Throw Back Thursday {Christmas Time Is Here}

Here are two holiday favorites from back in 2011 {& my previous blog}.  Our family loves to make snowflakes every year.  This tutorial uses tracing paper, which works great, but the past 2 years we have been using coffee filters (I like to iron mine first) which are a little more durable.  

The Christmas book countdown we still love to do.  It's so nice to gather as a family each night for this fun tradition...although the first night my 3 year old thought he was opening an actual present & exclaimed (not so happily) "ohhhhhh! I wanted a race track!".  After some explaining he was happy to join in & has looked forward to opening a "present" the last few nights.

Merry Christmas & Enjoy!

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The Perfect Snowflake

I like to use 9 x 12 in. tracing paper to make my snowflakes...it is inexpensive, looks great, and is easy to cut through many layers at once...

I made 4 different sizes...whole page (about 9 in. square); half page (about 6 in. square); quarter page (about 4 1/2 in. square); and the smallest out of scraps (about 3 in. square). 

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Christmas Countdown

This is my kids' favorite countdown...and it is so easy (if you are willing to spend some more time wrapping) :)

Gather together Christmas, Holiday, Winter, or any other appropriate book for the season...you will need 1 for everyday you count down (we started on the 1st...so 24 for us). We add a Christmas book or two every year, and I make up for the ones we don't have by printing off Christmas stories or poems I find online...Wrap and number each book.

Each night before bed we find the appropriate numbered book and open it...we take turns, luckily 24 is evenly divisible by 3 :) and read the story together. It is a great way to spend a little extra time together and feel the spirit of the season a little more each day.

Have a great Holiday Season!

p.s. I found my stories online here...

http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?locale=0&vgnextoid=ae20e975d2a2b010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD
It is a great children's magazine from 

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints :)

Quiet Book, page 4 {bugs on leaves}

Do you ever feel like a year has gotten away from you? That's how my year has been...busy, busy, busy {I guess that's what I should expect with 5 kids...right?} and it has FLOWN by.  In all that craziness I completely forgot about pages 4, 5 & 6....oops! So here is page 4 of my quiet book for you "bugs on leaves".  It's another quick and easy design (the best kind).  It's more of a look, touch & feel page.  Younger kids will like the sensory aspect of just the different textures of the felt leaves and pompom bugs.  As they get a little older they can begin to count the bugs, name the colors, or match the colored bugs (try connecting them by drawing a line with a piece of yarn or string).

Here's what you need:

1 piece of felt for the background, cut to 8 1/2 x 11 inches, I used bright blue

Green felt in two shades

1/2 inch colorful pompoms, I chose more "autumn colored" pompoms

Sewing machine + thread

Embroidery floss + needle

Scissors

1. Cut out your leaves.  I know I say this a lot, but just free-hand it--you can do it!.  If it makes it easier, cut out a paper template first.  Make a large (about 9 x 5 inches) "football"...pointed oval shape, then just cut some notches out of the side to give it a more tropical leaf feel.

2. Arrange the leaves on the background, then pin in place.  Using a sewing machine, stitch the leaves onto the background, adding details for the leaf veins as you like (see pictures).

3. Arrange & hand stitch your pompoms in place using the embroidery floss.  Just knot your thread and sew through the background/leaves, into the pompoms and back down a few times to make sure they are extra secure.  Your stitching shouldn't show too much through the fluffy pompoms.  Add a few straight stitches around each bug's body for legs (see picture below). Repeat with remaining pompoms.  I added 5 pompoms to each leaf, one of each color.

And that's it.  Super quick and easy.  Enjoy!

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Page 1: Lion

Page 2: Snakes

Page 3: Hidden Flowers

Page 5: Tropical Fish {coming soon!}

Page 6: Coconut Tree {coming soon!}

Throwback Thursday {super hero cape tutorial + a second way to use the pattern}

Another oldie but goody back from 2010 & my retired blog.  Best party favor idea ever....not to mention all around fun for the kids.  Who doesn't love a cape?  Ours are all well loved and still around and have been passed onto younger brothers...good thing we have 2 repeating initials.

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These make super fun party favors...that are really easy (and so much better than a bag of candy) + it's great to have a bunch of kids running around in capes. It doesn't hurt that they don't cost a lot of money either....I made mine for under $2.00 each. Watch for sales, but plain, colored cotton fabric is never very expensive.

You will need (for each):

1/2 yard...you may want a little extra just in case :), 45 width cotton fabric (wash & iron before hand)

1 sheet white felt

1 sheet colored felt (you will only use about 1/4..or less of it)

iron-on Velcro

thread

sewing machine, scissors, iron, letter template, pins

1. Cut out your letters and superman "decal"...out of the felt. Sorry there is no template for the "decal" I sketched the design on a piece of paper, folded it in half so that both sides were even & cut out...it's basically a triangle with all the points cut off.

2. Center your letter on the decal. Using your machine...stitch very close to the edge...go slowly & it's not too hard. If you are uncomfortable machine stitching it, you can always hand sew it on.

3. Create a pattern & cut out you cape fabric. Measure your child's shoulders, how long you want the cape, and how wide you want it at the bottom add 1 inch for your seam allowance. I used these measurements for my 5 yr. old... top: 9 inches wide, side: 22 1/2 inches long . Cut two pieces (I put the bottom edge along the fold, which makes one less side to sew).

Also, cut 2 strips- 3 inches x 7 1/2 inches for your straps.

4. Sew the letter decal onto the right side of one layer of the fabric you just cut out for your cape. Stitch very close to the edge again.

5. Press your strips of fabric in half long-ways...reverse fold and stitch right sides together, leaving one short side un-stitched. Clip corners & turn right side out, press again. Attach Velcro per package directions...make sure you put your Velcro on the right sides :) one should be on the top of one strap, the opposite on the other strap.

6. Layer all your pieces together now...making sure the right sides are all together, with the straps positioned along the top about 1/2 to 3/4 inches in from side seams. (place fold of straps toward center, so that the fold will be the top when finished...also make sure one Velcro piece is facing up, the other down). Pin and stitch (use presser foot as your seam allowance) all the way around...leaving about 4- 5 inches unsewn, so you can turn it right side out.

7. Clip corners, turn right side out & press all seams. Top stitch, with your needle positioned to the right, around the entire cape (no need to do the straps)...and your done :).

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now...another way to use this pattern...

You can make this super cute apron...

Follow all the same directions above...only leaving out the super hero decals & adding a sash (I also added some eyelet along the bottom. You can make these for boys too...use solid colors (or more boy appropriate prints)...and use a strip of fabric for the sash instead of the eyelet...use the same technique that we used for the straps, only make it longer & hand stitch the open end to close after turning. My sash is 50 inches long....adjust yours to meet your needs :).

I sewed on the details after the apron was completely sewn.

Cut a piece of eyelet a little longer than the bottom hem. Pin & sew on. Press the raw side edges of eyelet under (so it is even with the side of the apron) and secure with a few hand stitches.

For the sash, I used unfinished eyelet trim.... I folded over the top edge & ironed, then folded in each end to make a point. You can use the finished kind too...just fold ends over to make a point (or just roll under raw edge) & hand stitch.

Next find the center of the sash and center it on the horizontal center of the apron...I placed mine 8 inches down from the top. If you have unfinished eyelet, stitch from one end of the eyelet to the other, sewing it onto the apron in the process, stitching with your presser foot to the left & using the foot as your seam allowance. If you used finished eyelet or a fabric sash, just stitch onto the apron (stitch both sides of the fabric sash).

Broiled Grapefruit

After years of not eating it at all (really since childhood), I have recently fell in love with grapefruit, specifically broiled grapefruit.  It's sweet and tart and oh, so good. But, I despise eating it right out of the rind.  Drives me crazy.  So here is my solution...it's pretty and although it takes a little prep, it is so simple to pull together.

Preheat your broiler, then get started.

First, slice of the top and bottom of you grapefruit.  Just enough to expose the fruit and give you some stabilization.

Next, working your way around the fruit cut off just the peel & pith.  Start and the top and follow the curve of the grapefruit around to the bottom.  Try to take as little of the fruit as possible.  The first slice is always a little bit of guess work, after that you can see how deep you need to cut.  You may need to flip the grapefruit over and trim up the bottom.  Don't leave any pith behind.

It should look something like this.

Now hold the grapefruit in the palm of your hand.  You may want to switch to a paring knife for this part.  Cut on both sides of each membrane to release the fruit.  Try to cut as close to the membrane as possible.  Be careful!  Then drop your grapefruit segments into a small ramekin. 

This is all you should have left.  Make sure you remove any seeds you come across too.

Sprinkle the top with a spoonful of sugar, as much as you would like, depending on the sweetness of your grapefruit.  Put under the preheated broiler & cook until bubbly and browned.  I usually place mine further away from the heating element, only because I am likely to be distracted by little kids and such.  The closer to the heating element the faster it will cook--keep an eye on it! 

When it's ready, let it cool slightly & enjoy!

Mustache Birthday Party {the invitations}

In our family we only have "parties" certain years{we do celebrate as a family every year}. These are special years that coincide with milestones...1, 5 {school age}, 8 {baptism}, 12 {advancement from Primary into the Aaronic Priesthood or Young Women}, 16 and 18.  They get to invite 10-12 friends and I get to have fun planning a party...which I LOVE to do.  I like to do as much as possible handmade, not only to make it more affordable, but to make their parties extra special. {see some of my past parties here} 

This year my daughter is turning 12, and she is all about mustaches. Seriously loves them. 

We'll start with the invitations...

You will need:

at least two colors of colorful card stock {any colors your heart desires}

white card stock

mustache stickers {I found these at Target, made by Sticko}

extra fine black felt tip pen {like a Sharpie}

scissors

glue stick or glue dot runner {which I prefer}

Start by printing out  "I....You  A Question" onto white card stock.  I used the font Tiza in a size 66 .  Center the text leaving a space between "I" and "You A", mine is 96 pt. {see picture} When I do this, I make it fit a full page then copy and paste 3 more times {so you have 4 pages total}.  Then when you go to print choose to print "4 per page".  This way you don't have to worry about spacing as much. 

After printing, trim each, leaving about an 1/8-inch border around the outermost letters, then round the corners.   Next add the mustache sticker between "I" and "You A".  I like to use the stickers instead of just printing off mustaches with the words, because the stickers have a bit of sheen, and it gives it a little more dimension.

For the speech bubble, first make a template.  Cut a strip of paper 4-inches wide.  Place the mustache paper {don't affix} so that there is a 1/4-inch {or so} border on 3 sides.  Sketch the bottom line with the speech bubble "tail", and cut out, this is your template. 

Using the same technique arrange the mustache paper, this time gluing it down.  Trace your template then cut out.  I found it easiest to trim the remaining background paper straight before making the next speech bubble. Repeat and round all the corners.

Next you want to print off your party information on the inside of your card.  I just printed right onto the colored card stock.  If you need to, cut the card stock down to 8.5 x 11-inches.  

To get the spacing right, change all your margins to .25 {in page set up}.  Then you will want to create two columns and widen the center margin just a bit. Leave the left column blank and use the right column for all the party information. I used the font Tiza, size 22  for "Are you ready to party?!?" and Mathlete Bulky, also size 22 for the party information.  You will be able to fit two cards per sheet of paper, mine has 5- size 12 lines in-between {hit 'enter' 5 times...does that make sense?}.  You are going to want to print out a few practice runs before printing on the colored card stock, fold the cards to make sure everything looks good and centered.  Print off your final draft and cut in half, at 5.5-inches.

Now for the speech bubble on the inside, you can play around with word art, or whatever program you have...or you can make another template & draw it on.  I drew mine, because I like the look.  

To make the template I used one of my trial run print-offs.  Trim around 3 sides (leaving the bottom) of "are you ready to party?!?" leaving about and 1/8-inch border past the outermost letters.  Sketch the bottom of the speech bubble with the 'tail' and cut out.  

Use this to trace around the words.  I then added a second layer of ink, free handed, so it looked sketched. You will want to use a very fine marker or pen for this.

Lastly, assemble your cards.  Fold in half so that you have a finished 4.25 x 5.5- inch card.  Center your speech bubble along the top of the card, centered left to right, and glue down.  And that's it.

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The Decorations {coming soon}

The Cake {coming soon}

The Favors {coming soon}

Party Activities {coming soon}

F.H.E. Friday {Temple Quiz Game} +a quick reusable game board

...A lesson of Friday to teach on Monday...

 **scroll down for temple trivia categories and questions**

We love a good quiz game {aka 'Jeopardy'} for family home evening.  Not only is it fun, it's an easy way to learn.  After realizing this was going to be in our permanent  F.H.E. rotation, I decided to make a reusable game board.  Here's how to make your own....

You will need:

• 1 poster board
• 25 flat fold 5x8-inch brown paper bags, cut 2 1/2 inches from the bottom to create a 2 1/2 x 5-inch pocket (bags like this)
• decorative paper
• glue
• clear packing tape (optional)
• 30 3x5-inch index cards

1. Arrange your cut paper bag "pockets" on your poster board in five columns of five pockets.  Then, glue each onto the poster board.

2. Decorate as desired.  I then "laminated" mine with packing tape for durability, which is optional, just be sure to not tape over your pocket openings.

3. Reserve 5 index cards for your categories, the rest write the score along the top of the card, the question near the bottom.  Then slip one into each pocket.  Write out your categories and attach to the top of the poster board with paper clips, clothes pins or tape.

**We like to have a different noise maker for each child to "buzz in" with.  Some examples: baby rattles, toy instruments, a small plastic container filled with rice, dried beans, or pasta...just make sure they make different sounds so you can tell who is buzzing in.**

**Make up rules that work for your family.  We follow the classic "jeopardy" rules, except we don't deduct points.**

**This is great for almost any topic. We've done manners & Christmas as themes, and also played just random categories.  Don't feel like you have to always use all five category spaces, it can take some time to play this game.**

Now onto some categories & questions for you {with a 'temple' theme}

1. NAME THAT TEMPLE...this category is easy, just choose 5 temple pictures {find printable images here} to be identified.

2. NAME THAT TUNE...either have someone play a few notes on the piano, hum or play a short clip {see link with each song} to identify the song, then sing the song together.

• I Love To See The Temple (cs. 95)
• Families Can Be Together Forever (cs. 188)
• High On The Mountain Top (h. 5)
• How Beautiful Thy Temples, Lord (h. 288)
• Truth From Elijah (cs. 90)

3. IN  THE LATTER DAYS

• The first temple completed after the restoration was dedicated on March 27, 1836, name that temple. {Kirkland, OH} 
• At what age can we first attend the temple and what ordinances can we perform starting at that age? {12, baptisms for the dead, confirmation}
• In the temple we can preform ordinances for ourselves and for our relatives that have died.  Name these ordinances. {Baptism, Confirmation, Endowment, Sealing}
• How many temples are in operation today? {142, this will change, check here for updates}
• We do this work before attending the temple to find names of ancestors that need work completed. {genealogy, family history}

4.  SCRIPTURE CHASE...the first to find the scripture earns the points & reads it aloud.

• Isaiah 2:2-3
• Doctrine and Covenants 138:47-48
• Doctrine and Covenants 97:15-16
• Doctrine and Covenants 109:13-16
• Doctrine and Covenants 132: 46

5.  MY GOSPEL STANDARDS...fill in the blank (all are taken from "My Gospel Standards" in the Faith in God Pamphlet)

• I will follow ________ ________ plan for me. {Heavenly Father's}
• I will remember my baptismal _________ and listen to the Holy Ghost. {covenant}
• I will choose the right.  I know I can _______ when I make a mistake. {repent}
• I will keep my mind and body ________ and ______, and I will not partake of things that are harmful to me. {sacred and pure}
• I will live now to be _______ to go to the _______ and do my part to have an eternal family. {worthy, temple}

Quiet Book, Page 3 {hidden flowers}

This is long, long overdue, but here is page three of my felt quiet book that I made for my now 2 1/2 year old.   Ollie still loves it & plays with it often.  Remember pages one & two?  This one is just as easy, but a has a little more detail work. This page will focus on counting & colors for the "older" kids and a is fun peak-a-boo game for toddlers.

You will need:

1- 8.5 x 11 inch rectangle of felt {for the background, I used gray}

green felt

colorful felt scraps for flowers

embroidery floss

sewing machine & colorful thread

1. Cut out 3 bushes and 3 tufts of grass out of green felt.  Either free hand the design, or make a simple pattern out of paper before you cut your felt {see pictures for ideas}.

2. Arrange your bushes and tufts of grass on the background felt rectangle.  Pin in place.

3.  Using your sewing machine, stitch each on.  Be sure to leave the bushes free at the top so that they can fold down to reveal the flowers.  I stitched all the way across the page twice along the bottom of each bush.  Then across the page and along the bottom of each tuft of grass and then again across the page and along the tops of the tufts of grass {see pictures for details}.  Be sure that you stitch UNDER the bushes so that they remain free.

4. Next cut out your flowers from the scraps of colorful felt.  I just cut out circles and notched them to look like petals. You will need 6 flowers. {flower centers are attached later on}

5.  Arrange the flowers; 1 behind the top bush, 2 behind the middle, 3 behind the bottom bush.  Pin in place.  Using a fabric marker, mark where you would like the stems and leaves stitched (or just free hand).  Using the machine stitch the flower stem and leaves, then stitch on the flower.  Repeat with  the remaining flowers.  I stitched them on by just sewing across them a few times, or around them in a decorative way.  You can do this however you like, or even hand stitch them on if you prefer.

6. Attach any flower centers with a few french knots, repeat with the remaining flowers. Now you're ready to add this page to your quiet book...more on that later.

Page 1: Lion

Page 2: Snakes

Page 4: Bugs on Leaves 

Page 5: Tropical Fish {coming soon}

Page 6: Coconut Trees {coming soon}