{Love} Month: Little Heart Rice Krispies Treats

We made these cute little Rice Krispies treats last year.


They are the perfect size for little hands to eat.


And they are oh, so pretty :)
They'd be perfect to share with friends at park day too.

I made my Rice Krispies treats in a jelly roll pan,
cut them out with a tiny heart shaped cookie cutter,
dipped the tops in red candy melts,
and sprinkled with multi-colored Valentine nonpareils.


The perfect quick treat to share with friends!

{Love} Month: Ruffled Tuxedo Front Shirt

I made this cute little shirt to go with the
{The Isabella} Pleated Flounce Skirt
I made for my Isabella back in January.
I knew that since I used my favorite Riley Blake fabric for the
skirt that I would save it to be worn for Valentine's Day.
This weekend when we went to Knott's Berry Farm I
thought it would be the perfect time to debut the cute little skirt.
However, she needed a shirt to go with it!

In keep with the pleated idea of the skirt,
I wanted something pleated or ruffled for the front of the shirt.
I used the same technique for the shirt that I use for my Ruffled Headbands.


HOW I DID IT
I figured out that I wanted my ruffle to be 4" long,
so I doubled the length and added a 1/2" for folding under the ends.

Then I decided how wide I wanted the ruffle to be and added
a 1/2" so that I could do a narrow hem on each side for finishing.
If you have a serger or want a frayed effect, you can do that too.

So, I ended up with a piece of fabric that was about 8.5"x4".



First I did a narrow hem down each long side of the strip -
ie fold over an 1/8", iron, fold over an 1/8", iron, and edge stitch.

Then I ran my gather stitch up the middle and gathered/ruffled my fabric..

Next, I laid a remnant piece of single fold bias tape down the middle.
I used the bias tape because I had it and it matched :)
You could easily use ribbon, twill tape, ric rac or a strip of fabric.

I pinned the bias tape down and sewed it to the ruffle with an edge stitch.

Then, I found 3 cute buttons and sewed them in place.

I ironed a piece of fusible interfacing that was slightly larger than my ruffle
to the inside of the shirt.
I used the lightweight fusible interfacing because I already had some,
but you could use that or stabilizer.

Finally I sewed the ruffle to the front of the shirt by edge stitching
around all four sides of the ruffle.


Now we have a fun, sassy shirt that matches her flouncy skirt!

Pretend City: February Events & 2 for 1 Entry!

Have you been to Pretend City lately?
They recently opened the Sushi Restaurant where the Cafe was and it is so darling!
The kids loved playing in the new digs.

This week they welcomed a new family into the home exhibit -
The Meyers Family!!!
You can find out about the Meyers' family beliefs and celebrations
around being a culturally blended family.

Along with Valentine making workshops for all ages all month long,
on February 14th there is 2 for 1 admission!!

Valentine’s Day Celebration- Tuesday, February 14^th

Fun activities all day long, including:

• Sensational Story Time: The Kissing Hand – What better way to celebrate the day than with a story about the love of family!
• Poetry Play: Love Poem – Poetry is another language used to express love and it only needs a few words. By 2 years of age your child can express themselves in simple words. Use these words to create a love poem to remind you of these special times.
• Symbols in a Second: Hearts, Cupids, and Roses – oh my! During this holiday many symbols are seen in the community that represents Valentine’s Day and so much more. Today is your chance to learn more about these symbols and what they represent.
• Good to Go Game: Pin the Arrow on the Heart – Watch your child turn into cupid as they try to pin the arrow on the heart!
  

There are several other fun things going on this month:

Way to Play Day: A Package of Learning! - Friday Feb 10^th (10am-3pm)

Prepare your child for playgroups, preschool and even kindergarten! Learn to understand your children’s developmental progress and successfully prepare them for the world.

• Developmental Check-ups from 10:00a.m. to 12:00p.m.: Assesses speech, motor, cognitive and social areas (first come, first served; limited spaces available)
• Story times, tips for learning at home and a chance to spin the wheel for a take home prize!

Baby Steps through Pretend City! - Monday, Feb 13^th (2-3:30pm)

Share your love of Pretend City with even the littlest of learners. Pretend City has amazing learning opportunities for every age, even infants! Your infant’s heart will go out to you as you explore Pretend City in a way that was designed with them in mind. This exclusive, infant only hour engages your infant in age-appropriate facilitated activities, which will teach you about your baby’s developmental milestones. Don’t forget to pick up a free Ages & Stages Questionnaire!* to ensure your little one is developing on track! They're FREE, fast and easy! * Available for Orange County residents only

RSVP: Required at http://pretendcity.org/education/classes/; max 150

Fee: $11 per adult, infants and Pretend City Members are FREE!

Connect With Your Child Through Play- Thursday, Feb 16^th (9-10am)

Did you know that children learn best through their play? Discover the connections between learning and play during this hands-on seminar. Learn why play is important and how to play with your child while fostering attachment, development, language and social skills, all while having fun! In addition, receive an introduction to Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), which places an emphasis on improving the quality of your parent-child relationship and parent-child interaction patterns. Learn more about the PCIT here (link http://www.cgcoc.org/nbc_tv_video_clip.php) and keep an eye out for therapy sessions at Pretend City!

RSVP: http://pretendcity.org/education/upcoming; max 25; min 5 or subject to cancelation

Fee: $10 per adult (price includes children)

Family Autism Event- Monday, Feb 27^th (5-7:30pm)

This special evening is an opportunity for children and their parents/siblings/caretakers to have some fun in an autism-friendly environment along with other families. Many of our community partners who specialize in supporting children on the Autism Spectrum or with Pervasive Developmental Disorders Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) will be on-hand to enrich your family’s play experience with their welcoming smiles and practical support.

RSVP: Please call 949.428.3900 extension 233 or visit: http://pretendcity.org/education/classes/; max 80 families (1 ticket per family of up to 5 people); only those families who have a reservation and a confirmation number will be admitted.

Fee: This event is FREE thanks to the OC Register and The Festival of Children’s Season of Caring, Possible Dream Grant.

{Love} Month: I love jUice! Valentines

I really loved making last year's Valentines with the kids' faces.
It seemed so personal and a fun way for the kids to participate
in their Valentines with their neurotic perfectionist mother :)
But this year I was stumped!
I couldn't figure out what we could do that hadn't already been done.
Pinterest is an amazing thing, but it also puts on the
pressure to think of something new and exciting.

On Monday I was perusing the Dollar Store to pick up
some glitter bugs.
Isabella talked me into the the "treat" aisle
so she could go and get some Jesse juice boxes
like she got on our last trip there.
They didn't have any Jesse juice, but they did have Hello, Kitty!




They were so dang cute and got my wheels turning.
Juice.
Olive juice.
I love juice.
I love jUice!!!!!



So we started with our photo shoot again.
She was easily distracted and got bored :)


And then she got silly.



But then we captured the perfect one and added
a little red text to match her cute Joy's Hope dress.

Once I had the picture I had to figure out how to package it all up.
I remembered a cute idea for a Cupcake Take Along,
so I used it as a jumping point.


Since I was making them last minute (what's new?) - I was glad I had
all the items to make them in my stash :)
My inspiration used a fancy glue thingy, but I just used my glue gun
and a gluestick and they worked like a charm.
I added a tiny bit of Velcro to keep the Valentine closed
until you open it to reveal the secret.


If you'd like to make some I love jUice! Valentines of your own,
I have a PNG file for your picture - you just slide your picture
in behind in a photo editing software program
and a PDF file of the I love jUice! page for you to download.
You can get them HERE!!!

TOO Cute Tuesday: Linky Par-Tay! #69

This weekend we got to kick it at Knott's Berry Farm
for their TWOgether is Better celebration.
It was so much fun!

Now onto TOO Cute Tuesday!

What did you make this week that is TOO Cute??

Come link up!

Rules:

• Must be made by you.
• Link up to the specific post - not your main blog.
• No Etsy shops or giveaways please :)
  
• Please post the button or link back here so more people can join in the fun.
• Visit some of the other participants and leave them some LOVE!

TOO Cute Tuesday will be open Tuesday-Saturday.
On Saturday or Monday I'll highlight some of my favorites
and then we'll start over on Tuesday!


<a border="0" href="http://funkypolkadotgiraffe.blogspot.com/search/label/Too%20Cute%20Tuesday" target="_blank"><img src="http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p12/mormishgirl/Blog/TooCuteTuesdayNEW.jpg" /></a>

This post brought to you by:


I changed the linky party so that the most recently uploaded project will show up as number one. This way everyone gets a chance on top. So, look in the first spot for your project, not at the end. Thanks!!!

Knott's Berry Farm: TWOgether is Better!

This weekend we had the opportunity to attend
the TWOgether is Better celebration at Knott's Berry Farm.

TWOgether is Better will be at Knott's Berry Farm
February 1st-28th, and during the celebration you can
purchase tickets online for $34.99 per person.
AND on February 29th, admission is just $29!!!!!

JT was super excited to see Snoopy and Charlie Brown.


Isabella was content to stay at the table and enjoy the centerpieces :)


While you're there you can enjoy the special show at the Camp Snoopy Theater -
"Love is in the Air, Charlie Brown!"



JT had the good fortune to be part of the show and show
the audience some of his sweet moves :)


Of course there are plenty of fantastic rides to be had inside Camp Snoopy,
and Isabella was enjoying the pint-sized thrills it has to offer.



This time I even got to do some of the big thrill rides with JT - like
Sierra Sidewinder and Jaguar!
I even did Wind Seeker with Jaime.



We were up HIGH!!!!!



The kids also loved the opportunity to make Valentines
for their family in Camp Snoopy.


And I loved all the cute photo ops that were available!


Yes, I did make an outfit just for the occasion :)


Don't miss out on all the {SWEET} things
TWOgether is Better at Knott's has to offer!



Disclosure: We were invited by Knott's Berry Farm to attend the VIP TWOgether is Better event. I attended because I was wanted to create fun memories with my family. I received parking, brunch and park admission for free. I blogged about it because I wanted to and not because Snoopy & the Gang told me I had to. All the thoughts & opinions are mine.