Centerpieces for a Celebration of Life or Other Type of Celebration -- Crafty Sunday Post

 

My father passed away in January. He had suffered from Alzheimer's Disease for over ten years. It was hard to watch his decline all those years. When he died, I truly felt he was finally in a better place. However, the Friday he died was right before one of the big snowstorms we had this past winter. My mother had just gotten out of rehab for her latest hospitalization and was still struggling. We decided to put off any services for our dad. We wanted our mother to be healthier and thought the springtime would be better as Dad loved flowers. We talked about where we wanted to have a celebration of life for him. I came up with the idea of a park, Elizabeth Park, in Hartford/West Hartford because it was a special place for our family growing up. We would ride our bikes there and my father loved the rose garden. In fact, my sisters and I wonder if this is where his love of roses came from. It is the oldest municipal rose garden in the United States and the third largest. Everyone loved the idea. Then came the question of having it at the restaurant/facility center there or outside. We decided to have it at the Pond House Cafe there. It was a beautiful setting and close to the rose garden in case anyone wanted to visit. In fact, I took Hazel and Steve to the rose garden before we began setting up for the celebration.

Books for Bedtime and More!

 

Disclosure: I was sent copies of these books in order to provide honest reviews. All opinions are my own.

At bedtime, I always loved reading a book about going to bed or with characters going to sleep at the end of it when Hazel was little. I always felt like it was the perfect way to lead to turning off the lights. Today we get to share three very different books of this type. One is about noise. One is a Korean folktale, and the final one is about a sleepover! We will start with The Very Noisy House by Sally Nicholls and illustrated by Gosia Herba. It is recommended for ages 2 to 5.

Celebrating New Year's with Kids Roundup with Crafts, Activities & More for Different Ages

 

New Year's Eve is almost here. To celebrate New Year's Eve one things about a countdown, fireworks and noisemakers, as well as a toast and special food and activities to keep everyone awake and entertained until the ball drops. New Year's Day is full of rest, brunch, resolutions and visiting. How do you celebrate with your kids? Over the years we have found some fun age-appropriate ways to celebrate with Hazel. New Year's is a special holiday for us because of her birthday. But even without her birthday around New Year's, I feel the start of a new year as a special restart for everyone. There are so many different ways it is celebrated around the world and even some different times of the year. Between the many countries that celebrate the lunar new year (this year it begins February 17, 2026) and the Jewish culture that celebrates Rosh Hashanah and of course the teachers who "celebrate" with a new school year. For this New Year's Eve I pulled together old posts, features from Sharing Saturday and asked fellow bloggers for ideas for you! 

Fairy Day Games -- Book Review & Giveaway with Fairy Craft Round-Up

 

Disclosure: I was sent a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. I am working with The Children's Book Review and Expound Publicity to bring you this post and giveaway.

Our house has loved fairies for a long time. One of our favorite photos of Hazel when she was younger was with her fairy wings on. 

Hazel loved fairies when she was younger. We read just about every book with fairies in them. Today I get to share a new one that has a young girl dreaming of going to the fairy party that welcomes everyone in the forest and belonging. The book is Fairy Day Games by Mari Sherkin and illustrated by David Gnass. With this review there is a giveaway as well as a fairy craft round-up. 

Alycat and the Sleepover Saturday -- Book Review & Giveaway

 

Disclosure: I was sent a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I am working with The Children's Book Review and Alysson Foti Bourque for this blog tour and will receive a small stipend for the post.

Today I get to share with you the newest Alycat book. Last year I got to share with you a different book from this series. The Alycat series is a fun series of picture books that are set in a cat world without people or dogs. They are full of lessons. Today's book is Alycat and the Sleepover Saturday by Alysson Foti Bourque and illustrated by Chiara Civati. 

New Year's Resolutions/Word of the Year for Tweens & Teens

 

Having a birthday around New Year's always makes for an interesting party. When Hazel was young we had a party on New Year's Day for all of our family and friends. Then we started having two parties, our New Year's Day for family and family friends as well as another one for her friends. Eventually we stopped the family and friend party. Themes for her friend parties have ranged from current favorites like Minnie Mouse, Harry Potter, and Frozen to generic themes like New Year's Eve. As she got older we started doing sleep over parties. That changed with Covid. Last year we did a social distant with a window open Paris themed party. We had multiple small tables for the girls to sit in pairs like a Paris Cafe. This year we are having a party on New Year's Day with a butterfly theme. I picked the theme. I chose butterfly since she is turning 13. I feel like 13 is a big birthday since she will become a teenager. Just like a caterpillar metamorphosizes into a butterfly Hazel will begin to metamorphosize into an adult. She likes the butterfly theme but does not like my explanation of it. 

Father Daughter Snow Ball and Valentine's Day a Crafty Weekends Review and Link Party

Disclosure: Oriental Trading sent me these products in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. 

Having the right school really means so much to a child. I am glad we have finally found the right fit for Hazel. One of the things she loved at her previous school was the Father Daughter Snow Ball. Her new school did not usually have one, but this year we started that tradition!! Her old school called it a Snow Ball but decorated for Valentine's Day. Our planning committee decided to decorate like a winter wonderland and I turned to Oriental Trading to help us do this. With white Christmas lights that I bought after Christmas when they were on clearance and decorations from Oriental Trading as well as few borrowed from people's Christmas supplies we transformed the school into a winter wonderland. As the girls and their fathers walked in they were greeted with "falling" snowflakes.

The Year of the Dog--Chinese New Year

Disclosure: I was sent these products in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. 

It is hard to believe the lunar new year is approaching. This year it is February 16, 2018. This coming year will be the year of the dog in the Chinese horoscope. I always love when it is the year of the dog since that is the sign I was born under. Now this year we had a New Year's Eve themed birthday party for Hazel and one of the things I tried to do was have some different cultures represented so we had a table set up for the Chinese New Year with items from Oriental Trading. 

Hawaii Dreaming in our Winter Wonderland a Crafty Weekends Review & Link Party

Disclosure: Oriental Trading sent me these products in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This winter we have had unbelievable cold weather and lately several snow storms. It has been a bit of a winter wonderland. Once we got rid of the first snow, it snowed again.

New chapter books for grades 1-3

Disclosure: I was sent these books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Today I am sharing some books for our beginning chapter book readers. The suggested ages for these books are grades 1 through 3. I will introduce the books in order of easiest to read to hardest. The first book is Joe and Sparky, Party Animals! by Jamie Michalak and illustrated by Frank Remkiewicz. 

Fairy & Ice Cream Party Updates

Disclosure:  Some of the links are affiliate links where I will receive a small percentage of any purchases made through them at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting Crafty Moms Share!

I am finally stopping to catch up after the holidays and Hazel's birthday. Today I am going to share some of the details of her two birthday parties. First we always have a family and adult and younger kid party for her birthday. This year we decided on an ice cream theme. I made invitations with My Memories Suite.

Non-Scary Halloween Part 1 -- Peanuts Party, Teal Pumpkin & More

Disclosure: I was sent these items to review free of charge from Oriental Trading. All opinions in this post are my own. I did not receive any other compensation for this review.

It is October and this is Hazel's least favorite month. Many of the Halloween decorations and costumes scare her. In fact there are only a few stores she will go into with me this time of year. Yes, just seeing the Halloween displays can give her nightmares. But she does love to dress-up and loves to trick-or-treat in our neighborhood, so I always try to find a friendly way to celebrate Halloween. Last year we did a Christian Halloween party. This year Hazel discovered Snoopy and the Peanuts gang so thanks to Oriental Trading we are hosting a Peanuts themed Halloween party. 

Summertime Fun Ideas from Oriental Trading

Disclosure: I was sent these items to review free of charge from Oriental Trading. All opinions in this post are my own. I did not receive any other compensation for this review. I am including links to the products for your convenience but do not receive anything if you buy from them.

So one of the things that got me going on our Summertime Fun Series is this amazing review for Oriental Trading. We picked out a variety of things to review to bring different summertime activities to you. Hope you will try some of them out.

Horse Play! -- Crafty Weekends Review & Link Party

Disclosure: I was sent this book to review free of charge from Storey Publishing. All opinions in this post are my own. I did not receive any other compensation for this review. I am including links for your convenience but do not receive anything if you purchase from them.

Do you know a child that loves horses? Then you will love today's book or should I say she will. The book is Horse Play! by Deanna F. Cook and Katie Craig. Update: This book is no longer in print. I have provided a link to buy used copies at Amazon. It is recommended for ages 8 to 12.

Thirty-one Party -- Review & Party!!

Disclosure: Your purchases at the party will give me special hostess buying opportunities. 

Are you ready for summertime fun? I know I am. I'm going to share a secret with you. Are you ready? I am ready and organized for summer with my latest find--Thirty-One Bags!! Now I had bought a couple different bags a few years ago when a friend hosted a party. My favorite bag from that purchase is my Fresh Market Thermal Bag. I love using this bag at the Farmer's Market. I am able to put all of our purchases in and keep them cool. It also works well for bringing various food items to my parents (a 2 hour drive). Often I pack some of our favorites so my mother doesn't have to try to find them at her stores.

Crafty Weekends: Paper Pom-Poms & Other Party Decorations Book Review & Link Party

I am hosting a giveaway to win ABC Monsters & Houdini DVDs ! Have you entered yet?

Disclosure:  Ryland Peters & Small sent me a copy of this book free of charge to review. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation. As in all my reviews I am providing links for your ease, but receive no compensation.

Today I am sharing the perfect book for the DIY party decoration maker. This book has amazing ideas and instructions for making some common party decorations as well as creative new ones. I brought it into work (at the Paper Source) and my manager loved the book and wanted a copy for herself. The book is Paper Pom-Poms ad Other Party Decorations by Juliet Carr.

 I started with some basic party decorations. The rosette and the paper pom-pom. For the rosette I used a hummingbird paper from the Paper Source. I am planning on making some more for Hazel's Wild Kratts themed birthday party this year. I got a small rip in it unfortunately.

Christian Halloween Party

Disclosure: I was sent these items to review free of charge from Oriental Trading. All opinions in this post are my own. I did not receive any other compensation for this review. I am including links to the products for your convenience but do not receive anything if you buy from them.

 Now I have not been shy about my feelings about Halloween. I really hate the gore and how far people take it. Hazel is easily frightened and I can no longer take her into some stores because of the Halloween products. I have tried and regret it due to the bad dreams she has. When I was offered to do a post using Halloween products from Oriental Trading, I hesitated, but then remembered all their great Sunday School supplies. Hazel and I planned a Christian Halloween Party. Many of the parents at her school do not celebrate the holiday or take their kids to a church event on Halloween. Needless to say many feel like I do about the holiday. We started by sending out an Evite. We asked the guests to dress as their favorite Biblical character. Hazel wanted to be Queen Esther. I let her pick out the color of the Nativity Child Costume she wanted and she picked the Pink Nativity Child Costume. We made a handknit belt to wear with it and added beads to the ends. (Hazel ended up being the only one to wear a costume, but she did not care. She was really excited to be Queen Esther.)

Celebrating Roald Dahl's Birthday Month with Crafts for Some of His Books

Disclosure: Penguin Kids gave me a copy of these books free of charge for this review in return for an honest review. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation.  As in all my reviews I am providing links for your ease, but receive no compensation.

Roald Dahl was born on September 13, 1916. To honor him, Penguin Kids asked us to read a few of his books and come up with a craft or activity to go with each of them. Now I will admit that I sadly only really knew the story of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I know I read Charlie and the Glass Elevator when I was young and I have seen the movie version of Matilda, but that is about all of my knowledge of Roald Dahl's stories. I was given a list to choose three of his books from and I showed it to Steve. He didn't recognize any of them until I mentioned Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and he said Willy Wonka. Needless to say we included Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to our list. 

Where You Go....I Go Book Buddies Review & Craft

Disclosure: Parragon Books sent me a copy of this book free of charge. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation. As always I am providing links to the book for your convenience.

For July's Book Buddies, Parragon Books sent us Where You Go ... I Go by Beth Shoshan and illustrated by Petra Brown. This is a sweet book told in the point of view of a young elephant talking to his mother. The book goes through a day in the life of the elephant. 

Sharing Saturday 15-11

Thank you to everyone who shared with us last week!! Once again I am amazed to see such creative ideas. If you have not had a chance to check them out, you definitely need to. They are so inspiring!! The features are just a small sampling of what there is. This week's features are Party Foods, Kites and Easter, Raising Girls, Art, Lessons and Crafts.