Fire Cracker Fringe Wands

Little girls love to pretend. Whether they’re fairies, ballerinas, princesses or gymnasts these fringe streamer wands are a fun and easy way to encourage their imagination. They're also great for party favors, weddings, or make some in red, white and blue fringe for the upcoming Fourth of July holiday!

You might have seen variations of ribbon wands around the internet. These have a special twist that make the experience a little more magical. Instead of satin or grosgrain ribbons you’re going to be using fringe streamers which can be found at many party stores. When the wand is swung the many gold tassels will catch the sunlight at various times in colorful ways thus creating a more enchanting, almost firecracker-like, experience.

Of course, wand decoration is also essential and helps to personalize each rod for each child. I recommend using washi tape since it’s the simplest to apply. You can also use paint or glitter or anything that is bright and/or sparkles.

You can buy red, white and blue fringe streamers and make Fourth of July firecracker ribbon wands as party favors for your youngest party guests! These also make excellent birthday party favors since they are simple and fast to assemble and will entertain for hours. I promise, they’ll be a bigger hit than wristbands and less annoying than party horns! See it in action below!

The best part about this project is that once you have all your materials gathered it should take a very short time to construct. Since there’s no drying time your kids can go outside and enjoy their project just minutes after starting. Weather permitting of course!

Materials Needed: 

12” dowel rod

glitter washi tape

eyelet screw

1” length of necklace chain

needle nose pliers

fringe streamers

Instructions:

Cut a 21” piece of glitter washi tape.

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VISIT FLORIDA gives away one trip per week

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of VISIT FLORIDA for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I've been to Florida twice and each time I had a blast! Here's me on a private little island my cousin's husband took us to on his boat back in 2003 (10 years ago!!!!) Fantastic. I just couldn't find that in Pennsylvania.

I just wish I could take the kids sometime and go to Disney. I've been there twice (see our visit to Epcot in 2003 below) so I don't necessarily desire to visit Disney myself again but I know it would be wonderful for the kids and we've never taken a BIG family trip on a plane. But the Keys were my favorite part of the state (that's me snorkeling on one of the reefs below).

Have you ever been to Florida? If you could go back where would it be to? OR, if you live in Florida what are the best escapes only a Floridian would know?

VISIT FLORIDA is celebrating the 500th year since the state's discovery in 1513 by Ponce de Leon by giving away a trip every week in 2013!!

Enter Florida’s 500 Years of Adventure Sweepstakes for a chance to win a new Florida adventure every week! Each week they'll be giving away exciting Florida adventure packages that include rental car, hotel accommodations and other exciting "what to do about town" activities. Entries do not roll over from week to week, so come back each week for a chance to win a different vacation. Enter once a week.

Since the Keys were my favorite part of the state I'm definitely going to be entering their Key West Escape giveaway on June 17th to the 23rd. It's a two person package including:

•   A four-day car rental from Hertz

•   Three nights’ accommodations at Southernmost Hotel in the USA

•   Breakfast at the Southernmost Beach Café

•   Sunset Cruise  with Fury Water Adventures

•   Two tickets aboard Old Town Trolley Key West

Florida’s 500 Years of Adventure Sweepstakes launched on January 14th and runs throughout the year. VISIT FLORIA is showcasing why Florida has been the world's destination of choice for 500 years. From their beautiful beaches and world class spas to fabulous fishing and Old Florida Charm, there's more than enough adventurees here fo another 500 years.

Be Sure to follow @VISITFLORIDA on Twitter to keep up with the latest Florida adventures.

Herb Heads for Mom by Kids

The girls and I made these for Mother's Day but this can be an all round idea for a mother's birthday or just to give in the summer. It's so simple and the kids will enjoy creating them while moms will enjoy using them.

I spend a lot of time in my kitchen. I also spend a lot of money on grocery store herbs that I would rather get free from a garden. This project serves as a great Mother’s Day gift because it’s one that Mom will actually use! The kids can have fun painting and planting while also seeing Mom use their gift on a daily basis.

If you’re a mother and want to make this project with your kids it also works well to give to grandmothers and other friends who are moms. In fact, I enjoyed making these with my children for myself. Now, the next time I have a recipe that calls for sweet basil I won’t have to spend 20 minutes of my day driving to the grocery store and back again. That alone is priceless.

You could even have your child water them as part of their daily chores. It’s a nice way to turn the gift into an experience. Rather than making something that you will eventually pack away in a memory box, these can stay on your kitchen window sill indefinitely and will last as long as you water them. Of course, that can be the most challenging part of all. Wink, wink!

Materials Needed:         

6 Terra cotta pots

Pencil

6 Acrylic paint colors of your choosing (recommended: pink, red, white, blue, brown, yellow)

6 Paint brushes for each color

6 Potted herbs

Potting soil

Potting shovel

Ribbon and bow

Instructions:

1. Take one terra cotta pot and have your child draw a face on the front in pencil. Remember not to draw the top of the head. That is what the herbs are for! Terra cotta pots are inverted which makes painting tricky especially for a child. Using a pencil beforehand might save you from wasting a pot because of a painting mistake which are harder to fix.

2. Once the face is drawn it’s time to break out the acrylic paints! This is the best part. Have your child fill in the face with the paint brushes and various colors.

3. Let the pot dry for about one hour.

4. Now that your pot is dry you can help your child add the herbs which will serve as the hair of the head. First fill the pot with a little fresh potting soil. Remember, when the plant is placed in the new pot it shouldn’t be any deeper than it was in the original container.

5. Take the herb and help your child remove the plastic outer shell from the roots. If you have an herb with a recycled compost shell have them peel away the outer layer on their own. It’s fairly easy and it’s okay if the roots are jostled.

6. Let your child gently loosen the root system on the bottom of the herb being careful not to rip the roots from the plant.

7. Place the herb in the new pot. While your child is holding the herb upright, backfill the empty spaces with fresh potting soil. This is a little difficult so it might be something the adult chooses to do. Once the herb can stand on its own have your child press the soil down to compact it. Then keep adding soil until the pot is filled and the dirt is tight.

8. Water the soil until liquid emerges from the drainage hole on the bottom of the pot.

9. Wrap a bow around your pot and present to Mom. Enjoy her surprise and delight!

Mismatched Socks? Sew a Sock Snake!

Are you like me? Do you have a bag full of missing socks that you refuse to throw away? Or do you have a pile of socks that your children have now outgrown and it’s too sad to donate all of them. It’s hard to imagine when they’re feet were that small, right?! If so, this project will fit the bill!

I don’t know about you but my kids hate throwing anything away that they’ve used for any amount of time. Yes, that includes stinky socks! Kids will love this project because it it’s not only fun to sew but it repurposes something that would have gone in the trash bin. It’s a great way to memorialize their childhood with something they can cuddle up to at night and pass down to their children when they’re grown. 

Another neat idea would be to add new socks to the snake when your kids have children of their own. You could make a mini snake out of their old baby socks and keep adding new chains as the generations go by. Wouldn’t it be amazing to have a sock snake made from the baby stockings of you, your mother, your grandmother and your great grandmother?! 

Just remember to use the clean ones! 

Materials Needed: 
at least 10 clean socks (You can make your snake as short or as long as you like. I recommend using at least 10 socks.) 
sewing machine 
thread 
scissors 
buttons 
5" of red ribbon 
pillow stuffing 
sewing needle 

Instructions: 1. Lay your socks out so that you can see all of them. Choose at least ten socks that have similar width.

2.       If you have many varying widths you can also choose to arrange them from smallest to largest then back to smallest.

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The Final Touch on My Outdoor Living Space

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of TIKI Brand® for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I've been focusing a lot of my attention on making a welcoming outdoor living space on our side porch. I use that space a lot since it's it's the only area where I can see the kids from the house. This summer alone I've added new comfortable outdoor seating, tables, shade, outdoor rugs, potted plants and these TIKI Brand Fire Sculptures.

I loved how they not only added a homey feel (even when not in use) but they are fueled with OFF! ®/BiteFigter® Torch Fuel which has a Citronella and Cedar smell and best of all, keeps the bugs away. We've had a terrible bee problem on our porch and this DEFINITELY helps.

Now, I won't keep the tall one on while the kids are on the porch but I also got this cute little TIKI Brand Glowing Table Torch that they can't reach. Plus multi-color LED lights change from white to alternating blue, red and green, creating a stunning visual effect at night!

It's a nice alternative to a fire pit. There's no large flame and less mess. And they're more decorative than simple fire torches with the flame being 2-3x higher than that of torches. Also it burns for about four hours without having to refill so if you're having a party you don't have to worry about your flames dying before the sun goes down.
I'm having a Game of Thrones party in the next few weeks in our side yard and I'm excited to use these for some added ambience. Check out how easy it is to use in my video below!

TIKI Brand Fire Sculptures are available exclusively at The Home Depot. Also, check out TIKI Brand on Facebook to see all the unique sculptures available for your outdoor living space! TIKI Brand has been around for so long! I know you're all familiar with their signature torches but what do you love about the new sculptures?

Farfalle Pasta Hair Bows

This project can work for both girls and boys! Use them as a hair adornment or pin on as a bow tie. One for each side of a little girl’s hair looks adorable and one in the center of a baby boy’s shirt looks charming. Make one in each color for every outfit of the day.

These are actually pretty durable and they keep their shape unlike ribbons or cloth bows. They look as neat as a picture and never appear floppy or disheveled. This project is great for families who have children of a wide age range because regardless of your artistic ability, as long as the macaroni is thoroughly covered in paint, they come out looking good every time.

Simple nail polish works well on the macaroni’s surface. This was a huge selling point for me. Instead of washing paint out of cups and cleaning brushes you simply screw the nail polish lid back onto the bottles. Best cleanup ever!

These are good homemade gifts that your children can make and give to friends or family during the holidays. In my personal opinion, it almost looks like something you’d buy in the mall. In fact, I would actually wear these! And I bet no one would even realize that it used to be pasta. It can be you and your child’s little secret.

Materials Needed: 

1 box of Farfalle pasta

40mm barrette hair clips or pins

a few colors of nail polish

hot glue

Instructions:

 1.       Using the nail polish have your children color each of the macaroni pieces in any way they like. I recommend coloring the macaroni in one color first.

2.      After that coat has dried you can add more details. Some decoration suggestions are hearts, polka dots, stripes and flowers.

3.      An adult will have to help with this next step. Add a dab of hot glue to the back of your macaroni. Then press the top of your hair clip or pin clip into the glue.

4.      Let dry and wear!

Rainbow Streaked Mermaid Hair

The girls and I had some hair fun on Monday. Molly decided she wanted to have a rainbow and Lily a red streak. Since it's going to be summer soon I gave in. We used Manic Panic which should wash out in 5-6 weeks. Everything turned out good except the aqua blue. That disappeared immediately after we rinsed it out. But I think the rainbow look is still evident.

To do this I just sectioned off her hair with foil and clamped the foil with two clips at the top corners while I brushed on the colors in 4" chunks. Then I folded the foil on both sides wrapping the hair. I also used a hairdryer to heat up the foil while waiting for the dye to set. I read that this helps intensify the color.

Manic Panic is about $10 for each jar of color. If you don't want to spend $60 on the six colors of the rainbow, just get the primary colors and mix to make the secondary ones. Also, I bought mine at Sally's and they had a two for one sale, which always helps;-) To get the mermaid waves in Molly's hair I used the Hot Shot Tools ceramic deep waver also bought at Sallys.

More Nursery Plans....

So, as you might have remembered I've been redoing my old sewing room for Henri, making it into a proper nursery. I was going full force and then my momentum just kind of petered out. I have the room painted, curtains done, bedding sewed but I'm still figuring out the decor. I want it to look like a boys room but still have a soft baby feel. So, my color scheme is orange, grey and white, not too feminine, right? I also thought about doing an accent wall in white birch trees which I'll admit, seems like an awful lot of extra work. BUT, if I do I'm thinking of adding these Lovebirds by Etsy seller Pancakes for Breakfast (love that name BTW). You might not be able to tell from the photo but they're fairly large, about 2 feet in length and thick, about 1" deep. Love to dive in and do this. 

Gutter Gardens

This is totally cool! Buy a rain gutter and attach to house or would also work along a deck. Would be cool for renters or people with townhouses and barely any yard. And so much less expensive than planter boxes. Via Juneau Empire. This 10 ft. gutter is only $5.23 with the end caps it's $12.19.

Mini Swiss Dot Bridal Veil Tutorial

Yes, I really do love this swiss dotted mini bridal veil from BHLDN. Make your own using my blushing veil tutorial and just shorten the veil by a lot. Buy some white dotted tulle here or also on etsy here.

Saddening News from the Craft Blogging World

Today, I was incredibly saddened and shocked to hear about the very tragic death of craft blogger Kathreen Ricketson of Whip Up.

Kathreen had just signed a book deal to write, Family Road Trip, which was to document her family's one year trip around Australia. I won't go into details about the accident but you can reference the news story below.

I've featured her on this blog many times and I'm sure many of you have heard about her as well. Kathreen was a very prolific writer on her blog and incredibly creative in her personal life. I only knew her through blogging but from the small amount of contact I had with her she seemed so very kind and personable. She is very well known in the craft blogging community and her loss will surely be felt. I just wanted to express my sadness and urge others to pray for her family and children.

Here is a news link to the story.

Your Styling Inspiration

#getnoticed

Do you see things in others that you like to mirror in your appearance? A neatly tied scarf? A braided hairstyle? A particular shade of lipstick?

I often get my inspiration for what I wear and how I look by noticing how others put themselves together and choosing what I like or what I don't like about that and going from there.

Most days I just slip on a dress, put on some lipstick and eyeliner, and I'm out the door. Other times, I like I like to go all out. Buying new makeup shades, trying out new hair techniques. Sometimes it's a failure. But other times I find something that I use for years to come.

This hairstyle for instance. I began wearing my hair like this about 15 years ago, usually when my hair is dirty or greasy. It's so easy and looks like I intentionally wanted an updo and not hiding dirty hair.

How do you decide how you style yourself?

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Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Dial® via Glam Media.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Dial®.

Wedding: Mirrored Tabletops

I'm kinda diggin' these mirrored tabletops for a wedding. Although I'm not quite sure how you'd do this cheaply especially if you wanted to cover all your reception tables with them. I think it would be easier if you wanted to cover a long table instead of circular or square. I recommend contacting a nearby glass company for the best prices.

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djonesphoto.com

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