Archive for the ‘Crafts & Celebrations’ Category

19 Awesome Ways to Show Teacher Appreciation

Wednesday, May 1st, 2013

19 Teacher Appreciation Ideas
As you may have guessed by now, we love our teachers and we love letting them know how thankful we are for all the time, energy, and love they put into educating our children! I look forward to Teacher Appreciation Week each year (May 6-10 this year) as a time I can really let them know how we feel (though of course telling them all through the school year is allowed, too!).

Today I’m excited to share with you 19 of our best teacher appreciation ideas – all pulled from the archives of MomAdvice! Some years I have more time and some years less, so there are ideas for gifts that can be created in minutes like Oreo Cookie Biscotti:

oreo biscotti

Or if you have more time there are some super special ideas that are guaranteed to knock their socks off like a Rosette Bib Necklace:

Rosette_Bib_Necklace

Need a few more ideas…how about 17 more? These are some of the best projects I’ve come up with over the years – and I found them to be a great way to show love to the awesome teachers in our lives!

1. DIY Book Page Flower Bouquet (this year’s teacher appreciation idea!)

2.  Teacher School Supplies Cake

3.  Raise Your Hand If You Mustache a Question Printable & Mustache Mug

4.  Rolled Rosette Pins

5. Light & Fluffy Baked Cake Donuts

6.  No-Slip Bookmarks (3rd project in the post)

7.  Oatmeal Cookies & Milk Bath Soak

8.  Dark Chocolate & Sea Salt Brownies

9.  Easy Felt Fabric Brooches

10. Light Snickerdoodle Biscotti

11. Rolled Rosette Ribbon Rings

12. Fabric Flower Pins

13. Honey Nut Granola

14. Knitted Coffee Cozies

15 DIY Monogrammed Wine Glasses

16. Six Stitch Knitted Ruffled Scarf

17. Easy Microwave Peanut Brittle

What are some ways you’ve found to say thanks to teachers?

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DIY Book Page Flower Tutorial (With Free Printable)

Tuesday, April 30th, 2013

If there is one thing our family loves to do it is spoil our teachers. Today I am sharing how to make book page flowers out of old books to brighten a teacher’s day. I hope you will enjoy this book page flower tutorial and be able to use our free printable to create your book page flowers.

As you know, book page crafts are something that I have recently grown fond of and I wanted to create a bouquet of book page posies that you could share with a favorite teacher. A great way to build upon this thrifty gift is to pair it with a gift card to a favorite local bookstore for your teacher.

Supplies Needed:

1 old book/textbook (I picked one up at Goodwill for $.50- it was WELL loved with loads of notes, yellowed edges, and bent corners.)
Jar or Vase
Grilling skewers
Hot Glue Gun
Glue Sticks
Book Page Flowers Template

Directions:

1. Cut out your five flower petals from the provided flower petal template

2. Begin by pulling out five pages of your book and leave them stacked. Using one of your flower petal templates as a guide, cut out your first petals. Since you are cutting through the stack of papers, you should have five petals cut. Repeat this process with the other four petal templates until you have five of each kind.

3. Using your grill skewer as a paper shaper, roll each of the petals to create curving of the petals around it. I simply rolled these around the skewer, then released them.

4. Pull out another page from your book and tear a strip lengthwise from the book. Just as you would with floral tape wrap, pulling down gently, the skewer with the strip from your page. You may need two strips to cover the entire length. (pictured above).

5. Tear another strip lengthwise and roll this at the top of your skewer to create the center of your flower (just ignore that bare stem!).  I just add a bit of glue at the beginning and then a bit of glue at the end to hold it together. Now you are ready to start adding your petals.

6.  Add a drop of glue almost at the edge of the bottom of your petal and begin with the smallest layer. Add these petals all around the flower center. Repeat this process with the petals the next size up. Repeat again, again, and again until all of the petals are attached to your flower. If the base feels loose at all, add a little dab of hot glue around the bottom of the flower with your hot glue gun.

DIY Book Page Flower Tutorial
7. Finish by placing them in a thrifted jar or vase and spread and fluff the petals of your flowers. Give these to your favorite teacher with a gift card to their favorite bookstore.

Be sure to check back this week for more fun teacher gift ideas!

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Skip to My Lou Teacher Appreciation Series + Giveaway

Saturday, April 27th, 2013

Today I am over at Skip to my Lou guest posting today for a Teacher Appreciation Series.

As part of the series I get to share this fabulous: Show your Appreciation Giveaway {1 for you and 1 for your favorite teacher}!

This is one AMAZING giveaway!
We are giving away a fabulous Prize Package worth more than $1,000!
One lucky winner and their favorite teacher will receive…

Watch your creativity take shape! Using unique rolling technology, the Cricut Cuttlebug(tm) machine can cut shapes, emboss shapes, or cut and then emboss shapes to add texture and dimension to your latest creative endeavors. Great for School projects!
Did you know the cuddlebug accepts the dies you already own? Plus the Cricut Cuttlebug(tm) loves the materials you love, freeing you to cut and emboss from a wide range of crafting materials.

  • 2 Michaels gift cards $50 each Don’t forget to tell your teacher they can get 15% off every day at Michaels with their special teacher discount!
  • 2 Bundles of a years worth scrapbook supplies from American Crafts (valued at more than $1,000)! Basics like paper, scissors, trimmers, glitter, etc. – and then some fun patterned paper to take you both through the entire year!

It is easy to enter simply wait for rafflecopter to load and enter there.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you really want to win Remember to follow the entire series because you can get a new entry each day by visiting the featured blogger!

How to Make Painted Drip Jar Vases

Wednesday, April 10th, 2013

Earth Day is upon us and I love to have reminders of the beauty of nature around me when this day comes around. Pairing my love for nature with my love of upcycling commonly found items in our home, and it is the perfect marriage of the things I love for such a special day.

Today I wanted to share with you an easy craft that you can do with your kids to commemorate Earth Day. These painted drip jar vases are a fun way to experiment with paint and pattern to create a vase that is uniquely your child.

Come join me over on the Kenmore Blog to learn how to make these easy painted from recycled jars and pretty trimmings from your garden to commemorate the holiday!

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Easy Knitted Ruffled Scarf With Sashay Yarn

Monday, April 1st, 2013

I love to find fast & easy knitted projects and today I have the perfect beginner knitting project for you using a new yarn from Red Heart called Sashay Yarn. Red Heart Boutique Sashay Yarn is a unique yarn that creates a beautiful ruffled scarf with a simple six stitch cast-on. Red Heart sent me this yarn and some knitting supplies to show off just how easy it is to create a project with this inexpensive and fun yarn.

The first thing you will notice is that this yarn is very different than a traditional yarn. I will admit that I usually avoid novelty yarns except for trimming knitted projects so it is the type of yarn that I have probably walked by countless times at our local Walmart. Instead of a traditional single strand, this yarn is actually a woven yarn that features a touch of metallic for an extra edge to your ruffled projects. The yarn is made of 97 percent acrylic and 3 percent metallic polyester. One skein yields 30 yards of yarn, which can create a five foot ruffled scarf with just one ball.

Longtime readers may have remembered these amazing ruffled scarves I knitted for gifts one Christmas. As the last picture shows you, it was an insane amount of stitches that required an infinite amount of patience to cast on and to cast off. The last two rows on this scarf had over a thousand stitches each. The beauty of that ruffle made it all worthwhile, but for a beginning knitter, this process is both daunting and time-consuming. For an experienced knitter, it just takes a long time to  yield impressive results.

Knitting with Sashay Yarn creates a fast ruffle in no time and with only six stitches cast on!  As you can see from this picture, the yarn is already woven so it creates the ruffle without you needing to knit it and when knitting this scarf, you just gather this woven yarn into ruffles with simple garter stitches.

Rather than casting on with your traditional cast-on, you will simply pick up stitches off of the edge of the yarn. When knitting, you knit as you would normally, just picking up along the edge, but you skip the first loop of yarn and then slip into the second loop for the stitches. Casting off is done in the same way, with the skipping of one loop between each stitch, and then with the final loop of thread on your needle, you just weave the tail end through to finish your project. I then trimmed the edges of my scarf to make them even.

Some of my own personal recommendations when knitting this pattern (linked below)  are to choose needles that are shorter in length and to use bamboo ones (these are the ones that I use)  that will help to grip the threads better and keep your stitches in place.

The scarf is simply stunning and costs a mere $4.67 (at Walmart) to create and took about two nights of knitting to create. With simply six stitches and no pattern to follow, this is the perfect project to do while watching your favorite shows on television or to take with you while the kids are doing their extracurricular activities.

I imagine that this will make a perfect Mother’s Day gift this year and I can’t wait to show you what else I am up to with the next ball of yarn I have! What can I say? I am addicted to fast and easy projects these days!

Grab the Free Knitted Ruffled Scarf Pattern HERE.

 

Grab the Free Crocheted Ruffled Scarf Pattern HERE.

 

Let’s be friends on Ravelry (you can find my project there!) and check out my other Knitting Projects.

 
Watch my favorite You Tube tutorial I found on how to knit with this yarn below. It really helped me to get the hang of it and I think it can help you too!
 

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11 Fun New Ways to Decorate Eggs

Friday, March 22nd, 2013

 

Easter is just around the corner and we have you covered with 11 fun new ways to decorate your eggs this year.

Before you tackle these egg dying projects, be sure to check out the store for fun ways to display your beautifully dyed eggs.

Your favorite thrift or discount store offers a plethora of choices for beautiful glasses, jars, cake stands, baskets, and bowls in the Housewares department to showcase your handmade beauties!

Here are 11 new ways I have discovered to decorate your eggs this year!

I have a feeling you are going to LOVE these new spins on egg dying and decorating.

 

 

Trying to create a statement?

These Subway Art Eggs with Lil’ Luna are just the subway ticket!

 

 

 

 

Why should Christmas be the only advent holiday?

Tackle a countdown to Easter with a dozen eggs from A Subtle Revelry.

 

 

Do you have packets of Kool-Aid in your pantry?

Put them to work with Kool-Aid dyed eggs from MomAdvice!

 

 

Budding artists in your family?
Give them a Sharpie and let them create beautifully decorated doodled Sharpie eggs from Alisa Burke.
Watercolor prints are a hot trend right now.
Replicate that beauty by letting your kids create watercolor eggs with Nest of Posies.
Do you gravitate towards a more minimalist decor?
These minimalist Easter eggs are a sweet & simple nod to the season from Kaley Ann at Live Well Travel Often.
Do you prefer your eggs bright like a rainbow?
These rainbow dyed eggs are vivid in hue and statement from no. 2 pencil.

 

 

 

Love using more natural elements in your decor?
These naturally dyed Easter eggs are dyed with a variety of items you probably already have in your pantry & fridge from Two Men & a Little Farm.

 

 

 

Can’t choose between colors?

Try this simple marbleizing technique created from pantry items from MomAdvice.

 

 

 

 

One thing that will never go out of style is the sweetly speckled egg and you can find a tutorial for this technique over on Crafts By Amanda.

 

 

 

Should you be feeling a little more trendy, you can create beautiful ombre eggs in your favorite hues from Sugar and Charm.

 

 

 

I hope these ideas inspire you and be sure to visit your local thrift store for cute supplies to show off these beautiful eggs.
Not only will you have a fun new nod to the season, but you will be able to do it all on a budget that fits absolutely beautifully in your life. (image source: momadvice)

What is your favorite way to dye or decorate eggs?

Feel free to chime in below!

 

 

Don’t Miss these other great ideas from MomAdvice.com:

 

 

Peep Martinis

 

 

Easy DIY Fabric Flower Wreath

 

 

Peep Wreath

 

 

spring-easter projects

21 Fun Easter & Spring Projects

 

 

 

Sign up for the MomAdvice newsletter

 

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Spring Hop Party

Friday, March 22nd, 2013

I hope you have been enjoying all of the fun Spring projects that we have been sharing with  you this week. It has been so fun to see everyone’s take on Spring and the fabulous projects that each of these bloggers has been sharing!

Did you miss any of the projects? Here are all of the great hostesses that offered a fun project to try this week!

■       Karly from Buns in my Ovenfollow on Pinterest

■       Tiffany from Eat at Homefollow on Pinterest

■       Liz from Hoosier Homemadefollow on Pinterest

■       Amy from MomAdvicefollow on Pinterest

■       Kellie from Nest of Posiesfollow on Pinterest

■       Amy from Positively Splendidfollow on Pinterest

■       Lisa from The Pennington Pointfollow on Pinterest

■       Heather from WhipperBerry follow on Pinterest

Now it’s time for you to share! We will be pinning your great projects, so be sure to follow each of the bloggers. You will find their Pinterest accounts listed after their name!

Note- If you are viewing this post in your email or RSS feed, you may need to pop on over to see all the great Spring projects that have been added to the party!

Let’s get this party started!



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21 Fun Easter & Spring Projects

Wednesday, March 20th, 2013

spring-easter projects

I’m back with another round-up of great ideas for you – this time it’s lots of fun (and simple!) Easter & Spring projects. Between the Mom Advice archives and all the other inspirational projects I found, I knew I couldn’t limit myself to only one area, so you’ll find projects for the whole family to cook, craft, or decorate – for the holiday and beyond. In other words, something for everyone!

Cooking Projects:

Bread_Machine_Bunny_Bread

Bread Machine Bunny Bread @ Mom Advice

Bunny-Easter-Carrot-Dip

Bunny Carrot Dip @ Pizzazzerie

Peep_Martinis

Peep Martinis @ Mom Advice

Easter-Egg-Bark

Jelly Bean Bark @ The Frugal Girls

birds-nest-macaroons

Bird’s Nest Macaroons @ Faux Martha

bunny krispie pops

Chubby Bunny Krispie Pops @ Shaken Together Life

And when you’re ready for nourishing food,

vegetable soup with pesto

Spring Vegetable Soup with Pesto @ Healthy Delicious

Crafting Projects:

Rolled_Ribbon_Rosette_Hairbow

Rolled Ribbon Rosette Hair Bow @ Mom Advice

DIY_Peep_Wreath

DIY Peep Wreath with Rolled Ribbon Rosette @ Mom Advice

Paint with cotton tips

Paper Eggs Cotton Tip Painting @ Danya Banya

easy_felt_flower_brooch

Felt Flower Brooch @ Mom Advice

egg-carton-spring-sheep

Egg Carton Painted Sheep @ Blog Me Mom

spring-craft-daffodil-bunting

Daffodil Bunting @ Nurture Store

DIY Easter Stickers

DIY Easter Stickers @ MerMag Blog

Decorating Projects:

Embroidery_Thread_Easter_Eggs

Embroidery Thread Eggs @ Mom Advice

Simple Spring Tablescape

Simple Spring Tablescape @ Love of Family and Home

Bunny-boxwood-wreath

Boxwood Bunny Wreath @ Simplicity in the South

yarn-egg-wreath

Yarn Egg Wreath @ The Sweet Survival

pinata-eggs Pinata Eggs @ A Subtle Revelry

Easy-Easter-Decorating-with rice Colored Rice Easter Decoration @ Today’s Creative Blog

And last, but not least, how about some help cleaning up after all this fun?

Big-Spring-Clean-Part-1

The Big Spring Clean @ Living Well Spending Less

Happy Easter!

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Homemade Whole Wheat Toasted Tarts

Tuesday, March 19th, 2013

I love, love, love breakfast tarts and today I wanted to share with you a cute homemade whole wheat toasted tart version of this delicious treat that you can make right in your own kitchen. This recipe for whole wheat toasted tarts is so delicious that you won’t believe how much yum can be packed into one little treat.

These whole wheat toasted tarts incorporate a little whole wheat flour and in lieu of a frosting topping, I have mixed raw sugar & wheat germ for a sweet and toasty combination of deliciousness that is a little bit healthier than sprinkles and frosting (although we do love sprinkles and frosting around here too!).

I had never eaten a homemade toasted tart before and can I say…holy yum?! These are flaky, sweet-but-not-too-sweet, and just the right balance of filling and crust.

I hit my local Walmart store to grab supplies for this yummy treat. They offer absolutely delicious gourmet Bonne Maman fruit preserves that have become a special treat in our house for everything from waffle topping to my kid’s peanut butter & jellies. They retail for $3.95 each and come in delicious berry combinations, strawberry, cherry, and wild blueberry. One of these days I will get the hang of canning, but for now, these are my go-to preserves and make a delicious filling for homemade toasted tarts.

Just like my all butter pie crust (you can check out a picture tutorial over there),  I employ the use of my food processor to create an easy crust without the kneading. To make sure I don’t overwork the dough, I only use the Pulse on my food processor so I can make sure that I have a very tender dough. This is really essential for a flaky crust especially since we are creating this dough with whole wheat flour incorporated in it.

You can roll your dough out on a well-floured surface or roll it between two pieces of parchment paper. I highly recommend the parchment paper since this dough is a sticky one!

Did I mention sticky? This dough is a tricky little beast for a novice chef. Refrigeration of your crust is really essential for nice crisp edges and workable dough. The experts advise chilling your dough before using it and then chilling your tarts before you bake them to retain their shape. I do the same tactic with my sugar cookies and it yields crisp results. This will be doubly important if you live somewhere with a humid climate or are working in a hot kitchen.

My advice, chill out!

Seriously, just chill out for as long as you can!

My crunchy & sweet topping is raw sugar mixed with wheat germ. A generous sprinkle of this adds another layer of deliciousness. Although the dough is chock-full of butter (as all good crusts are!), there is very little sugar in the dough itself and the raw sugar adds a crunchy texture as well as a little sweetness to this homemade delight.

These little toasty tarts were meant to be cut in perfect measurements with crisp corners.

I am no baker though, so these are imperfect…

Just like me!

The kids never noticed the difference and busy moms don’t have time for perfection when it comes to snacks.

Can I get an, “Amen?”

Toasted Tart Filling Ideas

Fruit Preserve Filling: 3/4 cup (8 ounces) jam, 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon cold water. Mix the jam with the cornstarch/water in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, and simmer, stirring, for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, and set aside to cool. Use to fill the pastry tarts.

Cinnamon & Brown Sugar Filling: 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, & 4 teaspoons flour. Whisk together.

Chocolate Filling: 9 tablespoons mini chocolate chips or 9 tablespoons Nutella. Spread or sprinkle chocolate filling.

Homemade Whole Wheat Toasted Tarts
Recipe Type: Dessert
Author: Adapted from King Author Flour
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 1 hour 30 mins
Total time: 1 hour 45 mins
Serves: 9
Surprise the kids with a homemade version of this favorite breakfast treat. Be sure to visit the post for filling ideas for your homemade whole wheat toasted tarts.
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup (2 quarter-pound sticks, 8 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into pats
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) milk
  • 1 additional large egg (for brushing on the pastry)
  • 1 tablespoon raw sugar
  • 1 tablespoon wheat germ
Instructions
  1. Process flour, sugar, and salt together until combined.
  2. Add butter and pulse until the mixture holds together when you squeeze it, with pecan-sized lumps of butter still visible.
  3. Mix the egg and milk, and add it to the dough, mixing just until everything is cohesive.
  4. Divide the dough in half. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for up to 2 days or for 30 minutes.
  5. Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator and allow it to soften and become workable, about 15 to 30 minutes.
  6. Place one piece on a lightly floured work surface, and roll it into a rectangle about 1/8″ thick, large enough that you can trim it to an even 9″ x 12″. Laying a 9″ x 13″ pan atop the dough will give you an idea if you’ve rolled it large enough. Trim off the edges; place the scraps on a baking sheet, and set them aside, along with the 9″ x 12″ rectangle of dough.
  7. Roll the second piece of dough just as you did the first. Press the edge of a ruler into the dough you’ve just rolled, to gently score it in thirds lengthwise and widthwise; you’ll see nine 3″ x 4″ rectangles.
  8. Beat the egg, and brush it over the entire surface of the dough. Place a heaping tablespoon of filling into the center of each marked rectangle.
  9. Place the second sheet of dough atop the first, using your fingertips to press firmly around each pocket of jam, sealing the dough well on all sides.
  10. Brush the tops of the pastry with the remainder of the egg and then sprinkle the wheat germ and raw sugar topping on top of your tart.
  11. Press the tines of a fork all around the edge of the rectangle. Cut the dough evenly in between the filling mounds to make nine tarts. Press the cut edges with your fingers to seal, then press with a fork, to seal again.
  12. Gently place the tarts on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Prick the top of each tart multiple times with a fork; you want to make sure steam can escape, or the tarts will become billowy pillows rather than flat toaster pastries. Refrigerate the tarts (they don’t need to be covered) for 30 minutes, while you preheat your oven to 350°F.
  13. Remove the tarts form the fridge, and bake them for 25-28 minutes, until they’re a light golden brown. Remove them from the oven, and allow them to cool on the pan.

Recipe Adapted from King Author Flour.

 

Afraid to tackle a homemade crust? I get it! You can find an easy DIY Pop Tart made from store-bought crust over here!

 

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Peeptini Cocktail Recipe

Monday, March 18th, 2013

Looking for a fun new way to celebrate Easter? I have the perfect martini for you! Peep Martinis are a fun way to celebrate the season that is sure to be a crowd pleaser! This Peep-tini is an adorable nod to this beloved little candy!

This martini is made with marshmallow fluff vodka, heavy cream, and a vanilla simple syrup. Simple syrup is the easiest way to add flavor to cocktails or coffee drinks and is made from items you already have in your pantry.I love my peppermint syrup for my homemade peppermint mochas and my plain simple syrup for the perfect mojito. It takes only a few minutes to make a simple syrup and is a great little item to have tucked away in your fridge for cocktail or coffee-making!

If you have a dairy sensitivity, the heavy cream can be replaced with your favorite dairy substitute like vanilla almond milk, thick and rich coconut milk, or even rice milk for a more mild flavor. They all will taste absolutely delicious and paired with the vanilla vodka, it feels a little like you are cheating!

Peeptini Cocktail Recipe
Recipe Type: Drink
Author: Adapted from SheKnows.com
Prep time: 10 mins
Total time: 10 mins
Serves: 2
A fun spin on an Easter martini utilizing the infamous Peep candy for garnish.
Ingredients
  • 1-1/2 ounces fluffed marshmallow vodka
  • 1/2 ounce vanilla syrup, plus extra for rim
  • 1 ounce cream
  • Sugar
  • To make vanilla syrup: 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. In a small saucepan, bring sugar and water to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and stir constantly until sugar is dissolved.
  2. Stir in the vanilla extract.
  3. Cool to room temperature and store in a glass jar in the refrigerator for up to three months.
  4. Pour a small amount of vanilla syrup onto one plate and sprinkle sugar onto another plate. Dip rim of glass in syrup and then into sugar to coat.
  5. Put vodka, syrup and cream in a cocktail shaker with ice.
  6. Shake.
  7. Strain into glass.
  8. Adorn with a Peep.

I highly recommend enjoy that cocktail while gazing at your beautiful Peep Wreath that is decorating your door. You can’t beat a Peep show like that!

 The fun started with me today, but you can catch our projects all week long! Have a fun Spring project you have been working on? Be sure to add your Spring projects on Friday, March 22nd at 8 a.m. CST…on any of our blogs.  So…mark your calendars! The fun starts on Monday, March 18th! And add your Spring projects on Friday, March 22nd at 8 a.m. CST…see you there!! This is another great link-up like our Valentine’s Day link-up that was such a success in February so start thinking about your favorite Spring projects you would like to share.

Today you can also check out these Chalkboard Crosses on The Pennington Point!

This week we will each be showcasing a project and here are all of the great hostesses that will be offering fun projects this week!

Meet your hostesses…

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