School's out for summer!

Well, I have to admit...it's a struggle every year to come up with something fun and original for the teachers. Sometimes it involves gift cards (plain and simple because we get busy!) but we do try our best to make it something homemade and useful.

After making my S'mores kits for Loot Bags I decided that our teachers could use some similar sort of loving! So, we put together bigger S'mores kits for the teachers...
That was them decorating their tags...they may have been somewhat distracted by the scrap paper...
This is Sarah's. She loved that tissue paper because it looks like the night sky...pretty cool eh? I love the thought processes of children...
And Sean went with sizzle because it's just, well, it's just so fun!

Both teachers were quite excited...Sean's teacher stopped me and told me that her husband was delighted with the gift while Sarah reported that her teacher hid hers on her husband!

How sweet it is! Happy Summer!

Enjoy!

Heather

Flutter-by, butterfly...

Wow! We have been busy here at Creative Bug! Summer is just around the corner so I have been preparing for that and watching things slow down on the work side a bit...I'm sure there will still be stories to tell and pictures to share though...

The last birthday party of June was a butterfly party...isn't that amazing...I just did Sarah's not so long ago...we love butterflies here!

We started off with shrink art...yes, I do love shrink art but look at those kids...they love it too! Can you spot the interloper below??? Simon hates it when I work...here he is trying to weasel his way in...maybe no one will notice him if he squats in front of the oven like everyone else!!!A few of the girls with their fun books...The birthday girl Jillian!A few of the girls after the party...fun times!I wanted to share some of their work with you (did I mention I got a new camera...I never could take photos like this with the old one!)

We made butterfly cupcakes too...

I hope you had a wonderful birthday Jillian!

Enjoy!

Heather

We had a ball!

When I got the call from this mom for Cameron's birthday she requested a sports theme...Cameron watches lots of sports with his dad on TV and can identify most sport balls there are so...We coloured shrink art footballs and soccer balls.
...and watched them shrink (my personal favourite part!)
Then we did loot bags...I cut the hair and shoes white so the kids could personalize them with colouring!
Did I mention we made cupcakes? Here is a nice baseball cupcake as presented by the birthday boy's big sister!
Happy Birthday Cameron!

Enjoy!

Heather

Sew...you know...

Did I mention that I have been giving my sewing machine a workout lately? I finished our dining room curtains way back in April or May...we can't even remember! Anyway, then it took awhile before I got the tie-backs. Then it took awhile before we had the hooks to hang up the tie backs...you know the story...don't you?But I think it was definitely worth the wait...just look at those tie-backs totally OTT (over the top - an acronym we heard when we were in the UK 4 years ago...was that really 4 years ago?) I love those tie backs in a big way...
We hope to get the dining room chairs recovered in the fall to match. I have the fabric but the time is another issue altogether!

Then there are the Master Bedroom curtains...whew! It is hard to get good photos of curtains...anyway, I love these too. I love the colours...we repainted as well. It was the last room to be painted. We should have had a party. Less than 3 years here and we have changed every room. Wow!

Happy Sunday Friends...

Enjoy!

Heather

Meow!

I was asked a while back if I would do a cake for a party in honour of a cat...sure why not? The design and execution were left entirely up to me. The specifications? Chocolate and not too much cream.

So in honour of Georgia Peach's 1st Birthday, we have a Chocolate Sour Cream Tiger Striped Cake with Vanilla Filling (it's only 2 layers in there vs. the usual 4).

Mostly, these girls were looking for a reason to have a party. I'm with them...it's always good to celebrate. We enjoyed some friends last weekend. We had supper, a bonfire and saw some fireworks...it was all good.

Make sure you take some time for your friends sometime soon!

Enjoy!

Heather

My little fashionista!

So, Sarah is a bit of a stretch...someone asked if she is 10 the other day! Whew! While she's not the tallest in her class she always stretches out of her pants before they get too tight...I have had a pair of her jeans waiting for a facelift for a few months now and FINALLY I got to it!Thanks to Skip to My Lou for posting this awesome tutorial! It was easy...I read the tut, filed it away mentally, made the skirt then had to re-find it when people started asking me 'How DID you do that?'
Isn't she the cutest? Gosh, what happens when I'm not cool enough to make her stuff anymore??? Oh but wait that almost happened!
See those shorts she's wearing? Well, not really right? They were faded denim shorts that just didn't suit Sarah's taste...she refused to wear them. So I combined them with a pair of pants she cut a hole in (don't even get me started...) and came up with this...
The lace was from the ankles (they were stretchy leggings). I sewed the pink fabric on the inside of the shorts and then snipped the denim.
We did one on the back too...since I couldn't get my machine into the back pocket, that pocket is no longer accessible...Sarah agreed that fashion was more important that function in this case and we went for it. Oh and if you are wondering about how we actually did the appliques...check this tutorial out! Lil Blue Boo is another place I love to go for inspiration!

So what was my faux pas you ask? Well, Sarah struggled with matching these shorts to anything! Oh the drama! I went into her drawers and pulled out half a dozen things that work...she suggested that the shorts need another colour to make it easier to match!

Oh well, I got them on her...we'll see if she wears them again or if she just politely keeps them in her drawer...the skirt was definitely a hit at least!

Enjoy!

Heather

Strawberry Shortcake, Lemon Meringue Pie, Blueberry Muffin...

Any other closet Strawberry Shortcake Fans out there? It's been years but when I was young my room was decorated with Strawberry Shortcake Wallpaper. My mom went all out with light switch covers, berries on the walls and a double roll (yep, a whole double roll) of Branded wall paper! I loved that room...till I was about 10...and lived with it till I was 12. We even had a Strawberry Shortcake Atari Game. You know the Atari 2600. Whew! Dating myself a bit here I guess...this cake was a bit of a throwback for me!

Sorry for the highjack! I couldn't help myself! So, here is the cake...
With all of the humidity...last week's cakes really gave me a run for my money!

I just love all of those wee berries along the back of the cake! Their littleness just tickles me!

Happy Birthday Makayla!

Enjoy!

Heather

Cake for all Landlubbers!

Gosh I sure do love the pirate theme! It has served me well with these Pirate Cupcakes, our Princess and Pirate Party and now this pirate cake!
This cake was so.much.fun. to make! I can't tell you how happy it made me this past weekend! Simply delightful if you ask me!
Until my DD said, "Mom, those rocks look kind of like shark fins", What??? They ARE shark fins goofy girl!
I made a deserted island (also a dessert island in this case).
The only part that isn't edible is the sail and flag...with the humidity and time constraints I wasn't going to try anything rash! The boat was enough.

This cake was flavoured as follows;

Bottom Tier: Chocolate Sour Cream Cake with Cookies and Cream Filling

Middle Tier: Vanilla Cake with Strawberry Filling

Island: Pink Lemonade Cake

Happy Birthday Will!

Enjoy!

Heather

Happy Father's Day!

I would have liked to post this sooner but I was having some technical difficulties! It seems with the new computer I forgot a number of my passwords...I do believe I am slowly going crazy over here!

Anyway without further adieu here are the kids working on their projects...
We made chocolate bowls by dipping balloons in chocolate and then popping and pulling them out! This comes from Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey Treats for Kids. What a fun book! (we did get all of the balloon out before wrapping these up, don't worry!)
Of course we had to make cards to go with the bowls...oh and the bowls were filled with chocolate dipped pretzels and marshmallows. Yum!
On Father's Day, we served DH breakfast in bed. He set up the coffee maker the night before (I do not drink coffee, serve coffee or even make coffee...I had to guess about what to put into it!)
The kids enjoyed the treats they made for DH as much as he did...
Hope you all enjoyed Father's Day! I'll be catching up on posting this week so look out!

Enjoy!

Heather

Here comes the cake...

Just before lunch on Thursday last week (I was just about to head to the grocery store and pick Simon up from his weekly trip to Little Steps) the phone rang. It was a frantic woman wanting a wedding cake...when was her wedding? Sunday! Yep, 3 days to create a wedding cake! Right-o! As I spoke to her, I just kind of liked her...she had been through my website and liked the Black and White Cake with the high heeled shoe (who didn't like that cake?) I've included a link for those of you who may not have seen it but I have a sneaking suspicion I blogged that one twice (oops!) so you might find another article on that one as well...

Anyway, back to the wedding cake. This poor woman didn't order one because well, dessert is included with their meal and well, she's a bit older and already has children...so you know...it didn't seem important at the time. But then, there were some people that wanted a cake, expected a cake...so she thought she better try...

I thought, and I muttered (all while on the phone with her), I consulted my calendar, I was on my way to the grocery store anyway...so I said yes (please note: this isn't always possible, it was a fairly quiet week...sort of!)

I went looking for a cake for this lovely woman...one with polka dots and flowers on top ribbon and a bow...(oh wait, I don't really DO flowers...oh dear!) Oh and of course it was to be pink and burgundy with an ivory base...
I found my inspiration...and set to work...I called the bride to clarify something and mentioned I had found something I liked...(this is now Friday afternoon) so she gave me her e-mail address and it went from my iTouch to her iPhone (I think I NEED an iPhone!)...well not exactly...she said she would call right back but she didn't...I waited...15 mins...then 5 more...so I called her!

Ahhh, I got her e-mail address wrong...oops! Re-send! Phone rings...very excited woman on the other end. Whew! Okay...now we can continue...
The cake was finished on Friday...I did some final touches on Saturday and since I was out most of the day I dropped it off for her on my way out (the wedding was local). The rehearsal dinner was to be at the same place as the wedding...she said she would let me know that she 'loved' the cake (she was anticipating love from the start - thank you for that).

We got home after a full day and after dinner. No e-mail, no message on the phone. Put the kids to bed. No e-mail, no call on the phone. Nervous Creative Bug puttering around. Talking on phone now. Car pulls into drive. Hang up phone. Answer door. Very excited bride! Thank you. Creative Bug can sleep now.

Hope your day was fabulous and that you enjoy many more cakes together!

Enjoy!
Heather

Scrappin' with Passion!

I was contacted some time ago and asked for a donation to an event called Scrappin' with Passion. A very enthusiastic woman named Melisa e-mailed me called me and we set up a workshop. I scrapbook but I have never been to an all-day crop and when I walked in the room yesterday I thought I was in heaven...there were tables spread with stuff filling the room and there were people working, chatting, and teaching...seriously I was delighted (and terribly sad I couldn't stay!)

I set about my job for the day...it was to teach these Scrappin' Divas how to decorate cupcakes! Each person who joined us paid $5 (all of the money going to Heart and Stroke) and got to decorate 3 cupcakes. It was great! The ladies were such fun!

Here are some of the cupcakes....and some more...
Sadly my camera is broken so it was all guess-work yesterday (the LCD screen is cracked and it has spread to the rest of it now...any suggestions on a new camera???

I spoke briefly with Melisa last night and she was thrilled to tell me that they surpassed their goal and they are planning another event in February! Hooray! Read more about their event here.

Thanks for having me out Melisa! Don't forget to call me again! ;)

Oh and looking for a great start to a ladies night out? Several ladies asked me if I would join them for a ladies night out to decorate cupcakes. The answer...absolutely!

Enjoy!
Heather

Pretty Painted Butterflies...

Another year of Unbirthdays done. Sweet! Sarah has been wanting me to make her these cupcakes since the day I brought 'Hello Cupcake' home a few years ago. I finally did them for her.
She was thrilled...she decided she wanted a butterfly theme this year so I had to come up with something that would include the boys in her class (butterflies and boys...hmmmm...)
So, I picked up a bunch of canvases, cut out butterflies from sample wallpaper with my Cricut and they went to town...
They glued and they coloured, they traced and they decorated...
And then FINALLY, they got to have their cupcakes and eat them too!
Sarah chose Pink Lemonade Cupcakes, with Pink Lemonade Icing and White Chocolate Butterflies (one of the big reasons I hadn't made them was that the boys can't eat the butterflies...but alas there wasn't one single one left after school yesterday!)

Happy Unbirthday my sweet butterfly girl!

Enjoy!
Heather

You did WHAT???

Please forgive me if you are here for my work...today it's a bit of a personal post. I have friends from away that read my blog to try and keep up with me and my antics...I was talking to a friend the other day telling her how crazy we are...

A lot of people ask what it's like with a third child...well, with the 4 year gap between the baby and the next one in line things get a little crazy sometimes...we took the kids on the Maid of the Mist back when Simon was just weeks old...
Then last year, we went cave exploring with Simon when he was just over a year old...a weak moment perhaps?
Then a few weeks ago we took the kids on our first ever Road Rally...right-O! It was fun but I didn't take photos at the end when we were harried and exhausted...just at the beginning when the faces were still bright and happy!
Then there was crazy hair day...
It's hard to see Sean's hair in this photo but it's a pretty wild 'do. They were so pleased to have hair like this...
This is just a glimpse of a few of the things we have done over the last 2 years since Simon was born...but really, who would ever dream of taking a baby cave exploring? Possibly the same people who put their son into a split in the rocks to retrieve their cell phone? Perhaps...

Enjoy!
Heather