VALENTINE'S PARTY

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Happy Valentine's day! Last week my friend Halley and I threw a little Valentine's party for a bunch of toddler friends. It was about as fun as a toddler party can get. Cookie decorating, amazing food, a pinata, and a photo-booth. Awesome, right? The pinata I made was just like this one, but I reinforced the bottom with some heart shaped poster-board to make it strong enough to hold bouncy balls, candy, etc. and I added 10 strings so most of the kids had one to hold on to for the big moment. It was a huge hit, highly recommend!
I could not for the life of me get Elliott to look at the camera (my phone). Halley got some great shots though that are forthcoming. She used this great trick to get the kids to look into her lens. Whatever that kid loved (horses in Elliott's case) she would ask them if there was (a horse) in her camera lens. The kids looked every time. Genius!

HIS DAY

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To stick with the tradition, we started Elliott's birthday by surprising him with a bunch of balloons in some garbage bags and dumped them out over his head. He loves it! Later he opened a few presents from us - all of which he is wearing in a picture above (a backpack, new shoes and big boy underwear!)
He also got a new horsey shirt! It's about time I got around to making him a new one. You can see his other shirt here, and what happened to it here. It's also the same horse shape as his party invitations.

It was a pretty fun day. He played with friends, got lots of calls from loved ones wishing him a happy birthday, and of course, had some cake!

And yes, he is blowing on a mini cupcake, not his sippy cup :)

VALENTINES!

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I made some valentines for Elliott to give to his little friends and decided I would share them with you all to download. I wanted them to kind of match the surprise balls I made, and wouldn't you know it? I kinda love these too. I attached tiny jars of play-dough to the ones for his friends. Sure to be a hit! Hope you like them!

Click on the links below to download the coordinating valentine:
Yours
Taken
I Like You

DIY VALENTINE SURPRISE BALLS

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Along with some valentine cards I made, I wanted to make some fun surprise balls for Elliott and his cousins. Surprise balls are so much fun, and not just for kids. These would make a great gift for anyone!
 You'll need: Crepe paper, scissors, double sided tape, small trinkets and goodies.
 Cut several strips of crepe paper, about 2 inches wide.
It's best/easiest to start with something like a bouncy ball. Start wrapping the crepe paper around the goodies!
To get the finished, smooth, round ball look, cut a small strip of crepe paper (about 1/2 inch wide) and wrap that around the ball. It works, trust me.
See? Now here is where you can go one of two ways. This first way requires a bit of double sided tape. Wrap your ball in the double sided tape. Cover it as well as you can.
 Cut some thin strips of both white and black (in this case) then shred the strips into confetti.
Now roll your tape covered ball in the confetti! When you're done it should look a little like this:
I love it! However, this type can be a little difficult to open. Especially for little hands. So here is the second way...
 You have your ball of goodies all wrapped up just like the last ball. 
 Cut out a heart from a small piece of crepe paper.
 Use a small piece of double sided tape to attach the heart and viola! 
I love, love them! They were a lot of fun to make and I can't wait to see the kid's reactions as they unravel their little treasures layer by layer.