Christmas Crafts

We've been very busy over on this side of the screen. Busy crafting!

Here's what we've got on the go:

 

1) Homemade ornaments

 

I decided that every year I want to make an ornament with Quinn. When she's an adult, I'll give them all to her so she can  remember all the Christmases we celebrated throughout her childhood.

 

When I saw this pin , I fell in love.

 

I thought this looked like a relatively easy project; boy was I wrong.

I should have known better.

Whoever can wrangle a one year old long enough to get a decent handprint on an ornament deserves 50 gold stars in my books.

 

Here's how I did it:

 

Step One - paint kiddo's hand with glue and attempt to get a decent handprint

 

yeah, not so much...

 

Step Two - clean up smudges with Q-tip and water

 

Step Three - Cover with glitter and let dry

 

Step 4 - Spray with varnish so the glitter doesn't go everywhere

 

Since I will be giving some of these 'masterpieces' to family as Christmas presents, you'll have to wait until after the holidays to see how these babies turned out.

I know the anticipation will be killer...

 

Cost breakdown:

1) 12 Christmas ornaments - $8

2) Glitter - $5

3) Heavy duty craft glue - $7

4) Varnish (from a previous project) - free

Grand total - $20

 

Although these didn't turn out exactly as predicted, I love them.

Quinn also loved this project because she got to squish glue in her hands and wipe it all over our dining room table. Fun times.

 

2) Christmas Urns

 

Christmas urn arrangements are hugely popular this year, but I quickly learned that stores charge a small fortune for them. I mentioned this to my mom who suggested we try to make our own. So off we went to the forest to collect greenery.

 

We then headed to the dollar store to find some decorative items and floral foam. We gave ourselves a budget of $20 and ended up coming out of there will a bag full of goodies.

 

Here's how ours turned out (mine is the top, mom's is the bottom):

 

 

 

Not too shabby!

 

Cost breakdown:

Urn/pot (already owned) - free

Greenery (borrowed from the forest) - free

Decorative branches and flowers - $15

Floral foam - $5

Pride in making our own, non-crappy looking Christmas urns = priceless

Grand total - $20

 

Tonight I'm hosting a 'Girls Only Thai Dinner Extravaganza' for the ladies in my family.

Stay tuned next week for details on that!

 

Happy Weekend!!!

xo, Vicky

 

Who wants to build a fort with me?

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Imagine, if for even a day you could return to your childhood?

 Go back to living in a world without any cares, worries or responsibilities. 

Sounds like heaven, doesn't it?

My day would probably consist of the following: 

 

1) Start the day off right with a heaping bowl of Fruit Loops, Sugar Crisp or Honeycombs cereal

2) Get dressed in my coolest Northern Getaway t-shirt and Umbro soccer shorts 

3) Head to the basement and try to beat the entire Super Mario Brothers game

4) Throw the couch cushions on the floor and play the lava game

5) Call up my friends and go for a bike ride

6) Hit up the monkey bars at the park and hang upside-down 

7) Get out my colouring books and Crayola markers or better yet, my Scented Mr.Sketch markers and have at it

8) Head over the dollar store and see how far my $5 allowance will go 

9) Watch a couple episodes of Ninja Turtles, Duck Tales, The Racoons, Beetlejuice, etc.

10) And finally, I'd cozy up in bed and read Sweet Valley High, Goosebumps, Little House on the Prairie or anything by RL Stine 

 

If anyone knows where I get a time machine so I can be 10 years old again, please let me know.

 

Are you an 80s/90s kid and need a dose of nostalgia? Head over to I'm Remembering and get your fill. You won't regret it.

xo, Vicky

Our weekend :)

Oh weekends. I love you.

This past weekend blew by, but I did manage to get a few things accomplished.

 

Like spend time with this little cutie on Friday

Never too young to appreciate wine

(it's water but don't tell Lyla)

  

I also rocked this puzzle

 It was no match for me.

Done in 4 hours, no big deal.

 

I also managed to take the dogs on a decent walk in the woods on Saturday with my aunt, Heather and my mom. Everyone had fun, except maybe Quinn who looked like she was ready to go 'Carrie' on us.

 

My mom and I went back to forest on Sunday to collect greenery and branches for some DIY Christmas urns. More on that tomorrow :)

 

In other exciting news, Simon told me what he plans on giving me for Christmas.

 

A homemade headboard!

 

Yes folks, apparently he reads my blog... I found some very handy headboard tutorials online, so I am very excited to start picking the fabric and shape of our new bedroom beauty!

Stay tuned for more details.

 

Well, that's wrap. 

Happy Monday!

xo, Vicky

Friday!!!

It's Friday!

That can only mean one thing...

 

Shenanigans!

 

We have a busy weekend ahead full of friends, family and Christmas preparations. I'm trying to make presents this year so I'll be busy with those projects as well as DECORATING!

I LOVE CHRISTMAS.

A lot.

 

Oh just a heads up, don't go shopping this weekend unless you like crazy lineups and crazy people. I made the mistake of going to Old Navy today. The lineup for the checkout was literally looped around the store. I've NEVER seen anything like it. Insanity. I should have known better than go to stores on 'Black Friday'. As soon as I saw the line I put my things down and left. I'll buy them online instead. 

I LOVE ONLINE SHOPPING.

A lot.

 

Happy Weekend!

xo, Vicky

I'm dreaming of a ...

New master bedroom!

Yet the word 'dreaming' in the post title is a key here as we have no extra moolah for any big expenditures. Darn. But a girl can dream, can't she?

Since Simon and I have been spending quite a bit of time camped out on this makeshift bed on Quinn's bedroom floor, I've been itching for some bedroom upgrades.

Before you ask, yes that is a 'snoodle'.

They are amazing. Don't judge.

The child has recently boycotted bedtime and instead prefers to stay up until all hours of the night. We are at a total loss as to what to do, so we just curl up on the floor and let her play until she tires herself out. Looking at this picture, it's no wonder I've been dreaming of plush, luxurious beds...
 

So anyways, the number one thing that our master bedroom needs is A BED. We bought a king sized mattress when we moved to our current house eight months ago and it is the bees knees. The only problem is that its just a mattress and box spring sitting on a frame - no bed. 

Here's what I'm thinking :

From left to right:

 Gorgeous!, Beaconsfield Arched Bed - Sears ($698), Amber Interiors, Love everything, Colette King Bed - Crate and Barrel ($2500), LOVE the turquoise, Beaconsfield Upholstered Sleigh Bed - Sears ($698)

I'm a lover of upholstered head/footboards, grey/beige tones (or turquoise!) and dark brown legs. But alas, the likelyhood of us buying a brand new bed is slim to none however I think I might be able to convince Simon to help me make a DIY headboard.

I'll continue nagging him until he gives in and report back soon.

 

Happy Thursday!

xo, Vicky

If I had a million dollars - Mama's Holiday Clothing Edition

How many of you read the title of this post and immediately starting singing the Barenaked Ladies song in their heads? I know I did. But once I got over that, I then started thinking of all the things I could do with a million dollars. In today's day and age it truly wouldn't go THAT far but it certainly would help a sister out. 

 

In the spirit of being completely honest, I would probably blow a good portion of it on clothes and shoes... 

 

Ok so I'm a vain, superficial, selfish person yadda yadda... but at least I'm honest? 

 

I would also probably pay off my mortgage and debts (ugh), pay off our parents and siblings mortgages and debts, help put my brother through university or college, help my sister buy her own place, etc. You know, responsible things. 

 

But I sincerely think a lottery win is an apt opportunity to blow a small fortune on frivolous things. 'If I had a million dollars' will be a regular feature on this here blog so make sure to check in often and see what I would buy in the unlikely event I won a truckload of money.

 

This week's edition features just some of the many holiday appropriate clothes and accessories that I would buy if my bank account (and hubby) would allow it...

 Left to right: 

On the Other Side Green Statement Necklace ($19), Be A Lamb Cream Sparkle Sweater ($40), All My Lovin' Beige and Dark Green Lace Dress ($44), That's a Wrap Mint Long Sleeved Dress ($47), Novel-Tee Shop Burgundy Top ($30), Burmuda Bound Black Triangle Necklace ($20) LULUS Exclusive Office Party Blue Top, ($40), Tri-Ing Times Gold Triangle Necklace ($17) That's a Wrap Blue Long Sleeved Dress ($47), LULUS Exclusive Office Party Burgundy Top ($40), That's a Wrap Red Long Sleeved Dress ($47), Back to College Black and Ivory Cardigan Sweater ($56)

(All found at LULUS)

 

You probably noticed that nothing I chose would qualify as 'expensive'. What can I say, I'm a cheapo through and through. You can get way more stuff if it costs less. Feel free to add 'greedy' to my growing list of attributes. I'm ok with it. 
 

According to my calculations, if I were to buy all the items listed above it would total a mere $447. Peanuts (if I won the lottery...).

Have a lovely Tuesday!
xo, Vicky
 

Playing catch-up

So my goal of posting every weekday, is proving to be not always achievable...

I'll work on it.

 

Anyways, here's what we've been up to. 

This past weekend I was away in Prince Edward County, ON for my dear friend Kristen's bachelorette. Us girls had an AMAZING time. We headed up Friday night and came home Sunday afternoon. Short yet very, very sweet. 

 

The house we rented was gorgeous. I wish I had taken my own pictures of it, but if you head over to the Britannia House website, there are lots of pictures. If you happen to be looking for a vacation rental in the Picton area, check it out. 

No seriously, do it.

On Saturday we went on a fantastic tour of four local wineries and got maybe just a little bit tipsy... 

 

I ended up coming home with these wines which I highly recommend:

From left to right: 

Karlo Estates - Quintus 2010, Sandbanks - Baco Noir 2011, Harwood Estates Vineyards - Friends Rose

 

As you can see, Simon and I have already polished off the Sandbanks Baco Noir. 

DELISH.

When I got home Sunday, I was pleasantly surprised to see this in my garage:

 

I can see you scratching your heads wondering what on earth I am trying to show you. 

That my friends, is our new car door bumper exquisitely handcrafted of electrical conduits and water pipe insulation by my very handy hubby.

He claims to have come up with this idea all on his own and spent the better part of Sunday hunting down all the supplies and then putting it together. 

I think he was sick of me flinging the car doors open into the garage walls. 

Genius.

Quinn was also busy this weekend brushing up on her new skill:

I call it the 'Double Finger Pick'. 

In other news, I am very sad to report that my little nugget is being tortured by the dreaded one-year molars. Darn them.She was feverish all weekend and hasn't been herself in a few days. C'mon molars, pop through already! While I hate seeing her in pain, I do enjoy the cuddles that come with a sick baby...

Well that about does it for me. 

Tune in tomorrow for my roundup of things I would buy if I had a million dollars. 

I'm not kidding. 

xo, Vicky

P.S.

Quinn wanted to post too. 

Seriously she typed this and it looks like she wanted to give you all a kiss. 

,k,i/≤≤  

What a doll 

xoxoxo

These boots were made for walkin'

Sorry for being absent yesterday, I just didn't feel like blogging. 

But I do today! 

I'm at home with the nugget today and we've had a lovely time so far. I'll be away this weekend for a bachelorette party (um YAY!) so I'm glad I got to spend some quality one-on-one time with Quinn. 

Speaking of Quinn, she's getting braver and braver by the day. She walks several steps in a row now and today she even crossed the room. It may seem like a trivial thing to some, but to me this is one of the most significant things to have happened in quite a while. 

I am so darn proud of her!

In addition to walking, Quinn has also taken an interest in emptying all my kitchen cupboards and drawers. 

I'm not kidding, my kitchen looks like this on the regular. But she likes it so who cares (I repeat this in my head when I trip on a sippy cup).

I'll end my post with this sweet little photo.

I can't bring myself to clean this mirror.

Or clean my bedroom window that has her footprints from months ago. 

What can I say, the kid has stolen my heart and a fair chunk of my sanity. 

Happy Weekend!!!

xo, Vicky

Wine Eyes



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Simon has demanded I post this story.
 I fear that he might hack my account and do it himself if I don't, so here we go...

Have you ever gotten wine in your eyes?

I did.

It wasn't pleasant.
 

A better question would be how did I get wine in my eyes?

The answer will amaze you but there's a bit of a back story here so bear with me.
 

 I had broken a wine glass and put the broken glass in the garbage. My darling husband thought it would be hilarious to pretend to be cut by the glass while taking out the garbage. So hilarious, that he went to great lengths to make this as realistic as possible. He went down to the basement, retrieved a tube of fake blood and smeared 'blood' all over his hand.

On this particular day I was in a giggly mood and anything and everything would send me into a giggle-fit. The very moment he started screaming I happened to be taking a big gulp of my wine.

Before I continue, I must explain that it is one of Simon's life missions to catch me the moment I take a sip of a drink and make me laugh. Its one of our 'things' as a couple.
How cute.

Anyways, where was I? Oh yes, big sip of wine and screaming.
So apparently the sight of him covered in blood was hilarious to me so I projectile spat the wine out of my mouth in laughter and it ricocheted off my glass and hit me square in the eyes.

While I was scrambling around trying to find something to wipe my eyes with, Simon was demanding to know why I thought him cutting his hand was funny and poor little Quinn was just sitting in her highchair probably wondering why her parents are so embarrassingly weird.

End scene.

I can't make this stuff up. I wish I could.
Moral of this story = if you find yourself in a similar situation, try and aim the wine downwards and away from any glassware. Also, consider not marrying a man obsessed with making you laugh with a mouth full of wine.

Only three more days till the weekend
xo, Vicky


 

Crackers in bed

Since I can't seem to muster the energy to write a proper weekend post, I will instead give you a glimpse into my Saturday morning:

 

Take note of the following:

1) Quinn's crazy bedhead
2) Proof I let Simon sleep in
3) Quinn loves crackers in bed
 

Happy Tuesday

xo, Vicky

Dining with a toddler

Last night, Quinn and I went out for dinner with Simon's Dad and Step-Mom and let me tell you, it's not the same as before. What am I referring to?

 

Well let's just say it wasn't a relaxing dinner by any means because a certain little person was bouncing off the walls!

Exhibit A:

Miss Quinn NOT in her highchair like a good baby but rather jumping on the bench throwing Cheerios.

Exhibit B:

Miss Quinn making eyes at the baby boy sitting at the table beside us

 

Exhibit C:

Hmm interesting.

Too full for dinner but room for ice cream? 

 

I had packed toys, books and snacks to entertain my little monster, but those were quickly thrown to the ground. She much preferred chewing on butter packets, grabbing any utsensil within reach and waving at people around us.

 

Instead of getting angry or frustrated at my child's bad behaviour I decided to just let it happen. She's only a year old, has no sense of table manners, was cranky because she's teething and was hyper because she was in a new place.

I'm hoping that since she's still little, people thought it was cute and not annoying?

 

I'm hoping the same is true of my predicted bad behaviour tonight...

 

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My girlfriends and I are heading downtown for the Wine and Food Show. I've never been so I am very excited :) Quinn will be having a sleepover at my parent's place which means tomorrow Simon and I get to do a very exciting thing...SLEEP IN!

Woot woot!

 

Happy weekend! 

xo, Vicky

Jolly Old Saint Nick

I vividly remember the day I asked my parents if Santa Claus was real. I remember how devastated I was when they confirmed what all the kids at school were telling me. They told me not to tell my little sister because she was younger and deserved another year to believe. It just about killed me.

 

Quinn is only a year old but I know the day will come when she asks if Santa Claus is real or not. I happened to stumble upon this letter written from a mother to her daughter and it left me in tears. Instead of simply saying that Santa isn't real, this mother managed to keep the magic of Santa alive while also telling the truth.

 

"Dear Lucy,

Thank you for your letter. You asked a very good question: “Are you Santa?”

I know you’ve wanted the answer to this question for a long time, and I’ve had to give it careful thought to know just what to say.

The answer is no. I am not Santa. There is no one Santa.

I am the person who fills your stockings with presents, though. I also choose and wrap the presents under the tree, the same way my mom did for me, and the same way her mom did for her. (And yes, Daddy helps, too.)

I imagine you will someday do this for your children, and I know you will love seeing them run down the stairs on Christmas morning. You will love seeing them sit under the tree, their small faces lit with Christmas lights.

This won’t make you Santa, though.

Santa is bigger than any person, and his work has gone on longer than any of us have lived. What he does is simple, but it is powerful. He teaches children how to have belief in something they can’t see or touch.

It’s a big job, and it’s an important one. Throughout your life, you will need this capacity to believe: in yourself, in your friends, in your talents and in your family. You’ll also need to believe in things you can’t measure or even hold in your hand. Here, I am talking about love, that great power that will light your life from the inside out, even during its darkest, coldest moments.

Santa is a teacher, and I have been his student, and now you know the secret of how he gets down all those chimneys on Christmas Eve: he has help from all the people whose hearts he’s filled with joy.

With full hearts, people like Daddy and me take our turns helping Santa do a job that would otherwise be impossible.

So, no. I am not Santa. Santa is love and magic and hope and happiness. I’m on his team, and now you are, too.

I love you and I always will.

Mama"

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 Now I feel prepared for that fateful day and know that I have a plan for letting her down gently.

xo, Vicky

My dream kids room

Ohhh Pinterest. 

You put completely unrealistic dreams in my head! 

Don't you realize that my husband is a tough nut to crack when it comes to home decor?! 

My decorating sights have picked a new target - Quinn's room. 

Since moving to our new place in March, Quinn's room has gotten a little attention. We hung a new light, hung a couple pictures and put up her old curtains, but her walls are still unpainted and overall its an uninspiring space. 

 

We have a three bedroom home and I want to keep one bedroom a guest room. That leaves one room for kiddos. Since I would love to add another little munchkin to our fam, our plan is to have the little ones share a space and I want that room to be a bright, comfortable and inspiring space. 

 

Without further ado, here are some awesome kids rooms that are making me drool: 

 

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Love the banners, the rug and the little canopy over the bed.

 

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I am seriously considering painting a rainbow wall.
 I might even have Simon on board!
 



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Love the colourful frames. Love the headboard. Love the bedspread. Love the chair. Love the wallcolour. 

 

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LOVE the pictures over the beds. Love the pompoms (Quinn's room already has those). Love the little mounted reading lights. Love the bookshelves.

 

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 Love the bookshelves! Its a little hard to see, but LOVE the window seat!

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Soooo cute.

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This rug is perfect for a rainbow room.

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So is this one.

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Love the art work over the crib.

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LOVE THIS PRINT.

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Every little detail counts! Can't forget about the light switches.

 

Now that I have some ideas, I now have the very difficult task of convincing my husband to agree... wish me luck!

 

xo, Vicky