Hearts Mobile

I've been wanting to make a mobile out of some old embroidery hoops that I've had for awhile.  I keep seeing beautiful mobiles in Pinterest, and they look so easy.  I actually thought this project was a bit tedious- I was hoping it would go quicker.  I do like how it turned out, though, good enough to hang over our Valentine's dinner.

Materials: wooden hoops, paint chips, and sewing thread

Tooth Fairy Pillow

We had our first lost tooth in our house recently.  Time for a tooth fairy pillow.  I basically made the exact same pillow my mom made for me when I was a kid- a small pillow with my name embroidered on it with a little pocket for teeth/ money (pretend you can't see the pencil lines from my embroidery.  have to get rid of those...)

This is the back of I's pillow.  I added a large pocket for correspondence with the Tooth Fairy.  I & D both wrote notes and left them in there for her.  In the morning I found a receipt for his tooth in the pocket.  It looked a lot like this one...

 

I was afraid we might loose the teeny tiny tooth, so I had I put it in this little glass bottle to stick in the front pocket...

I loves his new pillow, but not as much as the gold $1 coin he got for leaving his tooth!

Valentine's Day Salad

We'll be staying in for Valentine's Day- no fancy dinners out for us this year.  So I'll try to make something special at home.  This heart salad is on the menu.

 To make an ordinary salad for Valentine's I added heart shaped Parmesan crisps and croutons.  They are both really easy and quick.   Here's how I made the cheese crisps:

I like a recipe with one ingredient.  Grate about 3/4 of a cup of Parmesan cheese...

 Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat.  Use a heart shaped cookie cutter to make little mounds of grated cheese...

It should look like this going into the oven.  Bake at 400 degrees for 3 to 5 minutes...

 And they look like this coming out of the oven...

 Let cool and carefully remove with a spatula...

 

 Add them to your salad (or soups, to top a roast, etc.)  They are crispy and delicious!  I saw the heart shaped croutons years and years ago in a Martha Stewart magazine.  This link shows you how to make them, although I ended up making mine slightly different.  Instead of baking them I toasted the croutons in a skillet with olive oil and Mrs. Dash garlic pepper.  Either way, they are pretty easy.

 A special salad for your someone special.  I hope my valentines love it!

Ballet Bag and Basketball Cinch Sack

My two oldest started new activities this year- ballet for D and basketball for I.  So far they are enjoying themselves, but it's made for more junk laying around the house.  Last week I decided they both needed new bags to corral their stuff.  I made a point to use materials that I had on hand so as not to spend any money.  I might have done somethings different with new materials, but I'm happy with the results.

D's Ballet Slipper Bag-

just the right size for ballet slippers and a pair of leg warmers

Isn't this fabric perfect?  I bought it in CA years ago and had just a scrap of it.  Just enough to make the little cylinder.

D with her bag ready to go to class...

I's Basketball Cinch Sack-

big enough for a youth size basketball, a waterbottle, and his basketball shoes

My husband suggested spelling out "Bong-nam Style" in the iron-on letters, but my son vetoed that idea.  He just wanted his last name...

I modeling his new bag...

Pirate Board Game

We've had the flu going around our house, so we've racked up a lot of hours playing board games staying home from school. Everyone's first choice of game to play?  This amazing pirate game my mom made for I for his last birthday.

The game is big- it takes up the entire coffee table so there's lots of space for everyone to play along...

The pirates...

She used wooden and foam decals to decorate the board...

 

 And a wood burner to create the actual board...

Stop at the Mayan temple to get a pot of silver...

The skeletons on Skeleton Island guard pieces of gold...

 

Rare jewel backed snapping turtles are found up the Turtle River...

 

A bin made out of Popsicle sticks holds pirate maps (bought with your pot of silver)...

Wooden pirate ships with foam sails- you can buy one with the gold you found on Skeleton Island...

The final destination- Treasure Island!  Sail there on your pirate ship, using your treasure map to find the way.  A jewel backed snapping turtle will help you get past the octopus guard the treasure...

These little flannel pirate bags hold all your booty along the way...

The clever and entertaining instructions come in this scroll...

Everything not glued down to the board fits in this bag for storage...

 

My kids LOVE playing this game.  Personally I'm ready for everyone to get healthy and head back to school, but it has been fun to play our unique pirate game!