Yearly Archives: 2013

DIY // duct tape uncle sam hat

July 3, 2013

With the 4th of July right around the corner, we decided it would be fun to make some patriotic Uncle Sam hats using Duct tape and things we had around the house!
Even though you can buy them at the store, we thought it would be a fun activity to make them at home, and they were actually pretty fun to make, and didn’t take a lot of time!
You’ll need to gather a few supplies:
1) Recycled containers or cardboard to make your hat with.
2) Red, white, and blue duct tape
3) Pencil
4) Exacto knife
5) Scissors
6) White paper plate
7) Star template (or you can just free hand it)
8) Self healing cutting mat
Step One
Make your hat using recycled cardboard, or a cylinder type of container.  Use duct tape to start making the stripes. Start at the bottom and go to the top and trim off the excess.
Step Two
Use red and white duct tape to alternate the stripes up the hat.
Step Three
Continue around the hat with the red and white stripes
Step Four
After completing the stripes, line the top with red duct tape and trim off any excess.
Step Five
Wrap the base of the hat using white duct tape around the bottom.
Step Six
Lay out some blue duct tape sticky side down onto your self healing cutting mat.  Place some print outs of stars on top, and cut line them up and cut through them to the duct tape to cut out a star shape.
Step Seven
Using the exacto knife to carefully peel back the cut out stars.
Step Eight
Carefully peel back the duct tape with star shapes cut out in the center and line them around the bottom of the hat.
Step Nine
Place the top of the hat on top of the white paper plate and trace around the white paper plate.
Step Ten
Cut out the circle in the middle of the plate that you traced.
Step Eleven
Slide the white paper plate brim over the top of the hat.
Try it on your little patriotic sweethearts. And they can celebrate Independence Day in style!

Recipe // Barley Salad

June 27, 2013

I love to make a large batch of light salads during that summer that I can pack up for a picnic at a moments notice, or pull out of the fridge for a quick lunch!  I love pairing barely with some fresh vegetables including spring peas, and olives.  Drizzled with a light vinaigrette, it is the perfect summer salad!
{Barley salad with olives, spring peas, cucumbers and grape tomatoes}
serves 4
4 cups barley cooked according to package directions
1 red pepper, diced
1/2 cucumber, peeled and diced
3 stalks green onions, chopped
1 cup sliced olives
1 cup spring peas, fresh or frozen and thawed
1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Mix and place in fridge for 30 minutes then serve.
Enjoy!

passport to imagination craft class

June 24, 2013

Today I took the kids to a fun craft class at Michaels craft, part of the summer craft camps called Passport to Imagination.  It is going on now until August on Monday, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and they are only $2 for the 10am-noon craft session.  You can sign up at participating Michaels Craft!

The kids got to discover South America this week and sculpt and paint an ancient Moai head sculpture like the ones in the Easter Islands.

They also got to try their hand at weaving and make a woven pin!

They were some happy craft campers, and they are excited to go back for more!  And, it helps save me and them from summer bordeom, ha!

[Disclosure: Michaels will be sponsoring my children to attend the passport to imagination camps in exchange for a sponsored post.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.]