Monday Printable: Midsummer

Happy Monday! It's both Midsummer week and the last day of school. I wanted to bring Midsummer to you today! Surrounded by flowers -- flowers on our lawn, flowers growing wild and flowers the kids bring home every day - bringing a piece of Sweden in June to you, as a printable, was breezy!

Above is one just one example of ways to color the Midsummer Printable.  Add you -- color, draw, paint, glitter, or more.

Just because you're not in Sweden, doesn't mean that you have to skip Midsummer. (But, it doesn't have to be used for Midsummer. This Printable can be colored on any day of the year.)

Bow Tie Brunch

Happy Father's Day to those who are celebrating around the world today. We'll wait until November, when Father's Day is celebrated in Sweden; but, we're thinking of both of our Fathers in the US and France today, where it is celebrated. Happy Father's Day wishes to you all. Here's a quick way to add some snazz to Dad's day: make this Bow Tie Napkin! Click below (read-more) for how-to:

Blazing

Trail Blazing? Blazing schedules? Blazing heat? What's blazing around you? Does the term "blazing" feel like the most accurate description of the meeting of the end of the school year and summer for you, too?

6 Ideas for Dad

With Father's Day around the corner, in the US and in France, we're looking ahead. If you, too, are celebrating Dad soon, here are a few willowday ideas (and template) for you.

1. Make Dad clay storage containers: Alphabet Containers: D-A-D (click here) 

2. What's more personal than a handprint? Make this card: Hand Print Father's Day Card

3. Add a mustache to Dad's morning latte or cupcake:  2-in-1 Mustache Card + (PDF) Stencil

4. Make Dad a Mustache Card with willowday template: 2-in-1 Mustache Card + Stencil

5. Father's Day Gift Wrap: Necktie Gift Wrap for Dad
6. Make a personalized clay Hang Tag or Keepsake: Clay Letter Ornaments

Happy Weekend

What does your weekend look like? Are you heading to a park for a picnic, a stroll, a festivity or enjoying your own back yard. Do even go to parks at all?

Party Perfect: Wax Luminaries in 2 Variations

Isn't it time for merry-making for you, too? Today, I wanted to share our Ice Lantern's Summer Sister: Twins! Follow along below to see how you can make these, too! 2 Variations.

Style #1: Floating or simply plain.

Style #2: Petals

It feels like it's been a while since I've shared something that's just for you. Yes, you can make these with older children but, I made these by accident this winter the first time and used them for dinners all winter long and now, too. They're party perfect: Parties. Weddings. Intimate dinners. Gifts.  Although these look intricate, they're actually quite fast and easy to make. Happy Making!

5 Gift Ideas for Teacher

An Apple for Teacher + other teacher gift ideas:

1. Tuck an Apple Card with a pen into a Pocket Wrapped Journal or, instead: an apple-red bookmark in that pocket with a book: Gift Wrap Series #3 Part II: Pocket Gift Wrap with Gift

2. Give an Apple Sachet to Teacher How to make these Apple Sachets, click here

3. What could be more personal than a hand-written message in crayon or with ink wrapped around a bouquet of flowers: Hand-lettered Bouquets.

4. Stylish and sure to be used: clay Alphabet Containers

5. Fun for all ages: paint tea bags with tea and create these Flower Tea Bags: 

Maisy creator Lucy Cousin

Weekend Bonus: Meet Children's Book Illustrator and Author: Lucy Cousin

Above: Interviewed by Natur + Kultur Forlag. Maisy image by Lucy Cousin

Yes, you must know Maisy Mouse, don't you? (or maybe you know her by the name Mimi, Molly... Pina...?) I had the chance to meet Lucy Cousin, creator and illustrator of Maisy, yesterday. Cousin has more than 30 million books in print world wide and arrived in Stockholm to participate in The Picture Book Festival (click here) at Junibacken, this weekend (May 25 - 26), where she will lead a book making workshop, among other Maisy related things. If you have Maisy-aged fans in your house and are in Stockholm, this sounds like so much fun!

Meeting Cousin under a Pippi Longstocking-inspired tent felt very appropriate when she went on to share that she had been a tomboy as a child and that it was important to her that Maisy didn't dress in stereotypical pink. Cousins expanded on this to say that she reveled in mail from boys who thought Maisy was a boy. She delights in the fact that both boys and girls can identify with Maisy. I feel that Swedish National Children's Book Treasure, Pippi, would welcome Maisy with open arms.

Interestingly, we learned that Cousin's first draft of Maisy wasn't a mouse at all; but, a person.

GIVE AWAY for 5 Winners: Løv Organic Tea

Thank you, readers, for entering and making this give away such a success! 
5 Winners have been notified today, May 28! 
And for everyone, I hope you'll have the chance to add these flower tea bags to a gift in the coming days. Thank you so much for meeting me here!

Don't you just love it when one good thing leads to another? I'm thrilled to announce willowday is giving away 5 Løv Organic Teas.  Five Winners! 

(How-to for Flower Topped Tea Bags (click here)

Not only have I been enjoying Red Berry Tea all Spring -- both hot or chilled --- but, for Mother's Day, I painted with it (click here for more: DIY: Flower Topped Tea Bags). This line of tea had caught my eye for a while. Løv means leaf in Swedish and I thought it would be so fitting here at willowday.  I'm thrilled that Løv thought so too and agreed to send 5 Tins to share with you! Today, I have a Give Away, giving you a chance to try both! You have until May 27th to enter. Good Luck!

How to Enter: **

Leave a comment below to enter.* The Give Away will close Monday, May 27 and five winners will be announced on Tuesday, May 28. Good luck!

DIY: Flower Tea Bags (Post #2)

Hello again! Post #2 today! Flower Tea Bags painted with tea!

Today's Lov Tea Give Away + these Flower Topped Tea Bags are the perfect gift combination. We started experimenting with tea for Mother's Day and loved the results. Can you believe this color is actually tea? They're a great Teacher Appreciation Gift, Hostess Gift or ... for any one who likes tea.

Click on "READ MORE" for full tutorial

Oh, The Places You Will Go

Happy Monday!

Oh the Places you will go
the things you'll learn --- you didn't know;
as you watch their tiny feet grow, grow, grow.

It's been a little longer than planned between posts. I hope your weekend was great. I stepped off a Finland Ferry very early this morning and now, can't stop thinking about the Dr. Suess book, Oh the Places you will Go --- not as a children's book or a gift for a High School Graduate but, the places we go as parents.

(Click on READ MORE, below, to continue)

DIY: Butterfly Houses with Chalk Lids

Can Brie + Butterflies be friends?

YES!  Save those left over Brie and Camembert packages and make these:

Chalkboard Topped Butterfly (or Bug) Containers.  Not only is this a re-cycling project, but it's also a super-easy, super snazzy and functional Butterfly House project, too. 

These versatile houses can board butterflies, bugs and ... fireflies. Do you have any other ideas of what you could do with these? Gray has his eye on our local frogs and is already calling his house the "Mt. Blanc" for Frogs. Don't you agree that these are the kind of Butterfly Houses that will please parent and kid alike? 

Make these with your kids.  Make them with a class. Throw a Butterfly or Bug Birthday party and use these as the party craft. Don't want bugs in the house? Use your imagination to fill these with paper butterflies for a room decoration.  I think these are a wonderful way to expand your children's outdoor exploration and inner creative world, (even encourage spelling) while looking great, too.  Just click, below, on READ MORE for full tutorial to get started, too!