Orange Peanut Designs: July 2011

Sacramento Side Tracks

This post is for the Sacramento area peeps!!!

I had to share this treasure trove of a website - sacramentosidetracks.com! I am sure you will think it's AMAZING too - once you check it out. What are you waiting for, click on this link, go get lost there, and then come back - I'll wait for you.

See, I told you it was incredible! I have known about Sacramento Side Tracks for about a year, but at our monthly Girl's Night Out, last night, our group had the opportunity to share some time with the creator, Keilah. She shared with us why she created the site and even told us about the activities in the area that she thinks are hidden gems - the ones most people aren't aware of!!! She has a wealth of knowledge about free and inexpensive activities for children and their families to do in the Greater Sacramento Area and she shares it all on her website!!!

Just a few of us ladies with Keilah

It is an organizer's dream - a one stop website that links all the incredible things to do in our area. For years I would go to each individual site to get info about: the library programs, parks and sprayparks in the area, movie info, reviews of activities, summer camp info, and free events in our area! Well Keliah has spent many hours doing all that work for us - now we just click and the info is at our fingertips.

A HUGE shout out to Keliah for making my life a bit easier!!! Thank you so very much!!!

Now be sure to bookmark her site and then go to FaceBook and "like" the Sacramento Side Tracks page!!!

Happy Surfing to you,

Firecracker Craft Project – Kid Friendly

I love the Fourth of July! I love our country and we have a good time celebrating all that we are blessed with!!! To help get us in the spirit, we made firecrackers out of toilet paper tubes!!!!

Here’s What You Need:

1 – Toliet Paper Tube
1 – Paper Towel Tube
Scissors
Red, White, and Blue Paint
Paint Brushes
1 - Chenille Stick (whatever color strikes your fancy)
Tape
Ribbon

How To’s:

1. Cut the paper towel tube so that you have 3 tubes at different heights. I cut the paper towel tube to about 4.5” and 5.5”. You won’t need to cut the toilet paper tube.

2. Paint each tube one of the 3 colors. Be sure to paint about an inch down on the inside of the tube (on the side that will be the “top” of the firecracker). Let dry!

Cut your chenille stick in half and then take one of the halves and cut that one in half. So you should have 2 smaller pieces and one longer.

4.
Attach the longer chenille stick in your tallest tube with tape. You could use a glue gun for this but tape worked for me. It kindof bugged me that I couldn’t put the chenille stick in the center, but I really didn’t want to have to worry about jimmy-rigging the top so that I can center it – so I let it go, that need for perfection!!!!

5.
Gather your 3 firecrackers and tie them with your cute ribbon.

6. Ta-Da – you are finished!

Originally posted on my family blog on June 22, 2010

Happy Crafting to You and Yours,

Give a girl an idea - Fourth of July favors

So, I still haven't decided what favor to make for our 4th July festivities or if I will make one at all (we shall see if I can get my act together)! I love to hand things out to the neighbors and to friends and here are a few that have caught my eye:

These "crackers" are AWESOME!!!!