holidays Archives - Page 3 of 8

Grinch Munch Popcorn

December 12, 2016 By Taylor Leave a Comment

I can’t believe we are 13 days away from Christmas! For some reason this year, the Holidays really crept up on me! I felt like this last year but it really had nothing on my current status haha! We are super busy, I think that comes with having kids that are getting older. Each one of them have more and more functions…. super fun and kind of exhausting. Ha! We are currently in the last week of school over here and you know what the means… field trips, parties, book exchanges, jammie day, and teacher/class gifts.

I have the teachers covered. All of the kids have amazing teachers this year who go above and beyond so we are getting them gift cards to their favorite restaurants. But… that leaves me with class party treats. I came across this Grinch Munch Popcorn from Imperial Sugar and I actually gasped at how perfect it was! Imperial is an amazing resource if you are looking for last minutes gifts (like me haha) that your kids can help with or just for fun crafts to do together over Christmas break. This treat is super cute and yes, it is sweet, but I think popcorn is a pretty decent snack that kids actually love. This one is super simple but pretty, so people will think you went to more trouble than you actually did haha!

You Need:

-Popcorn Kernels

-Imperial Sugar Extra Fine Granulated Sugar

-Vegetable or Coconut Oil

– Sea Salt

-Green Food Coloring

– Christmas Sprinkles/Non-Pariels

Start by heating up 1/4 c of oil in a skillet or dutch oven with a lid. I like to use coconut oil with popcorn, but vegetable will work fine too. Put 2-3 kernels in the oil and when they all pop you know the oil is ready.

When the oil is ready, add in 1/2 cup popcorn kernels, 1/2 cup of Imperial Granulated Sugar, and green food coloring. Remove from heat, add lid and wait about 30 seconds.

Put back on heat and watch carefully (so you don’t burn the sugar) cook for 4-5 more minutes or until the popcorn pops slow down :) Add your Christmas sprinkles or non-non-pariels and sea salt.

This batch I made was huge so I bagged some up for the class party and my kids all had a really festive after school snack! This would also make a super cute girlfriend or teacher gift in a cute bag with a custom tag, So may options! Be sure to check out Imperial Sugar for more Christmas Recipes, and Holiday Crafts with kids. Imperial is also hosting a Holiday Baking Bonanza Contest with tons of amazing foodie loving prizes. Check that out HERE. Happy Holidays everyone!

Siberian Husky Costume

November 27, 2016 By Taylor 1 Comment

I love creative people and when I got an interesting Halloween Costume request (again) from my son, I couldn’t say no. Remember last year when he asked me to make him a Roach Costume?! Some people were grossed out but I was just excited that he wanted something different… that’s my boy! This year he asked me to sew him a Siberian Husky Costume, Hilarious and random!! Of course I had to deliver.

The biggest thing was he wanted to still be comfortable because they wear this costume to school (and we live in Texas, hello!) so I also didn’t want him melting. I found THIS HAT on amazon and it was perfect. Why make life harder than it needs to be when you can have a Husky hat at your door in 2 days, right? Thank goodness for Amazon.

For the base of the costume, I used a grey t-shirt and grey shorts that he already had, yay! I found some perfect grey and white faux fur from Joann’s. I sewed white fur to the “belly part” of the shirt and the grey fur to the entire back. I didn’t even try to hem it, I just sewed it right on the top. The tail is a simple tail shape, white on bottom, grey on top and sewed to an elastic band.

I found grey gloves at the dollar store and cut the fingers off. Don’t tell but I used hot glue to attach the fur haha! I mean, Halloween is one day after all, I thought about sewing fur gloves and then realized that was crazy.

After I thought I was done, he said what about my husky legs?! So I had to make him some leg warmers. He likes details :)

The whole costume was very “semi-homemade” but I loved how it turned out. Thank goodness for fake fur, a sewing machine and a glue gun!

Group Fruit Costume for Kids

October 8, 2016 By Taylor 4 Comments

Guess what time it is… GROUP COSTUME TIME!!! Basically my favorite time of the year. And I lucked out and somehow got these three to do a group costume again! Halloween Magic (or bribery :)

I love to make over the top costumes with lots of sewing involved but this year has been super busy and I just wasn’t sure about cranking out three intricate handmade costumes. I came across Primary and fell in love! Primary is a children’s clothing company that was founded by two moms who were having a hard time finding clothing without all of the logos, slogans, and sequins. They carry almost any style in tons of colors and sizes AND they are super affordable… I’m pretty much hooked! I knew they would make the perfect Easy DIY Halloween Costume base. All of the tees, dresses, pants and leggings are from Primary and are linked in the post!

Last year they were bugs so I hinted about the food theme to the kids… they brought up fruit so I ran with it. I always have better luck if they have a part in the choosing. Almost all of the costumes are No-Sew, yay!! I did reinforce a few things with some quick stitches because my kids are wild but this could easily be done with glue, tape or hand sewing. I made them all in less than 30 minutes too! Perfect for the wishy washy child haha.

The Strawberry:
-Red Dress
-Green Leggings
-Green and Mustard Felt (crafting felt sheets from the craft store)

I love this little red dress. All I did for the strawberry was cut out the mustard colored seeds (tear shape) and attached them to the dress. I did use a little sewing here but glue, tape, wonder under… all good options! For the yoke, I simply took a piece of green felt and measured the neckline on the front and back of the dress then cut out the center neck part. Then I cut out the strawberry leaf shape on the outer edge and sewed it around the neckline (again you could use glue here).

The Kiwi:

-Green Tee

-Green Shorts

-Tan Felt (from the yardage section)

-black, light green and white felt

I actually used glue on the Kiwi Costume because the little black seeds are too small for my sewing patience haha. I cut out an irregular white shape for the center then a slightly larger piece in the light green felt. I used hot glue and glued them both directly on the shirt. Then I started on the teeny black seeds. Each one is hot glued on. I had a million glue strands so I used a lint roller when I was done. This boy of mine LOVES capes so I turned the Kiwi “skin” into a cape. I used 1/2 yd of tan felt and this is basically the only place the I used any real sewing. I gathered the top edge and sandwiched it into a rectangle piece that I measured to go around his neck. I sewed that together. Then I used hot glue for the velcro so he can take it on an off. I sewed a small piece of elastic at the bottom edge so it is rounded like a real Kiwi.

The Grapes

-Purple Long Sleeve Tee

-Purple Shorts

-Purple Balloons

-Green Pipe Cleaners

-Small safety pins

I kind of feel silly even writing how to do this one… so simple. It took me and my son about 5 minutes to blow up the balloons but other than that this costume was done in about 60 seconds haha! The key is blowing the balloons to different sizes (and not too big) to make it look more realistic. I used the safety pins and poked them through the end of the balloon and straight onto the shirt. I also added a little green curled pipe cleaner for the stem/vine part. I tried to pin them into a “V” shape too.

One thing that I loved is that the kids kept saying over and over is how comfortable their costumes are. I actually had to force them take them off so they wouldn’t ruin them before halloween! Thanks so much to Primary for providing the base of our Fruits :) Now if only I could get the tiniest model to cooperate everything would be great haha. Happy Halloween!

Kid Photo Tips… for the Amatuer

December 8, 2015 By Taylor Leave a Comment

You know how it goes… you have a baby then all of a sudden you have to have a nice big DSLR camera but you have no idea how to use it. It actually happened to me a few years before having kids so I had a tiny bit of practice :) I am by no means anywhere close to a photographer, I just have a few lenses that are “ok” and I practice a lot. I did take one class in person which I highly recommend if you have access to that but the internet is the next best thing. If you are anything like me you think your own kids are the cutest thing on the planet so you have to get everything documented and you have to do it now. Here are a few tips that I’ve learned for the Amateur mom (or dad) so you can be a total Paparazzi and follow your kids everywhere with your big ole camera.

1. Lighting – my absolute favorite time of day is the “golden hour” as the fancy photographers call it :) It is the hour after sunrise and the hour before sunset when the sun looks magical… or golden. Trust me, during this time everything looks pretty. My kids are not morning people so waking up at when the sun rises is usually not an option but I do try to take pics in the afternoon if I can. I like to use this website HERE to find out when that time is going to be for my area… it knows when the sun will set and tells you when to go take your photos, couldn’t be easier!

You also want to look for areas that have a lot of light around them but aren’t in the direct light. See this clearing, it’s perfect because it’s very warm and sunny but the shadows won’t be harsh on anyones face. Ideally you want to be close to that light line without being in it.

2. Location and Background – If you start to look around your area there are plenty of places to take photos that you didn’t notice before! This road is only about 1/2 mile from my house and has a huge open field with tall trees behind it. You want a background that is somewhat neutral or uniform… I usually go for trees or greenery, I live in Houston so our scenery isn’t too exciting ha! As we were driving I saw this open field and right behind it was the prettiest red barn, which was so perfect for Bee and her adorable dress.

3. Cute clothes and accessories!- This dress from Little Skye Kids Boutique from the Paper Wings Clothing line is so perfect for an easy Holiday Photo shoot and how cute would it be on a holiday card?! It’s super soft and flowy… Bee loves anything she can twirl in! Little Skye is a one-of-a-kind children’s boutique that embraces the beauty, joy, innocence, and artful wonder of childhood. Classic but whimsical… It’s the perfect holiday dress for all little girls and all their holiday functions :) Bee is wearing the Winter Wonderland Bustle Dress in a 2T because with a timeless piece like this I wanted her to be able to wear it for a few years. She is kind of short so it looks long on her but I love the maxi look she is giving it. That’s the great thing about girls dresses, they can keep growing and eventually it’s a tunic haha!

Lastly, don’t forget to take pictures of all the little details like the ruffles or the shoes! Also, at this age I like to give them something to hold to keep their little hands occupied. And most importantly… let them have fun and run wild! It’s the only way to get the real faces you want!

And I have an awesome deal for anyone little girls who need some fun and unique Boutique clothing!: All Paper Wings for Little Skye and Blu Pony Vintage for Little Skye purchases through 12/15/2015 receive a Free Shipping & a $25 gift card valid on future purchases for every $100 spent when you use code BLGLS2015.

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Little Skye Boutique, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #embracechildhood http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV