Gingerbread House Decorating Ideas

It seems that we've started a holiday tradition in our family. Every year we decorate a gingerbread house and my son tears it apart and eats it in no time! You might notice that I wrote "decorate" and not actually "make and decorate". We usually pick up a kit at Costco and go from there. One year, however, I was invited to a gingerbread decorating party. Again, I didn't actually have to make and assemble the house; I got the fun job of decorating it.

I did want to point out the cool pond that I made out of Vicks cough drops. I think I outlined an area with frosting and then I crushed the cough drops and placed them inside the pond and added drops of water which melted the cough drops and created the pond. Then I placed candy rocks on top of the frosting.

The day of the party, it was a rainy day, and those who sat nearest the open door tragically lost all their hard work when their houses collapsed from the humidity. Word of warning, don't work in or near a humid environment!

First Project Finished!

I finished my first project, the Kidlet Tote from JC Handmade. I had a fun time making this one and it will be going to a little girl who is turning 4. I lined the inside in green gingham.

My Craft To Do List

Boy, have I been busy surfing the internet these last two months. I am just awestruck by the amazing blogs I have found and all the incredible tutorials that bloggers have generously shared. It can be quite a challenge to find crafty things to make for boys, but I think I did it.

It's been difficult to narrow down the tutorials I'm most excited to try. With that said, I'm posting a few of the crafty goodness I hope to whip up in the next month or two. I'll post my finished projects when I do get around to actually finishing a project.


Rocket Man by The Long Thread



Teether Toy by Patch Apple



Freezer Paper Stencils by Panjo

I found some really great pdf patterns here. I can't wait to try this one out!


Pocket Tote by JC Handmade


I'm thinking of making this for a friend's daughter and adding another handle to make it a small tote bag. Although, this next one is really cute, too!


Drawstring Pouch by Orange Flower:Sketchbook


Margaret Sling Bag by oh, fransson!



Tooth Officer by mmmcrafts


Finally, a tooth fairy pillow for boys!


Molly Monkey by mmmcrafts



Sock Monster by Monster Munch




Baby Quilt by oh, fransson!



Well, I think I better sign up for the local sewing workshop, if I plan to get all this done.

Thanks for looking!

One of my favorite blog posts!

If you've got a five year old in the house (or even younger), this post just might resonate with you. Alice at Finslippy is a great writer and seems to be a great mom, as well. I think my little guy and Henry would get along swell! They both seem to enjoy Lego and all things Star Wars (and probably Indiana Jones.) I read this when my son was four in anticipation of great things to come. This is definitely a laugh out loud read. Enjoy the post and your precious darling child.

An open letter to five year olds

TasteBooks - Cool Recipe Books

I came across these personalized recipe cookbooks that sound like the perfect idea for me. You see, I don't care much for seafood and it makes sense to have a cookbook that doesn't include the much underused seafood section. With TasteBook, I can create a hardback binder with 100 recipes. I don't even have to choose all the recipes now; I can get recipe credits and then add to my binder as I go. I can personalize the cover and add my own recipes or those that I have earmarked at CookingLight.com. I'll let you know when I create my own!

Paper Houses

How cute are these printable paper houses/store fronts? I found this on Design Freebies and I can't wait to make these with my friend Lynn Dee's girls! I love hanging out with kids; you get to do all kinds of fun things we didn't do as kids.

Wall Art

Painted Pieced Woodwork | Pottery Barn

Okay, here is something that I have been keeping my eye on for the last couple of weeks. I think this wall art would look great in the space between my living room and informal dining area. It perfectly complements the new kitchen tile work my husband was so kind to put up. Now, if I could just get past that price point...