norelle & co.

Can you believe summer is almost half way over?!  Now, my Miss. Norelle isn't quite school aged yet (she'll start junior kindergarten next September), but I can't help but think of all the supplies she'll need.  I always remember my mom labeling everything of mine; we even had a special fabric marker handy in one of our kitchen cupboards in case she needed to label something of mine quickly.


Labeling is a smart way to keeps kids stuff organized, and to insure they come home with the right stuff!  As much as my mom's marker trick worked for me as a kid, many kids clothes now a days have ironed on labels, and the marker would bleed right through ruining the clothes; boo!


If thinking of labeling is stressing you out... have I found the site for you!? Mabel's Labels is a increditible online store FULL of iron-on labels, waterproof labels, shoe labels, clothing labels, baby labels, ALLERGY labels, household labels, stationary products... you name it, they have it!  Their designs are so cute, and colourful; trust me, your kids won't be embarassed of these labels!

Who doesn't love a late night snack?  We all have those nights when we are craving something munchy while relaxing.  I generally don't like turning to chips, pretzels, etc. (but I do have a weekend for popcorn from my Whirley Pop).  Maybe it's the Italian in me, but I love dips for bread.  These simple dip recipes are a staple in our house, and make for great late night snacks with some fresh bread (and maybe even a glass of wine!).

Last weekend was one of my best friend's birthdays, but she pushed back her celebrations since we were away last weekend (talk about feeling special!).  I've been trying to think of the perfect cupcake to make for her birthday.  I considered doing some fondant, but figured I would run out of time.  She loves Harry Potter, Twilight and anything to do with anatomy!  Since I figured human organs would make for some weird cupcakes, and our male counterparts would never let us live down making them eat Twilight cupcakes, I figured Harry Potter cupcakes were the best bet.


I have never read the Harry Potter books, nor have I seen any of the movie's past the first, so I had to do a little bit of research.  Apparently the drink, "Butterbeer" is quite popular in the books, and has even been created to sell at the Harry Potter theme park.  I found a neat and easy recipe on amybites for her Butterbeer cupcakes.  Here's how they turned out!

I'm recently new to pinterest.  I've heard of it a while ago, but recently, it has become an addiction. Pinterest is a place to post pictures of DIY's, clothes, food, drinks, inspirational images, things you love, etc. which you can place in a titled grouping of your own images relating to one another.  Others can 'repin' your images on their page, and the best part; not only are the images usually amazing and inspiring, there is a link to the how-to or original image. You can find the pinterest's etiquette here.


Here are just some of the stuff you can find:

We had an incredibly busy and amazing weekend.  Our friends wedding went so perfect; the bride looked so beautiful, and groom handsome, and Norelle did absolutely amazing for her first time being a flower girl! 

Today we are leaving for 2 of our very good friends wedding.  My husband is a groomsmen, and my daughter is taking her stab at being a flower girl!  I'm secretly really nervous that she'll chicken out and not want to walk down the isle.  I've been trying to amp her up about it by showing her YouTube videos of little flowers girls, but her first response was, "I'm too little to do that"!  Uh oh, we'll see how it goes!  I have faith in her and I'm sure she'll do great!


The wedding is going to be held at the magical Taboo Golf Resort in Muskoka, Ontario, Canada.

As many crafters know, as much as there may be the desire to craft, it's sometimes hard to think of inspiration.  We often turn to blogs and magazines for inspiration, and sometimes you can find that ideal DIY, but then you think to yourself, 'WHERE the heck to I get the supplies for this?!".  Since my daughter was born, I've been a big fan of Baby Steals, Kid Steals, and Baby Half Off.  Luckily, I found the crafters solution to these sites, Pick Your Plum.

I never expected that my life would be as busy as it is (all welcomed of course).  But for only 3 of us in our family, and my daughter only being 3, it's surprising how quickly our days fill up!  My husband and I are both organized, but he lacks one thing that I have; a great memory. He's pretty good at remembering most things, but just in case, we have a monthly calendar that we write everything down on, just to keep track.


I have the Blackberry Bold 9780, and he has the new google phone the Nexus S, so they come with great calendars built within them, but I am still a sucker for writing my stuff down. I love little daily planners that I can carry around in my purse, I can have handy to get out with everything in it.

On Tuesday, I went out shopping with my mom and N.  We ended up in Home Outfitters, browsing around, where my mom found something  that she had been telling me that she saw in The Shopping Channel, and almost bought for me. It was the Cupcake Carousel.


Everyone knows that I heart making cupcakes. Finding a good, sturdy, travel container for them is hard to find, especially one that won't wreck the icing and decorations.  So as an early anniversary gift, she bought me the Cupcake Carousel.

After months of sitting in our garage, calling my name, she's finally done.  This was my first ever make-over, and I am pretty happy with how this $50 dresser turned out.  

Norelle has been in her "big girl" bed and room for almost a year now I think.  I was so excited to transform her room into a room that was somewhat little girlish, but had potential to grow with her as her style changes.  I knew that I wanted to paint her room a light green, and was so pleased to find Behr's "Key Lime".

I love shopping for children's gifts and toys for my daughter and her little friends, but not at big box stores.  Thankfully Citizen Kid opened up in my city.  They offer natural and unique toys, that are well designed, ethically made, safe, and engaging.  When I first stepped into this store, my heart literally melted.