The Sound of Summer

Friends, you know that when I love something, I mean really love something, I pretty much can't stop talking about it.  Like Starbucks and Silhouette Cameos.  And I've recently added something else to my list. Tailor & Stylist.  It takes a lot to get on my short list, but they've done it!  So far, I've gotten three of their dresses, and I absolutely love them.  First, I got the High-Low Maxi, which I had fun styling five different ways.  Then, I got the Sweet Serendipity, which had a fabulous 50's retro chic flair.  My most recent aquisition is this Sound of Summer dress, and it has a totally different feel!

Treasures of the Ocean Jewelry Set

Hey, friends!  You know how much I love the beach, and as much as I thoroughly enjoyed our recent vacation, I'm kind of bummed that it's already over for this year.  So, when I saw these gorgeous green shell beads that remind me of the ocean, I thought I'd make myself a jewelry set that will make me think of my favorite place all summer long, even when I'm not there.

Fun in the Sun: Heather

Hey there One Artsy Mama readers! My name is Heather and I blog over at A Cupcake Love Affair. If you don't know me, I blog about all things cupcakes and a lot about baking in general. I'm a pastry chef working toward opening my own bakery. In the meantime, I work full time at a small Christian ministry in Central Florida. I love God, my family, my friends, and my puppy Jax and am truly blessed to live the life God has given me!

Me and Jax

I hope you all are enjoying time with your family this holiday weekend! I'm so excited to be a part of Amy's "Fun in the Sun" series and to share a delicious recipe to celebrate the ending of summer. As it draws closer to fall, we have just a few evenings left to enjoy the warm weather and what better way to do so than with a fun dessert with elements of a summer favorite? Today I'm sharing a delicious recipe for S'mores Cookie Bars...just the name makes my mouth water! You start with a buttery graham cracker crust, fill with your favorite cookie recipe, and top with toasted marshmallows. Simple, but fabulous!

A plate full of yumminess!

S'mores Cookie Bars For the crust: 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 10 crackers) 1/3 cup sugar 6 tablespoons melted unsalted butter Mix all ingredients together with a fork and press into the bottom of a nine inch square pan. I then added a layer of semi sweet chocolate chips and white chocolate chips...you know...cuz you can never have enough chocolate! For the cookies, I used my new favorite gluten free chocolate chunk cookie  mix. I know that the graham crackers aren't gluten free so this can't be labeled GF but I just really love this mix! If you have a favorite mix or homemade cookie recipe, feel free to use it! The one I use is a Pamela's gluten free mix that is just fabulous!

Source

Carefully press the cookie dough over the chocolate chips and crust and bake at 350 degrees until cookies are just about finished (literally, just about finished). I pulled mine out when they were starting to brown on the edges but still soft in the center (I like my cookies soft and chewy...not crispy). Top with marshmallows and place under the broiler until toasted. Once cooled, cut and serve brownies, and be ready for the sighs of bliss.  I also added broken up graham crackers and pieces of a milk chocolate bar. Seriously, these are just delicious! Obviously, you could also make S'mores Brownies by replacing the cookie dough with your favorite brownie batter....yum!

For more tasty desserts, stop by and check out my little corner of the blog world! You'll find me in all the usual places...

Blog  //  Facebook  //  Twitter  //  Pinterest

Thanks, Amy, for having me today! 

Until next time, happy reading and more importantly, happy cupcake-ing!

Fun in the Sun: Angela



Hi Everyone! I am Ange over at Decorating the Dorchester Way and I am so excited to be a part of the "Fun in the Sun" Summer series! Thanks Amy!

This summer we spent a lot of time playing with our Water Table. What kid doesn't love water?!  Mine is no exception. But I was getting tired of cleaning all of the bugs, dirt and leaves out every time he wanted to play with it.

So I decided it was time to make a cover for the water table! I used a shower curtain I purchased at Target on clearance. I thought a shower curtain would work well for this project because it is meant to get wet and can handle rain.

The first things I did were: cut the shower curtain to make it the correct size and sewed my unfinished edges. Then I placed the shower curtain upside down on the water table.  I used painters tape to hold it in place while I positioned it where I wanted it.

 Next I pinned the 4 corners.

Then off to my trusty sewing machine! I said a little prayer that it would fit (like I always do when I am sewing!! I am not an expert sewer so one of these days a project is bound to be a major fail!!!)

I waited until I was able to position the cover on the water table before cutting off the extra fabric from the sides.... just in case I needed to re-sew one! I used Velcro on all four sides to hold the cover in place.

Yes, a finished Water Table cover! And a happy mommy who doesn't have to constantly be cleaning the dirt and bugs out! And of course a happy little man who will have more time to spend with his water table!

Fun in the Sun: Carmella

Hi One Artsy Mama Friends!

My name is Carmella, I am the crazy girl behind the Creative Carmella Blog

I am so happy to be here today! 

Being a lover of all things creative and involving my kiddos in most everything I do, you know I am a fan of One Artsy Mama! Always so much inspiration here...and I just love seeing pictures of her little crafter's sweet smile!

Today I am sharing a fun rainy day project that my kids {and my 11 year old brother} and I made.

Kinda fun, right??

My kiddos love night lights....I'll be honest, they have quite a collection!

But...I do believe they like these the best {for now, that is}

I was really excited to finally use the battery tea light candles I got at an after Christmas sale this past year. I knew I would have an idea for them sooner or later {and how could you beat a 75% off sale?!}

Here's what you will need:

Baby food jars

white tissue paper

battery operated tea-light candles

glue

assorted acrylic paints

To start, I cut the tissue paper into small squares {about 1 inch} to make it easy for the kids to work with them. 

I put some glue on a plate and mixed in a very small amount of water to thin it out a bit.

 {no need for exact measurements here, just enough to thin the glue slightly}

With our sponge brushes ready, we started painting on the glue and layering the tissue paper on. Once the entire surface of the jar was covered we let them sit to dry for a while

When they were all dry we let our "inner artists" take over and started painting!

I love the look of the light bulbs my brother came up with!

With the tea light added we were all done!

What do you think? Would your kids love these like mine do?

Amy, thanks so much for having me!

And a big thanks to you all for reading!

 I would love for you to come chat with me on Facebook or stop by my blog any time!

{to this stay at home mom, adult interaction during the day is always welcome, haha!}

********************

Be sure to come back tomorrow for a special giveaway from this talented lady...one of her special necklaces!  See you then!

Fun in the Sun: Reannah

Hello One Artsy Mama fans! I’m Reannah and I write over at Shaped by Grace! On my blog I share decorating, crafting and recipe ideas, incorporating my faith and life as a single mom along the way. I am so, SO happy to be here today as part of Amy’s summer fun series!! I am always inspired by the crafts and fun Amy has with her little crafter! And summer is my boys’ and my favorite time of year! {It has nothing to do with the fact that I’m a teacher and get the summer off OR that my birthday is in the summer -wink} It DOES have everything to do with the fact that I get a chance to spend lots of time with my kiddos! One of our favorite activities we enjoy as a family is camping! And what is THE BEST camping food?? You guessed it – s’mores!! Today, I’ll be sharing three easy s’mores variations for you to make your own summer treats! Any of these are perfect to bring to a summer barbeque or make with your kids! VERSION ONE – S’MORES CUPCAKES I love these cupcakes simply because they are SO cute!! They’re an easy way to wow your friends with an awesome looking treat! Here are some basic directions~ You will need:

• your favorite chocolate cupcake recipe (not shown)
• graham crackers
• a hershey bar or two
• mini marshmallows
• butter

(not shown)

• sugar
• toothpicks
• a kitchen utility (candle) lighter (shown in the picture below)

Basically these are chocolate cupcakes with TWO DIFFERENCES inside: 1) The base of the cupcake is actually a graham cracker crust mix. I used this recipe without the cinnamon. Press the graham cracker crust mix about 1/4 of an inch think into the bottom of your cupcake liners: 2) Pour your chocolate cupcake mix to about 3/4 of the way up the cupcake liner (just like you would when you normally make cupcakes!) 3) BONUS – add 2-3 mini marshmallows into each cupcake. They disappear/bake away but add a little extra flavor into your cupcake. (I’ve made the cupcakes without this step and they are still really delicious!) ~Of course, what makes these cupcakes super cute is the decorative top!! I frosted each one with white buttercream frosting and sprinkled mini chocolate chips on top. ~I then took it one step further and cut a little graham cracker rectangle and broke off one hershey rectangle square from a big hershey bar and set them in the frosting. ~And the marshmallows?? Look closely! Yeah, I roasted mini marshmallows! I used my bic kitchen utility lighter. {Shown below – use very carefully!} It doesn’t take much time or heat to roast a mini marshmallow! I think those final steps puts these s’mores cupcakes at the top of the coolness meter!! How about you? BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE!!! I promised you three  types of s’mores remember? And these last two are the easiest of all!! VERSION TWO - CRESCENT ROLL S’MORES All you need to make these babies is Pillsbury crescent roll dough, chocolate chips and mini marshmallows! Roll up and bake as directed for the dough and you’ll have your own s’mores crescent rolls to enjoy! If you want the full tutorial and recipe -  click here. And finally…. VERSION THREE – SUMMER S’MORES You only need 3 ingredients  to make this delicious treat – can you guess what’s in the middle? If you guessed BANANA – ding! ding! ding! You were right!! All you need for this treat is graham crackers, bananas and chocolate chips! EASY STEPS: 1) Cut a banana in half (width first) and then cut in half again lengthwise. 2) Place 1-2 of the banana quarters on top of a half piece of graham cracker. (Another option is to mash and spread the banana; whatever you prefer.) 3) Melt chocolate chips carefully in the microwave and drizzle on top of bananas! 4) Cover and press with another graham cracker half, let cool and enjoy!! WARNING – if you enjoy any of these treats, things may get a little messy… But, hey – that’s what summer is all about right? For more summer fun, I’d love for you come by and say hello on my blog or Facebook!! I love meeting new blog friends! Thank you so much for having me Amy!

Fun in the Sun: Emily

   I am SO thrilled today to be sharing with you at One Artsy Mama. I started reading during the One Crafty Contest and have been a faithful reader ever since! Okay, you aren't here to read how much I love this blog (we all just do!) you are here to see what I have to share.
Today I have.... (drumroll please!)

My inspiration for this is my three year old son. He LOVES to win.... doesn't matter if he actually does win, he will say he is the winner. If I want him to do something, I just make it a race against his little brother (who is easy to beat!) and he gets it done. I probably hear, "I'm the winner." "I'm the fastest" "I'm was first" a million times a day. So.... in honor of Jack AND the Olympics (which I am obsessed with!) today I am sharing how to make you very own gold medal!
Now EVERY kid can be a winner!
First, gather your supplies. I went to Hobby Lobby and picked up round wooden discs ( I was hoping to find a pack, but had to buy them separate), gold spray paint ( I used a weekly internet 40% coupon!), beading wire, a black marker, and ribbon (which happened to be half off that day, score!) We drilled small holes at the top of each disc, peeled off the labels and sprayed both sides gold. I sprayed two coats on each side. Next, cut your ribbon. I cut approx. 25 inches for each. Sew with right sides together at an angle on the bottom. Press open. Fold a thin wire in half (about 8 inches long, 4 when folded), thread through the hole, and twist to secure. Write you message on one (or both) sides. I wrote, "You are GOLD." on all of mine. 
Now to attach the disc to the ribbon... Turn both the ribbon and the gold disc to the back side and hold the ribbon ends up. Spread the wire and put one side on either side of the seam. I folded the wire over so it wouldn't stick out and used hot glue to hold the wire to the ribbon and the ribbon to itself. When you have both sides glued, trim any extra ribbon and you are finished!
And now you are ready for our family favorite saying... "Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!"
Please stop by and visit me sometime at my regular blogging home
www.nap-timecreations.com

Follow along here: Facebook * Pinterest

Fun in the Sun: Eva

Hi One Artsy Mama readers!  I'm Eva and I blog over at Tales of the Scotts.  I am the wife to a really kind and very patient husband and mom to a wiggly three-year-old son and an equally wiggly almost one-year-old daughter.   Life around my household is exciting to say the least!  Amy is just the sweetest.  I'm not sure how I started following her blog but one time she responded to a comment I left on one of her posts.  I was kinda-sorta new to blogging at the time and I didn't know how to respond to a comment through my email.  So, I emailed her and asked her how she did that.  We emailed back and forth while she walked me through setting up my profile the right way.  So sweet!  I'm excited to be here with you today to share some fun Kids' Activities.

Unlike Amy's son, my son doesn't care for crafting (he's breaking his crafting mama's heart - hopefully he'll grow to at least tolerate them with me).  So, I'm always on the lookout for hands-on activities to help direct his rambunctiousness.  Here are a few activities that he's particularly loved this summer.

This was a huge hit.  I got the idea here.  Basically, I put some little dinosaurs and sea animals I picked up at the Dollar Tree a while ago in the bottom of a Tupperware.  I filled it up half way with water, then added some blue dye and froze it overnight.

We grabbed a meat mallet and headed outside.  I just gave it a little squeeze to get it out of the Tupperware.  We dropped it on the ground and he went to town rescuing his dinosaur friends.

I made him wear his sunglasses so no glass flew up into his eyes.  He kept saying, "This is cool!"  Mom brownie points!  

Something else that has been a huge hit is water beads!  I admit, I'm obsessed with these.  For some reason, just running my fingers through them makes a difficult moment that much better.

I've seen them all over blog land.  Basically you buy a little pack of beads.  I got mine at Joann's for $5 and used a 40 or 50% off coupon making them cheap fun.  Let them sit in water for 4-6 hours and watch them grow.  This was fun to do throughout the day.  We'd go back and forth seeing how much they'd grown.  Then we used measuring cups to move them from one bowl to the next, we played with them a big bowl of shaving cream.  He really loves playing with these.  I just keep them in a sealed container but even if you left them out, they'd dry up but you would just need to stick them back in water.

One of the best things we made recently was Gak!

This has been super fun.  I'm not sure if I've ever played with Gak before.  It's beyond fun.  We took some household items, like a straw and a fork and had fun poking the Gak.  What's cool is it just molds back together.  Hosea likes to put it on the edge of the table and let it make a "waterfall" down to the chair.  He loves to make it the "monster" as it covers his Avengers and then his Avengers have to escape.  Oh the mind of a child.  We used this recipe by Lil' Luna.  We loved it so much, we decided to bring a Gak gift to one of his friends.  We also used Lil' Luna's idea and free printables to put together a gift for him.  His mom said he loved it too!  This is a big hit, really easy and a definite must if you've never made Gak before.

Then we made some Baked Cotton Balls.

I pinned this idea a while ago, then saw it somewhere else recently so decided to give it a whirl.  Basically, you take a cup of water, a cup of flour and mix it together.  Then we divided it into three bowls, added some food coloring, mixed it really well and then dipped cotton balls in the mixture and placed them on foil-lined baking tray (do this to avoid clean up).  Then we baked them for 45 minutes at 300 degrees.  

After they cooled, we grabbed some goggles, his toy hammer and my meat pounder and went outside.  He really enjoyed "bashing" them and flattening them.  This was great way to reiterate soft and hard textures.  I love this face in this picture.

Something else we do often are have Dance Parties.

Don't ask why he was holding his toy needle-nose pliers.  Who knows!  Dance parties are especially great if you have an active, rambunctious kid on your hands like I do!  When I can see that it's time to exert some energy and maybe it's too hot to go outside, we just crank up the music and dance our hearts away.  A lot of times I'm holding my 11 month old so she can participate as well but my son loves when I can dance crazy with him without holding her.  It ends up being a contest on who can do the craziest move.  He usually wins.

And lastly, we used our imaginations while playing with some Story Jars.

This is a really great idea that I got from Play At Home Mom.  She's got tons of great ideas.  Another friend of mine held a playgroup and the kids each made one.  We weren't able to attend but I still wanted to try this.  My son loves for us to tell him stories and he loves to tell stories too.  I don't have a really great imagination so these are great for me.  Basically just take out all of the objects and start telling a story using up all of the objects.  The first time we tried it, he was a bit iffy on it.  He didn't use all the objects and then wanted to quit.  He liked when I told him a story though (as usual).  I really think these are great and we're going to keep trying.

Here is what's in my two jars.  You can see that they are random items I grabbed from his room and from the craft closet.

Because I feel like I'm not imaginative, it's really important to me to foster that in my children.  One of my favorite things is to overhear my son talking to himself or to his toys while he's playing with them.  I love that he creates stories and scenarios in his mind.

These are some really easy, really cheap ideas for you and your kiddos too.  I shared a few more activities on my blog here and here.  I hope these ideas give you a starting off point to fostering creativity within your own kids.  


Thanks again for having me Amy!