muppets party hats {tutorial}

This post is written as part of a sponsored campaign with The Blueprint Social and Disney.

 

My boys love the Muppets and have anxiously been awaiting the release of the Muppets Most Wanted movie. I decided it would be fun to throw a little movie party and have the kids help make some crafts to celebrate!

These party hats were really easy to make and the kids love them! You just need to get some party hats, construction paper and embellishments.

I am going to show you how I made the Kermit the Frog hat. First, I started off by opening up the party hat to use as a template on my construction paper so I could cover the hat with the right size and shape. Just trace it and cut it out.

 Then you can tape or staple the paper onto the hat to cover it. 

Next I made Kermit's collar by cutting out some triangles in a lighter color of green construction paper and glued it onto the hat. 

Then I started adding the features, cutting out his eyes and using a sharpie to add the black shapes in the middle.

Then it was his tongue and mouth.

Voila...Kermit the Frog in party hat form!

Your kids can wear the party hats or use them as hand puppets! My kids loved putting them on their hands and acting out parts of the movie.

All the other hats were made in similar fashion by replicating the features of the characters onto the hat. There are so many fun characters in this movie you can make whichever characters your kids will enjoy! Have them help decide and design, it is a fun activity for the whole family.

Be sure to check out Muppets Most Wanted available on Blu-ray Combo Pack and Digital HD August 12th at Disney.com. It is packed with dozens of guest cameos, new songs and the most extended, most exclusive scenes not seen in theaters, Muppets: Most Wanted is the most hilarious, most wanted movie ever! 

Follow Muppets Most Wanted on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest for all the latest information.

Design adapted from http://www.maryhadalittleparty.com/

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Half Granny Shawl

Tah-dah!  Just finished it up.  I am loving it right now.  The yarn is actually from a Good Will scarf I bought for a couple bucks because I liked the yarn.  Took it home and frogged the scarf.  I had a pretty sock yarn at home I wanted to blend it with. 

 

I am pretty pleased.  It is kind of fascinating how it changes color.  One moment it has a purple look, then a brown look.   My granny square/crocheting obsession is in full swing right now, and nothing could make me happier.  I think it is because I am wanting fall to get her so badly.  Right now the heat and humidity are brutal and I am inside crocheting scarves and shawls.  Sounds crazy!

 

I really like the border.  I used the border pattern from Doris Chan's, All Shawl.  It is a free ravelry download.  I am now wanting to give the entire pattern a try.  Looks fun and quick, and very pretty.

Here is a closeup snap on the border!

Here is a sneak peak to what I am up to now.  I am not sure what I am going to do with it yet. 

Have a great week everyone!!

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starburst sorbet bars {and a giveaway!}

It is summer and what is one of the best parts about summer?! The BBQs! We always love having BBQs in the summer and spending our evenings with friends. It is fun to cook outside and enjoy the lovely weather. I am always on the lookout for refreshing treats to serve up to my guests that both kids and adults will enjoy and that are also easy! I heard about these new STARBURST™ Brand Sorbet Bars and I had to try them out!

STARBURST™ Brand Sorbet Bars have the taste of a STARBURST™ strawberry fruit chew in a cold and refreshing sorbet bar with only 70 delicious calories! Now what could be bad about that? Nothing! Summer is so hot and this is the perfect treat to cool you off. They are delicious! My whole family really enjoyed them.

I love that they look just like a Starburst candy! 

STARBURST™ Brand Sorbet Bars pack an exhilarating burst of strawberry flavor in a light and delicious sorbet bar that is perfect to enjoy any time. Available in 2.6-ounce 4-Packs and 2.6-ounce singles, STARBURST™ Brand Sorbet Bars are a crowd-pleasing favorite.

If you want to try these bars for yourself then you could be in luck. We are giving away a set of coupons to try them for free! To enter leave a comment with what treats you love most in summer. Giveaway will end on July 27, 2014 at 11:59pm PT. Be sure to follow Starburst on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest updates! 

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

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Thrift Store Score!

 

First off let me share my thrift store yarn score!!!  $9!!  Ka-Ching!   And it is full of the good stuff.  

Some Knot Picks, sock yarn, and even some angora!  I was riding on a high when I brought all this 

home.

Here is a little cowl I finished up.  Love the colors in this yarn.  I used over sized needles (17) and knit in stockinet the stitch.   

It is soft and squishy, and bright!  I can't decide if I should hang on to it or not.  

This is some super chunky Malabrigo.  Holy Cow!  I love this stuff.  It is so soft.  I used size 17 needles for this as well.  I will most definitely be holding onto this one!!!!

Poor girlie,  She is a bit out of sort.  You see, she has no sofa to sit on the back of!  It's a long story, so the short version is this.  we bought new furniture (exciting!).  Well, I gave away out old stuff to get ready for the new furniture.  Delivery day came and they guys could not get the sofa through the living room door!  Geesh!!!!   They put it back on the truck and took it away.  I am having it brought back and also doing my best to get a contractor to open up the living room entrance, if I can just get someone to call me back!!!  Why is that so hard!!!  So cross your fingers for me.  We have needed to have this done, this was the straw that broke the camel's back!  I know once we get it done and the sofa moved in we will be pleased...it is just going to take some time and patience!

Here is a picture of the beast that would fit, I took it in the store.  It is going to be so nice to be able to sit upon it!  LOL!!!!  I wigged out a little, but then I decided there are worse problems to have, and in the scheme of things it will work out.

This evening I am sitting in a chair working on some crochet (which I should be able to share soon!).   

I am going to sign off with a sweet little pic of Phoebe?  She has been so sweet and snugly!  I cannot imagine our home without her!

She is up on the.bed, one of her favorite places!

Have a great week everyone!!!!

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Set Fimo Istorie

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Montagne Jeunesse Renew You Sleep Spa Masks {giveaway}

Does anyone else feel like your skin takes a real beating in summer? I sure do. I try to take good care of my skin by washing every morning and night and staying well hydrated. That can get even harder in the summer months because it is really hot and I am on the go so much. I also feel like with all the sweat and sun and applying so much sunscreen all day can really take a toll on my poor skin.

I had the opportunity to try out Montagne Jeunesse Renew You Sleep Spa Mask which is a 100% natural bamboo mask. I was really excited to try the sleep mask because face masks offer a deep-down action that helps nourish, cleanse, remove impurities, keep skin healthy and vibrant as well as adds essential nutrients to your skin. I really need that!! I tried the fruit enzyme mask which let me tell you...smells amazing! Depending on the mask you choose to use, it can help to remove dead skin cells and unclog pores so toning, hydrating and protecting products work more effectively.

First, I washed my face and got my pjs on and climbed in bed to prep for my mask. Then you just apply the mask to your face and lightly smooth it over the contours of your face. Then you just keep it on for 10 minutes. It was a relaxing 10 minutes, and like I said, I loved the smell of the mask and in summer the coolness of it was really refreshing! After 10 minutes you remove the mask and massage the leftover product into your skin. Massaging skin when removing a face mask can also help stimulate blood circulation leaving skin smoother and softer.

OK, so now I am going to show you my before and after pics. This is taking a lot of guts for me since I have NO makeup on in these pics and am showing all my imperfections! But, I really wanted to show you the difference.

Before...

After...

Can you see how much brighter my skin looks? After a long day out with my boys I had some redness and unevenness on my skin at night, but the sleep mask really improved it! By morning it was a lot smoother and brighter. It was so easy to add to my bedtime beauty routine, I loved it!

Do you want to try the Montagne Jeunesse Renew You Sleep Spa Mask for yourself? Enter to win our giveaway for one Renew You Sleep Spa Mask treatment. To enter just leave a comment on this post telling us what is the biggest part of your beauty routine! The giveaway will end on July 20th at 11:59pm PT. 

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

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Summer is here and another Share

Looks like summer is truly here ... 

Goodness, here in my neck of the Montana woods, we even hit 93 degrees today.  A rarity I confess and not too hot by many of my internet friends' standards ... however, it just goes to show Summer is here.  When I saw how high the temp was to be today, I chuckled to myself because it wasn't that many years ago that we had snow on the Fourth of July ... several times that has happened in fact!

So, I will enjoy this fine weather and be sure to investigate many ways to get outside with my daughters in the coming weeks :) ... 

surely we can all find reasons to smile!

I share with you today a project I created over the weekend

in hopes of making another face smile ...

I call this "Whatever Your Direction" ... 

I named it thus not only because of the directions of the "arrows" 

but I also quilted into the borders ...

"No matter the direction life takes you, 

always know you are loved."

It seemed to me to fit ... I'm still pleased as punch with it :)

The origins of my quilt began with a quilt I found via Pinterest that I really liked and discovered that Jennifer Jenkinson of That Girl ... That  Quilt designed this quilt for a quilt along in 2011:

Obviously, having just found the quilt I didn't participate in her quilt along in 2011 and after a few weeks of searching, I could not find any instructions.  So ...

As is typical of me these days, I created my own version using a Moda Sweetwater Route 15 jelly roll and some other yardage ... I'm sorry, but the name of the additional fabric escapes me right now.

This is what the full quilt looks like:

Granted ... it does look different than the Chasing Chevrons I was inspired by, but with using strip piecing techniques and adding on extra borders, I think I came up with a good alternative. Let me know what ya'all think as I've been asked to write up the instructions for this, so perhaps I'll make it available upon completion. 

The finished quilt is roughly 64 by 78 .... 

I say roughly because I have packaged it up and

mailed it away to a young man who turns nine years old this weekend.

I truly hope it puts a smile on his face!

Thank you for visiting and I wish you all

lots of reasons to smile!

Until next we visit, stay cool ....

  

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