Lemon Buddies ... YUMMY!!!

Ever since I saw Lemon Buddies earlier this year I have wanted to try them.  I love the chocolate peanut butter version and I love lemon so I knew it would be a huge success. 

Well, I finally decided to give them a try for our trip.  Here is the actual recipe, as provided on the Chex website.  Only problem was, I did not have vanilla chips and I didn't have a lemon for the zest.  So of course, I improvised - a trait I have learned from my Mom who has always used a recipe as a guide!  {love you mom}
I substituted a bag of yellow vanilla candy melts for the vanilla chips and lime zest in place of the lemon zest.  I used some bottled lemon juice as well as some lemon extract as well.  My other alteration was I used the entire box of Rice Chex as it was only slightly more than the 9 cups.

They were yummy!  Can't wait to snack on them in the car on our way to California!

Matching Disney Shirts - 2011 Edition

Living in Arizona, we are a hop, skip and jump away from the excitement of Disneyland.  I would say it is a quick 8 hour drive from our home, however if you have ever traveled with young kids, there is nothing quick about an 8 hour drive!  {I will be sharing my travel boredom busters later this week!}

Since our kids are 4 and 6 (prime Disney age) we decided to buy annual passes this year. We had determined that with just 2.5 trips, we would have them paid for and while we have many fun family vacation ideas, our kids are still a little young to appreciate and enjoy the national parks, museums, etc. that we want to visit.  So 2011 is the "Year of Disney" for our little family!!!


The Boy & I riding Dumbo - our favorite!  While Dad & Sis were off riding the roller coaster!!!

We first went over spring break, again at the beginning of the summer and will be leaving Friday for a last hurrah as school starts next Thursday!  Disneyland is amazing and it is especially fun when you are wearing Disney apparel!  Don't know why, it just is.

We have a tradition of wearing matching Disney shirts when we go to Disney.  We have been fortunate to be able to visit Disney a few times over the last 3 years.  Our first trip was a one day visit to celebrate my husbands 40th birthday!  That year Disney was offering free admission on your birthday plus both kids were under 3 so they were free.  We only had to pay my admission!  Not bad!  We surprised my husband by all wearing matching shirts that I made on Zazzle!  We went with his cousins so there were 10 of us running around with our matching shirts!

My Husband's Birthday Shirt!

Last year, we decided to do a 4-day full on Disney vacation with our friends who had moved away.  Our girls have been BFF's from birth - we met these friends at child birth class and later realized that we lived in the same neighborhood, about a block apart.  We had let our kids know that we were going to Disney (because who can really keep that a secret) but we did not let on that we would be meeting our friends.  The girls were sooooo excited when we met up with our friends at the hotel!  I had purchased these fun shirts on Disneystore.com leading up to our trip!

When we went to Disney a couple of months ago, my husband's cousin Colleen asked us where our matching shirts were!  Of course, I couldn't let that sarcastic jab go ... I needed to show her that I am a creative genius! Hee hee! 

I recently have seen a number of blog posts about using a bleach pen to create a design on colored shirts (here)!  That paired with a fun photo of a tie dyed shirt I had found here.  I had my plan!

I picked up some cheap red shirts at JoAnns last week and grabbed a bleach pen from the grocery store and got to work.  Using the tutorial provided by Kim at Vitamin C (more on her awesome version at the end of this post), I set out to work.

1.  Prep Shirts:  I prepped my shirts by inserting boards and cardboard between the layers so the design would not bleed to the back of the shirt. 

2.  Plan Design:  I wanted to do a mickey head like the tie dye inspiration.  I then used a plate and cup for the kids shirts and a platter and bowl for the adult shirts as my guide. 

3.  Draw on Design with Bleach Pen.  I made my Mickey Mouse head by tracing around the guides using the bleach pen.  I gently lifted my forms off and let them dry.  I wanted my design to be white, so I let the design sit over night (well mostly because it was getting late and I was tired)!  If you want some of the shirt color to remain, simply rinse off the bleach after about 10 minutes.

4.  Rinse/Wash off Bleach:  Once you have reached your desired color, rinse the bleach off thoroughly and let the shirt dry.

5.  Back of shirt:  I wanted the design to continue on the back of the shirt.  To do this you simply repeat steps 1-4.  I had let the bleach dry so I skipped step 4 to complete my design.  I readjusted the shirt and boards, reset my guides and completed the design using the bleach pen.

6.  Wash and Wear:  Once the bleach was dry, I through them in the washer and voila! 

Can't wait to wear these on Monday!

Back to Vitamin C - she did some amazing doodle artwork on a t-shirt that I just loved.  I think I will doodle up my Disney shirt after this trip so that I can just wear it any time.  And then later in the week, she made some AMAZING wall art!  I CAN'T WAIT TO TRY THIS!!!  Here are a couple of her pictures - awesome possum!!!

What are YOU bleaching?

Linked Up With...

Polly Want A Crafter

Sugar Bee Crafts

Sugar and Dots

Today's Creative Blog

Tip Junkie
Funky Polkadot Giraffe
Not JUST a Housewife
Savvy Home A to Z
Skip to My Lou
Sweet Peas and Bumblebees

Back Seat Organizers

I have two issues with the back seat of my car...

#1:  The kids love to put their feet on the back of the seats which has made them nasty and dirty.  Dislike!

#2:  With my older kids - we have more small toys, notebooks, pencils and books lingering on the floor along with empty wrappers, paper and other garbage.  Major dislike.

This led me to the idea to sew up a little garbage bag for the trash.  Well, that simple project turned in to a bigger project ... back seat organizers for each of the kids.

I did a little research on Google and determined that I really just needed to measure my car and start sewing based on the functions I wanted for my kids and needs.  I had picked up a yard of  some great outdoor canvas at JoAnn's awhile back for just $3.  It was perfect, and I love how I could use the stripes in opposite directions to add some interest to the organizers.

I added pockets on the bottom to hold coloring books/notebooks and toys.  With these two pockets, I added a simple pleat in the middle of each pocket so that they can expand a bit.  On the larger pocket, I added a smaller front pocket just large enough to hold a box of crayons.

For the top row of pockets I actually made two sets of pockets.  A larger back pocket for books, toys, etc. and a shorter front row of pockets to hold writing pencils, snacks, small toys, etc.

On the top, I sewed on a couple of straps that I simply tied around the posts for the head rests.  I decided on ties so that I can easily remove these and wash them if necessary (see #1 above regarding the feet on the seat issue).

On the bottom of the panels, I sewed on a couple of inexpensive plastic rings which allowed me to put a small bungee cord through and attach to the bottom of the seat.  This holds the organizer flat against the back of the seat so that it does not impede on the leg room of the back seat.

Finally, for the front seat, I whipped up a simply bag that can be lined with a plastic shopping bag to collect trash.  (Yes, I have that looped around my car charger right now - I plan to add a little hook, just need to head to the dollar store.) Love it!

Linked up with...

Tatertots and Jello

Nap Time Crafters

Chic on a Shoestring

The Frugal Girls

House of Hepworths

Designer Gardener

Crystal and Co

Ask Anna

Polly Want a Crafter?

Tip Junkie

Today's Creative Blog

Sugar Bee Crafts

Sugar and Dots

Savvy Home A to Z

Skip to My Lou

Quick Summer Centerpiece

I love when a quick, simple project presents itself with amazing sales and coupons.

This week Pier One had an incredible coupon available on Facebook - $10 off a $10 purchase.  I of course had to go in and check it out and found these fun summer lanterns on sale.  The color was the most amazing deep turquoise and I just had to have one.  I loved it so much, I decided to check out another store a few miles away since the coupon said one per person per store.  I picked up two more.

I then simply put in a white candle and surrounded those with some cute green plastic shell table scatter that I picked up on clearance at Target a couple of weeks ago.  (Note:  That Target trip was AMAZING!  I caught the 75% off sale before the sale signs were up so the aisle was FULL.  I loaded my cart with some cool summer entertaining stuff.)

Here is my new, summer centerpiece.  Quick simple and oh so bright and fun.

Simple Tote Bags for the Littles

My kids love to look over my shoulder when I am on the computer and are constantly commenting on the various blogs, websites and things I am surfing.  The other day my daughter saw a cute bag on the screen and declared that she must have one.  I found a simple pattern and today we worked on it together.  She did such an amazing job on her first project, the butterfly pillow.  She easily could have sewn the entire thing today if it weren't for the fact that she has no patience for pinning, ironing and lining things up.  After sewing the first few sides, she was done so I finished it up.

I used the awesome tutorial provided by Skip to My Lou for a Simple Reversable Tote Bag.  I love how it turned out and that it is reversable so it is like 2 bags in one!  My daughter has already loaded it up with books, stuffies and more!

OF COURSE - the boy wanted one too!  And who am I to deprive my child of his wants!  Looking at my pile of mostly girly fabrics, I remembered I had bought this pair of Madras Plaid men's shorts at the thrift store for $1 that would be perfect.  A bag, and a repurposed project - I'm in! 

{DISCLAIMER:  I was planning to do this as a tutorial, however I was so excited to make it that I couldn't be bothered with taking the necessary photos!  Again, using the general idea of the Simple Reversable Tote Bag form Skip to My Lou, I set out to make a bag! (Oh, come on, I am not the only one that gets so excited about a project that tutorial blogging becomes an afterthought! Right?!?)}

Here is what I started with...

I turned the shorts inside out and cut them off right at the crotch line.  I then sewed the bottom of the let closed.  I then turned one of the legs inside out and inserted it into the other, pinning the tops together along with a simple strap I made out of a piece of muslin.  Following the directions from Skip to My Lou, I sewed the two pieces together, leaving about a 2" opening to turn the bag right side out.  I then ironed the seam and sewed a double stitch all around the top, securing the opening with this decorative top stitch.

The boy is so happy! He couldn't wait to show it off!

I love how the bags turned out!  They truly were simple and fun!  They will be great little bags for the kids to bring a few toys and books when we go on our road trip in a couple weeks!

Linked up with...

I heart Naptime

Under the Table and Dreaming

Todays Creative Blog

Ask Anna

Polly Want A Crafter?

Skip To My Lou

Tip Junkie

Sugar Bee Crafts
Not JUST a Housewife
Funky Polkadot Giraffe

Dreaming of the Beach!

This week The CSI Project challenge is Beachy Vignettes and Projects!  I have had the makings of this project sitting in my craft room for a while now so today I decided to whip it together.  It was pretty simple, and only $4 since the two wreaths and the two baskets of shells all came from the dollar store!

My original plan was to spray paint the wreath with metallic nickel a la Pottery Barn silver shells, but I actually liked it au-natural so it is staying as is for now.

I simply hot glued the shells onto the wreath.  I started with the larger shells and went around the wreath.  Then I filled in with the smaller and more decorative shells.  I love how it turned out.  Since I was using a small wreath form, I was able to use just one basket for each wreath.

First I placed them in our bedroom, which I liked but didn't {love}. I have other plans in there and decided these wreaths could replace the birthday wreath that still was on our door from my daughters birthday party over a month ago!  (No fear - there are other decorations still up too!  It is like a summer-long party over here! Hee hee!)

BEFORE

AFTER

Now I really want to head to the beach!  Ah, only a couple more weeks!  Can't wait!

If you haven't ever checked out The CSI Project - DO!  They do a weekly linky party with a new theme each week.  Here is the schedule for the next several weeks!

July 24: Sewing Projects

July 31: Kids Boredom Busters
August 7: Porches, Terraces & Patios
August 14: Organization Ideas
August 21: Lamp Makeovers
August 28: Back to School Ideas

I have a few ideas for some upcoming challenges!  Watch out!

Linked up with...

Nap Time Crafters

Chic on a Shoestring

{Christmas in July} #5 - Dessert Plate

Several years ago my Mom made these simple Christmas dessert plates.  She took a plain clear glass plate that she found at the dollar store and decoupaged some holiday fabric on the bottom side.   It takes a bit of work to smooth out the bubbles and wrinkles but it turns out great. I decided to take her project a step further and glue it to a crystal candlestick with E6000 glue to make a dessert pedestal which will look awesome on our holiday buffet.

I will be making a bunch of these this holiday season to deliver Holiday cookies to my friends and neighbors - a treat and gift, all in one!  These could be customized for any holiday or special event.  After seeing the Halloween fabrics in the store the other day, I am thinking that would be fun too!

Note:  The decoupage and E6000 glue requires that the plates be hand washed.

Linked up with...

Todays Creative Blog

Polly Want A Crafter

Skip to My Lou

Ask Anna
I ♥ Naptime
Tatertos and Jello
The Tattered Tag
Under The Table and Dreaming
Somewhat Simple
House of Hepworths
Nap Time Crafters
Chic on a Shoestring