I didn’t mean to take this long of a break. It’s been almost two weeks since I last posted here. This little blog of mine has become an outlet for me…when I’m away for so long, I feel kind of bad. I’ve had lots going on around here. Let’s see…
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Lego Duplo Advent Calendar…
Well, there is certainly no shortage of advent calendar ideas swirling around Pinterest. There are some amazing ideas out there! So, I felt the need to make my own contribution with our Lego Duplo 2013 advent calendar. I think it’s hysterical! As a bonus, you don’t really need to posses any major crafting skills for this one folks…a little cutting and writing…that’s it!
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Mini Pilgrim Hat Piñata…
Who says you can’t have a piñata at Thanksgiving? Not me…that’s for sure! You know I love a mini piñata! Inspired by my mini leprechaun piñatas, these little guys are a fun way to celebrate Thanksgiving.
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Handmade Kid Stationary…
I still prefer getting cards and handwritten letters over emails, texts, tweets, or Facebook messages. I have saved many letters over the years. I kept every letter my husband and I wrote to each other, before we ever even met almost 20 years ago. I’ve gone through the box a few times and it brings back such great memories of such a different time in our lives. I have saved countless letters from my bestie…all dating back to High School. We got in sooo many fights…and she was so dramatic! Love that I still have these….
Birthday Cake Fixes Everything…
Those days when nothing seems to go right. That was my day yesterday. Gah!! I just couldn’t pull it together, no matter how hard I tried. I’m down a wingman since my husband is out of town this week. I mean…even when he’s here…I’m doing, doing, doing…it seems like around the clock. My husband is a very hands on dad. He is in the trenches with me for the most part. But, the fact is, I have a lot more on my plate. I am the homeschooler and primary caretaker for the tiny people when he is at work. Anyway, being the big shot I am, I thought I was pretty equipped to handle this week on my own. Enter…reality check.
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A Nature Inspired Halloween…
On any given day, you will find my children covered in dirt and grime. I really would like not to bathe them everyday, but that’s pretty much impossible around here. Once we are done with school, they make a beeline for the backyard. They are forever hunting down lizards, snails, frogs, worms, spiders, and the list goes on. I was summoned to the backyard yesterday where they proudly showed off the flies they fed a spider. Well…that’s not really my thang, but I’m sure the spider was appreciative of their efforts. They build these little forts for their creatures…usually out of twigs, leaves, and rocks…pretty much whatever they can get their hands on. I do love their imaginations and the way they love nature. …
Bat Mobile…
Halloween is less than a week away and I just put out our first decoration. Ha. Well, it’s an improvement from last year, when I didn’t put anything out until Halloween night. I used to be so on top of this stuff. Times…they did a change! Also, I find it funny how my tastes have changed since having kids. Pre-kid I would have much preferred store bought decor, but now, I prefer homemade all the way. Maybe it’s because I’m a homemade type of gal..I dunno. There is always something so charming about homemade, that store bought could never replicate.
I picked up a bunch of vintage hangers for $1 at a thrift store a few weeks back. I wasn’t really sure what plans I had for them, but I liked their shape and there’s the whole $1 thing. So, I bought them and do what I always do. Toss it in my never ending “to do” craft pile and wait for inspiration to strike.
Inspiration struck today and I decided we needed some Halloween decor. I busted out the craft supplies and we made this little bat mobile. I do love it!
Gather your supplies:
Sculpey oven bake clay
Toothpicks
Acrylic glitter paint
Bat template
Floral wire
Rolling pinHangers or dowel rods
Drill
Instructions:
Roll out clay to approximately 1/8 in thickness.
Place bat template onto clay.
With a toothpick cut around template.
Remove excess clay and template.
Make a hole in center of head with toothpick.
Bake according to directions.
Once cooled, coat with glitter paint and let dry.
Thread bats with floral wire and attach to hangers or dowel rods.
For the hangers, I had my husband remove one of the metal hanger part things. Then, he straightened the remaining hanger and threaded it through the the bottom of the other hanger. Next, he bent it back into a hook shape. After he drilled holes, I wrapped some floral wire around the center of the hangers to keep them in position. If you don’t have any wooden hangers, wooden dowel rods would work just as well. You can get those from any craft or hardware store.
All that’s left to do is to hang your bat mobile. We hung ours right under an air vent…to help the bats fly a little.
Make A Difference Day…
Tomorrow, 10/26/13 is Make a Difference Day and I wanted to share with you these cards I created to help celebrate. Sometimes, it can be the littlest things that truly make a difference in someone’s life. I’ll be honest, I’ve been bad about instilling that in my kids on a regular basis. I know I’ve said it in passing, but sometimes you just don’t think to have certain conversations repeatedly. My kids are by no means spoiled, but today I talked to them in depth about how some kids have no toys. Or maybe they just have one. Some kids have only one outfit and maybe no shoes. It’s hard to know what actually sinks in with them, but I think they understood what I was trying to convey. So today, the kids and I spent the morning drawing pictures and and making watercolor confetti for a little girl in Africa who is being sponsored by a blog I follow, NewDayNewDeals. The owner, Sarah had posted that she was sending a care package to Selvine and would love it if her blog followers could send in some drawings, letters or cards. They were tickled just knowing what they had made would be traveling all the way to Africa. And though it’s something small, it’s sure to put a smile on the face of a little girl who doesn’t have much. 
We have plans to do more..hoping we can make a difference in someone’s life tomorrow! I encourage you to do the same! The cards are free to download and share!
Random Act of Kindness Cards
Ding Bat Donuts…
For my birthday this year, I got this really cool tablet I’ve been obsessing over for a while. The #1 reason I wanted this was so I could do drawings or doodles and implement them into my blog or crafts. I adore doodles! They are so fun and carefree. Totally not stuck up!
Anyway, I was playing around with it last night and started drawing Halloween doodles. Then, I started drawing bat body parts. Though I was a little skeptical at first about my technique, I ended up loving it. It just works…ya know? So, I’m sharing it. Don’t laugh.
Gather your supplies:
- Donut Holes
- Candy Eyeballs
- Toothpicks
- Peanut butter or frosting
- Ding Bat printable found at the end of this post
Instructions:
Rough cut wings and ears.
Leave a little “stem” on the ears for easy insertion into donut.
Place donut on toothpick or lollipop stick.
Insert wings and ears.
Dab peanut butter or frosting on the back of eyeballs and fix to donut.
I cut up an egg carton so I could stand the bats up on the toothpick. I was fresh out of floral foam. Somehow, trekking three kids to the dollar store for some foam, lost it’s charm about 2 kids ago. I’m learning to use what I have. And…I had egg cartons. There ya go.
I love this Ding Bat. It looks like it ran smack into a wall…and is all discombobulated!
This is a pretty basic craft…but my kids had a lot of fun decorating the bats. Even more fun eating them!
Madeleine Monster Feet…
Life has been busy happening around here and I’m learning, that even I have my limits of what I can take on. Honestly, I don’t know how other bloggers do it. By the end of the day, I’ve already checked out. I’m lucky if I get one blog post out a week. So, pardon my lame excitement over this post, but yay…here is my first Halloween post of the season! Whoop!
I LOVE Madeleines! I own Madeleine pans just for this reason. It was only a matter of time before I transformed Madeleines into monster feet. RAWR!
Supplies:
- Madelienes (make your own or store bought will work fine also)
- Candy melts or melting chocolate
- Slivered almonds
- Sprinkles
Instructions:
Dip the top portion of the Madeleine into the candy melts.
Using a toothpick, make three holes at the top of the Madeleine.
Insert slivered almonds into the three separate holes you just made.
Top with sprinkles and let harden.
You can put these on a stick or leave them as they are. I tucked them into a basket made from a baking cup and attached with the printable found at the end of this post.
