Carrie Stephens

Printable car travel games for kids. Going camping!

We are going on a little camping vacation soon :)  YAY!

We will be traveling about 5 hours to get there. But, the problem is, that my little guy isn't exactly the most ideal traveler.  Right from birth he disliked being in the car.  Now he usually lasts 30-40 mins before he starts complaining, 1.5 hours before he really starts his squawking.  It certainly doesn't help that his brother gets a bit car sick so, he is quiet in the car.     

Although we have a DVD movie player and a bunch of movies set aside to take, Laine isn't big on TV/Movie watching so, I need to have a plan. I needed something to keep us all sane and keep the whining to a minimum, if that is even possible?

While surfing around on the internet this morning, I stumbled on a few great sites with tons of printable games.  So Many Great ideas here to keep the kids busy!  I love it!

• Moms Minivan - I liked this site the most.
• Crayola Printable Travel Games - Mostly for older kids
• Family Education - This site has LOTS!  You must register before you can print. 

What I printed:

• Cootie Catcher, I used to love doing this as a kid!
• Car Bingo
• Road Trip battle Ships
• Some Scavenger hunt ideas and a few other little things :)

This should help with the traveling blues.  Have any more Tips or Activities that could keep a 6yr old and a 11 yr old busy in the car?  Please Share :)

Gary the snail cake - SpongeBob - Fondant, not as easy at it looks!

Every year I always like to make my kids birthday cakes. I should really know better than to try something elaborate every year only to have it flop.  But, I do it every year. LOL  Trust me, I have had many a flop ;P

This year, Laine wanted to take his sponge bob/snails obsession a little further and actually eat Gary the Snail from Sponge bob.  LOL  isn't he cute?  :)

When i found this site  I was thrilled. I thought to myself, this can't  screw this up too bad, I will try it. 

So, I tried it.

It was harder than I thought, A LOT harder.  I think it would have been easier if i wouldn't have used THIS particular frosting.  It wasn't until I added the coloring that it started to get that slick look.  At first i thought maybe I needed some more icing sugar in the fondant but, after doing some research....(Thank you Google! LOL)  It turns out that this particular type of frosting is just like this.  Too bad it was after the fact that i found this out. It does taste okay though!  It just has a shiny appearance and it was really hard to get smooth.  So greasy.  I should have just took the advice of my good friend and bought it from the store. 

Here is the finished product ready to be lit on fire with 6 candles on top tomorrow afternoon.  :)

Gary the snail

 

He isn't as smooth as I hoped for.  His eyes are a little wonky but, My soon to be 6 year old is THRILLED and i guess that is what matters the most of all.

Easy Going - Digital Scrapbooking Kit - ScrapGirls

Introducing: Easy Going Collection Biggie -another fabulous, new digital scrapbooking graphics collection now available @ Scrapgirls!

Cool and conservative shades of Gray mixed with vibrant green, blue, yellow and magenta give this collection of fun digital scrapbooking elements and papers a unique flair.

Cool and calming Gray is often considered the new neutral of 2009. Grays can be gorgeous when paired along with a nice bright color! Update your palette with something new and relax the day away by creating a variety of digital scrapbooking layouts and crafts.

I had fun making this collection, I tried lots of new to me techniques.  I used my sketch pad alot. My favorite pieces are the hand drawn wordarts, adorable banners, buildings and the cutest little snail!

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Layout created using the Easy Going Collection

I just love this picture of Scott, even though I know he was not really impressed with me taking so many pictures of him at the time, which explains the goofy round photos on the side. LOL

I am partial to the out of control, curly, in need of a hair cut poof even though he isn't so fond of it.  I will try to talk him out of cutting his hair for a whole extra month if i can ;)  He thinks I do it because I don't want to cut his hair but, I really do it because I like the big puff ;).  LOL

So lucky to have such a wonderful, handsome, patient husband :)

Craft: Creative, inexpensive Birthday Party gift Idea!

My kids go through spurts when they are invited to a ton of birthday parties.  Last year, between both kids, they went to 6 birthday parties in a months time.   When the kids get to be older, it gets harder to find something for them to take to their friends for their birthdays so, I always resort to just picking up a gift card so, when I saw this awesomely creative and inexpensive gift idea for the times when you are stuck and not knowing what to purchase for your child to take for yet another birthday party, This is it! 

Here is the video  from When Creativity Knocks explaining all about the 2Liter bottle birthday gift!  I love that the "card"  is attached right to the bottle.  No need to spend $3-4 dollars on just a card that the child doesn't care about anyway.

Being Canadian I obviously cannot use $1.00 bills but, I might do loonies or toonies tied right onto some of the candies instead. 

But, I know that my kids would be thrilled with this gift, not just because it is filled with candy but, their is always something that kids LOVE about getting lots of money in small denominations.  My 5yr old would much rather get 4 quarters than one dollar.  LOL  heck, I think that he would even rather get 4 pennies over a loonie.  Funny but, although he has a small concept of money, the full concept isn't there yet.  It is also nice that the candies are in small portion sizes, that makes it much easier for limiting only ONE for after dinner. etc.

Disclaimer: I would ask the childs parents if they are allowed to have sweets before sending an entire pop bottle full of candies that they cannot have.  I do allow my children to have the occasional candy.  Sometimes well, often more than they really should but, some parents don't or the kids cannot have it because of medical reasons.

Happy To Be Me - Digital Scrapbooking Kit - ScrapGirls

Notice: I am now selling my Digital Scrapbooking Kits at Scrapgirls! 

What a great community and store.  The customer service and products there are fantastic!  You can't go wrong. I am thrilled to be a Scrapgirl.  :) 

I made my first Biggie collection and put it up for sale this week.  I am so excited to release this collection.

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Happy to be me!  

Sometimes we all just need a little extra encouragement to find our happy place. Tell yourself today that you are happy to be you. No matter how you feel, Happy or Sad, set to work Creating a digital scrapbooking layout using this digital scrapbooking kit, that helps you reflect on all the good things and all of the things you love about yourself and why you are happy to be you! The earthy yet vibrant color palette in this collection will inspire you to use this kit over and over again!

Elements and Papers also sold as separates!

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Layouts created by me using the Happy to be me Collection: (Click to enlarge)

I rarely get in the photographs.  I always cringe when i see pictures of myself. LOL  So, I had to scrap one of these rare photos of scott and I when we took the kiddos to storybook gardens last year. I rarely scrapbook about myself but, This collection was created so i could get a few of those pages that are all about me done. That is why i made the collection in some of my very favorite colors! :)

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Everyday is a new beginning - Tomorrow is another day.   It sure is.  I just have to keep telling myself that. :) (Picture is from my garden last year)

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A Photoshop WordArt Brush set (ABR/PNG)  is also available Here

This set of six happiness inspired digital scrapbooking brushes will inspire and add a special, finishing touch to your digital scrapbooking layouts. Great quotes for all about me scrapbook layouts! You can use these brushes as they are or add color, texture, or distressing. Use blending modes or styles to create an endless variety of digital embellishments.  This set includes 6 digital scrapbooking brushes in PNG and ABR format.
Sayings Include – “A smile is the key to a thousand doors.” “I am learning to love myself completely.” “It’s never too late to have a happy childhood.” “Everyday is a new beginning, tomorrow is another day.” “Let your personality shine, just be yourself, Enjoy Life.” “The journey of 1000 miles begins with one step in the right direction.”