Beautiful Bathrooms

Every girl deserves a bathroom like this...a gorgeous spot to get beautiful at the beginning of a new day or unwind at the end of a busy one. All of these bathrooms have a glamorous edge fit for a modern day Mom. Just try not to fall in love!! We dare you.

1. Delicate Pink Bathroom with Clawfoot Tub, Nest.

2. Sparkle Walls in the Bathroom, Pinterest.

3. Mermaid Tiled Bathroom, Pinterest.

4. Glossy Black Accented Bathroom, Apartment Therapy.

Stuff We Love: Artwork Tees from On To Baby

What child wouldn't love to see their artwork displayed on a tee they can wear and show off to the whole world?? On To Baby has made that vision a reality with their amazing artwork tees. For only $20 you can have a custom cotton tee created in sizes 2 to 12 showcasing the work of your little Picasso. To order one of your own check out On To Baby.

Canada Day Crafts (from years gone by)

Canada Day is right around the corner!! Celebrate by trying one of our kid friendly Canada Day craft ideas.

1. Handprint Canadian Flags.This craft is my favorite in the bunch and makes a great keepsake or gift for an adoring grandparent.

2. Textured Maple Leaf Collage. A great activity for pre-schoolers experimenting with different textures.

3. Canada Day Noise Maker. Throw your own Canada Day parade with this fun musical craft.

Enjoy your long weekend!!

Cardboard Tube Stamping

We love this super simple craft we discovered on 4 Crazy Kings. Toilet paper tubes are molded, shaped and used as stamps with paint!! Such a unique and inexpensive idea. Our finished paintings turned out pretty great. Red, of course, was the signature color my oldest went with in a crazy geometric patterned painting while my youngest preferred purple and primarily stamping with hearts.


Happy Crafting!!

Closet Crush

Ooh la la. This closet is without a doubt any girls dream...organized to the teeth and full of chic, designer pieces. The idea to frame designer shopping bags is genius and there are plenty of inventive little nooks and crannies in this closet to store jewelery, perfume and accessories. Check out more photos at Moth Design.

Stuff We Love: Holding Pattern Makeup Bag

This makeup bag is the perfect accessory for the crafting and sewing enthusiast..and it's vegan too!! The Holding Pattern Makeup Bag has more than enough room to keep your favorite beauty must haves on hand and is affordable for fashionistas on any budget for only $23.60, available at ModCloth.

*All prices have been converted to Canadian dollars.

Sensory Play and Autism

Every parent with a child with autism or autism spectrum disorder has probably been told or heard about the benefits of sensory play at one time or another. I have to admit my child does become more engrossed in sensory play than any other form of recreation and this form of play has taught my child some self regulation and coping techniques we use from day to day. Despite this I still find myself asking WHY?? I recently came across a couple of helpful articles on the benefits of sensory play in autistic children. An article written in the The Age (an Australian publication) claims that sensory focused play can be used to develop a link with your autistic child which is a vital step in improving vital communication and social skills. The article goes as far as to claim this type of play can "help kids to become so functional that there is basically no difference between them and their typical peers." The website Autistic Recreation has published several helpful articles relating all to the benefits of sensory play.

Here are some of our favorite ideas for incorporating sensory play into your day with your autistic child:

Touch

• Play dough, moon dough (our FAVE), modelling clay
• Sensory tubs (check out the wide selection you can create yourself at No Time For Flashcards.
  
• Painting with shaving cream, whipped cream or pudding
• Try playing the "What's That? Game".
• Have a Backyard Car Wash.
  

Smell

• Scratch and sniff stickers, scented books
• Scented play dough
• Go for a "smelling walk" - smell for flowers, herbs, fresh cut grass, the dampness after a fresh rain, etc.
• Cook together- smell the spices and herbs, smell the cookies baking, smell the coffee brewing, which smells do they take delight in?? Which smells make them turn up their nose??
  

Sound

• Make music together. Get out the musical instruments and start your own band.
  
• Go on a Sound Safari.

Sight

• Create sensory bottles. Child Care Lounge has tons of inspirational ideas to create your own.
• Play with fiber optic wands.
• Experiment with binoculars, magnifying glasses, mirrors and kaleidoscopes.
  

For more information on sensory play I highly recommend the book Early Intervention Games by Barbara Sher which contains lots of helpful tips for parents as well as dozens of games and activities to try with your child at home.

B is for Bird

Thanks to one of my fave kids craft blogs No Time For Flashcards for the inspiration on another fun letter of the week craft. My oldest is practicing hard to learn his lowercase alphabet while my youngest is doing exceptionally well at discovering her uppercase. Check out the alphabet practice done on that lowercase b - very nice!!

Stuff We Love: Sassy Onesies from Baby Brewing

What Mom hasn't received their fair share of unwanted advice from strangers, family or any one else with a pulse while out and about with their baby?? Stop them in their tracks with this fun onesie from Baby Brewing. Available in pink, blue and white in sizes newborn to 4T for only $19.70. This will for sure be on my baby shower wish list!!

*All prices have been converted to Canadian dollars.

Thinking Pink

Get your flirt on with one of these super feminine dresses that are sure to leave you feeling as girly as it gets. What can I say?? I love pink!!

1. Heart as a Frock, $63.57, available at ModCloth.

2. Com-pleatly Enthralling Dress, $61.61, available at ModCloth.

3. Capering Cats Dress, $83.14, available at ModCloth.

4. Oh My Ganache Dress, $48.91, available at ModCloth.

5. One Scoop Dress in Strawberry, $48.91, available at ModCloth.

*All prices have been converted to Canadian dollars.

Bird Cage Party Decor

Vintage bird cages are all the rage right now and why not put this trend to use at your party to provide a charming elegance and an old skool romantic vibe. From weddings to birthday parties to baby showers this versatile decor can add a little whimsy to any get together.


1. Bird Cage Lighting, image found on Something Green.

2. Bird Cage Chandeliers, image found on Little Bits of Lovely.

3. Bird Cage Place Card Holders, available at Super Gift Place.

4. Hanging Bird Cage Card Holders, image found on Classic Bride.

5. Hanging Bird Cages, image found on Bonnie Tsang Photography.

Bakery Inspired Nails

Sweets craving?? This variation on cupcake nails is so tempting you may just find yourself taking a nibble. Image found on Pinterest.

Paper Plate Birds Nests

This week we have been all about BIRDS!! My kids thoroughly enjoy bird watching and become so over excited and enthralled when a new bird makes it's way into our garden. We made these fun paper plate birds nests with a few random commonly found craft supplies and a neat idea found over at Arts and Crafts for Tots. We used craft foam in place of felt, colored our blue sky with markers instead of using paint and made our nest from biodegradable decorative hay we found at our local Michaels.

Happy Crafting!!

DIY Bird Treats

I recently came across a delightful post over at Smile Monsters sharing a recipe for homemade bird treats. Our bird seed was a little on the heartier side so we had to make some amendments to the recipe. We cut the original recipe in half but used the full 1/2 cup water. Our treats needed about 12 hours (or overnight) to set but looked fantastic once they were finished!! We also experimented with some other shapes and made butterflies and stars as well. The amended recipe ended up making about a half dozen decent sized bird treat shapes. Be sure to check out the recipe HERE and try making your own batch of bird treats with your family.

Our Fave DIY Skin Scrub

The simple things in life are usually my favorite because let's face it..life is complicated enough. This face and body scrub is as simple as it gets and works better than any store bought scrub I have found on the market for my face. All you need are two ingredients - cornmeal and water. Take a couple of tablespoons of cornmeal and mix just enough water in to make a paste. It's gentle but effective. Use at least once a week to exfoliate and help keep skin clear and fresh.

Facebook Fans Appreciation Giveaway!!

School Year Chronicles is one of my very favorite memory keepers on the market and what better way to celebrate the end of another school year than to give away one of these fabulous organizers to one of our readers!! School Year Chronicles not only offers space to store mementos, photos and keep notes of each and every school year from Pre-School to Grade 8...it does so, so much more. There are sections to preserve memories from after school activities, birthdays and holidays, summer vacations and medical records. Inserting additional clear plastic sleeves allows for even more room to save your child's artwork, portraits, birthday cards and more. Worried your book may get a little too bulky jammed full of all of those memories?? An extra copy of the image of the spine and cover are included so you can transfer all of the books contents into an even bigger 3-ring binder if needed. This book has you covered!!

Want to win one?? Pop by our facebook fanpage HERE, "like" our page and leave a comment on our note HERE. Winner will be contacted via facebook after the contest closing date. Get your entry in before Thursday, June 30, 2011.

Good luck!!

Spotted: Mustache Nail Art

Mustaches are taking over!! These fun mustache nails put a fresh, girly spin on the trend. We wanna know - would you wear your nails decorated like this?? Image from Makeup Savvy.