Don't you wish your sister was cool like mine?

(First, make sure you sing the title like "Don't you wish your girlfriend was hot like mine?" Not even positive that's how it goes. But that's how I sing it.)

So my sister is amazing. She made this all by herself:



How cool is that? I love the color. Tiffany's blue. Here are some more shots.





Of course Elinor loves it. She thinks it's so cool. She walks around saying, "Courtney made me this. It's a cool kitchen."

She got the plans from knockoffwood.com. If you haven't heard of the site, she is a stay at home mom who couldn't afford all the awesome yet expensive furniture/kids stuff that she wanted. So she figured it out. She takes ideas from Pottery Barn and such and figures out how to make replicas (hence the knock off wood name). Then she posts the plans so others can make it. Here is the specific link for the kitchen:

http://www.knock-offwood.com/search/label/Grace%27s%20Playhouse%20Kitchen

Super cute! Here are some tips. She found IKEA coasters at a yard sale for the burners. The knobs for the oven are radio knobs from RadioShak. The handle for the oven is a cabinet pull from IKEA. The fridge handles are also from IKEA-they are towel racks! Courtney got the sink faucet from an RV shop (she gets a discount). The sink basin was a $2 D.I. bowl. Look around and be creative!

Here is my creative contribution to the project-felt food! I am still working on it. So far I have made one doughnut, five chocolate chip cookies, and four pieces of bread. Apparently we love carbs at our house. And yes, those few items really took me a long time. I'm still learning how to sew. And each of these foods had a pretty tricky element. Here is a link to get you started: http://www.onecraftyplace.com/2009/02/27/felt-food-tutorial-round-up/


Thanks Court! It's AWESOME!

Teacher-Approved Playdough

This is the playdough recipe I use for my kindergartners. I made it this morning for Elinor and she loves it.


2 cups flour
1 cup salt
2 TBSP vegetable oil
4 tsp cream of tarter
2 cups water
Food coloring of choice

Place all ingredients in medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and forms a ball (this only takes a minute or two).


Remove from pan and cool on counter.


When cool (I don't let it completely cool, but mostly), knead for 1 minute. Store in air tight container.

Oh Sweet Sadie Roundup

I was lucky enough to attend the Oh Sweet Sadie Academy a few weekends ago. I am only getting around to blogging about it! It was so much fun. I'm really glad I got to go. Here's what I learned how to make:

Tissue Paper Poms:
These look better in person. This will be super fun for parties and such.

Dinosaur Tail:
Elinor looks very cute running around with a little tail!

Ruffle Necklace:
Not in love with this.


Cake Decorating by The Sweet Tooth Fairy:
I didn't learn much but it was still fun. Plus we got to take a bunch of cupcakes home!

Handmade Doll:
I am in love with this. It is definitely NOT perfect, but it is super cute! If only I had a sewing machine I could make lots more!

Mother Bird Necklace:
This is cute. (Side note: this is not my actual necklace. Mine did not turn out quite this cute). I haven't worn it yet but I probably will.

Peanut Butter Cups:

Not a great picture but these were very tasty. These are not something I would make on a regular basis, but maybe for a special occasion.

I need to start saving my pennies for the next Academy. It was SO much fun plus I feel like I learned some great skills.

silly Easter sock bunnies

The other day I was at a cupcakery with my sister-in-law, Jamie, and her two kids Carter and Lily. They saw these little sock bunnies at the store and were making them hop around. Lily wanted one. So, I decided to make a little bunny family for them. They're goofy but kind of fun to make.

You'll need:
scissors
rubber bands
socks- they recommend children's socks. I had one baby sock and two low top socks
beans- I used lima but they recommended lentils
ribbon
cotton balls, fabric to make the face and or googly eyes
hot glue gun

1) Fill the sock with beans just past the heel. Tightly close with a rubber band.

2) Make a head by securing a ribbon and/or rubber band to make a head.
3) Cut straight down the center of the top of the sock to make ears. Round the corners.

4) Cut out noses, teeth and eyes. Glue on to the face.

6) Glue a cotton ball onto the back to make a tail

These are silly but fun! I hope they like them! I'll be bringing them over to them tonight.