A Mom's Year

Creating a comfortable life one moment at a time

Minimalist Muppets

I have so many things I want to write about in a really-get-your-teeth-into-it sort of way, but life has me hopping right now. A little too much. I realized this the other day when I found myself actually envious of my 11-year-old daughter because she spends so much time writing. I think I need to re-evaluate how I’m spending my time. Do you ever wish you could be a fly on the wall at a really productive person’s house, just so you could see how she does it all? (My choice would be Gabrielle at Design Mom.) If you have time-management tips, please feel free to pass them on.

Meanwhile, in the spirit of simplifying, here’s a less-is-more Minimalist Muppet poster created by a young graphic designer named Eric Slager. Are you a Muppets fan? When I was a kid, I loved the Muppets so much I even had a Miss Piggy calendar. I can’t wait until St. Patrick’s Day so I can post my favorite Muppets video of all time. I’m glad they’re enjoying a renaissance.

So. How many Muppets can you guess in the poster? (The answers are below, but don’t peek!)

Would you hang a playful print like this in your house? Tucked away in a kid’s room? Front and center in the living room? Or maybe in a bathroom to give people something to do?

row 1: kermit the frog, fozzie bear, swedish chef, scooter, waldorf, statler, rizzo the rat
row 2: dr. teeth, zoot, sgt. floyd pepper, janice, animal, bunsen honeydew, beaker
row 3: sweetums, sam the eagle, gonzo, camilla the chicken, miss piggy, rowlf the dog

{ print spotted on Fill Your Well }

Happy Weekend / Fun Links

{ image from Oh Happy Day }

These party favors are some of the sweetest things I’ve ever seen. Imagine the possibilities for Valentine’s Day, baby showers, weddings, and birthday parties. Or just because.

Here are some more ideas for you to peruse this weekend:

  • This Fortune Balloon Garland might be fun for the Chinese New Year parties we’re hosting in the kids’ classrooms next week. Or would it be too hard on the teachers’ nerves?
  • Do you find inspiration in looking at other people’s beautiful homes? Or does it stir up discontent in your heart? I suppose for me it all depends on my mood (and the current state of my house).
  • A creative way to use old puzzle pieces. We have hundreds.
  • Can you relate to this?
  • A winter vase you can make using things you probably have around the house.
  • I’ve heard lots of good things about this, so I think I’ll have to give it a try.
  • Have you heard of cloud dough? It’s new to me, but I think my kids would love it.
  • Some simple DIY valentines for boys to give.

Do you have big plans for the weekend? We have the usual mix of Things That Must Get Done Around the House, a birthday party here and there, and a little skiing. I get to make a turtle cake and paint a wine glass tomorrow night. I think I’ll do a Chinese New Year theme. In between things, we’ll be catching up on thank-you notes. I’m embarrassed to even admit how far behind we are.

Have a great weekend, and I hope you’ll come back next week!

Gnome Sweet Gnome Valentines

Lexie decided to make Gnome Sweet Gnome Valentines from Family Fun magazine this year. They’re fairly easy and a fun departure from traditional valentines.

By the way, I’ve posted a lot of creative valentines over the last week or so, but there have been plenty of years when one—or all—of the kids have handed out Hello Kitty or Transformers boxed valentines. It all depends on how much we have going on. And if I remember to make something in time.

3-D Lollipop Valentines

I saw this cute idea over at Design Mom via 24-7-365. I’m happy with how they turned out, especially considering how little time we had today to figure out the best way to make them. Luckily, we remembered to have the kids hold their fists out to the side a little so the suckers didn’t end up in front of their faces. You can add text to the photos in PhotoShop if you have it. We don’t, so I used an open source application called Gimp.

Will and Lily wrote their classmates’ names on the backs and then we stuck the Tootsie Roll pops through the two slits I’d made in each with a little cutting tool from an old scrapbooking kit. You could use an exacto knife or any really sharp blade. I taped the Tootsie Roll pops in the back to keep them from slipping out.