diy paper moustaches

Did our moustaches make you giggle yesterday? Well, I thought it would be fun to do a little DIY for those of you with funny monkeys in the house. These are really easy to make, and you probably have all the materials lying around your house already! So here we go...

You'll need black scrapbook or construction paper (or the colour of your choice), bamboo skewers, glue, tape, a pencil and scissors.



















Step 1: Draw a moustache on a sheet of paper and cut it out. You can draw them free-hand or find an image from the internet if you aren't comfortable drawing it yourself. This will be your template to ensure all of your moustaches are the same shape and size.



















Step 2: Fold your sheet of black paper in half and trace your moustache. Cut it out. You should now have 2 moustaches that when put back to back, line up perfectly.




















Step 3: On the back of 1 moustache secure the pointed end of the bamboo skewer using a small piece of tape. If you have a hot glue gun, add a dab of hot glue for extra insurance that the skewer will not wiggle around.



















Step 4: Apply glue to the back of the other moustache and stick it to the moustache with the skewer attached so that the bamboo skewer is sandwiched in between. Press out any air bubbles around the skewer and smooth out the moustaches. Let dry.

Step 5: Trim any access paper around the moustache, and voila! You're done!























You can make them any shape, size, colour...it's completely up to you. We found that bamboo skewers worked the best, but you could use popsicle sticks, drinking straws or pipe cleaners too. I also found that scrapbook paper is better than construction paper, because it's thicker and won't buckle or curl up when the glue is applied, but construction paper will work if that's all you have.



















Hope you all have fun making your moustaches this weekend, we love ours. Can you tell?

{embrace} the camera thursday

Today the little papercuts thought it would be funny to see what mommy looked like with a moustache. Mommy said it would be funnier to see THEM in moustaches. I'm amazed that the mini papercut didn't eat hers :) We kinda all look like Mario and Luigi, don't we? Kids are amused by the silliest things.

















Hope you all showed your cameras some love today, and remembered to link up with Emily!

okay, here we go

I am going to sew today. There I said it. I hope you'll all keep me accountable:) I haven't sewn anything in a really long time, and since I have a stack of fabric patiently waiting in the mini's closet, I think it's about time I did something with it. I really am trying. I thought that with the kids being off for the summer, and us not really having any major commitments, I'd get quite a bit of sewing done. But things never go according to plan around here, and all my beautiful fabrics have sat tucked away. Well today seems as good a day as any to sew something...anything! Hmm, now if I could just figure out what to make;)

{embrace} the camera thursday

Here we are, me and my girls:) Yeah, I know you can't see my face, but heck, the top of my head counts, doesn't it? Embrace that camera ladies and gents! You're kids will be happy you did! Remember to link up with Emily here.

paper menagerie

I am in love with these adorable paper animals by Mibo! Created by Madeline Rogers, these cute little creatures are simple to make and would look very sweet in any room.




















All you need is some scissors, a ruler and glue, and you can have you're very own paper zoo. Check out all of this cuteness over at Mibo.

i had the best day with you today

We've been trying to keep active so far for our summer holidays. The kids have swimming lessons 2 times a week, we go to the splash park a couple times a week as well, and then there's all the usual stuff, like grocery shopping and errand running. The kids seem to be having a pleasant summer, and yesterday we had a great afternoon with their grandma.























My stepmom had a fabulous day planned for the kids. In addition to a delicious lunch, she had them paint a ceramic bunny rabbit for her garden, they made chocolate chip cookies, we went for a walk to the park, and she even set out a little kiddie pool in her backyard for them to cool off in! My kids really love their grandma, and I wish we saw her more often :) Hope you're all having fun this summer!

{embrace} the camera thursday

Me and the mini papercut. My little lady loves her kisses...and I love giving them:) Did you embrace the camera today? Link up over on Emily's blog, and remember to wish her a very 'Happy Birthday'!

so sweet

A few months back I read a review about a book entitled 'Zoe and the Fawn', written by Catherine Jameson and illustrated by Julie Flett. I knew right away that I had to have this book for the mini papercut (since her name IS Zoe). But it was nearly impossible to find in any store, and we searched for a copy for several months with no luck. To my delight we were able to special order one in at our local bookstore, and it was well worth the wait!























This book has to be one of the sweetest books I've read in a long time. The story is about a little girl and her father who happen upon a fawn in the woods and search for it's mother, finding several other animals along the way.























Now I may be a little biased, seeing as the main character's name is the same as my little one's, but I LOVE this book, and the illustrations are absolutely beautiful.























If you are able to get a copy of this book, I highly recommend it. Definitely a title to add to your 'must have' reading list:)

9 months old

Today my little cookie monster is 9 months old. She's got secret smiles and is certainly a mischievous little character. She loves her brother and sister, especially when they 'growl' at her. Go figure!
















She's not afraid to fall and at times thinks she's Spiderman, trying to scale the sofa to escape from her play area. She keeps us on our toes, but we wouldn't have it any other way:)

feeling better

Just wanted to say 'thanks' for all the many well wishes that were sent my way. I'm feeling much better, and hopefully that's the last we'll see of mastitis ever again! The past week has been so busy, and being sick has not been fun. But there's lots to catch up on over the next few days, so bear with me:) Hope you're all having a wonderful week so far!

{embrace} the camera...friday

OK, I have a good excuse this time for not posting a pic yesterday. I didn't forget. I'm sick. No I don't have a cold, or the flu. I have mastitis. For all you moms out there who've had this, then I'm sure you can sympathize with my misfortune. Basically I have a clogged milk duct. Which has given my a massive, throbbing headache, a fever and chills(both of which are gone now) and an incredibly sore boob. It feels like I've been kicked in the chest and ribs by a kangaroo! Hopefully this will clear up on it's own, but if it still has not resolved itself by tomorrow, then off to the doctor we go for some antibiotics:(














Anywho, here is a pic taken the day before all of this craziness. It's stinking hot outside so we ventured to the water park again. Yeah, no one's faces but I thought it was pretty funny that the mini papercut and I were crouched down doing something, and the two older papercuts were in almost the same position behind us:)

Hope you all remembered to embrace the camera yesterday, and link up on Emily's blog!

we were here

We just found out that Alison's Alice in Wonderland birthday party was featured again on Ohdeedoh last week. If you missed it the first time around, you can click here for all the deets about her whimsical party:)

it's like a heatwave

The temperatures are soaring around here, and it looks like it will continue for the rest of the week. So we'll be spending a lot of time at the water park, getting our splash on:) We're slathering on the sunscreen and putting on our sun hats and swimsuits. Hope you're all enjoying the hot weather! Happy Monday everyone!

have a seat

*Spoling high chair from Ikea

As I've written before, the mini papercut LOVES to eat. I had been holding out for the Spoling high chair from Ikea that I'd seen when she was much too small to sit in it. It's small and compact, modern looking, and the best feature of all is that it folds up so that it can be neatly tucked away when not in use. So we decided to go to Ikea and pick one up...and of course it was sold out and most likely will not be reintroduced any time soon, so the hunt was on for a new high chair.






















*Guzzie + Guss G+G 202 high chair in Green Apple

What we found was this great little chair by Guzzie + Gus. The G + G 202 high chair doesn't boast any bells or whistles like some of the other high chairs out there. It doesn't have any toys, or any type of seat recline. The seat height is not adjustable and the tray is not dishwasher safe. So why did we choose it, you might ask? What attracted us to this chair is the simple clean lines, the compact frame and the easy to clean fabric. It has a removable tray for easy cleaning (again, not dishwasher safe, but that's OK with me), a 5-point harness for safety, a machine washable 100% organic cotton seat pad and is available in a variety of colours.








But the main reason we chose it was the fact that it folds completely flat for easy storage, yes that's right FLAT, and comes with its own storage bag. It is relatively lightweight in comparison to other large high chairs, but very sturdy. It has an easy fold mechanism, located on the underside of the seat, which locks into place when the seat is in use to ensure there are no mishaps with the chair folding when upright.
















The only issue I can see some people having is with the leg openings on the front of the chair. The G+G 202 has a fabric t-strap on the front with two leg holes for added security ( so your child can't slide or wiggle out under the tray), but as your child gets bigger, and if your child has chubby legs it may be too tight or somewhat constraining. The mini papercut is pretty tiny so I don't see this being an issue for us, but I thought I'd mention it.
















Overall, we are very happy with this chair, and the mini papercuts likes being in it for mealtimes and even just to sit in while I'm cooking in the kitchen or doing dishes. We are in love with anything that will give mommy's arms a rest:)

ready, set, go!

Well the day has finally come...the mini papercut has figured out how to stand up. I thought I had at least another month before she started doing this, but she is in a BIG hurry to catch up to her older siblings. She is no longer content to sit and watch, she wants to be right in the midst of all the chaos and fun.

The first time she pulled up to stand, I promptly told her to 'SIT BACK DOWN!!' You can see how much she listens to me:) She's 8 and a half months now, and I can't believe how much she's already doing. Before you know it she's going to be running after her sister and brother, yelling at them to 'Slow down and wait!' If she'd only heed her own words and not be in such a rush :(

oh canada

Happy Canada Day to all my fellow Canucks! Enjoy the sunny day today:)

{embrace} the camera thursdays

Haha, I bet you all thought I forgot! Nope, I was politely reminded today by my eldest that I needed to take a pic of her and myself. So here we are, being silly:) Hope you all remember to embrace that camera today too and link up over on Emily's blog!