{six birthdays}

The boys are turning 6 tomorrow {!!!}, so I thought it would be fun to share a recap of their first five birthdays. 

I've had so much fun each year with the themes, and you'll see that for #3 and #4 I reallllly got into it. Although I've still enjoyed planning their parties the past two years, I've toned down the amount of work I put into it to save my sanity. 

This year is a camping theme complete with a big teepee, nature scavenger hunt and s'more cupcakes. We're having the party at the park for the first time which the boys are really excited about. I'm excited because I don't have to worry about the house being clean. ;)

Here are their first through fifth birthdays, with links to each post, {or photos for #5 because I was lame last year and forgot to blog about their party}...

First - Circus

Second - Rock Star 

Third - Despicable Three

Fourth - Super Heroes

Fifth - Dinosaurs

Let's see if I can remember to blog about #6!

XO,

{artterro giveaway}

Arts and crafts are pretty much a daily occurrence at our house, and when I discovered Artterro art kits, I knew the boys would have so much fun with them. This creativity kit is great because it has a little bit of everything to make lots of fun projects.

Artterro was started by two moms/artists that were looking for eco-friendly craft kits with beautiful materials like felt, handmade paper and beads. The materials are truly gorgeous...not your typical construction paper and pipe cleaners.

The boys drove me crazy begging me to open it up for them...you can tell from the packaging that there is pure awesomeness inside.

Of course I'm a horrible mother and made them wait until the weekend. ;)

We opened up the kit and sorted out all of the different materials...

Landon was immediately drawn to the colorful patterned paper, and made two books using my washi tape to bind and decorate them...

And Ben gravitated toward the beads, so I helped him put together a fun necklace using a few larger beads from my stash as well...

It was so much fun watching them use their imagination with this kit.

Another great thing about Artterro kits is that they are perfect for any age. You can make simple crafts with young children, or make very detailed pieces.

Now for some fun news... Artterro is offering their creativity kit to one of my readers! Enter via the Rafflecopter widget below and good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


XO,

{DIY with Plaid FolkArt Multi Surface}

It has been too long since I shared a crafty/DIY project so I'm super excited for this one today!

I teamed up with the folks over at Plaid to make a few fun projects using their new FolkArt Multi Surface paints and Handmade Charlotte stencils. I'm so excited about these paints because you can use them on practically any surface...metal, wood, glass, fabric...AND they are dishwasher safe and machine washable! 

Plaid also provided me with their awesome new "Chalk Anything" paint which is clear and can be applied over any of their paint colors to create a chalkboard. So fun! You can purchase all of these new products at Michaels stores. 

I created two project with their paints...the first is a chalkboard for my boys' bedroom door. I started with a wood slice {from Michaels}, and a bold shade of green Multi Surface paint, applying one nice thick coat...

Then I applied two coats of the "Chalk Anything"using the instructions on the bottle...

It dries clear so the paint color stayed the same. After letting it cure for 24 hours, I was able to write on it!

I think it looks so cute on the boys' bedroom door. I can predict it saying "no girls allowed" in the future. :)

I'm very impressed with this chalkboard medium...the surface is easy to write on and to erase. 

My second project included a kraft paper journal, two more colors of Multi-Surface paint, and the Handmade Charlotte Stencils which are SO adorable. 

It was hard to choose which stencils to go with, and even I'm amazed that I didn't end up using the squirrel {no worries...it will be used at some point, probably on a mug} I ended up going with a tree and leaf pattern.

I used the same bold green from the chaklboard for the tree, and mixed red and yellow paints to get a fun orange for the leaf.

And because I can't resist a little doodling, I used a brown marker to outline them and add some detail...

I just love how this journal turned out. I might have to do a few more for the shop!

I am super impressed with these products and will definitely be using them for some more craft projects around the house and for gifts. Did I mention the squirrel mug?! That is definitely going to happen.

You can find out more about these great Plaid products at the links below...

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InspiredByPlaid

Twitter: https://twitter.com/plaidcrafts

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/plaidcrafts/

Blog: http://paintmeplaid.com/

And now for the really fun part...a giveaway! Plaid is offering one lucky winner a Folk Multisurface prize pack AND a $100 Michaels gift card! 

Enter via the Rafflecopter widget below and good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Plaid provided me with the products and compensation for this post, but all opinions and general DIY craftiness is 100% my own! 

{Back-to-School with Post Pebbles #PebblesBTS}

This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and Post Pebbles but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #PebblesBTS  http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO

First of all, how ridiculous is it that I'm doing a back-to-school post.

Really ridiculous.

I'm still a bit in shock that the boys start school today but since we have no say in the matter I figured we might as well embrace it, right? Right? That's what I thought. ;)

So with the help of Post Pebbles I put together a fun little back-to-school party for the boys complete with sweets and crafts {my two favorite things of course}. 

Yes...those are cookies made with funfetti cake AND fruity pebbles. More on that later...

First, the boys and I headed over to our local Walgreens and grabbed a box of Fruity Pebbles and Cocoa Pebbles...

I promise they have faces behind there. :)

Then while they were sleeping last night I decorated our dining room with a little back-to-school party complete with journals for each of them made from the Post Pebbles cereal boxes...

The journals were super easy. I cut the boxes down into 5x8 pieces, cut the handwriting paper down to fit, and connected everything together with metal binder rings...

And then for the fun! The boys chose dinosaur printed paper to cover the cardboard and then used a variety of stickers to add their names and other fun touches...

After all of that crafty fun was over, I used the Fruity Pebbles and this recipe from Pinterest to whip up some colorful cookies for an afternoon treat. {I had a funfetti cake mix in the pantry so I substituted that for the yellow cake mix.} I honestly didn't have much faith in this recipe, but they actually turned out pretty good! Very fruity and crunchy!

And Landon happily approved...

Could he look any older in this photo? Where is the pause button?

I guess we're about as ready for them to start kindergarten as we'll ever be!

{goodwill tray makeover}

I made a little trip to Goodwill yesterday and came away with some great finds. One of them was a metal file tray for $3.99.

I knew right away that I wanted to use it on my craft desk. My washi tape collection has grown larger than my previous storage for it can handle, and I also needed a place to store my jewelry making supplies. A can of cream spray paint was all it needed!

I used a few pieces I already had to hold my washi tape, as well as a fun new milkglass piece I picked up when I bought the tray.

The bottom tray is perfect for holding my jewelry making supplies...

And now I don't have an excuse for not buying more washi tape, right? {wink}

Have you transformed any Goodwill finds lately? I'd love to see them!