Search Results for: elf on the shelf

My Favorite April Fool’s Day Ideas

I have to admit April Fools Day is not my most celebrated holiday.  I am not a big prankster.  I also don’t like eating food that looks like I am eating a different kind of food; and I don’t really like hurting people’s feelings.  Here are some happy April Fool’s Day ideas that won’t leave anyone crying or calling the police:
(These are very reminiscent of pranks our Elf on the Shelf, Richie, might be involved with, hmmmmm – maybe we want to remember these in December!)
 
This one is cute.  Put sticky strip on the inside flap of the Ziploc so it won’t open.  Switch the contents of the chip bag for different snacks and re-seal.  And don’t you love the worm coming out of the apple!!
 
Hide all the utensils in the house and eat your meals with your hands!!
Bunch up toilet paper and stuff it down in the toe of the shoes.
 
Switch the cereal and the boxes and see how long it takes for everyone to catch on.
I just think this is adorable!!
 
I love this!  I want my fridge to look like this every day!!
 

Amanda

CHA 2014

I got invited to go to the Cha Conference and Trade Show in Anaheim and hang with with my Therm O Web friends!  It was so much fun!  (Cha=Craft & Hobby Association)  The entire convention center was filled with beautiful paper crafting products, samples, displays, and inspiration!
I was most excited about meeting my friend, Julia from Therm O Web, in person.  We have known each other online for quite some time – so this was a real treat!  She is such a sweetie!  I love Therm O Web!  I couldn’t live with out their products!!

This is the Therm O Web display.  I came away with some fun goodies – can’t wait to use the Glitter Dust spray on some Valentine projects!!

I was also thrilled to meet Lori Whitlock who designs for Echo Park Paper Company and whose designs are part of Riley Blake Fabrics!  

I was hoping to meet up with Carina Gardner who I met at Sewing Summit, but she had already flown home.  Here papers are beautiful – also from Echo Park and also a Riley Blake Fabric Designer.

I was totally thrilled to meet the Duck Tape people and make my own Duck Tape bracelet!  I think my kids helped pay for their display 🙂

I loved the Pebbles display (Pebbles in my Pocket).  They had such cute, inspiring projects on display.  I love this Valentine banner with photos – I gotta make one of these!

More cute Valentine crafts!

I love this cluster of paper daisies with doily accents.

Love this banner with the sheet music layered with doilies and patterned paper!

I can’t remember whose display this is, but it’s an entire wall shelf unit made with wood crates – genius!

I thought this was s cute take on a display board only its a door!

I loved the Basic Grey display – they have super cute papers!

I was so excited to meet Rachel Brenchley who is the creative gal behind their designs!  Of course I love Basic Grey because there designes can be found in fabric too!!

I ran into these gals who are part of The Documented Life Project.  It is such a great idea – check out there link to learn what it’s all about!

Amanda

Richie & the Elves

My children keep writing Richie letters asking him to bring his friends over or to bring the off-duty elves over.  I am not quite sure what they think will happen.  Richie wrote them a letter saying elves can only go to the home they are assigned and that he managed to find some toy elves the children could play with.  We found them strung across the dining room! 

The elves are pretty cute and the children were so excited to get an elf they could play with!

Amanda

Richie & the Pickles

It’s always so exciting waking up in the morning!  Sally is up every mooring by 6:30 looking for Richie!  This morning we found pickles taped everywhere and Richie with this note:
We have a pickle ornament on our Christmas tree and the children play “find the pickle” every day.  It’s their favorite!   I guess Richie loves it too as there were paper pickles all over the house!
Hiding in the Christmas Tree were 3 small pickle ornaments with the children’s names on them.  Super Cute!  No one really knows if the pickle ornament is really a “German Tradition” or not, but in our family it is the highlight of decorating the Christmas Tree and a fun version of Hide and Seek!

Amanda

Richie & the Cats

This morning we found Richie the Elf on the cat post along with all the stuffed cats in the house along with our real cat, Marbles.

 There were all also cats in the cupboards and hiding all through house.

 Do you like Marbles’ new sweater?

Amanda

Deer RIchie

 This morning the children found Richie in a sleigh surrounded by every deer in the house.  I guess he is getting excited for Christmas!  He also left two stuffed reindeer for the children.

Amanda

Richie & the Kleenex Caper

The children looked all over for Richie this morning!  Finally they looked in the bathroom and there he was in a Christmas Kleenex box!  We thought that was pretty funny.  Then, when my son went to actually use a Kleenex, he was totally surprised!  Richie sewed all the Kleenex together into one big long chain!  That totally caught us off guard!!!  We love our Elf!!!

Amanda

A little Antiquing!


Today my friend and I journeyed to North Hollywood for a bit of antiquing.  We found this fun store called Glass Horizons. 

 Outside they have all these pretty flowers potted in old bakery bread tins.  This shop has thousands of bread tins.  They are using them for everything!!

 They also have mini loaf tins and muffin tins.  They are so much fun.  I purchase one of the bread tins and I am hoping to use it as a shelf.  They are $15 each – not bad.

  
This shop also has a lot of architectural salvage – windows and doors.  Fun!!

 

Some of the antique pieces were a bit pricy – but we had fun looking.  I left with a bread pan and a wood crate! 

Amanda

Guest Bathroom Finished!

 Welcome to my new guest bathroom!!  Finished moments before my whole family arrived for Thanksgiving!!!  It’s a small bathroom & hard to photograph 🙂

 The new vanity is Hickory.  We got rid of the 1989 banjo style vanity & counter top!  There was much celebration when that thing went in the garbage can!!

 I love the 1″ tile backspalsh.  There are different textures in the tile & every few often there is a stainless steel square!

 Of course I got to go shopping & get new towels!  That is the reward for all the hard work!

 I wanted something Christmas-y in the bathroom but I wanted to stay true to my new color pallet.  So I made this Elf saying picture – cute!

 The towel rack has been in the bathroom for years.  But I finally got smart and numbered them.  I hated not knowing whose towel was whose.  Now I know Ryan is #1 Sally choose #5 and guests are #3 and #4!!

 I purchased 5 different items to hang above the toilet.  A funky wire basket, a different shelf with doors, a big basket towel holder thing and this.  After holding them all up – I choose this mirrored cabinet from Lowe’s.

 I feel so happy every time I walk in there!!!

Laundry Room Update

 My laundry room is finally coming along.  David finished the tile work and built the shelf this past weekend.  I decorated the buckets and tubs with fabric tape from my friend Judy at Sprizzie.  I love it – she also has lots of fun washi tape!  I don’t keep all my laundry in here – there just isn’t room.  This is where the stragglers life.  The rest is in hampers in everyone’s room.

 I bought these vintage frames at a garage sale.  The art work was a little faded.  I printed out photos of my girls wearing clothes I wore when I was little and I mounted them right on top of the vintage prints.

The frames are really hanging on the wall – the fabric bows are made to look like the picture is hanging from them – the bows are actually hot glued on!

 Oh yes, the lost and found board is in full use!  It’s kind of embarrassing how many missing socks I am responsible for!!

 Finally I cut this little phrase out and put it on the door.  I found it on the internet somewhere & loved how it turned laundry into something to be thankful for!  A nice reminder for sure.

I have a few more things to finish – I am making a little quilt to hang above the backsplash.  Hopefully it will get done soon!