DIY Chocolate Orange Sugar Scrub

As we move towards Spring, I keep thinking of citrus, lemon-blueberry muffins, lemonade and sunshine! Unfortunately though, we’re not quite there yet…wind chills today in the negative digits! I think it was 4 degrees out when we woke up this morning! Brrr… And let me tell you, this cold weather is not helping the chocolate addiction I acquired over the holidays. So with all that stirring around inside of me, I dreamed up this CHOCOLATE ORANGE SUGAR SCRUB and it is divine!!! Just what I needed today! This would be great to use in the bath or shower!

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Ingredients:

  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2 Tbsp cocoa powder
  • 3 Tbsp olive oil (almond oil or coconut oil)
  • ~15 drops (1/2 tsp) Sweet Orange oil
  • 1-2 tsp orange zest (optional)

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First, mix together the sugars with a fork. If your brown sugar is clumpy, try to mix until most of the clumps are gone.

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Mix in the 2 Tbsp of cocoa powder.

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Next, stir in the olive oil one Tbsp at a time. Some olive oils are pretty potent…if you have almond or coconut oil on hand you can certainly substitute that for the olive oil. I’m all about using what I already have though…and it turned out great!

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Once the olive oil is added, stir in some Sweet Orange Oil. (I found mine in the organics section of our grocery store.) To really bring the aroma up a notch, add about 2 tsp of orange zest to the scrub! Now it is certainly good enough to eat, but even better to exfoliate your skin with in the bathtub! The sugars will scrub away any dry, dead skin and the oil will leave you with just the right amount of moisture.

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Spoon your concoction into 2 jars…one for you and one for a friend! Enjoy!!!

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Bird Feeder Garland and Bird Feeder Ornaments

The BIRD FEEDER GARLAND is one of my favorite Winter crafts. It’s fun to make and even more fun to watch the wildlife activity that arises in our backyard after we hang it up! This week we’ve watched birds nibbling, followed by squirrels chasing the birds, then snacking themselves, and lastly, we observed four neighborhood cats stalk the squirrels for two days straight. Easy Winter entertainment…the girls and I have been glued to our kitchen window! The BIRD FEEDER GARLAND itself looks beautiful hanging in a tree, around a bush, or along a fence!

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Materials needed:

  • dental floss
  • unsalted peanuts in their shells
  • old apples, oranges, cranberries and/or raisins
  • embroidery needle
  • cardboard

 

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Thread the dental floss into the needle. I use dental floss for lots of projects, because it’s always on hand and is super-sturdy! Using the needle, string the peanuts onto the dental floss. Having cardboard under the peanuts, makes it easier to push the needle through. Tie a knot after you string the first peanut to hold the rest on!

 

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You can cut an apple into small pieces to string as well. If you have dried fruit, you can string that along with the peanuts too.

 

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My helper squirreling away some apple bits…

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Once the peanuts are all strung, find the perfect place to hang your BIRD FEEDER GARLAND!

 

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The BIRD FEEDER GARLAND looks great on it’s own, but to really give the birds a treat, add some BIRD FEEDER ORNAMENTS as well! Kids love helping with this part!

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Materials needed:

  • dental floss
  • pinecones
  • peanut butter
  • bird seed
  • butter knife
  • 2 plates

 

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First, tie the dental floss in a knot or two around the top of the pinecone.

 

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Using a butter knife, slather on some peanut butter.

 

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Pour some bird seed out on a plate and let your little one roll the peanut butter-covered pinecone through the bird seed.

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Hang the pinecones from your BIRD FEEDER GARLAND!

 

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You can also slice some apples and/or oranges to hang from the garland. And if you make these DIY Cereal Bird Feeders, you can add them as well! Enjoy!!!

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10+ Silly Jokes for Kids!

The only thing better than a good knock-knock joke is watching your kids crack up at them! Give them something to smile about at breakfast with these 10+ SILLY JOKES FOR KIDS!

 

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What does a cow wear?
Udder-wear!

Knock-Knock.
Who’s there?
Olive.
Olive who?
Olive you!

(L made this one up. She think’s it’s hysterical!)
Knock-Knock.
Who’s there?
Shoes.
Shoes who?
Shoes don’t talk!

What do frogs order when they go to a restaurant?
French flies!

What does a nosy pepper do?
Get’s jalapeño business!

Knock-Knock.
Who’s there?
Orange.
Orange who?
Orange you glad I’m here?

Knock-Knock.
Who’s there?
Lemme.
Lemme who?
Lemme kiss you!

Knock-Knock.
Who’s there?
Ida.
Ida who?
Ida want to!

What do you call a fly without wings?
A walk!

What did the dog say to the flea?
Stop bugging me!

Why do fish live in salt water?
Cause pepper makes them sneeze!

What did one volcano say to the other?
I lava you!

 

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What’s your kid’s favorite joke??? Share in the comments section below!!! Happy laughing!!!

It’s Tea Time!!! Tea Party Ideas

Over at Our Beautifully Messy House, we love a good TEA PARTY! We have breakfast tea parties and mid-afternoon tea parties, tea parties in a teepee outside, and tea parties on the kitchen floor! We have tea parties with friends and tea parties with fairies! There is only one rule in our house when it comes to having a tea party: Everyone must wear a hat! It doesn’t matter if you are still wearing your pajamas, everybody starts the tea party with a hat!

 

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If you’re planning ahead, you can make some “Floppy Newspaper Hats” for tea time! (DIY here.)

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Tea Ideas

Obviously you can steep any flavor of tea, but with little kids you may want to get creative! Sometimes I pour L half a cup of Blueberry Wild Child Tea, fill the rest with milk and she drinks it out of her fancy tea cup with a straw. Anything goes! Kids can drink water, milk, juice mixed with water, or hot chocolate…if it’s in a tea cup, it’s tea!

 

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Tea Cups

Tea cups don’t have to be fancy, but fancy is fun! The best place to find tea cups is at antique stores, yard sales and flea markets. Such places are filled with tea pots and cups and, at only a couple of dollars a piece, it’s no big deal if one breaks.

 

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Tea Party Treats

For breakfast tea parties, we make PANCAKE SANDWICHES with cream cheese and strawberry jam layered in-between two pancakes. To make them extra fancy, cut the pancakes with a heart cookie cutter and let the red, strawberry jam shine through!

 

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These Strawberry Jam Scones are perfect for tea time! Get the recipe here.

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No-Bake Acorn Treats are fun and yummy for your tea party outdoors! Get the quick and easy how-to here.

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If you’re just throwing together a tea party last minute, anything will do…a granola bar cut into bites, muffins, a bowl of popcorn. Your kids will love it!

A Tea Party for Fairies

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If you don’t have fairies and fairy furniture, you can easily make some!

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DIY Fairy Folk

 

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DIY Fairy Furniture

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Acorn Cap Treasures (aka Fairy Hats!)

Use cheerios to make FAIRY DONUTS. If you have a microwave, simply place one chocolate chip on top of a cheerio and zap it for a few seconds. Top with mini-sprinkles! We don’t have a microwave and melted the chocolate chips in a double-broiler on the stove-top and it worked just as well! For powdered fairy donuts, dip the cheerios in some maple syrup and then toss around in some powdered sugar. Silly, sweet, and so much fun!!!

 

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If you don’t have a mini-tea set, you can use buttons for fairy plates and thimbles for the tea cups. Have the tea party on top of a box or a colorful pillow!

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Please don’t think that if you have little boys that they can’t partake in your tea party fun! Everybody loves a party and if you must, call it a “picnic!” Enjoy!!!

 

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PVC Pipe Ball Drop / Water Run

We made this PVC PIPE BALL DROP / WATER RUN last Summer to take with us to the beach…beach houses usually have large windows and sliding doors so I knew it’d be the perfect place to test it out. We originally used corn kernels to drop through the tubes, which turned out to be a huge mess, but we had fun!!! As cabin fever set in this week with cold, snowy weather outside I decided to bring out the PVC PIPE BALL DROP / WATER RUN again! This time we used poof balls (as well as plastic fairies and frogs) to drop through the tubes and it worked great! You could also put this up in the shower and dump water through the tubing to make a water run…I think we’ll try that next! The materials for this project only cost about $10 and it provides hours of fun!

 

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Materials needed:

  • PVC connectors and elbows
  • suction cups
  • drill
  • flathead screw driver
  • poof balls, beans, feathers, pennies…

We found these suction cups at the craft store and they were perfect…just remove the little, metal hook.

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First, drill a hole in the middle of one side of each PVC connector. Compare the suction cup piece with the drill bits to figure out the right size to use…you can always drill a bigger hole if need be, so start with the smaller bit if you’re deciding between two. Using the flat head screw driver, pry and poke the suction cup into the PVC connector.

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Now, time to play!!! Press the tubes onto a sturdy glass door or window and let the fun begin! It’s fun letting the kids experiment with placement of the tubes!

 

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If your “Ball Drop” has two starting places, it’s fun to race the balls down…see whose comes out first!

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To mix things up, give your kid a spoon or tongs to pick the balls up and drop them down!

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Get crazy! Have fun! Enjoy!!!

20 Non-Candy Valentine Ideas!

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner…time to spread a little love and happiness! Instead of giving out candy this year, why not make some NON-CANDY VALENTINES for friends and loved ones? Here are a few ideas for your kids’ friends and for yours…you may even want to make a “Thumbprint Necklace” for yourself! Most of these are really quick and easy to make too! Enjoy!!!

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Just click on the link under each picture for the “how-to!”

For kids:

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Homemade Sidewalk Chalk

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Hidden Fairy Bath Bombs

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DIY Pocket Parachutes

 

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Fairy Folk

 

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Sock Puppets

 

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Melted Crayon Stones…Love Rocks!

 

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Craft Stick Fairy Doors

 

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Scented Play Dough

 

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Story Stones

 


DIY Capes…Wizard Capes…Superhero Capes

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Sensory Bottles, Sparkle Bottles, Glow-in-the-Dark Bottles, and an Ocean in a Bottle!

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DIY Flower Fairies

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Doorknob Mushroom-Fairy Houses

For adults:

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Thumbprint Necklace

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DIY Chocolate Orange Sugar Scrub

 

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Semisoft Honeysuckle Soap

 

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Heart Wreath

 

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Strawberry Jam Scones

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Cardboard Heart Stamps

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Melted Crayon Art with Variations

Sensory Bottles, Sparkle Bottles, Glow-in-the-Dark Bottles, and an Ocean in a Bottle

We love SENSORY BOTTLES at Our Beautifully Messy House and have been experimenting with them for years! There are so many things to do with sensory bottles and sparkle bottles…some people use them as “time-out bottles” to help calm down their toddlers when they’re having a meltdown. We like to play with our SPARKLE BOTTLES outside in the summertime, pulling them around in wagons, burying them in dirt…and inside in the play areas of our house. (Okay, I admit…that’s every room of our house!) We take SENSORY BOTTLES with us on long car rides for simple, quiet entertainment. The kids love to bounce them around in the bathtub as well! The GLOW IN THE DARK BOTTLE is great for helping kids wind down at night and drift off to sleep. So much fun and so many possibilities!!!

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I find the best, smoothest and cheapest bottles to use (esp. if you don’t drink soda regularly and have a collection already) are the soda water bottles. Just look in the water or beverage aisle of your grocery store, seeking out the cheapest option…usually only $2-$3 for a pack of 6. Instead of dumping the soda water down the drain, entertain your kids with the fun “Raisins + Soda Water Experiment” while you’re mixing up the SENSORY BOTTLES.

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SPARKLE BOTTLES

Materials needed:

  • empty plastic bottle
  • Elmer’s glitter glue
  • glitter, sequins, and/or beads
  • water
  • superglue

 

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First, put a small pot of water on to boil. When you add the water to the bottle you will want it to be hot, but not boiling. I like to bring the water to a boil, remove from heat and set aside for a few minutes to cool.

Meanwhile, add the Elmer’s glitter glue to the empty bottle…enough to fill the bottom inch or so of the bottle. Next, add some glitter, sequins and/or beads.

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When the water is ready, carefully pour it into the bottle as well. I like to use a measuring cup or a funnel to make this step easier. Once the bottle is filled, use superglue to secure the lid. Now it’s time to shake, shake, shake!!! Shake the bottle for a few minutes, until all the glue melts into the hot water. You shouldn’t see any globs or streaks of glue once the bottle is complete. While the bottle is warm, the glitter and sequins will fall very quickly to the bottom. Once it cools down completely over the next hour or two, the glitter will fall much slower. So relaxing… I’d like to put myself in “time-out” with one of these bottles, wouldn’t you?

 

 

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GLOW-IN-THE-DARK BOTTLES

Materials needed:

  • empty plastic bottle
  • Elmer’s glitter glue
  • glitter paint
  • glow-in-the-dark paint
  • glitter, sequins, and/or beads
  • glow-in-the-dark stars
  • water
  • superglue

 

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First, put a small pot of water on to boil. When you add the water to the bottle you will want it to be hot, but not boiling. I like to bring the water to a boil, remove from heat and set aside for a few minutes to cool.

Meanwhile, add the Elmer’s glitter glue to the empty bottle…enough to fill the bottom inch or so of the bottle. Next, add a squirt of glitter paint and a squirt of glow-in-the-dark paint. Add some glitter, sequins and/or beads.

 

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When the water is ready, carefully pour it into the bottle as well. I like to use a measuring cup or a funnel to make this step easier. Once the bottle is filled, screw the lid on tightly, but don’t superglue it yet. Now it’s time to shake, shake, shake!!! Shake the bottle for a few minutes, until all the glue melts into the hot water. You shouldn’t see any globs or streaks of glue once the bottle is complete. The bottle will be a milky color compared to the SPARKLE BOTTLES because of the glow-in-the-dark paints. Once the bottle is shaken and cooled a bit, add the glow-in-the-dark stars and superglue the lid in place. I guarantee your little one will be excited to go to bed tonight with a GLOW-IN-THE-DARK BOTTLE in hand!!!

 

 

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OCEAN IN A BOTTLE

Materials needed:

  • empty plastic bottle
  • oil (vegetable oil or baby oil)
  • water
  • food coloring
  • superglue

 

 

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First, fill the bottle about 1/3 of the way full with water. Add a few drops of food coloring and screw the lid on tight. Shake the bottle a bit until the food coloring is evenly dispersed throughout the water. Next, fill the bottle the rest of the way with oil…using a funnel is best. Superglue the lid onto the bottle. Complete!

 

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Have fun swishing the bottle from side to side or shaking it all up, just to watch the bubbles of oil pop while the water settles at the bottom and the oil at the top. This is a great time to talk to your kids about the density of liquids as well! It may be a bit over their heads if they’re really young, but you’ll be surprised at what they will comprehend and remember! Basically, the water weighs more (has a higher density) thank the oil and will sink below it in the bottle, no matter how much you shake your OCEAN IN A BOTTLE and attempt to mix the two together. So cool!!!

 

GF Strawberry Jam Scones

This quick, easy, absolutely delectable, melt-in-your-mouth recipe for GF STRAWBERRY JAM SCONES is adapted from Parents’ “Jammy Scones.” One of the best things about them is you probably already have all the ingredients in your cupboard! L and I whipped up these GF STRAWBERRY JAM SCONES one afternoon while WB took a nap. It was our first time making scones and was a big success!!!

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It’s hard not to devour them all hot out of the oven! I had to hurry up and take a picture before they were gone! GF STRAWBERRY JAM SCONES are such a yummy breakfast on these chilly, winter mornings. If you make them the day before, just pop them in the oven for a minute or two to warm them up! Add a cup of coffee or tea…pure heaven!!!

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Ingredients:

  • 2 cups flour (I use Arrowhead Mills GF flour)
  • 3 Tbsp. sugar
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cold
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/4 – 1/3 cup strawberry jam
  • egg wash (1 egg whisked with 1 1/2 tsp milk)

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

In a med-large bowl mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut the butter into small cubes and add it to the flour mixture. Using your hands, mix, squeeze and crumble the mixture together until it’s crumbly.

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and milk. Add the egg and milk to the flour mixture. Stir with a fork until evenly moist and the dough comes together.

Next, pour the mixture out on a floured surface and with flour on your hands, knead dough together. Separate the dough in half. Roll each half into a ball and then press flat with your hands. Makes about a 7 or 8-inch disk.

Transfer one disk to the cookie sheet. Spread the strawberry jam over the disk leaving a half-inch border. Lay the second disk on top of the first and pinch around the edges to seal them.

Carefully, cut the dough into 8 equal wedges and spread them apart a bit on the tray. Leave about 1 inch of space between the scones. Brush the tops with the egg wash. If you don’t have a brush, use a spoon to gently spread the egg wash around. If you want a little heart on top of each scone, gently press a mini-cookie cutter about 1/4-inch deep on top of each scone. So cute!!!

Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes, until the scones are gently browned. (Better brew some coffee or tea while you’re waiting!) Let cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely.

 

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This is when you think you’ll just take a teeny tiny taste of one and before you know it an entire STRAWBERRY JAM SCONE has disappeared! Good thing you had some coffee or tea ready to complete the moment! Enjoy!!!

DIY Heart Wreath

I’m so glad I dreamt this HEART WREATH up last night…it’s that time of year when your Christmas wreath needs to come down off the front door, but it’s not quite time for your Spring wreath to go up. This HEART WREATH is cute, simple, sweet and perfect to get us through the months of January and February!

 

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Materials needed:

  • wire coat hanger
  • fabric scraps
  • scissors
  • pliers
  • ribbon

 

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First, untwist the coat hanger apart. It’s easiest to do this part with your hands, holding the top of the hanger in one hand and untwisting it from below with the other.

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Once the hanger comes apart, try to smooth out some of the bends. Gently fold the hanger in half as well.

 

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Next, bend the hanger into a heart shape, looping the ends together with the pliers. It’s okay if your heart isn’t perfect…the fabric scraps will hide any blemishes.

 

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Once you are satisfied with your wire heart, it’s time to cut some fabric strips. Each strip should be about 1-1.5 inches wide and 5-7 inches long. They do not all have to be the exact same length!

 

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Now to assemble your wreath…simply knot the fabric strips around the wire. Pull each knot taut and, every once in a while, push the knots down so you can squeeze on as many fabric strips as possible.

 

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If the fabric you’re using is blank on the underside, simply fold it in half before knotting.

 

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Once your heart wreath is made, use a ribbon to hang it on your front door! So sweet!!!

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This wreath would also be beautiful hanging inside in a kitchen window or on a wall! Enjoy!!! Happy Valentine’s Day!

Giant Ice Marbles

How cool are these GIANT ICE MARBLES!? I’d seen pictures of something similar before, but never a “how-to” on making them. Figuring it couldn’t be too hard to do, we gave it a try! There is definitely a list of things not to do we quickly found out. Haha! Hopefully I can help you avoid such mistakes! These GIANT ICE MARBLES are just beautiful in the snow!

 

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Materials needed:

  • regular sized balloons
  • food coloring
  • warm water
  • below freezing temps

First, put 5-10 drops of food coloring in a balloon. Next, fill with warm water and tie off with a knot. Do not try putting food coloring in last…your hands may become dyed blue for a day or two if you do. Make sure to use warm water instead of cold…it helps the coloring spread evenly around the entire balloon. If you fill the balloon to only mid-capacity it will help make the marble round as a ball. Before tying the knot, very carefully let any air residing just above the water line out of the balloon…simply do this by loosening your grip on the mouth of the balloon until a bit of water starts to leak out.

 

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Now, it’s time to put the balloon outside. Placing the balloon partially on its side (like the balloon pictured on the far right) and in snow is best…helps it keep a nice round shape rather than flattening out.

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Leave the water-filled balloon outside in below freezing temps for 36 to 48 hours. Even if the temperature is in the single digits, one night is not enough for the entire balloon to freeze. As you can see with this one, the water in the center will flow right out.

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Finally, after the water is completely frozen, cut and remove the balloon from your GIANT ICE MARBLE. Beautiful!!!

 

 

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