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Around the Bonfire - DIY S'mores Fire Pot

Bonfire is our theme of the day. Why? Because I am guest posting over at Kludgy Mom for Gigi's fabulous Around the Bonfire series.

Over there I'm spilling the challenges of parenting an elementary-aged kiddo (it gets much more complicated than picking the proper pacier, trust me). I thought I'd spill a lighter secret here and share an easy hack the whole family will love: a DIY s'mores fire pot.

Our little family escaped to the beach for a few nights over Labor Day weekend. We had no set agenda, no drama, no obligations — with the exception of s'mores on the beach. I'd been a slacker mom: my kiddo had yet to feel the ooze of melted white sugar goo sticking to his fingers or yelp in awe as he made a marshmallow torch. There is a technique to making a proper s'more, and though I'd camped for years during my own childhood, I'd yet to share the tradition.

I owed this kid some kick-ass s'mores.

One teeny problem: bonfires were not permitted on our beach.

But. . .though it is as crowded as the interstate during rush hour come noon, at night the powered sands are deserted. The beach patrol may cruise by and the neighbors can be tattle-tales with itchy fingers, but save for teenagers hanging out, lovebirds strolling along the dunes, or a group of insane shark fisherman carrying their poles and kayak towards the jetty (did I mention our beach is The Shark Bite Capital of the World?)—there aren't many poeple.

It was worth the risk, even if we couldn't do a REAL fire. So we'd make our campfire portable—and easy to extinguish and run.

All you need:

an unglazed terra cotta pot

heavy duty aluminum foil

charcoal

lighter fluid & lighter

S'mores supplies

I used a 10-inch orchid pot—just what I had empty in the garage. Line the pot with foil. If the pot will be exposed to wind or a heavy breeze (like our beach gusts) leave enough foil to pull up to shield the coals from the wind. Fill it about halfway with charcoal and douse with lighter fluid. Light and watch that baby glow.

*You can go old school and use whittled sticks or pick up some of the nifty extendable s'mores roasting forks (I found at Target) or 30" wooden roasting sticks (from Christmas Tree Shop).

*Instead of the traditional Hershey's bars I used these Moser Roth dark chocolate bars from Aldi. They fit on the graham crackers nicely, were far cheaper, and, well, dark chocolate makes me swoon.

Did I mention it was the weekend of the blue moon? Only when the moon appeared over the roaring waves it shone like a crimson fireball — more like a solar eclipse from a sci-fy tale than a silvery globe. Either way, it was brilliant and bold as the little flowerpot flames seemed to lick at it's trail.

And the s'mores were pretty damn perfect, too.

Some nights are just made for memories.

Some nights you just have to live in the moment.

And break a few rules.

Remember to head over to Kludgy Mom and check out her Around the Bonfire series and her other words of wisdom!

Labels: crafty, Guest Post

Crafty — Tervis Glass Teacher Gift

Happy Monday to you. Did you try any recipes you found on Pinterest over the weekend? How about any crafts for the kids, gifts, fashion statements, home improvement projects... there's just SO much stuff to try!

If you tried something new, did it work? Was the recipe a keeper or did you have to order take-out instead? Did everyone ask you how you made such a spectacular gift or did you bury deep it in the trash and run to the store?

Inquiring minds want to know.

We all spend so much time pinning these brilliant ideas, but we all wonder does it really work?

Tell us. Link up below. Share your hits and misses, your 4-star ratings and your flops. I'll show you mine if you show me yours.

My HIT of the week: Teacher's Gift Cup

Everyone has been pinning teacher gifts in a desperate attempt to do something different, less expensive than a $50 gift card (which I'm sure any teacher would love but no one can afford), and useful.

I pinned a cute cup filled with single serve dink mixes, originally from Lisa Storm's blog.

Hmm...I knew Kiddo's teacher was a huge Yankees fan...I could find a Tervis cup and make this... {If you don't know Tervis glasses, you totally need to go buy one. Now. They are amazing.}

The original post even had a handy-dandy print out for the straw flags! Perfect!

This end of year teacher gift turned out much better than it looks in the picture, and Kiddo said his teacher loved it.

Total cost: around $15

WIN!

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Now its YOUR turn. Link up your Pinterest hit or miss. Maybe you tried it a few weeks ago and already posted about it. Maybe you have the pictures of your dinner disaster or fabulous cupcakes still sitting on your camera (because we all know we take pictures of everything). Link it up.

I only ask that you:

* Give credit where it's due. Include links on your post to the original blog post that gave you your inspiration.

* Feel free to include a link to your Pinterst Page. More followers, yeah!

* Would you mind adding the blog badge below to your post so others can join in the fun? {Thanks!}

* Have fun!

Labels: crafty, parenting

Clear the Clutter by Filing Your Farvorite Magazine Clippings with Pinterest

If you are anything like me (or the estimated 4 MILLION unique visitors per day) you may spend a bit too much of your free time on Pinterest. Time you should be doing something productive.

I decided to combine those two options.

If you are anything like me, you have stacks of old magazines laying around the house, collecting dust bunnies, and resembling the Leaning Tower of Pisa. There's stuff in there you want to keep, but what do you do with it?

I've tried to rip out pages of design ideas, gift suggestions, cute outfits, and the bane of my clutter RECIPES. For years I neatly cut out and taped all the recipes into homemade cookbooks. Then I moved onto a database file system, but that involved cutting and pasting and reformatting, and the photos rarely transferred correctly.

If you follow me on Pinterest (and if not, why not?) you may have noticed I've been pinning like a crack fiend lately. I'm going through all my old magazines, pinning the recipes & designs I want to keep, so I can get rid of the clutter.

Those magazines from 2010 — gone!

{Technically, they are being ceremoniously donated to the library book store so someone else can enjoy them.}

It's so much easier to flip through my Pintrest pics to get dinner ideas. And there's room to comment on them, so I can add if I've tried it/liked it/altered it.***

And there's no worry about copyright infringement — everyone from Better Homes & Gardens to Martha Stewart now has a "Pin It" button right on the page. They've come to recognize the power of sharing good ideas.

Give it a try. Get rid of the clutter! And make something good for dinner.

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Speaking of something good for dinner ... We've all collected recipes and craft ideas (even though we may hate cooking and be utterly un-crafty) on Pinterest and dreamed we could do it just like in the beautiful photo.

Right.

Sometimes it does work.

Sometimes we end up with a muffin tin we just throw away instead of scrub or a cake that looks like roadkill.

We all photograph our projects (you know you do), so why not share the hits and misses. We all want to know what works. We all want to laugh at the flops so we don't feel so bad about our failures. And it's just nice to know what ideas are really worth a try.

So come back for PINTEREST HIT OR MISS MONDAY and link up you success and failures. Please? We promise not to laugh too hard... unless you want us to...

Labels: crafty

Costumes for the Ages

When I was a kid, many moons ago, most Halloween costumes were homemade. Our parents dug through closets to pull out their own old clothes to make costumes (I remember many cheerleaders, hobos, varsity football players, and 50's costumes) or if they were crafty, they sewed, painted, or pieced together something on their own.

My favorite costume:

a hand painted brown paper bag turned into a Rice Krispies box.

Love.

Princesses circa 1979.

I think my tin-foil covered crown and egg carton flowers are way cooler than the

thin, plastic store bought costume on the left.

But I'll admit: making costumes now is much harder. Most years I just don't have the time or inclination.

Kiddo's first Halloween he wore a candy corn covered onsie (he was only weeks old) until his diaper had a blow-out.

Next year he wore a clown costume I found in a bag of hand-me-downs.

I think the fireman was next: the coat a gift from Grandpa (a fire chief himself). He wanted to be just like like him.

I must admit, the two Peter Pan years have been my favorites so far. During this phase, the only movie he would watch was the classic Disney version full of Pirates, Lost Boys, and his first crush, Wendy. I'll never forget finding him in tears on the living room floor, devastated because even though he really DID believe, he still couldn't fly.

I was lucky enough to track down this costume at a consignment shop. He still has it, and wants to keep it forever (for his kids -- gasp!).

My little boy who doesn't want to grow up.

That's just fine with me.

Now he has matured into his Star Wars phase. I spent hours sewing his Jedi costume last year (read all about it here), so yes, that puppy's getting recycled this year (and maybe next year if he still fits).

But whether the costume is homemade or bought after Halloween off the clearance rack, it's the thought, and the memories that count. For kids, Halloween may be all about the loot and the parties, but for me, it's all about capturing a little piece of childhood to live on forever.

I'm linking up with the lovely Nicole at By Word of Mouth Musing's Howlerific Halloween. Join the fun! (and our bat's named Staraluna)

Also hooking up with the fabulous ladies of Four Plus and Angel and Sellabitmum for their Boo in the Blogosphere Halloween party.

Come join the fun!

Labels: crafty, parenting

The Homemade Jedi Costume: A Jedi Seamstress, Am I

The Force runs strong in this family.

The father's devotion was passed down to his son. Much like his father, he is.

Star Wars is holy in our home.

Whether it is vintage toys and classic movies or Legos and The Clone Wars, we seem to live, eat (yes, we even have table ware) and breath the ways of the Force.

It was a given that my young one would choose to be something Star Wars for Halloween. The ready made costumes were cheesy and too expensive. Being the inexperienced seamstress and incompetent crafter that I am, I decided I would try to make a Jedi costume in no time at all and for a fraction of the price.

Do not underestimate the powers of a woman on a budget.

$15? No thanks.

I asked my M-I-L, an accomplished seamstress, for help and advice (since I am afraid of my sewing machine's vast powers). She said we had to BUY a pattern. You cannot sew anything without a proper pattern.

That is not how I roll.

Patience. Use the Force. Think.

I harnessed the power of the internet to guide me on my quest. I googled the instructions.

There is no try. Only do or do not.

Eventually, I used two yards of cheap fabric, some photos from one of our many Star Wars books, and this easy to follow How to Make a Jedi Robe tutorial to whip up a Jedi costume for my young Padawan Apprentice.

Okay, perhaps "whip up" may be a bit of an exaggeration. It took me about two days of fighting with my cursed machine to figure this out, but in the end, it wasn't rocket science or like trying to fix a hyperdrive.

Even our animals feel the way of the Force, they do.

My chosen one, his powerful light saber drawn, as he confronts the dark side.

(Who knew Darth Vader liked candy?)

A happy one, is he...

Labels: crafty, star wars

Fab &Funny Wine Charms

Saturday night we had friends over for an evening of wine tasting, recipe experimentation, and intelligent conversation. I broke out the "good" Waterford tulip white wine glasses only to find {gasp} trash bag twist ties wrapped around their delicate bases. Hubby couldn't find our wine charms and went all MacGyver on me. Hence, our Redneck Wine Charms.

I was not amused.

It was time to find some proper wine charms. It does get rather old trying to delineate whose glass is whose...especially after you have consumed a few glasses...

The only place I could find ANY cool, fun, or funky wine charms was Etsy. Which ones should I choose?