Creative Bug - Where Creative Adventures Begin!

Let's Talk - A Mental Health Break

2012-02-08T08:43:00.000-05:00

You know...when I posted my first installment of Let's Talk a whole year ago, I thought it was going to be a monthly post for me. But then life happened. I mean I can't seem to keep up with everything no matter how I organize myself. And then there is the inspiration. You see...I told you a bit of my story last year and how I feel about creativity and mental health and I was kind of at a loss of where to go from there...until just the other day.

I was with a friend...her daughter is about 12 we'll call her Jill. Jill was with her friend Nancy. Nancy was telling us that her father is on a new job site, he is working at a mental hospital (he is a contractor of some sort). This is when they started making jokes about being crazy and how he would find space for Jill when the hospital was ready if her mother liked.

I sat there and I found myself becoming internally inflamed...I wanted to say something angry, something that would make the girls uncomfortable, but I stayed quiet. But what I really wanted to say was "The Creative Kids' Uncle lived there for 6 months."

I thought. And I told Mr. CB. And I thought. Then I realized that I could have said something but not something angry...something accepting, something informative, something that might cause them to think the next time they are in a situation that they might make fun of a population with a stigma.

Want to know what made me angry? I grew up visiting 2 South...the place everyone made fun of at my school. The Creative Kids don't know much about their uncle's mental health but they do know that he is different and we love him anyway. But I know, having grown up listening to jokes about the hospital ward that my father was in and out of for much of my childhood how much it hurt. It really HURT. A LOT.

No one really told me that there was anything wrong with my dad...I just knew...we knew when he was off his meds, we knew when to stay out of his way, we didn't know anyone else with a father like ours. A father who was okay one day but not so okay another day. A father who talked about people who probably weren't. A father who was paranoid. A father who spent much time in 2 South.

A father who was strong. A father who rose to the occasion. A father who loved his family even if we couldn't always see that. A father who believed in his children. A father who pulled himself together when his son needed him most. A father that I am so very proud of. You see, when my brother was diagnosed with bipolar disorder it was our father who became one of his most important support people.

There are 2 sides to every story...especially mine. The side of mine where I was terrified, embarrassed and uncomfortable and the side where I came to see who my father really was and I became accepting, proud and comfortable with who he really was. My only regret is it took me a long time to travel that path. I am thankful that I arrived there just in time. A month before he died. One month. Now I can love my father with no shame, guilt or regrets.

The stigma ends here.
Heather
xo

Decorate my life...

2012-02-06T15:09:00.002-05:00

My cousin came and took photos of the kids for Mr. CB's birthday on a brisk November day...I promised her I would pay her but never quite got to it...but knowing her birthday was just around the corner I started planning a cake for her instead...

She is gorgeous, a lifeguard and super kind...her prom dress was a mermaid style dress...that dress became my inspiration along with Tina's Cakery Cake. So beautiful.

I had a lot of fun making this cake...sweet and simple.

And that was followed by the Pupcakes found here...these were requested by a friend who's son LOVES dogs! And because I am an antagonist...I sent her daughter home as a cat! I had a spare set of ears and tail hanging around and felt like sharing...what can I say?

I hope you all had a great weekend! I sure did!

Enjoy!
Heather

Cupcakes Please!

2012-02-03T16:00:00.000-05:00

I am so excited that I have the opportunity to spend Tuesday Mornings at Community Living...every week we do something different...Last week we made cupcakes!

But not just any cupcakes...

Cupcakes with hearts in them!

Then we whipped up some Maraschino Cherry Icing!

And made these sweet cupcakes!

And we decorated them! See the pink hearts peaking out of the vanilla cupcakes?

Then we got out the candy...

And boxed them up!

All the cupcakes were different and SO fun!

Enjoy!
Heather

Pyjama Fun!

2012-02-01T11:00:00.000-05:00

I know, it has been ages and I don't really know what to tell you...except I haven't gone anywhere, I've been busy though! Maybe I'll tell you about that another day...today, let's check out a party we had here on the weekend!

The request? A PJ party!

We started with cupcakes!

Next we painted personalized PJ bags!

Here's the big reveal!

Then we made bath bombs (sorry, my hands must have been full - no photos of that!)

Finally, let's eat!

PS No gifts were required at this party...the birthday girl requested everyone bring PJs to share with someone else. All these pjs are going to Community Care!

One by one...we can make someone else's day brighter. It doesn't take much, just a spark.

Enjoy!
Heather

In the meadow...

2011-12-12T14:11:00.000-05:00

We can build a snowman. But first we need to get the cupcakes in the oven!

This was a team effort for sure!

I love the look of concentration here!

Here we go...snow people in the works!

Ready for their time in the oven!

And now back to the cupcakes (notice the swirled ornaments in the background...we did those too!)

Snowflake cupcakes!

Happy Birthday!

I had a great time with these girls! A lot of them have been here before (some of them many times). It's always nice to have friends return to the workshop!

Enjoy!
Heather

1st Annual Cookie Exchange!

2011-12-10T10:39:00.000-05:00

Yes, yes...I said annual. I have never been invited to a cookie exchange but always dreamed of being a part of one (everyone's gotta have dreams - big and small, right?) SO, inspiration struck and I decided to host one. BUT, with a Creative Bug twist...

What was the twist? Everyone arrived at Creative Bug HQ with bowls, hand mixers, cookie sheets and containers in hand...and they baked the recipes that I chose and it all happened IN my workshop!

We made Hello Dollys!

And Shortbread!

We spent time together...mothers and daughters of ALL ages...

Sisters and friends...

3 hours...in the confines of my workshop.

So, what do you get when you put together 12 people and a whole lot of butter and sugar? 10 different kinds of cookies totalling to about 6 dozen, a clean kitchen and a whole lot of fun!

I had a few people promise they will come back next year. It was a glorious moment in the Creative Kitchen. I am glad my mother was there to see it all unfold...to see my vision come to life. I know it's just cookies but there was more to it than that...next year, you'll have to book early because we were full this year!

Enjoy!
Heather

Just Beachy!

2011-12-09T08:10:00.000-05:00

It all happens so fast...and then I suddenly realize, I have NO photos of the party!

Beach cupcakes, one of my favourites!

Happy Birthday!

These girls were great...they were singing Jingle Bells from around the world for me...it was quite lovely!

We also made Mini Scrapbooks and decorated Loot bags hoola style...I just didn't get any photos that day. Sad, I know.

Enjoy!
Heather

Pie in a Jar!

2011-12-07T08:39:00.000-05:00

I counted down the days, seriously...this is THE Girls' Night Out I was really looking forward to...a LOT. And finally, it arrived (almost 2 weeks ago now...again, the delay is inexcusable but at least I am here now.)

We had our youngest attendees peeling, coring and chopping, then we mixed up our filling and set to work on our crusts...look at all of that. Isn't it lovely?

Mmmm...apple pie...

With a lid!

All set to go in the freezer...

Ours are still in the freezer which is making the Creative Princess crazy...she wants to share hers with the 5 of us asap but Mr. CB isn't home for dinner 5 nights of the week and weekends get pretty crazy...especially in December! I am aiming for this Sunday. It's movie night afterall...pie seems like a great finish, don't you think?

Enjoy!
Heather

Happy Birthday Mr. CB!

2011-12-06T08:25:00.000-05:00

This post is also late...I have some serious catching up to do! You see Mr. CB's birthday is one month before Christmas. Exactly ONE month. So, you do the math. I am late, again!

The highlight of his gift...my cousin went out with us and took photos of the kids...we framed these 3 for him to enjoy. Pretty sweet eh?

Next? I told him a colleague ordered a cake from me, showed it off to him throughout the entire process and guess what? He brought his own birthday cake to work and didn't know it...

So he enjoyed a vanilla cake with vanilla filling with his colleagues...

Then, after we madly rushed to the mall and printed the photos and got them into the frame I bought, we picked him up from work, went out for supper and enjoyed this cake...

I apologize for the crumby photos, I forgot to take some before we left the house and restaurant photos just never seem to work. Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Filling all covered in Chocolate Ganache. Rich goodness. Yum!

The last bit of his birthday? The Money Pit. Yep, I got him the movie hoping he would share a laugh with me as we often refer to our own home as The Money Pit. We watched it together and we laughed.

Enjoy!
Heather

Mo-Vember!

2011-12-05T07:46:00.001-05:00

I know I am a little late with this but things have been CRAZY over here! We got into the spirit of Movember this year with chocolate Mo-Staches! Everyone loved them!

Here is the Creative Princess with her favourite teacher!

Our little guy with his favourite Jacob Beam staff!

And our favourite local league hockey team all decked out!

Movember makes me happy...it's pretty awesome to see the guys out there raising awareness and raising money for something that is important to their health.

Enjoy!
Heather

Happiness is...

2011-11-24T09:18:00.000-05:00

Boys in the kitchen...

New friends...

Glueing...

And painting...

Reindeer Cupcakes...

Creative Kids!

We had such a great time at Creative Kids this Sunday...join us for our last session of the year on December 11th!

Enjoy!
Heather

Girls' Night Out Jewelry Edition!

2011-11-21T08:29:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago we made necklaces at Girls' Night Out...

It was a fun night...

Everyone got to make 2-5 charms...

We are super excited about this week's Pies in Jars edition!

There is still space...for just $5 you can bring home 6 single serve pies in jars (jars not included).

Come and join in the fun!

Enjoy!
Heather

Art Party Cake

2011-11-20T17:29:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago a friend asked me about a cake for her daughter's 6th birthday...she loves pink and brown a LOT! But then I found out it was going to be an art party! So, I had some fun with this one...

We started off with sparkly pink zebra stripes...

Then I got to work on some accessories!

I hope she had a fabulous birthday!

This was a chocolate cake with chocolate filling and chocolate fondant...

Enjoy!
Heather

The Creative Princess Strikes Again!

2011-11-19T09:24:00.000-05:00

After going to the Baking and Sweets Show in Toronto the Creative Princess was VERY inspired! Such that she requested to have the honour of baking her BFF's birthday cake. She planned and she conspired...but when the time came, there just wasn't time!

SO we started again...and here is where we ended up!

Pink and brown sweetness!

Her BFF was one happy girl!

The next day was full of hugs and thank yous...I would be lost without these girls...they are so sweet!

Enjoy!

Heather

PS. I DID help with this one...I did the flowers and the bows...she did the colouring, rolling and covering AND the polka dots of course!

And they call ME Martha!

2011-11-09T16:35:00.001-05:00

There was NO stopping this birthday girl! She loved using the mixer!

And scooping the cupcakes!

And decorating them too!

We had a Hello Kitty Party...and since they decided to take home their cupcakes we even decorated boxes to bring them home in!

Aren't they the sweetest thing?

I hope she had a wonderful birthday! I sure had fun!

Enjoy!
Heather

Halloween is still haunting me!

2011-11-09T08:25:00.000-05:00

I have to apologize for my poor photo quality...I was having a lot of trouble with my SD Cards...I finally managed to fix the problem. I reached back into my not so technical mind and got to thinking about defragmenting. I guess I take a lot of photos because all of my cards needed to be defraged quite desperately!

Anyway...I went to this super-sweet family party not so long ago.

To which I brought these super-sweet hot chocolate spoons to share!

And we made some super-sweet Franken-patties!

Gosh, I use that punch a LOT!

But the real highlight for me?

The super-sweet kids that were in attendance. They were there for their cousin's 2nd birthday and they were happy to sit down and do the crafts with us...in fact, I dare say they enjoyed it!

I have strong feelings about this. I have been turned down flat by some boys in the past so I never get my hopes up but nurturing creativity is such an important part of our lives. I think that creativity is what gets you places...it got me here didn't it?

Enjoy!

Heather

Handmade Gift Series!

2011-11-07T17:52:00.000-05:00

I am SO excited about November's HandMade Series! Oh my goodness! Did we ever have fun on Thursday (we ran terribly late but we got it all done!) The Corker Bows were a huge hit but the felt flower and the wreath were fun too!

This week's theme is jewelry. We will stamp washers and create bird nest charms...there should be time to try 2 of each.

November 17th we will create a Stationary set (complete with a sweet little case) that you can give to someone sweet!

On November 24th we will make pie in a jar! I am SO excited about this. You can freeze them and then bake them from frozen! What a great gift for family and those single men in your life! ;) Or just to have on-hand for your family to enjoy!

Girls' Night Out is a relaxed evening full of camaraderie, chatter and crafting with girls from 7 to well, Grama CB comes but I won't disclose her age!

Oh and it's affordable too! Each workshop is $5-10 and you get to take something great home!

Enjoy!
Heather

The Creative Princess

2011-11-05T07:51:00.002-04:00

Sarah recently expressed an interest in decorating cakes for others and it seemed within moments she had her first real order! A Halloween Birthday Cake! She was so thrilled...

She made her pieces...

Rolled her fondant and covered her cake...

And then began to decorate!

Here it is...

And here is the cake mistress with her first cake order! What a girl!

We are so proud of all of our children...their creativity never ceases to amaze me!

Enjoy!
Heather

Girls' Night Out - Halloween Series!

2011-11-02T17:00:00.000-04:00

We had SO much fun in October! From our paper crafts...

To wreaths...

Scrapbooking...

and making messes!

And then? We cupcaked!

And that was busy! But oh so much fun!

Want to know my favourite part? Having great company in my workshop every week and watching mother/daughter interactions. It was so fun!

I am really looking forward to November's Handmade Gift Series starting tomorrow! You should join us!

Enjoy!
Heather

When you're the best of friends...

2011-10-30T20:57:00.001-04:00

It was Friday morning...2 of 5 costumes were done. I had handed over the responsibility of Mr. CB's costume to him. I was stressed. There was no menu plan, I couldn't find any Toy Story Themed menus on line that were simple and to the point.

So, I broke the news to the kids over breakfast. First Sarah started talking about liquorice lassos...

Then Sean started talking about mashed potatoes to represent Bo Peep's Sheep. Now, my kids don't actually eat mashed potatoes and it just didn't seem like party food so we started talking about marshmallows...and the next thing you know we had pink jello with Cool Whip and Mini-mallows! Yum!

Speaking of potatoes...who doesn't love Mr. Potato Head?

We listened to all of Jessie's Pull String phrases and Sarah suggested Animal Crackers...lovin' it!

This is when I got to thinking we need something a little healthier...what do cowboys eat for dinner? Chilli cooked on a fire of course!

Now, we had covered a few of the characters we would have present at the party...except for the army guy...so he brought along the biscuits!

Now for something for the kids to eat...where else would you get your pizza from?

And who doesn't love those little alien guys? Well, they were pretty punchy at the party! This was a super citrus punch with lime sherbert. Yummy!

I seem to have lost this photo somewhere along the way...but here are the Aliens that Buzz saved from the punch!

The inspiration for our party. The loves of my life.

Our family portrait...

A smaller group than in previous years but we had fun none the less.

Happy Halloween Everyone!

Enjoy!
Heather

Yes, I did get all the costumes finished in time. It seems that I always get by.

Frankly Darling...

2011-10-26T09:50:00.000-04:00

I have been having so much fun working it's been hard to show you everything we've been up to!

Here are my samples for our last Creative Kids...

And here are some of my favourite kids working on their Frank-o-Lanterns!

Simon had some help with the glueing but he did all the decorating himself...he may only be 3 but he knows what he is doing!

Frankenpops!

Putting the finishing touches on the Frankenpops!

Taking a break while the Frank-o-Lanterns dry...

We are really looking forward to our next workshops...Here Comes Santa Claus and Trees in the Forest Creative Kids workshops coming up in November and December!

Enjoy!
Heather

Oh Chocolate Ganache where have you been?

2011-10-24T09:35:00.000-04:00

When I got a request for a cake with Chocolate Ganache, I am going to be honest here, I was terrified! I had avoided it so far...but it was time to face the chocolate. I found a recipe, I followed it...and it seemed a little on the thin side. I let the cake set over night (not without some troublesome dreams!) and found it had set in the morning. You have no idea how relieved I was!

And since one of my chocolate customers (she loves chocolate cake, chocolate icing and chocolate fondant) ordered a cake as well, I figured. Why not? Why not do 2 cakes with chocolate ganache? Go big or go home right? Right!

So the cake above became the cake below...a chocolate chilli cake with chocolate ganache...a perfect choice for Mr. CB...maybe that's what we'll make for his birthday!

Now this lumpy cake? It has Butter Pecan Icing (yes, another new flavour!)

There it is...pecans roasting in butter...seriously...

Right! Back to the cake now...so this was for a Wedding...they were looking for something traditional with a Halloween Twist.

Top Tier? Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ganache.
Bottom Tier? Vanilla Cake with Butter Pecan Icing.

Boy do I wish I could have had some of that cake!

Enjoy!
Heather

Ahhhh, Freak Out!

2011-10-22T09:00:00.000-04:00

C'est Chic to Freak!

Yes, you are at the right place...PA Day Camps always charge me up! I had some pretty fabulous girls join me about a week ago for a revisit of our very popular Fashion Camp from last year. We bleached tees...because they are SO cool! You know, I see kids wearing them at our school all the time (a few of the local moms have tried them at birthday parties too! - I love that!)

We sewed! Because the girls all love being in charge of a power tool! Yes, I consider sewing machines, irons, heat guns, mix masters power tools.

We scrapbooked! Boy did I ever love watching them make the supplies I gave them their own!

And of course, we had a fashion show!

Because it's fun to strike a pose!

And show off all the awesome things they made!

I love watching the dynamics of friends...

And beauty just happen. Isn't she gorgeous?

Just look at them...

I hope they all know how wonderful they are. Talented. Creative. Fun. Awesome.

Enjoy!
Heather

The Mama and the Paparazzi!

2011-10-17T09:24:00.001-04:00

I had so much fun at this party...both the parents were on hand and they were so on top of photography, they inspired me to catch a few more shots (sometimes I just get too crazy to get the camera out!) Love the interactions happening here as one of the girls is stirring...oh and look at that super-cool hair! Love it!

The girls were so fun...smiling the whole way!

Ahhh, Shrink Art...how I love thee...a little colouring...

A little shrinking...

And a great little keepsake!

Happy Birthday sweet girl! I hope you had a wonderful day!

Enjoy!
Heather

Diva Dolls

2011-10-13T11:00:00.000-04:00

You know...sometimes it's tricky for the birthday girl to come up with a theme...and other times it just comes naturally! This party was Diva-licious!

With cupcakes...

Lipstick and Perfume Shrink Art...

mmm...cupcakes...

And fun hairbows!

You know what my favourite part was? I made a bow for the Birthday-Mom too and she wore it home! That's my kind of lady!

Enjoy!
Heather

The evolution of a dress...

2011-10-12T13:10:00.000-04:00

This time the inspiration was 'The Beatles'. That was one of the key things I knew about the little girl I was sewing for, she likes The Beatles. I have had a Beatles tee waiting for a home in my bin for awhile...so I started percolating on it...it was pretty plain...I sometimes struggle with plain. But this time I had a plan. I was thinking about Rainbows. There is a little girl who inspires me when it comes to colour...in fact, she was here sorting my threads by colour just the other day...so I was thinking of her too...

The first thing that happens is my fabric bins come out. They get dumped on the floor and I start throwing fabric all around our living room. Then as I find what I am looking for I start to piece it all together...and then I cut it out.

Then I sew each layer together. One at a time.

Next the sleeves...

Then the sideseams and the hem. Leaving the trickiest part to last. The hood. (Another request).

Then I finished all the ends, packaged it off and mailed it to California. I hope the recipient loves this dress as much as I loved making it. Boy do I ever have a hankering to do some sewing now!

Enjoy!
Heather

Chills & Thrills at Girls' Night Out!

2011-10-10T13:37:00.000-04:00

Our first night at Girls' Night Out was lots of fun! We stamped, we glittered, we rubbed and we glued! We had girls from 8 to well, I'm not telling but I was not the only adult in the room for a change!

Here is some of what we made (I did not take one photo during the evening...what can I say? I was busy!)

A witch's broom filled with treats, a spider web card and a pumpkin tag! All for only $5.

Next week we are going to make these wreaths. Join us for only $10 and you can have a great wreath for your door too!

Enjoy!
Heather

Sugar Overload!

2011-10-09T10:35:00.000-04:00

Last Sunday The Creative Princess and I set out for the Canada Baking and Sweets Show. We knew we were at the right place when we saw Divco! These wheels belong to The Acts of Sweetness Team from Redpath Sugar! Boy do we ever love those ladies! They are SO fun. Remember when they came to our Grand Re-opening?

There were cakes at the show, yes, this is a cake!

Cupcakes...yep! That is made all of cupcakes! The Cake Boss was there!

We stopped by to see our friends from Redpath, Klara Johnson's and we made new friends! We enjoyed samples, samples and more samples!

We did a little shopping...brought home some mini-cake pans, fondant and a few other goodies. We enjoyed a session with The Bonnie Gordon Cake School. Boy wouldn't I love to go visit them...sure would make a good present don't you think? (I wonder if Mr. CB is listening!)

It was a great day...we left very inspired. The Creative Princess has her first cake order and she is pumped!

Enjoy!

Heather

Sweet Summertime!

2011-10-08T09:30:00.000-04:00

Okay, I know that summer is over but this party was a few weeks ago and it was a summery/cottagey kind of theme...of course we started with cupcakes...

And we did shrink art (flip flops and sand dollars to be exact).

And soap...mini soaps with charms in them...they looked beautiful when the came out!

We made little cottages for the cupcakes to go home in. It was a glueing nightmare...but boy did the girls ever love them! The birthday girl's mom was the best...she was a trooper glueing her fingers together while I wrapped up the party...

Nothing like a Friday night full of fun!

Enjoy!
Heather

Sweet Overload!

2011-10-01T11:36:00.000-04:00

And I am NOT talking about my baking here! I had a group of 4 year olds that were oh SO cute here last week!

We made shrink art...who doesn't love crowns and rainbows?

We baked cupcakes and made mini soaps...they were cute too!

Aren't they the sweetest thing???

Enjoy!
Heather

A Spoonful of Sugar!

2011-09-30T07:22:00.001-04:00

Until today, these were my kids favourite muffins...they kept asking for them over and over and over again! Then, I had the nerve to make Chocolate Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins and now they have a new favourite!

So here goes, you will need...

1.5c Flour

1.5tsp Baking Powder

.25tsp Baking Soda

.25tsp Salt (I never put in salt, do you?)

.5c Packed Light Brown Sugar

1 Egg

.5c Unsalted Butter, Melted

1c Sour Cream

1.5tsp Vanilla

1c Chocolate Chips

2Tbsp Redpath Turbinado Sugar (this is really important - go buy some!)

Preheat oven to 400F (I always forget to do this part ahead!)

Grease 12-cup muffin pan.

Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.

Whisk brown sugar, egg, butter, sour cream and vanilla in a medium bowl.

Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir until blended.

Gently fold in chocolate chips....mmmm...

Divide batter equally among cups (I always double my recipes and make at least 24 at a time...12 just isn't enough for us! Sprink with Turbinado Sugar.

Bake in a preheated oven for 19-21mins or until tops are gold and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Enjoy!
Heather

Car Crazy!

2011-09-28T15:30:00.000-04:00

I was asked to do a last minute cake for a little boy turning 3...having a boy that same age I immediately starting talking about Cars, Trucks and Dirt...you know?

We decided on a #3 Cake turned race track. Since the little guy doesn't prefer Fondant, I pulled out all the stops and made a buttercream cake for him (I MUST like him eh?) Whew!

I enjoyed making this cake...it was during a pretty busy week but I was happy to pull it off in time for an early delivery and I hear the birthday boy was delighted!

This was a Vanilla cake with Banana Whipped Cream Filling (you just have to come up with this wild stuff and I do my best to make it happen!) The Buttercream also has some Banana Flavouring in it...

I hope you had a great day little guy!

Enjoy!
Heather

Accessorize You!

2011-09-26T16:00:00.000-04:00

Of course we started by baking cupcakes!

Then we made these fabulous accessories!

And decorated our cupcakes!

And there is one happy birthday girl!

This party was way back in May when we were renovating my workshop...I finally found the cord for my camera and was able to move the photos onto the computer! Tricky eh?

Look for last week's parties soon!

Enjoy!
Heather

Fall Harvest Cupcake Challenge!

2011-09-25T20:21:00.000-04:00

I was invited by the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce to participate in a Cupcake Challenge at their Annual General Meeting. I would go up against the Pastry Chef from August Restaurant in creating and decorating a jumbo cupcake and then baking mini cupcakes for tasting.

I baked Pear Ginger Cupcakes with a Goat Cheese Cream Icing...my Jumbo Cupcake is meant to be a basket of apples and pears.

I got the sweet mini-loaf pans from Michaels for only $1.50 each...aren't they fabulous?

Fabi, baked Candy Apple Cupcakes and made this fabulous Candy Apple Jumbo Cupcake covered with Red Chocolate Melts and Caramel Icing.

Aren't her cupcakes adorable?

We enjoyed a lovely dinner together...and waited until it was taste testing time pretty patiently (if you ask me). Finally, they got around to us...and well, the results were very close (and I totally believe that because both of the cupcakes were totally fabulous!)

...Anyway, the winner would get to donate $183 (as donated by the Chamber Members and their guests that evening) to the charity of choice, win bragging rights and enjoy some other perks with the Chamber...

SO....the winner was...

ME!

Pretty cool eh? And my charity of choice was The Niagara Peninsula Children's Centre. They are instrumental in supporting our youngest child in speech development...

Hope you had a fabulous weekend, I know we did!

Enjoy!
Heather

Cake Camp - Above and Beyond

2011-09-23T15:55:00.000-04:00

When I decided to do this camp, it never occured to me that my son would want to do it (and that he would find a friend to join him!) But the biggest surprise of all was the determination of my kids to keep on going after the camp was over!

These are their cakes as they were finished with everyone else's

I think they're pretty cool.

But that evening, they were in my workshop...

...taking things just one step further...

And the next day, they had these totally awesome cakes...

Aren't they fabulous? I was impressed by all the kids that came but mine in all honesty are exposed to a LOT of cakes. But I never dreamt that this is what they would come up with!

We were so proud of their creations...we share them with some of our friends and neighbours.

Enjoy!
Heather

Cake Camp Day 4 & 5 - Final Cake!

2011-09-20T15:01:00.000-04:00

The kids loved modelling so much that we managed to fit in another mini session on Day #4 while our cakes were baking. One of the final cakes was to be a Smurf house so I thought I would help the kids out by creating a Smurf that day. Boy did they ever love it!

Aren't they great?

Onto our final cakes...each cake was designed by the decorator. This enabled us to see a wide variety in finished product and learn different techniques with the different cakes. This artist used a variety of colours, cutters and techniques and had fun exploring some options in cake decorating!

The owl in this cake was modelled independently by the decorator...I showed her how to use the clay extruder so she could make the Owl's nest. She was so proud of her modelling from previous days she included that on the cake as well!

This was cake represents a Smurf house. We also modelled a present to turn his Smurf into Jokey Smurf!

This decorator took her time and created a lovely flower design on her cake...she took great care in everything she did.

This decorator had Nature on the brain! She enjoyed using the cutters, doing some painting and some independent modelling as well.

It was such a fun week! I hope that the kids had as much fun as I did because I sure did love it!

Enjoy!
Heather

Cake Camp Day #3!

2011-09-19T14:45:00.001-04:00

We managed to keep Simon busy the first few days but there was NO way we were keeping him out of my workshop all week! He insisted that Day #3 was his day to join in on the fun! We spent the day creating roads and cars and decorating them!

The kids loved doing this...and everyone's was different!

To finish up the board, we made porcupines, pine cones and fir trees!

Some of the kids took things into their own hands and added logs and made futuristic cars!

Simon inspired the kids using the heart cutter and then everyone was using it!

It was such a fun day! And the kids were so creative!

Enjoy!
Heather

Cake Camp Day #2 - Cake Pops!!!

2011-09-13T15:03:00.000-04:00

"When you see someone putting on his Big Boots, you can be pretty sure that an Adventure is going to happen." -A.A. Milne

My kids know...somedays you have to be prepared for anything and this was one of those days! We set out to make cake pops not knowing what we were getting ourselves into...

You have to keep these puppies COLD! We lost a few in the chocolate while dipping them...but the kids kept their spirits up and we pressed on...

While the pops were setting we realized they needed a vessel! I had these sweet little glasses but they were TOO TALL! So we got out the sizzle! I love that stuff!

And look at what we got!

So...we thought it best we try them before everyone took them home. You know, to make sure they were okay...

These kids were all so great...I really couldn't get enough of them!

And they all worked SO hard!

It was a fabulous day...I am hoping to find more time for cake pops in the future! Like a whole day...just to roll, dip and play!

You should try it too! Check out Bakerella for more details!

Enjoy!
Heather

Cake Camp Day 1!

2011-09-12T14:33:00.000-04:00

I was just browsing my blog when I realized I am MUCH behind! Here I thought a few quick entries for September and I would be laughing...but no! It seems I quit too soon in August!

So here goes! We had a wonderfully successful week at Cake Camp this summer!

On the first day, we started with a simple, no fail plan. (Is there really such a thing?)

We were going to decorate cupcakes to look like an ice cream cone...see Princess thought she had it all figured out!

But then we really set to work...and created cupcake art (I think so, don't you?)

And we had a little extra time so we made ourselves some teddy bears...they were SO fun! The kids loved the modelling!

Definitely a great day!

Enjoy!
Heather

You can't always get what you want...

2011-09-10T13:03:00.002-04:00

But sometimes you get lucky!!!

Princess was low on summer pjs...so I finally pulled out the fabric we bought to make her pjs...and I dug around (on the internet) until I found this tutorial. I wasn't sure if I could get it right but apparently I got lucky on that!

Then I used my recently purchased Lil Blue Boo Perfect Short Pattern (these shorts are only perfect for people with lovely legs, I think!)
We are currently in love with the whole idea of the Yoga Pant waistband! Princess has shorts and skirts with it and it's so comfy and doesn't go anywhere or get twisted!
You can see I did a ruffle finish on the shirt...I love doing that! And Princess loves it too! Now that fall has kicked in I am going to have to make her pants because she just loves these jammies so much!

Enjoy!

Heather

Tea for Five?

2011-08-28T16:15:00.000-04:00

I have been wanting to have a tea party for sometime...so we decided to invite a few friends over for Princess' party...please forgive the photos...the dining room isn't very accommodating in terms of lighting!

One of the girls was calling the party a Lemonade Party since we had Lemonade rather than tea...I kind of liked it! ;)

The birthday girl! I shall have to get her her very own tea cup...that is my Lily of the Valley Cup from when I was a girl!

You know I hate to disappoint my fans...we did a quick craft and made mini purses!
Here are our guests. Aren't they lovely?Oh and another guest!

Princess was delighted with her Tangled Cake and doll! It was a little tricky for me since the cake cracked when I tried to put the doll in...I managed make do but it wasn't easy!

Enjoy!

Heather

Fresh Air Fun!

2011-08-27T15:10:00.001-04:00

When we decided to volunteer for the Fresh Air Fund, there was an air of excitement in the house. Sarah knew the dates and had them on her friends' calendars. Sean counted down the days until the child matched to our family would arrive. Simon watched as we cleaned and prepared the room.

Finally, the day came and then the week or so passed and now she is gone.
On the night Nyla arrived, the kids ran through the gardens, they hunted bugs and butterflies. Nyla had trouble getting to sleep that night...we talked to her until she started to yawn and show signs of fatigue.
The next day we took her to swimming lessons, she completed the last 3 days with the kids and loved it. We visited a local splash pad/park. So many firsts for our new friend.
We had a quiet day then the next we headed to Balls Falls. We discovered many Inukshuks at the top of the Upper Falls and the kids built one to join the others.
We headed to Port Dalhousie, spent a bit of time on the beach and then rode the carousel.
I later discovered that the carousel was actually carved in Brooklyn, Nyla's home turf.
We spent our next day in Niagara Falls. Enjoyed the Maid of the Mist...
And then came home to celebrate Sarah's birthday! Our last big activity with Nyla was the beach. Ahhh, the beach. We were there for 6 hours...the time just slipped by.
Thank you for visiting Beamsville Nyla. We hope you had fun!
The kids sure were worn out after you left...we spent a couple of quiet days of rest catching up...relaxing and reading.
What a girl! What a week!

Enjoy!

Heather

Sew me happy!

2011-08-25T10:52:00.000-04:00

You all know that sewing has gone from being one of the domestic things I hate the most to one that I love a great deal...so when we found out that we had a young girl coming to stay with us from Brooklyn the first thing I thought was...well, I shall have to sew something for her while she is here.

So, on Day #2 I pulled out my t-shirt bin and my fabric bin and we laid out a t-shirt and some coordinating fabrics and I got to work. Now, because the kids were having trouble adjusting, I obviously couldn't just make something for ONE of the kids and not ALL of the kids. SO, I finished dress #1 put it away and then had Sarah choose a tee and coordinating fabrics and so on until I had something for everyone...

This is the only photo I have of Nyla's dress. Isn't it sweet though? I sewed the back of the tee on inside out so that you can see the nicely scripted Disney that is silk screened on the shirt.

Here is the tee I made for Simon...I used the Little Blue Boo Hoodie Pattern but sewed in a collar instead...he was set on Tom & Jerry as soon as he saw that t-shirt! There were no if ands or buts about it!

Sean has been lovin' this Ghostbusters Tee since I brought it home from Value Village about a month ago! He is so pleased to have finally added it to his wardrobe! This tee is based on the Sienna Dress by Lil Blue Boo.
I think Sarah was a little disappointed that Nyla chose the Minnie shirt but I am just thrilled with how this one turned out. It is not as girlie as her usual choices but it looks fabulous on her and I am going to enjoy her wearing it for sometime! Both this dress and the Minnie Dress are inspired by the Sienna Dress by Lil Blue Boo as well (boy do I ever wish this pattern was available in bigger sizes!)
As I type this I am thinking about the next tees that I have set aside and I am dying to pull them out but I really should get some other things done around this house first (SO boring!)

Enjoy!

Heather

Art Camp!

2011-08-23T16:39:00.000-04:00

All of these recent posts happened a few weeks ago but I have been very distracted! This whole summer thing is tricky with 3 kids at home full-time!

Art Camp was SO much fun and SO messy!

We did all sorts of things...we stamped, notice the background, we also used one of my favourite techniques to create the background on these cards!

We painted...
We bashed!
We made crayons and candles!
But my most favourite project? Most definitely, the Tie Dye! It wasn't as messy as I thought and it was SO fun!!!
I hope all of the kids enjoyed our summer camps! We will definitely do more next year!

Enjoy!

Heather

I like to party, party!

2011-08-21T09:38:00.000-04:00

So, the theme of this year's birthday party was The Beach...I thought I could make a fruit tray resemble a beach ball but in the end, it was just a fruit tray. I tried!

We did sand art. The kids loved it! It was fun to watch them create their masterpieces!

Aren't they neat? I love those tall bottles! And do you know what? They were only $1.69 at Michaels. Seriously!

I glued, taped and sewed to create our bean bag toss game. I did it on a plastic board. Next time it will be on wood for sure! The kids loved it!

Sarah helped decorate the cupcakes...

We kept it really simple. And I couldn't find the shorter rod for my cupcake stand (it was all so rush, rush over here!)

We didn't have a photographer this year. With the renovations on the workshop and how busy we have been I just didn't get to it. So that is it for photos this time...We did have a lovely time though...it was good to see our friends and family!

Enjoy!

Heather

I always feel like...

2011-08-20T09:06:00.005-04:00

Somebody's watchin' me!

A few weeks ago, we had our Secret Agent Camp! This camp was less about crafts and more about being crafty! ;)

Here are the kids preparing their disguises!

We worked out some sleuth communication devices...

Then made them a little more discrete so that the bad guys wouldn't catch up to what we were up to!

Our pompom shooters were a hit! (Our little princess handed over her shooter as soon as the day was done...she will have nothing to do with guns!) You can find a number of tutorials for these shooters on the internet but I used the one offered by Root And Wings Co. found here.

Here is my team. In disguise!

We also enjoyed Wink Murder, Jail Break, The Telephone Game, several scavenger hunts (one created by the kids - each one wrote a clue and they worked through them together!) and lots of other activities! It was a fun busy day!

It's been a fun summer full of Creative Camps! Just one left to go...

Enjoy!

Heather

Phone Home

2011-08-06T15:45:00.003-04:00

Do you have a home that isn't your home? You know, a place that even though you have only just arrived, you feel as though you haven't left? I have a few of those...we were recently at one of them.

A place that is safe and comfortable, where you are loved. Yeah...that's where we were. Wish we had more of them in fact...

Well, at that place, there was a birthday. A very important birthday.

And that birthday girl, she happens to love ET and a lot of things from the 80s in fact...the fact that retro is in, is really working for her...

So, last year it was Purple Soap...this year ET. I hope she loved her cake. I miss her already. Can't wait to go back again soon.

Enjoy!

Heather

Sunny Days...

2011-08-01T15:51:00.001-04:00

I don't know everyone who reads my blog but I bet a lot of your are moms...and something came up the other day while we were on vacation. First take a look...here is Simon in the shirt that I made him to wear at Sesame Place...

And Sarah in her Abby Cadabby shirt I made for her to wear there...

Let's not forget Sean, our middle child, who is going through a 'what about me' phase.

And Mr. CB...doesn't he look charming in is Super Grover golf shirt (he also took a moment to apologize to Grover for Simon's lapse in judgement with the Elmo shirt.

So there we were at Sesame Place with our homemade tees...wait a minute...what's missing? Of course, it's me. And the answer is no, I didn't make myself a tee. Why you ask? I ran out of time, didn't have a tee, just don't ever seem to get to myself. Do you have that same problem?

Then I got to thinking...everyone has at least one really cool bleach shirt here too...well, except for me. I came up with some designs yesterday but now I need some tees. Hopefully I will be back soon with some cool tees of my own to share...just for me.

Enjoy!

Heather

The Nature of Things

2011-07-30T09:10:00.000-04:00

We had a small group of children join us for our Nature of Things Camp...it was a beautiful day so we spent the bulk of it outside...we painted birdhouses...

Then we headed inside to make some Hot Rocks! We kept things simple but this is the basic idea here.

I loved watching the kids discover hand-stitching! They did such a great job creating their butterfly nets! I found this tutorial here.

One of the most popular activities of the day was painting plant stakes (aka paint stir sticks!) I took the time to paint one myself...it was so fun!

We ended our day with Nature Books (with a ziplock bag inserted) along with pinecone bird feeders.

Another fun, rewarding day here at Creative Bug HQ!

Enjoy!

Heather

A horse is a horse, of course!

2011-07-28T16:31:00.000-04:00

It seems like ages ago that this party was booked by the birthday girl's mother! We met at our Grand Re-opening and the invitations went out before school finished...and now here it is the end of July. I am not really sure what happened to the rest of the month!

As I am sure you have guessed from the above photo, we did shrink art...

We also made soap...it's tricky to get photos of everything!

Then, the highlight of the party, if I do say so myself, were these super-adorable horse cupcakes! They were so fun to make and no 2 turned out the same!

Happy Birthday! I sure hope you had a wonderful day!

Enjoy!

Heather

Creative Cooks!

2011-07-27T15:33:00.005-04:00

I can't believe how much time has gotten away from me! I meant to blog this before we left for vacation and here I am just posting it now! Things have been busy around here!

We started our day off by preparing ourselves...first our aprons...

First we stenciled them then we got out the potato stamps (one of my favourite tools!)

We decorated chef's hats, prepared our recipe books and copied out the first recipe then finally set to the real work! Tzatziki for dipping!

We also made black bean dip so that we would have options to dip the chips in! And here they are making their chips...each of the chefs made their own batch with their chosen seasonings on them!

Next up Pastry Tarts! Pastry is not one of my strong points but these girls held it together and did a great job!

We cheated a little here and used instant pudding to fill our pastry cups (I am not Wonder Woman and we had a timeline to work with!)

Finally! A box to transpost some of their goodies home, they also decorated matching chip bags for their salty snacks!

One group of Creative Cooks!

The girls were kind enough to bake up a special batch of chips for me to bring home...it was such a great day!

Enjoy!

Heather

Neapolitan Muffins!

2011-07-14T08:13:00.000-04:00

It's been awhile that some of you have been asking me to share recipes...

1.5c Sliced Strawberries

1/3c Sugar

1 3/4c All-Purpose Flour

2tsp Baking Powder

1/2tsp Baking Soda

1/2tsp Salt (I never use salt but you might want to add it!)

1 Egg

1/2c Sour Cream

1/2c Milk

1/4c Unsalted Butter, Melted

1tsp Vanilla Extract

3/4c Chocolate Chips

1Tbsp Turbinado Sugar

Mash Strawberries and 1/3c Sugar. Let stand 15mins (this makes them all nice and juicy!)

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, soda and salt (if using)!

In a medium bowl (I know, it's a lot of bowls!) whisk together egg, sour cream, milk, butter and vanilla until well-blended.

Take a look at your strawberries...don't they look yummy?

Now add the strawberries to the milk mixture...with the juice, of course!

Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir just until blended. Gently fold in chocolate chips.

Divide between 12 muffin tins (greased or lined) and sprinkle with Turbinado Sugar (because this adds beauty and a lovely crunch!)

Look how sparkly they are! And yummy too...if you like that sort of thing that is!

Enjoy!

Heather

We were picking cherries...

2011-07-08T07:52:00.000-04:00

The whole way to the farm we rode to (yes, we rode our bikes as part of this adventure) I was singing a modified Great Big Sea song. It's how I felt. Then we arrived at the farm (to which I had never been before) and saw this...how much more authentic could it get?

I cannot express to you how much I love this moment. I pretty much captured Simon's daily life. "Hey Guys! Wait up!"

The trees were stunning, simply beautiful and the cherries were plentiful.

We stopped at one basket...I'm not even sure what I am going to do with them! Simon wasn't happy about stopping though! He loved it out there!

And no one, but no one could put those cherries in the bag from the basket except for Simon!

What an adventure we had!

Enjoy!

Heather

Summer Survival!

2011-07-07T06:54:00.005-04:00

I had so much fun planning this camp and I think the kids had just as much fun being a part of it!

We did all sorts of activities that might help the kids get through there summer...including some boredom busters! First up? Pillow cases! My kids (the older 2) are spending a week at residential camp this year along with our usual family get-aways! Now they have a pillow case they can bring along that will make them happy!

Next we decorated our tins...these tins were later filled with a Magnetic Memory Game, Magnetic Tic Tac Toe, Summer Journals and Gel Pens! We will be adding a deck of cards to the tins our kids brought home!

Next up, these were an a-MAZE-ing hit! We recycled old CD cases, employed some Bend-a-roos, some clay and we had custom mazes for everyone! These alone were a huge hit with the kids! They kept pulling them out throughout the day, trading and even adjusting their mazes!

You all know I am a softie when it comes to treats...so we rolled with the punches and got to work on an afternoon snack for everyone...

It's important to always leave them wanting S'More and today we did! We made S'mores in a jar! Omigosh! They were so fun and the kids just loved them!!!

We finished the day with some beading and string games...

Can you believe Simon strung a necklace all himself? Incredible!

Well, I hope the kids all had as much fun as I did! Don't forget next week is Creative Cooks! Come join in on the fun in the kitchen!

Enjoy!

Heather

What a Ham-burger!

2011-07-06T07:05:00.002-04:00

This is birthday season around here...it gets a little crazy. In fact, our littlest one shares a birthday with my Step-Father. We celebrated my step-father's birthday on the weekend so I baked him a cake he's not likely to forget for awhile!

The meat patty is a brownie...I love how much it looks like an actual burger!

Who doesn't want a fully loaded burger??? The dressings were fun and fairly simple to make with the right tools (a pizza cutter, sharp knife and a series of circular cutters).

I kept the cake on the small side, 6", but what it lacked in girth it made up for in height! We fed 10 people with this cake and there were leftovers!!!

I hope he had a great birthday!

Enjoy!

Heather

Brownie Points

2011-07-04T07:43:00.002-04:00

I have been running even later than usual this year...I don't know what happened to June but it was over so quickly! I was baking some treats to bring to our wonderful teachers and crossing guard on the last day of school...when I came up with a plan (finally!)

I had just taken these Brownies out of the oven when I thought...'is it too late to ask for Brownie Points?' Then I carried on with my day...went for a bike ride, hung out with Simon and got back to Brownies. Of course the second batch of Brownies weren't done in time to add to the first however, I stuck with my theme...

I made these cards on my Mac (so easy!), printed them and inside said 'Is it too late to ask for Brownie points) and attached were my plates full of brownies. Whew! We made it just in time for the end of the day (just!)

Both kids absolutely loved their teachers this year...Sarah is really coming out of her shell. And developing a sense of humour! It is delightful!

Sean is adjusting to the rigours of school...I hope Simon has the same teacher for grade 1...she is delightful!

Have a great summer everyone!

Enjoy!

Heather

Believe it or not...

2011-07-03T18:47:00.000-04:00

I am not superwoman, I DO sleep and no, there are not enough hours in the day for any of us! I know some of you wonder how it is that I manage to do what I do with 3 children (1 at home full-time)...you are not the only ones...sometimes I wonder too! Then there are days like this...

Days when this sweet little face plays quietly alongside me while I work (and even days when he naps!)

But that wasn't the case when I was working on this cake...

This cake was a donation from Creative Bug to benefit a young boy and his family. You can learn more about this young man and his determination here.

I understand that the school was able to raise more than $3,000 through various efforts.

God Speed Isaac.

Heather

The Pot of Gold

2011-07-01T09:37:00.000-04:00

After the Art Party we had here...that same little girl had another celebration at home with her family. Her mother and I quickly decided on a design and I suggested something a little extra special...

Our youngest Creative Being took these photos (just a few weeks short of 3) when I asked him to get my camera out of my purse, he took it upon himself to do the photography work!

Those 6 bowls were the cake batter...which we then turned into this...

After it was all torted, layered and sculpted it then became this...

I can't tell you how happy it made me to put this cake together...and I don't know a little girl who would have loved it more...(except maybe my own!)

Happy Birthday Olivia!

Enjoy!

Heather

PS I hope you are successful in your plans to return next year because it was a lot of fun having you here! ;)

The Rainbow Connection

2011-06-30T19:14:00.000-04:00

I think a lot of us have a special place for a little green frog who sings about rainbows... sometimes we catch a glimpse of what might be on the other side...and it is beautiful.

This party was booked well in advance giving the hosting mom and I lots of time to discuss options for themes. She was stumped...totally stumped. It was obvious that the usual princess gig just wasn't going to do it...

So, I suggested an Art Party...of course having never hosted one I had no idea what I was in for...but that's sort of my thing...jumping in with both feet that is.

Of course it's more fun when we do it together...just look at these sweethearts...

It really doesn't get much better than this group of girls...they were wonderful...

Well, there was one little snag...

We did Shrink Art, Art Journals and Cupcakes (of course!) and in an attempt to be artsy...I made the journals the colours of the rainbow (sorry indigo, I keep leaving you out!) When I tried to hand the journals out to the girls all of them wanted purple...I diligently handed out one colour at a time, waiting for the girls to realize the purple was on hold for the time being...it just wasn't going to work.

Eventually everyone had a journal and was busy happily creating...but it took a little extra smoothing this time. This being said, that photo of the rainbow of journals up above still makes me happy.

What can I say?

Enjoy!

Heather

Pretty in Pink (and Brown)

2011-06-18T10:20:00.000-04:00

So here how the story goes...I was SO excited...I had one shoe done, the cakes were moving along...I took the photo and left the room...

With this little dancing fool in it...

I came back. And guess what? The shoe was broken and part of it was missing! So, I had to begin again. That's how it goes sometimes. Note to self: do not leave preschool alone with cake or any sort of sugar for that matter!

Fortunately, there was still time to finish this...

One of my most commented on cakes in awhile...

I must admit, I'd be pretty thrilled if a cake like this showed up to my next birthday!

I hope you had a fabulous day Ann!

Enjoy!

Heather

PS The cake was Chocolate Irish Cream with Irish Cream Buttercream. The yummiest!

Sweet Scent-sation!

2011-06-17T18:20:00.000-04:00

I have found myself so busy at parties lately that I hardly have time to take photos...and I forget to tell you important bits...the parties are still as wonderful as ever...the kids are still fabulous and the fun, well, we have lots of it!

So, to start...cupcakes!

Next up? Soap...where are the photos? Who knows...we made mini-soaps with Grapefruit Scents...mmmm...there were flowers, hearts, fish and puzzle pieces. Just imagine them for me. Please?

Then? Shrink art! We made Flip Flops and Lipstick charms! They loved that...and they did such great colouring...with coordinating charms, contrasting charms...they were charming really!

Finally, back to those cupcakes! Mmmm cupcakes!

And so much fun!

Enjoy!

Heather

Give it a Twirl Day!

2011-06-16T08:07:00.000-04:00

What a day we had! We started off with measuring everyone, assembling the patterns and getting them cut to size for each of the girls!

They were all quite amazed and delighted that these pieces would somehow become a skirt for them!

Things got a little crazy after the girls got all their fabric cut out...my serger just wouldn't cooperate. No matter what I did. Eventually we gave up and pulled out my almost 40yo Kenmore. It is a great machine! The girls were amazing all the while...preparing for the fashion show...exchanging phone numbers...playing little clapping games. It was fun to be in the room with them.

Let the show begin! The entire narration was written and read by the girls...they chose the music, the order, everything. They wrote some great comments...the moms loved it!

I love how unique each and every skirt turned out. I had such an amazing day with the girls!

Just look at them all...10 one of a kind twirl skirts for 10 one of a kind girls.

I hope the girls had as much fun as I did!

Enjoy!

Heather

Bright Lights, Big City!

2011-06-03T08:04:00.001-04:00

I know it's ONLY Toronto to some of you but it's been awhile since we've spent time in Toronto Proper and it was nice to visit (glad we don't live there anymore!)

When I heard that Redpath was opening their doors for Open Doors Toronto...how could I resist? I mean what could be sweeter? The kids were super excited to see their friends from the Acts of Sweetness Team AND they had been asking about visiting Redpath (TRUE story!) Hmmm, I wonder what else is on their bucket list!

Here we are driving in...you can't see it here but there was a HUGE line-up (and we were running a little late - Mr. CB moves slowly on Sundays!) But lucky us, we knew the person at the gate and they let us slip in with the next group when we got there!

This is Richard Feltoe, he is the curator of the Redpath Museum. He had some great one-liners for us before he took us into the tent for the video about how sugar is refined!

Look how excited Sarah is here...and this is just about watching a video!

The refining process brought me back to my roots in oil and gas (really, it did!)

So each of these containers has sugar in various states of refining...from Magma to Fine Liquor. Mmmm liquid sugar!

Speaking of sugar...everyone of us loved this part! This building is as big as 2 football fields and gets filled with the raw sugar (not sugar in the raw that you buy) but the sugar that comes off of the boats. Look how tiny that tractor looks!

We finished our day by waiting almost 2 hours to go up the CN Tower. It was totally worth it though...the kids loved every second of it!

Enjoy!

Heather

The Princess Spa

2011-05-31T14:37:00.000-04:00

Since our workshop has been renovated...things have been grand! It just makes me happy to go to work and it's so lovely and easy to pretty up after a creative explosion (what can I say, I have to get ALL of my fabric out to really work!) This week's party was lovely and the mother of the birthday girl as so thrilled to walk in and find the tables set with flowers along with the ingredients required for our first project (Get the cupcakes in the oven!)

After cupcakes came our soap! Instead of mini-soaps we did regular sized ones with Silly Bands inside this time. The girls loved it! (I must admit, I would like a prize in my soap too!)

The girls were astounded when they heard that there was another craft and delighted when they found out that it was Shrink Art and they got to watch it shrink!

This week's cupcake design was simple but fun! We put a quick layer of buttercream on then topped it with blue fondant and golden crowns.

With the open house there have been a lot of goodies about...just look at what everyone took home (in addition to their crafts!)

I have a lot more to tell this week...let's hope Blogger co-operates!

Enjoy!

Heather

Happy, Happy Birthday to me...

2011-05-29T23:45:00.002-04:00

I can't believe that my birthday was more than 2 weeks ago now! So crazy! I got some pretty sweet gifts though!

My friends from Acts of Sweetness brought me some sweets!

Sarah and Mr. CB chose this...even though Sean insisted I already had it. Mr. CB gave me this very same, very lovely book for Christmas. Oops! If you haven't met Bakerella, go give her some love because she is awesome!

Oh and this is from the BEST Mum ever! I know that this one will make The Happy Baker proud...do you SEE that pink hammer in there Erin? If you haven't bought Erin's book go do it! And don't forget to get copies for your mom and all your besties too!

I didn't get a photo but Mr. CB also picked up a copy of Glee Season 1 for me! 'Cause we all need a little (well, maybe a LOT) of glee in our lives!

Finally, here I am with Ken from Community Care...he was sweet enough to stop by our Grand Re-Opening. These are some of the wonderful toys we collected for the Birthday Room at Community Care West Niagara. I am very proud to be their partner and look forward to making some of their clients feel special on their birthdays!

Enjoy!

Heather

The Sweetest Thing!

2011-05-22T15:14:00.002-04:00

Just days (literally) after our Open House we were lucky enough to open our doors to celebrate our first birthday in the renovated workshop. We had a small group but a fun group join us...

We baked...

We shrunk...(shrink art)
And we smiled!
There were other crafts too but we didn't have time to catch those on camera! It was so nice to share our new space with some new friends!

Enjoy!

Heather

Peanut, peanut butter!

2011-05-19T15:11:00.001-04:00

Let's start with chocolate...mmmm chocolate!

I have had trouble with white spots showing up on my chocolate so I tempered my chocolate this time...I am no expert so I used a tutorial. It wasn't terribly difficult, check it out.

Then I brushed my chocolate into my mini-muffin cups. I used silicone because it makes it easier to pop out later. I recommend doing this step at least twice (let set and apply another coat). I didn't and my cups were delicate...and the ratio was off (for me at least).

Here is the fun part! Mix 1 cup of peanut butter with 1/2 cup icing sugar and 1 tsp of vanilla (I totally used my mixer but if you are looking for an arm workout...) I used a large tip and icing bag to fill up my mini-cups...Heat up your chocolate and cover!
Put in refrigerator to set and...

Enjoy!

Heather

Sunny Days, lifting those clouds away...

2011-05-18T07:17:00.000-04:00

We were recently buying paint when my 2.5 year old son saw that there is a Sesame Street Paint Colour Book. Yep, it's true. They are selling paint to 2 year olds now. He insisted on bringing it home and then he had me read it to him. Seriously. There were little descriptions of each of the characters so at least there was something to work with.

This opened the door for me to ask him who his favourite Sesame Street Character was and he replied by finding Elmo and pointing him out (he doesn't talk a lot). Then we discovered that our middle child who is 5.5 also likes Elmo best. Our oldest? She loves Abby Cadabby and Zoe ('cause they're girls!) I have been a long time Elmo fan myself...I'm not so sure about the whole Elmo's World thing but I think he's pretty cute.

So when I was asked to do a couple of Elmo cakes for a friend, I was all over that!

Who doesn't love Elmo?

Enjoy!

Heather

So Glad We Made It!

2011-05-17T07:32:00.006-04:00

I am so pleased to tell you that the major bits of our renovation are complete! It's been a long road getting from there to here...

There is so much to see...I made the blinds myself with fabric purchased at Tonic Living, all the goodies were baked in my new kitchen! There were Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes, Lemon Cupcakes, Mocha Cupcakes, Mini Oreo Cheesecakes (I think these were the favourite!), Oatmeal Nutmeg Scones, Buttertart Muffins and Almond Poppyseed Muffins. Yum!

This is me with a representative with Community Care...we filled 2 baskets with donated toys! Fantastic! I will drop those off later this week for them to share with children in need in our area.We had more than 50 people join us for the event...we talked, enjoyed treats and did crafts! Everyone loved the Shrink Art! That is Grama CB sitting at the table with all of the kids. We couldn't have done it without her!

Our special guests, The Acts of Sweetness Team! These ladies were so lovely, we are so happy they could join us for such a sweet occasion!

Little Miss CB took this photo...

Peace out ladies!

Enjoy!

Heather

Grand Re-Opening!

2011-05-13T12:46:00.002-04:00

Well, you saw what the room looked like before...

This was our inspiration (a gift from one of my closest friends)...

And then we ripped out the walls...
And drywalled...

Not to mention the structural work in the basement, the endless amounts of paint we used (I wonder how many litres we used!), the sewing the installation of cupboards (that we put together first!)

Since the beginning of March our home has been turned upside down. We are very pleased to welcome you into the brand new Creative Bug HQ!

Please stop by on May 14th, 2-4pm for a treat, a craft, to visit with Redpath's Acts of Sweetness Team and to see this newly appointed, beautiful space!

Enjoy!

Heather

Today is The Present...

2011-04-24T08:07:00.001-04:00

You know the old adage...

"Yesterday is History, Tomorrow a Mystery, Today is a Gift, That's why it's called the Present"

That is what this cake makes me think of...

This cake was for a friend's bridal shower...a gift you could say.

Something fun, spring-like and it's Chocolate Irish Cream Cake with Irish Cream Filling. How could you go wrong with that?

Many blessings to the Bride and Groom to be.

Enjoy!

Heather

Imagination Movers!

2011-04-23T08:45:00.002-04:00

When I was first asked to make an Imagination Movers Cake, I had never even heard of them (sad, I know but we don't have cable!) I set to work with my bff Google and found that there are many memorable bits that I could share but the thing that struck me the most were their jumpsuits.

They are so retro, make them cool and I really wanted to turn a cake into one! I was lucky enough to get the opportunity...
I hope that Ethan had a fabulous day!
Enjoy!

Heather

Here comes Peter Cotton Tail!

2011-04-20T07:00:00.002-04:00

I have to admit, these photos are from a few weeks ago...time has been slipping by on me. The renovations seem to be all consuming! But they are, finally, moving ahead at a great pace!

Some serious colouring going on here...

These 2 shared ideas throughout the workshop. They have become real buddies! So cute!
Our finished products; Gold Fish Carrots, Easter Baskets and a Washcloth turned into a bunny!
All of these crafts were followed by our annual Easter Egg Hunt (too bad it had to be inside this time around!)

Enjoy!

Heather

The gift of gab!

2011-04-08T13:53:00.004-04:00

During March Break one of the girls I see regularly pulled me aside at the end of the day. Her birthday was coming up and she had some plans she wanted to discuss. So, I gave her my full attention and asked her what she had in mind. She then told me that first I should get paper and a pen. Kids are fabulous aren't they? That's when she expressed she would like a Spa Party BUT, she wanted to make bath bombs, lip gloss and mud masks. Her mother shooshed her aside and said if I couldn't do the mud masks she understood and they would work it out between them.

But if you know me you know that I always do my best to rise to a challenge! So here we are working on the bath bombs!

More bath bomb fun!
Now these girls were SO excited to be out together. They were not on a sugar high (I swear) they were just high energy. They sang for me, they cheered for me, it was the most fun I've had in awhile! They insisted on making a pyramid too!
I'd say that this is a party that these girls won't soon forget! Oh and did you notice? It was a PJ party! So while it wasn't a sleepover the girls did wear their finest pjs, slippers, robes and other bedtime accessories!

Enjoy!

Heather

Fairy Friends!

2011-03-30T09:34:00.000-04:00

One of our daughter's books chronicles the life of a fairy including the significance of spring. As the snow melts, fairies come out of their warm hiding places and begin to spread their magic in our gardens, meadows and fields. According to the book it is because of their magic that flowers bloom.

So, at this Fairy Party, we created hairbands with flowers as fairies themselves might wear. Then we moved on to Shrink Art!

But we did something different this time (they were a big hit!) We made charm bracelets...everyone's was different but each had 3 Shrink Art Charms (a Monogram Crown, a Wand and a set of Fairy Wings) along with a selection of beads.
Here is the birthday girl with her cupcake...also decorated with fairy wings!

This was a sweet bunch of girls! We had a lot of fun!

Enjoy!

Heather

Barbie Girl...

2011-03-29T19:17:00.002-04:00

That song will live on forever in my head I think...I learned some lessons after doing my last Barbie Cake...about proportions mostly. This time I was happy with the skirt of the dress after the first try!

This Princess didn't leave me with a lot of requests besides, pink and purple and formal gown...

So, I had a lot of fun creating this design. As I was working on the outer layer of the skirt I saw the opportunity for the ruffled back and just couldn't help myself! It was too much to resist.

It's been awhile since I've had some alone time with fondant. ;) It was nice to have a chance to create something again!

Enjoy!

Heather

Creative Camp - Creative Science!

2011-03-28T18:09:00.004-04:00

When I started planning my March Break Camps I figured I better find something to include my middle son...we have so many fun workshops for the girls already! I hemmed and I hawed and I finally decided on Creative Science. The truth is, just because I choose a theme doesn't mean I know what it is going to look like. I choose a theme and then I start brainstorming. In this case, I even checked some books out of the library on science!

I read and I searched and I read some more! I am not much of a science person but I wanted to show the kids that science is all around us whether we acknowledge it or not. So, that was the inspiration for our bread...here it is at various stages throughout the day...

A friend of mine who IS into science helped with the games. Here they are playing White Blood Cell Tag. This was a huge hit! These white blood cells are trying to chase down the nasty germs that are left!
One of my favourite activities is Shrink Art (as if you didn't know that!) As hard as I tried...I could not find the science in it, they said it was magic on-line, in the packaging, everywhere! Here is some magic happening...the kids counted to 60 3 times while we waited for their work to shrink! The little guy up front instigated that! He was SO fun!
Here they are when we peaked in...
Now, we needed to keep the kids active...here they are working on a Scavenger Hunt. They had to answer 20 questions about the science of our bodies. Did you know that teeth are our only bones that don't heal themselves?
Lava lamps! These were super fun! Everyone loved this craft!
Our grand finale were our Hover Crafts! I am so glad we did these they were SO fun (even if they did result in a headache and a number of head rushes from inflating all of those balloons over and over again!
We raced them. Talked about the results, came up with some hypotheses and raced them again!
Before we all left the kids finished their Science Journals (we worked on them throughout the day) and we review our day in full so parents could hear what we did as they came to collect their children.

I had such a great time I am hoping to run a series of these once a week over the summer. Hope to see you there!

Enjoy!

Heather

Small Business, Big Impact!

2011-03-23T15:35:00.006-04:00

I wrote to you last week...telling you that we are stuck. Well, we are still stuck but things are looking a little better. We have worked through some of the requirements with the town and found a way to reclassify ourselves so that these requirements are minimized but still focused on safety. Such a relief!

In the meantime, there is a contest...I heard about it through a friend and well, after the response I got last week, I think it applies to me. The contest is being run by Scotiabank and it is focused on how small businesses make a big impact in their communities. I believe that I am one of those businesses. I also believe that my community isn't just Beamsville/Grimsby and the rest of Lincoln but that it includes my on-line community as well. I know that some of you follow me for inspiration and others follow me to keep up with the happenings here at our house...

So, I am asking you to help...go vote, leave a comment, 'like' my page. I am not judged on votes alone so while the numbers look great (there are higher ones out there), I am certain that your comments and 'likes' will help too. So please take a moment and vote, or take more time and vote daily, hourly, whatever you can do is great!

Some moments I want to share with you...I love my sign. I am so proud of my business...and I wouldn't be here if it weren't for many of you. Help me stay here!

Photo Credit: Stacy's Creations Photography

Everyone knows I love Shrink Art...here are some girls watching their charms shrink!

From our Creative Science Camp, we are ready for our hover craft races!From Fashion Camp...what a fun day we had!

This is a family business through and through...our children enjoy it as much as I do...

Photo Credit: Stacy's Creations Photography

They make me so happy...but every child who walks in my door and gets excited about being a part of Creative Bug makes me happy.

Photo Credit: Stacy's Creations Photography

I am so blessed to have all of you and have the opportunity to work with so many children. In 2 years we have had more than 40 birthday parties, we have made over 60 cakes...that's a lot of smiles!

Please take a moment and vote for me http://www.scotiachallenge.projects.fm/entry/4104805-Creative-Bug.

Enjoy!

Heather

Cupcake Crazy!

2011-03-21T09:18:00.000-04:00

Things have been so crazy lately. And I don't just mean cupcake crazy! We have found our way around some of the renovation challenges but are still working on getting a permit so we can get the work up and moving again.

In the meantime, I have been lucky enough to have a great location just across the street! On Tuesday we spent the morning thinking about cupcakes!

We decorated our own bakery boxes...trying to create an image for each of the girls' own bakeries.
And we baked, cupcakes of course! We made Mini-Oreo Cheesecakes, Cream Filled Chocolate Cupcakes, and Vanilla Garden Cupcakes. How lucky are the families of these girls to have fresh made dessert brought home?!
We also made these super cute necklaces...I got the idea on And Everything Sweet. Everyone's necklace was different and super sweet!
I am so glad that I was so busy this last week. It helped remind me why I built Creative Bug in the first place. I can't think of a job I would rather do/have...Creative Bug grows every day, week, month, year just like my own children and the ones who stop in to create with us.

Even though things are looking up the renovations that we are undergoing are quite onerous. Please support us by taking a moment and voting http://www.scotiachallenge.projects.fm/entry/4104805-Creative-Bug

Enjoy,

Heather

St. Patrick's Day at our House

2011-03-19T09:37:00.000-04:00

After much deliberation, some of it rather loud and confrontational, the kids decided to make a Leprechaun House rather than a trap. I had told them that their trap shouldn't look like a trap if they wanted to catch him and this is what they came up with!

Check out the portrait on the walls, there is a fridge and stove on one end. They also wrote down the features of this place including food, a bed (the brick), the gold...they are definitely sales people in the making! The food is marshmallows from the Lucky Charms Cereal...sweet!

Well, it looks like our Leprechaun stopped by over the supper hour and got himself some grub!
But this is the closest we got to see him. Some portraits done in food!
The only gold at the end of our rainbow were Lucky Charms squares. We had to go to the grocery store on St. Patrick's Day especially for the Lucky Charms and marshmallows so we could make these!

And these...we didn't have any ice cream in the house! So we made Peppermint Milkshakes, something for everyone here.

Cheers to Patty O'Malley!I hope everyone had a fabulous St. Patrick's Day!

Enjoy!

Heather

Give Peace a Chance!

2011-03-18T14:56:00.000-04:00

This party was booked in 2010. Yep, this mother definitely plans ahead! In fact, this is the second year in a row that we have been lucky enough to host a party for this young lady! Last year I had tonnes of fun with her Hollywood Theme and I knew she would choose another great theme for this year!

Peace! If you want a totally different party, one of the tricks is to give me extra warning. That way I can brainstorm over time and watch for ideas...and that's what this mom did!

So first thing is first...let's get those cupcakes mixed up and in the oven!

Now, I had my hands full helping the girls so there aren't a lot of photos here but if you check out the work on the table you can see what we did. We made mini-bulletin boards that look like peace signs (using peace ribbon no less). THEN! We got out my bottle cap collection and decorated some bottle caps to use on top of the tacks.
To finish the party off we decorated the cupcakes with Marbled Fondant (we were going for a tie dye effect!)
The party was jam packed but we sure had fun! Maybe we'll see you again next year!

Enjoy!

Heather

The Show Must Go On!

2011-03-18T00:48:00.002-04:00

So, even with my workshop stripped to bare wood (we live in a century home so I am not exaggerating here!) I still have bookings! Birthday parties, baking and well, fun to be had! I have been very fortunate to have a fabulous alternate location at the church across the street from me! (Yeah!)

So, on Saturday I enjoyed a break from our most recent hockey tournament and spent some girl-time with these cuties!
We did Shrink Art, Mini Purses and of course...
Cupcakes!!!
How cute is the birthday girl??? It was a lot of fun and the girls took the change in location in stride!

Thank you for being so understanding while we are under construction!

Enjoy!

Heather

Until further notice...

2011-03-14T14:59:00.002-04:00

It's been too long since I stopped by. I know some of you do not follow me on Facebook so you aren't up to date on everything so here it is...

Just over a week ago we started renovations. They seemed simple enough. We were going to make my workshop everything I needed/dreamed of. Easy, right?

Maybe not. After beginning work last Saturday night I headed to the Town office on Monday morning to get a permit. It appears as though I said an ugly word. One word. Commercial. It would seem that honesty doesn't do much good in these cases as I have had many contractors shake their heads knowingly at me.

So, here I sit with my workshop gutted, a couple of walls framed, plumbing and electrical ready for the next phase...here I sit in a deadlock. You see there are some regulations that are up for interpretation and those regulations could mean the end of Creative Bug. I am not trying to be melodramatic here. We are a single income family. Creative Bug is a fledgling business. After 2 years of running the business at my pace I was heading toward a profit. But we cannot possibly absorb the sort of expenses that they are talking about into our household budget.

I have a party tonight and a couple of workshops coming up this week but after that? It's hard to say. I have a cake or 2 that I have committed to, which will now have to be baked off-site.

I love what I do now more than I ever thought I could...and there are other avenues that I can take the business without the workshop but boy is this ever breaking my heart. Nothing will ever compare to spending PD Days with the kids I have gotten to know.

So, now....more than ever I need you. All of you. Please take moment for Creative Bug and what it means to you and maybe, just maybe...Creative Bug will get through this.

Thank you for being there,

Heather

In the Jungle the mighty jungle...

2011-02-27T20:38:00.003-05:00

I think the lion might be sleeping now...or maybe the monkey...

I was asked by a friend to make their son's 1st birthday cake. Such an honour. Then she sent me this photo and asked me to use it to design the cake. The only request was that the monkey be on the cake as they often call their little guy a monkey.

I was going to keep it simple...I was going to build the animals around the outside of the cake and make them flat. But when I started to work on the cake...the lion (I started with him) screamed to be modelled not flat. And so it began...
Next came the zebra...I love his little blue stripes.
Finally, the monkey...I tried to stay as true to my inspiration as possible...they made me so happy.
I bet I know one monkey who is sleeping well tonight.

Enjoy!

Heather

Slippery When Wet!

2011-02-22T15:41:00.000-05:00

These girls came to the workshop ready to have a good time. But before I tell you about that...I need to point out the fabulous hairband the birthday girl is wearing...how can you not love that?Sorry...back to my story now...when the girls found out they would be making mini-soaps they were so excited! I passed a bit of soap around before it was melted and they went all ooey gooey on me! They were hysterical! These girls are 9/10 years old so we then started talking about solids and liquids (this was after we discussed fractions while making our cupcakes - not just a pretty face, we learn here too!) But mostly, you need to take a moment to appreciate the expressions on one of the girls' faces...
Then it was birthday time!
I had so much fun with these girls!
I hope they had lots of fun too!

Enjoy!

Heather

Valentine's Day Creative Kids Style!

2011-02-21T14:39:00.000-05:00

I just spotted these photos and realized I totally missed them while blogging the last week or so!!! Please forgive me for being late and enjoy our fun times!

First we made pink marshmallows! The kids loved it (and so did I)! I got the recipe here and it is a lovely blog so if you have time you should totally check it out!

We packaged them up when they were ready...

But the real star of this show were the picture frames. How great do all these Valentines look? I just love it!

Enjoy!

Heather

Look out Kitty!

2011-02-19T08:57:00.000-05:00

When I was contacted for this cake I was a bit shocked...this cake is for a client whose husband plays Airsoft and has often joked about how the guys would respond to a Hello Kitty gun on the 'battle field'. Since the gun wasn't a feasible gift she asked for a cake to look like the gun!

I had a tough time getting into this cake but once the cake started to take shape I started to get excited...really excited! I did a lot of fondant piecing and built up certain areas with extra cake (the barrel, the stock - the back part and the handle area).
In the end, I have to admit...this cake kind of makes me happy!
Enjoy!

Heather

Spa Day!

2011-02-18T10:14:00.000-05:00

Spa Parties are among my favourites! I don't know what it is but I love making the mini-soaps and bath bombs...they are just so fun! And this day was no exception!
There was plenty of silly going on around the table on Saturday!
And some sweet cupcakes to finish it all off with!
These girls were full of energy and fun from the start! What a great way to start off my Sunday! I hope they had as much fun as I did!

Enjoy!

Heather

Valentine's Day at our house...

2011-02-17T15:55:00.002-05:00

It might not look like it here but we really don't do much for Valentine's Day here...that being said it was a busy day!

Sarah made the Lolly Flowers (by herself!) and Sean wrote on the doily hearts after I sewed them and put some candies in them (I enjoyed making them in all honesty!)

I like to make a special dinner so we had heart tortilla chips (homemade!), greek salad with heart peppers, heart cheese and ham bites and strawberry milk shakes!

The cake was an order...but there might have been a bit of cake left to share after the kids went to bed...just maybe! ;)

Oh and the marshmallows were for Sean's class party.

No wonder I am a little on the tired side this week!

Enjoy!

Heather

Let's Talk - a mental health break

2011-02-09T06:06:00.003-05:00

I'd like to take a time-out here...just a moment. It's time. Indeed, it most certainly is...I believe that in many cases creative genius comes with a cost. Often an unspoken price...one that we are afraid to admit. The cost is ones mental health.

Today is Let's Talk Day sponsored by Bell so that's what I am going to do. Talk to you.

Robert Munsch has obsessive compulsive disorder and bipolar disorder (I love you)
Charles Schulz reportedly suffered from clinical depression (you were our idol as children)
Paul Simon reportedly has clinical depression (I wish I had diamonds on the soles of my shoes...)
Vincent Van Gogh, Isaac Newton, Winston Churchill*
My Brother.

I think there is a price to pay for an open, beautiful, creative mind and so many people who have given us so much have paid or are paying a price.

Shortly after I turned 18, my brother 20...our mother got a call. She and I were getting ready to head out for the day. It was the man who owned the house where my brother boarded. He had to call 911 as my brother had locked himself in the bathroom and was shouting violently. I will never forget that day...it is etched in my mind forever. It was just before the July long weekend...

He has since been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

My brother is an artist. He grew up drawing Snoopy and Smurfs. He had created his own characters. Later he taught himself to paint (he has done some fantastic work and some very dark work too). He loves music, poetry and spoken word. He records music independently. This is not the place to share his work.

I thought it was important that we talk. When I was younger, I never admitted it but now I do. I went away to university, far away, to leave it all behind. So I could just be me. Not a sister, a daughter, a caregiver. Just me. I couldn't. I just couldn't. I still struggle with some of those roles. Ever see someone walking the wrong way when they should be helping? Please don't judge them. Maybe they want to help but maybe they need to help themselves first.

My brother pays a price for his beautiful mind...sometimes we all do.

From Bell's Let's Talk Page;

Mental illness represents 15% of Canada's burden of disease.
Only 5.5% of our healthcare dollars in Canada are dedicated to mental illness.

Let's talk,

Heather

*Source: http://blisstree.com/feel/famous-writers-and-artists-and-mental-illness-234/

It's raining Cats & Dogs!

2011-02-08T14:34:00.000-05:00

Well, it wasn't actually raining...it was snowing when we had this Creative Adventure!

The birthday girl requested a Cat & Dog theme...Dogs because she loves them and Cats for her friend who loves cats! How sweet is that?

So we started off with Shrink Art...a cat and a dog.

Put them in the oven...
I didn't get a lot of photos in the middle of the party...but here are some of the cupcakes the girls made.
Oh and did I mention the cat ear hair bands??? They were so fun and the girls loved them!
Our birthday girl!

I just loved the detail put into this cupcake...I was happy I could snap a photo before he was gobbled up!

We turned the Shrink Art into collars...

Then just one thing was missing...

A tail! We picked up a bunch of feather boas which happened to have a loop on either end so I slipped them onto some ribbon tied them on and we had some pretty sweet cat tails!

I had so much fun with these girls! They were a delight!

Enjoy!

Heather

Jean-i-ous PD Day Camp!

2011-02-07T13:25:00.005-05:00

One of my regular customers has been asking for these PD Day camps...this was our second one and they are SO MUCH FUN! I can't believe I didn't start sooner! So first I'd like to send a shout-out to that customer for encouraging me! I really couldn't do it without all the encouragement I get from all my readers, fans and of course my family and friends!

Sadly, I did not get a whole lot of photos throughout the day but I do have some of the girls' work that I would like to share...

We started off by making our purses...

Some of the girls had fabulous jeans to work with! And others made their fabulous with embellishments we made later in the day.
We did our hair accessories...these were so fun! And thanks to some encouragement from the salesperson at Joanne's we had some super cool ribbon for these too!
And the aprons! Gosh, I love these aprons! How cute are they...the girls worked so hard on these...you can see that "Cookies" was embroidered on this one (this girl had big baking plans in mind!)
Now for those who didn't want to hand-stitch there were glueing options available too...
There are the unstuffed bolster pillows. They are to be filled with the girls' pjs when they aren't in use or when they go to a sleepover. I just love the roses on that pant leg!
I had my apron out for inspiration for the girls...I just passed it along to a young friend of mine. I made her brother an apron but never her. She was delighted and wore it home!
My hairband...although it's too small for me...I do love that flower though!
I know I already said it but I had SO much FUN! That day! We have some great March Break activities coming your way so if you live in the area or are looking for something fun to do come visit us in our Creative Workshop!

Enjoy!

Heather

...And the winner is...

2011-02-01T16:31:00.003-05:00

Entry #1 as designated by Random.org! Here is what she said;

Jen Gerrior said...
Very Cute Apron!

Happy Sewing Jen! I hope you make a few fabulous aprons and share them with us on my blog!

Enjoy!

Heather

Sew Lucky!

2011-01-28T12:48:00.008-05:00

I have totally been holding out on you! I don't know where the time has gone but we made the kids some super Christmas Gifts that I have yet to share...but first I will start with this week's project...Please take a moment and notice that I switched up my thread for this project...to pink and black...it took some time...
After much debate we went with the black sleeves...and then added the pink ruffles. They were inspired by this dress. I might try appliquéing like that...I think I have just the shirt to do it with!

For Christmas...Sarah got a bed for Taryn her Maplelea Doll. A Maplelea Doll is much like an American Girl but the Canadian Version.
Mr CB designed and made the bed...then it was up to me to create some bedding to go with it.
The Quilt is reversible (of course!)
Oh and I finally recovered her chair to match her room as well...I originally made this chair for Sarah years ago...
I am going to admit it here and now...I am totally living vicariously through Sarah and her girliness...I hope that she never holds it against me but she's just so fun to make things for!

But I promise, I will come back with what we made for the boys really soon! (Simon is currently napping so I can't take photos!)

Enjoy!

Heather

Be Mine...

2011-01-25T16:17:00.003-05:00

I am trying really hard to stay on top of this whole holiday thing...and well, any excuse to hang a new wreath on my door! I really wanted to make this wreath but I couldn't find a foam heart form and when Mr. CB saw what I was doing he stopped me...why not just leave the grapevine showing? We live in wine country...And as much as I hate it...I do have to agree...I kind of like it like this.
And I am really loving my black door too. What a sweet backdrop for my wreaths it makes.
Now I just need to get my Christmas decor down outside!

Enjoy!

Heather

Rock and Roll is here to stay...

2011-01-24T15:35:00.000-05:00

When I was asked to make a cake for my niece's birthday I was delighted! Then I found out that she was having a Rock Theme...I was so excited! My first chance to create my take on the guitar cake! Then I realized I was going to have make strings...LONG strings. So, off to Google I went and discovered it was a lot easier done than said! Whew!I had so much fun making this cake...from the design and sculpting to the decorating. It took me a while to figure out who I was going to make the most of my 11x17 cake and still get a great guitar but after some brainstorming, I came up with the perfect plan.
And it worked! I had a very happy birthday girl...and not just because of the cake. I would have been pretty happy to celebrate my birthday in the castle with crafts, dress-up clothes and dancing that she had too!
It was a fabulous day!

Happy Birthday Rachel!

Love,

Auntie Heather

Jean-i-ous Camp - Coming Soon!

2011-01-23T11:03:00.004-05:00

I am SO excited! Time always seems to slip by and January has been no exception! I spent yesterday afternoon plotting and planning the best way to reuse an old pair of 6x/7 jeans...I wanted bang for my buck! I want to wow the girls that are coming next week...I mean WOW!

So, I started with the purse, then the bolster pillow (which is a PJ holder by day), next the kerchief...then I had one big piece left...not wanting to leave it out I made a half-apron!

Oh and let's not forget the shrug I made out of a t-shirt! I will be buying Sarah a tee for the workshop tomorrow while out shopping for embellishments!
Just look at that purse...it is just cuteness! Yes, this is the ribbon we will be belting the purse with but you can always change it up. I need a little spring in my step, don't you?
One last look.
Thinking about sending your daughter? Here are the details;

Date: Jan 31, 2011

Time: 9am-4pm

Cost: $35

Ages: 8+

Bring your own lunch. **Nut-free**

Lots of you have been asking questions about our upcoming workshop! I hope this helps answer your questions.

From the jeans we will make;
-half-apron
-purse
-bolster pillow (for storing pjs, can also be stuffed by you)
-kerchief

Jeans shouldn't be more than 1 size smaller than your daughter's current size to ensure that projects are appropriately sized.

Jeans can be embroidered or embellished.

t-shirt
We will use the t-shirt to make a shrug and embellishments. Shirt can be long sleeve or short sleeved and should fit your daughter.

Make it an older tee with stains or pick one up at your local Good Will.

The neckline doesn't matter but gathered sleeves would definitely add to the cute factor!

Embellishments will vary. If you have any embellishments that your daughter would like to use specifically please send them in with her!

We will be doing some light sewing and will have a lot of creating to do!

I have included a photo of my samples...they are not yet embellished but it gives you an idea of what to expect.

Enjoy!

Heather