Fun Fur Knitted Purse

I knitted up this purse for my daughter's friend that is having a birthday soon. The pattern is from Lion Brand, Fun Bag.

It was very easy and quick to knit up. I made a few changes by making the bag a bit smaller and I didn't have enough yarn to add the ties. I also knitted the handles with a cast on of 7 sts instead of 9

Carnival Party

It is that time AGAIN!!
Happy 7th Birthday to my very big boy!

My son wanted his party at a local fair with a bunch of rides for the kids to go on. So I thought it would be cute to do a carnival theme and I found a Carnival Set from Typewink on Etsy. It is adorable! it came with a bunch of printable items.

Popcorn cupcakes anyone?

the cupcakes were a huge hit.

I was worried about the warm weather melting the marshmallows but it actually made for a nice soft gooey marshmallow to bit into, they were yummy and so fun to make.

My Friend Jen had the perfect idea to hang the Happy Birthday Banner in the tree, it looked great!

Tinker Town!

This place has been around since I was a little girl! I have memories of being on the same rides that are still here!

The loot!
each child got

a sucker

a box with two bags of fruit gummies and 2 pieces of hubba bubba

a mini Knex box/ girls got a recorder(flute)

$5 gift card to Chapters(book store)

(The little printable box was party of the party package)

I packed everything in these little premade popcorn bags that I found. The set came with a printable popcorn box but unfortunately I misplaced the file and didn't have time to get it printed for the party. I printed out little "thank you" labels and attached them to the bag.

Pink Zebra Party

It is that time of year again!

Happy 5th Birthday Baby Girl!

I love planning my kids parties. My daughter wanted a Zebra party so I went with a pink, black and white theme. First I ordered a party pack from print.creat.celebrate on Etsy.

I ordered the Pink Zebra party set and made the invitations, party hats, banner and cup labels.

Time to decorate!

I made simple tissue paper poms(same as last years party) I love the look of them so I had to make them again.

A few games.
We played musical chairs(always a favorite) and pink the tail on the Zebra. we used a fancy pink feather for the Zebras tail and my daughter helped colour the zebra for the party.

Time for cake!

I made this Zebra cake. I have never made a two tiered cake before and really wanted to give it a try. I baked 2 8inch and 2 6inch cakes, put homemade strawberry jam in between the layers and decorated with white butter cream icing and zebra ribbon. I also used a cake board and dowels as per Wilton's suggestions. I would have hated the cake to fall into itself so I used the board and dowels to be on the safe side. The cake actually took no time at all to put together and I was very happy with the results. My daughter loved her "mini wedding cake"

Time to go home.

We always do a Pinata at our home parties and finding a Zebra Pinata was tricky. So we had a great idea to turn Pinkie Pie into a pink Zebra!

Goodie bags consisted of bubbles, a giant jeweled ring(the boys got silly putty!), candy from the Pinata and a marshmallow pop that I made a few days before the party.
Just melt some chocolate melts, put pop sticks in your marshmallows, freeze your marshmallows for a few minutes in the freezer and then dip them into the melted chocolate. Put them on wax paper and set them in the fridge to cool.

I can not believe my baby girl is already 5 years old, the time has seemed to go by so fast. I love throwing parties for my children and celebrating them.

The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate. ~Oprah Winfrey

Knitted Sundress

Perfect Sundress by Lion Brand

I knitted this very cute sundress for my daughter(she picked the colours). I used an Acrylic and Cotton blend yarn from Bernat, Baby Cakes in Ballerina(pink) and a soft purple that is currently unavailable. This yarn is a worsted weight, easy to knit with but I am hoping it washes well, only time will tell.

I knitted the largest size and should have knitted the size 4, but at least my daughter can grow into it over the next couple of years. This is the first garment that I have ever knitted and although I found the pattern easy to follow I had a difficult time with sewing it together. The pattern has a lot of decreases and this left some messy edging when I was finished. I am not too happy about that part, but all in all I think this dress is adorable, and most important after all my work my daughter wants to wear it!

The purple trim and oh so adorable flower was done by my talented Friend Jen T. She saved me after I was having a hard time getting the trim done correctly, and she crocheted this very cute flower that my daughter just had to have.

School is out for Summer!

And boy do I miss my son and the free time I was able to have with him before he went to school full days. I miss those lazy afternoons and exciting days at the park, or those late nights watching a movie together. Having my son in full days was a big adjustment not only for him but for me as well and I honestly feel it just isn't natural to be away from our children for such a long periods of time.

I am looking forward to stress free days of playing in the park or swimming at the beach, snuggling on the couch reading stories and eating Popsicles in the back yard.

To new adventures and discoveries I hope summer brings something new for everyone.

Knitted "green" Tote

My first attempt at knitting a bag and I have to say it was a lot easier then I thought it would be. This is a one handled bag knitted in 100% cotton yarn. You can really use this bag for anything and everything. I thought it would be great in the summer for the beach as the sand will just fall through the holes and with it being cotton it will dry fast if it gets wet. These bags are also perfect for groceries as they are easy to wash and keep clean of bacteria and mold from food.

Green Living Tote: by Lion Brand

TOTE
Base

With 2 strands of yarn held together, cast on 44 sts.

Rows 1-30: Knit. At end of last row, do not turn. Rotate work and pick up and k14 sts along adjacent short side of Base, 44 sts along long side of Base, and 14 sts along rem side – 116 sts.

Top
Note: Work will now proceed in the round. Join, being careful not to twist sts. Place marker for beg of rnd.
Rnds 1-3: Knit.
Cut 1 strand of yarn, leaving a long tail.
With 1 strand of yarn, work Rnd 1 of Lace Pattern. Rep Rnds 1-4 of Lace Pattern until piece measures about 14 in. (35.5 cm) from Base, ending with a Rnd 4.

Handle Shaping
Next Rnd: K 44 sts, bind off 14 sts, k44 sts and sl to a holder, bind off 14 sts – (2 sets of 44 sts for each side of handle).
Rem 44 sts will be worked back and forth in rows for first half of handle.
Row 1 (RS): K2tog *(yo, k2tog), rep from * to last 2 sts, k2tog – 42 sts.
Row 2 and all WS rows: Purl.
Row 3: K1, ssk, *(yo, ssk) to last 3 sts, ssk, k1 – 40 sts.
Row 5: K1, k2tog, *(yo, k2tog); rep from * to last 3 sts, k2tog, k1 – 38 sts.
Row 7: Ssk, *(ssk, yo); rep from * to last 2 sts, ssk – 36 sts.
Row 8: Purl.
Rep Rows 5-8 until there are 8 sts rem, ending with a Row 8. Work rem 8 sts as follows:
Row 1 (RS): K1, (yo, k2tog) 3 times, k1.
Row 2: Purl.
Row 3: K1, (ssk, yo) 3 times, k1.
Row 4: Purl.
Rep Rows 1-4 twice more. Bind off loosely. Re-join yarn to 44 sts on holder and work same as for first half of handle.

FINISHING
Sew ends of handle together.

Border
With RS facing and 1 strand of yarn, beg at handle seam, pick up and k100 sts evenly spaced around one side of handle and top of Tote. Join, being careful not to twist. Place marker for beg of rnd.
Rnd 1: Purl.
Rnd 2: Knit.
Bind off loosely.
Rep border on opposite side of Tote. Weave in ends.

Blueberry-Banana Bread

I have made this bread a few times in the past. I was looking for a recipe that contained no refined sugars and found this one. It truly is very yummy and my kids devour it every time I make it. I have changed a couple of things from the original recipe, but only to substitute what I had on hand. Please visit fatfreevega.com for the original recipe.

Blueberry-Banana Bread

• 3 large over-ripe bananas


• 2 tablespoons lemon juice


• 1/3 cup (80 ml) Almond Milk (or apple sauce)


• 1/2 cup (120 ml) maple syrup


• 2 cups (240 g) whole wheat flour


• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder


• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda


• 1/2 teaspoon salt


• 1 cup (240 ml) blueberries(fresh or frozen)