Honest To Nod

st. patrick's day play date

 

 

I love thinking of activities for play dates and even building them around a theme, if we have the time to plan that out.  A little goes a long way and the extra preparation makes the time fun and special.  Some years ago, we had a play date on St. Patrick’s Day with my cousin and her children. They came bearing St. Patrick’s Day decor and Irish potato candy (recipe courtesy of Baked Bree).  The “potatoes” were delicious and were wrinkled and dimpled just like real potatoes!  Part of the afternoon was filled with a simple craft―punched hearts in different shades and patterns of green along with little bits of ribbon that the kids glued together as shamrocks.  A little lunch, dessert, play time and craft time–all in all, a splendid time!

Post by Michelle Sterling of Avery and Augustine

You can see her work and read about her two young children and their first forays in cooking, art and everything in between at Avery and Augustine.

Houseplant Help

I love having lots of plants in our house, but I don’t have the best track record keeping them alive.  Every spring, I fill my house with plants, only to have most of them heading for the trash bin by the end of summer. This time around, I’ve been reading up on indoor gardening and have even started selecting plants based on hardiness. I’m especially encouraged by articles about plants that seem to thrive under any conditions. Surely, I can make keep a few of those alive.

Here are a few of the articles I’ve found most helpful:

• 5 Hard-to-Kill Houseplants
• Indoor House Plants
• Simple Tips for Raising Indoor Plants
• Houseplants for the Forgetful Gardener
• 10 Tips for the Black Thumb
• Plants I Can’t Kill
• Overlooked Plants That Can Survive the Dark

Here are a few more scenes of green in my own home:

Post by Julee : Warm Hot Chocolate

a game to remember

This is a great first memory game for a toddler or preschooler.  The game consists of wooden tiles with stylized pictures of animals in bold and appealing colors.  I like how the tiles are substantial and made of wood, thus easy for little hands to handle and flip over.  What's nice is that they are durable enough to pass on to someone else after Avery and Nate outgrow them!

Post by Michelle Sterling of Avery and Augustine

You can see her work and read about her two young children's first forays in cooking, art and everything in between at Avery and Augustine.

Easy Shamrock Hair Clip

With St. Patrick’s Day just a few weeks away, our easy shamrock hair clip is the perfect last-minute craft. This project takes just moments to assemble and is sure to bring good luck (or at least keep pinching fingers away)!

You will need our free shamrock template printable, sturdy green cardstock of your choice (we used a scrap piece of American Crafts Glitter Paper) an alligator clip, tape, green marker and scissors.

TO MAKE: Download our free Shamrock Template. Cut out a shamrock to make a pattern. Trace shamrock pattern onto green paper. Cut out. If necessary, color the edges of your shamrock with a green marker to give a polished look. Using tape, secure the alligator clip to the green shamrock with the flat side touching the shamrock to provide a smooth surface for the cardstock to lie against.

Special thanks to our darling model, Ava, and her Supermom Tara!

Reposted with permission by Aimée Lowry & Bettijo B. Hirschi from PagingSupermom.com

Leprechaun Handprint Cards

We are lucky that one set of grandparents are right here in Phoenix with us, but my husband’s parents live up in Wyoming. We get to see them only a couple times a year, and so I thought it would be fun to send them a little St. Patrick’s Day surprise. I had my little leprechaun’s help me make these hand print cards that I know Grandma is going to love.

Print and download our free template which includes a nameplate so Grandma can identify those handprints. Using a foam brush, cover each child’s hand with green craft paint and stamp it onto the cut cards. Miss Modette’s hand (she is not quite two) was the most difficult to stamp (obviously!), so I had a few extra cards ready to go and then picked my favorite.

If you have more than one little leprechaun, tape the cards together leaving a very small space between them so you can easily fold them up accordion style. Mail in a size A7 envelope.

Reposted with permission by Aimée Lowry & Bettijo B. Hirschi from PagingSupermom.com

Create a Dreamy Nautical Room

For this room, I was inspired by these dreamy nautical images. I love the idea of dressing up a classical nautical look with soft shapes, delicate lines and vintage details.

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Try it for yourself!

Clockwise from top left:

Achievement Banner Flags, $2.95 each

Anchor Girl Pillow, $24

Oh Buoy Flag Throw Pillow, $24

Sea the Sea Calling Canvas Wall Art, $99

Dew Drop Table Lamp and Shade, $109

Sail the Ocean Blooms Banner, $79.95

Chalk with the Animals, $24.95

Good Read Book Caddy, $149

Little Twigs Wall Mirror, $219

Preppy Polka Dot Bedding, $29-$129

By Anna Passadori 

Anna develops and designs exclusive product for The Land of Nod. She hails from the west coast and has traveled the world to source product. She loves anything Marc Jacobs, Sofia Coppola or stripes! (So, if anyone can get a photo of Sofia Coppola wearing a striped outfit by Marc Jacobs, please send it along.)

Lilac Love

Fifth Avenue Pendant / Scallop Mirror / Love London Print / Bebop Bunny

Hello Love / Brass Bunny / Love Print / Bebop Kitty

Dream City Print / Sequin Heart Pillows / White Andersen Crib / Tulip Festival Bedding 

Silver Lamps / Monarch Dresser (with Handpicked Knobs) / Milo Glider

Streamline Nightstand / Ribbon Cutting Rug / X Marks the Bookcase / Purple Pouf

Register for these great nursery items at LandofNod.com

Post by Joni: Lay Baby Lay

Cheesy Puff Pastry Twists

We have these twisty, cheesy bread sticks at our grocery store. They are yummy and addictive, buttery and crumbly. The kids love them and I love them. Looking at the package I note that they are imported from Switzerland – go figure! But they are expensive and buying bread sticks that travel the Atlantic to get to me does seem excessive.

While I can’t replicate them exactly, I can make a puff pastry version. If there’s one thing I love it’s puff pastry. Not only is it a buttery indulgence, but it’s also readily available at the grocery store. I made these cheesy puff pastry twists for Classic Play and thought I’d share them with you as well. I made them with the kids – easy, fun and oh so yummy! Have them as a snack, serve them at a cocktail party along with these or with some tomato soup. Enjoy!

Cheesy Puff Pastry Twists

Ingredients

• 1 box of frozen puff pastry dough, thawed. Ours comes in two sheets, already rolled out and with parchment around it. You need two sheets that are the same size.
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan
• 1/2 tablespoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon chili pepper
• 1 teaspoon of roasted garlic powder
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Gently unroll one puff pastry sheet onto baking sheet.
3. Whisk egg and brush the egg wash on the rectangle of puff pastry dough (only on one side) and reserve the leftover egg wash.
4. Mix together the Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese, basil, chili and garlic and sprinkle mixture over the egg washed rectangle. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
5. Carefully brush the egg wash on the other rectangle of puff pastry dough.
6. Place the other half of the pastry (egg side down) on top of the cheese mixture and press the two halves together using your hands or roll lightly with the rolling pin. Gently press edges to seal.
7. Using a pizza cutter, cut the pastry into 1/2 inch strips.
8. Working one at a time, gently twist each strip and lay on the baking sheet making sure to press down the ends so that they don't curl when baking. When all of the strips have been twisted and placed on the baking sheet, lightly brush each twist with the remaining egg wash.
9. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the twists are golden brown.
10. Remove from the oven and serve warm or cooled.

Post by Giulia Doyle : Audrey's

Font Love

Bebas Neue Light // Canter Bold 3D // Baron Neue 

Corki // Dekar Light // Lovers Quarrel // Manlike

 

Raechel Myers blogs at Finding My Feet. She's a self-proclaimed 'font nerd', and when she's not elbow deep in her next DIY project, you'll likely find her happily buried under a pile of library books with her kiddos or sneaking chocolate covered almonds out of the pantry when nobody's looking!

Shared Boys Space

My story starts when I moved to Indianapolis about 12 years ago not knowing a soul and within minutes of arriving at my new job a girl that worked a few cubicles down from me came over and welcomed me to the office and I’m so lucky to say she’s been my friend ever since. 

When I got pregnant 7 years later my friend told me about her sister, Sarah Beth Hill, who was an amazing natural light photographer.  I immediately booked a session with her.  Unfortunately I had some heartbreaking losses that put off my newborn baby photo shoot until I welcomed my son in October 2012.  I was so excited for the photoshoot it was a long time coming and I was so anxious to meet Sarah and have her take photos of my newborn son Cooper. 

At the end of the shoot I got out my checkbook and asked Sarah how much I owed her and she looked at me and smiled and said, “Nothing, I’m so happy for you and your family I want to give this to you as my gift to you, it’s the least I could do.”   This was the first time I had ever met her and one of the nicest acts of kindness a stranger had ever given to me.

A year later when I booked Cooper’s one year photo shoot Sarah suggested we trade services, she would take Cooper’s pictures in exchange for me decorating her sons Ethan and Maddox shared bedroom space.  I quickly agreed and the planning began.

I wanted to do something special for Sarah to repay her for the kindness she gave to me and so I reached out to Land of Nod to see if they would help me create a fun shared boys space for 2 young boys.  Lucky me they agreed and I got to work!

The inspiration for the room were some canvas photos Sarah Beth took of her sons that took on a nautical theme.  Once I knew the inspiration picking out some great items from Land of Nod was super easy!

 

 

First thing first the orange room was painted a light gray and the bunk beds were moved to the other side of the room.

The room is super small so the bookcase was a great choice, it held so much but it wasn’t the slightest bit bulky.  Maddox the youngest loved his decorative life preserver pillow and Ethan the oldest loved having his very own book light on the top bunk to read late into the night.  Mom/Sarah loved the owl tree rack to keep the boys clothes off the ground.  If I had to pick my favorite element it would be the map rug that helped pulled the small room together.

I had such a great time putting together this room and to see Sarah and the boys reaction to the space was priceless!  Thank you so much Land of Nod for helping me put together this room!!

Sarah Beth Photography: http://sarah-bethphoto.com/blog/  A natural light photographer from Indianapolis

Laurie Jones: http://lauriejoneshome.com  An interior decorator from Indianapolis

Photographs taken by Sarah Beth 

Moodboard and Graphics by Laurie Jones