::Simply Sarah Saturday::

~The Izzie Bow~

Sometimes, SOMETIMES, I have time to come up with a fun project of my own. When I do, I love to share them with others. Hence, the whole meaning of this blog! We recently had family pictures taken and I needed to make some matching bows for my girls in the fun, bright colors of our outfits. I so didn't want to make them, because we scheduled our appointments 2 weeks before we had them taken, therefore making it a crazy 2 weeks of trying to plan outfits and make sure we all were looking good. But, I finally decided, LAST MINUTE, to make the bows. 

I wasn't exactly sure what I wanted them to end up looking like, but I knew I wanted them to be BIG and BRIGHT! I found this awesome ribbon/trim at Hobby Lobby and loved the color, so I had to figure out a way to incorporate that into the bows. I knew I wanted them to have some beads or buttons, some tulle and some silk. So I came up with these:

Aren't they darling??

I seriously love how they turned out, and am glad I put my 4 1/2 year olds on a stretchy headband like my baby's. They are so dang cute and fun for summer. I also love that they match many other outfits that they have, so they can wear them all summer long! 

Here is how I made them, so you can make your own!

Materials Needed:

~Beads or buttons, different sizes & colors

~Stretchy headband

~Colorful ribbon/trim (I don't know what this is called, sorry. But you can get it at Hobby Lobby in the ribbon section, cut by the yard)

~Silk fabric

~Tulle

Needle & Thread

~Hot glue gun & glue sticks
(for the tutorial, I used different materials and colors than in the picture above)

Start by measuring how big you need or want your headband, then glue together.

Next, make your big center flower. Grab your ribbon/trim and needle and thread. I would recommend using a thread that is similar in color to your trim so you don't see it. Measure out how long you want it. For this one, I used about 8"-10", but you can make it as big or small as you want! 


Cut a big enough piece of thread to go through the entire flower, and then finish up with your beads. Pick out up to 3 beads that you'd like on your flower. Then just start by bunching up your trim in a circle, keeping it pretty tight. I just put stitches in it about every inch or so. Do what you think will hold it together. 

When you have your entire flower together, grab your beads and thread them on as well. This will ensure that they are on there good. Knot it off at the end and your done!

Let's do the smaller flowers next. I just did a double flower for these, with tulle in between each petal. I made the circles about 1" in diameter. You will need to cut 9 out of the silk, for each flower.
(**I did not add tulle to this one in the pictures, but it is on the orange and pink bow at the top**)

Cut 8 tulle circles the same size for each flower.

Then just fold and glue together. If you are adding tulle, place it inside the silk in the first step.

Then continue to fold and glue your circles into petals. At the end, glue the first layer onto a silk circle.

Once you have your second flower petals done, don't glue them on yet. Grab your buttons or beads that you want and place all the petals in a circle, points together like you are going to glue it. Grab your bead and needle and thread and sew the bead onto all 4 petals together. 

Knot it off then glue that flower on top of the first one. You're almost done!

Grab your headband and flowers, and decide where you want them placed. Glue them pretty close together, even if you think they are too close, they won't be because the headband stretches and pulls them apart a bit.  Glue them in place. Then you can add a little piece of felt or silk underneath the secure it to the headband.

And you are done! Super cute and super easy!


I've linked up to:


Sumo's Sweet Stuff
Craft-O-Maniac
Keeping it Simple
Making the World Cuter
Brassy Apple

::Family Time Friday::

~Update on Family Movie Night & Nature Scavenger Hunt~

First of all, a few weeks ago I posted how we are going to start a family movie night. Well, we had our first one last weekend and it was so much fun. Since its Summer, I love being outside so we decided to have family movie night at the Drive-in! The Hubs and girls had never been and it had been years since I had been there. We invited the Hubs sister and her family, grabbed tons of blankets, pillows, popcorn, drinks and treats and headed over the the Drive-in. We went to see Brave, on opening night, not the best idea but it was still fun. We got there at 9:00 and had to be on the back row and sit on top of our truck and my SIL's SUV but we had a blast. Here are some pics from the fun night:

The Hubs (he is so cute!) He really did have a good time!

Ok, onto our Family Time Friday for this week! A Nature Scavenger Hunt, I saw this on Pinterest not too long ago and thought it would be super fun. Since we take more walks since the life style change, I thought Izzie would have so much fun trying to find all these things! So, we headed out the other night to deliver some things for my church calling, and I decided to do this while we were at it. This idea came from Chrissy from The Taylor House. It was fun, and if I didn't have to deliver some things, it would have been more fun. I think she got a little bored of it after about 45 minutes of being out. We did stop and chat with a few neighbors though, and since she can't read it was me telling her the things we needed to find. All in all, it was fun and she still has her "bag of treasures" safely in her room!

Thanks Chrissy for the fun idea. Head on over to The Taylor House to see more fun things to do with your kids!

::Tasty Thursday::

~Brazilian Dinner~

The Hubs served his mission in Sao Paulo Brazil and loves Brazilian food. So when I asked him what he wanted for dinner on Father's Day he said Brazilian food. Our Best Bites is an amazing recipe blog, and they have a few Brazilian recipes on there too. The very first time I used pinterest, I went on their website to pin some of my favorite recipes I've used and loved. One of those is their Quick Brazilian Cheese Rolls~or for you Portuguese speaking peeps Pao de Queijo! These are a favorite in our family, and the Hubs really loves them. He remembers buying them off street vendors everyday and loved it! 

Another recipe I found on Our Best Bites was their Quick and Easy Black Beans, another Brazilian dish that needed to be added to the menu. We added ham to our Black Beans and they turned out fabulous. 

One last recipe that needed to be added to our meal, that is another favorite of the Hubs was their Brazilian Lemonade. It turned out so good and he was so happy with the dinner. Now, I have a confession to make. I'm not the best cook, and I don't manage my time good at all in the kitchen, so the Hubs did help out. He handled the Steak, Beans, and Rice while I did the Lemonade and Pao de Queijo. It turned out great and I think we are going to need to make this meal again soon. (Quick side note, my eggs were old that is why my Pao de Queijo has sunk in the middle! Also, make sure to use Tapioca Flour in these rolls!)

Sara from Our Best Bites is the master mind behind the Brazilian food, and if you are worried about it being authentic, don't be. She lived in Brazil and learned how to make these recipes from Brazilians. So there ya go, super authentic and super delicious. Thanks for sharing these great recipes with us Sara.

::Want it Wednesday::

~Bathroom Makeover~

I saw this pin on Pinterest a while back and I really fell in love with the color scheme and the rug!

It is so pretty! I love the yellow and gray combination and am excited to transform our main bathroom into something like this. We already have granite counter tops in our bathroom thanks to the previous owners, and the tile is great too. We painted the cabinets black after the new year, so the only things left to do are get rid of the monkey shower curtain, paint and find the accessories I need. I originally planned to have this bathroom decorated cute for the kids, but soon realized this is the main bathroom that guests use when they come over, so I want it to be pretty. This is the first project on my list to start on for July.

Here is the link for this picture, it comes from non other than HGTV, my favorite channel! 

::Helpful Tip Tuesday::

~Cleaning your washing machine~

When I told the Hubs I was going to do this, he said "it's the washing machine, isn't it self cleaning?" Um, NO! If you've ever noticed the soap build up in your washing machine, you know what i'm talking about. I've wondered how I could get this clean for the longest time, and always forgot to look it up on the internet. One day I found my answer on Pinterest. Anna, from Ask Anna shows how to clean it so it looks and smells a lot better. There are 5 steps to getting it cleaner, and all you need to do it is 2 cups of white vinegar and 2 cups of bleach. That's it! Make sure to plan it when you don't need to do laundry, you'll need at least 4 hours, it sits a lot of that time to soak up all the cleaning goodness!

I forgot to take pictures of my washer before and after, but go here to see Anna's pictures of before and after, it looks amazing. I was thrilled with the results too. Thanks so much Anna for sharing your great tip! Go check out the rest of Anna's site too, she has so many other great cleaning tips from how to clean your blinds, to cleaning your makeup brushes! Gonna have to try some more of her cleaning tips soon!

::Makeover Monday::

~Tone it Up!~Bikini Body Max Burn~

I found this pin on Pinterest when I first started my lifestyle change. This was a great workout for me, we had just got our treadmill, and I was bored with just running/walking on it. I needed a more challenging and fun workout to do on the treadmill. Karena & Katrina are the trainers behind Tone it Up! and their workouts are awesome, and super challenging! I liked the Bikini Body Max Burn because it gave me a great workout. I still like doing this workout when I can't get outside for a run. They also pair it up with their Itty Bitty Bikini workout at the end, which works out your abs hard core. I've tried that a couple times, and am such a pansy, I can't get through it. It's something I definitely need to work on! When I have done the Bikini Body Max Burn workout, I've just gone through it 2xs for a great workout. Next time I do it, I may have to bump it up to 3 and throw in the Itty Bitty Bikini Workout too!

**I am not a personal trainer, these views and opinions on workouts are my own.**

::Family Time Friday::

~Birthday Letters~

When my almost 5 year old daughter was about to turn one, I decided that I wanted to write her a letter every year on her birthday. I wanted all the letters to be together in a book, because my plan is to give her this book on her 18th birthday. She doesn't know about this book, and I've loved writing in it for the past 4 years. Her 5th birthday is coming up and I again get to write about what an amazing little girl she really is. I've loved doing this, because it helps me to remember what funny things she does, what she likes, what she says and it will be such a fun thing for her to keep and have her children read when she is older. I found a cheap, but cute journal at Wal-Mart and just starting writing on her birthdays. I even have some entries in there from her half birthday's just to keep up a little better throughout the year. 

I recently found on Pinterest, a fun birthday questionnaire where you ask your kids the same questions every year to see how they change their answers, so I think I might need to add this fun thing into her book. I found the questionnaire from Reaves, party of four. Go check it out, some seriously fun questions and good ideas on how to make your own book if you just want to do the questions every year! Some of the questions include:
1. What is your favorite color?
2. What is your favorite toy?
3.What is your favorite outfit?
4. What is your favorite TV show?
5. What is your favorite song?


There are 20 questions in all, and I think it would be so fun to see how their answers change with every year. Here is a sample page from Nicole's book, it looks super cute, don't you think? Thanks for the fun questions and ideas Nicole!

::Tasty Thursday::

~Strawberry Shortcake Rice Krispie Treats~

I love treats! It's the one thing that I've had a hard time with while being on the lifestyle change. I keep seeing so many different pins on Pinterest for so many fantastic looking treats, and I pin them with the intent to make them, but then realize I can't eat them. Guess I'll still make them, but give them away, heads up neighbors! I'll just have to keep 1 or 2 for us to try! 

Today's treat comes from Sweet Treats and More. Strawberry Shortcake Rice Krispie Treats! I mean come on, don't these sound delicious? Well, they are! Kristy came up with this yummy treat and I love it! I decided to make it for the Father's Day picnic we had with my husbands family last weekend. I needed a bigger pan of the treat than what Kristy made, so instead of following her recipe exactly which was made in an 8x8 pan, I just made up a batch of Rice Krispies to fit into a 9x13 pan. I used half of a round Angel Food Cake, cut into little pieces instead of just a cup. I liked this recipe because it can easily be adjusted to accommodate the amount you need. I used real whipping cream (I don't love cool whip or the spray can kind, I love the real stuff!) and just added the cut up strawberries, nothing added to them. They were so delicious and a fun twist on Strawberry Shortcake. 

Thanks Kristy for the super fun and easy recipe!

::Want it Wednesday::

I'm just gonna start this post by saying: "I LOVE DIET COKE!" I mean, its an addiction, and I can't and don't want to kick the habit! (Sorry babe!) But, come on, if I were stranded on a desert island and could only have one thing, it would be a life time, unlimited supply of DIET COKE! 

That said, my project for today is perfect! A key chain made out of Diet Coke cans in the shape of hearts! I saw this pin when I first started using Pinterest and KNEW I had to make one for my Mom (who loves Diet Coke too) and myself. Lindsay over at Diary of a Crafty Lady is the genius behind this fun key chain!

 I started saving cans and then I put them away, for a few months. I had a baby so the excitement of that and the holidays all crammed together made me forget about my fun project. Well, about a month ago I saw the cans and remembered what I wanted to do. So I got busy. 

Lindsay used Mod Podge Dimensional Magic, which I didn't have. I did have a product from Close to my Heart called Crystal Glaze that is pretty much that same thing, so I used that. Cutting out the cans proved tricky and trying to get the right emblem to use for my shapes took a little study, but I quickly found the best way to cut and trace. Trial and Error, so have some back up cans just in case. I put about 3-4 coats of the Crystal Glaze on my cut outs, depending on the size. I also followed Lindsay's advise to put the jump rings in after the first coat, that helped to make sure they were in and good to go after 3-4 coats. 

Here is a pic of my finished key chain! I love it and am super glad I made one. Oh, and my Mom loved hers too! Thanks Lindsay for the super fun project!

Linked up at:

Sumo's Sweet Stuff

::Tip Tuesday::

Today's tip comes from Picklee, Fresh Picked Inspiration. Its a super helpful blog where Jordan posts many different things that inspire her to live a better life. I found her pin on Pinterest, it's a list of 10 Remarkable DIY Cleaning Solutions, and let me tell you, they all sound amazing. Today, I'm trying out the Magic Dishwasher Cleaner. Every time I load the dishwasher, I look at it and think, "man this isn't that clean" which leads me to think, how clean are my dishes really getting? I know there are products in stores that you can buy to clean your dishwasher, but why buy something when you can use things you already have to clean it up?

So here is the Magic Dishwasher Cleaner formula for all you cleaning junkies out there: 1 cup white vinegar, and a sprinkle of baking soda. That's it! Here is the link to Picklee to see exactly how to do it and you can check out the other 9 DIY cleaning solutions while you're at it. Thanks Jordan for the awesome post, and I can't wait to try them all!

Here are my before and after pics:
Before:


After:



I think it looks a little better, and bonus, its smells a lot better!

::Makeover Monday::

The Hubs and I decided at the beginning of March that we needed to make some serious changes in our lifestyle and lose some serious weight. We both started counting calories, and exercising daily. He's lost nearly 50 lbs to date, and I'm down 22 lbs. With all the lifestyle changes in mind, I keep seeing so many pins on Pinterest for exercise, healthy eating tips, recipes, quick workouts, etc... 

I recently decided that since my butt is disappearing, I'd better try out some butt workouts to try to give it a little shape and have it not look so saggy! I found this pin, which is a link to Dr. Oz. It's called the 'Fat Butt-Busting Workout' which is supposed to help if you don't like how big your butt is and you want to tone it up. So I thought, maybe I could do it since I want some definition back there. There are 7 different moves, and you are supposed to do one a day. I decided since they looked easy enough, that I would do all 7 moves at one time. I started it this morning, and I'm not that impressed to tell you the truth. I thought they were too easy, and that I didn't really feel anything. Maybe its because I've been doing P90X workouts and Insanity so these easy little moves don't seem the phase me, but I feel like I need more of a challenge. I'm going to keep trying them out for the rest of the week and see what happens, then next week I'll let you all know if I think it's worth it or if I need to find a different butt workout!

::Family Time Friday::

I've found a lot of family time ideas on Pinterest, but this one is my favorite idea. I recently saw a pin from 71toes that I LOVED. Shawni did a post on '7 Motherhood Ideas I Love' in which comes the family time idea I want to incorporate into our family time! The very first idea is a family movie night. I LOVE this idea because it gives us time to have a special night to look forward to and see what kind of movies my kids end up liking the most! Sure we might be watching a lot of Barbie movies, but I'm hoping to get a lot of the classic Disney in there too. And don't forget that we'll be having popcorn and treats too.

When I suggested this idea to the Hubs the other day, his first reaction was "what if there is a game on? can we be flexible with that?" REALLY??? After I was done laughing, he said it sounded like a great idea, and I think he's excited to show them those old "classics" too. 

I was really excited to discover Shawni's blog, one because I grew up in the same neighborhood as her and absolutely love her family. I don't know Shawni personally, but knew her younger siblings and her Mom really well. I love that she has this amazing blog where she talks about families and the importance of motherhood and what a true blessing it is. She also has photography tips too! Love it! Go check out 71toes and you won't be disappointed! Thanks Shawni for sharing your great ideas!

::Tasty Thursday::

Tasty Thursday is going to be my nemesis! The Hubs and I started a 'lifestyle change' at the beginning of March to get into better shape, lose weight, and eat more healthy! I can already tell this might not be the best idea, maybe if I try to do the majority of delicious, healthy recipes I find on Pinterest, but the problem with that is there are so many delicious looking treats, snacks, desserts, and all super high in fat and goodness I'm sure! But, alas I have to do some yummy treats sometimes too! My body demands the sweet goodness that is chocolate and peanut butter! And it was with this combination in mind that I made some yummy Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats. I originally made them for a church function I had planned on going to, so they wouldn't be left in the house and consumed by us! But, something came up and I couldn't go, and we were STUCK with these delicious treats! YES! I mean, NO! 

I found these treats from Martha Stewart, of course! They were so easy and quick to make, and I love that they turned out so soft and chewy, even into the next day! In hind sight, I really should have added some chocolate because that really would have made them so much better. Next time! Enjoy!

::Want it Wednesday::

Father's Day is this Sunday, and I've had the best gift idea for my Dad in my mind since Mother's Day! The only problem is that I STILL don't have it done! I found this super cute idea over at Brassy Apple and knew I had to make one too! 

When this one was made they used a photo program like photoshop to create this adorable picture. Since I don't own photoshop or anything remotely close, I'm forced to just put them together in a frame. I emailed all my sibs and asked them to help me out. There are 6 kids in my family, all married, all with kids-20 1/2 grand kids to be exact! So it wouldn't work for us to each hold a letter. I decided to have each family hold one instead, and since my one sister has a dog that just had puppies, we thought it would be funny to have the last letter be with the new puppies! So I will get it together in the next couple days and post a picture here so you can see it. If you need a fun Father's Day gift for your Dad, Father-in-Law, or your Husband, you can use this super fun idea! Go check out Megan's blog to see the other ideas she put on there too! Thanks Megan for the fun ideas!

::Tip Tuesday::

I have posted many different helpful tips on my Pinterest account. This tip is one that we for sure needed to try out in our house. My almost 5 year old daughter has mid length hair and HATES to have it brushed out. She always tries to do it herself, and just lightly goes over the top, which I'm sure is the case in many homes!

Well, I found this great, inexpensive tip from Crafty Couple to make your own detangling spray. This is an item that I think is helpful to have for kids, yet I can't bring myself to spend the money on it, so when I saw how to make your own from Crafty Couple,  and for FREE, I was sold!

Click on the link above to see how they made their own, and you can make some too, probably for free like me if you already have an empty spray bottle!

::The Pinterest Project::

Ok, here it is! I've been out of touch for a while since having my baby, and getting back into a good schedule with my family and work. Yes, I work full time. This is a necessity at this point in our lives, and for my sanity sake as well! :) While I've been so busy, I've been addicted to Pinterest! I don't know about you, but I feel like I pin EVERYTHING! Whenever I see a great recipe, helpful tip, education tip, dating idea, great outfit, great quote, gift idea, craft project, decorating idea or whatever I pin it! I've been thinking lately that I need to start trying out all these pins instead of just collecting them! Therefore, S.J.'s Crafts presents: The Pinterest Project! Each day I will be posting something different that I've found on Pinterest that I want to share with all of you! I have so many different boards that I put pins on so it was hard to decide how to split up my days, but here is what my schedule of postings will look like in case you are looking for a particular thing:

Makeover Monday- These will be dedicated to "lifestyle change" pins and beauty tips. The Hubs and I committed to a lifestyle change at the beginning of March and have done so great at it. I've found many pins that have workout tips, healthy recipes, and anything else to do with being healthy!

Tip Tuesday- These will be any helpful tips that I've found, such as for organization around the house, cleaning an appliance, education tips, etc.

Want it Wednesday- These are things that I want to try to make, buy, do such as crafts, decorating, or fun things to do for my yard.

Tasty Thursday- Self explanatory, but recipes are a big board on my account!

Family Time Friday- These are ideas for strengthening my family such as fun things to do with my kids, to fun date night ideas for me and the Hubs!

I hope you will all be excited to share in this fun project with me and get more excited to go on Pinterest and find those great pins! The best thing about Pinterest is that it links you to fun new blogs, websites and companies you never would have found otherwise. Let's get pinning!