Pup's Spring Concert

The Kindergarten classes at school had their Spring Concert last night, and it was fantastic.  The elementary music teacher for the district is a very energetic young woman whom the kids adore.  She's sweet and cute and has an adorable laugh, and when she talks to the students, they light up.

They performed the standard fare, like Over the Rainbow (to which our youngest daughter swayed along on Daddy's lap), as well as a folk song, a rain dance, and...well...they closed down the house Shufflin'!

Those Kinders can dance!  I'd love to get ahold of someone's video, because they were hysterical!  Pup can drop it like it's hot, bahahahaha!

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Spring Break. And the flu.

Spring Break was suddenly upon us this year, and since we had already planned a nice quiet week, we decided to go to Chicago.  (What?!?)  Because, that's what you do when you have five kids... You spontaneously drive two hours to meet up with cousins (who only live 30 minutes away in real life) to stay the night in a hotel with a pool.  Then you drive another hour into a big city to ride the subway, take pictures of your reflection in the Bean, and eat hot dogs.  With a one-year-old who will miss her naps.

Actually, it was fantastic.  The weather was amazing, so walking around the city was great fun, even for Jojo in the stroller.  We took a break in Millenium Park to let her crawl around, and at one point we stumbled across a city playground that all five enjoyed.  We walked past a huge construction zone down by the Lake where the city is building an enormous new park with climbing walls, play areas, and picnic space; the kids are already planning to go back in a couple years to spend a day there!

And then, the flu.  Out of no where.  Only Hubs escaped it.  And it was vicious.  Shudder.  So the first week back to school happened without several of my children.  I hear it's really going around...  But, we're all better now, and all back to school, so it seems that I should probably disinfect the house and catch up on laundry (and do some of the hundred or so projects on my list).

Instead, I'll show you the sketches from the last two weeks!

Sketch 339

Double-Decker Grilled Cheese digital scrapbook layout by Chanell Rigterink Credits Digital Kits: It's a Good Life by Just Jaimee, Enjoy the Everyday by Mommyish; Sketch: 339 by Scrapbook Challenges; Fonts: You Are Loved, Carbon Type

Sketch 340

You Make My Heart Sing digital scrapbook layout by Chanell Rigterink Credits Digital Kit: Storyteller Collab by Scrap Orchard for Persnickety Prints; Font: Caitlyn

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I Used to Post Things Here...A Recap

Once upon a time, I thought it would be cool to have a blog.  And I tried.  And I failed.  So I tried again.  And it seems that writing anything on a regular basis is just *not* who I was meant to be.

So, in the spirit of total haphazardness (if that's a word), I bring you a recap of the last month.  A little bit of life happened:

Zombies and Aliens invaded for the Story Laboratory Book Fair at school...

The youngest-among-us turned one!

And Easter happened...

Then, there were some Sketches:

Sketch 335

Competition Swim digital scrapbook layout by Chanell Rigterink Credits Graph & Dot Paper, Banner, Paint: Me by Misty Cato; Stripe Paper, Journal Card, Flag, Tape, Love This Word Art: You Are My Happy by Sweet Shoppe Designs; Number Border, Memories Word Art, Staples: Today 2.0 by Mari Koegelenberg; Waves Border: Seaside Retreat by Mommyish; Alpha: Varsity by Lisa Sisneros; Sketch: 335 by Scrapbook Challenges; Fonts: Marcelle Script, Traveling Typewriter

Sketch 336

Lab Zombie digital scrapbook layout by Chanell Rigterink Credits Digital Paper, Skull, Dotted Ribbon: I Love Rock & Roll by Connie Prince; Alpha, Bookplate, Ribbons, Splat: Urban Wasteland by Angie Kovas and BZB Designs; Stitching: Machine Stitched Sampler by Traci Reed; Sketch: 336 by Scrapbook Challenges; Font: Carbon Type

Sketch 337

Zombie digital scrapbook layout by Chanell Rigterink Credits Paper, Edges: Today 2.0 by Mari Koegelenberg; Stitching: Little Sew and Sew by Erica Zane; Edge Border: Painted Border Freebie by Just Jaimee; Paper Tear, Staples: Gunhild Storeide; Sketch: 337 by Scrapbook Challenges; Fonts: Grant's Ghosts, Carbon Type

Sketch 338

Double

One digital scrapbook layout by Chanell Rigterink Credits Digital Kit: Feelin' Peppy by Just Jaimee; Banner: Take My Picture by Just Jaimee; Flowers: Kalea Bits #7 by Creashens; Sketch: 338 by Scrapbook Challenges; Font: Caitlyn

And much, much more.  Someday, maybe I'll find time to post about that, too...

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Sippy Cuteness

Just a lil pic...of just a lil girl...who has finally gotten the hang of her sippy cup.

Goodness, how I love this child.

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The Daddy-Daughter Dance

Hubs and Banana attended their very first Daddy-Daughter Dance tonight.  It was much anticipated by Banana...she got a new outfit (complete with sequined skirt and shoes), picked out accessories, and planned hair and makeup.

And, then, about two hours before the big date, she went sledding with her brothers.  And ripped open her chin, attempting to "get a running start" down the hill.  So, off to urgent care we went for stitches, hoping to Heaven that the wait would be brief and the dance could still happen.  We took the makeup with us to pass the time.  No girl has ever left an ER sporting four stitches with better looking eyes than tonight...

They made it for the last 45 minutes of the dance.  According to hubs, it was a perfect amount of time to hit the photo booth, eat cupcakes, squeal with little girlfriends...and even dance a bit!

It was a little nuts trying to get them out the door quickly, so we took a couple pictures (in cruppy lighting) when they got home.  I *think* they like each other.  And I *hope* he ruins her for all the boys she meets in the next ten years.

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Our 2013 Valentines

Last year we made our Valentines for the first time and had so much fun that we did it again!  Here's the round-up...

(Please pardon the picture quality.  It was late and low-light when I was shooting them and no amount of post-processing is making them any sharper, hahaha!)

Hope your day is Starburst-ing with happiness!

These are tiny treat bags with eight little Starburst candies, stapled closed with the note.

Inspiration

You're such a Cutie!

Son #2 is an orange-a-holic, so naturally he chose these.  He's getting a little sophisticated about the whole process, though...he wanted to know if I was violating copywrite since I downloaded the logos for these and the Starburst cards!  Geeze...he's not even ten yet.  I assured him that we were fine, but that's why you all don't get them as free downloads!

Inspiration

You are so sweet! / You make my heart melt!

Banana came up with these all by her lonesome!  She desperately wanted these bags to be filled with chocolate hearts, but we couldn't make that work in the budget (more on that later).  So, Little Debby saved the day with her seasonal heart-shaped cakes!  Banana also insisted on two sentiments: one for the girls and a different one for the boys.

You've got all the write stuff!

Pup's valentines were drama this year.  He originally planned to give out party poppers (the kind that shoot out tiny streamers) with notes that said "You make my heart POP!"  But at the last minute (read: February 13 at 6 p.m. after they were already stuffed and stapled), the big boys got him all freaked out about taking "explosives" to school.  So, Hubs and I decided not to tempt the ripped-from-the-headlines possibility of a kindergartener getting suspended on Valentine's Day and did a emergency regroup.  So, pencils went to school instead!

Inspiration

The Budget.  Ummm.  It turns out that spending even $.25 per kid adds up kinda quickly when there are 25-28 kids per class and you're doing it times four!  Let's just say that I've already told the offspring that we'll be returning to simple suckers and the like for Valentines 2014, hahahaha!  Oh, well...

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DIY Father's Day Photo Gifts

I'm a happy girl when DIY translates to photos-and-computer-skillz.  So, these projects were wonderful for me...and, with any luck, will be wonderfully received by the daddy's in my life! Click to enlarge...

First, for the Grandpas, I made these composite photos of all the offspring.  They had a riot with this!  I bought the MDF letters at Hobby Lobby for less than $2 each...and I only needed one P, A, O, and Y, since all the pictures are taken separately.  Honestly, that's the beauty of this project: only one child to coax a good expression out of for each photo!

I work in Photoshop Elements, but you can use any editing software to compile your photos.  You can just line-'em-up like I did for the PAPA project, or be fancy and use scrapbook products like the POPPY project.  I did one of each, because fitting five photos across made them too narrow to read properly.

The frames came from Walmart for $3 a piece (they're designed for two matted 4x6s, so the full opening is roughly 5x12).  Costco did my printing, as usual...$1.50 each.  Cut, frame, wrap, done.  Brilliant.

For Hubs, I downloaded this subway art that I found on Pinterest.  I covered over a section in the middle with square photos of him with each of the babies in the hospital on the day of their birth.  It's really a sweet personalization, and I'm thrilled with the way it turned out.

The download is sized for 11x14 (amazing!), but I chose to print at 8x10 so it can go on his desk if he wants.  Plus, that size frame is less expensive, right?  So, $4 for the frame and another buck-and-a-half to print.  Because, he almost never wears ties...

I can't wait to give these out tomorrow (or later in the week when I see my Dad).  I hope you have a fantastic Father's Day...love all you Dads!

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Hot Pink Faux Hawk

Yesterday was Pup's official birthday, and for a present, big bro #2 did this:

Faux Hawk digital scrapbooking layout by Chanell Rigterink Credits: Neon Love by Yellow Butterfly; Sketch: The Instinctive Scrapper; Fonts: Underwood Champion, You Are Loved

I was digging through my stash for a different kit and ran across this neon stuff, and I couldn't resist immediately scrapping these pictures!  And, bonus, I got to use another of my Pinterest-inspired sketches for it!

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The Angry Birds Party

Birthday parties are kind of a big deal at our house.  Not big as in lots of people come over...but big as in each kids gets to plan their own theme and menu and decorations.  With five kids on board now, birthdays are one way we try to make sure that they each get something special, just for them.

Son #2 had his big friend party this year (see "Fiesta!"), so we decided to combine his family party with Pup's.  Fortunately, Pup was totally in favor of it...because they both wanted Angry Birds.  Easy enough!

Balloon Angry Birds bombed balloon King Pigs in a cardboard fort in the entryway, and flew on black streamer garlands above the dining table!  They were made using the fabulous printables here.  I used 9" balloons for my characters, so I shrunk the templates by half; they're definitely made for larger sized balloons.  The pieces are stuck on with double-sided tape.  These were a *huge* hit with the boys...in fact, they want to make another batch for a craft day later this summer!

We ended up with a morning party, so we had breakfast casseroles (golden eggs, anyone?), pancake-dipped apple slices, blackberries and raspberries, and blueberry butterscotch coffee"cup"cakes for dessert.  I made the toppers by printing out two sets of these, and hot-gluing them back-to-back with a toothpick in the middle.  Mild warning: these toppers aren't super high resolution and printed fairly blurry.  By this point in the party prep, though, I decided not to care... ;)  There are several different versions of toppers on Pinterest that you could investigate, though.

I still haven't found the magic camera settings to make indoor shots in our new house look good, so I don't have any pictures of the present-madness to share...but I did use this invitation template to make a gift certificate for Son #2 to go to soccer camp this summer.  The original has the red Angry Bird in flight, but I changed it to the soccer ball...'cause I'm theme-y like that!  That blog has a link to the Angry Birds typeface, or you can get to it from here.

Since this was just our family party, we didn't need games or favors...but we had a pretty great time, anyway!

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DIY Teacher Gifts, Part 4

Yesterday was the last day of school, and Son #1 brought his gift to his teacher.  She loves jewelry, especially chunky pieces...#1 observed both of these things about her, and immediately decided on this bracelet when browsing my DIY Pinterest board.

#1 further observed that her favorite color is purple, so we chose this violet, blue and pink batik.  The smallest length I could buy was 1/8 yard, so it cost something like fifty cents...and I only used a quarter of the piece before I decided the flower was big enough.  I used the same rolling-and-gluing technique the tutorial describes, and it's super easy.

To attach the bracelet (which I found for $2 at Meijer), I glued three beads to the underside of the flower.  Then I sewed some tiny stitches between the outside beads to secure really secure it.  It's hard to see clearly, but that's why I've so thoughtfully added the arrow to the picture... ;)

The finished product is pretty cute.  #1 clearly enjoys it (hahaha!), and he said his teacher was very happy with it.  She asked him how he knew that purple was her favorite, and he said, "I've seen you wear it more than once."

Some girl is gonna luck out with this one as a husband someday!

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Two *More* Men in the House

At least one is inanimate.  He's a ceramic frog.  That lives in a glass bowl with a free goldfish that Son #2 won at school yesterday.  And then spent $14 on supplies for.

I know they say that there's no such thing as a free cat.  Same apparently applies to goldfish.

But #2 is completely enamored with this whole set-up, because, finally, he has a pet all of his own.  And, as long as he flushes it himself when the time comes, I'm totally up for it!

So, without further ado, let me introduce you to Frazier the fish...

...and Ali the bullfrog!

The boys decided to name the fish after Joe Frazier, the boxer, so we had to be all theme-y and name the frog after one, too!  Turns out to be a good match, because it seems that Ali has already lost an eye overnight...

These two are bound for greatness, I tell you!  At least for a month.  That's #2's goal for how long he can keep this fish alive...  I'll tell you how it goes.

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DIY Teacher Gifts, Part 3 (and a freebie!)

Son #2 and his third grade teacher kinda bonded over their mutual love of coffee with French Vanilla creamer. It started the morning that I made new inserts for the kids' travel mugs so they could take coffee or cocoa on their chilly walk to school.  (His is the Dog Whisperer one...)

It was natural, then, that he wanted to give her something coffee-related as her appreciation gift.  So, when he spotted this on Pinterest, the search was over.  Click pictures to enlarge...

This packaging is a riot.  Just ask for a cup, lid and straw from the barista when you buy your gift card.  Easy peasy!  I had it all put together last night and was printing the tag when Hubs came home from a meeting and asked when I had gone out for coffee...it looks that *awesome*!

The inspiration instructions say to stuff the bottom with brown tissue paper.  Well, I didn't have any of that; but I have stacks of scrapbooking paper, including this *awesome* (that's #2's favorite word, after all) brown sheet with sort of a subtle mottled print.  Looks exactly like iced coffee!  I tinkered around a bit and finally came up with a template to cut out and insert into the cup.

I used a piece of scotch tape to keep it rolled just right.  Then, just pop in your gift card and top off with some white tissue paper and the lid.  This is a perfect chance to use some leftover tissue, because it looks *awesome* no matter how wrinkled it is.  Full disclosure: I think I used a piece that was packaging from #2's brand new tennis shoes!

I tied on the tag by running some embroidery floss right through the tag and straw with a needle. It seemed nicer than just taping it on somewhere...I'm a little silly like that.

He pretty much loved it ("That's *awesome*, Mom!").  And, to make it *awesome-r* yet, I've made printable templates for both the cup insert and the tag!  WOOT!

(That's *my* favorite word!)

        

 Just click the image to download!  Enjoy!

You may also like: DIY Teacher Gifts, Part 1 and Part 2!

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DIY Teacher Gifts, Part 2

Banana decided, predictably, to give her Kindergarten teacher flowers as an end-of-the-year gift.  And she wanted her to have them early so she can set them on her desk for a while...so, she's taking them in tomorrow, a week before school actually closes.

Like Pup (DIY Teacher Gifts, Part 1), she chose her gift from this fantastic, comprehensive list we found on Pinterest.  This blog has dozens of great ideas, and she chose the colored pencil flower vase (number 13 on the list).  You can click the photos to enlarge...

This project is wonderfully simple.  I used a small coffee can and hot glued colored pencils to it.  I expected to get the pencils from the dollar store, but ended up with regular #2 pencils that had colored barrels from Walmart, instead.  I needed two 24-count boxes of the colored variety at $1.12 each and one smaller package of the standard yellow pencils at less than fifty cents.

The inspiration project had the pencils arranged on a diagonal, but it worked better for us to go vertical because the pencils were unsharpened.  Frankly, I like it better this way...I like not having the pointy tops!  I had originally bought yellow ruler-print ribbon for this, but Banana fell in love with this pre-tied red grosgrain from my ribbon stash.  And, since it is *her* gift...I obliged, and used the ruler stuff on Pup's projects instead.

The bloom tag comes from the same pin, farther down the list at #29.  As usual, I couldn't leave well enough alone and ended up altering it slightly to include Banana's name.  The download comes in three colors, too, so it will match any flowers you choose!  We just cut it out and stuck it to the ribbon with a pop-dot so it will come off later for her teacher.

A recycled salsa jar was a perfect snug fit to hold the flowers, and she's good to go!

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