{ pencil nameplate } teacher

The school year is over here in Hawaii! At the last minute my husband and I 

put together this nameplate for Ryker's teacher. Ms Arakaki was so wonderful!

She really dedicated herself to teaching her class and making sure that

everyone felt included and loved! What a wonderful woman!

What you'll need:

* 12" long 2x4

* Saw and sander

* Paint

* Vinyl lettering

* Jute and/ or yarn

My husband was wonderful and cut out and sanded the piece of wood for 

me! You need to cut the tip of the pencil  this shape >. Then, using a

sander ( belt sander is best) run the edge around the other end to define the eraser.

Go ahead and paint your pencil. Allow it to dry completely.

 I cut my vinyl lettering out on the Cricut. I used " Making

the Grade" Cartridge. I cut Ms. Arakaki at 1 1/2 inches. Ryker at 1 inch.

Center on your pencil and press it on.

Peel off the masking...

I put Ryker's name and the year on the bottom.

I finished off by tying some jute and textured yarn around the groove

that separates the eraser from the body of the pencil.

I wrapped a little bit of tissue paper around it.

This would be great  for a first day of school, teacher appreciation week,

or just because your child has a wonderful teacher! 

{ my heart in a jar }

My cousin pinned the cutest wedding decor idea on Pinterest the other day! 

Cute enough that I made a very similar version of it for my home decor! 

Thanks again Pinterest!

What you'll need:

* Canning jar

* 2 Book pages (or pattern paper)

* Strip of fabric

* Scissors

This is a very simple project!

Start by measuring both pieces of paper to your jar. I just set my

book pages inside and mark with a pencil about 1/8 of an inch lower than 

the top of the jar.

Cut off the excess

Sketch a heart in the center of your paper.

Cut out the heart and erase any pencil marks.

You need two pieces of paper so I just cut mine at the same time to make

sure they were the same.

Put your papers back into the jar; one in front, one in back. You 

should be able to see through both hearts.

Put the lid on and tie a strip of fabric around the top into a bow.

I like to rip my fabric instead of cutting it for that worn look.

That's it! Enjoy!

The version I saw on Pinterest had a candle in it. I do not recommend using a 

candle in my version. The paper could cause a fire hazard. 

{ cornflake candy } recipe

I've got a little recipe for all you peanut butter lovers! 

These peanut butter cornflake bars are chewy and not too sweet!

And, with only a few ingredients, it's nearly impossible to mess it up!

Even the kids can help!

Cornflake Candy

Ingredients:    

1 cup of sugar

                                  1 cup of light corn syrup (Karo brand)

                      1 cup of creamy peanut butter

     7 cups cornflakes

Start by measuring out your cornflakes. Set them aside

Mix sugar and light corn syrup in a large sauce pan over medium heat.

Make sure you keep mixing. The sugar will burn if you don't!

Boil sugar mixture until sugar had dissolved completely. Remove from heat

End product should be clear like so... 

Add peanut butter and mix well 

Add cornflakes to the peanut butter mixture, half cup at a time. I like

to just shake a little in the pot, mix, and repeat.

Make sure all of the cornflakes are coated. As it cools, it will harden.

So try to mix quickly and thoroughly 

Spoon mixture into a baking dish or onto a cookie sheet

lined with wax paper and press it flat to your desired thickness.

Let your Cornflake candy cool.

Cut into squares.

And eat!! 

{ pinwheel backdrop and decor }

I got together this weekend with some wonderful friends, all of whom are 

talented photographers! We do this occasionally and have fun

photo shoots for whatever reason! And although I cannot 

take pictures from anything but my point and shoot camera, I can do

a few other things to help the photo shoot along! :) 

I put together some pinwheels for a backdrop idea! They turned out so

cute and were a great addition to the photos! Oh but don't worry! 

They will be used beyond our weekend gathering! A few will

be added to my very own wall for decor! 

What you'll need:

* Paper (not card stock)

* Scissors

* Tape and/or hot glue

* Hole punch (optional)

I started with the big pinwheels. I used 12x12 pieces of paper. Each 

large pinwheel needs 2 pieces of paper. Start out by folding your edge back

about 1/2 inch. Turn it over and fold it back about 1/2 inch.

Continue folding accordion style until it is complete. Repeat

on second piece of paper.

Mark a curved line at each end of your accordion.

Cut it off. Very few of my accordions had even edges

when I was finished folding them. This gives a ruffled look

around the edge of your pinwheel and also evens out the edges.

Now would be the best time to add detail with your hole punch. Just punch
a hole through all layers on each end of your accordion!

Now fold your accordion in half.
Like so ...

Glue or tape this together

Repeat these steps on your other accordion as well.

Now tape or glue the two half together! Pinwheel complete!

When you are working with smaller pinwheels, you have to use more
pieces! For instance, I made this smaller pinwheel with 6x6 pieces of paper.
I needed 3 to get the desired look. 2 would't reach around a full circle
and 4 was a little too floppy. If you went any smaller than this, I would
recommend trying 4 pieces!

And of course I made one with a old book page! 3 was the magic number
there, too.

You can hang these with string or just tape them up to the wall! 

I love the layered look!

And a little something from the fun photo shoot! Don't you think the pinwheels

are fantastic! They just add great color and detail as a backdrop! <3

Photo by the very talented Malia Cano

www.maliacano.com

Stop by her blog or website and check out her amazing work!