A Day In My Life

My favorite holiday is coming up... the 4th of July! I've already got lots of fun things planned for my annual family barbecue, and I'm SO excited! First up... Firecracker Favors: Aren't they adorable?? I got this idea from Family Fun, and they were super easy to make... For each firecracker, remove the outer wrapper from a roll of candy (I used lifesavers). Wrap the inner lining with colored tape . Insert foil party picks into the center of the roll. Even if you aren't having a family barbecue, they look great as a table centerpiece, and I bet kids will love putting them together. Try it!

Father's Day ideas continued... I decided to show you the things Harvey and I made to give to Justin. First up... "I Love You This Much Card": It's super easy... 1. Trace your child's hand, then cut out two copies. My paper was double sided so I made sure that when the thumbs match up - the yellow side would be inside, and the blue side would be outside. 2. Cut out a strip of paper and fold it accordion style. Use letter rub-ons or stickers to add the words "I Love You" on the outside, and "This Much" on the strip of paper.  3. Glue the ends of your accordion strip on the insides of the hands and your card is done. :) Kid Canvas: Then Harvey and I made a little canvas (4 inches x 4 inches) to hang on the wall in Justin's office at work. I purchased small ones so we could add to them each year and hang them in one grouping. I prepainted the canvas in green, then set Harvey in the bathtub with blue paint and...

So.. Father's Day is in 10 days. Yeah - already. Here are a few ideas for you... Shirt Card: All you need are two papers, and two buttons. 1. Cut one paper into a piece 4 inches by 11 inches. Fold it in half so you have a card base that opens "up" and measures about 4 inches wide by 5.5 inches tall. 2. Measure one inch from the fold and draw a line 3/4 inches toward the center on both sides of your card.  Use scissors to cut through both papers at the marks. 3. Fold these pieces in to the center of the card, so the top corners meet in the middle. 4. Download this tie pattern... Here is an alternate link to download the file: Shirt Card Template ...and use it to trace and cut a tie out of your second paper. Glue your tie in the center of the card. 5. Add buttons to the collar to make it more realistic. (Or, if you want to do it digitally, go here to download an awesome template from ScrapMatters.com) Here are some clutter-free Father's Day gif...

Happy Easter everyone! I've been working on a few fun things for my Easter dinner. I'm SO excited for dessert (aren't I always), because we are having these sweet little bird's nests! Ingredients: 1 can (12 oz) sweetened condensed milk 2 cups (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips 2 cans (5 oz each) thin chowmein noodles "Egg" candy - I used Cadbury Minis 1. Prepare a tray or sheet of waxed paper with nonstick spray. Set aside 2. Scrape condensed milk into a medium sauce pan, add chocolate chips. Place over low heat and stir often until chips melt and mixture is blended and smooth. 3. Put noodles in a large bowl, pour on chocolate mixture and toss with a rubber spatula until noodles are coated. 4. Drop generous 1/2 cups on prepared baking sheets. Lightly spray fingertips with nonstick spray. Form into nests by making a little indentation in the middle. Refrigerate 30 minutes or until set. Tip: Can be made up to 3 days before serving. Store lo...

I had a baby that spit up - a LOT. Luckily I was given quite a few burp cloths as baby shower gifts. I learned quickly that there is really only one kind of burp cloth that holds its weight in gold (literally) - the one made from a cloth diaper. I used one of the cloths given to me as a stereotype, and I made these for gifts. Didn't they turn out adorable? I am in love with that camo-print ribbon.  They were super easy to make... I just stitched along the middle hem lines then added a coordinating ribbon along the bottom.

Oh my heavens - these are SO DELICIOUS, and totally easy to make. You must try this recipe! Ingredients: 2 egg whites 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 teaspoon almond 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 3 teaspoons water 1/2 cup flour 1/2 cup sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch 1/4 teaspoon salt food coloring (optional) dipping chocolate (optional) sprinkles (optional) fortunes, printed and cut (optional) 1. Mix everything but the dipping chocolate and sprinkles. 2. Spoon onto greased cookie sheet and spread with the back of your spoon into 3-4 inch circles. Only do 2 or 3 at a time so you'll have time for Step 3. Bake at 300 degrees for 14 minutes. (I had to adjust for my oven, so I started at 10 minutes, and after 2 batches I lowered it to 9 minutes.) 3. Work quickly! Scrape off the cookie, turn it upside-down and lay your fortune inside. Fold the circle in half, then holding the cookie by the edges press down onto the edge of your mixing bowl. The cookie will mold ...

My friends and I hosted a baby shower a couple weeks ago. We decided to have fortune cookies dipped in chocolate and sprinkles for our favors in honor of Chinese New Year (Feb 14th this year). We bought take-out boxes online, took them apart and cut out scrapbook paper to fit around them. Then we glued the paper on, and put the boxes back together. It was super easy, but it took us about 2 hours to make 20 while chasing our 14 & 18 month-old kids and a new puppy. While we were putting them together I thought it would be fun to be able to make your own take out box out of whatever scrapbook paper you had on hand, so I made a couple templates to share. Both of them are for a smaller box like I have pictured above, and they will print on a standard sized printer. 1. Outline Only (no program needed). Find some (thicker) scrapbook paper you want to use, cut it down to fit into your printer (about 8.5 inches) and print the outline on the sheet. I would recommend cardstock, or your...