Bookmarks made with love

BookMark1

My sweet mother bought me a laminating machine the other day (thank you mum!). And I must say I have been feeling very inspired! I used this machine to create a beautiful gift for my son’s daycare lady’s. They are like second mothers to him, which makes them extra special!

I drew 3 bookmarks with a black marker. One with a lucky theme with clover fours, one with a love theme with hearts and one book marker with a party theme with balloons. After this I went crazy with the coloring pencils. Of course I wrote a personal message on the back of the book marks and I added a foto of my toddler. To preserve the book marks I laminated them first, after which I cut them out. I attached ribbons with a bead that can stick out the book they read.

BookMark2

I attached each marker to a beautiful bouquet for a festive surprise. Of course you could also let your toddler do the coloring for a personal touch too.

Fabulous five! Fall activities

The days are getting shorter and the leaves are all turning lovely shades of yellow, red and brown. This colourful display combined with the November sun never fails to inspire me! These are my five favorite fall activities for me and my family:

  1. Walking in the park – is obviously the first thing that comes to mind. My pre-schooler loves foraging for beautiful leaves, rocks, nuts and sticks. He is obsessed with collecting these items. As I don’t always want this souvenirs in my home, I often have him display these in the garden.
    Fall
  2. Getting creative with our finds – you can make beautiful creations with pine cones or stones.
    Kerstboom
  3. Drawing & coloring – the leaves are a great starting point for a coloring project. You can find and print a fall color project here.
  4. Baking – My little cookie monster and I love making MMMonster cookies on a rainy day.
  5. Visit the library – During the summer we tend to neglect our books but when it gets colder and the evenings get darker, I feel a strong urge to curl up on a couch with a book. I am currently still busy leafing through Home Made by Yvette van Boven.

Mmmm monster cookies

The other day I felt a strong craving for some decadent American style chocolate chip cookies. After dome experimenting I found a recipe that works for us.

I made the dough a day in advance and I pulled the dough out when my pre-schooler seemed bored. We had great fun slicing the cookies and watching the oven do all the work.

cookiemonster

After this we enjoyed these satisfyingly chewy cookies with a tall glass of milk, yum!

I turned this recipe into a lovely coloring project. You can download MonsterCookieColoring here.

ColoringS

Monster cookies (8 to 10 cookies)

  • 250 gram selfraising flour
  • 200 gram light brown sugar
  • 100 gram butter
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon of milk
  • 250 gram chocolate chips
  1. Mix the sugar, butter and salt well.
  2. Stir in the eggs and milk.
  3. Combine with the flour and chocolate chips.
  4. Form a roll of about 5 cm in diameter. Wrap the roll in cling film and rest for 30 minutes to 3 days.
  5. Slice your cookies and place them well spaced apart on a baking tray.
  6. Bake at 190 degrees C for 10 minutes or until golden.

Enjoy your baking and coloring project!

mmmonstercookies

Fall coloring – free printable

FallColoring

For this rainy fall weather I created this beautiful drawing for coloring fun with my toddler. I would like to share this lovely printable with my readers. A great project for all ages. Download FallColoring here.

I colored mine using water colors and crayons and I had great fun making it.

FallColoredSmall

If you are in need of some winter time mommy inspiration, here you will find more kid’s fun.

Feeling (p)inspired

LeafySketchSThe other day I descided to take my doodling to another level. In search of inspiration I searched trusty Pinterest. I collected so many ideas that made my heart beat faster that I couldn’t wait to get started! (You can find my pinsperation here.)

One site truely caught my eye. Alisa Burke makes beatiful artwork. The great thing is that she makes it look so simple! The last few evenings I set out to create my own artwork.

LeafySketchM

I really enjoyed making this project. I first made background with very wet water coloring. After this I doodled the butterflies and leaves. After some digging I found my coloring pencils to finish my creation.

This project was fun and relaxing to do. I am always searching for new ways to be creative and to unwind after a busy day at work and these coloring projects really do the trick!

Next I am moving on to sketching my own recipes, to be continued…