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Party Planner and DIY Projects

- DIY Party Hats & Giant Blowers
  August 8, 2020Last month as I was planning on a simple birthday dinner for my son and one of my grandsons I was told that my twin 5 year old grandkids were expecting a major birthday party. They were insisting on games, a pinata, and all the accoutrements of a “real” birthday party. This was all good except we were in the middle of a global pandemic and under a statewide hurricane warning. No one wanted to venture into the stores where tons of people were preparing for a hurricane in busy crowded stores. (If you’ve never been thru a hurricane warning and preparation well, think back to the toilet paper/hand sanitizer hoarding and shortages of last March. Ya, I’m sure you get the idea. Lots of people grabbing for toilet paper, bottled water, and canned goods!) So what to do, what to do? Face a pair of very irate 5 year olds demanding a real party or risk life and limb trying to get to a party supply store? Well we opted for the middle route. My son had to venture in to Walmart for something or other so he popped in just before closing and luckily found a pinata and grabbed a couple of bags of fillers too. My husband and I had gone grocery shopping a few days earlier in anticipation of both the birthday dinner and the hurricane so we had purchased an ice cream cake, we did forget the candles, but you do your best given the circumstances. The morning of the birthday dinner this Nana got to work, using materials I had in my craft room, templates, and instructions from the net I was able to whip up some cute party hats, blowers, and even come up with a pin the tail on the donkey game! It’s really not too hard and you don’t need a lot of fancy materials, whatever you have on hand will do. It just takes a bit of time and a bit of imagination. You can make them as simple or as fancy as you want depending on materials you have on hand. Trust me however you make them the kids will love them! I used this free template from First Pallet to make the hats. Click here for the template! I cut each hat out of different colored cardstock. It worked perfectly, I used each child’s favorite color! Using my computer I made these Llama stickers – I uploaded the design I created and printed them out on blank sticker sheets. (If you don’t have sticker sheets you can print them on paper and glue them on to the hats.) The cardstock had to be cut from the template and then shaped into a cone, then stapled to make the hat. I then placed the Llama sticker on the front of the hat, trimmed the bottom edge with washi tape, and stapled curled ribbons on the top of the cones. I made holes on either side of the hat and threaded lengths of ribbon thru them to use as ties. You can use elastic if you have some. If you don’t have curled ribbon you can use pompoms and other things to embellish the hats, or you can just leave them undecorated. You can also wrap the hat in colorful wrapping paper, use rick rack or whatever you have on hand. As an added bonus I made extra stickers for blank craft bags which I used as favor bags and tied with ribbons. I found instructions for Giant Party Blowers from Oh Happy Day I modified them to make regular sized blowers as I didn’t have enough empty TP or Paper towel rolls and had to use straws. It worked out. But next time I’m going to try to make the giant ones, they look like fun! Click here for instructions from Oh Happy Day! As for games, well we played limbo, all you need is a stick and music, super easy! We also had the Pinata, so that kept them happy. Then to top it off we played pin the tail on the donkey with this adorable free printable from the Crafting Chicks! Click here for that printable game! These simple DIY party gear didn’t take a lot of time, but they sure made a couple of kids very happy! ... Read more...
- Finger Foods and Other Food Ideas Kids Will Love
  July 31, 2020Summer’s in full swing and like me you’re probably racking your brain for new breakfast, lunch and snack ideas for the kids. My grandkids have been home since March and each day finding something they want to eat is becoming more and more challenging. “I’m hungry” and “grilled cheese, spaghetti, etc. are all boring” has become the standard refrain at our house. My grandson who insisted he ‘NEEDED” cases of Chef Boyardee Spaghetti “O”s back in the spring now say’s they’re “boring”. Of course when asked what he’d like instead the reply is almost always “I don’t know”. This leaves me searching for something new and different for lunch and snack times. One thing I do know is that just about all kids love finger foods; and sometimes taking a “boring” sandwich and re-packaging it into something fun is all it takes to make meal times go smoothly. This can be as simple as taking a PB&J or any type of sandwich and cutting them in to 4 small triangles! Or you can change it up and call lunch or snack time “Tea Time” and serve a small selection of finger foods. I love tea time and my grandkids do too! But life isn’t all that easy, so here are a few food ideas that your kids might enjoy! They might just save a bit of your sanity! Eggs in Frame I have been making these for years, started when my kids were small. This is a great breakfast idea and kids almost always think it’s pretty cool. Just cut a hole (any shape) in the middle of a slice of bread and fry an egg in the hole. You’ll end up with a fried egg on a toasted piece of bread. I usually use a bit of butter to fry these in. Silver Dollar Sprinkle Pancakes Add some sprinkles or chocolate chips into your pancake batter and instead of making large Turpancakes make smaller ones about the size of a silver dollar. If the chain restaurants can do it so can you! Turkey & Cheese Pinwheels These are a family favorite! You can pick some up ready made from Costco or you can make them at home. It’s super easy! Click here for this recipe! Ham & Cheese Sliders Sliders of any kind are great finger foods both kids and adults love. These Ham & Cheese Sliders are another family favorite. I usually make a tray of them and the kids just grab as they want. A tray lasts thru lunch and snacks all day! Click here for this recipe! Taquitos Not everything needs to be homemade. Sometimes you just don’t feel like making lunch from scratch. No worries, there’s always frozen alternatives. We always keep a box of frozen Taquitos in the freezer. They’re great for lunch or snacks, just heat them up in the oven and you’re good to go. I like to serve them with salsa, melted nacho cheese, and sour cream for dipping. You do know kids love to dip! My year old grandson Jaxon is all about dipping these days! Pigs in Blankets Pigs in Blankets is another favorite and a staple at many of our kids’ parties. But to truly make it a finger food you need small ones. I cut the hot dogs and crescent dough in half. Roll each hot dog section in one of the dough sections, place on parchment paper and bake. Serve with whatever hot dog condiments you prefer. Fruit Kabobs I’m sure you know kids love food on sticks. So dress up fruit by cutting them into balls and other interesting shapes, then string them up on skewers. Older kids will love them. For younger kids skip the sticks and just serve them the fruit cut in to different shapes, you should also cut melon balls and grapes in halves to keep toddlers from choking on them. ... Read more...
- 4th of July Brie
  July 3, 20204th of July Brie Print Recipe CourseCakes & Pies, Dessert, Snacks Keyworddessert, Salad, side dishes Servings 8 SERVINGS Servings 8 SERVINGS 4th of July Brie Print Recipe CourseCakes & Pies, Dessert, Snacks Keyworddessert, Salad, side dishes Servings 8 SERVINGS Servings 8 SERVINGS Ingredients 1 (35-oz.) wheel brie 6 strawberries, tops removed and sliced 1/2 c. blueberries 1/4 c. freshly squeezed orange juice 2 tsp. honey Graham crackers, for dipping Servings: SERVINGS Share this Recipe Powered byWP Ultimate Recipe... Read more...
- Crocheted Turtle Plushy Toy – Free Pattern
  June 29, 2020My youngest grandson has a love for sea creatures. He particularly loves turtles. That’s why I recently made him 3 crocheted stuffed turtles. He loves them! These turtles are pretty easy to make. The top shell is made with a hexagon shaped African flower in 4 colors. The bottom shell or the turtle’s tummy is the same flower done in 1 color. Then all you need is to make the head and the legs which are stitched on the bottom shell. For my grandson’s turtles I used the same 4 color combination, I just changed up the arrangement to make each turtle unique. Each turtle’s tummy is the African flower done in the color used on the last rounds of the top shell. I coordinated the head and legs with the top shell round that is done in the same color, in this case the single round used to edge the flower petals. I used 2 shades of green and beige as main colors and orange as the flower’s center as an accent color. The orange really brightens up the turtles. But you can you any color you want, I bet pink and purple would make a nice turtle too! The turtles are pretty easy to make, it took me just a couple of hours to make each one. But the first step in making them is making the African flower hexagon pieces. Once you got those done the rest is just rounds of increasing and decreasing single crochets. So I’ll give you the pattern for the African flower using 4 different colors you can adapt it to use however many colors you will be using. Then I’ll give you the patter for the head and the arms. Once you have those done you can stuff them, stitch them together, then embroider on the eyes and mouth. I used french knots for the eyes and back stitched the smiling mouth. You can sew on plastic googly eyes or button for the eye, I choose not to as my grandson is only 1 year old and buttons or google eyes are a choking hazard if they get pulled off the turtle. I used a 5.5 mm crochet hook or “I” hook; #4 medium yarn, and a yarn needle. The head and legs are made in rounds so using stitch markers to mark the end/beginning of the rounds is helpful. So here’s the pattern for these adorable stuffed turtles. This articles contains affiliate links Supplies: 5.5mm or “I” Gauge Crochet Hook #4 Medium weight yarn in the colors of your choice Polyfill for stuffing Yarn Needle African Flower Hexagon First Flower Hexagon is made in Single Color for the turtle’s tummy *CH 3 at the beginning of each round counts as the 1st DC of that round Color 1 – CH 4; join last chain to 1 chain with a slip stitch to form a ring Rd. 1 – All stitches in will be worked in the ring. CH 3 (counts as first DC), DC, CH 1; *2 DC, CH 1*, repeat * to * 4 times; Sl St to top of CH 3 at the beginning of the round. You will have 6 groups of 2DC with CH space between each group. Rd. 2 – Work in the 1st. CH 1 Space in previous round CH 3, DC, CH 2, 2 DC, CH 1; *in next CH 1 Space work 2 DC, CH 2, 2 DC, CH 1*, Repeat *to* 4 times; Sl St to top of CH 3 at the beginning of the round. You will have 6 groups of (2 DC, CH 2, 2 DC) with a CH space between each group. These groups are the bottom part of your flower petals. Rd. 3 – Work in the first CH 2 space of the previous round CH 3, 6 DC, CH 1; *in next CH 2 Space work 7 DC, CH 1* Repeat *to* 4 times. Change to Color 3. You will have 6 clusters of 7 DC in each CH 2 space. These clusters are the tops of your flower petals. Rd. 4 – This is the row that edges each petal made in Rd. 2 & 3. It is worked in SC with a long SC between each petal. Starting at the side of any petal work SC around the petal ( 7 SC) when you reach the CH 1 Space which from Rd. 2 & 3, insert the hook into the the CH 1 space in Rd. 2 and pull up a loop; yarn over and pull thru both loops to complete your long SC. Continue to work 7 SC in each petal cluster and long SC between petals. Sl St to SC at the beginning of the round. Rd. 5 – CH 3, DC in next 2 St, in next St work (DC, CH 2, DC) (1st. corner of the hexagon), * DC in next 7 St, (DC, CH 2, DC) in next st * Repeat from * to * around ending with a DC in the last 4 st after the 6 corner is worked. Fasten off and set aside. Now make the 2nd. Flower hexagon using 4 colors for the top shell. *CH 3 at the beginning of each round counts as the 1st DC of that round Color 1 – CH 4; join last chain to 1 chain with a slip stitch to form a ring Rd. 1 – All stitches in will be worked in the ring. CH 3 (counts as first DC), DC, CH 1; *2 DC, CH 1*, repeat * to * 4 times; Sl St to top of CH 3 at the beginning of the round. You will have 6 groups of 2DC with CH space between each group. Change to Color 2 Rd. 2 – Work in the 1st. CH 1 Space in previous round CH 3, DC, CH 2, 2 DC, CH 1; *in next CH 1 Space work 2 DC, CH 2, 2 DC, CH 1*, Repeat *to* 4 times; Sl St to top of CH 3 at the beginning of the round. You will have 6 groups of (2 DC, CH 2, 2 DC) with a CH space between each group. These groups are the bottom part of your flower petals. Rd. 3 – Work in the first CH 2 space of the previous round CH 3, 6 DC, CH 1; *in next CH 2 Space work 7 DC, CH 1* Repeat *to* 4 times. Change to Color 3. You will have 6 clusters of 7 DC in each CH 2 space. These clusters are the tops of your flower petals. Rd. 4 – This is the row that edges each petal made in Rd. 2 & 3. It is worked in SC with a long SC between each petal. Starting at the side of any petal work SC around the petal ( 7 SC) when you reach the CH 1 Space which from Rd. 2 & 3, insert the hook into the the CH 1 space in Rd. 2 and pull up a loop; yarn over and pull thru both loops to complete your long SC. Continue to work 7 SC in each petal cluster and long SC between petals. Sl St to SC at the beginning of the round. Change to Color 4. Rd. 5 – CH 3, DC in next 2 St, in next St work (DC, CH 2, DC) (1st. corner of the hexagon), * DC in next 7 St, (DC, CH 2, DC) in next st * Repeat from * to * around ending with a DC in the last 4 st after the 6 corner is worked. Rd. 6 – CH 3, DC in each st until you reach the 1st. corner, make 1 DC in the CH 2 Space of Rd. 5; DC in each st to next corner, make 1 DC in CH 2 Space of Rd. 5; Continue around and Sl St to top of CH 3 at the beginning of the round. DO NOT Fasten off. (The hexagon should cup a bit giving it a bit of height) Rd. 7 – Place Belly hexagon on top of the Top Shell Hexagon wrong sides together. Join top and bottom hexagons together by making a round of SC, hook should go thru Round 6 of top shell and Round 5 of belly hexagon. Stuff before ending Rd. 7. Join with Sl St to beginning SC of the round. Ruffle Round – *(CH 3, DC) in first st of Rd. 7, Skip 1 st, sl st in next st*. Repeat this pattern all the way around. Sl St to bottom of CH 3 at the beginning of the round. Fasten off and weave in ends. Head & Legs The head and legs are made in rounds, do not join after each round. Using a stitch marker is helpful to keep track of rounds. Head – Make 1 Make a magic circle – the first round is worked in the circle Rd. 1 – 6 SC in the circle Rd. 2 – 2 SC in each SC around (12 SC) Rd. 3 – *2 SC in next SC, 1 SC in next * repeat around (18 SC) Rd. 4 & 5 – SC in each SC around (18 SC per round) Rd. 6 – 2 SC in next SC, 1 SC in the next 2 SC; repeat pattern around (24 SC) Rd. 7 – SC in each SC around (24 SC) Rd. 8 – dec SC over next 2 SC, 1 SC in the next 2 SC; repeat pattern around (18 SC) Rd. 9 & 10 – SC in each SC around (18 SC per round) Rd. 11 – dec SC over next 2 SC, 1 SC in next 2 SC; repeat pattern around (12 SC) Rd. 12 to 14 – SC in each SC around (12 SC per round) Stuff and close opening by pressing both sides together and making 5 SC across. Leave long tail for sewing head on to body. Leg – Make 4 Make a magic circle Rd. 1 – 6 SC in circle Rd. 2 – 2 SC in each SC (12 SC) Rd. 3 – 2 SC in next SC, SC in next: repeat pattern around (18 SC) Rd. 4 to 6 – SC in each SC around (18 SC per round) Rd. 7 – Dec SC over next 2 SC, SC in next SC; repeat pattern around (12 SC) Rd. 8 & 9 – SC in each SC around (12 SC per round) Stuff with polyfil Rd. 10 – Dec over next 2 SC, SC in next SC; repeat pattern around (8 SC) Rd. 11 – SC around (8 SC) Close opening by pressing both sides together and making 3 SC across. Leave long tail for sewing legs on to body. Assembling Stitch head and legs on to body. Refer to the picture below for placement. Embroider on Eyes and mouth Weave in all loose ends. And you’re done! ... Read more...
- Last Minute DIY Father’s Day Gift – Decoupage Coasters
  June 15, 2020Father’s Day is coming up this year it’s on June 21! Make Dad a special gift this year. This decoupage boxed photo coaster set took about an hour an a half to make and was very inexpensive. The boys had already made gifts for Dad, Grandpa, and Uncles, (Comic Strip Frames & Boxes), but I ran into a sale on wooden boxes at our local craft store that was just too good to pass up and we had lots of Mod Podge, spray paint, and photos left over from other craft projects, so really this project cost a whopping $3 for the box and coaster set. It will make a perfect gift for my husband, it has photos of all the grandkids. I made it just before we went to the blockbuster movie, Jurassic World, it was dry by the time we got home; from start to finish, including drying time in between coats of Mod Podge it took about an hour and a half. Do ditch the tie this year and give Dad or Grandpa something they’ll love and use! Here’s how! Materials: 1 Wooden boxed coaster set – you can get this from most craft stores, they’re very inexpensive, the regular price at our store was $5.99, but we picked it up on sale for $3! Mod Podge Matte – I prefer to use matte finish when working with photos to reduce the glare Mod Podge Acrylic Sealer Matte Spray Sponge brush Spray paint – I used red gloss I had left over from another project Black & White Photos Matte finish Masking or painter’s tape Directions: 1. Cover metal hinges & lock with tape as best as you can. 2. Spray paint box and coaster edges. I found the easiest way to spray the coaster edges was to stack them on top of each other and spray. Don’t worry if you get paint on the coaster itself, the photos will cover them up. 3. Wipe off any paint that seeped on to the hinges and lock if you want to. I started to but decided it wasn’t that bad and actually looked good so I didn’t put too much effort in to wiping off the paint. 4. Let paint dry about 10 – 15 minutes or until it’s no longer tacky to touch. 5. Remove tape from hinges and lock. 6. Place coaster over section of photo you want to glue to the box. Turn it over and trace the coaster on to that section. 7. Cut photo INSIDE the lines you just made – cutting outside or on the line will make it too big. Place photo on to the coaster to check the fit, you may have to trim photo closer to the coaster edge. 8. Repeat step #7 for the other side of the coaster and for both sides of all the coasters. 9. Brush a light coat of Mod Podge Matte on to one side of the coaster and the back side of the photo. Be sure you brush Mod Podge all the way to the edges. Keep brush strokes in the same direction, it looks neater on the finished product. Allow to dry for 5 minutes. while you are waiting for the coaster to dry do the same to the other photos and coasters. 10. Place photo on to the coaster. Adjust photo so it is matched up to the coaster edges. Light press down on photo and smooth out any bubbles. 11. Brush a coat of Mod Podge on the photo from edge to edge. Apply a good amount of Mod Podge, but don’t soak the photo. Repeat with all the coasters. Allow to dry about 10 minutes. 12. Brush 2 – 3 more coats of Mod Podge on coasters allowing them to dry 10 minutes between coats. 13. While waiting for coasters to dry cut out photos you want to glue to the box. Trim photos to fit around the hinges and lock. 14. Repeat steps #9 – 12. 15. Turn dry coasters over and paste photos on them like you did in steps #9 – 12. 16. When coasters and box are dry spray them with 2 coats of the sealer, allowing them to dry 10 – 15 minutes between coats. 17. Let the box and coaster dry for at least an hour before placing coaster in the box. You may have to lightly pry the box top open as some sealer may have lightly glued it together. ... Read more...

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