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Sunday, October 26, 2014

30 Homemade Soup Recipes

Sunday, October 26, 2014

30 Homemade Soup Recipes

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30 Homemade Soup Recipes at artsyfartsymama.com

It's getting colder outside, and that means it's the perfect time of year to eat more soup!! Homemade soup is a popular comfort food, and is the perfect meal to warm yourself up after being out in the cold. Soup can also get monotonous when you are cooking the same ones over and over, so today I'm sharing 30 delicious homemade soup recipes to give you some new dinner ideas!

30 Homemade Soup Recipes at artsyfartsymama.com

2. Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup by Live Laugh Rowe
3. Pasta E Fagioli Soup by Gonna Want Seconds
4. Vegetable and Beef Soup by The Real Housewives of Riverton
5. Jalapeño Cheddar Chicken Soup by Kleinworth & Co
6. Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup by Your Cup of Cake
7. Slow Cooker Cheeseburger Soup by Creme de la Crumb
8. Lasagna Soup by A Farmgirl's Dabbles
9. Creamy Tomato, Basil & Parmesan Soup by Tastes Better from Scratch
10. Zucchini Sausage Soup by Capturing Joy with Kristen Duke
11. Ham and Potato Soup by The Idea Room
12. Vegetarian Chili by Yesterday on Tuesday
13. 5-Ingredient Broccoli Cheese Soup by Gimme Some Oven
14. Southwest Chicken Chili Mac by Picky Palate
15. Crock Pot French Onion Soup by Cookie Monster Cooking

30 Homemade Soup Recipes at artsyfartsymama.com

16. Slow Cooker 8-Can Taco Soup by Six Sisters' Stuff
17. Butternut Squash Soup from Among the Young
18. Creamy Pesto Chicken Soup by The Weary Chef
19. Chicken Meatball & Orzo Hearty Soup by Will Cook for Smiles
20. Steak Soup by Your Homebased Mom
21. Cheesy Potato Soup by Ginger Snap Crafts
22. Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup by Two Peas & Their Pod
23. Crock Pot Chicken & Wild Rice Soup by Passion for Savings
24. DIY Homemade Spaghettio’s by Seeded at the Table
25. Chicken Cordon Bleu Soup by Chef in Training
28. Slow Cooker Pizza Soup by It's Always Ruetten
29. White Chicken Chili by Cooking Classy
30. Taco Soup by Baked in AZ

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Paper Flower Wreath

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Paper Flower Wreath

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Sponsored by FloraCraft Make It: Fun®

Paper Flower Wreath Tutorial at artsyfartsymama.com

Handmade gifts are the best. I love giving them and, of course, receiving them. This paper flower wreath is something you can make for a friend, sister, or even your mom. You can also make it for yourself (because you deserve to treat yourself, too)!! Since there are few supplies needed to make the wreath, it will also cost you a whole lot less than purchasing it already made. It's also simple to customize because of paper colors and flower shapes, so every wreath is unique!!

Paper Flower Wreath Tutorial at artsyfartsymama.com

To make this wreath, you'll need:
FloraCraft® Make It: Fun Foam Wreath 12"
White Ribbon: 1.5" wide, at least 8 yards
Cricut Explore (or hand cut with scissors)
Glue Gun

Paper Flower Wreath Tutorial at artsyfartsymama.com

Foam wreaths can get pretty messy, so I like to wrap the wreath form with ribbon to help keep the foam flakes from getting everywhere. Start by pinning or adding some hot glue to the end of the ribbon and attach it to the wreath. Then, carefully wrap the ribbon around the wreath, overlapping the ribbon a little until the entire form is covered. If you run out of ribbon, don't worry - just glue or pin the end in place, then start a new roll where you left off!

Paper Flower Wreath Tutorial at artsyfartsymama.com

I bought packages of textured cardstock and chose seven different colors to work with. Using my Cricut Explore, I cut out four different flower patterns in multiple sizes and ended up with around 75 flowers when I was done.

If you don't have a Cricut, you could easily cut these by hand. Cut a spiral, then add a scalloped, fringed, or triangle edges to get different flower designs. Sure, it might take a little longer and is a little more work, but your wreath would still look amazing.

Paper Flower Wreath Tutorial at artsyfartsymama.com

Assembling the flowers is fairly simple, but a little time consuming:
  1. Start rolling the end of the flower. Add drops of glue as needed if you keep dropping the flower or if it slips and keeps coming undone.
  2. Once you get to the end, there's a small circle. Bend it out and add a drop of hot glue, then fold it over the spiraled paper. Be careful not to burn yourself!
    *Other glues will work fine, but I've found that hot glue dries quicker and will hold everything in place more effectively.
  3. Turn your flower over, and spread the petals out and make your flower look more like, well, a flower.

Learn to make paper flowers with your Cricut Explore at artsyfartsymama.com

Repeat the flower making process until all your flowers are assembled! Toss them all into a pile and get yourself some chocolate. You deserve it!

Paper Flower Wreath Tutorial at artsyfartsymama.com

Arrange the flowers on your wreath to get an idea of where things will fit and to see if you need to cut any more flowers to fill in any empty spots. Once everything is where you want it, heat up your glue gun and glue them in place.

You don't have to arrange them if you don't want to - you can also just glue as you go! The result will be fantastic either way.

Paper Flower Wreath Tutorial at artsyfartsymama.com

Now your wreath is ready for gift giving, or hanging up on display. I wouldn't recommend hanging the wreath outside or somewhere that will have direct sunlight since it is paper and can fade or be ruined if it gets wet.

For more foam craft ideas, visit the Make It: Fun site and follow FloraCraft on Pinterest and Facebook.

Check out what the rest of the Make It: Fun Team has been making this month:
Foam Block Snowman by Create.Craft.Love
Money Topiary by Sugar Bee Crafts
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Wall Decor by 733
Succulent Tin Can Gift by Simply Designing
Mini Pine Cone Kissing Ball Ornament by Uncommon Designs
Plastic Spoon Peppermint Inspired Holiday Wreath by Club Chica Circle
DIY Christmas Ornament Foam Sign by Love the Day
DIY Rustic Christmas Gift Idea by Pink When
Flower Bulb Gift by Crafting in the Rain
10 Minute Gift Idea – Tic Tac Toe Game! by Tatertots & Jello

Friday, October 17, 2014

Alice in Wonderland Costume

Friday, October 17, 2014

Alice in Wonderland Costume

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Alice in Wonderland Costume at artsyfartsymama.com #Halloween

My daughter decided around March this year that she wanted to be Alice in Wonderland for Halloween. I was sure she was going to change her mind since she thought about it so early, but I was wrong! She was determined to be Alice, even when all the popular Frozen costumes started coming out. I'm personally not a huge fan of purchased costumes mainly because they are expensive, and I haven't found one yet that is a good quality. Making it ourselves gives me the freedom to create a unique costume that will hopefully get more use than just one evening.

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Glow-in-the-Dark Candy Button Shoes

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Glow-in-the-Dark Candy Button Shoes

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This post is written as part of a sponsored campaign with The Blueprint Social and Tulip.

Glow-in-the-Dark Candy Button Shoes at artsyfartsymama.com #TulipGlow

Do you remember eating candy buttons (or candy dots) as a kid? Usually I'd eat more paper than candy, but they were still fun to try and eat!! The thing I really love most about candy buttons is the bright colors and the polka dot pattern.

Candy buttons are making a comeback in fashion form, especially during Halloween (thanks to costume inspirations like Candy Land and Katy Perry), so I decided to make my daughter some of her very own candy button shoes that can be worn on and after Halloween. Since safety is also an issue during this holiday, I used some Tulip Glow Paint so that they will glow in the dark when we go trick or treating!!

Glow-in-the-Dark Candy Button Shoes at artsyfartsymama.com #TulipGlow

To make the candy button shoes, you'll need some Tulip Glow Paint and white canvas shoes. I found the shoes for about $5, so this project is super affordable and can be made for anyone of any age!!

Any of the Tulip Glow-in-the-Dark & Black Light Fabric Paints will work for this project and will make your shoes stand out both day and night. Both kids of paints glow brightly under UV black lights - which is super fun for your Halloween black light parties!!

Glow-in-the-Dark Candy Button Shoes at artsyfartsymama.com #TulipGlow

Using a small ruler or measuring tape, mark where you want your dots to be with a disappearing ink marker or lightly with a pencil. The disappearing ink disappears in just a few hours, but test somewhere in the shoe before marking the whole thing just in case it reacts differently. You can also eyeball where you want your dots to go, but marking them will help you get a more straight and even pattern.

Glow-in-the-Dark Candy Button Shoes at artsyfartsymama.com #TulipGlow

I used the Tulip Glow-in-the-Dark Paints in pink, yellow, and blue since those are the traditional candy button colors. Test a couple of dots on a scrap piece of paper or fabric to get a feel for how the paint comes out. Then, start on one of the dots you marked and lightly press out some paint and pull up to make a dot. I did three rows of yellow and pink, and (accidentally) four rows of blue, but you can mix it up however you like!!

**Tip: start at one end of the shoe and work your way back, painting/dotting on a sturdy table. Also, try to only hold the base of the shoe when you do pick it up. You'll be less likely to bump any of the dots you already made!

The glow-in-the-dark paints work best when squeezed directly and in dimensional form (like these dots), but if you decide to paint anything solid (like the tongue or other areas), you'll need to apply 2-4 applications to ensure that they will glow brightly.

Glow-in-the-Dark Candy Button Shoes at artsyfartsymama.com #TulipGlow

If you do happen to bump your dots or put one in the wrong place, don't panic (or try not to)! I kept a small paint brush nearby to help clean up any areas. You'll still see the smudge, but it will be less noticeable. In the image above, you can see the obvious pink dot that was bumped, but I also moved the blue dot in the top right over a little and you can see the paint where it used to be.

I just thought you'd want to see that even I mess up on projects!!

Glow-in-the-Dark Candy Button Shoes at artsyfartsymama.com #TulipGlow

Once you've painted both shoes, place them somewhere that they will be undisturbed for at least 4 hours. I let mine sit out in a well ventilated room overnight. Once they're dry, you can re-lace the shoes. My daughter hasn't mastered tying shoes yet, so I put in some adorable neon pink curly laces.

Tulip Fabric Paints are non-toxic and formulated for lasting adhesion to fabric, so the dots should stay dimensional and won't crack or peel, even when you need to wash them.

Glow-in-the-Dark Candy Button Shoes at artsyfartsymama.com #TulipGlow

Black lights are the best way to get your shoes to pop and work beautifully if you need to take photos! To help your shoes glow their brightest in the dark, UV lights work best for activating the Tulip Glow Paint. Simply hold it under the light for at least one minute for maximum glow! If using a incandescent bulb, hold it for several minutes.

Glow-in-the-Dark Candy Button Shoes at artsyfartsymama.com #TulipGlow


My daughter is already excited to show off her shoes, and loves taking them into the dark parts of our home just to see them glow. It's so fun to see how different the shoes look in regular light to no light at all! The bottom photo is after holding the shoes under the UV black light for about 10 minutes - super bright and will be perfect for when we're out trick or treating after dark!! Our black light is also portable, so we can easily take it with us to "recharge" the shoes while we're out if we need to.

For more fun craft ideas and holiday inspiration, be sure to follow I Love to Create on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest!