Zipper Flowers

I spent some time with my mom yesterday in her craft room, and these little beauties are the result:

I had purchased a box of zippers and rick rack at a rummage a few months ago. This was the perfect craft for my zippers. I used tutorials from Snips and Spice and Needlework to make the flowers. They are both great tutorials. Of course we modified them to fit our supplies. Have not yet decided what to put the flowers on. Maybe a brooch? A hair clip? Head on over to the tutorials if you'd like to make your own.

Cardboard: Better than Toys

Take a close look at this picture. See all the toys on the right? Not nearly as interesting as this cardboard box. There's something fascinating about them, there must be. We have plenty of cardboard in our garage, so I searched out some ideas for cardboard toys. Here are my three favorites:

These first two are from IKatbag. Cute huh?
There is a full tutorial to make this cardboard car on Parents.com

Same kid, different box. Don't his parents ever put clothes on him?

Sunglass Case Tutorial

This is a fun little project, and took me only half an hour. It involves sewing only straight lines...perfect! Here's a quick tutorial to make a sunglasses case of your own.

Materials:
-2 strips of fabric, 19" x 4.5"
-small piece of velcro
-sewing machine with thread, scissors

1. Cut two strips of fabric, 4.5" by 19" (more or less depending on size of your shades). In the picture you'll see I cut off the top portion of the material and sewed it on the other strip for a contrasting flap.

2. Sew the strips right side together on three sides. Flip right side out and iron flat.

3. (No pictures...sorry) Fold the main part of the case up and sew on the outside edge of the case, creating a pocket to keep your sunglasses in. For the fourth side that didn't get sewn in step two, I folded the material under and sewed the seam on the outward side.

4. Sew a velcro tab onto the flap and main case to keep it closed. You're done!

Sprinkler Fun

We love going to the spray park-- water sprinkling and spraying everywhere.

But wouldn't it be fun to bring the spray park to our backyard? Here are some fun sprinkler ideas I spotted on Pinterest:

She Wears Flowers made this PVC Sprinkler


Instructables also used PVC for this "Kidwash"


This Deluxe Kid Wash from Family Fun is amazing. Our little one is probably too young to appreciate all the bells and whistles, but it would look good in our backyard.

All my best,
Robin

Grown Up Now

Lori Mckenna is hands-down my favorite singer/songwriter. My one "bucket list" item is to see her in concert. Problem is, she performs small venues mostly on the East Coast. Lori, someday I will make it to a concert! This video is a new song of Lori's, not on a record. I cried a little-- mostly because her voice and lyrics are so awesome. Hope you like!

Rick-Rack Rosette Ring

Isn't this ring sweet? I love that it's big and girly and cheap. Cheap in a good way. It's made from medium rick-rack, hot glue, and a ring base (jewelry section at Hobby Lobby). You can get the full tutorial from The Crafting Chicks. The instructions were easy to follow and now I have a new ring to sport around my house while I'm playing toys and cleaning floors. Glamorous, I know. Sometimes I stop mid-sweep to check out this little beauty on my finger.


Have an awesome day,
Robin

Upside Down Pizza

Here's a recipe for the impatient ones. It's quick, easy, and requires few ingredients. It's called upside down pizza casserole. It can be modified for picky eaters, but is low maintenance, which I of course like.


You need:
--1 pkg. refrigerated biscuits
--15 oz. can tomato sauce & Italian seasoning or pizza sauce
--1 lb. ground beef or other meat of choice
--mozzarella cheese (as much or little as you like..I used 1.5 cups)
--additional toppings (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350. Brown hamburger in a skillet, add Italian seasoning.
2. Spread meat in bottom of a 9x13 dish, add toppings and cheese.
3. Flatten biscuits and press them on top of cheese.
4. Bake 20 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown.