Quick post...after birthday celebration

Ok, I may have over done it for Hazel's birthday party because I haven't been feeling so good the past couple of days. So this will be a quick post. A reminder that Sharing Saturday is open please come share all your fun activities you have been doing with or for your kids and check out everyone else's!

I thought I would share a few of our favorite gifts that Hazel received.

My favorite: A Waldorf Doll that was my grandmother, Hazel's. My parents bought this for her after my mother made my nephew one and she decided she really wanted one. They saved it for Hazel and gave it to her for her birthday.

From my sister and her husband, The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pickney. A great book with no words (a few sounds, but that is it) and gorgeous pictures. They also gave her a savings bond, but I'm more excited about the book.

From Hazel's Australian penpal, Master D and his mom, Kelly over at Happy Whimsical Hearts, a beautiful gnome in a sleeping bag. Ok, this was actually her Christmas gift from them, but it is so wonderful, I had to share it. They sent her a great book for her birthday, Around the Year by Elsa Beskow.

From us, Melissa and Doug's cupcake set. I was so upset when Steve's mother bought this for Hazel to use at her house a few months ago since I had bought it on sale and put it away knowing she would love it. But she loved it so much she kept asking for one at our house as well. So now she has one. Highly recommend it for anyone whose child loves to pretend to cook.

From her godparents, a toy mixer that spins. It came with measuring spoons and cookie cutters as well. She loves it!

You can also see pieces of her new tea set from Steve's mother. We sent it over to her house since we already have two here plus the one I needle felted for her.

From a neighbor and friend of Steve's mother, a furry hippo backpack with a nap blanket rolled in it. Needless to say she was wearing all day.

Another one of Hazel's favorites: Caillou figurines. She loves Caillou and Rosie. In fact she named her favorite duck Caillou and its twin (though she can tell them apart) Rosie. This was from good friends. Although they are plastic they are the only Caillou things I have ever seen besides the books and dvd's. She put them in her tree house.

Also from Steve's mother, a doll carrier. Right now it has Elmo, Ducky/Caillou, and a naked baby in it. Something for her to carry her babies around is always good.

We also received many good books and some clothes. And of course some donations for the charity which is what we requested.

Our favorite wrapping was this wonderful gift bag/backpack.

Isn't it adorable?

The final thing to share, Hazel's birthday countdown wheel. She loved this. We started on the first (it works nicely having the last day be your birthday) with the number 31 and by your birthday you get: "Happy Birthday".

Well those seem to be the favorites right now! Hope you are having a great day!

Happy New Year!! And now onto the birthday party pictures

Happy New Year to you and your family!! I hope 2012 is your best year yet in every way!

I promised to share pictures from Hazel's third birthday party, so this is the post. You may remember I shared the invitation, the favors and some decorations, decorations done with My Memories, and birthday hats and more decorations previously. So I won't repeat those at least not too much.

More Birthday Party Preparations

Yesterday we baked some thumbprint cookies which we will call Little Jack Horner Thumbprints. I also started making the birthday hats. I decided our Jack and Jill ones were a bit impractical to make and wear, so I used some of the used nursery rhyme books I bought for decorations and cut out the pages. Each page is a hat. I formed a cone with it and used some glue stick. Then I punched a hole on each side. I used elastic cord with a bead on each end to keep it.

I used two different size books so some are for adults and some are for kids. I think they came out pretty well.

I also used some smaller used books to make one of the book page wreaths I saw on line.

Now I just need to find a place to hang it.

Last night I also made some Jello play dough which I have to say is much more work than the other kinds. In fact I made the traditional homemade play dough afterwards and separated it into two colors and scents. This will be on the table for the children to play baker's man with a reference to pat-a-cake.

Today I will be making the cake. Tonight setting up the house and tomorrow cooking like crazy and then enjoying. I'm thankful to my parents for coming to help me with all the prep work and especially my mom who is helping with everything!

Hope you have a great day. Come back tonight or tomorrow for our Sharing Saturday. This will be the last one I will be doing solo. New changes to come in the new year!!

Nursery Rhyme Birthday Party Preparation Under Way

This week we have been busy getting things ready for Hazel's 3rd birthday. I shared the invitation I made with you previously. Now I'll show you some of the crafts we have been working on. I need to do the last part of Hazel's dress, but I made her a dress from some Hey Diddle, Diddle fabric which I used in her quilt. I am making a pinafore for it as well. I also need to finish sewing the cloth napkins. I bought Three Blind Mice and Humpty Dumpty fabrics on clearance for napkins and am serging the edges since I couldn't find any nursery rhyme themed paper products. I figure I'll make a quilt out of them after the party.

 

Hazel and I spent a bit of time this week on favors. I had found 18 Strawberry Buttercream wax tarts on clearance earlier this year and bought them. Unfortunately we need  more than 18 adult favors, so we made some of the cinnamon apple ornaments in hearts and stamped them with a Thanks stamp.

I figured I could use the same rhyme for both. We also included a couple of pretty magnets in each bag.

Adult Favor Tag

For the children we made homemade play dough. We made orange and blue both with glitter and scented clove orange (using ground cloves and orange extract).  And we made a lavender play dough with dried lavender flowers and glitter in it and scented also with lemon extract. I bought little plastic snack cups at the dollar store to put them in and then we will put one in each gift bag. On this one we put a tag with Pat-a-cake type rhyme on it.

Play dough tag

 We also made some Jack and Jill hats. After finishing two, I decided that was enough of these. I changed the idea a bit but had gotten it from a craft book I found in the library.

We also are working on the Mary, Mary Quite Contrary centerpiece. Again an idea from the same book. The homemade flowers include ones that have silver bells, and shells and pictures of pretty maids as well as ones that are just pretty.

What we still have to do is make a wreath from old nursery rhyme books, make more paper hats from old books, finish our banners, make some play dough for the pat-a-cake station, make some different level "candles" from cardboard for the Jack Be Nimble contest and if I have time finish the cross stitched towel for the bathroom (with the cat and fiddle on it). Plus of course the cooking and baking. My parents arrive tomorrow so hopefully I'll have some help. Well I'm off to sew...hopefully I can finish the sewing today so I can move onto other things.

Hope you are having a great day!