creative

Clothespin Tissue Paper Thanksgiving Turkey Craft

November 17, 2020 by Rachel 10 Comments

The holiday season is going to be… different. My kids are still my number one priority when it comes to celebrating the holiday season. We will be staying at home this Thanksgiving and celebrating with just the five of us. In the meantime, I’m trying to think of fun and creative ways to keep my kids busy while we’re prepping our big Thanksgiving meal. And what better way to play than by making a Clothespin Tissue Paper Thanksgiving Turkey craft!?

Clothespin Tissue Paper Thanksgiving Turkey Craft

What you’ll need to make a Clothespin Tissue Paper Thanksgiving Turkey

For this project you’ll need the following items:

Wood clothespins
Tissue paper – assorted colors
Cardstock – brown, yellow, red
Googly eyes, medium size
2” circle punch
Scissors
Glue stick

How to put together your Clothespin Tissue Paper Thanksgiving Turkey

Begin by using the 2” circle punch to make a circle from the brown cardstock.
Adhere googly eyes.
Fold a piece of yellow cardstock in half and cut in a triangle for the beak. Also cut a petal shape for the snood from the red cardstock.
Glue the snood to the beak and glue both in place. Set aside.
Cut or tear 4 different colored strips of tissue paper. Red, orange, yellow, and green are good for Thanksgiving turkeys, but purple and blue are fun, too.
Crinkle each up a bit. You can form the feathers any number of ways, but we found to place one wrinkled strip one on top of the other in the center, forming like a tissue paper pie.
And fold up. But you could always just gather them up randomly, too.
Then clip all the tissue paper in the clothespin.
Glue the face to the top of the clothespin.

What age is this craft appropriate for?

This craft is appropriate for kids of all ages! My oldest is 8 and I will have him help me to cut apart the pieces of tissue paper into smallish pieces. My daughters, ages 4 and 2, will need some guidance, but there Turkey’s will turn out very age appropriate.

I definitely suggest that if you have little ones that you prep this a bit. Cut out the tissue paper ahead of time and also use the circle punch to cut through the cardstock during your prep.

Be sure to print this and save for later

Clothespin Tissue Paper Thanksgiving Turkey Craft

Materials

Wood clothespins
Tissue paper - assorted colors
Cardstock - brown, yellow, red
Googly eyes, medium size
2” circle punch
Scissors
Glue stick

Instructions

Begin by using the 2” circle punch to make a circle from the brown cardstock.

Adhere googly eyes.

Fold a piece of yellow cardstock in half and cut in a triangle for the beak. Also cut a petal shape for the snood from the red cardstock.

Glue the snood to the beak and glue both in place. Set aside.

Cut or tear 4 different colored strips of tissue paper. Red, orange, yellow, and green are good for Thanksgiving turkeys, but purple and blue are fun, too.

Crinkle each up a bit. You can form the feathers any number of ways, but we found to place one wrinkled strip one on top of the other in the center, forming like a tissue paper pie.

And fold up. But you could always just gather them up randomly, too.

Then clip all the tissue paper in the clothespin.

Glue the face to the top of the clothespin.

Clothespin Tissue Paper Thanksgiving Turkey Craft

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Making the most of Quarantine Halloween

September 28, 2020 by Rachel 21 Comments

Twenty-twenty will forever go down as the worst phrase of our generation. As a mom of young kids, one of the worst things ever is knowing that my kids know that something is going on. I mean, my 7 year old and my 4 year old both keep saying “…when COVID-19 is over, can we….?” And it absolutely breaks my heart. But we’re all doing the absolute best that we can given the circumstances. So I have made it my personal mission to let my kids know that Covid doesn’t have to stop the fun. And that’s why I’m making the most of quarantine Halloween!

Trick-or-no-treat?

Our city is still very much on the fence regarding trick-or-treating. But I am not. Our neighborhood gets really busy — which we have always welcomed. But this year I am less than thrilled about the potential for kids coming and going and pushing around. With a heavy heart we decided against traditional trick-or-treating this year. And, honestly, I think that’s what’s best. My kids will have another Halloween and trick-or-treat. But, Covid is a wildcard. And I couldn’t live with myself if something happened.

So what should we do?!

There are so many ways to make the most of Halloween. Kids don’t really care about trick-or-treating. Heck! My kids usually only last 15 minutes! But they do love celebrations — and candy! So that’s what we will do.

How we’re celebrating

We will still dress up. I will admit — I don’t like how much adults ‘love’ Halloween. I’ve always hated the idea of adult Halloween parties. But I will dress up this year for my kids. We will have a big at-home party! My kids and I will be setting up the most perfect candy charcuterie board for Halloween.

What you need for a candy charcuterie board

Assorted candies
Small containers
Large cutting board or platter

Candies may include:

Twizzlers
M&Ms
Candy Corn
Candy Pumpkins
Jelly Slugs
Halloween Pez
Bloody Bites
Spooky Lips Lollipops
Assorted snack size candies, wrapped or unwrapped

Choose a board or serving dishes for the charcuterie board.
Place loose ingredients (small candies, loose candies, etc.) into bowls or individual dishes. Place those bowls on the board or buffet first.
Arrange other candies around the bowls.
Add assorted tongs or Halloween decorations.

Tell me this…

How are you planning on making this the BEST Halloween ever for your kids?!

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Explore Ohio // Family-Friendly Summer Fun at Pinecrest

June 9, 2019 by Rachel 14 Comments

THIS POST IS SPONSORED BY PINECREST BUT THE CONTENT AND OPINIONS EXPRESSED HERE ARE MY OWN.

Summer may not ‘officially’ start for another couple of weeks, but our local schools have been out for a couple of weeks now and we are in full-swing Summer mode!

I purposefully adjusted my Summer work schedule to maximize the time that the kids and I can spend time doing things we enjoy the most — like visiting museums, hitting up the library, and exploring local events.

And we are VERY excited to check out all of the family-friendly events taking place at Pinecrest in Orange Village!

If you haven’t yet been to Pinecrest, you’re truly missing out. Between the shops and restaurants, it’s also an amazing community of vendors and Cleveland supporters. And the family-friendly Summer event schedule is jam-packed with incredible opportunities to visit, explore, and open doors to adventure!

If you visit today, there is a Give Gifted Summer Marketplace taking place in Pinecrest’s Central Park and it features small-shop vendors like Little Red Bird Custom Cookies and Art of Sucre (whose kid doesn’t love cut-out cookies and fancy cotton candy?!). And every Sunday through the Summer they will feature a free concert series called “Simple Summer Sundays,” which sounds like a great way to wrap-up the weekend.

Weekday events like this Tuesday’s Pinecrest Play Days with NEO Parent are just as easy to come by. My crew and I will be there to kick off the season with their inaugural event, which is conveniently themed Summer Camp Out. The event will feature crafts, games, prizes, snacks, balloon art, temporary glitter tattoos, and more. It’s sure to be a fantastic way to keep the kids busy and entertained!

Other family-friendly events include:

Outdoor Movie Nights (Weekly, Wednesday’s at 8:00 PM — to include Ralph Breaks The Internet, Frozen, and more!)
North Union Farmer’s Market (Weekly, Saturday’s from 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM)
Free Outdoor Yoga Classes (Weekly, Wednesday’s at 6:30 PM)

See below for a full schedule of Summer events!

Bonus Pro-Tip: While you’re there, treat yo’self (and your kids) to an extra special treat from Duck Donuts, Condado Tacos, or Pinstripes for Brunch! You won’t regret it.

What event

are you most excited

to attend?

Getting Creative in Cleveland

June 4, 2018 by Rachel 16 Comments

Despite being very pregnant, I’ve set some fairly decent goals for myself over the last year. One of them is to put myself in front of the camera more frequently. It’s hard, I think, as a mom — without a lot of time for herself — to feel ‘put together’ enough to step in front of the camera. Well, I know it’s true for me. Especially since my mid-section has been rapidly growing for the last 9 months.

But in an effort to stay true to my goals, I’ve been putting myself out there. And when an opportunity came up to meet up with fellow blogger babes at Borrow Rentals in downtown Cleveland, I took it! Not only have I been craving some time with my fellow lady bloggers, but being around creatives tends to jumpstart my creative a bit and kick it into high gear!

I’d never been to this spot before, but the pieces were gorgeous! For someone who is hosting an event, I can see why it’s the go-to spot for items like tableware, vintage pieces, and large furniture!

For me, the best part of the day was chatting with ladies I either hadn’t seen in a while, or had never met in real life before. And the gorgeous Katie Logsdon was there to document the whole thing!

I was feeling very, very, uncomfortably pregnant that particular Saturday. And I tried not to let it show, but it was… difficult. It’s a good thing there were snacks and cookies to hold me over!

PS. Aren’t these pastries and cookies from Annie’s Signature Sweet’s the cutest!? Best part is — I found out she holds private baking classes for groups! Her lemon lavender cookies were to die for!

Since I wasn’t feeling particularly awesome, I decided to hop in front of the camera rather quickly. I am not going to lie — I am completely unnatural in that situation where there are loads of other people around and I have to smile for the camera. But Katie put me at ease!

I’m just sad that I jumped out to head home for a nap before getting this group shot!

It was such a fun afternoon, despite being uncomfortably pregnant. And I’m so grateful to the people who made this event happen — especially Katie Logsdon and Borrow Rentals for their services! And thanks to everyone for slowly but surely helping me to get more comfortable in front of the camera, rather than just behind it!

Explore Ohio // Glass Blowing at the Glass Asylum

May 15, 2018 by Rachel 25 Comments

I’ve been so busy nesting for Baby # 3 that I’ve barely had a moment to breathe. But last week I decided to take some blogger friends up on some plans and meet them for a fun night of laughs, food, and glass blowing at The Glass Asylum in Chagrin Falls.

Getting acquainted!

We were greeted with open arms by the owner, Chris Crimaldi, and welcomed with adult beverages (yes, I had a glass of wine). I browsed the shop and watched the artists work while chatting up friends from near and far that I had not seen in ages!

I was immediately amazed at the detail in the pieces — flowers, vases, wine glasses, beer mugs, and more. We were encouraged to begin thinking of colors to work into our piece. I am notorious for being awful at what should-be simple decisions. Right then and there I decided to go with the ‘party mix’ of colors, AKA every color so that I don’t have to pick just one! Ha!

too many choices!

party mix!

As we settled in to learn about the history of The Glass Asylum,which is celebrating its third anniversary, we snacked on some amazing foods from M Italian, which is located in the same building.

Pizzas from M Italian

delicious salad + fried ravioli from M Italian.

Pizzas, fried raviolis, salad, and calzones galore!! Not to mention a nice plate of meats and cheeses from Jim Alesci’s Place! I was in pregnant lady HEAVEN!

Italian desserts from Alesci’s!

After a brief safety run-down and a short history of Chris, a trained electrician by trade, coming to glassblowing, it was time to get started.

the artists during our safety rundown.

Y’all, the fire for glassblowing is HOT. The ovens, known as glory holes (no joke), are on pretty much nonstop with the exception of July, August and September — because it’s just too darn hot! But the guys (and gal) of The Glass Asylum don’t seem to mind.

My big ol’ pregnant belly – getting my colors!

When it was my turn to go, I was assigned to two of the staff members, who are all trained artists, for help. I told them my idea — a multi-color beer mug — and they helped bring it to life!

Into the glory hole!

One of the coolest parts of this process was all of the science behind it. As I worked with the artists, they carefully explained what we were doing and WHY we were doing it — which is something I absolutely LOVE about learning anything new.

Pulling apart the top of my mug.

The entire time they were walking me through it, I kept thinking, “Dang, Ari (my 5 year old) would LOVE this!” It turns out he’s a bit too young to do it himself, but I am going to take him in to see the artists work and hear the explanation anyways. He’ll totally nerd out about it.

I’ll be picking up the finished product today and I could not be more excited! Here’s how it looked before the cooling process:

my mug.

Look at all of our creations! They are GORGEOUS!

Oh – and shout out to Kate of the Greatest Escapist for snapping a photo of us! And thanks to The Glass Asylum for hosting this incredible event!

Lady Bloggers.

Want to experience the art of glass blowing for yourself?

Contact The Glass Asylum online or call (440) 394-8483 to inquire about an event or experience of your own!

Instant Pot Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

February 8, 2018 by Rachel 24 Comments

I’ve mentioned several times over the last 8 years that I am a novice cook, at best. My abilities have always been hindered because of my fear of making something that tastes awful. So, for years, I just avoided cooking. I mean, Chad has always loved to cook — and he’s great at it! So I took a backseat.

But 3 years ago Chad bought me an Instant Pot and I started to dabble in making meals for our family. It’s still been something I’m not ultimately comfortable with; but the Instant Pot is an amazing invention. And the growth of its popularity has given me more and more courage to branch out and try new recipes — and adapt old ones!

My most recent Dinner Conquest was a Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup, adapted from this recipe.

[gmc_recipe 12514]

I am IN LOVE with comfort food this pregnancy — and this? paired with some rolls or a piece of toasted bread? Perfection! It’s just what this baby ordered! I’m in love with how creamy and hearty it is — which is perfect for a cold Winter’s afternoon!

We’re definitely adding it to our weeknight dinner rotation! 😉 The kids loved it — and so did I (and so did this baby in my tummy)!