Hard Candy Baby Boutique

Snow Days are STILL the best!!!

2012-01-18T18:15:00.002-08:00

I stood staring out the window this morning (coffee in hand)

debating...

(for what may have been an entire episode of Max & Ruby)

Whether to be an adult and go to work OR spend an entire morning playing in the snow with my daughter.

(Snow angels are STILL crazy fun, just in case you were wondering)

We ARE always Open!!

2012-01-17T20:47:00.000-08:00

I was going through some pictures from the shop last year and came across this...

By Far my favourite window write up!

hardcandybaby.ca IS STILL always OPEN!!

...because sometimes it's just easier to read from a list :)

2012-01-14T11:17:00.000-08:00

I copy and pasted this from a fabulous little BLOG (linked to BLOG :)) that I stumbled on last night!

Color

Blow Bubbles

Play Hide-and-Seek

Peek-a-Boo

Play Chase

Do Finger-plays

Sing a song

Collect rocks in a basket

Make an obstacle course out of cushions and/or furniture

Make a fort out of cushions and sheets

Go for a Walk

Make a Car out of a Box

Read a book

Go to the park

Finger-paint

Play with Play-Dough

Toss Bean bags into a Bucket

Play the shell and pea game

Dance to music

Download games for toddlers from the Internet

Practice putting things in and taking things out of boxes and bags

Make a temporary slide out of a table leaf and your couch

Roll a ball back and forth on the floor

Scoop dirt or sand into a child's bucket (or use a serving spoon and bowl)

Practice climbing by stacking boxes on top of each other (only with adult supervision)

Put on a puppet show

Go fishing with a yard stick and yarn

Make a Horseshoe game

Make a Shape Puzzle

Play paper basketball

Run through a Sprinkler

Play with a bucket of water and a sponge (PLEASE WATCH CHILD AT ALL TIMES!)

Make a Drum out of an oatmeal box

Play with a kazoo

Wash windows together

Bang on Pots and Pans with a spoon

Brush each other's teeth

Play dress-up with stuffed animals and your child's clothes

Stack canned or boxed food on top of each other

Let child stack mixing bowls inside each other

Make a playhouse out of a large box

Let child play with a sticker sheet (make sure your child doesn't eat them!)

Put stickers on fingers for finger puppets

Play a musical instrument together- i.e.recorder, piano, etc.

Go on a Smelling Hunt

Frost Cookies

Plant a flower or vegetable plant together

Roll a tennis ball into an empty trash can or bucket

Draw on a mirror with dry-erase markers

Play hide and seek together- trying to find a stuffed animal or other object

Have a splash party together in the bathtub

Put a leash on a stuffed animal and walk around the house

Record each other on a tape recorder (great for scrapbooks or journals!)

Make and try on paper hats

Give a piggy-back ride

Play "Horsey"

Talk into an electric fan (it distorts your voice)

Play tug-of-war with a blanket

Collect flowers (felt, artificial, real...)

Make a camera and go on a Safari

Play games with frozen juice lids

Disconnect your phone and pretend to make phone calls to relatives

Leave your phone connected and really make phone calls to relatives- let your child talk too

String large beads onto or along a shoelace

Squirt each other with squirt bottles

Glue shapes onto paper

Make sock puppets

Make paper puppets

Fill an old purse with toys

Use a paper towel tube as a megaphone

Make binoculars and go "Bird Watching" or "Stuffed Animal Watching"

Put snacks in different fun containers (paper sacks, empty canisters, etc.)

Act out a story from a book

Walk on a balance beam- use a 2x4 placed on the ground

Draw with chalk on the sidewalk

Sketch an outline of your child on the sidewalk or paper with chalk

Paint child's palms with tempura paint and blot on paper. Makes a great card for loved ones!

Put lipstick on child and kiss a mirror

Make a puddle on cement and splash barefoot in it

Let child decorate and eat an open peanut butter sandwich

Make a toilet paper barricade for child to go under, over, or through

Do the Hokey Pokey

Make a super-hero costume out of household items

Do Knee-Bouncing Rhymes

Play "Red Light, Green Light" saying "Go" and "Stop"

Make a shoe-box train for stuffed animals

Make a pillow pile to jump on (keep it clear from any hard surfaces, including walls!)

Make an easy puzzle with felt and Velcro

Make bracelets or collars for stuffed animals out of pipe cleaners and jingle bells

Learn numbers from a deck of cards

Play the matching game with a deck of cards

Make a domino chain

Have a picnic in the park, backyard, or living room!

Play dress up in Mommy or Daddy's clothes

Make a tin cup telephone and talk to each other in it

Make a nature collage

Mirror each other

Make a "Mummy Mommy" with toilet paper

Make a tape recording of short music selections and instructions to move in different ways

Make and walk along a toilet paper trail

TAKE A NAP!

The Grass is definitely Greener

2012-01-13T18:36:00.001-08:00

So I am packing up a bunch of stuff from my office today, and my youngest (rocking a Nosilla Micro Dot Onsie)

has decided to "help".

...and by "help"...

I mean she crawled into any bin that I was using and laughed hysterically :)

Reminding me how excited I am to spend more time together in February!!

Headphones win me over every time.

2012-01-08T21:34:00.001-08:00

I can't resist headphones.

...OR old school beatboxes and cassette tapes :)

We should have these fabulous bibs up on the website by the end of the month!!

Says the Optimist :)

2012-01-04T18:22:00.000-08:00

One of my favourite Vancouver Island companies Salts Organic Clothing posted this on their Facebook Page this morning and it has seriously had me laughing all day :)

(I am an eternal Optimist)

Because Who Doesn't love a 50% OFF Sale!!

2012-01-03T07:37:00.001-08:00

Starting today 50% OFF all Peekaboo Beans and Knuckleheads Stock!!
This Vancouver Brand has always been a favourite at Hard Candy :)

Oh I think we need to talk about a BOB SALE!!!

2012-01-02T09:07:00.002-08:00

Just because I CAN!!

For 2 WEEKS ONLY I am lowering my price on BOB Strollers and you pay NO TAX!!

Because when your spending this much money on a stroller, not paying tax AND getting it a bit cheaper is a BIG deal!!

Fresh Start Indeed!!

2012-01-01T19:17:00.001-08:00

WELL, it has been a pretty HUGE day for HArd Candy!!

I share my decision to shut my store front and continue HArd Candy as an online store only :)

It's something I've been thinking about since having my second daughter... 2011 was a huge year for the store!! We grew by adding the consignment section, and then our online shop has been booming (insert BIG THANK YOU for supporting this small mama owned store). As much as I lOVE my customers I feel like I've missed SO much in both my daughters lives already!! And my oldest is only 4!

Our last day in the shop will be January 28th... and then it's all about the web!!

We will be having some pretty good sales through January - like BOB Strollers!! So stay tuned through the blog and Facebook.

Happy New Year!!!!!

Things I plan to do on my Christmas Holidays :)

2011-12-22T11:40:00.002-08:00

Learn to make bread from scratch. Wish me luck :)

Learn to screen print.

(Which I am thinking MAY end up being messier than my four year olds crafts at the shop this week.)

Make a pot of coffee and call everyone I love to catch up… because we miss all of you!

4 Year olds are Awesome :)

2011-12-20T18:50:00.001-08:00

I have had both my daughters with me at the store all week ...and I am not kidding when I say this, it's been a challenge :)

That said I have also had the most surprisingly fantastic time with my 4 year old!!! We have watched movies, built forts and played board games .

Only Baby Boutique customers could be so forgiving of this level of chaos, because let's face it, if I were arranging mortgages everyday, the last few days might not have gone so "graceful".

So a BIG Thank You to all my customers for being so awesome!!

Would the giant snow globe been THAT bad?

2011-11-16T12:36:00.000-08:00

Last week I MAY have ignored my better judgement and ALMOST bought giant lawn ornament/reindeer snow globe my husband has been trying to talk me into for years!!!
Surprisingly, the deal breaker wasn't it's heinously tacky look
(that you MAY have been able to view my front lawn from the Hubble)
... but instead that it wasn't solar powered. The irony.

Tomorrow is Qualicum Beaches own Moonlight Madness!!!
(No glittery reindeer in snow globes, but lots of local holiday shopping :))
Not only have I gotten my glitter out at the store, but I am pretty sure I will have finished all my Christmas shopping!!
2Shiny Globe Reindeer. 1Stone.

Green MAchine.

2011-11-10T20:55:00.003-08:00

Sooooo I have had this mild obsession with minimizing my families carbon footprint and trying to save the world via recycling... one ... little piece of.... paper at a time :)

And one of the things we LOVE at my house is re-usable sandwich and snack bags, and I am constantly trying to find new ways to make having a bag-less lunches FUN, because let's face it, it will involve some extra work, but at least you'll look fabulous doing it ;)
(insert picture above) Kind of ridiculously exciting, these come in packs of 3! One snack bag, one sandwich bag and then a clear miscellaneous bag for some left field lunch additions like your Grandma's best banana bread.

A little bit like Christmas?

2011-11-06T08:57:00.000-08:00

Fall back is this productive Mommies dream!!
I spent one full giggle filled hour with my four year old cuddled up on the couch with the laptop (and coffee) debating whether to make jam or applesauce this afternoon and then which recipe we will use.
(We chose applesauce by the way)
And all of this before 7am :)

I love things that are different.

2011-11-03T19:34:00.001-07:00

So my 1yr old and I did some VERY productive decorating at the store today... dot dot dot

When I was struck by a lightening bolt.

3 Piece Monster Chairs.

Hard Candy needs them.

So they are enRoute, we should have them by next Friday!!

I mentioned them to said one year old, who I am pretty sure is just as excited as I am :)

Man are we ever delinquent bloggers!

2011-10-29T09:35:00.001-07:00

It seems like after you have kids life starts moving at LIGHT SPEED!!

It's already November and I am not even sure if I have...

A. Unpacked everything from the move in June? OR

B. Given nearly enough thought to CHRISTMAS presents!!! LOL.

What we have managed to do is pull together a MAJOR Giveaway to celebrate an epic THREE Years in business!!! When I opened Hard Candy my oldest daughter was just crawling and now we're preparing for her FOURTH birthday this weekend!!! SO through some tough economic times you the customer has supported this small business from both in store and online!! and I would just like to THANK YOU!!! Good Luck in the DRAW!!

Love of Husbands :)

2011-06-05T20:57:00.001-07:00

Alright. We are unOfficially almost unpacked... with maybe a few boxes hiding around the store behind diaper bags :)

THANK YOU to all my customers that still managed to find us this weekend, even though there was no sign or number on the building (insert ooey gooey love for my husband that kindly came up in chaos to hang my sign, and finish up all the little things that husbands do best).

We're Moving!!

2011-05-14T07:17:00.001-07:00

It's official.
We are moving shop.
...but only 2 doors down since we **HEART** Qualicum Beach so much!!

Mothers Day love

2011-05-07T21:23:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone gets all the child-made pancakes (or pambas as they're known in our house on Sunday) and Mothers Day love we all deserve!!!

Have a FANTASTIC DAY!!!

(...and if anyone talks to my husband feel free to remind him that cupcakes and chocolate are the direct route to my heart and Mother's Day is no exception).

What's new?

2011-04-12T18:57:00.000-07:00

What's new..... Hmmm.... well we've been a little busy over here getting

ready to debut our very own

Hard Candy Consignment Store!!

Yup. That's right. It's located a scandalous 2 doors down from Hard Candy Baby Boutique, and we couldn't be more excited.

Our Grand Opening Giveaway is...

wait for it....

a Smash the Cake session with Greg Howard Photography !!

Your little one can either Smash the Birthday Cake (my personal favourite) OR have a Mini Session.

So come by to check out our consignment, and enter to WIN!

Happy Shopping.

April FOOL!

2011-04-02T09:11:00.000-07:00

By far my favourite kind of April Fool gag.

95% HYSTerICAL

5% GROSS.

(...it's soap... happy hand washing!!)

Spring is in the air...

2011-03-22T19:00:00.000-07:00

Oooooh we have been SUPER busy shaking life up over at the shop! Spring cleaning is FEVERISH!!

Painting... moving stuff around....and accepting all our fabulous SPRING orders!! I am also cooking up something else that's got all of us at HArd Candy all riled up with excitement!!

That's all I am going to say about that for now.

Alright and maybe one last thing.

... STAY TUNED!!

Addicted to Bloggers?

2011-03-02T09:57:00.000-08:00

I have seriously discovered SO many fabulous bloggers lately!!!

Check out http://plasticmanners.wordpress.com/ I am RIVETED my their different plights!

Here's another one of my favourites...

http://homemadecrackers.blogspot.com/

because I think we all wonder why we don't just make simple things like crackers :)

I HEART leg warmers

2011-02-14T16:25:00.001-08:00

Maybe it's a little Flashdance flashback... but I seriously *HEART* leg warmers! There. I said it out loud. I recently ordered some Agoo BAMBOO leggings (from Vancouver by the way) and am BLOWN away by how soft they are! Is it maybe a little embarrassing that I wish they made them in mommy size.... ?

Ever heard of BOB Strollers ;)

2011-02-10T19:35:00.000-08:00

We have been waiting to talk about this stroller for seriously almost a year, and keeping secrets is INSANELY hard for all of us at Hard Candy! To anyone not enGROSSED in baby world the buZZ on this stroller might seem a little hyped up, (insert the rolling of the eyes for all of us who KNOW how much BOB's RULE). So for purely research purposes, I have bought one for myself... in PLUM... because it's not my fault that our newest HAPPens to look amazing in that colour.

What is Black, White and Red all over?

2011-01-29T14:02:00.000-08:00

I have never been a huge Valentines Day fan, but ever since having my first daughter in 2007 suddenly I am baking heart shaped cookies, cutting out doilies (dare I even admit that), pasting, glittering and *heart* ing the heck out of this FABULOUS holiday!! This year I may even twist my husbands (rubber arm) into joining us in plastering pink and red... all over.

Getting my Blog Groove On

2011-01-26T21:08:00.000-08:00

So the *new(ish)* addition and myself are officially back to work and are LOVING the vibe of 2011!!The plans we have for Hard Candy this year are big Big BIG, including a good shake up of what we are able to offer to our amazing customers!

Starting with... expanding our online store

www.hardcandybaby.ca

Happy Shopping!

8 Weeks of Birthday Giveaways

2011-01-01T22:03:00.001-08:00

What a GREAT 2 Year celebration!! In 8 weeks we managed to giveaway almost $1000 worth of Gift Certificates and Ergo's. CONGRATULATIONS to ALL our WINNERS!!! Thank YOU for all your support :) There is SO much in the works for next year - WELCOME 2011 !!