Cupcake Saturday!

Welcome to another Cupcake Saturday! We hope you have had a great week and are enjoying the weekend. I can't believe it's the end of another week. Unfortunately, yesterday wasn't very nice and today isn't looking much better. But next week looks so much nicer, and I think summer is coming! To bad we won't be here to enjoy it....Anyway, today's cupcakes can brighten anyone's gloomy day and get you into a beach-y mood!

Today's cupcakes are just vanilla cupcakes with a bit of vanilla cream in the middle. Since we didn't want to make them too fancy, we decided to decorate them with fondant, medallions, I guess you can call them. They fit rather nicely right on top of the cupcakes. As you can tell, hopefully, we decorated one with a palm tree and the other with a beach ball. Not too shabby for using a knife and a cookie cutter. I'm really happy with the way the palm tree came out. It looks so much better up close, with all of the little marks on the palms and the trunk.
Thanks for stopping by. We'll have a new theme tomorrow, which will be perfect for the up-coming holiday!

Today's Party Trivia:
- In 1859, a Frenchman was the first to tightrope across Niagara Falls.
- Albert Einstein introduced his theory of relativity in an article published in 1905.
- The telephone number 999 became the world's first emergency number. It was in London.

Kid-Friendly Friday!

Here it is, another weekend! I'm really excited to share today's Kid-Friendly project. Since our theme was beach this week, we are going to make some sculpting sand. It's like moon sand, but much cheaper and really easy to make. You just need some kitchen items and sand.

Materials:

Bowls
Sand
Cornstarch
Water





We found this really cool sparkle sand at Michaels. Since we don't have any kids to use it, I didn't want to make too much, so these packets were perfect, and pretty! They also sell larger bottles and bags of single colors.

Step One:
Mix cornstarch and sand in a 2:1 ratio sand to cornstarch (ie, 2 cups of sand to 1 cup of cornstarch).

 Step Two:
Add water. You'll need about 1/2 cup for the above amounts, but add a little at a time until you reach the desired consistency.

 Here are two diffrent consistencies. The pink one didn't have quite as much water and looked more like sand. It was moldable like beach sand. The green one had more water and was actually pretty cool. It didn't look like sand, but more like oobleck. It looked wet, but didn't feel wet. And it was clean. Either way, I think kids would love it! I wish I had found this last year for my sand station at school.

 If it dries out, add a little water to bring it back to life.

Thanks for stopping by! Come back tomorrow for Cupcake Saturday!

Today's Party Trivia:
- The first European settler reached Prince Edward Island in 1534.
- In 1889, several little townships in Illinois were annexed by Chicago. At the time, this formed the largest US city in area, and the second-largest in population.
- The US Interstate Highway system was officially created in 1956.

Full-Time Floatin'

Hey there! Today we have an underwater layout to share with you. We wanted to use Ariel from the Disney Princess cartridge, and thought this was the perfect reason. We took the lyrics to one of the songs from the movie for the title of the page, and added Ariel's friends along with her. It holds two 4x6 photos on the photo mats.

We've entered this post into CWC's "It's Hot Outside" challenge here.
Thanks for stopping by!

Today's Party Trivia:
- Today's date, 6/28, is the only date each year that the month and day are two different perfect numbers. This means that if you took all of the numbers 6 and 28 are divisible by (except for the two original numbers) and added them up, you would get the original number (6= 1+2+3; 1x6, 2x3; 28= 1+2+4+7+14, 1x28, 2x14, 4x7). The only day in the year that has the same perfect number is June 6.
- The saxophone was patented in 1846 in Paris.

A Cute Gift Idea

Good morning! We hope everyone is having a nice week so far. Today's project is one any little girl (or not so little) would flip for...OK, just kidding, but anyway. This is a two-part project that would be a perfect gift or favor for a beach party, or a spa party, or a bachelorette party. I'm sure there are a few more ideas out there. The first part is a little box we made. It is in the shape of a flip flop:

How cute is that?! We've seen similar projects on-line, but they looked so big and clunky, and we didn't quite like that look (although there are some super cute decorating ideas for them out there.) It's hard to tell in the picture, but our box measures about seven inches long and 1.5 inches high. The top is also embossed with some waves. The flower is handmade, as well. The second part is a little beach cover-up:

Another cute idea! In the last few weeks we've made two different cover-ups. The first one is pink, with a white ruffle edge. Unlike this one, there are no straps. This one has two braided straps and a ruffle around the edge. They're just towels with some extra "pizzazz". The two we made use the same fabric as our shower curtains, since they'll be used mostly in the bathroom, and not at the beach, in our case! Put the two of these projects together and the gift ideas are endless!!
Thank you for stopping by! Have a great day!

Today's Party Trivia:
- The first main-line passenger train to use electricity completed a test run from Washington DC to New York in 1895. A few days later, the train was opened to the public.
- The world's first automated teller machine was installed in England in 1967.
- Today is National Sunglasses Day.

Sand Pail Gift Card Holder

Today's project is a sand pail. But not any sand pail. This one holds a gift card for the birthday person! I really like the microbeads we used to make the sand look like sand. It definitely adds to the card, as long as they don't all roll off the table when you're putting them on.

Thanks for stopping by!

Today's Party Trivia:
-The US government declared Christmas a federal holiday in 1870.
- Coney Island's roller coaster, the Cyclone, opened in 1927. It is now considered a National Historical Landmark.
- The first product to be scanned using a UPC was a pack of gum

Splish, Splash!

You're invited to a beach birthday bash!
We hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and are ready for another week! Here's something that might put a smile on your face!

 Today's project is a birthday party invitation. How cute are these invitations for a beach party?! The outside of the card has a cute paper doll who is ready for some swimming and we designed the invitation itself to look like a beach ball. The petal fold opens up to give you all of the information for the party.

 

The invitation will actually keep itself closed, without the need for the band. We thought that the dolls added a nice touch, though!
Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day

Today's Party Trivia:
- Virginia ratified the Constitution in 1788. It became the 10th state.
- Anne Frank's diary, The Diary of a Young Girl, was published in 1947.
- Bugs Bunny made his theatrical debut in 1949's The Long-Haired Hare.

Sea You Soon!

Another week means it's time for another theme! All of this week's projects will be beach-themed. There are two big differences in beaches here and at home. 1. The water is much too cold to go swimming, which is fine, since I'd rather just sit on the beach and enjoy that, anyway. 2. The beaches here aren't sandy. They are made up of teenie-tiny rocks that get bigger as you move away from the shore.

Today's post is a card we made for some of our friends back home. Since we'll be making another cross country trip back home next week, we thought we'd make something to show how excited we are to see them! It will definitely be nice to be around family and friends for a while. The inside of the card says, "Sea You Soon!"

Thanks for stopping by!

Today's Party Trivia:
- The first female actress to sign a million dollar contract was Mary Pickford in 1916.
- The longest professional tennis match in history took place two years ago. The 185 games played lasted just over 11 hours.
- Today is National Pralines Day. Maybe something to do with all of those pecans...

Cupcake Saturday!

Welcome to another Cupcake Saturday! We hope that everyone has had a wonderful week and that it hasn't been too hot. We decided that for our summer week, we needed a cupcake that tasted like summer and sun. We went with a Key Lime Pie cupcake. Since the Key Lime hails from Florida, we thought it would be a perfect summery flavor!

Doesn't it look like a mini pie?! These cupcakes are lime-flavored with a whipped cream topping. After a handful of failed attempts using Jello in our cakes, I think we finally figured it out! Technically, it probably should have had a meringue topping, but we thought the whipped cream was more of a summer flavor.
Thanks for stopping by!

Today's Party Trivia:
- In 1611, Henry Hudson's crew mutinied against him, leaving him and a few of his loyal crewmen in a boat. They were never heard from again.
- Canada's first national park, Banff, was created in 1887, after the passing of the Rocky Mountains Park Act.
- The dirst SAT test was administered in 1926.
- Today is National Pink Day! (My favorite day of the year!!)

Kid-Friendly Friday!

It's Friday again! Another weekend is upon us and we need something to keep little hands busy. So let's get them outside. Today's we are going to make paintable sidewalk chalk. This was really cool to use. Yes, that is a 26 year old saying it. I bet kids would love it! And it's really quick and easy to whip up in the kitchen.

Materials:
Cornstarch
Water
Liquid food coloring
Bowls
Spoons
Paintbrushes or spraybottles
Plastic stencils (optional)

Step One:
Mix equal parts cornstarch and cold water. I made four colors and therefore used four bowls. You could make one big batch and then split it up later to add the color.

 Step Two:
Add food coloring until you reach your desired color. Make sure to mix thoroughly because it tends to separate.

 Step Three:
Go outside and have some fun! I didn't have any spray bottles, so I just used a paint brush. Here are some of my pictures. (I am not an artist by any stretch of the imagination. That is a red dog with blue legs on the grass. Sad, I know...) If you want to, you can use plastic stencils and sponge paintbrushes. If you do use spray bottles, run it under warm water to unclog the nozzle every so often.

This  is what it looks like when it's dry. And the great thing is that it rinses right off with water. The colors here are really light because I needed to do it out on the patio. I think it would've been suspicious if an adult was out on the sidewalk painting.



 Thanks for stopping by! Come back tomorrow for Cupcake Saturday!

Today's Party Trivia:
- In 1633, Galileo Galilei was forced to change his view that the Earth was not the center of the universe.
- The GI bill was signed into law in 1944 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Today is National Chocolate Eclair Day!

Sunny Days!

Happy Thursday! We hope everyone is enjoying their first full day of summer, and like we've said, it seems as if it's been summer for a while.Everywhere but here! Although it looks like summer is right around the corner and it's supposed to be gorgeous for the next few days! Today's project is a mini album we whipped up to keep some of our pictures from the summer. The first picture is below, which is the cover:

 The entire album is full of bright colors and cute little accents! Right now, there are 5 pages. Each page has a spot for a picture and some journalling. The nice thing about it is that we can always add more pages in, since we didn't finish off the back and they're connected with rings.

 

 

Also, we've done some embossing on each page. each I don't know, I think they're all pretty cute, so I can't pick a favorite!
Thank you for stopping by! Join us tomorrow for a super-fun kid-friendly project! It's sure to get the inner artist out!

Today's Party Trivia:
 - New Hampshire became the 9th state in 1788.
- In 1984, Columbia Records introduced the long-playing album, or LP (look how far they've come!)
- Today is National Peaches and Cream Day! Sounds like another delicious desert. Click here for our peaches and cream Cupcake Saturday post.

Sending You Sunshine!

Well, the calendar says that summer starts today! And again, it has started everywhere but here. It seems kind of ironic that our cards say, "Sending you sunshine," since they are going out to people in Texas, Arizona, and Virginia Beach, among others. It's supposed to be a really nice day today, so I guess it works.

It's such a fun little sun!

Thanks for stopping by!

Today's Party Trivia:
- The University of Oxford, the second-oldest surviving university in the world, received its charter in 1214.
- In 1819, the first steam-propelled vessel crossed the Atlantic Ocean.
- Samuel Morse patented the telegraph in 1840. 37 years later, Alexander Graham Bell installed the world's first telephone service in Ontario.
- And a great way to end the day- today is Ice Cream Soda Day!!

A Little Home Decor...

Today we have a home decor project to share with you. You can't go on etsy or pinterest without seeing yarn wreaths. So, being us, we decided that we needed to do one too! This was so much fun, but rather time consuming, to make. 

After spending an hour wrapping the wreath form, we headed to the Cricut to cut some summer shapes to decorate it. Most of the ones we've seen only have flowers, but we thought that by adding paper shapes, you can use it for any holiday or season. Wrap it once, use it over and over. Can't wait to make some more of these! So many ideas for them.

Hmmm... where are the people if their bathing suits are hanging up...I'm usually not one toot my own horn, but "TOOT!" I have to say, I think this is really stinkin' cute and can't wait to make some more!

Thanks for stopping by!

Today's Party Trivia:
- The first Father's Day was celebrated on June 19, 1910, in Spokane, Washington
- In 1846, the first official baseball game was played in Hoboken, NJ.
- The comic strip Garfield, with his pals John and Odie, made its debut in 1978. It holds the record for the most widely-syndicated cartoon strip.

Summertime Dreamin' Layout

Today's post is a layout to go with the summer theme. When I think summer, I think nice and relaxing, in the hammock with the wind blowing. Things are laid back and easy. Well, this layout definitely gives off that feeling. I wouldn't mind sitting under those palm trees! (As long as those seagulls stay away!)

Thanks for stopping by!

Today's Party Trivia:
-  Amelia Earhart became the first female to fly in an aircraft across the Atlantic Ocean in 1928.
- In 1983, Sally Ride became the first American woman to travel in space.
- Today is National Splurge Day- what a great excuse to get something you don't really need!!

Happy Father's Day!

Now, I don't think there are too many male readers out there, but I guess we should wish them a Happy Father's Day. And an especially happy day to our dad.
We have two projects to share today. The first project is a fun little card for dad. Our dad used to garden, A LOT. Now he has a small garden that if he's lucky, he gets some tomatoes out of. I don't think we ever had radishes though. Actually, I don't know if I've ever eaten a radish... Well, just because I haven't had them, doesn't mean I can't use them in craft projects! Just remember, "Dad, you're rad!"

We have entered this card into two challenges, at Fantabulous Cricut and SOUS

Today's second project is a "fun in the sun" banner. Since summer starts later this week, all of our projects will be summer-themed, of course! (Now, when I say summer starts, I'm pretty sure that it has already started in most parts of the United States, except here. They say that summer doesn't start until July 5th in the Northwest. I'm not sure if that's absolutely true, but I'm not complaining! There's nothing quite like 85 degrees and 95 percent humidity to really kick things up. Not. I would much rather take this 65-70 and sunny over that.) Enough weather-ranting. Here it is.

Sorry for the picture-heavy post.
Thanks for stopping by!


Today's Party Trivia:
- The construction of the Taj Mahal (the real one, not the one in Atlantic City...) is completed. It was actually a mausoleum for the emperor's wife.
- The Statue of Liberty made its journey across the ocean and arrived in New York in 1885.
- Today is National Apple Strudel Day! (What dad wouldn't like some of that on Father's Day?!)