Starry Night Sensory Bag

If you are looking for a fun way to wind down with the kids at bedtime, this easy starry night sensory bag is  perfect! It comes together so easily and is fun to squish!


We love sensory play. Even my almost 9 year old will drop everything and come running if he sees water beads, or rainbow rice. 

Bedtime has kind of sucked lately, so I thought maybe we could make a sensory bag that would help Harp unwind in a new way. We came up with this Starry Night Sensory Bag.


Supplies

Hair gel
Black decorative sand
Ziploc Baggie
Star Confetti

Directions

Add about 1/3 cup of hair gel to a zipper seal bag.



Add about 1/3 cup of black sand to the bag.


Add gold star confetti to the bag.



Allow little hands to squish and squeeze.


Seal the bag!


If you are worried about little hands not being gentle, double up on the baggie!




You can find our other sensory play ideas here


Blueberry Vodka Lime Sorbet


Blueberry Vodka Lime Sorbet cools you off while lighting you up at the same time!


You guys, I celebrated my 40th birthday yesterday. I am pretty excited about it too. 40 is the Holy Grail or so I have heard. And I am eager to find out! It is August and it is blazing hot here. So humid that I am not even ashamed to admit, I daydreamed about winter for a few moments.

I can't do much about the weather, but I can find ways to keep my mind busy and cool off a little.
I whipped up a batch of blueberry vodka lime sorbet and enjoyed a dish poolside. That has to be the next best thing to a winter wonderland on a hot day.

Sorbet seems fancy to me. When I was in highschool, I had a part time job at a really lovely place, Glenlaurel Inn in the Hocking Hills. It was pretty sweet for a teenager. I did dishes, earned enough money to go to dozens of concerts, and sometimes the chef would feed me a gourmet meal that included sorbet and an andes mint at the end. As a kid, living in a very rural area in the 1990s, sorbet, andes mints and a coke machine really wowed me. For over 20 years I have fondly recalled that experience of working there and being exposed to culture every time I have had sorbet.



Sorbet seems fancy, but it is actually so deliciously simple to make. Homemade sorbet is a million times better than anything that comes in a container an adding a great vodka to the mix results in a grown up treat that does double duty. It cools you off and fires you up at the same time!

Ingredients:

2 cups of blueberries
2 cups of sugar
2 cups of water
One Lime
1/2 cup of vodka


Directions:

Combine water, sugar and blueberries in a saucepan.
Over medium heat bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to low and simmer or 30 minutes.
Allow the mixture to cool for 20 minutes.
Pour into a blender and blend for 1 minute.
Add vodka and the juice of one lime.
Blend for 30 seconds.
You can pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer if the seeds from berries bother you. I opted not to do this, as I like a little texture.
Freeze for 4 o 6 hours.
Serve or store in an airtight container in the freezer.




Find more cocktail recipes here

Everyone loves the Bomb Pop Cocktail

20+ Funko Pop Figures for Collectors

Funko Pop figures are so much fun! I love to see all of the awesome renditions of famous people and characters that they come up with!

Last month a friend of mine had 2 custom made for his engagement and I am in awe of how cute they turned out! Ever since I saw them, I have been obsessed with them! While checking them out on amazon I rounded up 20 of my favorites to share with you. If you to love them, or are shopping for a gift for a collector, you are going to get a kick out of this list!

 I am a participant in the amazon affiliate program. Making a purchase gives me a small commission at no cost to you.



Deadpool- Bob Ross Funko Pop
Buddy from Elf
Ron Swanson from Parks and Recreation
The Dragon from Game of Thrones
Marvel Venom
Gizmo from Gremlins
Pickle Rick from Rick and Morty
Slash from Guns n Roses
Rainbow Brite and Twink
The Grinch
Ed Sheeran 
Dumbledore
James Bond
Flying Rocket
Cousin Eddie from Christmas Vacation
Steve with Sunglasses from Stranger Things
Krampus 
Sub Zero from Mortal Kombat
Jon Snow from Game of Thrones
Skeletor in Battle Armor from Masters of the Universe

Cousin Eddie is my favorite! How fun is that? I can't wait to hear about your favorite from this list, or a special Funko Pop in your collection!

I have so many fun shopping guides on site! You might want to check out a few others like:

15+ Unicorn Gifts for TeensStar Wars Gift Ideas

DIY Easel Photo Stands

This easy straw easel diy is the perfect solution to displaying photos and works of art on the cheap.
All you will need is a few straws and some hot glue to create these fun and functional easel photo stands.


My kids love to draw pictures and my husband loves to take photos. I usually have an abundance of things to display on any given day. Considering how artistic my family is, I regularly rotate the display!
These easy easel photo stands are the perfect solution for displaying notes, photos or works of art.
They come together in moments and are just the right size.

      

To make straw easel photo stands you will need 4 paper straws and a hot glue gun.
Begin by forming an upside down V with 2 straws and glue them together.


Next, cut one straw in half, place this on the two straws to form an A shape. For larger photos, add the cut straw a little lower to allow more room to stand a photo.

Now glue the last straw on the back of the A shape.  Glue from the top to give the stand its support.



Allow to dry for a moment then place a photo or work of art on the stand to display.


I love this idea for the office, a dorm room, or around the house.




I have a video on facebook for this project.
I would love to have you check it out and give it a thumbs up!



You might also like this Time Out Jar project.

Cotton Candy Ice Cream Cones

This easy treat is perfect for sharing with a group of kids! On the hottest day, these tasty ice cream cones won't drip because they are made with cotton candy! Everyone loves these cotton candy ice cream cones!


Harper and I are always getting into something. She loves to bake and is known in our home as the making baking girl. But, between friends, my oven really needs to be cleaned before we bake, and I have no idea how to actually do it... google here I come. But, in the meantime, I can't deny my girl her fun in the kitchen!

This post contains affiliate links.

We had a box of sugar cones and Harper had talked me into a bag of cotton candy recently. Inspiration hit, and this is what we came up with. Cotton Candy Ice Cream Cones. To make them "fancy" we dipped them into chocolate and then into sprinkles.

This is such an easy treat to make. They would be perfect for sharing at a birthday party, or in the classroom for a mess free snack. You can make a dozen of these in under 10 minutes.

Ingredients

1/2 cup of Wilton white candy melts 
1 package of cotton candy
Sprinkles


Instructions

Melt the chocolate in a microwave at 50% power for 30 seconds. Stir and repeat until the chocolate stirs smooth.
Immediately dip your sugar cones in the melted chocolate.



Next dip the cones into sprinkles, allow to dry for about 15 minutes.
Stuff the cones with cotton candy.
Wrap in cellophane or serve immediately.


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