Want a sweet, fun and unique way to hang up all of those baby announcements, and holiday photo cards? When decluttering my home I discovered a way to display everyone’s beautiful pictures by hanging them up with miniature clothespins.

To do this, YOU’LL NEED: 2 thumbtacks, string, scissors, photos or photo cards, mini clothespins

• Choose your photos and/or photo cards.
• Depending on the amount of cards and photos you have, estimate how much space you will need between the thumbtacks and then use that to determine how much string to cut.
• After you have placed the thumbtacks in the wall tie the ends of the string on each side.
• Lastly, hang up your photos and cards up with the miniature clothespins.

You don’t have to plan a big family road trip to give your kids some excitement this summer. There are plenty of local attractions offering exhilarating family experiences that are the perfect way to spend a mini-vacation, birthday party or just a fun afternoon.

From zoos to amusement parks to various kinds of dinner theater, browse the web on sites like Local Attractions to check out what your city has to offer. Be sure to look for upcoming events, as well, because even if your kids have been to the local zoo every year for school field trips, they probably have never experienced the thrill of a zoo sleepover or the fun of watching “Zoovies” on the lawn!

And, if you don’t plan to leave town for a family vacation this summer, you can still have a fun  getaway by staying the night at a local hotel. Live it up by staying up late watching movies, ordering room service and eating ice cream in bed! Then make sure you soak up the sun poolside–some hotels even have awesome waterslides and playgrounds!

Another great option for family fun this summer is dinner theater. In my hometown, we always spent the summers picnicking at Moonlight Amphitheater, an outdoor theater offering world-class musicals all season long. There’s also the ever popular Medieval Times, which not only gives you the chance to cheer for your favorite knight, but to eat with your hands too!

With all of this family fun at your fingertips, there’s no need to leave home this summer for a walk on the wild side with lions, waterslides and knights (oh my!).

One of the girls in our office just discovered lots of great Popsicle recipes in the current issue of Parents magazine, and we thought this would be a great follow up Brandi’s post from earlier this week.

The article featured fun Popsicle flavors including banana split, mint chocolate chip sandwiches, and root beer float.  To see these recipes, go to Parents.com.

Do you often forget people’s birthdays?

In honor of my birthday and everyone who’s birthday is today, Happy Birthday, and here’s a list of things you can do so you won’t forget anymore birthdays this year.

1) Google Birthdays. Google has a feature that allows you to add a birthdays section to your home page. The service is free and an easy reminder since you’ll see it as soon as you open up your Google personal page.

2) Yahoo Calendar. Like Google, you can add in special dates to your online calendar for free.

3) Organize your greeting cards. Get a stylish organizer to organize cards for friends and family. The one I had from GfDG Studio is great since it has monthly tabs with space to write their names.

4) Check out RealSimple.com for more great ideas to save you from forgetting another birthday!
 

A girl’s sixteenth birthday is her first chance to have a stylish soirée thrown in her honor. With all of her friends and family there, it’s her opportunity to let her budding sense of style shine as bright as her rhinestone tiara! As a result, the pressure is on to make this party as chic and sassy as possible.

If you are having trouble deciding what theme, decor, food and games to feature, draw some inspiration from these flirty and fashionable ideas from our very own party planning experts. There is even a cake sculpted to resemble a Marc Jacobs bag! You’ll make sure no one is crying over her sixteen candles by suggesting these fun and fabulous themes!

• Modern Masquerade
• Roaring Twenties
• Alice in Wonderland
• Once Upon a Time
• Sixteen in the City
• Winter Wonderland
• Caught in Candyland
• Red Carpet Rendezvous
• Tahiti Sweetie
• Murder Mystery
• Mall Madness

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Meet Kazuma from Tokyo, Japan.  Kazuma is our adorable baby of the week!

• Kazuma’s favorite book is Cat in the Hat
• His favorite toy is his Thomas train set
• He loves to jump, read, and sing
• His favorite word at the moment is “slippery”

To submit your baby’s photos in our adorable baby feaure, email blog@tinyprints.com.

Maybe it’s the wild popularity of the Food Network, the celebrity of super chefs like Bobby Flay or just a heightened awareness of healthy eating, but kids across the country have suddenly become foodies–and it isn’t just Easy Bake Ovens they are cooking with!

Instead of sculpting flowers during Play-Doh time, my five-year-old friend Madeline has recently insisted upon creating neon pink pizzas for a mini “Quick Fire Challenge,” a term she seems to have picked up from Bravo’s “Top Chef.” And this type of excitement over culinary creations doesn’t stop during playtime–cooking classes have become the hot new trend in children’s birthday parties, where guests are taught to make their own tasty treats and are given aprons and recipe books as a part of the gift bag.

Just this morning, YumSugar posted a charming story about a youngster who shares a name with celebrity chef Rachel Ray. Like her famous counterpart, this ten-year-old food fan has been indulging her love of cooking for years!

If you plan to host or attend a children’s cooking party, consider giving a cute kid’s cookbook as a gift, like this one from Rachel Ray herself. And don’t forget Tiny Print’s adorable line of chef-inspired invitations–they are the perfect way to encourage your little Iron Chef to turn up the heat in the kitchen!

I saw this YouTube video on The View yesterday and it made me weep. It’s a true story about two people who adopted a lion and what happened after they released him in the wild. Watch it. It’ll reaffirm your faith in the bond between people and animals.

A fun activity I’m starting to get into is making my own popsicles. It’s so simple and easy to do, plus you get to choose what goes into those perfect summer treats. All you need to do is purchase an inexpensive popsicle mold. Amazon.com has a variety to choose from including this one-Tovola Shooting Star Pop Molds.

For a delicious recipe for orange creamsicle go to Health.com. And for fun and exotic popsicle recipes like Mojito pops and Blueberry Cheesecake pops, check out the book, “Pops!: Icy Treats for Everyone” by Krystina Castella. 

Here is a recipe for Honeydew Melon Pops from her book on TheNest.com and a chocolaty invitation that would sweeten up anyone’s day! 

Ingredients (makes 6)

4 cups diced (1/2-inch cubes) ripe honeydew melon 
1/3 cup plain yogurt 
Juice of 3 limes 
Grated zest of 1 lime 
1 tablespoon of honey

Combine 2 cups of the melon with the yogurt, lime juice, and zest in a food processor or blender; process until smooth. In a microwave-safe cup, heat the honey in a microwave oven for 30 seconds, until thinned. Add the honey to the melon mixture; process again to combine. Stir in the remaining 2 cups melon. Fill the pop molds with the mixture. Insert the sticks. Freeze for at least 6 hours. Remove from the freezer; let stand at room temperature for 5 minutes before removing the pops from the molds. Dip into this beautiful, amazingly juicy pop.

If you are a mom, then you probably need a break!  That’s why I think the Mom’s Coffee Break section on FamilyEducation.com is a great idea.  This site offers puzzles, games, comics and stories to allow you to “stop” thinking about your to-do list just few a minutes while you relax with a warm cup of coffee (or any other beverage of choice).

To check out the site, click here.