Bandana Braid (simple summer Hair)

Ah summer hair styles! Aren't they fun? Braids seem to be a big deal this summer, but they've always been tops in my book.  The bandana braid is a favorite from my childhood (thanks, Mom!) that I'm doing for my daughter this summer and she loves it.  It is fast and fun and adds some color and interest without a lot of fuss- the perfect recipe for summer hair.  This style also works well using a scarf or scrap of pretty fabric!

1. Put hair in a pony tail ( a high pony tail in the back of the head makes for the most secure braid, but my little moving target wanted to try a side pony this time).

2. Roll up the bandanna/fabric into a long narrow band.

3.  Slip the end of the fabric under the top layer of your hair elastic and gently pull it

(try to leave an equal amount of fabric above and below the ponytail)

4. Split the hair into two sections

5. Braid the pony tail, using the fabric as the third section of the braid.

6.  Secure the end of the braid with hair elastic.

7.  Wrap the top end of the fabric around the elastic a few times until it is tight

8. Tuck the end of the fabric under the hair elastic and hide it.

9. Take the end of the fabric, wrap it once around the end of the braid.

10. Bringing the tail of the fabric down through the wrapped section, tie it in a knot around the braid

(It's hard to explain, but once you actually try it will make sense).

I've said it before and I'll say it again, the simplest ideas are the best!

I am linking up to Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style and these great blogs.

Drugstore Favorites

We're friends, right? So clearly, we should be swapping beauty secrets. I love drugstore prices on beauty products almost as much as I LOVE department store quality- but who doesn't?   I am a firm believer that for some things, you have to cough up the cash get quality, but am so happy when I find exceptions to my own rule.  Here are a few of my favorite drugstore finds that yield department store quality results.


Aveeno Active Naturals Smart Essentials Daily Nourishing Moisturizer

A girl can search her whole life for the perfect moisturizer.  I know I have.  I am always looking for a product with SPF 30 but most irritate my skin and when I put make-up on top of said irritating moisturizer, there is this horrendous chemical reaction and wow, does it burn! In summary, I think I've tried almost every brand of moisturizer in the known universe.  Here is my true love:

• SPF 30
• Non-irritating ( do you understand the miracle of this?!)
• Skin is noticeably softer without being too oily
• Make-up even goes on smoother with this, friends!
• Smells d.i.v.i.n.e.  (Never before have I asked people to smell my face, but trust me you will too)
• $16 for a pretty big bottle (2+ oz)

Suave Professionals Volumizing Root Boost Spray

• It works. Really well.
• It's $3.49
• It's $3.49, ladies!

John Freida Frizz-Ease Secret Weapon Flawless Finishing Creme

I need to tame my tresses as much as the next girl, but my hair is fine. So two drops of an oil-based shine serum and I go from frizzy to looking like I've fallen into a vat of Vaseline. This John Freida product is my new secret weapon ( pun intended).

-Tames frizz and fly-aways
-Adds no oil (and very little shine) to your hair
-Works well on kids' hair
-Great for achieving sleek pony tails and up-dos
-Smells great

Do you have any drugstore favorites to share?  Do tell!

A Real "Up" House

  

Are you in love?

(image from ksl.com)

Home builders in Herriman, Utah, built this house based on the home in the movie "Up" (they even put balloons on it on the weekend!) It will be part of the upcoming Salt Lake Parade of Homes and will be filled with Ellie and Carl-esque decor and furnishings! This just makes me giddy!

Click here for more details, photos and a video clip from KSL.

Moms By Heart

A coupon clipper and deal shopper I am not.  I aspire to be, but my approach is  a bit different at present.  I generally stumble upon a handful of coupons, tuck them in my purse, take them everywhere with me and completely and entirely forget about them until they have expired and endured so long in the bottom of my purse, they have broken down into their basic components.  The art of coordinating coupons with sales is completely beyond me.  You may as well ask me to split an atom.

Enter Moms By Heart. Have you visited this site? It is loaded with great information, but what I like best is that is so well organized, easy to read and easy to navigate. You can find exactly what you are looking for and all of the work is done for you. Lori tells you of upcoming sales and promotions, many of which I would have never known about, and she tells you where to get the corresponding coupons. She often features online deals with the coupon codes generously given to you in the post or printable coupons.  She makes saving money easy. I love her list of printable mall coupons!  I get downright giddy when I see the deals Lori finds.  In addition, she has amazing homemaking features.  I was lucky enough to be included her Summer Staycation series.  Every Thursday she features a great summer project to keep kids busy.

In short, you must visit Moms by Heart and start saving today!

Quick and Colorful Kids' Garden

Necessity is the mother invention and I am the mother of a compulsive flower-picker.  So what started as a bit of a problem, turned into a great summer project for our family.

This is my daughter, then three years old and passionately caressing our spring blooms. To say that my girl loves flowers would be a big, tulip-hugging understatement. While it's pastel tulips she loves in the Spring, she favors pink Martha Washingtons in the Summer and adamantly insists on orange pansies in the Fall.  While I've been happy to oblige and plant her favorites, I soon learned that the favorites didn't last long. She would secretly and lovingly pick each bloom.  In an effort to cultivate her love of flowers and still protect my peonies, our solution was to make her very own garden where she could plant, dig and pick to her flowery little heart's content.  We loved this project so much, it has become a summer tradition.

By helping your kids make a small space in the yard specifically for them, you can keep them entertained this summer, teach them responsibility, increase their confidence and keep your plants intact. This project is very simple and completely customizable to your budget and your space ( you could even do it in a pot or planter box if you don't have a yard).

As I mentioned, this is a project we've done before.  

                            

Last year we started with a big kids' garden full of marigolds, petunias, tomatoes, pumpkins and zucchini all enclosed in a perfectly pink picket fence.  My mom, a true gardener, even helped out. It was a lot of fun, but since we are in the midst of landscaping this year, we've down-sized the kids' garden and relegated it to a small, dusty, yet-to-be-addressed, corner of the yard.  Kids don't seem to mind where the garden is or how big it is, as long as it's theirs.

                                                     

                            

Kids' Garden Supplies

• 1-2 packages of garden fencing, available at gardening stores, Home Depot, Lowe's, and Wal-Mart ( the amount you will need depends on how big you plan to make your garden).
• 1-2 cans of spray paint ( let your kid choose the color, of course)
• Flowers, plants and/or vegetable plants of your child's choosing
• Gardening supplies: little shovels, gloves, watering cans, etc.
• Optional: a personalized garden sign, garden ornaments (finally, a home for the lawn gnomes that didn't sell in last summer's yard sale).

Instructions to Make Your Kids' Garden

1. Parents spray paint the fencing on a drop cloth or scrap of cardboard and let it dry.  Two or three coats on each side should do the trick (we left our fence out in the elements last winter, so it's looking a bit rough and definitely in need of new paint). 

2. Mark out the spot where your fencing will go and set it aside.
3. Help your kid(s) plant their plants within the marked area.
4. Together, put up the fence around the plants and secure it ( you can attach the fence sections to each other with plastic zip ties if they won't stay together).

5. Kids can add a sign, a garden ornament or stepping stones and decorate it-this is their space!

6. Enjoy a summer full of adventure, ooh and ahh at each day's new blooms and maybe even sample some summer vegetables!

Kids' Garden Tips:

• Remember the kids are calling the shots on this one.  Let them make as many of the choices about the garden as possible.  This gives them a feeling of ownership over their garden and confidence by allowing them to make the decisions.

• Have the kids do a little research before buying their plants.  Using the Internet or books, and your guidance, they can learn which plants are compatible in your zone, which prefer sun or shade, etc. (they'll be learning without even knowing it).

• Let the kids add some vegetable plants. It's much simpler than a full-blown vegetable garden, but with the benefits of learning about growing your own food ( this also makes for more fun summer activities like finding recipes that will use up the 10 lbs of zucchini you've surprisingly grown in that little kid garden).

• If you've got a flower-picker on your hands, consider a cutting garden made up flowers that bloom frequently.

• Resist the urge to water their plants for them, unless they are really little. A garden is a great way to teach responsibility and help them understand the consequences of their actions: bright, beautiful blooms or burned up begonias. 

I am linking up to Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style and these great blogs.

Coffee Table Quote Book Entry No. 4

Summer is finally here and we are more than ready at our house!  In honor of my favorite season, I'm adding a new entry to my Coffee Table Quote Book.  This one is from the Nat King Cole song, Those Lazy Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer, that my grandma used to play for me on a 45 record, if you can believe it.  It's the song that is old, not me ;)  This seemed like a perfect addition to the book and the perfect printable to welcome summer!  You can print it for personal use if you like, but please, indulge me and listen to the song on i-tunes if you have a minute.  It will make you smile.

I am linking up to Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style and these great blogs.

Dollar store milk glass

 

 Hello, friends! I hope your weekend was great.   I have had plans to display a collection of milk glass above my kitchen cabinets for ages, but collecting milk glass takes time, so that project is a work in progress. Meanwhile, I have seen a few projects in the blogosphere where people have simply painted regular glass vases, containers, dishes etc, with white spray paint to get the look. Brilliant! I have plans to try this too. In the meantime, these glamorous plastic items from Dollar Tree caught my eye and I decided to paint them just for the fun of it, just to see what would happen.  

 

I bought a serving platter and vase.  I sprayed the vase on the inside only.  I found that keeping the spray paint can a good distance from the vase, prevented drips.  Short puffs of spray paint will eventually coat the inside completely.  Whenever I got inpatient or tried to angle the can to cover a specific part, the paint dripped. Drips aside, I think the result was pretty fabulous (I also think it's time to try colored spray paint on plastic vases next).

 I did make some colossal mistakes that are equally important to share. I started with the platter and did it all wrong.  First, I grabbed my satin finish spray paint by mistake.  The finish is awful!  Milk glass is supposed to be glossy.  Use high gloss or semi-gloss spray paint. The satin white finish just seemed to mock my cheap, tawdry platter.  Next, I painted the wrong side. In my opinion, it looks more realistic if you paint only the smooth side of the object, not the intricate cut side.  This is an opinion I formed after having painted the detailed side of the platter.  Live and learn.

So short puffs of glossy paint on the smooth side of your plastic will give you a milk glass look faster than you can raid your grandmother's china cabinet!

 


I am linking up to Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style and these great blogs.

Oh buoy, he's one! {whales and sails birthday party}

Despite my objections to the contrary, my baby boy turned one, friends. I wanted his first birthday to be special and memorable, but still relatively simple. So I employed the help of some clip art, a trusty printer and some very basic party supplies, to whip up a sweet, printable, personalized first birthday party with a whales and sails theme.

Basic supplies:

Polka dot plates, napkins and blow-outs from Dollar Tree

Cups, balloons and colored plastic utensils from Wal-mart.

As I mentioned, I chose an ocean/nautical themed party.  I originally began looking on party supply web sites for decorations, plates, cups, etc. with that theme.  They can be found, but I wasn't in love with any of them and there is a hollow feeling that comes from spending more on paper plates and disposable tablecloths than say, your utility bill...or shoes. So I opted to make my own party supplies to get the look I wanted and be able to personalize the items.  

I started hunting for clip art I could use to design and print party decorations.  I discovered that Etsy is a great source for clip art-who knew?   I found this sweet little nautical clip art set from Pink or Blue Designs and purchased it for $5.

Jana from Pink or Blue Designs was so great to work with and so fast and accommodating.  I had my clip art files almost instantly after paying for them. If the thought of using Illustrator or Photoshop or doing any DIY projects on the computer terrifies you, DO NOT DESPAIR! You can find a myriad of pre-made printable parties online. Pink or Blue Designs has some darling options and there are many to choose from on Etsy as well. In addition to convenience and cost savings, printable parties are great because you own the files and can re-print them for another party or other use.

Getting back on track, I started by making the party invitations.  I made them using Adobe Photoshop.  The design is pretty basic with some stripes in the background, circles to look like portholes and the clip art...oh and a photo of my sweet little guy. 

I liked the stripes and port holes look, so I incorporated those elements along with the number one in with the clip art to make the designs for the rest of the party.

I made birthday bouquets by simply printing out the designs, cutting them and taping them to bamboo skewers. I tucked them into patterned containers ( baby formula cans covered in patterned paper that I also made from the clip art).  I used the formula cans for a few different purposes.  It seemed fitting since we are celebrating the end to buying formula!

I framed a very simple little welcome sign with a few nautical puns...

  

I found some blow-outs at Dollar Tree that were the right colors, so I taped some of my clip art circles over them too.

I taped another happy little whale to the front of this clear plastic napkin holder from Dollar Tree and used it to hold the plates.

Let's talk about cakes.  In short, my talents lay elsewhere, but I still wanted to make a cute cake.  So I cheated.  Really, who made the rule that everything on a cake has to be edible? I wrapped the base in 1/2 yard of ribbon (the frosting held it in place) and made a quick birthday sign printed on card stock and taped to a bamboo skewer to top the cake. With a classic number candle, the deal was done. Fast, cute and removable for when my son destroyed the entire cake, per first birthday tradition.

Once upon a time I made this little dessert stand.

Once upon another time, I broke the top layer off.  It turned out to be a happy accident.  I needed two stands for the party, so I stacked my severed stands on some simple red platters from a very exclusive store called Wal-Mart. Done and done.

I forgot to get a good photo, but in the bottom left, you can see the star-covered formula can that I filled with napkins and utensils.

I added personalized cupcake toppers as well.  Clearly, I went overboard with the clip art circles on bamboo sticks idea, but I like it anyway.  We served strawberry cream cheese cupcakes with cake batter ice cream and grasshopper cupcakes with mint chocolate chip ice cream.

  Speaking of ice cream, here is a cool trick that I discovered: Dreyer's round ice cream containers....

...fit perfectly inside decorated formula cans- who knew?  It was a fun way to serve the ice cream in a decorative but simple container.

To dress up the plain paper cups, I made and printed little drink wrappers that are very basic, then cut and taped it to the paper cups.

The birthday banner was my favorite part.  I originally planned to make a pennant banner but two things stopped me: 

1) It's been done (by me and thousands of other DIY aficionados).

2) I ran out of time.  The though of cutting, gluing layering and stringing more shapes together was more than I wanted to tackle.  I am lucky to have access to a big printer, so I used essentially the same design as the invitation with a few changes and made it approximately one billion times larger. The banner was 26 in by 30 in.

Whether it was the decor or the unrestricted access to his own cake that won him over, Asher was impressed with the party.

I am linking up to Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style and these great blogs.

Grasshopper Cupcakes

I have a few fun and simple birthday party ideas to share with you very soon! In the mean time, here is a tip to make plain cupcakes a little more exciting.

I poured my devil's food cake batter in a cupcake tin and then added a grasshopper cookie to each baking cup and baked the cupcakes.  I crushed the remaining grasshopper cookies in a re-sealable bag, frosted the cupcakes with chocolate frosting and sprinkled crushed cookie on top.  They were a hit and a very quick to throw together.  I served them with mint chocolate chip ice cream. Three cheers for the fabulous combo of chocolate and mint!