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Thursday, June 28, 2012

Honeybear Lane - A craft for kids!

Hi my friends! I am so excited because today I am being featured on the amazing blog run by Heidi called  Honeybear Lane. It is truly an amazing site.
 Heidi is so creative and she has a wonderful eye for all things beautiful!
Head on over to Honeybear Lane and check out this great Kid's Craft Tutorial!
Happy Crafting!!
xoxo,
 Amy



Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Arts and Craft for Kids: Making fire works with a straw and food coloring!!

This is from last year, but we just did it again and it was so much fun!!!


I think it is so fun to make children's art a part of your holiday decor! It is a good way to make them feel appreciated. 
 For this fun and easy non-toxic project you need:
food coloring
a straw for each child
piece of paper
The directions are simple. Drop two drops of liquid food coloring on your paper and then blow it with the straw!
 It is so fun to see what kind of splatter patterns are made. Even my one year old though this was fun although I did have to help her blow the food coloring a bit!






You can use whatever colors you want!

Happy Crafting!
xoxo,
 Amy

Easy 4TH of July Centerpiece

Are you ready for the fireworks???
 I love my country, yes, I do!!! Here is an easy centerpiece. Stick some mini flags in a little tin can full of beans or rice. Then tie a ribbon around the can. Stick the tin can in the middle of your table! So cute and So simple!


Happy Independence Day!

XOXO,
 Amy

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Homemade Father's Day Candy Message!

Want to give Dad a little sweetness this Father's Day? Well look no further! Give him a note that is sweet and delicious!
Candy to use: Take 5, Good and Plenty, Goobers, Rolos, 100 Grand, Milk Way, Swedish Fish, and Reese's Pieces!




Here is what I wrote: Adjust as needed:


Dear Papa,
        Allow us to Take 5 minutes of your time, to let you know that the love we have for you is Good and Plenty! Yes, we may sound like Goobers, but we just really like the way you Roll!
        To us, you are worth more than 100 Grand. You are the brightest star in the Milky Way! We can’t speak for the Swedish, but as for us we just love you to Pieces! Happy Father's Day!

Love,
 The Davis 4 Clan 

Happy Crafting!
xoxo,
 Amy


P.S. Need some Father's Day Printables? Check out this blog! Ami has compiles a huge list!





Easy Homemade Father's Day Card

Father's Day is knocking on the door! It is time to tell the Father in your life just how much you love and appreciate him. Okay, really you should do that everyday, but if you don't make sure you do on Sunday!!!
I just had to share this cute little card. 
 Don' t you love it! 
It's Dad's work shirt! It is so simple to make so grab your little ones and get started.
You need:
Paper:
I used: 2 12x12 scrapbook pages (but really you could use computer paper and crayons if that was all you had,or you could use construction paper)
scissors
A ruler
a glue stick or tape
pencil
 Fold your paper in half. Use your  ruler to measure the top (folded) part of the paper. This will be your collar.  I drew lines three inches in on both sides.

Then cut along the lines and carefully fold down.

 It should look like this

Next I wanted to draw a tie. I just free handed it. It wasn't perfect so if you are looking for perfection you best seek another tutorial:) Perfection doesn't often happen here:)
 I decided my free hand wasn't even so I fold the tie in half and cut along the edge I like best.
 It turned out like this:
 I cut the bottom of the tie to be even with the bottom of the card. Glue down (or tape) the tie and the collar.
 Here it is . . .
 If a tie seems to hard you can glue some buttons on instead. You can also cut out a square and make a pocket! Get creative!
 Anyways, here is the finished product. Don't forget to add a sweet little note to Dad!

Happy Crafting!!
XOXO,
 Amy

Monday, June 11, 2012

Baby Shower Games!

I searched high and low for the best baby shower games and I really like what I have compiled. We had so much fun playing these games and I think you will too! There is something for everyone!

Let the Games Begin!

Game No. 1 Guess How Many. It is simple and non threatening so it is a good game to start with. I filled up a bottle with 166 M&M's and had each guest write their name and their guess on a small piece of paper and drop it into a mason jar. Later on in the shower we sifted through the guesses and chose the guest with the closest answer. In this particular instance the guest who won guessed 160!

 Game No. 2 Name the Baby Animal. Still non threatening. I printed out a list with the names of Adult Female animals with a blank space next to them. Guests were charged with the task of naming the baby animal. For example: Deer = fawn, Pig = piglet. Some were easy and some were hard. This is a good web site to look to if you would like to compile your own list or you could email me and I could send you mine.
I also kept a few animals on my master list that I didn't use for the game but for tie breaker questions for other games.
P.S. A lot of people cheated with their cell phones so you may want to consider making some rules:)

Game No. 3 The Diaper Game. This is the most controversial game but also one of the most fun games. Take 15-20 cheap diapers and melt a piece of chocolate ( I just set mine out in the sun, but the microwaves works well too if you unwrap them first) in them and charge the guests with the task of identifying the type of chocolate! They can smell it and even taste it if they dare! have guests number a piece of paper from 1-15. With a sharpie marker write a number on each diaper and tell the guess to make sure they write their answer   on the corresponding number on their paper. So, if Diaper number 7 has snickers in it, you write snickers on line number 7 on your paper.
 Don't use any off brands- it make this game too challenging. I used: snickers, milky way, twix, 3 musketeers, baby ruth, whoppers, kit kat, crunch bar, hersheys, rolos, almond joy, New York Peppermint Patty, 100 Grand, and a Watchamacallit.

This was my Grandma's response to the "dirty diaper game". 
Game No. 4
How Big Is Mom's Belly?  ( This is also a lead into game number five)
My sister -in-law hated when they played this game at her shower, but I enjoyed it at mine and Sarah (pictured) thought it was fun too. So if you feel like you need to ask the mommy to be if she is willing to play this game first- please do.
This game is really quite simple. I used yarn ( you could use string, twine, ribbon, curling ribbon or whatever!). Ask each guest to guess how big Mommy's belly is. They measure out the yarn and you cut it where they want you to cut it! You can have a prize for the closest and the smallest (if you want to make mommy feel better)
Now this next part is key because it leads into the next game. Measure mommy's belly with the yarn. Cut it at the right place. Then have have her walk from person to person to measure her yarn against the guests yarn. The closest one wins. Now get ready for game five . . .
Game Number Five:
What Was Mommy Wearing?
I hope your guests got a good look at Mommy as she was walking around the room with her piece of yarn because now they have to remember everything about her! Give mommy some dessert and have her leave the room for a minute. (Side Bar: I wish I had had a baby monitor set up so that Sarah could hear everything that was going on. I read the questions out loud and it was so funny to hear the responses. Sarah would have gotten a kick out of it all!)
Here were my Questions: You can use mine or you can make up your own.
Do You Remember what SHE was wearing??

1.                      Was she wearing Make up?
2.                      How did she have her hair    styled?
3.                      Was she wearing Nail polish?
4.                      What kind of shoes was she wearing?
5.                      What color was her shirt?
6.                      Describe her outfit.
7.                      How many rings was she wearing?
8.                      Was she wearing a necklace?
9.                      Was she wearing earrings?
10.             What color was her lipstick?
11.             What color are her eyes?
12.             Was she wearing a bracelet?
13.             What color is her hair?
14.             Was she chewing gum?
15.             Did she seem to have a fragrance on?




Game #6: Baby Bingo
Hand out a blank Bingo card and have guests fill up the squares with items they think she will receive. One item per square. For example: burp rags, onesie, blanket, diapers, shampoo, fingernail clippers, etc.  They can use a word more than once like: Onsie and Onsie. But they can only cross off two "Onsie" spaces if the mom gets two onesies. Does that make sense?????
This was my Heading:
Baby Shower Bingo!!

Can You Guess What the New Mama Will Get? Fill in the squares with the names of baby items that you think will be in the gifts she is about to open!!

I used my microsoft program to insert a table of four rows and four columns and then I made the font size 100. Four in a row wins and black out wins. If you have a very large shower you may want to add another row. 

Let me tell you why this game is fun. Because it keeps everyone interested while mom opens her gifts! This is also a great non- threatening game. 

Well, there you have it! I hope that you enjoy these games and that they next baby shower you throw will be a great success!

XOXO,
 Amy

P.S. See here for Baby Shower Themes
See here for Baby Shower Cakes
See here for affordable baby shower prizes and here for cute gifts

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Celebrate Summer!

I still remember how exciting the last day of school was as a student. And guess what, I was just as excited for the last day of school as a teacher, if not more so!!!
so I say : Lets CELEBRATE SUMMER!!

This is what my kids came home to:
 I hung balloons upside down by taping them to the inside of my roof! I painted a banner, mounted it on an old curtain rod with tape and stuck them in two flower pots.  It was pretty simple and I used things that I already had in my home so that I didn't have to spend any money.
My kids thought it was great!!

Happy Summer!
XOXO,
 Amy

P.S. Don't forget to enter our awesome giveaway- the grand prize is valued at $1300!!

Summer Time Cup Cakes!

How cute are these! My kids came home from school with these little guys! No, I didn't make them but this is how I would do it . . . 
 Make a cup cake as usual . . . frost one at a time and add pulverized graham crackers to the top to simulate a sandy beach. then add a tiny strip of Fruit By The Foot candy for the towel using frosting for glue, add a Teddy Graham, again using frosting as glue. Top with a little umbrella!
So adorable! If only I was laying on the beach under a big beautiful umbrella!
XOXO,
 Happy summer!
Amy

P.S. Don't forget to enter our awesome giveaway- the grand prize is valued at $1300!!

A Homemade Teacher Gift

My kids have had such wonderful teachers! Today was the last day of school for us and this is what I sent as my little token "thank you" gift: Strawberry Jello!
 We have already had temperatures that reach well beyond 100 degrees and I thought that jello with bits of strawberries in it would be so cool and refreshing. (plus it is affordable and won't make you gain weight:)!)
 I started out with two pint sized mason jars, one large package of jello and a package of strawberries.
I prepared the jello according to directions, put it in a bowl to stir it. Transferred it to a picture to pour it into the mason jar to avoid spills. Leave about an inch of room at the top.

While the water was trying to boil, I washed and quartered the strawberries. Before I put the mason jar in the fridge to set (without the lid on) I added a few strawberries to the top. They floated. The Jello will set in an hour and a half to 2 hours. That last half hour is crucial because you have to add more fruit before the jello sets. So check it every ten minutes or so by adding a piece of fruit. You want it to sink or at the very least you want to be able to push it to the bottom with a spoon.



While I was waiting for the jello to set I wrote this little note on my computer.I ended up turning all the font black except for the word "berry". Now you really could use this for an "anyone" thank you gift. You could simply write "You are 'Berry' Wonderful!" Or You could write "You are a  'Berry' Wonderful Piano Teacher/ Neighbor/Friend/ ETC" You get the idea:)

 I cut out the message, added a piece of scrapbook paper to the back (with a glue stick) and then I rubbed it down with a copper color ink to add a little extra interest.

This was my first plan:
Punch two little holes in the top and add a ribbon. Wrap it around the top of the jar, pull the ribbon through the other hole and knot it as well.
 This is what it looked like. I wasn't crazy about it.
 So  I tried this:
 But I really liked the puch of color that the green ribbon added.
So I settled on this:
 Perfection! I pulled the ribbon through both holes and then tied them in a bow in front of the message. Similar to the first attempt with the green ribbon- I just had lots of extra ribbon in the front to tie.

FYI: The package of jello filled two pint size mason jars and two baby food jars.
I know most of you are out for the summer already but maybe you can keep this in mind for the future!

Happy summer!
XOXO,
 Amy

P.S. Don't forget to enter our awesome giveaway- the grand prize is valued at $1300!!

Monday, June 4, 2012

Favorite Baby Shower Cakes

Cakes have always been a party staple but over the years they have evolved into so much more. They have become a piece of art. And let me ask you this, What is better than edible art? Not a whole heck of a lot! In my search for baby shower inspiration, I came across some of these amazing cakes. I thought I would share some of my finds with you. I hope you enjoy them:)

Once again in no particular order of cuteness:

(no, really, my Aunt Lisa made this whale topper. Everything from the whale to the water to the surfboard to the baby is all made out of chocolate! You should check out the link and look at the other cakes she has made. She is amazing!)
 Amazing!





For more baby shower ideas you can check out my Pinterest Board!

Happy Crafting!
xoxo,
 Amy


P.S. See here for Baby Shower Themes
See here for Baby Shower Games
See here for affordable baby shower prizes
 and here for cute gifts