also be a great Valentine's gift for you to recreate for your spouse. She filled a big box with little cards and on each card she put one word, inside the card was a memory that we have shared that coincides with the word. I cried while reading each card, and then laughing with tear stained cheeks. The gift was so thoughtful and I will forever hold these cards dear to my heart.

You don't need to spend a fortune this Valentine's Day. Show the person you love how much you care for them by recreating this special gift of love notes.

Great Educational Game for Kids- Mini Veritech

Recently we scored a Mini Veritech tile set with workbooks from Freecycle. I had never heard of this before but after a google search it seemed exactly the type of thing that my youngest son would love. And he does! Several of the workbooks go up to age 12. And begin at age 4 years old.
It's a great activity for my son, who is 8 years old, to do on his own. He's the type of child that would rather play games than play with action figures. And I am always looking for games that are both educational and not electric. This fits the bill!
I highly reccomend investing in a set for your children or your classroom, it would make a great "centers" activity.
  
From the website: 
12 tiles - numbers on one side and a geometiric pattern on the other, enables children to complete all the self correcting exercises with little or no guidance. The illustrations and varied themes, combine to stimulate and sustain the interest of children while they develop literacy and numeracy skills (and discover natural science depending on the workbooks used.)

Why should you hire a photographer?

The most important reason for hiring a photographer should be to get everyone in the family in the photo. Not one of those pictures where the camera is on a timer and one person runs into position and everyone has a plastered smile on their face….those never turn out authentic.

Often times the mom is so busy taking the photos that she never puts herself in front of it to capture her with her children. Or else the parents take turns taking the pictures of family events but you never see the parents together. Is this you?

Capturing family memories is so important and that is why I started my photography business, CocktailMom Photography. I adore capturing families just as they are…laughing, crying, and full of endless love.

I often get asked why photographers charge what they charge verses going to one of those photo places in the mall. Well first of all, location. Outdoor photographers don't use a back drop, nature provides the best view. Another difference is the quality of the pictures, the amount of time that the photographer spends with you to capture your family to get the best possible shot verses feeling rushed because there is a waiting room full of other restless children waiting their turn.

But the biggest difference is photoshop!
I spend hours after the photo session editing pictures in photoshop and here is an example  of a "before" picture- Straight out of the camera verses an edited picture.

Now the girl in this picture is gorgeous! (she's also my niece.) On this day she had a wee bit of acne on her chin and a random stray hair across her forehead, nothing major but a tiny amount of editing to even out her skin and pop the color of her jacket to really enhance just how gorgeous she is in person.

Make the investment in capturing your family by hiring a professional photographer each and every year. Our children grow so fast and these are the pictures that we will cherish when we are older.

Corner of my Home- My Favorite Spot

My favorite spot on a nice day is tucked away in my hammock with my two favorite guys. You don't need a stand, just two trees and it is the most glorious experience to sway from side to side as you look up at the clouds and talk about dreams with your children.

ENO DoubleNest Hammock sold at REI.
If you still need a gift for someone on your holiday list, consider creating a favorite spot for them.

Reindeer Craft Ornament

Surprise your kids with a fun winter break craft to do at home. Pick up all the supplies at your local craft store.
Here is what you need:

• Small wooden clothes pins
• googley eyes
• red small pom-pom balls
• yarn or ribbon

Have the kids paint the wooden clothespin and once dry glue the eyes and nose onto one side. On the opposite side glue the ribbon or yarn and hang on your tree once it's dry.

Have fun and enjoy the extra time with your children.

Fabric Bookmarks

Teacher Appreciation Week will be here before you know it. If you are a sewer and you need to whip out several gifts in a short amount of time, quilted bookmarks are your answer! Sew several strips of fabric together and then cut into 1.5 inch wide by 6 inches long bookmarks. If you choose a heavier fabric as the backing you won't have to worry about any interfacing. Sew the two fabrics together, right sides facing each other and leaving an open end to turn the fabric inside out. Stitch around the whole bookmark and add a loop of ribbon to the top to finish it off.

This is a great project to use up any fabric that you have in your stash!
 

End of the Year Teacher Gift: Teacher Appreciation

It's so important to show our children's teachers that we care about them and appreciate all the work that they do throughout the year. Often times teachers are not compensated with bonuses or raises and when everyone you meet seems to be complaining about the school system it's important for you to take the time and tell your child's teacher that you think he or she is doing a great job.
I filled a simple bag with homemade cookies and printed out this label and stapled to the front, it just doesn't get easier than that!

This would make a great "end of the year" teacher gift but also a great New Years gift as well instead of doing holiday gifts.

Gift for Someone Going Through a Difficult Time: A Box of Sunshine

Do you know someone who is going through a difficult time?

Maybe they are getting a divorce, or have fallen ill, had a recent surgery or are just overwhelmed with work and life. Let them know you are thinking of them by sending them a Box of Sunshine.

Head to Target, CVS, Walgreens, Dollar Tree or your local store that has a variety of items and fill a Flat Rate USPS box with items that are yellow. The box is more unique when the items are random, no other theme other than being yellow. Have your children be involved and walk around the store having them identify items that are yellow.

Ideas: yellow washcloth, small cutting board, bubblegum, mints, candle, notepad, post-it notes, pens, nail polish, peeps, movies, books, seeds for yellow flowers, coffee mug.
Enjoy the process of filling the box and be sure to write a note for the inside letting your friend know it's a BOX OF SUNSHINE!

Washington Green Grocer

I love the idea of a CSA but I can't commit to the schedule of boxes. I don't like the inability
to be able to schedule weeks off or to somewhat pick what you get in the box. A yoga student suggested Washington Green Grocer and I have fallen in love with this service. When I lived in New York City I used a similar service called Urban Organic.

I am able to choose whether I want organic vegetables or fruit or a mixed box. My vegetables are local and I can request that I never receive certain items. For example I don't like radish, so it's on my "don't send to me" list. I can also request to receive my box weekly, bi-weekly or monthly. And I can put my boxes on hold while I go on vacation.

I highly reccomend Washington Green Grocer for your fruit and vegetable needs within the Washington DC area.  

Embroidered Pillowcases

Last year for Christmas I wanted to give everyone the same type of gift, no jealousy between the families or family members. Which can be a difficult task to find a craft item to make for both women and men. So I decided on embroidered pillowcases. Everyone has a pillow to sleep on and needs a pillowcase.

I pulled images of embroidery flowers off of Pinterest and copied them onto paper making my own patterns, mixing different flowers and using a combination of colors that I thought would compliment the recipients bedroom.

The cost of buying pillowcases for each person, turned my money saving, crafty gift in a different direction. When the crafty gift reaches a certain dollar amount I have to ask myself, "is this worth making or should I just buy something?".

So I decided to make each of the pillowcases as well. You do not need a lot of sewing machine skill to make pillowcases, this is an easy project for a beginner sewer. Most of the pillowcases were a solid white cotton and a select few had an additional color fabric added.

I loved how they turned out, each gift was unique and I was able to complete them all while watching TV or waiting for my child's extracurricular activity to finish.

Hot Kitty Heating Pad for Kids

I made these cute heating pads for all the kids in our family this past Christmas. I drew the pattern out on paper, I knew I wanted a simple animal that was also a bit gender neutral. Boys and girls can both love cats but give a boy a bunny and for whatever reason he deems it a "girl stuffed animal". 

I used felt for the eyes and nose and holiday fabric that I had in my stash left over from the Christmas Tree Skirt and the Christmas Stockings. Each kitty was filled with rice, purchased in bulk at Costco, and culinary lavender. The lavender when heated smells fantastic and helps calm wee ones when they are feeling anxious before going to bed. I put the message below on a tag on each kitty so that the parents would know what to do with it.

Make a Hot Kitty for a special someone in your life!  

Hot Kitty!

The warmth of a heating pad can soothe a child's achy muscles or ease the pain of a stomachache. It can keep you warm on a cold night, and it can even be used to gently warm up your bed before you go to sleep.

I'm certain this rice filled heating pad is not nearly as good as being held by a loving aunt, but hopefully having your very own "Hot Kitty" will remind you that you are loved! 

Have your mom or dad heat your kitty in the microwave in 20 seconds increments until it’s warm to the touch.

Merry Christmas!
Love Lauren, Gretchen, Logan and Zane

Christmas Stockings

Christmas will be here before you know it! Have you had a Christmas craft to-do list that gets bigger and bigger each year, like I do? I made this Christmas Tree Skirt last year and I've been saving the leftover fabric in order to make matching stockings. This year I am ready!

I simply traced the current store bought stockings that we had because I knew they were the perfect size and used fleece red fabric, mainly because it will hold heavy items and also because I wouldn't have to line the whole stocking!

Do the stockings match perfectly? No. Was that on purpose? I'd be lying if I said yes.

Embrace the simple! Let go of the expectation to live up to Martha Stewart standards and just cross the item off your to-do list. In the end they are your stockings, aren't they?

Go ahead- pull out your fabric and get to work!