giverslog

Awesomely sweet giveaway here:
http://www.giverslog.com/giftguides/?p=2700

It's an awesome blog. Check it out!

A Legend of Zelda Birthday Party

Treasure chests filled with rupees, Link candy dispensers, and pieces of Triforce combined with...
a Hylian Shield birthday cake (with lots and lots of icing that turns little kids' mouths blue) along with...
the Triforce pieces making a map when put together that leads to...
a Ganon Pinata filled with candy and ready be be bashed apart by the Master Sword makes for one...
fun party with family and friends for one...
very happy little six year old.

***Post edit on March 16, 2012 I notice that I still get a lot of view on this one post. I love that people like my party ideas, so please feel free to use them for the Zelda lover in your life! If you want more nerd craft love, check out my new-ish blog Humble Dwelling.***

More pictures here.

Mario and Luigi costume tutorial

Items needed: one sheet each of white, red, green, and brown felt; elastic cord; scissors; red newsboy hat; green newsboy hat (purchased here); sewing machine and thread; overalls, red and green shirts
Cut two "domes" out of the white felt. I held the felt up to the hat to gauge what size I would need to cut it, then I folded the felt in half and cut half the dome on the fold so the sides would be even. You could also do a circle instead of a dome if desired.
Cut an M out of the red felt and center it on the white felt. Sew it on to the white felt. I used red thread to blend in with the felt.
Cut an L out of the green felt and center it on the dome. Sew it on using green thread.
Next, pin the M onto the hat. Carefully sew it to the hat. I found that using lots of pins to hold the M in place helped.

Repeat the pinning and sewing with the L hat.
TaaDaa! The hard part of the costume is done!
Now we're ready for moustaches! Cut the moustaches from the brown felt. I measured my kids' faces to see how big of a moustache I'd need to cut. For my kids, I needed one approximately 3 inches long and 1 inch high. For Luigi, cut a moustache shaped like the one above.
Then poke holes on the sides and tie the elastic cord onto it.
Mario's moustache is slightly different than Luigi's as can be seen in the picture above.
Finally, get a plain green shirt, a plain red shirt (I got both at Target for $5 each) and some overalls. Throw in a Princess Peach and you have a Nintendo Halloween! These costumes have made their way into our dress up trunk and are still used a lot!

mi familia

http://www.ktylerphotography.com/blog/?p=1161

saturday...

the day when my husband is here to help change diapers and kiss boo-boos
the day when I can get some cleaning done
the day when I can get a few uninterrupted hours in front of the sewing machine
the day when I can make the party favors and pinata for the birthday party next week
the day when the whole family can go to the park together
at least that's what my Friday night imagination is telling me
then it turns into
a day when my four year old crawls into bed at 5 am and vomits everywhere
a day I spend comforting him
a day I spend watching Toy Story 1, 2 and 3 just to keep him still so he can heal
a day when my super hero husband washed the knee deep sheets, towels, and blankets known as the "vomit pile"
a day when I take my tired and whiny 2 year old to grocery shop because I know she loves it so much
a day when I push a full grocery basket while holding a sleeping 2 year old
a day when I pray the three other kids don't get sick
a day when I smile because the sick kid says he's not sick anymore just so he can help me clean the bathroom
a day when I snuggle on the couch with the littles to read them as many books as they want

I prefer my real day to my imaginary day any day.

obligatory halloween post

Mario, Luigi and Princess peach prepare to set out.
The little pumpkin obviously borrowed Princess Peach's crown.
Returning home after filling up their candy buckets.
OK, so this isn't so Halloween-y. We threw a surprise party for the husband. I let the kids decorate the cake.
They also chose to put 39 candles on the cake instead of the boring #3 candle and #9 candle.

Sorry about the oh so boring post, but this mama is tired! I have been mulling over a few posts on crafting vs. art, feminism and a promised Mario and Luigi costume tutorial...so stay tuned!