Wordless Wednesday /// A Day in the Mountains

Pinspired // Baking Soda and Colored Vinegar

I am always looking around (mostly on Pinterest) for fun new art projects for the kids. I'm normally the "Let's go outside and make mudpies" kind of mom, but with it being so cold out we sometimes need to get a bit creative. I ran across this pin the other day and though it would be a perfect cold weather project. Unfortunately I pinned this and later realized that it didn't track back to anything... just a lonely old error message announcing that the blog has been removed. Boooo! So if this is from your blog, or your sweet darling boy let me know so I can give you some credit!. Ok, let's get started!

Since the blog did not link back I didn't have any directions but I figured, "Hey, how hard can it be?" And the answer was a resounding--- "Not that hard". But I figured I would give you a bit of instruction just.in.case. 

So we started with a set of ingredients  found right in our kitchen. I filled each of the round (I want to call them pie tins but they aren't tin...hummm, dished for lack of a better, more technical word) dished with about 1 cup of baking soda (not pictured). You can eyeball it, just make sure the baking soda covers the bottom of the dish. You also need:  *Food Coloring * Vinegar * Medicine Droppers * Small Cups * 

When we do art I like to get all of the supplies out and allow the girls to watch me put everything together. They took turns smelling the vinegar and Baylie insisted on calling it stinky water. For kids this age it can be difficult to disassociate something that they come into contact with multiple times a day with a specific set of properties and qualities and make a new association to something else with the exact same properties and very similar qualities. So, for the remainder of the project we called it stinky water. But my wheels were already turning trying to think of a science project to compare the qualities of water and vinegar (it's in the works..I'll share soon.) Anywhoo, I digress.

I let the girls choose what color they wanted and stirred the food coloring into the vinegar. These are droppers we got from CVS once when we were picking up meds for one of the girls. We just asked for two extra and the pharmacy tech threw some in. I bet your pharmacy would hook you up too, just ask!

*****I do not recommend reusing these droppers for medication after this project. I have no scientific reasoning for this, it just seems like a bad idea...maybe I'm paranoid. We just threw ours in the art box to keep them separate from the ones for medication. *********

Ok, now the fun part! I think Frankie about passed out from excitement when she saw the baking soda fizz. Who am I kidding? *I* was excited! They both caught on right away and it was giggling and screaming from that point on.

 Baylie had a bit of trouble with the dropper. She kept wanting to grab it rather than pinch it which made it difficult to apply the pressure needed for good suction. This is a great activity for teaching toddlers how to pinch and it's great for their fine motor development (the same muscles used later when they need to properly grasp a pencil when learning how to write). She eventually got it, but we'll be doing this activity again to reinforce the grasp.

Any yes, they are clothes-less. I keep meaning to make them some art smocks, but I keep forgetting until I actually need them. So for now we strip them down to their skivvys. Food coloring + clothes + ME doing laundry = BIG no no

And there you have it. This kept them occupied for a good 45 minutes+. Eventually they figured out that they could suck up the baking soda and put it in their vinegar. Talk about messy! But they enjoyed it and overall it was a success. So why don't you give it a try with your little ones and let me know how it goes! Until next time!

Fabulous Children's Fashion on a Budget

I love children's fashion. I mean I REALLY love children's fashion. There's something about those absolutely adorable outfit that as a parent just sends your heart swooning. But even more importantly, there are certain outfits or items of clothing that our children adore.

For Frankie Kai she has gone through stages of loving one of my crochet scarves, there was a point in time when she would not leave the house without a hat, and most recently it has been a pair of ugly Crocs. Ok guys...don't burn me at the stake here. We got them for her 2 or 3 Christmases ago when Amazon had them on sale for $7 with Prime shipping (We LOVE Amazon Prime). I figured, "why not? They'll be great this summer for walking to the pool or water play". But for reasons I don't fully understand she loves those shoes. And it would seem that her feet never grow because they STILL fit. In fact, she's wearing them right now as she builds with blocks.

 Here is a classic stage she went through that we still to the day call the "Betty White Era"

                       

                                             

She was obsessed with those blue plastic sunglasses from a birthday party gift bag and she had just started to want to pick out her own clothes. (Even if the sweatshirt was super cheesy and way to small!)

Not all girls dress up nicely to impress others, sometimes they do it for themselves, for confidence. -- Anonymous 

Baylie Rai on the other hand? She could care less about what she's wearing as long as it's comfortable. Go figure. But she does get excited about anything that she gets to wear that she was able to help me make, as well as anything that twirls. She's so much fun to shop and sew for.





















So, what do you do when your child finally outgrows their Betty White stage and you want to dress them on a budget?? There's a lot of places you can go to get cute children's fashion without the huge prices. I've been asked lots of times, "so do you even buy clothes for your girls anymore, or do you just make everything?" And the answer to that is NO! I like the idea of a strictly handmade wardrobe, but we are not there yet. Many of the girls clothes are actually my clothes that I have cut down to fit them. This dress for example:

This dress used to be an adult tube top that I wore waaaaaayyyyy before I had kids. I have a hard time throwing things away and came across it last spring. I just cut it open, sewed a new stitch, and fashioned some straps out of the scraps. I'd say 10% of their wardrobes are handmade by me, 15%  is up cycled by me, 60% has been handed down from friends and family, and 15% is store bought by me. 


 This week I want to focus on where you can find great kids clothes that are fashionable but wont break the bank. So stop by often this week to check out my shopping tips.

Linen and Bells

This month I have been hard at work creating a simple and stylish spring/summer outfit for girls. So here it is!

This outfit consists of a headband, open back top, and denim bells. Want a closer look at the headband?

This headband is ruffled linen topped with five faux pearls on an ivory skinny headband. Frankie Kai loved wearing this headband. She said it made her look "boo-t-ful" (not modest, is she!)





And the top:

                   

***Brrr! It's cold mama!***

Does this top not scream "summertime"!?!?? This shirt is made of linen and very lightweight. It has a gathered skirt and open back. The edges are top-stitched and the back of this shirt features a faux button closure topped with a beautiful oversize shell button. Because of the square topped bodice it slides over the top of her head easily. 









And the pants:

            

These were SOOO much fun to make. They are wide leg bells with adorable functioning back pockets and ric rack trim. *SWOON** 

So that's what I've been up to this week. Now to get a new outfit ready for February! So many cute designs so little time!! I'll also add more floor pillows featuring some really fun fabrics. 

{{{{{{To take a closer look at any of these pieces just click on the photo. It will take you straight to the shop}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

New Blog, Free Ad Space!

Every new blog has to start somewhere, right? So as an introductory offer I have ad space available for FREE! Yup, you heard that right! I will be giving away FREE ad space.

You just have to do two things. First, be a fan of my Facebook page. To do that just click on the gray "F" button on the left under "Get Connected" and like my page if you haven't already. Second, you have 3 options. You can follow me via Pinterest (the Pinterest button is directly beneath the Facebook button), Follow By E-Mail (right above Get Connected on the left), or join my site via the Google friend connect button (above the "Follow By E-Mail"). When you have done those two things just leave a comment with an e-mail address or whatever contact information you would like me to contact you with and I will send you a code for a FREE standard ad!!

Ads will show up on the right hand side of the page and if you would like more information about our ads you can check out the sponsor info button in the menu at the top of the page.

So what are you waiting for?? Start marketing your website right here, right now, and for FREE!

1.3.2013 Thursday Roundup

It's time for this weeks Thursday Roundup featuring products and ideas I am loving. Lets get started!!



First up we have these adorable peg dolls. And who doesn't love peg dolls?!?! What I really love about these dolls is that while I'm sure little girls will love them, little boys will to! These are made by a company called Bubba's Basics and they specialize in making cool handmade items just for boys because- let's be honest- handmade stuff for girls is everywhere. Which set is your favorite?

Toy Story

Ninjas

Star Wars

How cute are these dino/gragon tails? These come from Jessica at Running With Scissors. She even includes a tutorial for creating your own. 

Ever been at a loss for cool wall are for your little one? Imperial Cabana has you covered. These prints come delivered on high quality card stock ready for framing and hanging. So what's your style? 

 

Luke                                  Leia                              Han

Vader                                Chewbacca                      Yoda

Star Wars

Freddy                               Jason                               Pinhead                          Chucky

Fright Night

Wonder Woman                 Batgirl                            Super Girl

Girl Power

And finally....these boots! *SWOON* I saw them on the Macy's website a few weeks ago and couldn't get them out of my mind. I may (or may not) have ordered a pair earlier this week and anxiously await the mailman's arrival. One of my goals for 2013 is to bring the wardrobe of a certain work at home mom into the 21st century instead of stuck in 2004. And I think this is my first step. They are on sale through Saturday, so go grab a pair! 

Ok. well, that's it until next week! See you then!

***If you would like to have your product listed on the Thursday roundup just shoot me an e-mail @ kairaishops@gmail.com and we'll see what we can do! *******