Cardboard Luigi Mario Cart Costume

I loved how this turned out. Mostly, because my 8 year old thought it was sooooo cool:)lol 

Supplies/Tools: Kirkland Size 3 Diaper box, 1 Home Depot medium boxes, 2 paper plates, 2 paper bowls, 1 white poster board, 2 styrofoam cones (walmart craft section), rotary board, utility knife, hot glue gun and MANY glue sticks, polyester foam filling, yellow felt, White Primer spray paint, acrylic paint, straps from an old carseat (you can buy straps at Joann's Fabric, usually in the ribbon isle)

I wrapped styrofoam cones with postboard to make the "Mufflers", then stuffed them with polyester filling and covered with yellow felt to give it a domed look.

The wheels were a trial and error process. In the end I used a dinner plate and a kids plate as stencils for the size. The wheels were attached by stacking and gluing squares to the frame and then gluing the wheel to the squares, so the wheels aren't hollow. 

The tread on the wheels is cereal boxes, but I could have used the poster board for that. Later, I used a hot glue gun and covered them with black fleece, which gave them texture and was easier than painting several coats.

In this pic you can see how I reinforced the seams with small 1x2 inch pieces of cardboard. Make a crease in the middle and then glue both sides to the seam for strength.

This was the Priming stage. I used a spray paint primer for speed.

I also used spray paint for the green and blue, but if I did it again I would use acrylic paint and a sponge brush. Taping everything was a nightmare.

The outfit was purchased from Walmart. Honestly, her excitement made all the work so worth it.

The Crew ready to go Trick or Treating! We also  did Pegasus Unicorn, Monster Truck and Baby Elephant.

Cardboard Unicorn Costume

For this one I bought a pdf pattern, which I couldn't download, so I had to eyeball it. Painting was by far the most challenging part. Supplies/Tools: Home Depot XS Moving Boxes, rotary board, utility knife, hot glue gun and sticks, white primer spray paint, acrylic paint, rhinestone stickers, elmers glue and glitter.

To attach the head and tail I cut slits in the box and the neck and slid them into each other. Then small 1x2 inch pieces of cardboard and glued them to the seams to reinforce them.

Spray primer stage.

I used gold glitter for the horn and pink Rhinestones for the cutie mark and to outline the mane and tail. I used opaque glitter on the wings. Really, you just can't use enough sparkles and bedazzlement on a unicorn:)

She was joined by Mario Cart Luigi, Monster Truck and Baby Elephant. Trick or Treating here we come!

Cardboard Monster Truck Costume

Oh, Man!! I loved this project!! I think my favorite part was the fuzzy eyebrows and roll bar. The wheels gave me some problems, but paper plates solved that. The inspiration for the shape came from here. The idea for the license plate and teeth grill came from here. Supplies/Tools: Rotary board, utility knife, hot glue gun and sticks, 4 paper plates, black fleece (felt would work), fuzzy fabric, straps (you can find these in the ribbon isle at Joann's) white spray primer, acrylic paint, lots and lots of Diet Coke.

It was really important to me that the wheels were firmly attached to the body. If anything was going to fall off I thought it would be them. I stacked and glued cardboard squares together and then glued them to the paper plates, then I attached the tread part of the tire. I did the same thing for the Head lights, but now that I think of it I could have cut the bottom off a plastic cup and glued it on.

I really wanted to put stuff in the bed of the truck and hold it down with a net, but I scratched that.

In this pic you can see how I used 1x2 inch cardboard pieces and glued them into the seams to reinforce them.

The spray primer phase.

I used spray paint for the blue, but DON'T DO THAT! Taping everything was a nightmare. Use acrylic paint and a sponge brush.

We also made Mario Cart Luigi, Pegasus Unicorn, and Baby Elephant. Trick or Treating here we come!!

Cardboard Elephant Costume

Last year I started a fun adventure into the world of cardboard costumes. I did a little research into cardboard sculpture/art and decided I would start with a simple box, and then manipulate that basic shape. My tools were simple: a rotary board, a box cutter/utility knife, a hot glue gun, MANY  hot glue sticks, pink felt, tulle fabric, straps, and a few cardboard boxes. I started with the simplest costume, an elephant:) I apologize that I didn't take step by step pictures, but I think these will suffice. 

 In these pics you can see all the seams where the cardboard was connected with hot glue.

 The ears are connected by cutting a slit in the hollow head, and the ear and then sliding them into eachother.

The most important thing I learned in the process what that I needed to strengthen everywhere I made a seam. Take a small 1x2 inch piece of cardboard, pinch it in half and then glue it into the seams.

 The next step was getting them ready to paint. I started with a spray paint primer, so none of the decals on the homedepot boxes would show through.

 Spray paint. I had to apply SO MANY COATS. Be careful, it can drip.

 The Pink on the noseand tail is felt I hot glued on. The bows are white tulle.

I had grand plans for a cute outfit she could wear with her Elephant, but that went out the window:) lol. She was joined by Mario Cart Luigi, Pegasus Unicorn, and Monster Truck. Trick or Treating here we go!

Spinach and Mushrooms in Balsamic Cream Sauce

It was one of those nights, where I didn't have any protein in the fridge, and I REALLY didn't want to go to the store. The search began which turned up mushrooms, and spinach. What do I do with these? Eureka! I decided to combine two of my favorite recipes, and this is what came of it:) I was really pleased with the outcome and thought I would share it.

Here's the link to one of the two recipes I combined. I can't find the other recipe for Mushrooms in Balsamic Cream Sauce. sorry.
Lemon Butter Chicken from damndelicious.net
You can also find recipes I've tried and LOVED on my Pinterest Page Tried and True Recipes

Spinach and Mushrooms in Balsamic Cream Sauce
fyi   T. = Tablespoon, t. = teaspoon

Ingredients:
2 T. Butter, 1 T. Butter
1 T. Evo
1 Pkg. Mushrooms, sliced
3 Cloves Garlic, minced
3 T. Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 t.-1/2 t. Red Pepper Flakes
1 C. Chicken or Veggie Stock (if using chicken broth,add salt sparingly. The parm. will also add salt)
1/2 C. Cream, or Half and Half, or Whole Milk
1/4 C. Parmesean, grated
1 t. Dried Thyme Leaves
3 or 4 C. Spinach, chopped
S&P

Oven: 400 Degrees F. if you're finishing it in the oven.

-Melt 2 T. butter and evo in med. sized oven proof pan over med. heat. Saute mushrooms till browned. Remove mushrooms from pan and set aside. 
-Reduce heat to low and add 1 T. butter, then garlic (I almost burn mine every time if I don't), saute till fragrant, 30 sec. 
-Add vinegar, red pepper, stock, cream, parm, thyme, and s&p (careful with the salt), and bring to med/high heat. When it's at a soft boil, reduce heat to med/low and add spinach. Cook till wilted, 3-5 min. 
-Now, you can either finish it in the oven, un-covered for 20 minutes, or reduce your heat to low and simmer for 15 min, stirring occasionally.
-If you want the sauce thicker. mix 1 T. corn starch with a couple T. of cold water and stir it into your spinach.
-serve over rice, or pasta.

Potty Training a Type 1

Today is April 2 and exactly four days ago we started potty training our daughter Wendy, for the THIRD time. She is turning four at the end of May......

We also have a 18 month old toddler and a 12 week old baby. I'm sooo over changing diapers, but this isn't the reason we've decided to it's time for our girlie-goo to wear Big Girl Pants. It's just time. If you have more than one kid, then you know what I'm talking about. You just feel it.....she's ready. It's going to work this time.

Let me tell you what happened the last time we tried to potty train her. I was 4ish months pregnant, and still having a bit of morning sickness. Not a great time to deal with fecal matter, it's different than changing a diaper, trust me. She was just over three, and after much urging of my husband, I decided to give it ago. I made some phone calls for advise, went to the store for potty treats and extra underwear (if there's a major poop accident I just throw the panties away. Not sticken those in my washer. Nope.), gave the family and the child a pep-talk and we were off. It failed horribly. I mean horribly. We had one week of relative ease and then she pooped her pants everyday for two weeks. Two solid weeks. Two frustrating, sad, I'm gonna kill this kid weeks. I was the one to call it quits. There were no discussion on what to do, or how do we proceed. I said I was finished and it was over. Nobody make any sudden movement. I might eat you.

So, now it's several months later and in enters The Child Whisperer.  I was already a student of Carol Tuttles The Child Whisperer techniques, though I'm not great at executing them, I still use the tools learned in her book around everyday when parenting my kids. In it she helps you to identify what "Energy" type your child is. I don't mean voodoo, or hippie, "I'm a tree. Feel my energy." kind of stuff, but if you're into that that's okay. I'm not so much. By Energy I mean, how your kid approaches the world, or how they move in it. Read it. It's awesome. Anywho, there are 4 Types of Energy's in The Child Whisperer. I'm not going to explain all of them, just a brief one of Wendy's. This is directly from the book:

Type 1: The Fun-Loving Child

• Primary Connection to the World: Social
• Primary Movement: Bouncy and Random
• Primary Need: To have fun and happy parents

May be discribed as: animated, fun, bright, light-hearted, friendly

May be negatively judged as: flighty, hyperactive, unreliable

That is Wendy.

How do I potty train her. Funny enough I didn't read the potty training section of the book the last time I tried and failed to train her. This time I'm deteremined to succeed, so I read it and looked up some advice online. The Header on the potty training section says, "Occasional accidents" that is seriously right at the top. 

Library Finds-Feb.

 Sooooooo darling!  This Baby loves to play around and everyday is an adventure!! 

Written by Steffanie & Richard Lorig

Illustrated by Amanda shepard

Mom and Dad are enjoying cleaning up after dinner, and then the kids join them. My favorite part is, "We twirl around and around in a circle of family." LOVE!!!

Written by Maurie J. Manning