Christmas in July Giveaway on Instagram!

I'm giving away a unique set of my Hand-Etched Birch Snowflake Ornaments! A photo of some of my hand-etched ornaments was featured this year in Martha Stewart Living Magazine.

Find this post on my Instagram (@birchlandinghome) for details and to enter.  Good luck!  

Giveaway ends 7/31/15 at 2PM EST. 

Happy Fourth of July!

Wishing everyone a very safe and happy Fourth - God Bless America! 

We're taking it easy at home today and avoiding the crazy crowds in town, hope you're all enjoying your Fourth with family and friends!  

Young Toddler Easter Basket Ideas

Today I thought I'd share what we'll be putting in our little one's Easter Basket.  My goal was to spend less than $20 and fill it with practical and fun items.  | This post contains affiliate links |

Our little girl is only 15 months old, has more than enough toys, and doesn't eat candy yet so I was a little stumped as to what to put in her Easter basket at first.  After some thought I decided to fill it with some items she needed anyway and a few things to use outside once the warmer weather comes (someday soon, I hope).  

I started with the Easter basket I made for her last year (you can read my post on making her Button Easter Basket here).  First I filled the bottom with paper Easter grass - having a toddler and a dog, it's so important to use the paper Easter grass over plastic just in case any gets eaten.  The paper grass is also a lot more eco-friendly.  

I love what I found to put in her basket!  

In her basket:  

• Owl Lunchbox by SkipHop.  She desperately needed a new lunchbox (hers broke) and this owl one from Amazon was just the cutest.  There are many other animal styles to choose from too if owls aren't your thing.  
• Purée pouches by Plum Organics.  What toddler doesn't love snacks?  We picked these up last time we were at Target but they can be found at just about any grocery store or purchased by the case from Amazon.  
• Baby Farm Animals board book by Golden Books.  We actually got this book for free from the local library (they were clearing out duplicates) but you can usually find inexpensive board books on Amazon or on sale at your local book store.  
• Child's Watering Can.  We got this from the Dollar Store, but these can also be found at your local pharmacy.  (Similar one here.) 
• Egg-Shaped Chalk.  These came from the dollar bins at Target, and I love them because they're easy for little hands to hold.  (Similar ones here.)

Since I got the board book for free I spent right around $15 for everything - wahoo!  

Other basket ideas for a one-year old or young toddler:  

• puzzle
• socks
• crackers
• crayons
• busy book
• sunhat
• bubbles
• educational placemat
• teether
• rubber playground ball
• shovel and pail for the beach

All of these items can be done for a girl or a boy, and are easy to tweak if you wanted to tailor it more to your own child.  I hope I've given you some ideas of what to put in your little one's Easter basket - Happy Easter!  

Looking for more Easter ideas?  Check out our other Easter posts:  

• DIY Button Easter Basket
• Chicken-Themed Toddler Easter Basket

Apple Rose Tarts for Valentine's Day, Inspired by Martha Stewart

Perusing Pinterest the other day I came across a pin for these Apple Rose Tarts from Martha Stewart and thought they'd be perfect to make for Valentine's Day!  

Since this adorable idea was from Martha Stewart, I'll lead you there to see the full directions.  However, my one complaint about the article was that it didn't give a lot of specifics, so please read on for my tips and lessons learned.  

Apple Rose Tarts:  Tips + Tricks

• The article suggests buttering and flouring  your muffin tin first, which I did, but I can't stress how important it is to really thoroughly do it.  I thought I had done a good job coating the pan but when it came time to take the tarts out they didn't come out easy and quite a few had some damage.  
• For the pie crust I went the easy route and used a box of classic Jiffy Pie Crust mix and had enough dough to line a 12-cup muffin tin.
• For the apples I used 3 Gala apples.  I didn't have a mandolin and had to hand-cut them.. I definitely think a mandolin would have been a lot easier.  
• Using 3 apples I ended up with enough thin slices to make 6 roses, and enough left over apple pieces to fill the other 6 muffin cups.  (*In summary, 1 apple with make 2 apple roses.. so If you wanted to make 12 apple rose tarts you would need 6 apples)  
• There wasn't any hint at how much sugar and cinnamon to use, so I filled a cereal bowl about halfway with white sugar (brown sugar would have probably tasted better but it would have browned the apple roses) and probably a teaspoon of cinnamon.  When it came time to sprinkle the mixture on the apple slices I was very generous. 
• The apple slices need to be really soft and pliable in order to roll them well.  I had to microwave them until they were soft and steaming in order to roll them without breaking.  
• Once you start rolling the apple slices, don't stop!  Roll them tightly and place right into the prepared muffin pan - make sure it's close by.  
• Let the tarts cool completely before trying to take them out of the tin.  

The Apple Rose Tarts were a big hit!  Hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day!  

Check out our other Valentine's posts:  

• Toddler Art Valentines
• DIY Valentine Postcards

Toddler Art Valentine's Cards

We decided to try our hand at making our own toddler art Valentine cards to send to family and friends - it was so easy and a lot of fun!  
| This post contains affiliate links |

Materials:

• non-toxic, washable finger paint

• paper (we used special finger painting paper as well as white stationery for the card)

• heart-shaped stencil (I just used a cookie cutter from the kitchen)

• glue

How-to:

For our little one to make her art, I taped some big sheets of finger painting paper to our kitchen floor and let her go to town!  This was also her first painting experience, and it's safe to say that she really enjoyed it... though I think she may have been just as interested in trying to pull the tape off the floor.  

Even though I was an art education major, I'd never used special paper for finger painting and I was a bit skeptical at first.  The paper touts being "glossy and non-absorbent" and I wasn't sure how the paint would stay on the paper or if it would dry well.  Nevertheless, it worked great!  The non-absorbency and glossiness is perfect for finger painting - a little paint goes a long way since it isn't absorbed into the paper and the smooth glossy surface makes it easy for little fingers to move the paint around.  Drying time was pretty fast too and the paint stayed well on the paper, no flaking or peeling.  

| Crayola Finger Paint | Melissa & Doug Finger Paint Paper |

Once the paintings were dry, I used a heart-shaped cookie cutter to trace out the hearts and cut them out.  

I glued the hearts onto a folded piece of white stationery from C.R. Gibson, then added a little handwritten note inside and they were done.  Now to mail them off to family and friends!

Happy Valentine's Day!  

Check out our other Valentine's posts:  

• DIY Valentine Postcards

• Apple Rose Tarts for Valentine's Day

Reflections and Resolutions (Happy New Year!)

Hope everyone had a wonderful and safe New Years!  With a little one now I spent my evening like I do most.. putting her to bed, working on Birch Landing things, then curling up on the couch to watch some TV with the hubby.  
Pretty wild and crazy, huh?  I wouldn't have it any other way.  

Reflections

This has been a pretty big year for me, for us:  Becoming a new mom with ten million new things to learn (and am still learning), getting into the groove of staying home full-time with our little one, starting this little Etsy business, and getting a photo of our ornaments into Martha Stewart Living, to name just a few of the amazing things that happened this year.  We're very blessed and I am so very thankful.  

Resolutions

What's New Years without some personal resolutions?
1.  I'd love to get back into running.  I ran pretty regularly until I was 8 months pregnant, stopped, and then never really got back into it but it's about time I do.
2.  Ruthlessly cleaning out and reorganizing the basement and closets is also a priority.  We have too much stuff (and I have wayyy too many clothes), it's time to lighten that load.  
3.  And of course I'd love to grow this little business as much as I can - I have lots of ideas for wedding decorations, decor, and accessories all in a rustic theme.  I'm planning on phasing out some items in my shop over the next few months to transition Birch Landing Home into its new identity.  You can expect our Etsy shop to officially find its niche in 2015.

I want to thank you all for giving me a great start in 2014 and I'm looking forward to making 2015 even more successful!  

Cheers!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from Birch Landing Home! Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas with family and friends. 

Love, Sarah

Wrapping Large Gifts

Have a gift that's too big to wrap easily?  Use a throw blanket (or large piece of fabric) to wrap it!  Just "tape" it shut with clothespins or safety pins.  This saves paper, is more eco friendly, looks festive, won't rip, and the recipient gets a cozy throw too! 

Merry Christmas!