Archives | March 2011

Need an easy, yummy, impressive-looking party treat or at-home snack?  Rainbow popcorn is where it's at.  Super simple recipe from Kraft, reviewed by us.  You'll notice this isn't a "Creating with your Little Sprout" feature... Unfortunately, there isn't much in this project that is safe for kids to help with (other than eating popcorn while you work!), but I think your kids will be thrilled to stand-by while you make this for them - and it only takes 30 minutes from start to finish! You'll need: - 8 cups popped popcorn, either with an air-popper or traditional pot-popped with oil. - 1/4 cup (1/2...

Tonight I had the pleasure of providing invitations and goodie bags (with raspberry rainbow popcorn!) for some great teen moms, headed out on a YoungLives girls' night movie night. YoungLives is a part of YoungLife, a Christian outreach ministry for high schoolers, and YoungLives focuses on teen moms and their children. I've been personally involved with YoungLife since 2001, as a leader in Champaign, IL and State College, PA, and I currently serve where I can here in our local YoungLife area. It's an incredible ministry, and YoungLives is no exception. Mentor moms volunteer their time to build...

Last weekend, my husband and I attended the Marymoor Velodrome Association's dinner and auction.  Folks came out to support track racing and those that love it - men, women & kids of all skill levels.  It was especially awesome to watch a video of a young woman (Tela Crane) who started racing at Marymoor and is now training with the US Track Sprint Team!  As I'm slowly trying become a real runner, it's so inspiring to see other women work so hard towards their goals and really shine.  Part of the funds raised through the dinner and auction went to support development (training, travel,...

It's running season here in Seattle, and we're excited to introduce our newest product - race bib books! Our new client Tracy found out about us through a running-moms' facebook group, and asked us to make a race bib book for her friend, a Stroller Strides instructor and running mom.  We looked at some of the existing designs for race bib books, and felt that we needed a design that was more feminine, more fun, and more unique - just like her friend. We created a hand-bound book, covered in feel-good, fun-feminine fabric with a personalized logo.  The book pages are durable enough to allow...

After creating Isabella's Princess Party, we were so excited to to design with our client Kristy again - this time for her youngest daughter Charlotte, who turns 2 this week.  We decided on an "afternoon pajama party" theme, perfect for snuggly-fun toddlers. We designed up a unique fold-down bed card, with party details underneath a "comforter" front flap. We continued the dot theme throughout Charlotte's thank you notes, birthday girl shirt, popcorn boxes, and food cards.  On the menu?  Pajama party snacks! A hot chocolate bar (complete with chocolate dipped marshmallows), popcorn, waffles,...

I sliced up some peppers with Leah's lunch today and she pointed to it and said "happy patrick's day!"  We talked about shamrocks and St.Patrick's day yesterday at JoAnn Fabrics, and she remembered the shamrock shape.  It reminded me of a fun craft that we did in elementary school - cut a pepper in half, dip in green paint, and stamp away! Leah's excited to give hers to her daddy tomorrow morning as a placemat for St.Patty's Day breakfast!

Love crafting with your Little Sprout?  If you're in the Seattle area, be sure to check out Little Sprout Workshop! I've been wanting to do some tie-dyeing with my almost 2 year old, but was a bit discouraged by the warnings on the packages of the dye kits.  Even the ones marketed for kids said things like "WARNING: MAY IRRITATE EYES AND SKIN.  USE PROTECTIVE GEAR."  One kit even advised to use proper ventilation when using the kit.  Ack.  At first I was disappointed, realizing that I'd probably need to do this project on my own, and then wondered if it was even a good idea for my little...

First week of spring - registration special!  Through March 27, registration is 1 for $15 or 2 for $22 (either for two workshops, or one workshop for your child and a friend!) Are you a Seattle parent looking for a rainy day getaway for you and your little ones?  Have you been loving the "crafting with your little sprout" project ideas, but don't have the right materials (or cleanup crew?) This April, we'll be hosting Little Sprout Workshop, a one-hour craft workshop for you and your little one (recommended age 18months - 4 years).  We'll provide materials, smocks, & snacks, and when...

Growing up, my family always made pączki (Polish jelly donuts) to celebrate Fat Tuesday. Wikipedia says that the reason for making pączki was to use up all the lard, sugar, eggs and fruit in the house, because they were forbidden to be consumed due to Catholic fasting practices during Lent. This year (after an awesome recipe hook-up by my stepmom), we decided to make some rainbow donuts to celebrate Fat Tuesday (and my daughter's love for all things yummy and colorful and sprinkled.) The original recipe is from tablespoon.com, and can be found here. These were a huge huge huge hit in our house...

Today in Indiana, my husband's grandparents are celebrating 60 years (10x more than us!) of marriage! We designed up some springtime green invitations for them, with help from the rest of Bill and Jean's family. They'll be celebrating tomorrow with friends and family at a reception at their church. We're sad to be missing the party, but are hoping to sneak in a phone call to the happy couple :)

Are you reading this from your RSS reader? Have you been frustrated that it only shows a summary of each blog post? Me too. I fixed the problem, so if you delete your old feed and click the new RSS tab on the home page, or bottom of this page, you should be all set.

When I started Little Sprout Creations, I knew that I wanted to figure out ways to use our time, talents, products and profits to be able to support kids and their families. We're always excited to be able to give 10% of our profits to Samaritan's Purse, but when we're able to work with clients and friends to support their ministries and favorite causes - that really gets my heart going. This weekend, we're so very excited to be supporting Sunny Ridge Family Center, in Bolingbrook IL. Sunny Ridge is a non-profit, Christian adoption agency, and tomorrow they're hosting a Fashion Show benefit...