Homemade Playdough

It is definitely summertime and that means trying to find fun things for the kids to do.  It has been so hot here lately that indoor activities are a must.  I found a recipe for HOMEMADE PLAYDOUGH at Skip to My Lou and thought it would be such a fun indoor activity to try.  I also love that the ingredients are things that most people already have in their pantry! 

Ingredients needed:

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup warm water
• 2 teaspoons cream of tarter
• 1 teaspoon oil
• 1/4 cup salt
• food coloring

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients (except food coloring) in a medium-sized saucepan.
2. Stir over medium heat until smooth.
3. Stir continuously until the dough balls (about 1-2 minutes).  Remove from heat.
4. When dough is cool enough to handle, knead until smooth.
5. Form into a ball.
6. Divide into as many colors as you'd like to make.  A single batch makes a good amount for four colors.
7. Add food coloring to the divided dough.  Gel food coloring works quite well.  I have not tried liquid food coloring.
8. Knead the food coloring into the dough. To protect your counter top, knead over wax paper.  To protect your hands, wear plastic or rubber gloves, if you have them (you could also put the dough and food coloring inside a ziplock bag and have the kids squish it around inside).
9. When the dough is a consistent color, ball and set aside.
10. Repeat with the rest of your colors.
11. Put the dough in separate containers.  Toddler-sized snack containers are a good size, and I have also wrapped the colors individually in wax paper and stored in zip-lock baggies.
12. Store in an airtight container until ready to use. 

Lemon Ice

How good does this look on a HOT summer day like today?? 

You should definitely try out this Lemon Ice recipe from THE IDEA ROOM.

3 cups water
1 cup sugar
1 cup lemon juice (we used 3/4 cup lemon juice)
1 Tbsp grated lemon zest

1. Mix water and sugar in a 2-qt saucepan; bring to boil over high heat. Boil uncovered, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice and lemon zest.

2. Pour into a 13 x 9-in. baking pan. Freeze 1 hour; stir. Cover; freeze 2 hours or overnight until firm.

Picture List Mini I Spy Bags

We have had a lot of people ask for this and we are so happy to finally make it available to our customers.

PICTURE LIST MINI I SPY BAGS 

These Mini I Spy Bags still have the fabric printed list sewn on the back of the bag to prevent losing the list, but now you have an additional detachable picture/word list as well.  The detachable list has pictures of each item hidden in the bag on one side as well as an additional word list on the other side.  The extra picture/word list helps those that are not able to read yet to locate the items in the bag as well as allowing parents to detach the list and call out the names of the items in the bag for the child to find while in the car.  We are really excited for this fun new additional feature and hope you all like it too.  We will be adding more patterns to our shop throughout the week that have the detachable list.  Be sure to check them out!

Giveaway Winner

And the winner is......

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12

Timestamp: 2010-06-30 01:29:38 UTC

Congratulations Who's Sew Cute Designs!!

Mini I Spy Bag Giveaway

We are having another GIVEAWAY!!  We are feeling the excitement of the 4th of July, so we are giving away one of our Stars and Stripes Mini I Spy Bags.  You can see a picture of the bag below or check it out in our store. Since the 4th of July isn't too far away and we want the winner to have the bag in time for their 4th of July activities, this giveaway is not going to be open as long as usual.  Here is how to enter:

First, leave a comment telling us what you are doing for the 4th of July and be sure to include your email address so we can contact you if you win. 
 

Want to double your chances? Post about the giveaway on your blog, linking back in a comment, of course.

A third, fourth and fifth entry? Do one of the following (or all three)
a) become a follower of our blog
b) post about The Crafting Corner giveaway on your Facebook page
c) become our fan on Facebook or Twitter

Just be sure to leave a separate comment for each thing you do. The giveaway will close next Tuesday morning (June 29th), at 5 PM.   We will let you know who the winner is that day!

*Open to U.S residents only

4th of July

I looked at the calendar today and realized that the 4th of July is a week and a half away! How did that happen?? Time is going so fast these days!  Are you ready for the 4th of July? I know I'm not.  So in an effort to feel a little more prepared I started thinking red, white and blue today.  I loaded our Stars and Stripes I Spy Bags into our store-

I also started searching for some fun 4th of July things to make and  found this really easy, but really cute idea from Baking Bites.

Red, White and Blue Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

1 pint fresh strawberries (approx 12 oz)
4-oz white chocolate
Blue sanding sugar or sprinkles

Line a baking sheet or cutting board with wax paper or parchment paper.
Chop up the chocolate roughly with a knife if it is in block form. In a medium-sized, microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate in the microwave. Heat it in 45 or 60-second intervals, stirring between each time to ensure that the chocolate is melting evenly and not burning. Meanwhile, place blue sanding sugar into a small bowl and set it aside.
When chocolate is smooth, dip the berries 3/4 of the way into the chocolate, dip the tips into the blue sprinkles, and place on wax paper.
Berries can set at room temperature if you live somewhere cool, otherwise refrigerate them until ready to serve to allow the chocolate to set up.

I think this is such a fun new idea to take to all of those 4th of July celebrations this year!

State Prints

I came across a really fun Etsy shop today and just had to share it with you! {q.a.}design makes these fantastic state prints that would definitely brighten any room.  I of course LOVE the Texas one, but think all of the state prints are so fun.  She will even place the heart over whatever city you want for free!  She is currently having a giveaway here that goes through Saturday if you are interested in winning one!