Make Your Own Blarney Stone

February 25, 2013 By Leave a Comment
DIY Blarney Stone

DIY Blarney Stone

 

 

For those of you that have never heard of the Blarney Stone or the legend here is what Wikipedia says about it: The Blarney Stone (Irish: Cloch na Blarnan) is a block of bluestone built into the battlements of Blarney Castle, Blarney, about 8 kilometres (5 mi) from Cork, Ireland. According to legend, kissing the stone endows the kisser with the gift of the gab (great eloquence or skill at flattery). The stone was set into a tower of the castle in 1446. The castle is a popular tourist site in Ireland, attracting visitors from all over the world to kiss the stone and tour the castle and its gardens.
The word blarney has come to mean “clever, flattering, or coaxing talk”. John O’Connor Power’s definition is succinct: ‘Blarney is something more than mere flattery. It is flattery sweetened by humour and flavoured by wit. Those who mix with Irish folk have many examples of it in their everyday experience.’

I like this idea and think it is quite cute for little kids to do and possibly fun for them to learn. This is a super cute idea for littler kids to do as well as perfect for parties and school projects. All you need is whatever you have lying around the house to decorate the stone with ie. paint, glitter, buttons, feathers and anything else you think would be fun to use. Choose a stone from your yard or somewhere else that you can find them and go decorating crazy.
Once you have finished decorating you can put them around your yard and make a game of finding them or just use them for decoration. The perk to this project is you can leave the stone in your yard!

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Being Thankful 2012

November 27, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Ethical Thanksgiving

Ethical Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is almost here and I am beyond excited. This is a great time for the family to get together and spend time. I feel like we get so consumed with cooking and entertaining that we forget to just be thankful. I know you have all of these options to buy less, cook less, use less, recycle more, reuse and reduce but what about remembering what this pretend holiday was invented for. In all of the confusion and orders we forget to be thankful for all of the good we have. We forget that we are lucky enough to have a holiday devoted to being thankful where that option is valid for us.
I know I can sit here and tell you all of the wonderful ways you can be green and save our environment but what I think we all forget is the spirit of tomorrow and what we can all do to be thankful.
Be glad you have people to spend the holiday with. Be happy you have food to enjoy and most of all enjoy the memories that Thanksgiving will create. Those are things that stay with you and what make holidays worth having. Even if your family annoys you, stresses you, makes you cry they are yours and you can make the best of it. Be thankful this year for everything you do have and for anything you want to have or be.

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Crayon Drip Pumpkin

November 13, 2012 By Leave a Comment

 

I love making my own decorations especially if I can reuse them year after year and for more than one occasion. You may have real or fake pumpkins left over from Halloween so why not put them to good use. If you have crayons that have about had it and are looking for something to do with them this is the perfect project for you and your family. This is a great project for schools or parties as well.

 

Supplies:

Crayons (if you have fun crayons like glitter or glow in the dark, multi color crayons)
Hair Dryer (or lighter with parents supervision)
Fast Grab Tacky Glue
Pumpkin orange or white (real or fake)
Towel, Sheet or bag to cover the area where you will be working
Decorations (anything you want to use to put your personal touch to the craft)

Directions:

1. Make sure to remove all labels from the crayons as they will not be helpful as the crayons are being melted.
2. Make sure the pumpkin is clean and isn’t spoiling. You don’t want to spend time decorating it for it to go bad after your hard work.
3. Cover the area you are working on with a cloth to make sure you don’t drip on anything important.
4. Break crayons in half, you won’t need a whole crayon for 1 pumpkin.
5. Glue the crayons to the top of the pumpkin, they may not stay still otherwise, if you want to do a drip effect you can hold the crayon and heat it to drip in a pattern of your choice as well.
6. Once you are ready to melt go crazy! Make any design you want drip separately or together.  Have fun with it.

I always say get creative so if you have fun things you want to add to this craft go for it! Use glitter, buttons, broken pins, ribbons or anything you have been looking for an excuse to make use of. Add whatever you want to the pumpkin while the drippings are still wet. Glitter or even sequins would be fun. You could go get leaves, twigs and acorns. Make it your own!

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Halloween Candy Tacos

November 8, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Sugar Cookie Candy Tacos

 

This is a great party idea year round but since after Halloween you know you can get stuck with a bunch of candy you can totally make the best of it and have some fun. You can use these as a party snack for everyone to participate in or to have made and ready before guests arrive. You have plenty of options to switch up in this recipe for anyone who may have allergies or specific preferences.

Ingredients:

1 roll sugar cookie dough (you can use any dough you prefer ie chocolate chip or oatmeal raisin)
20 mini candy bars
candy pieces (anything that can’t be cut up)
1 container whipped white frosting
food coloring

Directions:

1. Cut the cookie dough into thick slices.
2. Press the dough into 2 1/2 inch circles on a floured surface or Silpat.
3. At 350 degrees, bake for 11 minutes or until golden brown.
4. Use a rolling pin or something round like a the cardboard part of a papertowel roll and immediately drape the cookies over the circular form and let it cool for a few minutes. The cookie will hold its shape once it has cooled.
5. While the cookies are cooling chop up the candy you are using to fill the tacos
6. Add food coloring to white frosting. You can use green to look like lettuce, red to be salsa, yellow or orange for cheese, keep some white for sour cream. Be creative.
7. Put a small amout of frosting on th inside of the shell to hold the candy onto your taco.
8. Sprinkle your candy onto the tacos but save the small unchopped candies for the top.
9. Add any other dallops of frosting you want on top of your candy bars.
10. Sprinkle the candy pieces on top of the previous layer of frosting to top off your taco.

**Instead of using cookies you can also make cinnamon & sugar tortillas but keep in mind you want your tortillas to be round so you can use small sized tortillas or cut yours into round shapes.

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Homemade Non-Toxic Glitter

October 26, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Homemade Non-Toxic Glitter

Homemade Non-Toxic Glitter

Glitter is clearly one of my most favorite things on the planet. Thanks to Planet Pals (where I found the recipe)  you can now make your own homemade non-toxic glitter! I am over the moon type excited to try this out! This is the best thing to ever happen since glitter was actually invented I think! If you have tried this let me know how it worked out for you, I’d love to hear about/see the results. You can also use this glitter for food because is it only food coloring and salt or sugar! You can get tons of uses out of it.

Supplies:

Baking Pan
Tin Foil
1/4 cup of salt (or granulated sugar)
1/2 teaspoon of LIQUID food coloring

Directions:

1.Preheat an oven to 350 degrees oven for 10 mins
2. You can use 1/2 cup coarse salt (non iodized) or 1/2 cup granulated sugar and add 2 -10 drops food coloring, adjust for desired color. You can mix colors also to get fun new colors!
3. Spread the mixture out in an even layer on a foil-lined baking sheet.
4. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes.
5. Allow your homemade glitter to cool before using it.

NOTE:
Paste food coloring can result in smoking. You may also store it in an air tight container for several months. This stays drier and stores wonderfully as is but even better if you spread colored salt/sugar in a thin layer to air dry for about an hour or microwave in 30 second intervals, stir and repeat for about 1-2 minutes or until moisture is evaporated. You can also add a few grains of rice to absorb any moisture.

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Build a Portable Golf Course

August 1, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Build a Portable Golf Course

Build a Portable Golf Course

 

 

 

Since it is still summer and the weather is sunny and warm an outdoor craft is a great idea to keep the family entertained!  I found this spiffy little idea on one of my fave sites FamilyFun.go.com.  I think the portable golf course is the cutest idea ever! If you like it enough you can bring the course with you to parties to share with friends and family. You might even inspire them to make a course of their own.
If you are a teacher this could be an excellent project for your students. The children can make and decorate their own courses and get really creative with other things they have around the house.

Supplies:

3-liter plastic soda bottles
Colored tape
Markers
Cardboard
Cardboard tubes
Duct tape
Glue
Paint
Any decorations you want to add to make them more yours ie glitter, ribbons anything lying around the house that could be used as a decoration.

Directions:
1. Trim the bottom off a 3-liter plastic soda bottle, then cut out an arched hole (approximately 3-1/4 inches wide and 4 inches tall) in the base.
2. Use colored tape, paint, markers and anything you want to decorate and number the bottles.
3. Fold a 3- by 11-1/2-inch piece of cardboard around the bottom of a long, sturdy cardboard tube (like a wrapping paper tube or poster/document tube). Wrap duct tape around the two pieces to secure them together, then wrap the rest of the tube.

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Since Dads Are Often Cheesy

June 1, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Since Dads Are Often Cheesy

Since Dads Are Often Cheesy

 

Fathers Day is around the corner and you know how they love handmade gifts from their loved ones. Handmade gifts and ties right? They always want ties. Here is a creative and yummo way to show Dad that you love him.

Ingredients:
Organic rectangle shaped crackers
Organic sliced cheeses (you can use any kind even possibly spreadable but that might get messy)
Organic red or green bell pepper
Organic pepperoni (you can use vegetarian pepperoni as well)
Organic sliced cold cuts (you can use vegetarian cold cuts as well)
Organic scallions
Organic yellow mustard
Organic olives (green or yellow)

 

Directions:

1. For each shirt, top a cracker with a rectangle of cheese or cold cut.
2. Next, cut shirt details, such as a collar, pocket, tie, or button seam, out of olives, cheese, peppers, cold cuts or pepperoni.
3. Use thinly sliced scallions or dots of yellow mustard for buttons.
4. Get creative with it. You can make other things as well that remind you of dad. Cut out a wallet or a mug maybe a television.

Dad will get a kick out of your creativeness. It will be yummy too. You can try other foods such as hot dogs, pretzels, bread, ketchup, anything really. You can make a bunch of Dad shaped things.

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Foster & Rescue For the Holiday’s

December 1, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Animal Foster & Rescue

Animal Foster & Rescue

 

 

 

I know many of you have probably noticed my focusing on helping rescue animals lately. I have recently started working with some people who really focus on trying to keep innocent animals from getting euthanized due to lack of space in shelters and at ACC’s (Animal Care & Control). This is an issue that has always been close to my heart as both of my pooches are rescues one from NYCACC. It is no question to me that these animals need saving. It breaks my heart when I see things like Gone But Not Forgotten folders with images of hundreds of dogs that have been put to sleep for no reason other than there is no where else to put them.
The holiday’s are coming up and I ask that maybe you can find it in your heart to help those that cannot help themselves. Even if you cannot adopt a pet you can foster and help find them a good home! This is the season of giving sooo instead of spending money on presents spend your time and love on a pet that would other wise probably be put to sleep. Even if you have other pets or are apprehensive you can find a pet best suited to you.
If you can or want to adopt think of all of the benefits adoption has. You don’t spend thousands of dollars on a 3lb pooch that was bred with its own parents who will probably only last a few years because of the medical issues inbreeding causes in animals. If you rescue you give a pet a chance to have a safe and loving home which all animals deserve. You will feel better about yourself and your decision everyday you look in to your rescues eyes. I promise you they appreciate it and will love you just as much for keeping them safe.
I thank my pooches everyday for finding me and saving me because without them and the experiences they having given me I would definitely be without. I urge all of you who read my blog or who just plain love animals to seriously consider fostering or adopting this season. You won’t regret it!
If you are interested and are in the NY area click here and bring home your new best friend today!! If you aren’t in the area you can google your local ACC and find out their requirements.
If you have rescued your pet please tell us your story and we will post it on our blog so everyone gets a chance to feel the love!!

Get started with the Animal rescue today!

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Save the Earth one game at a time!

October 16, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Earthopoly

Earthopoly

Earthopoly is the perfect way to teach your family about the importance of being earth friendly. Many important lessons parents try to teach their children are often learned through games because you want to teach your children that doing the right thing can be fun. Being environmentally conscious is just another one of those important lessons. Earthopoly can make your family night fun and educational without being boring. Your children can spread the education at friends houses and parties, it can even be brought to school! This can be the ultimate chance to pay it forward!

Product Description:
Earthopoly is a game that celebrates the Earth one turn at a time. Players buy properties, collect Carbon Credits and trade them for Clean Air. As they travel the board visiting each impressive land form, they will learn about the planet and pick up Go Green tips from each deed card. Learn about Earth and how to care for it as you play. All the paper is recyclable. The ink is soy based. The game pieces are either made by nature or completely recyclable.

From the Manufacturer:
Earthopoly is a game that celebrates the earth one turn at a time. Players buy properties, collect carbon credits and trade them for clean air. As they travel the board visiting each impressive land form, they will learn about the planet and pick up go green tips from each deed card. Learn about earth and how to care for it as you play. There is traditional play or one hour version. This game was also created with an attempt to make the game as earth-friendly as possible. All the paper is recyclable. The ink is soy based. The game pieces are either made by nature or completely recyclable.

National Wildlife Federation- Kids Magazine Subscription

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