And the Custum Calligraphy Banner Winner is...

The winner is miss.alexis!  Congrats!

Email me at doeadeery+cat@gmail.com so that I can get your details and make your custom banner!

Thank you my deers for reading and entering the giveaway!

Custum Calligraphy Pennant Banner :: GIVEAWAY!

by cat:

We're having a little party for my daughter's third birthday and wanted to make the place a bit more festive. I made this pennant banner with card stock and ric-rac and then used a calligraphy pen to write out her name. 

The best part is that I enjoyed making it!

Thus, a giveaway!

One lucky reader will win a similar banner but with custom lettering and colors of paper.

To enter, leave a comment saying where you will use your pennant banner.

Thanks for reading and have a great day!

You Put our School on the Map-- Free Teacher Appreciation Printable

by julie

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week! My daughter is finishing up her first year of school. She has absolutely loved every minute of it. This is due, in large part, to her amazing teachers. Her school's PTA rocks Teacher Appreciation Week; they decorate and have daily raffles for prizes, for which they announce the winners over the PA system, and the kids all cheer when their teacher wins a prize. The PTA also buys the teachers a little gift for every day of the week. Each day is a surprise, and all the teachers eagerly check their boxes in the morning to see what the PTA elves have left for them. I signed up for this Monday to kick off the week, so when all 120 staff members go to their boxes this morning they will be greeted with one of these little candy boxes:

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Bowled Over

by julie

It's not much of a secret that I am a sucker for the Goodwill, I love it. I love the thrill of the treasure hunt. I  get a rush when I find something truly spectacular. There was a time in my life that I wouldn't have been caught dead in a thrift store (cough cough, high school). I remember the time my mom and sister took me to Savers and I literally got a rash from freaking out for even being in the store.

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All in the details

by julie

I have been a fan of Project Runway since Season Two! I love watching the designers create in the crucible known as the Work Room. It's part of the reason I started sewing again, six years ago, after the birth of my daughter. That coupled with all the crazy cool tutorials you could find from women like Dana. I was even more excited when the blog Project Run and Play started up, I loved seeing what the bloggers would create and loved participate by voting each week. I entered the first Sew Along last season with this entry for the Stripes and Polka Dot Challenge!

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Anchors Aweigh! J.Crew Anchor Tee {diy tutorial}

by julie

I love spring! I love everything about it. I love the sense of rebirth and sloughing off the old self and emerging from my winter wardrode into in a sea of pastel brights. A sure sign of spring is the return of nautical prints. Blue and white stripes are timeless and evoke warm feelings of summers by the shore and frolicking in the sea. This year I feel the anchor is getting a "boatload" of attention (see what I did there :) Anchors are on everything from shoes to hats and I wanted to jump aboard this trend before it left me on the dock. Okay, I promise to stop with the nautical puns, for now anyway:) Here are a few pics:

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A Week Full of Love

A (quick & easy) Seven Day Countdown to Valentine’s Day!
by erica

Growing up my Mom always made holidays a lot of fun. From special presents wrapped up in holiday-coinciding paper to dying our milk and eating on special plates. Even through my “I’m too cool for everything” stages of growing up, I was never too cool for holiday presents and red milk. Never.

It’s the little things I remember most and I think that is why I like to go all out for holidays.

This past Christmas season, my little four-year-old was obsessed with the cheap chocolate advent calendar my mom gave him. Every day, he was over the moon with excitement as he found the correct number and opened the little door to find the chocolate inside. After watching his excitement I decided that I wanted to come up with another fun advent for Valentines. Advent calendars don’t have to be just for Christmas, do they? Okay, good! 

When thinking about putting an advent together for my boys, I had a few things I wanted to include. Frist, I wanted it to be something I could easily store and use for years to come. Second, I wanted large numbers to be on the bags since my boys are young and still learning numbers. And third, I wanted to include a few candy treats and a few non-candy surprises.

The only restriction I gave myself was that I could only take one hour to put together and I would use supplies I already had around my house. Bam!!

Supplies:

• Printable “I love you because..” tags 
• Brown paper bags
• Card stock
• Ribbons
• Washi Tape
• Craft paint
• Sponge brush
• Glue stick
• Numbers Printed on Card Stock (font used: clementine sketch) 
• Honestly, you can use anything to jazz up a brown paper bag!!

I wanted my bags to have a little variety so I painted some with a little craft paint and painters tape. On the others I used washi tape, ribbon or some I kept simple with just card stock and a sharpie!

Once they were done, I filled them with treats and surprises that I knew my boys would love. (most of which found in the Target $1 isle!) and closed them up with small wooden clothes pins. I printed out the “I love you because…” tags, filled them out, numbered them, and put them all in a little red glass. That way, each day my little guys can pick one out of the glass and find the correct number for the day! I can’t wait for Valentine’s week to come so I can share these with my littles.

** Don’t have time to make a whole advent. Don’t fret. I’ve got two ideas for you.

• Print out our little “I love you because…” tags and place them in spots for your loved ones to find: On bathroom mirrors, in packed lunches, under pillows or even car windows!
• Or do you have older kids? Have them fill out the tags for their siblings. Do an act of kindness for them and leave the note behind for them to find!