September 2013

Over the past year, I have been lucky to meet some very lovely ladies and their adorable children through our playgroup. I had been in other mommy groups and classes and haven’t really clicked with anyone so I am thankful to have found these ladies and get to spend time with them on a weekly basis. Our friendship has grown outside of the regularly scheduled playgroup now and I am so excited that we have now started to be invited to some of the kids birthday parties.

The first party we have been invited to was a Dora themed party so I wanted to find the perfect gift. There is a lot of cheap Dora themed stuff out there so I ended up settling on a cute Disney princess dress and tea party set. I decided I could make it Dora themed through the wrapping, so I bought a roll of purple wrapping paper and set to work!

Part 1 – “Backpack” wrapping

This idea came from purple paper bag backpack themed treat bags I have seen on the internet. The gift I bought was a nice rectangular shape so I decided to wrap it and make it look like backpack. I simply started by wrapping the gift as normal with purple paper. The pockets, top flap and back straps were just folded out of the same gift wrap and taped on. The finishing touch was Backpack’s face which I found on the internet and printed on my home computer. It was cut out and attached with double sided tape.

The pockets on the backpack were stuffed with Dora fruit snacks and a Dora themed activity book I found from the dollar store. When I showed the final backpack to my 3 year old, his first questions was “where’s Map?” With all the other stuff I had for the pockets I didn’t even think to add him, but I am so glad my 3 year old suggested it! To make Map, all I did was print the same face I used for backpack and rolled up the sheet of paper.

Part 2 – Helium Balloon Star

If you have been “lucky” enough to have seen an episode of Dora, you have probably seen the happy faced stars floating around. When looking for Dora gift ideas on the internet I came across pictures of these stars and they reminded me of the star shaped helium balloons I have seen at Dollar Tree. I know how much my 3 year old loves helium balloons so I thought this would be a nice little addition to the gift. Unfortunately my Dollar Tree was out of the big star shaped balloons so my idea to have stars floating above backpack had to be modified to be a small star shaped balloon coming out of Backpack’s pocket.

The balloons are cute on their own, but I figured they could use an extra Dora touch by adding faces to them. To do this, I simply painted eyes on in whiteout and used a sharpie to draw in the mouth and eyeballs. And then I found cute “Happy Birthday” helium balloon with Dora on it at Dollarama so I was still able to have a balloon floating above backpack!

I love the way it turned out and was so excited to give it to the birthday girl. She didn’t even notice the gift inside wasn’t Dora related, and her mom tells me she was asking for a princess dress anyway, so it ended up being a perfect gift all around.

Now my problem will be to come up with something equally awesome for the next party! I think I may have set the expectations a little high.

Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites: Orijen Dog Treats

September 27, 2013September 27, 2013 chantelledoll

We have been feeding our dogs Orijen brand dog food for several years. There seem to be a lot of dog food commercials lately asking you if you know what is in your pets food and I am very confident that Orijen stacks up just as well, if not better, then those foods being advertised. The dogs really seem to enjoy it, it is high protein and organic, and I really liked that it is produced locally in the town of Morinville, just outside Edmonton.

We ran out of dog food this past weekend so I made a quick trip to the pet store to pick up a bag. While there, I was excited to see Orijen now has a line of dog treats out and decided to pick up a bag for the dogs to try. There are 8 different flavors, and I ended up going with the Tundra – a mixture of freeze dried elk, quail and trout.

Nova has been picky about her treats lately and will barely touch a milkbone, so I was so happy to see she snapped these right up. Judging by both dog’s enthusiasm when I now reach for the bag, I would say they are a winner and will continue to be a doggy staple in our house. I love that I can offer them some variety with all the different flavors, and I am so happy to have found something I can use again to entice Nova downstairs when needed!

Celebrations, Parties

Camden’s First Birthday Luau

September 26, 2013October 3, 2013 chantelledoll

We were lucky enough to take a family vacation to Hawaii when Camden was 9 months old. While there, I learned that first birthday’s are a big event in the Hawaiian culture and that led me to my inspiration for Camden’s first Birthday – a birthday Luau.

The invitations were designed using a picture of Camden I had taken in Hawaii.

The birthday boy’s special outfit was a Carter’s onesie and a Hawaiian print short set I bought when we were in Hawaii. I didn’t buy the set planning to use it with the onesie, but it ended up matching perfectly. If you check out Keira’s first birthday party, you’ll also notice she had the same onesie in pink!

I found most of my decorations on orientaltrading.com. They had a line of luau party supplies with rubber duckies that worked perfect for a first birthday. I ordered plates, napkins, garland, centerpieces, a custom banner, hanging palm trees and small rubber duckies for both favors and the cake topper:

Besides the cake, other Hawaiian inspired desserts I made included sand dollar sugar cookies and macadamia coconut macaroons. These were displayed in “sand” I made from a mixture of brown sugar and graham cracker crumbs. I also brought back some macadamia nut Hershey Kisses from Hawaii that got put out with the desserts along with some Almond Joy Pieces.

Camden’s monthly photo’s were displayed over the fireplace using small picture holders I found at Michaels. A hanging palm tree, painted cardboard surfboards and a few beach toys also helped set the scene above the mantel.

The tiki inspired drink bar was a DIY project made from bamboo sticks, rope, and a dollar store hula skirt for the roof. I saw similar bars at party supply stores and online, but this ended up being a much cheaper option. Drinks were tropical soda’s and Corona – not quite Hawaiian, but still beachy!

Food was all Luau inspired and included barbequed huli huli chicken skewers, teriyaki beef skewers, Hawaiian potato salad, Hula Grill coleslaw, marinated shrimp, macadamia nut hummus with root vegetable chips, mini ham and pineapple pizzas, a fruit bouquet and luau pig bites. Items were labelled using small tent cards I designed and printed at home.

Most of our party guests were under the age of one or adults so I ended up having two different favors. The babies got stacking blocks, luau rubber duckies, a duckie printed beach ball and tiny sunglasses while the adults got these peep favors:

This was my first attempt at a party and what really helped spark my passion for party planning. It is fun to look back at all the details – I have gotten better at taking pictures, but the small attention to detail has been there since the beginning. I know my baby’s won’t remember their first birthdays, but I still feel it was well worth the time and effort to give them that special day and have these pictures to look back at!

Celebrations, Gift Ideas

Hawaiian Themed Personal Candy Buffet

September 25, 2013October 10, 2013 chantelledoll

I have been to very few Bridal showers, but I was lucky enough to be able to attend two this summer. I love attending, but always find it a struggle to come up with the perfect gift! I could easily buy off a registry, but I prefer to give something a little more personal and unique.

I posted about the personal candy buffet I did for my sister in law, and because it went over so well at her shower I decided to attempt another for my co-worker’s shower. We shared an office and she often had candy tucked away in her desk so I knew it would definitely be something she would enjoy.

Because she was getting married in Hawaii, the obvious choice was to do a tropical theme. I was able to find all kinds of Luau decorations at the dollar store including small palm trees, a coconut cup and dancing hula girl which I arranged on a platter with various glass containers also found at the dollar store.

Personal touches I added were the “Sweet Love” banner across the top and candy labels I designed and printed at home. The lollipops also got the Hawaiian treatment by inserting them through silk flowers from a lei that I cut apart.

The candy I selected also tried to keep with the tropical theme and included tropical skittles, gummy sharks, tropical jellies, pixie stiks, peanut butter M&M’s and tropical Mike & Ikes.

It turned out very cute and the bride told me it was the best gift she received. I am not sure whether this was just something she told all her guests, but I’ll take it!

Celebrations, Parties

Hangin’ With My Gnomies Bridal Shower

September 17, 2013October 3, 2013 chantelledoll

I had the pleasure of being my sister’s Maid of Honor last August – my first time being in a wedding party! I was thrilled to be part of my sister’s wedding day and excited because it meant I got to plan a Bridal shower.

When my sister first told me she wanted a gnome themed Bridal shower, I wasn’t quite sure if she was serious about it or just pulling my leg. After confirming that was indeed her choice of theme, I began designing and acquiring gnome related items. She was very specific about the style of gnome she wanted so while I found plenty of gnome statues, none of them quite fit with her vision. In the end, I designed my own gnomes to use on her invites and as cardboard cut-outs for table decorations.

The invite:

The main food table was decorated with mushrooms, fake grass and plants, and a white picket fence. A banner with the Bride and Groom’s name was strung across two topiary trees and cardboard cut-outs of gnomes were placed throughout.

I think that food is one of the most important aspects of a shower, so I spent a lot of time scouring the internet for finger food recipes. The final menu I made included bacon wrapped dates, baked brie pops, mini twice baked potatoes, veggies and dip in small flower pots, stuffed mushrooms, and chicken salad rollups.

Other guests were kind enough to bring the amazing fruit bouquet, mango salsa with tortilla chips, and a fruit salsa with cinnamon chips.

Desserts included s’mores bites and a beautiful cake with adorable toadstool cupcakes made by our friend Katy.

Drinks were a non-alcoholic watermelon punch and red wine sangria, as well as layered cherry jello shooters.

For favors and an activity, I had a flip flop decorating station. The guests were asked to RSVP with their shoe size and favorite color and I picked everyone out a pair of flip flops when Old Navy had their $1 flip flop sale. Glue guns, ribbons, beads and flowers were provided and guests went to working adding a little extra pizazz to their new sandals. It ended up being a lot of fun to see what everyone came up with and guests then had a pair of comfy shoes to bring to the casual camp themed wedding.

Another component of the shower (as seen in the invite above) was donating to the underpants gnome. Guests each brought a pair of fun new underwear for the bride-to-be and we strung them on a line in the living room. They were paired with an advice card and the bride had to guess who had given them based on the advice written and the style of underwear chosen. She had a lot tougher time guessing then I would have expected and there were many laughs shared with the crazy marriage advice and the gag underwear that were about 5 sizes too big.

Finally, I also made a few gnome themed props from foam core and posterboard to take some fun photos of the bride-to-be and her guests.

Even though we were stuffed from all the appetizers, we finished the evening off going for dinner and then out dancing. I had a ton of fun planning this shower and providing a special day for my sister and now can’t wait to one day be able to plan a baby shower for her!

Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites: Official Puppy Hugger Shirt

September 13, 2013 chantelledoll

There is no question my little girl love’s her puppy’s. Since she’s been able to crawl, she can often be found on the floor cuddled up to one dog or the other.

One of her first words was “dog” and she squeals in delight when she sees our dogs first thing in the morning or when we come across another dog outside.

When I found this shirt at Carter’s, I knew we had to have it. The saying couldn’t be more suited to her and the fact that our newest family member is half French bulldog made it all that much more perfect.

I have loved Carter’s clothes for both my kids. Their stuff is very cute and it is comfortable for playing and sleeping in. I ended up with a lot of puppy themed articles for my son and I love that their current line has a lot of puppy themed stuff for the girls. Keira wears some of her brothers hand-me-downs, but I am a sucker for pink on my little girl and may just have to go back to Carter’s to check out some of these other puppy items:

Crafts, Little Hands

TMNT Pool Noodle Nunchuks

September 10, 2013October 10, 2013 chantelledoll

They’re heroes in a half shell and they’re green!

We’ve been bitten by the Turtle bug. I made the mistake of buying my 3.5 year some of the old 1980’s Ninja Turtle Episodes from the $5 Walmart DVD bin and then Grandma was kind enough to pass on my younger brother’s collection of Ninja Turtle action figures to us. Now it is all turtle talk, all the time.

When the theme song comes on, Camden likes to put on his backpack (AKA Turtle Shell) and run through the house showing off his ninja moves. He kept asking for nunchuks so I made him a quick set of toilet paper tube nunchuks, but with a puppy and younger sister these just didn’t hold up. I keep seeing the pool noodle light sabers floating around interest so I decided why not use a pool noodle to make a set of nunchuks. They are soft enough that they won’t hurt, but are much more heavy duty then the cardboard toilet paper tube.

All it took was a pool noodle, some duct tape and a bit of rope. To cut the pool noodle, I simply used a serrated kitchen knife.

It was a quick and cheap project and I came out looking like an awesome mom. I even had enough pool noodle left over to craft up one of the aforementioned Light Sabres! Win win! I did search Pool Noodle Nunchuks on pinterest later to find out this wasn’t a completely original idea, but I still felt it was worthy of sharing.

It has been a couple weeks now and they are still holding up after a lot of use. If I were to make another set, I would probably try to find a black or grey noodle and add colored duct tape in one of the turtle colors – blue, orange, red or purple.

Our next Turtle project? I have already told Camden we can try to make some turtle ooze like seen on this blog – I just need to pick up the ingredients.

And for Halloween, Camden is insistent that he is going to be Raphael so I may just have to forgo the pumpkin and carve one of these watermelon’s to coordinate with his costume!

Doll House

Designing for the Dogs

September 9, 2013 chantelledoll

We absolutely adore our dogs and at this point we don’t see ever not having a dog in our house. As silly as it seems, they were a huge factor in many of the design decisions for the new house. They are members of the family and we want to make it as comfortable as possible for them to live in the house with us.

I was very happy we could fit a full bathroom on the main floor of the house. Currently we are having to wrap a towel around the dog and haul them all the way upstairs when they are muddy and need a bath. This is no small feat when your dog weighs 70lbs! To ensure easy hose-downs, we also added a pull-out spray hose in the tub and went with a slightly larger tub to give them plenty of room to turn around in and shake.

Our entire main floor is hardwood and tile. This will allow us to lead them right through the house and to the tub without having to worry about muddy paw prints staining the carpet. For the hardwood choice, we upgraded from maple to a harder hickory in hopes that it stands up better to scratches. We have also gone with a natural finish rather then a dark stain so that it camouflages what scratches we do get. Upstairs, the carpet had to be dark enough to hide both kid and dog stains and still be something fairly comfortable to lay around on.

The dogs will spend their time gated in the back entrance when we are away from the house. Because of this, we have had a custom unit designed for the back entrance that will include built-in dog dishes and a large space for a dog bed. My original thought was to build the dog dishes into the kitchen island, but it made more sense to put them in the back foyer where they are still easily accessible and where the dogs will spend a lot of their time.

The cubbies were just going up at our last walk-through, and I couldn’t be happier with the way it is all turning out. I love the convenience of the benches and cubbies in our current place, so this area was a must have for me. It will be nice to have a designated space for the dog dishes and a space for the dogs to sleep rather then a dog bed lying out on in the middle of the floor.

Outside the house, the backyard is going to provide a whole new set of challenges as we try to figure out the best way to divide the kids space and the dogs area. We already have some ideas in mind, but luckily we will have until next Spring to figure that all out.

Celebrations, Gift Ideas

A Welcome Basket for Doobie!

September 9, 2013October 10, 2013 chantelledoll

My sister and her husband spent Saturday travelling to their breeder to pick up their gorgeous new purebred white lab puppy. They have wanted one for a couple years now and decided to finally take the plunge when they found out two of their favourite dogs were going to be bred. I know it has been a long 8 weeks waiting for puppy to get big enough to pick up and I am so excited for them to finally have little Doobie home.

Isn’t he cute??

My sister has been great about giving my kids gifts and celebrating my growing family, so I wanted to do something special for her new little arrival. You can never have too many toys and treats with a puppy so I found a variety of things for her and packaged them in a small basket.

Other puppy necessities in the basket besides the toys, treats and bones included rug cleaner, dog shampoo, paw wipes, pee pads, a Litey Leash and the bone shaped poo bag dispenser hanging off the side.

Welcome to puppy ownership! Hopefully there aren’t too many restless nights, pee spots, or chewed items in your future.

Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites: Birthday Freebies!!

September 6, 2013 chantelledoll

Yesterday was my birthday. Leading up to the not-so-big day, I decided to try and take advantage of as many birthday deals as I could and signed up online for all kinds of loyalty clubs. There is a lot of good stuff out there and it was a fun to see my email inbox full of birthday wishes and coupons this week. After some printing and planning, we set out for our day…

We began the day with breakfast at Denny’s where I got to enjoy a free Grand Slam – I just had to present photo ID and purchase a drink. I opted for the French toast slam and the kids shared their own junior grand slam with eggs, bacon and pancakes.

Next it was off to the mall to pick up my free birthday gift from the Sephora Beauty Insider Club, check out the Lego store and try to find some new pyjamas for the baby. We accomplished the first two items, coming home with an adorable mascara and face highlighter from Sephora. I guess the PJ’s for the baby will have to wait.

The morning went quickly and it was soon time to head to Grandma and Grandpa’s. We made a quick stop at Booster Juice to get my free birthday smoothie for Camden to enjoy on the car ride and I stopped through the Starbucks drive through to get my free Birthday latte – Mmmm, Pumpkin Spice! The email from Booster Juice was for a full size smoothie, but I had them just give me a snack size for my little guy.

With the kids safely at Grandma and Grandpa’s, I went and met my husband at the new house for our 1:00 appointment with the finisher. We got to go over our plans for the shelving in the closets and check out the progress on the house. The cabinets were all in and it was a nice birthday surprise to see that the bathroom countertops had been installed.

After picking up the kids the plan was to go for ice cream, but they have been sick this week and both desperately needed naps. I received birthday emails for ice cream from Baskin Robbins (buy one cone get one free, $5 off a cake), Dairy Queen (buy a med blizzard get one free and $3 off a cake), and Marble Slab (free small cone with one mix in, $3 off a cake). Luckily my husband picked up a DQ cake on his way home from work so we did end up getting ice cream in the end!

The good thing about most of these freebies is they are valid for the entire week surrounding your birthday. I plan to redeem my free birthday burger from Red Robin this weekend and we’ll likely take advantage of the BOGO Orange Julius when we are out and about.

Looking for other Birthday Deals?

Milestone’s emails out a gift certificate for a free entrée if 3 other entree’s are purchased. The website also makes mention of a free birthday “surprise dessert”.

Join Red Lobster’s Fresh Catch Club to receive a coupon for a free entrée on your birthday. When you join the club, you also get a sign-up email with a free appetizer or dessert.

Sign up for the Boston Pizza BP Buzz and receive a free starter for joining, free dessert on your birthday, and a free two topping individual pizza for your first anniversary.

The Body Shop will send you a $10 off coupon to use during your birthday month, but you have to sign up for their Love Your Body Club at a cost of $10. I don’t buy enough from The Body Shop to feel this was worth it, but it does give you 10% off all purchases throughout the year so it is a good deal if you do shop there often.

Old Navy emails out a birthday coupon for $10 off your $50 purchase. (Just fill in your email address at the bottom of the webpage.) I have been needing new pants for my son so I think I might take advantage of this. I might also top up the order with those PJ’s I still need for the baby!

Michael’s sent me a birthday message and coupon for 20% off my entire purchase. This coupon is good for the whole month so I am sure I will come up with a project/reason to make use of it in the upcoming weeks.

So there you have it – sometimes it pays to give out your email address.

Know of any other freebies I missed? Please share in the comments!