Three Cheese Mac

If one cheese is good, then three are better, right? I'd say so. I made this super-cheesy Mac and Cheese the other night and it was a bit of a hit. Most of the cheesiness will come from cheddar and we'll also use some parmesan for bite and Jarlsberg for yumminess.

Here's how you too can be the hero of the day:

Put a big pot of water on to boil for the pasta. Throw in a pound (a whole box) of pasta. I used rotini. Now start on your cheese sauce.

• 4 Tbs butter
• 4 Tbs flour
• 3-ish cups of milk
• Dry mustard
• 1 lb cheddar, grated. It's a lot, I know.
• 1/4 c parmesan cheese (freshly grated)
• 1/4 c Jarlsberg/swiss cheese, grated

Melt the butter and add the flour. Cook this out, stirring, for a few mins. Don't let it colour. Now you should heat your milk but I live dangerously and throw about half the milk in and then whisk like a crazy person. Whisk all those lumps out. Then add teh rest of the milk and keep on whisking. Stir it constantly until it's nice and thick. It can simmer, but not boil. Add a really good shake (1 tsp) of mustard powder and all of your cheeses. Set this baby aside while the pasta cooks. Scoop some of the pasta water out and set it aside in case you need to thin the sauce. Drain the pasta and then mix the sauce through. If the sauce is crazily thick, add some of the water. You probably won't have to. Now put some in a dish (I used this adorable vintage skillet) and set it under the broiler for a few mins to brown the top. Mmmm.

Yard Sailing

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you'll know that Rachel is the Queen of Yard Sales (or Yard Sailing, LOL).

We went to a neighbour's sale this weekend and I came away with the most adorable mid century memory game for the kids! I just LOVE the illustrations!

There are so many cards that I would love to be able to preserve them somehow.
How about these ideas:

House of Young Children

Inspired Whims

What would you do?

DIYs I'd Like to Try This Summer

I don't know what it is about summer, but it makes me want to take on new projects! Perhaps it is the warm weather and the thought of taking painting projects outside on the deck that makes things easier. Maybe everyone else thinks this way too, because the internet is full of great ideas right now! Here are a few that maybe you'd like to try as well on a free weekend...

Ever since Holly saw her auntie wearing one in her hair, she has wanted a feather of her own. I like that I could customize the colours for her barrettes with these, found at 100 layer cake.

I don't know why I never thought of using Henry's old blocks for cool hooks. And dip-dyed? count me in. Via here.

 These fun little planters found on Bambula would look great on my new horizontal fence, don't you think?

This adorable little cloud magnet found at Casa e trend makes me want to bust out the ol' Fimo again! (I loved that stuff as a kid!)

I could see these sweet clay pots sitting on my kitchen window...

Finally, these fabric flower garlands are just perfect for Holly's (and Hazel's!) room, don't you think? I feel like all these DIYs are achievable on a weekend, feel like tackling one with me?

These Kids Have Cooler Digs Than Me...

Couldn't you just move in?

Apartment Therapy

Marion House Book

Dwell

Inhabitots

From Scandinavia With Love

Desire to Inspire

Apartment Therapy

Dornob

It's officially become an obsession, I know. Still not sure who would have more fun decorating it!

Oh So Retro...

Ever see a product that takes you back to being a kid? I recently had that experience, and $1.50 couldn't stop me from getting the same thing for Holly. Here's what was waiting for her Valentine's day morning:

 I'm not big on giving my kids candy, but I love getting them a special treat Valentine's morning (I keep it under $5). When I saw these bottles, they brought me right back to piggy tails and crooked bangs! I mean, they are the exact same.

 So fun! I'm willing to let go of the juice in a baby bottle thing, it didn't seem to affect my parenting skills. Just goes to show how really old this product is...and still, Holly (and Henry) had the same reaction when the milk "magically" disappears! oooo! ahhhh.....

And yes, I am warming up the sewing machine (no judging) I made this baby diaper the night before using two pieces of felt lying around and some velcro. Holly doesn't mind the crooked stitch...I definitely need the practice since I am going to try pinch pleat drapes using pleat tape and this easy looking tutorial. Wish me Luck!

Bee-Day Party Ideas

First Day of my Life with You

Emmett's bday is coming up in April and I (obviously) need to uphold a high level of party to keep up with Rachel! I've been thinking quite a bit about themes and the classic Bee theme has caught my eye.

Plus my friend has the hive cake pan above (it's a NordicWare one)! How could I not do it? So I've been Googling like crazy for inspiration:

Russell-life

I LOVE the bee headbands and shirt! What awesome favours! I think I'll have to do this!

A to Zebra Celebrations

Another cool cake and other sweets!

A to Zebra Celebrations

Yes, I know it's not a bee, BUT I could definitely see how you could modify this idea with a bee theme! Adorable! Where do I get those pivoting eyelets?

A to Zebra Celebrations

OMG! These pretzels?!? I think I'm going to do a test run of bee themed ones!

TomKat Studio

And I will leave you with these gorgeous choccies! Wow! So much inspiration!

How To: Dye Playsilks with Food Dye!

When I first heard of them, I thought the idea was crazy. Was my kid really going to play with some dyed silk squares for years and years? Well, I made my first batch when Eleanor was 8 months old and I have to say that I am a convert! She loves them and so does Emmett!

What are they for? Well, they are the ultimate imagination toy. They can be on the ground as a blanket, tablecloth, or river. They can be worn as clothes, they can be used to dress up toys. They can simple be flung up in the air for fun! They are the best! I liked them so much  I  Santa made some larger ones for Christmas.

I dye my own because they are very expensive from Etsy and I wanted to make sure they are non-toxic.

Here's how you do it:

First, get your silk. It must be pure silk. I buy the Silk Habotai Squares from Dharma Trading. Now go to your supermarket and buy packets of Kool-Aid. Yep. And try not to be embarrassed at the checkout. You can also use food dye. You'll also need some white vinegar.

Start by soaking your scarves in water until they are thoroughly wet and heat up a pot of water on the stove until boiling.

Now, dump a pack of Kool-Aid into the water.

...and put your scarf in. Give it a stir and glug in a good 1/2 cup on vinegar. Then forget to take a picture of the red, so pretend that it's magically changed colour.

 You see here that the water has started to go clear. When it's pretty clear, rinse the scarf out and hang it to dry (or put it in the dryer).

This is a great project to do with older kids too as it's pretty magic seeming. The funny thing is that it doesn't matter how much water you use as the silk fibres just sucks up whatever dye particles are in there! Wow!

How to Child-Proof a Stereo

We have a fairly pathetic stereo set-up - a vintage Pioneer Receiver, a modern Sony turntable, and...gasp...a Discman. Yes. A Discman. Our speakers are nice looking and were apparently used as studio monitors for the Montreal Olympic Games. In 1976. Yes. We are clearly behind the times. Even funnier is that both my husband and I are musicians.

The real issue at hand currently is that Emmett likes to push the buttons on everything. The other day I heard a strange sound and realized it was the turntable needle scraping along the plattern. Awesome. This is more than a phase as it has been going on for almost a year!

We are desperately trying to think of ways to protect our basic but functional system (or the new one which will come at some point). Some sort of cabinet is what we are leaning towards, preferably a lockable one!

This one from Ikea seems to fit the bill:

Ikea

It even has holes drilled for the cables.

Another thought was to take a teak credenza and (egad!) drill holes in the base or back for cables. Obviously we'd get something a bit cheaper than this one:

Apartment Therapy

So, you see we haven't come up with anything particularly earth shattering. What have you done to childproof your precious stuff?

Handmade Toys

As you may know, last year Holly received something specially handcrafted by Santa under the tree:

Santa may be a wee bit busy this year, but I love the idea of something with that extra bit of love under the tree. These are my favorite ideas for toys that may inspire you to hit the workshop this week or buy from the artists on Etsy:

Rambling Renovators

I had a similar idea for a dress up wardrobe that I wanted my husband to make for Holly this year; but I am feeling squeezed for space as it is so decided against it. I love how Jennifer re-purposed an old piece of furniture for hers, and the wallpaper is adorable!

Made

For those of you with tiny entrepreneurs, this bistro-style awning could have them their own fruit stand in a day. Luckily, it comes with a tutorial!

Ohdeedoh

For those of you with little manly-men, a toy BBQ could be in order. Imagine how proud he will be that his steak is better looking than Daddy's!

All for the Boys

For those of you who feel more at ease with fabric than powertools; there are a million-and-one felt tutorials for toys out there. I love that this one is geared towards boys after the plethora of felt food we've seen (which I still love, by the way).

Grosgrain Fabulous

This is the pattern I am currently considering for the kids. I like how it can be folded up to hide behind the bed and is an easy-access fort!

So what do you think, any projects on the horizon? I may feel a diy-urge coming on!

Gifts for that Stylish Tot

In a perfect world you could control every toy your child desired; alas, school or childcare approaches and all of a sudden your boy is asking for a massive G.I. Joe tank. At least you can surround them with style in hopes that one day they will ask for a mini mid-century style house for their Barbies. Or maybe, these products are just for the design obsessed parent. Here are some of my faves:

Vitra

These are from Vitra's modern kid's collection, they can be bent in every which way and joined to form room dividers or even hollow structures! 

Little Nest

Maybe since I can't afford my own, I can buy this mini version and look at my kids sitting in it instead *sigh*

InMod

This screams stylish kid, the mini version is quite affordable as well.

Land of Nod

I love teepees, this one is gorgeous for store bought, but I have always wanted to attempt making my own!

Lunch boxes with love

This is so adorable, and I know a little girl like holly would love something like this for snacks.

Bubbalooz

These duckies would look stylish floating in any tub...

Room and Board

I love a coat rack, especially at kid's height. Maybe one of these would inspire more hanging-of-back-packs!

Small for Big

No words, you know me and chairs.

Ella and Elliot

And for the baby in your life, a stylish stacking toy. The options are surprisingly limitless for stylish kid's products on the Internet, still, not so sure how realistic it is to keep your kids in style past a certain age. What do you think? do you choose toys to fit in with your decor?

Holly's Vintage -Eclectic Style

I should really call this post "whatever-is-pink-and-girly-at-a-garage-sale" style; I finally put some personal touches in Holly's room (and a few Christmas decorations too!). I must admit, nothing in Holly's room is matchy or belongs to a particular style, but that is the way Holly herself is most mornings and it seems to work for her! I  am loving how cozy her little corner is shaping up:

A lot of things happen when you piece together a room on a budget 1. It is shaping up way less modern than if I had an unlimited budget to work with and 2. Way more gold accents have appeared than I would have normally chosen myself. I really love the gold and soft pink which is surprising!
This is where I need some help though, while normally you would choose fabrics and patterns before designing a room, now I need to find fabrics that will go with this scheme. Any suggestions? I think some curtains will add softness to the other side of the room where it is lacking...