Crafternoon: Quick and Easy Custom Notebooks

I could easily spend a fortune on goodie bags. I love them.

But, I was trying NOT to do that for my daughter's recent fairy-themed tumbling party. I was trying to be thrifty - and trying not to plague other households with a lot of junk. But, I also wanted the goody bags to tie-into the fairy theme...

A glowing ring (fairy magic ring). A flower pencil (a want, according to my daughter - love her imagination!). A notebook (for writing fairy wishes). Fairy-like stickers. And, a flower fairy crown (which will double as decorations while the girls are tumbling). Perfect? Well, good enough, at least.

The fairy crowns were a piece of cake (though a bit time consuming when you start making multiples!) thanks to floral wire and floral tape and a whole slew of fake flowers and tulle.

The thing that hung me up was the notebooks. All the cute notebooks cost a lot. So, I took a gamble and purchased little spiral notepads -- pack of 3 for $1.00 -- with hopes of customizing the covers.

My little fairy and I set to work with some decorative papers I had in my stash, a paper cutter and a glue stick. Easy-as-pie and, I think, super cute.

How Did This Happen?

Yup, that's my little girl. Well, apparently, my big girl. She turned 7 just a couple of days ago.

Honestly, I'm wondering, how the heck did that happen? I remember her arrival into this world as if it were moments ago.

We have deliberately designed a lifestyle which puts our family first. We live in the moment with our kids. We meet them off the bus. We play together. We cook together. We eat meals together. We explore together. We snuggle. We talk endlessly. And, yet, still it seems that time is slipping away. How can that be?

I decided that maybe the best course of action is to hold her back. (I'll start saving for therapy now...) Starting with putting a hold on all birthdays.

I told my daughter repeatedly (and, my husband reinforced this, so he should really be contributing to the therapy fund as well) that we weren't going to celebrate her birthday because I didn't want her to get older. Not that six was some kind of stellar year. (Truth be told, there are some moments of her last year I wouldn't mind forgetting...) I even thought about felting a six on her crown. But, alas I finally realized (was it the tears welling in her eyes that gave it away?) she didn't think it was flattering or funny. By golly, she's been counting the days (since well before Christmas) that she would finally be seven. What's so magical about seven, I wonder? Time will tell.

So, I decided if she MUST continue to grow up (and, I realize that quite possibly the best is yet to come!) that we should party it up. We had SO much fun preparing for - and celebrating her 7th birthday that I'm tempted to share a few little details in the days to come.