How stinking cute are these?

 

 Love how Artisan team member Leah used some clear ornaments, window sheets, faux snow and the Peace and Joy dies from this bundle to create stunning sparkly ornaments! 

 

 This Peace & Joy bundle is a true stunner! So many amazing home decor and hostess gifts you can make with it!

Happy Stampin'

Margaret

Live, Laugh, Love

Be Totallyawake4-life 

*post contains affiliate links

DIY Essential Oil Mobiles

Wow ~ this is a cute idea from over at the doTERRA Canada blog on Facebook!
DIY Felt Mobile: Get a wooden embroidery hoop from the craft store in the desired size. Cut your favorite animals out of felt and hang them from the embroidery hoop, as desired. Essential oils can then be added to the felt to create a gentle, calming environment for your baby.

So if your wee one is having challenges sleeping a little drop of lavender on these before bed time to help provide a soothing sleep setting! 

Please remember when using oils with wee ones that less is more and that while essential oils are an amazing gift from nature that even nature needs to be respected for its power over the human body! So fact is that some oils their little bodies are not yet ready to metabolize and that you can overdose on 'essential oils' just like you can on many other things from nature turning the gift into a nightmare! It is important to make sure to do your OWN research on which oils you are comfortable using with your little treasure because ther is often conflicting information out there on oil safety and so forth! 

 

This is the recommended ideal amounts from doTERRA and their blog gives background around why they feel THEIR oils are safe for internal use as internal use of oils is one of those areas where you will find conflicting information.

My advice with internal use is to keep in mind 'accumulative dosage' so if you are taking oils internally to support health and wellness but are than also using aromatic and dermal applications for aromatherapy in the day is your 'total ideal' amount than surpassing idea.

So for example a YOUNG toddler who is being given our OnGuard capsule orally to help with immunity support could quickly reach 3 DROPS in the course of a 24 hour day specially the more everyday items we replace with essential oils. So keep in mind if they are than washing their hands with the On Guard soap which has essential oils in it, playing in a play area where we are diffusing oils and than applying an essential oil 'treatment' to feet before bedtime and so forth! 

 

Oils are AMAZING gifts but they must be respected and used in moderation and there are definitely some that should NOT be used by young children at all!  Such as the advice from Robert Tisserand around the use of menthol's like peppermint and eucalyptus in small children!

 

Image source

Some tips for oil uses with children can be found on the doTERRA® science blog here and I personally love the resource from the Hippy Homemaker where they give tips such as SLOWLY introducing oils into ones lives because like anything we can have 'sensitivities' to natures gifts so introducing things like food and oils and so forth one at a time and 'waiting' to see how the body reacts is key. I also love how they  break down the oils by age based on their research ~ the article in its entirely can be found here. 

 

 Have an amazing day!

Margaret

Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much

Be Totallyawake4-life

 

 

Flowers make me SMILE

I love FLOWERS ... there is something extra lovely about flowers from their pretty array of colors to their often intoxicating scents! 

If I could afford it I would have fresh cut flowers around my home ALL the time. Once upon a time I use to actually struggle with the ethical challenge of fresh cut flowers ~ the whole they start to 'die the minute you cut them from their plant' but than a friend who is a florist and lover of flowers themselves put it in a way that made sense to me. A Flower starts to die the minute it buds. You can leave it to open and blossom and wilt and die alone in the field or you can carefully prune it and place it a vase in a place of honor in your home and cherish it for the duration of its life span but either way its life span is going to pass. So now I treat myself to fresh cut flowers as often as my budget can afford it. 

In the meantime I enjoy PAPER flowers cause they have a much longer lifespan and they too can be scented by infusing the paper with essential oils! So win win! 

 I am just loving this new stamp set and die bundle from Stampin' Up!  The Botanical Garden set suite has so many awesome cool things with it! From the Stamp set, the Die cut to gorgeous designer series paper and coordinating embellishments with the washi tape and jewels! 

Bundles at a discount!

Jewel Embellishments

 

Coordinating cardstock

Stunning Designer Series Paper

Coordinating Washi Tape

The amazing Botanical Gardens Suite set can be made to use so many gorgeous pieces for home decor, celebrations and gift accents! Also love that the artisans of Stampin' Up! are so willing to share their designs and they encourage those who need a little help to 'copy and share everywhere' the stunning work they do!

 Here are some amazing samples inspired from fellow demonstrators .... just so versatile the looks and creations you can get depending on what colors and items you choose to put together. I LOVE that they designed the coordinating paper so that you could stamp on it too!

One of the challenges though with working with so many small pieces is getting a pattern you like laid out and than having to 'adhere it' without loosing your pattern ... the crafting community to the rescue again with amazing tips, tricks and tutorials for making crafting easier! Love this one which would work PERFECT with placing the Botanical Gardens suite elements on your card! 

Another great thing about Stampin' Up! that I love is all the coordinating pieces take the guess work out of choosing color palettes that coordinate when it comes to ink and papers ... everything matches and goes well together, Including this cool Vellum from the Sale-a-bration catalog shown here! 

Between January 5th and March 31st did you know for every $60 you spend with your Stampin' Up demonstrator you can buy the Botanical Gardens bundle and earn the Vellum shown in the video for FREE! Who doesn't love FREE stuff specially when it coordinates so dang well?

So what is making YOU smile today?

Have an amazing day!

Margaret

Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much

Be Totallyawake4-life

Paper Magnolias

How gorgeous are these handmade paper Magnolias from Lia Griffith? 

I love paper bouquets because they will last so much longer than fresh cut do! When I want a floral aroma to go with them I just diffuse a essential oil blend with floral hues!

Find the Tutorial on how to make these gorgeous Magnilia inspired paper creations here. 

https://liagriffith.com/paper-magnolia-flower/

Have an amazing day!

Margaret 

Live well, Laigh Often, Love Much

Be Titallyawake4-life

Rustic Christmas Tin Can Decor

Decorated Garland with Rustic Charm

I just love 'rustic' look ~ on my Vision board I have a big ole country ranch style farm house with wrap around porch and lots of garden areas and greenery that will be come to life at night with the twinkle of fairy lights! 

Inside it would be filled with Rustic charm of antiques and country decor all year long! Things like these gorgeous upcycled Tin Can Christmas garland that I made will adorn the big fireplace mantel and French doors.

These ones I made here are Christmas themed but you can totally create whatever you want for year round enjoyment both inside and out .... I think they would look lovely with Dragonflies and Butterflies around a country porch in the warmer months and one day when my country ranch farm home manifests and I have a wrap around porch to decorate I will so be making some more of these for outside! 

They are really easy to make! I made mine before I started the blog so did not think to take 'step by step' pictures so I apologize for not having my own work to share here HOWEVER cause I know many are visual learners I found this cool video that shows the basics although they draw directly on the can and than spray painted the cans to color them ~  I like the 'tin look' so I prefer to tape on a stencil because it leaves the 'clean look' with no marker left around the holes.

 Rustic Tin Can Home Decor

What You Need

• Tin Cans - if you have anal spatial issues like I do choose ones that are the same size.
• Hammer and long pointed end nails
• Stencils of the designs you want ~ hearts, stars, words ... even saw a sample of Star Wars inspired tin can decor on Pinterest recently
• Freezer space
• Work space you do not mind getting 'wet' while you work

What You Do

• Soak off labels and glue from cans so they are well cleaned.
• Fill them with water and place in freezer until solid
• Prepare your stencils ~ you want them to be on a piece of paper that is cut to the size of your tin can so that they can be wrapped tightly around and secured with removable tape so they do not 'move' while you are working.
• Take out one tin can at a time to work with.
•  Wrap your stencil around it ~ make sure you have the orientation correct! So if you are planning to have them 'sit' with a tea light than have your stencil top facing the top of the opening if you plan to hang them you want the stencil top to be facing the 'closed' end of the can.
• Using the Hammer and Nail carefully hammer in holes along the stencil pattern at regular intervals about a 1/4 inch apart. 
• If you are wanting to hang them from lights use the hammer and nail to punch a hole in the top centre of the can ~ you can make this opening 'larger' later once you remove the ice. 
• Once you have your design perfected and are happy run the tin can under warm water until ice slides out and let it sit to air dry.
• You can make your holes bigger now by gently pushing your nail through the tin can and wiggling it ~ you want to be gentle so you can do this without affecting its shape. 

Star Shaped Tin Can Decor

Snowflake Shaped Tin Can Decor

Words on a Tin Can Decor

Rustic Christmas Tin Can Decor

  
 What is YOUR favorite look for Christmas time? Rustic or modern colored or traditional red and green theme or the eclectic look of heirloom ornaments you have collected?


Have an amazing day!

Margaret
Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much
Be Totallyawake4-life

10 Kids Christmas Keepsakes

 

10+ Christmas Keepsake Ideas

It is that time of year when we start to think about what to make with the kiddies as 'offerings' to their loved ones for the holiday season ... here in the daycare because of their young age we have the tradition of making hand-print or foot-print related keepsakes and than they can carry on and explore the process of 'finger-painting' once after I have captured a 'keepsake' hand-print because in the early years creating is more about the process than capturing a keepsake ... unlike traditional 'creative art' these are totally all for the joy of later 'giving' a gift that is both from the adult helping to make them and the child and something that will be hopefully be treasured for years to come as it captures their little hand or footprint during the festive season! 

Here are some of our past treasures we've made to share

Ornament ideas of the Tree 

Shaker Glittler Globe with a photo

This ornmanet was made using now retired treat cups from Stampin' Up! You can check out a tutorial on how to do t hem here this one is definitely a craft idea that is more 'adult' made!

Photo Cube ornament

 The Photo Cube ornament was made using the Stampin' Up Box maker ~ the kids than sponged and stamped their box and helped to punch out photos to adore the sides. We hid some bells inside so it makes noise when it moves on the tree.

Handprint Santa's on a Glass Ornament ~ using acrylic paints

Foot Print or Hand-print penquin 

Depending on the age of your crew a 'foot' might not fit on the ornament ~ to make a handprint paint the hand and place with fingers CLOSED and pointing down to make penguin fit on the Ornament, This ornament was painted white inside with glitter added to the paint ~ here is link to a quick tutorial on how to paint the inside of ornaments

Snowman 'finger print' face with glitter in a glass ornament

This one the kids and I spray the inside of the ornament with hairspray and than added glitter mica flakes with a funnel into the ornament and shook it around ~ it sticks to the hairspray but leaves the ornament translucent to catch the lights off the glitter. Use finger prints to make the snowman's face!

Reindeer Hand-print Ornament

Similar glittering of the ornament inside as done above we than followed by painting with a hand fingers wide open when placing on the globe to make a neck out of the thumb and 4 legs from the fingers and then with some adult help the addition of glitter antlers and a red finger print nose and google eyes glued on for a Rudolph inspired ornament!

Hand-print Snowman Family on a glass ornament

This is another one I think would look great with the 'mica glitter' added to the inside of the ornament for a nice little POP! Depending on the age of your crew they can either paint their own 'snowman faces' using toothpicks and fine brushes or this is the part where the adult can 'help' transform the hand into the keepsake snowman!

Home Decor Keepsakes

Cookies for Santa plates 

We just used acrylic paints to make our plates and both of these ideas can be done on a 'ornament' as well if the plate is too cumbersome a keepsake. 

If you use acrylic paints on the cookie plates please just make sure that the receiver of these gifts realizes they are 'keepsakes' and should not really be 'eaten off of'. The paint is not food grade as is not really dishwasher safe. The plate should really not get dirty enough to need more than a light 'dusting' with a damp cloth each season! These treasures can last for years and years but the paint will chip off if not cared for gently. 

Christmas Angel Footprint Plate decor

You can also buy special paint that can be baked in the oven and sealed to allow it to have more staying power and be used in the dishwasher ~ however I tried this one year and our plates cracked in the oven which was disappointing so we returned to the 'fragile keepsake' that you do not really EAT off of and just keep as a home decor piece! 

 

Mistletoes

These  can be painted on either a canva or a plate and than hung on the wall or stand free with the aid of a plate holder stand ... if your crew has the attention span they can also be adorned with a row of 'Christmas lights' around the edge of the canvas using different coloured 'finger prints' that are then joined together with a black marker to form 'lights' or just a fancy border of dots or what not or add glitter, ribbon bow, bells and more to make then fun!

So these are just a few of our favorites  ~ what is YOUR favorite Christmas keepsake you've done with your family?

Have an amazing day

Margaret
Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much
Totallyawake4-life

Every been to a Shoe Box Swap?

  ... if not you are probably imagining it has something to do with other peoples USED STINKY SHOES and the thought of swapping them with your own ... but nope that's not it at all ... a Shoebox Swap in this context it is all about the fun amazing and therapeutic task of making hand stamped creating cards!  

Those of us who love to share papercrafting get together to 'shoebox swap' as a way to make a whole bunch of different cards all in one night!

What each participate does is designs ONE quick and simple card and than puts all the supplies needed for the rest of the group to make that card into a 'shoe box'. At the night of the swap we sit around the table laughing and conversing about life while we take turns 'swapping boxes' until we've made all the cards in the group OR if it is a large group until we've made whatever 'cap' we put on the night ~ usually it is 8 cards to get done in the 2-2.5 hour time frame. 

You can have an 'anything goes' theme to your swap or you can organize it around themes such as 'thank you cards' or 'birthday cards' or 'sympathy cards' or 'masculine cards' or 'feminine cards' or this time of year Holiday themed cards. 

The great thing about 'shoe box swaps' is that it is an awesome chance to play with stamp sets and tools you might not yet have and either decide if you want to add them to your collection OR to just add some variety to your greeting card stash that is different from your own stamp sets or style! 

They are also a great thing to do with the 'kids' for some family fun ~ children love to make stuff and spend time with adults crafting ~ inspire them young and nuture that creativity flare! Paper crafting and expression is a great form of meditation and therapy for children and adults a like!

I try to attend a swap every other month with a great group of ladies who are a part of the team from Stampin' Up! ... here are some examples from end of October's swap ... are they just so darling! 

Reason for the Season - Stampin' Up!

Festival of Trees ~ Stampin' Up!

Snow Place Stamp set ~ Stampin' Up!

Joyful Season - Stampin' Up!

Home for Christmas ~ Stampin' Up!

Embellished Ornaments Stampin' Up!

Zentangled Festival of Trees Stampin' Up!

 If you do not have enough fellow paper crafters in your circle to form your own swap and would like to join in on a shoebox swap with others and meet some new fellow paper crafting please swing on over to Facebook here and like the page to find out about upcoming options and either join us in one of our current ones OR if there is enough interest we can start a second one!

Have an amazing day!

Margaret
Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much
Totallyawake4-life

Has Halloween gotten too much?

This article below from Today's Parent has really gotten me thinking ~ it is something I have struggled with my entire career working with young children .... the fun of carrying on Halloween traditions in the program verses what is developmentally age appropriate for children specially as I have moved to embracing more of a 'child led' program because the reality is that Halloween rarely comes up in play or inquiry from the child it is typically the ADULT who initiates it. They have no concept of time to know October 31st is approaching, they have not true understanding of WHY we celebrate it and so forth and aside from being pleased about the idea of 'getting candy' they have no real interest in 'inquiry' about the WHY behind the customs.  

So just WHO are we actively celebrating Halloween FOR in a childcare setting? Is it meeting the children's needs, my needs or my perceived needs of what is expected of me from clients, fellow providers or society in general? 

I know as a result of this struggle over the years I have cut back a LOT on planning the cute little Halloween crafts and so forth leading UP to Halloween with the kiddies but admit that I am just not sure I am ready to totally 'give up' the tradition of getting dressed up and doing some trick or treating on the last day of program before Halloween occurs ... getting dressed up is so much FUN even if they do not understand the why behind it or care to inquire about it past that day ... so for me when it comes to Halloween rather than being a month worth of exploration like it was in my 'childcare theme days' it is now just a DAY celebration and than we move on and let it go!

When it comes to the 'decorations' I know with operating a home childcare my spouse and I have had to come to terms with what can be placed out 'ahead of Halloween' for decorations out of respect for those parents like Lauren in the article below who feel that Halloween has gotten just too far out of control on the creepy gore factor. So I request that he please stick to a few pleasant pumpkins and black cats and maybe a ghost or two in the tree out front leading up to Halloween verses what he has to wait until the day of Halloween to put out so that my charges are not petrified walking up to the house leading up to Halloween. 

On Halloween night though fair warning that we cater to the David's of the world. So if the weather is nice, the front yard transforms into a total Walking Dead meets Freddie Kruger set ... with the full out zombie graveyard with the fog and bones and fake blood ... with the trick or treating on the actual Halloween day I figure that is totally up to parental choice if they want to bring their child out to walk through the foggy front lawn of moaning and groaning graveyard creeps in order to knock on our door that has blood dripping zombie guts around it in order to ask for a trick or treat ... cause my spouse is totally like David and loves the 'fear factor' that Halloween promote. If you want the 'treat' bad enough you need to be willing to conquer your fears in order to get it and if not that's cool too just pass our house by for the one next door that has no decor to get passed. 

Is Halloween’s blood and gore appropriate for kids?

"Two parents debate whether or not Halloween should be a celebration of blood, fear and death.

“Yes” David Eddie, dad of three

For years, our Halloween decorations included a dummy with a pillowcase for a face wearing clothes stuffed with rags, sitting on a chair on our front porch. But the neighbourhood kids all got used to it, so one year my wife inserted herself into the clothes, tucked rags at her ankles and cuffs, and sat stock-still in the chair. When kids approached the door, the “dummy” came to life—and the poor trick-or-treaters almost jumped out of their skins in fear.

Ours is not the most elaborate Halloween display in the neighbourhood, but we do try to max out the creepy factor. We’ve had live rats crawling around the porch, severed hands, witches hanging from nooses and spooky sound effects. We’ve also supported our kids when they decided to dress up as serial killers, axe murderers and, one time, a doctor whose surgery had gone terribly wrong.

Bad parenting? Bad neighbouring? Bad karma? I can see how some might say so. But here’s my feeling: In a couple of months, kids will be celebrating a holiday that’s all about family, warmth and coziness, presided over by an apple-cheeked figure who snacks on milk and cookies. Halloween is the antidote to that. It’s about the other side, the dark side, the side of life we as parents would like to pretend doesn’t exist—but it does. It’s about going out into the night and confronting your fears, a little more each year. And what’s better than facing your fears and finding out they’re not as scary as you imagined? It’s like going on a roller coaster. First time: terrifying. Subsequent times: totally fun.

I also like the honesty of Halloween. Christmas teaches kids they’ll be given stuff they want as long as they’re “nice.” Halloween teaches them to go toward the things they fear and demand what they want. Of course there might be danger or obstacles in the path—and someone they had dismissed as a dummy might suddenly jump out of a chair to terrorize them.

But I ask you: Which is the better metaphor for life?

“No”
Lauren Ferranti-Ballem, mom of two

I hate Halloween. Always have.

I was the kid who nervously hung back while my friends made their fifth tear through the neighbourhood haunted house. Who preferred to observe from my well-lit foyer instead of running the streets with kids drunk on sugar and the power that darkness and a later curfew gave them.

I’ve grown into the parent who hustles her kids across the street and away from the moaning, strobe-lit, fog-shrouded spectacle, partly because it still freaks me out. To me, Halloween feels chaotic and out of control. Why would anyone seek that out? Why would we put children through it?

My kids, ages three and six, like knocking on doors for candy, so we do a polite tour of the side streets. I want them to feel safe in our neighbourhood, but I don’t see that in the way they tentatively creep up porch steps and shrink away from over-the-top displays.

I appreciate the creativity Halloween inspires—kids love to dress up, and they have hilarious ideas. I enjoy crunching through the leaves and sharing cups of mulled wine with other parents, and I feel nostalgic for the sound of jingling change in the UNICEF boxes we wore around our necks. Can’t we bring those back? Swap them for the rattling chains, rotting corpses and wailing soundtracks?

It’s not my imagination: It’s gotten worse. Halloween has mutated from the innocent white-sheet ghosts of my childhood to something gorier and more graphic. We’ve lost loved ones recently, so I’ve talked to my kids about death. But it doesn’t in any way resemble the cobwebbed tombstones and bloodied stumps that clutter front yards on our walk to school. I resent those stumps and the chumps who dig careful graves for them. I’m the one who has to wake up to my kids’ nightmares and offer weary reassurance that no, neither their dad nor I will suffer the same fate.

Life is scary enough. We don’t need a parade of pale and bloated severed limbs to remind us.

A version of this article appeared in our October 2015 issue with the headline “Is Halloween’s blood and gore appropriate for kids?” p. 112. "

So what's your thoughts? Are you with David and my spouse that Halloween has valuable lessons about conquering your fears in order to get what you want or are you with Lauren and feel that Halloween has gotten to be a little too much and we need to push society to 'scale it back' to being more developmentally appropriate for younger children? Or are you like some of the commenters on the original article and do you feel we should just rethink celebrating it at all? 

For me I have always had a love hate relationship with being 'scared' but Halloween has always been a holiday with fun memories in the long run  .... my spouse loves to watch scary movies that make me scream and cuddle closer at night. So no brainier that Halloween is totally his favorite holiday we have more Halloween home decor than we have Christmas if that is any indication to how much he loves this season! 

Have an amazing day!

Margaret
Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much
Totallyawake4-life.com

Do you Scrapbook?

My Memories ~ Autumn Owl designs

I love to scrapbook for me it is a great way for me to recharge my energy ~ and digital scrapbooking is one of my favorite mediums. I love digital scrapbooking for several reasons.  

1. It is a mess free on the go can do it anywhere kind of hobby. 
2. The supplies to do it take up minimum SPACE in the house - just need a computer or laptop and a way you go  
3. Versatility - you can save your work to a digital file and share online with family or friends or download them to a digital frame to 'showcase' in your home.  
4.  It is the most cost effective form of scrapbooking. Purchase a ribbon download and you can use it over and over again and never 'run out' of your favorite ribbon. Plus if you are like me and also like to 'traditional scrapbook' a digital scrapbook program is great for 'designing and planning' your pages before converting them to 'traditional' so can save you money on pages that you might start and 'not like' cause digitally you can tweak and alter until its perfect before making it 'real'. 

For years I used the My Digital Studio software from Stampin' Up! and was devastated to learn they were retiring that line and would no longer be offering new downloads, printing or support for it.

 Those who already know me will know that CHANGE of any kind is scary for me and something I instinctively have always resisted as a result.  HOWEVER the older and wiser I get the more I can remind myself that change can be AWESOME! Some of the biggest and scariest changes in my life have yielded me the best outcomes so now when faced with change I try hard to focus on that and work through the change with the benefits it can bring!

 So when faced with the loss of my favorite digital scrapbook program having any 'growth' I went in search of other options and found the My Memories Digital Scrapbooking was offering to support the My Digital Studio community with a conversion option to allow us to keep and use all our current downloads as well as support with continued new downloads, printing and other services. So I jumped on that chance and have to admit that I am loving the My Memories options even more than I loved My Digital Studio. I do miss that it matched so seamlessly with all my other Stampin' Up! products HOWEVER it is a small loss compared to all the things I have gained. 

These are some of the cool pages I have made while playing with the new program ...LOVING the dimension of some of the new digital embellishments the program has come with plus it has some 'quick page' options where you just open and drag and drop your photos into them! 

Nevada the spoiled princess cat!

Family vacation shot

My men!

So do you scrapbook? 

What's your favorite medium for doing so ... traditional or digital or like me a 'hybrid' type?

Do you like to head out to 'crops'? If you are local to London ON and are looking for someone to crop with I get together once a month and open up the craft room to others to come and crop for the afternoon. Participants bring your own consumable materials but cost of the afternoon allows you to borrow any of my stamps, inks and other tools to help with your creations! Check out my events page for upcoming dates.

Have an amazing day!

Margaret

Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much

Totallyawake4-life