Cupcakes Topped with {Fruit by the Foot} ROSES Tutorial

#diyroses #diy #tutorial #rose #cupcakeroses #recipe #cupcakes #fruitbythefootrose #yummy

I'm excited to share these super fun and even pretty roses I made and put on top of some cupcakes today! They're impressive and don't take long at all to make! AND...you'll never guess what they're made with! NOT fondant! ;)

Here are the supplies/ingredients and steps to make these quick little cupcakes that impress everyone!

Summer Fun with Cousin Swaps! {DIY Water Bottles}

We've been having fun with ALL girls in our house the last couple weeks. We have cousins visiting and our boys are gone visiting other cousins elsewhere. We've had craft days and outtings, and swimming, and lots and lots of karoke, and basically lots of girl fun.Such a different dynamic in our house and my poor hubby has been so outnumbered. Ha!

But, I wanted to share with you one little thing we did as a DIY craft one afternoon. We picked up some water bottles and decided to personalize them so that they could each have a little something to remember this summer together. PLUS, they have worked great here at home and on outtings to help keep everyone hydrated in the summer heat! (And it has eliminated the number of cups used in our house too! WIN! haha)

We decided to just put Cousin Swap on the bottles, and the year mainly, but had to add some names and a fun sun for the summer fun we are having. We kept the design simple, and love the way it came out! They each helped to apply the vinyl to the bottles too. 

Toadally Awesome! {Frog or Toad Kids Craft}

How is your summer going? Ours has been so much fun! We've gone camping, and hiking, and been a small road trip to a family wedding and now we have cousins staying wit us for a bit! So we decided to make it even more fun with these TOADally awesome rock crafts today! 

They're so simple to make....and even more fun sitting out in your garden or in your house next to some plants. PLUS they're great to play with too!

Check them out and see how easy they are to make!

All you really need is some little rocks, some adhesive (I used double sided foam tape and glue dots.), googly eyes, and some paper cut outs of toad (or frog shapes). (Painting the rocks is optional.) They take just minutes to make and kids love love LOVE them!

Princesses for the Day

A few weeks ago, we had the chance to go and meet some Princesses at the Park. I love love loved this idea! I love that some local teens were happy to put this on for the kids. So much fun and such a treat for my girls!

My girls were a little shy at first, but loved meeting Jasmine, Belle, Tinkerbell, Cinderella, Anna, and Rapunzel.  Not to mention that Eric, Prince Charming, and Eugene (or Flynn Rider) made an appearance too! 

DIY Car or Home Air Freshener

Hellllloooo Monday! I hope you had a great weekend! They always go by too fast, don't they?

Well today, I'm excited to share with you one of the simplest DIY projects that I love! It's my own DIY Car freshener or home air freshener.

It's really simple, so I'm going to get right to the specifics for you!

I start with a little chipboard. Any shape will work. I just picked this little flower that I had one hand to show you today. It's about 3 inches in diameter.

Matching Girl and Doll Grass Skirt and Lei DIY Tutorial

Happy Friday! OR should I say FriYay?! haha I don't know what they weather has been like for you lately, but this week has been ALL rain! Crazy summer! We did however enjoy some sunshiny days the past few weeks though, and I wanted to share with you some fun we had in the sun!

My girls (ages from 10 down to 3) all love their dolls! It's a girl thing, right? haha Well, we recently picked up some fun little grass skirts and leis for my girls, just for some fun dress up items. BUT...then they wanted them for their dolls too! (Of course! I should have totally seen that coming!)  Ha! So we decided to whip some up from items we had on hand at home. And they turned out so cute and fun! Read on to see how to make the skirts and the leis!

The Easiest and Best Gluten Free Chicken Fingers Recipe Ever!

Who doesn't love some yummy, juicy chicken fingers?!

Remember that post recently about Zaycon fresh? Well, today I am sharing one of my most favorite ways of cooking that fresh chicken! Gluten Free Chicken Tenders!

They're so easy and for some reason, I like them even more than ones I have made with "regular" flour. So yummy!

 Gluten Free Chicken Tenders

All you need to do is...

Summer Fun with Fireflies Bookmark {Kids Craft}

Happy Monday! I hope you had a great Fourth of July weekend and got to relax a little with family and friends and enjoy celebrating living in a free country!

We had tons of fun and spent a lot of time outside. One of my kids' favorite things to do in the summer is to watch and to try and catch fireflies (or lightning bugs...whichever you call them at your house). So...with that in our minds and all of the summer reading we are doing at our house, we decided to make some Summer Fun Firefly Bookmarks!

There are so fun and easy to do too! I loved them as much as my kids. AND it's a great craft for kids of ANY age! Keep reading to see how we made them!

Checkered Nerkerchief Tablecloth, Table Runner, Picnic Blanket, AND Bedcover

Happy Fourth of July!

Today I have a quick little DIY project for you that you could even make this morning if you wanted!

I love multi-purpose items and today's post definitely fits into that category. This works as:

a Tablecloth, 

a Table Runner, 

a Picnic Blanket, 

AND a Bedcover! 

I love how versatile it is! And all you need is a few neckerchiefs to make this DIY project!

United States of AMERICA Free Printable

Here's one more last minute free printable for you today. 

I know that there has been lots of controversy lately in our Land of the Free. I have to say that I love this land with all of my heart. At times I have been disappointed with the people of this land and the direction that it has been going, but I truly do still love it here. I love what America stands for. I love seeing the red, white, and blue and knowing the meaning behind each color. I love our flag, the way it is and has been for years. I love that it stands for the freedoms we have, the protection we receive from those in the uniform, and I love the respect it shows to those who server this country and who founded this country years ago. It is truly an inspired nation that was built under God's direction and hand and is a blessing to us.

So there you have it, no matter your religious affiliation, ethnicity, gender, gender preference, etc. the Red, white, and blue is what brings us all together. It's what enables us to use our free agency and to choose for ourselves our beliefs and to stand up for them. There is beauty in the red, white, and blue because of that.

Happy Fourth of July!

Top Ten Suggestions to Get Ready for a Teen Driver

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. 

All opinions are mine alone. 

#FueltheLove #CollectiveBias #teendriver #parenting #driverspermit #driverslicense 

Earlier this year, I posted about things that my dad taught me that I still use today...like how to change the oil in my car. Well, I have been thinking about things like that even more lately with my oldest son about to turn 16. He recently got his drivers learning permit, and my husband and I have been trying to prepare for our son (who seems like he was just learning how to walk!) being on the road as a driver. I'm not sure if it is harder to prepare for this mentally and emotionally, or physically. Haha

So, I've come up with a list of my Top Ten Suggestions to Get Ready for a Teen Driver. Eek! That idea still scares me! But here goes (for me and for him, AND for my suggestions. haha)

Top Ten Suggestions to Get Ready for a Teen Driver

Red, White, and Blue DIY Festive Chunky Bead Necklaces

Are you ready to celebrate the Fourth of July?! We are! It's one of our most favorite holidays at our house and we love dressing up for it too! Last year we made these fun little DIY Red, White, and Blue Patriotic Apron Skirts here. And we still love them! I especially love the one that I made from a neckerchief. In fact, I've been working on a tablecloth/picnic spread blanket out of checkered patriotic neckerchiefs lately as well.

BUT...today I wanted to share these fun red, white, and blue festive bead necklaces we made for the big day! They were so easy and fun to make too!

I love how they are all different and unique to each girl. 

Love our Zaycon Fresh Chicken!

All opinions are mine and mine alone.

This post brought to you by Create it. Go! 

Warning: If you get squeamish at just the sight of raw meat, well, let's just say there is raw meat pictures in this post. haha It's just chicken though. ;)

If you follow me at all, you probably know that we like to eat mainly whole foods, and clean eating. I make almost everything from scratch and we avoid a lot of gluten, dairy, and sugar in our house. We avoid more than that due to some allergies, but those are all big ones.

One thing I have found that I love is ordering our chicken through Zaycon Fresh online. I first started ordering from Zaycon a few years ago, and still love it today. Aside from raising my own chickens, I have found it to be the best chicken and best deal that I can find for my family.

I love that it comes fresh and has never been frozen. In fact the first time I went to pick up my order of their boneless, skinless chicken breasts, the delivery driver joked with me telling me that they might still be flopping around a bit. Haha

But truly, they are fresh. You order online and print your receipt. 

Great prices!

Washi tape and Duct Tape Covered Notebooks {DIY Summer Craft}

I don't know how your summer days are going, but ours have been great! My girls have been enjoying doing some crafts with me lately and I wanted to share these fun little easy notebooks we made this week. They're perfect for a summer afternoon inside, out of the heat! 

AND they're perfect for ANYONE, ANY AGE. AND...a great kids craft OR even for you and some friends! Inexpensive and little time required too! All you need is a bit of tape and a notebook. 

Creative Way to give Money as a Gift {DIY Money French Fries}

Are you still looking for a fun and quick gift? Want something different? Well, I have the perfect little idea for you! And it's so fun and simple to put together!

 Just run to your local McDonald's,or any other place you want where you can pick up a fry box. (I bought a thing of fries and also asked for an extra box.) You can also pick up a gift card to go along with it if you want. I also asked for an extra bag to use as I gave the gift away in.

Then, go grab some cash. You want lots of bills, so if you are going to give $20, you may want to get 20 $1 bills. OR if you are giving $50 or $100, you may want to split it up into something like 10 $1 bills, a few fives and a couple of tens or twenties...or something like that.

Then all you need to do is to fold your dollar bills to look the same size and shape as french fries.

I figure out how tall I want my fries to be according to the fry box.

1. I fold the top of the dollar bill over first to that height. (And I vary the height I fold them all too, so it looks more realistic...well, it's not going to ever look realistic. haha)