tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64967177875749879772024-02-18T23:08:48.023-05:00Make DoKristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16564267237855840182noreply@blogger.comBlogger100125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496717787574987977.post-88881489264493108802015-06-22T18:23:00.000-04:002016-01-03T18:27:42.746-05:00Baseball theme for Father's Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
My dad's birthday often coincides with Father's Day so he usually gets one gift to cover both occasions. He's a big-time Detroit Tigers fan, so I made him a baseball-themed gift this year.</div>
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The card is simple: a strip of patterned paper, three stars, a baseball, and "Dad" stamped on the card. Of course I chose navy and orange for the Detroit Tigers. The stars were made on my Cricut. To make the baseball, I cut two of the same circle. Then I laid the 2nd circle on top of the first, slightly overlapping. I traced the curve of the 2nd circle on to the first with a red marker. Then I added the little "stitches" with red marker to make the baseball's seams.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSYSPUNebgITevBL30u4_vfq1fvWbCWKM5fXtdeBdexDwPZmMgkasNn6uWPdoVd1zyWy8nGnOvls0xDnm_ST8NZu54KXtPh6ohAQB89f9zc_Otb__zqFWBWyQ4Ya-w4_v5-RRgFu3V17w/s1600/baseball+card+stars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSYSPUNebgITevBL30u4_vfq1fvWbCWKM5fXtdeBdexDwPZmMgkasNn6uWPdoVd1zyWy8nGnOvls0xDnm_ST8NZu54KXtPh6ohAQB89f9zc_Otb__zqFWBWyQ4Ya-w4_v5-RRgFu3V17w/s320/baseball+card+stars.jpg" width="237" /></a></div>
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He got a Tigers shirt for his birthday, plus a variety of ball-park snacks like peanuts and Cracker Jacks. I also made him some baseball cookies. You can see how I made those by clicking <a href="http://makedoordowithout.blogspot.com/2012/10/my-first-paying-customer.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiir0VqYV2psQkdM64TDQcjBoys7lkyFWe-lABZVH8n7UkgdGw6OCXJlr4TibaMFzfvj3tRgc0Y3CdXJcuW0_0GXo4DxVjrMgOpK2FtP9TJVcYrb6bul1ByxcRz0njvpmo7e-onP6dOoLo/s1600/baseball+gift+dad+fathers+day.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiir0VqYV2psQkdM64TDQcjBoys7lkyFWe-lABZVH8n7UkgdGw6OCXJlr4TibaMFzfvj3tRgc0Y3CdXJcuW0_0GXo4DxVjrMgOpK2FtP9TJVcYrb6bul1ByxcRz0njvpmo7e-onP6dOoLo/s320/baseball+gift+dad+fathers+day.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Happy birthday and Happy Father's Day, Dad! I hope the Tigers are good this year!Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16564267237855840182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496717787574987977.post-69450102259442647782015-06-20T18:10:00.000-04:002016-01-03T18:11:24.394-05:00Cute Foxy Baby Shower Card<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfdcwnXBLlCIJCXhA23QFOz7WHMHkNQUwF0ENj9UuwsRo_aw8wBh8jLHSx9vx-JLza37F2EnqBj4ru2z0wuz9Q1dhwuwVBLvmVHqRI27DXdUU7ygD-8qV-d2xFJfaHqAiTAsFGSELY9xw/s1600/fox+baby+shower+card+pink+girl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfdcwnXBLlCIJCXhA23QFOz7WHMHkNQUwF0ENj9UuwsRo_aw8wBh8jLHSx9vx-JLza37F2EnqBj4ru2z0wuz9Q1dhwuwVBLvmVHqRI27DXdUU7ygD-8qV-d2xFJfaHqAiTAsFGSELY9xw/s320/fox+baby+shower+card+pink+girl.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I made this quick card for a baby shower. I love the pinks and greys together.<br />
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I cut the four rectangles out of coordinating patterned paper and inked the edges with grey ink. I stamped the fox on white paper with grey ink and added the little heart with pink ink. Then I inked the edges of the white paper and mounted it on grey paper. I stamped the circle with grey ink and the words & heart with pink ink. After cutting out the circle, I added it to the card with dimensional adhesive so it would stick up a bit.<br />
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Patterned paper: Lollydoodle from Close to My Heart<br />
Fox stamp: Wild About Love from Close to My Heart<br />
Circle stamp & words: Express Postage from Close to My Heart<br />
Heart stamp: You're The Bomb from Close to My Heart<br />
Inks: Slate and Cotton Candy from Close to My Heart<br />
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<br />Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16564267237855840182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496717787574987977.post-64579162601703358992015-05-26T10:35:00.001-04:002015-05-26T10:35:40.405-04:00End of the Year Teacher Gift - Movie Theater Gift Card<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I decided to get my son's teacher a gift card to the local movie theater. But I didn't want to just hand her a gift card without dressing it up a bit!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9oSQbe-G7dt2jUpw7vvjWYnUpRuLo-XaMBrldcouYVgel7RCUNw8ogTFSWDq_aFH1UjqJc6UgxukkxLZSFLS3_w1Z1pgSxD_uVCrB-QwUqa4cYjDDDWR0dKbLwBVBfJvsXriMaHjXXZw/s1600/movie+gift+card+teacher.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9oSQbe-G7dt2jUpw7vvjWYnUpRuLo-XaMBrldcouYVgel7RCUNw8ogTFSWDq_aFH1UjqJc6UgxukkxLZSFLS3_w1Z1pgSxD_uVCrB-QwUqa4cYjDDDWR0dKbLwBVBfJvsXriMaHjXXZw/s320/movie+gift+card+teacher.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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So I made a card that looked like a popcorn bucket and put the gift card inside with my note of thanks. Then I stacked the card, some Milk Duds, and some microwave popcorn and tied it all with a ribbon. Because, have you tried eating Milk Duds and popcorn together? Perfection.</div>
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And here it is all put together! Another successful school year is almost over.</div>
<br />Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16564267237855840182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496717787574987977.post-64969983913263704792015-05-24T10:42:00.000-04:002015-05-26T10:51:41.975-04:00Simple Graduation CardI work with the youth group at my church so I attend a lot of graduation open houses every year. When I make graduation cards, I like to keep it simple. It doesn't get much simpler than this!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuhmp-_0VA16SpGGw4fH_6JJviXlIhGVEGCDo3ZTOXHzOSnnOLGiV8R4zz-vykH9UFaPjIH3OcrQPkHviK-Q8ti1uYNMvyVZLZ5IE0zDMZd1hXBLxk9zrY5qNEJt679dSIOzhwmGsOD6M/s1600/Simple+graduation+card.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuhmp-_0VA16SpGGw4fH_6JJviXlIhGVEGCDo3ZTOXHzOSnnOLGiV8R4zz-vykH9UFaPjIH3OcrQPkHviK-Q8ti1uYNMvyVZLZ5IE0zDMZd1hXBLxk9zrY5qNEJt679dSIOzhwmGsOD6M/s400/Simple+graduation+card.jpg" width="393" /></a></div>
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I started with a blank white card base. Using scraps of grey, black, and pink glitter papers, I cut little banners for each card. Then I stamped the word "Graduate" and the mortar board hat directly on the card base.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPGY_b2DfDo59D_Ccx1kRgp7MjNKDv-fOTIVon13JoGHa9TacJ3QYu4rqzDsVyHgcX_jstPEkDz9oQkjArUTH-OUlnoUnE1wL7qjju31apw8VbJYQlpEKn9H-1gx0SmC2-bcmjOTOkMYg/s1600/CTMH+graduation+card+stamps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPGY_b2DfDo59D_Ccx1kRgp7MjNKDv-fOTIVon13JoGHa9TacJ3QYu4rqzDsVyHgcX_jstPEkDz9oQkjArUTH-OUlnoUnE1wL7qjju31apw8VbJYQlpEKn9H-1gx0SmC2-bcmjOTOkMYg/s400/CTMH+graduation+card+stamps.jpg" width="346" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">The supplies are from Close to My Heart and my CTMH consultant gave me the design for the card and taught me how to make those little banners symmetrically. Love her.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQoxSW7IrgeaOo8_TjVE100UlkoY7kDFupEflnX9H5ya3l6AHcT5Rk5A7ds4LL-pUpHhzZz_8F9_DaEYZ6CM3fDPGIxabUe4iPVZk2V3YW5x3BBXRcZmK_RwujNJjvgmfmO3SVFhbeO94/s1600/Close+to+my+heart+graduation+card.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="343" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQoxSW7IrgeaOo8_TjVE100UlkoY7kDFupEflnX9H5ya3l6AHcT5Rk5A7ds4LL-pUpHhzZz_8F9_DaEYZ6CM3fDPGIxabUe4iPVZk2V3YW5x3BBXRcZmK_RwujNJjvgmfmO3SVFhbeO94/s400/Close+to+my+heart+graduation+card.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The "Graduate" stamp is from the CTMH "Congrats Graduate" stamp set.<br />
The mortar board stamp is from the CTMH "Kudos" stamp set from the Cricut Artiste Collection.<br />
<br />Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16564267237855840182noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496717787574987977.post-73008113176570058512015-05-10T09:47:00.000-04:002015-05-26T10:10:41.351-04:00Under the Sea Cookie FavorsMy church recently held a formal banquet for the senior high youth group and I was asked to make some cookies. The banquet theme was "Under the Sea" and I finally got to use my seahorse and tropical fish cookie cutters.<div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsPQoi0xlB-VTr_e1k8TLmt0eMFUyLBZhOtKsoZuNgkZJbQ7GMEQoOy4OIiAc8ndCLnZ4A7hhDbA1wDl3zSmp_b3gylkbzZYfiw24ighJ9mWGj5SIHVv7-sWVqq4anXNPI8UcaWQcxvlA/s1600/seahorse+tropical+fish+cookies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsPQoi0xlB-VTr_e1k8TLmt0eMFUyLBZhOtKsoZuNgkZJbQ7GMEQoOy4OIiAc8ndCLnZ4A7hhDbA1wDl3zSmp_b3gylkbzZYfiw24ighJ9mWGj5SIHVv7-sWVqq4anXNPI8UcaWQcxvlA/s320/seahorse+tropical+fish+cookies.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I played a little with the colors. The fish are a mix of blue and teal. The seahorses are a mix of pink and yellow and orange.<br />
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I packaged two cookies into a bag and tied it with a ribbon so they could be used as party favors for the guests.<br />
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They put the rest of the cookies on a platter to serve at the banquet and they were eaten quickly!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUyWwQD0VWpcKw03v8jS4XrVrEsOE_nNW6WnPv_KiGYVrSTUyKImo-Luh5iTNpw7wrQJgdGHS-pq8kAyDlllhtghyphenhyphenfTpy_XDo4JK6h78gOD_uZ4mtAYBSWkh_geS6dlf0L6LMLycTr-dw/s1600/Under+The+Sea+Cookie+Platter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUyWwQD0VWpcKw03v8jS4XrVrEsOE_nNW6WnPv_KiGYVrSTUyKImo-Luh5iTNpw7wrQJgdGHS-pq8kAyDlllhtghyphenhyphenfTpy_XDo4JK6h78gOD_uZ4mtAYBSWkh_geS6dlf0L6LMLycTr-dw/s320/Under+The+Sea+Cookie+Platter.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I think the cookies looked great with the table settings designed and assembled by another church member.<br />
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People more talented than I designed and made the Under the Sea decorations - complete with a shipwreck that served as a photo backdrop, and lighted jellyfish that hung from the ceiling!<br />
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Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16564267237855840182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496717787574987977.post-38334739060213102532014-12-22T10:21:00.000-05:002014-12-30T10:22:54.895-05:00Cute Snowman Cookies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Although we have absolutely NO snow on the ground here this December (which is highly unusual!), I decided to make snowman cookies.</div>
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Here's a quick tutorial for icing the snowman cookies. Start by outlining then filling the hat (I used black). Then outline the snowman with white. When you fill the snowman with white, use black icing to drop dots for the eyes and buttons (before the white icing dries). Then you get nice, flat dots. After that has all dried, add your embellishments. I did a simple carrot nose on some, and a blue scarf on others.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh01hjpYR1xaegGIKAG2aAqA-hy5CsBROw2ULDxaNu3T_89cOZM6wXguIhDjOFCcbdqOT7TkebUMwKx2TYrWrKxMWOO_1dOdEcHKIo0bg2rjLxbX4iGkpL3KuVVDznWzVpb8WzeSN_WW4Q/s1600/how+to+decorate+snowman+cookies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh01hjpYR1xaegGIKAG2aAqA-hy5CsBROw2ULDxaNu3T_89cOZM6wXguIhDjOFCcbdqOT7TkebUMwKx2TYrWrKxMWOO_1dOdEcHKIo0bg2rjLxbX4iGkpL3KuVVDznWzVpb8WzeSN_WW4Q/s1600/how+to+decorate+snowman+cookies.jpg" height="640" width="425" /></a></div>
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Hope you enjoy these! And may all your Christmases be white.<br />
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<br />Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16564267237855840182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496717787574987977.post-65364063815051459702014-12-02T10:27:00.000-05:002014-12-30T10:45:37.657-05:00Harry Potter Themed Necklace<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's no secret that I LOVE Harry Potter. My niece is a fan, too, so I made her this necklace for her birthday. You can make one too!<br />
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<u>Supplies Used:</u><br />
Deathly Hallows charm - I ordered these from amazon.com (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00F6PBHV0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1" target="_blank">click here for link</a>)<br />
Owl charm - I think I ordered these from Oriental Trading, but it was so long ago, I've forgotten (<a href="http://www.orientaltrading.com/realistic-owl-charms-a2-68_46089.fltr?Ntt=owl%20charm" target="_blank">click here for similar</a>)<br />
Mischief Managed pendant - I made this using <a href="http://heididefina.ctmh.com/retail/Products.aspx?CatalogID=25" target="_blank">Base and Bling</a> products from Close to My Heart.<br />
Chain - a Close to My Heart Base and Bling product.<br />
Jump Rings<br />
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For the Mischief Managed pendant, I found the artwork online and printed it out so it would fit in the 1" circle pendant. I cut it out using a 1" circle punch and fit it into the pendant base. Then I used <a href="http://heididefina.ctmh.com/Retail/Product.aspx?ItemID=1030" target="_blank">Liquid Glass</a> to adhere the round glass cover over the paper. It's so easy! I checked out <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPB0mwFmw1U" target="_blank">this video tutorial</a> for the how-to.<br />
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I liked the result so much, I almost kept this necklace for myself. I guess I'll have to make another one!<br />
<br />Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16564267237855840182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496717787574987977.post-8111777421500416242014-08-20T15:39:00.000-04:002016-01-03T17:21:50.234-05:00Lord of the Rings Birthday PartySpencer just turned nine years old and we threw him a Lord of the Rings party. He does archery, so a lot of the inspiration came from Legolas and the other elves who use bows.<br />
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Here's the invitation:<br />
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I decorated the kitchen with some "trees", a birthday banner, and quotes from the books.<br />
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On the table is a basket with gold plastic utensils wrapped in brown napkins. I held the napkins around the utensils with little gold rubber bands from my kids' Rainbow Loom stash. I saw that trick at a graduation party and thought it was genius. It's so easy to find a color to match your party and they are just the right size!</div>
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The trees are pool noodles that I covered with brown paper lunch sacks. You cut the bottom off the lunch sack and slide it over the pool noodle and scrunch it down. Then you add another sack over-lapping the first, on up the tree. Then I stuck some faux greenery that I had into the hole on the top of the pool noodle. To make the trees stand up, I threaded the pool noodles over some old speaker stands we had. But the speaker stands weren't tall enough so I had to use fishing line to attach the tops of the trees to the curtain rod as well.</div>
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The banner says "Happy Birthday Spencer" and I made it using my Cricut keeping with the gold, browns, and greens.</div>
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The other wall held a collage of movie pictures with famous quotes. I found all of the images (including the Middle Earth map) online and I looked up the quotes in the books. Accuracy is important to us nerds.<br />
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In the living room, I removed the curtains from the curtain rods and added two Lord of the Rings banners - one from Rohan and one from Gondor.<br />
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For these, I raided my fabric stash and dusted off my sewing machine. I finished the raw edges of the green and black banners and made the rod pockets at the tops. For the designs, I free-hand drew them on the white fabric with a pencil and cut them out. I hand-sewed on all the pieces for the horse head. But then I decided that took too long and I just glued the tree pieces on the Gondor banner. Also for the tree, I only drew one half of the tree, folded the white fabric in half the long way, and then cut out both sides of the tree so it would be symmetric. Just like how we all used to make hearts out of pink construction paper in elementary school. I plan to hang these banners in Spencer's room after the party.<br />
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Outside, where all the activities took place, I made a Mount Doom on the shed using plastic table cloths. They used that for some of the games they played. Here's the birthday boy tossing the ring into the fires of Mount Doom.<br />
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I made him the elven cloak out of some old curtains. (How very Sound of Music.) And ordered the leaf brooch from Amazon. I'm sure my boys will use it for many Halloweens to come.<br />
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Now on to the party activities!<br />
I had a station set up where they could make The One Ring To Rule Them All out of oven-bake clay.<br />
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My husband led several ring tossing-type games. This one, they were trying to get the hula hoops around the cones.</div>
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I can't tell you the exact rules of the games, because he just makes this stuff up as he goes based on what the boys are interested in. Mad skillz, that one.<br />
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Then we armed them with cheap dollar store bows and arrows and let them run around playing Elves vs. Orcs. They took this very seriously.<br />
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Time for food! I served regular food and tried to give it a Lord of the Rings-ish name. The coolers that held the drinks got fancy signs, though.<br />
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Then it was time for birthday cupcakes! Chocolate cupcakes with fire frosting!<br />
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Here's how to make the fire colored frosting. Mix up some red, orange, and yellow buttercream icing. Splat the three colors of icing onto a sheet of plastic wrap like in the picture below. Roll up the plastic wrap into a tube. Insert the tube into a large leaf decorating tip (I used 1M). Then insert that into a decorating bag. Pipe the swirls onto the cupcakes. It's kind of tedious, but it looks really cool when you're done.<br />
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After opening gifts, we sent everyone off with a Lord of the Rings themed treat bag. They got One Ring (Pop) To Rule Them All, some Swedish Fish (raw and wiggling just how Gollum likes them), and a glow stick from Lady Galadriel. They also got to bring home the rings they made and one of the bow & arrow sets.<br />
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Whew! That was an epic party! Good thing his birthday is in the summer when there isn't much else going on. Happy birthday, Spencer!Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16564267237855840182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496717787574987977.post-30584875308974083582014-06-29T14:44:00.003-04:002014-06-29T14:44:26.145-04:00Wilderness Escape VBS Day Camp DecorationsOur church has a week-long program for the kids with a VBS-type morning (songs, crafts, Bible lesson, games, snacks) followed by a field trip each afternoon (rollerskating, bowling, zoo, mini golf & swimming). It's an intense week! <br />
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I was asked to help with decorations and this year's theme used the Wilderness Escape curriculum from group.com. It was all about Moses and the Israelites in the Wilderness.<br />
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The first thing I did was make the Registration Table a little more exciting to drum up some enthusiasm in anticipation for Day Camp.<br />
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The background is blue bulletin board paper and I painted some clouds on it for the "sky". Along the bottom is some scrunched up kraft paper for the "land". We raided the storage room for various plants/trees and set those alongside the background and on the table. You can't see in the photo, but I put some blankets on the floor under the table and added some props like a jar, some baskets, rocks, grapes, things like that. We re-used a lot of this stuff in other areas during Day Camp week.<br />
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Then Day Camp week arrived. We decorated the foyer area where the kids arrived so they'd be greeted with a glimpse of the theme. It makes a big difference, doesn't it?<br />
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The doors led to our Israelite camp, so I made a sign and hung some fabric over the doors. Some of the boys made a directional sign (broom handle in a bucket of sand with cardboard arrows) pointing to the Promised Land, Egypt, Mount Sinai, and the Red Sea. The church already owned the working waterfall which was reminiscent of Moses getting the water out of the rock, so we just jazzed it up with some more plants from the storage room. I strung some rope around the plants and added a drop cloth on the floor to discourage kids from climbing on the fountain.<br />
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The campers then were assigned to one of 12 tribes and gathered at their tent in the gym. We already had the tents from a previous year when we had a western theme, so that was easy. I made banners using kraft paper and a different color of duck tape for each tribe. We also stuck the duck tape on the floor to delineate each tribe's area.<br />
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The opening program took place in the main sanctuary every day and we made a stage set to look like mountains with a tent in the foreground. I didn't get a very good picture of it, but here it is in action.<br />
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We had the 8-foot backdrop boards and painted them to look like a wilderness mountain. The little parts of the mountain that stick up above the boards were made from foam insulation board. The boards were set on some risers to give them more height, and we covered the risers with drop cloths. The tent was made from an EZ-UP tent covered with drop cloths. Again, we raided the storage room for palm trees and set those around, and made a little campfire with real logs and rocks.</div>
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The Bible story was supposed to take place in Moses' tent, so I transformed one of the nurseries so it felt like you were in a tent. This was a lot more time consuming than I thought it would be.<br />
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We attached some zip ties to the supports for the drop ceiling, tied rope to those, threaded the rope through PVC pipes, and draped fabric from it. Our church fortunately owned the fabric already because it was a lot of yardage! For the back wall of the tent, we attached more white fabric to the drop ceiling supports using binder clips. Binder clips also helped close some of the gaps between pieces of fabric. Then we threw various sheets/blankets/rugs on the floor and added some accessories (from the registration table) to complete the look. We re-wrote parts of the curriculum to add more drama and characters to make the story come alive for the campers.<br />
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One of the days, the campers crossed the Red Sea. This was a fun project to figure out. We used two rolling room dividers to make the Red Sea in the hallway. When the campers first approached, they saw the land and and sky (re-used from the Registration table) and the blue fabric was spread across the hallway like it was the water. Then Moses parted the sea (some helpers rolled the one room divider across the hall) and the campers walked between the room dividers covered with blue tarps made to look like walls of water. Also, as the room divider was pulled across the hall, a drop cloth was pulled along with it, creating the "dry ground" between the walls of water.<br />
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I had a ton of help with this, so the main set up only lasted one afternoon. It was the first time I had done something of this scale, and it was a fun challenge!<br />
<br />Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16564267237855840182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496717787574987977.post-24640759761861832502014-03-03T13:46:00.000-05:002014-03-03T13:46:00.087-05:00Cardinal CookiesNormally this time of year, it's starting to look like spring. But this year we still have several feet of snow on the ground! In honor of the hearty cardinals that stick around up north all year adding color to the white landscape, I decided to make some cardinal cookies.<br />
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Usually, I use the outline-and-flood method for frosting my sugar cookies. But I decided to try something new: 20-Second Icing. Sweet Sugarbelle has a fantastic tutorial on achieving this consistency, somewhere between outlining and flooding consistencies. (<a href="http://www.sweetsugarbelle.com/2011/04/the-twenty-second-rule/" target="_blank">click to see tutorial</a>) Using 20-second icing, I can eliminate decorating bags and just use squeeze bottles. It's a lot faster! The frosting is runny enough to flow nicely and dry smoothly, but it's stiff enough to stay where you put it.<br />
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By the time I finished adding the wings, the beaks were dry enough to outline in black. I waited about a half hour before frosting the rest of the bird to give everything else a chance to dry a bit. It doesn't have to be completely dry, just dry enough to not flow together.</div>
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20-Second Icing wasn't the only new thing I tried for these cookies. I tried making them gluten-free. I've made a couple other attempts at gluten-free sugar cookies with disastrous results. These are actually pretty good. I'm going to tinker a bit more with the recipe to get the taste a little sweeter and less dry before I share the recipe. Stay tuned!</div>
<br />Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16564267237855840182noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496717787574987977.post-36846553244649663272013-09-12T11:23:00.000-04:002013-09-12T11:23:54.060-04:00Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've been baking chocolate chip cookies since I was a kid. I wrote all about it in <a href="http://makedoordowithout.blogspot.com/2012/05/first-cookies-i-ever-baked.html" target="_blank">this post</a>. Then my son was diagnosed with celiac disease last November and was prescribed a gluten-free diet. At first, I was enthusiastic about trying new flours and I was sure that I'd come up with some fantastic baked goods that were gluten-free AND delicious. Well, after a few failures with the packaged "all-purpose gluten-free flour" baking mixes, I decided it was time to start experimenting with creating my own flour mix.<br />
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I used my own blend for the first time in my banana bread recipe. (I find that baked goods that already have a bit of a texture to them are easier to switch to gluten-free without anyone noticing.) Then I tried it again in my chocolate chip cookie recipe. I am thrilled to say that these cookies are delicious. They are a bit less chewy than the original recipe (but maybe that means I baked them a tad too long?). I had a couple people try them and they said they wouldn't have been able to tell they were gluten-free unless I told them.<br />
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Can't wait to try them? Here's the recipe!<br />
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<b>Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies</b><br />
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Mix together with a whisk in a large bowl and set aside:<br />
1/4 cup almond flour<br />
1 cup white rice flour<br />
1/2 cup sweet rice flour<br />
1/2 cup tapioca flour<br />
1 teaspoon xanthan gum<br />
1 teaspoon baking soda<br />
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In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the following and beat until smooth and creamy:<br />
1 cup softened butter<br />
1/4 cup granulated sugar<br />
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar<br />
1 teaspoon vanilla<br />
1 package (4 serving size) Jello instant vanilla pudding mix<br />
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Beat in 2 eggs.<br />
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Gradually add the flour mixture. Then stir in a 12-ounce package of chocolate chips.<br />
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Drop by rounded teaspoon onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes.<br />
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Makes about 4 dozen.Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16564267237855840182noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496717787574987977.post-89729768196074296882013-09-07T20:38:00.000-04:002013-09-07T20:38:35.881-04:00How to Make a Fabric Princess (or Prince) Crown<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My niece is going to turn two years old soon and we are planning a pink and gold party. I thought she'd need a pink and gold crown to wear at her party. I had made a couple blue and gold crowns for my sons when they were younger, so I used the same technique here.</div>
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The first step is to make a pattern. I had a foam crown from Oriental Trading that fit my boys' heads and I traced it on to tracing paper to make a pattern.<br />
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Cut one each of gold and pink fabric. To make sure my crown ended up looking symmetric, I folded my pattern in half and I folded my fabric in half. Then I pinned the pattern to both pieces of fabric at once with the fold of the pattern on the fold of the fabric. Both of my fabrics were thin so cutting through four layers at once wasn't a problem. (I got my fabric from the remnant bin at JoAnn Fabrics because you need less than 1/2 yard of each color.)<br />
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Lay both pieces of the fabric crown, right side down, on a hard surface. Fold up the bottom edge of both pieces a 1/4 inch or 1/2 inch and iron it so it stays put.<br />
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Pin the right sides together and sew around the whole crown except for the bottom edge. Leave the bottom edge (where you ironed the hem) completely open. After sewing, trim the tips off of the crown points close to your seam. Then turn the crown right side out.<br />
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Stuff the crown lightly, using a pencil to push the stuffing up into the points.<br />
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Pin bottom sides together. Topstitch along that bottom edge sealing up the crown.<br />
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Sew strips of velcro on the ends of the crown to hold the crown closed. (If you want a neater crown you should sew the velcro on the pink and gold pieces of fabric before you sew the crown together.)<br />
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And you're done!</div>
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I can't wait to see my niece with this crown perched on her blond curls!<br />
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<br />Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16564267237855840182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496717787574987977.post-38894437854440750462013-08-25T16:08:00.003-04:002013-10-27T08:10:11.141-04:00Minecraft 8th Birthday PartyMy son just turned eight and wanted a Minecraft-themed party. There are plenty of great ideas out there on the internet. Here's what we ended up doing.<br />
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<b>Decorations:</b><br />
<u>Minecraft papercraft</u> -- We used free printable templates found at <a href="http://www.instructables.com/id/The-Ultimate-Guide-to-Minecraft-Papercrafts/" target="_blank">instructables.com</a>. My boys chose several things they wanted to make, I printed them out on white cardstock and they went to town cutting and assembling. They made this lovely Minecraft display for the party all by themselves!<br />
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<u>Birthday Banner</u> -- I cut 3-inch squares out of kraft cardstock as the base, punched holes in the corners and strung brown ribbon through the holes. (For a few of the blocks, I used dark brown and green cardstock instead of the kraft just to keep things interesting.) I found a "grass block" image online and used Photoshop Elements to create one 2x2 block for each letter I wanted for the banner. The font for the letters is a free download on <a href="http://www.dafont.com/minecrafter.font" target="_blank">dafont.com</a>. Type the letters on the grass block, print them out, cut them out, and glue on the cardstock squares.</div>
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<u>Torches </u>-- I used a Minecraft wall torch template that I found <a href="http://littleblueegg.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Minecraft-torch_11x17.png" target="_blank">here</a>. I resized it for 8 1/2 x 11 paper and printed out two of them. Once they were cut out, folded and assembled, I stuck them to the wall using straight pins and tape. I crumpled up some yellow tissue paper to stick in the top of the torches to make them look more like they were on fire.</div>
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<u>Pixelated Window</u> -- My husband drew on the window with window markers to make them look like the glass you use in your Minecraft houses. He also drew a creeper and a zombie face as well as a few blocks.</div>
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<u>Steve and Zombie heads</u> -- one of the talented guys in our youth group at church was Minecraft Steve for Halloween. He let us borrow his costume for Steve and a Zombie made out of cardboard and paint. (These became part of a game later!)</div>
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<b>Food</b>: The world of Minecraft includes food so I decided our party menu should include things available in the game. <br />
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<span style="text-align: start;">We served carrots, watermelon, apples, chicken (nuggets), and potatoes (french fries). To drink we had water bottles and "creeper juice".</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">The Choose Awesome blog has a fabulous </span><a href="http://ichooseawesome.wordpress.com/2012/12/03/epic-minecraft-party/" style="text-align: start;" target="_blank">blog post about hosting an epic Minecraft party</a><span style="text-align: start;">. The blog made my life so easy because she posted many of the free printables that I used for our party.</span></div>
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The "creeper juice" was some kind of sour warhead green drink that I saw on sale. I used the water bottle labels from the Choose Awesome blog post and then modified them a bit to make the creeper juice labels. The boys at the party were very excited about the creeper juice.<br />
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<b>Activities:</b><br />
We had several crafts and activities planned for the party. As the guests arrived they got to <u>craft their own chest</u>. We provided brown paper lunch sacks and pictures of various Minecraft characters. (Again, I printed the images from the Choose Awesome blog.) They glued the images on their bags. These became the party favor bags: I added some square candies (Starburst, Now and Later, Nerds) and the guests put all the things they made at the party into their bags.<br />
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The guests could also <u>make a torch</u> like the ones I made to hang next to the banner. I gave them each a glow stick to put inside their torches, too.<br />
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Later, they could <u>make a Minecraft pickaxe</u>. I found an image <a href="http://pixelpapercraft.com/papercraft/503b56517d3c9559520000c4/life-size-diamond-pickaxe" target="_blank">here</a> of a diamond pickaxe and had several copies printed out for the guests. The guests cut out the images and glued them on to cardboard axes we had cut out ahead of time. Because cutting the cardboard (or foam board) required an X-acto knife, we did that job prior to the party so the kids wouldn't endanger any of their fingers.<br />
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Surprisingly more popular than the pickaxes were the <u>perler beads</u>. Perler beads and Minecraft go together so well because they both have that pixelated look. I had printed out a few examples of things other people had made out of these beads (thank you, internet), and let the kids use their imagination. Here are a couple things my niece made. Aren't they cute?<br />
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In between the crafting sessions, we had a game for the kids to play. First, we had scattered some "diamonds" and "ore" around the yard (vase fillers from the dollar bins at Michael's). The two teams had to gather up all their diamonds/ore and stash them in little square boxes (dollar spot at Target). Later those boxes filled with treasure became each team's "flag" in a game of capture the flag. To spice up that game a little, my husband and I dressed up as Steve and the Zombie and ran around trying to tag the kids.<br />
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Here's my niece in the Steve costume after I got too hot.<br />
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When it was time for cake, we had one more game for the kids. In the game of Minecraft, you have to collect eggs, milk, sugar and wheat to "craft" a cake. We made them find all those ingredients hidden in Easter eggs in the yard before they could have cake.</div>
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I made a square cake to look like the ones on Minecraft.</div>
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Happy birthday to my sweet eight-year-old. May creepers never explode your house.</div>
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<i>Edited to add .jpg files for the cake crafting activity:</i></div>
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Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16564267237855840182noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496717787574987977.post-87948029748943333482013-08-06T20:56:00.002-04:002013-08-06T20:56:37.650-04:00Make Your Own Hunger Games T-shirt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3hOjMTVZe64Y9FqI-I3HZ346GCJ-vFSj1AJtbL0dA7xzwSx2kDodMSMvhZqpMuPZbgglflqOCCBZIfO3__v4wHo7KpyVOjxloIozcXrMfLCLot8tzAJPbLpW2tc03Y6cNWsIG4swjbC0/s1600/DIY+hunger+games+iron+on+tshirt+transfer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3hOjMTVZe64Y9FqI-I3HZ346GCJ-vFSj1AJtbL0dA7xzwSx2kDodMSMvhZqpMuPZbgglflqOCCBZIfO3__v4wHo7KpyVOjxloIozcXrMfLCLot8tzAJPbLpW2tc03Y6cNWsIG4swjbC0/s320/DIY+hunger+games+iron+on+tshirt+transfer.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I had this t-shirt from Old Navy and I decided to give it a little Hunger Games makeover. The shirt already said "LOVE" but I wanted it to say "LOVE changed the game" with a mockingjay.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv-TJAnt_HnZfTjpUb3AC2CbtFcSxSu2bvmby2QpnHVQpS3N7V_c1tP_IeMQJgXkmis90iD-M4APr8CusSPs0ngpoHLQ5YlM1-9S4mdGH0beim79-mZWGfn7sNk-m8XF6021CIt5uEGa0/s1600/Hunger+Games+Love+Changed+the+Game+tshirt+refashion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv-TJAnt_HnZfTjpUb3AC2CbtFcSxSu2bvmby2QpnHVQpS3N7V_c1tP_IeMQJgXkmis90iD-M4APr8CusSPs0ngpoHLQ5YlM1-9S4mdGH0beim79-mZWGfn7sNk-m8XF6021CIt5uEGa0/s320/Hunger+Games+Love+Changed+the+Game+tshirt+refashion.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I ran a piece of dark t-shirt transfer paper through my cricut machine and cut out all the letters I needed. When you iron the letters on the shirt, they just remain white. If you wanted a different color letters (or if you don't have a cricut) you could use your computer to print the letters onto the transfer paper and cut them out with a scissors.<br />
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For the mockingjay, I found the image online and printed it on regular paper first. Then I taped a strip of dark t-shirt transfer paper over the printed picture and ran it through the printer again. That way, I didn't have to mess up a whole sheet of transfer paper for my little one-inch image.<br />
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Once you get everything cut out, you just line it up where you want it on the shirt, and follow the directions for your t-shirt transfers to iron it on.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV_5gM8VgSvUBnyeBILk0DFnnrHzCBBpE26Ajvo-aNZG4l0jtd2u_eF8tlwR6IeZem1NxaohQb81ND_Ig-vXCTn0bX26Km6P9dj-WLlKy0fLFnrwUwgnNoX5_Qtobcg5UTCOEZxgzKkQc/s1600/100_9182.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV_5gM8VgSvUBnyeBILk0DFnnrHzCBBpE26Ajvo-aNZG4l0jtd2u_eF8tlwR6IeZem1NxaohQb81ND_Ig-vXCTn0bX26Km6P9dj-WLlKy0fLFnrwUwgnNoX5_Qtobcg5UTCOEZxgzKkQc/s320/100_9182.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Then you can wear your new t-shirt!<br />
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Who's excited for the Catching Fire movie coming out this fall? This girl!</div>
<br />Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16564267237855840182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496717787574987977.post-300617009470247012013-08-01T21:10:00.000-04:002013-08-06T21:11:18.070-04:00Easy Brave Party Food<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
My mother-in-law let the boys pick her birthday party theme this year and they went with Brave. So I put together a relatively simple menu and gave each dish a Brave-themed title.</div>
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For the cake, I baked round cakes and frosted them to look like Merida's archery targets.</div>
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I used a couple bamboo skewers and some cardstock to make "arrows" to stick in the bullseye.</div>
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It came together pretty quickly and was eaten quickly, too!</div>
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<br />Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16564267237855840182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496717787574987977.post-19974545753034087152013-06-16T09:34:00.000-04:002013-06-17T10:05:19.124-04:00Happy Father's DayWe were travelling on Father's Day so we didn't do anything elaborate. But I found these free printable Dad glasses and thought they were great! I printed them on black cardstock, cut them out, and taped them together. All done!<br />
<a href="http://www.mrprintables.com/images/celebrate/fathers-day-printable-glasses.jpg" target="_blank">Printable Glasses for Father's Day from Mr. Printables</a><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My boys with their daddy</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My brother and I with our dad</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9YTwcwmbo_CDbW3jqw3vxM5onxqrEzq-sH0TGVNKHVA9rguZrEZtxHLaaZLI1oKyhl4SJx4Gn9gNHnuem70z25DcLOh370im167ylty80Ov8JcgI1ZG2dFZJCN8maOgdfZanCAJxCiHg/s1600/100_8963_crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9YTwcwmbo_CDbW3jqw3vxM5onxqrEzq-sH0TGVNKHVA9rguZrEZtxHLaaZLI1oKyhl4SJx4Gn9gNHnuem70z25DcLOh370im167ylty80Ov8JcgI1ZG2dFZJCN8maOgdfZanCAJxCiHg/s320/100_8963_crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My brother with his two girls<br /></td></tr>
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So blessed to be with family on Father's Day!Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16564267237855840182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496717787574987977.post-70912526688075391232013-06-10T09:02:00.000-04:002013-06-17T09:33:08.616-04:00End of the School Year CardThe end of the school year arrived in a flurry of field trips and soccer games so I didn't have time to make fancy teacher gifts this year. Hooray for finding free printables on Pinterest.<br />
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Our PTO bought iPads for each classroom this year, so I bought iTunes gift cards for my boys' teachers and made a tag similar to <a href="http://eighteen25.blogspot.com/2012/05/appreciated-card.html" target="_blank">this one</a> from eighteen25.<br />
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My diabetic son has an aide who helps keep an eye on him at school. I bought her a gift card from the gas station and made this card to go with it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5O6f8TzxbAFdax7-Y-xf0QYe7iCdgOcLZzUPSolYdmO4bthv89cRYlsM3AUbW427EOdf5HCyBPdE_DRX9LKXcxDs_4g4lpPBMaryE6utyRy47i9kDowYrt_iWHaAHlCWqUDC77SZHBPw/s1600/Thanks+a+Melon+card.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5O6f8TzxbAFdax7-Y-xf0QYe7iCdgOcLZzUPSolYdmO4bthv89cRYlsM3AUbW427EOdf5HCyBPdE_DRX9LKXcxDs_4g4lpPBMaryE6utyRy47i9kDowYrt_iWHaAHlCWqUDC77SZHBPw/s320/Thanks+a+Melon+card.jpg" width="319" /></a></div>
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I've had the stamp sets forever from StampinUp. The truck is from the "Loads of Love" set. The "thanks a melon" sentiment was from the "Little Phrases" set and the watermelon was from "Mini Icons".</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7eK6nRKeb857-PM_EYHW9oFLml95lPnZGUQZXsttYZL3ejt2Zym1g-vpH_EdVV71dwXG2kOrVCS3JxCwFVpGrHdZcJ4iqPB0L4OtW1SMu0NTD2GXzTezGNNRTPIN2QBqTVvkxUmWi-_U/s1600/thank+you+card+with+gas+card.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7eK6nRKeb857-PM_EYHW9oFLml95lPnZGUQZXsttYZL3ejt2Zym1g-vpH_EdVV71dwXG2kOrVCS3JxCwFVpGrHdZcJ4iqPB0L4OtW1SMu0NTD2GXzTezGNNRTPIN2QBqTVvkxUmWi-_U/s320/thank+you+card+with+gas+card.jpg" width="318" /></a></div>
<br />Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16564267237855840182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496717787574987977.post-40780119736542114092013-06-01T08:46:00.000-04:002013-06-17T09:01:50.866-04:00Black and White Graduation CardJune means graduation parties and I was invited to seven of them this year! Here is the card I made for my friends in the Class of 2013.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjioo_IV1horGnTzr7LTtvTpdeA7RdNHyKF8302FIbuNYw0_FXlHDHiN3Whn4dP35g1Y1Z2q8KH3ljaCHImuy-1eALTYso6rkYBnSnou_mNtS84ACaSsL8cGLYjVr0YGDtsYXOrXHhLEo8/s1600/black+and+white+graduation+card.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjioo_IV1horGnTzr7LTtvTpdeA7RdNHyKF8302FIbuNYw0_FXlHDHiN3Whn4dP35g1Y1Z2q8KH3ljaCHImuy-1eALTYso6rkYBnSnou_mNtS84ACaSsL8cGLYjVr0YGDtsYXOrXHhLEo8/s320/black+and+white+graduation+card.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Since I was making seven cards for grads from several area high schools, I decided to make them all black and white instead of using the grad's school colors. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIx010wJSMi83rtupRsRiJ0yW3XAxKttCKvGJow0BuKrIJTD42iw7NjY9Tf_EHDF_Qyvd3emOzq-HJIcH1u4e7lE_1NnPGVIFNo9qwTqZ-UhdzV-BWsL82qEO4f3Vrvhx4TW-1r62gnuY/s1600/100_8842.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIx010wJSMi83rtupRsRiJ0yW3XAxKttCKvGJow0BuKrIJTD42iw7NjY9Tf_EHDF_Qyvd3emOzq-HJIcH1u4e7lE_1NnPGVIFNo9qwTqZ-UhdzV-BWsL82qEO4f3Vrvhx4TW-1r62gnuY/s320/100_8842.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The patterned papers are from Close To My Heart (For Always Paper Packet from the Spring/Summer 2013 Idea Book) The stamps are also from Close To My Heart. I bought the 2013 silver charms from Oriental Trading.</div>
<br />Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16564267237855840182noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496717787574987977.post-11426481720563059092013-05-06T12:15:00.000-04:002013-05-29T12:44:54.646-04:00May The Fourth Be With YouStar Wars was a big part of my childhood. Same with my husband. So, of course, we've passed that quirk on to our kids and we like to celebrate Star Wars Day every Spring. Star Wars Day is celebrated annually on May 4 -- as in "May the Fourth be with you". Nerdy, I know. But fun.<div>
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It was a busy day, but I managed to pull together a few touches to make our evening more Star Wars related. I made "regular" food, but presented it in a different way to make it feel more festive. Hamburgers became "HanBurgers" and grapes stuck on skewers became "FruitSabers". I added blue food coloring to our milk to make it look like the stuff they drink in the movies. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy95773CN0kXbEau8uR80iyAVR2DlBlEoxw9MBlqeBB9Lv9K3BLMSLP5UafYE2XNLXgqJLvUtOMuHsSrwV0sPtQarwU0N5u9waDdiBxaw-2GPohvG7GE5E64e9ANh_t-geRZ5jkYfNe9I/s1600/Star+Wars+Day+Menu+May+4th.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy95773CN0kXbEau8uR80iyAVR2DlBlEoxw9MBlqeBB9Lv9K3BLMSLP5UafYE2XNLXgqJLvUtOMuHsSrwV0sPtQarwU0N5u9waDdiBxaw-2GPohvG7GE5E64e9ANh_t-geRZ5jkYfNe9I/s320/Star+Wars+Day+Menu+May+4th.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">The cupcakes were the only menu item that took extra time, but I've been wanting to make Leia cupcakes ever since I saw a picture of them online. I'm a (gluten-free) box mix girl, so they came together quickly. The mouths are heart-shaped sprinkles and I purchased the candy eyes in the baking aisle at Michael's. The side hair buns are (gluten-free) oreo cookies stuck on with frosting.</span></div>
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It's always a treat for the boys to eat dinner in the family room in front of the TV. I told them to put out a few of their Star Wars toys to decorate the family room. They were very enthusiastic about that project.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxLQTqjTmuVqtNEoi9bQt-rdP-Bd2gitaWkmUM1F8zVUi-5AXQYFZTptJRbJWv2da6fNo01u9Kc9wK2y3z5SMu8ExlKpjr9JdMvQWFGX4jdTryNPBYXAgdKfNuqeGV60s0L1HizetlBbs/s1600/100_8725.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxLQTqjTmuVqtNEoi9bQt-rdP-Bd2gitaWkmUM1F8zVUi-5AXQYFZTptJRbJWv2da6fNo01u9Kc9wK2y3z5SMu8ExlKpjr9JdMvQWFGX4jdTryNPBYXAgdKfNuqeGV60s0L1HizetlBbs/s320/100_8725.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">We watched Revenge of the Sith - which the boys had never seen - while we ate. (We skipped the part where Anakin gets burned because I didn't want them to have nightmares!)</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">With just a few easy modifications to our normal routine, I turned a normal day into a family fun day. It just goes to show you don't have to create an elaborate party to make a memory.</span></div>
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Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16564267237855840182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496717787574987977.post-39796115525455343282013-03-10T11:30:00.000-04:002013-05-29T11:58:54.140-04:00Caution: Wet PaintSomething about the arrival of Spring makes me want to refresh my home. This year, I decided that my bedroom walls had been blue long enough (12 years!) and it was time for a change.<br />
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We had remodeled the master bathroom during 2010 and had painted those walls a nice toasty beige. The color is called <a href="http://www.homedepot.com/p/BEHR-Premium-Plus-Ultra-8-oz-UL170-11-Roman-Plaster-Interior-Exterior-Paint-Sample-UL170-11/202180143#.UaYh9kDVCbE" target="_blank">Roman Plaster</a> and it's by Behr. The online picture makes it look more "greige" but it's actually warmer in real life. I decided to paint the bedroom walls that same color.<br />
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<img alt="BEHR Premium Plus Ultra 8 oz. #UL170-11 Roman Plaster Interior/Exterior Paint Sample" src="http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/productImages/300/2b/2b1611a9-6077-4bfa-97f6-074fc47ab708_300.jpg" /></div>
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Good-bye, blue. Hello, beige!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNI5ohdLZnUq4vEnRJsXHfj66ljtI0AWsyhrypAzooeM1hBEELyr7PKDuKVRmPFnu1OSKx3fSkoYJjpJWcGkF5OAiJgX2oCsqR1T1r_nJl9FOp9HSZXhhwdGuyS0zWZWCVXpW6yRxPlP8/s1600/000_0012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNI5ohdLZnUq4vEnRJsXHfj66ljtI0AWsyhrypAzooeM1hBEELyr7PKDuKVRmPFnu1OSKx3fSkoYJjpJWcGkF5OAiJgX2oCsqR1T1r_nJl9FOp9HSZXhhwdGuyS0zWZWCVXpW6yRxPlP8/s320/000_0012.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here are a couple "before and after" shots for you. Just a warning, even the "after" shots show my room in "everyday mode". I didn't fancy them all up for the internet.</div>
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In addition to the paint, we rearranged the furniture and even bought some new pieces. The two white bedside tables and the lamps are from IKEA. And that's my dog, Carl. He's the reason I don't have fancy bed linens.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDO2ZPKrDbAK-ZM5Rx9NNxeuRqXq69-Iz5OdDDd9mJFOdJUfS2uHIW363neVOFL1dpz3HSTeKg4YJQtLCXcbvdmshTVGu5dQKl3gTxKcNaQzfi3lc5gaVfvUME_XVdmp4Jy6XSVmnq6MA/s1600/bedroom+repaint.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDO2ZPKrDbAK-ZM5Rx9NNxeuRqXq69-Iz5OdDDd9mJFOdJUfS2uHIW363neVOFL1dpz3HSTeKg4YJQtLCXcbvdmshTVGu5dQKl3gTxKcNaQzfi3lc5gaVfvUME_XVdmp4Jy6XSVmnq6MA/s320/bedroom+repaint.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The old chair was thrown out (it was older than I am) and I moved a different chair into my bedroom from the living room. The cedar chest is a family heirloom refinished by my mom and my grandpa.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ_5knRR1L6vsQMB_ZAiRIqC5qCrzlUyMnuhasfeJkmwx4g0gG3yQfRmlT9x3rYOdQzM39oxbSeigmlYeZPafUiIMdXzpAnLJq7rLBgC0enJNPni82TLOXV0RkzAo4D0Nwp82j74DPKXo/s1600/bedrooom+repaint2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ_5knRR1L6vsQMB_ZAiRIqC5qCrzlUyMnuhasfeJkmwx4g0gG3yQfRmlT9x3rYOdQzM39oxbSeigmlYeZPafUiIMdXzpAnLJq7rLBgC0enJNPni82TLOXV0RkzAo4D0Nwp82j74DPKXo/s320/bedrooom+repaint2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I put up the same blue curtains and kept the same sheets and throw pillows. And nothing is on the walls yet. So this is still a work in progress. I'm keeping my eyes open for some art and some linens! What should I get? Should I change up the color? Decisions, decisions.</div>
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Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16564267237855840182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496717787574987977.post-33284690348055707192013-02-18T05:00:00.000-05:002013-03-17T16:07:25.040-04:00Banner for Retirement Party<div style="text-align: center;">
My dad recently retired so I made him this banner.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHevCnJ-hVBWp1LojPJ837CX5sthRygWbmPf4GH7aielYvmIPMagRyUbCfjEkHf_1Qe28jmw9kMrNBsYUrTxYwhSv3QCtUV-oQuayDXL4j17aXDF6OVINrJOHkaUZiMmmjZzLQY1bERvM/s1600/retirement+party+banner.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHevCnJ-hVBWp1LojPJ837CX5sthRygWbmPf4GH7aielYvmIPMagRyUbCfjEkHf_1Qe28jmw9kMrNBsYUrTxYwhSv3QCtUV-oQuayDXL4j17aXDF6OVINrJOHkaUZiMmmjZzLQY1bERvM/s320/retirement+party+banner.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The scalloped squares were cut from kraft cardstock, the lacy squares were cut from a beige cardstock and the letters were cut from a chocolate brown cardstock. All the shapes and letters were cut on my Cricut using my Art Philosophy and Artiste cartridges from Close to My Heart.</div>
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I sponged brown ink onto the lacy squares to give them more dimension. And I sponged brown ink on the edges of the letters. I attached the letters with dimensional adhesive to make them stand out more.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5WIX6XAiqfQlRcGm8oEq01RrN8riuFo23BCkxSB_OnWD_gixtjgNJ4s9DU0VCPr6EnKotgbpgYFvXjagoK9hYzWqDeegElhvdSgUvB5F9e1cRDr2AhLS_YKLeEHzoZiq-_PRVofP8eh0/s1600/100_8592.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5WIX6XAiqfQlRcGm8oEq01RrN8riuFo23BCkxSB_OnWD_gixtjgNJ4s9DU0VCPr6EnKotgbpgYFvXjagoK9hYzWqDeegElhvdSgUvB5F9e1cRDr2AhLS_YKLeEHzoZiq-_PRVofP8eh0/s320/100_8592.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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For the two end pieces of the banner, I chose to use hearts because my dad's last day of work happened to be Valentine's Day.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjT7-5gMR1XBx66MkypohV37WKa4iseuL7mLwWrRqPesFxwIXLHaukn3gUdbV_-jPdyg5FVKS40nQigbwdsA33wazI1_ot0_ObJSvc451EbQBsepzOYrWiVW1ibktEC6wesqHnM774t6o/s1600/100_8593.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjT7-5gMR1XBx66MkypohV37WKa4iseuL7mLwWrRqPesFxwIXLHaukn3gUdbV_-jPdyg5FVKS40nQigbwdsA33wazI1_ot0_ObJSvc451EbQBsepzOYrWiVW1ibktEC6wesqHnM774t6o/s320/100_8593.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The beige hearts were cut using my Cricut and then sponged with brown ink. The smaller items on the end pieces were stamped into beige cardstock, cut out with scissors, and attached.</div>
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Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16564267237855840182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496717787574987977.post-4621505229461789522013-02-14T05:00:00.000-05:002013-03-17T15:18:58.984-04:00Red & White Valentine Lace Heart Cookies<div style="text-align: center;">
Ever since I saw <a href="http://www.sweetsugarbelle.com/2012/01/piping-lace-on-cookies/" target="_blank">a tutorial</a> on the Sweet Adventures of Sugarbelle, I knew I wanted to try making lace cookies.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkIoHVohErmQcuhWj9xoIwE-4-dN8i0NMK_EogsZJvGhIeQ6dS0-waQeoew_jt9FKkl_KsQgd42mBjHXwb_lktq7_Tzu4TiEL4hY651i4g7v0C1r46wOQuy5KI1QvMlRPxPl2jtIow1VU/s1600/lace+heart+valentine+cookies+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkIoHVohErmQcuhWj9xoIwE-4-dN8i0NMK_EogsZJvGhIeQ6dS0-waQeoew_jt9FKkl_KsQgd42mBjHXwb_lktq7_Tzu4TiEL4hY651i4g7v0C1r46wOQuy5KI1QvMlRPxPl2jtIow1VU/s320/lace+heart+valentine+cookies+detail.jpg" width="319" /></a></div>
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I can't believe how easy it is! I did an image search for "lace cookies" and found plenty of inspiration. So I tried a bunch of different patterns.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMoweISKVV-YX6RFaWsuSpI27f7RZ0LYWr4GA-fpAeOxVXkw8brCEsaEBkM7Obx0TYF0MPicJsUSgvD39d5ESBLVrfNhhaVw8A1Hxhu3iDwbr-XegeK7ThED88V7LpsT4hxJikhacRFXI/s1600/valentine+heart+lace+cookie+corner+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMoweISKVV-YX6RFaWsuSpI27f7RZ0LYWr4GA-fpAeOxVXkw8brCEsaEBkM7Obx0TYF0MPicJsUSgvD39d5ESBLVrfNhhaVw8A1Hxhu3iDwbr-XegeK7ThED88V7LpsT4hxJikhacRFXI/s320/valentine+heart+lace+cookie+corner+detail.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I tried to make each cookie a little bit different, but I repeated a couple of my favorite designs. It was so much fun to doodle with frosting! I will definitely use this technique again.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYwfEnDAZCXddOgcC-giiKQwhbkyl3MY3uPZu-vSY8OaG1TPPWeO4USAISg8BCN76yxcI8ZyH34LEErIwO6JN8GG-R4BBeLWjyKTMEOkcliKU2U0nifnYh7y2Y__cIMLY5UF2w5F5wATI/s1600/lace+heart+valentine+cookies.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYwfEnDAZCXddOgcC-giiKQwhbkyl3MY3uPZu-vSY8OaG1TPPWeO4USAISg8BCN76yxcI8ZyH34LEErIwO6JN8GG-R4BBeLWjyKTMEOkcliKU2U0nifnYh7y2Y__cIMLY5UF2w5F5wATI/s320/lace+heart+valentine+cookies.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16564267237855840182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496717787574987977.post-79709790466142886432013-02-13T05:00:00.000-05:002013-03-17T14:41:45.925-04:00Valentines for Teachers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This year the boys made <a href="http://makedoordowithout.blogspot.com/2013/02/boys-have-ball-homemade-valentines.html" target="_blank">"Have a Ball" Valentines</a> for their classmates. I didn't think their teachers would want a bouncy ball, so I came up with a different idea for them.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjk36XCgTUWj6qGlJPrnzW1uKktaMT5CAD6PXbqngvdlf57bOKQkO0J6mfj99HNiqe4CzGB0d-y1Rz_NZW18DrDRWvMMem02EsrLx3kt6wixWPzuV6L77wMhmDk-V0UGuGSn_svE9tpd0/s1600/o+fish+ally+the+best+teacher+chocolate+valentine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjk36XCgTUWj6qGlJPrnzW1uKktaMT5CAD6PXbqngvdlf57bOKQkO0J6mfj99HNiqe4CzGB0d-y1Rz_NZW18DrDRWvMMem02EsrLx3kt6wixWPzuV6L77wMhmDk-V0UGuGSn_svE9tpd0/s320/o+fish+ally+the+best+teacher+chocolate+valentine.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I modified the topper I made for the boys' valentines to say "You're o-fish-ally the best!". Then I made some fish-shaped chocolates using Wilton chocolate candy melts and a fish mold. I also had a wedding-themed mold that had the heart shape and I used the red candy melts for that.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP_W7gmdQW6eIFBSXAuFjXRyLyYh41S27bQwHpFabvvhyyD5X958uz8wzuYr24psVURlZBE8u9gEszVOrEZojIh_umQK829ggjDJtqbKVZE2Iml1sMlLAwAaDtHziEaLrgU395VqlahZU/s1600/officially+the+best+teacher+valentines.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP_W7gmdQW6eIFBSXAuFjXRyLyYh41S27bQwHpFabvvhyyD5X958uz8wzuYr24psVURlZBE8u9gEszVOrEZojIh_umQK829ggjDJtqbKVZE2Iml1sMlLAwAaDtHziEaLrgU395VqlahZU/s320/officially+the+best+teacher+valentines.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Once the candies hardened, I put them in the cellophane bags and stapled on the topper.</div>
<br />Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16564267237855840182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496717787574987977.post-32307220611265723062013-02-09T06:00:00.000-05:002013-02-09T06:00:01.118-05:00Avengers Captain America BirthdayMy super husband just had a birthday. He's been watching Avengers cartoons with the boys lately, so we threw him a Captain America birthday party.<br />
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I was able to recycle the banner I made for his <a href="http://makedoordowithout.blogspot.com/2012/02/my-husbands-angry-bird-day-party.html" target="_blank">Angry Birds-themed party</a> last year. I added Captain America shields, made out of layered card stock, to the ends of the banner.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIxb8k_Cb7Qxu9KCXAic1TNIfTXwIcXnGI81B1bAzlJsZSir6WZQrzwm3Xj2hHd3kxWuTRRMFNY66bXkJu0ZRhS9SIDmzSPe2eQTr2R4vCvrIwAyS9Pxx6dqPf4_JcXnCxvRAae_qUh4U/s1600/captain+america+birthday+banner+avengers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIxb8k_Cb7Qxu9KCXAic1TNIfTXwIcXnGI81B1bAzlJsZSir6WZQrzwm3Xj2hHd3kxWuTRRMFNY66bXkJu0ZRhS9SIDmzSPe2eQTr2R4vCvrIwAyS9Pxx6dqPf4_JcXnCxvRAae_qUh4U/s320/captain+america+birthday+banner+avengers.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I set the table with Captain America napkins and blow-outs. Plus, now that Disney and Marvel are the same company, they feature some fabulous free printable party decorations at <a href="http://family.go.com/printables/pkg-marvel-avengers/" target="_blank">family.go.com</a>, including coloring pages, masks, and the little guys you can see on my table in the photo below.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5DSvIHaEV14MKr1sQK6ZXeVPD2U2xvtbBBjq4JEwrTgJ0nwYlhUlkf2chGD-bVWSdgnH7wFysRDXls1aVDv3Gldfwqz6epfn2l3GRB5JqrYdJBfXN-3ATmGHjIRqZALgiUAHQxxwenZ0/s1600/100_8599.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5DSvIHaEV14MKr1sQK6ZXeVPD2U2xvtbBBjq4JEwrTgJ0nwYlhUlkf2chGD-bVWSdgnH7wFysRDXls1aVDv3Gldfwqz6epfn2l3GRB5JqrYdJBfXN-3ATmGHjIRqZALgiUAHQxxwenZ0/s320/100_8599.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I kept the food fun and easy. I made Wasp's Wings (hot wings, and some not-so-hot wings for the kids), and Thor Hammers (pretzel sticks in chunks of cheese). I set out various salad ingredients and said, "Avengers, Assemble! (your own salad)."<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjks8GSYbODwwt37kZIeyD2d5MfaM7MOtH2EagFp1lfoc7DW_617co-NA98XazoZ4Qgwk1EthfU3iahWadMUsr5N1M0jHdpLEE7fCWNVkwMH9sed-TSOhyMU5VlyBnBikuzweN9rCZprLA/s1600/Thor+Hammers+Avengers+party+food.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjks8GSYbODwwt37kZIeyD2d5MfaM7MOtH2EagFp1lfoc7DW_617co-NA98XazoZ4Qgwk1EthfU3iahWadMUsr5N1M0jHdpLEE7fCWNVkwMH9sed-TSOhyMU5VlyBnBikuzweN9rCZprLA/s320/Thor+Hammers+Avengers+party+food.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Since we are having another birthday party this weekend involving cake, I wanted to make something different for dessert. So red, white and blue Jello! (Well, the white part isn't actually Jello; it's Cool Whip.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6vV92nBLSqf-WYhHYiWbKncYJchGsivoA4TtPw7UoR9l0gTxPWbpDnpe2Mxmsb_2uX8Q9Unr22uORfO5Wu14jfQUlhunY9jeWEeEH8yBMdQHNCdi6FZVSPRFlBqwPh_Jw22o_nhAZzrs/s1600/captain+america+jello+dessert.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6vV92nBLSqf-WYhHYiWbKncYJchGsivoA4TtPw7UoR9l0gTxPWbpDnpe2Mxmsb_2uX8Q9Unr22uORfO5Wu14jfQUlhunY9jeWEeEH8yBMdQHNCdi6FZVSPRFlBqwPh_Jw22o_nhAZzrs/s320/captain+america+jello+dessert.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I also made Patriotic Popcorn for the kids' bedtime snack. I can't believe I forgot to take a picture of it because it turned out super cute. You can find the directions online at <a href="http://bloomdesignsonline.blogspot.com/2012/05/happy-monday-you-all-enjoyed-you.html" target="_blank">Bloom Designs. </a>I used red and blue mini M&M's and red, white, and blue sprinkles along with the popcorn and melted white chocolate. I will definitely be making this again with her ideas for other holidays and colors.</div>
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So that's it! After dinner, he opened his gifts and the boys "helped" him put together the Captain America Lego set he got.</div>
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Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16564267237855840182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496717787574987977.post-76985810875771074472013-02-08T14:53:00.001-05:002013-02-08T14:53:14.026-05:00Boys' "Have A Ball" Homemade Valentines<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiwgNIWMRJw6p3878RVEKSACUp1-kBV6CMMRvn738N2cVeT7vsNQ-yjyOdz5LM1_DcNd44ZTIglnvqthn0-vikeNOUFSYlGWV2qiZtcGZfQt6bqKxzGtYKK0sbvDfqfRU7FtW9rHKadk8/s1600/DIY+Boy+Valentine+Ball.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiwgNIWMRJw6p3878RVEKSACUp1-kBV6CMMRvn738N2cVeT7vsNQ-yjyOdz5LM1_DcNd44ZTIglnvqthn0-vikeNOUFSYlGWV2qiZtcGZfQt6bqKxzGtYKK0sbvDfqfRU7FtW9rHKadk8/s400/DIY+Boy+Valentine+Ball.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
With a son who deals with diabetes and celiac disease, we avoid Valentine treats involving candy or any other type of food. I asked the boys this year if they wanted to make Valentine cards featuring glow sticks or bouncy balls. They unanimously chose bouncy balls.<br />
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So I ordered them each a bag of bouncy balls from Oriental Trading, along with some small, clear plastic bags.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_MBBmif6biZ3bNtBfy0GuRnVT9-cA5A2EPp_hD1khx_WMi6vFp_x4meDpRS9liW3ftSp-OiBu_9sKp-uUz07qmXweM2UFzztcCB4hVdY2NJ5rvwk76ZQUkOxoF-A8rut_Q3YKVevdKBE/s1600/100_8588.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_MBBmif6biZ3bNtBfy0GuRnVT9-cA5A2EPp_hD1khx_WMi6vFp_x4meDpRS9liW3ftSp-OiBu_9sKp-uUz07qmXweM2UFzztcCB4hVdY2NJ5rvwk76ZQUkOxoF-A8rut_Q3YKVevdKBE/s320/100_8588.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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And I made some Valentine cards using Photoshop Elements featuring the requisite Valentine cheesy saying.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrhf7hm_d2HDv1vEQBmCl2TLBkNU5AsTvhGB6Pjbu24qUKZ199o5KUJlg9rOkdbT9-e32OtEbUVo85bHK-xIA2eFeaoRegavjUY27MYtR_05RVtq7qnyLyn1fOId9xo44pkSX-6k_S788/s1600/Have+A+Ball+Valentine+Template+Free+Printable.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrhf7hm_d2HDv1vEQBmCl2TLBkNU5AsTvhGB6Pjbu24qUKZ199o5KUJlg9rOkdbT9-e32OtEbUVo85bHK-xIA2eFeaoRegavjUY27MYtR_05RVtq7qnyLyn1fOId9xo44pkSX-6k_S788/s320/Have+A+Ball+Valentine+Template+Free+Printable.jpg" width="247" /></a></div>
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All they had to do is fill out the names of their classmates, stick a card and a ball in each bag, fold over and staple. All done!</div>
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(I apologize in advance to their teachers who will probably have to deal with seeing these fly all over the classroom during the Valentine party.)<br />
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To see last year's homemade Pokemon Valentines, click <a href="http://makedoordowithout.blogspot.com/2012/02/homemade-pokemon-valentines-for-class.html" target="_blank">here.</a>Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16564267237855840182noreply@blogger.com0