christmas crafts for your kids

i do a lot of crafts with my kids.  as we pulled out our Christmas decorations i was flooded with emotion as i looked at how big my little "tree hands" have grown.  we've made ornaments, pot holders, aprons, dish towels- you name it- we've painted it.  here is round one of 2010 Christmas crafts:



here's what you need: dish towels, fabric paint, parchment paper or wax paper




these are mine- and i don't like to share.  but, i'm sure yours are cute too. notice we don't have shirts on...that's because fabric paint is not washable.




put parchment paper in between layers of towel so it doesn't paint through the other side




let the kids paint their "tree hand"




the more paint the easier it is to print




once they are done i just make little tree stumps.  you could also add a star to the top if you' d like.




i may also add their names to the bottom of the trees




let's just say this little hand was tricky!

 i usually let the kids make crafts like these for our family.  they feel so proud to give them away.  this is a super easy one to make.  i hope you'll try it with your little ones this year too!  merry, merry!

turkey day is on it's way

hope you are all getting ready for a wonderful thanksgiving holiday.  i want to share these for a little table setting inspiration. 


centerpiece items for the kids table




adult place cards




turkey place cards for the kiddies




gobble gobble banner!

 ok, so these are not for my family.  these are for a friend who will be hosting her entire family this thanksgiving.  good luck cheryl!  please remember if you have an idea- i love doing custom orders like this at my little shop!

last night in my house we put up our christmas decorations.  i tend to skip right over thanksgiving.  but this morning at preschool, jack was the cutest "squanto" you've ever seen- so bring on the turkey!  i'm back in the spirit of things!  i can almost smell the turkey cooking at my mother-in-law's house.....yum, yum!

happy thanksgiving everyone!  -stephanie

luau

i loved creating this party for anna kate and connor.  the brother and sister duo have december birthdays.  they wanted a hawaiian party, so here it is! 



happy birthday banner with a hula dancer and surfer




anna kate's centerpieces




surfer dude




connor's centerpieces




flip flop cupcake toppers




hawaiian flower cupcake toppers




favor tags

 happy birthday anna kate and connor!

and the winner is.....

wait, before i say who won i just want to say a huge thank you for all of your entries.  this was so much fun!  i have so enjoyed reading all of the comments.  i loved it so much that i am thinking of doing it again :)  so be sure to check back.......ok, so i am sitting in the kitchen with jack.  all of your names are on yellow polka dots- his little hand is mixing the bowl of names.....and he pulled:

AMY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  congrats!  please send me an email at sunnylittlethings@gmail.com with your address and a few initials that you'd like to see on some tags. 

thank you all again for sharing your memories with me. i loved this so much!  have a great night- stephanie

giveaway!

 i think a well wrapped present is a gift in itself.  my little sister and i disagree with this theory.  i tend not to listen to her- she uses the stick on bows.  she and i were talking about wrapping paper the other day which brings me to my very first giveaway! 

in the spirit of pretty packages under your tree- i'd like to give away some christmas gift tags.  just leave a comment about the person in your life who wraps the best presents and these little guys can be yours!  i'll even personalize a few for you. 

the winner will be picked at random on wednesday evening! 

jingle, jingle



fire fighter will

october happens to be fire safety month.  we celebrated my 3 year old with a fire fighter birthday party.  he was so excited.  we had lots of yummy snacks, a hot chocolate bar, made pumpkins into dalmatians and got to get up close with a real fire truck!  yes, our local fire department was kind enough to come by our house and bring the truck.  can you imagine the look on his face when the fire fighter turned on the lights just for him?  it still makes me smile just thinking about it!  thank you to the grottoes, va fire department.  we were thrilled to have you!  the kids had a ball. 


cupcake toppers

 




snack bar- s'mores pops are delish!

 


this sign was for our arts and crafts activity.  we made pumpkins into dalmatians.

 




drink station- it was a chilly fall afternoon so we had a hot chocolate bar.  we had marshmallows, chocolate chips,  cinnamon, whipped cream and ghost peeps to top the hot cocoa.  if you look closely you can see the dalmatian spots on the cups.  will and i worked on the cups for two weeks before the party!

 



the kids used water guns to "put out" fires made of tissue paper





snack bar

 



will's centerpieces





thank you to the grottoes, va fire department for coming to the party!





the wonderful fire fighter even let the kids try on the helmet!






yes, seeing that face was worth every second of party prep.  happy birthday will christopher

 

if you are throwing your own fire fighter party i have a great idea for favors.  along with some other goodies like hot tamales and fire balls we gave out batteries for the children (parents) to replace the batteries in the smoke alarms.

if you're in the charlotte area you may want to see tricia about a cake- she made the fire hydrant and dalmatian for the top of will's cake.  adorable.  she makes an awesome fire truck cake too.

the darling fire truck cookies were from sweet la la's also in charlotte, nc.  it's become a tradition having their cookies at will's parties!  these were his favorite!

i would love to create the decor for your little fire fighter.  check out my etsy shop where i can help you out!

will is 3!

next week i am posting my own story of this wonderful birthday.  today i will let you enjoy my sister's beautiful words and pictures.  thank you for capturing his special day.  a special thank you to the grottoes, va fire department for the HUGE role you all played in will's birthday.  it was a fantastic day- we're still talking about it in our house. 

come here to enjoy!  thanks doo doo and uncle christopher.  xo- will christopher