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Free Printable Electoral Vote Map For Election Night
Election day is tomorrow! I’ve been looking for a few election day activities to do with my son tomorrow to celebrate.
A friend shared with me this awesome free printable map and I wanted to make sure that I shared it with you too! Whether you decide to print one for your kiddos or just for yourself to color in tomorrow, this map is perfect for shading in red and blue and tallying up the electoral votes! (You can print it below or click the image above to save to your computer and print)
Need some more easy (no or minimal prep) election ideas?
- Vote on breakfast, dinner or even what to wear! You can vote on just about everything! (Get the free printable ballots here!)
- Watch Schoolhouse Rock videos such as “I’m Just a Bill”, “I’m Gonna Send Your Vote To College” etc. The videos may be able to be found on YouTube or you can order it on Amazon! For $5.99 Amazon will do same day delivery!
- I love this fun future voter DIY!
- Head to the library and check out some books about voting, Presidents and elections. These are some great books to get you started! Check out the list here!
Layer On Love Service Project
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and The Coca-Cola Company. All opinions are mine alone. #LayerOnLove #CollectiveBias
I try to teach my son lots of things like math and manners. I try to teach him that some days a good book and a cup of hot cocoa are just what you need and that a little work never hurt anybody. One thing that I hope that he can look back on his childhood one day and say is that I taught him that you are always in a position to help someone else. That is so important to me! I love doing service projects with Joshua. We volunteer with an animal rescue regularly. We have served meals at a local shelter. We have cleaned up a park. We donate things to classrooms and schools. We talk a lot about how lucky we are and think of new ways that we can help others.
Which is why I was so excited to hear about the Layer On Love project from Coca-Cola! Coca-Cola has partnered with an amazing organization called One Warm Coat. Their goal is to give away HALF A MILLION coats this year to those in need. How amazing?! You can help too! Find out where to donate a new or gently used coat to a location near you or check out one of the other ways to get involved. (Find out more information here!) I love supporting companies who are doing good work! So you know when we are in Walmart I am picking up some Coca-Cola!
While I was at Walmart picking up a few 2-Liters of Coca-Cola and Diet Coca-Cola (my fave!) I decided to pick up a few other items for Josh to create his own little project. We like to serve Thanksgiving dinner at a local shelter and when I heard the phrase “Layer On Love” it made me think of a previous year when I was told that the shelter desperately needed warm socks. Indiana gets really cold in the winter and unfortunately several of the shoes that the men in the shelter wear have holes in them, are canvas or are thin from wear. Snow, slush, and sleet all creep inside their shoes and there is nothing worse than cold wet socks. We are so excited to donate coats to One Warm Coat and know that we are keeping people warm all the way down to their toes with our socks! 🙂
This year when we go to serve our Turkey Day dinner we will be bring our own Love Packs. I knew Joshua would be excited about this project! We came home, got our supplies, poured a big glass of Coca-Cola and got to work stuffing bags with socks, snacks and toiletries to bring with us. This is an amazing project that you can do with your kids! Joshua is 13 and he loved picking out items for the bags as well as packing them up himself. It’s a perfect way to get the conversation of giving started! Whether you make 2 bags or 200, they are sure to be appreciated!
Looking for ideas on what to put in your bags? Here are a few:
- Socks – We bought thick boot socks
- Deodorant
- Toothbrush with a travel case
- Toothpaste
- Shampoo
- Soap
- Granola Bars or other individually packaged snacks
- Can of Coca-Cola
- Gloves
- Hat
- Scarf
- $5 gift cards for places like fast food or coffee shops
We have a free printable for you as well!
I set mine to print 4 to a page and printed on card stock. We used just red string to tie the labels around our socks, but you can attach it anywhere! Feel free to write on your bags positive messages or have your kiddos draw pictures. This project is all about giving in anyway you see fit!
By coming together and inspiring your followers to donate to One Warm Coat® on Coke.com/LayerOnLove, we could collectively help to put a coat on one million people in need this winter.
What Winter Clothes Kids Really Need
Happy Halloween! I hope everyone is having a fun and safe Halloween tonight! You know what comes after Halloween? The very official start of cold weather. That’s right. Super official. It’s time to go from pretty fall weather to I-Don’t-Want-To-Get-Out-From-Under-The-Covers cold. Also, a very official weather term.
But what winter clothes do kids really need to keep them warm while they are busy building snowmen or sledding? (Besides hot cocoa of course!)
Start With A Base Layer
Ever since I was little, during cold weather we were told to “layer, layer, layer.” But we didn’t layer correctly! Cotton long sleeve shirts definitely were a layer but not one that really works to keep you warm. Choose a starting layer that has a moisture management technology. Different brands call this type of fabric different things such as ClimaSense or Dri-fit. These fabrics help to regulate your temperature and keep you dry. Playing in the snow is hard work! Even though it may be cold, kids (and adults) still sweat. This should be your go-to for your base layer!
Your Middle Layer
Next layer is the middle layer. You will want to look for materials like wool, down or fleece. This layer is to help insulate you. Sweaters, sweatshirts and sweatpants are all a great option!
The Outer Layer
Here is the layer you probably pay the most attention to – the outer layer! Look for waterproof gear so a little melted snow won’t hurt! Another thing that you want to pay attention to is how comfortable the coat is. You don’t want your child to not be able to move in it! Also, many brands will put right on their tags what temperatures their gear is meant to withstand.
Snow pants are a must have if your child is planning on playing out in the snow. Whether they are sledding or making snow angels, while jeans are a great, thick material they are no good in the snow! There is nothing worse than being cold and wet!
Don’t forget to look for waterproof gloves as well. Mittens are great but gloves will let your child get out there and play! Of course, warm hats, boots, scarves and earmuffs are also essential!
Now, here is a quick tip for you! Sierra Trading Post is a great place to pick up winter gear for your whole family! Sierra Trading Post has amazing brands like Under Armour, The North Face, Columbia and so many others, except they have them for great deals! I was able to pick up my son’s winter gear for about 65% off the retail price! Even better, most orders ship the next day. And if you should ever have a problem, it only takes about 13 seconds to reach a real person from their Wyoming office. Sierra Trading Post has been around for 30 years offering high quality products with high quality customer service.
Even better, right now you can get free shipping on orders over $75! (Valid within the 48 contiguous U.S. states only (excludes AK, HI, offshore U.S. territories and possessions, international, and APO/FPO addresses). Orders shipped via UPS Ground. Not valid on over sized items or orders or items with special shipping charges. Gift card purchase does not apply to minimum purchase. Offer valid until 11/14.)
This post was sponsored by Sierra Trading Post and Coupons.com. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.
Pokemon Bedroom Ideas On A Budget
Pokemon Go is still very much a thing in our house. It must be that way at lots of your homes too. In fact, we are beginning to get requests for Pokemon bedroom ideas! (I love getting requests! Do you have an idea? Let us know!)
So today I’m sharing a Pokemon bedroom on a budget. A few things before I get to the pieces we used.
[Tweet “Pokemon bedroom on a budget? Perfect for your Poke-Trainers! #Pokemon”]
- I’m a fan of basic bedding. It’s inexpensive and easy to fit different themes with the simple change of a blanket or throw pillows.
- I’m a compulsive decorator. I like my rooms to come together and look awesome, but I have a few rules. First, I need a room with storage. Second, I need a room that looks good, but is inexpensive. We change our minds a lot. So I don’t need to spend a fortune just to turn around and redo the room a short time later. Bonus for kid’s rooms: We use toys to decorate with. Not only are they great decorations, but they are fun!
Speaking of budget…This room came in at a steal! Everything can be purchased for under $600, which includes a large rug and several pieces of furniture that gives you tons of storage!
Here we go! Our Pokemon bedroom…
These red sheets are the perfect start to your Pokemon room.
A large fleece blanket is all you need to turn your solid red sheets into a fun, budget friendly Pokemon set.
Well almost. It wouldn’t be a complete Pokemon bedding set without a fun throw pillow. I love this Pokeball pillow. Pillow fights just got turned up a notch with tossing Pokeballs trying to catch them all.
For our nightstand, we picked this fun red locker stand. I think this is a fun piece that can grow from kid’s rooms to dorm rooms which is awesome!
Speaking of storage, how awesome are these cubby storage units? This shows actually two units stacked on each other giving some great height and even more room for toys, stuffed animals and anything else your child has in their room needing a home. This unit also has a great color and is super affordable!
This room has a lot of red in it, so we decided to go with a yellow rug to go along with the Pikachu blanket.
This lamp may look a bit different, but it’s super cool. The balls at the end of the lamp will light up in different colors and kids can actually take the balls out making them perfect for taking with them to the bathroom at night. And what better lamp than one that looks like it has Pokeballs?
In our room, above the bed we put this fun red shelf to hold some great Pokemon treasures.
Decorations don’t have to be expensive! In fact, we took two simple vases that you probably have at home already and filled them with different Pokemon themed toys.
In one, we added Pokeballs.
And in the other, Pokemon figurines. We found a great deal on this huge set so I knew I wanted to display them somehow.
A stack of Pokemon books not only look good but your kids will love them! Win, win!
Posters can be a great and inexpensive way to decorate your child’s room. For our Pokemon bedroom, we chose a Pikachu poster to continue to pull out some of the yellow color. (TIP: Make a poster look high end with a nice frame. For this Pokemon bedrooom, try matching it with a nice red frame.)
Everyone loves a Pikachu Pillow Pet! Cute, perfect for laying around with on the ground and did we say cute already?
This Snorlax is the most appropriate Pokemon stuffed animal I can think of for a bedroom! And Poke-trainers need to have a variety of Pokemon in their Pokedex right?
All of these items can be found on Amazon which means they will ship for free for Amazon Prime members. Not a Prime member? You can sign up here for a free trial!
Don’t forget to pin!
This post contains affiliate links.
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!
Super Simple DIY Football Mason Jars
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and The Coca-Cola Company. All opinions are mine alone. #NotSoFastMom #CollectiveBias
It’s time for football!!!!
I’m so excited. I love football. I love playing a pick up game in the back yard, watching the kids play at school, watching our favorite college teams, our favorite professional teams, the football parties, tailgating….the football food! Seriously, I love everything about it.
Speaking of Friday night lights….I have the perfect DIY football project for you to make for your next football party, tailgating event or just to make and take to the game! You can never be too decked out on the sidelines cheering!
These DIY football Mason Jar cups are so adorable and so insanely simple to make. Just 5 minutes and you are on your way! The possibilities are pretty endless with this way of decorating, but I like to try to make a few different designs to help people keep their drinks seperate a bit. The best part? After your party, you just pull your design off and your jars are ready to decorate for your next event! And did I mention, this show stopping party idea won’t break the bank? You can make them for about $1 each (including the jar!) Already have the jar? Your total cost is about 30¢. TOUCHDOWN!
You will need:
- Mason Jars (I use the pint size. Bonus: This is the perfect size to hold a 12 oz POWERADE!)
- Balloons in your desired colors. I used green, black and a pearl gold. (NOTE: Brown balloons can be trick to find. The ones I found were SUPER dark only lighting up in color once they are filled up. Since I wasn’t filling them up I went with the gold color and I think it looks great!)
- White electrical tape (I got mine at Walmart in the tools/auto area.)
- Scissors
First, I give my balloons a little stretch. Honstly, I’m not sure it does anything, but I do it anyways! 😉 Then you make two cuts as shown above and below.
You really just want the round section of the balloon.
Then s-t-r-e-t-c-h your balloon around the bottom of your Mason Jar. It won’t be straight across anywhere, they are kind of a fun whimsy look. It looks almost like you dipped the jar in a bucket of paint.
Then use your electrical tape to add a design. I stick to pretty basic designs that are easy to make with straight lines.
These honestly take just a minute to make and anyone can do it! I think for our end of the season party I may just do all referee cups and order little whistles to hang on them! (Well, I’m still debating if the whistles are a good idea for a whole football team of boys to be running around with! It might get a little noisy! LOL)
POWERADE is definitely the drink of choice. I was so excited when I saw that Walmart had 12 packs of 12 oz bottles because they fit perfectly in the cups! Do you know what else does? Cans of Coca-Cola! So while you are shopping be sure to stock up on Coke Zero and Coca-Cola as well as POWERADE!
You can find everything that you need to make these fun football cups and to fill them at Walmart! Walmart has everything that busy game moms need!
Looking for more awesome ideas? Whether you are celebrating on the sidelines with your favorite players or cheering on your teams at home in your living room you can make the most of your game days with these winning ideas and be a #NotSoFastMom!
Don’t forget to pin these fun DIY football cups!
Oreo Spider Cookies & Cream Cookies – Halloween Recipe
We are getting into one of my favorite times of the year! I am a HUUUUGE fan of Halloween – but the cute, not the creepy! It may only be August (well, it’s practical September now!), but Joshua already has his costume picked out. At first he didn’t want to dress up. He thinks he is too old to go trick or treating (begin the violins because I’m totally crying over here), but once he saw this ‘costume’ he changed his mind. Well, at least about the dressing up part.
I may need to bribe him with a batch of these cookies & cream cookies. They were that good. Total bribe material. Filled with Oreos and white chocolate these cookies are the perfect mix. I’m not an awesome cake/cookie/cupcake decorator, but these are so simple that even I can decorate them.
3/4 cup
butter softened
3/4 cup
brown sugar
3/4 cup
sugar
2
eggs
1 tsp
vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups
flour
1 tsp
baking soda
1/2 tsp
baking powder
1 tsp
salt
1
sandwich bag filled with Oreos coarsely crushed (I used about 12)
12 oz bag
white chocolate chips-
Oreos -
Black Decorating Gel -
Candy Eyes
Servings:
-
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or use non-stick spray. We like giant cookies so we used a whoopie-pie pan.
-
In a bowl, mix together butter, brown sugar, sugar, eggs, and vanilla.
-
In a second bowl, mix flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
-
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and combine.
-
In a sandwich bag, crush the Oreos. You don’t want them to be finely crushed, you want to have chunks of Oreo in your cookies!
-
Add the Oreos and the white chocolate chips to the batter and mix well.
-
You will want the cookies to be large enough to hold an Oreo spider. We used a whoopie-pie pan on one batch and the other we used a large ice cream scoop.
-
Bake for 8-10 minutes or until they just begin to brown. Let them cool completely on the cookie sheet.
-
Once the cookies are cool, use the decorating gel to ‘glue’ on an Oreo to the center of each cookie.
-
Add a dot of decorating gel to the back of each of the candy eyes and stick it into place. And 8 gel spider legs finish your cookie.
-
Let the cookies sit and the decorating gel will harden.
I recommend that you use:
- I’m all about the parchment paper! I buy the Kirkland brand on Amazon as it’s much bigger than what I can find in stores.
- I ordered this Whoopie Pie pan several years ago and I use it all the time! I think I’ve only used it once for actual Whoopie Pies but it’s our favorite pan to make cookies and brownies.
- The Wilton Black Decorating Gel is my go to!
- We use these fun candy eyes on all kinds of things. They make everything adorable.
Don’t forget to pin!
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.
Back To School Routines: Make This Your Best Year Yet!
School is in full swing now which means we are all getting back on a routine. There are only 24 hours in a day, but sometimes, well, most of the time I have about 36 hours worth of things I would like to get done. And it all starts with the morning.
We’ve all had one of those mornings. Where you wake up late, can’t find something, remember something last minute….you know, it’s just off. Being off your morning can really effect the rest of your day. That’s why it’s so important to build a great morning routine. Start your morning off right with a great back to school routine.
So we asked….
What are your best tips for back to school morning routines?
“Honestly, mornings around here started out pretty rough when school started. Now that we’re 3 weeks in, things are smooth sailing. Setting the coffee pot timer the night before, is the FIRST thing I do! We also have clothes and backpacks laid out the night before. On the weekends, I use gallon sized bags to divy up lunch items for the days of the week. That way, all I have to do is grab the bag and put everything inside Eli’s lunchbox. It only takes a second, vs. 5 extra minutes out of the morning. Another thing I use that really helps us stick to our routine is cellphone timers. I have a timer for everything…and when the timer goes off, we do that task. Wash face and hands, brush teeth, get dressed, eat breakfast (and take our vitamins), grab backpack, say our morning prayer, watch for the bus. Works like a charm! Sounds a little OCD, right?! But hey — we get out the door on time and with less drama, each and every morning!! Plus, Eli thinks it’s fun and he likes to beat his time for each task. He looks at it as sort of a challenge!!”
– Jenni is the mom of one and the author of Sweet Pennies From Heaven. A hearth and homewebsite, Sweet Pennies From Heaven focuses on recipes, crafts and creating a comfortable home. Follow her on Twitter here!
“Mornings are always busy! This year, we have lots of new things to experience: we’re in a new city, a new house and a new school district. Plus, Mike is no longer working outside the home. I feel like we’re starting our school morning routines from scratch. Thankfully, some of our usual habits will continue to serve us well. In the evening, I have Sam help me prep his backpack and clothes for the next day — this makes our morning so much easier! Once we’re up and around, I make his lunch while he eats breakfast. We follow breakfast with vitamins and a good teeth brushing. After a few minutes of reading and cuddles together, it’s time for out the door. I love the fall and I’m excited that back to school season is finally here!”
– Stephanie is the mom to Sam and the author of Spaceships and Laser Beams. If you ever need party ideas her site is the place to visit! Specializing in all things boy, it’s full of inspiration!Follow her on Twitter here!
“Mornings for us are pretty different than they were last year! This year we are homeschooling so we have eliminated a lot of the rush which feels so amazing! I’m all for calm and less stress! One change that I have added to my routine is that I spend a few minutes (usually only 5-7) doing some yoga. It may sound silly or that those few minutes can’t really make a difference, but they do! It gives me a few minutes to just wake up, stretch and get ready. I’ve also stopped the habit of waking up, grabbing my phone and checking my inbox in bed. Before, I was starting my day before I could even fully open my eyes! Then it’s breakfast, vitamins and beginning to get ready. Small, simple changes have helped make our mornings not only calmer but so much more enjoyable. And when you start your mornings off enjoyable it’s much easier to have an awesome day!”
– Amanda is the mom to Joshua and owns It’s a Fabulous Life. If you are looking for a one stop place for all things mom, It’s a Fabulous Life is it! Full of recipes, fashion, DIY projects, recipes and parenting articles it’s the place for all of Mom’s favorites to come together! Follow her on Twitter here!
One thing that we all have in common is the fact that vitamins play an important part of our routines. Have you heard of SmartyPants vitamins? They are my absolute favorite! Why?
- They are gummy vitamins so they are easy to take. Even as an adult, I would rather eat a gummy vitamin than take a pill!
- They are delicious. Like super good!
- They use the BEST ingredients. Their vitamins are non-GMO and contain no high-fructose corn syrup. Plus they are gluten free and contain no yeast, wheat, milk, eggs, gluten, salt, peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish, synthetic colors, artificial flavors, sweeteners, or preservatives.
- Even their Omega 3s are sourced from eco-friendly small fish populations.
- SmartyPants vitamins pack in your vitamin needs in a yummy gummy. Ok maybe, that one was mentioned twice, but it is important! (Find out more about what goes into their vitamins here!)
Be sure to join us August 31 at 9:00 PM for a fun Twitter Party to talk all about morning routines and learn more about SmartyPants Vitamins!
We will be giving out lots of prizes including several bottles of SmartyPants vitamins, a Walgreen’s Gift Card and a new Keurig machine – everything you need for your own morning routine! Be sure you are following SmartyPants Vitamins on Twitter!
RSVP here!
This post was sponsored by SmartyPants Vitamins. All thoughts, ideas and opinions are my own.
More Minecraft Bedroom Decorating Ideas
If you remember a while ago, we did a post about Minecraft bedroom decorating ideas. And it turns out…there are a lot of people out there looking for Minecraft room inspiration! It’s one of our most popular posts! So, we’ve done it again! Here is another set of Minecraft bedroom ideas. And later this week, we’ve got one more round of Minecraft room ideas! YAY!
(PS. You can find the original Minecraft Bedroom Ideas post here!)
What I love about this Minecraft Bedroom:
I love that not everything is green! I know when people traditionally think of Minecraft, they think lots of green and while this definitely does have lots of green it also has a good balance of blues.
I also love that this Minecraft bedroom isn’t so young. While it’s great for young kids, it’s also totally cool for them to have for years to come.
And one of my favorite things is: STORAGE!!! Kids need storage. This room with the cubbies and the storage ottoman, have you covered. To be honest, this is a bit of a basic room and totally easy to create, but it’s really inexpensive details that pull it together to make it cool. Plus those ‘details’ double as fun toys. Win- win!
The bed:
Before we get to that totally amazing bedding, let’s talk headboard. Or lack thereof. For this room we decided to skip the headboard and frame the bed with some fun Minecraft toys. It’s fun and totally functional way to dress up the wall!
We used the foam axe and foam blue sword.
Total cost: $19.24
(TIP: Hang these on the wall with Command Strips!)
How amazing is this duvet cover? If this doesn’t say Minecraft, I don’t know what else will!
The twin size duvet is $127, but if you sign up for Cafe Press’ emails you should get a code for 25% off your first purchase.
We are big fans of duvets at our house. We have them on all of our beds.
But, if that is a little more than you want to spend, there is a fleece blanket version of this available for only $42.95.
Match with some green sheets and I think that this would make for a great bedding set!
There is even a pixel pillowcase!
Total Cost:
Duvet: $127.99 (less with coupon code)
Fleece blanket + Sheets + Pillowcase: $75.26
The furniture:
This nightstand is perfect. Kids grow out of their rooms and this will seamlessly be able to fit into their next room whether it is going from Minecraft to basketball or carting it off to their college dorm. The door on the front keeps kid’s uh, mess, out of sight. Oh, and it’s less than $50. Total score.
I’m a huge fan of cubby shelves for kids. They are inexpensive and perfect for holding all kinds of treasures. And for a Minecraft room, they are even better because it’s all about the square! 🙂
These green bins are perfect for your cubby shelf. All 6 are less than $18!
We actually have this lamp in Joshua’s room right now! His room is filled with all kinds of video game things and his lamp is no exception! We stop in our local thrift store all the time and if we find any small video game figurines we drop them in. It’s beginning to fill up and it’s a cool piece in his room. For this room, I would fill it with Minecraft figurines or Lego pieces! I think that it would be so cool to have filled with different shades of green Lego’s! (Hint: Check Ebay!)
We included this pixel clock in our original Minecraft Bedroom Ideas post and I think it is the most purchased item we have EVER put on our site! It’s super cool and only about $20!
The top of the ottoman comes off for storage making this a must have in a kid’s room! Store books, toys, games, controllers, etc. Plus, it makes for great extra seating for friends to come over!
This ottoman is $64.99 and will ship for free. We also found one very similar on Amazon for $59. (It also ships free with Amazon Prime.) I like the one on Amazon because I can see the awesome reviews! 🙂
This rug will add a pop of color to the room! It has great reviews and is under $40!
Total cost for all furniture: $316.34
The Decorations:
We used several plush items in this room. And there are tons more that we didn’t use.
- Creeper and Enderman set ($14.99)
- Minecraft Pig ($7.99)
- Minecraft Sheep ($7.27)
See all of the Minecraft plush here.
For less than $7 this Minecraft vinyl wall hanging makes a big statement!
These pixel Minecraft wall torches are so cool. Hang them on the wall (they really light up!) for a fun and totally wow decoration. Place one on either side of the bed or window. Maybe you will put one by the door. Or maybe a trio of torches above the dresser. However you put them, this will be one of your favorite parts of the room!
Toys make for some great decorations. Plus, they are toys so kids can play with them.
- Minecraft Hostile Mob 4 Pack ($16.99)
- Steve with Axe ($6.58)
- Redstone Ore ($12.00)
Total cost of decorations: $89.82
Total cost of room: $500!
Don’t forget to pin! And be sure to check out our other Minecraft Bedroom Decorating Ideas!
This post contains affiliate links.
Pokemon Pokeball Oreo Fudge
We have been so busy around here getting ready for homeschool (yes, you read that right!), enjoying the rest of our summer, and of course, catching Pokemon that it is hard to believe that we are getting anything else done! The other day Joshua asked if we could make some fudge and of course I was happy to oblige. But I thought I would do a fun twist on one of his favorites and make some Pokemon Pokeball fudge! This Pokemon inspired treat was a huge hit and is easy to put together! So whether you are having a Poke-party (I totally just made that phrase up…) or just looking for a fun treat this is sure to be a hit.
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 bag white chocolate chips
- 8 Chocolate Oreos
- 2 tbsp butter
- 5 tbsp marshmallow cream
- red candy melts
- white candy melts
- black candy melts
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In a sauce pan, pour in a little less than half of the sweetened condensed milk.
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Add in 1 cup of white chocolate chips.
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Add 1 tbsp butter and 2 tbsp marshmallow cream.
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In another sauce pan, repeat this process.
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Add the pans on medium-low heat. Stir in a handful of candy melts - white in one pan and red in another. The colors will change some once the mixture hardens. Stir occasionally until melted.
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In a small bowl, pour remaining sweetened condensed milk.
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Add 1 tbsp of marshmallow cream and a handful of the black candy melts. Put in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time, stirring in between until melted.
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In a ziploc bag, crush 8 Oreos.
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Pour into melted mixture and mix well.
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Line an 8x8 baking sheet with parchment paper. First, pour in the white fudge mixture.
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Then, add the Oreo mix carefully spreading it across. Don't press hard, you don't want the Oreos to sink.
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Top with the red mixture. We added red sugar sprinkles to the top of ours but that is optional! It did help bring out some more of the 'red' color though.
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Place in the refrigerator to fully set. I keep mine in for about 5-6 hours. Pull out the parchment paper and cut.
This treat is super sweet and super fun!
[Tweet “What is better than playing #Pokemon Go? Eating Pokemon Pokeball Fudge of course!”]
A few tips:
- Parchment paper is a must have!
- If you would like to omit the Oreos the middle layer will lay nice and flat and you will get nice, clean layers.
- This is a SWEET treat - you only need a little bit. And a big glass of milk is nice to have on hand.
- Be sure to keep this treat in the refrigerator when you are not eating it. We have not tried yet, but I would think that you would be able to freeze it as well.
Don’t forget to pin! We will have lots of Pokemon projects and treats coming soon so be sure to check back often!
This post contains affiliate links for items that were used to make this recipe. All items are for products I love and use. Opinions are 100% my own.