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Bubble Gum Scented Slime

Bubble Gum Scented Slime

Our house is a full on slime factory. Our daughter, Casee has a YouTube channel all about slime and insists on posting a video everyday. I mean, if there isn’t glue on the sponges is it really a kitchen? (Don’t answer that.) Since we’ve been on a slime making spree – we’ve been trying to come up with some creative versions of our favorites. And this bubble gum scented slime is right up there!

To make this bubble gum scented slime, you need to make a toned down version of cloud slime. If you don’t know what cloud slime is, don’t worry, we will show you!

You will need:

This makes a big batch so feel free to half the ingredients if you would like.

Instructions:

  1. Pour three cups of white glue into a container.
  2. Sta-Flo will be your activator. Slowly add the Sta-Flo a little at a time, mixing between each. If needed, you can use a little more or less to your liking. (NOTE: It’s much cheaper at the store, but click here if you are unsure of what the bottle looks like so it is easier to find. Some stores have it kind of hidden!)



  3. Knead your slime. It will be sticky right now – that’s ok!



  4. In a second bowl, pour the instant snow and add hot water. It will expand and ‘puff’. (Don’t be discouraged when you see the container of insta-snow. It looks small, but it is plenty for several batches of slime! It really expands!)
  5. Add the instant snow to the white slime and knead well. I like to add in my snow in smaller batches kneading in between until you get the texture you want.



    For a full ‘cloud slime’ effect, use close to the whole 1/3 of a cup. We stopped short on ours to make it a little less ‘cloud-y’.



  6. Add in the coloring. We used to use food coloring, but recently we switched to these soap dyes. We like them MUCH better! More color combinations and they don’t stain your hands like food coloring did.

  7. Add a few drops of bubble gum scent. If you think your kiddos will make several kinds of scented slime, you might want to look into getting a variety pack of scents like this one.





  8. Knead well.
  9. Store in an airtight container.

This slime looks and smells just like bubble gum, but sadly it isn’t edible so keep an eye on young kids to make sure they don’t try to taste it.

Stretch it, make bubbles, squish, poke… This was a really fun slime for us to make!

Love slime? Check out some of our other fun slimes!

Honey Slime

Earth Day Slime

Don’t forget to pin our bubble gum scented slime!

       

Filed Under: Activities, Crafts, Crafts, For Kids, Gift Idea, Just For Kids Tagged With: activity, Bubble Gum, craft, DIY, kids, Scented, slime

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DIY Honey Slime

DIY Honey Slime

Our house for the past year or so has been a slime factory. Our 9 year old has even started her own YouTube channel for slime. I’ve learned that glue, glitter and well, slime, is inevitably going to cover our kitchen. When in Rome you know? So now, I have joined the slime making crew. Don’t tell anyone, but I actually like to make it. (I still don’t like to clean it though!) My favorite part of creating slime is coming up with new and creative ideas to inspire our slime.

This honey slime recipe is one of my favorites actually. It looks like real honey! Well, except that it has sequins and glitter and cute bumble bees on it.

Do you want the honey slime recipe? Luckily, we are sharing it! Because seriously, this slime is too cute not to share with everyone! (PS…Do you love slime? Hope so, because we have lots of new slime recipes that we will be posting soon. Thanks spring break!)

What You Will Need For The DIY Honey Slime Recipe:

DIY Honey Slime Recipe

 

In a plastic container, pour 1 cup of hot water and stir in ⅓ tsp of Borax.

In a second plastic container, mix ¼ cup water and pour an entire bottle of glue. Mix together gently.

Add in your mix ins! Add the glitter to your glue mixture.

If you want to add some food coloring to get the perfect honey color, add it in now. I like the gel food coloring. It only takes a tiny bit. I literally stick a knife in and whatever sticks is what I add. A little will go a long way! I used a golden yellow and a brown.Pour in some gold sequins. I think the sequins resemble a bit of a honey comb shape!

Once the glue mixture is the color you want, add your bees.

Pour the container of the glue mixture into the water and borax solution.

Let it sit for 30 seconds. You will see it instantly start to glob up. I use this time to rinse out my first container.

Reach in and pull out the slime mixture and put it back into your empty container. It will be sticky right now – that’s ok.

Knead it for a few minutes.

If you need to firm it up, just add a touch of the remaining borax and water mixture.

Store in an airtight container.

Isn’t this so pretty? Perfect for parties, for an activity to go with a bee unit for a classroom or just because you have a slime aficionado.

Don’t forget to pin our DIY honey slime recipe!

Looking for more fun slime recipes?

Earth Day Slime

This post contains affiliate links.

       

Filed Under: Activities, Crafts, Crafts, For Kids, Gift Idea, Just For Kids Tagged With: craft, DIY, recipe, slime

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DIY Unicorn Planters With Magical Cactus Horns

DIY Unicorn Cactus Planters

I used to think that unicorns were mythical creatures that were only heard of, but never seen. However lately, they have been taking over our house….primarily our daughter’s room. It’s apparently a unicorn playground. The most recent inhabitants are these sweet unicorn planters…complete with magical cactus horns.

Ok, so maybe these unicorns didn’t just appear, but we made them. This was such a fun project! Our daughter was able to create it by herself and there is such a huge variety of ways to decorate them so they are just like real unicorns – magical and unique!

Just like you can decorate each pot uniquely, the different cacti, oh sorry, unicorn horns that you can get are also super unique. This was one of our daughter’s favorite parts I think. We went through all of the cactus plants searching for the perfect ones! (And bonus: I’ve heard that cactus plants are hard to kill…which means yay! No green thumb required!)

Want to make your own DIY Unicorn Planter? Here’s how!

DIY Unicorn Planter Supplies:

DIY Unicorn Planter Instructions:

Paint your pot and base white. While the paint is still dry, sprinkle it with glitter. Paint dries SUPER fast on terra cotta so you will have to work in small sections. Once everything is glittered, spray with your sealer if you are using one. Set aside until it is dry.

The fun part! Decide how you are going to decorate.

We did one with just tulle and one with tulle and flowers.

If you are going to use flowers, smaller flowers are the easiest to work with!

Rhinestones would be another fun idea to try! Hot glue your decorations on.

Using a fine tip brush, paint on the unicorn’s eyes and lashes. Cut out two ear shapes of white foam. Out of the pink foam, cut out two inner ears and glue to the center of the white foam ears.

Hot glue your ears to the inside of the pot where desired.

Once the glue is dry, fill the pot with potting soil and add your cactus horn. Be careful! Don’t get poked!

Ta da! Aren’t they adorable? Super magical!

If you make one, be sure to let us know! I totally want to see! Don’t forget to pin our DIY Unicorn Planters!

This post contains affiliate links.

       

Filed Under: Activities, Birthday, Birthday, Crafts, Crafts, Decorating, For Kids, For The Home, For the Home, Gardening, Gift Idea, Holidays, Holidays, Just For Kids Tagged With: craft, DIY, project, unicorn

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Nutter Butter Carrot Cookies – Easter Treat!

Nutter Butter Carrot Cookies

Alert! Alert! Easter is next week! If you are like us, then you are totally not ready. In fact, when Dustin asked me the other day what I wanted to do for Easter dinner my reply was ‘I don’t know. We will figure it out.’ To which he said, ‘You do know Easter is next week right?’

WHAT?!

Mind. Blown.

Luckily, these Nutter Butter Carrot cookies are suuuuuuper simple to make. And they are adorable.

Adorable is always important.

To make Nutter Butter Carrot Cookies you will need:

Instructions to make Nutter Butter Carrot Cookies:

Place a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet.

Cut a Sour Patch Straw in half and then half again. Trim to the desired length.

Carefully open a Nutter Butter cookie.

Spoon a small amount of frosting on the cookie and press your green topper in.

Put a thin layer of frosting on top and put the top of the cookie back on.

Melt the orange candy melts according to the package instructions.

Coat the Nutter Butters in orange candy melts.

Place on the cookies on the parchment paper and put the cookie sheet in the freezer until it sets (just a few minutes!)

See? Super simple and super cute. And as one of the boys stated, ‘finally a vegetable I like.’ So it must be good right? 🙂 You can package these Carrot Nutter Butter Cookies in treat bags and put in Easter baskets or pass out at church.

Looking for more Easter ideas?

18 Easter Basket Alternatives

18 Easter Hacks (Seriously these are good!)

Bunny Pie Pops

How to Make a Resurrection Garden

How To Dye Easter Eggs With Ties

Resurrection Treats

Oreo Easter Bark

Marble Easter Eggs

 

This post may contain affiliate links.

       

Filed Under: Cookies, Crafts, Crafts, Dessert, Easter, Easter, Easter, For Kids, Gift Idea, Holiday, Holidays, Holidays, Just For Kids, Recipes Tagged With: carrots, Dessert, DIY, Easter, Treat

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DIY Faux Cookies

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ScrubSeason #CollectiveBias

I love the holidays! I am so excited about getting things ready, decorating the house and having friends and family to come over. One thing that I wish I was better at is baking cookies. Don’t get me wrong I can bake cookies and they are delicious, but my cookies never come out looking like those gorgeous creations you see on Facebook. They taste amazing but they aren’t pretty display pieces. And, can we be 100% real? Cookies don’t last long enough in our house to be a cute display anyways! They get eaten!

What’s a girl to do right? Well, this girl makes faux cookies! Aren’t they cute? I made enough to keep on a plate in our kitchen. I can’t tell you how many times people have said “Oh your cookies look so good!” or even Joshua picked one up thinking he was getting a treat!

You Will Need:

  • Polymer Clay
  • Clay Cutting Tools
  • Cookie Cutters
  • Parchment Paper
  • Something to roll the clay (I just used a cup)

There are so many colors of polymer clay! I actually mixed two different shades to get my ”sugar cookie” color. Think about what shapes you will be making before you head to the craft store so you know exactly what colors to pick up!

I put down a folded down box to protect my table from the clay cutting tools. On top of the box, put a sheet of parchment paper.

Roll out the clay. I like to keep my ‘sugar cookie’ base a little thicker. Cut out your shape with your cookie cutter.

Next, choose your ‘icing’ color. Roll out the color. I roll my ‘icing’ pretty thin. Using your cookie cutter to cut out the shape.

Using your clay cutting tool, trim around the edges. You want to see the ‘sugar cookie’ base around the edges. Repeat this process with the other colors you plan on using.

TIP: Before you switch colors – clean your rolling/cutting area and your rolling pin. Don’t forget to wash your hands. The color will get on your hands and will transfer to your next color of clay.

Position the ‘icing’ on your ‘cookie’. Make sure that you press it down slightly to adhere them. If you want the ‘outlined cookie’ look. Roll thin strips of clay (remember the snake roll from back in the day?) and adhere around the border.

If you want to make a cookie with ‘sprinkles’, repeat the process above. Choose your color of ‘sprinkles’ and roll a very thin snake shape.

Cut very small pieces. Roll them between your fingers and drop onto your ‘cookie’. You will need to slightly press them to the cookie so when it hardens they stick.

The reindeer is one of my favorite cookies! You don’t always have to over decorate! Don’t get me wrong – it’s super fun! Once you get started you will want to go crazy! While over the top cookies are gorgeous – so are minimalist cookies.

I tore the areas of the parchment paper where the cookies were and transferred them to the cookie sheet. Bake to your polymore clay’s directions. Mine were 275 degrees and I baked for 15 minutes. After the cookies cool, they are ready to display! And they will be good to display for years to come! How awesome!

I keep my cookies on a plate in my kitchen so it is decorated and company ready!

While I was at Walmart picking up my holiday essentials I found these Scotch-Brite® Scrubbing Dish Cloths! They came two in a pack for $4.97 and they feel so good! I picked up my towels in navy but they also had coral and tan. (You can order gray or mint colored towels online!)

You know when you pick up a towel and you are like, this is going to work! These are a new product so I was super excited about them! (Plus, here is a coupon to Save $1 on any two Scotch-Brite Products (Scrub Sponges, Lint Rollers and Scrubbing Dish Cloths) The scrubbing dots on the one side of the dish cloth allow you to take on tough messes in the sink and across a variety of surfaces. And my favorite feature: they are fully washable, reusable and super sturdy.

I’ve been using them for everything – dishes, cleaning the counters, wiping off the table. These are definitely helping me get ready for my holiday guests to be dropping by! And don’t worry. I will have really cookies ready too! 🙂

You can find lots of great recipes and tutorials here!

 

       

Filed Under: Christmas, Crafts, For Kids, For the Home, Gift Idea, Holidays, Sponsored

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DIY Foam Dog Bed

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ToPetsWithLove #CollectiveBias

If you have read our blog before or if you follow us on social media, then you know that we are kind of animal people. Our four pets live like kings with the best food, treats, sweaters, and they even get subscription boxes filled with toys each month. We spoil them because we love them. 🙂 One thing that both of our dogs love though is having a dog bed. However, our traditional dog beds normally don’t last long. George likes to kind of knead the stuffing inside and make a nest. And one day, a hole pops open and then it goes from bed to the most fun dog toy ever. Stuffing is EVERYWHERE. Our last bed made it look like a winter blizzard in our living room! So I’ve been looking at some different options on replacing the beds. I decided I wanted a foam bed this time. Soft, but nothing for George to squish around.

I looked and looked for one that would match our living room decor, but then it hit me that I should make my own! One with removable covers so that I can change for the holidays and seasons. I mean, if I’m going to have a big dog bed on the ground in the living room it should look nice right?

So here you go! The perfect doggie Christmas gift! A foam bed, with a waterproof protective liner and removable cover. Washing it is super easy, changing to another cover is super easy and by the looks of things, it’s super comfy. In fact, even as I write this, George is still laying on it. He hasn’t gotten off since I put it down! Our cat Lou tried to wonder over to test it out, but right now George isn’t ready to share with him yet. Poor Lou!

Speaking of gifts for our dog…They have everything they could ever want (and more!) so along with their new bed, they will be getting some of their favorite things: Purina Beneful Incredibites for George and a big bag of Beggin’ Strips for Lincoln. George loves his Purina Beneful Incredibites because they are made specifically for small dogs so they are easy for him to chew. I like to purchase it because meat is the #1 ingredient and there is now no added sugar. Plus, with whole grains and veggies I know he’s getting the nutrition he needs!

Lincoln loves Beggin’ Strips (and so does George!) They smell like bacon and taste like bacon because they are made with real bacon!

(Psst! Now through the end of November, take advantage of great savings on your favorite Purina pet products available at Kroger with this Coupons.com link, while supplies last.)

I also love that everything is available easily at Kroger. I’m there anyways buying our groceries so this means I can take care of our pets all in the same place. They have everything we need for our dogs – and our cats!

You Will Need

  • Foam – I used 3 inches thick. You can get it at the craft store, but I recommend waiting until it goes on sale and/or using a coupon! The foam I used was normally $40 but it was on sale for $20 plus I had a coupon! So good deal!
  • Vinyl Tablecloth – I picked up a clearance Halloween print. It’s on the inside so nobody will be able to see what it is. You will want a slightly thicker tablecloth.
  • Strong Tape – like packing tape or duck tape
  • Blanket – I sourced our local thrift shop! I found this great red and white blanket that looks like a knit Christmas sweater for just a few dollars!
  • Zipper (I found one the length of the smaller side of the foam)
  • Thread
  • Scissors
  • Sewing Machine

First you will want to wrap your foam with the tablecloth. Think like a present. Use the tape to keep it secure.

Why the tablecloth? Foam is super comfy for dogs (and great for dogs who need an orthopedic bed!) but it absorbs everything! This layer will be waterproof so even if your dog has an accident, gets sick, comes in from the rain, or drools the foam will stay clean and dry! And as a bonus, it helps it slide into the cover easily.

Lay your blanket right side down and place your foam on top. I removed the binding around the blanket to make it easier to sew. My first thought was I could make two thinner covers with this blanket since the layers were loose after the binding was removed. But then I thought a white furry fabric probably won’t be so nice after coming in from the snow! 🙂

Fold over the blanket and pin around the edges. You are going to end up sewing 2 sides completely closed: one end and the long side. The third side is where you will sew your zipper onto. Trim off any excess fabric.

On your last open end, sew your zipper in.

Slide your foam in and call your dog! If they are like ours they will be so excited that they bring a few toys with them!

George and Lincoln love their new bed!

It’s plenty big enough for both of them to lay together, which they like a lot.

So really the only question is…

To cuddle

Or not. 🙂

If you love this project you will finds lots of fun inspiration here for your pets!

       

Filed Under: Crafts, For the Home, Gift Idea, Holidays, Pets, Sewing, Sponsored

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DIY Un-Paper Towels

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #PledgeReflectionOfYou #CollectiveBias

Have you ever heard the saying, “Home is where the heart is?” How true! Home is where we spend time together, re-charge, make memories, and so much more. I also am a big believer in the idea that your home environment has an affect on you. I know personally, when my home is clean and organized, I feel so much better. I want to be there more, I want to create more memories with my family, and I re-charge SO much better. My home may not look like it is straight out of a magazine, but it’s my home, filled with things that I love and is a true reflection of my family. For me, my home is my heart!

About a year ago, I made my first pair of un-towels. I probably justified it to myself saying, “Well, you can’t clean until you have something pretty to clean with.” I got to pull out my sewing machine instead of tackling a closet. But ever since, I’ve been hooked!

I love our un-towels!

  • They are pretty. I think somewhere out there it’s a proven fact that cleaning is more fun when you have pretty things to clean with. Ok, so maybe it’s not proven, but it should be.
  • They are nice and thick. We actually keep two sets – one for people to use while eating or with food, and one for us to use with cleaning products. Paper towels are great and all, but we just need one un-towel for any mess.
  • When you are done, you just throw them in the wash! Simple.
  • They are inexpensive.
  • They are easy to make. SUPER easy!

Here is how you make them!

First, gather your supplies. You will need a yard of fabric, a towel, thread, scissors and a sewing machine. Remember when you are picking your fabrics that you are using, that these are to clean up messes, so white or super light colors may not work out the best. Pre-wash your fabric and towel to avoid any shrinking later!

First, cut your fabric. I like mine in 10 inch squares.

Once your fabric is cut, you are going to lay your towel out and cut out 10 inch squares of the towel. I was able to get about 6 squares from one towel.

Don’t be afraid to use the decorative parts of the towel!

Pin your fabric face side down on the towel.

Sew along the edges leaving a space 4-5 inches long open so you can turn your un-paper towel right side out.

Turn your towel right side out and sew along the edge again. This time you will close the gap. Don’t forget to backstitch at the end!

And finally, I like to sew a wavy line through the center of my towels. This way they just stick together better in the wash.

That’s it! We are going to use the blue ones in our kitchen and the super fun pink ones (with the vintage trailers and cars) for cleaning!

Aren’t they fun?

Who doesn’t want to clean with fun towels?

I use my towels all the time. Seriously every day! Just like I use Pledge® every day! It’s easy to find at Kroger, and does an awesome job and smells good. I always have several of their products on hand at home, but my two favorites are the Pledge® Multi Surface Everyday Cleaner with Glade® Rainshower® and Pledge® Orange Clean Furniture Spray. Pledge® helps me keep the home I love cared for and beautiful.

I love that the Pledge® Multi Surface Everyday Cleaner with Glade® Rainshower® can be used on almost every single surface in my home! Seriously, you can use this on Wood, Laminate, Stainless Steel, Leather, Marble, Granite, Plastic, Porcelain, Glass and Electronics. Is there honestly anything left? Plus, it smells GOOD!

The Pledge® Orange Clean Furniture Spray honestly reminds me of my mom. I would always help her dust when I was little (except we used the lemon scent), and I loved spraying the Pledge®. I’m a huge fan of the Pledge® smell – to me it just means clean. I used to think that this could only be used on wood, but did you know it can also be used on Laminate, Stainless Steel, Leather, Marble, Granite and Plastic?

There are so many things in my home that are special to me, and it’s nice to have a product that I trust to keep my treasures safe and looking as great as they did the day I got them! We all have items that are irreplaceable. For me, some of these items include my grandmother’s hope chest, my mother’s jewelry box, and a few sweet things that Joshua has made me over the years. I keep these things out on display all year long, so I want to keep them looking nice! Pledge® is the only product that I trust to clean them, protect them, and keep them looking their best!

Do you know another HUGE reason that I’m a big Pledge® fan? Because they also feature Allergens Trappers® to remove dust and up to 90% of the allergens found in dust. With kids and pets that is super important to me! So quick! Whip up a set of un-paper towels, pull out your favorite Pledge® bottle and enjoy your clean, happy home!

Don’t forget to pin! And be sure to follow Pledge® on Facebook here!

       

Filed Under: Cleaning, Crafts, For The Home, For the Home, Gift Idea, Sewing, Sponsored

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DIY Felt Food Breakfast

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BetterBreakfast #CollectiveBias

Before I was a mom I was a preschool teacher. I quickly learned that the favorite center in our classroom was the pretend kitchen. The kids loved whipping up food just like their parents did at home or even creating some crazy concoctions of their own. When I had my son, pretend play was one of our favorite things to do together! I started whipping up pretend food and soon, we had a big collection! This sewing project is a fun DIY that your kids will love!

How adorable is this felt food breakfast? The best part about felt food is that you can make whatever your imagination can think of! Here is what we made in our breakfast felt food set.

You will need:

  • White Felt
  • Yellow felt

Cut a white blob shape (very, very technical term!) out of the white felt. You really can’t go wrong with your shape! Out of the yellow felt, you will cut a round circle for the yolk. Sew (or glue) the yolk to the middle of the egg.

(TIP: These are super fun to put inside plastic Easter eggs so your child can ‘crack’ their eggs open!)

Every breakfast needs bacon!

You Will Need:

  • Dark brown felt
  • Light brown felt (or tan)

Cut out a wavy thick strip out of the dark felt. Then, the same length, you will cut out a few strips of slightly wavy light brown pieces. Sew your light brown pieces to your dark brown piece.

Both the eggs and bacon can be made with fabric glue which is great if you don’t have a sewing machine!

Bread is a little harder to make. If you don’t have a sewing machine, you can use a blanket stitch and hand sew it.

You Will Need:

  • Tan or Light Brown Felt (Or a cream would work!)
  • Darker brown felt.
  • Stuffing

Cut two loaf shapes out of the lighter color felt. This is a square shape with two bumps on the top. Out of the darker felt, cut two long strips.

Sew your two strips together to make one long strip. Sew the strip along the edge of one of the pieces of bread.

Next, place your other end of the bread on top and sew together, leaving a small hole to add some stuffing.

I like to create a few pieces of bread for our felt food to make sandwiches. Your kiddos can top with an egg and bacon for a breakfast feast. Or cut out a strawberry jam blob for toast with jam. Other good ideas include: peanut butter, cheese slices, bologna, etc!

Every breakfast needs some fruit. We love strawberries.

You Will Need:

  • Red Felt
  • Green Felt

Cut out two red heart shapes and a green top.

Place your two heart shapes on top of each other and add the top. Sew around the edges of the heart, leaving a small opening to add the stuffing.

Add stuffing and stitch closed.

Joshua’s favorite breakfast is definitely waffles.

You Will Need:

Tan Felt

Cut out two squares of tan felt. Also, you will need two long strips.

Cut your strips in half to fit on a grid pattern on one of your waffle squares. Sew the strips to the top of the waffle.

Place your second waffle square on top of the waffle you just sewed. Sew around the edges leaving a small opening to flip right side out and stuff. Sew the hole closed.

To top your waffle:

Cut out a syrup blob and a square of butter. Yum!

Every good breakfast needs milk. And that includes your felt food breakfast! Just cut a strip of white felt. Roll it and place in a clear glass!

Did you know that many children face hunger and don’t have access to milk? But you can help! By purchasing Great Value Milk from Walmart, Lenders Bagels or Del Monte Fruit & Veggie Fusions you are helping not only to feed your kiddos (and yourself) a great breakfast, but also helping Feeding America provide nutrient rich milk to kids and families in need. More than 46 million Americans – 12 million of them children – rely on food banks to help them. Milk is often the most requested item and the least donated meaning that children are missing out on the 8 grams of high protein and 9 essential nutrients it has. Together we can help! You can learn more about how you can make a big impact here!

Here is a bonus tip! Get a clear tote to hold your felt food, plates, cups, etc. We used a sharpie to draw a stove top burner, pretend knob and timer. Kids love to use it to play on and it keeps all of their food together.

#BuildABetterBreakfast Sweepstakes

Don’t forget to pin this felt food breakfast!

       

Filed Under: Activities, Crafts, Crafts, Educational Activities, For Kids, Gift Idea, Just For Kids, Sewing, Sponsored

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DIY Instagram Coasters – Perfect Gift Idea!

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.#SaveYourMemories#CollectiveBias

Do you have your gifts all picked out yet? If not, don’t worry! I have a great DIY project for you that is not only beautiful, but they are so personal! They completely qualifiy as the perfect gift idea, because it’s a useful, practical way to showcase important moments. What could it be? DIY Instagram coasters!

This project is inexpensive, quick and really, really, really easy. In fact, the hardest part is picking out your favorite photos! My younger brother recently took a trip to England with his college. I’m guilty of not printing out my photos as often as I should. I have photos saved on phones, Instagram accounts, and on memory cards still loaded in the camera. And I know that if I have stored photos that my brother definitely has some stored photos! So I really wanted to get some in a place that he can show them off, help remember his trip and have something useful. (You know, to help protect all of that really nice, garage sale and taken from your mom’s basement college furniture…) 🙂

So you only need a few supplies – tile coasters, furniture pads, Mod Podge and a foam brush. Oh and an awesome printer!

The HP Envy 4512 All-in-One Printer/Copier/Scanner
 is an all in one printer, scanner, copier and it did an awesome job printing out some of my brother’s Instagram photos!

I mean look at this! It did a great job printing off these really important photos. I couldn’t be happier!

After your photos are printed, trim them to fit your coasters.

Apply a thin layer of Mod Podge directly to the coaster.

Add your photos and let dry. Gosh, don’t the photos look great? I know as soon as he opens them, he’s going to instantly recognize the photos as ones he took on his trip!

Add a layer of Mod Podge on top of the photos and let dry. This will help seal the photos and make sure that the ink doesn’t bleed from condensation from the glasses.

Once they are dry, add the furniture pads to the bottom of the coaster.

Ta da! That’s it! You are done! I told you, crazy easy!

I was so thrilled with how the coasters for my brother turned out that I couldn’t wait to show them to my friend when she came over later that night. She loved them too and wanted to make a set for herself! She said her printer wasn’t nearly as good as my printer so she printed her photos that day from my house. Not only is the quality great from this printer, but it has a great design and a wonderful touch screen that walks you through processes and gives you great control. She called me from Walmart after she left my house to tell me she was buying her own printer and kicking her old printer to the curb. It’s seriously that good!

I just know that once you try it you will love it as much as we did!

Then you can make a set of DIY Instagram Coasters for yourself and to give as gifts! You can even print out some gift tags here!

Don’t forget to pin!

       

Filed Under: Birthday, Christmas, Christmas, Christmas, Crafts, For Kids, Gift Idea, Holiday, Holidays, Holidays, Sponsored

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Random Acts of Kindness This Holiday Season #SpreadCheer

The holiday season is one of my favorites. It seems like people’s attitudes just begin to change and the Christmas spirit begins to take over. I try really hard to instill the love of giving all year around to my son, but during the holidays it’s a great excuse to kick it into overdrive with extra random acts of kindness.

Josh is getting older (bare with me for my pity party for a second…) and some of our Christmas traditions we used to do, he now says he’s too big for. (BOO!!!) I tried to explain to him you are never to old for Christmas and he still does most of our traditions like going to go look at lights, decorating the tree, and watching all of the Christmas movies (and even though he may say some are ‘baby shows’ he totally doesn’t want to miss them!). But some of our traditions like visiting Santa or writing a letter and sending it to the North Pole have been a no-go. (I’m sobbing now…) As sad as I am, the good news that just means we can make new traditions! And this year we’ve decided on small random acts of kindness throughout the month. He may almost be a teenager be getting older (I can’t bring myself to say the ‘T-word’ yet!), but that doesn’t mean we can’t make Christmas magical! Now, I am just teaching him a different kind of Christmas magic.

Random Acts Of Kindness Ideas For Kids:

  • Adopt a family – Contact your child’s school to find a family in need. Many stores also have trees set up where you can adopt a child’s wishlist item and donate it in store.
  • Don’t forget about seniors! Bring in treats, sing Christmas carols or small gifts to a local nursing home. You can also find out if there are any seniors who don’t have any family close by to see if you can bring them some extra cheer!
  • Animal shelters are a fun place to donate to. Plus, while you are there the dogs and cats are pretty excited about some cuddle time.
  • If your kids are older, have them organize a kids night! With your help, they can entertain kids (think Christmas movies, popcorn, etc) while their parents get some Christmas shopping done.
  • Serve a meal in a homeless shelter. While you are there you can drop off some cold weather essentials like coats, blankets and socks.

The other day we decided to make cookies and deliver them to our neighbors. Betty Crocker has a great campaign right now called #SpreadCheer and they offer everything you need, including cute gift tags.

Betty Crocker has a variety of different cookie mixes like sugar, peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies.

The best part is that Betty Crocker makes it so easy to make cookies.

Even on spur of the moment, Tuesday evenings! AND my independent 12 year old can make them all by himself.

Joshua decided to make sugar cookies to help #SpreadCheer to our neighbors.

One thing I have always done when decorating cookies is that I heat up the icing for a few seconds in the microwave. Then, we just dip the cookies in and it creates a smooth and evenly iced cookie.

Then, just add sprinkles!

Joshua really likes sprinkles. 😉

Print out your free gift tags from Betty Crocker and package up your cookies.

Then deliver to your neighbors. Knock. And hide! 😉 Mission #SpreadCheer was a success!

To help you spread cheer you can get a coupon for Betty Crocker cookie mixes here. And, we are giving away $20 via Paypal!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

       

Filed Under: Christmas, Christmas, Crafts, For Kids, Gift Idea, Holidays, Holidays, Sponsored

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