DIY Little Girl Lamp Shades

As most of you know, I am a nanny for two girls, ages 5 and 7.  The girls are in the process of getting new décor for their bedrooms, and their mom asked me if I could find or make lamp shades to match the new décor.

The youngest is a girly-girl, and her room has lots of pink in it with fashanista accents. This is how her shade turned out......

The oldest girl has more of a funky look to her room and just got blue and black zebra bedding.  Goig off of the blue and black zebra theme, this is how her shade turned out.......

To get these shades to look the way they do, I first went to Goodwill and found two plain white shades for $3 a piece.  Then, I went to my local craft store for the following items: scrapbook paper (two pieces for each lamp) was $59 each, ribbon was $1 for each spool and fabric trim was $3.49 a yard (one yard for each lamp). The supplies for the lamps ended up costing about $7 for each lamp shade. 

To begin transforming the shades, I first covered the shades with scrapbook paper.  Then, I hot glued the paper to the edge of the shade and cut off the excess paper. Next, I glued the trim around the bottom of the lamps. Lastly, I added ribbon to the top of the lamps and made a bow to embellish each lamp.

The girls were really happy with the new lamp shades.  I’m still on a Goodwill hunt to find the perfect lamps to go with the shades.  I have four really great Goodwill’s that I browse all the time, so I’m sure it won’t be long before I find the perfect lamps:)

Santa's Late Delivery

           

          Christmas just doesn’t seem like Christmas without snow, and this year we haven’t seen a whole lot of the white stuff.  It’s actually been unseasonably warm this year, and the only thing we’ve seen is a whole lot of rain!   Six weeks of what seemed to be non-stop, weary-dreary rain made it look more like the most “depressing” time of the year rather than the most “wonderful” time of the year!  It seriously seems like the majority of November and December have been full of soggy, dreary, grey days with not even a hint of holiday frost in the air. 

            Now, don’t get me wrong, by the time January comes around I’m usually sick of the white stuff, but from Thanksgiving to New Years I really can’t get enough of it!   This year Santa disappointment me with spring-like weather on Christmas day.  I mean, I didn’t even wear a coat on Christmas day….can you believe that … there was no need for a coat!   And the neighbor kids were playing outside in there pajamas while riding their bikes!  And people were taking their morning run without a jacket….and wait for it…….they were in shorts….IN DECEMBER!!!  It was craziness I tell you! 

            Needless to say the early spring-like weather put me in a sort of “bah humbug” mood this Christmas.  Yep, I confess I’ve been a little bit of Scrooge.   I didn’t want to listen to Christmas music, I didn’t even plug in Christmas lights most nights, and I was ready to take down the Christmas tree the night of Christmas. Now I’m not gonna lie, there have been other contributors to my less than Christmas spirit, but the NO SNOW for Christmas just kind of pushed me over into the Christmas blues. 

            BUT…yes, there is a but...sometimes Santa can be late with our Christmas wishes.  Here we are, two days after Christmas, and what do you think I beheld outside my bedroom window when I woke up this morning……SNOW!  Now….it was a wet snow, because it really isn’t that cold here….and it will probably melt by tomorrow afternoon…..but it was SNOW nonetheless!  Unfortunately, it came on the day that I had to go back to work.  On the plus side, I am  a nanny afterall:)  You better believe we made time to play in the white, wet mess before it makes its disappearing act over the next few days:)

            So while Santa must have been late this year, at least he delivered:) Better late than never right:)   



Handmade Personalized Lockets

           Do you ever have a hard time trying to think of a thoughtful Christmas gift for the special gals in your life?  I know that I struggle with that from time to time.  As most of you know, I am a nanny for a family with two girls.   Finding the right gift for the girls and the parents can be challenging for me whenever gift giving time comes around.  The girls have a ton of toys, so I try to avoid the toy stores when I'm contemplating what gifts to get them.   For Christmas, I always try to give the girls something small that incorporates the true meaning of Christmas, Christ birth, and then I usually get them something that we can do together like craft kits or games.  Sometimes I’ll even make them something sentimental.

            Recently I made jewelry and posted about it here.  Both Mom and Daughters really liked the jewelry that I made, so I decided to personalize a few pieces for them and add it to their Christmas gifts this year. For the mom, I made a necklace with a locket of the girl’s pictures and an appropriate quote inside.  For the girls I made necklaces with lockets as well, but I tried to incorporate a small piece of my faith inside their locket.  On the inside of their locket I glued a mustard seed, and then I made a tiny scroll with the verse Matthew 17:20 written on it and put it inside the locket. When the necklaces were finished I put them in festive sachets that I had leftover from previous gift giving ideas, and attached them to the top of their wrapped presents. 

            Since I already had most of the jewelry making supplies, this was a relatively inexpensive gift idea.  While inexpensive, the fact that it was handmade makes it thoughtful and specific to the person’s taste.  And by adding a locket, I was able to take it step further and personalize the gifts.  So next time you’re trying to think of a thoughtful gift for the special ladies of your life, try being creative with jewelry making;)

Christmas On The Farm ~ Trader's Point Creamery

            Trader’s Point Creamery in Zionsville, Indiana, is one of the few places that I know of in our area that has a Winter Market from November to April.  During these cold winter months when most farmer’s markets are closed for the season, Trader’s Point Creamery converts their big red barn into a heated pavilion filled with all sorts of venders promoting fresh, local ingredients.  The creamery is also home of The Loft Restaurant where only the freshest organic ingredients are used for the preparation of food.  If dining in isn’t something you have time for, they sell all of their organic dairy products on sight as well as off sight in some of our local grocery stores.

            Since the location of the creamery is located on the opposite side of town from where I live, I don’t make a weekly trip to visit their farmer’s market.  I do, however, make one special trip to the creamery during the month of December.  On the second and third Saturday of December, Trader’s Point Creamery has Christmas on the Farm.   On these two days of the year, the creamery hosts a free event that incorporates their usual winter market with all sorts of other family-friendly activities such as:  winter hayrides, reindeer, a visit with Santa Claus and Christmas crafts.  Matt and I have taken the girls that I nanny for to Christmas on the farm for a couple of years now, and the girls really enjoy seeing the animals and purchasing a cup of fresh organic hot chocolate from the farm's Loft Restaraunt.  Yesterday was the last day for this free event, but it is an annual event.   So, if you’re looking for something fun and unique to do next December, make a trip to Trader’s Point Creamery for Christmas on the Farm.

Jolly Days at The Children's Museum

           Indianapolis is home to the world’s largest children’s museum.  Since I’ve been a nanny, I feel like I been there a hundred times, yet somehow I still enjoy the annual events like Jolly Days.  Matt and I have taken the girls to Jolly Days for several years now, and it is always something they look forward to doing. 

         During the holidays, the museum is transformed into a winter wonderland with a special exhibit filled with all sorts of winter fun for kids to enjoy.  The thing the girls look forward to them most is going down the huge slide that has been transformed from an ordinary staircase.   They'll wait in line forever just to go down it!

       So if you have kids and you're visiting Indy around the holidays, be sure visit to The Indianapolis Children's Museum and make special memories that will last a lifetime.

The First Snow of the Season

         

           Yesterday was the first snow of year. It started snowing late in the afternoon when I picked the girls up from school.  By the time we got home, changed for gymnastics and walked out the door to head to practice, the snow was really coming down:)  I managed to get a few pictures of the girls as we were walking to the car:) 

            The  snow didn’t last very long and it didn’t even stick around.  By the time I left for work this morning, the snow was gone and the grass was green once again.   I’m not too worried though.  I’m sure I will have many snowy days ahead in the near future…..afterall, it’s not even December yet;)

Conner Prairie's Headless Horseman

        Indianapolis has so many fun things for kids to do all year long, but especially this time of year.  This fall, I’ve taken the girls that I nanny for to the apple orchard, the pumpkin patch, The Children Museum’s Haunted House, Indianapolis Zoo Boo and last night Matt and I took the girls to Conner Prairie’s Headless Horseman.  The girls had a lot of fun doing all sorts of evening fall activities at Conner Prairie such as fall crafts, s’mores, pumpkin’ chunkin’ and of course the headless horseman hayride.  This was the last weekend for this particular event, but if you live in the Indianapolis area, I recommend heading to Conner Prairie for some family-friendly Halloween fun next year.  Admission is $15 per person, but if you are a member it’s free:)