Busy Little Hands... Making Memories

Wondering how to get the kids involved in the kitchen with food prep?  I love to have my great niece over each summer for a few days and she always asks if we are gonna make those white things with the mushy center.  I know that she means deviled eggs and she actually remembered the name this year.  So...without further ado, I am going to show you just a few things that your kiddos, grandchildren, or in my case...great niece can help out with in the kitchen.

I take the boiled eggs and peel them, then slice in half and dump all the insides into a large zip style bag.  While I am doing this, the child gets out the mustard, mayo, salt and pepper.  I zip all the fixing in the bag and hand it over to the child.

After everything is all mushed up really good and creamy, I get the bag back.  (And in this case the child got the camera to take my picture.  She gets this talent from her gram!)  I show her how to push everything to one bottom corner of the bag, push back from the corner just a bit and snip it off with kitchen scissors, and then I am ready to fill the eggs.  No messy cleanup, toss the bag into the trash!

Then, we enjoyed our eggs!!!  I thought that she did rather well with the camera!

Next on the list are some hot dogs and pasta.  I saw a picture of this online somewhere and thought, Oh My Gosh!!!  Kids would love to make these!  And she did.  

Take your hot dogs out of the package and cut them into thirds, take your long spaghetti out of the bag and break some in half.  Then proceed to let the child poke the spaghetti through the hot dogs, if they break...no big deal.  There is no particular angle or count to do, just get'em done.

Then, drop them into boiling water until both are cooked completely.  You can serve with a sauce or ketchup or whatever.  She ate hers just as you see them below, I think she had a lot of fun with this one.

The last thing that we did were our microwaveable S'mores.  Take your 1/2 of graham cracker and lay the chocolate on top and then top with one marshmallow.  The one in the picture has two marshmallows, cause I was not using the jumbo ones.  I should have still just used one, she loved it anyway.  Oh, on a side note, they do make marshmallows in small flat squares just for this purpose now, found them at WalMart this week.  Only cook it in the microwave for about 10 seconds, the chocolate will keep melting after you take it out and put the top cracker on.

Took her a few minutes to figure out how to pick it up.  But, as you can tell in the next photo, she loved it!

We enjoyed these so much that we made little kits.  These are great for teachers, friends, community helpers, or whoever.  Cause we all need "Smore friends like you"...

I am headed out on Monday to So.Korea with my husband.  Our daughter moved there six months ago to teach English in one of their schools for a year.  So, when I get back, the blog might just be full of our experiences abroad for a post or two.  Take care, stay cool in this heat (110 here!), and I will be back in a couple weeks or so.

Classes are listed on my website now...www.picturetrail.com/tinkartist   Email me if you are interested in taking a class.   giftofgabsave@hotmail.com     

   

Shabby Wall Mirror Re-do

I am sure that you all have seen those large mirrors that look time worn, and they cost like $30 or so.  Not mine, but you already new that!!!  lol.  I pulled out this old mirror that I had painted from brown to gold ages ago and was no longer using.

Here you will see me putting on the white paint, just your bottled craft paints work fine.  Instead of using painters tape, this time I just stuck an old sheet of paper up next to the frame and went for it.

It could well take more than one coat of paint!  

Now, you can wait for it to dry, OR get impatient like me and take a damp paper towel to it.  Amazing, didn't know if it would work until I did it.  That is all part of crafting, just getting in there and trying things out!!!

Trust me, it looks much nicer in person.  And then I went to the hardware store and bought some chain and some little decorative wood pieces.  

The wood pieces had to be painted and distressed so that they would match, and then I glued them on.  After adding chain to the back, it was ready to hang!  I did not hang it by the chain!  I was so sure of the strength, but just made it look like it was hung that way.  

I did measure it out, so even though it might look crooked here, it was fine.  After the chain is up, the mirror went on a separate nail.  I thought that it turned out nice.

Well, that is it for the mirror redo.  I hope that this will encourage you to go out there and re-purpose some stuff you have laying around.  A bit of paint goes a  long way, and it is easily changed again later...it is only paint.

We are leaving on August 8 to head to So.Korea to see our daughter for a few days. (Our adult son will be holding the fort down here.  Should I be frightened???)  She is teaching English there for a year or two, in one of their elementary schools.  So...the blog is gonna be a bit sporadic til we get back and then a lot of it might be pictures from the trip.  Stick with me, we will get back to crafting!!!

Garage / Estate Sale Prep and Shopping

This is gonna be a different kind of blog.  No pictures.  Well, at least I am not planning for any right now.  I want to talk to you about garage sale and Estate sale shopping.  How many times have you come home with nothing, spent way too much gas, and were exhausted!  There are steps that can be taken to keep some of that from happening.  Be prepared, this will not be in any particular order, and I am known to ramble.  You have been warned!

First of all, get on the computer and google or bing “estate sales”, be sure to add in your town.  Now, I like to go to more than just one, so if enough don’t come up…do another search and put in “garage sales”.  That should bring you more hits.  Oh, and it might be helpful if you put in the date that you are gonna be out and about. 

I have an inexpensive MIO GPS that is hand held that I keep in my purse.  Take it and click that you wanna plan a trip.  Start putting in the addresses by which are closer to each other and work from there.  Yes, you might have to go to mapquest to find out how to group them, but it is sure to save on the gas.  You might also wanna start on the furthest ones out and work your way towards home.  I like to get to all of them on my list and if I tire, I won’t get to all them if I didn’t start the furthest out first.  I do all this planning the night before!  There is also a listing of sales on craigslist that you can scour.  When you go to an estate sale that is run by an organized group, ask them to put you on their mailing list. 

Other things to do the night before…shave your legs.  Let’s face it, Summers in Texas are hot and if we wear our shorts and are more comfy we shop much better.  IF you are planning an all day shopathon with friends, take an ice chest with cold water.  If you are going by yourself, throw in some quarters for drinks sold by kids at some of the yard sales.  When I go by myself, I plan to be out shopping by 9am and home for my lunch.  Going with friends is a LOT more fun and sometimes we will stay out for lunch.   For an all day trip, eat a salad or sandwich for lunch.  The worst thing you can do to your body during the hot weather is to put hot food into it and get overheated and miss the rest of your shopping experience!  When a friend is driving be sure to offer to get drinks or a snack at Sonic during the ½ price happy hour. 

Another thing that needs to be done ahead of time is to lay out your shopping bags or crates.  Whether shopping alone or with a friend, it is much easier to gather up everything at the end of the trip if it is in bags or crates.  When you get home, you will be tired and not want to have to sort through everything that has been just junked into the car.

Make sure that you have sizes, color swatches, wall colors on paper and labeled, and a list of anything else you might be looking for tucked into your wallet.  There is another good thing to remember…your wallet.  Why carry the big purse if you can get by with just a wallet.  When I go out on my own, I take a tote bag to hold a drink, GPS, notes, receipts, baggies for small stuff I get, my wallet, bandaids, hand sanitizer,… but then I MAKE SURE that my shorts have deep pockets for my phone and my wallet!  

How about those stacked plates that are used at parties for cookies, cup cakes, and cake balls!  They are so pretty and make up of the old plates that are out there.  First set of pictures are the supplies.

These old plates are not just for mosaic projects!!  The plates cost me around $8 for all of them.  I got the candle stick holders at my local Dollar Tree, can I say that I really love that place!  Lastly, there is a round bowl with a curvy top that I picked up at another flee market for $1.

This glue is found at your local craft store, WalMart, and at some hardware stores.  It is great for Glass and many other surfaces, and it dries clear!!

I use the most inexpensive rubbing alcohol that I can find and some paper towels to take stickers and tags off all the glassware.  Works great!! 

In the two pictures above, I want you to try and see where I put the glue on around top of the candle holder and the base of the bowl.  It doesn't have to be perfect, but it is a good idea to not let it drip down the sides and make a mess of your project.  After it is dry, this glue is there!

Glue all the holders to the bottom of each plate. Be SURE that you leave it set on a very level surface to dry.  Take a look at the next picture.  Do you see it...

See that shiny are to the left of the candle holder?  That is where the holder slid over because my table wasn't level.  Oh my, just grabbed it and slid it back over and put on a level surface.  It has that little shine on it now, but it is on the bottom, so I am not worried about it.

Here are all the plates drying.  Walk away.  Let me clarify this...WALK AWAY!!!!  It is so tempting to go ahead and put glue on the other ends of the candle holders and set them all together, DON'T!!!  You are just asking for something to slide or break!  Also, double check to make sure that your pieces are centered.  You can measure and mark with a dot before gluing, it is on the bottom and won't show.

We are almost finished.  This is a side view, and just make sure you are level.  Then look at it from the top down and make sure it looks like it is all centered.

Notice in the picture above, the bottom large plater plate is not even showing.  I think that is because of the distance between the bottom two plates.  And now, in the photo below is our finished project!

This is my first one, and I really like the way that it turned out.  I am now looking at Thrift Stores and Flee Markets for more plates that coordinate with each other to make some for gifts or to sell.  I want to do one in roses for my bedroom or powder room.  I will tell you that it is much easier to purchase all your plates at one time, they are much easier to match and not have to guess at the coloring.  I paid $1 for the smallest plate, and $2 for the larger platter plate, and then went ahead and paid $6 for the medium one just to know that it matched.  You have to decide if it is worth the extra or if you want to tote around glassware for the next few weeks.  

Well, that is all I have for you this week.  As it starts warming up outside, be sure to grab a friend and do some flee market shopping.  Be sure to take a lot of cash with you, as it is very addicting!!!  See you back here later, and please post under comments the deals that you are finding and what you are making!!!!

Chandelier turned Bird Feeder

This has got to be one of my all time favorites!!!  Somewhere out there, I saw a white chandelier that had been made into a bird feeder.  Wish I could remember where, it was very pretty and looked quite elegant!!

You all know how I love a great deal and am very frugal.  Well, I am training the husband on what to look for also!  He is the BEST!!!  We drove into our neighborhood and he comments that there is a new garage sale sign up and that it is just down the street.  He knows better than to ask me if I want to go, he just takes me there!  lol.  He parks out front and gets out his reader while I walk around back, I don't feel rushed cause he is reading.  After about 15 minutes...I return with a huge black iron chandelier $3, a wire rack for a friend $1, and a floor globe that stands about 3 feet tall $2.  Lets just talk about the iron chandelier this time.  I should have taken a before picture, SHAME ON ME!!!  Now, I take pictures as soon as I bring something home!

I took it to my carpenter and he cut off all the top thingies (yes that is a word) where the lights were supposed to be screwed in.  After that, all the electrical stuff was removed.  I went to my thrifty places to find some custard bowl...I needed six.  Dollar General...strike one.  Dollar Tree...strike two.  Target is right there and usually higher, but what the heck...99cents each!!!!

Next, I go home and use E-6000 glue (from WalMart or craft store)  to glue the bowls into the cup area that is at the end of each arm.  Then, I went out back and hug it off the side of the porch and put in the birdseed.

My birds are used to the feeders out by the smaller trees, the question was would they come up to the house and use this one.  This thing is large and heavy, and it had to hang off the side of the porch.

There is a saying that "If you build it, they will come."  So, be sure to post a comment and let me know what you think.  See ya later!

Straw Holder Re-purposed!!!

I have seen the old glass straw holders used for colored pencils and thought...wow! I would love one of those!  You can get the glass ones with Coke Cola on them at different places, but they are not inexpensive.  Then, I got  to thinking about it getting broken if I ever took it to a class with me.  So, as usual, I kept my eyes and mind open to different options.  Low and behold, I found the holders in plastic!!!!  Ok, there are gonna be several pictures with reasons why you should get one of these and not the other.

This is the first one that I got, and took it back!!!  It is from Target for $3.99 plus tax.  But, can you see that there is space around the base of the inside and the outside?  Stuff that you put in the container will get caught in there and you have to pull it all apart to get the loose item out.  Really gets old quick, not much fun!

Next, here is the one from Hobby Lobby, where you can use a coupon!!! and it is also $3.99 plus tax.  This one is snug, no extra wiggle room at all!  I do think that these are a seasonal item, so you better get out to the store pretty soon or they will all be gone.  

Now, there is one other place that I found the plastic straw holder.  I was so blown away by the price that I really can't tell you if it was snug or not.  JoAnn's Fabrics has one in stock for $14.99  lol.  Needless to say that I didn't get that one!!!  Even with a coupon...not gonna happen!!!

Want to see some more pictures of how this works??  Well, you know I am gonna show you anyway.

This is holding 65 of the Prisma brand colored pencils.  Now Sarah, when you read this...I didn't leave them in there, just used it for the photo.  They are back in your room in the case that you keep them in.  But if you want one of these holder you need to let me know ASAP so I can get you one.  For those of you that don't know me, Sarah is my 23 year old daughter that is teaching English in South Korea for a year.  She is very artistic and very inspirational!!!

Can you see how snug the base of the container is?  There in no room for anything to slip through.  I am going to show you a series of pictures that really show you how it works.

I really like how there is no lip at the top of the container for stuff to catch on!  Ok, so I really love, Love, LOVE this little container!!!  So, here is the question...How many of you are now looking for an opportunity to go purchase one of these and what are you gonna use it for??  Please post a comment and let me know!  See ya back here in a couple of weeks.

Patty Cakes in Grapevine, TX

Wanna just share a couple pictures from a very cute little shop over in Grapevine called Patty Cakes.  She and her husband sell cakes, cupcakes, cake balls, muffins, and all sorts of yummy treats!!!  When we were there, they were doing a special flavor of cupcakes each week and folks were standing line to get these things.

Don't those look taste!!!  They are, hubby took me there and there even seat right there in the shop so that you can sit and watch folks shopping outside while you eat!!!  Need a better look??

Bet that you wish you were there now!!!  They also have a few vendors that have set up some displays.  I am one of those vendors!!!  They have my wine glasses, a lazy susan, domed cake plates,...   

 https://www.grapevinetexasusa.com/mainstreetdays/index.html

https://www.grapevinetexasusa.com/mainstreetdays/vendor/ac.html

Be sure to also go in the shops, that is where you are also going to see a lot of cool stuff.  Went shopping at the shops down in Grapevine on the square a few weeks back and had a blast.  There is such a huge variety of product to choose from.  Really quite amazing at the vast number of shops and items crowded into each one.  

Here are a couple pictures of some of the things that I have for sale in Patty's shop.  The wine glasses are a set of four for $30 and each set is hand painted!  Just wash them in soapy water like you would your china.  

Here are the specs for Patty, be sure to tell her that Pam "the wine glass lady" sent you! 

Patty Wilson, Chef/Owner
Patty Cakes Bakery
417 S. Main St. - NOW OPEN
Grapevine, TX  76051
682-223-1471
682-223-1472 Fax