Toddler Birthday Party Ideas: 3rd Birthday

Theme: The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

My boy's third birthday just recently passed and he enjoyed it so much he kept talking about it for days.  I think the best thing you can do as a parent is to wear your heart on your sleeve for your kids.  Never be afraid of showing them your love and excitement.  They'll know without a doubt that you love them and it won't matter how much you spend to make them happy if in the end you don't give them the time and attention they deserve.

For birthdays, I suggest asking the BIRTHDAY BOY/GIRL what they want.  Show them 3-5 options for themes and let them narrow it down.  My kid actually wanted Star Wars as his #1 pick and Caterpillar as his 2nd.  I thought of how unpredictable toddlers are and so the idea of having light sabers being gashed in people's faces wasn't very appealing.  I read him his fave book (The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle) to really convince him otherwise.  He agreed to having both, which didn't work out for me, so I surprised him with the Caterpillar theme, which he adored and helped out with too.

Here are some samples of what we did.

 The invitations were simple and just showed the birthday boy from the most recent photoshoot he went through 3 weeks before his birthday.

 The number 3 was mosiac in his favorite style too and the caterpillar was holepunched and then hand-drawn.

 The leaf inside had 3 holes to represent his 3rd birthday.

 These centerpieces were made by my mother.

 The cake was provided by my dad.

 The party favors were labeled with "Caterpillar Food", tied with bright green ribbon, and inside were  colorful M&Ms.

 My family made balloon caterpillars to hand from trees.

The craft project was finger caterpillars with washable paint and then bubbles that floated like butterlies since we did all this at a nearby park.









THE BEST PART: All the kids had fun!

Christmas Crafts and Decor: DIY

Here's a quick list for you all to get inspired and get crafting this season! Christmas is just less than a week away and I'm exited to get ready to head out to beautiful and warmer weather in the West Coast :-)

Now then, some of these I have tried myself and must say I am quite happy it's been so low-cost and still chic!  Just click on the images to be linked into the tutorials and details!

These mustaches are just hilarious! I think it;d be a oh-so-unique and hilarious thing to make instead with WHITE paper (aka Santa mustaches) for your hot chocolate if you're hosting Christmas this year in your place with family.

So, I tried this one and it was beautiful! I painted these trees instead with a brush and white acrylic paint so they turned out crispy white with bronze and crystal sugary glitter.  So far everyone has complemented me on it! Find out how to make your own out of cereal boxes!

I got a beautiful branch as I was out collecting for an activity and I love how it is so rustic and fresh for our stockings at home.  Great for those without a fireplace mantel!

Who doesn't love Nutella?!?!?

This is super elegant and it's easy to make!!! You can make this out larger for your front door or simply make miniature ones to hang from your tree or as part of the gift wrap for presents!

This is just a comprehensive little list of BEAUTIFUL ways to gift wrap your presents this year! I will definitely be trying these all out because they are  just GORGEOUS!

I just couldn't resist posting another link to more ideas on wrapping! Simply a gift that will be hard to forget and you're sure to get the gift-wrapper of the year award with your loved ones.  Remember that it's the thought that counts ;-)

A new take on something so classic, but makes it so much more intriguing and something about it makes it also kinda enchanting.  It's simply a breathtaking moment caught in a jar!

Now, I've seen the flower-petal version of this tweed wreathe, but I think this is so much more fitting for winter.  You can almost feel the effect of the swaying, winter winter gently breezing up to this door as it greets the Christmas wreathe and then passes on to other homes. Oh, it's just so pretty!













So that's it for the holiday round up! Disfruten! Enjoy!

If only!

Make a tutu!!!

OH, if only I had a little girl! I would make a dozen of these just so she can feel fun and pretty!!!  Here is a picture of a NO-SEW do-it-youself (diy) tutu!  You can click on the image above or the link below to see the tutorial!

These are also so cute for children's pictures!!  They add texture and contrast, depending on the colors...they can add a nice splash of magic to a sweet little girl that time can never take away.  Adding texture to photos is so critical when working with people because it gives a sense of almost real life to them.  When you add texture by clothing, backgrounds, or props, then viewers are more intrigued and caught quite off guard since the eye tends to explore things with more detail :-)  Not to mention they just look pretty!


FOLLOW this LINK:
http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/no-sew-tutu-796121/


Have fun making this for your little princess or two...or more!!!

Kid's toy

Have you ever noticed how children sometimes prefer common household items as toys, rather than the brand-spankin' new ones you buy them to "develop" better?  Well, my little one loves making a racket and playing with general household items.  Pots and pans, empty cartons, you name it.  Of course, I make sure he's not touching anything harmful, but yet he still manages to somehow hurt our home in a way.  Anyway, that's another topic, so I've been making a lot of "new" toys from stuff I don't use anymore instead of throwing them away immediately....and he loves it!!! 

My mom gave me a book called "101 Things to Make and Do With Googly Eyes"....it's quite interesting.  She knows I love crafts ( I get it from her anyway) and my little one thinks it's an awesome book to read, yes read.  He will cry to me so that I can read this craft book to him.  I don't know why he loves it so much, but we sit and read about all the different ways we can use "googly" eyes.  We can sit for so long and just read.  Well, one craft finally gave me an inspiration to make this:



It's really easy to make and my little 20 month-old helped me make it too!  I'm sure you have all the supplies already in your home.  It's a home-made "maraca"...or how you would say, a rattle.

YOU WILL NEED

Old toilet paper roll

Two round circles from card stock ( I cut it up from old cereal boxes before tossing them out)

Old or new drawings your child has made and cut up in random pieces

Sequins, boa feathers, or other decorative trim (this is for the edges)

Googly eyes

Glue

Marker

Dry beans, corn kernels, or anything small and noisy to make a rattling instrument.

MAKE IT

1.  Start by cutting those circles that will seal up your ends to not let the noise-makers out and actually be sturdy.  Here's a general idea.  Remember, try recycling, it's free.  So I used cereal box cardboard to do this and simply turned it over.  Cut slits on the lines inside the circles.

2.  Glue one circle to one end of the toilet paper roll and let the fringed pieces go around the outside edge.

3.  Let your kid out in the kernels (or beans or whatever you got) in the tube and you seal the other end the same way as the other end you sealed.

4.  Now, this is where your child can get creative!  Start gluing all the cut up pieces of his old artwork and  cover the roll and ends completely until you're all out of paper to "Mosaic" on anymore.

5.  Add your decorative trim and let your kid glue on the googly eyes.  Now, simple draw your mouth.

Believe it or not, this toy will be a sensational hit to your little one and he will walk around with it for days!  Mine, still plays with it and loves to dance to the noise it makes too.

Disfruten! Enjoy!