Scripture Heroes Memory Game - To Go Along with January 2016 Primary Week 1

I'm grateful that in my church we are given lots of opportunities to serve each other and the community. I am currently serving in the Children's Sunday School, which we call Primary, as the 2nd Counselor. It is my third time back in Primary, and I just love it.

This week's Sharing Time (lesson time) deals with scripture heroes, and they suggested a memory game. I made this one and wanted to share it with others serving in Primary or for families for Sabbath Day worship or Family Home Evening. Enjoy!

To Make:
Print out these files:

Download the PDF Files of the Scripture Heroes Memory Game

Color, add colorful card stock (in the same color) as a backing, and laminate. Attach magnets and play memory on a magnetized chalkboard.

For personal and church use only. Not for resale. All images are originals, but other clipart inspired mine.

Teacher Appreciation - EOS lip balm tutorial - Apple Card for Teacher

Pin-napped!

I think I might have sunk to a new low! A friend of mine on Pinterest recently pinned the cutest card for Teacher Appreciation Week using an EOS lip balm to make an apple-themed card. I instantly repinned it....and then went to work to make my own. Now, I think this would have been okay if my friend lived, say, on the other side of the country, but no, she lived in my neighborhood. That's right, I pin-napped a craft for a teacher, from a mom in our same elementary school! Oops! Well at least her daughter isn't in the same class as my son. That would definitely draw the line. I hope she feels flattered I thought she had good taste, not upset that I stole her idea!

I hope you like this as much as I did. Feel free to use my printable or go to the original pin at the Country Chic Cottage and use theirs.

DIY:

1. Print out the card.

2. Trace the lip balm and cut out the hole.

3. Unscrew the balm and place it through the card. Screw the other end to the front.

4. Add a leaf and stem. I used craft paper and rubber cement glue.

5. You're done.

Thanks to Country Chic Cottage and my friend Carrie for the idea!

Enjoy!

Lego Birthday Party 101 - Free Printables and Ideas

So you want to throw a LEGO party? Why not, Legos are a classic theme and the molds for these projects are so darn cute. When I clicked the "add to cart" link on Amazon the day I bought the minifigure molds, I thought it might be a splurge, but since then we have used them and used them. In this crazy post, I'll share with you a peak into my slightly unhealthy obsession into children's birthday parties.  Let my hours of hard work be your gain. 

Included in this Post....

- Free Printable Lego Birthday Invitations with DIY Scratch-offs
- DIY Gummy Legos with Printable Toppers
- Minifigure Crayons and Lego Coloring Book

- Chocolate Minifigure Cupcake Toppers
- Minifigure Printable Banner

- Paper Plate Decorations
- Lego Race Car Activity

Here is a picture of the table scape. Notice at this time I did not understand the necessity of the backdrop. In these pictures it is painfully obvious how distracting the living room furniture is. My bad! Live and learn. 

A good party starts with a good invitation. In a world of Evites, a printed invite gives a personal touch. And, if you have an interactive invite, all the better. These invites were printed at 4x6 photos and included a scratch-off to cover up the Lego Hero section. A series of 9 heroes were printed and randomly given out. You could use these as groups for the party, but we just did it for fun. The kids loved to be surprised when they scratched it off...even if we had no meaning to it. 

DOWNLOAD IT HERE. If you've never done a scratch-off thing before, HERE is a good tutorial. I've tried the crayon-method before, but I really like the package-tape method better. 

I printed these at my local Office Depot. They are great, low priced and you can email them these files directly, just call your local Office Depot's print people.
(No, I am not getting paid for this endorsement...they are just amazing!)

If you have these awesome molds that you can buy HERE, and you use THIS TUTORIAL for make-your-own-gummies, than you can package them with these coordinating toppers that you can DOWNLOAD HERE.

Making Lego crayons is as easy as breaking them up, melting them down in the oven, 150 degrees F for 15-20 minutes. And there you go, cool crayons. Print out this Lego coloring book by DOWNLOADING PAGE 1, PAGE 2, PAGE 3, PAGE 4, PAGE 5 and simply stitch it together for a great take-home.

Used the same molds (after washing very well) for chocolate for cupcake toppers. These were a big hit. 

Make this quick and easy banner by DOWNLOADING IT HERE. Print it, cut it out, and sew or glue it to ribbon. 

Made these crazy, but fun, plate decorations with THIS TUTORIAL, costing a total of $3.

Each guest created their own Lego car and then we raced them on this piece of MDF that was painted with chalkboard paint. We found extra Legos and car parts (wheels and steering wheels) HERE on AMAZON.

Craft Room / Office Reveal

A Dreamy Craft Room / Office Makeover
If you're anything like me, you love a good project. And, because of that, you have several projects in various stages waiting to be finished. Since we moved in our house three years ago, I wanted to update my craft room--paint dressers, organize supplies, etc. Unfortunately, it hasn't been a priority.

When we decided to turn my husband's office into our  official family gym, however, the only place for him to go, was to share with me. So, now my ultra-girly, Tiffany-inspired craft room, would have to be something my husband would feel comfortable in as well. This presented a challenge.

As one who always has "selling your house" at the forefront--because you never know when my hubby's job might take us elsewhere--I knew I didn't want to split the room in half, as it would look comical if we had to sell. Instead, I opted for an accent wall in Tiffany blue, and a coordinating silver-grey for the remainder of the room.

It was a lot of work. Electric sanding the pink flowers, clean-up, painting walls with latex, painting and priming furniture with oil. It took more than two weeks, and of course there are still some projects left to finish.

I hope to have a few tutorials later. Especially one on the mini blinds turned roman shades, but for now, this is all time will allow. Enjoy.


Before:
It was a cute floral motif, but definitely not the style for our joint office / craft room. Lots of electric sanding to remove those cute blossoms, but it was worth it.

After: 



Matchy-Matchy
A few coats of primer and oil paint, turn these mix-matched dressers into coordinating pieces. None of them are matchy-matchy, but they work together.

Women

Every girl needs a shelf for her glitter. I painted this generic bathroom sign to have some fun with the fact that this is my side of the office. 

Cute bins in the coordinating colors thanks to TJ Maxx.

Tiffany Blue

I think this middle dresser is my favorite style-and-color-wise. If I had to pick one perfect color, this would be it. I thought about painting the wall this color, but I wondered if the brightness would compromise the sophistication of the space. I opted for a lighter shade for the wall, but painted the dresser this deeper shade. I didn't want to paint the gold handles (and thanks to my FB and IG friends, they didn't want me to paint them either) but unfortunately, it just didn't mesh well with the "stainless steel" furniture pieces right next door. I sprayed them "metallic" and then glazed them with some black paint to give them a pewter-look.

Picture Perfect

The picture frame, from Michaels, was a project three years in the making. I printed out little Polaroid-like pictures to clip inside, but they are too small. I am going to double the size for a more substantial look. Thanks to my friends Heidi and Natalie for this fun idea. 

Some things just weren't meant to be painted. 

I found this chair at Lewis Hall at the University of Kansas when I was an RA on the 3rd Floor. (BLT forever!) As a Journalism major, I just had to have this chair that a resident before me tattooed with this fun school logo. By now you're thinking I'm a klepto, but that isn't true! Our doom was remodeled after my junior year, and this fun mid-century furniture was up for grabs. I have a matching desk, but we turned that into a soda fountain bar long ago. My hubby and mom want me to paint this chair to match the room, but I think it would be a travesty. Some things just weren't meant to be painted.

This started out as my craft desk/table, but transformed into my sewing table. The bottom is two mis-matched filing cabinets that were painted the same color, and the top is a scrap piece of granite found at the local Habitat for Humanity's Restore for $20. It is pretty heavy, and just lays on top. I found that cute box at TJ Maxx. It's not an exact match in color, but close enough for me and holds my most-used sewing supplies. 

This tall table is solid oak. I found it at Restore as well for only $75. It has a self-hiding leaf and is the perfect size and height for a craft island. I especially enjoy the two shelves underneath for supplies. Perfect! The stools are from Target and match our kitchen ones (because you never know if they'll have to all be a set of four someday.)

Rudi's desk is from a local thrift store and was purchases a few years ago. I painted it a stainless steel color that was actually called aluminum. I painted and glazed his handles to match. 

Can you tell where Rudi works? He has a bit of a collection going on here. These shelves were picked up at Target to showcase the collection. 

I saw this idea in a Restoration Hardware Kids catalog. Since Rudi has conference calls around the world, these clocks are functional as they are cute. They were only $7 each at Target--the cheapest ones, but I love them. Stickers spell out the cities' times they reflect. 

From Rudi's side of the office, it is neutral and gray--not girly at all. The roman blinds were made from $9 Target curtain panels and $3 mini blinds. Details to come. 

I hope you enjoyed the tour. Let me know if you have any questions. I love working with oil paint because of it's durability, and clean-up was pretty easy. I don't know why oil has scared me for so long. Piece of cake.....oooh, cake.....gotta run. 

Studio C T-Shirt Design - Free Printable

If your kids are anything like mine, they LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Studio C on BYU TV. They watch it incessantly and then there is the quoting. Yep, they quote it allllll the time! On any given day you can hear the following phrases in our house:

"Lobster Bisque"

"Captain Literal"

"Look into my eyes......my unblinking eyes!"

"Take my weapon and strike me down!"

They seriously love this show. So for Christmas it was only natural to want to buy them a Studio C t-shirt or hoodie. Unfortunately, when I went looking for something like this, there was not much to buy. One sad-looking (sorry Studio C) black t-shirt...in adult sizes. 

Obviously, I do not own the rights to this show and cannot be making money off of its likeness -- thank you everyone on Etsy who sell unlicensed character things --- but I wanted to share this so others can make these t-shirts for their kids for Christmas. I would never want to take money away from our friends at Studio C to fund their awesome sketches, so when they start selling cool t-shirts, this free printable will go bye-bye, but until then...enjoy!

> Download 8x8 inch color printable for t-shirt

> Download 8x8 inch color printable REVERSED for t-shirt

Note, I uploaded mine to VistaPrint and bought two youth t-shirts. They are having a Holiday Special if you log, things will be half-priced. I got the two shirts for $6 each. 

You could also print the above designs to t-shirt paper you buy at your local super or office store and iron them on yourselves. 

Enjoy!

Lori

P.S.   Oh, and if you're wondering "What in the heck is Studio C?" (Only the best show ever!) Here is a link to their site where you can watch episodes for FREE! It's like Saturday Night Live, but it's clean. Your kids can watch it, you can watch it and it's funny and appropriate for everyone.

> Watch Studio C for FREE!

13 Signs Your Kids are Addicted to Rainbow Loom!

1. Every member of your family is sporting Rainbow Loom bracelets on their wrists, has them in their jewelry box, on the night stand, by the sink, on the kitchen table, in the car....

2. Everywhere you go, you're looking to see if they have the extra bands in stock...and in "glow in the dark" white.

3. Little rubber bands are littered all over the house, and you just stepped on three of them, on your way to the kitchen.

4. Speaking of the kitchen, every Tupperware container is missing from your kitchen because they have been repurposed for holding rubber bands...

5. You know the difference between a s-clip and a c-clip, and you know the difference between a fishtail, a starburst, a pinstripe, a ladder, and a triple-single....and you can even make a couple of those.

6. Your children steals your iPad to watch videos of "Ashley" teaching him how to make all the different styles of Rainbow Looms. (And you and your child refer to "Ashley" from the YouTube videos as if she was your child's friend....case in point.... You say, "What is Ashley up to today?" Child: "She's teaching me about the double hex...")

7. You light up when you find a package of knock-off Rainbow Loom bands in the dollar isle of Target, realize they are pink and purple and that you have boys, and shrug and buy them anyway.

8. You hear your child mumbling to himself, "Now, let's get started....first take the band and place it on the loom..."

9. Your child is no longer earning screen time....he is earning time in which he can Rainbow Loom....

10. Your child ask you where his "hooker" is.  This is a true story. After laughing hysterically, you realize he means the hook device that comes with the loom instead of a different kind of hooker. Subsequently, you have lost and/or broken this "hooker" -- the stick that comes with the loom -- and you have to buy a replacement crochet hook....or two...

11. Your child manages to place all the rubber bands on the loom but needs your help "hooking." "Mom, I need help hooking," are not the words every mother longs to hear, until you realize he means the Rainbow Loom.

12. Your child makes Rainbow Looms for friends, family members, neighborhood kids, house guests, the repair guy who fixed your washer, and the Mormon Missionaries who stopped by.

13. You go into your child's room at night to tuck him in, and he's hunched over, under the covers with his beloved Rainbow Loom, rubber bands strewn about and he's lit by the glow of the iPad, watching an instructional video...probably from Ashley.

If only he was this obsessed about homework or doing his chores...

DIY Dishwasher Tablets

Pinterest-Tested, Lori Approved

Make Your Own Dishwasher Detergent Tablets or Pellets

I am always looking for ways to save money, and I love a good project. I have seen recipes for homemade dishwasher detergent before, but a recipe for making your own dishwasher tablets or pellets, now that got my attention.

Not all Pinterest projects are pin-worthy. But, this one, my friends, definitely is. This lady is a genius, and here is my take on her wonderful tutorial:

What you need:

1 - 54-55 oz box of washing soda / detergent booster (3.89)
1 - 76 oz box of borax (4.49)
1 - 2 lb carton of epsom salts (.99)
1- bottle reconstituted lemon juice (32 oz for .99)
$10.36 for over 300 pellets

(Note, you do NOT need baking soda. I'm not sure why I included in the picture....maybe it was lonely.)

Step 1: In a 5-gallon bucket, mix all of the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon. 

 

Step 2: Scoop out 2 1/2 cups of the mixture and put into a large mixing bowl. (Keep the rest in the bucket with the lid on tight so kids and pets don't get into it. 

 Step 3: Add lemon juice 1 TB at a time into the dry mixture until it clumps and is sticky. 

Step 4: Scoop the mixture into the ice cub trays loosely to about the top. I got my trays from Wal-Mart.

(Note: you might want to fill them even less full so that when they are tamped down they are small enough to fit into your dishwasher compartment. Some of mine were a bit big and had to be chopped in two.)

Step 5: With gloves, tamp each down pretty tightly. 

Step 6: Let them drive overnight. In Budet101's tute, she said it takes days for hers to dry out. Mine took less than 24-hours, and it was winter. You know when they are ready when you flip them over and gently tap them and the tablets fall out. 

Step 7: You can now use them as you would Cascade or Finish's dishwasher tabs. I also use vinegar as a rinsing agent. Place extras in a storage container.

The results? It worked out great. I couldn't tell a difference from my normal detergent. Did it work for you?

------------------------------- UPDATE, 3-7-13 -----------------------------------

So it has been a few weeks and we are loving the results of the homemade dishwasher tablets. Sparkling, I tell you! We have learned a few things....

1. Size Does Matter

Check out your dishwasher's detergent compartment FIRST to see if the molds you have chosen (and the resulting tablets) will fit in. Some of my first batch were too big and had to be cut in half. 

2. There's More than One Way to Make a Tablet

So I enlisted my kids help to make another round of tablets. The 10-year-old was very capable. He asked if he could make Lego ones.... of course! They worked out okay, but the more intricate the mold, the harder it is to come out perfectly. Also, we found that the silicon molds we had worked so much easier than the ice trays. 

3. It's Not Exactly a Science

So, I realized that once you have the "big mix," it's not exactly a science when you mix in the lemon juice. Just grab a cup or two of the "big mix" and then add enough lemon juice to wet it and make it a sticky consistency. I like things that are not exact.