Homework Helper

My kids have been back in school for almost six weeks. For the past 5 1/2 weeks, they have had homework nearly every night. They need to read 20 minutes everyday and sometimes have worksheets they need to complete as well. It seems like everyday someone was complaining about it. So, I decided to try a reward system to encourage them to be happy about doing their homework.

I just printed out the chart and glued it to a piece of metal. I then mounted it to a board and covered the top with Mod Podge.

I also made ten of these magnets.

It's a pretty simple system. If they do their homework without complaining, they get a magnet. If they complain, they still have to do it, but they don't get a magnet. When all the circles are covered, they get to pick a treat. We are on day four and so far it's made a huge improvement. Maybe one day, they might even do homework without being asked...a mom can dream, right!

Here are the printables to create your own!

Be sure to check out these great linky parties:
Monday Amaze Me Mon, Craftastic Mon, Craft-O-Manic Mon, Homemaker Mon, Inspire Me Mon, Link Party Mon, Mad Skills, Mad Skills Mon, Made By You Mon, Made With Love Mon, Make Something Mon, Making Mon Marvelous, Making the World Cuter, Market Yourself Mon, Marvelous Mess Mon, Masterpiece Mon, Metamorphosis Mon, Motivate Me Mon, Blog Party, Project Parade, Share Mon, Thrifty Décor Chick, Unwasted Homemaking, Craft Catwalk, Tuesday All Thingz Related, Anti Procrastination Tues, Get Your Craft On, Handmade Tues, Home Stories A to Z, It's Sew Fun, maze Me August, Nifty Thrifty Tues, Power Of Paint, Show Me What You Got, Sizzle into Summer, Take A Look Tues, Teriffic Under Ten Tues, Time To Shine, Wednesday Anything Goes, DIY Under $5, Hoo's Got Talent?, Idea Sharing Wed, Linkin' with Luna, Look What I Made, Penny Pinching Party, Primp Your Stuff Wed, Show And Share, Show And Tell, We Did It Wed, What I Made Wed, What I Whipped Up Wedn, What’s Up Wed, Whatever Goes Wed, Wicked Awesome Wed, Wow Me Wed, Wow Me Wed, Thursday A Crafty Soiree, Almost Fri Flaunts, Catch A Glimpse Thur, Commercial Break Thursday, Get Your Brag On, Hookin' Up, Share Awesomness Thur, Show Off Your Stuff, Strut Your Stuff Thur, Thur Link Party, Transformation Thur, Under $100 Linky Party, Friday Bacon Time, Delicate Construction, Fabulous Fri, Fantabulous Fri, Feature Your Sassy Sites, Feature Yourself  Fri, Flaunt It Fri, Free For All Fri, Fri Favorites, Fri Link Party, Frugal Fri, Frugalicious Fri, Hodgepodge Fri, I'm Lovin' It Fri, Inspiration Fri, Lovely Crafty Weekend, Remodelaholic Fri, Show and Share Day, Scissors & Spatulas, Weekend Wander, Weekend Wrap-Up, Whatcha Got Weekend, Saturday Check Me Out Sat, Sat is Crafty Day, Sat Nite Special, Sat Spotlight, Show & Tell Sat, Summer Lovin' Sat Soiree, Sunday Just Something I Whipped Up, Nifty Thrifty Sun, Sister Sister Sun, Sun Showcase, Sun Scoop, Think Pink Sun, You're So Creative

Sweet Little Sugar Cookies

I've been making cookies since I was little and I always use the same frosting. It's a buttercream type frosting and I love the taste of it with the cookies. But, it's really difficult to get a smooth surface with buttercream. Many times over the past few months, I've found myself looking at amazing cookies people have made using royal icing. So, last weekend I decided to give it a try. I made these little flower cookies to take to some families in our neighborhood.

I started with a square cookie shape (I used to wonder why, with all the cute cookie cutters shapes available, anyone would want to make a square shaped cookie. But, now I know. It gives you a blank cookie to create whatever design you want).

1. Outline the cookies with piping icing. Let dry.

2. Fill in the cookie with flood icing. Let dry.

3. Pipe the outline of the flower (I didn't trust my freehanding skills, so I actually traced the outline of a flower onto the cookie first, then piped the outline). Let dry.

4. Fill in the flower with flood icing. Let dry.

5. Roughly outline the flower with piping icing.

6. Pipe the green center.

And that's it! Don't they look cute?

It was fun to be creative and come up with my own design rather than using the design of a cookie cutter. I'm really happy with how they turned out, though I'm still not sure how I feel about the taste of royal icing. Next time I try these, I'll experiment with different flavorings to see if I like it any better.



Be sure to check out these great linky parties:
Monday Amaze Me Mon, Craftastic Mon, Craft-O-Manic Mon, Homemaker Mon, Inspire Me Mon, Link Party Mon, Mad Skills, Mad Skills Mon, Made By You Mon, Made With Love Mon, Make Something Mon, Making Mon Marvelous, Making the World Cuter, Market Yourself Mon, Marvelous Mess Mon, Masterpiece Mon, Metamorphosis Mon, Motivate Me Mon, Blog Party, Project Parade, Share Mon, Thrifty Décor Chick, Unwasted Homemaking, Craft Catwalk, Tuesday All Thingz Related, Anti Procrastination Tues, Get Your Craft On, Handmade Tues, Home Stories A to Z, It's Sew Fun, maze Me August, Nifty Thrifty Tues, Power Of Paint, Show Me What You Got, Sizzle into Summer, Take A Look Tues, Teriffic Under Ten Tues, Time To Shine, Wednesday Anything Goes, DIY Under $5, Hoo's Got Talent?, Idea Sharing Wed, Linkin' with Luna, Look What I Made, Penny Pinching Party, Primp Your Stuff Wed, Show And Share, Show And Tell, We Did It Wed, What I Made Wed, What I Whipped Up Wedn, What’s Up Wed, Whatever Goes Wed, Wicked Awesome Wed, Wow Me Wed, Wow Me Wed, Thursday A Crafty Soiree, Almost Fri Flaunts, Catch A Glimpse Thur, Commercial Break Thursday, Get Your Brag On, Hookin' Up, Share Awesomness Thur, Show Off Your Stuff, Strut Your Stuff Thur, Thur Link Party, Transformation Thur, Under $100 Linky Party, Friday Bacon Time, Delicate Construction, Fabulous Fri, Fantabulous Fri, Feature Your Sassy Sites, Feature Yourself  Fri, Flaunt It Fri, Free For All Fri, Fri Favorites, Fri Link Party, Frugal Fri, Frugalicious Fri, Hodgepodge Fri, I'm Lovin' It Fri, Inspiration Fri, Lovely Crafty Weekend, Remodelaholic Fri, Show and Share Day, Scissors & Spatulas, Weekend Wander, Weekend Wrap-Up, Whatcha Got Weekend, Saturday Check Me Out Sat, Sat is Crafty Day, Sat Nite Special, Sat Spotlight, Show & Tell Sat, Summer Lovin' Sat Soiree, Sunday Just Something I Whipped Up, Nifty Thrifty Sun, Sister Sister Sun, Sun Showcase, Sun Scoop, Think Pink Sun, You're So Creative

(Cereal Box) Lighthouse Candle Holder

While searching for beach themed items to put on my seasonal shelf, I saw some lighthouse candle holders that I thought were really cute. Unfortunately, they were just an accessory in a product shot, so I didn't even know where I could find them.  I thought I would try to create my own.

I must have been eating breakfast while thinking about these because I ended up making them out of a ceral box!  I started with a sheet of paper to figure out the shape I wanted and I then used that as a template. I cut out two cones and two circles and painted them all white.

Then, I drew my pattern on the cones and painted them midnight blue.

After they had dried, I gave all the pieces a rough sanding to make them look a little worn.

Next, I coated them with a layer of Mod-Podge. While that was still wet, I shaped them.

I added some black streaks with a dry brush.

Finally, I used a foam brush and covered them with some watered down brown paint, then wiped most of it off with a paper towel.

For the little piece on top, I cut a circle out of the center and then cut little tabs for the votive holder to sit in.  I used those little tabs to glue it to the inside of the cones.

The railings are made out of floral wire that I shaped and spray painted black.

I only had to buy the votive holders (which cost me $1.98), so this project was super cheap and they turned out so cool!

I use battery operated votive candles to light them up at night. They look so cute flickering on the shelf (which is now done...at least for another few weeks).

Thanks to the help of Maya, I was actually able to find a place to buy them. Here is a picture of the real ones. They are so cute, but so out of my price range. They sell for over $60.00 a piece. It makes me love them even more to see how much I saved!

 

Be sure to check out these great linky parties:

Monday Amaze Me Mon, Craftastic Mon, Craft-O-Manic Mon, Homemaker Mon, Inspire Me Mon, Link Party Mon, Mad Skills, Mad Skills Mon, Made By You Mon, Made With Love Mon, Make Something Mon, Making Mon Marvelous, Making the World Cuter, Market Yourself Mon, Marvelous Mess Mon, Masterpiece Mon, Metamorphosis Mon, Motivate Me Mon, Blog Party, Project Parade, Share Mon, Thrifty Décor Chick, Unwasted Homemaking, Craft Catwalk, Craftaholics Anonyomous Tuesday All Thingz Related, Anti Procrastination Tues, Get Your Craft On, Handmade Tues, Home Stories A to Z, It's Sew Fun, maze Me August, Nifty Thrifty Tues, Power Of Paint, Show Me What You Got, Sizzle into Summer, Take A Look Tues, Teriffic Under Ten Tues, Time To Shine, Wednesday Anything Goes, DIY Under $5, Hoo's Got Talent?, Idea Sharing Wed, Linkin' with Luna, Look What I Made, Penny Pinching Party, Primp Your Stuff Wed, Show And Share, Show And Tell, We Did It Wed, What I Made Wed, What I Whipped Up Wedn, What’s Up Wed, Whatever Goes Wed, Wicked Awesome Wed, Wow Me Wed, Wow Me Wed, Thursday A Crafty Soiree, Almost Fri Flaunts, Catch A Glimpse Thur, Commercial Break Thursday, Get Your Brag On, Hookin' Up, Share Awesomness Thur, Show Off Your Stuff, Strut Your Stuff Thur, Catch as Catch Can, Transformation Thur, Under $100 Linky Party, Friday Bacon Time, Delicate Construction, Fabulous Fri, Fantabulous Fri, Feature Your Sassy Sites, Feature Yourself  Fri, Flaunt It Fri, Free For All Fri, Fri Favorites, Fri Link Party, Frugal Fri, Frugalicious Fri, Hodgepodge Fri, I'm Lovin' It Fri, Inspiration Fri, Lovely Crafty Weekend, Remodelaholic Fri, Show and Share Day, Scissors & Spatulas, Weekend Wander, Weekend Wrap-Up, Whatcha Got Weekend, Saturday Check Me Out Sat, Sat is Crafty Day, Sat Nite Special, Sat Spotlight, Show & Tell Sat, Summer Lovin' Sat Soiree, Sunday Just Something I Whipped Up, Nifty Thrifty Sun, Sister Sister Sun, Sun Showcase, Sun Scoop, Think Pink Sun, You're So Creative

Crafty with Cardboard

Another completed project for my beach themed shelf, a rusty old anchor. Actually, it's not old, it just looks that way. I am so excited about how it turned out, but I'm even more excited about how I much it cost me...$0! Usually, even cheap projects costs me a little something, but not this one. A cardboard box, tinfoil, paint, and a little sand were all I needed to create this amazing anchor!

 I started by finding an image online of an achor I liked. I made it the right size, printed it, and cut three out of cardboard.

I used foam sticky tabs to add some depth to each one.

Then I stuck the three layers together.

I ripped some tin foil into strips and squares and used Mod Podge to cover the entire anchor.

After it was covered, I did one good coat of Mod Podge over the top to secure any loose pieces. Then, I took it outside and spray painted it a dark brown. While the paint was still wet, I threw it in a pile of sand until it was completely covered and then waited for it to dry.

Faux rusting! I first dabbed on patches of dark brown.

Then, where I hadn't put any brown paint, I dabbed on an lighter brown color.

With a spray bottle, I lightly wet random areas and dabbed on a light blue-gray color. With a paper towel, I blotted off most of the paint.

Finally, I splattered on some orange paint and then dabbed it off.

I made a rope out of jute and threaded it through the hole on top.

Isn't it cool? I love how it turned out!

I put it on the shelf next to the sign I made.

Be sure to check out these great linky parties:
Monday Amaze Me Monday, Craftastic Mon, Craft-O-Manic Mon, Homemaker Mon, Inspire Me Mon, Link Party Mon, Mad Skills, Mad Skills Mon, Made By You Monday, Made With Love Mon, Make Something Mon, Making Mon Marvelous, Making the World Cuter, Market Yourself Monday, Marvelous Mess Mon, Masterpiece Monday, Metamorphosis Monday, Motivate Me Monday, Blog Party, Project Parade, Share Mon, Thrifty Décor Chick, Unwasted Homemaking, Craft Catwalk, Tuesday All Thingz Related, Anti Procrastination Tues, Get Your Craft On, Handmade Tuesdays, It's Sew Fun, maze Me August, Nifty Thrifty Tuesday, Power Of Paint, Show Me What You Got, Sizzle into Summer, Take A Look Tuesday, Teriffic Under Ten Tuesdays, Time To Shine, Wednesday Anything Goes, Hoo's Got Talent?, Idea Sharing Wednesday, Linkin' with Luna, Look What I Made, Penny Pinching Party, Primp Your Stuff Wednesday, Show And Tell, We Did It Wednesday, What I Made Wednesday, What I Whipped Up Wednesday, What’s Up Wednesday’s, Whatever Goes Wednesday, Wicked Awesome Wednesday, Wow Me Wednesday, Wow Me Wednesday, Thursday A Crafty Soiree, Almost Fri Flaunts, Catch A Glimpse Thursday, Get Your Brag On, Hookin' Up, Share Awesomness Thursdays, Show Off Your Stuff, Strut Your Stuff Thur, Thursday Link Party, Transformation Thursday, Under $100 Linky Party, Friday Bacon Time, Delicate Construction, Fab Friday, Fabulous Friday, Fancy Fri, Fantastic Fri, Feature Your Sassy Sites, Feature Yourself Friday, Flaunt It Friday, Free For All Friday, Fri Favorites, Fri Link Party, Frugal Friday, Frugalicious Friday, Hodgepodge Fri, I'm Lovin' It Fri, Inspiration Fri, Inspiration Friday, Lovely Crafty Weekend, Remodelaholic Friday, Show and Share Day, Scissors & Spatulas, Weekend Wander, Weekend Wrap-Up, Whatcha Got Weekend, Saturday Check Me Out Sat, Sat is Crafty Day, Sat Nite Special, Sat Spotlight, Sat Swagger, Sat Swap, Saturday Night Special, Saturday Spotlight, Shindig Sat, Show & Tell Saturdays, Summer Lovin' Sat Soiree, Strut You Stuff, Weekend Bloggy Reading, Sunday Just Something I Whipped Up, Nifty Thrifty Sun, Not Baaad Sun, Savory Sun, Sew Darn Crafty, Sister Sister Sun, So Sweet Sun, Sun Blog Hop, Sun Favorites, Sun Linky Party, Sun Showcase, Sundae Scoop, Think Pink Sun, You're So Creative