The Sweetly Decorated Life: A Kid-Friendly Valentine Craft-one that Blooms!

The Sweetly Decorated Life: A Kid-Friendly Valentine Craft-one that Blooms!: For me doing crafts with my kids is fun but for some parents, it's a battle of wits. (it is for me too!)  How do we let our children exp...

A Kid-Friendly Valentine Craft-one that Blooms!

For me doing crafts with my kids is fun but for some parents, it's a battle of wits. (it is for me too!)  How do we let our children express themselves without taking over the project?

This is a real lesson in humility for me; I love artistic pursuits but it's also important to let our children grow and implement their own ideas and then, only then will their true artistic identity emerge.

That's my belief and my hope for all parents including myself is to let go and HAVE FUN!

Here's my step-by-step Craft for easy valentine's that give back all year long (hopefully with the right soil!)  With supplies in hand (this is the the hardest part-finding the right ingredients).  Don't worry I know you can do it-with kids in tow!  Here's my little take on Valentine's for the entire class!  Sweetly Decorated and made with love.  Enjoy!

With Love These Seeds Will Grow

Ingredients
4x6 cardboard pieces (from the back of picture frames work best)
Washable paint/paintbrushes

Pink Heart Paper Doilies

Embellishments of your kids choice

Ultra Washable Crayola Markers (to address the valentine)

Wildflower Seed Packets

Acid-free glue sticks

1) Two days before your child's valentines' party, have your child or children paint the front of the 4x6 cardboard pieces.  They will love doing this!

**Mom or Dad hot glue the cardboard piece with just a dab of hot glue-attach heart shaped doilie to the front of the cardboard piece. (be careful parents and make sure the hot glue gun is out of sight!)
**Using mailing labels type out your favorite valentine slogan.  For me, With Love These Seeds Will Grow seemed in harmony with the seed packets.  Print.  (aligning the mailing labels to print was the hardest part!)

2) Have you child using a glue stick glue the seed packet to the front of the heart-in the center would be great but wherever they feel the inspiration is fine too!

3) I cut the mailing labels using design scissors but regular scissors will work too.  Have your child attach the label to the seed packet and adorn with flower embellishments and sparkly hearts!!

4) I wrote out the For and From due to lack of space but I don't think the parents will mind-it's with a happy heart that these valentines' were crafted!

Happy Hearts Day and love from our family to yours.  

The Sweetly Decorated Life: An Energetic & Healthy Mom Breakfast-My Saving Gra...

The Sweetly Decorated Life: An Energetic & Healthy Mom Breakfast-My Saving Gra...: When I'm feeling worn down and need some good old fashioned energy, this is the ultimate easy breakfast dish.  I hope it helps you achie...

An Energetic & Healthy Mom Breakfast-My Saving Grace

When I'm feeling worn down and need some good old fashioned energy, this is the ultimate easy breakfast dish.  I hope it helps you achieve your goals or to simply put away that pile of laundry that's staring you in the face!  Pictures to come!

Kale & Spinach, Fried Egg and Potato Plate

1) Microwave a small to medium size Idaho Potato (your preference here)
2) Sprinkle Extra Virgin Olive Oil on kale and spinach leaves.  Use a dinner plate here.  Pile on the leaves-they are a super food!  You can't go wrong!
3) Sprinkle a bit of oil in frying pan and fry yourself an egg girl.  It doesn't take long.
4) Careful your potato will be hot-place atop the spinach and kale.  Slice potato.
5) Lay fried egg on top and cut into slices. Sprinkle Pink Himalayan salt, ground black pepper and a little garlic salt on top and Voila' you have breakfast!

For an added punch and healthy fats, slice up an avocado. They're great for your skin, hair and nails. My kids love avocado!

This breakfast melts in your mouth and it's good for you.  Try it-the kale wasn't as bitter as I thought it would be.  I usually use spinach as it always delivers.  Adding the olive oil disguises the bitter taste that sometimes kale has.

Don't forget to take your multi-vitamin and drink plenty of cold water!  Let the day begin and watch out people!  Your a warrior!

An Amazing Riesling for Valentine's Day

Chateau Ste. Michelle

I'm not a wine expert, not even close.  There are so many folks out there that know wine.  That's not me.  I've attended wine festivals, wine and art festivals, toured vineyards, even co hosted a wine lifestyle television show (Racing through Wine Country) but I drink wine and enjoy it. My friends like it, my husband likes it now; it's become a cultural phenomenon.

My husband is a dear because on his way home from meetings in Philadelphia, he'll stop by our local wine store, (Rite Aid!) and pick up several bottles of new vintages-ones we've never tried before.  I love when he chooses smaller bottles of this or that.  It's the discovery of new wines, what they stand for and the packaging, oh the packaging that make a bottle of wine interesting.  If it tastes good and you want another sip, it's the icing on the cake for the night.  Ahhhhh

Recently, this bottle of Chateau Ste. Michelle topped my favorites list!  It's bottled out of Washington State, where I hear the grapes are outstanding (they have good temps for wine production)?  Wine experts always have an opinion and good for them because they should if wine is their specialty.  I always say there is a lid for every pot.......I just know when I drink a wine if it tastes good to my palette and this one didn't need anything else but to be poured.  Enjoy your life always.

Discover more at ste-michelle.com

The Sweetly Decorated Life: Decorating with Neutrals-Keep it Simple and Pink f...

The Sweetly Decorated Life: Decorating with Neutrals-Keep it Simple and Pink f...: Pink girls I'm blessed in many ways-aren't we all?  We have so many privileges as United States citizens and spiritual gifts to ...

Decorating with Neutrals-Keep it Simple and Pink for Girls, not out of Style

Pink girls

I'm blessed in many ways-aren't we all?  We have so many privileges as United States citizens and spiritual gifts to share with the world  We have the choice every day to wake up some one's day or bring it down and ourselves with it.  I choose happy most times.  After thirty or so years of decorating and rearranging furniture, hanging wall paper with Mom and antiquing like running a race, I finally decided to pursue interior design as a career path.  I've never been happier and now I know where my girls are going to kindergarten. Happy times!

PINK IS MY SIGNATURE COLOR
My daughters love pink and isn't that a fun color to decorate with and play with?  So when we decided to paint their bathroom and accent their bedroom, we accordingly (my husband loves to decorate too!) choose the color pink.  They are girls and their lives revolve around dolls, stuffed animals, ballet and they absolutely love bubble gum pink toothpaste (it gets sticky people)!  I have found that our youngest daughter loves to rearrange furniture so we have passed that trait onto her and encourage decorating challenges!  She was out today in 30 degree weather rearranging the patio furniture, she's five and it's not light weight stuff!

COLOR IN NEUTRALS
When it came to decorating the rooms in the main living areas, we choose a nice neutral taupe.  It's allows me to accent our home with pillows in every shade, and to play with accent pieces from green ceramic birds to wooden red apples.  Build those treasured items in various shades. Groupings are awesome!!

Here is my Dining Room circa November 2014.  I've since changed it to transition from dining space to home office space.  It works both ways effortlessly.

Beautiful things in one room!

I've also since moved my stoneware collection to the main living space.  I love to collect items of similar color and group them together, unifying a room, giving it stability and structure.  It also brings me peace.  The other item I bought long ago at a pretty large furniture store/chain was the chandelier.  Tear drop chandelier's are so lovely, all they have to do is just exist. I loved it from the moment I saw it and knew when I moved back to beautiful Annapolis, Maryland it would find a place in our home.  It's elegant and you know what, inexpensive too!!

The parson chairs are slip covered to change with the seasons and the table runner-always burlap.  I interchange this runner and use it in the kitchen to bring a certain rusticity to such a busy table.

Mercury accents, such as candle holders, bird place card holders, iron bird baths always take center stage when I decorate a dining room table.

The area rug from IKEA-affordable, simple, and sturdy as it holds up to dogs, kids and my movement from dining room/office to kitchen.  You gotta eat!  Enjoy decorating and be patient, it's an art.

Happy Girls.  Living pink.