Making Bird Feeders With The Kids

For our craft last week the kids and I made bird feeders.  This is an easy craft to do with kids of all ages.

All you need for this craft is peanut butter, bird seed, string and pine cones.  We collected a bunch in the summer to use for crafts throughout the year.

The kids just spread the peanut butter on the pine cones and rolled it in the bird seed.

When we were done we tied string on and hung them out in the backyard on the trees.  The kids loved watching the birds have their snack.

This is also a great craft to do at birthday parties.

Jenn

October Ipsy Glam Bag 2013

Here's what I received in my October Glam Bag.

The makeup bag is really cute.

Zoya - Nail Polish

I received this polish in the colour Neve .  It's a very pretty blue.  It's a great quality polish with long wear and I would definitely buy this brand again if I see it in a store .  It retails for $8 at zoya.com.

Big Sexy Hair - Blow Dry Volumizing Gel

I received a travel size of this product.  This gel is great.  It's just as good as the chi silk infusion I usually use .  I will be buying this again.  This size retails for $5 at ulta.com.

Coastal Scents - Medium Shadow Brush

I really liked this brush.  I'm definitely going to buy more of this brand of brushes.  This brush retails for $2 .49 at coastalscents.com.

La Fresh - Oil-Free Face Cleanser

I liked these wipes but I don't think I would purchase them again.  I think I'll stick with my baby wipes.  Much cheaper.  I got a trial size bag of the wipes.  There was 10 in the bag. This retails at approx. $4 and can be found in full size of 30 wipes at lafreshgroup.com.

Wet N Wild - Fergie Centerstage Collection

I received this in the colour Desert Festival.  I love Wet N Wild products.  They have long lasting wear and are super affordable .  This palette retails for approx. $5 and can be purchased at wnwbeauty.com.  You can also purchase Wet N Wild products at Walmart.

My bag this month totaled approx. $25.  If you are interested in signing up to receive a Glam Bag go to ipsy.com


Jenn

Halloween Treat Bags and Pumpkin Mandarin Cups

This year I did treat bags for my daughter to take to school and Sparks and pumpkin mandarin cups for my son to give out at preschool for Halloween.

This is what I used for their treats:

-snack size chocolate bars
-welches fruit snacks (not pictured)
-treat bags
-mandarin fruit cups
-Halloween pencils
-black marker (not pictured)
-thin ribbon (not pictured)


Treat Bags

For my daughter's friends I used a treat bag and filled it with 1 pencil, 2 snack size chocolate bars and a pack of fruit snacks.  I used ribbon to close the bag and curled the ends.

Pumpkin Mandarin Cups

My son is only 2 and I know he will already get a ton of candy from his Halloween party so I decided on a healthier treat.  I took mandarin fruit cups and used a black marker to draw a pumpkin face on it.  He thought it was awesome so I hope the other kids will like it.  I saw this idea on Pinterest a while back and thought it was so cute .

Jenn

Tissue Paper Pumpkins

This is a great craft to do with the kids.  I did this with my 2 and 6 year old.  We even did this twice in one week.  These are also great to display for Halloween decorations.  

What you need for this:

- toilet paper
- orange tissue paper
- green tissue paper
- tape
- markers

Take a piece a orange tissue paper and fold it in half.  Place the toilet paper at the end and roll it up.  Use a piece of tape on the seam.  Push the ends of the tissue paper into the ends of the toilet paper roll.  Cut a small piece of green tissue paper and stick it in one of the ends.  Give your kids a marker and let them create their own faces.  I hope your kids enjoy this Halloween craft as much as mine did.

Jenn

September Ipsy Glam Bag 2013

I signed up for a subscription at ipsy.com.  After filling out a profile, every month you will receive a small makeup bag with beauty products.  It's $10 a month plus $4.95 shipping.  With the US exchange I was charged $16.95.  I was on a waiting list for 2 months before I started receiving my Glam Bag.  There are some higher end products and some lower end stuff.  I was so happy with what I received for my first bag.  I loved everything I got. You also get discounts on the products you receive if you would like to purchase them. Here is what I received in my September bag.

When I received my Glam Bag I knew what it was right away.  It came in a pink metallic envelope .

In the envelope it came with a sample of Michelle Phan's The Life Palette in Career Life Look.

It also came with a card with discounts for all the products I received plus many more.

The makeup bag I received was a very pretty blue.

I got 5 products in my bag this month.

This is what I received:

Chella - Ivory Lace Highlighter

I really love this.  I've used this for a few different things.  I've used it on my brow bone for highlighting or on my water line to make my eyes look bigger. It's also great for hiding blemishes and red spots. You can purchase it at chella.com. I would definitely purchase this again or a product similar.  It retails for $18.

It's So Big Volumizing Mascara By Elisabeth Mott

I liked this mascara.  I don't think I would purchase it again but I will use it up.  I only received a trial size of this.  You can purchase this at elizabethmott.com.  It retails for the full size for $19.99.

Pop Beauty - Pouty Pop Crayon 

The colour I received was Rose Romance .  I really liked this lip crayon.  It has long lasting wear.  I'm not sure if I would order this online but would definitely pick it up if I saw it in the store .  You can purchase it at popbeauty.co.uk/.  It comes in a pack of 6 for $25 so approx. $4 each.

NYX - Single Eye Shadow

The colour I received was Nutmeg (118).  I loved this colour.  I will pick up this colour again.  It was long lasting and easy to blend.  You can purchase it at nyxcosmetics.com for $6.99.

Starlooks - Obsidian Kohl Eye Pencil

I never use pencil liners but I found this very easy to use .  I don't know if I could bring myself to spend the $12 for a pencil but I do recommend it. You can purchase it at starlooks.com.

So for the $16.95 I sent I received $51 worth of makeup.  I love that it's a surprise every month.  If you love makeup you'll love getting a bag from Ipsy.

Jenn

Baked Egg with Spinach

I love eggs and I love cooking with spinach so this meal is a favorite .  It's very easy to make .  It is also very healthy and only 90 calories.  I eat with with either a half of an english muffin or a piece of toast with butter.

Here's what you need to make this:

-oven safe dish with sides
-large egg
-2 cups spinach
-light cooking spray


1. pre-heat oven to 350

2 . cook spinach in a frying pan using the cooking spray until wilted (you can also add some garlic)

3. spray oven safe dish with cooking spray

4. put the spinach in the dish leaving a space in the middle

5. crack the egg so it sits in the middle of the spinach

6. place dish in in oven for 15-20 min. (depending on the size of your dish you can put it on
    baking sheet so it's easier to take in and out of the oven)


Enjoy

Jenn

Beauty Reviews 4

ESSIE - BUTLER PLEASE

I absolutely love this shade of blue .  I went to get my nails done and when I saw this colour at the salon I knew I had to get it.

L'OREAL MAGIC PERFECTING BASE - FACE PRIMER

This is a great primer.  It's kind of like the L'Oreal Magic Skin BB Cream. I use this everyday as an under eye cream. It helps smooth the fine lines around your eyes. I only use it as a primer on my whole face if I have somewhere special to go when I want to have my makeup last longer. You can purchase it at Shoppers for $18 or Walmart for $12 . So hopefully you buy it at Walmart.

REVLON PHOTOREADY 3D VOLUME MASCARA

My sister in law recommended this mascara to me .  I really like it.  It stays on all day and doesn't smudge . Which happens a lot with most every mascara I try.  It also made my lashes look really long. You can purchase it at Shoppers for around $12.

SALLY HANSEN FUZZY COAT - WOOL KNOT

I DO NOT recommend this polish.  It looks neat on but it is IMPOSSIBLE to get off. After 20 minutes and a ridiculous amount of cotton balls I gave up.  I had to go get a nail fixed at a salon so I got them to take it off.  They had to sand it off.  This polish is a nightmare .

Jenn

1st Birthday Party Theme

Last week was my daughters 1st Birthday.  I'm going to share some of the things I did to put her party together.  Hopefully these ideas will help when you plan your little ones party.

DECORATIONS

I went to Party Max and Dollarama to pick up the decorations.
This is what I picked up from each store.

Party Max
-pink plastic plates
-1st Birthday Banner
-invitations
-1st birthday hat
-1st birthday bib
-high chair decorating kit
-1st birthday cake plates
-1st birthday napkins
-I ordered helium balloons to be picked up on day of party
-sign me dog

Dollarama
-pink table cloth
-pink cutlery
-pink napkins
-pink and white streamers
-pink cupcake liners

FOOD/DRINKS

This is the food and drinks I served.

-meatballs
-meat and cheese tray
-buns
-chips
-goldfish
-cabbage rolls
-oreos dipped in icing
-spinach dip
-veggie straws
-watermelon
-grapes
-srtawberries
-cake / cupcakes
-ice cream
-pop
-juice
-water
-punch

 I saw on Pinterest oreos dipped in chocolate.  I hate melting chocolate .  Something always goes wrong no matter how I do it so I thought I'd save myself the hassle and use icing.  I bought a can of icing and used food colouring to tint it.  I put the icing in a bowl and melted it in the microwave . You should stir every 10 seconds until the icing drips off the spoon.  You don't need to melt the whole can of icing at once I did bits at a time .  Once the icing was melted I dipped half the oreo in and placed it on wax paper.  Then put some sprinkles on it before the icing set.  To save on time I made these a few days before and kept them in the freezer. 

 

For the cake I made a 6" fondant white cake .  I had it displayed on cake plates and pillars.  Under the cakes I also made cupcakes.  I served the cupcakes for the party and kept the 6" cake for my daughter to smash the next day which was her actual birthday.

I also picked up a sign me dog for everyone at the party to sign.  I was a bit upset since my other 2 kids had a bear but they only sell the dogs now.  Not that big of a deal lol but I was hoping they would all have the same one.

Jenn

Legoland Discovery Centre Toronto

My husband and I took our kids to the Legoland Discovery Centre in the Vaughan Mills Mall in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.  My kids had a blast.  As soon as we pulled up they were screaming with excitement.

They loved the giant Lego people .

These are all the activities they have there for you to do.

LEGO FACTORY
As soon as you walk in the door they show the process of how Lego is made .  Both kids got a Lego piece as a keepsake . 

KINGDOM QUEST
The kids loved this ride .  You get to ride through a tunnel and use a laser gun to shoot all the bad guys to save the princess.

MINILAND
This part was amazing.  It was a whole city made of Lego.  There was the Rogers Centre, Air Canada Airport, CN Tower, Air Canada Centre,  and a whole lot of other Canadian landmarks all made out of Lego.

LEGO MASTER BUILDER ACADEMY
The kids took a class on how to build a Lego beaver.  My 6 year old loved it but my 2 year old lost interest after a few minutes.

LEGO FIRE ACADEMY
They had a decent size play area for the kids to play on. With slides and wall climbers and different levels.

MERLIN'S APPRENTICE
The kids also loved this ride .  It was like a carnival ride .  The faster you pedaled the higher you went.

LEGO CONSTRUCTION SITE
This area had Lego everywhere .  There were soft Lego, big and small Lego.  Even the baby enjoyed it.

 

LEGO RACERS: BUILD AND RACE
This area had ramps to race Lego cars.  This was a challenge for us since my husband and I had no idea how to build a car out of Lego.  Luckily we found cars laying around that other kids had built. LOL.

When we were ready to go home you have to walk through the Lego store .  I had already looked online at their website to see what they sold to get my kids prepared on what they could choose .  I didn't want any melt downs for an expensive set.

Overall we had a great time and I would recommend taking your kids there. Admission wasn't too bad.  It was $22 for ages 13 and up and $18 for ages 3-12. Kids 2 and under are free .  They also have a cafe inside .  We ate in the food court of the mall when we were leaving.

If you would like more info click here .  There are also other Lego Discovery Centres across Canada and the United States. 

Jenn