CRAFT :: Summer Pinwheel Wreath

   

SUMMER PINWHEEL WREATH

Hi everyone!  It’s Wendy here from Scrappy Bags.  Are you looking for a fun summer wreath to welcome your guests?  I’ve got just the idea for you!  This is quick and easy and will take you no time at all.

You will need to gather:  a grapevine wreath, white spray paint, heavy two-sided cute scrapbook paper, cute buttons, a paper trimmer, scissors and a hot glue gun.

First, I took the grapevine wreath to the garage and spray painted it white.  Nice and easy!

Next, you want to take your scrapbook paper and cut a bunch of squares.  I made my squares 5x5 inches in size.  You can make them any size you like.  You will need whatever number of pinwheels that you want to put on your wreath.  I needed seven pinwheels for a 24” wreath.

The next step is to fold your squares in half and crease ever so slightly in the middle.  Fold two times ways so that you can create a “center mark” on your square.  Once you have your center, then cut a straight line from each of the four corners to approximately ¼ inch from the center point.  DO NOT cut the whole way to the point.

  

It’s time to use the glue gun, so get it warmed up!  Put a small dab of hot glue in the center point of the pinwheel, then fold the first corner over to the center and continue with each corner until you have all four corners adhered in the middle.  You may need to add a little more glue as you go along.  Keep going until you have all of your pinwheels made.

I thought the pinwheels needed a little something for the center to perk them up, so I added some cute buttons with hot glue.

I let my pinwheels set for about 30 minutes.  Once they were set and dry, I added some hot glue to the back of the pinwheel and then attached them to the grapevine wreath.  That’s it!  You’re done – mine was hanging on my front door an hour later!

Guest Contributor: Wendy Diem

Wendy is a stay at home mom living in Hershey, Pennsylvania, also know as the sweetest place on earth! 

She loves creating memory books and cards and would spend my whole day scrapbooking, but I do need to make time to take care of my family.  You know, those funthings like laundry, cleaning the house, etc.  

 

Back in March, 2012, she had the privilege of going to NYC as part of Martha Stewart’s Dreamers into Doers to attend some workshops and the live taping of her show.  She enjoyed meeting lots of wonderful entrepreneurial women.  What a great experience it was!

You can follow Wendy

flickr | artfire | pinterest | Facebook

TOP POSTS :: Best of JUNE

Ahhhhhh the dog days of summer! We are about half way through summer and we have been enjoying some summertime fun here and you may have noticed that I have cut back on new content for the blog a little bit. I figured most people are doing the same as me . . . enjoying the summer and plus I have a bazillion things on my home to-do" list that I have been working on. Plus it gives me lots of new content for the fall on the blog- YAY! Have you been working on any home projects? I am in the middle of a bathroom reno & installing new floors in there this week and I am finally painting all of the trim WHITE on the upstairs hallway which looks soooooo much better than the old dark wood! Can't wait to share with you all.

So lets take a look back over what you all were reading in June & viewed the most. I would also like to say THANK YOU to all who stop by to read, comment from time to time & send me emails. I SEE IT ALL! So thanks again. xoxo

:: TOP POSTS for June 2015 ::


  FREE Father's Day Art Print + Dessert Table Idea

 


RECIPE :: Cincinnati Chili Dog + 5 BBQ Essentials

  DIY CRAFT :: For the Dog + Chili Pics
 

So now you are all caught up on some of the most read posts here on my blog. Hopefully you will just add me to your BlogLovin feed so you don't miss any posts. =) You can find it on the top right sidebar here - super easy to do!
See you next time!

Are you loving the "eye candy" here? 
 

Then join me over on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter & Instagram so you never miss out on an exclusive deal or any behind the scenes photos!

Check out my designs, artwork & decor in my Etsy shop! 

 
Looking forward to seeing you again! :)

RECIPE :: Cincinnati Chili Dog + 5 BBQ Essentials

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #WhatAGrillWants #CollectiveBias

Summertime is finally and officially here and to me that means the beginning of the grilling season. I love cooking on the grill and the many amazing creations you can whip up in the summertime that are made easier by grilling. To me, grilling just tastes better and there is definitely a freshness to it that you can not get cooking in your kitchen. My favorite thing about cooking out in the summer is the FOOD! There are so many options when grilling out and I love pairing up fun side dishes, yummy desserts and making it as elaborate or as simple as I want.

     

I love to entertain and I love to make any event into something fun even if it is a simple BBQ. I'm really into the whole 'less is more' lately, when planning a BBQ, a party or any event. Maybe I am finally learning to make it easier on myself , I don't now but it is so much easier when you shoot for simple. My motto now is 'make it simple, but make it memorable!' You can do both with just a few items. So I put together this simple "5 BBQ Essentials" for this summer. These are my must-haves to have some entertaining fun!

• Outdoor tableware items - all of the stores have super cute summer tableware items in stock right now, so grab a fun outdoor tablecloth, some plastic baskets, basket liners, glasses and a few summer decor items. Remember to coordinate them to pull your BBQ look together.

• Activities - plan to have a few activities to keep people entertained while they are waiting to eat or to do afterwards. Some of my faves are a fun bean bag toss game, horseshoes or grab the kids and color on the driveway with a new box of colored chalk! I particularly still enjoy that one! ;)

• Decor - find seasonal items that you can use for multiple occasions. For instance, I grabbed these stars and accordian fan decorations at Target about a month ago and can use them for Memorial Day, 4th of July, summer BBQs and also birthdays as the colors work well for all of them. I also like to pick up fun table items like little pinwheel picks to place in food or colored cups to put side dishes in when having a BBQ. Keep your eyes open for these type of items to have on hand.

• Drinks - I think the summer months bring out the best drink ideas. Maybe that's because they taste the best, right? ;) Serve up your favorite cocktails and mocktails or if we are keeping up with the simple theme, grab some fun drinks at the grocery to enjoy with your BBQ. Just choose various colors to add some pop, to your decor.

• Food - as we all know, planning a BBQ can be as elaborate or as simple as you want. For this post, I went super simple to prove it can be done. I decided on a simple regional hot dog recipe (which I will share in a minute), grabbed some cole slaw, a bag of chips and pre-made desserts! What? Yup my goal was to not make a thing. Aside from chopping an onion, heating up the chili and grilling the dogs, I managed to do it! ;)

I would be curious if any of you have your own regional hot dog recipe. Ours has been around for as long as I can remember and it is definitely a fave in this area! 

Here is the super easy recipe for the Cincinnati Chili style Hot Dog:
you will need hot dog buns, hot dogs, Cincinnati style chili, shredded cheddar cheese, mustard and chopped onions.
(The combination of franks and these toppings may not be Kosher.)

Step 1: place a hot dog, I am using Hebrew National hot dogs here, on the bun

Step 2: top with the prepared Cincinnati style chili

Step 3: add mustard

Step 4: add a heaping mound of the shredded cheddar cheese and trust me, the MORE, the better! AND once you add some more, go ahead and add even more! That's how we roll with our dawgs! ;)

Step 5: finish off with some diced onions
(The combination of franks and these toppings may not be Kosher.)

I picked up all of the ingredients for this at my local Kroger but I am sure you can find them at most places. However right now you can save up to $2 on Hebrew National products at Kroger and Kroger banner stores this summer, so grab them up. I picked up the Beef Franks and the Reduced Fat Beef Franks as they are a premium cut of beef. They also have Bun-Length Beef Franks available if you'd like those. All varieties do not contain fillers, corn syrup, artificial coloring, flavors or by-product. Good to know right?

If you liked this recipe, you can also check out even more recipes at Hebrew National hot dogs on their Facebook page.

What recipe have you whipped up using Hebrew National hot dogs? Please comment below and share how you top yours . . .

Are you loving the "eye candy" here? 

Then join me over on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter & Instagram so you never miss out on an exclusive deal or any behind the scenes photos!

Check out my designs, artwork & decor in my Etsy shop! 

DIY CRAFT :: for the DOG + Chili pics

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are always mine alone. #1StopPetShop #CollectiveBias

Here's a story. About a pup named Chili. Who was living with three humans of his own. He was very loved. Living all together. But the girl was the chosen one . . . 

So we may or may not have recently been watching old episodes of the Brady Bunch which inspired my opening statement here (LOL) but I thought it worked as I do want to catch you up on the story with Chili our pup and show you a super easy and super crafty way to personalize your favorite pup's eating area! 

This girl & her dog are just about the sweetest thing to see together as they are best buds and have so much fun together. Since this is her first dog, I really wanted a smaller dog for her so she feels like she could handle him and be able to be his 'momma'. It will be TWO years soon that we have had him and it is still one of the best decisions I ever made. Chili has taught my daughter so much in such a short time. Of course he has taught her all about the normal things like responsibility, taking care of someone, structure, diligence and of course how to have some major FUN but it's the other attributes of having a dog that have mattered the most to her. Chili has taught her forgiveness. Trust. Unconditional love. Consideration. Compassion. When you decide to get a dog, you don't think about those things being taught but it's a HUGE bonus that has happened and this little pup that we named Chili, has shown her all of those things. And let me tell you it makes this momma's heart just melt.

My wish is that he will be around for her for a long time. Fortunately for her, this breed has a long lifespan and she even did the Math the other day and realized that she could still have him once she gets out of college! I sure hope so because there is soooooo much these two give each other on a daily basis and I enjoy watching them and what they're up to every day . . . from snuggles on the couch, to daily walks, playing with all of his bazillion toys she loves to buy him, teaching him the latest 'trick' and being best friends!

Disclaimer: cute puppy photos are next! You've been warned!! ;)

One of my favorite things to do every week, with my daughter, is hit our local Target because hey . . . you can never tire of that place, I say! ;) She is always wanting to spend her allowance money, look for a new toy for Chili and just chill with her momma while perusing the aisles for deals. Teaching her young I say, right? ;) I mean seriously our typical routine is to grab a drink, hit the Dollar Spot and then whip out my phone to see the latest Cartwheel savings deal & then we're off! 

On our trip this past week, she of course wanted to check out the dog toys to make sure there weren't any new ones he didn't have yet as she is constantly thinking about her BFF and we love that the pet section has everything we need there. One stop and done is the way to go right? When we first got Chili I was so thankful that Target had everything we needed so I am not running around to multiple places, getting what he needs. Helloooooo, I'm at Target every week anyway so it's just so nice to be able to pick up what we need and they have a great selection. Like I said, the girl is always wanting to pick up the latest toy they have and I am pretty sure we have almost all of them - not kidding. For example, Chili just had his second birthday a couple weeks ago and we got him a spiffy new bow tie there (see pic above), a new collar, several new toys, a chew bone, some treats and a water bottle for when we are out walking with him. I mean he now has his own water bottle!!!!! This boy is so spoiled! ;) 

Anyways, this trip we needed to pick up some dog food too. IAMS just happened to have a deal going on through the Cartwheel app so we grabbed a bag of it for Chili to try! Make sure to get the deal when you go too! (And if you have a cat, there's a savings for you too: IAMS cat dry food and IAMS wet cat food)  Hello, saving money like a boss! I am pretty picky about what we feed Chili too as I want him to lead a healthy life and I know it's important from what Chili's vet has said, to find something that helps keep his teeth and gums healthy and dry food can do that. It's also necessary for me to give him something to promote healthy digestion for his breed, reduce tartar buildup, help boost his immunity and the IAMS brand believes that the right diet can do great things for our dogs, so we got him the IAMS dry food to help with his daily needs. I like that it has different varieties to choose from depending on your dog's stage in life and needs they may have. And I feel good knowing I am doing my part to keep her best friend around as long as I can. =)

We were feeling kinda crafty on this trip as well and she wanted to make something for who else, Chili, so we checked out the craft aisle for some ideas and we came up with an idea to do a customized place mat for the kitchen. She wanted us both to do something on the place mat so I decided I would hand letter his name on it and she would put some of her doodles on it to make it extra special.




STEPS for customizing a place mat for the dog:

1. First, grab a few supplies for your project. You will need a place mat (I used one that could be wiped off - for obvious reasons), a pencil, some permanent markers or paint or whatever you would like to use to draw with.

2. I started by drawing it out on a scrap piece of paper first, so I could be sure of my design and if I was going to like the way it looked. Then sketched it on my place mat in pencil.

3. Next take your markers and color in your design as you would like it to look.

4. Finally, have your kid draw some doodles on to make it fun and extra special! She chose to just do white dots with a chalkboard marker to give it some pop and keep it simple. ;)

I love doing these type of fun crafts with my daughter, especially when we get to enjoy seeing others using them. I think this looks great in our kitchen and Chili will be eating his meals in style now. 

So how do you like the way it turned out? I love it and hopefully you will give it a try as well as it's super easy! Remember you can pick up the supplies for this craft as well as your bag of IAMS dog food to try, the next time you are doing some shopping at Target! Maybe I'll see ya there! ;)

Have you created any special items and spoiled your pet lately? I would love to hear something you have done for that special pet in your life. Let me know below . . .
 
     

Are you loving the "eye candy" here? 

Then join me over on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter & Instagram so you never miss out on an exclusive deal or any behind the scenes photos!

Check out my designs, artwork & decor in my Etsy shop!