Happy 4th!

Happy 4th of July!

I have this thing where everytime I hear the National Anthem, my eyes start watering. Every. Time. Some people would have a legitimate reason to cry at the inspiring song, but not myself. I just do. I think it has something to do with the idea of how many people have sung it and the many, many different situations. Have you seen Casablanca? My favorite scene is the anthem scene.  You would think I was Yvonne based on my routine reaction to the Star Spangled Banner. Maybe I'll better off today if I think of it like singing "Happy Birthday" to the land of the free and the home of the brave... Hope you have a wonderful day :)

Sheila

Cloth Picnic Napkin

Making a cloth napkin: Good. Making a picnic napkin: Awesome.

Originally, the idea behind this napkin was to keep a little kit in my lunch box. This would still work for that, but I realized while sewing it, and adding the silverware pockets, that it would be the perfect one-person picnic provision. 

Firework Poppers!

Fireworks are dangerous y'all. 

They are loud. They involve fire... Maybe that's a part of their appeal to the masses. For others, the noise and the danger are unsettling and intrusive. Even illegal. So I came up with something else!

You will need:

Colored rice (food coloring, vinegar, white rice)
2 sheets of paper cut in half, hotdog style
4 toilet paper rolls
markers
tape
4 medium-sized balloons

*Makes 4 poppers.
*This project was originally intended for kids but my test audience (fellow 20-something) and I found them highly entertaining.
*I researched to make sure the rice/food coloring combo wasn't bad for birds. As far as I could find, they'll be fine.

Start with dying the rice. Use 2 tbsp of vinegar with 2 drops of food coloring to 3/4-1/2 c of white rice. Stir it all together and let sit for 5 minutes.

Spread the rice on foil to let it dry. I left it overnight, but I think it was ready in a few hours.

Use the markers to decorate one side of cut paper. Roll the paper around the tube and tape it shut.

Tie the end of the balloon and cut off the very top. Place it around one end of the tube.

Are you ready for the fun part? Take a small handful of rice and put into the open end of the tube. Pull back on the knotted end of the balloon slightly and FIRE! 

See all the rice in the air? It worked way better than I expected. But don't aim these towards your face. We didn't try it but I have a feeling it wouldn't go well.

We even took a video because we weren't sure a photo fully captured the effect. Unfortunately, I'm apparently the world's worst videographer and there's a lot of camera shaking and laughing involved.

Do you love real fireworks or hate them? Would you make these with your kids or for yourself? I'd love to know!

Sheila :) 

Patriotic Nachos

Hope you had a great weekend! We decided to celebrate the 4th of July a little early with a picnic on Sunday. There are so many red, white, and blue recipes for the holiday. Most of them seem to be berry-centric, so a friend challenged me to come up with something else. Maybe something cheese-related?

This is probably the easiest 4th of July party idea ever. If you've got plans for next weekend and don't know what to bring, THIS is the way to go. I didn't do anything fancy to serve them since we were planning to transport them to the park with all the rest of the picnic stuff. You could go all out if you're so inclined.

It's just red salsa, queso blanco, and blue corn chips. Red, white, and blue. Patriotic nachos. Boom.

What are you looking forward most about the 4th? Any special traditions? I'd love to know.

Sheila

P.S. Normally you'd have to melt queso blanco but we were eating it outside in Summer in South Carolina. It stayed plenty melty.

P.S.S. We made quite the dent for just 2 small people.

Weekend Inspiration: 4th of July

I asked my Mom yesterday what I should use as a theme for Weekend Inspiration. Her answer: "Well the 4th of July is Thursday so..."

"WHAT? That's the next week."

"Nope. It's in 7 days."

"I refuse to accept that."

Seeing as the calendar doesn't care about my refusal, I guess I better find some great stuff to celebrate Independence Day!

I love that this banner isn't the usual stars and stripes but just as patriotic. From the Shabby Scrapper on Etsy.

Chocolate dipped frozen popsicles from Just a Taste would be the perfect treat. 

This recipe from Whipperberry uses Jell-o to make multi-colored popcorn. I'm curious to try it.

Such a simple idea from BHG to use little flags as napkin rings. Then everyone gets a napkin AND a flag to wave during fireworks. 

Is there any dessert with a better ease-to-taste ratio than Rice Krispies Treats? Nope. And the color added by Lil' Luna makes them extra special. 

First, we can all admire the silly face on the kiddo in the corner. Second, this wreath from Tell It To Your Neighbor is made out of paper cups! So neat! 

 What a fun idea for a pie crust from Cosmo Cookie! 

This tutorial from Whimsical Whimsies looks pretty easy and would make a perfect party decoration.

4th of July citronella candles from Alpha Mom. Decorate AND keep the bugs away from the outdoor festivities.

Hope you have a great weekend! Any fun plans in the works? I'd love to know!

Sheila :)