A "Favorite" Party

Have a kid that has so many "favorite" things that you just can't decide on a party theme??  Well, we did!!  ;)  After going back & forth from one theme to the other. . . I decided to keep it "simple" and pick them all!!!  :)  It was a super-simple, small party, but the kids had a great time!!  I can add a few projects to my "tried it" board on Pinterest, because I actually made a few things that I've pinned!!  ;)

For starters, I made a super easy banner.  I found the idea HERE, but I didn't want to involve my sewing machine, so I simplified it!!  :)
  

Materials:  I used a comic book that had some torn pages (in other words, not a "valuable" one ;), I made some color copies from a few books, and I also included pictures that I had printed from home.   I also used green gardening jute/twine (Wal-Mart), tape & ribbon.

 I cut my pictures to the size I wanted them, then simply taped them over the twine.  I tied a knot in the twine, before & after each picture, so they wouldn't slide around.  Lastly, I tied a few strips of ribbon onto the twine!

 Super simple & quick!!  ;)  (Bummed I forgot to take a picture of them hanging - - they looked cute with balloons tied to each end!!  ;)


This is what the invitations said:
 

Seven

Come celebrate

Hunter’s 7^th birthday!

We’ll be doing lots of

Hunter’s favorite things

& he wants his favorite

 people to join him!

The party was only 2 hours long, but we managed to squeeze in a few fun things!!  :)

Hunter's favorite superhero is Spiderman, so we rented this bouncer!  We could have EASILY gotten away only having this as our entertainment, but of course, that would be too easy!!  ;)

Hunter wanted to paint, so I made a little "canvas" (out of foam core - cut 2 large pieces into 12!) for each kid, then used my Cricut to cut out their names from Contact Paper.  I stuck the names on, we painted over the letters & took the letters off once the paint dried!!  (This is my other son's picture, but again, thanks for the idea, Pinterest!! ;)



I made mini bow & arrows for each kid (one bow w/ 5 arrows each)!  They were kinda time consuming - - you have to soak the sticks in water (the longer the better. . . like overnight!), then cut little notches on each side - top & bottom - then while bending the sticks (carefully), tie (I used embroidery floss) the string on both ends!!  They were worth it, because they were actually quite awesome!!  They shot pretty far!!  We had a contest to see who could hit the target & the kids were so serious!!  ;)  Again. . . Pinterest!!!  ;)
 Our menu was full of Hunter's favorite foods: Hamburgers (and hot dogs), his favorite chips, his favorite veggies & dip, pasta salad, and his favorite drink - 7Up (mini Halloween cans). . . perfect for a 7th birthday!! ;)  I also had water bottles that I removed the labels from & wrapped a strip of cool duct tape around!!  (Pinterest!!;) 

Simple goodie bags - red lunch sacks!!

 I filled the bag with superhero candy (Dollar Tree), "Wallace & Gromit's modeling clay", sidewalk chalk, a few little trinkets & a coloring book that I made!!  :)

 Hunter LOVES clay & LOVES Wallace & Gromit, so we had to put the 2 together!!  ;)



A simple party that was lots of fun!!!!  :)  (I guess I should call it our "Pinterest Party"!!  ;)

Grandparent's Day

I made this super simple little gift for my mom.  Not super flashy, but I love the saying!  Bought an inexpensive shadowbox frame, printed out the saying & added a couple of embellishments.  The 7 buttons represent her 7 grandkids!!  :)  Cute & simple!!

Re-usable Sandwich Bags

At our house, we have 3 out of our 4 kids in school.  Three kids that never buy school lunch.  Therefore, we use an average of 4-5 sandwich bags per kid, per day.  That's a total of 12-15 per day, and 60-75 per week!!!  Now, that's a lot of baggies!!!  I've seen the re-useable bags on Pinterest & the internet, and wanted to make some, so I finally got around to it!!  ;)

I went to Hobby Lobby & didn't know what the fabric was called, so I explained it to the lady there.  She said it's what people make training pants for babies out of . . . but still no "name" for the fabric! ;)  (And like a dork, I didn't ask!! ;)  So - - whatever it's called. . . it's quite pricey!!  :(  It was between $12-$14/yd (depending on print)!!  However, I only got 1/2 yd & used my 40% coupon!!  :)

I must first say, (like I've mentioned a few times before), I do NOT claim to be an expert seamstress!!  I can make things, but my stitches aren't perfect!!  I had to tell myself, "Remember - these are sandwich bags. . . who cares how 'perfect' they are(n't)!!!"  :)

With that said - - here's what I did:

I used blue fabric - - there wasn't much of a choice. . . blue, green, baby dinosaurs or girly owls!!  :)  Now, with 2 boys & a girl in 6th grade. . . I thought blue made the most sense!!  ;)  I also used sew-on velcro.  I pre-washed the fabric, but wasn't sure if I could dry it, so I just laid it out to dry.  (It dries really quickly!! :)


The first few bags I made turned out a little too narrow for a sandwich, so they will be used for chips, fruit, cookies, etc!  :)  I ended up using strips that were 15 x 7", folding the top over 1" & just leaving a little gap between the top & the opening of the bag.  (And on some of the bags I made toward the end, I didn't even fold the top over - - just sewed the velcro right under the flap!!  ;)  I stitched around the top, sewed the velcro on, (apparently I didn't take a picture of that! :( , then sewed down the sides of the bag.  I added a little strip of ribbon to the tops of a few bags. :) I made a few small "snack-size" baggies with the extra fabric!!  (I didn't even worry about the raw edges being that this fabric doesn't fray!!  Once again - - they're only sandwich baggies!!  Had this been a gift, the stitches might have been a LOT neater!!  ;) 
I have to say - - this fabric is NOT fun to sew!!  The rubber-like lining kept gripping my machine & the silky top didn't hold still that well!!  :(  Therefore - my stitches were NOT pretty!!  However - they're done & now I have about 8 bags!!  8 bags from 1/2 yd - - which came out to about $3+!!  Not too shabby!!  I'm going to go back & get some green next!!  When the kids are done with the bags, I turn them inside out & wash them with dish soap & set them out to dry - - super easy!!  It takes a few extra seconds, but oh well!!  ;)  How's that for "goin' green" (or blue in this case)????!!!!  ;)  ;)

Bring On The Crafts!! ;)

Well, summer's over & time to get crafty!!  ;)  My 3-yr-old is keeping me busy with preschool (you can see that blog with the link to the right!), so I don't have a ton of extra time, but manage to find time here & there!!  ;)

Last week, we passed out little treats to the primary teachers at church.  You could easily do this for a school teacher, just change the wording!!  This is what I came up with:

I've seen the "fall to pieces" (using Reese's Pieces) idea before, but just added my own twist!  :)  I looked at about 3 stores & could NOT find individual bags of Reese's Pieces, so I just bought a few of the "party-size" bags & put a scoop full into clear party bags!  Not rocket science, but I think they turned out cute!!  :)

Candy Wrapper Bracelet

This is a project that just about anyone can do!!  My 11-year-old did this one all by herself!!  :)  I showed her how to do it & watched her work - - love it!!  ;)

We used:
* raw wood bracelet (Michael's - on sale for $0.59!!!)
* candy wrappers
* Mod Podge (we used clear & glitter)

Simply apply clear Mod Podge to the back of a candy wrapper - (we used Starburst), then apply wrapper to bracelet!  Continue with the rest of the wrappers, until the bracelet is covered as desired!  Once covered, apply a coat of glitter Mod Podge.  Allow it to dry!  THAT'S IT!!!  So simple - I think there might be a few other projects in the near future. . . being that I bought a ton of wooden pieces!!  ;)  (You can see my teacher necklace I made over HERE!!)

 We didn't use the square piece yet - - but soon!!!  ;)

Disney-Bound!

California, here we come!!  :)  We're going to Disneyland & 2 of my 4 kids had Mickey shirts that they wanted to wear!  Well. . . that left 2 without shirts, so . . . I had to get creative!!!  ;)  Both shirts were super simple (like all my projects ;) - but my son's was the easiest!!!

For his shirt, we used:
* a black shirt
* contact paper (I'm sure freezer paper would have worked MUCH better - but used what I had!! ;)
* bleach (and bleach pen if desired)
* spray bottle

 First, cut a Mickey shape (I used a pattern of course!) out of Contact Paper.  Remove paper backing & attach to shirt.  Make sure it's completely stuck to shirt (technical, I know! ;).

 Put bleach in spray bottle & spray shirt as desired!!!  Make sure to cover edges of contact paper  to leave the shape outline.  *** Like I said above - freezer paper would probably work much better, because the bleach went under the Contact Paper :( - - however, we still liked the end result!!

 We were not expecting the red when we sprayed bleach!!  It was kind of a cool surprise!!  (After it was washed & dried, it faded to a rust color - so neat!!)

  I used a bleach pen to trace the Mickey outline, to try & make it stand out a little more!  I left it on for about 10 minutes, then washed & dried the shirt.

  The final product!!  It's unique to say the least!!!  ;)  My husband said it looks like flames -  - could just be the firefighter in him!!!  ;)









For my daughter's shirt - - it looks simple (which it actually was), but was kinda time consuming!!  She loves zebra print, so we did a simple black Minnie head with a zebra bow!!

I used the same pattern as above - and cut a black head out of felt.  I sewed it onto the shirt, made a simple bow out of zebra fabric & hand sewed it on!!  Easy peasy!!  ;)

Teacher Necklace

I wanted to make a cute (and cost-effective ;) gift for my kids' teachers.  There are tons of ideas out there, but when you have to give three gifts, it can get pricey!!  (And #4's not even in school yet!!!  Actually - I'M her teacher. . . guess I better go buy myself something!!! ) hahaha!! ;)

Anywho - this is the little necklace I came up with!!!  Simple & cute - just the way I like it!! ;)  I spent $10 (after using a 40% off coupon) - but pretty good for 3 necklaces!!

Supplies:
* I found this really cool "cork" paper that is adhesive-backed - it was $1.99 & I only used a small corner of it!!
* Necklace "cords" (technical, I know! ;) - that came with 3 sets!!!  They were under $4, and I used my 40% coupon!
* Jolee's glittery apples (on sale for $2.50!)
* Raw wooden jewelery tags (which were on sale for $0.99!!)
* sandpaper
* craft paint
* Mod Podge (I used regular & glitter)

 I sanded the wooden pieces, painted them, then distressed the edges.

 I cut the cork paper to fit & stuck it on.  I used my eyelet setter to punch the hole out in the cork paper!  (It was the only thing small enough & sharp!! ;)  I printed the teacher's names & cut them out.  I attached them with clear Mod Podge, then once that dried, I applied glitter Mod Podge over the entire thing, front & back!

 I removed the little sticky dot from the back of the apple, then hot glued it on!

I attached the cord & ta-dah. . . a necklace!!!  ;)  (The necklace cording came with clasps but they're not in the picture.  You could just tie the cords in a knot - I thought it didn't look "finished" that way, but depends on you!!  ;)  I wrapped these up in tissue & put them in a cute bag with some candy!!  I think the grand total was about $13 for 3 teacher gifts!!!  ;)

Mother's Day

I wanted to share a few of my Mother's Day gifts!!  I didn't personally "make" anything, but I was a lucky mom & received a bunch of cute stuff!!! :)

The most labor-intensive gift (I don't have "favorites" ;), has to be from my 3rd grader!!  EACH kid got a 13" tile, wrote a long poem on it in Sharpie, painted a large flower on it, attached a photo of themselves (that the teacher took), and then Mod Podged it!!!  THEN. . . they made a card (with another photo attached), and decorated their own wrapping paper!!!!  So cute!!!

The poem says:  (The teacher told them the lines with the parts of the flower, but they created the lines that tells what each part does!!!  LOVE it!!!  ;)

"Mom, you are like a sunflower - you are like the roots
you feed me nutrients and water.  You keep me healthy.
You are like the stem,
you provide strength and you are my backbone
You taught me to walk tall.
You provide shade for me like the leaves.
You are like a shadow standing over me.
Most of all mom, you are like a yellow bright sunflower.
Mom - you are a beautiful sunflower.

The card says:
Love you lots!
With all my heart.
Love your seed,
Noah


Talk about a tear-jerker!!!!  Now, I know this wasn't really a sappy poem, but considering it came from my "often difficult" child ;) ;) - - it really got to me!!!

I also got a vase of super cute, colorful tissue paper flowers, made by my oldest at Activity Days!!

These came with a little sample of hand/foot scrub that they made!!  So fun!!!  :)







This is the adorable card that my kindergartener made:

"This little flower is special, you see, Because it was made from a part of me.  My painted thumb made each flower part  To show I love you with all my hart!  Happy Mother's Day!"

This is his cute drawing inside!!  :)






I serve in the Primary at Church, and we gave the kids each a bag of M&M's to give to their moms, with this cute little attachment:

 "M&M - - Mom & Me moment" -
The idea is for the kids to eat the candy with Mom & for each color that they pick, they ask the question on the card!!  So cute!!  I played it with one of my kids & it was fun to hear the responses!!  :)

Hooray For Teachers!!

Being that this week was teacher appreciation week, I managed to get around to a few little projects!!  :)  I was lazy & didn't start my "appreciation" until Wednesday, so the teachers each got 3 gifts.  ;)  For Wednesday, I made each of our teachers (3), a notebook (totally simple - just covered a spiral notebook with scrapbook paper & added their initial!!), but was really bummed when I realized I forgot to take a picture!!  :(  I also gave them a flower pen (wrapped in floral tape with a silk flower on top)!!  For Thursday, I personalized cups, filled them with my new favorite popcorn & wrote a little note on a new notepad!  (The notepads were leftovers from some free stuff I was given, but they had the word "Nice" at the top & a red border at the bottom. . . so they worked!!  ;)

 Wrote their names with a Sharpie - totally simple!  I think the cups were 4/$2 @ Wal-Mart!

 Very addicting popcorn!!!  :)  All packaged up in a simple lunch sack!!


For today, I gave 2 of the teachers a bag of Flipz, with a note that said, "I've been doing Flipz all year with you as my teacher!"  - Kinda corny, I know - but again, it worked!! ;)  For the 3rd teacher, I knew she liked Twix, so I got her a pack of them & attached a note that said, "To a GOLDEN teacher!"  ;)  The last treat went to my daughter's orchestra teacher - a Symphony bar with a note: "Thanks for helping my begin my journey to the symphony!"  (Get it - "Symphony. . .  orchestra. . . again, corny I know!! ;)

I wasn't a teacher for long, but long enough to know that they truly appreciate the thought & it doesn't have to be elaborate!!  Everyone likes to be appreciated!!!  ;)

Boxes to Book-holders

Quite a while ago, I found some diapers on sale (and had a coupon, of course ;) & they came in cool boxes!!  I just new that some day, I'd get around to using them!!  Well, about a year later. . . I finally did!!  :)  This is what I came up with!!  - - Totally not super original, but this is my spin on book-holders!!  :)

Before:

After:

Super simple!!  Painted the insides & spines of the boxes - Mod Podged scrapbook paper on sides & front - added a glitter Mod Podge coat all around!!  :)  After I finished the 3 diaper boxes, I made another one out of a (large) cereal box!!!  Perfect for magazines!!  :)

Cut off top & 1/2 of one side.

Painted, papered & Mod Podged!!  :)

Simple Easter Wreath

 Well, I managed to complete at least ONE Easter project before Easter!!  ;)  I really wanted a wreath for my door, but didn't want to spend a ton on a wreath form, when I knew I could make my own!!  :) 
So, I looked around & found a nice box just sitting there, waiting to be used!!  :)  I used a large lid (from a salad bowl), traced it, then traced a smaller lid in the center. Then, using kitchen scissors, I cut out my wreath.

 I had some fabric in nice Easter colors in my stash! (They are much brighter than they appear!!) 

 I cut (well,tore) about 25 strips in each color - about 1" wide by 12" long.

Then, just tied the strips all over the wreath, following an ABC pattern!!

Lastly, I used fishing line to tie plastic eggs to the wreath!  Since the eggs already had holes in the tops & bottoms - this was easy!! ;)





Super simple & I think it turned out pretty cute!!  ;)