Supplies:

• Candy/Chocolate Molds
• Cake Pop Sticks or Wooden Skewers
• Parchment Paper
• Baking Sheet

Ingredients:

• Chocolate Melting Wafers
• Strawberries 

Directions:

• Rinse strawberries and pat dry. Cut the hull and discard.
• Insert cake pop sticks or skewers into strawberries and set aside until ready for dipping.
• Melt chocolate according to directions on the package.
• Dip strawberries into chocolate, ensure they are fully coated.

• Spoon chocolate into candy molds and place strawberries into molds.
• Place molds on a baking sheet and freeze for 15 minutes or until hardened.
• Remove molds from the freezer and carefully remove the strawberries from the molds.
• Place strawberries on a parchment lined baking sheet.
• Assemble your bouquet
• Enjoy!

Make your Valentine feel extra special with these homemade treats. You can also create your bouquet by placing your strawberries in a cute vase or heart shaped tin.

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Terms:

• TR = Treble Crochet
• DC = Double Crochet
• Ch = Chain = the stitch used to increase the height for new rows or rounds
• MC = Magic Circle = how to crochet a round
• SS = Slip Stitch

Supplies:

• Worsted weight yarn in your color choice (I used a 4, but larger hearts can use thicker yarn)
• 3.0 mm hook (this can be adjusted depending on how big you want your heart and the yarn you choose)
• Scissors

Directions:

1. Magic circle (MC) (this will stay open until the end), Ch 4
2. 3 TR into the mc, then 3 DC
3. Ch 1, 1 TR, Ch 1
4. 3 DC, 3 TR
5. Ch 4, SS into the circle; pull the yarn tail tight to close the circle
6. You can tuck the tails in OR use the tails as a loop for a keychain type of heart.

Remember, this pattern can be expanded to make a bigger heart as well. So enjoy it, make a bunch of hearts, and spread your homemade love! 

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Supplies:

• 14 oz. Glue
• 1 Cup Hot Water
• Food Coloring
• Glitter
• 3 teaspoons Borax
• 2 Cups Hot Water

Directions:

• Put glue in a tub.
• Add in 1 cup of hot water.
• Add in your food coloring and glitter.
• Stir until smooth.

• In a separate container, dissolve 3 teaspoons of Borax in 2 cups of hot water.
• Slowly add the water into the glue mixture and stir together.
• It will goop together almost immediately.

• You may not need all the water, so pour slowly.
• Once it’s mostly gooped up, begin mixing with your hands. (This is the fun part!)

• We started with red and black food coloring, because that’s all I had, and it turned more into pink and purple, which was pretty perfect for Valentine’s Day.
• As you can see, the slime is a HUGE HIT.

My family loved making this slime recipe and I hope your family will too! Have fun getting messy!

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This is the perfect fall craft, and you can incorporate it any way you want! Make a timeline for a deployed loved one (just add twine and hang), include in boxes for friends, or mail to grandparents…the list could go on and on! We created these to hand out to our neighbors, and it made for a fun afternoon!

Supplies:

• Construction Paper or Fall Paper
• Leaf Template
• Scissors
• Glue
• Chocolates

Directions:

1. Print off template.
2. Cut out template.
3. Trace template on fun/fall paper.
4. Cut out colorful leaf.
5. Write fall greeting leaving room for candy.
6. Glue candy down onto leaf.
7. Allow to dry.
8. Deliver some fall fun!

Super easy right?? I used construction paper I already had at the house, and the candy was left over from my last chocolate binge session. There are tons of cute papers in the stores now, and you can create so many different patterns and shapes with these! We choose colorful leaves to celebrate the changing of the seasons!

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Sending your kids off to school after a long summer break can be bittersweet. I’ll be the first to admit to mixed emotions – a little bit of jubilation, a fraction of loneliness, a lot more relaxation (you don’t realize how relaxing walking through the grocery store ALONE can be!), and a fair amount of nervousness, for your children’s sake. I just want to bottle up every memory of them, every cuddle and laugh we share, because it all happens way too fast. Next thing I know, we are going to be filling out college applications. So, while I’ll be enjoying going shopping with my cup of iced coffee through every aisle that I want to go through, but once my little ones get off that school bus, I am going to soak in as much as I can.

Speaking of school buses and memories…I love documenting these different phases of life. I keep little notes my children write, meaningful projects from school, I have them fill out self-interviews at every birthday, and I have a collection of little hand and footprints from their birth up until now. Those little hands and feet will never be this small again! So, as we kicked off this new school year…you guessed it! I had to put together a footprint craft to mark the occasion.

This was a craft for my youngest, but there’s nothing wrong with slapping some paint on those big kid-sized feet, but just know you will just end up with a much larger school bus.

Supplies:

• thick, white paper (like acrylic paper, or card stock)
• yellow paint
• paintbrush
• black and red permanent marker

Directions:

Step 1) Paint that little footsie and plop it down on the bottom portion of your paper.

Step 2) Allow the paint to dry and then add 2 black wheels with your permanent marker (photo 1) and a set of doors and window (photo 2).

Step 3) Add a red hexagon or octagon for the stop sign. I couldn’t draw 8 sides without my shape looking like a red blob, but I am aware that a true stop sign is indeed an octagon! Then, add an additional 4 or 5 black windows down the length of the footprint (photo 3).

Step 4) Add the year and your child’s name, or “1st day of ____” as I did (photo 4).

A final suggestion that is totally optional, but I like to laminate our crafts so it will last a while. At least through all of my tears as they are leaving for college, anyway.

You can also check out how we made that name tag pencil to make your collection complete! I hope everyone has a smooth start to the next school year. Remind your children: “You’re off to great places. Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, so get on your way!” – Dr. Suess

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I decided to put together little back-to-school projects to do with my daughter to give us a chance to talk more about what she can expect in school and to touch up on some of the skills that she has previously learned. This fun pencil craft was one of them! It reviews the basic shapes, allows practice with scissors, includes a bit of handwriting, and requires following simple directions. Plus, it’s very similar to the name tags we saw taped on everyone’s desk. That’s actually what sold my daughter on this project! Let’s gather our supplies and get started!

Supplies:

• Yellow, brown, black, pink, and white construction paper
• Scissors
• Pencil
• Glue Stick
• Small Sheet of Aluminum Foil

Directions:

• Depending on your child’s skill level, either create shape templates to allow your little one to trace and then cut or draw the shapes yourself onto the construction paper and instruct your child to cut them out.

• You need a large rectangle from the yellow paper (the pencil itself), a small rectangle from the pink paper (the eraser), a brown triangle (the wooden pencil tip), an even smaller black triangle (the lead of the pencil), and a thin rectangle from the aluminum foil (the metal that holds the eraser).

• Using the white paper as a base, the shapes should then be glued down into the form of a pencil!
• Then, cut the excess white paper off.
• ***NOTE*** I folded the aluminum foil over into the shape we needed so it wasn’t flimsy.

• Ask your munchkin to write his or her name to finish it off!

You can even take it a step farther and laminate this to preserve a memory or milestone of whatever grade your child is entering. Don’t forget to write the date on the back! Here’s another idea…how about creating a larger version of this to give to the teacher as a back-to-school gift? I think it’d look pretty nifty hanging from the classroom door! What are you waiting for? Grab your supplies and start creating!

Good luck with the new school year and may it be an easy breezy, smooth sailing one for both children and adults alike.

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I used ramekins to hold the bubble solution. Mix a squirt of paint in each one and stir it up. You can always add more solution if you find it’s not “bubbly” enough.

Supplies:

• Tempera Paint
• Bubbles

Directions:

• Mix some paint with bubble solution in a small container.
• Carefully dip the bubble blower into the solution.
• Get close to the paper and blow until the bubble pops on the paper.
• Have fun & get creative with your masterpiece!

Notes:

• We practiced a little bit on the paper to get a feel for them. The bubbles are messy and drippy, but I think it adds to the painting. Why I let my kids talk me into using black, I’ll never know. You’ll see why in the photos.

• Since the paint weighs down the bubble solution, you can’t just blow bubbles and let them float down and pop on the canvas. We had to get pretty close to the surface and gently blow our bubbles.

• The boys really got into it. They made such funky designs!

• Our almost splatter-proof surface. It all comes out in the wash though and the memories are worth it!

• I turned my back on the 5 year old for a minute and he went crazy with the black bubble paint! He LOVES bubbles and the fact that he could paint with them made him really happy. That made me happy! Of course his painting took FOREVER to dry, since there was so much solution on it. He loves it though!

• As you can see, the bubbles pop everywhere! A couple wet wipes later and we were good to go.

Such a fun summer craft! I hope you try it out with your kiddos!

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Here are some beauty hacks using peppermint oil:

1. Want to give your lips a little bump and boost? Simply add 1-2 drops of peppermint oil to your lip gloss!
2. Acne Spots! They are so annoying and hideous at times! Dab a thin layer of peppermint oil to those pesky spots and let it work its magic!
3. Do you suffer from dandruff? Those pesky little flakes in the hair! Apply some peppermint oil to your scalp, and help eliminate that dandruff!
4. Peppermint stimulates the hair follicles, therefore it can help your hair grow longer! Add some peppermint oil to your shampoo bottle!
5. Oily skin?! No problem! peppermint oil to the rescue! Peppermint oil helps with oily skin and moisturizes very well! Apply some peppermint oil to your skin after showers and watch how vibrant your skin may become!

Consider using peppermint oil in your daily beauty regimen…it may just be the game-changer you need! Stay beautiful and amazing!

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So many things can go wrong, but once I got over that and accepted that they won’t be “perfect” and will probably come out different than I was envisioning in my head, I was on board to at least try!

Supplies:

• White Shoes
• Glass or Metal Bowl
• Fabric Dye
• Salt
• Hot Water
• Gloves
• Trash Bag (to protect your table)

Directions:

• Unlace your shoes.
• Run the shoes under cool water getting them completely wet, but not soaking wet. (This helps the fabric absorb the dye better.)
• Set the shoes to the side.
• To make your dye follow the directions on the back. Mine asked for only hot water and salt.
• I started with dipping the toe in and holding for a few mins, then slowly lowering it more creating an ombre effect.
• Keep dipping and holding until your satisfied with the color.
• Once done with the dye, run the shoes under cool water rinsing until the water runs clear.
• Hang your shoes up to dry.

Notes:

• This project only costs me $11 for the shoes and dye! Not bad at all!
• If they are brand new shoes and came with a plastic hanger, KEEP IT!
• Make sure your entire work area is covered and that you wear gloves!
• I chose to also do the back of the shoe, but you wouldn’t have to do that!

It was a hot and sunny day, so outside they went! After a few hours, they were completely dry, laced up, and ready to rock! I’m definitely glad I decided to make these. They are one of a kind and personal! They are also a wonderful POP of color in my summer wardrobe!

These were super fun to make and I get compliments for them all the time! The color possibilities are endless, so have fun and get creative if you decide to try this out!

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Supplies:

• Size H crochet hook
• Medium (4) yarn in any color or multiple colors
• Scissors
• Needle
• Button (optional)

Terms:

• Chain = the stitch used to increase the height for new rows or rounds
• HDC = Half Double Crochet
• SC = Single Crochet (most basic crochet stitch for designs)

Directions:

• Chain 30+1 (or however long you would like your pouch to be. I measured based on pens and pencils. The plus 1 is a chain for the upcoming half double crochet (HDC).
• HDC into the second stitch from the hook and all the way across. Chain 1, and continue in this pattern for 20 rows or you can switch colors to make a block type pattern
• After row 20, chain 1 and you are going to start to decrease. Decrease 1 at the beginning of the row, and decrease 1 stitch at the end of the row. So you will be decreasing 2 stitches on each row. I ended up with 14 stitches across on my final row.

• Once you are done with the piece, I folded the bottom (be sure you are on the wrong side of the work) up to meet the last full row of 30 stitches (so right before you started to decrease. You can use a stitch to marker to keep your place, or I just threaded my beginning tail into where I wanted them to join.
• I then took a different color and sewed the sides together using a needle. It is important you are sewing on the wrong side of the work because you are going to flip this inside out.
• Once I was done sewing, I then single crocheted around the top of the pouch in the same color that I sewed the sides with. You can then add a button of you choice to the middle of piece.
• Then, you are done!

This is great pouch that can be customized in so many ways! So, make sure to get your creative juices flowing and start crocheting today!

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