Happy Independence Day

(Free Printable Courtesy of Anything But Perfect)

Hello Dear Readers and a Very Happy Fourth of July to all of you in the US!

May you have fun celebrating our freedom with those that are dearest to you. 

Happy Father's Day: Washi Tape Card

Happy Father's Day!

Here's a quick and easy card I made for LB to give Brad on his first Father's Day as the father of two.  It begins with a premade card and base.  All I did was decorate it with rolls of coordinating washi tape.     Most of them come in package of four from Target, that can be found in the office supply section.  The tape with green and blue is from Queen & Co. and is called Trendy Tape Ziggy Boy.

All I did was notch cut the ends of the washi tape cut at random lengths.  Then I just stuck on and trimmed as needed.  The sentiment was stamped with the Typewriter Alphabet by Stampendous.  It's my favorite all purpose alphabet.  Super quick and cute, just the way I like it.  I've got to admit, I'm beginning to catch on to the whole washi tape thing.

Here is the inside.  Between the arrows is LB's name, edited for privacy.  I think the card has a great versatile design, that can used for many different occassions by changing the sentiment.  With so many washi tape styles out there, there's no end to all the fun looks you can create.

A Rockin' Father's Day Card & Frame

This year for Father's Day we made a rock covered frame for Daddy, with ER holding a  message for him as I took her picture for inside for a play on words.  To continue our "rockin" theme, we made a super star card...as in rock star, like Daddy's favorite genre of music. 

ER is really into making stars, she draws them non-stop; it was a good way to capture this time in her life...the one where is constantly doodling.  I think it will always bring back memories of how proud she was when she could finally draw one all by herself.

After drawing and cutting out a bunch of stars from scraps of paper we added the sentiment to finish one special card for one special daddy.  When we were finished, she turned to me and said, "You know Daddy's gonna like my present best, cause it's handmade."  Yep, that's my girl :)

Easy Entertaining: Make Your Own Sundae Bar

To continue with our Make Your Own...themed party for Memorial Day, after the Hot Dog Bar for dinner, we had a sugar infused Make Your Own Sundae Bar for dessert.  Needless to say, it was a big hit!

I used the free ice-cream gift tags from Eat Drink Chic, enlarging it with Photoshop Elements, to make a sign.  To give the display some extra flair, I made a quick banner out of papers from the Glitter Sweet Stack by Die Cuts with a View and chipboard letters.

Here's a close up of the banner, isn't the glitter so fun?  I used the same papers to make the table signs for the Make Your Own Sundae Bar, and the scraps for the banner...waste not, want not...right :)

Here's the signs in action, they're just 4X8 papers folded in half with a Martha Stewart labels, like these, and ribbon for some pizazz.  Originally I envisioned everything being laid out on the same table, but we went all out on the toppings and had to split things up.  It ended up working out pretty well, as then there wasn't as much of a back up by the toppings table.

After picking out ice cream the next step was to pick out sauces, candies, and more sweet stuff to make the sundae extra special! 

I put another free ice-cream tag into a frame for the toppings table.  Everything looks so nice laid out together and it's a fun activity for the guests.  Here is what we had to pick from:

Ice Cream: Vanilla & Chocolate

Waffle Bowls & Cones

Sauces: Chocolate, Caramel, Butterscotch, and Raspberry

Nut Topping, Coconut Flakes, and Heath Bar Bits

M&Ms, Gummy Bears, and Crushed Oreo Cookies

Fresh Fruit: Raspberries & Strawberries

A Variety of Sprinkles

Reddi Wip

Maraschino Cherries - Because what kind of sundae bar would it be without them? 

Last step?  Time to eat!  I used one more of the free ice-cream tags for the girl's table centerpiece.

“50% of marriages end in divorce, but 100% of make-your-own-sundae bars end in happiness.” Dr Sheldon Cooper, Big Bang Theory Television Show 

Ice-Cream Gift Tags from Eat Drink Chic

Linking Up At: Tatertots and Jello, Be Different Act Normal,

Easy Entertaining: Hot Dog Bar

My friend Margaret and I decided to get the families together for Memorial Day and while doing some planning she found a really fabulous Memorial Day Summer BBQ party complete with printables.  Unfortunately, the printables were archived and no longer free.

I contemplated recreating printables based on the designs at Hostess {with the Mostess} until I found another awesome party on the site.  The Colorful Summer Grilling Party was perfect!   The party theme began with this cute covered grill welcome sign.  I used one of the grills meant for table settings and a piece of the paper patterns to make the sign, along with some glittery foam stickers and ribbon both from the dollar section at Target.

To keep things easy, we went with the Hot Dog Bar idea from the original party, which was a little better suited for patriotic gatherings.  I happen to prefer this newer set, so I wasn't too upset I couldn't download the other printables.  Plus the Colorful Summer Grilling Party is great for all summer long!  I could see reusing this theme over and over and not just for hot dogs.

Menu:

Beef and Turkey Hot Dogs

White and Whole Wheat Hot Dog Buns

Hot Dog Toppings Bar

Spinach Salad with Fresh Fruit and Goat Cheese

Red, White, & Blue Fruit Cups

Fritos

Here are some more ways I incorporated the free printables into the dinner we hosted at our home on Monday.

Wrapped Water and Straw Signs: Wouldn't the lable with the little citrus slice also look super cute on lemonade bottles?

Red, White and Blue Fruit Cups - Blueberries for the Adults and Blue Jello for the Kids

Hot Dog Toppings Bar and Recipes

If I do this again, I'd use some Command Picture Hanging Hooks to lower the signs closer to the table.  I just used the hooks I already had in the wall and don't like how big the gap is between display and table.

Here is a closer look at the recipes board.  I recreated the recipe cards from the Memorial Day Summer BBQ to match our theme and attached to pieces of the Paper Patterns.  Then I wrapped the canvas we usually have hanging in the space with wrapping paper and added some more letters and stars from the same package of alphabet stickers I used for the welcome sign.

The Grilled Hot Dog Sign was popped into an inexpensive frame from Target.

Table Signs: Used on the Toppings Bar and as a Centerpiece on the Kid's Table, both in Tolsby frames from Ikea.  I love these frames and use them all the time!

Our colorful meal complete with napkin rings and plastic baskets also from, you guessed it...the dollar section at Target.  Those were a lucky find by Margaret, a couple days before the dinner.  (And yep, that napkin ring is upside down...that's what happens when you assemble everything in a hurry!)

You can get all the printables I used at The Hostess {with the Mostess}  Thank you to talented team at that site for sharing their ideas, talents, and printables so we could throw such a colorful party!

Colorful Summer Grilling Party

Colorful Summer Printables

I'll be back on Friday, after A Crafty Soiree tomorrow, to share Part 2 of our dinner party...here's a hint it continues our theme of building your dish but in a sweet way!



Sharing At: Craftionary,  Tatertots & Jello, Be Different Act Normal,

I Have A Dream Mobile for MLK Jr. Day

ER has been learning about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at kindergarten and we've also been reading books about him too.  As an extension activity we made this mobile, with ER providing an age appropriate dream based on MLK Jr.'s ideals.  Writing it on one side of the cloud was slightly torturous, not for her but for mom as it was slow going, but good practice for my little who does not like handwriting at all.  Plus it was a good opportunity to talk about how if there had been no Martin Luther King Jr and the Civil Right's movement, then our family, which is multi-cultural, might not exist.  That was certainly an eye opener for her.

Making this hybrid project began with searching through my digital scrapbooking kits for a cloud image.  I added the text, alphabet - altered by clipping on papers to change the colors, and banner to it.  Printed that out then deleted the extras and flipped the cloud image.  Printed the flipped version for the back of the cloud on our mobile. 

After we talked about the dream MLK Jr. had, we came up with one that's applicable to five year olds.  The word on the street is that the boys and girls don't always get along at recess!  ER wrote it on one side.  Afterward, we glued it onto chipboard.  I cut it out and then glued the flipped image on the other side.  We have left the back side blank for the time being, my hope is that we'll add another wish to it next year.

We punched holes at the top with my Crop-A-Dile for hanging and then more at the bottom of the cloud.  Each hole was reinforced with an eyelet.  I had some dimensional white bird stickers leftover from Christmas, I think they are doves.  They look like it to me and if they're not, well they're a decent substitute!

I told her they were doves and that they symbolize peace and hope.  We added a dove to one side of a punched scalloped circle, the other side could be used to write facts about MLK Jr. or additional dreams.  These have been suspended with fishing wire.  I like that since the fishing wire is "clear" it kind of gives the illusion that the birds are "flying". 

Supplies Use: Cloud Image from Retired I Heart Spring Kit by Louise Franks Designs, Alphabet, Papers - used as clipping masks, and Banner from Playful Kit by Louise Franks Designs.



Shared At: Skip to My Lou, Crafty Moms Share, Tutus & Tea Parties, and the blog I helped co-found ABC & 123: A Learning Cooperative.

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all the Dads out there!  You all deserve recognition today...

• For all the love and support you give your kids,
• For all the countless times you've spent the day helping them follow their dreams and interests,
• For all the time and attention you give them,
• and so much more! 

Hope you celebrate this special day with your favorite Dads and let them know how appreciated they are!  We'll be on fun family outing, the destination chosen by Brad.  It seems he spends so much time taking us where we want to go and do what we want to, that it's nice for him to pick for once!

I'd especially like to wish my husband Brad and my Dad, aka known as Papa on the blog, Happy Father's Day and recognize them for the wonderful parents they both are☺

Patriotic Scrapbook Pages

Our Memorial Day BBQ got me in the mood to tackle some summer photos with a patriotic theme from a few years ago.  K&Co's Americana line provided the perfect embellishments, the Grand Adhesion Medallions and Glitter Words paired perfectly with some papers I had in my stash.  I was able to get three pages done using just two sheets of patterned paper with some careful cutting. 

The first two pages are from our first Fourth of July in our home.  ER happened to have some handsewn outfits from her Aunt Cheri that are perfect for a Red, White, and Blue theme.  They'll also be cute on Baby, can't wait to see him wear them!  Some journaling details have been edited out for privacy, but you can still see that I managed to get my handwriting on the page too.  For once, I actually like how it turned out.  I actually blogged about the decorations I made for thise celebration here.  Parts I printed and attached it to the back of this layout.  I thought future generations might be interested to know that I attempted to be crafty and to give some more detail without cluttering up my layout.  I frequently add extra details and hidden journaling this way.

The third page used up the last of my paper scraps and is the plainest.  It's my attempt to use more planned white or in this case, cream space.  I am liking the neutral background, I think it gives the eye somewhere to rest, especially with the two patterns and helps my writing stand out.  I am still undecided if I will end up tearing it apart and mounting on a more exciting background paper.  Then I'd have just cut out the handwritten journaling and add it on top.  Part of me feels it look unfinished, the other just says move on, you've got lots more to document.  The photos were taken at the first Memorial Day parade we went to, it's an annual tradition in our hometown.  Whoohoo, three more memories captured and done!

Shared At: Scrappy Gifts, Skip to My Lou, Embellishing Life, Craft-O-Manic,  Sew Can Do, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, and Keeping It Simple.

Mother's Day Recap

I hope Sunday was a lovely day for all of you!  We had a relaxing day, Brad got up early and picked up bagels and an egg bake I really like from Panera.  Then he brought it all up to me in bed, sweet huh?  We had a lazy morning and went to late mass.  After we went right to lunch at Carrabba's, where I was good and got a side of sauted zucchini instead of pasta.  It was still pretty yummy and I had their chicken soup for the first time, also good.  ER was happy because our waiter brought her some pizza dough to play with and they have a nice big kid's activity booklet to work on. 

We made a quick stop at Archivers, because I was short a couple of papers to finish a project, then came home to a sunny late afternoon.  I took ER on a scooter ride and to the park.  She also got to draw with sidewalk chalk for the first time this season before Brad took her to the grocery store.  I managed to squeeze in some exercise and cleaned a bit, probably the only not so fun time of the day but hey clutter piles up no matter what day it is!  IWe all had strawberry shortcake before bed, so the day started and ended with treats, pretty good don't you think?  Hard to believe this is our last Mother's Day as a family of three, Baby Bob will be here before we know it!



Credits: Love is in the Air by Meredith Cardall and based on a template by Connie Prince Designs.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day!  I hope you are all having a wonderful day with your loved ones!  These "Everlasting Flowers" are the present ER gave to both of her Grandmas.  ER is so proud of her name and the "I love you" message she wrote by herself.  I think she just really wanted to use Mommy's permanent Sharpie pens, but those much belabored letters do look very sweet. 

It's probably self explainatory but to make your own year round bouquet: Paint wooden flowers & base, ours are from the unfinished section at Michael's.  Use a circle cutter to trim photos, attach with hot glue.  Carefully write your message.

Shared At: Embellishing Life, Keeping It Simple, and Skip to My Lou.

Happy New Year!

As the year begins anew, I have been reflexing on the days that will never be again and anticipating how much our lives will change in 2011. I'm excited for all that the next twelve months bring and I hope you are too!

I've been enjoying some time away from blogging to enjoy the holidays with my family and our friends. December is a busy month for us, because it's also my brother's birthday. We had a tasty taco bar and bumpy cake for him. It's been a wonderful break, and I'm not quite ready to come back "full" time yet. In the meantime, I wanted to share some of our holiday festivities.

ER had the Christmas of her dreams, with Santa bringing the set of fairies she wanted as well as a Lego set that includes a Princess, AND an American Girl Bitty Twin. Big stuff for a four year old:) I found lots of crafty goodness under the tree with three Cricut cartridges, a scoring board, and two new die cut sets. Brad got a lot of new clothes, cause I was tired of seeing his old stuff, but don't feel too bad for him. He also got plenty of fun stuff too!