Supplies for Pipe Cleaner Bouquet: colored pipe cleaner – 6 of each color decorative flower pot ribbon glue dots For the flower pot: For the flowers: Group them all together and tie it with another pipe cleaner. Or you can leave them separate in the pot for a fun arrangement. Either way, Mom will love them! *This post contains affiliate links. Thanks for clicking and supporting Make and Takes!
Liz also gave me a great tip that has helped me significantly in the world of using a slow cooker to cook a whole chicken–remove the skin. It may seem like a lot of work, but the pay off comes when the chicken isn’t swimming in fat. The skin never crisps anyway, so I opt for removing it. Obviously, you have to do what works for you. Here’s a little tip of my own-– I place my whole chickens right into a large Ziploc bag when I get home from the store....
No fancy supplies needed for this project – just grab two contrasting colors of construction paper, scissors, and a glue stick. These cut-outs look especially striking with black paper for the background, so that’s what we used. Set your background paper aside, and cut a 5″ square from your other piece. Start cutting small shapes around the edges of your square. Save all your pieces! Start cutting simple shapes, like triangles, squares, and half circles....
I found some yarn scraps from a variegated skein in fall colors and had to see how they would turn out. They couldn’t be more fun, with the stitches representing the veins of the leaves so perfectly and the colors of yarn giving these a festive look! These are super quick to crochet. You could make a whole pile of them to jump into in an hour or so ;)...
When most people think of jam, they imagine it spread on toast and rarely elsewhere. I, too, fall into this category. However, after sneaking a bite of this jam hot from the stove, my first thought was how tremendous it would be mixed into Greek yogurt. Drizzled warm over cold vanilla ice cream. Spooned into hollowed cupcakes. Spread over a rich cheesecake. Hidden into hand pies. Or, like me, you may just eat it straight from the jar....
Supplies for Reindeer Thumbprint Cards: cardstock paper brown stamping ink brown pipe cleaner scissors red pom pom googly eyes glue Create a small folded card from your cardstock. My card measures 3×4 when folded. Press a thumb into the brown ink and stamp the thumb onto the center of the folded card. With a pair of scissors, pierce 2 holes into the paper, on the top sides of the thumbprint, where the antlers will go....
Supplies for this project: Glitter tapes in different colors. You can also use metallic washi tapes White or colored Styrofoam hearts Scissors Modge Podge Brush Embellishments (Lots of sequins) Pencil Acrylic colors ( optional) Instructions: We found these really cute Styrofoam hearts about an inch in size and decided to make toppers with them. Be sure to line up your worktable with a newspaper & keep some tissues handy....
Just take the ingredients above and add a few more items and you have yourself sweet smelling holiday potpourri. Supplies for Simple Holiday Potpourri: One large apple One large orange One large lemon 3 cinnamon sticks 6 or 7 cloves 6 whole allspice berries 2 pieces of fresh gingerroot (this is optional) Wrap these all up in cellophane and attach a holiday bow. If you want, you can also add a sprig of evergreen and some fake berries....
My kids love to make things with me, and our craft projects that result in things we can play with! These little poppers were super simple to make and a lot of fun to play with, which is a total win in my book. We tried launching a few different things out of these cute poppers – confetti or pom poms are great indoors or you can take them outdoors and turn them into mini water launchers....
Simple Skillet Flatbread Recipe I cannot stop eating this homemade flatbread. I’ve been pairing it with hummus for lunch or using it to make paninis with leftovers from dinner the night before. How to make flatbread Sift the flour, salt, and baking powder together in a large bowl. It helps them mix a little better and make sure there are no clumps. Then, add the Greek yogurt and stir or use a dough hook on a mixer to combine thoroughly....
Don’t throw out those torn linens, cushion covers, and quilts. We’ll show you how to re-purpose them for patching distressed jeans. Patching distressed jeans I had a beautiful cushion cover (years ago), but our dog decided to chew a corner off it. It was beyond repair, but I couldn’t bear to throw it away; it was just too pretty to part with. I knew eventually I would find a way to repurpose it....
I used the exact same recipe from Apricot Leather for the Strawberry. 2 cups strawberries, 2 T. honey, 1 T. lemon juice. Blend, spread, and dry. I’ve heard you can dry your leather in the oven at a very low temp, but I love to do it in the sun. I use these old drying racks, but you can use almost anything, as long as the top is covered with holes to let in sun and air, but keep out bugs and dirt....
I just want to say I’m thrilled to be guest posting here at Make and Takes! Its such a fantastic website. Although I rarely blog about them on my own blog, we love books in our family. My son Jake has shelves brimming with books and we love story time, especially at bedtime. One of our current favourites is Stuck by Oliver Jeffers. It is, as spoken by the author himself, “A tale of trying to solve a problem by throwing things at it”....
I bought 2 fat quarters of fabric, one has leaves for fall, the other has stars and swirls for Christmas. Then I bought red double bias tape to bind the placemat together. The red color is perfect because it matches the Fall colors and the Christmas colors. I did cut down both fabric pieces, you will need to decide how large you want yours, square or rectangle. Then I laid one piece down (right side down)....
Supplies for Wax Paper Leaf Sun Catchers: wax paper Sharpie tissue paper in fall colors Mod Podge or mix of equal parts white glue and water paint brush or foam brush scissors brown paper for stems Draw a leaf shape on the wax paper with a Sharpie. For younger kids, you might want to draw the leaf shapes ahead of time. Older kids can freehand leaf shapes. We also printed some leaf silhouettes, then placed them under our waxed paper and traced....
My mom has always loved brunch, and the brunch dish she’s famous for is a croissant bread pudding. It’s rich and buttery and oh so decadent. Lately though, my mom has been favoring lighter meals and simpler flavors, so I wanted to come up with a brunch menu item that would perfectly suit her changing tastes. She happens to be on a Greek yogurt kick, so I figured that a breakfast parfait with a really delicious homemade granola would be a perfect brunch treat to make her....
Double Crochet Baby Blanket: What is better than a super soft baby blanket? Learn how to crochet one of these sweet blankets to give at your next shower. (via Make and Takes) Teddy Bear Washcloth: What a fun way to gift baby towels. I love this sweet teddy bear idea. (via The Whoot) DIY Colorful Binky Clips: These binky clips are a MUST HAVE for any new mom and baby....
Make Giant Bubbles: Go ahead and roll out the kiddie pool, but this time try filling it with BUBBLES! Kids of all ages will be amazed by these giant bubbles. Find the tutorial over at Make and Takes. Pool Water Drink: Don’t forget to stay hydrated! This “pool water” beverage will really hit the spot. Find the tutorial over at The Bubbly Hostess. Hula Hoop Obstacle Course: This is such a smart way to build an underwater obstacle course....
Secret Codes #1: Reverse Alphabet Here’s a simple reverse alphabet code to start with. Write the alphabet on your paper, then write it backwards directly underneath your letters. To write your message, look at the top (orange) letters and write the bottom (blue) letters. To decipher it, find the letters on the bottom line, and write the corresponding letters from the top line. Secret Codes #2: Pig Pen My girls loved the pig pen symbol code once they had some time to practice with it....
You may be trying to squeeze in one last family “HURRAH!” before school starts, or perhaps you’ve got plans for a long weekend excursion over Memorial Day weekend. Wherever the wind takes you, let your heart (and your conscience) be your guide for travel to help protect the planet. I’ve listed a few options – some you may already be doing. Before You Go Do a run through: make sure appliances are unplugged, mail and newspaper delivery has been stopped and lights are off Get the Right Temperature: Make sure shades and blinds are pulled, and set your thermostats....
