Sunshine and Easter Eggs...

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I just had the loveliest of weekends! I got to catch up with some of my best friends, spend some time with the Mr. and work outside in the sunshine all day today! :) Such a good time! 

I was doing some research for our Brownie meeting tomorrow night and was trying to find some cool ways that they kids could decorate some Easter Eggs. There were so many creative and easy ideas out there, I thought I'd share some of them with you! 

My girls are all in either grade 2 or 3 so they're at that age where they want to do a more detailed craft, but you still want to make it simple enough for them so that they can achieve the look they want without getting too frustrated or discouraged. I think these techniques will do just that and the kids will have a blast making them! 

I love these little finger print ladybugs. By simply dying the eggs then using their finger prints and markers you can make this design. I think little catepillars would be super cute too! Maybe in a rainbow of colours. 

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Create different layers and almost a plaid like look by dipping eggs in different colours. Or dab with bingo dabbers, or layer with fun shaped stickers. Remove the stickers once the eggs are dry to reveal your silhouettes. 

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Dying with Kook-Aid!!! I am soooo going to try this! The link below says to mix one pkg with 2/3 of a cup of water. We are so doing this! 

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Use pieces of felt to create little barn yard animals. I think little pink pigs would be super cute too! 

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OMGosh! Tattoos! I'll be picking these up as well! Rub on tattoos make a simple but lovely decorated egg. Perfect for a Easter dinner centre piece! 

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And who could forget chalkboard paint! I prefer the spray kind. Spray the eggs and let them dry. Let the kids to nuts using regular chalk or liquid chalk board pens! 

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Hope you all have fun decorating! 

Love Tam xo

Boredom Busters...

Summer is just around the corner, and with that comes days at the beach, family vacations, camping, crafts and fun days at home, but eventually it may also bring boredom! We all have days where we could use a little help in the creativity department. Print these little gems on days when you need a boost! It's easy! Just right click on the picture to save to your computer, and then print!

These lovely printables come to you courteousy of Babalisme. She so graciously shares her amazing ideas and artwork with everyone. Be sure to check out her site for more free printables.

Here's a few more for you!

{Fairy Tale Paper Dolls}

{Back to School labels}

{More paper dolls}

 Have Fun!!!
Love Tam xo

Marshmallows, bubbles and sunshine.....

Happy Sunday Everyone :)

Hope you all got out and enjoyed this much needed sunshine this weekend :) I had the nicest day today :) I got the dreaded task of mowing my lawn out of the way at 9am this morning. I'm sure my neighbors were loving me, but at least I waited until 9 :) After the lawn was done, I set up camp at the picnic table on my patio and got down to some business. I have a wedding that I'm doing in a couple weeks, and I needed to put the final touches on my spreadsheet and just make sure all my ducks are in a row. Feeling good about it all, it's going to be tons of fun and I can't wait! I'll share all the details with you once it's done!

My little 3 year old nephew Caleb came over this afternoon for a playdate and we had the bestest time! Had a campfire and roasted marshmallows, put our toes in the lake and blew some bubbles on the dock. We got some "Auntie/Kid" time in today and I loved every minute of it. :)  Here's a few pics from our day :)

{ Bubbles on the dock }

{ Someone had a marshmallow and apple sauce face }

Hope you all had a fantastic weekend and enjoy your evening!

Love Tam xo

A very special partnership...

If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you'll know that I'm a huge fan of Helping Hearts Photography.

Helping Hearts is a project created by my good friend Melissa & her friend and fellow photographer Michelle with the goal of being able to provide free photography sessions for families with children who are suffering a life-altering illness or disability.

Over the last couple of months they've acquired an entire team of over 100 photographers that now stretches all the way across Canada! This amazing team is dedicated to donating their time to Helping Hearts because they believe in sharing the gift of photography with as many families as possible. After their session, each family receives 20-30 fully edited, print ready images on disk and an 8x10 print of their choice.

I'm so pleased to be able to announce that Blue Lily will be working with them as an official event sponsor! We'll be donating our time wherever we can, to help organize and execute fundraisers and events for Helping Hearts across Canada.

This particular organization is something that I've loved from the beginning. Anyone who knows me, knows that children have a very large and special place in my heart, and anything that I can do to help spread some happiness to these families truly makes me smile. :)

Last week Helping Hearts launched a new promo video. The song was written by Helen Austin, a very talented lady from Comox BC. To take a peek at the video click here, and be sure to get the tissues ready! You can't help yourself from tearing up! It's so very beautiful, and this song is now one of my new favorites :)

If your family, or a family you know has a child that is suffering from a life-altering illness or disability, or if you're a photographer and are interested in being part of their team, please email Helping Hearts through their website here.

I promise I'll be sure to keep you all up to date on what these lovely gals and guys are up to!

Wishing you and your families much love,

Tam xoxo

Photo Credits: Melissa Knowles Photography ~ Jill Hardy Photography ~ Melodie Hillman Photography ~ Tamara’s Photography & Design ~ CL Buchanan Photography ~ JessicaRae Photography

Turn regular milk into a party treat!

Found this great idea on the Better Homes and Gardens site and loved it so much I thought I would share. A glass of milk takes on a whole new deliciousness with donut-hole heads!

Simply fill the mini milk bottle with milk, place a powdered donut-hole on top. I would use mini chocolate chips for eyes and icing or a piece of an orange ju-jube for a nose. Pierce the donut-hole with a skewer and insert your straw. Cut some yarn or festive peices of fabric for a scarf and garnish with a scrapbooking brad for a whimsical look.

Once the kids see these they'll be too excited to realize they're drinking plain old milk. Another variation might be to add chocolate to the milk and make little brown bears, or any other animal you fancy!

Photo is courteousy of Better Homes and Gardens.

Cutest fairies ever!

Today Emily and I got to spend the afternoon with Maya and all her friends at her Fairy Party! We had so much fun making wings and wands and playing games with them. The kids were absolutely wonderful and their costumes were super cute! To view more pics from this party click on our "party pics" link and you'll be directed to our flickr account.

Thanks so much to Maya, Brady and their parents for having us and special thanks to Em for all her help! xo

Holiday Fun

The holiday season is finally here! It seems like all year long I'm waiting for Christmas to come. I've even been known to secretly listen to Christmas carols in the car during the late summer months.... I know... kinda crazy, but I'm sure I'm not the only guilty one! ;) Everything about it makes me smile. The decorations and crafting, the feeling you get when you find that perfect gift for someone, the sense of community that seems to be all around us, and who could forget the family traditions! My Mom and Dad have really seemed to take to the "blinking and flashing" theme. Your eyes are guaranteed to twitch from all that flashes, the Griswold's are usually referenced several times during the season, and I'm sure the spectacular display would bring tears of joy to Clark Griswold's eyes. But you know, as much as we tease them and laugh, we all love it and couldn't imagine a Christmas without it.

This weekend, two of my little friends Louie and Tash (who also happen to be super bakers) came over and helped me with some of my holiday baking. Here's a photo of one of their creations.

Hope you all have a lovely evening. xoxo

There were prizes to be won...

Last weekend we had the pleasure of helping out with Teagan's Carnival themed birthday party! The kids had tons of fun playing all the games, having their faces painted, picking out their prizes and who could forget eating all that cotton candy!

Thanks so much to Terri and Teagan for having us! Hope you had a good time! xoxo

We were in the presence of royalty this afternoon...

Today Lisa and I got to spend a sunny afternoon with Sophie and all her friends. We made crowns, played games, decorated cupcakes, and even had to fish out a gummy worm from a plate of jello with no hands! We had so much fun, the time just flew by! To view more photos from this party, check out our slide show :)

Thanks to Sophie for having us, it was tons of fun!
Special thanks to Jen and Lisa! You ladies rock! xoxo

Manicures and pedicures for everyone...

Last night Jen and I had the pleasure of hosting a Spa Party for Meagan and all her friends. We had tons of fun making homemade bath products, playing games, and swapping dance moves with the girls. (Jen's pretty good) ;)

After the craziness was done, the girls were given the full spa treatment.

Thanks so much Meagan for having us, we had a great time! xoxo

Blue Lily Kids...

Want to host an amazing kid's party, but don't have a lot of time, or maybe you're not quite sure where to start? Let us help you! At Blue Lily we'll work with you to create the party of your child's dreams. We'll even be there to run it all for you!

Affordable, Memorable, Easy & Fun! You dream it, we plan it!