Easy DIY Get Well Greeting Card

I wanted to send a couple of Get Well cards to friends this week and decided to make my own. This was the result and it was easy-peasy to do. I've even included a printable template for you to use. Sorry, you'll have to provide your own band-aids and gauze (said with a big grin).

You can print a special greeting on the flip side of the card, or just opt to sign your name and call it good.

I used two sheets of creme color card stock paper. The card is sized to fit inside a 6 x 9" catalog envelope. It may require additional postage so you may want to weigh before mailing.

Snag the template here.

DIY Birthday Popcorn Cones & Stand

My granddaughter wanted popcorn at her birthday party. In keeping with the Rainbow Art Party theme I created popcorn cones and stand. It was inexpensive and made eating popcorn way more fun. The cones can also be filled with assorted candies for each party guest.

Another great way to decorate the cone box is with your child's hand prints dipped in finger paint. How cute (and fun) to have colorful hand prints covering the white paper.

You will need:

• White craft paper
• Color printer
• White card stock
• Clear tape
• 6-inch wide netting, cut into 12-15" lengths
• Postal box that is sized for shoes
• Double-sided tape
• Box cutter
• Masking or painters tape
• Cone template (found here)

How To:

1. Assemble box, tape ends
2. Use box cutter to cut 6 holes. Make holes large enough to hold the cones.
3. Tape around edges of the cuts with masking or painters tape.
4. Wrap box with white Kraft paper( like you would a gift).
5. Use box cutter to make "X" cuts in each circle cut-out. Fold back the white paper in each hole and secure to inside of box with clear tape.
6. Decorate box as desired. I used grosgrain ribbon and cutout the circle shapes that appeared on the cones. See attached PDF file.
7. Print cone design on card stock paper and use the cone template to trace cone design.
8. Cut out cone shape, roll and secure with clear tape.

I SPY BOTTLE

As the grandkids bound through the door last night, they could hardly contain their excitement. They were headed to Tennessee to spend a week with their ‘other’ grandparents, Nena and Poppa.

“Do you have are bags ready?”

“Sure do,” I said. “They are right there with your names on them.”

Whenever the grandkids take a road trip South, I prepare them bags filled with food snacks, games, and coloring sheets. Their mommy limits the amount of time they can spend on electronic devices; so the goodie bags come in handy and keep them occupied then they travel.

As I helped my daughter load up her Jeep, she picked up a 2-gallon container filled with cereal, rice, and uncooked pasta shapes.
“What the heck is this?”

“Oh, that’s an I Spy bottle; I showed the kids how to play it last night.”

“Mother, where do you come up with these ideas? Please tell me they don’t unscrew the cap.”

“No, the cap is glued on and can’t be removed.” My daughter breathed out a sigh of relief as she carefully surveyed the container.

I Spy in a Bottle uses picture cards that show various small objects hidden inside the container. The rice, dried pasta, cereal and assorted beans prevent the player from seeing them without shifting and moving the contents around to reveal the hidden items. The game starts over when all the pictured items have been revealed to the player.

Gather the items that you want to hide in the bottle. They should be small enough to fit through the opening of a plastic juice container. I added about 50 items to my I Spy bottle.

Group 5-7 items together and snap a photo. Print the photo and trim off excess edges. It's best to keep all the photos the same. I found 4 x 6" worked well.

I mixed all of the filling contents and the hidden items in a large bowl and then filled the container. It allowed the hidden objects to fully incorporate into the contents I used for the filling.

You can use any type of filling you want. It might be all rice, colored rice, all dried cereal; you decide. Or, mix a combination of ingredients as I did.

Use your imagination when collection the objects to hidden. The assortment should be colorful.

Half the fun for the kids is helping to collect the objects.

How To: Mother's Day Paper Mache Vase

Meet my granddaughter, Olivia. She's the budding artist behind this beautiful flower vase she made for her mommy. Olivia couldn't wait to return from her soccer game so she could begin painting the vase. It seemed like it took forever for the Mache paste to dry (at least in her mind).

Four year old, Fischer, also had to get his hands into the messy, gooey paste. I think the kids favorite part was playing in the goop. I was cleaning up dried flour paste for days.

We used plastic bottles from Daily's Bloody Mary mix. When working with a four and six year old, plastic was the better choice.

My honey-man brought home old newspapers from the tire store (he was there getting his tires rotated). The newspaper was torn into strips, some long, some short and dipped into a mixture of flour and water.

The paste was made with 2 cups flour and 1 cup water. These measurements aren't exact, but close. The Mache paste should be the consistency of cake batter with no lumps.

Apply the paper in layers covering the entire bottle.  Allow layers to dry before the next application. The waiting is difficult for the kids, but you can generally apply the next layer within 15 minutes if you haven't over-saturated the newspaper with the mix.

 

I did mention messy, didn't I?

We found three layers worked well. The third layer was plain white paper, though this isn't necessary. It does, however, offer more painting options. Let the bottle dry overnight before applying paint (the kids used tempera paints).

 

A word of advice...cover the work surface with plenty of paper. I keep a big roll of Kraft paper on hand for these messy projects.

Once the paint was dry, I gave them a thin coat of clear acrylic spray to seal the paper coating. Fischer didn't want any added embellishments on his vase, but Olivia was all over the idea (must be a girly thing).

 

I hot-glued coordinating grosgrain ribbon around the bottle and added a colorful sun catcher to the bottle neck. It was a sun catcher left-over from another project I did with the grandkids. What mommy wouldn't love to receive this colorful vase on Mother's Day? I know I would.

How To: Creating Vintage Paper

I don't know about you, but I can't get past the price of a store-bought card. Why pay $3 to $5 for a card when I can make my own? Not only can I make it, I can personalize it any way I please. So with Mother's Day rapidly approaching, I'm in card making mode.

Retro and vintage items still seem to be in vogue, so I opted for the latter, a vintage look. The card making process will be posted in steps with this being step one; how to make paper look old. It's easier than you might think.



 

Step 1

Tear out pages from an old book. Shop thrift stores and garage sales. Look for books in various sizes with interesting text and pictures.

 

Step 2

Heat the oven up to 200 degrees while drinking a morning cup of black coffee. Reserve a portion of the coffee for this project (at least that's what I did :))

 

Step 3

Place paper pages on a cookie sheet. Pour the reserved coffee over the pages. A quarter cup will probably do; you want the pages covered but not totally drenched. Make sure the entire page is covered with the coffee. Let pages set for a few minute to soak up the coffee, then pour off any extra coffee liquid from the pan.

 

Step 4

Place cookie sheet in oven and let the paper heat through until nearly dry. About 5-7 minutes. Remove before the edges start curling.

 



Step 5



Scoop out a few grounds from the brewed coffee filter. Using your fingertips rub the grounds onto the baked paper. Shake off excess grounds over the sink or onto the cookie pan.

Step 6
While the paper is still moist, gently tear some of the edges to add to the aged look. Burning the edges of the paper slightly with a lighter also lends authenticity to the vintage look.

Step 7
Place paper on paper towel to fully dry. Place a couple of books or magazines on top of the paper to keep the pages from curling while drying.

Now that the vintage paper is prepared, I can begin working on my vintage cards. I'm still kicking around ideas but will definitely be sharing the end results.





I tested how the page would feed through a laser printer. Worked like a charm. I think I will be using this technique often.

 

Soaper's Shout Out: Cold Country Soaps

 



I will be sending Teresa a Mold Market soaping apron and a few other goodies tucked inside the apron pocket. Thanks Teresa for submitting your favorite soap and sharing your passion for soap making.

There is still an opportunity to receive a free soaping apron and goodies by emailing  a picture of your favorite hand-made soap along with a short bio about yourself. I have two more aprons to give away. Don't be shy. Strut your stuff and let us see what you've been up to in your soaping kitchen.
________________

Teresa's Bio

My name is Teresa Jensen from a very small town in Northern Minnesota (Bovey). I am mother of 2 fabulous children and married for 18 years. I am 8 months into soap making and loving every time I create a soap.

I started with MP and moved to Cold Process 5 months ago and now have started teaching myself cupcake piping. Love both methods so I make both. The endless possibilities of soap making I LOVE IT !! 

Loving the benefits of handmade soap, getting the word out to others in my community to try handmade soap, (with the help of family and friends) has been great that I started a little shop Cold Country Soaps. This is the perfect hobby/business for me. Now that my children are 17 and 19 I needed something to keep me busy.

I have tried other hobbies but after awhile interest faded until I bought $100 worth of soap supplies and I kept building shelves to add more supplies. After dedicating a room of my house to soaping I knew I found my hobby/business.
________________

Thank you Teresa for sharing your beautiful cupcake soaps with all of us.

Soaper's Shout Out: Kokolele Soaps

Yesterday, I posted on FB about a give-away for soaping aprons courtesy of Mold Market brand molds. The catch? You must email me a picture of one of your best soaps along with a short bio. If I showcase your soap on my blog, you will receive an apron with something special tucked inside one of the pockets. I have five aprons to giveaway. This is a great opportunity for free business exposure, plus free stuff. Can't beat that!
Maria, from Kokolele Soaps has been a long time customer of GoPlanet, and was also the first to submit her entry. Her soaps amaze me and leave me wondering, "How'd she do that?" Maria told me the above soap was made with Mold Market's #001 Basic Rectangle mold and GPE's liquid gel colorants. Look at what you can do with just a simple, basic shaped mold. Or, should I say, look at what Maria can do.
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Maria's Bio
My friends and family ,including my grandkids, they were the first persons who tried my soap creations, they loved them and gave me the idea to start to share them with others.

I have some business in Australia and the last year I traveled to Central America and I could start another little business in Costa Rica with success....and now the best part is that I am making a lot of Free Soap for children in Kenya, Africa..♥

I am very happy working in my home in Arkansas, making every soap by myself when it is ordered, I don't pre-make soaps, I like for my customers to receive freshly made soap , for this reason you can tell me your favorite scent and colors about any design you like, I will make it for you with love ♥
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I will be showcasing Maria's awesome soaps that were made using Mold Market molds. The things she can do with a mold is impressive. Check my blog over the next couple of days to visually sample her blue ribbon (at least in my opinion) soaping artistry.

Thanks, Maria for your submission. Your apron and special gift is on its way!

The "Are We Almost There?" Road Trip

“How long until we get there?”  This single question must be built into the DNA of every child, because there is likely not a parent in the world whose kids haven’t uttered these words on a short or long road trip. My daughter was planning a 10 hour road trip with her three kids over Easter break.  Heck, you can’t even take a 30 minute car ride with the kids without someone asking, “Are we there yet, or how much longer?”

I knew intervention was needed to keep my daughter from having an epic melt-down when the kids started with the, “Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Arewethereyetarewethereyetarewethereyet?!!!!  I had a plan; a good plan I might add, a plan of all plans, an ‘are we there yet’ road trip plan.

 

I printed out a picture of a mini-van and road signs. Each picture has a front and a back side so mommy doesn’t have to hear, “Not fair, I can’t see the picture.” And we all know that NEVER happens! Cut out mini-van and the signs. Double sided tape worked like a charm in securing the front and back sides together.

 

A small hole punch and grommet pliers were used to create an opening at the top of each sign. This opening is where the paper clips are inserted to secure the signs and car to the string.

Here's how it works. All the cut-out signs will be attached to a string using paperclips. One end of the string is attached to the van's sun visor or mirror; the other end is tied to something in the back of the van. 

When the road trip begins, the mini-van graphic is parked at the start line. Every 45 minutes into the trip, the kids get to move the mini-van up to the next road sign.

The kids rotate turns to avoid any fighting over who gets to move the van. Since this is a 10 hour trip, I placed 13 road signs on the string along with a start and finish graphic.

Each time the van moves forward, the road sign is removed from the string and placed behind the mini-van. When the vehicle reaches the finish line (AKA destination), all the signs will be positioned behind the van.

There are countless variations to this road trip idea. If you're traveling to Disney World, make graphics of Disney characters. Use graphics of different States, license plates, historical landmarks.

 

 

When you are done with the game, simply wrap the string around a 4 x 3 inch piece of cardboard (to keep it from getting tangled) and store in the glove box for future use.

I will be using this same idea at Easter to tell the story of Christ's death and resurrection to my grandkids. The timeline will start at the Last Supper and progress to the cross, the tomb, and finish with the resurrection. The kids will enjoy moving Jesus along the timeline as the Easter story is read. Visual props breathe life into a story.

If you would like to recreate my Are We Almost There road trip you can download the graphics here.  

Dr. Suess Party Cones

Football is not my gig. So while the Super Bowl was airing, I was making party cones. My three grand kids have birthday parties at NeeNee's house. If you ask them why, they reply, "Because you always plan fun stuff."

My daughter believes I have set a precedence and willingly resigns the party planning (though she would do an awesome job) to Mom. I'm guessing it has something to do with 'deep pockets'.

The theme for my grandson's 5th birthday is Dr. Seuss. Since the grand kids have birthdays within one or two weeks of each other, early planning is essential. Joint birthday parties are never an option (in their minds!)

Popcorn, cotton candy, assorted candies will fill the colorful cones. Here's a FREE template of the two cones. Save and print onto white card stock. Cut-out cones using the guidelines. Shape cone starting at point (point is a bit tricky). Staple the cone together at the top edge using two staples.

Remember, these are disposable items; don't labor over them. If they aren't perfect, who cares! Fill them with goodies and the kids will love them.

This is just one of the many things I've planned for this themed birthday. My son-in-law is a carpenter and will construct a life-size wooden silhouette of Cat in the Hat. I'll glue cardboard cut-outs to the silhouette and place prop next to the food table.

It will look something like this:

The best part of planning the Seuss party is it will complement the Carnival Birthday Party for my nine-year old grandson. The red, blue and white theme I'm using for table covers/skirting and decorations is easily converted into a carnival theme.

I've plenty of Seuss party games in the works, so be sure to check my blog for updates. I am stellar at party planning, especially when it's for my little peeps.

Scratch Off Savings

I don't know about you, but I love surprise savings. When a Kohl's scratch off promotional flyer arrives in my mailbox, I scramble to find a coin to see what I can save on my next purchase. There's no need to scout out a coin with GoPlanet's new "Scratch and Save" cards. We include the coin!

For a limited time we are randomly including a scratch-off card inside your order shipment. The scratch off reveals a discount or FREE product when placing a future order. Enter the discount code at checkout and we will make sure you receive the appropriate gift or discount.

The scratch off card and coin will be attached to the receipt that is included in your shipment. Good luck!

Scratch off tickets expire 9-18-2012. Don't miss out.

Enter to Win: Say Hello to A Better Body

This new Chicken Soup for the Soul book is being released May 22, 2012. It is available for pre-order on the Amazon.com web site and includes a personal story entitled the The Closet Witch.  It is a short story of my post menopause weight loss journey. If you find yourself battling weight issues in your post fifty years, I encourage you to pick up a copy.

I will be giving away one FREE copy of the book on May 25, 2012. Here's how to enter:

In NO less than 200 words, explain how you are working to overcome weight issues. Your age is not a factor. I am interested in sharing a story on my BlimpyGirl.com web site that inspires, encourages and motivates others to work toward a healthier and more fit lifestyle.

Send your submissions to:

info@blimpygirl.com

Include your full name, shipping address and email. A random drawing will be held on May 24, 2012. The winner will be notified by email.

Soft Serve Ice Cream Tutorial

A customer recently purchased the Mold Market Soft Serve Ice Cream mold and wanted to know how to use it. I hunted through photo files to see if I had snapshots. YIPPEE!! I found some. They may not be the best photos, but they certainly give a decent presentation on how to use this mold.Soap.

The first step is to melt, color and scent the soap for the cone. You will need clear soap base mixed with 20% white soap base. Add equal parts of yellow oxide liquid gel and bronze liquid gel. You will have to eyeball the color based on how much soap you have melted. I suggest adding 1 teaspoon of GoPlanet fragrance oil per pound of melted soap base.



Pour the cone colored soap into the mold.

Don't worry about the top portion of the soft serve cone. It will be trimmed off once the soap has set up. Only the cone portion will be left.



Once soap has hardened, remove from mold using gentle pressure. With a large kitchen knife, cut off the top portion of the soft serve cone. Set aside and use when pouring other soap cones. The soap base can be remelted.

Place the bottom cone section back into the mold. Push down on the soap so that it is securely locked in place. You don't want any of colored soap from the top section to seep under the cone.

Melt, color and fragrance the soap you will be using for the top portion of the cone. Make sure you let it cool down to a comfortable pouring temperature. If you can comfortably dip your pinky finger into the melted soap, you are good to go.

Pour the colored soap into the top half of the mold. Let set until firm.



I like to let the soap set up overnight. Gently pop soap out of molds cavities and wrap for packaging.