Hunting for Eggies.

Our town of New Canaan hosts an Easter Egg Hunt each year at Waveny Park. It was held today, March 28, 2009 and I took my two older kids to join in the fun. Seeing the festivities make me feel so proud to be a New Canaan resident. It was so well organized and there were so many fun things for the kids to do.

$1 for a cookie. $8 for 9 cupcakes. Yum. Too bad I didn't have enough cash...


They had a band and an emcee in bunny ears - they had the kids dancing while they waited for the "hunt" to start


Yes - this is the spot where they "hunt" for the eggs. Aren't they pretty? They are filled with jelly beans, Hershey's Kisses, and Lindt truffles (yes - Lindt!!!)


Nice touch that they divide them between different age groups. And note that it says "6 eggs per child" very clearly. Those of you who took at least two dozen know who you are!!!


Skylar and Deacon sharing a hug before the hunt - I love her bunny ears! Deacon didn't want one because he said he didn't want a "headband"!


The eggie hunt begins!


Poor Skylar only got two because she was too busy looking for pink and purple ones!


Meeting up with friend and schoolmate Valentina

Where to next? The bouncy castle of course! Where we waited for half an hour to get in and the whole thing lasted 5 minutes (seriously!).

So after two fun-filled hours at Waveny, it's time to head home and start eating the loot! And yes, mommy and daddy and baby Peyton got a share too! Can't wait for next year!

Side note: those balloons better last me at least a week! While waiting in line for one, I had to endure a screaming, yelling, tantrum-throwing little girl crying out "I want a balloon! I want a balloon! I want MY balloon RIGHT NOWWWWW!!!!" Good grief. I hope the easter bunny doesn't visit her house anytime soon.

Hello Braden - Happy Birth Day.

My sister in law Jennifer and her husband Roel had their baby boy last March 20, 2009. Right on schedule - two days before his due date. Isn't he precious?

What a cutie - patootie. We can't wait to meet him!

Jen was so good and chronicled her ENTIRE pregnancy on her blog. Don't you wish that we can all be that organized? My kids are so excited to meet their new (and first ever) cousin!

Before The Move (a sneak peek of the house).

We're on a time crunch. We start moving this weekend and there's still a SLEW of people at the house. There are so many workers doing so many different things - it's an instant headache. Little by little, the house is being transformed. I thought it would be fun to post some pictures of the workers in action:

Over 150 HUGE bags of leaves were gathered from the property!

Look how neat it looks!

Our marble foyer - it's being polished right now. We wanted to pull out the marble but we were told it would be such a pain - so on to polishing instead!

I love this picture window from the living room

Dining room

Our painter Miguel prepping the wainscoting in the breakfast area. This is the second place he's done for us - he is awesome!

Family room

View of the kitchen from the family room


Powder room

Yikes - it's the kitchen! It's a total disaster!

So please be patient with me while we move this weekend. Don't forget that all orders placed at the shop starting tomorrow 3/27 will not be shipped out until next Thursday 4/2. Thanks for understanding and don't forget to join The Cutest Candy Clip on the Block contest!

The Cutest Candy Clip on the Block - CONTEST!

Attention all Skylar's Candy Clippers - my last post on The Many Faces of Skylar's Candy Clips inspired me to do another contest. From now until the end of April (30th), I will be collecting pictures of your adorable kiddies wearing Skylar's Candy Clips. Each entry (picture) will be posted on May 1st for the Cutest Candy Clip on the block contest. I will have the blog readers nominate the cutest entry. A winner will be chosen on May 7, 2009. The winner will receive - get ready for this -

LULU THE OWL CLIP HOLDER!!!

(This is Lulu - she wants you to take her home)

Yes - everyone's been talking about Lulu and now she can be yours! To make it more fun, each entry will receive a complimentary hair clip (courtesy of Skylar's Candy Clips, of course). So what are you waiting for? Get that camera out and start clicking away!

You can email the pictures at: skylars.candyclips@gmail.com. Just put "Skylar's Candy Clips contest" in the subject. And if you don't own Skylar's Candy Clips yet, go visit my shop!

The many faces of Skylar's Candy Clips.

My little creations are not complete without the little person (new owner) wearing them. Here are some of them sharing the love:

This is Skylar!


Holiday Bouquet Headband


Happy Flower Headband (pink)


Dana Flower Stretchy Headband

You'll find these items in my shop. If you've bought Skylar's Candy Clips before and want to share some of it's yummy-ness, send me a picture at skylars.candyclips@gmail.com.

Lovely, lovely.

I LOVE my felt covered headbands. They are so playful, so fun, so full of whimsy. I just added two more to my collection. Check out these pretties:

Carys Felt Covered Headband

Kaelynn Felt Covered Headband

You can find them in my shop. Or if you're in the mood to join in on some fun, Mique (as in "Mickey") the lovely blogger from 30 Days is hosting a giveaway this week of my pretty felt creations. You might just win! So head on over to her site and join in!

AND THE WINNER IS...

The winner of the custom headband giveaway is...

LillyShayStyle !!!

Congratulations to you! I'll be contacting you with the details that I need. Send us a picture when you get your headband, please!

CUSTOM HEADBAND GIVEAWAY - don't be left out! (ENDED)

I thought it would be fun to have a little giveaway. Just in time for spring and easter. I am giving away a custom made Bouquet Headband. CUSTOM MADE. To match YOUR favorite dress or fabric. Rules are simple: visit my etsy shop, pick your favorite item, leave a comment on this post with your email. One comment per person, please!

The winner will receive a custom Bouquet Headband and the favorite item that they picked from my shop (only items excluded are my wood and felt hair clip holders). The last day to leave a comment is THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2009.

The random generator will pick a WINNER on FRIDAY the 20th and the winning name will be annouced. This will give me some time to contact the winner and create her custom headband before easter. Good luck everybody!

Today is MONKEY BREAD Thursday.

I know that Monkey Bread is an old favorite. A mix between buttery biscuits and cinnamon buns. Perfect pairing with coffee, tea, and milk. Yummy - yum. Heck, I think it even makes a good breakfast! But today was the first time we made it at home. Skylar, who is a big fan of cooking, helped me make it. I didn't catch a pic of her rolling the dough (darn it!) but her and her brother were happy with the result. Here is the super-easy recipe that you can make with your own monkey helpers.

MONKEY BREAD

4 tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 stick butter

1 can biscuits (I use Pillsbury Grands)

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Melt the first three ingredients and boil for 2 minutes. Split each biscuit in half and roll in the last two ingredients. Place side by side in a 9x9 pan. Pour boiled mixture over it. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Optional: Sprinkle biscuit layers with nuts, raisins, craisins or coconut shavings.

Going...going...gone!!! Deacon had the green bowl and Skylar had the blue bowl - that was her second helping!

The Art of Messy (a behind the scenes look).

I am happy. Happy, that my etsy shop is doing well. Happy that wholesale orders are trickling in. Happy that customers are responding well to my new items. What I'm NOT happy with is the mess that I am creating out of my little workspace.

Seriously, all my orders have caught up with me. My once neat and organized workspace is a true picture of CHAOS. There are orders done but not packaged, orders halfway done, - you name it - it's there on my little table. I've asked my husband to help finance a little sweatshop. He said that I already have one. I'm in it. I'M MY OWN SWEATSHOP. He's right. I hate it when that happens.

But before I reorganize this mess, I thought it'd be fun to have everyone take a peek at how Skylar's Candy Clips are created. Before it's put in the beautiful packaging that my etsy friend Amy did for me. So here is a glimpse of my little crafty world:

My crafting table - it's a disaster right now. Check out some of Skylar's artwork that she taped on the wall herself. The blue paper on the right is our family as "snowmen people" our dog included.

Headbands, headbands, everywhere! I love having them displayed on the table - though I wish they were a bit neater right now.

Prettify-ing some flowers to be made into hairclips. They are almost done! These are custom for a wholesale order. If you want to see them in my shop, feel free to leave a comment or email me at skylars.candyclips@gmail.com.

My Happy Flower Headbands. Don't they look so - happy?

Wholesale order ready to be packaged.

Some of my orders from Etsy - ready to ship. Don't you just love my product card holders? That is the beautiful handiwork of Amy at Playing With Paper. Check out her Etsy Shop here.

Ready for the post office! On their way to their new homes!

Better Than Cake? Absolutely!

Thanks to my new blogger friend (and fellow etsy seller) Julie, I am now completely addicted to this cake - or should I say, BETTER THAN CAKE! I saw it on her blog, it looked absolutely scrumptious and tried it. Needless to say, this is the fourth time I am making it - for a friend's dinner party tonight.

So if you think you have the willpower to resist making this every week, here is the easy - peasy recipe, courtesy of Julie:

BETTER THAN CAKE

1 box Pound Cake Mix
2 eggs
1 cup butter melted (2 sticks)

Mix above ingredients together and pour in a 9 x 13 greased pan

1 pound (1 box) powdered or confectioner's sugar
2 eggs
8 oz cream cheese

Blend and pour on top of cake mixture. Spread evenly. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes or until top is golden brown and slightly cracked.

Optional: Let cool and top with fresh sliced strawberries, and blueberries. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Our New Old House - We're Moving!

After almost four years of condo and in-town living in New Canaan, we are moving to a bigger but far from town colonial (still in New Canaan though!). It is a bittersweet move for me. I love our downtown New Canaan condo. I love the location of it - two blocks away from our quaint little downtown area, and the fact that it is overlooking Mead Park - our beloved playground. When my two oldest kids were younger, and I was pregnant with our third, I used to buckle them in their BOB double jogger, and we would take long walks around town, meet some friends at the gelato place, then head over to Mead Park. In the springtime, I loved my short little 2.5 mile running route up beautiful South Ave. and back on Old Stamford Rd. I hate the thought that I would have to drive everywhere to get anywhere.

But then again, I have many, many things to look forward to. The 1980's colonial that we are moving to is beautiful - with good bones, and lots of character. We've done quite a bit of renovation to it and with the inside done in just another week or so it's ready for us. The outside landscaping, painting, and pond clean up will happen in the spring. My 3 year old son's best buddy lives just three houses down from us. A little girl my daughter's age is moving in next door - they will go to the same kindergarten in the fall. I would have to close down my shop while we get settled in - just for a week or so.

In the meantime, check out the "before" pictures of our new house - before the renovations. You can also view a slideshow of the house here.

The outside of the house - this will have a new coat (and color) paint soon!


The formal living room (staged for when it was on the market). It looks really different now!


The kitchen and breakfast area (when staged). This kitchen has been transformed! Think LOTS of recess lighting, new wall color and of course, new appliances!

I can't wait to post pictures of the new house. I'll take the pics once every room is settled. Stay tuned!