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Water Balloon Barrette Tutorial

Hey everyone! So I have a Klutz book on hair and bows from 1994 or something like that... It may be a little out of date but still totally fun! I've learned how to do all kinds of hairstyles from this book. Anyways they have a bow called the "Balloony Bow." Super cute! So I decided to make one using water balloons instead of regular sized balloons; it makes the bow not too big so you can use them for pigtails. :)

Materials:

1 Package water balloons (I got mine from the Dollar Store)

Two barrettes (also from the Dollar Store)

The first thing you're going to want to do is sort the balloons by color. Put them in the order you like. I did mine in the standard rainbow, but once it's all put together you can't exactly tell.

Next just tie the balloons around the barrette in a double knot. Make sure each consecutive balloon points the opposite direction to add some variety. Also, see the tiny hole on the ends of each barrette? I tied two balloons around each hole so the ends wouldn't be bare.

And that's it! Just keep tying the balloons until you've run out of room. You can fluff them up to make them go the exact directions you want. Have fun! And don't forget to give them to a super cute little girl to enjoy! 

Tie-Dying it Up

If one were to take a peek inside my closet at this very moment in time, they would find a wardrobe mainly consisting of home-made and store-bought tie dye shirts. It's kind of an addiction. I love tie dye! One of my favorite summer activities is to have a tie dye party with my friends. It's so much fun! So I had had a party last summer and those shirts have been worn to death. Needless to say I'm getting tired of them. But today I made some brand new ones! And a few onesies for my soon-to-be baby cousin, too. So cute!

So go out and get a tie-dye kit from JoAnn's (and make sure it has soda ash in it, it really brightens the colors) and get your tie dye on too!!

Birdie

I recently had the opportunity to go to The YMCA family camp with my boyfriend and his family. It was so much fun! And I think my favorite part was all of the crafts I got to do. I even learned how to solder! (I made a stained glass cross for my mom) I got to do leather work and make friendship bracelets, lanyards and all that good stuff. But my favorite was this cute little birdie guy. (And Kristi if you are reading this, put a bird on it, It's for you!) He was originally white, but I decided to paint him orange. My first design was the turquoise one that says Live. Laugh. Love. Not anything original, but cute still. Then I thought, he needs the other side decorated! So I came up with my little sunflower design. I added little swirls to fill it in a bit, too. So anyways, here is my little birdie, bright orange to liven up any little space he ends up in.

Sometimes it's just fun to get a little creative! So don't be afraid to tackle a project even if you're not sure where it's going to end up. I'm sure it'll be fun along the way!

Happy First Birthday!

It's always so exciting when your little one has their first birthday, and first taste of birthday cake! Smashing into that thing like nobody's business. I recently had the opportunity to make two first birthday cakes for friend's little ones. So cute!

The left is a giant cupcake and the right is "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" themed. So cute!

Beach, Friends, Heart Shaped Rocks

Black Bean Soup

Hey everyone!

I've recently been making dinner for my family. I decided to try a black bean soup recipe I found online. It's vegan! It is sooooooooo good! My family was raving. We were putting it away to freeze, and my mom was like, "I'm full, but looking at it makes me want more!" Anyways, I found this on allrecipes.com, a great website to find all sorts of recipes!

Here it is, Vegan Black Bean Soup, and I made mine with corn muffins on the side, which the guys in the family especially loved. Also, we had fresh pineapple for dessert. Yum!

Prep time: 15 Minutes

Cook Time: 30 Minutes

Ingredients

·         1 tablespoon olive oil

·         1 large onion, chopped

·         1 stalk celery, chopped

·         2 carrots, chopped

·         4 cloves garlic, chopped

·         2 tablespoons chili powder

·         1 tablespoon ground cumin

·         1 pinch black pepper

·         4 cups vegetable broth

·         4 (15 ounce) cans black beans

·         1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn

·         1 (14.5 ounce) can crushed tomatoes

Directions

1.   Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Saute onion, celery, carrots and garlic for 5 minutes. Season with chili powder, cumin, and black pepper; cook for 1 minute. Stir in vegetable broth, 2 cans of beans, and corn. Bring to a boil.

2.   Meanwhile, in a food processor or blender, process remaining 2 cans beans and tomatoes until smooth. Stir into boiling soup mixture, reduce heat to medium, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Enjoy!