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Thanksgiving Turkey Cheese Ball: A Crowd Pleasing Appetizer

November 8, 2011 By Brandy 29 Comments

A darling thanksgiving turkey cheese ball that is sure to be a crowd pleaser this year! Serve with crackers and pretzels!

Here is a fun appetizer that I've made a few times and it has always been a hit, especially with the younger crowd!

IÂ used felt to create a turkey head.Â I used 2 pieces, sewed all the way around

with a small hole in the bottom, then slidÂ a skewer in the bottom to attach the turkey to the ball. You could make a head out of cardstock as well and glue a toothpick or skewer in between the layers of cardstock).

Then I added crackers and pretzels in it for the feathers and loaded up the platter with more crackers.

This makes a lot!

But since it is made from cream cheese, it will store for a while in the refrigerator.

Thanksgiving Turkey Cheese Ball

adapted

3 packages of cream cheese

1 package of dry ranch mix

3 ½ c. shredded cheese, whatever you like

⅓ c. diced green onions

2 c. almonds (toasted)

Mash cream cheese in a bowl. Add next 3 ingredients. Form into a ball shape and roll in nuts. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 8 hours (to allow ranch to distribute evenly...otherwise it'll be too salty).

Serve with crackers.

Make sure to let the cheese ball chill for the 8 hours, then add the crackers right before serving. Do not refrigerate the crackers and the assembled turkey for 8 hours. The crackers will get soft.

Glow Stick Lanterns

October 31, 2011 By Brandy 29 Comments

Ever wonder what would happen if your poured glow stick into a jar of water? Wonder no more! It GLOWS! These glow stick lanterns are fun to make and will last at least a day!

DO NOT let children use the lanterns unsupervised. Do NOT let children open glow sticks.

DIY Glow Stick Lanterns

My kids were excited to have these in their rooms the other night when they went to bed. Simply fill a small jar with water and then cut open a full size glow stick and pour it in!Â Don't waste your time using the tiny bracelet ones. You'd need a bunch and it would be time consuming and messy to get the same brightness ofÂ 1 or 2 of the full size glow sticks. Break the stick first to activateÂ it and be careful while pouring out the contents. I used some kitchen shears to cut the top off of the glow stick was a bit tedious, but worked. Gently swish around the water (but do NOT shake) and you're set!

jar with water and glow stick liquid inside

This is NOT a kids activity, but my kids enjoyed seeing the end result. A clear plastic container (like a peanut butter container) would work too and not be breakable. Either way, kids shouldn't be carrying these around.

Will one lantern light up a room? No, but it does glow and looks very cool! These glow stick lanterns would look neat lining a driveway or walkway on Halloween! We always seem to end up with a bunch of glow sticks after going trick-or-treating, so we'll be making more of these!

I used a pint sized and a quart size and used 2 full sized sticks in the quart. The pint sized one seemed to be brighter than the quart sized jar. It glowed bright forÂ a day and the larger one lasted the night.Â Â I bet baby food jars would work GREAT. My advice would be to just make one at first and see how it goes before making a bunch for a party. It seems as though not all glow sticks are the same and I've received mixed results in the comments section. So you mayÂ need 2 sticks of some variety and only 1 in others.

General Conference Activity Kits for Kids

September 25, 2011 By Brandy 9 Comments

These General Conference activity kits are perfect for keeping children entertained! Filled with activity and snacks that can be rotated between each session.

activity totes filled with snacks and activities for kids

In April I posted my ideas for our General Conference activity kits that I put together for the kids. I am happy to report that they were a SUCCESS! We used them at home as well as the church since we alternate locations to watch the conference sessions.

The little totes were purchased at Hobby Lobby for around $1.99 each. I filled them with snacks, a juice box, Friend Magazines, little craft stick puppets, and General Conference activities and printables.

I rotated the items out with each session so that there was always something new and I've found that by NOT giving them the entire conference packet at once that it lasts longer and the kids take their time coloring the pages.Â We will definitely be doing these again this weekend!

These General Conference activityÂ kits were not only a hit with the kids, but they saved our sanity, too!

green tote with markers and activities and a juice box

If you liked these General Conference activity kits, you might also like these fun crafts!

Fabric Scripture Carrier/Lunch Tote

This darling fabric toteÂ comes together with a few fat quarters. Fun to make and perfect for so many uses. Itâ€™s just the right size for a lunch tote, small purse, or for carrying scriptures to church.

Kids Nativity Wall Hanging

A quick 5-minute nativity craft for kidsÂ that they can hand on the wall. Simply peel and stick the repositional decals onto the pre-cut plaque!

Scripture Cookies

A fun young womenâ€™s activity and treat all in one! Scripture cookies in a jar. Search scripture verses to find the ingredients. Pack into a jar and send home with each girl to make for her family! Would make a fun family home activity as well.

Tinkerbell Tea Party

September 19, 2011 By Brandy 6 Comments

We recently celebrated Kaylee's birthday by having a Tinkerbell Tea Party/Luncheon with 7 of her closest little girlfriends. It was SO MUCH FUN! I think every little girl has to have a doll cake at least once and this was her year. It was my first time making one and I think it turned out pretty good. I used the same ruffle technique that I did on this cake to frost it quickly. I also added edible shimmery powder to the entire thing which made her sparkle.

tinkerbell toy covered in frosting for tinkerbell cake

I couldn't believe how hard it was to find a Tinkerbell doll that wasn't too creepy. Why don't they make any that look like Tinkerbell in Peter Pan? This was the closest I could find and she has had a great time playing with her now that she is out of the cake.

fairy wing station on table with paper wings and markers

For activities we decorated fairy wings (double thick poster board) with stickers and markers and used little clothes pins to attach them to the back of the girls' shirts. We also make pipe cleaner beaded bracelets. I had a small station with a mirror and a little tube of body glitter that they added to their arms (fairy dust) and could each pick out a ring to take home. They loved being accessorized.

stack of small plates and cups for party

Lunch was served on these cute little ceramic plates that I bought last year for .10 each at the JC Penney outlet store. Score! The cute goblets are from IKEA. You get 8 for $3 or so. Perfect.

fruit and crackers and snacks in small bowls

We had all sorts of finger foods: pb sandwiches (shaped as tulips), cheese cut into hearts and teddy bears, grapes, cheese crackers, apples, chocolate covered pretzels, kiwi, Tinkerbell fruit snacks, as well as yogurt, and water for a beverage. Since they would be passing around a little tea pot and pouring their own drinks, I thought water would be best.

I also had snacks in the kitchen for the moms. Taco dip, chocolate covered pretzels, watermelon, apples, grapes, and chips.

little girls sitting around table for birthday party

The weather is cooling off out here so we held the party inside, but it there was plenty of room and it was nice to not have to worry about wind or bugs. The girls had a great time serving themselves and drank A LOT of water! Must have been the fun little cups.

Each little girl went home with a Tinkerbell treat sack with all sorts of goodies as well as a giant pixie stick wand (the mom's all loved me for that 😉

It was such a fun little party and didn't require any crazy preparation or a huge expense.

Here is the party girl decked out head to toe. I told her that I was going to paint her nails when I was finished setting up for the party. The next thing I knew, she was running downstairs with the nail polish remover, a pack of cotton balls, and lime green polish to match her tutu. Perfect!

It was her first friends party and she SOAKED it all in and loved every minute of it.

Halloween Canvas Subway Art

September 15, 2011 By Brandy 18 Comments

I finally jumped on the trendy subway art bandwagon and had fun creating this canvas for our Halloween decor this year! It will look great in our entryway once I finish up a few other projects that I have been working on!

canvas painted with black and covered with stencils

---First I painted a blank canvas with acrylic paint and let it dry.

---Then, using the Lyrical Letters & Paper Doll cricut cartridges, I created stencils with contact paper and applied them to the canvas.

stencils painted over with acrylic paint

---Then the fun began! I picked out some coordinating acrylic paint colors and began covering up the stencils.

---When the paint dried, I peeled off the contact paper, sprayed the canvas with a clear coat of spray paint and it was finished!

I'm sure it would have been a lot easier to just create a canvas print with a download-able printable that so many have shared on their blogs lately, but this was fun to make and personalized.

Thanks for looking!

Little Animal "Piggy" Banks

September 10, 2011 By Brandy 10 Comments

I am truly blessed to be able to work with the children at church EVERY Sunday. Primary is by far my favorite place to be! Tomorrow I am teaching a Sharing Time Lesson on how to prepare now to serve a mission in the future. One of the ways that children can prepare now is to learn how to save. Missions cost over $10,000. Every little bit, even pennies a week, help reach that goal.

I wanted to incorporate a fun handout without spending a lot of money. We have over 50 children in our primary and not much of a budget. So I was stumped. I didn't want to put too much time or money into them since not all of then will make it home with the children. It never fails, there are always things left under seats or dropped in the hallway on the way to the car 🙂

So when I saw these fun cups at the grocery store...WITH LIDS....I knew they would be perfect!!

Each lid has a raised spout.

Using scissors (heavy duty ones), I simply cut the spout off with one or two swipes. That opened it up enough to insert coins.

Then I made some labels on Word, and attached them to the lid with a sticky dot.

And that was it! 50 little banks. $8.00. They can choose to have the traditional "piggy bank" or be a bit more adventurous and get a "panda", "cheetah" or "monkey" bank!

Barnyard Birthday Cake

September 9, 2011 By Brandy 7 Comments

My little guy is 8 years old now! He asked me to make him a "farm" themed birthday cake this year so this is what I came up with...

square barnyard themed cake on blue plate

I kept it simple. No fondant, and.....I used my cricut to create all of the little cutouts! It was so easy. I laminated each one and taped a tooth pick to the back. I will definitely be using this technique in the future. Inexpensive and fun. I also used toasted coconut for the hay. He found the little fence at Joanns and asked me to use it on his cake.

barnyard cake with barn and grass and laminated animals

All of the layered cutouts came from the "Create a Critter" cartridge. One of my favorite cartridges. The others came from the "Everyday Paperdoll" cartridge.

He loved his cake!

Felt Makeup Set for Kids (Tutorial)

August 20, 2011 By Brandy 53 Comments

Make a set of felt makeup to add to your little lady's dress-up box! A compact, lipstick, makeup brush, and eye shadow. All made from felt!

Would you like to make your own kids' lip gloss or soap? Try our crayon lip gloss or glycerin soap for kids!

Felt Makeup Set For Kids

My daughter loves watching me get ready in the morning and always wants me to put my makeup on her. Um....she's not quite 3 years old yet, a bit too young for that. I had a hard time finding anything that would be age-appropriate for her. Do they not make fake plastic makeup anymore? Maybe I just didn't look in the right places because all I could find was pretend "real" makeup, and what a mess that would be.

So I decided to make her a one. She liked the little eye shadow applicator from a pack I had in my bathroom, so we just kept it, but it would have been easy to make one to match out of felt as well.

How To Make Felt Makeup

I don't have a pattern or full-on tutorial to share, but hopefully, these visuals will give you an idea!

You'll need felt, fiberfill, a needle and thread, and a sewing machine.

It's all basic shapes and simple sewing. Get creative and have fun!

How To Make Felt Eyeshadow

The eye shadow was pretty simple. 4 rectangles cut from felt and another strip to connect the two sections. I sewed the accessories and decorative touches on first, then sewed the backs on them while sandwiching the connector piece in between.

How To Make Felt Lipstick

For the lipstick, cut out a rectangle and sew up one side. Stuff the inside with fiberfill and then cut out a small circle to hand stitch to the bottom, creating a tube shape. The lipstick shape needs a little work, lol, but I just cut out a cone shape, sewed it up, turned it right side out, added a little stuffing, and hand-stitched it to the top of the tube. The cap was made using the same technique, just a little wider so that it would slide over the lipstick tube.

How To Make A Felt Compact and Brush

The blush was made using the same 4 pieces technique, plus a connector that I did with the eye shadow. Just cut out circles. I also padded the centers with a little fiber fill. And the brush was done the same as the lipstick.

To make the loops for the brush, cut a piece of felt in a rectangular shape. Fold it in half and cut slits along the fold, but not all the way to the edge. About ¾" away from the edges. Keeping it folded, fold it in half again and you will have the loops. Stuff inside the tube and stitch across the top. Confusing enough? I should have taken photos of the process, but hopefully, the gives you an idea.

She brought it downstairs with her this morning first thing and pretended to put it on in her jammies. Doesn't she look pretty? Such a little natural beauty.

***For a no-sew pretend makeup idea, check this out. She created pretend makeup using nail polish and empty make-up containers.***

Strawberry Lemonade Slush

August 19, 2011 By Brandy 14 Comments

glass ice cream bowl with strawberry slush and spoon

Summer isn't over yet! Here's one of my favorite treats lately. I LOVE Sonic's "lemon berry" slush. I order it every time I go there. So I thought I would try to come up with something similar at home! We have an ice cream maker that we got when we first got married and until the past year or so it hasn't gotten much use. But we've discovered how easy it is to make slushes in it!

For this one I put 3 cups of lemonade (from frozen concentrate) and 2 cups of crushed frozen strawberries in the ice cream maker for 25 minutes. Done. It was delicious and although it wasn't identical to Sonic's version, I loved it!

You can also make juice slushes. We've done cider, kool-aid, juice mixed with soda, etc. and it is always delicious!