• Alpha+Mom post,  artsy fartsy,  Bug,  The Hood

    Those Cat Ears

    UntitledRrrrrrrawr!UntitledNutella toast anyone?Cat.Bug getting ready to write her own blog post all animal toys she is designing.Pet-go-roundBug just wrote her very own blog post. Actually she dictated and I typed but she's pretending she typed it.Kitty and the VadersThe kitty ears even go to ballet.Hooray for fried food!SistersDay off clothes. Everyday is her day off.UntitledUntitledKitty got her tail.Untitled"Take a picture of me in the street because I match!"UntitledWearing her prizes.UntitledCat ears to school.UsUntitledUntitledUntitledUntitledFall?UntitledJungle catJazz CatUntitledUntitledBrain Freeze!Riding to school with Papa.

    If you follow Bug and I on instagram you are probably very aware of Bug’s Cat Ears. She wears them every single day. In fact, she forgot them today (a first) and had to go to school without them. It was a tragedy. “How will my friends know it’s me?” she cried with tears streaming down her cheeks.

    Silly kid. I almost drove home and got them for her but thankfully, I was able to convince her that the bow in her pony tail was sort of pointy and looked like cat ears if we tweaked it just so. The way she gets these obsessions drives me crazy and makes me love her more at the same time. She’s just so, Bug.

    faces

    Since a lot people have asked me how I made Bug’s ears I finally put up a tutorial over on Alpha+Mom because they will be super handy for DIY Halloween costumes. It’s easier than you can imagine and as you have seen they hold up quite well. I think Bug even wore hers in the pool once and they are still going strong.

    Also I have the world’s cutest neighbor:

    Beautiful Frog Boy

    Look at those eyes!

  • artsy fartsy,  giveaway,  how-to's,  party party

    Knock! Knock!

    Who’s there?

    Who's There?

    You are!

    I am with a fun Little Hoo Halloween Party invitation for you. So maybe you have a little one at home and you want to throw a NOT-scary Halloween party for them and all your friends. Here’s an invite that will suit your needs! (And if it’s too fussy for you, don’t worry, I have a no-stress one at the bottom)

    slicin' and dicin'

    Here’s what you’ll need:

    1. a printer that works with plenty of toner (Don’t have enough toner? Skip to the no-stress version at the bottom.)
    2. card stock (You don’t have to use kraft brown like me, that’s just what I had on hand.)
    3. paper cutter (or scissors if you don’t mind cutting a lot)
    4. an exacto knife or blade for scoring and cutting open the little door
    5. double stick tape
    6. patience (Put your perfectionism in a box.)

    First you’ll need to open your document by clicking here. If you want to type in your party information you can do so by clicking near the place, date, and time section and typing your info into the form I set up for you. I know the fields are invisible but just trust me, they are there. Hit tab to go to the next one. When you’re done hit print and print as many invites as you need. If you want to hand write your info, just print without typing anything into the form.

    invite-instructions

    Now for the slicing and dicing: You need to cut wherever you see bright pink dotted lines (above, they are not on your print out of course because that would be UGLY!). Since I’ve never really mastered printing on both sides of a page, I’ve designed this so it’s all printed on one side and you just cut and tape what needs to go on the other side. That probably doesn’t make sense to most of you but just go with me. I’ve struggled with my printer for YEARS and this is the best solution.

    Don’t forget to use your exacto knife to cut out Little Hoo’s door. That’s the best part. For the hinge side of the door lightly score (using the backside of your exacto knife) along the edge. This will insure that the door opens and doesn’t fold all crooked or something. You will also need to score along the edges of the card where it will fold. That’s where it says “Fold Here”.

    You are!

    When you are done cutting and scoring you can affix the party information onto the backside in the middle section and right side. Don’t stick it on the back of Little Hoo’s door because then he won’t be able to peek through.

    Production Line

    You’ll probably figure this out on your own but the owl that is covering his beak goes under the tree flap. Just play with it, you’ll see. The scared Little Hoo is the one that peaks out the door, not the jumping excited Little Hoo.

    When you’re done folding, get yourself some pretty envelopes and them mail away!

    Simple Version

    For the rest of you who can’t be bothered with craftiness here is a more simple version: 4×6 for those of you who can print photo size and a 3-up version for those of you who want to print 8.5×11 and save paper. I’m sorry the simple version doesn’t have the form capabilities. If enough people complain I’ll fix it but I think you should break out the pen and show your guests your beautiful handwriting.

    I also think you should tell five of your friends about this Little Hoo Party idea and make them buy my book. Especially if they happen to own a bookstore. That would be awesome. (It would also make a great party favor if you could swing it financially. I know I couldn’t though so no pressure from me.)

    P.S. Let me know if anything is glitchy. I never get these things right the first time.

    xo!