The Sorting Hat

I'm helping a friend with a Harry Potter birthday party this week and it's been so fun that I'm tempted to throw one for my birthday come November! :) `

To make the sorting hat: 

1. I sketched out what I'd like to incorporate. I'm visual, so getting an good idea of dimensions helped me. 

2. After I had a vision of what I wanted, I crafted the inner form out of a construction paper; but you could just use an old witch's hat.

3. I glued strips of paper bags all over the form with ModPodge. I used a rubber band around the top to hold it in place to dry as I layered on the base. 

4. For the face, I folded small pieces (accordion style) for the eyebrows and then put long strips (folded in half to give dimension) for the mouth.

5. After everything was dry (I let it sit for an afternoon), I wrinkled the top to let it sag over.

Very simple to do, especially if you work on it while watching Doctor Who. :) I'll be sharing the wands I made later.

Ellen for a Day

I lost count of how many kids asked if they could be on my show. I told them all yes. :)

5 Easy Box Lunches

sheknows

1. Try a lunch of mini pita pockets and white chocolate raspberries.

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2. Or a lunch packed full of Pinwheels and Veggies.

biting my hand

3. What about an adorable Mo Willems Pigeon book-themed bento lunch?

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4. Here's a fun snack filled lunch.

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5.  Enjoy a pretzel sandwich with heart-shaped strawberries.

What's your favorite lunch combination?

3 Easy Ice Cream Sandwiches {S'more, Mint, Mocha}

Too hot to bake? Serve up one of these easy-to-make ice cream sandwiches.

1. S'mores. Layer vanilla ice cream with bars of chocolate between graham crackers. Add marshmallow creme if you like.

2. Mint Chocolate Chip. Layer mint chocolate chip ice cream in the middle of mint cookies. Fresh and delicious!

3. Combine your choice of biscotti with mocha ice cream and you've got a coffee lover's delight. (My favorite!)

Put ice cream sandwiches together then place them on wax paper lined cookie sheets and set in freezer. Cover with saran wrap if you like. It only takes about an hour for them to freeze but you can leave them in longer if you're making ahead. Now dessert for your next summer party will be a breeze!

DIY Painted Eco-Friendly Cup

Supplies: Eco-friendly cup of your choice and paint pens in your favorite colors. I chose pink, green and yellow.

1.) Lay the cup down and paint broad dots miscellaneously in sections, don't worry about making it perfect. I drew circles randomly and colored them in. Continue turning cup to paint each side as the dots dry. 2.) To personalize it, write your name on the bottom of the cup. Add doodles if you like, I added a heart. 3.) Draw thick lines around top edge of cup, one for each color. 4.) On the lid, draw triangle shapes and fill in with spacious lines. Add small dots in-between triangles.

Fill your cup with a delicious drink and enjoy!

P.S. Happy Birthday, Mom!! :D

DIY Breakfast Pops

I've been wanting to try some make-ahead breakfast recipes and thought for the first one I'd go for something healthy and cold. This is incredibly easy and delicious (got the idea from my daughter).

Supplies: fresh blueberries and yogurt.

1.) Wash blueberries and set aside. 2.) Put a small dab of yogurt in the base of the cup. Then alternate layering blueberries and yogurt. 3.) Slide the lid on (it may sink through blueberries). 4.) Put finished pops in the freezer for an hour or more. They will come out firm but soft, not hard like ice cubes. Easy peasey breakfast squeezy. Note: if you don't have Popsicle cups, you can use freezer baggies.

See the smiley face in the pop? I swear that was unintentional, just like this one. I discovered it when I started taking pictures. Weird. Beginning to wonder if smiley faces are following me. Not a bad thing, I suppose. :D

What's your favorite make-ahead breakfast?


Shabby Apple Winner announced here!

Watermelon Hearts Blueberries or Happy Fourth!

For those who don't live in the states, today is our celebration of independence--the great Fourth of July. We wear red, white and blue in honor of our country, watch fireworks after dark and spend the day off usually eating grilled hamburgers and loads of fruit salad. At least, that's how I do it. :D

My daughter came up with the idea (prompted by Pinterest) to make a red and blue fruit salad. We couldn't find our star cookie cutter to shape the watermelon into stars, so we used a heart instead. We found the star after we were finished, of course. I had to show you that last picture because I swear I see a watermelon man--two eyes and a nose. Do you see him?

Happy Fourth of July! And I want to say thanks to all the men and women who've fought to give and keep our freedom. (Thanks, Dad!)

Summer Manifesto

Seeing Ali Edwards' Summer Manifesto prompted me to create my own. It was fun putting to paper what had been dreamily swimming around my mind.

What are your plans for the coming season?

DIY Earring Display

I'm not sure if a one-step project can be labeled a DIY but . . .  I found this latch hook canvas among my craft things while cleaning out. I needed a better way to hang my earrings so I paired the latch hook canvas with a pretty hanger. I was going to punch a hole in the top to attach it, but happily discovered a little plastic tab that worked instead. This display makes it easy on a hurried morning to see your options in one glance.

DIY Dishwasher Magnets

Have you ever run a load of dishes in the dishwasher again because you weren't sure if they were clean? Here's a project that'll be an easy solution for that problem.  Start with rectangular wooden pieces along with business card magnets. I got mine from Michaels.

1. Gather your materials. 2. Paint the background a light color. 3. Sketch a line to be the bottom of the cup. Add rounded sides.  Finish the top with a flattened oval for the opening and add a handle. 4. Paint the mug whatever color you'd like. 5. Now it's time for adding details. On one rectangle put extra drips of coffee down the sides of the cup. On the other, add a shining, clean star. 6. Use a Sharpie to write Dirty and Clean above the coffee cups. 7. Attach the rectangle to the sticky side of the business card magnet. 8. Cut excess off the edges.

Now it's ready for your dishwasher!
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My daughter's heading to Africa this summer and in honor of her trip, I'm throwing a Blog Party today! I'll be giving away an ORIGINAL painting along with prizes, games, and fun DIY's from 8:00 a.m. till 8:00 p.m. Use the coupon code: AFRICABLOGPARTY for 30% off any order for 24 hours in my Etsy shop--ALL proceeds will go to my daughter's trip. Be sure to check out the various posts to make sure you're not missing out on party fun!

DIY Good Luck Charm

Since it's almost St. Patrick's Day, I thought it'd be fun to make a good-luck charm.

1. Paint a round wooden disc green and let dry completely. 2. Print a small photo of your loved one. I used my husband, but it could be a child or friend. 3. Trace an outline sketch of the picture--lay paper over the printed picture while holding it against a sunny window (see how on A Beautiful Mess). If you're uncomfortable sketching, you can just use the copy. 4. Cut out the sketch (or copy) and glue on the disc with ModPodge. Paste over the top of the face gently. 5. Once dry, write "My Good Luck Charm" around the top. 6.Thread embroidery floss through the hole to wear as a necklace.

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My daughter's heading to Africa this summer and in honor of her trip, I'm throwing a Blog Party today! I'll be giving away an ORIGINAL painting along with prizes, games, and fun DIY's from 8:00 a.m. till 8:00 p.m. Use the coupon code: AFRICABLOGPARTY for 30% off any order for 24 hours in my Etsy shop--ALL proceeds will go to my daughter's trip. Be sure to check out the various posts to make sure you're not missing out on party fun:
Sign up to win an original painting.

Much Love Monday: Date Dice DIY

What I'm loving today?  Date Dice. (It could also be Girl's Night or Family Night Dice) It's the perfect solution to the what-do-you-want-to-do-tonight question.

1. Lay out six post-it notes or other any small square memo notes in the layout above; four across and three down. 2. Tape them together. 3. Fold up and secure with adhesive as you go. 4. Write your ideas on other notes and attach to the Dice. You can change out notes when seasons change or you're tired of doing a certain thing. I made two, one for places to go and one for places to eat. We don't always eat out but I want to have the option of choosing something if we do.

Dice #1 Where to Go:                    Dice #2 What to Eat:

Park                                               Italian

Skating Rink                                 Chinese

Hiking Trail                                  Coffee Shop

Zoo                                                Fifties Cafe

Movie Theater                             Jamaican                      

Sporting Event                             Mexican

**You could put specific names of  places or restaurants to narrow the decisions even more; my husband and I have multiple favorites in most of these categories, so I kept it general.

You're all set! Next time a free night comes around, roll the dice to find out what you're doing.

Two Ways to Wear a Brooch

1. As a bracelet

Tie the center of a ribbon onto the pin.

Then fasten the ribbon around your wrist.

2. As a hair adornment

Pin the brooch around a headband or on a scarf.

DIY Heart Necklace

1. Cut small felt hearts. 2. Snip a slit in each end of the hearts. 3. Feed the chenille stick/pipecleaner through the hearts. 4. Fold down the tips of the chenille stick and twist to secure. 5. Thread knotted ribbon through the ends and tie together around your neck. This could also be worn as a headband or across the forehead.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Just want to say how much I appreciate all of you.

Have a wonderful day, do something fun for yourself.