Dragonfly Designs

Inspiring Creativity

2013-06-18T19:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Inspiring Creativity!!

Thank you for sharing your creativity with us each week.

New to Dragonfly Designs?

Please grab a button and share the love!

Fabric Arrow Canvas Quote GIVEAWAY

2013-06-18T07:00:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone!

I am over at Or so she says... today!

Sharing the tutorial on how to create your own Fabric Canvas Art.

But hey, we haven't had a giveaway in a long time!

So if you would like to just fast track your way to winning this one,

here's how to enter...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Keeping It Real ~ Live With Intention

2013-06-17T08:14:00.001-07:00

Hi friends!

I promised last week that I would post weekly updates on my progress.

As part of a 90 day motivational challenge I have set two goals:

lose 20 lbs

blog about my journey weekly

Three activities that I plan to do daily:

30 minutes of activity

drink 8 cups of water

log onto my fitness pal

Last week actually went by really quickly. I am one of those people that totally buys into a new program and jumps onto the band wagon easily. My problem is that I rarely stick to the plan for very long. I am hoping that committing to this 90 day challenge will help to keep me motivated and focused on my goals.

My fitness pal is awesome. It's an app for the iPhone that helps you to track your calories, activity and water intake. I love that it is right on my phone otherwise I would forget to journal or track my progress if it wasn't so accessible.

I totally killed it last week too! The boys and I included at least 30 minutes of activity a day. We walked, went biking and even swam in my parents pool. Cameron and Isaiah loved it as much as I did. We can't wait to go biking again this week. I logged all of my meals onto my fitness pal. And man, did I ever eat good! You can find some of my meals on instagram twindragonflydesigns. The hardest thing last week was drinking 8 cups of water every day. I did it. But man, it was hard! That's a lot of water!

And finally the result this week? Down 4 lbs. Whoop whoop!

I would love for you to join me!

Follow along on facebook or instagram. :)

*******************

Now that summer is around the corner my blog schedule will be changing. I tend to blog less in the summer and head outside more with the family. We have lots of camping and family activities planned ~ we can't wait! Our Inspiring Creativity link party will be running every Wednesday as usual {I love to see what you are all up to} and I will pop in weekly with my 90 day challenge updates. I will still be crafting and cooking and will share tutorials and recipes as they happen.

Thanks for reading.

Have a great week!

Gardening 101 ~ Planting Annuals

2013-06-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

I have a love/hate relationship with gardening.

If you have read any of last years Gardening 101 posts then you know that my thumb is nowhere near green. But I have a lovely set of pots that just beg to be filled with annuals in the spring.

Every year I head to Costco to pick up a wide variety of annuals {plants that typically don't come back year after year}. 36 plants were only $9.99 this year! That's a killer deal. I purchased three flats with enough plants to fill 8 large pots around our home.

Here's what my pots looked like before planting. Yikes.

I filled them with dracnea {the tall spiky grass} and a variety of draught tolerant plants. Since my watering tends to be somewhat sketchy and our pots get a lot of sun, it was important that the plants could withstand a bit of neglect.

Petunias, verbena and lobelia were top picks.

So pretty!

I guess that they might be worth the extra time watering in the morning *wink*

How does your garden grow?

Father’s Day Activity T-shirt

2013-06-13T07:00:00.000-07:00

The boys and I had fun yesterday creating this Father's Day Activity T-shirt for Darcy.

They loved it, I loved it and daddy loved it {we couldn't wait to give it to him}.

The idea comes directly from the Blue Basket blog ~ thanks for sharing Jessica!

I really wanted the boys to be involved in creating this t-shirt so I sketched out a road and houses

for them to colour in. The image is on the back of the shirt so that when the boys play cars

on the road they are also giving dad a back rub *wink*.

We used Tulip fabric paint markers.

Cameron and Isaiah loved this project! Have I said that already?!?

They had so much fun colouring in the images together.

They divided the houses between themselves and shared all of the markers.

It truly melts a mommas heart when her kids spend more than five minutes playing together nicely.

Look at this! Colouring together! Sigh... it was awesome.

And they did a great job.

We even signed out names. Cuteness overload right?!?

If you're looking for a last minute idea for dad this one is a hit!

Seriously easy, fun and quick to create with the kids.

Inspiring Creativity

2013-06-11T19:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Inspiring Creativity!!

Thank you for sharing your creativity with us each week.

Our most viewed link last week was this absolutely adorable...

Batman Onesie from

Kenda's Crafts

Love it right?!

Be sure to visit Kenda and share the love!

In other news..

I have committed to a 90 day

Live With Intention

assignment. I would love for you to join me!

You can find more details HERE.

New to Dragonfly Designs?

Please grab a button and share the love!

Camping Toiletries Bag ~ Guest Post @ 733

2013-06-11T07:00:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! I am over at 733 today. Sharing this smart Camping Toiletries Bag for boys. Please stop by to say hi!

Decoupage Pears

2013-06-10T07:00:00.000-07:00

These pears were a lovely addition to our last Pinspired Projects class that I just had to share with you.

I am already gearing up for our next session {Fall and Winter classes} and you can find my project boards HERE to see what we might be up to.

These pears turned out to be just as gorgeous as the original pin. The ladies really loved creating them and we lucked out in finding a whole bunch of fake fruit at the local thrift store ~ score!

We simply tore pages from a book into little pieces and decoupaged them onto the fake fruit. Rather than Mod Podge, which can be expensive, I use a mixture of white glue and water that works just as well.

If you could attend our Pinspired Projects class,

what would you like to create??

Keeping It Real ~ Pathways to purpose...

2013-06-09T21:36:00.001-07:00

Have you ever wondered what your purpose is?

What you were meant to do?

I wonder that all the time. And now with the boys going into Kindergarten in September, it feels like there is a world full of possibilities that are opening up to me. I just got back from an amazing Leisure Development Conference that was truly inspiring. Over the past few months I have been able to really reflect on my purpose and my passions and have come up with a few personal mission statements.

I want to teach and inspire others to use their own gifts.

I hope to continue my work in coordinating recreational programs and special events.

I am choosing to market myself, not a product.

One of the courses during the conference was called Developing and Using Motivational Skills. I loved this class and the instructor was pretty awesome, her name is Crystal Flaman and you can find her work HERE. She gave us multitudes of tools that we could use to motivate ourselves and our coworkers/staff. So many of the things that she talked about really resonated with me. One of my core values is to live with intention. To have a plan, to have a goal and be committed to it.
Each course during the conference came with an assignment that is due in the fall. Crystal asked us to complete "The Intentional Living Project". Awesome right!?
Here is our assignment: Pick two goals {one personal and one work related} Create benchmarks for our goals {activities} Log how it goes over 90 days
I would really love for you to join me or even just follow along as I strive to complete these tasks. The more people we tell about our goals and the more cheerleaders that we have, the more successful we can become. You can follow my progress daily on Facebook and Instagram.
So here are my goals: Lose 20 lbs and blog about my progress weekly My "high value activities" {done daily} are: 30 minutes of activity, logging onto My Fitness Pal and drinking 8 cups of water.
Sounds easy right? Not for me. When it comes to my personal healthy and fitness, I put myself last on the list of importance. Don't we all do this? Especially as moms? If one of my major goals it to pursue my career in recreation then my weight is truly holding me back, pulling me down. I am a super confident person but when it comes to being competitive in my field of work, I feel like the outside needs to match the inside a bit more. During class, Crystal passed around a bowl of rings with different words engraved on them. I closed my eyes, fished around a bit and pulled out the one pictured above. It was perfect. I am absolutely horrible at staying committed to my own personal health and fitness. I hope that this symbol will act as a daily reminder to put myself higher on the "to do" list and stay committed to this activity and my goals.
I promise to post before and after photographs of my progress {please hold me to that}. And I will report my failures and successes along the way.
Chat soon!

Caramilk Cake

2013-06-06T07:00:00.000-07:00

This Caramilk Cake was way too yummy!

I am a sucker for anything that includes caramel and chocolate.

So for my birthday last month I decided to play with my two favorite food groups and one of our favorite cake recipes {this Epic Skor Cake} to create this

Caramilk Cake.

It's a tower of delicious chocolate cake, layered with caramel sauce,

Caramilk chocolate bar and whipping cream. How can you go wrong?!

The goods:

1 pkg Chocolate Cake Mix {baked according to directions into two rounds}

1 litre of whipping cream

3/4 cup white sugar

4 Caramilk Bars {or any other chocolate bar really} all crushed up

1 cup caramel sauce {I used the packaged kind but you could make your own from scratch}

Whip the cream and gradually add the sugar until peaks start to form. Divide the whipping cream mixture into two bowls and combine the chopped up chocolate bar {less 1/4 cup for topping} into one bowl.

Cut the two rounds in half and start to build the cake. Place a cake round on the bottom then spread with 1/3 of the caramel sauce.

Then spread 1/3 of the chocolate bar whipping cream mixture. Repeat the layers until you reach the top.

Finally spread the remaining bowl of whipping cream over the entire cake and top with reserved chocolate bar.

Amazing and oh, so delicious!

Enjoy!

Inspiring Creativity

2013-06-04T19:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Inspiring Creativity!!

Thank you for sharing your creativity with us each week.

New to Dragonfly Designs?

Please grab a button and share the love!

Camping Breakfast Burrito

2013-06-04T07:00:00.001-07:00

We just got back from a lovely camping trip with a large group of friends. It is so much fun to plan trips with friends! We set up a communal style campsite where we all ate together and got to hang out. And all of our kids... they had so much fun! It was wonderful.

Each of the families were delegated a meal that they were responsible for cooking during our stay. I LOVED this! Only having to cook once?!?! Awesome! We made breakfast Saturday morning for 28 people {mostly kids}. And these Camping Breakfast Burritos were just the perfect thing!

Here is what I did...

I do 90% of my camping meal preparation at home and this was no exception. I began by frying a package of ground, hot italian sausage in a large skillet. I added a medium diced onion, a diced green pepper and 2 tsp of minced garlic. I cooked the mixture until the onion was opaque and the meat was well done.

Then I scrambled a dozen eggs. I added about 2 Tbsp of milk to the raw egg, I find that it makes the eggs fluffier. Salt and pepper was added to taste.

I combined the egg and meat mixture. Then I added 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese and mixed until it was melted into the still warm sausage and eggs.

Finally I spooned about 1/2 cup of the sausage and egg mixture into the center of a large flour tortilla and rolled it up.

I wrapped each tortilla in Saran Wrap so that they wouldn't stick to each other.

Then I placed them into large Ziploc freezer bags and into the freezer. This recipe made about 12 camping breakfast burritos so I had to double it {and add more eggs} for our party of 28 people.

We packed these in a cooler and brought them out Saturday morning to simply heat up and serve with hash browns. They are really delicious and a great way to have a filling breakfast without too much mess while camping.

Do you have any favorite camping recipes?

Please share!

Little Boy Belt Tutorial

2013-06-03T07:00:00.000-07:00

Hi friends!

As many of you know, my guys are obsessed with Superheroes. And Star Wars isn't too far behind on the list of favorites. If you have boys, I am sure that you have some experience with this phenomena yourselves.

These belts are fun and easy to create! Using scraps of fabric the possibilities are endless.

I decided to create a whole bunch of belts because

a) my guys a pretty little. Their pants are always falling down!

b) working at a childrens clothing store, I know that belts for boys are really hard to find.

c) I have had a giant bag of D-rings in my sewing stash for a long time.

Now I have fun belts for my boys and have added them to my market table at our local Farmer's and Crafter's Market.

Each belt costs about $2 to make. Score right?!

And I wanted to let you all know, my tutorials are always meant to inspire creativity and support other momprenuers. So if you are inspired to create your own belts and market them ~ sell away momma! And send me photos. I would love to see them!

Here is how you can create your own Little Boy Belts...

First you will need:

scrap fabric

belt end {optional}

two D-rings
nylon belt webbing material

{found in the notions section}
lighter or matches
sewing machine and sewing supplies

Measure your childs waist and add at least five inches. Cut the webbing to length and cut the scrap fabric the same length by 1.75 inches. Melt the ends of the webbing to prevent it from fraying.

Fold the edges of the scrap material into the center, wrong sides facing.

Iron the scrap material flat.

Now you have a folded strip of fabric that will become the front of the belt.

Sew the fabric to the belt webbing. Use an 1/8 inch allowance on both edges of the belt.

Now you have a strip of webbing with a fabric front and solid back.

Next attach the D-rings. Simply thread the belt through the two D-rings, fold over and fasten with a zig zag stitch.

Finally clamp the belt end to the other end of the belt. Or simply fold the end over and sew into place.

Voila!

You have an uber cute, personalized little boy belt!

Who could go wrong with this superhero and star wars fabric!? Most licensed fabric is for home use only and cannot be sold after market. So be sure to check your material labels before planning on selling and marketing your creations.

My guys LOVE their new belts! I can't wait to see them all decked out for Kindergarten in September.

Way too cute!

Belt making can be somewhat addicting, easy and fun!

Thanks so much for reading!

Camping ~ Lakeside Resort

2013-06-01T07:00:00.000-07:00

Hi friends!

We are out camping this weekend.

Are you surprised? hee hee

I hope that you have enjoyed all of the camping posts recently and find some of the information useful.

We spent the May long weekend at a campground that was new to us.

Lakeside Resort in Oliver, British Columbia.

How cute are the boys in their I Heart Camping T-shirts btw?!?

Here's what we liked about this campground:

flat, grassy sites {some right beside the lake}

clean, private beach with campfires

flush toilets and coin operated showers

lots of different accommodations {motel, cabanas, rvs and tents}

this may be a contender for our next family reunion

What was worrisome:

There is a park and playground next to the campsite but children needed to crawl through a barbed wire fence to get to it.

There was a loud, rowdy, disruptive wedding on site. When campground staff were asked if weddings were typically held there, they said that it was something that they were pursuing.

So I would make sure that no weddings were booked on the same weekend before camping here again.

Here is our camp set up. Its our third summer with the tent trailer and I love it. It is light enough to tow with our van and is a great place to store most of our camping equipment. We can pack for camping trips in half of the time because everything is already in the trailer.

Our latest camping add on is a Camping Oven/Stove from Coleman. It is a propane powered stove top and oven and is BEYOND awesome! Fresh muffins while camping?! Yes please!

Here's Darcy chillin' by the beach.

And playing catch with the boys.

The scenery is breathtaking and the little lake is really warm.

Yes, I was swimming in May!

We had an amazing time. I can't wait to tell you all about our most recent trip to another new spot for us ~ Heartland Ranch. Stay tuned!

10 Best Camping Supplies

2013-05-31T07:00:00.000-07:00

Packing and planning for camping is one of my favorite things to do in the spring. Truly! Picking dates, booking camp sites and organizing camping supplies means that we are just that much closer to enjoying the great outdoors as a family.

After unpacking and reviewing the supplies that we have left over from last year I head to our local dollar store. The dollar store is a great place to find many of the items that you may need for camping. Check out our complete list of camping supplies at the end of this post.

Until then here are a few of our must have Dollar Store Camping Supplies...

1. Toys are an essential supply when camping with kids. Even just picking up something new may keep them occupied for hours.

2. Table cloth. Not all picnic tables are created equal. Cover up and provide quick clean up.

3. Kitchen clean up can be made easier with a scrub brush, wash cloth and scrubbies.

4. Travel size toiletries are a great way to save space and pack lighter. Look for toothbrush and soap covers/cases to keep things neat and tidy.

5. Condiment containers. Downsize condiments like ketchup, mustard and barbecue sauce into smaller containers.

6. Camping shoes. Pick up some inexpensive shoes for everyone and store them in the trailer or camping bins. This is especially helpful for little ones who forget/lose shoes frequently.

7. Individual water bottles prevent multiple plastic cup usage and having to figure out whose cup is whose.

8. A nylon duffel bag is the best way to keep dirty camping clothes separate from clean ones. We throw our dirty clothes in the bag as we camp then simply dump it into the washer when we get home.

9. Little screw top containers to downsize toiletries like shampoo and conditioner into. We use these little containers for mayonnaise, oyster sauce and spices too.

10. Matches, lighters, candles, rope, glow sticks, hot dog sticks, knives, cutting boards and many more camping supplies can also be found at the Dollar Store.

Here is a complete listing of our camping supplies.

General supplies:

Throw away dishes {plates/bowls/cutlery}

Medium bowl

Medium pot

Frying pan or griddle

Spatula

Knife

Cutting board

Table cloth

Wet wipes

Paper towel/napkins

Lighter/matches

Flashlight

Batteries

Bug Spray

Sunscreen

Mosquito coils

First aid kit

Plastic bags

Garbage bags

Twine/rope

Dish soap

Dish cloths

Tinfoil

Newspaper

Equipment:

Folding chairs

Folding table

Barbecue/camp stove

Water jug

Tarp

Life jackets

Tent

Mattress {air/foam}

Sleeping bags

Pillows

Firewood

Roasting sticks

Shower/Bathroom:

Towels

Soap

Shampoo/conditioner

Toothbrush/toothpaste

Deodorant

Wash cloth

Brush

Hair ties

Toilet paper

Clothes:

T-shirts

Pants

Shorts

Sweater/hoodie

Rain jacket

Underwear

Socks

Bathing suit

Hat

Miscellaneous:

Toys

Games/cards

Bikes

Helmets

Fishing gear

When we tented it, we packed most of this gear into large Rubbermaid totes. Now that we have a tent trailer, we keep our supplies loaded in the trailer. Either way planning and packing for camping can be made easy with just a few of these 10 Best Tips!

If you liked this post be sure to check out

10 Best Camping Tips, 10 Best Camping Activities and 10 Best Camping Recipes

10 Best Camping Activities for kids

2013-05-30T07:00:00.000-07:00

Camping is one of those activities that our whole family loves to do together. We love it so much that we even plan Epic Camp Outs in the middle of winter. But while camping in itself can be entertaining and enjoyable, we try to also plan for the rainy days and down time.

We tend to be old school campers and only recently purchased a tent trailer. The trailer allows us to store most of our camping equipment on board, year round. Packing can easily be done using Rubbermaid bins as well, for those families who are tenting it. Most of the activities that we plan for our camping trips require very limited equipment to save room for more important things like food, water and shelter {wink}.

We live in Kelowna, British Columbia and enjoy supporting and exploring our surrounding communities. This means purchasing local supplies and checking out local attractions. We also have extremely energetic twin boys so having a rainy day plan and packing camping activities has proven to be a life saver for us.

Now for some creative, don't go camping without them, activities for kids.

Here are a few of the things that help to keep our boys busy:

1. Craft Projects such as this colour diffusing paper activity are a great way to combine art and the outdoors while camping. Try to plan a camping craft that incorporates nature: leaf pressing, bark rubbing or animal sketching.

2. Pond Study Plan to bring along a few nets and buckets for the kids to try their hand at catching frogs and insects. Pack an Insect Identification Guide for older kids.

3. Go Fish! Our boys will spend loads of time just casting out their lines and reeling them back in. While they haven't caught much it's been a wonderful activity that helps them to learn patience and perseverance.

4. Printable Worksheets can be used to keep kids busy, especially during raining days. They are a great way to include a bit of learning while camping too. We often use printables from Two Teaching Mommies. Be sure to laminate them for extra durability.

5. Bug Collecting can be an all day activity that is not just limited to when you are camping. Purchase and pack little bug hotels for the kids and watch as they collect insects and take care of their new little charges.

6. Rock Painting is an annual tradition for us. We always have a few small containers of acrylic paint and a brush or two on hand. I found glow in the dark paint this year and can't wait to try it out!

7. Don't forget the bike! Our boys learned to really bike ride while camping at Beaver Lake last year. It's fun to watch them race around the campground and try to keep up with the older kids. Don't forget to pack a helmet.

8. Geocaching is one of our favorite past times. It is a great way to explore our surroundings and only requires a gps enabled device and a few tradeables. One of our favorite caching experiences was while camping at Harold Provincial Park a few years ago.

9. Local Attractions Be sure to check out all of the unique opportunities in the area! For example: beaches, aquatic centers, museums, parks and some of our favorites: Rattlesnake Canyon, Kangaroo Creek Farm, D Dutchmen Dairy, the Enchanted Forest and Atlantis Waterslides.

10. Scavenger Hunts are a great way to keep kids busy while camping. We used this one during a family reunion and it was great for all age groups.

If you liked this post be sure to check out

10 Best Camping Tips, 10 Best Camping Supplies and 10 Best Camping Recipes.

Inspiring Creativity

2013-05-28T19:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Inspiring Creativity!!

Thank you for sharing your creativity with us each week.

Our most viewed link last week was...

This great Sewing Machine Feet series from

the Seasoned Homemaker.

This looks like something that I really need to follow!

Thanks for linking up Leslie.

New to Dragonfly Designs?

Please grab a button and share the love!

Bacon & Egg Breakfast Bites

2013-05-28T07:00:00.000-07:00

These are absolutely delicious!

We had a morning potluck for church a few weeks ago so
I decided to whip up some Bacon & Egg Breakfast Bites.

I used my mini muffin pan so that I had more little bites to share.
They took about 30 minutes to prep and prepare the morning of our gathering and where an absolute hit!

I began by cooking turkey bacon in the oven.
Then I cut each piece in half and pressed them into my greased muffin tin cups.

Then I filled the cups with my egg mixture; eggs, fresh spinach, mozzarella cheese, a dash of hot sauce and S&P.

Then I baked the little bites for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

This was the perfect breakfast appetizer recipe.

These were so yummy that they were all gone in just a few minutes. I need to make more asap.

Yum!

Enjoy!

10 Best Camping Recipes

2013-05-27T07:00:00.000-07:00

We are headed out camping this week.
It's our second trip of the season and we are so excited!

One of the biggest challenges that I have is finding creative camping recipes. It's easy to rely on hotdogs and s'mores but if you camp as often as we do those can become boring really fast.

Last year I challenged myself to try out and create at least one new recipe for every camping trip that we went on. You can find a complete listing of our recipes here. It's important when heading out camping to meal plan. With a detailed plan you will know what supplies to purchase, which meals to prepare in advance and what to pack.

Now for some super yummy, don't go camping without them, recipes.

Here are a few of the camp meals that we love:

1. Turkey Bacon Grilled Chicken is a recipe that you are sure to enjoy. It takes a bit of preparation but the result is moist and flavorful. Tip: cut and freeze the chicken in a large Ziploc bag prior to camping.

2. Baked Potato Supper is a family favorite. Tip: bake the potato at home for a quick, easy camping meal.

3. Banana Boats are a sweet treat that I remember from way back when I was a brownie. Now our kids love them too.

4. Tin Foil Packet Butter Chicken is a nice change when camping. Tip: place chicken and sauce in a large Ziploc bag to marinade. Create a tin foil packet to cook the meal in for easy clean up afterwards.

5. Grilled Market Vegetables we try to purchase fresh, local vegetables and add grilled vegetables to many of our meals.

6. Campfire Dip is another easy and delicious foil packet recipe. I can't wait to make it this weekend!

7. Shrimp Skewers are a must if you are camping with our guys. They love shrimp! Tip: wash, cut and package the vegetable before camping.

8. Camp Cooker Dessert was a new one for us last year. The possibilities are endless! Fill with jam, pie filling, marshmallows, chocolate, fruit, cinnamon, sugar etc. Tip: camp cookers can be found at Canadian Tire.

9. Hobo Meatloaf was a hit with the husband! One of our family favorites for sure. Tip: measure and cut all of the ingredients before camping.

10. Grilled Pizza is a recipe that we use all the time, even at home on the barbecue. The homemade dough can be stored in the fridge or even the freezer!

Here are a few more meals that would be perfect for camping:

sizzle sticks

scrambled french toast

smokin shrimp skewers

We live in Kelowna, British Columbia and like to stick to trips that are fewer than four hours of driving time. You can find many of the campsites that we have visited and reviews here.

If you liked this post be sure to check out

10 Best Camping Tips, 10 Best Camping Activities and 10 Best dollar store Camping Supplies.

April Instagram

2013-05-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

The month of May seems to be running on fast forward.

Can you believe that it is almost summer?!?

It was great to take a look back on all of the crazy fun that we had in April...

The boys are SO different. And I love that!

Here's one of their preschool art projects {can you guess who is who?}

I was BAPTIZED!

And made t-shirts for myself and a friend.

I tend not to share too much of my journey publicly.

My family {whom I love} are not Christian and find it difficult to understand my views.

I am truly enjoying my quiet walk with God and feel like He and I have an amazing relationship too.

I painted our deck. And gave it a Complete Deck Makeover!

Loving our new outdoor space.

We had a few days of really warm weather {before it would snow again}.

Here are the boys bouncing on the trampoline with the sprinkler underneath.

We headed out geocaching too.

And took to the beach ~ in April! Whoop whoop!

We had a lovely visit from our foster son, Lenny {who gave me permission to share his photo}.

We are so proud of him and the boys shower him with love and attention whenever he comes by.

I began another session of my Pinspired Projects class.

Note: The only "markers" that stuck to a mug for us were glass paint markers from DecoArt.

We tested out some new Green Smoothie and Fruit Puree Popsicles. Yum!

Cousins played a favorite board game.

And my mom and I did our first outdoor Farmer's and Crafter's Market!
Whew! It was a whirlwind of a fabulous month.

20+ DIY T-shirt Ideas for BOYS

2013-05-24T07:00:00.000-07:00

It's time to wrap up

One For The Boys ~ T-shirt Week

this year!

Thank you so much for joining us!

I have had so much fun not only creating new shirts for my boys but

loving what you have all come up with as well.

Gigantic virtual hugs go out to my lovely guests this week:

Sky from Capital B and

Carolyn from Moose Mouse Creations

Thank you so much for sharing your creativity with us!

And now for some DIY Boy T-shirt Inspiration...

1. I {Heart} Camping T-shirt

2. S'more Smores Shirt

3. Superhero Flip Shirts

4. Canada Day Pocket T-shirt

5. Soccer T's

6. Rock n' Roll T-shirts

7. Creeper T-shirt

8. Personalized Pocket T

9. Intersection T-shirt

10. Lego Star Wars T-shirt

11. DIY Sharpie T

12. DIY Stamp T-shirt

13. At At T-shirt

14. Viking T-shirt

15. Pirate T

16. Bear T-shirt

17. Valentine T-shirt

18. Batman Shirt

19. DIY Kid Coloured T

20. Bike T-shirt

21. I'm Just A Little Cooler Shirt

And check out our One For The Boys ~ T-shirt Week pinterest board for even more inspiration! Thanks for following along.

Upcycled Pocket T-shirt from Sky @ Capital B

2013-05-23T07:00:00.000-07:00

Hello, hello, Twin Dragonfly Designs readers! I know I'm preachin' to the choir in mentioning how awesome Heather is here, but I'll say it anyway- this woman rocks! I am constantly amazed at the level of creativity she churns out! She is one of my favorite people and we've never even met ;) I'm thrilled to be in her company here today!

My name is Sky and my blog is called Capital B. It's a place that brings me happiness and when you come over to visit, I hope it'll do the same for you! I'm also a boy mama- with two teenage stepsons and two little guys of my own. They make life awesome! You'll often find me using the hashtag #boysrule because, well, they just do! ;)

Today for

One For The Boys ~ T-shirt Week

I decided to try my hand again at creating a shirt I've made once before for my little guys. A couple of years ago, when I was first even learning how my sewing machine worked, I sewed a small scrap of fabric on some cheap shirts to create a "pocket" for them to tuck treasures inside of. Those became their very favorite shirts and I thought this time around I'd let them add a bit of personality too :)

My oldest son is very near the age of Heather's little guys. He loves rocks and fossils, dinosaurs and Bigfoot. Yes, he is quite certain Bigfoot and yeti are both for real... Anyhow, he sat by my side and picked out a dinosaur fossil picture he liked from the computer screen. I used basic transfer paper to then print and iron on what he chose. This shirt would be fun and enjoyable without adding this step at all- it sure did add a ton of cute factor, though! Now they aren't just favorites, they are beloved :)

I loved the idea of adding his own writing to his shirt- could you die over how cute kid's sounded out spelling is?! I just love it! :) So I asked him to write the words "Fossil Hunting Gear" with a Sharpie on a piece of normal copy paper. Then I scanned and created an image I'd be able to flip for the purpose of ironing it on- I really love how this turned out! Anyone wanna go hunteeng when we're done here?? :)

My younger little dude thinks rocket ships are the best ever- he chose his own graphic beside me at the computer too. He's also the one who happily (usually, at least) tags along with me to the fabric store while brother is at school. He thought this bright flame fabric was sah-weet! I didn't know when I bought it that it would pair so well with the graphic for his shirt, but I think they really look perfect together! And he now thinks that Mom is more in touch than ever with what "cool" is ;)

The pockets are just the right size for tucking in small little guys or other toys, and especially great for money!

You get this look when you're trying to get your boys to cooperate for photos too, right?? :)

So, this t-shirt is really so simple that no doubt you can go and make one yourself without a tutorial... for real, if I can sew this, that means anyone can! I am pretty much in an eternal learning-to-work-my-machine stage! I did take a few photos here below of how to create the pocket portion to add to your shirt. I got my plain shirts at JoAnn's, so that part was ready to go. It is only the pocket that I added...

1) Cut two of the same piece of fabric for your pocket. One of my boys' is a plain rectangle/ square shape. The other I was trying to use scraps for and in order to get at big enough piece, I had to have a rounded bottom. But I really do like the way it turned out!

2) Hem the top of both pocket pieces. I hemmed one by just folding and ironing once, then the other by folding over itself again, ironing and stitching. You'll take care of the stitching for the first one when you add it to the shirt- not doing it beforehand makes it so you don't have to follow any seam exactly when you put it on :) I like that- novice sewer here, remember? ;) The difference in hems also makes it so the front portion is a bit shorter than the back side- easier for the boys to put stuff in and out!

3) Sew around the sides and bottom with right sides together.

4) Then turn! When you do, you'll notice the very top portion edges want to stick out- the result of having the front be a bit shorter for easier access. I did the super professional thing and just clipped them off. Ha! I wasn't too worried about the fraying- I kinda thought it would look cool with raw edges on the whole thing actually. If you want a better solution than my super lazy one, clip and iron those small top sections as part of step 2 :)

And to attach your cute pocket, pin it where you'd like to just one layer of your shirt, then slide it under your needle and start your top stitch all the way around with the top hem of the back piece!

I don't think my own little men could love their pocket shirts any more! It was like Christmas when they woke up to them the morning after I made them. And all day they kept saying at random, "Mom, thanks for my new shirt." Told ya... #boysrule! :) They kept adding different little treasures and checking what was in their pockets- I know they'll be lovin' on these all summer long!

Blast off! Thanks again, Heather, for having me here at Twin Dragonfly Designs.

I love your blog and all you do! I'll be making several of your other T-Shirt Week ideas no doubt!

***

Thanks so much Sky for sharing these fantastic t-shirts and your adorable boys with us! We would all love to go fosl hunteeng sometime I am sure. Too Cute! Please stop by Capital B to give Sky some love! And follow our Pinterest Board for more boy t-shirt ideas!

Superhero Flip T-shirt Tutorial

2013-05-22T07:00:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!
This post was originally shared over at 733 last week.
Now it becomes a part of
One For The Boys ~ T-shirt Week
as I am posting it here just in case you missed it.

Have you seen those flip shirts that say "ask me about my zombie costume" or "ask me about my pet trex" then when flipped inside out they have a zombie or trex image on the inside? Google "flip shirt" and you will find them. I thought this was a super cute concept and took it a step further to create these Superhero Flip T-shirts for my superhero loving boys.

This is Cameron as his favorite hero, Ironman.

And here is Isaiah and his favorite hero, Spiderman.

The sky is the limit when it comes to which superhero your child would like to be.

Here's how to create your very own flip shirt...

1. Cut the words "ask me about my alter ego" out of freezer paper. I used my cricut cutting machine but you can totally do this by hand too, it would just take a bit longer.

2. Iron the freezer paper stencil to the front of the shirt. Be sure to press all of the edges down carefully.

3. Place a scrap piece of paper inside the shirt, underneath where you are painting so that the fabric paint doesn't seep through to the back of the shirt.

4. Using fabric paint, color in the stencilled letters. Allow this to dry completely.

5. Turn the t-shirt inside out. Iron on a superhero freezer paper stencil. Be sure to have the top of the head point towards the hem of the t-shirt so that when the shirt is flipped the superhero face is right side up. I traced Ironman and Spiderman faces onto freezer paper and used them as a stencil. You can find templates for these characters here. Because the t-shirts that I was working with were white, I painted my superhero stencil with white fabric paint first so that the actual colors of our superheros wouldn't show through to the front of the shirt.

6. Paint the character using fabric paints.

7. Add details using dimensional fabric paint if desired.

8. Peel off the freezer paper stencil and allow to dry completely. Iron the back of the painted area to heat set it.

Now introducing...

Isaiah as...

Spiderman!

Cameron as...

Ironman!

Fun right?!

Stay tuned for more boy t-shirt goodness!

Inspiring Creativity

2013-05-21T19:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Inspiring Creativity!!

Thank you for sharing your creativity with us each week.

Our most viewed project from last week was...

this Plastic Lid Stamp post from
the Crafty Journal.

I love the idea of reusing old lids to create a quick, kid craft! Thanks for sharing Noreen. Please grab a button!

New to Dragonfly Designs?

Please grab a button and share the love!

The Intersection T-shirt from Carolyn @ Moose Mouse Creations

2013-05-21T07:00:00.001-07:00

Hi! I'm Carolyn from Moose Mouse Creations and I'm thrilled to be here at Twin Dragonfly Designs today!

Over at my blog I post about sewing, crochet, baking and cake decorating, with a little bit of DIY and home decor thrown in. Of course I can't resist filling my posts with stories and photos from my always busy {often crazy} life with my all-male brood.

If you have a moment, come visit me at my etsy shop too, where I sell beautiful, boutique quality crochet hats that I've designed. I'll also be releasing my first line of crochet patterns later this spring...be sure to watch for them in my shop!

As a Mom of 4 boys,

One for the Boys ~ T-shirt Week

is right up my alley! My little guys spend 90% of their lives in T-shirts, so I love to find fun ways to embellish and customize them.

The tutorial I'm sharing today uses something a little unexpected to turn a plain white Tee into wearable textile art...Plastic Lanyard!

You can buy the lanyard at any craft store. It can be flat or shaped like a tube and is usually used for making bracelets or key chains. Today I'm going to show you how easy it is to use the lanyard to make:

You will need a T-shirt, approx. 1 1/2 yards of lanyard in your choice of colors, a washable/disappearing marking pen or chalk, sewing machine, thread and an adorable little boy to wear the finished shirt!

Wash and dry your T-shirt to preshrink it. (I know it's a drag, but take the time now so that the shirt doesn't shrink after you've sewn the lanyard on - that would REALLY be a drag!!!)

Draw out your design on the Tee.

I used a ruler to make three straight, evenly spaced lines vertically and horizontally.

Be sure you use a marking device that will wash out or fade away especially if you're using any transparent lanyard.

Decide where you want each color and cut a piece of lanyard slightly longer than each line you've drawn.

Line up your drawn line and the lanyard under the presser foot of your sewing machine.

Stitch the lanyard in place using your hand to keep it lined up.

I used two different zig-zag stitches to sew the lanyard in place. For the first inch or so, I used a broken zig-zag so that the needle would actually go through the lanyard, anchoring it to the shirt. Then I switched over to a regular zig-zag stitch, sewing around the lanyard rather than through it for most of it's length. Then, I switched back to the broken zig-zag to anchor the other end.

If you are lucky enough to own one, you can use a specialized couching foot to attach the lanyard (these feet go by all sorts of names: couching, cording, piping, braiding, etc.)...but a standard presser foot and a bit of patience will give the same results (I used my "monogram" foot because I love that is clear in the center and lets me see where I'm sewing).

While you sew, be sure not to stretch the T-shirt or the lanyard, that would result in a roller coaster of hills and valleys instead of a smooth finish.

Continue to stitch each piece of lanyard down over the lines.

After all of the lanyard pieces are in place, trim the ends as close as you can to the stitches.

Viola! The Intersection Tee!

You can safely wash the tee in a cold temp wash and machine dry on medium (I tested it!).

I love the way the lanyard looks with the stitching around it,

but I especially love the texture...notice my little Zander feeling the stripes in the center photo!

I hope this inspires you to create a super cool T-shirt and to think a little outside of the box with your craft materials!

I can't wait for you to come visit me at Moose Mouse Creations or at my etsy shop to see all of the other fun projects I've been working on!

*****

Thank you so much for sharing this absolutely unique little boys t-shirt with us today Carolyn! What a cool technique!

You can follow us on our Pinterest Board for more boy t-shirt ideas and be sure to come back tomorrow for another fabulous t-shirt tutorial!!