Hello, and Happy Sunday! Hope you were able to enjoy the sun and blue skies this past week!
Even though there's some rain in the forecast, it's a perfect excuse to curl up with a good book or watch a movie, don't you think?
Well, we've kept busy while staying in, and here's a little update for you featuring our latest posts and other favorites from this week!
1. Mother's Day! Take a look at our Mother's Day post! Fun gift ideas and free printables are coming your way to celebrate and stay connected this upcoming Mother's Day!
Check back in a day or two OR even better - subscribe and we'll notify you when it's ready!
2. What Cenz is reading - I finished Love and Luck, by Jenna Evans Welch, and it was fantastic!
A sequel to Love and Gelato, this romantic road trip read finds Addie, her brother and her brother's charming friend being whisked away on a tour of Ireland after Addie finds a whimsical guidebook, Ireland for the Heartbroken, tucked away in their hotel!
Traveling over rolling hills and to iconic Irish castles, this YA adventure will take you on a trip to Ireland that you'll never forget!
3. We've been honing our detective skills and making our way through the Nancy Drew video game, The Silent Spy! A super fun way to spend some time inside!
For more fun ways, visit here! Lots of inspiration and ideas for stay at home fun!
4. We had the pleasure of entering Claris the Mouse's Book Cover competition this week, which was a lot of fun!
In case you're not familiar with Claris and her adventures, she's the chic little star of her very own picture book series by fashion illustrator Megan Hess!
Hosted by Claris's Instagram account, to enter the competition you had to design a book cover for Claris and include your story idea in the caption!
Here's Cenz's version of Claris, and her dazzling new gown!
I (Cenz) loved getting to design some stylish couture for this sweet character, and creating a story line added to the fun of it! To read my idea for Claris's next escapade, head to our Instagram post!
Find Claris, The Chicest Mouse in Paris's fabulous first picture book , here. Below: the latest installment, where Claris and her friend depart Paris for a visit along the French Riviera!
5. We had a lot of fun working on our Earth Day post this year! We found some lovely subjects to take pictures of on our walk and revisited pics from the past of fun activities that go along with Earth Day! Have a look!
Even though Earth Day won't be back until next year, the books and activities are fun any day of the year!
6. Speaking of special days, it was Queen Elizabeth II's birthday recently! Want to celebrate and channel your inner royal? Try the Queen's favorite dessert, Chocolate Biscuit Cake!
Served at famous cafes such as Peggy Porschen Cakes in London, this easy, no-bake biscuit cake recipe is decadent and delicious!
Once you've made a No Bake Chocolate Biscuit Cake, you'll see why the Queen enjoys it so much!
7. I (April) have spent much of my time reading planting directions, how to guides for the blog and researching other blogger's and company's posts!
I've also been reading The Thief Knot by Kate Milford- it's my wind-down at the end of the day or when there's a few minutes in between other things to do!
In popping around the internet, we were excited to see that American Girl has free downloadable books available at their site along with fun activities and crafts for girls to do!
We have always loved American Girl stories and how reading the AG books make learning about American History fun and interesting!
American Girl also has Free Online Activities! We like the online quizzes!
8. I've been doing online dance classes for a while now, and there's so many fabulous dance classes being offered, it's easy to find the style you're looking for!
One of Cenz's favorites is New York City Ballet principal dancer Tiler Peck's daily IG live ballet class! She's incredible, and I highly recommend her class if you love ballet!
Another great option? If you've ever seen the Rockettes, you'll want to tune in to their IG live classes for sure! They offer good workouts and fun choreography!
9. Ping Pong Anywhere! This is a great set! The retractable net works on any table and we have it on our dining room table. We pretty much eat all meals in the kitchen and Cenz takes over the dining room with crafting and I also have seedlings and a tomato plant taking advantage of the sun in that room!
The dining room table is perfect for Ping Pong! We pull out one of the table extensions and it makes it pretty close to being the right size for a ping pong table! We just clear off the art supplies and move the tomato plant and we're ready to play!
It has become a fun way to chat with my husband when we have a couple of minutes! We play a little ping pong and talk about the day and such. We're not really competitive ping pong players so this is perfect!!
Want more ways to have fun while staying inside? Check out our post: 25+ Ways for Kids to Keep Moving, Exercise and Have Fun in a Small Space!
There are great ideas for teens and adults there too!
10. After finding out about the Book Cover Competition above, we realized Cenz needed some materials to create her project with!
We were happy to get some new art supplies from one of our favorite local businesses and art supply go-tos!
Their new curbside non-contact pick-up was a fantastic idea! My mom and I were glad they put together!
Below is the second design we put together for the contest-my mom did this storyline, and I did the cover art! Visit our Instagram post for more!
These brush pens are absolutely fabulous for all kinds of art, and the colors are amazing! The sketchbook is a perfect size for all kinds of drawings, and I can't wait to fill up the pages!
