SOO Excited!!

Sugar Cube Society

I LOVE Etsy!! I love browsing, getting ideas, contemplating purchasing. . . I recently found THIS Etsy shop. All the proceeds go to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. What a great cause! Check it out to purchase something or to donate to their shop.

Visual for the day

I am doing doing "Chinese" week for Dance Camp and loving all things Asian. Fun visuals for the day.

Paper Dolls

My grandma was watching Rylee for me the other day, and asked if she had any paper dolls. I said no, and then the wheels in my brain started turning. I found THIS site and printed a bunch of stuff out. I knew she would play pretty rough with them, so I decided to alter the idea of the original paper doll and forgo the little flaps. I cut out the pieces, laminated them, and added sticky Velcro to the dolls and clothes. She loves them and the boys do too!

Then came the dilemma of where are we going to keep them so nothing gets lost. I originally had high hopes that we could keep the clothes separated by theme, but it is hard enough to get a 3-year-old to clean up , much less actually sort the items first. So I got this idea from my Aunt Kapi.

I used my big laundry basket as a template and cut out 2 pieces of fabric in the shape of a circle. Sew them right sides together, leaving enough room to turn inside-out. Then stitch around the perimeter leaving enough width for the ribbon. Thread the ribbon through leaving 2 places where it is exposed as handles.


Now when it is time to clean up, she just has to pile everything in the center and pull the 2 ribbons. It couldn't be easier!

Organization. . .Crafty Style

We all have those space, right? Those spaces where no matter how hard you try to keep them nice and clean, they wind up looking like a tornado went blowing through your house. While I have more than one of these spaces, I decided I HAD to tackle this part of my kitchen counter. This is where all the mail gets dropped, notes from school get put, miscellaneous phone numbers we have written on scrap pieces of paper. . .you get the idea.

BEFORE



I saw THIS idea awhile back and decided to try it out in the form of a mail sorter. I covered paint cans and lids with scrapbook paper, and after going to all that work, I decided if I layed them on their sides like in the example, you would hardly be able to see the pretty paper. That and I didn't want it to stick out from the wall that much. So I got an old shelf we had lying around the garage and used Locktite (my new favorite adhesive) to adhere the cans and lids. Then my hubby hung it for me. Isn't being organized wonderful??



AFTER

Two of my Loves

This craft involves 2 of my loves. . .ribbons and books!! I thought it would be a fun idea to include a handmade bookmark next time I give some a book as a gift.

Check out these easy bookmarks


I need to go back and use the fray stop stuff on the fat one. . .it is fraying pretty bad.

Happy 4th

This cute little salad was my contribution to the big family 4th of July get-together. It was a bit time consuming, but not too bad. And the kids LOVED it! Something about fruit on a stick. I should try this more often.

To make it, just hollow out the inside of a honeydew and water melon with a melon baller. I used a cookie cutter to make the stars and found it works best on the water melon--the seeds in the middle of the cantelop make it tricky.

Then add grapes and strawberries. Mix it all up and fill the "bowls". Add a few kabobs, scatter the remaining fruit around the platter and, voila!!