Craft Camp: Halloween Fun

         Happy Halloween everyone! Today is the day where all our little Ghouls and Boys will be getting dressed up to do the Trick or Treating rounds- our Littles are all ready awake they are so excited! I like to balance out a high sugar- high energy day like today with a little bit of quiet time- some holiday art making to go along with a healthy after school snack- before more sugar and craziness ensues!

        This is a super simple Halloween project- striped pumpkins- a little fine motor skills work out with all the paper cutting is the perfect thing a busy five year old needs to get him to sit still and chill out for a few minutes. If your Little is still a true little and is not yet at the scissor stage then feel free to cut out the stripy bits. For this project use some fun, fancy paper- Micheal's (craft store) has three pieces of scrapbooking paper for $1.00 right now- so I selected some appropriate Halloween colours- but you can also use whatever you have on hand.

  Step 1- cut out decorative paper into long stripes- vary the widths and angles- this doesn't need to be accurate- especially if the kids are doing the cutting.

Step 2- using a basic glue stick glue stripes down to a sturdy piece of card stock- this piece needs to be a more robust piece of paper- I would suggest a piece of bristol board or heavy card stock.

Step 3- once the entire back piece of paper is covered in decorative paper stripes allow the glue to dry- go back and touch up any spots where the glue might have been missed.

Step 4- once the glue is dry- flip the entire project over and sketch out a pumpkin- use a pumpkin shaped cookie cutter as a template if you need to for a bunch of mini pumpkins or sketch out one large pumpkin that uses up the entire paper. We chose to make a batch of mini pumpkins to use on Halloween cards- we fit nine mini pumpkins on a 12 x 12 sheet of paper. 

       These cute mini striped pumpkins can be affixed to a blank card or used as decorations on a door- we are going to hand out glow sticks and I'm going to tape them to the back of our mini pumpkins- really there are countless ways this cute craft can be used! I love the graphic nature of the stripes- they almost feel a bit quilted.

      Our pumpkins are carved, costumes are complete and everyone is geared up to get their Trick Or Treat on- I hope you all have a super fun and super safe day! Happy Halloween!

PS- if you need me I will be the one in a sugar coma after eating all the kid's candy!

Crafternoon: A Holiday Craft For Non- Crafters

         Around these parts we love a holiday- one of our favourites is Halloween- the perfect combination of celebrating the spooky and fun. It then almost goes with out saying that for every holiday we have a craft- a little coloured paper and a glue stick goes a very long way. I personally like crafts that are simple and easy and that my Littles can participate in as well- so paper crafting is the perfect medium. Yesterday we sat down with a stack of Halloween appropriate papers and got crafting.

         While the Littles were working on their awesome Jack-O- Lanterns for the front door I decided to make a quick and easy Halloween banner to hang along side. This little banner is my craft for the non- crafter- it is just that easy. To start with cut two pieces of 8.5"x 11" pieces of paper in half- we will be using three of these pieces- cut a triangle out of one of the short ends- this will be the bottom of the banner.

          If you have decorative scissors- even pinking shears will do- cut a smaller piece of coloured paper to fit inside the banner piece- about 4"x5" and glue in place- I chose this grey shade to contrast with the black- effectively creating a double matt.

        Trace or draw out the letters-B-O-O- this will be your scary message on the banner- I used stencils but if you are great at lettering try free handing it. Cut out and glue the letters in the centre of each contrasting square on the banner piece.

        Allow the glue to set up and possibly weight down the banner pieces with a book for an hour or so to prevent curling- punch small holes in the top corners of each banner letter and slip onto a piece of string- I used Butcher's Twine but ribbon or jute would also look really cute. Hang to admire!

        I find there is so much available to consumers to purchase around popular Holidays that often it is just too overwhelming- and completely unnecessary. Simple decorations made with humble materials can provide just as big of visual impact as their plastic store bought counter parts. To me Halloween is such a simple childhood event and this little banner is sure to delight!

Crafternoon: Mono Printing With Kids

   Materials Needed:

Block Printing Ink- we used Speedball
Brayer- roller
pallet to roll ink out onto
Barren or rolling pin or wine bottle
a small piece of plexi glass or a soft cutting mat
good quality paper- we like Stonehenge
leaves- semi dried out

Step 1- start by rolling out your ink- we chose red and gold- mixed together they look very fallish- use any colour you want though there are no rules when it comes to colour choice!

Step 2- roll the ink onto your plexi glass or cutting mat- use whatever you have on hand- as long as it can be washed off and is smooth. Roll the ink on with your brayer nice and evenly- make sure there is a generous amount but not too goopy. Arrange leaves on top of the inked up surface.

Step 3- place a piece of newsprint or scrap paper over the entire project and burnish (rub) down with the barren or rolling pin or wine bottle- you are transferring the details of the leaves into the ink.

Step 4- remove newsprint- which can be a beautiful print to play with on it's own- carefully remove leaves. In the image below you can see the ink left on the plate (cutting mat)- this is what you will be printing onto the good paper.

Step 5- once the plate is clear of leaves you are ready to pull your mono print- place your good paper down over the plate and burnish firmly-transferring all the details that were left behind in the ink by the leaves. Remove your good paper and there is your print!

     Mono printing means to pull one image- it is a one of a kind print- which makes this project quick and fun. If you have the space you can soak and blot the paper for a few seconds prior to printing- this only works on cotton based papers like Stonehenge- this allows the paper to absorb the ink even more- creating a cleaner print.

       With all of the amazing leaves falling at this time of year we could hardly not do a few leaf related art projects! These prints will look great framed on the wall- I am always swapping their art work out for fresh but I think these will have a more permanent place in our kitchen art collection!

Summer Bucket List

      To say we have had a busy summer would be an understatement- this has been one epic summer in terms of adventuring and trying new things. Back in May we sat together as a family and mapped out how we wanted to see our summer panning out- we made our summer bucket list for 2013 and got on board with the Happy Family Movement. Making a bucket list was fantastic- it gave direction to our summer- we were forced to commit to plans like booking camp grounds months in advance- for a family full of Aquarians (slightly flaky) this worked really well.

     Since our summer is winding down I thought I would take a look at what we have done and what we have left to cross off our bucket list- regardless of adventures completed or not- we really did have the best summer ever!

 1. Go camping- two camping trips down one left to go!

2. Eat S'mores- obviously we have eaten our fair share of S'mores over the last few months!

3. go strawberry and blueberry picking- make jam- we picked strawberries- I will be making jam this fall one rainy day!

4. Go to Atlantis Water slides in Vernon- we haven't done this yet- summer isn't over yet!

5. Go to the Twilight Drive- In theater in Aldergrove- yes! Check me out with my massive soda!

6. Picnic with Dee- yes and often! We had lots of fun with our little friend and her family this summer!

7. Water fight with friends

8. bike ride to Second Beach pool- well we rode our bike to Lumberman's arch instead

9. Bike ride to Ganges on Saltspring Island- this never happened- sadly the Mr.'s bike was stolen the week before we were set to go- maybe next summer!

10. make Popsicles

11. Bon fire at Poppa's house- due to a fire ban this item will have to wait until Thanksgiving weekend

12. go on a Momma date to the beach with wine- well there was no wine but plenty of whisky and gin! I was fortunate enough to go to a few movies in Stanley Park with some momma friends- I'm looking forward to planning one more night out before it gets too dark too early!

13. explore Fort Langley- we decided to save this for a rainy fall day

14. try a new beach- we sampled from so many new beaches in and around the Lower Mainland- we are so blessed to live in such an amazing place!

15. go hiking in Pacific Spirit Park

16. Go to Whistler- we are heading up on the long weekend

17. check out the Sole Food Farm- we have hit their farm stand many times at the market!

18. more crafting- obviously!

19. learn to make Kombucha- this is still on the agenda for fall!

20. learn to make ice cream- I can't believe we haven't made ice cream yet! This is a must do for the last few weeks of summer!

        I totally loved this Summer bucket list and I think we will make one for the fall- there are so many amazing things to do on the Coast that we have yet to do. We had such fun crossing things off our list and documenting it along the way! While lists aren't for everyone I found that since we kept it simple it really helped us to focus and actually get out and do things- since lots of stuff was pre booked we just had to show up- which was awesome! There is still another month or so to go- here's to hoping we can cross off a few more things!

        Friends it is Friday again- this has been quite a long week for me- super busy- my sister and her sweet family are coming to visit today- I am looking forward to just kicking back with a glass or three of fine boxed wine to enjoy my family. My wish for you this weekend is that regardless of rain or sun that you get outside and enjoy these last long days of summer! Much love and peace Friends!

Late August

         I can feel the summer slipping away- it is already somehow late August- I am trying my best not to look ahead to the cooler days that I should be preparing for- they are surely right around the corner. I am trying to stay present- enjoy our last few days of freedom before school starts and my boy goes off to Kindergarten. With that in mind we have been treating every day like a holiday and living as much of our life outdoors as possible.

      Yesterday we headed over to Robson Park- one of our favourite city parks year round- especially good in the summer! In many of the local parks all summer we discovered so much goodness- crafts, snacks, spray parks, wading pools and free bikes and toys- all put on by the city of Vancouver. We have thoroughly been enjoying these free programs- the wading pools have been voted as most favourite by The Littles!

        Sadly all this goodness comes to an end tomorrow- Friday August 23- so get out there and enjoy the last two days of crafts in the park! Today is also hot dog Thursday at Robson Park- every Thursday the staff BBQ hot dogs and sell them for like a dollar- how much more summery can you get?!

       As I mentioned we love Robson Park year round- located at Kingsway and 13th - huge chestnut trees dominate the landscape- providing lots of excitement in the fall when the prickly bundles start to drop. Really great play equipment for Littles of all ages- swings, soccer field and community gardens- this park is great for a romp year round!

       I'm not going to lie- my boy is heading off to school full time in a couple of weeks- I am a hot mess even thinking about it- I will be an even hotter mess the day it actually happens!  We still have a week and a half with my sweet first born at home and we are going to make the most of it! I think today we will hit another spray park- or maybe get ice cream- regardless of adventure we will be soaking it all in- enjoying the last few days of August!