Eclipse!!

Eclipse!!! Today!!! I can't wait!!!

I am going to go to the movie today with my sister and her little girl. We are so excited. We went last year on opening day also and it was so much fun. We were in line for 2 hours with all the crazies just like us!

I'll tell you how it was when I get back...as if it won't be the most fantastic ever!

Summer!

This is a fun decoration I made for the summer. I used old wood that I had left from a dresser that was being trashed. Instead of just dumping it all in the trash I decided to keep most of the drawer pieces.

This is a drawer side that I mod podged with a cute paper and added vinyl to. I drilled some holes and strung some ribbon as well. Fun and easy!

4th of July Flag

Oh say does that Star Spangled Banner yet wave....

Gives me goosebumps!

This is a flag my sister helped me make years ago. All it is is:

4 slats of wood

1 star

wire

This wood isn't the best wood, and who cares! You are going to paint it, and all those dings and knots give it character!

Holes were drilled in the corners of the slats and in the center of the star.

We decorated it with a bit of straw stuff (what is that called again?). We twisted our wire to make it pretty.

TIP: If you don't want wire to mark up your door or wall, just put some hot glue on the exposed wire to create a buffer. I did this so that the wire on the back of the flag doesn't damage my front door as it bangs around in the wind.

EASY PEESEE!

My FIRST Link!

Yeah! A great site that I follow, Craft-o-maniac, linked my Bubble gum machine to her site! I am so thankful and so happy! I about passed out when I saw it. Thanks again Craft-o-maniac!

Bubble Gum Machine

I saw this idea on another blog, but of course I did not save the address. So if this is your idea, than Thank You!

You will need:

-a terra cotta pot and plate thingie

-a wooden wheel. I got mine at Michaels for less than $1

-a knob or a knobish thing. I used a dolls head for less than $1

-glass jar/fish bowl

-paint

-glue E6000

Paint everything red. I used craft paint but you could use spray paint. When dry paint on your details. I added a coat of clear lacquer to give it a shine. When that was all dry i added my glue and let it set for 24 hours.

Ta-Da! So cute! You can use it for anything I want. I plan to use mine for a cookie jar. I love how it matches my Kitchen Aid cover behind it. Red is my kitchen color.

What's in a Name?

I made this for my daughters room. We rent and aren't able to paint so i try to do as much wall hangings as I can.

I started with letters from Joann's. i got the wood kind because I wanted to paint them.

I also got some of the pre-painted little wood pieces to attach to each letter.

Using paint that I already had I gave each letter several coats of paint.

I used a sharpie to give the seam edge look to each letter. I had some glitter puff paint and I added dots as well.

I attached the pre-painted wood pieced using hot glue and also glued a ribbon to hang them with to the back of each letter.

I think they turned out super cute! They certainly add a special touch to her room.

Washer Necklace

I made my first washer necklace! I love it!

I decided to have my activity days girls make them as well. They had a lot of fun and were able to go home with a cute little necklace.

I got my stamp set from harbor Freight online. It was about $5 plus shipping. I got my washers form Home Depot. It came to about $5 for both sets.

The only supplies you need is a hammer and a sharpie.

Make sure you hammer on solid ground. You don't want to damage your floor.

Place you stamp and give it a good wack!

When done go over the dents with a sharpie and the QUICKLY rub it off. This makes the dents darker so they can be seen better.

I added a cute ribbon and finding to make it cuter. I also glued my washers together so that they stay in place better.

This would be a great gift for a man. Maybe a key ring fob.

The possibilities are endless!

NO SEW! Little Girl Bow Holder

This is a bow holder I made for my little girls room. I do not enjoy sewing to much so I made this with hot glue instead.

Do you think she has enough bows and flowers?!

Good thing I make these myself!

The board is actually a foam mat that you get for presentations.

I used a piece of scrap fabric and stretched it over the board and glued it into place. Then I used ribbon to create a criss-cross pattern over the board front. I glued those into place as well.

I used ribbon to make a hanger and that was it!

FREE BOSCH Mixer

Do you want to win a FREE Bosch Mixer? Of course you do! Visit http://dealstomeals.blogspot.com/. This is the best site! This website has GREAT recipes, food storage ideas, homemaker ideas and it helps you save money at the grocery store. What more could you ask for? You have to check this out. I am really into bread lately and I am so excited to try some of the bread recipes they have. I will be sure to post as i make them and let you know if they as good as they look.

Cincinnati Chili, Easy Style

I made a new recipe last night, Cincinnati Chili, the super easy version. We have always thought it looked interesting so we decided to just try it! I was super yummy and my 9 year old even liked it! So here is the recipe you you would like to try it. Made enough for 5-6 servings. Leave a comment if you have some ideas.

1 lb ground beef

chopped onion or dry onion, whatever amount you like

1 can tomato sauce

1 tsp cinnamon

1 pkg chili seasoning

1 can kidney beans (if desired)

1 can stewed tomatoes (if desired)

water

spaghetti noodles, cooked

Brown meat and drain fat. Add all except water and mix well. Add water to desired consistency. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes. Serve over noodles. top with cheese, onions, sour cream, whatever you like!

Summer Activity Jar

Do your kids wine like mine do?

YES?!

Well here is a small idea to give you SOME reprieve.

A Summer Activity Jar that your kids can reach into every day and find a wonderful surprise.

Start by planning out your summer. I printed out blank calendar months and filled in any summer plans; ie. swimming lessons, vacations and camps. Next I added all the other things that happen in town; ie. free movie festival and Home Depot/Lowe's kids clinics.

Then I made a list of other fun stuff we can do this summer. I made categories and color coded them. I had 5 categories.

1. Crafts

2. free stuff to do at home

3. free stuff to do outside of the home

4. stuff we have to pay for

5. food

I cut small pieces of paper and wrote on each piece what the activity was. The reason I color coded (besides being anal) was so that at the first of the week I could pick out one paper per color and put them in the jar. This way I know what we will be doing that week and I can plan in advance in case I need to get supplies.

Next I decorated my jar. I had this one in the cupboard. it had been used for several activities and worked perfect for this one. I could have used a clear pasta jar or pickle jar just as easily. I cut out some vinyl on my cricut and added some ribbon to brighten it up.

And here it is! The kids love it and it gives them something to look forward to every day. Here are some of things I have in the jar.

1. Make a volcano or other science experiment

2. Make giant bubble wands out of wire

3. Plant flowers in Tera cotta pots that kids have painted

4. Backyard camping

5. Sidewalk paint

6. Pudding painting, fun and edible!

7. Water balloon fight

8. Wash the cars

9. Go to the movies, FREE or payed

10. The dollar store – give the kids a few dollars and let them go nuts!

11. The drive in movies

12. Roller skating

13. Bowling – check for discount nights/family nights

14. Make cookies

15. Make cupcakes and decorate

16. Make homemade ice cream

17. Lowes/Home Depot kids workshop, most Saturdays (at home page enter in search “kids workshop”)

18. Library

19. YMCA/community pool

20. outdoor Hike

21. Pet store

22. the Lake

23. nature preserve

24. Kids Free Movies

25. Go out for ice cream

26. museum

27. Make an indoor fort

2x4 Father's Day Gift

I made this for my Hubby for Father's Day.

So cute! I got the idea from How Does She?

I also made this for my sisters birthday. A variation on the father's day gift.

Dry Erase Family Calendar

I have wanted to have a "real" family calendar for awhile now and I decided to just DO IT!

I recently got a Cricut and decided to put it to the test. In retrospect I should have done some things differently, but oh well! Live and learn!

I started by finding a cheep frame. I got mine from Kirkland's Home. It was on sale already and I had a $5 off coupon also. So it ended up being only $6!

I took the back off and took the original picture out of the frame. Then I mapped out what I was going to do on paper. It was a good thing I did too! I made several mistakes before I got to the actual glass. When I had it figured out I drew my design onto the cardboard mat provided in the frame. This way all I had to do was follow the lines.

Finally I started cutting my vinyl. I cut them by hand (should have used the cricut!), and applying them.

This is what it looked like while in the process and when I was done. I am going to flip the glass around so that the vinyl is on the BACKSIDE of the glass. This way I can use a dry-erase marker on the front and not damage the vinyl. Next I cut out our family name, I made sure to do it in mirror image so that it is readable once I flip the glass.

Whalla! The lines aren't super straight and I would have done a few things differently if I could do it again (which I can thanks to the magic of vinyl!), but I like it. I chose a white background so as not to distract the eye.

My First Post!

I am starting a Crafter's Club! Yeah! All this stuff in my brain NEEDS TO GET OUT! Hope you enjoy. I will also be posting other stuff I make that you might like to look at. This is new for me so bare with me!