Show Off Saturday {Kids Crafts}

It’s getting to the middle of summer. Unfortunately by this point your kids might be starting to say that one phrase that seems to grate on the nerves of mothers everywhere… “I’m bored.”

Never fear! I have 5 great tutorials for some fun crafts that your kids are going to love from around blogland.

1. Apparently Canada Day is coming up. But even if you’re not Canadian your kids will have fun making this beaver handprint from Sweet and Lovely Crafts.

2. If it’s not too hot where you’re at you can mix up some sidewalk paint with this recipe from A Girl and a Glue Gun and send them on to paint up your driveway.

3. Tie dye is always a fun activity to do with the kids. Ricochet and Away has a great tie dye tutorial that doesn’t actually involve dye, though it’s still just as fun.

4. The Bowdabra Blog has a great tutorial for making felt fashion cuffs that your little girls will absolutely love.

5. Coffee filters are great for so much more than making coffee. Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom made coffee filter flowers with her kids.

So what have you been doing with your kids so keep those dreaded words away?

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Dress Up Corner {tutorial}

I have 2 girls. And while I absolutely LOVE having 2 girls, it does mean a couple things:

1. We will never be in short supply of the colors pink and purple (though mostly pink)
2. I know every single song that every single Disney princess sings
3. We have enough dress up clothes to rival a costume shop

That last one is the one I will address today (because I don’t want to scare you with my rendition of Part of Your World). Mackenzie loves dress up. Which is great. I think it’s adorable when she comes out in her latest getup. And we generally had her dress up clothes (and accessories. and shoes. and crowns. and…well you get the idea) under control. It all fit neatly in a little trunk. Then came the fateful day a few weeks ago. My mom’s neighbor showed up at my house (I’m helping her with a project) with about 3 huge boxes of dress up clothes. My entire living room was covered with dress up clothes. I didn’t know what to do. I knew they would no longer fit neatly in her closet. So the first thing I did was go through and choose clothes that would go over to Grammy’s house, so Mackenzie and her cousin could play there too. But I still had enough to dress a small glittered army, so my husband and I sat down and drew up plans for a dress up corner in her closet. I’m so happy with how it turned out. Want to see? This is her closet before:

As you can see, everything is just shoved in there. Ugh.

So what did I do to fix it? Well let me tell you…

1. I took the bottom right shelf off (ok my husband did, but whatever).

2. Next we bought some closet rod holders at home depot for like $1.25. We measured and marked where they should go and then attached them.

3. We cut an old closet rod from my parents’ house down to size.

4. We hung up and organized everything. All the accessories got put into the dress up trunk we already had.

Ready for the after?

Oh my goodness it looks so much better! Everything is in there so nicely. And my daughter is ecstatic. She has been playing dress up almost nonstop since we did this, which has provided for some great lessons on hanging up clothes.

So how do you organize your dress up clothes? Does it look like a wardrobe threw up in your daughter’s closet too?

I’m linking up at these fabulous parties:

The Cure for the Common Monday, Addicts (Not So) Anonymous, Tip Me Tuesday, Pity Party, Tinkled Pink, DIY Under $5, Making Monday Marvelous, Every {Body’s} Creative Endeavor, {Once Upon a Weekend}, Sundae Scoop, Show Me What Ya Got, Fridays Unfolded, Weekend Wrap Up, Get Your Craft On

Show Off Saturday {Fourth of July}

Can you believe the Fourth of July is already almost here? It seems like just yesterday the kids were all still in school. But the time of patriotism, BBQs and fireworks is upon us. My family is very patriotic, especially considering my brother is serving our country right now! I’ve found some great projects around the web to help bring the patriotic spirit to your home.

1. If you’re like most of the country, you’ll probably be celebrating our nation’s independence with some sort of food. This apron from Crazy Little Projects is the perfect accessory for cooking up some yummy grub!

2. I am always on the hunt for new busy bag ideas. I absolutely love this flag one from Crafty Journal. What a fun way to keep kids occupied! Plus you could turn it into a fun craft for kids by gluing everything together.

3. Looking for some inexpensive décor? I Gotta Create turned Pringles cans into these amazing firecrackers! I love them!

4. Welcome your guests in patriotic style with this super cute—and super easy—red white and blue wreath from A Creative Princess.

5. Have any spare beans lying around the house? You could create this fun décor from Makoodle! How easy and unique.

So what are you doing for the Fourth of July this year?

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Dill Pickles {recipe}

A few weeks ago a lady in my church sent an email out saying there was an order going in to a local farm for fresh produce. There was lots of produce available, and most of it was for a great price. My friend and I decided to split a box of both pickling and slicing cucumbers. After we got the cucumbers we spent the day pickling them! I had never done it before, but I was surprised and how easy it was! Seriously. And this method doesn’t require any special equipment, like a water bath canner. Just your oven!

Supplies Needed:

• Water
• Vinegar (we used 1 1/2 of the large containers)
• Canning Salt (not regular salt)
• Garlic
• Dill
• Jars (wide mouth are a little easier to work with)
• New lids and bands
• Cucumbers (we had about 30 lbs of slicers and 30 lbs of picklers)

Step 1: Sanitize your jars. Some people just tip them upside down in boiling water, but you could also run them through the hottest cycle of your dishwasher.
Step 2: While your jars are sanitizing, prepare your cucumbers. Slice your slicers (if you’re making sliced pickles) and wash everything.
Step 3: Place 1 head of dill (with little stem) and 2-3 cloves of garlic (put more in if you like it garlicky) in the jars.
Step 4: Pack your cucumbers in tightly. We used quart sized jars for the picklers and pint sized for the slices. If you want you can also added some crispness granules (they are found in the canning aisle).
Step 5: Place the jars in a 250* oven while you make the brine. For the brine bring to a boil 3 qts water, 1 qt vinegar, and 3/4 cup canning salt (we had to do this probably 4 times). Simmer the lids and bands to soften them while you make th brine as well. Take the jars out of the oven. Fill each jar with brine until a 1/2” from the top. Place hot lids and bands on jars. Hand tighten the bands. Place the jars back in the oven for 10 minutes more.
Step 6: Remove the jars from the oven. Let sit over night to make sure the lid has popped down. If the jar has completely cooled and is not popped, heat a new lid and put on the jar and place back in the oven for 10 more minutes.
Step 7: Wait about a week for the pickling process to work, then enjoy some yummy homemade pickles!
After making these with my friend I ended up with 7 qts of whole pickles, and 16 pints of sliced pickles, all for only $32! I definitely say I was worth it!
So how do you make your pickles? Do you use a different method or spices? I want to know!

Butterfly Wall {tutorial}

Decorating my daughter’s nursery has been so much fun! I decided I wanted to do some butterflies in her room. I was looking around my stash of craft stuff and saw some pretty blue cardstock that I knew would match perfectly. I grabbed my butterfly template I had used for my sister-in-law’s bridal shower and got to work. I’m so pleased with how the wall turned out! I love it!

Supplies Needed:

• Cardstock (I used two different colors, 3 of each)
• Butterfly Template (found here)
• Something to score the lines for folding
• Scissors
• Ticky tack
• Masking tape

Step 1: Trace the butterflies onto the cardstock. If I was strategic, I got four butterflies onto one piece of cardstock, resulting in 24 butterflies.

Step 2: Cut out all your butterflies. This is where my perfectionist skills really came in handy.

Step 3: Grab a ruler and whatever you want to use to score. I think I just used a nail cleaner/cuticle pusher from a manicure set cause one side had a nice point on it without being too sharp. Score a nice straight line along either side of the body so the wings can fold.

Step 4: Bend the butterfly wings. Use the masking tape to temporarily place the butterflies on the wall how you want them. I used the tape first so I could move them around until I got them just right. Once they’re one the wall, take each one off individually and place 3 small bits of ticky tack on the body of the butterfly. Press firmly on the wall. Repeat with each butterfly.

Step 5: Step back and admire your wall! Since I used two shades of blue, I put the lighter shade on bottom, with one or two mixed with the darker shade on top. I tried to make it flowy instead of in a clump, but you can do it however you like. Just have fun with it!

I’m linking up at these fabulous parties:

The Cure for the Common Monday, Addicts (Not So) Anonymous, Tip Me Tuesday, Pity Party, Tinkled Pink, DIY Under $5, Making Monday Marvelous, Every {Body’s} Creative Endeavor, {Once Upon a Weekend}, Sundae Scoop, Show Me What Ya Got, Fridays Unfolded, Weekend Wrap Up, Get Your Craft On

Show Off Saturday {Father’s Day}

Father’s Day may be tomorrow but you still have time to whip something up! My husband already got his major gift earlier this week…a shopping spree! He was in desperate need of some new clothes so we made a date night out of it. But my daughter and I will probably steal some time to ourselves tomorrow and make him a super special present. Maybe we’ll even use one of these fabulous tutorials!

1. Botanical Paperworks Blog has created this awesome printable for Father’s Day. Best part: it’s free!

2. My husband is not a sweets fan. He would much rather munch on some yummy chips or nuts. So her would definitely love this cute idea from A Step in the Journey.

3. I always love a personalized gift. And these pictures featuring quotes from your kids on why they love daddy couldn’t be more so. Positively Splendid has a great tutorial for creating them.

4. My husband is always in need of new socks. But just handing Dad a package of socks isn’t that fun. But How Does She has a great tutorial on turning those socks into a bouquet!

5. The Idea Room has created these fabulous candy bar wrapper covers. They’re a great and simple way to say I love you. Plus she has a few varieties to choose from!

What are you doing for Father’s Day?

If you were featured make sure you head on over and grab a button!

A Victory for Team Mom: Defeat of the Poop Monster

If you’ve been reading for a long time then you might remember awhile back when I revealed that my oldest daughter is a Poop Monster. Seriously. This girl loved to smear her poop EVERYWHERE. I lost track of the number of times I cleaned poop off her walls, hair, bed, face, furniture, hands, and more. I also lost track of the number of times I felt I was losing my mind. It was like I was constantly having one of those days. I honestly thought it would never end (ok maybe I knew that it would, but hey I was in the dramatic moment).

The Poop Monster today

Eventually Mackenzie did start potty training, and she took to it really well. She was great about going potty all by herself…

except at night.

Generally most nights before I go to bed I go in and check on her. You know, the usual mom thing. Unfortunately there were many times where I knew immediately that she had pooped in her pull up. I’d open the door and the smell would just hit me. Even worse, occasionally the poop monster would reappear and I’d discover that not all the poop had remained in the pull up. During those times I thought, oh my gosh, I’m going to have a 16 year old who poops in her pull ups. This. Is. Never. Going. To. End.

Then, a couple weeks ago she went 2 days in a row with a dry pull up. So I decided to just go for it. I explained to her that she was going to be wearing panties to bed and that if she needed to go potty she had to get up and go to the bathroom. And wouldn’t you guess: that girl has not had a single accident. Score for Team Mom!

But I’m not going to lie, I was still a little wary. What if she needed to go in the middle of the night? Would she have the sense to get up and go herself?

Then, two nights ago, it happened. I was sleeping soundly (what else does anyone do at 3 am?) when I woke up to a strange sound. I fumbled around in the darkness for my glasses, and stumbled to the door (is anyone really graceful in the middle of the night? I didn’t think so). I opened the door to discover that the hall bathroom light is on. And sitting on the bathroom floor is my little 3 year old, trying to pull her panties back on. She had gone potty in the middle of the night. HURRAY! No joke, I seriously wanted to do a victory dance around my house, but I refrained, mostly because I didn’t want to wake my husband, oh and it was 3 in the morning. Instead I calmly sent my daughter back to bed and crawled into bed myself, except this time with a huge smile on my face because I knew I had finally defeated the poop monster.

This may seem somewhat trivial, but it was a serious victory in my books. And I think as moms we need those little victories to keep us going because let’s face it, motherhood is not all rainbows and tickle-fights.

Another small victory moms can have is saving money (who doesn’t love that? I know I certainly don’t have money to throw around…though wouldn’t that be so fun?). P&G and Kroger have teamed up to help you do just that. Hurry in to Kroger and Kroger Banner Stores for P&G’s big sale event, June 10–23!

At Kroger and its banner stores, more than 30 of your favorite P&G brands are at HOT sale prices through June 23, including Tide, Charmin, Cascade, Pampers, Crest and Olay. Look for tags with special prices throughout the household needs and health and beauty aisles, and be on the lookout for even bigger offers – like getting serious dollars off when you buy a bundle of products.

Before hitting the store, visit P&G’s event page on Kroger.com: http://bit.ly/KG6dw5

You can play games like basketball, track and gymnastics to win money off your next Kroger trip, download digital coupons, print a shopping list, and learn more about P&G products!

And as part of this event, consider trying one of these fab products from P&G:
Vicks Nature Fusion, Charmin Basic, Downy Unstopables, and Swiffer Duster Extenders!

I was selected for participation in this campaign as a member of Clever Girls Collective

Turning an almost craft fail into a craft win with DIY glue residue remover

Ok folks, I came this close to having a major craft fail with my cherry blossom art. You hopefully all read in the first step to glue the glass to the frame. Oh you haven’t read the tutorial yet? That’s ok I’ll wait…

You’re back? Awesome. So unfortunately I put a little too much glue down in some places, so when I pressed the glass down it oozed out onto the glass some. No big deal, right? The package said to just wipe away with a dry cloth before it set. Wrong!!! Instead all it did was smear the glue all over the glass. To say I was freaking out would be an understatement, especially since I was so super excited about this project.

So I did some research online. I read a few places that baking soda mixed with coconut oil would do the trick. Well I didn’t have coconut oil and I wasn’t about to buy some. Then I read that some people used olive oil by itself; others used baby oil. I figured they are all pretty harmless things so I chose to mix baking soda and baby oil. Holy cow! Worked like a charm! And this was some serious glue I had on there too. What to know how it works?

Supplies Needed:

• Baby oil
• Baking soda
• Spoon and bowl for mixing
• Scrubbing pad
• Paper towels

Step 1: Mix equal parts baby oil and baking soda

Step 2: Using the spoon you used to mix, spread the mixture over the affected areas. I let it sit for a few minutes.

Step 3: Using the scrubbing pad (mine was the same one I use for my glass stovetop so I knew it wouldn’t scratch the glass) scrub the paste around. Put some elbow grease behind the particularly stubborn parts.

Step 4: Wipe away the mixture with paper towels. After I got it all up I then went over it with glass cleaner to get up any leftover oily residue. There were a couple parts I went over again, but when I was done my glass looked shiny and new!

So what are your go to glue residue removers?

Cherry Blossom Art {tutorial}

Ever have a project that you are just super excited for because you know it will be so awesome? This is one of those projects. I first was inspired by this tutorial from Alpha Mom. She created her cherry blossoms from a 2 liter bottle onto a poster board. I have always loved the look of cherry blossoms and I thought this turned out beautifully. Plus I knew cherry blossoms would fit in perfectly with my living room décor. BUT I wanted something a little bit more permanent than poster board. I thought about canvas, but one day I was looking around my room (I wish it looked like this more often, but it doesn’t) and I saw a frame sitting next to my desk. The frame was from a craft fail (I tried to recreate an ABC wall hanging for my nephew but the frame was too small, resulting in the letters looking crammed in there…) but it inspired this project.

Supplies Needed:

• Large frame with just the glass
• brown paint (it’s ideal to use paint specifically designed for glass, but I just used acrylic)
• pink paint
• skinny paint brush
• white paper or butcher paper
• old soda bottle (I used a small A&W bottle for smaller blossoms)
• Strong glue

Step 1: Carefully apply glue to the inside lip of your frame. Press the glass down. Let dry according to package directions.

Step 2: Fit your paper to match the size of your glass. I just laid some computer paper inside the frame and taped it together.

Step 3: Draw an outline of your branches. I drew a mini one on the back of the paper before drawing the full size one. You don’t have to go all out, just give yourself enough lines to know where you want to paint.

Step 4: Tape the stencil into the frame. You want the paper as close to the glass as possible (though it will still sag in the middle).

Step 5: Now for the fun part! Grab your paintbrush and start painting! Use the paper behind the glass as a guide. It’s ok if you’re not a great artist because obviously you don’t want branches that are straight and evenly thick. You will have to do multiple coats. Here it is after one coat:

And three more coats later this is what it looked like:

Much better! You really have to make sure it dries between coats though, otherwise when you go to paint another coat the paint underneath will just come up. And once you put a brush stroke on an area try not to go over it again, because it kind of rewets the stuff underneath and will just end up rubbing off. Trust me. It takes a little practice, but it is possible to use acrylic paint on glass. Let dry.

Step 6: Now for the really fun part! Grab you soda bottle. Put your pink paint onto a plate. Dab the soda bottle in the paint, making sure it’s evenly dispersed. Now place the bottle down and lift straight up. Repeat until you have all the flowers you want. If you have places where the petals run together don’t freak out. Just take a q-tip and gently wipe away the paint you don’t want. When it’s dry you can use your fingernail to scrape away the smaller spots.

Step 7: Let the paint dry. Do any touch ups you need to. Take the paper off the back and hang where you want it!

I’m linking up at these fabulous parties:

The Cure for the Common Monday, Addicts (Not So) Anonymous, Tip Me Tuesday, Pity Party, Tinkled Pink, DIY Under $5, Making Monday Marvelous, Every {Body’s} Creative Endeavor, {Once Upon a Weekend}, Sundae Scoop, Show Me What Ya Got, Fridays Unfolded, Weekend Wrap Up, Get Your Craft On

Show Off Saturday {Summer}

It’s summer! Hip hip hooray! I absolutely love summertime. I get to have my husband home everyday, go swimming all the time, and enjoy lots of fun activities as a family. Always a good time. Plus this year we have our sweet baby to enjoy things with too! And since summer is kicking off I figured now is a great time to highlight the great summer themed projects and posts around the web. Enjoy!

1. Inspired by Family Magazine is kicking off summer with these fun buckets filled with all sorts of summer goodies.

2. Looking for a way to decorate for summer? twelve-O-eight has made one of the cutest summer banners I’ve seen. Plus it’s easy to make!

3. It’s always smart to have a swimsuit cover up for the kiddos and Simple Simon & Co. has a tutorial for a super easy one!

4. Are you panicking a little over what to do with your kids now that they’re not in school? Six Sisters Stuff has a list of 100 things you can do with your kids!

5. Not having luck finding the perfect swimsuit? Melly Sews turned her one piece into a super cute tankini!

If you were featured make you grab a button!

When illness prevails…

What a week this has been. My husband got out of work for the summer (yay for being married to a teacher!), but instead of being a fun-filled week, it’s been an exhausting one. The night before the last day of school he came down with a fever. And he’s had one ever since. Today has been the first day of no fever, though the cough and headache remain.

This has meant a lot for me. We didn’t want our girls getting sick so I’ve been busy keeping them away (even taking them to my parents’ house to let him rest), while still trying to keep up with our everyday stuff. I also played the role of nurse.

Unfortunately that means my poor little blog has suffered as a result. I haven’t really been able to work on any projects and my time on the computer has been limited. When I have gotten on I’m so mentally drained that I can’t really focus to actually write. Luckily I have the absolute best husband in the world and he recognizes that I’m a little worn out between being a mom with little help (single mothers I admire you so much!) and being his nurse). He’s giving me some time to myself today so I can relax and do what I want, like complete some projects.

So what am I saying? I have no idea really. :) Just that I promise some fabulous projects will be coming your way soon and I can’t wait to show them to you. I’m so very excited for this summer. I’m not sick like I was last summer (I got pregnant right at the beginning and it was kind of miserable) so I have some big plans.

Oh and don’t worry, Show Off Saturday will be back tomorrow.