some fun finds

Some great links to check out for FREE ideas....

For printouts of a great to do list and blog list go here.

Becky Higgins has created a fabulous and easy templete for recording your life story. For the Teen edition go here. And here is the Adult edition.

Stacey Julian created a way fun idea for entertaining and helping kids be productive this summer. Summer Bingo, check it out.

Pin Wheels

Inspired by the "Leaky Cauldron Pinwheels" used for my Harry Potter party and inspired by my friend Kellie from work who gave me the idea in the first place I give you pinwheels...

I bought loaves of frozen dough by Rhodes for mine but any basic bread recipe will do.

1. Roll out dough (after risen)
2. Fill with filling of choice (see below for ideas)
3. Roll up dough.
4. Cut like you are cutting cinnamon rolls.
5. Lay into a greased 9x13 pan and bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes until brown.

Basically they are dinner cinnamon rolls...

Filling ideas:

1. Pizza. sauce dough and add toppings and cheese. Roll tightly.
2. Spinach and artichoke dip... Make a spinach and artichoke dip and layer that onto rolled out dough. Roll tightly to avoid too much leakage. I also thought adding chicken to this would be nice.
3. Beef and onion. Brown beef and sautee onion. Can also add mushrooms.
4. Ham and Cheese. I sliced the ham into the approximate size I was going to slice the rolls. I used kraft singles because they melt nicely.

Basically anything you could put in a roll or pie...this is just another variety!

Harry Potter Mania-Party Food

Lots of food was served at the party...

1. Pumpkin pasties

2. Butterbeer

3. Snake Cake

4. Leaky Cauldron pinwheels

5. Potion Fruit Dips (Cream Cheese with brown sugar, or marshmellow cream, or brown sugar and health bar pieces)

6. Snaper-doodle cookies (Snickerdoodles---except made with self laothing and misery)

7. Dragon Toes (Cocktail weenies and BBQ sauce)

If you want a specific recipe leave a comment with your email address and I will give it to you...or if you want my entire HP cookbook, leave me a comment about that and your email and I can email it to you as a word document.

Harry Potter Mania-Party pieces

So my Harry Potter party was a success....here are some of the many ideas that went down.

Honey Duke treats:
1. Bertie botts every flavor beans. I just bought some cheap-brand gourmet jellybeans and packaged them into these candy favor bags from walmart. I bought 2 small boxes of JellyBelly brand Bean-boozeled beans to mix in some "Suprising" flavors.
2. Chocolate frogs. I bought this mini frog mold off Amazon.com and just used candy melts. This mold also had some toads which would have been perfect for Peppermint toads.
3. Droobles best blowing gum. Just bagged up some bubble gum and slapped on a label.
4. Chocolate wands. Dipped some pretzel sticks with more candy melts. Super easy and fast. Swirled on some white chocolate melts for extra flair.


Weasley Wizard Wheezes:

1. Nosebleed Nougut. Just bagged up some strawberry cream Trolly Gummies.

2. Fainting Fancies. More Trolly pastel gummy rocks.

3. Firework Whizbangs. Used the idea from July Family Fun for this one.

Monster Book of monsters. Super easy and only cost a few dollars... Just need a sheet of fur (Got mine at Joanns...didn't even alter it), 2 googly eyes that are hot glued to the fur, and some red and white felt (also from Joanns) cut into teeth and hot glued to the fur. Slide this fur mess onto a book and wrapped a belt around it.

Felix Felicus key chains. Gold glitter in little bottles (Mine were empty Zofran bottles from work with size 0 corks). printed a label on vellum, sent it through my Xyron sticker machine and stuck it on there. Used the smallest round hoop screws and bought my keychains from Joanns in bulk. Another very cheap idea if the bottles are free.

Wands...these were made by my sister Alyssa from paper, Elmer's glue, hot glue and paint. Essentially she rolled the paper at an angle sealing it with Elmer's glue and then textured a handle on with hot glue. When dried she painted it with a variety of colors.

Homemade Tattoos... you can buy tattoo printer paper online. These were designs and phrases drawn by my sisters. They were just extra fun.

Quizzes...I just printed the HP6 quiz from the Scholastic website...leaving one with multiple choice as the O.W.L. level quiz and one without for the N.E.W.T. level.

Potion bottles. I have been buying strange and interesting bottles and vases from thrift stores the past few months for decoration. Then we filled them with herbs, colored water, oil, or a mix of those ingredients.

-I also made mini potions bottles like the Felix bottles for my healer costume.

Harry Potter Cardboard cutout from Zurchers party store...only cost $20 and added a very fun touch/photo opportunity...added some signs mentioned in book 6 and you have a scene.

new toys!

Yesterday I got me a Silhouette SD machine and today my kit from Studio Calico came...

Yes!

Must go create, will post soon.

P.S. 5 days til Harry Potter time!

Taking Patriotic Pictures

I have looked at so many scrapbooking magazines and websites lately I can't even remember where I saw this, but I loved it!

Drape a flag as your background and just sit individuals in front of it for an instant patriotic portrait that doesn't take any effort. It looks nice and it's practically free.

So easy and classic. There are so many things to take pictures of on the 4th of July to record your own traditions, and the American tradition itself.

Some ideas:
1. The parade: the breakfast you eat at the parade, your favorite floats, the motorcycle cops, the candy being thrown, and pictures of you and your family actually watching it.
2. kids playing with daytime fireworks (parachutes, snakes, poppers)
3. activities you have during the day: family outing such as lake or hike; decorating for the party, kids in their patriotic attire, flag protraits outside (natural lighting!), etc.
4. Food: there are endless things people eat to celebrate this holiday...do you eat anything in particular every year? Take a picture of the prep, the final product, and the people enjoying it.
5. Fireworks: Oh fireworks can be hard to photograph so make sure to use your fireworks camera setting for them, and a night setting for the people. Spell something out with the sparklers. Catch the natural excitment a kid has when watching fireworks.

July 4th crafts

I really love the 4th of July and am always looking for fun ways to detail the holiday. When I got my July Family Fun magazine last month, I fell in love with these:

Firecracker Favors (I am actually turning mine into Weasly Wizard Wizbangs for my HP party)

Basically you take rolled candy like Life Savers, re-wrap them in patriotic paper, and stick these cute little picks in the top (I found my pics at Jo-ann's...they are by Wilton).

For original instructions go here.

Want more crafts? Check these out:

Martha's Star Spangled crafts

Make and Takes has some fun fruit kababs and a craft roundup with lots of links to good ideas.