Have you ever shown up at your child’s school party with a box of cupcakes fresh from the grocery store? You notice all the other moms carrying their pinterest creations and smiling a smug Martha Stewart smile at you. And you think to yourself….. Pin this! Sorry, got a little carried away. It is the holiday anger creeping in.

The stress of creating beautiful yet homemade deserts and treats for your child’s school parties can be very stressful. Especially when you have several kids and the pressure of running a house, working, taking care of your spouse, etc. I have the added stress of all 3 of my kiddos being allergic to Gluten (me too!). So I can’t just stop at a grocery store and pick up some florescent cupcakes. My treats are typically homemade and take hours of my time.

But I’m out of time!! So I decided to fake it!

These cookies are for my son’s Halloween party but you can use this idea for any holiday or birthday.

First I just picked up a box of Gluten Free cookies. I love this brand because it tastes good and isn’t $10 a box like many of the gluten free cookies.

Next up, a quick stop at Target for some spray can frosting, Wilton’s candy eyeballs and decorator frosting (hey, I never said these were healthy I just said they would be cute).

First I sprayed the frosting on in a swirl pattern. You don’t want these to look too professionals or the other moms won’t believe you made them. Make sure there is a squiggle here and there in your frosting application for that homemade touch.

Next, I just added some random orange sprinkles I had left in the cabinet. Pretty sure they are fresh. Do sprinkles ever go bad? Hmmmm, I bet I will got several hostile emails over this.

Then I added the cute candy eyeballs, piped on a smile or two and added a candy corn nose.

Done in under 5 minutes. Who is the Pinterest rockstar now?! Yeah, that is what I thought. As I say that, I’m sure some mom is loading a lifesize haunted gingerbread house complete with strobe light into her car to deliver to the classroom at the exact moment I walk in with my fake cookies.

Well, I see you your crazy gingerbread house and raise you a jello brain with neon gummy worms. Word……..

Just fake it ladies, I’m telling you it will save you so much time. We are still talking about kid’s treats, right? Just checking.

I know many women (and a few men) have shown up for our Stamped Jewelry class with a look of fear or disinterest.  99% of them left with a smile and feeling of pride in what they created.

Now that our classes are online, it is difficult to convince those people that Stamped Jewelry isn’t as hard as it looks. I can’t personally talk them through it and tell them they are going to do great! The internet is a little limiting that way.

But I will say, that I’m just an email or skype conversation away if you need help!

I thought I would share this sweet design created as a Mother’s Day gift for a grandmother with lots of little blessings.  Instead of taking the time to stamp out each of their names, there is just a single initial for each grandchild along with their birthstone.

This is a great way to get your feet wet with Stamped Jewelry.  You don’t have to create a charm bracelet full of charms. You could just start with a single initial necklace for someone special is your life.  Believe it or not, this makes an amazing gift for the end of the year teacher gift! Just stamp her initial and put it on a chain. Done!

If you want to give this a try, here is what you will need:

Stamped Jewelry Tool Kit
1/2″ or 5/8″ Disc
Jump Rings
Chain
Jewelers Glue (to attach the crystal birthstone) – optional
Birthstone Swarovski Crystals – (not yet listed on our site, but if you send us an email with which birthstone you need we will include it free of charge!).

Stamped Jewelry Class – Intro  (Watch the video, it is free and see how easy it is!!!)
Adding a Jump Ring Class

{2 years ago, I wrote this blog post as a way to encourage women to love themselves a little more by getting out of their sweatpants and losing the ponytail. I have decided to relaunch this series as an ongoing segment on my blog. So I’m reposting the first segment of “Lose the Mom Uniform” as just a little reminder, in case you are back to putting your hair in a ponytail everyday – you know who you are!}

I’ve decided to throw out my Mommy Uniform! You know the one that someone was handing out at the hospital on the post-partum floor? Except, I don’t remember actually receiving a bag with a mommy uniform, it just kind of appeared in my closet.

Maybe they handed it to my husband while I was checking out. Yes, that must be it. And since nothing else in the closet fit when I got home, I just accepted it for what it was. A rather depressing glimpse into the beginning of my new image.

Before my children, I prided myself on wearing fabulous clothes, shoes, accessories. Other women would ask where I shopped and if I would teach them to accessorize. But some how in the midst of having 3 kids in 4 years (yes, you heard me right) I transformed into a sweatsuit wearing, ponytail sporting, non-accessorized person. I’m not even going to say “woman” because there is nothing womanly about how I was feeling. How the heck did I get here, and how am I am going to get out?

So I decided to lay down a few rules for myself. Should be easy, right? I did mention already that I have 3 kids under the age of 8? On second thought, maybe I will just buy a velour sweatsuit from Costco in every color they make.

No, no, no! I’m going to do this. Back to the rules. We will be assigning one rule in each segment of my blog posts. I want to give you a little time to adjust to each rule. Remember I’m on your side. I am one of you. My muffin top doesn’t look any better in low-rise jeans then any other mom. Who am I kidding, they don’t even make low-rise jeans in my size.  But I promise you, at the end of this series we will reclaim the right to feel and look fabulous together. It will be a transformation that is long overdue and greatly deserved.

Rules for Designing Our New Mommy Uniform

1. Ponytails are not allowed unless someone in the household is vomiting, the water has been shut off because I forgot to pay the bill (I’m not super woman after all!) or my 3 year old has decided to cut my hair while I am sleeping. If you have met my youngest, you know this is a very possible and probable scenario.
Take a minute and do something with your hair. I promise you will feel so much better!Last year I got a sassy new haircut and donated my hair to locks of love. I will tell you that I feel as cute as possible from 6:00 a.m. until 11:00 p.m. This is a first for me. If you are too afraid to cut your hair then buy or make a few trendy hair accessories. My favorite hair accessories are flowers worn off to the side and headbands with vintage buttons, brooches and feathers. If you MUST wear a ponytail, can you do me a favor and at least stick in a cute hair accessory so it looks like you “meant” to wear a ponytail?
The best way to wear hair accessories is to keep everything else you are wearing simple and chic. Let your accessory be your focal point.

If the accessories are scaring you, then just start with wearing your hair in any style besides a ponytail. Just one day! You can do it.

Next week, “Forget the Trends, Find Something that Fits!”