It's a Long Story

Thursday, May 29, 2014

Chalk It Up

Hi friends.

Sidewalk chalk season is in full swing around here. Abbey loves it, and between our balcony and the sidewalk out front it is out almost every day. I don't know about you, but I can only draw so many flowers, write so many names, and create so many hopscotch boards before I'm out of ideas. I'm not an artist, like, at all, so I need all the help I can get! Here are 10 fun ways to move beyond plain old chalk drawings.

Exploding Sidewalk Chalk Paint from Growing A Jeweled Rose: This looks like so much fun! A combination of a classic science experiment, chalk art, and the perfect amount of anticipation!

Grid Art from The Educator's Spin On It: What a great project! Turn any picture you want into a grid and transfer it, square by square, onto your sidewalk. This would be perfect for an art birthday party, or even just a group of neighborhood kids. You can also make it easier or more complicated simply by changing the picture!

Glitter Chalk Paint from Still Playing School: Oh my goodness, Abbey would love this! I love that it is just as good on paper as it is on the sidewalk. Good for rainy and sunny days!

Scented Chalk Paint from Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails: Don't have a glitter fan? Add fun scents to your paint instead! Think of all the options!

Nature Mandalas from Nurture Store: These are absolutely beautiful. Find flowers from your yard, or take a nature hike and make these. It's great for little ones who are working on their colors, too!

Mess Free Sidewalk Chalk from De Tout et De Rien: This is perfect for those kiddos (and mamas!) who don't like the feel of chalk on their hands. They also store so easily! I may be making some of these soon.

Chalk and Tempera Painting from Buggy and Buddy: OK, so this one isn't a sidewalk activity, but it was too cool not to include. Again, I'm not an artist, so things like this are new to me! I love how using the white tempera paint leaves you with a watercolor effect. So cool!

Wet Sidewalk Chalk Art from Happy Hooligans: This one is so simple that you're going to smack yourself for not thinking of it yourself. It is amazing how one little thing can change the entire look of chalk drawings!

Fizzing Sidewalk Paint from Kids Activities Blog: More science fun! This one let's kids create what they want, then turn it into fizzy fun!

Sidewalk Puddle Art from Lemon Lime Adventures: You can either do this one after a great summer rainstorm, or bust out your hose and create your own puddles. Either way you'll end up with the prettiest puddles ever!

How do you get creative with chalk?

Have you tried any of these before?

Be blessed!

Heather

Monday, May 26, 2014

DIY Juicy Lucy Bar

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for Collective Bias and its advertiser.

Hi friends!

It's Memorial Day today here in the States. A chance to remember lost service members, and spend time with family. Parades, spending the day outside, and barbecues are standard fare.

This is what you want to do at your barbecue. I promise.

For those of you who may not know, a Juicy Lucy (or Jucy Lucy, depending on your history) is a midwest thing. More specifically, a Minneapolis thing. Basically it is a cheese-stuffed burger, with cheese on top. Yes, please!

Now I don't know about you, but Kraft is the first name I think of for cheese, and you want good cheese for this. Walmart has all sorts of choices, but I went with Sharp Cheddar, Italian 5 Cheese and Mexican 4 Cheese. I grabbed some barbecue sauce and mayo while I was there, too.

Confession: I typically fall on the Miracle Whip side of the aisle, but for this mayo was perfect. I don't like mayo on its own, but I love it mixed with other things! Tonight it was sriracha and pesto. Yum!

OK, now lets get down to business!

Ready, Set, #SayCheeseburger!

Here is what you need:

Ground meat (1/3 lb per person)
Cheeses
Toppings: bacon, lettuce, tomato, etc...
Sauces: Mayo, BBQ sauce, ketchup, relish, mustard, whatever else you like
Buns

Start by portioning out your meat of choice. We used beef, but you could easily do this with turkey, too! I season my burgers with a generous helping of my favorite garlic/sea salt grinder. Easy peasy. We went with 1/3 lb burgers, with a smaller one for my daughter.

Now get that cheese ready!

Remember making pinch pots in Kindergarten art class? Do that with your burger. Then fill your pot up with your cheese of choice!

Pinch it up, squish it into a patty, and toss that baby on the grill.

Try not to drool too much as the cheese inside gets all melty and gooey.

Once your burgers are cooked, it's time for the fun part. Toppings!

Cheesy bacony goodness? Yes.

BLT with pesto mayo and cheddar? Yes and yes.

Marinara, pesto mayo, and oozy, melty mozzarella? Yes, yes, and YES!

Bananas? Also good.

We kept our toppings pretty basic this time, but you could go as exotic as you want to. Have a crowd that likes spicy food? Layer on those peppers! Mexican night? Guacamole burgers! The possibilities are endless! This is also great when you are cooking for a crowd because everyone ends up happy, even the kids.

Thanks, #collectivebias!

Want even more burger ideas? Check out the ideas that Walmart has!

How would you top your burgers?
Are you a wild topper or a classic burger builder?

Be blessed!
Heather

Friday, May 23, 2014

Painted Garden Markers

Hey there, friends!

Have you started planting gardens where you are? We finally have good enough weather, so we decided to get some herbs planted. I have been trying to encourage Abbey to do more handwriting, so I had her help me make some garden markers!

What you need:

craft sticks
craft paint & brushes
permanent marker
seeds

She started out by painting the craft sticks. I set her up with some paint and let her go to town.

Once those were dry I gave her a permanent marker and had her write the name of each herb we were planting on the sticks. This was a great chance for her to practice her handwriting.

She had to look at each name and decide how big her letters should be. Some words were little, while some words like "lavender" took up more space.

She also had the chance to practice copying text. Rather than spelling out the names for her, I handed her each seed packet, showed her which word to write, and let her copy it on her own. She did a great job!

I think she did a great job! In case you were wondering, those drawings at the bottoms are seeds. Her own artistic interpretation. ;)

Then we got to planting! As I grabbed each seed packet, she found the right stick and stuck it in the dirt. Reading practice! Bonus!

I have one proud little girl! It took a while for her to understand that it will take a while for our herbs to sprout. She checked them at least 5 times this afternoon! I can't wait to see her face when they sprout!

What are your favorite herbs to plant?
Do you dry them and keep them, or just use them fresh?

Be blessed!
Heather

Sunday, May 18, 2014

Homemade Sensory Play Mat

Hi friends!

It's time for more Ultimate Baby Blog Hop fun! Guess what...

I made a quilt!

Let that sink in for a second. A quilt. With a top, and a middle, and binding. Binding! It also turned out exactly like I had it in my head, which pretty much never happens. I'm pretty proud of this thing, not gonna lie.

Owen is almost 6 months old now (hold me!), and he wants to explore everything! He's not mobile yet, but he spins like a clock hand when he's laying on his tummy. I wanted him to have a play mat that would let him explore all sorts of sights and textures.

Here is what you need for a 36 x 36 inch play mat:

1 1/2 yards total for top fabrics (I used quilting cotton (airplanes), flannel (stars), and minkee)
1 1/4 yards backing fabric
1 1/4 yards quilt batting
bias tape or quilt binding (I used satin)

I chose different fabrics for different reasons. I knew I wanted minkee because it's soft and dreamy, and the bumps add a nice texture. I loved the flannel because the stars stand out really well against the white background. When I saw the airplanes they were a given because my husband is a pilot, so we airplane all the things. It doesn't hurt that they're adorable!

I wanted each stripe to be a different size, so I quickly sketched out what I wanted and made sure my total added up to 36 inches. Then I added an inch to each strip to account for a 1/2 seam allowance. Cut strips. Sew strips. Easy peasy. I added ribbon loops between the center strips to add some fun texture. Owen can grab them, or we can attach toys to them.

The bottom strip has some buttons sewn onto it. I wanted to make sure they were really going to stay put, so they are stitched through both the fabric and the batting. They give Owen something else to explore, and stand out nicely on the white flannel.

Once the top was stitched together I cut a 36x36 square of both the batting and the backing fabric. Then I sandwiched them all together and zig-zag stitched straight down the seams in the top. No fancy quilting here.

Once the whole thing is quilted together, add the binding. You can use plain bias tape, but I really like the satin binding. It added one more texture to the whole thing, and I love how the satin contrasts with all the softness of the rest of the quilt. I had never done a mitred corner before, but they're actually pretty easy! SewNews has a very easy to follow tutorial.

And you're done! Seriously, if I can do this, anyone can. All said and done it only took me a few hours. 2 naps, tops! Now you have a nice soft place for your little one to explore. Lots to look at, lots to feel, lots to learn! Since it's relatively small it is also super portable. Perfect for outings or playing in the back yard with big sister.

It is also excellent for exploring your toes.

This guy was a total grump for all of these pictures. Not a smile to be had! Apparently fussing his way through a 2 hour nap didn't do it for him today. Are you ready for the grumpiest blog model ever?

Tadaaa!