Happy Halloween from the three Little Birdies!

This adorable trick-or-treater was photographed by Holli Dunn Photography for an organization called Green Halloween. We are so glad we found out about this non-profit, grassroots community movement in the Seattle area, which is now going nationwide (congrats!).
Green Halloween encourages parents, schools, and communities to "think outside the candy box" and create green holiday traditions for healthier families and a healthier earth. They have an extensive list of green costume, treat, and decorating ideas, including links to organic treats and recycled or green toy ideas to hand out to trick-or-treaters.

Here are some of our favorite ideas this year from Green Halloween:

*Trick-or-Treat bags: Green treat and treasure bags may be made out of old pillow cases, used shopping bags, purses, or sewn out of fabric. Kids love to decorate their bags and make them their own.

(Check out this adorable bag we found on Craftblog.com with a lovely tutorial!)

*Green Halloween treats and treasures need not be purchased. Handmade items, especially those made out of recycled and natural materials can be easy, fun and inexpensive – not to mention, thoughtful. Books such as The Children’s Year and Earthways have tons of great ideas for unique, easy-to-make, seasonal gifts.

*Shakable flashlights are battery free and fun for kids to use.

*Candy Alternatives for Trick-or-Treaters:

• Adhesive "bandages" with pirate, black cat and other fun themes (one per child. Great for older kids!)
  
• Barrettes or other hair thing
  
• Charms or beads
  
• Coins
  
• Stickers or temporary tattoos
• Pencils: from recycled plastic, recycled denim or recycled money
  
• Tattoos: custom or recycle-themed
  
• Coloring books: Earth-friendly themes
• Organic fruit leather
• Shoe laces: custom printed and recycled
  
• Soy crayons
• Seashells
  
• Whistles
  
• Spinning tops
  
• Buttons
  
• Magnets
• Bookmarks with recycling themes
  
• Door hangers
  
• Hand fans
• Jokes
• Fortunes
• Soy candles
• Organic granola/breakfast bars
• Toothbrushes
• Trial-size toothpaste
• Applesauce snack packs
  

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Last month we taught our first Little Birdie Secrets classes at Tot Spot Cafe in Woodinville, and they were so much fun! Wonderful women came to create tutus, Scrabble tile pendants, and aromatherapy bath bombs while the kids played. It was great to see all our planning and preparation turn into something so fulfilling. The best part was getting to meet so many great women in the Seattle area, and watching them use their creativity to make the projects their own. Thank you for joining us, ladies!





We also had the chance to meet a very talented children and babies photographer at the cafe. Her name is Holli Dunn and she is so amazing! If you're in the Seattle area, you have to check out Holli Dunn Photography. She sometimes comes to Tot Spot to do photo shoots in the cafe. How convenient! You can contact her through her site, or check out the Tot Spot calendar for future sessions.


Since the classes were such a success, we have one more planned before the holiday season. Join us on November 14 at 10:30am at Tot Spot Cafe in Woodinville, WA for bottlecap art. Have you seen this before? It is the coolest way to create magnets and pendants, and class attendees will create both! You'll make four magnets and one hip pendant using pretty papers, atlas and music sheets, or your own photographs--perfect for holiday gift-giving. The cost is $32 per person, and includes child care for up to three little ones. Don't forget to stay for lunch with your friends! Tot Spot offers yummy lunch dishes and great coffees, plus delish organic choices for the kids.



To sign up, please e-mail us at littlebirdieclasses@gmail.com. We'll send you a PayPal invoice that must be paid within two days to hold your spot. Registration ends November 12. Cancellations will be refunded minus a $10 cancellation fee. Hope to see you there!

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I am always cold. My husband loves it when I'm pregnant because it's the only time I'm warm and therefore on the same thermostat level as him. I own lots of sweatshirts to put on in my house in the winter because I'm cold even when the heater is on.

That's where BabyLegs come in. I have a pair for myself that I wear, even under long-sleeved shirts and jackets, to keep me warm and toasty. My kids are adorable in them--they love the skulls, flames, and bones on theirs. The Little Birdies have spent plenty of money with that company. (And I'm sure we will continue to do so in the future--they make cute gifts!) However, we wanted to try to make a pair of simple BabyLegs-esque arm and leg warmers to take advantage of all the totally cool knee-high socks out there right now. I love all the funky colors and textures. I've found so many at Target this season that it's been hard to exercise restraint and not buy one of each! So here's a simple tutorial on how to make your own arm or leg warmers for you, your baby, or anyone you think might be cold!

Leg and Arm Warmer Tutorial

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While Stacy and Jessica were boogieing down at Baby Loves Disco, I was having a crafty weekend with my sister. A craft extravaganza if you will. She flew to Seattle from Utah to do nothing but craft, and craft we did. It was fabulous! We visited several local craft stores (some of them twice!), stayed up way too late watching chick flicks and trying to figure out patterns, and ate tons of crafting fuel (i.e. M&Ms and other junk food). It's so good to have a sister! It felt like we didn't get much done, but when we put all the projects together, we were amazed at what we accomplished! Here is our report.

Thursday I picked my sister up at the airport and after a bite to eat, we headed to Stamp Camp at Anne Beale's (my Stampin' Up! demonstrator--check out her new blog). We made all these fun cards, including a gift card holder and a card that holds a packet of spiced cider! That would make a great card to go along with our cup cozy.


Later that night we got creative with ribbon and flowers, making baby hair clips and collars for my sister's two chihuahuas. That's right--those are not bracelets, they're little ribbon collars for the cutest tiny pups you've ever seen!


The next morning she joined Stacy and me for our Bath Bombs class at Tot Spot Cafe (watch for our next class update soon!). She ended up helping the class attendees so much that she didn't get to make any for herself! So she got to keep the samples. We're so glad you were there, Lind! You saved us!


This message board project was a little trying, but it turned out so cute! First, I think I picked out the wrong size canvas for the fat quarter (from Amy Butler's Daisy Chain line), and then I cut the funky green ribbon the wrong length (it had been a long day!). So much for me helping her with it. We improvised with some pink taffeta ribbon from Stampin' Up! and we actually thought it turned out better that way!



Next were two nursing covers. I won't say who they're for, but two people she knows will be getting one soon! We fell in love with these fabrics from Heather Bailey's Pop Garden line (left) and Amy Butler's Midwest Modern line (right).


The piece de la resistance was this adorable bag, made with more of Heather Bailey's Pop Garden fabrics. It only took us six hours to make, but it really wasn't that hard. We're just not that pattern savvy. We love how it turned out! If you're interested, the pattern is called Frenchy Bags by Amy Butler.


We added this fun felt flower to give it a little flair. It's just made from felt, a simple fabric yo-yo, and a papercrafting embellishment, glued together with E6000.


It is so hard for me to find time to create, so this weekend was so fun for me. Not only did I get to spend time with my favorite sister, but we made time to do something that truly makes us happy.

I love this quote:

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Who said being a SAHM meant your dancing days were over? Well, the Little Birdies are gals who know how to have fun and have definitely not retired their dancing shoes. Baby Loves Disco is absolutely brilliant and they were in town this past weekend. This organization turns some of the hottest nightclubs in major U.S. cities into dance parties for kiddies and their families. The Halloween bash is one of the most popular parties they throw so we had to check it out. I mean, what better way for my son to show off his cool dance tricks?

After passing through the bouncers and guest list check we headed down into the club. Instantly we felt the urge to groove. The club was absolutely packed! We quickly made it to the dance floor where we jammed and danced to songs spun by a real DJ. There was no iPod shuffle happening here. It didn’t take long to work up a thirst. Have you ever tried dancing to “Flashlight” while holding what feels like a 50-pound adorable chickadee while ensuring that Bat Man or Optimus Prime don’t run off to fight injustice somewhere? That should count as TWO workouts in one day. Lucky for us the Baby Loves Disco staff had a full kid friendly, healthy buffet with juice boxes included!
After filling up on our yummy, healthy snack, we headed over to the play room. This room was full of tents and play things for the kids that wanted a break from all the dancing. Of course, we had to check out the goody tables. You wouldn’t believe the swag. We scored some tickets to the Children’s Museum and a few sets of Babylegs. We left happy, energized, and feeling young. What an excellent way to get your creative juices flowing. I came home and sewed almost a whole quilt in one night just because I was so jazzed up. If you get the opportunity to attend a Baby Loves Disco party, GO. If there isn’t one in your town you can make your own dance party. Just get out there and “bust a move.”

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We're so excited to announce the Cutie Ties giveaway winner! She barely made it in--she was number 111 of 112 entries! Whoa!

And without further ado, the winner is. . .


We left a comment on your blog Melissa, so now the ball's in your court! E-mail us your contact information and we'll get you in touch with Cutie Ties to redeem your prize! Congrats!

And don't forget, Cutie Ties is offering our readers a 15% discount off your entire order when you use the code LBS15 and order by November 30. Plus, they offer free shipping on orders over $25! Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway. We have another sweet giveaway coming this week, so check back soon!

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This cutie was made before we even started this blog--it was on our original list of post ideas. I think the time has come to give her her 15-minutes of fame! Meet Mrs. Perkins, made from the pattern by Melly & Me, two sisters who are also pattern designers. Check out their pattern link to find a retailer near you.

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This is probably the easiest purse you'll ever make. Seriously. This one was made with a piece of upholstery fabric that was never going to get used. Upholstery fabric is a pretty sturdy weight, which is nice, but you can use whatever fabric you like.

Easy Bamboo Handled Purse Tutorial

What you'll need:

*Fabric, cut to 19 x 29" (or larger/smaller depending on your handles and what size you want)
*Bamboo purse handles – we used 8 ½ x 5 ½, but you can find bigger and smaller sizes. You don't have to use the bamboo style. They come in other looks, but make sure you get a round or half circle pair, NOT a U-shaped. These are found at most fabric/craft stores.
*Sewing machine, coordinating thread, and hand-sewing needle


Okay, let's get started!

1. Cut your fabric into a rectangle 19 by 29 inches. We serged the edges first so they wouldn’t fray. You can also overstitch using a zig-zag stitch. Really, the easiest way would be to use Fray Check on the raw edges (it's on sale right now at JoAnn.com!)

2. Fold your fabric in half right sides together and mark it with a pin 8 inches from the fold. This is to remind you where to stop sewing. Sew from the fold to the pin.




3. Iron the seam open. This next part is a little tricky to explain, but I'll do my best. Take the open, un-sewn part on each side and top stitch down from the top, around the place you stopped sewing the sides, and back up the other side, taking care to reinforce the section at the bottom of the "V". (If this sounds like gobbledy-gook, check out the pictures--they should help.)




4. Fold top part down on each side about 1/4 to 1/2 inch. Iron. Fold one side of the opening over each bamboo handle. Hand sew shut. Turn bag right-side out and you're done.


You are now one hip chick!

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We reached 30,000 hits today, which means it's time to giveaway these darling Williams & Sonoma cowboy ice cream sandwich molds!

Christine, please e-mail us with your contact information and we'll get your fabulous prize in the mail to you. Thanks for visiting us!

And thank you to all our readers for helping our little blog grow so quickly. We love what we do, and we appreciate all your support and the many comments you've left. We welcome your feedback and ideas! Please continue to support our wonderful sponsors, too. They're the ones who make this all possible!

Don't miss our latest giveaway from Cutie Ties. It's an ultimate girls hair accessory package. Check it out! Entries must be received by Friday, Oct. 24 at 11:59pm!

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Our 30,000 hit giveaway hasn't even ended and we already have another great giveaway for you! Check out these adorable baby girl hair accessories we found from Cutie Ties. They're totally versatile--you only need one headband (in every color), and then you can interchange the different flower and bow clips to change the look! We love that they use high-quality materials like Swarovski crystals. So pretty!

Visit Cutie Ties, then leave us a comment here, telling us which bow or flower is your favorite, and you'll be entered to win this "Ultimate Hair Accessory Package" from Cutie Ties, retail value $35! Hurry, comments must be left by Friday, October 24 to be eligible!

Our winner will receive the following of their choice from the Cutie Ties Web site:

1 headband
2 large bows
2 small bows
2 small flowers
1 large flower

Here are my favorites (although it's a good thing I can't enter, because I'm pretty sure I couldn't get either of my boys to wear them):

small bow


large bow


small flower


large flower

Which one is your favorite?

Cutie Ties is also offering our readers a 15% discount for anyone who places an order by November 30th. Just mention coupon code LBS15 in your order. Plus, they're currently offering free shipping on orders over $25!

We love promoting mom-preneurs, so check out these cute poem keepsakes, custom-made for your child's name in By Heather's Hand on Etsy. Heather personalizes each frame-able or scrapbook-worthy piece, down to the hair color. There are so many creative moms out there!

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