Napkins and Cutlery

I love the 4th of July for not only reasons that I am proud to live in America and feel blessed every day that my mother was brave enough to leave her home country and come to this country looking for what many of your relatives did as well, a safer better future for her children.The other reason is the celebration as it is one that takes us outside for picnics and fireworks.

I found a nice blog by a mom in South Africa called, Love and Lollipops follow her here allthingschildren.blogspot.com. She featured a nice kit for a garden theme napkin holder and gave the idea on how to make it yourself without the kit.I instantly knew it would be perfect with a 4th of July BBQ theme

Materials: Popsicle sticks, card stock, 4th of July stickers preferably dimensional ones  I like the Jolee's brand found at Michael's and JoAnn's and some red white and blue paint.
http://www.eksuccessbrands.com/jolees/Products/Happy_4th_Stickers_SPJB204.htm

M and E also made some can holders for forks and spoons.
Materials: Emptied and cleaned cans, scrapbook paper in 4th of July theme, stickers and pipe cleaners.

July and August Projects

Well summer has ended at our house M and E returned to school today. The house felt lonely and the Art Studio looked way to clean. So I decided to finally get on and post some of the July and August projects we did with our Crafty Thursday group.
When the girls return to school I am always bummed. I am especially bummed this year because we didn't get to all those art projects I had planned on doing, there just wasn't enough time.
All though they love to craft with their mom some days they just wanted to play, swim, read or watch TV. So I had to remind myself today, was it not the whole purpose of summer break for M and E to just be kids?

Fun Tanks for the 4Th

Family Fun Magazine

http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/striped-stars-t-shirts-667762/

Sandcastle Scrapbook

Family Fun Magazine

http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/sand-castle-scrapbook-785006/

Sand Star Fish

Salt Water Fish Mobile

Uncle Sam Masks

When attending a parade there is a need to bring something to wave according to M and E.So in search for an easy idea I ran across this craft, originally the craft is an Uncle Sam wind sock but being that it was rainy this morning for the parade and a windsock would end up drenched I had to re purpose our craft. I printed out the project as set up by dltk (template below)and then drew the outline to make it into a mask instead.

http://www.dltk-kids.com/usa/m-sam-windsock.htm