Flag Shirt

All right, I had to do one more 4th of July project before the actual holiday.  Remember the super cute onesies I made with the ruffle butt?  Well, I figured I could update them a little for my daughters.

oh my I can't believe my house is that messy right now.

(really?  Did she HAVE to wear the pink shorts today?  Yep!)

Finally, a pretty good pose.

For the tutorial, click here, just use a t-shirt instead of a onesie.  We used the Wal-mart $2.00 shirts. Won't they look totally festive with their matching flip flops (for the tween)

and ruffle sandals (for the toddler)

Have fun creating!

Litle Girls Patriotic Sandals – a fun redo!

This is a true conversation last night (I woke up in the middle of the night, worried, then woke up my husband): Me:  Do you think that it's OK to spray paint shoes? Ryan:  No.  That's why we have shoe polish. Me:  But is it safe?  I mean will the VOC's or whatever from the spray paint enter through Alexa's feet and cause her to have cancer when she grows up? Ryan:  Just play it safe and don't spray paint shoes.  Who spray paints shoes, anyway?  And go to sleep. He didn't even remember this conversation in the morning.  But I did.  And after pondering it for a while, I decided it's probably fine.  I mean, have you smelled shoe polish?  It's paint, really! So here are Alexa's before shoes:

 Aren't they ugly?  I hate these Dora shoes.  They are just about too small, so I figured what do I have to lose?

 I took out some spray paint and sprayed away. Then, I ruffled some red, white and blue ribbon and glued them on in three lines.  I used E6000, but I bet a glue gun would work.  Maybe even better?  I had to hold the ribbon on for a few minutes until it dried a bit and that bothered my impatient self a little. Here's the finished product:

Aren't they awesome?  Yes, the toes are still a little worn, but overall, they will work for the month of July.

Linked at: Michelle Paige

Jell-o infused Red, white and blue cupcakes

I made the most delicious cupcakes yesterday.  My kids were devouring them before I even put any frosting on them.  So out of character!  But they were SO good!

If you know me, you are probably wondering if I added greek yogurt to the batter.   Of course!  I add that stuff to everything!  

This frosting recipe came from the girl who ate everything, and the cupcake recipe is on the same post and altered by me.

Blue and White Cupcakes

1 box white cake mix

1 cup greek yogurt (sour cream works, too)

1/2 cup milk

2 eggs

1/3 cup vegetable oil

Mix all ingredients together until smooth.  

Separate the batter into two bowls.

Add blue food coloring to one bowl and mix until you get the desired color.  The batter is thicker than usual cake batter, that is ok!

 Put the white cake mix on bottom of the cupcake liners, the cover with blue.  Cook according to box instructions.  Cool.

 After cooled, make Jell-o following the speed set method on box.

 Poke a hole in the cupcakes and pour the jell-o liquid in the cupcakes.  I used this old Pampered Chef tool I had, but it was really pointless.  A spoon would have been just as effective.  I just squirted until it stopped soaking in and started coming out the top.  It's not really technical.

 Put cupcakes in the refrigerator for at least an hour so Jell-o can set. Frost and serve! Frosting: 3/4 cup butter 3 cups powdered sugar 1 tsp vanilla 1/2 tsp coconut extract 1 or 2 T milk, if needed. Mix with electric mixer.  If you are really technical, like I am, (haha) put frosting in a plastic baggie, cut the corner and squirt onto cupcakes.

 And don't you love these cupcake toppers?  Kim from the Tom Kat Studio brought them as make and takes to the AZ Creative Night out last night.  (More to come on that later!)

 Super cute, super yummy and perfect for the 4th of July!!!

Linked at: Michelle Paige

Tutorial - Flip Flops made cute! (It's that time of year!)

All we wear  during the summer is flip flops.  We buy them in bulk.  :)  Ainsley, my 10 year old) and I decided to bling up those flip flops a bit to make them a bit more fun.

Items needed: Flip flops (obviously!) ribbon in various sizes felt E-6000 (You could try a glue gun, but no promises!) Optional:  Any bling you have lying around Step 1:  Glue the ends of the first ribbon together into a circle.  This would be the largest ribbon. Step 2:  Glue the ends of the 2nd ribbon into a circle.  Middle size ribbon. Step 3:  Glue the two together.

Optional step 4: I glued a string of rhinestones on.  If you look at the bottom of this post, you will see I did another pair differently. Step 5:  Wrap a smaller ribbon around the ribbons and the shoe, gluing it together on the bottom.  Hold it in place here for a minute until it dries a bit.

Step 6:  Cut a small piece of felt on the bottom if you have sensitive feet.

We also threw a large rhinestone on top for good measure. That's it!!  Super cute!!

We also did a pair of patriotic flip flops.  Love them!

The best salsa recipe - Ever!

This was my harvest from yesterday.  Yum!!!  Red and yellow tomatoes.

I know a lot of you don't have the Arizona sunshine yet, so I wanted to share my most favorite recipe of salsa ever. And the best part. Canned tomatoes! So don't worry about the snow, Utah folk! You can still pretend it's summer! (And don't boo me. I swear you will not think of canned tomatoes as a swear word ever again after you try this recipe!) Uncle Jack's famous Salsa. (Who is Uncle Jack anyway? This is my husband's family recipe and there is no Uncle Jack!) 4 can's stewed tomatoes, Mexican style (or 2 large cans) 1 can diced chiles 1/2 jalapeno, seeded (or leave it out!) 1 large green or red pepper, diced 1 small bunch fresh cilantro 1 clove garlic, minced 1 lemon, juice only 2 green onions, chopped 1 Tablespoon cumin salt and pepper to taste Drain most of the liquid from the canned tomatoes. Mix the above ingredients in a food processor for 45 seconds or until chopped coarsely. Best is served at room temperature.

Come back and leave me a comment if you love it!