Blog - Gluesticks Blog

County Fair Inspired 4th of July BBQ

June 29, 2015 By Brandy 19 Comments

Take your 4th of July BBQ up a notch with a County Fair inspired backyard get together! Complete with all American hot dogs, Twizzlers flag cookies, Red, White, & Blue fruit cups, and Americana decor. This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser.

One of my favorite Disney classic movies is "So Dear To My Heart". It is about a little boy who bottle fed a black lamb after its mother rejected it. He knew his lamb was worth as much as any white lamb. Jeremiah scrimped and saved to pay his own way to take his prized lamb, Danny, to the county fair. In the end Danny didn't win the blue ribbon because there wasn't a market for black wool and everyone said that a black sheep isn't worth as much as a white one, but Jeremiah knew that Danny was worth as much as any white lamb. The judge gave him a special award for merit and dedication to his little black lamb. He said that Danny was in a class of his own.

I recently shared this movie with my children and they loved it too! I love vintage Americana and the patriotic feelings that come when seeing flag buntings and red, white, and blue. Inspired by the nostalgia of the country fair in "So Dear to My Heart" I created a 4th of July BBQ complete with bright pops of color from Twizzlers Twists, all American hot dogs, mason jars, and plenty of Americana decor.

Here is my County Fair Inspired 4th of July BBQ Tablescape!

hot dogs and mason jars with red white and blue decor

I pulled out all of my galvenized metal trays and buckets, along with wooden crates for serving. I love the rustic element they add against the bright patriotic colors.

Tip: Use wooden crates or boxes to add height to your party table! This makes it easier to display your food, and also maximizes space.

twizzler patriotic centerpieces in jars on table with pinwheels

Classic pinwheels combine with Twizzlers Cherry Bites for fun centerpieces.

Tip: Make centerpieces that are multifunctional! They will add color and charm to your table and are fun for guests to take home as party favors too!

ixNo 4th of July BBQ is complete with out a good old fashioned American hot dog, right? Ketchup, mustard, relish and onions. Yum!

Tip: Serve food in baskets with liners. They are sturdy, easy to carry, and the food won't roll out! When the party is over, toss the liner and stack the baskets for future use.

flag sugar cookies made with red licorice

A cookie decorating station makes a fun and interactive activity for guests. These flag sugar cookies were so fun to make!

Tip: Don't have a cookie cutter for every shape on the planet? Yeah, me neither. To make rectangle cookies, use an index card! Simply place it on top of your dough and cut out the shape with a pizza cutter.

mason jar with blue bandanna and plastic cutlery

Mason jars have been done and overdone, but they really are classic and the perfect way to serve the drinks at my county fair BBQ. They also worked great to hold a bandana napkin and utensils!

Tip: Not only are bandanas bright and colorful, they are functional too. I used a few leftover bandanas to create my bunting for my table. I simply cut out triangles on the fold (3 per bandana) and hung them over a long piece of twine.

galvanized tray full of fruit cups and watermelon

These Red, white, and blue fruit cups are easy to serve and fun to eat. I used strawberries, peeled apples, and blueberries.

Tip: Oftentimes you will need to prepare your party food hours in advance. When working with fresh cut fruit, like apples, toss them in lemon juice to prevent them from browning. These apples stayed fresh and white for over 24 hours.

Mason jars also work great for displaying bursts of bright red Twizzlers Twists for snacking.

Tip: Use fillers like beans, popcorn, or candy to weigh down picks and signs on a breezy day. I used popcorn for my buckets and Twizzlers Cherry Bites for my jars!

And now for a little behind the scenes action to see how I created the centerpieces, flag sugar cookies, and invitations using Twizzlers Twists, Twizzlers Cherry Bites, and Twizzlers Twists (rainbow).

4th of July BBQ Centerpiece

Supplies (all found at Walmart)

Jar ($2.97)

Pinwheel ($.97)

Twizzlers Cherry Bites (1 (16 oz) package per jar)

Styrofoam ball

Twine

Hot glue

tape

Printable

how to collage for making 4th of July centerpieces

Poke pinwheel into styrofoam ball and place in center of jar.

Fill with Twizzlers Cherry Bites to weigh down.

Wrap jar opening with twine and adhere end with a dab of hot glue.

Adhere printable with a piece of tape.

Printable Invitation

Most invites are done via online these days, but I think it is still fun to receive a good old fashioned hand delivered invite! These invites are easy to customize using any print program (I use picmonkey).

Simply download this blank invite (5x7") and add your own wording! You'll notice that there is an empty space to the left to add a Twizzlers Twists Pinwheel.

I made these by wrapping the Twizzlers Twists (rainbow variety) in a piece of plastic wrap. Then I made a tiny 3" pinwheel out of origami paper, and poked the brad into the Twizzlers Twists, spreading the prongs in the back to attach. Then I used a glue dot to attach it to the card.

To make a pinwheel, cut out a 3" square of construction or origami paper. Then cut using the diagram below.

via

You will now have 8 flaps. Bring every other flap to the center so that 4 are in the center and 4 are left out. Use a brad to secure the center flaps.

countySources:

Food and Decor: Walmart (the cashier said, "I can't believe we sell all of this cute stuff!")

Tablescape Printables: Hostess with the Mostess

Blank Invitation Printable

DIY Doorway Puppet Theater

June 28, 2015 By Brandy 4 Comments

This doorway puppet theater is made to hang with a tension rod! It also folds up for easy storage and provides hours of imaginative play! DIY one today and let the show begin! This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias Inc. and it's advertiser: All opinions are mine alone. This post contains an affiliate link.

My girls love to put on a good show. Dancing, singing, magic, theater; it doesn't matter. If you are willing to be an audience member they'll have a show to share with you. My sister made them a doorway puppet theater years ago, but it was beginning to fall apart. It was time for a bold and bright update so I got busy!

This doorway puppet theater is made to hang with a tension rod! It also folds up for easy storage and provides hours of imaginative play! Let the show begin!

They broke in their new doorway puppet theater with plush toys from our new favorite movie, "Inside Out." Have you seen it yet? We saw it on opening day and absolutely loved it. Even from the second row (I would not recommend sitting in the second row of a movie theater...ever. Motion sickness anyone? Ha!).

Inside Out sparks so many emotions and thought-provoking conversations with children. Every baby begins with Joy, but then Sadness, Anger, Disgust, and Fear make their appearance and create the different emotions and reactions to everyday life. I loved the movie because it shows how they all work together to bring out the best in each person. We can't live life with Joy alone. There is a part to play for every emotion. Even Fear and Sadness because they keep us balanced, and keep us safe.

Having seen the movie, the girls immediately knew and recognized the emotions when we spotted the plush toys at Walmart. They had so much fun planning their puppet show, and each emotion definitely played their part. Joy was happy, Sadness was sad, Disgust was annoyed, Fear was scared, and Anger was mad. These characters, mixed with imaginative play, are such a great way for the girls to practice different emotional situations in a fun way!

Ruby's favorite character is Disgust, but she can't always remember her name and often calls her "Gross". It cracks me up every time! At one point all of the emotions were working together and the puppet show got kind of crazy. Isn't that how it would be if we were feeling joy, sadness, anger, fear, and disgust ALL AT ONCE? I can't even imagine!

It's healthy for them to play together, learn to share, use manners, and work as a team. Every time they put on a show, periods of Anger and Sadness occur, (being bossy, not sharing, not taking turns, etc.) but it always ends with Joy. It's how they learn and grow! Another way that they learn about emotions is through music. Ruby especially likes the song, "If You're Happy and You Know It".

You can use a doorway puppet theatre to help your kids sort through their big emotions too.

I'm a very compulsive person. When I get an idea in my head I have a hard time focusing on anything else. That's exactly what happened with this theater. I had the idea around 8pm one night. At 9pm I went in my craft room and found some fabric. By 11pm the theater was finished. My husband came home from work that night and said, "I didn't even know you were planning on replacing the other one." Yeah, I didn't either...until that night! The girls were thrilled to wake up to a brand new puppet theater. I even got a big hug from Kaylee. I took down some measurements as I made mine in case you'd like to make one too!

How to make a Doorway Puppet Theater

Supplies to make a doorway puppet theatre:

2 yards fabric for main
1-yard coordinating fabric for curtains and ruffle
22"x27" fabric scrap for the window backing
Ribbon 2 (30") pieces
Thread
Tension Rod

Cut your main piece for the puppet theatre to the width of your doorway and 60" tall. A sturdy home decor fabric, corduroy, light denim, or duck cloth would work best. My doorway was slightly wider than an average door (42"). Just measure the spot you are planning on using the puppet theater the most and go with that measurement.

Measure 26" up from the bottom of the main piece and mark it with a pin.

Cut a 20"x20"* square out of a newspaper or a paper bag to use as a pattern and place that on your main fabric for the window. Center the square and line up the bottom of it with the pin.

*If your doorway is a lot narrower than mine, you can adjust the window for the doorway puppet theatre to be smaller if a 20" window seems too wide. Ex: Cut an 18" window and adjust the curtains, etc. to reflect the smaller measurement.

Draw around the square with a pencil and cut out. I pinched the fabric in the center of the square and made a slit with my scissors. Then I used that to make my way around the entire square.

Now it's time to hem and finish the inside of the doorway puppet theatre window!

Cut a 1" diagonal slit in each corner.

Fold each flap over ½" and press. Fold once more, press, and pin in place.

Sew each flap down, completing the hem around the entire window.

Now to finish the bottom and the sides!

Fold the bottom and sides of your main piece ½" and press. Fold again, pin, and sew all 3 sides.

Ready to finish the top of the doorway puppet theater?

Fold top ½" and press. Then fold down another 2", press the fold and sew to create a casing for your tension rod.

Finishing Touches to make your doorway puppet theatre stand out:

Doorway Puppet Theatre Curtains

Cut 2 (12"x24") rectangles. Double hem ½" on all 4 sides.

Set aside.

Window Backing

The window backing is just a solid piece of fabric (I used white) to hide the kids behind the window! It hangs down behind and the kids hold their puppets up in front of it.

Cut out a 22"x27" piece of fabric. Hem all 4 sides with a double ½" hem.

Now it's time to sandwich the main fabric, window backing and curtains.

Turn your main fabric over so that the right side is facing down.

Place each curtain piece on the window, overlapping the top edge by ½".

Place your window backing fabric on top of your curtains, matching top edges and pin.

Sew across the top. This is what it looks like when you turn it over. You can add ribbon or cording to tie the curtains and stop here....or you can add a ruffle across the top!

Doorway Puppet Theatre Window Ruffle

Cut out a 42" x 10" strip of fabric. Double hem all 4 sides ½". Create gathering (basting) threads by setting your machine to the widest stitch (my setting was a 4) and sewing 2" from the top 2 times, leaving a few inches of thread on the ends for pulling the gathers. If that doesn't make sense, you can check this out.

Pull gathering strings and continue to pull and spread gathers evenly until your ruffle is the 2" wider than your window. Pin Ruffle to the front of the puppet theater, matching the gathering stitches with the stitches on the main fabric below. Sew ruffle on top of puppet theater. Remove basing threads by pulling or using a seam ripper if necessary.

Stitch ribbon/cording to theater midway down the window.

Tie the curtains with ribbon and hang the doorway puppet theatre with a tension rod.

Now you have a darling doorway puppet theater!

If you liked this doorway puppet theatre quick sew tutorial you might also want to check out:

2 Sewing Projects For Messy Eaters

10 Minute Teddy Bear Sleeping Bag

DIY Minion Tote Bag Sewing Tutorial

June 24, 2015 By Brandy 5 Comments

Make a DIY Minion Tote Bag that is perfect for trips to the pool, a library tote, or even a preschool book bag. The kids drew pictures of their favorite Minion characters and I thought it would be fun to transform those guys into fun summer tote bags! This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and it's advertiser, All opinions are mine.

DIY Minion Tote Bag Sewing Tutorial

gluesticksblog.com

Time Needed: 1 hour

Sewing Level: Easy

Fabric: Bottom weight fabric (sturdy apparel fabric) or duck cloth.

Seam Allowance: ¼"

DIY Minion Tote Bag Fabric Pieces:

Bag

(2) 14"x12" Yellow (body)

(2)12"x 5" Blue (overalls)

(2) 5"x23" Blue (handles)

DIY Minion Face

(1) 14"x2" Black (goggle headband)

(2) 4" circles, Grey (goggles)

(2) 3" circles, White (eyes)

(2) 1" circles, Black (eyes)

Fabric scraps, felt, or black fabric paint for mouth, teeth, other details

Fusible webbing, optional

1. Sew yellow piece to overall piece. Press seam towards the bottom (blue fabric). Turn over and top stitch close to the seam. Repeat with other yellow and blue piece. Now your front and back tote pieces are finished.

Make a DIY Minion Tote Bag that is perfect for trips to the pool, a library tote, or even a preschool book bag.

2. Cut out detail pieces and iron on, glue, sew or paint on. For our DIY Minion details, we used scraps of fabric and adhered them with iron-on fusible webbing (wonder under). You could easily use felt and fabric glue for a quicker option and one that the kids could do on their own.

3. To keep the details from fraying, zig-zag around each detail (totally optional).

4. Fold top pieces over ½". Press. Fold over again and stitch.

5. With right sides facing, sew front and back pieces together on 3 sides, leaving the top open. Trim close to the seam.

6. Take the bottom seam and the side seam and squeeze them both together, so you create a right triangle. Measure 2 ½" and pin to mark the spot.

7. Sew and trim close to the seam. Turn bag right side out.

Here is a great tutorial for making boxed corners if you haven't done this before. This will give your tote a flat bottom.

8. Almost done! Time to make the straps. Fold each strap piece in half and stitch along the side, creating a long tube. Turn right side out. (I like using the safety pin trick to turn straps right side out).

9. Finish bottom and top of each handle with a zig zag stitch or fold under and stitch.

10. Measure 2" from the side seams of the bag and pin one end of the handle there. Repeat for the other handle ends.

11. Stitch handle pieces to the bag in a boxed shape for stability.

Now fill your DIY Minion tote with sunscreen, a beach towel and a bottle of water and you are ready for a day a the pool!

Want more DIY Minion Ideas? You might also like...

Minion Wrappers! from HaleGrafx.com

These printable wrappers were perfect for the birthday treats I brought to Ruby's class. A minion wrapped Twinkie + a $.38 clearance crayons from Target = super fun and EASY handouts!

DIY Minion Cupcakes

15 Minute Sunglasses Case Tutorial

Blackberry Pie Recipe With a Delicious Flaky Crust

June 22, 2015 By Brandy 38 Comments

You can substitute any berry in this blackberry pie recipe and adjust the sugar accordingly. This is a delicious and flaky summer pie made with sun-ripened blackberries. What berry would you use?

You might also like our peach pie, fresh cherry pie or our blueberry pie recipe!

Last week the kids and I went to the Johnson Fruit Farm in Gridley, CA and picked berries. Lots and lots of berries! We ended up arriving later than planned because we made a few stops beforehand so when we got there it was 100 degrees out. As we began picking the berries and sweat was dripping off my forehead I thought, "Why are we here?!?!". Then I saw how fast we were able to work with 5 of us there and we filled up enough buckets to fill two flats of berries and it wasn't so bad.

Nothing is better than a fresh berry pie. You can use this blackberry pie recipe for any berry! Just adjust the sugar up or down, accordingly. My husband rolled his eyes as he saw us putting them in the oven...it was still over 100 degrees outside, but that hour of having the oven baking and adding to the inside temps was definitely worth it!

Blackberry Pie

Pie Crust:

I HATE making pie crust. Even with this awesome recipe from Betty Crocker's cookbook that rolls out really well, I find it nerve-wracking. But this is a good recipe and comes out flaky. I think it is because it uses butter, shortening, and oil.

TIP: if you don't have buttermilk you can substitute milk + 1 tsp. lemon juice. Just pour the lemon juice into the milk and it will thicken slightly like buttermilk.

In large bowl, mix sugar, ½ cup flour and stir in blackberries. Spoon into pastry-lined pie plate. Sprinkle any remaining sugar mixture over blackberry mixture.

Cover with top pastry that has slits cut in it; seal and flute. If you'd like to make a lattice pie crust for the top, check out our blueberry pie with a lattice crust for step by step photos and instructions.

Tip: Cover edge with 2- to 3-inch strip of foil to prevent excessive browning.

My girls like making little decorations out of the leftover crust. Hence, the butterfly 🙂

Ready to go in the oven! Bake for about 50 minutes. Let cool for 30 minutes to an hour before serving. The filling will thicken as the pie cools.

Freezing Blackberry Pie

I like making two pies at once. If you're going to make a mess in your kitchen might as well make it worth it! You can easily freeze an unbaked pie by wrapping it in plastic wrap then wrapping it in foil before placing it into the freezer. Pies can be frozen up to 4 months. DO NOT THAT before baking the frozen pie. Place unwrapped frozen pie on a baking sheet and bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes then 350 for 60 minutes or until done.

Fresh Blackberry Pie Printable Recipe

Print Pin

4.50 from 16 votes

Blackberry Pie Recipe With Buttermilk Crust

You can substitute any berry in this blackberry pie recipe and adjust the sugar accordingly. This is a delicious and flaky summer pie made with sun-ripened blackberries. What berry would you use?

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 50

Total Time 1 5

Servings

Calories 464kcal

Author Brandy Nelson

Ingredients

Crust:

2 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
⅔ cup shortening
3 Tbsp. butter
2 teaspoon vegetable oil
⅓ cup buttermilk

Filling:

1 cup sugar
½ cup flour
6 cup blackberries fresh or frozen

Instructions

Mix flour and salt in a bowl. Cut in shortening using a pastry cutter. Cut in butter. Add oil and milk and stir until a soft dough forms.
Cut dough in half. Wrap one half in plastic wrap and set aside.
Roll the other half and place into a pie pan.
Mix ingredients for filling. Pour into pie crust.
Roll out second pie crust and place on top.
Cut off excess pie crust using a knife and crimp/pinch the edges.
Add 3-4 slits for venting while the pie bakes.
Cover edge with 2- to 3-inch strip of foil to prevent excessive browning. Sprinkle top of pie with sugar.
Bake 45-55 minutes at 425 degrees or until crust is golden brown and juice begins to bubble through slits in crust, removing foil for last 15 minutes of baking. Cool on cooling rack at least 2 hours to allow blackberry filling to thicken.

Notes

TIP: if you don't have buttermilk you can substitute milk + 1 tsp. lemon juice. Just pour the lemon juice into the milk and it will thicken slightly like buttermilk.

Nutrition

Calories: 464kcal

Tutorial: DIY Disney Baby Gift Basket

June 19, 2015 By Brandy 1 Comment

#MagicBabyMoments #CollectiveBias

A beautiful fabric gift basket and storage tote made easy with Disney Baby products. I will show you how to create a custom gift to welcome a new bundle of joy, including a tutorial link to this DIY fabric storage tote to use in the new nursery!

Last month the kids and I went on a road trip to Utah to visit my family. Both of my brothers are brand new dads and their babies are only a couple of months apart. How fun for those little cousins to be able to grow up together. And of course my job is to spoil them so I created gift baskets to bring with me!

I had so much fun choosing the items to add to my baskets and I kept it classic and feminine with Disney Baby products. My favorite Disney characters are Minnie, Mickey, and Donald, so we designed our basket around them!

I am a sucker for baby blankets. I made each of them a quilt for their nursery, but decided that a few soft receiving blankets would be perfect for car rides. These Minnie Mouse 4 packs of blankets and bibs fit the bill perfectly!

Aren't these flutter sleeve body suits adorable? I loved the colors and they match the quilt I made for Ava so I knew her mommy would like them too. You can never have too many of these!

Oh Mickey, every child needs you somewhere in their toy collection. I saw this darling Mickey Mouse & Donald Duck wooden stacker and decided to buy one for each of my nieces.

Ruby loved it too and had to try it out to make sure it worked properly 😉

And now to tie it all together! I used diapers to fill my basket and give it some bulk then started to place each of my coordinating items on top of them.

I unwrapped the Disney Baby flannel receiving blankets, folded them, and placed them in the back of my basket. Then I tucked in the bibs, bodysuits, socks, diapers, and a few other small accessories. Once I added Mickey and Donald my basket was complete!

Being an avid crafter, no gift is complete without some sort of homemade item {preferably something sewn} so I decided to make a storage tote to give to each baby.

These can be used to store baby items in the nursery and easily folds down to lay flat for travel. Each basket took less than an hour and I was able to make both of them for about $8! My local Walmart has an entire section of home decor fabric for $3.97/yard and it only took a yard to complete (plus lining fabric) this project. I used this tutorial for my DIY Fabric Storage Totes. The stiffness of the totes will depend on the type of interfacing you use. I used a sturdy interfacing and these will be perfect for storing baby items, but if you are looking for something heavy duty to carry around for books or other bulky items, a stronger/stiffer home decor interfacing will be necessary.

You might also like...

DIY Fabric Baskets

Homemade Baby Gift Ideas

DIY Felt Cloud Mobile

Summer Comfort Food for a Crowd

June 17, 2015 By Brandy 1 Comment

A delicious spread of comfort foods, perfect for summer! Fresh cut watermelon, crispy fried chicken, and homestyle macaroni and cheese!

I'm a sucker for comfort food in the winter. Warm soups, fresh bread, and roast with mashed potatoes. Summer usually seems like the time to eat salads and foods that won't heat up the kitchen, but there are some comfort foods that I associate with the summer months and absolutely have to have! Burgers, fried chicken, and my favorite side dishes like homemade macaroni and cheese or hot corn on the cob. Today I'm sharing two of my favorite summer comfort foods in a delicious 4th of July spread, perfect for a crowd!

Aaron (my 9 year old) is our mac and cheese lover. We've tried many recipes over the years with mixed results and have settled on this one which is an adaptation of one we found online. He even helps me make it. You can use whatever cheese you'd like or a mixture of your favorites. We usually stick with cheddar or colby jack. Nothing pairs with fried chicken better than macaroni cheese, am I right?

Homestyle Macaroni and Cheese

adapted

16 oz. elbow macaroni, cooked according to directions and set aside

¼ c. butter

¼ c. flour

3 c. milk

1 tsp. kosher salt

2 c. shredded cheese

Melt ¼ cup butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. When the butter starts to foam and bubble, stir in the flour; cook on medium heat until flour just begins to turn pale yellow, 3 to 4 minutes. Whisk in 1 cup of milk until smooth. Pour in remaining milk and whisk again. Bring sauce to a simmer.

Stir in salt; simmer on medium-low heat until thickened, about 8 minutes, whisking often. Turn heat off, then add cheese; stir until melted and combined.

Transfer the macaroni into a casserole dish, then pour in the cheese sauce; stir to thoroughly combine sauce with pasta.

Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes or until bubbly.

Yum! A delicious comfort meal that only baked for 15 minutes in the oven. The main dish is one of our favorite short cuts for our family and is one that we all love. Fried chicken!

Last month we were invited to a gathering at the park with friends and everyone brought their own meat to BBQ or main dish. This was our go-to dinner. I packed fresh fruit, and we grabbed a container of hot fried chicken from Walmart. One package easily feeds 6 people and you can also have them fill a bucket (or more!) to feed a crowd.

For our backyard dinner spread I simply added two packages of chicken to our picnic table with fresh cut watermelon and our homestyle macaroni and cheese.

How would you use this grab and go fried chicken in your summer plans? A picnic or potluck at the park? At your 4th of July gathering?

Kid Friendly On The Go Snacks For Summer Outings

June 10, 2015 By Brandy 12 Comments

Now that school is out for the summer, turn those plastic sandwich containers into the perfect on the go snacks for outings to the park, the beach, or on car rides! This post contains affiliate links.

My kids' latest snacking obsession is to create their own on the go snacks or"snack packs" (as we call them).

These are perfect for a trip to the park, a car ride, or a fun summer outing. You can actually fit a good amount of snacks into those little plastic sandwich containers! They like the independence of choosing what they are going to fill on the go snacks with. I've noticed that when my kids pack their own food, they usually eat it all with little to no waste. My only request is that they choose at least 1 fruit, vegetable, or cheese in each pack.

The containers stack great and I can fit 4 in my purse with room to spare. It never fails that as soon as we get in the car someone says, "I'm hungry, can I have a snack?". These are great for that.

Here are the ones we packed last week. Notice, they all have one thing in common. Can you tell we are all OREO fans? Haha!

These on the go snacks definitely hold them over with a variety of their favorite foods.

I'll usually pack a bigger lunch to have later in the afternoon, or we'll stop for fast food on a long ride. It saves us a bundle on buying snacks while we are out. That is especially nice with five children. They also taste so much fresher than the pre-packaged fruits and cheese that you buy in the produce section at the grocery store.

Looking for more fun travel ideas? Check out our road trip binders and free printables!

Summer Road Trip Activities & Printables

And here are some funsummer themed lunch ideas for kids from Making Sense of Cents.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Kid Friendly: Fun in the Sun Activities!

June 8, 2015 By Brandy 8 Comments

Summer is just about here! Here are some great 'fun in the sun' activities to do with friends this summer; ice excavating, DIY moonsand, giant bubbles and MORE!

We live in California and it gets H*O*T starting in May. That means a lot of fun outdoor activities, and a lot of sunscreen. We also like to get together with friends for outdoor picnics lunches, park playdates, and zoo trips, and the local pool.

Last summer I got the worst sunburn that I have ever had. EVER. My shoulders and chest area peeled 3x. It was awful! And that was AFTER using sunscreen. We had been at the beach all afternoon in Southern California and I hadn't been diligent about reapplying. The kids faired a lot better than I did, but were still sun kissed more than I would have liked. I can't afford to get skin cancer and the older I get, the less I care about if I have a tan and care more about finding shade whenever possible.

I keep reading about the the benefits of using lotion sunscreens vs. the spray on kind. I have a couple of bottles of spray on sunscreen and they are good brands, but I decided to add some lotion for my face and for the kids' faces since the face receives the most exposure on these sunny days.

I purchased one from the grocery store and have been happy with it and it smells fantastic. Then the lovely folks at Block Island Suncare sent me a bottle of their SPF 30 Natural Mineral Sunscreen to try. It is free of parabens, sulfates, petrochemicals or phthalates and also contains no dyes or artificial fragrances. The Natural Mineral Sunscreen is a non-nano and vegan formula. I have to admit I was hesitant about what it would smell like and how it would feel on the skin (sticky, greasy), but was pleasantly surprised!

It has a light scent that is very pleasant and isn't greasy at all. A little bit goes a LONG way! Kaylee looked like a ghost when I applied a generous amount to her face! That just means that our little bottle will last a long time. A natural sunscreen for the face + body! I will make a mention that this particular bottle of sunscreen is not marketed as waterproof.

~~Would you like to try a bottle too?~~

Leave a comment telling me your favorite outdoor activity and you will automatically be entered to win a bottle for yourself ($19.99 value!) That's it! I will account the winner on Monday, June 15th.

Congrats to the winner, The Demure Family!

Here are some 'fun in the sun' activities to do with friends this year! Everything is more fun with a group of friends, right?

Ice Excavating

My kids love doing this! I fill a cake pan with water and small toys and freeze it. Then they take the block of ice outside and "excavate", digging the toys out with small tools.

DIY Moonsand

Oil and Flour. That's all you need to create this incredibly soft dough that is perfect for shaping into castles and MORE!

Sidewalk Squirty Paint from Growing a Jeweled Rose

Bubble Pool by One Charming Party

My son did this when he was younger at a kids science museum and it was so much fun!

Sand & Water Sensory Activites!

These were all done at my daughter's preschool class this year. They had so much fun digging to dinosaurs and planting silk flowers.

Sharpie Tie Dyed Shirts

These are mess-free and so fun to customize! A great indoor or outdoor activity this summer!

23 Backyard Games that Kids Will Love by Spaceships & Laser Beams

Pool Noodle Hacks for Kids from Create Craft Love

200+ Summer Activities for Kids

Sharpie Tie Dye: Dye T-Shirts Shirts With Sharpies (Video)

June 3, 2015 By Brandy 9 Comments

This quick and easy Sharpie tie dye tutorial will show you how to tie dye a shirt with Sharpie markers. (Mock tie dye) Such a fun activity to make with kids and the best part is watching the ink bleed and transform into so many neat designs!

Watch our step by step video!

We tie dye shirts every summer and the kids love seeing how their designs turn out. This year we had fun trying a new spin on getting those vibrant and funky colors on our shirts. We used Sharpie pens! The kids had fun designing their shirts and there was virtually no mess involved. That's always a bonus. Here is how to tie dye a shirt using Sharpie pens---although there's no tying involved. So we'll call it a "mock" tie dyed activity 😉

3 More Fun Summer Activities for Kids:

Nail Polish Washer Necklaces

DIY Pocket Fans

Gelatin Birdseed Feeders

Sharpie Tie Dye: How To Tie Dye a Shirt With Sharpie Markers

Supplies:

Rubbing Alcohol

Eye Dropper or Small Syringe

Sharpie Pens

100% Cotton White T-shirt (pre-washed without fabric softener)

Iron

We liked the firework look of doing dots in a circular motion. I got my inspiration for this project from Pinterest and saw many designs that would look awesome. Like bolder strokes and geometric shapes. Here are just some that I saw!

Source

sharpie dots on a tshirt before adding rubbing alcohol

After you have filled up your shirt with as many designs as you'd like you simply use the eye dropper or syringe with rubbing alcohol and drip it onto the shirt. We started in the center of each design and the rubbing alcohol worked its way out from there. The more alcohol you drop, the more the color will spread across the shirt. It's fun to play around and see what each design turns out like!

dripping rubbing alcohol on sharpie designs on tshirt

The ink bleeds and spreads into these beautiful shapes!

We aired our shirts outside after we finished designing them. The hot sun dried them quickly, and the rubbing alcohol aired out quickly as well.

It is VERY important to heat set the shirts so that the dye stays in them. There is usually a tiny bit of fading, but if you just toss this in the wash without any sort of heat, most will probably wash away. Here is a quick guide for heat setting Sharpies into fabric.

I used an iron (set to the highest setting) and ironed over the shirts, going over every area that was colored a few minutes for each shirt. The next day I washed them in cold water and dried it in the dryer as normal.

Update: 2016- Our shirts held up to washings for a few months before fading considerably. Would we make them again? Absolutely. These are such a fun summertime activity and they can wear their shirts all summer, but our experience has been that Sharpies will eventually fade. Full disclosure!