pinterest round-up ♥

i am officially addicted to pinterest

...it's the best thing since sliced bread (with some nutella on it)

here are some of my favorite summer-time projects...

i stumbled upon this caddy at Target long before i saw it on 

I Heart Organizing

and bought one for art supples, patio table essentials and bathroom supplies for my 2 girls...

she took it to new heights with the chalkboard paint!!

since i'm in love with anything aluminum cans...i love this craft! 

DIY windchimes from hands on: as we grow

...that kids all ages can help with...and it's free!!

mod podge + rocks = cuteness from red bird crafts  

...how cute are these? again, easy & free.99$

cheerio bird feeders from Under the Table & Dreaming

got stale cheerios? i usually do somewhere...why? i have no idea...

summer sponge bombs from WhipperBerry

don't these look so cute?! ...i mean fun... make up a bunch in just a couple secs :)

Paper Beads from Mini-eco

this is so fun on safety pins strung on a necklace...you could really do any color combinations...i have a soft spot for the rainbow ♥ 

(this lady is super amazing...lots of cool ideas)

these look so yummy...from the Idea Room

recycled t-shirt bangles from lil blue boo

so simple and cute stacked together

last but not least a summer bucket list...

i love love love this board from whatever

...i found one at a garage sale just like it and it's my project for the week, to get it up and everything listed with my new chalkboard markers

hurry! you still have most of July & August to do a bucket list with your kids!

it makes me feel like we're accomplishing some summer fun 

as the days fly by...

why do they fly by so fast?

much summer crafty love ... ♥

Summer Memory Journals

It's JULY!!!

Happy 4th of July weekend, friends! I survived the trip to Cedar Point amusement park, let me tell you some of those roller coasters are CRAZY and I am a pretty big chicken. I went on a few rides but mostly I was the one sitting with the backpacks, stroller and my two year old niece. She's a little sweetie and I taught her the fine art of people watching. ☺

Check out this ride, new for 2011. It's called The Wind Seeker. Swings? No problem, you say. Except, these swings are going around 300 feet in the air!!! And let me tell you, it's windy up there even if its not on the ground! Yes, I rode this. And survived. Barely. I shut my eyes really tight about half way through and prayed for it to be over.

Are you seeing this thing???

300 feet in the air, people!!

The view on the way up and the way down was awesome! It was just the spinning around once you get up there that was S-C-A-R-Y!!

Anyway, my sister and I were talking about summer memory journals, a project she introduced me to years ago and I had sorta forgotten about. She did these as a group with other moms and kids. We thought it would also be a great party idea for a group of girls Lulu's age (13-ish). All you need is a composition note book (the kind with the black and white marble cover and black binding). These notebooks tend to be really inexpensive during "back to school" time so grab a few extras then and save this idea for next summer. To make a summer memory journal just cover the front and back of the notebook with patterned scrapbook paper. Decorate with stickers. Cover the whole notebook with contact paper to keep the journal clean and neat. Easy peasy.

This is the front of the book I made...

and the back...I loved this "wave" paper and it was just begging to be decorated with fish and bubble stickers!

This is the front of Lulu's summer journal...

 and the back...so sweet. Her taste would probably be a little different now, this was a few years ago.

So, now the fun part...use this journal for anything and everything that has to do with summer! My kids used it to record all the places they went, vacations and day trips. If we picked up a brochure or had ticket stubs from the trip they glued them in the journal. They also used it to keep track of books they read, friends they wanted to get together with, silly songs they learned at camp....anything!! I used mine to keep track of meals and a packing list for our camping trip, outdoor games and projects that sounded fun and  a list of movies we wanted to watch during the summer. My sister and her friends make a new summer journal every year because it is an event for the kids to get together and create their books. I didn't even begin to fill up one notebook so I just skipped a few pages and used the same book the next summer. Okay, so this idea may seem kinda oh-hum but it is really fun to look back and remember all the fun things you did on those lazy, summer days. You do tend to forget these things...at least I do. ☺

The next thing to go into my summer memory journal...the Cedar Point park map and a list of the rides I was brave enough to get on!

I think this project is near and dear to my heart because I just love everything about summer...the slower pace, the food, being outdoors, going special places, staying up late and sleeping in, camping, swimming, reading etc. My absolute, hands down favorite book of all time is Susan Branch's Summer book. It is adorable!

I could look at it forever. If you haven't seen it before you must take a look the next time you are in a book store. It is pretty much her memory book for summers spent on Martha's Vineyard. She draws all the pictures and it is so sweet. I LOVE it!! It is full of all her favorite things...gardening, recipes, and just plain relaxing. Here is her summer picnic page...

So cute!!

And now, for the best thing we ate this week...it had to be the huge, blue snow cone we all shared on our last day at Cedar Point. It was delicious because we were hot, it cost a million dollars so it had to be good and it was shared between four cousins (with parents sneaking tastes here and there). ☺

Isn't it pretty?? And check out these blue tongues! Very festive! 

Making memories! Lulu and the blond guy are mine, the two older boys are my sister's, along with the two year old niece who I stroller sat. ☺

Cousins are the best...it's so fun for them to get together. I can't believe my nephew in the the front with the dark hair will be a senior in high school this fall!! Time does fly!

Happy 4th!!

Jelly Bean Prayer Tutorial

As my sisters and I have mentioned before, 4 out of the 7 of us work in a program for kids called Cubbies. It is at our church and we all work in the 4 year old classroom. Once a week we spend time with all these little four yearolds and teach them about Jesus. Around every holiday we try and do something special for the specific kids at each of our tables. I have four little girls at my table and needed to think up something for Easter. I decided to do a project with the Jelly Bean Prayer. I love how each color of Jelly Beans tells the story of Christ, and kids seem to love it. I found a great printable from Mama-Jenn, check it out, it is my favorite so far out of all the ones I've seen. Now this project is very simple, but a great and fun way to teach kids about Resurrection Sunday.

Materials:

Jelly Beans

Canning Jars

The Jelly Bean Prayer Printable

Scissors

Hole Punch

Ribbon

Jelly Bean Fabric (found mine at Joann's)

Step 1: Cut out your Jelly Bean Prayer Printable

Step 2: Fill your jars with Jelly Beans (I like to do rows of colors to go along with the poem)

Step 3: Cut out square swatches of fabric and place them on top of the canning jar lid, screw on the lid.

Step 4: Hole punch a corner of the printable and with your ribbon secure it around the lid.

 TA DA Finished!!

John  11:25,26,

 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and 

the life: he that believeth in me, though he were 

dead, yet shall he live:

And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

Goodbye winter ♥ Hello Spring

We're baaaaaack! 

Sevensisters has sprung into action with the warm (sorta) weather around here!

I think we're outta our 

"i don't want to blog because my phone says it's April, and while i read on everyone else's blog about how they're gardening and taking walks smelling the daffodils, we freezing out butts off and there's still snow on the ground...miserable"  

funk.

I don't know about you, but I'm officially sealing my last can of paint, throwing all the dumb blue tape and washed paintbrushes (does anyone understand that washing 476 paintbrushes in a span of 5 weeks is really obnoxious?) in an unorganized fashion (check out this girl, i wanna be like her) into a huge blue tote to be forever banished to the ends of the earth! and gettin' out the flip flops and short sleeved shirts!!

ok, ok, i know that might be a little premature for upstate NY, but if we will it to come, it might come?...no?

So I know Mother's Day still seems far away, but I found this cute project idea on Two Shades of Pink via One Pretty Thing...and I thought this would be a cute replacement for real flowers...you know the ones that are beautiful for a couple days, then die...these will last all year! 

Here's a few shots of supplies we used and the flowers my girls came up with... 

 

...this is a really great kiddo craft, that actually turns out cute...she mentions using pipe cleaners so it's easier for kids to bend and thread through the buttons and paper...the only downside to this is that the pipe cleaners don't provide much "lift" for the heavy tops of the flowers...the covered floral wire is very stiff, and holds any of the flowers, large or small...

...once they thread the flowers on the wire, then add the button, you can just bend the wire into shape for them (i used needlenose pliers) before you twist underneath the flower...the ones above were made with pipe cleaners the pic below is one made with floral wire...

Happy Spring Sistahs!!

(I have lotsa pics of the house re-model that i want to put up soon...we keep joking that extreme makeover came to our house except we're the ones who did all the work and paid for all the stuff! ...and there was no bus to yell "bus driver move that bus" to...but there was crying...the chief was crying tears of pure paint torture) (he has a crown in heaven for putting up with me)

Linking Up ♥...

 

 

 

Mama and Baby Chick Craft....and How to Dye a Cotton Ball!

Happy Spring...I think... maybe once the latest blanket of snow melts! What is up with the snow, peeps? Hellooo... the calendar says it is Spring so it had better start to act like it! Despite the weather, we did a spring time craft with our four year old AWANA Cubbies group at church. I don't usually show any of the crafts we do with these little friends because so many of the "seven sisters" are there as leaders that this is old news! But, this craft is very sweet and there might someone out there in blogland looking for a craft for preschool age kiddos.

First, let me tell you that last year was the first time I attempted this craft and it was a hilarious disaster! You can't see it yet but underneath the "mama bird" are baby chicks made out of cotton balls. The catch is, the cotton balls are yellow. Apparently, when my son made this craft in preschool about six years ago, cotton balls were available in various colors. I couldn't find them anywhere so I started brainstorming how to make my own yellow cotton balls. I tried a few ideas...rubbing them with yellow chalk (not much color), spray painting them (lots of color but kinda crunchy...crunchy chicks? Not good), so I searched on line how to dye them. It seemed simple enough, dip them in a solution of water and food coloring and then dry them on paper towels. So, this is what they looked like after I dipped them...

...and that is pretty much what they looked like after they dried...and it took days!! I remember texting "S" in a panic because I was supposed to do this craft and my "baby chicks" were yucky blobs of matted cotton. I think we played games that night instead of doing a craft and it was back to the drawing board! I finally decided to try putting the soggy lumps into my dryer...scary, I know, but it worked! They came out as cute little fluffy, perfectly round yellow balls! Success!

I did wipe down the inside of my dryer after wards and then dried a load of dark towels before using it for a white load. I didn't think the Mayor would appreciate yellow undershirts.☺

Okay, back to the craft...color a small paper plate with green or brown crayon and then glue on a handful of green Easter grass. Use a black Sharpie marker to make dot eyes on three yellow cotton balls. Glue on little beaks cut from orange card stock paper and then glue the three babies in the middle of the Easter grass.

Now, for the Mama bird, you will need yellow card stock for her body and feathers and orange for a beak and two legs. 

Cut the curved edges of the three feathers to make a fringe. Form the body into a cone shape and tape to hold. Glue the feathers and tail and legs and beak on using a glue stick. Attach some googly eyes with glue dots.

Now, place the Mama bird on the plate so she covers the three babies.

Cute!! The kids couldn't wait for their Moms and Dads to pick them up so they could show them the secret surprise under the Mama bird ☺ One of the little boys at "S's" table must have some background knowledge about baby birds because "S" said he was pretending the mama was feeding the babies and he definitely knew all about the whole regurgitation thing!! Eewww!

Jenn and I have "Little L" (Mar's daughter) at our table and she got her three little cotton ball babies glued down and they all had their little orange beaks facing up to the sky. She looked at them and said, "Oh look, my baby birds are singing to Jesus." Awwww....cute, cute.

Nel's smile for the week: Signs of Spring! Robins and buds on the trees!☺

Nel's frown for the week: Umm...it's all covered with SNOW!!???

Lulu's smile for the week: She is getting paid to make 30 Duct tape flower pens for a bridal shower in April!

Lulu's frown for the week: No sleeping in this weekend...it's All County weekend! They practice for 3 hours on Friday night, then get up early Saturday and practice a bunch more and then the concert is at 2 pm! Whew!

Linking To...