Travel Made Easy

Lucie and Sam's birthdays were just here, and in typical Tracy fashion...I was late getting their presents out to them. Lucie and Sam are Erin's, from A Bird and A Bean, kids. Love those little frogs! ANYHOO, I knew they were going to be hitting the wide open road for the 4th, so I made them these travel trays. I also made sure they got there before they left...THEY DID! Whew! This idea had been playing around in my mind for a while because we went on a family trip a couple of weeks ago. I made some similar trays, but Cash and Luc turned out to be my trial testers. Afterward, I knew I had to make some modifications for more usage.


Cookie trays seemed to be a great option because: A.) They are stackable B.) They are only a buck at the Dollar Tree C) They can be used for MULTIPLE purposes...besides games/toys, they can be used when eating in the car. (VERY HANDY!)

This tray is Lucie's. There are princess coloring pages and activities on one side, and crayons on the other. I got the idea for the magnets on the crayon pouch from Somewhat Simple. There's a magnet glued ( I used W6000 glue) to the clip holding the pages together, and magnets hot glued to the back of the crayon pouch. This way, they do not slip.


Underneath the activity/coloring pages is a checker board. I cut 64 1' squares of scrapbook paper (From 2 coordinating pages, 32 of each), and used Mod Podge to adhere them to tray. I then applied multiple...probably around 4-5 coats of Mod Podge on top of checker board. I finished it off with a nice even coat of clear sealant. After ransacking my buttons, I found 13 blue and 13 pink buttons, and (luckily) 26 white buttons. ( This gives an extra, just in case.) I used E6000 glue to adhere one of each to a magnet, as shown.



To keep the Checker pieces all together, I found a package of these little containers at the Dollar Tree for a $1, of course.( Great buy! I have loads of ideas for these little gems. ) I attached magnets to the back of the containers, so they stay in place during the game.


What I love about using the magnets is that you can be "Kinged" and it will stay in place while you are going 70 MPH in the car! Love it.


The last activity for Lucie was this little sticker mosaic. It, too, was only a buck at Dollar Tree. I thought it would keep her busy, and it was bedazzling. Perfect for little 4 year old girls.


Now. Sam. He's only 2, just like my Luc, and I knew it would be harder to keep his attention. I primed the tray with spray primer, then painted a road on it, and again, finished it off with a clear sealant. Two small trucks came with the gift to joy ride on the tray. This, too, came from Somewhat Simple.



Since Sam is starting to learn his letters, I thought this would be a fun way for him to show his alphabet recognition, or practice.


Of course, you can't just throw this stuff at a kid, and I knew it would be easier if it was all together, so these little bags came in handy. I used the Freezer Paper Method to make their names, and threw in some extra pencils. Also, each has a little special clothing gift inside the bag to go along with the tray.


They were fun to make, and I think they will make the trip more tolerable. Hope so! For Erin's sake, at least!!

Have a great week!!- Tracy

Linking to:
Someday Crafts
We are that Family

Fruit Infused Water

It's SUMMER. It's HOT.

We all need a nice way to keep cool and stay hydrated.

Infusing good ole H2O with some yummy fruit has become a fav of mine this year.


You can pretty much throw any fruit in a pitcher, add a little mint, fill with water...there you go.
Let the pitcher of summer yum sit in the fridge for a few hours, and call it good.


I like to strain the fruit and mint out before drinking, but you don't have to. Your choice.

Here in these pics I used strawberry, lime, and mint.
Later today, I am going to use orange, lemon, and mint. mmmmm. :)
Go make yourself a glass!

-Tracy

Cute Little Upcycling

Who loves a little upcycling? ME! ME!

Yep, nothing better than repurposing...even the small things.

The Hubz and I love a good tin.
For example:
But seriously, how many crazy tins can a family have sitting in the cupboard?
Not super useful (at least this one...being tiny)
I came up with this fun way to be useful while showing off that quirky dancing man.

Attach magnets to the back using ...you know it...hot glue.


There ya go. Fun little pen holder for the fridge., your desk, locker....you name it.


Got some exciting stuff come this way...can't wait to share!

Tracy

Luc-kee Pooh-kee and Me

(Pronounced Lou-kee Pooh-kee)

Luc and I had some fun with Photo Booth on the Mac.




Isn't he just tooooo stink'n cute?!

WINNER of Giveaway!!

Thanks to everyone who participated in the giveaway!
I plan to have more giveaways in the near future, so stay tuned....


Without further anticipation...

My winner is Mary Ellen who said

"Found you via Pink Saturday! Nice to meet another sister in Christ though I will have to be the older sister in this case!
Became a follower of your sweet blog! "

Mary Ellen- please email me ASAP!
Violetpixi@gmail.com


Thanks again friends...

Mantle Remade

Now that summer is hitting us full force, I figured it was time to change up the "spring" decor. Here's the new freshened up mantle. I wanted to hang the frames to have a better gallery wall, but we are in the process of selling our house. My hubz didn't want me to put any more holes in the walls. :)
I went through the attic and found any photo frames that weren't being used. A few of them I left black, and a few I painted with my new favorite blue color. I left a few of them empty, and put scrapbook paper behind two.
This one is hanging because there was already a nail in the wall from a previous hanging. It seemed kind of hollow, so I used a strip of material to run through the middle. On the material, two small frames are hung. Again, we are trying to sell our house, so most of our personal pics have been put away for house showings. I didn't want to leave these little frames empty, so I found some interesting images in a magazine for them. I also really like the POP of the only red frame.


As usual, I am completely obsessed with jars, and as of late...painted jars. Simply get yourself some spray paint, and get to it spraying the inside of the jar. Let dry. BAM! You're done! There was a chipboard embellishment that I thought would work great, so I slapped that on a jar with some twine. Some small candles have been placed inside the candles for a little evening ambiance.

I saw this idea for the doilie on Crafts by Amanda. For this painted jar, I used spray adhesive. Spray the doilie, then roll the jar on top of it. Soaking the doilie in paint dyed it the bluish color.

Spicy Grilled Chicken Salad with Salsa Vinaigrette

There's just something about summer that makes me want to cook. This is sooooooomewhat unusual because my hubz actually does 98.9% of the cooking. (I take care of the baking.) However, in the summer there is so much wonderful fresh fruit and veggies everywhere that I can't help but get inspired. I also really like "light" meals, so summer is purrrrrrrrrfect!

Anyway, I finally had a chance this week to get started on some new recipes I have been dying to try. Saturday night we gave Balsamic Pasta a whirl, and it was fantastic.(I used the that comes up from the link, but I used cheese ravioli.) Afterward, I told the hubz it was my new favorite meal...he responded with, "Really? Favorite? Just like that? It surpasses every other good meal you have EVER had?" I combated with a solid, "YUP!" You should definitely try it.

Last night, we tried this recipe. We really like it, too. In fact, Mr. Critical aka...hubz...even commented, " This dressing is really good." This is monumental because he's kind of a foodie.
Ingredients

	1/2 cup(s) salsa
	1/4 cup(s) red onion(s), chopped
	2 Tbsp cilantro, fresh, chopped
	1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
	1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
	1 tsp Dijon Mustard
	1/4 tsp table salt
	1 pound(s) Chicken, breast, raw, without skin & bone, 4 (1⁄4-pound) halves
	1 Tbsp Cajun seasoning
	1 tsp olive oil
	4 cup(s) mixed greens, salad blend
	1 medium sweet red pepper(s), seeded and thinly sliced
	1 item(s) (medium) bell pepper(s), yellow variety, seeded and thinly sliced
	1 medium tomato(es), chopped
	1/2 medium avocado, peeled and chopped

Instructions

• To make the salsa vinaigrette, puree the salsa, onion, cilantro, lime juice, vinegar, mustard, and salt in a food processor or blender; set aside.
  
  
• Sprinkle both sides of the chicken breasts with the Cajun seasoning. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until lightly browned and cooked through, about 4 minutes on each side. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board. Let stand 5 minutes, and slice into 1⁄2-inch-wide strips.
  
  
• Place the salad greens and bell peppers in a large bowl. Top with the chicken, tomato, and avocado. Serve with the vinaigrette on the side. Yields one piece of chicken per serving.

Don't Forget: Today is the last day to enter the Jewel Kade Jewelry giveaway!! There is $74.00 worth of beautifully unique jewelry ready to be sent out to a lucky winner!

Linking to:

Sew Much Ado

Red, White, & Blue - Berries...YUM!!

Yummy ANNNNNND patriotic. Awesome!

Seriously, just LOOK at these things....God Bless America!

Of course, the most fabulous part of this whole "Red, White, and Blue...I love you, " thing is that (well yes!) it's super easy. (That's starting to become my motto.)

*Purchase the white chocolate of your choice. I went with a bag of
Ghirardelli.
*Purchase strawberries
*Purchase sprinkles
*Melt chocolate according to package's directions
* Dip clean strawberries into chocolate, leaving a little red of the berry left at the top.
* Before you lay the covered berry onto wax or freezer paper, sprinkle the bottom with blue sprinkles.
* Let dry

By the end of it, I just poured the sprinkles into a ramekin and dipped the covered berry into it.

There you have it.
Summer.
Patriotism.
Chocolate.
What more could you ask for?

DON'T FORGET: YOU CAN STILL ENTER MY JEWEL KADE GIVEAWAY!! THERE IS STILL TIME!
You could win a Pearl Drop necklace (worth $34) , AND a Golden Key charm (worth $40) !! These are beautiful pieces of Jewel Kade Jewelry!!

Linking with:

Raising Memories
Crafty Geordi
Skip to My Lou
Sumo's Sweet Stuff
The House in the Roses
Sew Can Do