Fun spring craft ideas roundup

It is starting to warm up her a bit in Steelerland and I have Spring fever. Since we are gearing up with a huge kitchen renovation, I cant spruce up the house like I normally would so I have decided we need to go overboard with the crafts so we can pretty up the place a bit.

My favorite craft would be the stainglass butterflies. We did this last year and I still love them and we placed them on our patio door. This year I want to do a nice little collection to add color and cheer. Icanteachmychild.com has a great tutorial, simply click on her picture and follow the link.

My girls keep talking about the April showers bringing May flowers so why not make some rain sticks? Happyhooligans.ca has a nice tutorial on making this fun craft

I am a sucker for anything the involves footprints or handprints so this craft idea is high on my list. I think it would be adorable on the front door or has a mother's day gift.  Pinkie Pie has a whole bunch of ideas, just click on her picture for her posts. How cute is that little chick?!?

Since Easter just passed, it is a safe bet that many people colored eggs and now have empty or half empty egg cartons around. This craft is a great way to reuse those cartons and make some pretty art. I personally think this would be a wonderful gift either for mom, grandma, or a teacher. My girls participate in girl scouts so I am even thinking this would be a fun thank you gift for our troop leaders. Amy over at Modge Podge Rocks is responsible for this idea. Click on the picture to find her tutorial. 

Dusting off the blog with a travel post- Great Wolf Lodge

Hi All! Yes, I stopped blogging many moons ago but I feel this is the right time to pick it back up. I have been active on Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram but lately I have felt that I needed a home base. I am always posting recipes, pictures, crafts and I honestly wanted to get them out of my personal space so they are more accessible.

So I decided to kick off my blogging with a list. We just spent the weekend at Great Wolf Lodge and had a blast. Given the environment, it can present some unique issues. It is like packing for the beach and an amusement park all in one. I have been to Great Wolf Lodge, GWL, three times now so I feel like a veteran.

So here are my must-dos for a trip to Great Wolf Lodge:

1. NO BODY SHAMING-nuff said. People are there to enjoy time with their kids and families. It is a water park thus bathing suits are necessary, a situation that leaves many, many people uneasy. You do not need to make them feel worse.

2. Appropriate swimwear for everyone- When I say appropriate, I mean suits that can be worn while going down the lazy river or down the crazy slides or splashing in the wave pool. The last thing you want is a suit that rides up or falls down while trying to have fun. This goes for everyone both young and young at heart. I also recommend bringing multiple suits and cover ups for the whole gang.

3. Comfy Shoes and clothes- My girls love the MagiQuest game that GWL offers. It also means running up and down stairs MULTIPLE times. If you will be helping the kiddos out with the game, you will also be running up and down stairs. Comfy shoes are a must for everyone playing. I advise against flip flops just for the safety factor.

4. Food- Yes, you can bring snacks. That is a no brainer but rooms are also equipped with microwaves and mini fridges.  Bring easy meals that can be microwaved such as mac n cheese or soup. I also brought cheese and yogurt and juices. GWL has food onsite but that can get expensive.

5. Do not assume you will be in the water all day-I have already mentioned MagiQuest that GWL has on site. It is a fun wizard game that revolves around quests for ancient ruins and adventures to complete tasks. This can take multiple hours depending on the skill levels of the players. GWL also has storytime in the lobby, nature walks, special game such as scavengers hunts, dance parties, and an arcade. Most likely you will not be in the water all the time so try to factor those into your visit timeline.

and I have come full circle-back to making tutus

If you and I are friends IRL, you will know I started my lil biz by making simple clips and tutus.  Eventually I moved past tutus even though I love them.  A large reason was because there are SO many cheap tutus on the market, it was hard to compete.  There I was charging $20-30 for a super full fluffy tutu while cheap imports were $5.  No they didnt compare in terms of quality or looks but customers sometimes dont care.  Besides the cheap imports, other designers were charging too little for their skirts.  I am not in the business of losing money so I couldnt charge $15 for my skirts like other people.  So based on $, I stopped making them.  Well now I have started again but with a twist on the traditional tutu.  I am madly in love with my new loopy tutus.  I love how full and fun they are and just extra special.  It is nice to say hello to an old friend.

A peak at my new clothing

I am seriously in love with this print.  I am so excited to be offering boutique clothing again. I just love to create and make things that my own daughters would wear, pretty and functional.

Check out my first Silhouette Cameo Project

I downloaded the font from dafont and simply played around with it in the design software. Printed it on black vinyl and used transfer tape to take it from the backing to the actual tub. You can also use clear contact paper for the same purpose, which is way cheaper than transfer tape.  Beverage tub is from target and was only $15.  This one is for my mother in law's birthday. I plan on filling it with wine, cheese, cute napkins and other items she can use for entertaining.

Super Bowl recipe roundup

I have been quiet lately but busy. This past weekend was the superbowl, in case you lived under a rock, and of course western PA was decked out in black and gold OR black and yellow if you are a fan of this song

Due to the mess of our house, we are rearranging my studio and the hubby's office, we went over to the inlaws for the game and I offered to make some dips and of course dessert. In an epic fail, I have NO PICS UGH.

The two dips I made were from Brown Eyed Baker. she posted about a dip party she went to and shared some of the recipes. I LOVE the idea of a dip party. I am a huge appetizer fan, I like small portions of all different types of food.

Reuben Dip

This is my new favorite dip, displacing buffalo chicken dip from the #1 spot. I started weight watchers last week so I did substitute low fat ingredients when possible.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Bake Time: 15 to 20 minutes

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1½ cups (6 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese
4 ounces deli sliced corned beef, chopped
½ cup Thousand Island dressing
½ cup drained sauerkraut

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. In a large bowl mix together the cream cheese, 1 cup of the Swiss cheese, the dressing and corned beef. Spread in a pie plate or other shallow serving dish. Top with the sauerkraut and the remaining ½ cup of Swiss cheese.

3. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until bubbly around the edges. Serve hot with pretzel crisps or cocktail-size rye bread squares.

Sausage Dip

I've made this before but I call it fiesta dip and also add velvetta cheese. I also baked it for 15 mins as opposed to microwaving it.

Yield: About 8 to 10 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

2 16-oz. rolls of regular sausage (Bob Evans, Jimmy Dean, whatever your favorite brand is)
2 8-oz. packages of cream cheese, softened
28 ounces picante sauce

1. Brown the sausage, breaking it up and crumbling it as it cooks. Once cooked through, remove from skillet with a slotted spoon and place in serving bowl. Mix in the cream cheese and picante sauce.

2. Microwave in 30 seconds increments, stirring between each, until the dip is heated through and the cream cheese is melted.

3. Serve with your favorite tortilla chips, pretzel crisps or crackers.

now on to dessert!

Since the steelers were in the game, I had to make something black and gold so I went to a tried and true recipe-BOSTON CREAM CUPCAKES Nomnomnom

These are SO easy.

1 pack vanilla pudding mix

Chocolate chips

Heavy cream

1 box yellow cake mix

plus all the items needed to make the cake and pudding.

Prepare cake mix according to directions. Decide if you are doing cupcakes or a whole cake.

Prepare pudding according to directions for pie filling.

Instructions for cupcakes-

Prepare cakes and let cool. Once pudding is done setting, carefully cut off cupcake tops. Spoon vanilla pudding onto the cupcake and replaced cupcake top. You want to make sure you keep the vanilla pudding in the middle when you are spooning it on, so it doesnt run down the sides.

Repeat for all cupcakes.

Microwave chocolate for 2 mins. You will want to stir it after 1 minute and then keep a close eye on it.

Once chocolate is melted, whip in the heavy cream until it is creamy.

Drizzle chocolate mix over cupcakes or use like frosting.

Whole cake instructions-

Make 2 round cakes. Once they are cooled, spoon vanilla pudding on the bottom layer and then place top layer on top. Once again, keep the pudding away from the edges so it doesnt run down the sides.

Coat the top of the cake in the chocolate sauce and then drizzle it around the sides.

Enjoy!

Very easy dessert that is sure to impress.

Easy DIY flower

Have you seen those pretty silk flowers that have popped up on shirts, jackets, pins, or hairclips? Well they are SUPER SUPER easy to make.

What you need-material of your choice, not cotton!I am using chiffon but you can use cheaper silk or tulle.

Scissors

Hot glue gun

New candle

Beads

thread and needle

hair clip, bobby pin, or pin back

Felt

First step is to cut your flowers. I like FULL flowers so I usually do 6-7 layers of varying sizes. I cut the material in squares and then fold them in half to make them easier to cut.
You want to cut out several sizes, including small and large just like real flower petals
Now you get to play with fire. I use new(er) candles for this so the flame is higher. You cant use a lighter because you need both hands. You are going to use the candle flame to shape the petals and make them curl up. You will also get that singed appearance around the edges. Now you do this by placing the material NEAR the flame, not directly on it. The heat will make the material curl up, you can also help it by shaping it with your fingers. This step may take some practice but it is not hard to master at all.

Now repeat with all the layers you cut and stack them.
You will stitch the stake together and add some beads. You can also use pretty buttons or stones. For beads and buttons I like to stitch them as opposed to hot gluing them.

Awww now isnt that pretty?!?
Now to attach it to a bobby pin. You will place a square of felt on the back your flower.
Now attach the bobby pin. You need to use a bobby pin that has a pad on it. You can find them at Joanns, hobby lobby, etc. Once you have the attached the bobby pin, with hot glue, place a 2nd piece of felt over it. You want to make sure you dont interfere with the part of the pin that goes in the hair.
Want to make a pin? attach the first piece of felt and then hot glue the pin back to the felt.
Open the pin and then place a 2nd piece of felt so you secure it.

and you are done!

remember you can also use a french barrette or alligator clip. Use the same method-square of felt on the back, secure the hardware, and then a 2nd piece of felt to give extra security.