Imagine Childhood : Magic & Memories That Last a Lifetime

. . . fairy sale

It's All Hallows Eve, and around here there are fairies. . .

. . . of every shape. . .

. . . and size. . .

. . . dancing through the leaves.  Have you seen any yet today?

For over twenty years our resident fairy maker has been making magic out bits of wool and felt with her gorgeous creations.  Each one is made by hand and based off of real shapes in the natural world.

Because she takes so much care with each and every one, they take a bit of time to come to life.  So this year, to make sure everyone who would like a little enchantment for their holiday gift giving can have a fairy of their very own, we're having a fairy sale and accepting pre-orders for the holidays. 

We will not be taking fairy orders after November 16th for holiday delivery, so take advantage of the sale today and place your order soon!

 

10% Discount Code: "MAGIC"

*Discount expires 11/5/15

Click Here to Shop the Fairy Sale Now ---->

 

 Wishing you and yours a beautifully enchanting Halloween!

xox

~i.c.

 

 

... tell me a story: halloween story round up

Spooky shadows, dastardly darkness, rough and tumble monsters, a sweet wizard-ess, and the grooviest panda you ever did meet; this year's Halloween tales need little more than a dark room and a good flashlight. Oh and we have a little something extra at the end, so read on through! 

Zen Ghosts: The crunch of fallen leaves, crisp cool weather, the warm glow of Jack-o-lanterns all mean one thing, Halloween. And nothing goes better with Halloween, then a good ghost story. Zen Ghosts by Jon J Muth is just that. Part fun and whimsy, part mystery and suspense, Zen Ghosts gets the goosebumps going while keeping the scary dreams at bay. 

The Dark: For all those little ones who find the dark just a little bit scary, and for big kids too.... what if the dark meant more than the absence of light? What if the dark were someone? Laszlo, dressed in blue footie pajamas, his hair precisely parted, is afraid of the dark, and thinks precisely that. For Laszlo the dark mostly lives in the basement, but one night, when his night-light fails, it arrives in Laszlo’s room. Filled with wonderful illustrations and delightfully spooky narrative, The Dark is the perfect bedtime read.

Where the Wild Things Are: In this Caldecott Medal winner. Max, a wild and naughty boy, is sent to bed without his supper by his exhausted mother. In his room, he imagines sailing far away to a land of Wild Things. Instead of eating him, the Wild Things make Max their king. This special commemorative edition celebrates 40 years of Sendak's classic tale.

Dragon Feathers: Vivid colors, strange and wonderful creatures, and that hat! Brilliantly and gloriously illustrated, Dragon Feathers is the story of one young man's journey to win the heart of the maiden he loves, with lots of adventures and wit thrown in for good measure. The illustrations alone make this book one for the home library. 

Shadow: Sometimes, when just the right amount of light hits a vacuum cleaner, it can transform in to elephant...shadows are a magical thing that transform ordinary objects into a wild world of adventure and curiosity in this picture book by Suzy Lee.

Merlina: Poor Merlina just can't seem to get the spell to help her friend right, and the adventure they go on to find a solution is fun and sweet, proving that sometimes the simplest answer is the best one. Autumn is full of colorful magic, and so is the story of Merlina and the Magic Spell, written and illustrated by Daniela Drescher.

***Want a little more spook in your All Hallows' Eve? Turn out all the lights except for the jack-o-lantern and settle into the classic tale, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Brought to life in this wonderful and FREE rendition, we dare you not to get goose bumps! 

 

Happy Halloween!

 

~ Jordan

 

* Last time in Books and Stories: Between the Scenes + Giveaway Winners

. . . chocolate ghosts and swirl bark

Halloween is right around the bend. . .

. . . so we whipped up. . .

. . . some simple. . .

. . . spooky treats. . .

to share with friends.

Chocolate Ghosts & Swirl Bark

ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips
• 1 cup peanut butter chips
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 cup sliced raw almonds

 

Chop your sliced almonds until they resemble the images above.  You could also throw them in the food processor for a few twirls.  Just make sure they don't get ground down too small.

Pour the almonds onto a lined baking sheet.  Begin simmering a bit of water on the stove. Pour the different chips into three separate metal bowls.  One at a time place the white and dark chocolate over the pot of simmering water until the chips melt.

When the confections are melted, use a spoon to make simple ghost shapes with the white chocolate on the bed of almonds. They don't need to be the same size or shape, just try to make them a bit like rounded triangles. 

Then taking a bamboo skewer, dip it in the dark chocolate and place little circles on the ghosts shapes using the tip of the skewer to integrate the dark chocolate.  Place in the freezer to chill for 10 min (they will cool quickly because they are not all that thick).

When the ghosts have hardened, remove them from the tray and store them in single layers separated by wax paper in an airtight container (I like mine colder so I keep them in the fridge until I'm ready to serve).

Dump the extra almonds into a bowl. Heat the peanut butter chips in the metal bowl until they melt and reheat the white and dark chocolate a bit as well.  Pour the melted confections onto your parchment lined baking sheet and use the skewer to swirl the three flavors together. Top with the leftover almonds and chill until hardened. Break up into chunks before serving.

If you'd like even more homemade halloween candy options, check out last year's collection of confections here.

Happy Halloween!

~ Sarah

*Last time in Recipes:10 Pretty Pumpkin Recipes

... nature walk: dinosaur national monument, utah

This week's beautiful nature walk comes to us from the rocky cliffs of Dinosaur National Monument, Utah. There, Nash and his friends explored the petroglyphs of the Anasazi Tribe, and all the beautiful surroundings. Thank you Nash, for sharing your fun trip with us! 

If you would like to contribute to our weekly Nature Walk series, you can learn more about submitting photos here, or you can also visit our Nature Walk Group Pool on Flickr to add your adventures to the collection.

 

Thanks again Nash!

 

* Last time in Nature Walks: Shelburne, Vermont

... weekend zen

xox

~ i.c.