Easter Candy in France
For us, living in France means living with a general feeling of being foreigners or outsiders. (Not necessarily a bad thing. It is what it is.) When it’s a holiday, that feeling is magnified. I was thinking about that as I wandered through the Easter candy aisle at the grocery store the other day.
Obviously, all the types of treats that spell Easter to me and to my older kids, weren’t anywhere to be seen. No fluorescent Peeps (my favorite!). No jelly beans. No Cadbury mini eggs. No chalky malted eggs that you can use to paint your lips blue. No Reeses peanut butter eggs. And no egg dyeing kits either — dyeing eggs isn’t really a thing here.
That said, there were tons of holiday treat options, and I kept thinking how French adults must walk through these aisles and fondly identify the candies that define their childhood Easters. But I have no idea what they are! I have no idea which chocolate eggs are stereotypical, which ones have been sold for decades, and which ones have just been introduced as a new product.
So I end up choosing treats based solely on looks. I am 100% judging these books by their covers — or these candies by their wrappers. Today, I’m sharing the prettiest treats I’ve found. I thought you might like to get an idea of what a French child would find on Easter morning — a gift from the Church Bells, instead of the Easter Bunny.
… Living Well: 5 Secrets for Caring for Teen Skin
Written by Deborah Harju. Photos by Lindsey Johnson for Design Mom.
Note from the Editors: In January, Deborah Harju was interviewed in a Living With Kids home tour. Deborah is an esthetician and she casually wrote, “I hope my kids will one day appreciate that they could go through their teenage years without the dreaded acne phase.” Well. The Design Mom inboxes lit up! Readers wanted to know more. Can you really avoid the acne phase? So we asked Deborah to share her secrets. Lucky us!
Adolescence is a pretty tough transition period for any child. Unpredictable hormonal changes on the inside! Crazy physical changes on the outside! And us parents? We are learning to adjust our parenting techniques right along with them.
Amidst all these changes, one of the toughest things teens deal with is acne. Oh ACNE! At the peak of their self-doubt, our poor kids get this dumped on them. As a parent, we may feel powerless when it comes to our child’s acne but the truth is, we don’t have to just sit back and let acne run its course.
Although acne can be genetic (children are more likely to suffer acne if a parent suffered from it), there are still many things we can do as parents to keep it manageable. Although I have personal experience with my preteen, I have treated adolescent acne as an esthetician for over 12 years and have found that these tips can be effective in navigating these troublesome years.
NOTE: These tips alone will not address the concerns of cystic acne, which is acne defined by very painful cysts or fluid-filled lumps beneath the skin. I would refer any client with cystic acne to a doctor, (preferably a dermatologist), who can prescribe oral antibiotics. If your acne is severe, an esthetician alone will not be enough. These tips can be effective in managing all other types of acne — even adult onset acne.
… Living With Kids: Linda Smith
By Gabrielle.
Maybe it’s because I know the behind-the-tour story, but I can’t help but look at this home, sigh a little, and think to myself that it’s such a perfect space to bring home a new baby. And that’s exactly what Linda and her family are planning to do – preferably not today or tomorrow, but soon! This blogger and Etsy shop owner (have you seen her cake stands?) is on strict bed rest at 34 weeks, and is hoping that her baby girl will grow a little bigger before her arrival. Until then, picture her calmly yet anxiously waiting in this home: clean, clutter-free, super organized, and crisp white with happy dashes of color everywhere you look. Enjoy this refreshing tour, Friends, and please send your best “Gain some weight, baby girl!” wishes.
Q: Please tell us about the family who is lucky enough to live here!
A: Hi there! We’re a family of three, soon to become four. My husband, Greg, is a firefighter, and I am a blogger and Etsy shop owner. Our almost-four-year-old son, Drew, is equal parts mischievous little boy and artsy, sensitive old soul. Baby Girl will be coming in May (or sooner!) and I know she’ll bring with her more love and chaos than we could ever imagine!
Q: How did this house become your home?
A: We fell in love with this home as soon as we saw it. However, unbeknownst to us or our agent, it already had a contract on it. We couldn’t believe that this perfect-for-us home might belong to somebody else. As often happens, though, the previous contract fell through and here we are! There was a lot of work to be done on the home, but the resulting sense of ownership and accomplishment have made it all worthwhile.
Q: What makes you love where you live?
A: I actually grew up in this neighborhood, and love how it’s close to my family and many of our friends. The neighborhood has lots of trees, sidewalks, trails, and a lake, which makes it perfect on those gorgeous days when you just want to be outside.
… Eiffel Tower Easter Egg Hunt
Images and Text by Gabrielle.
Have you ever had an Easter Egg hunt in an out of the ordinary place? Last year, right before my sister Jordan moved back to San Francisco from Paris, we had an egg hunt at the Eiffel Tower. I shared this instagram at the time (which, by the way, might be my favorite instagram I’ve ever taken), but I haven’t shown you other pictures, so I thought it would be fun to share them today while I’ve got Easter plans on my mind.
To be clear, this wasn’t an official event hosted by the City of Paris. We just found a grassy spot off to the side on the Champs du Mars (the big park next to the Eiffel Tower), scattered the eggs all over the lawn, and let our kids search them out. (If you’re in Paris over Easter with your kids, you could totally do the same thing!) But no matter how simple the activity is, doing it with the Eiffel Tower in the background makes it feel pretty darn spectacular.
… Living With Kids: Camilla Fabbri
By Gabrielle.
There’s something kind of magical about homes that hold kids at those in-between ages. Not yet teens and long past toddlers are often the most receptive to taking chances with the home’s decoration and – maybe more delightfully – being a little wowed by every change. For those of you with kids these ages, you’ll know what I mean when I call these the yes years! Should we re-arrange the living room? Yes! Should we hang a disco ball in the kitchen? Yes! Should we paint your room (insert color you never thought you’d consider)? Yes! And the best yet: Will you help me? Yes!
Camilla Fabbri probably experiences this lovely stage on a daily basis, and I know she’s grateful for it! Just as I’m sure her girls are equally grateful for a mom who paints numbers on stairs and serves up breakfast in bed…in a bed in the garden. Friends, I know you’ll be inspired by this one! Enjoy!
Q: Tell us about the family who lives here.
A: My husband David and I have been married for 16 years. We have two darling daughters: Grace is 12, and Jane is eight. He’s a creative ad guy and a musician and I’m a stay-at-home mother, creator of the blog Family Chic, and freelance magazine contributor. We live just north of Chicago on Lake Michigan in Evanston. We love our life here. There is a lot of natural beauty, and living so close to the city is a definite plus as there’s tons of fun things for us to do together.
… Big & Small DIY: Painted Spoons
Images and text by Gina Vide for Design Mom.
Don’t you just love the look of dipped or striped wooden utensils? Today’s Big & Small project is an activity that is pretty, functional and something grownups and kids can make side-by-side. You’ll stripe, while your little one dips! How fun is that?
Afterwards, when you are entertaining dinner guests, or simply tossing a salad on an any-old-Tuesday, these colorful utensils will brighten your day.
If you’re anything like me, you’re going to want to make extras. They’re so much fun to make that both children and adults will want to try variation after variation. Plus, you can use all the extras for gifts!
… Living Well: 10 Easy Secrets to Greening Your Home, Part 2
A few weeks ago we talked about 10 Easy Secrets to Greening Your House, and today I’m back with 10 more easy tips. There are just so many things we can do! This time, I’m going to focus on secrets to cutting down on waste and using less — things I bet we could all improve on.
Some things you may have already heard, and some might be new things you’d never even thought of doing. All of them are small, everyday changes that are simple and easy to make, but make a big difference.
Secret #1: Replace light bulbs with energy efficient, longer lasting bulbs. Fluorescent bulbs use about 1/4 less energy than incandescent bulbs. Halogen bulbs are another alternative to incandescent.
You might be wondering about the difference between halogen and fluorescent bulbs and which one to buy. Halogen lights are more energy efficient than incandescent bulbs, but they do emit a fair amount of heat and don’t save as much energy as fluorescent. The light from halogen bulbs is warm and yellow-reddish. Halogen bulbs are much smaller, provide a good amount of light, and last a lot longer, but they are expensive.
Overall fluorescent bulbs are cheaper to buy and use and are cooler. Fluorescent bulbs are especially worth considering if you want to keep your air conditioning bill lower during the summer or if you live in a warmer climate. Daylight balanced fluorescent bulbs are available if you don’t care for the blueish tint given off by traditional fluorescent bulbs. The daylight balanced bulbs create a more natural looking light indoors.
…Living Well: 10 Easy Secrets to Greening Your Home, Part 2Read More »
Living With Kids: Julia Fain
By Gabrielle. Photos by Katlyn Myrvold, with a few from Julia, too.
There are a few schools of thought about how to live with kids and still maintain your style, from pretending their childish design preferences and love of all things plastic in primary colors don’t exist, to merging yours and theirs seamlessly and in lots of aesthetically pleasing bins and cupboards, to completely succumbing to the mayhem for at least a few years. And then there’s Julia and her family. With their style firmly rooted in Mid-Century Modern and a preference for vintage, the Fain home is a study in clean simplicity. Quite a feat with two small ones running around it! I must admit, her clutter-free home has me kind of yearning for a purge, and will probably inspire some of you to rethink the quantity of toys in your own homes…even the ones hiding away nicely in the afore-mentioned cute cupboards!
I’m happy to introduce Julia to you all. Enjoy the sunshiney tour, Friends!
Q: Tell us all about the Fain family!
A: Hi, I’m Julia! I met my husband Lee ten years ago in Savannah, Georgia at a college ministry event. He was pursuing a masters in Industrial Design at SCAD and I was pursuing an undergrad in Industrial Design at Georgia Tech. We dated long distance, married, and worked together as designers for an appliance company in Louisville, Kentucky.
A few years later my husband was offered a design position at 3M in Saint Paul, Minnesota and we trekked further north. I was pregnant with our son and knew very little about midwestern culture, cold, and snow. It was a definite adventure! Six years later we have two kids and own a home in Saint Paul. We live 20 hours from grandparents and travel south as often as we can to visit them!
We have two incredible kiddos. Our son Bryce is five. He is creative, silly, and energetic. Kinsey is three. She provides a lot of laughter and loves to craft especially if there’s glue, scissors, or markers around. Together, they are quite a pair.
… High School
By Gabrielle. Image is from my high school Sadie Hawkins dance — do you like my scrunchie?
A few weeks ago, I read an article in New York Magazine titled “Why You Truly Never Leave High School” by Jennifer Senior. I confess, I was sort of rolling my eyes as I started reading, because somehow I managed to make it through high school fairly unscathed.
But as I kept reading — and realized how the topics being discussed were about to affect my own children (two of mine will be in high school when to we return to U.S. schools next fall) — I suddenly wanted to share the fascinating article with every one I know.
Some of the ideas that stood out to me:
“In adolescence, the brain is also buzzing with more dopamine activity than at any other time in the human life cycle, so everything an adolescent does—everything an adolescent feels—is just a little bit more intense.”
This is true for the good feelings, but also for the bad feelings, like fear. I keep reminding myself of this when my teens are upset — their reactions to problems aren’t necessarily proportionate to the actual problem.
… Road trips vs. Plane trips. Plus Ireland Pics!
Text and images by Gabrielle.
I find prepping for road trips less stressful than prepping for plane trips.
For starters, packing is easier. There are no weight restrictions and no checked vs. carry on bag decisions. You can stuff last minute items into the trunk and deal with them later. You can bring extra coats and boots that would take up too much room in luggage.
Plus, you get to skip the airport! I find airports in general to be stressful places, and with a big family, the stress is multiplied. The getting there early, but not so early that you’ve used up all your boredom fighters before boarding. Making it through security with your kids — with all the jackets, boarding passes, shoes, passports, belts, and teddy bears intact. And hoping the kids will behave well on the airplane and be mindful of other passengers. (In the car, if they throw a tantrum, oh well.) Going to the airport sometimes feels like we’re adding extra hours to our trip before it really starts.
Ultimately, roadtrips lend themselves to our family’s last-minute tendencies. We decided on Ireland about 2 days before we went. We decided on Switzerland about 2 hours before we left!
In contrast, plane trips require more planning for a big family — last-minute plane trips for 8 just aren’t very realistic. And yet. Plane trips cover so much ground so quickly! (And we already have our next family plane trip scheduled for May. Hah!)
For Ireland, in theory we could have flown, but because we were putting the trip together last-minute, driving made the most sense. And it turns out it was a good thing. Because our particular trip definitely required a car!
… Living With Kids: Juli
By Gabrielle.
A home that holds seven is always something to see. Add in Juli’s love for orderly decor and art-filled spaces, her husband’s penchant for emergency preparedness, and a Southwestern town I actually Googled to learn more about its mysterious history, and this tour becomes something to see and read! Which I happen to love, by the way. Originally, I envisioned these home tours as a bunch of pretty pictures to brighten up our weekly views. Now, it’s the stories that change my view. I hope you find something in each tour that changes yours for the better, too. This week, it’s Juli (no last name or blog this time; her town is that small!), her gorgeous gang, and their lovely story. Welcome, Juli!
Q: Please tell us about the family who lives here.
A: I am privileged to live with six other wonderful, independent spirits. My husband and best friend is Josh. He works as an Emergency Manager. His skills have been handy too many times already as emergencies are always bound to happen. For example, he had us practice a pretend house evacuation in a 15-minute time frame only to find that we would do it for real just a few weeks later when the largest fire in New Mexico broke out close to our home in Los Alamos.
Josh and I met in college in Idaho, we dated in Utah where I finished my schooling, and enjoyed newlywed life in Massachusetts where Josh attended graduate school. We both claim Nevada as our home state and love to sing “Home means Nevada” every Halloween which happens to be Nevada Day.
We started our family with two girls in Massachusetts: Sophi, nine, and Anna, who is seven. Sophi is the social butterfly with tons of friends and is often too smart for her own good. Anna has the kindest heart and is artistic and creative. Then there is Stewart, aged five and our witty Texas cowboy, who is so curious; he must ask thousands of questions in a day! The two tail end children are New Mexican: Naomi, who is two, and James, who happened to be the New Year’s Baby of our town for 2013. Naomi is our peacemaker and has a huge personality full of laughter and fun, though she is barely legal to face forward in her car seat. Baby James seems to be everyone’s favorite these days with his sweet nature.
And I’m Juli, the stay-at-home mother who oversees this entire operation we call our family. I was a secondary education teacher of history before my career ended with a broken ankle at the eighth month of my first pregnancy.
… Olive Us: Episode 20: How To Be Two
Hooray! A new Olive Us episode has arrived. The concept of this episode might be the simplest one we’ve ever conceived: Follow 2-year-old Flora June Blair around for a day and capture it on video.
Two year olds have a reputation for being terrible, and as a mother of six, I’m no stranger to flat-on-the-floor-of-the-grocery store meltdowns, or frankly, playground/grandma’s house/preschool/playdate/library/car/sidewalk meltdowns either. Here is a shot of June taken this last weekend during a 20-minute stand off at the hotel pool — she refused to get out:
At the same time, I know that 2 years old is also one of the sweetest ages. There is so much discovery. So much growth. Huge jumps in vocabulary and communication. Huge jumps in independence. Lots and lots of opinions. Lots and lots of giggles. Here’s another photo of June on the day we filmed Cider Farm:
And here’s another from last August (complete with drool bubbles):
And just one more where she’s wearing the same darling dress from the video. You may remember the dress from this post, too — it was made by the talented Katy of No Big Dill:
First time parents will see their 2 year old as all grown up. Second-time-around parents will see that their 2 year old is really still a baby. I think both are right.
I hope you enjoy the video! It’s a sweet one. (And there’s a happy little bit after the credits, too.)
P.S. — More Olive Us videos.
At the same time, I know that 2 years old is also one of the sweetest ages. There is so much discovery. So much growth. Huge jumps in vocabulary and communication. Huge jumps in independence. Lots and lots of opinions. Lots and lots of giggles. Here’s another photo of June on the day we filmed Cider Farm:
And here’s another from last August (complete with drool bubbles):
And just one more where she’s wearing the same darling dress from the video. You may remember the dress from this post, too — it was made by the talented Katy of No Big Dill:
First time parents will see their 2 year old as all grown up. Second-time-around parents will see that their 2 year old is really still a baby. I think both are right.
I hope you enjoy the video! It’s a sweet one. (And there’s a happy little bit after the credits, too.)
P.S. — More Olive Us videos. Roadtrip to Ireland
Image and text by Gabrielle.
The roadtrip destination has been decided — I’m writing this from a Ferry to Ireland!
I know I’ve mentioned this before, but one of the reasons we ended up extending our stay in France from the original plan of one year, to the current plan of 2 1/2 years, is that we wanted to fit in more traveling. We want to A) take advantage of how geographically close everything is here, and B) make the most of the frequent school breaks. (The schedule in French schools is something like 6 weeks on 2 weeks off.)
For this particular school break, we had long daydreamed about going to Egypt. It’s the number one destination on our kids’ travel wishlist — and really, on mine too. The pyramids! A camel ride to the Sphinx! And it’s only a 5.5 hour plane ride away! But we weren’t able to make it work. Yes, there is instability in Egypt right now, but we’ve done our research and sought out trusted advice, and really felt like we could safely and confidently take our family there. So that’s not actually what stopped us. Mostly, it’s a budget thing (we’re putting our savings elsewhere at the moment).
So last week, we started dreaming up alternate plans and Ireland was the winner! Yesterday, we drove 2 hours to Cherbourg, a port city here in Normandy, then boarded a ferry (the boat is called Oscar Wilde!) last night at 8PM. We drove our van right onto the ferry, so we’ll have our car when we arrive. We booked two side-by-side cabins to fit the 8 of us and slept through the night. The ferry is big — not-cruise-ship-with-swimming-pool big — but big enough that there are restaurants and a couple of shops. So we’ve spent the morning exploring the ship.
The ferry lands at 2PM today in the Irish town of Rosslare. From there, we’ll be driving to our hotel in Cork and the first tourist spot on our schedule: The Blarney Stone!
I know very little about Ireland, so I’ve been reading as much as I can over the last few days. If you have recommendations or advice, please let us know! We’re planning to use County Cork as a base and explore from there. Ben Blair wants to see the Cliffs of Moher. And we all want to see Dublin. But we’d love more particular advice.
P.S. — I posted the image of Ben Blair at top about a year ago, but I had to share it here because I think he looks so Irish! I’m not actually sure if Ben has any Irish heritage — I believe his Blair line of relatives are Scottish and English. But my grandmother Lucille was an Evans and apparently, my whole Evans line hails from Ireland. (Genealogy is cool!) Cottage Shopping Update
Text and image by Gabrielle.
I’m a bit late posting today, but I have a good reason. Today, we put an offer on this cottage!
We’re so excited we can hardly stand it. We’ve been looking at it since last August, but the property needed some certification before we could buy it. It used to be a house, but hasn’t been inhabited for many, many years and was reclassified as a barn. So we’ve had to make sure it can be certified as a house again before we move forward.
There is one catch: all these months later, it’s still not officially certified. But. It’s so close to being certified that the notary felt like it was okay to go ahead and make the formal offer and sign all the paperwork. So, there is a chance that it won’t receive the approvals and we won’t be able to buy it — but I can’t help but be excited anyway!!!
The house is essentially a stone shell — in fact, will need to restore both electricity and running water on the property. But it’s on a lovely piece of land and has a charming outbuilding too. And it was an amazing bargain! It needs a huge (HUGE!) amount of work, but the prospect of owning it and fixing it up still has us grinning ear to ear.
As soon as it’s officially ours, I’ll be sure to share more photos, but for now, hopefully my instagram shot above will whet your whistle.
P.S. — For those of you who are curious, we’re still planning to move back to the U.S. in July. Our intention with this cottage is to use it as a vacation home and a base here in Europe. And mostly, we hope it will keep us connected to the friends we’ve made here and to this region which we love so much. DIY: Nail Polish Marbling
Images and text by Amy Christie for Design Mom
Upon reading my DIY magazine last month, I was really excited at the tutorial for using nail polish to marble slick-surface furniture. The polish really sticks! Well, I don’t have any furniture pieces needing a new look but I wondered if the same materials could be used on non-furniture, non-slick surfaced items. My findings? They can!
I did a bunch of experimenting and found that nail polish and water offer up an extremely easy way to marble just about anything you desire — from glass to wood to metal to cardboard. The options are endless! I used this nail polish marbling technique on glass jars, metal bowls, wooden gift tags, and papier-maché boxes.
It would be a fun technique for bridal shower favors, or making simple jewelry boxes at a birthday party for your daughter. Or you could marble a carafe and two glasses as a drinking water set for the guest room. (I could go on and on…)
And with the seemingly limitless color selection in polish now a days, there is sure to be a color scheme to your liking. Come learn this technique!
… Big & Small DIY: Colored Ice Ornaments
Note from Design Mom: I met the talented Gina Wide on my trip to Sweden. She’s an American mother raising her kids in Scandinavia — while they attend French schools! About a year ago we hatched a plan to create a parent & child project series. And today’s the day we get to share it. Hooray!
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Images and text by Gina Wide for Design Mom. Edited by Amy Christie.
I’m Gina Wide and it is such a thrill to meet you here at Design Mom with a new series: Big & Small — Side-by-Side Projects for You & Your Little Ones. The big variation is something that will appeal to you, and the small variation is a simplified version of the same project, just right for young children.
First up: Ice hangings! They’re a delightful way to add rainbows to winter skies, welcome cold-weather visitors, or decorate for a party. Don’t you think they could chase away the most gray of days?
The “freezing” step of this project makes it feel almost magical for children — once these have been un-molded and displayed, you won’t believe how quickly your little ones will say: “again!” The best part: You probably have all the supplies you need for this project right at home!
So let’s get making!
… What to Wear to Alt Summit 2013
By Gabrielle. First & last images by Justin Hackworth. All other images by Ben Blair for Design Mom.
A year ago, at the request of readers, I posted a little guide to what I wore to Alt Summit. Based on the comments, you seemed to enjoy it, and it ended up being a really good thing for me, too. I used those photos as head shots and avatar images all year long! And I like having a record of what my wardrobe was like at that moment in time. So this year, I’m doing the same post with the hope that it will again serve me well — and that hopefully you’ll like it, too.
But I have to say, I have had this on the calendar for a week and couldn’t quite get brave enough to hit publish. If you’ve been reading Design Mom for even a short while, you know that I take and share dozens of photos each week, but normally don’t post many photos of myself — and certainly not 20+ images at the same time! Thank you for indulging me.
Let’s start with the Ms. Peacock outfit.
I wore this for the Clue Party on Thursday night of the conference. I made my hat in the hotel room a few minutes before the party started! Earlier that week, I picked up 2 peacock feather wreaths and a roll of black tulle at Michaels. My intention was to fashion them into some sort of peacock fascinator, but I ended up running out of time! So I simply put the two wreaths back-to-back with the tulle between them and hot glued it all together. (Yes. I did pack my hot glue gun with me across ocean. That should not surprise any of you.)
The tulle in the center of the wreaths kept my head from going all the way through, and I also glued in tulle that draped over my eyes to add some drama. But seriously, I don’t think I needed any additional drama. I was already wearing 2 wreaths on my head!
My hat was so big that I couldn’t bring it home with me, so I gave it to my sister Sara. (Hopefully it will make it into her legendary costume stash.)
Dress from COS — I love the satin detail on the back. I bought it last spring during my Paris shopping trip with Jordan. Peacock tights I’ve had forever. The necklace I found at a shoe store — doesn’t it look peacock-y? And the silver heels are from Naf Naf.
… Living With Kids: Erin Allan
By Gabrielle.
This week’s tour is wonderfully wild and quite unlike any home we’ve seen. Situated on the outskirts of Nairobi, Erin‘s family home is made from unique, found materials smartly transformed into walls and doors, windows and tables, and even a chandelier. Daily visitors to her garden include monkeys and warthogs and, last year, lions. Yes, lions. I am officially in awe of the courageous life Erin leads, and the motivation that runs her super chic, community-empowering company, Toto Knits. Inspiring doesn’t seem a bold enough word for this one, Friends. Please enjoy it!
Q: You’re a brand new Kenyan citizen! Congratulations! Tell us how your life led you here.
A: Thanks! It’s a big thing for me as I’ve been here 11 years now and really feel it’s important that I’m official now.
While originally from San Francisco, I was living in New York working in the glitzy world of media. Think The Devil Wears Prada; I worked for Tina Brown. And then September 11th happened. I had an ‘aha’ moment as I was watching the towers fall and the subsequent walk back downtown to my apartment while people were running uptown, covered in ash, that I needed to do something more meaningful with my life.
By February 2002, I had found a job in Kenya working as the Director of Finance and Development for a school for children with special needs. It ticked all the boxes: doing a job that helped people, living in a new country, and working with kids. I immediately sold my apartment in the West Village and landed here a month later. I was going to go for a year and when I got back, I could use the old line ‘When I lived in Africa…’ at cocktail parties. Or so I thought.
Within ten days here I met my husband, Captain Africa, and as it turned out, Mr Right. We met over a toilet. I was living in a cottage on a giraffe sanctuary and it had no toilet, so they asked him to come quote for putting in a toilet. He over-quoted so that the owners wouldn’t build it, and I would move in with him. It worked!
A few years later and we had two ‘totos’ (children)!
… DIY: Paper Ribbon Garland
Images and text by Amy Christie for Design Mom
Sewn paper garlands have become one of my favorite items to make as of late. And a mini version? Well, the cuteness factor is off the charts! These little ditties aren’t just for hanging either. From wrapping gifts to wrapping around desserts, paper ribbon garlands are the extra wonderful bit you need. Don’t you just love them?
If you are able to cut paper (or punch or direct a paper cutting machine) and sew a straight line, you are well on your way to making an endless amount of adorable paper ribbons. Even after my 
So find yourself a fun, punchy color scheme and let’s get making.
… Raspberry Milk on Valentine’s Day
Happy Valentine’s Day! Are you doing anything fun to celebrate?
St. Valentine’s Day isn’t really a thing here in France. I mean, you can see it on the calendar. And there are a few stores with hearts in the windows. But there are no Valentine exchanges at school. No restaurants offering a sweetheart’s menu. No crazily-priced bouquets of roses.
Our family tradition is a Valentine Breakfast with pancakes, raspberry milk and a little gift on each child’s plate. Something small — a token really. But today’s morning schedule happened to be unusual, so we decided to turn our Valentine Breakfast into a Valentine-After-School-Snack instead. We’ll skip the pancakes, enjoy a tarte from the patisserie, plus our traditional raspberry milk (notes and recipe below.), and open our little Valentine gifts.
Wherever you are, I hope you’re offering an extra dose of love to the people in your life today. Happy Valentine’s Day!
P.S. — One of the girls received the glass heart necklace above. I picked it up on our Venice trip when we visited the island of Murano — famous for it’s colored glass — and have been saving it for Valentine’s Day. Pretty!
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