It’s a Party!

“Omigosh, Sally!” I exclaimed. “I’m so happy to see you!”

“How did you, Jill, and your Mom enjoy your trip? Sally asked.

“Omigosh,” I answered. “It was a whirlwind, but wonderful! Nothing like being able to celebrate our oldest granddaughter’s sixth birthday with her.”

“You’ve told me before,” replied Sally, “that her mother is extremely talented at creating special parties for Kayti.”

“Yes,” I smiled, “And this was no exception. Kayti loves music, peace signs, and girly things. So, the theme was Miss Kayti’s Rock and Roll Day Spa Birthday Party. The 17 girls got mini robes when they arrived, flip flops, and sat down in rows to first play Musical Toes.”

“Whatever is that?” asked Sally.

“The music begins, and each girl passes a bottle of nail polish to the girl next to her. When the music stops, each girl paints one of her toe nails. Needless to say, everyone’s toes were colorful and fun when the game was done!” I said.

“Well, what else did they do to top that?” Sally continued.

“They had canvas bags to decorate with their names using foamy stick on letters, and added other shapes such as musical notes, guitars, stars, and more. Then they each made a name bracelet with added colorful beads. And there were three stations: nails, makeup, and hair. With nails polished, they moved to the hair stations where they got brightly colored feathery pony tail holders and neon hair extensions clipped to their hair, and then to makeup for eye shadow, lipstick, and face painting – again with a rock and roll theme.”

“My goodness,” said Sally. “They must have been so excited!”

“Oh, it was so much fun, I can’t tell you!” I replied. “They ate a bit of lunch during the middle of the party time. Then they each had a picture taken holding a blue inflatable rock ‘n roll guitar. And to top it off, Kayti came up to me and said, ‘I just told my Mom we are going to have a fashion show!’ That wasn’t part of the original plan, but that was the last activity before singing happy birthday and eating cupcakes. The girls lined up (the party was in the clubhouse where they live) in an adjacent area, and came out one at a time, posed, and had another picture taken. All the parents had stayed, and so the girls had a great audience with lots of applause.”

“That sounds like so much fun,” Sally said. “And, also, that Kayti may be following in her mother’s footsteps with party ideas since she decided on the fashion show!”

“Oh, it was,” I smiled. “And no doubt she is because she is a very creative young lady, too. But, the best part was that Kayti whispered to her Mom shortly after the party began, ‘Thank you, Mom. This is the best party ever!”

“So, are things calming down for awhile for you now?” queried Sally.

“Not a chance,” I said. “This time of year our family has multiple birthdays to celebrate, plus Mother’s Day and Father’s Day! So, you and are I going shopping for some gift ideas……for kids, men, women, and pets and pet lovers!”

“Can’t wait,” smiled Sally. “I love shopping with the Boomers and Beyond Team and their wonderful creations!”

For the kids…..

http://www.theslipstich.etsy.com/

http://www.stitchesbyjulie.etsy.com/

http://www.lilbabythangs.etsy.com/

http://www.kimbuktu.etsy.com/

http://www.bytheby.etsy.com/

http://www.blazingneedles.etsy.com/

For the guys…..

http://www.scottieacres.etsy.com/

http://www.nightskyjewelry.etsy.com/

http://www.jnoriginals.etsy.com/

http://www.fantasycreations.etsy.com/

http://www.buttondivas.etsy.com/

http://www.ajscountrycottage.etsy.com/

http://www.attackofthevintage.etsy.com/

http://www.susanelkin.etsy.com/

For the gals…..

http://www.vanfleetstreetdesigns.etsy.com/

http://www.pfdoriginalartworks.etsy.com/

http://www.imaginuity.etsy.com/

http://www.sixsisters.etsy.com/

http://www.mysticsilks.etsy.com/

http://www.birose.etsy.com/

http://www.circleinthesand.etsy.com/

http://www.katzskreations.com/

http://www.chris1.etsy.com/

http://www.altheap.etsy.com/

http://www.theclaycenter.etsy.com/

For pet lovers…..

http://www.nonnie62.etsy.com/

http://www.dianeclancy.etsy.com/

http://www.yarrow1.etsy.com/

http://www.backroomtreasures.etsy.com/

Fabulous, as always,” sighed Sally.

BBEST Bookies

I’ll bet you didn’t know that the first week in March is Return a Borrowed Book Week.  As a recovering librarian, I’ve seen the stigma, pain, and disgust associated with book felony, and would like to extend a hand of support to any who suffer from this malady.  This is the chance to get right with your friends, relatives, teachers and libraries:  make atonement!  Return your delinquent materials during this time of amnesty – librarians will look the other way and no pejorative remarks will be made!

It’s also a good time to mention our BBEST bookies.  We’ve got a few authors in our midst.  One of them is our own Myfanwy Hart, who’ll autograph your copy of her how-to book on tools and felt making, entitled The Embellisher:  Let’s Get Started!  Although nearly unpronounceable (to Yanks, anyway), Myfwany’s name is popping up more and more frequently in craft circles, so you’d better order your first edition before she becomes too famous!

Liz Plummer prints wonderful covers for Moleskin pocket books.  I’ve found these little books essential when traveling – just stick one in purse or bookbag and write down all your good ideas.   

Long-time BBESTer Judy, aka Mr. Penquin, has wonderful foldable books that are  intriguing gifts for all ages.  At JN Originals, she also makes beautiful wool needle books for the stitchers in our lives. 

 

Book Wraps makes folios and book covers.  Her delightful stitched journal covers make room for a pen or pencil in a little pocket in the back.

BBESTers also offer bookmarks, book plates, vintage books, pins using book illustrations and all kinds of wonderful things book-related.  You can see them all by searching BBEST books.

Sint Nicholas, Sinterklaas, Saint Nicholas

The month of December means different things to different people.  The well known celebration for most is, of course, Christmas with all its religious and pagan festivals.  However, earlier in the month Holland, Belgium and France and other Roman Catholic countries celebrate St Nicholas, the patron saint of children.  Other countries also celebrate including North America who call him Santa Claus.

It was alleged that during the American War of Independence, the inhabitants of New York, a former Dutch colonial town known as New Amsterdam, reinvented the Sinterklaas tradition as a symbol of the city's non English past!

Sinterklaas has a long white beard, wears a red bishop's dress and red mitre, or bishop's hat, and holds a long gold coloured staff with a fancy curled top. Sinterklaas carries a big book with all the children's names in it, which states whether they have been naughty or nice in the past year.

The temperament of Sinterklaas differs in some regions of the Netherlands and Belgium. In the Netherlands Sinterklaas is usually a nice, forgiving person. In Belgium, on the other hand, Sinterklaas is less forgiving (like he used to be in the Netherlands). He can be quite severe and takes naughty children back to Spain when they were not nice. "Saint-Nicolas" rides a white horse which gallops across the roof tops.

Traditionally Sinterklaas has a helper called Zwarte Piet who will give out treats to the children like sweets, ginger biscuits.  However, if the children have been naughty throughout the year he will fetch the children to stand in front of Sinterklaas to be admonished. Etsy has a very good article about this feast http://www.etsy.com/storque/handmade-life/sinterklaas-a-crafty-tradition-544/

On the eve of Sinterklaas (5 December) all children place a shoe filled with a carrot, some straw for the white horse.  In the morning these items would be replaced by a traditional chocolate letter (usually their initial), speculaas (a shortbread type biscuit), chocolate coins wrapped in gold foil and a chocolate figurine of Sinterklaas wrapped in foil.  Songs would be sung to celebrate his coming journey to their houses.

Children were told that Zwarte Piet (Black Peter) looked that way because he had to descend the chimneys which made his hands and face appear black.  If children had been naughty he would leave a bag of salt rather than sweet treats.  If the children had been particularly naughty they were told that they risked being put in a sack and taken back to Spain where Sinterklaas and Zwarte Piet lived for the rest of the year.  This story is no longer told as you can imagine!  However, I can well remember those stories when I was a child being brought up in a Dutch colony.  Parents and children would gather in the local community hall where Sinterklaas and Zwarte Piet would appear.   With them they carried a golden book with the names of all the children who had been good that year and another book which was black in which the names of naughty children had been recorded.  Sinterklaas would start to look for a child's name in his 'good' book and scare the child by not finding it initially.  For obvious reasons this practice has been discouraged!  However, I remember it well and it put the fear of God into me - not that I had been naughty, of course!!

Nowadays, the feast of Sinterklaas has become as commercialised as any large celebration but it is still fun, especially all the sweet treats!  To learn more about this great tradition visit this link where the history is explained in more detail http://www.thehollandring.com/sinterklaas.shtml

So, my friends, I do not have any items to show off from my BBEST friends this time but I just thought this article might be of interest.  Remember to put your shoe outside your room and to put a carrot or straw in it; maybe even a bowl of water.  Who knows, if you have been good Zwarte Piet may leave some sweet treats for you!!!!