| Creative Ever After

MOPS - A Great Get to Know You Mixer

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Here is a fun large group mixer you can use to get to know new people.

We called this our "m&m mixer"

The first MOPS meeting of a new semester can be exciting for returning members and perhaps a little nerve-racking for the new members. Many of these moms do not know their tablemates and may need some help in breaking the ice. To get conversations going and facilitate introductions we provided this fun "m&m mixer". It was a great way for the moms to get to know one another without the anxiety that can come in first meetings.

Each mom was provided the above printout and a fun-size bag of m&ms. They were instructed to share a little bit about themselves based on the color of m&m they pulled out of their bag, using the printout as a reference. For instance, if I pulled out a yellow m&m I would tell the ladies my favorite things about my daughter, (which is her sense of humor and cuddles)! We set a 10 minute limit on the mixer, just enough time for everyone to learn fun and interesting tidbits about one another!

To download the PDF of the m&m mixer, click here.

MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) Creative Activities

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

This past year I became the Creative Activities Leader for my local Friday MOPS group. MOPS stands for "Mothers of Preschoolers" and is a program designed to nurture mothers with children from infancy to kindergarten. This year is my second year as a member of MOPS and my first year as part of the steering committee. I must say I feel so blessed to have become part of such an amazing organization! The friendships I have made and the lessons learned are ones I will cherish forever.

As the 2013-2014 semester wraps up, I thought I would share the crafts and mixers we came up with for our creative activities. I remember when I first started searching for craft ideas at the beginning of the semester I was racking my brain for ideas! I wanted to find creative activities that would be fun, quick and affordable. Thank goodness for Pinterest...

Before the semester began, my creative activities partner and I created two Pinterest boards. The first board titled MOPS Crafts was where we pinned just our random ideas and inspirations we found across the web. Once we were sure we liked an activity and wanted to proceed with it, we then pinned it to our board MOPS Crafts Final. Check these boards often, we are very active pinners!

I plan to post all the activities we did throughout the year on my blog with supporting pictures and documents. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did at MOPS. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or comments!

Tuscan Inspired Table Decor

This gorgeous Tuscan inspired tablescape was used at my husband's recent company retreat at The Resort at Pelican Hill. The theme for the evening was "Festa!". I love the rustic mix of lemons and artichokes paired with the ranunculus flowers and rosemary sprigs. The Italian pottery and wood vases looked beautiful against the blue and white embroidered linens. This look was a great representation of the food served and the current spring season.

Custom Art from Creative Thursday

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

A while ago I wrote about a great find on Etsy, Creative Thursday. I fell in love with Marisa's whimsical art and immediately contacted her for a custom piece. I wanted something for my daughter's first birthday that would capture all of the cuteness that is our "Allie Brynnie Bear". I told Marisa what I wanted her to create based on some of her existing images, plus a few ideas of my own. The result is a beautiful hand painted drawing on wood that I will cherish forever!