Playing dress up for Halloween doll is a fun activity to occupy the kids while you are making breakfast. The woman behind Babalisme did these super cute Halloweenie dress up doll printables. Her dress up Halloween dolls are available in a boy version and a girl version.

Magnetic Dress Up Doll Project

If you are looking for a more resistant option than simply paper, a mother came up with a magnetic paper doll upgrade. She assembled a backdrop scene on a kiddo sized cookie sheet. This means that less pieces are spreading around your house. Plus, she reinforced the clothes and accessories with contact sheet before putting a magnet on each piece. It is a good idea. Visit Funny Days with Mommy and Maddie for the complete set of instructions.

MORE:
+ Halloweenie dress up doll printable – girl version
+ Halloweenie dress up doll printable – boy version
+ Via Living Locurto

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Two Amsterdam artists, Theodore Watson and Emily Gobeille of Zara Parade created Funky Forest in 2007. This is an interactive ecosystem where children used their body movements to influence the life of a forest and a river.

Kids can use their body or place pillow rocks and logs to divert the water flowing from the waterfall to the trees to keep them alive. It is playful and instructive since if the trees lack water, they would wither and die. Kids could press their bodies against the forest to build new trees. The shape of the tree will be influenced by the child body. When the eco-system flourishes, the kids are rewarded by the emergence of lovely flying creatures. I wish I could play!

Besides the artist value, I wish to talk about this since I see it as the future of kid parties. Imagine booking a venue with similar installation as a playroom. It would be awesome. See how much kids enjoyed the Funky Forest on this video:

MORE:
+ Theodore Watson
+ Zara Parade
+ Via ArtEverywhere

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The best hostess knows that it is up to her to find ways for her guests to interact. When you host a big event, you cannot be there to introduce everyone. To avoid awkward moments or to explore new conversation topics, why not plan a conversation starter game.  With games that look as great as those ones, everyone will want to participate.

The three games I selected involved some do it yourself tasks. You probably have recognized her style. You will find the detailed set of instructions on Martha Stewart Weddings site.

I Knew you when…

During cocktail hour, each guest sticks a flag where they written their name into the year she met either the bride or groom. I imagine doing this at a milestone birthday party. Everyone later share how they met. Since you need something that you have no problem pinning the flag, ask the print shop for an oversize print to be mounted on foam board. It will be a nice souvenir for the guest(s) of honor.

Change is Good

You put vintage coins on a cute box wrapped with a ribbon. Each guest opens their box. One by one they tell the story of something good that happens to them on the year of the coins. Shown here are the chic Semikolon gift boxes. I bought the same collection to neatly store my magazines.

I Spy…

This is a game that will occupy the kids. Equipped with their own portable or digital camera, the kid who took a picture of the most challenges on the list win. This is why I think a cheap digital camera will work best for this game. It is called I spy but it could have be named I shot.

DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS FOR:
+ I Knew you when – including
+ Change is Good
+ I Spy

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No need to get fancy fondant cupcakes to make a lasting impression. You can go a long way with figures, stamps and creativity.

How This Mom Did It

Look at the impressive party realized by swishersweets80. I applauded that this mother got her supplies from several stores. Therefore, the result is not too matching. She nicely decorated the cupcake stands simply using red, blue and green gift wraps. Her stands could be used for a circus theme. They become Mario stands when she added the accessories. Video games, especially the ones from Japan,  are great because you can find a whole range of branded items that you can use as party decorations.

For favors, you can find soda drinks, candy boxes and figures at video games stores. Her favor bar included Rainbow Colored Barber Poles, Mario Bros. Band-Aids found at Urban Outfitters, Red and Green Caps and Fake Mustaches purchased at OrientalTrading.com, Coinboxes filled with Chocolate Coins and Gum Coins, and Mario Themed Mini-Stamps found at Amazon.com.

Games

You can play Mario games on the Wii. I suggest Mario Kart Wii with a Wii wheel or WarioWare: Smooth Moves which is a bunch of mini-games. You can play Mario Kart with the standard Wii controllers. A Wii wheel cost about $10. For an extra $30, everyone can drive with its own Wii wheel controller. Or you can ask a few friends to bring their Nintendo DS so you can host a tournament of Mario Kart.

This theme is not just for children. I know that my husband would like it for his birthday party. Remember the old arcade theme I did for him last year.

MORE:
+ photos by swishersweets80 on Flickr – rights reserved
+ learn how to make your own cupcake stands

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A travel trend is luxury camping with five star accommodations. You sleep in a comfortable bed set in a 10-feet tent equipped with furniture. You eat gourmet food prepared by chefs sitting at the resort restaurants. At night, you dine with fine wines. It is the next frontier of eco-chic travel. Behind all the glam of these resorts, I saw an opportunity for an amazing party theme.

Glamping is not a new idea. The upper class has been traveling in style with their furniture for centuries. In fact, it reminded me of the first season of the Adventures of Young Indiana Jones when Indy and his parents went to an African safari.

How Can You Make this Idea Yours?

You can make your own tents and use them as guests room at the cottage for a big family reunion. Imagine this setting for a destination wedding that you set in the countryside instead of an Island.

Tents are not just to sleep. Clayoquot Wilderness Resort designed 2 lounge tents: a game tent, and a library tent to entertain you during your stay. They reproduced the Gentlemen’s Clubs of the past. It reminds me of the Library of the Gold Floor at The Copley hotel in Boston.

You can design a fun version for a kid and even a teen birthday party in your backyard. Plan the game tent to suit the theme of your party.

For safety reasons, I suggest you rely on battery-operated candles.

About Clayoquot Wilderness Resort

You can see that emulating the ways fortunate people spent their summers roughing it one hundred years ago was the heart of the concept of John and Adele Caton for their wilderness destination resort.

If you are thinking of staying at this premier eco-safari destination, Clayoquot Wilderness Resort specifies on their Web site that the months of May and September are perfect for couples. They advertise the summer months as better suit high-energy family gatherings.

And since you get complimentary wireless Internet access for personal portables, you can share with us your wonderful adventures.

SOURCING:
+ Photos: Clayoquot Wilderness Resort in Tofino, British Columbia – rate this resort
+ Via Liberty Post and Apartment Therapy

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My all-time favorite video game, Animal Crossing will migrate to the Wii November 16th, 2008 with a new title Animal Crossing: City Folk.

I recalled playing hours and hours of Animal Crossing: Wild World on my Nintendo DS. My husband just asked me why I like Animal Crossing? The answer is simple. It is a happy game about building friendship and collecting items.

The Game in A Few Words

Your character lives in a village with animal neighbors. Basically, you and your animal neighbors will perform several tasks to make each other happy.

You can design clothes, decorate your house, write letters, take care of your flowers, go on the shopping spree and explore the town of other players. With Animal Crossing: City Folk, you can take a bus to the new urban city area. I cannot wait to try it out.

The game happens in real-time. If you visit during the night, it will be dark outside. During the winter months, you get snow and can build snowmen. If your snowmen look fabulous, you will get a reward.

There are recurring visitors, calendar events and special events to break the routine. For example, special things happen on New Year’s Day. You can participate in the monthly fisherman tournaments on Sunday, the flea markets and the Acorn Festival.

For Kids, Teenager Girls and You

The cool thing about Animal Crossing is that it is truly a game for all ages. It is suitable from kids of 6 or 7 old ages up to adults. As we get older, the female gender seems to prefer that type of game. If you are looking for Christmas gifts for all the family, Nintendo Wii clearly qualifies.

I suggest Animal Crossing: City Folk for young kids and teenager girls. I have to warm you; when your kids will be at school, you may feel the urge to play a little game.

If you pre-order the video game until November 15, 2008, Amazon.com will email you a $10 off a future video game purchase. You can watch a trailer video to get a sneak peak of the game.

SOURCING:
+ Animal Crossing: City Folk – $49.99 USD
+ snapshots from Nintendo and IGN.com

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I often complain that many cool products are hard-to-find in Canada. And the fact that many American retailers refuse to ship to Canada does not help when you desire products with a small niche.

That is why I am thrilled to introduce Ashley York. This Canadian online store shops the world so we do not have to. My first pick has to be their play house collection.

Textile Play Houses from United Kingdom

Imagine a play date or a birthday party where any of these play houses are the main activity center. You can devote little or lots of time to complete the theme.

No detail is spared in the handiwork of these fabulous play houses. A light aluminum frame forms the structure. The walls and the roof are stitched of the finest embroidered woven cotton. Decorative elements are applied. Curtained windows and doorway plus an handmade floor quilt put the finishing touches.

The more elaborate play houses are custom made in England. This includes the pavilion, the puppet theatre, the gingerbread house, the toy shop, the garden house, the sheriff office and the garage.

Cardboard Houses from The Netherlands

Ashley York also carries the Kidsonroof Mobile Home and the Ready-to-Paint House that I introduced some times ago.

Seeing those made me wished for a second that I was a little girl again.

SOURCING:
+ Willow Pavilion – price:$ 670 CAD
+ Puppet Theatre – price:$ 398 CAD
+ Kidsonroof House – price: $67 CAD
+ Red Gingham Hanging Tent – price: $360 CAD
+ Garage Play House – price: small $495, large $565 CAD
+ Kidsonroof Mobile Home – price: $45 CAD

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Friday morning,  I did an interview for Sans Détour, a show on Radio-Canada hosted by François Bugingo. I was there as a fan of the Wii Fit. Karine Larose, a fitness expert at Nautilus Plus, participated to the discussion.

My Assessment

I am happy to have one. The Wii Fit has great value as a motivator. It is fun to see the avatars of your friends while you are bouncing the soccer balls.

Wii Fit also scores all your exercise performances. I noticed than when I did not execute well the exercises, my score is lower. Like any computer game, higher marks or playing for a certain time will open new exercises.

The Hula Hoop is quite fun and can make you sweat. I enjoyed doing the balance exercises of the Wii Fit program. The balance exercises are the most playful. The slalom ski, table tilt and ski jumping are my favorites so far.

I used the Wii Fit regularly after my surgery to gain back my balance. I used to put less weight on my injured leg and the Wii Fit spotted this fact. It forced me to correct my posture.

Right now, I do not use it every day because I already follow a strict exercise routine for my ACL rehabilitation. I do not like going to the gym. Once I am back in form, I am planning to practice yoga and a program with the Wii Fit. By that time, new sport games will probably use the Wii Fit Board.

Click here to listen François Bugingo interviewing Karine Larose and I. Take note that the interview was done in French.

Picture: Kim Vallee and Karine Larose in the studio of Sans Détour
Wii Fit Pictures by Nintendo

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Those could be the names of a furniture collection based on my name and my husband’s name. This fun little application was assembled and generated by Steve B while Tim Blogadilla designed it.

Try the Swedish Furniture Name Generator with your own first name. I changed the rules and used the same program with our first and last names.

Via Apartment Therapy NYC

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Last May, I talked about how the Nintendo DS handheld could be a cool tool in the kitchen.

Basically, I explained why I think it makes more sense than the computer. At the time, I introduced a French digital cookbook called Leçons de cuisine.

Preview at E3

Now it is the turn of 100 recipes by Jamie Oliver to go on the Nintendo DS handheld. What’s Cooking with Jamie Oliver will roll out starting October 2008.

It is more than a cooking game with several levels and competitions. Players can store 100 of their own recipes into the cookbook. The only draw back is that you are limited to hundreds of handpicked ingredients to record your own dishes.

The coolest thing is the shopping list. You build your shopping list from the list of ingredients of the selected recipes. The shopping list supports both Jamie’s recipes and your own recipes. You can easily bring your DS when you go grocery shopping and save on paper.

Until them, I am leaving you with a preview of some screenshots. All Jamie Oliver’s photos on the game were photographed by his long time collaborator David Loftus. Until the release of What’s Cooking with Jamie Olive on the DS, rely on his vast collection of cookbooks.

>>> Sourcing:
Via: Atari serves up Jamie Oliver deal [Licensing.biz]
Via: Jamie Oliver Gets His Own Video Game [Food for Thought]
Via: E308: The Jamie Oliver game is … really cool? [DS fanboy]

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A fun party theme idea for this Father’s Day is to host a father and kids baseball game.

Why not make a communal Father’s Day party where brothers, friends, colleagues and neighbors reunite to celebrate together?It allows everyone to have a playful and active day outside.

Food and Drink

These adorable icing baseball cookies caught my eyes last week. They are the creations of a San Diego mom named Lori. She took occasional cooking classes. It shows that Lori worked in the catering business while in college. Her blog, The Recipe Girl is about her adventures in her kitchen and her passion for cooking.

Your guests will be impressed to each have their own cookies. You can also divide the batches of cookies by family name.

Refreshments are important when you play outside. Make sure you have plenty.

The Hokka-Ido stool by Koziol is a stool that becomes an ice bucket if you turn it over. You can buy a tray to convert it to a table. Therefore, the Hokka-Ido is an efficient portable solution for a picnic or a BBQ. You already know that I like the design of the Koziol products.

Planning the Games

Beside the big fathers and kids softball game, plan ahead other kid activities. Coordinate the activities by age group. Hire a babysitter to watch over the youngest kids.

The vintage Baseball pinball game is fun to play. After the party, use it to decorate the playroom. If you are lucky, you can find original in flea market. My friend own a similar game that belonged to his parents.

Organize a batting session during the game for the ones that are to young to play. Several toys companies make such devices. I am showing you the ESPN Jr. Better Batter Baseball trainer from Fisher-Price. That model automatically loads the ball. Make sure to get extra balls if you want the kids to play for a while.

Overall the ESPN Jr. Better Batter Baseball trainer has good reviews. Some parents complained having some issues with the Velcro but several parents find innovative solutions to solve the problems. So read the comments on Toys R Us before you make your purchase.

Father’s Day Gift Ideas

A gadget that is totally adorable is the digital picture frame. They are widely available these days. Select a model that can play videos so you can upload memories from the game.

The kids can each write a sweet word to their father and have it embroidered on a CupKozy. This is a special CupKozy Father’s Day edition.

You can recycle these party ideas from the little league Baseball parties. If soccer or football is your father’s game, it is simple to adapt the concept.

How are you planning to celebrate Father’s Day this year?

>>> Sourcing:
Recipe: Baseball Cookies [The Recipe Girl]
Buy online: ESPN Jr. Better Batter Baseball trainer [Toys R Us] – price: $42.99 USD
Buy online: Custom Embroidered Father’s Day CupKozy [cupkozy on etsy] – price: $8 USD
Buy online: Take Me Out to the Pinball Game [The Land of Nod] – price: $39 USD
Buy online: We Want a Pitcher, Not a Belly Itcher [The Land of Nod] – price: $24 unframed, $79 framed USD
Buy online: Digital Picture Frame 10 inch [Digital Framez] – price: $190.36 CAD
Shop: Koziol Hokka-Ido stool / bucket [Ma Zone Home Decor] – price: $95 CAD
Shop: Koziol Hokka-Ido table tray [Ma Zone Home Decor] – price: $30 CAD

RELATED POSTS:
+ Bring Happiness in Your Kitchen with Koziol
+ First Birthday Party Ideas for a Girl

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I could not resist sharing the girlie ad with you. It sums up what I was telling you about the broader audience of the DS versus other game consoles.

Even if your mother is not a gamer, she could enjoy these games: Crosswords DS, The New York Times Crosswords, Sudoku Gridmaster and Brain Age.

Then, you can give her more playful video games, I am playing The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass right now. Animal Crossings: Wild World is amazing too. I passed so much time playing that game.

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