I always joke that we have a birthday parade in our house as all our birthdays fall between late November and mid February, naturally some of those months are the busiest of the year. The first birthday in January is M's and this year she is turning 5, which is a big thing for a little girl. When I decided where to have her party my only criteria was that it was easy for me. So I picked a local place that does a cooking class with the kids (pizza in this case). After they cook and eat their pizza they will decorate cupcakes and have them as the birthday cake! I do not have to bring a thing. if you are in the Boston area you really should check out Create a cook, I have heard great things and will report back after the party. This event is coming up in a few weeks and I needed to get invitations, so yesterday in my continued procrastination I thought up a new project on the way home from picking M up a school. I made a detour and stopped up at staples. Picked up one package of these.. When we got home I took out one card and asked M to draw a picture of something she likes about birthdays. Then I asked her to write a 5, I got this... I scanned it into the computer, put it into the card template, and printed the front side. When I was done with all the front pictures I typed up the inside, did a few tests to make sure I was loading the printer correctly, and printed the inside. Voila 10 perfect party invitations! I decided to be lazy/fancy and typed the return address and changed the mailing address for each recipient (again only 10) and printed them out in pink (M's favorite color). Now they are stamped and done...on to the next project! Oh, and I can reprint more of the cards and have her use them for thank you notes after the party!
0 Comments
Well it is official, my children are at home for two weeks. Once you become a parent, with school age children, you develop a love/hate relationship with school vacations and snow days (at least I have)! I have been somewhat obsessed with the Alabama Stitch book since I purchased it over the summer. I made myself a skirt and am currently working on a christmas present. I did use the techniques from the book to create a great project for M. First I asked her to draw me a picture and I used it to create a stencil. I had her paint her picture onto the tee shirt.... I then let it dry and reverse appliquéd and appliquéd the details of her picture in. It is now one of her favorites!
We got the tree yesterday, which is usually the highlight of the holiday, however we received an amazing gift from my good friend Chesley that was far more entertaining for the family. It involved candy, cookie pieces and frosting and my children were so excited that they wanted to do it the day it came in the mail!
Chesley sent us a gingerbread house kit from Williams Sonoma: For me this was amazing because I didn't have to cook, clean, or prepare anything! I am amazed that my mother used to do all this and my best friend Johanna would come over and we would assemble the pieces that my mom had baked and cut with the frosting she had made! With a 4 and 2 year old I am obviously not there yet. My children loved this (I include my husband in this statement) because they had never made a gingerbread house before! All I did was help kneed the frosting and cut a hole in the pouch, assemble the house and let them go to it. I did however have to leave the room when my husband made the snowman green! The children spent hours frosting and sticking candy to the house and it is now on display in the Dining Room. Maybe today we will get the tree decorated! A big thank you to Chesley for all the holiday fun and we are all amazed at your Christmas time preparation even with a new baby! We wish you loads of restful nights and lots of snuggles!
|
About Vallery...I live outside of Boston with my husband, two children, and dog. For the past 8 years I have been working with clients to help them make their home dreams a reality. From helping to build homes from the ground up to helping round out already finished spaces, I listen to my clinets and let their vision guide our process. I have always been a creative person planning spaces and working to make them function better. After completing the Residential Interiors program at Boston Architectural College I learned how to combine my love for funcion and flow with my eye for color, scale, and balance. As a graduate of New York University's Stern School of Business, I understand project planning and budget management. My experience working with clients, contractors, and architects helps to coordinate and streamline the home building and renovation process, helping my clients to have the home they dream of with less of the stress that comes with building and decision making. Archives
April 2018
Categories |