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Author Archive for haley montgomery – Page 48

make . Easter Mini Banners [printable]

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Baby Girl and I have been working on a few crafty projects for Easter, and today I’m sharing a printable for a cute little mini banner we made. It’s actually part one of an idea I had as I was thinking through spring post ideas. I’ve always loved making things with paper, especially things to play with! The children love to make little paper cut-out puppets using popsicle sticks to create dramas for their puppet shows. So, my thought was to create a little “Hop Along” theater marquee to use along with some Easter-themed finger puppets. I’ll share the finger puppets tomorrow as a printable too, but for now, I’ve included some photos and tips to make the banner below. It can really be hung in any way, but I used some pencils to make our “theater” columns. In the printable download (shown below), I’ve included banner flags for “Hop Along” as well as “He Is Risen,” which would make a neat reminder of the reason for our Easter celebrations on your tabletop of mantle. Enjoy! And stay tuned tomorrow for photos and download for the finger puppets — styling by the one and only, Baby Girl!

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Tips for making the mini banner:

  1. We printed ours on card stock weight paper so it has a little weight and doesn’t wrinkle when glued.
  2. You can hold a metal ruler or straight edge in place in the white gap at the middle of each diamond, and fold against it to crease the row of flags evenly.
  3. Fold each row first, and then cut out each flag. That way, you don’t have to worry about matching up the angles — and the flags don’t have to be exact. [This also gives you kind of a neat diamond harlequin stencil — bonus!]
  4. Keep your glue away from the crease in each diamond when you’re adding them to the string. That way, you’ll be able to slide the flags along the string when you’re finished to adjust the spacing of the words. You may want to go ahead and slide the flags a minute or so after you glue to be sure no glue dries on the string.
  5. We used short sequin pins with balls to top our banner pencil “poles”. They stick securely into the eraser, but leave enough space to wrap your strings to hold up the banner. They’re also kind of festive!
  6. We put our pencil poles in tiny clay pots with straw to scotch, but small potted plants would be cute or even cupcakes for a party table!

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morning letters . thursday 032615

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I’ve been working on some illustration projects this week, and this is my first chance for practice work! Not sure why this lyric came to mind, except I’ve been working with my Baby Girl on some paper craft projects this week too. If there was ever a girl who saw the world through a kaleidoscope, it’s my Baby Girl!

make . Teacher Treat Topper [printable]

Well, we procrastinated, and now Teacher Appreciation Week in the Starkville School District is almost over! My kiddos have six wonderful teachers this year who have given them love and patience and interesting activities and great learning opportunities and so much more. Each year, I’m so grateful for the positive environment my children experience each day in their classrooms. I just don’t say it enough.

Tonight was our first night with no activities this week, and I had the fixings for some teacher happies for the children to take tomorrow. We just needed a fun way to package them up. I found a “thank you” watercolor sketch I painted back in December and decided to use it for a quick topper for some treat bags to hold our goodies. Baby Girl (my continual partner in creative crime) helped put everything together, and now we’re set! If you’re in need of some quick Teacher packaging, feel free to download ours! Just print, cut, fold in half and attach to the top of your bag.

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morning letters . friday 032015

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Happy Vernal Equinox!Just a little reminder to be who you are and add to the loveliness!

go . Cafe Keough

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Today I’m sharing one final post from our Valentine’s weekend trip to Memphis. I mentioned before that we were snowed in for a couple of extra days, which was actually tons of fun (and maybe a little nerve wracking for the Mommy). On Monday morning when we ventured out, our favorite pancake spot for breakfast, the Blue Plate Cafe, was closed for a snow day. That gave us the excuse to wander down Main Street a bit in the snow and ice in search of an alternative. We stopped into Cafe Keough, a corner coffee shop we had seen in our previous walks. It’s a wonderful old space with high ceilings, big windows and a great mix of history, industrial feel and urban vibe.

Part of the appeal was that the manager was shoveling off the iced sidewalk in front of the cafe when we walked up (bonus!). But, the pastry counter kind of sealed the deal. The kids enjoyed waffles with a side of oatmeal cookies, because that’s what you do on a snow day in Memphis, I guess. And, I couldn’t resist the chocolate croissants. We settled into a couple of the small cafe tables by the front windows and enjoyed our munchies with a great view of snow-covered downtown — a view I’m sure we won’t soon forget. Thanks for sharing the trip with us, and I can’t wait to try out some of the sandwiches at Cafe Keough the next time we are in town!

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