Hello, Friday

Hello, Friday.  Hello taking a (somewhat) impromptu trip to the beach to eek out the last bit of summer gloriousness before the return to school.  Hello beautiful sunrises and soft sand between my toes and daydreaming about never, ever returning to reality. (Not really, but really, you know?)  Hello beach cupcake shop and snarfing down  ultra-cute beach-themed confections.  Hello fluttering, dancing heart when nature’s beautiful gems wash up on the shore.

Hello, you.  I hope your last weeks of summer are as magnificent as mine have been.

~julee~

p.s. – You can follow me on Instagram at @jlair.

*Sharing with Life Rearranged.

Tweet

Luau Pool Party

Undeniably, the best part of having a summer birthday is having an excuse to throw ultimate pool parties.  Like our Under the Sea Pool Party last year, and our bestie’s Mustache and Splash pool party earlier this summer, our luau party was a great way to celebrate summer’s fun and sun.

I let my daughter do all of the planning for her party this year.  She really liked the look of the vintage hula girl, so we tried to incorporate that vibe as best as we could.  I had minimal time or energy to plan or make decorations, but we perused Pinterest together and I helped her organize her plans.  I had a small budget to work with, so we used many things that we had on hand.  Fortunately, the dollar stores are overrun with luau themed party supplies in the summer, and that helped make this a very budget friendly party.

My daughter specifically wanted red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and chocolate cupcakes with vanilla frosting.  I found the petal cupcake liners at the grocery, and the hula girl on the top tier is from the dollar store. 

We kept our luau party food very simple and kid friendly:  “crab” sandwiches, pasta salad, palm tree fruit kabobs, chips and a veggie tray.  Because we had a pinata filled with candy, the only sweets we served were cupcakes and a few little candies on the table.

We saw these crab sandwiches on Pinterest and could not pass up the chance to make them for our party.  Seriously, how cute are these?  Use croissants for the body, sliced black olives for the eyes and radishes for the mouth.  (Except our crabs have tongues because our radishes wouldn’t stay on, so we had to use toothpicks to attach them.)

Hawaiian punch and pink lemonade.  The pineapple straws were bought at the dollar store and the cups were ordered from Oriental Trading (along with the leis and grass skirts).  I made the hibiscus flower decorations on my Silhouette machine.

Of course, our party also had lots and lots of swimming.  And pinata smashing.  And limbo-ing.  A luau just isn’t a luau without the limbo dance.  Or so I’m told.

This was a fun party to celebrate my daughter’s 10th trip around the sun and to wrap up another great summer.  Have you been to any fun pool parties this summer?

  Happy party planning, DIY’ers!

~julee~

Tweet

Video: Bubble Snake Blower

For my segment this week on WDRB in the Morning, I brought on a special guest to help me demonstrate how to make the easy DIY bubble snake blowers. 

Take a look at the video to see how cool these bubbles turn out.  Warning:  these bubbles are so much fun to make, you’ll want to make one for yourself, too.  Also, Candyce made a great observation on why this bubble maker is easier for young kids to use than the standard bubble wand we’re all familiar with.

Craft E Magee and I demonstrate fun crafts twice monthly on WDRB in the Morning.  We focus on simple crafts that can be completed by crafters of all skill levels.  Our next appearance will be on Wednesday, August 14 at 7:45 am & 8:15 am.  If you’re a Louisville local, we would love to have you tune in.  We also load all of our segments on our YouTube channels at  D.I.Y. Louisville & Craft E Magee. 

Happy bubble making, DIY’ers!

~julee~

Tweet

DIY Kids: Bubble Snake Maker

We officially have three weeks of summer until it’s back to school, and the words I’m bored have been heard quite frequently the past few days.  Looks like it’s time to pull out some summer boredom smashers.

My friend Lynn from Good Garbage has been making these recycled DIY Bubble Snake Makers with kids at her summer education events, and she swears they’re a kid and parent crowd pleaser every time.  I must say that I agree – these bubble makers were easy to make and a lot of fun to play with.  Unlike standard bubble blowers, when you blow into the end of these bubble makers, you get a long stream of connected bubbles that resemble a snake.  So cool! 

DIY Bubble Snake Maker Tutorial

1) To make these DIY bubble blowers, you’ll need: recycled plastic bottle, scissors or exacto knife, terrycloth towel, rubber band, a shallow bowl, and a solution of dish soap and water.  2)  Use your exacto knife or scissors to remove the bottom portion of the bottle.  3)  Cut a square of terrycloth to fit around the bottom opening of the bottle.  Wrap the terrycloth around the bottom of the bottle and secure it with a rubber band.  4)  Using a shallow bowl that you can dip the bottle into, mix together a small amount of water and dish soap.  Dip the end of your bottle into the bubble solution.  5)  Blow into the end of the bottle to create your bubble snake.  Have a contest to see who can create the longest bubble snake!

Would your kids enjoy making this DIY bubble maker?  For more summer boredom smashers, check out these fun kids crafts:  Rock Necklace, Freezer Paper Stencil T-Shirt, and Vacation Jars.

Happy summer crafting, DIY’ers!

~julee~

Tweet

Make It: DIY Seashell Candle

Hot summer days make me want to convert my whole house into a beach cottage.  I’m always trying to find ways to display the vacation treasures we bring home each year, and turning seashells into candles is a simple way to use some of many shells we collect.

DIY Seashell Candle Tutorial

1) Start with deep shells that have been soaked in a bleach and water solution and a tealight candle.  (You can also purchase wicks and candle wax at the craft store.)

2)  Take apart the tealight candle and remove the wick and metal plate.

3) Place the wax back into the metal tin without the wick.  Use a candle burner or double broiler to melt the wax.

4)  Once the wax is melted, use tongs to pick up the metal tin.  (I placed rubber bands around my tongs to keep them from slipping.) 

5)  Pour the melted wax into the shell. 

6)  Place the wick and metal plate into the melted wax. 

7)  Let the wax harden thoroughly. 

Enjoy your beautiful  shell candle!

Happy summer crafting, DIY’ers!

~julee~

Tweet