Girl on Fire Activity Days Printable

We have had gorgeous fall weather here the past couple of weeks and so I went ahead with my original idea for a Girl on Fire activity for activity days.  We roasted hot dogs and did tinfoil caramel apples.  Over the past couple of months we had discussed what we wanted to become, being missionaries and good examples, so this time we talked about being who God created us to be and not trying to be someone else or lowering our standards to fit in.  

This quote was the inspiration for our activity.  I picked up  97cent candles at Walmart and tied on the tag.  It coordinates with the Look For S'more printable I shared last week.   I've added the PDF file for Set the World On fire HERE and a print as well.  

Look for S'more

For activity days last week the original idea was to learn how to build a fire and roast s'mores and talk about being a missionary.  Because of wind we weren't able to do the outdoor fire, so we talked about being missionaries and then roasted marshmallows over the gas stove.  I made a "Look for S'more" handout that to help remind them to try a little harder to share their testimonies and be good examples.  I've included the handout download for you.

Download Look for S'more

The recipe for these s'mores is easy and actually the only kind of s'mores that Darin likes.

S'mores Bars

3/4 c karo syrup

3 Tbsp butter

1 pkg chocolate chips

1 tsp vanilla 

1 large box Golden Grahams

3 cups marshmallows

In a medium saucepan heat butter, karo syrup and chocolate chips over low heat until melted.  Add vanilla and stir.  Pour over cereal and stir to coat.  Add in marshmallows and stir to combine.  Let cool on wax paper.  Enjoy.  

You've Pierced My Heart Jewelry Valentines Printable

Valentines Day is this week and Ivy and I have some fun ideas for you to make it special!  Today we are sharing our Jewelry Valentines cards.  We used clay to make some cute earring and beads so we could wear our hearts on our ears.  And necks, and wrists.  Making hearts with the clay took some practice but we were able to make some cute enough to share with friends. 

For the earrings we used sparkly red sculpey clay, and a pack of earring backs that I picked up from the jewelry making department at Hobby Lobby.  The Alison Show has a great tutorial on making clay earrings here.  

 I used my tiniest hole punch to punch two holes for earring posts to go through on the u pierced my heart card.  

And for the bracelet I cut two small slits on the side to hold the string in place.   To make the heart bead I shaped a thicker heart and used an embroidery needle to poke a hole through the sides.  Be sure to make the hole big enough that you can thread the needle and string through after you bake the clay.  

Pierced My Heart Valentines PDF

{for personal use only}

 And since we are all about sharing the love this week, here is the PDF printable so you can make your own jewelry Valentines to share with your friends.  You could use them to give friendship bracelets or loom bracelets, necklaces or whatever else you and/or your kids have fun making!

Giving Thanks to you.

{free 16x20 download here}

Normally in November I do a daily thankful.  I've missed it a little bit this year but I think saying I'm grateful for Axel every day might get a little repetitive.   And while I have so many things to be thankful for, he is always the first thing that pops in to my head.  When I look back over the past few years and think about where my heart was when I started an I'm Thankful month it kind of seems like a lifetime ago, and a different me.  I feel like I am whole these days.  I feel happy and amazed that I feel happy.   Its good.  So this month I'm giving thanks.  To my friends and my family.  To everyone who has been a part of this story.  I couldn't have done it without you.  

: rustic graphics via 

Rock the night away | Printable

Are you guys ready for the last of my Instachristmas tags?  Just like all the others there are lots of ways you could use this but here's how used this one.  

One of my dearest friends just had a baby.  On 12.12.12  Lucky little guy.  SO when I chose Rock the Night Away I was thinking more along the lines of a mama rocking the night away with her new babe. So I put together a cd of some quiet Christmas songs.  We downloaded this Fireplace Sampler from The Music Bed a few weeks ago and have found some new favorites on there.  I also made a Lotta Jansdotter swaddler (its a free pattern) and a blanket for the little.  Then I wrapped it up and mailed it off to our far away friends.  

Rock the Night Away Printable

I've uploaded the printable to google docs again for you to download!  As always free but if you love it maybe donate a dollar to our adoption fund!  You could make a party sampler to give to a friend,  I cut an envelope with my silhouette that is the perfect size for a disc. Or if you are giving an itunes gift card to a friend this would be a cute way to package it up don't you think?! Are you done with your Christmas shopping? I just have a couple things left.  EEK!  Its less than a week away!

PS.  I've been using this shape for a cd envelope

and this library pocket.   

Check out the other Instachristmas tags!

Cup of Cheer

For Your Mistletoes 

For your mistle toes| printable

I finally found a minute to show you guys my next InstaChristmas tag!  I was going along all fine thinking I had a ton of time to get things done before Christmas.  Then this week happened and I feel like I have no time left!  

Sometimes though no matter how busy I get I always find time for things like adding touches to my dining room wall. Its been 3 years and I finally hung some of my favorite things on this really big wall.  I took a canvas and painted it with chalkboard paint so I could change it as often as I wanted. 

For your mistle toes! What a fun idea huh!  I kept it simple and used a circle punch to make little tags to tie on to some of my favorite colors of nail polish.  {jag-u-are. stylenomics. clambake.}  Chalk, hole punch, and some twine and you are done!  You could also use the tags to put on homemade foot scrub, or a cute pair of boot socks.  Really, just like the cup of cheer tags, there are a lot of fun ways to use these little guys!

 Mistletoes square Mistletoes 2

I made two versions of these tags.  One is these square tags perfect for cutting in to circles.  The other is a little bit bigger to add to a box for gift giving.  You can download them from google docs, easy peasy!  As always these printables are free to download, or you can click on the donate button and maybe donate a dollar to adoption fund.  

Are you guys feeling the sudden crunch of time for Christmas too or is it just me?!

Be sure to check out the other Instachristmas tags!

Cup of Cheer

Rock the Night Away

A cup of cheer | Printable

Ask and ye shall receive!  I've uploaded the cup of cheer pdf to google docs for you to download!  It is a PDF that you can print on cardstock and use for gift giving this year.  {Personal Use Only}

Have  a cup of cheer tags

I printed mine on white cardstock and then rubbed chalk on them to give a more authentic chalkboard look to them.  I also like to rub some black ink on any cut sides so the white edge doesn't show.  

Uuummmmm.... I feel weird about this and I don't quite know how to ask.  But we are friends right? 

I love being a stay at home mom to Ivy.  I love making things and sharing it with  you guys.  I also really want to adopt a baby.  Which it turns out can be kind of expensive. And it can be hard as a SAHM to come up with ways to help out with extra expenses sometimes ya know? So I thought I would try and use my resources.  If you love a free printable that I share, and want to download it to use, would you maybe donate $1 to our adoption fund?  Its done through paypal so its super easy and only takes a second.   Just click the donate button under the printable, or on my sidebar over there.   Of course you don't have to.  NO PRESSURE!!  You can totally download them for free and I'll be so happy that you loved it enough to use it and spread some holiday cheer! Mmk thanks. End awkwardness. 

  I hope you guys had a great weekend!  Ivy and I got invited to attend the Nutcracker on Saturday.  It was a first for both of us.  I know, how did I get to be 33 and never have gone?  Well we loved it, especially my little ballerina.  We got all dolled up.  Ivy even wanted her hair curled.  Which is a really big deal by the way.  

She added my leopard scarf to her ensemble.  Besides the whole socks and sandals thing, she can be a regular fashionista.  But holy cow isn't she gorgeous.  I love her to the ends of the earth.  Even when she makes me be the nutcracker or the rat king ALL day long.  She has been a dancer/ director/ stage hand/ costume designer almost nonstop since Saturday night.  The creative energy never ends with that girl.  

Happy Monday!

A major award!

This morning my instagram notifications were going crazy!  That's weird I thought, since I didn't take a single picture yesterday.  Fail.  But oh man I was so excited to see why!  

Eek  I won!  Rhonna Designs picked me!  Woot.  Darin is so proud  :)  Thanks to Rhonna and all of her cReative team for your amazing inspiration.  And of course I'd like to take a moment to thank InstaChristmas, which has made all of my holiday dreams come true ;) Cup of Cheer!  Cup of Cheer! Oh man, I need to lay off the Christmas movies.  Doesn't that sound like the Chair of Cheer from the Grinch?  I hope you guys are having a good Friday! 

PS watch Instagram this weekend for more InstaChristmas sneak peaks!

Santa's Little Helper Service Project

At church I got a new calling working with the 10 and 11 year old girls.  I love it!!  These girls are so much fun.  My only challenge really is that there are 20 of them!  It is hard to find things to do with them that we can get done in an hour.  We kind of have to keep it simple.  So this week I decided to turn them all in to Santa's little helpers.  

I saw the idea on The Fickle Pickle and switched it up a little bit to go with the holiday, since its December and all.  I found some $1 Santa hats at Walmart, grabbed a couple of boxes of candy canes and put my own elves to work putting together 20 Mission Possible packets.  I used the the printables from The Fickle Pickle's original post which are super awesome!  She even has a list of service activities to do.   Because of the Santa hats I went ahead and used 9x12 manila envelopes.  I put together a subway art tag for the front and was done.  For the subway art I used a couple of lines about elves from Christmas movies that were in my head.    We have been watching the Santa Clause kind of a lot so thats where a couple come from.

The girls loved it and it was fun to hear them get excited about all the different things they could do for others.  They make awesome elves!

Have a cup of cheer.

Have you been loving all the chalk art that has been popping up?  Just when you thought the chalkboard was done, too.   I was patiently awaiting Rhonna Designs to release her InstaChristmas because I knew it would be perfect for adding some chalk art to my home for the holidays.   In fact the only thing I bought on Black Friday was InstaChristmas.  Well besides a trip to Voodoo Donuts I guess ;)  I have been adding it to my instagram photos and playing around with it in photoshop as well.  I really, really, totoally like it. 

Over at Rhonna's blog she is having a tag contest so I came up with a little gift tag that can be used lots of ways for gift giving this holiday.  Using a chalkboard background in photoshop I came up with this little guy.  Ivy has been walking around singing this song and I couldn't get it out of my head!

I made a fill page for the back side and was able to fit 9 of the 2.5x3.5 tags on a sheet of paper.  I printed it out on white cardstock and cut out each tag.  To give it a little bit more chalkiness I rubbed chalk over the whole design and then wiped it off.  Use a black ink pad to ink the cut edges for extra measure too.  

I think it would be a fun hostess gift to tie a tag on to a bottle of sparkling cider.  And even more fun would be to get those mini bottles and have them for New Years Eve!  Oh, man.  How cute would that be?!  

I've been wanting to try the sharpie mug thing so I decided to actually make a cup of cheer.  I got a mug from Target for $3 I think, and using a circle stencil and a bronze sharpie I put some confetti dots all over the mug. 

 While my mug was baking {at 350 for 30 minutes}  I made a pocket for a packet of hot chocolate.  I printed out the chevron fill page on kraft cardstock and then cut a library pocket like the ones I used for my advent with my silhouette.   I love seeing the design peeking out from the inside.  I backed my tag with some red striped paper and glued it to the front.  I tucked the hot chocolate, along with a mug rug and a box of chocolates into my fun new mug to give as a gift to add some cheer to a dear friend's day.  

I might even make up a couple more of these library pockets to stick some Starbucks gift cards in for quick gifts to give to friends and teachers.  So many ideas for one little tag!

EDIT!!
You can now download your own Cup of Cheer tags by following the link below.  And read about how you can maybe help with our adoption HERE

CUP OF CHEER PDF

PS you can check out the other instachristmas tags too!
For Your Mistletoes
Rock the Night Away

Thank You Cards {free printable}

I feel like I am saying thank you so much these days which is a good thing.   I don't mean because its Thanksgiving and we are feeling more grateful than usual.  I am just blessed to have so many great people in my life that uplift, inspire, and help a girl out every once in a while.  I made a thank you card to give to a couple people.  I just printed them out on kraft paper and wrote a little note inside.  Feel free to grab a bag of Cadbury eggs to give along with your card.  Yes I saw them, just today in Christmas colors.   Crack I tell you.  

And since this is my 400th post I thought I would thank you too.  You can download {for personal use of course} your own thank you cards HERE.   Print, cut and fold and don't forget the cadbury eggs! 

Thanksgiving Break Activities

SOoo, hows it going?  We are just hanging out around here.  Really.  Ivy had school yesterday.  And thats it for this whole week.  One day.  And then no school next week. Every kindergartener should have two weeks off for Thanksgiving right?!  Since there is no school I'm gonna have to keep her entertained.  Luckily I can give her a coloring book and she is good for a couple hours so I can get laundry done and clean the bathrooms.  I knew this long break was coming too so I've been hunting for some fun Thanksgiving activities we can do together while she is home.  Of course I found some other fun stuff that isn't so much for kids too.   

Source: ashleyannphotography.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

I've been wanting to make these with Ivy for awhile.  I'm thankful that others take pretty pictures to remind me!  DIY Birdfeeders from Ashley Ann.

This cute  printable thanksgiving day pack from Pizzazzerie even has a leftovers tag to send your guests home with leftovers in style!

If you want something a little bit different these free Thanksgiving printables from The TomKat Studio are gorgeous.  I love the brown and white simplicity of the whole thing. 

Fiskars has some fun decorations for the kids table .  I made the crayon holder pilgram hat already.  My budding artist is in love.

This Little Indian Party from Dear Lizzy would be a fun way to spend a cold day inside.  So dreamy.  

I still love this felt leaves garland from A Beautiful Mess.  I bet even littler hands could help with this easy fall decoration.

This gratitude garland from Somewhat Simple is lovely.  

I'm going to use some of our extra time to get a jump on our holiday gifts this year.  We are going handmade this year.  The Craftpack e-book is filled with tons of printables and projects.  I'm thinking the lumberjack breakfast kit would be a great hostess gift.

Hope you are enjoying the calm before the holiday storm this week!