Seller Saturday: ArtistryByMcKenzieG

When on the search for my next Seller Saturday - this Etsian that posted on my forum request stood out. I actually wanted to tell Mrs. P (at my daughter's school) about this seller - because these headbands are so cute and Mrs. P wears them and looks really cute in them and so I knew I had to do a Seller Saturday feature of this shop! And not only are the hair accessories really cute - but the photos are really great! So Mrs. P - meet ArtistryByMcKenzieG....

1. If you were a crayon, what color would you be?

PURPLE! I love purple because it comes in so many shades and can be sybolic of many things! It can make you happy, proud, humbled, or even sometimes sad. I think I am dynamic like that as well. And well, I just love purple!
2. Do you have a special talent?
I find myself to be really good at creating hair accessories! Haha, but non work related, I feel like I am really good at socializing and truely remembering people.
3. Which season do you love the most?
I used to be a total winter girl, but this winter has come to make me realize how much I really love the summer!
4. What made you want to open up your Etsy shop?
I was selling so many hair accessories out of my house, at farmer's markets, and craft fairs. I wanted to be able to find people outside of Idaho that I could sell to as well!
5. What is your favorite item in your shop today?
It has to be the Black Chandelier Headband. Not to brag, but I think it is perfect. It is TOTALLY me.

You too, can be a Seller Saturday on my Kid Giddy Blog. If you would like to be considered for the Seller Saturday post in the coming weeks - please check out this post on the Etsy forums for more information. Have a great Saturday/weekend everyone!

Please remember all images are copyright and owned by the respective artists. Please do not copy!

Giddy Up Friday: Be my Valentine....

Last year I helped to remake these "fortunes" for my daughter's school. They were originally used for their Field Day - as the "just before summer - here's your fortune - token gift with a real cookie" - SO CUTE!  I only remade them because they were a copy from a copy from a copy...and I also added more.

But then I decided to make them last year while I was volunteering for their Valentine Celebration into Valentine Fortunes and make felt Fortune Cookies...when my daughter wakes up in the morning - I'm going to hope that she will want to make a whole slew of these for the kids in her class instead of getting the Disney kind of store bought ones....If she doesn't - at least I can hope someone else's kids will prefer to make some of these for their school friends...Handmade my child - handmade makes all the difference...maybe if I let her pick out the fabric? (I convinced her...it worked - we bought the fabric today and will make them tomorrow!)

Needs:
Pink Felt by the Bolt. (Depends on how many you are making!) Or Red for the boys...
5" Circle Pattern (find a bowl approx 5" and trace onto cardboard)
Self-Adhesive Velcro Circles cut into half circle (save money!)
(don't forget your coupons! Signup at Joann's or ACMoore's website for an email and save a fortune - no pun intended!)

How to:
1. Cut all your fabric with a rotary cutter (easier that way - but not a have to - just cut straight lines!) into 5" squares.
2. Using your Cardboard Circle pattern...cut off the corners and round it out. You can also trace with a pencil if your child is good with scissors...that will be easier for them!
3. Place the fuzzy half moon close to the edge and the rough half moon on the opposite edge.
4. Make them kiss!
5. Place the fortune into the "cookie" - flat up against the flat back of the cookie.
6. Place another fuzzy half moon close to the edge and the rough half moon on the opposite edge.
7. Push in the center of the fortune - and make those two velcro'd edges kiss.

And there you have it. Make a wish - keep your fortune forever...Let your kid color in the pictures - or leave the hearts uncolored for the receiving child to color in. Now's the time to prepare. Don't procrastinate like I do....If I forget to say it...Happy Valentine's Day! : )  -kg

Edible Wednesday: Scrambled Pancakes!

"What? Scrambled pancakes?"
"Did she say that right?"
Oh yes I did!!!

Someone put those 2 words together sometime last year and I haven't been the same since! (and I can't figure out who it was - so you know who you are - and I thank you!) So I just had to try it for myself. Every (almost every) Friday night is pancake night here at my house. It's just a fun way to end the week and get ready for our weekend. My husband is not a complete fan of it - because he's always hungry later - so that's why it's almost every Friday night! But until recently - our pancakes were always the same... round, flat and well...just there. Now it's a whole new ball game!

Why Friday Night Pancake Night?...for a few reasons. 1. I'm a cereal girl (in a cereal world). Whole grains - not the sugary kind...but without cereal in the morning - I can't start my day. 2. Saturday mornings I would much rather sleep in and Sunday we are rushing out the door to church - so where's the time to make pancakes? 3. My husband can cook - but I don't think I've ever seen him get out a bowl and make pancakes from scratch or with Bisquick....so it's all me. 4. It's one less meal to think about - plan for and prep in advance.

So here it is - really easy...ready?

1) Make your favorite kind of pancake mix...mine will always include a splash of Pure Vanilla Extract, Cinnamon, Tiny Chocolate Chips, with one or two of the fruits: Frozen Blueberries, Frozen Raspberries, or Bananas.
2) Use a REALLY good non-stick pan. Sure you can use non-stick spray and loads of butter, but a good non-stick pan will really go a long way in helping with the scramble.
3) After warming up the pan, pour in enough batter to cover the surface. Let cook for a bit until the bottom is golden brown - just like you would with making a normal pancake. Once that's ready - flip it in sections if you have to - and let it begin to fall apart....or break it up with your spatula!
4) Continue cooking until it's all nice and golden brown and yummy looking.  Repeat the steps for the remaining batter.
5) Serve immediately with Whip Cream (when my oldest was littler - she called it Whoop Cream - so funny!)...and a few frozen fruits on top. To make it extra special - make a funny face or even dribble some chocolate syrup too!

Now here's the disclaimers...
1) If it's not Bisquick...it's not as good! (I laugh as I type that - I grew up on Bisquick and will still willingly eat the powder straight from the box)
2) There's no such thing as portion control here. Many times I make a batch of pancakes and I always have a few left over. But when I scramble them - amazingly - they are all gone and there's no left overs. It's a complete illusion...so beware of your portions!

If I can think of any others - I'll let you know! Enjoy, and check us out next week for the MacDaddy Meat Sauce....it's heavenly & shared by a kid giddy friend! - kg


Do you have any meal traditions? Tell me in the comments below. And if you have a recipe you'd like to share - Your recipe could be a future Edible Wednesday! Click the Contact Me button above and email it to me.  Please include one photo (must be your photo) of said recipe completed - the Ingredients, Directions and the story behind it. Thanks!

This 'n' That

Hey everyone - here's some more items for sale to benefit the mothers, fathers, children and people of Haiti...Happy Tuesday! God Bless! k

Busy Monday: Organizing Your Work Space - O.H.I.O.

A former (and awesome) boss of mine (hi Danna) was pushing papers around her work table one day (not her desk)...and said - "I've touched this piece of paper 4 or 5 times already, you'd think I would've put it away by now"!

How many times have we done the same thing? She taught me a great lesson that day that I haven't forgotten since. She immediately got up and said she needed to get back on the OHIO Plan. The WHAT? The Only Handle It Once plan! O.H.I.O.!

Try this out today - while you are looking at your space that needs cleaning (for me, it's my computer desk)...get on the O.H.I.O. plan - and only handle it once! That means this: You have a piece of paper that needs to be filed with all your bills, but you need the receipt to attach to it before you file it away. So you put it in a pile of - I have to "do" something with everything in this pile"...But that was before the O.H.I.O. plan. On the Only Handle It Once plan, you get up - get the receipt and attach it and file it. No more piles!

Yes - easier said than done. But when you start making a true habit of it...it does get easier. I promise!!! So try it out for the week. See the results for yourself! Finished getting organized before February comes! Have a GREAT week! -kg

Giddy Up Friday: Getting Ready for School....

Every morning it's the same thing. "Girls - it's not time to play you need to get ready for school". "but mommy....we just want to play.", "yeah mommy, I don't even know what I'm supposed to be doing". WHAT - have we not done this everyday for the last 4 months????? Sound familiar?

Ready to Color in Chart

Well I couldn't take it anymore so I began the search - I can't seem to find a decent chart out there with all that I want/need on it - so I made my own. And I'm sharing them with you. I'm including one that includes the images in each box. They wanted to draw the pictures, so I filled in their words and left their images blank. Once they have drawn their pictures, then I'll have their pages laminated so they can use some washable crayons or dry erase markers....yep - crayons! Dry erasers - what was I thinking?!Then I made just this blank one. That way - if your child needs to feed a pet or does not like to eat breakfast...then you can make your own list. I have made them very simple. My daughters are artists - so they tend to doodle around the edges! Use stickers - use markers - whatever works - just use it! Feel free to share it - but don't use the files without my permission please!

Blank Chart

I'd love to see some finished pages. If you'd like to send me some - click the contact KG link above and send them my way. Have a great weekend! -kg

Edible Wednesday: Easy Pea...sy Soup

Here' the split pea soup recipe I mentioned last week...even though I'm sure you've eaten dinner by now and have slipped into dreamworld!

I've always liked Split Pea Soup and always thought it was so time consuming to make. I even remember a time when my sister made some with an actual Ham Hock - but that thing was nasty. So - I created my own way of making it really easy and still tastes just as good!

Ingredients:
1 package of Dried Split Peas - 16oz (1lb)
1 package of Ham Steaks total of 12oz (I prefer lower sodium - 22% or less and even that is too much for kids!)
1/4 cup Dried Minced Onions

Basically, follow the directions on the package for the Split Peas. You begin by taking a look through them and discard any that look weird - or are yellow.
Then you rinse them really well with cold water, and then put them in boiling water to start cooking mine could have used at least 1 extra cup of water).
You dice up your Ham Steaks into 1/2 cubes. (or smaller if you'd prefer).
Add the diced Ham to the boiling water and Split Peas.
Let that boil for at least an hour but stir occasionally. Add the minced onions here.

You'll begin to notice some of the peas are becoming mush (the second picture). Keep cooking it. Once all of it is mush - it's ready. Some cooks suggest taking the Split Peas and blending them to a puree. But this is the easy recipe people...no need for that! All you have to do now is serve it up. Add some salt and pepper to taste and enjoy! This also freezes well. Just grab some of the Ball freezer containers and save some for a while! -kg

This 'n' That

Hi all - end of the day on Tuesday - but I'm getting it all done! A birthday party to attend, a forgotten backpack, snow covered roads, karate, grocery store...that's what I call Super Mom!

But tonight I call these super items. Each item I'm featuring here - is being sold to raise money for those suffering in Haiti. If you love an item you see - get it now, I can tell you it won't be there much longer! If it is sold, look for something else - it's for a great cause. My Heart back will be up soon! Thanks! And happy tuesday! (Update - 1/21 - 6 of these items have sold! YEAH!)

Busy Monday: Gift Pouch Tutorial

Today is my first tutorial!!! I'm so excited. I have a million ideas to share - which is why I started this blog, but was afraid to share the tutorials and have them "stolen". So please, what ever you do - please don't take my designs, patterns and ideas....run away with them and sell them off as your own. That would really be a bummer. And then I won't post them anymore - and I really have a lot to share!

I will post them about once a month. And here's the first one. Just in time to prep for Valentine's Day and gift giving. I'm showing you a very small size - maybe for a gift card or jewelry, but you can go as large as you want, for whatever size gift you have. If you are interested in purchasing some of these pouches from me - please convo me through my Kid Giddy etsy shop (thanks!).

Materials Needed:
Felt, or Wool Felt
Ribbon
Thread to match or a different color for contrast
Ric Rac Scissors

Instructions:
Step 1: Begin by cutting out your pouch piece. If you are not going to need this small size - please measure your item or gift and account for the sides if it is a box and not flat. This size is 5" x 71/2".

Step 2: Then cut out your "icing". Cut one edge straight and the other edge with a pair of ric rac scissors. Size: I cut a 71/2" x 1 1/4" so I can cut with the ric rac down the center and have 2 strips.

Step 3: Sew your icing to the top of the felt piece - lengthwise at about 1/4 of an inch for your seam allowance.*

Step 4: Place your ribbon a couple of inches down on the right side of the felt rectangle. This doesn't have to be exact - if you need more room - place it higher towards the icing. If you need less room, place it lower towards the center, but never past the center mark. Pin it in place so it stays straight as you sew the seam.

Step 5: Fold the felt over onto itself covering the ribbon. Be sure the ribbon is hanging out of the top of the pouch so you know it won't get caught up in the stitching.

Step 6: Now flatten out your pouch so the seam is in the center on the top. The ribbon should still be hanging out of the top of the bag.

Step 7: Stitch the bottom of the bag closed.

Step 8: Turn inside out. Place in gift, and tie the ribbon around to the front of the pouch.

*For a little extra umph - You can cut out various shapes depending on the purpose of the gift and the time of year: A Heart, Birthday Cake (or Wedding Cake), Christmas Tree, Gingerbread Boy or Girl, a Star, Dreidel, Monogram Letter, anything you wish. You can even cut out 2 of the same shape - different color - slightly smaller size and overlap them (as I did). Whichever way you choose, you will want to sew this in place right after stitching the icing on and before sewing the ribbon into place. Make sure it is centered on the front, and low enough so not to be crammed by the ribbon (as I did here)...it's been a while since I made these... Also, be sure that you use a smaller ribbon for a smaller bag. As you can see - this ribbon was too thick for this size bag. As you go up in size - adjust your width and shape placement accordingly!

And there you go. Once it's all cut out, it will take you about 5 minutes per bag or less to complete. This is a great bag for beginners and for kids to help with. If you enjoyed this tutorial or tried it out, I'd love to know. If you see something missing in my steps, that you think would've been most helpful, I'd love to know that too. Have a great and busy Monday! - kg

Giddy-Up Friday: See a Penny Pick it Up.....Christmas Jars for Haiti

I know it's not friday - but I really wanted to find something that kids can do to help the children of Haiti so I'm just now posting and it's Saturday.

So here's my thought. Go to your local library and see if they have this really awesome book called Christmas Jars by Jason Wright. And see if they have his children's version: Penny's Christmas Jar Miracle. Read them and be inspired to make a change in someone else's life like I was! Get a jar - a plastic one like a used Applesauce container would be safest for kids. Have your child decorate a Christmas Jars for Haiti label to be wrapped around the jar (this label will be posted late Monday!). The adult should pop or cut a hole in the lid (carefully!) and then tape the lid onto the jar.

Everytime your child (or your family) finds lose change or money...place it in the jar. With every penny dropped into the jar, your child can think of these children in Haiti. These children will suffer long after these first couple of weeks. Many have lost all they had including their parents. They will need the love, support and financial assistance for years to come. When the camera's leave the devastation will continue. Come Christmas time, your child's (or families) jar will be plenty full and can then be cashed and donated to help these children in Haiti as they continue to recover.

Here are a few charities to consider when your jar is full:
Feed the Children
Feed My Starving Children
Save the Children

There are so many charities to chose from. Please be sure you are choosing a charity carefully and that is well established. For more information about various charities, and to find a charity you can trust, please visit Charity Navigator.

I'm a Blogger, You're a Blogger - Wouldn't you like to be a Blogger too?!

Hello to all. I'm so glad you stopped by. I'm trying something new here to see who all of you are and what you blog about and what you do for fun in your free time. So if you sew, craft, write songs, love photography, woodworking, cooking, parenting or anything else along the creative lines...your in the right place - CRAFT BLOG CENTRAL (grab this button for you blog - let everyone know where you're at)!

Please sign up your Blog Name and provide the URL using the MckLinky feature below and won't you please leave a lovely comment anywhere on my blog - but please don't spam me or my comment fields. I will view your blogs as you post them and be happy to make a comment somewhere on your blog. It may take me some time - so if you don't see a comment from me right away - I'm working on it and tending to my really cute family! (If you have enough room in the name field, please include the type of blog you write - Family, Craft, Music, etc - that way others can find you or what they are looking for a little quicker!). please don't post your esty shop or an etsy item - this is for blogs only!

*Please understand if there are any blog links added that are of questionable content or contain adult language/content - I will have to remove it from this list.*

Oh - And please click that link over there - to the left...yep - that one - that says "FOLLOW"....you'll be so glad you did - and "oh - the places you'll go"!

Thanks so much for adding your link and if you haven't grabbed the Kid Giddy button over there for your cool blog - please do! -kg

Edible Wednesday: CinnaPops

Ok - so they (Artisan Bread in Five) gave me the idea to make these CinnaPops....when I saw their post about making Pizza on a Stick...Talk about eye candy people!!! Don't these looks fabulous?
So - to get the Pizza on a Stick recipe - go here....and to get creative - try my CinnaPops with this easy peasy recipe!!!

• Get a ball of fresh pizza dough from your local pizza shop or grocery store. Put it in a bowl with olive oil, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise to double it's size.
• On a clean surface (would you really use a dirty one?)....Press it out from the center working your way around. Your dough should not be sticky - if it is - have some flour near by - but the olive oil should do the trick.Keep pressing until you have a nice huge rectangle. The thinner you go - the more you will roll it up in the end.
• Melt a half a stick of butter (yeah - I never said they were healthy!)...and spread that all around with a basting brush (evenly). (if you like your layers thick - use less butter).
  
• In a shaking container (or you can spend way too much money and buy it this way) mix sugar and cinnamon to your liking. I mix a one to one ratio (1/4 cup of each)! With all the butter - the least I can do is cut down on the sugar - right? Sprinkle, evenly coating the whole thing.
• When you are done with that - roll from the back forward and working your way from one end of the roll to the other and back. Pinch closed when you get to the edge. Cut in the center, and keep cutting each section in half until you have about 16 rolls.
• Lay parchment paper down on your pan for easier clean up and use a pan with sides so the butter won't drip out and create a fire hazard. Spread them out evenly - warm your oven to 350 degrees - bake until golden brown about 15 min. (Oven times may vary).
• DO NOT put the sticks in the oven to bake. The sticks can be put in after taking them out of the oven to cool. You can get the sticks where ever they sell Candy, Chocolate or cake making supplies. 100 for about $6 is not horrible - but if you bring a 40 or 50% off coupon it's a great deal!
  

I made these for my daughter's classroom snack at school recently, and come to find out they were an absolute hit with all the kids. Supposedly - "all the kids were crowding around it mommy, and looking at the snack going what in the world is that snack?" (hands waving and flailing - I'm sure you can picture it).

Now - I would highly recommend you add to it things like: Raisins, Pecans or Vanilla Ice Cream to boot and really jazz them up. Just be sure to send them to school free of tree nuts if there are allergies present in the classroom! (or if the school is peanut free in general like my daughter's).

Let your kids in on the fun - it's so easy and yummy - and will be ready in no time! Enjoy! Next week we will be serving up some more easy sssssoup! Good night. -kg

This 'n' That

Good evening....yes it's evening - I'm so behind in my day to day life and now on my blog because we've all been sick around here for the last month. Some of these items are from my blog followers and some are my favorites - either way - aren't they so cute?!!! So you tomorrow for Edible Wednesday! -kg