Penny's Party in a Box

We attended the 3rd birthday party for a little friend recently. My friend Cristina is a pro crafter and party thrower. Penny's Lalaloopsy themed party was so adorable -- see?

I can't recall what prompted this gift idea (it may have been the silly cake box?), but it uses plenty of stash items.

The pink tool box was purchased with store credit from Marshalls. The tablecloth is a previously thrifted pillowcase that I felt had a Lalaloopsy feel to it. The pennant banner you can catch a glimpse of at the bottom of this pic

was from a kit a co-worker gave me.

Other items included noisemakers, a birthday candle, bubbles to use as favors, balloons, cute little bows, and crayons and note paper to use to make invites to the parties she may throw using her party in a box.

Birthday hats were purchased at Dollar Tree, The cute plates and spoons were purchased for this gift at the Japanese dollar store.

The plates are soo cute! I cute a few pieces of pink flannel to use as napkins, and the blue felt envelope shown above holds the pennant banner.

Yes -- I think it was the cake box (the one the monkey is holding) that originally inspired this gift. Such a random thing, but something I have seen siting around in one of my hoarder drawers, and wondered if it would ever be used. I made a felt birthday cake that can be pulled apart and served to Penny's guests on those cute as can be plates.

We had fun at your party, Penny, and hope you have fun throwing more parties this year just 'cause.

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Favorite of the day: Of course so sad to see the devastation in Oklahoma. UMCOR is a great organization that gets aid to victims of a disaster very quickly.

Working on: Trying to be creative with a unique product

Teacher Appreciation Week: Parent hosted potluck

Friday was a parent hosted potluck for the teachers at school. I signed up for a main dish, intending to make the spanikopita my co-worker makes and receives rave reviews about.

Then I saw these little orange polka dot baggies at Target, and did a turnaround. I decided to make little turkey and provolone sandwiches cut into shapes. My bread was too narrow to use the butterfly sandwich cutter that was also in the Target dollar section, so I just used a cookie cutter.

We made it through another teacher appreciation week, battling illness all the way!

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Favorite of the day: A local place to check out

Working on: Had resolved to go some place ho hum for Mother's Day, but just saw an amazing opportunity that isn't all that expensive. Fingers crossed they are still taking reservations!

Teacher Appreciation Week: Bring a small present

Found these Burt's Bees lip glosses on clearance at Target. Am I the only one who wishes the actual  lip glosses were what you see here -- this big and in a cardboard tube - versus the average ho hum plastic tubed gloss found inside this tube?

There is a clever teacher related saying out there for almost any product or food item it seems. I found these cards, Thanks for "bee-lieving" in me, which were also generated for gifting Burt's Bees products. The cutest thing was that you could make a bee out of fingerprints. Hank provided the body print, and Everett did the head. So cute!

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Favorite of the day: Glamping recipe book. To make fresh baba ghanoush, throw an eggplant on the fire. Thank you, don't mind if I do.

Working on: Have you seen my house? After a week of sickness, it is a disaster

Teacher Appreciation Week: Bring flowers

For Wednesday's theme, everybody brings flowers that are divided into large bouquets for the teachers.

We brought the flowers (Hank's choice) into the classroom, and we were mobbed. All the kids started asking for a flower. I don't know if they did that with all the other moms that came in that morning, or why they wanted them. But, Hank and I started breaking off individual carnations to hand out to all the kids. So, I guess we gave them our appreciation as well.

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Favorite of the day: I want to make every recipe on this site

Working on: Getting healthy. Between the four of us, we have strep throat (dada), a sinus infection (mama), an ear infection (baby), and some sort of infection is going after the septum in Hank's nose. Send reinforcements soon!

Teacher Appreciation Week: Bring a homemade goodie and recipe

I wanted to use one of the many goodie bags I have hoarded over the years from the Japanese dollar store in fulfilling today's Teacher Appreciation Week present: Bring a homemade treat and recipe.

These bags, showing a mom and daughter toting bread, fit the bill. But -- they seemed rather treat specific. They are made for bread, right? I considered slices of zucchini bread (thought they would be too greasy and leak through the bags) or baked pumpkin doughnuts (would need to buy a doughnut pan), but ultimately went with pretzels.

Mmm - I know you are totally drooling right now. Auntie Anne's has nothing on me.

I remembered why I don't typically make bread -- I don't know what the heck I am doing. Despite their appearance, they tasted ok. Last year I spent considerable time hand printing recipe cards. This year I just printed the web address to a pretzel recipe on the back of the bags. Should be sufficient if somebody were looking to make their own  leprous pretzels.

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Favorite of the day: Bacon skewers!

Working on: My crafting calendar is open

Teacher Appreciation Week: Write a letter or draw a picture for your teacher

We have received the same guidance as last year from school as to what to do each day this week for Teacher Appreciation Week. Annnd -- we are sick again, just like last year. Hoping we can get better in time to deliver our perishable gifts this week.

Drawings for Hank's teachers and a butterfly footprint painting for Everett's teacher. I thought using the clip art frames made them more special.

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Recent favorite: Bloomin' onion

Working on: Monthly onesies

Snakes, Snails, and Puppy Dog Tails

As mentioned, one of my work pals is having her second baby. We threw her a little shower at work this past week.

My other work party planning partner in crime suggested snakes as a theme, as Lena is part Chinese, and this is the year of the snake according to the lunar calendar. I had a suggestion in mind based on unused baby items I wanted to unload (more on that in a bit), but don't always want to be the one to set the theme for our work events But snakes? How do you make snakes cute?

Well, hoping this guy answers that question. I was so darn proud of my diaper snake cake! I made a point to tell anybody who cared that I didn't get the idea from Pinterest -- nope, this one was all me. I took 4 receiving blankets and laid them out on top of each other. I then put two lines of diapers down the length of the blankets and folded the blankets together down the middle. I used double-stick tape where the blankets connected. The blanket encased diapers were rolled up, and I added the eyes and ribbon tongue for the head and a decorative rattle to the tail.

The theme was rounded out by using a variation of the What are little boys made of nursery rhyme. I believe the original version has the response to that question of Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails. Not sure if it a modern version of the rhyme or just a mistake that has been adopted over time, but some folks say Snakes and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails. So in addition to snakes, we also had snails

(these were a Pinterest find -- made with baby washcloths)

(flannel rag blanket purchased from this etsy seller)

and a puppy dog

I was a Citrus Lane subscriber for 5 months or so. My box of baby gifts was already full, but I now have a staggering collection of nice products to unload on mamas to be. I loved getting the boxes so much, but I am not one for having multiples of certain items in use at the same time. There are only so many stroller toys one needs (that's one for us)! In any case, this little Eric Carle (Hungry Little Caterpillar) themed gift was created with some Episcencial products received through the Citrus Lane boxes, a 7th Generation diaper rash cream and caterpillar chew toy both purchased on clearance at Target, and a board book purchased with store credit at a discount store.

The food was from our office's new favorite take out place, L & L Hawaiian BBQ ( I hosted a luau last month as a thank you for everybody's hard work. We do work -- I swear). But there were some theme appropriate food items such as a ladybug cake

and dirt and worms pudding

The table centerpieces were Mason jars filled with white flowers on top of little grass pads (found at the dollar store). The day before the shower, I had made the trek to the Japanese dollar store and found these great pinwheels. There was also an assortment of plastic snakes, snails, puppies, spiders, worms and other backyard critters provided by office staff to add to the table decor.

Finally, for favors, I bought these little grow kits from the Target dollar section

Wishing the mama-to-be the best as she ventures into the world of "two under two!"