DIY Ornament Wreath

I made this wreath in under an hour with the help of my two little monkeys. I have a beautiful wreath that my mom made years ago, but I like to keep that one inside the house vs outside.  This year, we haven't had any snow yet but I really do like the look of red on white for Christmas.

I had seen this wreath at Ikea  but didn't like the colours. 

Photo Credit:  Ikea Canada

So, I went to the Dollarama and armed myself with a bunch of red Christmas ornaments.  I chose some small ones, some medium ones, and some patterned ones for texture.  I then took an old dry cleaning hanger (white), opened it up, bent it into a circular form, and had the kids insert the ornaments from both ends.  When the ring was full, we twisted the wire back up.  I also added some gold ribbon to the top to cover some of the hanger as I ran out of ornaments.

Here it is from street view:

So easy and a nice addition to our front door! 

Happy decorating!

DIY: Remembrance Day Poppy Conversion Updated

It's been 3 years since I posted a DIY Remembrance Day Poppy Conversion.  Now I have 2 kiddos going to school with poppies and hoping they don't poke themselves OR someone else.  We like to support the Royal Canadian Legion by purchasing a poppy from one of the cadets at the mall.

I've made a small modification to my previous tutorial to allow the kids more independence.  The safety pin was hard for them to put on.    The solution?  Flat-backed pins. 

The method to attach is the same as before.  Just remove the long pin, glue the black centre back onto the poppy and sew on the pin. 

It's so fast to do and will keep the poppy on a shirt for more than a day.

Honouring Veterans is #OurDuty - click here for more information on the Royal Canadian Legion

Lest we forget,

DIY: Non-Food Treats and Outdoor Decor

In 2015, it is pretty much a given that kids are not allowed to share treats with their friends at school. It's just the way it is. It's funny how when I was a kid, I would have been so happy to get a pencil or new eraser.  However, my kids would love to share and receive a treat with their pals.  This year, I went to my local Halloween store and picked up some spider rings and "eye" balls and packed it up (similar to last year's Halloween non-food treat).

I like to keep it simple and I try to pick items that can fit into a tiny bag.  Then I work on the graphics.  This year I found a skeleton Mickey and since Teo is a skeleton for Halloween, it worked.

Once that's done, it's time to put it together.

Then this is usually when I think of engaging small hands to help out.

Done!

So simple but hopefully helps to capture the fun and spirit of Halloween.

Outside our home, we have done some decorating as well. We are big fans of Halloween "Hands".

 

 

We brought back the scary face (previously known as the girl from the ring).

Last but not least, we "made" a little boy out of old clothes and boots belonging to Teo. 

Wishing you all a safe and happy Halloween!