Throwing a Jungle Party, Part 3: Leaves & Vines

I think this deserves an entire post to itself because creating vines and cutting out a LOT of leaves takes a LOT of time. The great thing is this can be done while watching TV ;)

To create vines, I purchased a large role of brown packing paper, it weighs about 50lbs! This is a serious role of paper. It's only about 2-3 feet wide, but it goes on for 1400 feet or something crazy like that. This can be purchased online or at a UPS store. I unrolled about 10-12 feet and cut it from it's roll. Than I grabbed one end, bunched it together and started rolling it in one direction. Very important not to switch direction- it will unravel. I continued rolling and crimping every few feet to keep it secure until the end. You have to use nails or some heavy duty tape to stick it to your walls because this will be fairly heavy. I hung one across our kitchen by tying some twine to our cabinet hinges. I than tied the twine to the vines and it stayed for over a week! Consider tying it to a curtain rod 

caution: make sure your curtain rod, or whatever you tie it to, is stable and secure and will not fall and cause injury. 

I did this a week in advance, both to make sure the vines would stay, but also because it could be done in advance. Why not do it as early as possible so its one thing checked off your list?

After the vines were literally hung throughout the house, I cut the leaves. I used two different colors of green paper. Regular printing paper or construction paper will work for this. It doesn't have to be thick paper. Using my template I cut out the leaves. I folded them in half while cutting to make sure they were symmetrical and to give the leaf a nice crease! I probably cut over 100 leaves. I used them on the vines and I laid them out on the different tables. They added a nice decorative touch. 

Throwing a Jungle Party: Part 1, Party Favors

This year my son asked me for an animal theme birthday party. My response: "Animal?....That's a really broad theme....can we narrow it down some?" My son: "....Well....ok....I really like lizards."
And that was the start of it. To be honest, I probably could have done a lizard party, but I'm really not a huge fan of all the reptiles, so I just did the whole jungle- lol! Here are some ideas for a great party, and let me tell you it was great! The kids had a blast!

First things first, when throwing a party, there is a lot of prep work. The first things I made were the favors. I knew that my hubby and I were gifting a bearded dragon to our son, so I thought 'how fun would it be to send a lizard home with everyone?' Now... I would never REALLY do that to other parents. I would never be forgiven- lol! But a plastic, realistic looking one would totally do the trick! Now, to package it to make it look real :) How about white little boxes, stamped with the words LIVE ANIMAL and FRAGILE. I also punched little air holes and tied it with twine.

On the inside I put shredded brown paper and the thank you.... along with the lizard of course. I bought a 12 pack of lizards off Amazon. I specifically purchased assorted plastic PVC Toy Lizards set of 12 (if you click on this link I'll take you right to them)  for $4.35. DEAL! And since we have Amazon prime, shipping was free, and tax free :) Love stuff like that! On the inside of the box, I wrote a little thank you poem. Any type of thank you note adds a personal touch to the favor. This is also a great way to customize it to fit your party. Here was mine:

"Thank you for spending your day with me. I hope it was fun -- as fun as could be!
Please remember to take care of your lizard in the very best way.
(Remember that lizards really like to play)
When you spot your lizard hiding in your dresser, possibly making it even messier...
Please don't scream out in surprise "this is not ok"...but instead remember the great time we had today!"

These were such a hit with the kids! One of the kids even jumped when they opened it- I guess these little lizards really do look real!

TIP: Once you place your lizard in the box, do not tip it over, the paper and lizards will get all tangled up and will not be as cute when opened. 

Summer Freebies!

Keep those kids active this summer! Turn off the television and give the kids some good old fashioned fun at the bowling lanes! 

FREE BOWLING FOR KIDS

ALL SUMMER LONG!

At AMF, kids 15 and under can bowl for free all summer. Simply register at http://amf.com/home and you'll get a weekly voucher for two free games per child per day through September 3. Shoe rental is not included.

Homemade Laundry Softener

So it was only fitting to follow my previous laundry post with this one. The world of homemade anything can be a little confusing, laundry stuff included. Everyone seems to have their own way of doing things....which I totally understand. But it can be frustrating when all I want is a simple recipe that will work. It seems like there are a million different ways to make laundry softener, so I just had to pick one and go with it. Apparently there is a method where you use hair conditioner and it leaves a nice scent on your clothes. Hm, well, I might try that one later, but to be honest, I don't care about scent. I want my clothes to BE clean and SMELL clean....they don't need to smell like my hair. So I tried this one by Littlemomma. I cut the recipe in half since it appears to make a almost a gallon and I didn't need that much for a first try. I was so happy with this recipe! It really does work and smells good and there is absolutely no trace of vinegar smell- don't worry. And just so you know, I will NEVER go back to buying my fabric softener loaded with all those chemicals after using this stuff! I'm so happy with this.

 

Homemade Fabric Softener by: Littlemomma

1 cup baking soda

6 cups distilled white vinegar

8 cups water

10 -15 drops orangeessential oils (optional) or 10 -15 drops lemonessential oils (optional) or 10 -15 drops essential oils , of choice (optional)

Directions:

1. 1. You will need a one gallon container.
2. 2. First add the baking soda to the plastic container.
3. 3. Next add 1 cup of water to start with.
4. 4. Slowly add the vinegar to the bottle as the vinegar and baking soda will start to fizz.
5. 5. Then add the rest of the water swirling around & cover venting the top a few times.
6. 6. Last add the essential oil.
7. 7. Add 1 cup in your final rinse cycle for each load but give the bottle a good shake to stir up the essential oil if using.

Read more: http://www.food.com/recipe/homemade-fabric-softener-179890#ixzz1pIOIzGn5 

Read more: http://www.food.com/recipe/homemade-fabric-softener-179890#ixzz1pIOFQ6pY

Homemade Laundry Detergent

Recently my perspectives have been changing. Maybe it's having more room to live in or seeing the countryside. I'm not sure the exact reason, but I realize that cogs in my mind are turning. It all kinda started after we bought our chickens. Having organic, "farm" fresh eggs, straight from the mother hen in the morning made me start thinking about all the things I purchase on a weekly basis. Do I really need to be buying so much from these big name brand companies. The companies are making millions off their customers who believe the company when they advertise that their products are the best? And recently I've discovered that a lot of the companies are using chemicals in their products that are harmful to us. Why would I won't my children exposed to that? And why would I give them my money? Well, I'm not anymore. One of the first things I stopped buying was laundry detergent. And from my experience, as a mother of two, (with all the stains and germs and lovely smells that go along with my children's laundry) my homemade stuff works JUST as well as the stuff I was buying...If not BETTER!  I know, amazing right? I was shocked too. Kinda ridiculous that it took me so long to figure it out...but better late than never! So here is my recipe for my powdered laundry detergent. And it's perfect for the front loading washers because it doesn't produce a lot of suds. Don't be fooled by lack of suds- it is cleaning! :) And it happens to be REALLY cheap- double bonus!

Powdered Laundry Detergent:

1 cup Borax 

1 cup Washing Soda (washing- not baking- big difference)

1 bar laundry soap, (I used Fels-Naptha because of the kids, but Ivory - for sensitive skin, or Zote soap)

Over a large bowl, with a fine cheese grater, grate your soap bar. Next add in your borax and washing soda. Mix together with a spoon and transfer to a plastic container of your choice.  large hummus container (clean and dry) from Costco was what I used. This recipe will give you probably 30 washes or more. I use 1 tablespoon per normal load of laundry. But when I fill the washer with jeans and or heavily soiled I use 2 tablespoons- just to be safe. 

A few friends have asked me "How do you have time to make your own laundry stuff?" Well, first off it's really easy. And secondly, my life is all about schedules. With two kids I have to be scheduled if I want to get anything done and make sure we show up when and where we should. I also make my own fabric softener- that's the next post. 

With love,

Becca

Halloween Crafts for Kids

Looking for a cute craft to do with your little ones? How about a Halloween Bat Finger puppet?? Just cut along the outside line and cut out the circles at the base of the bat and your kids can stick their fingers through to make legs for the bat ;) CLICK HERE for the Halloween Finger Puppet Bat Link.

And what is a Halloween Bat without clothes?? Have fun coloring and gluing these on. CLICK HERE for the Halloween Finger Puppet Bat Clothes Link.

Spooky Windows

This week I've been busy decorating for Halloween. I'm posting a post I wrote last October since I'm doing this craft again. But this year, I've had trouble finding long rolls of black paper. I've substituted construction paper and just taped the seams together. Good luck with your spooky windows!!!! 

I've been working like crazy on my daughter's birthday party and I can't wait to show you all I've done. But I have to finish all of it first :) In the mean time I've also finished up my Halloween decorating. I did large window decorations that can be easily seen from the street. I went to a teacher's supply store and purchased 12 foot long black paper that's 2 feet wide. I flipped it on it's back and drew out a picket fence. 

I then drew a cat to go on the picket fence....and some bats in the "sky" above the picket fence. Anyway, you get the idea. You can draw or trace out a spooky scene on the flip side of the black paper. Then you cut out your scene. 

Here I am just beginning to cut :)

I have pull down black out curtain on those windows so I taped the scenes to that. But if you do not have anything on your windows I suggest taping it (with painters tape) to tissue paper so light can shine through! It'll create a very spooky effect. Although if it is for a kid's room maybe something a bit sturdier such as a sheet or even a large piece of white paper. It's so simple and so fun!

An Angry Bird Card Template

This summer has flown by. I find that I've turned into one of those mothers who jump for joy when the school year starts back up. By the end of summer my 6 year old son was bouncing off the walls and I was hitting my head against the wall :) So now that I have time to breathe I am able to get you all some new templates to have fun with! My son just adores Angry Birds, but I could not find an angry bird card anywhere! So I just had to make one. It turned out to be much simpler than I thought it would be,
Here is the link to "The Bird Who is Angry" template.  All you need is red, black, yellow and tan (optional) paper, a stick of glue and a permanent marker. To make your card more professional use card stock. Enjoy!!

Did someone say BOO!?

(click here for the template)

In our neighborhood we have a fun tradition of "booing" our neighbors. There happen to be a lot of kids in our neighborhood and it's a lot of fun for the little ones to receive a fun Halloween surprise on their doorstep. Someone in the neighborhood usually starts this within the first few days of October. It's fairly simple and inexpensive and creates a very fun and welcoming feeling in the neighborhood. The booing package usually consists of some type of container...plastic trick or treat pumpkin shaped containers are available at Walmart for $1 and would work perfectly. There are also some really cute metal containers at Target for $2.50 in their "dollar section." As an example of what to put inside, this year we received a couple pencils, some glowsticks and a few pieces of candy in ours.

If you'd like to do this in your neighborhood here is the wording:

You have been BOOed!

This treat is for you. We hope you enjoy

The idea is simple,

one we hope you'll employ.

You pass Boo along to 2 other neighbors, along with this note

and any kind of Halloween favors.

If we all do our part, and spread good cheer,

by Halloween night it will be very clear.

we're a friendly bunch, we like to share fun,

so please do your part to keep BOO on the run!

(Please do this within 48 hours & leave BOO sign on your door 

so others know that you have been BOOed. The idea is that most

of our neighbors are BOOed by Halloween night)

Preview:

I have a lot of fun crafts and to-do's coming up this month. I have a Dora birthday party to plan, a Scooby Doo Costume to create and a Halloween booth to create. Here's the booth so far:

.... like I said, lots to do! So check back for lots more Halloween fun!!!

The things I find....

While out shopping last weekend I found themed pasta! I found "Fall Harvest" and "Halloween" pasta. I mean, who doesn't want to eat spider shaped pasta and pasta leaves??? I can't tell you how excited my 5 year old little boy was about the spiders. And I thought it was very cute. Besides, the best part was that it was only $2.99 for a bag. I found them at the store World Market. I just love when I find fun things like that.

Tomorow I'm doing a blog post on my pumpkin pie :) I'll show you all how I make those amazing crusts!