do it yourself divas: Fourth of July

DIY Poncho Towel With Hood For the Pool or Beach

10:20 AM

This is the best hooded poncho towel for kids at the pool or beach! It stays on, acts as a coverup, has a hood, lays out flat, keeps kids warm, frees up your hands, it's inexpensive to make, easy to sew, and can be made in 15 minutes! Sew on some cute pom poms or tassels for added style. Customize your very own coverup / poncho towel for a day at the beach. This poncho towel is the perfect size for kids but it also works great for toddlers, teens, and even adults.

Supplies Needed:

1 bath towel

(Walmart has lots of color and they are cheap)

1 matching hand towel

1 strand of pom poms - should fit the perimeter of the bath towel

(Joanns sells them "by the yard")

sewing machine

scissors

-Meg & Steph

Baby and Kids

How To: Family Day At The Beach

2:59 PM

We went to our local "beach" (aka pond) with our families and had the time of our lives! To make an outing like this memorable for you and the kids, you will need a lot of equipment, so lather on your sunscreen and here we go!

Watch as we pull a million beach day toys our of my van magically - Mary Poppins style. Vans are king for outings like this. By the way, did you know that Meg and I drive rebuilt cars? Much like our DIY refinished furniture, our cars also have new life; it's only fitting!

Here are our "twin" boys (same due date) eating and relaxing in the tube!

Blankets for picnicking are a must! Check out our Rag Quilt Tutorial to make your own.

And don't forget the best sugar cookies on the planet - recipe here.

We hope you all have a happy and safe summer!

Meg & Steph

Beauty

DIY Kimono/Cocoon

6:37 PM

Here is an incredibly easy DIY, just in time for the summer. With only a yard and a half of fabric you can make a beautiful Cocoon/Kimono.

Here was my inspiration. Thanks Target!

And here is how I made mine. BTW, you can save about $10 or more by making your own depending on the fabric you choose. I'll take it! Who doesn't love an extra Hamilton in their pocket!?

Supplies:

White Fabric
Trim
Thread
Sewing Machine
Meg's Swimming Suit

1. Simply take 1 1/2 yards of light weight fabric and lay it out flat. I used muslin, but you can use any flowing light weight fabric of your choosing.

2. Hem all sides of your fabric. I simply used a rolled hem.

3. Once all sides of your fabric have been hemmed, fold your fabric in half long ways or "Hot Dog Style", right sides together, as seen below.

4. With the folded side at the top, there will be a large open side on the bottom, and two smaller openings on opposite sides. Refer to the image above for clarification.

5. As seen in the image above you will sew 6.5 inches from the bottom open side up. Sewing this will make the arm holes.

6. Unfold the now sewn fabric so that the right sides are now facing out.

7. Finally, sew on your favorite trim to the very bottom of your rectangle. You will need 3 yards of this trim to complete the look. (This step is completely optional.)

I found my trim at Jo-Ann Fabric. Similar here.

And that's it! Can you even believe how easy that was to make?

It makes for the perfect swim suit coverup and even a beautiful addition to any outfit.

Next time I am in Jo-Anns I want to buy a really beautiful print for my next Cocoon/Kimono. The skies the limit on what beautiful fabric you could use.

Happy Sewing!

-Meg

White Fabric
Trim
Thread
Sewing Machine
Meg's Swimming Suit

DIY

DIY: How to Hang the Flag this Fourth of July

3:00 PM

This is sort of a Christmas in July trick...

Go dig through your Christmas boxes and find those "all-purpose light clips" that hang your lights so beautifully at Christmas time.

Then simply sting some twine or thread or yarn, or basically whatever you have handy, through your flag and clip Old Glory up with the light hooks, and let her fly.

...and here is a helpful tip given by the Chicago Tribune!

How to Display the Flag, Source: Chicago Tribune

The kiddos wanted to get in on the picture taking fun... Also, I got those chairs from a local thrift store! SCORE!

{Instagram}

Happy Fourth of July from my house to yours! How blessed we are to live in this beautiful Free country. I am so grateful for all those who have protected our nation and fought for this land that I love!

-Megan

Baby and Kids

DIY: Firecracker Cookies

7:42 PM

My sister-in-law texted me the other day with this BRILLIANT idea! Thanks for sharing! These are perfect for the 4th of July. All you do is make sugar cookies and sprinkle some pop rocks on top for an explosive party in your mouth!

Here are the kids' reactions...

Priceless! Here is my recipe for these delicious Sugar Cookies with Almond and Vanilla Frosting.

Sugar Cookies

Dry Ingredients:

6 cups of Flour

2 teaspoons of Baking Soda

1 teaspoon of Salt

(mix together is small bowl)

Wet Ingredients:

1 cup Shortening

2 cups Sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup Sour Cream (or 1 cup milk with 1 T vinegar, aka sour milk)

(Blend wet ingredients until smooth in large bowl)

Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients.

Roll out amazing cookie dough. Use your favorite/festive cookie cutters.

Bake @ 400 degrees for 7-8 min.

Let cool.

Almond and Vanilla Frosting

Blend together the following:

1/2 cup Shortening

1/2 cup Butter

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

4 cups powder sugar

2 Tablespoons milk

Dye the frosting whatever color your heart desires.. and taste the beaters if you like :)

Once the cookies are cooled... frost away!

DIY

DIY: Semi-Circle American Flag

10:57 AM

In light of the upcoming American holiday I found it fitting to create a little patriotic decor for my home. I love my country and am truly proud and grateful to be an American. What a beautiful country it is!

This was a simple project that I just kinda figured out as I went. I have always loved the semi-cirlce flags that I see at this time of year. They are so timeless.

I bought 2 yards of each color of fabric. (This was more than enough)

I cut the fabric into wide strips and pieced it together to make it even longer.

I then sewed a basting stich and ruffled each piece up.

I did make sure that each layer was shorter going up. I just eye-balled it. (Ex. I used all 2 yards of fabric for the very bottom ruffle, and just a few inches less of that for the blue layer and so forth...)

Finally I sewed it all together connecting right sides together. I started by sewing the smallest strip onto a small red semi-circle and went down from there.