Stylin' Saturday: 5 Things

While living life in this crazy world, I have come across some things that I find delightful or make me feel happy. I want to you feel happy too, so I will be sharing these things from time to time:

1. Curved bobby pins: These are sweet! It may seem like a silly thing...does it really matter if they are curved? People have been using old school bobbies for ages with little argument about their function and style. Well I don't know about you, but my head is round...not flat. It matters, curves are cool.

2. I like pepper on lots of stuff. Penzey's is the best...great flavor, perfect size of grounds...yum!

3. A simple cuff bracelet: I wear this almost every day as a staple accessory. I like its clean lines and it adds a little shine to my ensemble. If you only have a bit of $ to invest in a few pieces of jewelry, I suggest making one of these a part of your collection.

4. Mascara: It's the one makeup item that I can't live without. I love mascara...a lot! Is that a problem? It is true that I feel the need to purchase mascara from seeing commercials about groundbreaking formulas that will make your lashes luscious and appear 3 times their original length....3 TIMES!!! But in all seriousness, I have tried a bunch of brands...my all time favorite- Cover Girl Lash Blast.

5. Aquaphor: You moms out there may already know about this magical balm...it clears up dry and rashy skin issues on your little people in the blink of an eye! Well, it also does wonders on my lips to keep them moisturized and soft through the ever changing Minnesota seasons. A must have, it has become my one and only lip care system!

Toddler Tuesday: Conflict Resolution

We implemented a plan in all of our classrooms to teach our kiddos some basic conflict resolution skills.

Giving children the tools to learn how to resolve conflicts among their peers is so valuable to how they will deal with conflict as adults! In fact, sometimes I think if the whole earth followed this plan, we indeed could achieve world peace!!

Here it is:

When a conflict arises between children, we start by getting down on their level and helping them to calm down....or even separating kids if the conflict has become physical.

Ok, now that we have things under control we can ask a simple question, "What's the problem??". We can gain a lot of insight based on the responses that will follow...kids are very honest and will tell you everything they are thinking and feeling! Listen to what they are saying and guide them to think of what they could do to come to a solution together.

If they are having trouble coming to a consensus, then you can offer some ideas and suggest they try them out. See what they do with it and guide them to success! If the kids involved can work out a plan that everyone is satisfied with, they can move on and are now better equipped to try it on their own the next time conflicts arise!

This plan can even work with the youngest of tots! But instead of relying on them to do all the talking, you become the model of conversation...you talk through the steps out loud and model for them a successful resolution. As their language and social skills grow, give them opportunities to try it on their own!

I encourage you to try this out with the kids in your life....let them lead in the discussion, listen to their ideas and guide them to be successful in the solution! What a gift to teach this skill to your young ones now....let's build in our kids the skills to become ambassadors of justice and peace!

Stylin Saturday: Grandma's Art

One of the things I remember most fondly of my Grandma Schleif was her art work. She always made little drawings of people (a cute little guy with a mustache..for some reason, I think his name was Sam), animals and scenery.

What a talent!!

It has been many years now since she has passed away, but I am fortunate to have found a few pieces of her wonderful art sitting in my parent's basement! They are now proudly displayed on the walls of my little dwelling:

Oh yeah, and some Christmas Ornaments too...

I am so thankful to have these memories of Grandma to look at every day...her work gives me inspiration to continue to develop my artistic sense my whole life through!

Toddler Tuesday: Fun with Felt

I like making stuff with felt. It's really easy to work with, has a clean edge when cut, and it sticks together great with a hot glue gun!

Also, my toddlers love listening to familiar stories over and over (just like with singing songs....such creatures of habit!) and I needed a way to spice the reading experience up a bit.

Hence, my plan to create some old school felt board stories! With felt, scissors and my glue gun I got to work...my favorite:

The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear

The toddlers are totally enthralled with watching what piece will be added to the board next! Give it a try and recreate a favorite story of your own. Or if you have a story you would like me to create, post a comment with the story you would love to have in felt board form before next week's Toddler Tuesday post...

....I will choose a comment at random and get crafting to send the winner one of their very own!

Stylin' Saturday: Flower Power

Sometimes a girl needs to make herself feel pretty and wonderful with some flowers. But flowers can be expensive. Also, eventually they die. What can we do about this problem? I know, let's just make some of our own. And let's make them an accessory for our hair....because it's important to try to accessorize in daily life if at all possible. Let us not neglect our luscious locks!

I learned how to make cute fabric flowers for my hair from a crafty friend and thought it was important to pass it along to you! All you really need are a few items to get started - fabric, a few needles, thread, buttons, felt, glue and hair clips. Here we go:

Cut out 2 pieces of fabric in a circle...one bigger than the other. I would say the bigger one is about 3 inches wide and the other a just a smidge smaller.

Get out your needle & thread and begin sewing in and out along the edge of the circle all the way around.

As you go, start pulling the gathered fabric together in the middle. By the end, you will have a little pouch-like creation. Take the thread through the middle to the other side and back a few times to secure the middle. Keep the thread attached with some thread left over for a little later. Set aside.

Do the same for the other larger piece of fabric with a second needle.....at the end of making this pouch, tie off the remaining thread to finish it.

Place the first smaller circle on top of the larger (with both gathered sides facing out...they are the cuter side) and take that extra thread from the smaller circle through the middle of the larger circle (a few times) to secure them together.

Add a button to the middle and you're almost done...great! Now take your felt and cut out a little circle (quarter sized or so) to attach to the back. Flip your flower over and begin to sew around the circle to secure it, finish it off and cut away left over thread:

Nice work! Ok, now get out your glue (I really like E-6000, strong bond!) and and squeeze out a bit on the felt piece to stick your clip into. Hold it secure for a bit and then continue to press it in every few minutes until you feel like it is holding together. It will be ready to go then in 24 hours:

Clip into your hair and head out into the world feeling fancy and proud of your homemade creation!

There are lots of really fun fabrics out there to choose from! Get crazy and make a flower for any occasion. I have a few other styles of flowers that I will share in later posts, but for now get crafting!!

Hint: Joanne Fabrics has a pretty good remnant section...super cheap and small amounts. Best place to look if you are on a fabric buying budget!

Toddler Tuesday: Monkey Business

I love making things with paper! Being a teacher, I get lots of chances to get my creative juices flowing to make all kinds of wacky creations. Each semester, I make a decoration for each of my kiddos with their name, birthday and their parent's names and put them all up on a bulletin board for them to see!

Since I have been doing this for the past 10 years (and I can't do the same idea twice....what would Martha Stewart say....), it sometimes gets a little tricky to come up with new ideas. But one morning as I was eating breakfast (a banana i think) and doing some brainstorming, it came to me....SOCK MONKEYS!

I started this little adventure by searching the internets for a clip art pic that I could use as a template:

Then I blew it up on a copier to get just the right size and cut out each piece on tag board (sturdier paper is better for tracing). Next, I laid them all out to make sure they fit together:

I like to layer pieces on top of each other to give a little depth, so I traced out the whole body and then also the individual pieces to lay overtop. After making a trip to Archivers to find just the right paper, I traced all the pieces out and then started cutting away Edward Scissorhands style:

Whew....that took awhile and I think I may have a few blisters on my fingers! Now comes the fun part...I am a big fan of the scrapbooking tape roller thingys that you can quickly add adhesive so I busted that out and started piecing my monkeys together:

He he he....these little dudes are hilarious. I couldn't wait to finish them up:

Mission accomplished! Now it was time to get them all up and wait for the first day of school to start! I was so excited for all my little toddler friends to see their new board! Right away, my first kiddo noticed and exclaimed, "Monkey!"

Now, you maybe don't have 18 kids to make paper decorations for each semester, but you probably DO have at least 1 little friend who would love some paper art made by you...just for them! Kids love anything that has their name on it and a little decoration like this could be a great way to personalize a bedroom door or wall! Plus, you get to have your very own mini craft time....take a moment to reconnect with your childhood self and make some wacky art!! It's fun!

Stylin Saturday: On a Budget

So I know it's important as a grown up to be responsible....especially in the area of finance. And if you want to be stylin and purchase cute things, you need money. I have been fortunate to have found a career that I love and that has suited me fine to pay the bills....nothin' fancy. And I always had enough $ left over to go to Target whenever I wanted and not think twice about shopping the clearance racks for things I for sure did not need but bought anyway.
As the years rolled on, expenses increased (not having roomies anymore means that I have to pay ALL the bills....what's up with that???) and I started to notice that what I was bringing in each month was the same or less than what I was spending. Not the best way to save for my financial future....and if there is one lesson I remember learning from my Uncle Chuck as a kid, it was DO NOT GO INTO DEBT!

So a few months ago, I decided to try out a new plan for future financial success. Here's the plan.....I took out a set amount of cash every 2 weeks for food and extraneous fun stuff (that amount does not include gas or any other bills, just food and fun). If I ran out before the next two weeks, then there was no $ to buy anything else and I had to wait.
It really made me stop and think each time I needed to make a purchase and I had to get creative with meal planning....having cash in hand was so much more real than just swiping my bank card for this and that. I know, this is not a groundbreaking new idea that I so cleverly discovered all on my own....but it was new to me and it was a challenge at first to show some restraint in my purchasing of stuff. It's really fun to buy stuff....I like buying stuff.

So you may be asking yourself, 'Well, did it make any difference? Has your bank account become happier?'

YES! It has only been about 3 months, but I am learning how to be aware of what I can afford and what I can't. I am learning about my tendencies to shop for junk when I am bored and buy stuff cause it's fun. I am learning that it is kind of rewarding to know that I have the power to be successful in my finances and build a stable life for my future self....

So, I encourage you to give it a try! It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be once I stuck to it and it was the jump start I needed to gain a little insight into my spending tendencies.

On a completely unrelated note, here is a simple recipe for 1 serving of homemade Mac and Cheese:

2/3 cup elbow macaroni noodles
(cook as directed on box)

Melt 2 teaspoons butter in micro and then add about 1 tablespoon of flour.
Mix together and put in sauce pan with 1/2 cup milk.

Bring to a boil....it will quickly thicken so pay attention not to burn it! Once it is thick, add 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese and stir til melted.

Add your cooked noodles to the sauce and add salt/pepper to taste!
Yum.

Toddler Tuesday: Books

I have read lots of kids books in my lifetime. Some good, some not so good. Through my reading adventures, I came across a series of books that for sure fit into the GREAT category....both for content and illustrations.

Written by Todd Snow and illustrated by Melodee Strong.....these books have a sweet story to tell kiddos about being confident in who they are and what they can do! It teaches them to stand up for others and that being kind is cool! It reminds them that they are powerful and valuable!

Below are just a few snippets of what you will find as you read along with your little one:

In my life as a teacher of little friends, it is so important to me that each child is given tools and opportunity to become their best! I want to challenge them to try things that are hard and not be afraid to fail....to be confident in who they are and feel secure in their environment and in my love for them.
These books are a great addition to any child's library....read them together and talk about the pictures and the message! Talk about what it means to me brave, creative, important, friendly and beautiful! Talk about how you think they are all of those things and more.....and how you couldn't be more proud to help them grow!
If I have learned anything from my own childhood, it's that being told I was brave, creative, important, friendly and beautiful gave me the confidence to become my best me! Kids who have the opportunity to experience that kind of love will grow into adults who can do the same for their own kids.....a revolution of kind, strong and beautiful people. Aren't kids books wonderful!

Stylin Saturday: Window Watching

I like cute boutiques....I like the fun little trinkets, way too expensive clothes that I never buy but pretend I will some day when I win the lottery, accessories galore. But what I think I love even more are the quirky and creative displays in the windows....I think that would be such a fun job to have....creating something amazing to draw people in who may just be passing by on their way to somewhere else.
I was walking past a shoppe such as this last month and had to take a picture of a window that caught my eye:

I am not sure if this was a piece created by a local artist for sale or just something cool to look at and make me want to go in and buy something.....but it made me stop and I liked it.
I think I am going to try to recreate one for myself in the near future (I will be sure to show you the final product upon completion)......could be cute for the kitchen!