America the beautiful

One of my favorite holidays is coming up quickly!!

The Fourth of July!!

There is just something so fun about celebrating America with friends and family. And then there are the fireworks of course...perhaps the very best part. :) Oh yeah and let's not forget the delicious food! 

To get in the spirit I made some bows for my girl and a new wreath! Actually it's not new at all...just the red, white & blue part is. (Wanna make yourself a Year round wreath too? Check out my post here) This wreath only ended up costing me $1 for the blue star ribbon from the dollar store. I had the wreath and I raided my mom's stash of fabric for some red, white and blue! Ha. That's what Mom's are for right? hehe. Thanks Mom!

And the korker bow:

The Korker/Corker bows are super easy to make. You can find a thousand tutorials for these all over the web, but just in case you want to know how I made them...here is my tutorial.

Supplies:

1. ribbon (small grosgrain works the best)

2. dowels

3. wooden clothespins

4. cake tin- (I just happened to have a disposable one...but just in case you don't, just line your tin with foil)

5. lighter so the ribbon doesn't fray

6. Alligator clips

First off, preheat your oven to 275 degrees.



Clip your ribbon to the dowel.

Wrap ribbon around the dowel, then clip the end with another clothespin.

(I wanted my ribbon curls to be tight, so I left a small space. If you want them less curly, leave bigger spaces on the dowel)

clipping the end:

And my tin of ribbons:

Bake in oven for 25 min.

Let the dowels cool and then unwrap the ribbons. Cut into 3 inch pieces, then singe the edges with your lighter. (Or use fray check). Then I placed the ribbons together and sewed threw them. [You can also hot glue them or tie them together] Hot glue your alligator clip on and you're done!

Sidenote: I had a few left over korker ribbons so I used them for my 4th of July wreath. You can also stick them in regular bows for a little extra spunk. The possibilities are endless!  My friend Deena also gave me the idea of spraying the ribbons with starch so they don't lose their curl. Of course this was after I was already done...but next time I will try it for sure.

Happy Father's Day!

Well, summer has officially started off with a bang! I have been MIA from the crafting world for FAR too long. We took the kids on a 10 day vacation to California at the end of May and life hasn't slowed down since. Between a weekend away in Oregon, and a trip to Utah for my Grandpa's funeral...let's just say we have been busy. I wanted to give a shout out to all the amazing Dad's in my life.

First, my wonderful husband. He is such an amazing Daddy...my kids are so lucky to have such a great dad who loves them more than anything and is constantly thinking of them:

My Dad (far right)

My father in Law

My late Grandpa Siddoway (this is the funeral we just attended :(

And I can't find a picture of my Grandpa Wiles right now...I'll have to go steal one from my Mom. But we miss you Grandpa Wiles and still think of you often!

"Any man can be a Father but it takes someone special to be a dad." -- Anne Geddes

I am a lucky girl to be surrounded by so many great men. Thank you all for your examples.

And to those of you asking when I will update the crafts....it will be soon! I made some korker bows last night and took some pictures, so I will post a tutorial on those soon. Super easy and fun!