Tutorial- DIY {batting material} Clouds

One of the most popular posts on my blog,

is my girls' storybook princess party!

I wanted to share how I made the Batting Material Clouds that were hung up by the castle!

I lovedddd how they turned out!

(Wish I would have taken better photos of them up close!)

There was something so fun and whimsical about them.

I still have them.. I think they would be a cute touch for another party theme..

maybe an airplane one for micah one year?! :)

The clouds are very simple to make!

They would look so cute in a nursery or for a bunch of party themes.

I got my supplies at JoAnns with coupons.

I always pull some up on their mobile app!

Use the "invisible" fishing line to hang up the clouds!

Let me know if you make some up and how you use it!

Guest Post- Jen from imanimama.com: Bug Jug Craft

Today I have a dear friend of mine sharing a fun

DIY Project for some summer fun or as a gift or craft for a boy!

Jen from imanimama.com lived across the street from us( 2 houses ago)

and we have stayed in touch. We had babies together.. shared christmas morning breakfasts...

put our husbands to work helping each other with projects..

When I needed a million boxes for the girls' sweet shoppe party her home depot working hubby gave me the hook up by letting me know their trash compactor broke. true friends. ;)

She made up a really fun Craft Tutorial for you.. A Bug Jug!

My girls have a love hate relationship with bugs..

But I think they would totally be into this(contained bugs are ok).. ;)

I KNOW my nephews would love this!

____________________________________________________

I’m super excited to be guest blogging for my good friend Natalie. Hi to all of you and thank so much for having me! My name is Jen and I blog over at imanimama.com, and am in the process of launching a fun little business called big {happy} wall.

Today I want to share a little craft tutorial. But not just any craft tutorial…a BOYS’ craft. Yeah, I know. They’re hard to come by, right?

Well this one is super cute and super easy and super…budget-friendly (cue the slow-clap). See, we (like many of you) are a single-income family. And we have lots and lots of kids in our world.

Lots of kids = lots of birthday parties. Oy VEY, are there a lot of parties! Personally, I think girl gifts are easier. Probably because I AM a girl. Boy gifts? Not so much. And a cool craftfor a boy? Fahgeddabahtit.

And then it hit me. Dirt. Outside. Bugs. YES!

So I made this sweet little Bug Jug, and now I’m all about sharing it with you.

I apologize in advance for the quality of the photos. Not a very good first impression of my photography skills, but with two kids getting all up in my personal space, I did what I could with an iPhone. LOL

Without further ado, I give you, The Bug Jug

Supplies (& what I paid for each item):

·       Craft bucket with handle ($4, craft store)

·       Tweezers ($1, dollar store)

·       Magnifying glass ($1, dollar store)

·       Rubber bug (50¢, craft store)

·       Preserved moss ($4, but I had enough to do 2 gifts!)

·       Butterfly net ($1, dollar store)

·       Twine (on hand)

·       Hammer + nail (on hand)

·       Hot glue gun (on hand)

·       Dirt, sticks and bark (on hand)

Total cost for 1 gift: $9.50 (you could get that price way down by preserving your own moss or using a smaller bucket)

Directions:

1. First thing’s first. A bug’s gotta breathe. Remove the lid from the bucket and place it on a hard surface that won’t break or get punctured by a nail (don’t say I didn’t warn you!). Hammer the nail through the lid in several places, creating small air holes for the critters. 

2.  When you’re done, you’ll notice that the backside of the lid has super sharp edges now, from the nail holes. No worries. Just tap those babies lightly with your hammer and it will smooth everything out.  3. Next, we need a way for the lid to stay put. Kids are forgetful, no? They lose things, and you KNOW you don’t need no creepy crawlies running around your house! String a bit of the twine through a hole in the lid, and secure it to the handle of the bucket.

4. Now that you have the lid secured, you can get creative with building the environment. I used preserved moss (from the floral section of a craft store), mulch pieces from our garden and sticks, and just hot glued everything down. Just be careful not to hot glue your finger (ouch…I still have a blister). Have fun with it…it’s a little bug playground!

6. To finish it all off, I popped the magnifying glass and tweezers into the bucket, and wrapped it all up with the butterfly net sticking out of the bag.

Oy, I really wish I had gotten better photos of all the steps, but like I said…the kiddos were cray-cray. But yay, when it’s all done, it’s so stinking cute! And? Huge success! Our little friend Noah loved it, as did his parents. And my little one? Well I got the vibe that I needed to make her one, too.

{in all my free time}

Have fun making little Bug Jugs for the boys (and girls!) in your life. Get creative…there is so much more you can do to customize a gift like this super quickly and inexpensively. Drop me a comment if you make one…I’d love to see pics!

Thanks again for having me, and I hope to

see you over at imanimama.com and big {happy} wall soon.

____________________________________________________

Thanks Jen for the fun Craft!

It feels like just yesterday we were talking in the middle of the street after your water broke

and I took you and sean's photo before you went off to have your first sweetie!

Now look at us... we are juggling a babe in each arm!

and occasionally on our backs..legs..etc. ;)

DIY Curtains & Pelmet Boxes

I had seen this DIY Project on some of my favorite blogs..

Particularly the Little Green Notebook.

She has a great Pelmet Box Tutorial.

I wasn't even going to attempt one because hers is so great.

Click on over and check it out if you want to make one yourself!

--I used 1 Pack of Ikea Curtains..

(2 pack..cutting each down the middle per window and

using the leftover length for the pelmet boxes)

I don't think they sell this style anymore..at least not online.

But I think I got it for either $19.99 or $24.99 for the 2 panels.

They have some great options! 

--Foam Boards I got at Michael's for $1.99 each. (needed 3)

--I used some batting material I had leftover from another project..

and then grabbed up some extra at Joann's.

--Used Wall hangers attached to the foamboard/fabric

with super glue and then hung up on nails.

The Curtains and Pelmet Boxes came together pretty easy..

and I love the way they look in the room! 

I think if I could do over..I would make my boxes a little taller..

and extend my curtain rod hidden inside the box so they fill it up more.

(I already have the fabric/foam board for another

pelmet box for above the kitchen sink! hehe.)

DIY Cardboard Mailbox & Felt Envelopes Tutorial

I'm excited to share about this fun DIY Project I made up one day for my girls!

We had all the stuff except the felt.. so to create this

Cardboard Mailbox and felt envelopes I only spent $1.16!! 

My girls LOVED playing mailman..

and it kept them busy..

dropping off mail..picking it up..

and I liked how the felt envelopes were paper cut free and re-useable.

I thought about painting the whole thing..but haven't gotten around to it yet.

Let me know if you make this! would love to see how yours turns out. :)

Let me know if you have any questions by leaving

a comment and i'll do my best to answer them!

Sienna was mommy's little helper on this project. :)

I used duct tape to go around the

edges of the box to make it extra sturdy. Use it to fill in/connect any gaps.

I plan on making more of these..they made up pretty fast.
I love creating things with felt. Up next is a felt board!! (I'll share details soon.)

I love how sophie dressed up to be the mailman (bag and hat from Michael's)
and then she would check the mail and act surprised. haha... awesome.

Donut Snowmen- Play Date Activity

I recently had some moms & their kids over for a cookie decorating party...
and we ended the get together with lunch and play time.
I thought it was a perfect time to make up cute donut snowmen!
I had seen this idea on Pinterest and LOVED it.

Donut Snowmen Supplies:

Mini Powdered Sugar Donuts

Mini Chocolate Chips

Baby Carrots

Some kids just ate the carrots..but they all thought it was fun seeing how it came together!

I think the moms appreciated the cuteness the most though.

one even did it for her preschool snack!

The mini chocolate chips were hard for the little little ones to manage..

but they still liked seeing it come together.

Some turned out a little more accurate than others.....;)

Hope you are having a great monday!

Today...I'm not going ANYWHERE. I need a catch up day.

No errands..no events.. just catching up on house stuff.

I have enough to do here to keep me busy till bed time.

Luckily ben is home today to entertain the kids if they get stir crazy.

Gotta run.. PB&J's have been requested!! ;)

DIY Streamer Canopy Tutorial- Confirmation Party Details

My husband is a youth minister..he helps with the details

for the Confirmation Class at our Church.

(The Sacrament where you become an Adult in the Catholic Church..

get lots of graces..the holy spirit comes down on you..etc etc.. pretty sweet.)

It's a big day in your faith..and ben and his people take

care of the formation/ceremony.. and I get to do the PARTY! :)

All the parents bring cookies...we usually have a multiplication of cookies at this thing!

it's crazy. awesome crazy. but by the end I don't want to look at or see or smell another cookie again. I know..is that even possible?.....yes.

I didn't have much of a budget for this party..So I had to do something inexpensive but with big impact..ta da!..

Streamer Canopy! It made the hall feel special.

For $8 bucks and a little love It all came together. :)

I originally saw the idea created by Tammy over at housingaforest.com

She did a rainbow look with circle garlands incorporated throughout!

(if you are trying to attach in a home her solution is perfect!)

This would be such a fun detail for a circus themed party..do red and white.. (I did orange and red(thanks mom for the color combo idea!!) to signify the fire..another symbol of Confirmation) But go with the colors of your theme and have fun with it! Hope you get inspired from this Streamer Canopy Tutorial.

It's easy and so worth the effort. If you have help that is always nice..if not..

you will get a reallyyyy good work out going up and down a ladder....

STREAMER CANOPY SUPPLIES:

You most likely already have 3 of the 5 items needed!

I only bought the streamers for $3.99 each.

1. hula hoop..I used a small size but you could just use what you have!

 2. & 3. streamers 4. tape 5. stapler

STREAMER CANOPY TUTORIAL

step 1 - Fold streamers over hula hoop..staple.

step 2 - Unravel to the length you want..cut. 

(You could measure out all the streamers beforehand..but this was easy enough for me.)

step 3 - Hang up Hula Hoop to ceiling with staple/ripped streamer side UP.

step 4 - Start pulling out peices and taping to ceiling! (I went back through and rearranged a couple once more were up. You can leave slack in some places..or pull them all the same length)
Sorry some of these photos are bad..they were from my phone..with no battery/flash.

here's an up-close of the ceiling..

I like how it turned out in the photos!
Here's two of my little cookie helpers. :)

I wanted to make up some toppers to put into the desserts

that went with the Confirmation Party Theme..

So each topper had "Confirmation Class 2011 or different

Gifts of the Holy Spirit..Piety, Wisdom, Courage..etc..

Everyone liked that little touch! I always have a bag of lollipop sticks
in my craft box..for occasions just like this. :)

Let me know if you ever need Confirmation Cupcake Toppers..hehe.

Let me know if you try this!
Would love to see the colors you choose!
Hope you are all having a nice sunday. 
I am... I went to Old navy to grab something real quick..they had sold out of the size I needed..So I asked a manager and he gave me a 30% off coupon for something else..
note to self....ask more often. ;)

Owl Cupcakes - Fun Fall Treats!

I found this cuteee idea by One Charming Party
and immediately knew I had to make them!!!

I'm in this owl phase...(as ben says) ;)

Sophia loved helping make them up
to gift this Halloween..

But I think they would be a fun treat to give all through fall!
Even at a cute Thanksgiving Day Dessert Table!
(Or at a Owl themed Birthday or Baby Shower!)




Owl Cupcake Ingredients:
Batch of your favorite Cupcakes (from scratch or a box!)
Frosting- I used Pillsbury's Easy Frost..and LOVE it.
(there is usually always a coupon for these!)
Package of Oreos
Bag of Reese's Pieces
Cupcake Wrappers (I used what I had in the pantry.)


OWL CUPCAKE INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Frost the Cupcakes
2. Separate Oreos (this can be tricky but keep trying!)
Use the Oreos with the cream and place for eyes..smoosh a bit to stick.
(Save the mess ups and leftover sides for another recipe!)
3. Place Brown Reese's Pieces for eyes

4. Place Orange Reese's Pieces for nose

4. Squirt a little frosting inbetween the top of the eyes..
I used a knife to point the corners..
but you could use a toothpick..etc.. to get the look you want. have fun!

The girls did some lounging while I

boxed up the treats for surprise deliveries!
I used containers from the Dollar Store (4 pack)