Story Starters

It's summer break and the kids are out of school.  Part of me is excited and the the other part terrified.  Some days are like Ground hogs day.  Just the same day on repeat.  A Copy and Paste kind of day.  Others are exciting and fun.  With great experiences.  We have some fun things planned this summer.  Yellowstone Park, camping, visiting family, water parks and the zoo just to name a few.

I guess you could say I am a mean mom.  We have a lot of fun things planned but I also have my kids do school work during the summer.  We have workbooks to do, reading time (my boys actually like reading time) and this year story starters.

Our boys are great students and get fairly good grades.  A weakness they have is Handwriting and punctuation. (Most boys do I think???)  So in an effort to help them remember and practice these skills we have implemented Story starters.  They are given the opportunity to write a creative story each week about what they have been doing for the summer or use one of these story starters. 

This is a great way to help your kids remember those skills they have learned in school and have a creative outlet.
We just used  an old notebook they brought home from school.  Each boy has to write a 1 page story each week as part of there weekly chores.

Here are a list of the story starters I cam up with. Click on the Google link below to download and use. 

Story Starters

On the first day of Summer, I saw an alien spaceship.....

A Monkey escaped from the zoo...

I was riding my bike to a friend house when it suddenly lifted off the ground and began to float....
website
One night I was dreaming I was walking on the Moon. When I woke up, I couldn’t believe my eyes. I was standing.....

I woke up one morning to find an alien in my closet.....

If I were a Christmas ornament....

If I found a $1000....

If I had 3 arms....

When I grow up I want to be....

My best friend...

I tried to catch a Leprechaun. This is how I did it...

For summer break I went to....

I saw an insect as big as my Dad....

My favorite thing to do is...

My least favorite thing to do is....

If I could create my very own........ It would be.......

If I were a video game...

Scholastic also offers a story starters on there website.  They can do all types of stories in different formats.  Newspaper, poem, letter or story.  Lots to choose from.


Hope your Summer has started off with a Bang!

{Pin}tastic Friday - Carmelitas

Happy {Pin}tastic Friday!  Carmelita's are today's delicious food is one that I have loved for over a year now.  They are so delicious.  I made them for a friend when she had a baby.  I took them to the hospital and told her to hoard them.  They are to good to share with little kids.  So she took my advice and ate them all in the night. (If you are not aware, a new Mom is starving for days after delivering a baby. I would eat anything I could get my hands on.  My request was KFC biscuits.  I could eat a dozen every night after delivering my kiddos.Yummy!!)   Afterwards she asked for the recipe.

I tell ya these beauties are Ooey, Gooey, YUM. And so easy to make. You will want the pan for yourself.

I found the recipe at Lulu the Baker. Go take a look at her blog.  She has lots of yummy things to eat. She doesn't disappoint.

 

You won't be sorry you made these.  And neither will your neighbors if you share.  

Head over and see what else I am Pinning. Lots of fun finds and food to make.  Follow me if you like. 

Thanks for visiting in your Free Time. 

 

Recycled Bike Basket DIY

My little Miss has a bike, a tricycle and a scooter.  Funny thing is she only likes to ride the scooter and tricycle.  Originally  her tricycle had a little plate cover on the front of the handlebars.  It broke off and left that area vacant. I remember having a fun basket on the front of my bike.  I loved to put my favorite toy in the basket and go for a ride.  I saw my my orange juice container and had an idea.  Who needs to buy a basket when I can make one for free. I started with an empty Orange Juice container.

I cut the top of the orange juice container.  Just below the handle.

(In hind sight I would have punched 2 holes along 1 long side of the container.  I did mine later and it was hard to get the holes cut)

Take your fabric and measure it around the container and measure the height. 

Begin by painting a layer of modge podge onto your container. Start wrapping your fabric around the outside of the container.

Glue the edge of the fabric down.  Paint a layer of modge podge onto your fabric.  Give it a really good coat.

Fold the top fabric down to the inside.  Glue it down.

Let is dry for a while. You may want to do a second coat.

Now for the bottom. I place a lot of glue on the plastic and spread it around.   

Then start and fold it like the end of a package. Fold 2 sides and press down to stick to the glue.  

Lay more glue down and fold your last two sides down.  Cover in modge podge. Let dry

At this point I punched my holes.  I wish I had done it before covering in fabric. Measure your bike handle bars for hole placement. I also stapled around the top to secure the fabric to the plastic.  I used pom fringe to hide the staples.This would go great for a little boy and make it a super hero basket or cowboy or space man.  Whatever your little boy is into.  Fun for everyone!

To hide any graphics from the container I glammed it up.  Pom fringe and some flower cut outs. Red ribbons to tie it onto the bike and your finished.

    

Bloggy Birthday Giveaway Winner

Thank you all for visiting during my Bloggy Birthday.  It was a great week. Thanks to my bloggy Friends.  I love all your tutorials.  If you missed any go check them out.

Vintage Button Bracelet from Malinda

Birthday Printable  from Girl Loves Glam


Photo Coasters from Those Crafty Sisters

Rain{Bows} from My Sister's Suitcase


All of these ladies are super fun.  I am so glad to call you my Friends. Thank you for helping me celebrate my Bloggy Birthday.

As for a winner of the Prize Package.

The winner is......Chrissy Schultz Sparks

You have an email in your inbox!
Please email within 24 hours to claim your prize.
Thanks to all who visited.  Please come visit in your Free Time.  Lots to see and do this summer!

Rain{Bows} from My Sister's Suitcase

Happy Bloggy Birthday Adrienne!! Nat and Holly here from My Sister's Suitcase. Adrienne is a great friend and one of our very first blog followers! We are excited to be here to celebrate with her today. We're sharing a tutorial for one of our favorite EASY hairbows for the darling girls in your life...

The "mini" felt bow.

Aren't they cute?

Photo Transfer Tiles from Those Crafty Sisters

The giveaway is posted below.  Please be sure to checkout the other  Birthday posts. 

Today's post is from Linda @ www.thosecraftysisters.com. 

We've all seen tile coasters, either decorated or painted or decoupaged with photos.  Maybe you even created some last year for Christmas as a kid.  I really thought I'd exhausted the different ways to make a coaster from tile, but when I read about creating tile coasters using iron on's, I couldn't wait to try it!

What you'll need:

1. 4" x 4" Tile:  This works easier with unglazed tile , but colors are brighter with glazed.  (I sanded the glazed tiles before transferring the photo.)
2. Photo transfer paper
3. Iron
4. Water-resistant sealer
5. Cork or felt tabs, if you are going to make the tile into a coaster

1.  Print your photo on the photo transfer paper, following the manufacturer's directions.  Cut around your image leaving a 1/2" border.  Tape if upside down to the edge of the tile.  This will help to keep the photo from slipping.

2.  Preheat the iron using the highest setting (don't use steam!) and fold the photo back away from the tile.

3.  Heat the tile:  working on a protected surface, and using gloves to protect your hands from the hot tile, place your iron onto your tile for 1 minute.

4.  Carefully flip the photo over onto the tile.  Since the transfer paper smears easily when hot, you need to tack the transfer first by lightly gliding the tip of the iron across the back two or three times.

5.  Iron it down:  Using firm pressure, (and being careful not to move the transfer) iron the paper to the tile.  Go back and forth, pressing firmly around all the image.  Make sure to do the edges really well, because that's the area that seems to have the hardest time with the transfer.  When you are finished, set the timer for one minute and do some deep breathing or something.  You don't want to take the paper off too soon, but you also don't want to leave it on too long or the paper will get stuck to the tile.  (If that happens, heat the paper again and you should be able to get it off.)

You can see that the edges do not come off sharp and crisp, and the image has sort of an aged look to it, but I think that only enhances the end result.

6.  Wait till the tile completely cools (at least 10 to 15 minutes), then seal the tile using 2 to 3 coats of sealer.
7.  Attach cork or felt to the bottom if using for a coaster.

I just love the look of this!  I can see a whole row of tiles lined up across a back splash or several grouped together in a frame.  I'm planning on making a tile planter for a friend, and I'm definitely going to incorporate this technique.

If you like this project idea, you would love the book that I got the idea from.  There are 50 projects, and they're not your regular run-of-the-mill projects either!  Just a few I plan to try:  mirror frame, plexiglass accordion frame, rice paper screen and even a shower curtain! I don't usually purchase real hold-in-your-hands books for diy stuff any more, (that's why we have the Internet, right?) but in this case I'm glad I broke down and got it.

In celebration of Free Time Frolics' Birthday, one lucky reader will receive a copy of  Photocraft, Cool Things to Do with the Pictures You Love (which is my new favorite how-to book).

Thanks for looking, and Happy Bloggy Birthday to Free Time Frolics!

~Linda (aka, Sister #2),

Those Crafty Sisters

Here are a few popular posts from there blog!

Retro Fit Suitcase

Mommy& Daddy Dolls

Want to see the Prize Package??? Check Here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway