Bonus Post! Upgraded Dollar Store Flip Flops

So I was out shopping today with a friend, and we were admiring all the fun little shoes, clothes, etc. at the boutique shops.  The only thing we couldn't admire was the prices!  I love the look of the items, but I just can't bring myself to pay the prices when I know that my kiddos are going to grow out of them or wear them out in about 3 months.  So today I was inspired to make my daughter a cute ribbon wrapped pair of flip flops for much cheaper than I saw at the store.  The ones I saw had ribbon wrapped around the straps then a bow made out of matching ribbon at the toe.  I knew I wouldn't be able to replicate it exactly (bows are so not my forte), but I though I could make something similar that was fun and my daughter would like.  It only ended up taking some ribbon, flip flops, 3 different colored pieces of tulle, and a glue gun.

After picking her up from her MDO, we went off to the dollar store where we found some flip flops in her size with multi-colored peace signs on them.  My daughter is a little obsessed with peace signs because her Grammy, my mom, is also a little obsessed with peace signs (teenager of the 70s) and passed that on to my daughter.  So when I saw the peace sign flip-flops, I knew they would be the ones. 

I then let her choose from a couple different ribbons of matching colors to wrap the straps in.  She chose pink (of course), so I set to work.  I recommend starting by hot gluing the ribbon to strap then wrapping it around and regluing it to the ribbon to make sure it stays.  The hot glue comes off the rubber strap pretty easily.  I then wrapped it around, gluing it to the previous ribbon each time.

I made sure to put half the glue on the ribbon and half on the strap.  I also applied the glue to the backside of the strap so any extra glue could not be seen from the outside.  I kept warping until I reached the end of the other side, finishing by gluing ribbon to ribbon.

To finish it off, I grabbed a couple colors of coordinating tulle to tie around the tie instead of a bow.  Again, I am definitely not a bow maker. :)  I tied on piece to one side of the toe and another to the other side.

I then took a piece of black tulle and tied it around both the other pieces of tulle.  I took some scissors and cut it down, so it would be just little puffs of tulle at the toe.

End result, while not as nice as the ones in the store, I ended up with a pair of flip flops that my daughter was able to pick out and help make herself.  She loves them, and even if they fall apart in a week (hopefully not) I only paid a $1 for it b/c I already had the ribbon and tulle. :)  Fun project to do with your kiddos (minus the glue gun) that they can proudly wear later.

Week 19 - My war against the fruit flies

 My house unfortunately has been invaded with fruit flies over the past couple weeks.  With the warm winter, I think we are seeing more insects this year, and fruit flies are definitely one.  I happened upon a fruit fly trap on Pinterest, and I thought what the heck?  I don't know any other way to get rid of them, so I gave it a try.  The first, notice I said first, trap I found threw me for a loop b/c when I clicked on it, I fell victim to one of the new traps people are setting on Pinterest, and it took me to some bogus website that I am sure put cookies, worms, or some sort of other weird name for computer uh-oh on my computer.  After searching, I was finally about to find the pin that lead me to the correct website.
The pin featured this picture:

The directions are listed on the site, Passionate Homemaking.  I went to work making my trap.  I had to use a plastic cup, since I didn't have a mason jar handy.  For the record, I never have a mason jar handy.  I made the cone of paper and let it sit.  I got so excited to see the little fruit flies going into the cup.  I felt so smart and victorious.  Then I came back later to see more little fruit flies in the cup.  Yay!  I was feeling so good about my win over the fruit flies that I decided to brag to my husband about it when he came home.  But as the night went on, we started to notice that there were less fruit flies.  Even though the blog said they wouldn't be able to figure out how to get back up, somehow mine were.  I don't know if we happen to have some sort of Houdini fruit flies that can get out of any trap or what, but it became very apparent that my trap was not working.  It could draw them in, but not keep them.  I think I actually heard their tiny laughter as I gave up and threw the trap out. 

A few days later I found another fruit fly trap.  These one seemed so very basic and not at all trap-like, but I went ahead and tried it determined to be the laughing stock of the fruit flies in my own house!  I wish I could find this pin again, but I don't seem to have repinned it!  I can tell you what I did though.  It recommended taking a small container (I used another plastic cup) and filling it half-full with apple cider vinegar and added a few drops of Dawn dish soap.  I set this on the counter, not really expecting results.  By that night, I had at least 10 fruit flies floating in it!  I think I have actually found the fruit fly kryptonite!!  The next morning I had even more!  Ladies and gentlemen do not ever discount simplicity. :)  Here is a picture of my fruit fly graveyard.

Notice all the little dark specks at the bottom, those would be dead fruit flies.  I have never been so proud of anything so gross!  It even caught a real fly too!

So I feel like I got the last laugh...for now.  I lost the first battle, but I won the war. :) 

Week 18 - One of my new favorite meals!

Ok, so I am typically not a lemon/lime person with my food unless it's being squeezed over a sizzling plate of fajitas or sitting atop of my margarita glass, but when I saw this recipe for Lemon Garlic Chicken with green beans and potatoes, something about it drew me in.

This picture alone can make your mouth water!Plus I liked the idea of having the whole meal in one baking dish without it having to be some rich (and over processed) casserole.  When I clicked it, I was taken to the recipe on the Real Simple.  Click the link to see the full recipe. 
I did make a few small changes.  I used boneless skinless chicken breasts.  My daughter can't stand skin on her chicken, and if there is skin, instead of peeling the whole thing off ahead of time, she will take bites, then proceed to spit the skin out.  So appetizing!  I also only used about 6 red potatoes instead of 8.  Not sure if my potatoes were bigger, but I could only fit 6 without over packing the dish. 
This meal was a hit!  The lemon and garlic together were so good!  It really added a nice flavor to the chicken, green beans, and potatoes.  The kids even ate it all up, which is huge when there is meat on the plate.  It was also husband approved.  He said it was definitely one to make again.  This meal was pretty low fuss, just mix up a couple things, chop some potatoes and throw it all in the pan.  Easy week night meal that tastes like it was a lot harder to make!

Week 17 - You mean I need to clean my washing machine?

I ran across this post on Pinterest about cleaning your washing machine.  I have never really thought about this, since it is a machine that cleans things itself.  Why (beyond just wiping down the inside and outside of the lid) would it need to be cleaned?  I learned why when I really started looking at it.  Built up fabric softener that turned into a film in the dispenser and along the top of the washer basket.  So I put this pin to use!

It led me to the blog, Somewhat Simple.  I set out that day convinced that by the end of the day my washing machine would be spotless and bright white clean.  I set my timers and followed all the directions.  By the end of the cleaning process, I can say that the washer looked a little better than when I started, but it wasn't really the results that I had expected.  My laundry room definitely had a strong smell of vinegar to it though!  I made sure to run a few more cycles to dilute it out a little more before washing any clothes.  It did help get most of the film out of the fabric softener dispenser.  Maybe I need to try it again since this was the first time I have taken the time to clean my washing machine.  Or maybe I just need a new washer to start over fresh with.  Haha, I can see my husband just shaking his head "no."  I guess I will just try again and make due until that one fine day I get my new cherry red front loading washer and dryer.  A girl can dream right?  Maybe by then they will have self cleaning washers! ;)

Week 16 - Puffins (Pancake muffins)

For this week, I tried out the Puffin aka the pancake muffin or the Busy Mom's pancake.  Found this pin on Pinterest, but there was no link, so I am not quite sure who to give the credit to.  Here is the pic I found.

These are SUPER easy and really yummy.  The directions are simple.   Preheat oven to 350.  Mix 1 cup pancake mix, 2/3 cup water, and 1/2 cup syrup together.  Pour in greased muffin pan, and top with banana, blueberries, chocolate chips, pecans, sausage, bacon, etc.  Bake 12-14 minutes then serve. 

I made these the first time the night before a fishing weekend for my husband, dad, and brother.  I knew it was going to be an early morning, so I wanted something that would be ready to eat.  I made them the night before then put them into plastic containers until the next day.  The first time I made these, I used pure maple syrup instead of the regular syrup that we use on a daily basis (which I am kinda grossed out by, now that I have read the ingredients).  I think I liked the first batch the best b/c of this.  I have used many different toppings, blueberries, strawberries, chocolate chips, mini M&Ms, vanilla granola, and pumpkin granola with flax.  I bought some sausage to try out this weekend. :)  I have even left some plain, and they are yummy on their own as well.  I used a mini muffin tin, and it makes the perfect size for the kids to have at breakfast.  They can grab two or three to eat quickly.

The ones with fruit, do get a little soggy on the bottom, but I had no complaints from my bunch.  I just made sure to store them in air-tight plastic containers in the fridge to keep them fresh.
I even made these this morning to take for Teacher Appreciation.  Today was bring something sweet to eat, so I thought these would be perfect.  I was able to make these while my son got ready for school, and they were cooled, packed, and ready to go when he was. :)

Definitely recommend these for quick breakfast or even a brunch.

Week 15 - Bike basket

My daughter has been going back and forth on getting a basket for her bike.  I have even resorted to taking a paper gift bag and looping the straps around the handlebars to help carry her dolls, toys, etc.  Very classy! :)  We went shopping for a basket, but we couldn't find one that she liked.  I saw this pin on pinterest and decided to try it out!

The full tutorial can be found on the blog, Noodlehead.  I cut out my fabric and started making the inside and outside of the basket and putting it together with the heat fusing material.  I tried to pick out fabrics that would match her bike, and I found some peace sign fabric that I already had.  My mom loves peace signs, and therefore, so does my daughter.  I figured I could get away with it not being pink since it had peace signs.  I used Heavy Duty Wonder Under, but I don't think it was quite heavy enough.  It works fine, but it is not as stiff as the basket in the picture.

I ironed it using the method she showed on the website, but then changed to putting the basket on the end of the ironing board because I was seeing wrinkles on the outside of the basket.  I switched so if there were anymore wrinkles, they would be on the inside.

You can see some of the wrinkles here.

Then I was able to sew together the handlebar attachment and put it on.



I took a break at this point to have some dinner, and Baylie found a new use for the basket.

After dinner (and convincing her that it was not a new hat), I was able to add the top border and put it on the bike.  Just when I thought I had gotten away with no pink, my daughter said, "I want it to be pink too!"  I searched my fabrics to see what I had that might coordinate that had some pink in it.  The polka dots came the closest, and she was happy with that.  Not what I would have picked, but she loves it, and it's her basket!

She has used it several times to take her dolls along on bike rides, as well as her bug catcher, to rescue wandering doodle bugs on the sidewalk to return them to their home in the grass.

This project took a little longer, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.  Much cheaper than buying a plastic woven basket that would have fallen apart in a couple months (considering I already had everything I needed to make it).