TUTORIAL: Bald Eagle Spoon Craft

How about a fun project for your littles to do this week before the 4th of July?  This one is easy peasy and turns out oh-so-cute...it's a Bald Eagle Spoon Craft.  Yup, you read that right, this project take one simple plastic spoon and transforms it into a bald eagle...totally rad, right!

This craft is part of Michaels' Passport to Imagination program that is going on this summer from June 17-August 2, 2013.  The classes are every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10am-noon and only cost $2 per child!  Each week the kids learn about a different continent and do crafts that teach them about other countries.  Along with the in-store crafts there is also a At-Home Project you can do with your kids and the one we chose to do was the Bald Eagle.  We picked up everything for the project at Michaels after Penelope's North America class, that made getting crafty so easy!

Here is what you'll need to make this project:

Bald Eagle Spoon Craft

Plastic Spoon
Brown craft paint
Yellow craft paint
Black marker
Foam paint brush
Tan chenille pipe cleaners
Scrapbook paper (in Carob and Brown)
Glue or Glue Gun
Scissors

First, you will need to paint the lower portion of the spoon brown and using the yellow paint you will want to draw a little beak and eyes on the bowl of the spoon.  Make sure to let everything dry for about 10 minutes.

Next you are going to cut out the body of the eagle using both Brown and Carob scrapbook papers.  I just drew mine free-hand and the glued the two pieces together.

Next, grab your tan colored chenille pipe cleaner and carefully bend it into little loops. Once you make three loops wrap the remaining chenille around them to make a claw.  Do this one more time so that you have a set of claws!

Lastly, glue the spoon onto the wings and then glue the claws onto the end of the spoon near the tail.  I added little pupils to the eagle's eye with a permanent marker too!

This craft was so easy and so cute!  We ended up making one for each of my kids so they could fly them around the house, lol!

Thanks for stopping by today!

XOXO,

** I have been compensated for this post. However, all opinions are truthful and my own.  This post contains paid links.

4th of July Gift Basket Idea

We have some sweet friends of ours moving into a new home this weekend and not being one who could ever pass up an opportunity for gifting I thought they needed a housewarming gift to go with that new home of theirs :-)

Since the 4th of July is next week I decided to make a fun 4th of July themed gift basket that they could enjoy in their new backyard (complete with an awesome fire pit!)...although, on second thought, this gift totally works as a "summer fun" or "s'mores" type of gift basket too!

I bought some fun red, white, and blue star marshmallows, placed them in a glassine bag. and tied it up with some red and white twine. I added in a box of graham crackers and decorated the box up with a red doily and some blue and white twine.  Of course, you can't have s'mores without some chocolate...plain or the peanut butter cup variety, it's all good!  And then I threw in a few boxes of sparklers and red, white, and blue glow sticks for their 3 littles too.

I found this cute metal tin at Target (that can be re-used for flowers or a toy/book bin), added a bit of tissue paper to the bottom, and then placed everything just so.

And there you have it, a fun 4th of July themed gift basket just ready for giving!

Thanks for stopping by today!!

XOXO,

My Favorite Things: Birthday Giveaway!

Holla!  Today is MY birthday!!! Yahoo for me! And a big Yahoo for you as I'm giving away a few of my favorite things!! 

I love celebrating birthdays, I think they should always be celebrated in style and with lots of fanfare because turning another year older is a gift from above!

So what's up for grabs for ONE lucky reader...

I reviewed the book Sew Pretty T-shirt Dresses earlier this year and LOVED it! I got another copy of this book just for you to share the love again!  I'm also throwing in some fat quarters of pretty fabrics from my studio as well as some vintage trims.  How about a Bias Tape maker?  If you haven't tried making bias tape you are missing out!  You can make any color or fabric design with this baby! Washi Tape, anyone?  I'll throw some of my favorite washi/craft tape in too, the projects are endless I tell ya!

How about a few of my favorite pretty writing notebooks and my favorite Sharpies?

I love having a large blank book to write and draw in and to create ideas for new dresses for the shop. Of course a small lined notebook is perfect for jotting down things at my bedside and a little pad of paper is uber handy in my purse!  Sharpies are the bomb-diggity of writing utensils...I love them in fine-tip!!

Stripey Straws.  Need I say more?  How about some rainbow Bubble tea straws?  I love these larger straws for drinking milkshakes and iced tea too...the possibilities are endless!

And what about some Bento supplies?  A bento box with snap-on lid, a bento spoon, a box of cute silicon heart-shaped molds for food (or baking cupcakes!) and some cute cupcake liners in various sizes!

I love the EOS brand of lip balm...sweet mint?  You had me at hello! 

And my favorite nail polish ever (I think I just may have every color!) is Sally Hansen's Insta-Dri. My new favorite color you ask? S-Teal a Base.

And of course I needed to throw in some treats!  I love me some Swedish Fish while I sew and how about some of Jelly Belly's Peas and Carrots!!!  You know those were made just for me!

I'll also be adding in a few more fun surprises so it'll be like your birthday too...you can't know everything you are getting, right!

Ok, so you likey? 

Want to try your chance at winning a box o' goodies from me?

Enter via the Rafflecopter widget below or CLICK HERE!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

XOXO,

Hello Summer Event: Pom-Pom Firecracker Cupcake Toppers

Hello Friends!  I just wanted to let you know that I am over at I Heart Naptime today sharing a fun summer craft tutorial for the Hello Summer Event that's going on over there right now.  Pom-Pom Firecracker Cupcake Toppers...just perfect for the 4th of July or really any party! 

This is seriously such a fun series with over 50 ideas for summer crafts and recipes being shared throughout the month of June.  You'll dig it, you will! There is truly something for everyone.

Head on over to check out my post HERE.  

XOXO,

Michaels' Passport to Imagination: The Class

So, a few weeks ago I mentioned to you that I signed Michaels' "Unplugged Summer Pact" and how it was created as a challenge to unplug for 2 hours a day and replace the electronics with some crafty fun with kids or just for you (well, me!)  

Well, this week we jumped at the chance to get in some crafty goodness by heading over to Michael's for their Passport to Imagination program. 

Passport to Imagination is a 2-hour class that takes place in-store at Michaels in their craft classroom. Starting June 17 it occurs 3x/week for a 7-week run (so basically all summer!). Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning from 10am-noon and the kids can sign up for one or all classes. Each class takes them on a trek around the globe where the kids learn about a different continent and make crafts that correlate with them.  And the best part is that each class is only $2...YES, you read that right, 2 freakin' dollars!!! What a deal!

Penny participated in the North America class earlier this week.  She learned about the United States and did two crafts about the USA.  Her first project was to draw a Grand Canyon and make a 3-D tower to add to it.  

The second project she did was to make hockey sticks out of popsicle sticks and yarn.  Since we live in Chicago, Blackhawks colors were in order, what a nice teacher to offer that to all the young fans out there!

A now little more info about the class:

The class was nice and relaxed, the perfect atmosphere for creating with crayons, markers, glue, etc (all the things that might make a momma cringe as there is a major mess factor going on with all those supplies in your own house!) We also finished most of these projects in less than 2 hours too so I would think that not all the classes may take up 2 whole hours if you are worried about timing, etc.  Also, I wanted to mention that when I did sign Penny up for the class the waiver you sign for states that Michaels would like the parent to stay either in the classroom with the child or in the store the entire time, so this isn't a drop your kid and errand run for 2 hours type deal.

She had a lot of fun and I can't wait to sign Noah up to do this with her once he gets out of Rock Climbing camp this week!  I hope you stop by and check it out, it really is a great deal for $2 dollars!

XOXO,

** I have been compensated for this post. However, all opinions are truthful and my own.  This post contains paid links.

Oliver: One Year Old

Well, it finally happened.  

The day I was dreading for a year.  

My little dude, Oliver, turned the big "1" on Saturday, sigh. 

Where, oh where has the time gone? 

Birthdays are so bittersweet, aren't they? Especially that first birthday.  You hate to see them grow up from your sweet little baby to a moving force of toddler energy but at the same time you are so excited for all that they have learned in just ONE year.  And for all the cool things they are going to learn in the coming years. 

Who's One Year Old--I am!!

I have to say this little guy has just been heaven on earth for us.  Such a sweet and easy-going personality. I know I've said it before but it continues to be true.  He is just a go with the flow kinda-kid.  He's always getting dragged to soccer games and practice, swimming lessons, gymnastics classes, ballet, and on, and on, and on...and he's just as happy as a clam the entire time, all day long :-)

All my kids have been really good natured babies, I can't believe we lucked out on a 4 of them, but since Oliver is my last I really have been relishing just how lucky we are to have such a sweet tempered little guy to enjoy.

This kid is such a ham, I love it!  

He has such an awesome personality that I am blessed to be able to witness.  It truly is the coolest thing to be able to watch a little baby's personality come to life before your very eyes.

Bye Bye!

We thank God every day that he has given Oliver to us to watch over and care for, what a huge blessing from above. I still can't believe he is one but I'll take it, I'm thrilled to be called his mom!

PS. for those that are curious, my good friend Carrianne took all of these amazing pictures of Oliver for his first birthday (she also took our family pictures seen here).  She is so dang talented, it blows me away.  She can always capture my kids personalities just perfectly.  If you live in the Chicagoland area you MUST give her a call, she is incredible at what she does, I highly recommend her!!!!

XOXO,

Sponsored Giveaway: Southern Fabric

**See below for the winner of this giveaway!**

My fabulous blog sponsor, Southern Fabric, is back today with another fabulous giveaway for y'all!  Of course you know of my love for this shop...pretty fabrics just right for petting...and then creating something gorgeous with...or just staring at...mmmm!

But first, how about a little lookie-lou at some of the fabric they have on sale right now!

{Apple Jacks by Time & Beck}

{Salt Air by Cosmo Cricket}

{Vintage Modern yardage by Bonnie & Camille}

And how about some of the new loveliness in currently in their shop now...

{Baby Jane by Eric and Julie Comstock}

{Flats by Angela Yosten}

Mmmmm, isn't that some yummy looking fabric?

If you'd like to win a $25 giftcard just click here to enter now or use the Rafflecopter widget below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

**The winner is

PS. Southern Fabric is also hosting their very own gift card giveaway on their Facebook page...it's a good one and you are going to love it so I suggest you get in on that one too!!

XOXO,

SKIL 360 Quick-Select Review and GIVEAWAY!

**See below to find out the winner of this giveaway**

I was given the opportunity to try out the new SKIL 360 Quick-Select, a 4 V max cordless screwdriver that features a fully integrated bit management system (including 12 of the most commonly used bits!) built into the front of the screwdriver in a rotating compartment. And I can tell you, as a life-long Ikea customer, that this tool totally rocks my socks for so many reasons!

One of the neatest things about this screwdriver is that it comes equipped with the tool industry's first-ever USB charging capability.  

 How cool is that?  To charge it you can plug it in directly to a wall outlet or, get this....to your computer!  

This rotating compartment stores all the bits so you don't lose a thing, *ahem*, not that I've ever done that before!

You rotate the bit compartment by hand and then use the handy dandy black lever at the top to push the chosen bit into the barrel. The low-battery indicator is also on the top too!

There is even a flashlight near the bit head that helps you get your most pressing jobs done in the lowest light conditions :-)  You know, so when you are putting that Ikea furniture together at 1 am cause you found your second wind after the kids went to bed and you finished vacuuming your house, cleaning all the toilets, and putting away 5 loads of laundry...not that I've ever done that either!

Want to win one of these babies?  

SKIL Tools is giving away ONE 360 Quick-Select Screwdriver to ONE of you!!

Click here to enter or enter via the Rafflecopter widget below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

**The winner is...

XOXO,

** I have been compensated for this post. However, all opinions are truthful and my own.  This post contains paid links.