I come from the boonies of Upstate New York, which means that every few weeks I NEED an escape from the insane pace of the city.  Thankfully, I have family that is just a short train ride away.  A few weeks ago I asked my Aunt Vicky if I could come and hang out with her and my two adorable cousins at their home in Ridgefield, Connecticut, for a few days of relaxation, free laundry and home cooked food.  And most importantly, quality time with my cousins.  They are 8 and 10 year-old girls, both gorgeous, and so smart that it scares me. Olivia, the ten-year-old, gave me several "challenges" throughout the weekend, which made me question whether I truly deserve my college degree.  And Madeline, the eight-year-old, is a budding existentialist, and asks "But why?" anytime you tell her ANYTHING.  I am fascinated by the both of them. I decided that it would be a good idea for me to bring an activity for us to do together that I could actually keep up with. After racking my brain for a bit, I settled on an arts & crafts project.  Seri's Auntie Marissa sent over a cute shamrock-decorating craft idea which involves glitter.... Little girls and glitter? Sold!

What you will need: -Green construction paper (I got several different colors, all different shades of green) -Glitter Glue (I chose gold and green, but you can get whatever you like!) -Shamrock-shaped cookie cutters -Shamrock stickers -Pencils -Scissors -Craft paper (to put down on your work surface)

What to do: -Lay down the craft paper to completely cover your work surface -- we skipped that step and, needless to say, glitter glue is tough to get off of a wood table. -Grab your construction paper, cookie cutters and pencils. Use the cookie cutters to trace shamrock shapes on the paper.  This will give you lines to follow when you are cutting out your shamrocks! -Cut out the shamrocks that you have traced.  If you are doing this craft with younger kids, or kids that are particularly rambunctious, I would recommend cutting out the shamrocks for them. Since the girls are a bit older and well-behaved, I figured I could trust them not to accidentally cut themselves or stab each other with the scissors. - Grab your glitter glue, stickers, and any other fun supplies you may want to decorate your shamrock with and go to town! My cousins loved making different patterns and using LOTS of glitter glue. How each of the girls decided to decorate their own shamrocks also spoke to their personalities - Olivia liked to make neat, clean patterns, whereas Madi particularly enjoyed globbing on the glitter glue and smushing it around, and seeing how that would turn out. I also enjoyed myself as a I sat back and watched, helped when necessary, and sipped on a glass of wine. All in all, an easy and creative craft for all ages to enjoy.  I would definitely recommend.  Thanks, Auntie Marissa!! PS, silly St. Patrick's Day headbands are optional, but strongly encouraged. xx, Abby