Tasting a classic madeleine right as it comes out of the oven is an unforgettable experience. Learn how to successfully make them at home using clever tips and an easy recipe.
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Here are just a few of these awesomely clever things you can do with a Sharpie.
This light and zesty lemon ricotta pasta with spinach makes a delish weeknight meal ready in less than 15 minutes. Simple, fresh ingredients, delicious flavor, and minimal effort.
Don't know what to do with all of that scrap wood? Here are 71 clever ways to reuse leftover wood lying around your workshop!
Thousands of teachers have used these tried and true GUARANTEED tups to stop students from blurting out. Chatty Class? YOU NEED TO READ THIS!
Does the idea of School Market Day for your child make you feel anxious about what you need to make? I’ve been there -- as recently as last year! To help stem the panic this year, I came up with ten clever, easy, and practical items to ensure that your child’s next Business or Market Day is a big success. Fun & Easy Market Day Ideas for Kids I tried to find things to make for many different ages, so whether your kid is in elementary school or middle school, they'll find a good, simple business idea in
Tricks to make your small home and rooms look bigger, including ideas on how to maximise space, paint colour to choose, clever storage ideas, and ways to trick the eye into making a room appear larger than it really is. Small home living tips and advice.
25 different clever and fun ideas to use craft punches in projects. Think outside the box and use craft punches in newand surprising ways!
Think that lemons are just for lemonade or flavoring water? Think again! Check out these 20 clever hacks to use lemons around your home - from diy natural cleaners to hair care to skin care and more
I am 5'2" necessitating LOTS of hemming and shortening of pants, skirts, and dresses. I just can't find anything the right length. If you've ever priced the cost of professional seamstresses (and add in the time it takes to get your clothing back), it costs a fortune to have everything you buy hemmed. I learned years ago how to hem pants and skirts, but jeans always gave me grief. A couple of years ago my older sister showed me a pair of her jeans that she had hemmed professionally, and it was easy to see how it was done. The difference is that jeans typically have a worn edge. The hem is decorative, so cutting that edge off to shorten them takes away part of the character you're paying for. So I developed a tutorial for hemming jeans the way professional would. Hope you find this helpful! What you'll need: sewing machine dark thread to match the jeans iron straight pins measuring tape scissors The Process: You'll need to measure the desired length of the jeans. The easiest way I've found to do this is to have the person stand on a chair and scoot back so the heel of their shoes is even with the edge of the chair. It might be helpful to note that you definitely need to have them wear the shoes they'd typically wear with the jeans. I prefer to hem the jeans to the ground. So, using a safety pin or water-soluble marking pen, mark the desired length (in my case, where the shoe ends and the chair begins). Next, measure the amount you'll need to shorten them from the edge of the current hem to the mark you've made. In the jeans in this tutorial, they needed to be shortened 2 1/2 inches. Lay the jeans flat on a hard surface, and measure up the desired length (2 1/2 inches here) from the stitching on the current hem. Since the current hem will remain in place, that half inch or so will also remain. So, if you measure from the edge of your jeans, they'll still be a half an inch too long after hemming. Make sense? Now place a straight pin to mark. Next you'll fold the edge of your jeans up into a cuff matching the current stitching to just above the pin like this. Pin in place. To check your accuracy, divide your total amount needed to shorten (2 1/2 inches for me) by 2 (equalling 1 1/4 inches in my case). Measure from the fold to just under the current stitching making sure this amount is half of the amount you need to take it in. Next, keeping this length consistent, pin all the way around the cuff. Measure as you go to make sure you're still consistent. Repeat these steps on the second leg. When both legs are securely pinned, move the pants to your sewing machine. Carefully stitch in the ditch just along the fold of the current hem. Make sure to get as close to this fold as possible being careful not to sew on top of it or across the current stitching. Stitch all the way around backstitching where you stop and start. Repeat this step for the other leg. Remove your jeans from the machine, and turn the cuff up to the inside of the leg like this. With a steaming hot iron, press this new seam from the inside all the way around each leg. Now turn the pants inside-out revealing the new cuff on the inside of the leg. Using super sharp scissors, cut the cuff about a quarter inch from your stitching. Turn the jeans right-side-out, and iron again if necessary to reveal your finished hem. Easy, and your seam is almost invisible! As always, please feel free to comment with questions, and I'll do my best to answer.
If you’re like most people, you respond with “Good” when someone asks how you’re doing. Spice things up with witty and funny responses.
With high amounts of Omega-3s, calcium, and antioxidants, you need some go-to chia recipes in your diet. Discover the best ways to use chia seeds now!
These rich and fudgy black bean protein brownies are the perfect post-workout treat! This super healthy snack is entirely flourless, gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free, egg-free, refined sugar-free and nut-free. Naturally sweetened with maple syrup and filled with antioxidants, these delicious brownie protein bars only require a few minutes of your time and a good food processor. Times when certain types of foods were imprisoned in a very specific meal category are OVER! Gone are the days when you would only eat sweet potato, legumes or cauliflower as a part of your main dish. Let's have them for dessert! Every. Single. Day!
A clever classroom trick to help children learning to write inside lines
FUN summer math activity to practice addition up to 20 using free printable math puzzles. Solve equations then cut and paste worksheets!
You have to see how we turned beautiful wedding photos into the most darling and durable, shrinky-dink keychains! Use any photo!
36 mom hacks that consist of baby hacks, toddler hacks, stay-at-home mom hacks, organizational hacks, cleaning hacks and more!
This simple method of how to hang a picture on the wall takes the guess work out of where to place a nail. Using items in your home, it's simple!
Broccoli Cheddar Quinoa Bites are bite-sized, protein-packed mini mac and cheese muffins made with quinoa, broccoli and cheddar cheese. Easy to make, great for kids! {gluten free} While my family is generally open to most new recipes I make, as with all things ‘new’ there can be a bit of hesitation. Even though we have quinoa...Read more
If you ever thought that beans are boring, this creamy flavor-packed white bean soup will blow your mind! This is a simple, vegan and budget-friendly recipe that tastes and smells amazing. Added bonus? It will be on the table in 25 minutes!
This easy, homemade sourdough bread recipe is best for both beginners and seasoned bakers alike. It's made with 5 simple ingredients: bread flour, active sourdough starter, water, salt and olive oil (which makes the interior crumb incredibly light and plush!). Follow my step-by-step recipe instructions and videos, and you'll get the best, fresh homemade sourdough bread rival to any commercial bakery. You can do it!
I love bulletin boards. Have I mentioned that? I love making my bulletin boards art. I love putting art on my bulletin boards. Heck...I'll put almost anything on my boards! Here are a few ideas for quick and funky borders using some non-traditional items that you may have laying around your house. Poker Chips I use poker chips for several different things in my classroom, so I have quite a few on hand. They make a great border, don't they? If you have a metal edged board, you can use a glue gun to attach them. If you are working with a board with a wooden frame, the hot glue may damage it. Use glue dots. I like to layer them for more visual appeal. This bulletin board is a free download which feature the old national music standards. Poker chips hold spray paint well. I've spray painted them gold to use for the gold at the end of a St. Patrick's Day rainbow before and was pleased with the result. Boxes I did a movie theme in my room once upon a time. It was so fun to find new ways to use popcorn boxes and bags. They are inexpensive to purchase (I got mine on Amazon.) and could be reused. Popcorn boxes would be great for movie themed bulletin boards, popcorn words, etc... I have plans to do something similar with small Chinese takeout boxes with my Instruments of China board. Cards It seems that it is completely impossible to keep a full deck of cards at my house. Any kind of cards! That's okay, because they look GREAT as borders for bulletin boards. Uno, Phase 10 and regular playing cards work great for math bulletin boards, rhythm or time signature bulletin boards or maybe even a great trim for a bulletin board that showcases your daily schedule. This set is from a Go Fish set of cards I picked up at the dollar store. Love that they work so well with an ocean or beach theme. Kids love to stop and look for matches even when they are displayed on a bulletin board. Cupcake Papers This is one of my go to looks for making a display really pop. There are so many varieties of cupcake papers available that you can find any color and any theme that you may need. Flatten them out and staple them to your board. I've found that buying complimentary patterns and layering them can really be beautiful. When working with my rock star theme I wanted something metallic that would be a little flashy. It turns out that there is a cupcake paper for that! These little baking cups are so cute at the corners of my rock star alphabet display. I added some glittery foam stickers to embellish them a little. (Classroom teachers see the rock star theme HERE. Music teachers see it HERE.) Duct Tape It doesn't get any easier than this! Look at what a great job duct tape does to cover this older bulletin board. Check out your local discount store for tons of duct tape options. The bulletin board above is from my Number Posters - Rock Star Theme. This is another example of the versatility of duct tape. This is a light blue glittery duct tape. It is displayed on my Soar Into Music board. Legos This is SUCH an eye-catching display! The bulletin board is Minecraft inspired and the Legos (or are these Duplos?) go with the building theme. I used Scotch tape to attach them to my board. For some of the pieces I just laid them on top of one piece and then taped the next block on it so that not every block is taped. This may work better on a board that students can't easily touch. (Classroom teachers take a closer look at the board HERE. Music teachers HERE.) Pool Noodles Those of you that have been following my blog for a while know that I have a great love for re-purposing pool noodles. I've made ponies, steady beat swords and even workstations. I also just cut them up to make great bulletin board borders! For this fishy bulletin board I wanted them to imitate bubbles. I've attached them with glue dots. You could also use a low-temp hot glue gun to attach them. This bulletin board is called Making Music Together. Notepads They aren't just for note taking! I often use these little gems to add content to bulletin boards. They also make a great (and inexpensive) border. The iPod pad shown above came from Wal-Mart and the composer bulletin board can be found HERE. Paint Chips Paint chips are free and are a perfect way to add visual interest to any bulletin board. On the border above I chose to use two different kinds of paint chips and to create a pattern with them. Paint chips look just as great mixed up and stapled in any order. Staple them so they hang over the edge of the board and overlap. You can learn more about the Let's Talk bulletin board HERE. Plates Even more than I love pool noodles in the classroom, I love plates! When I packed up my room this year I marveled at my collection. I have Zoo Pals (photo above), baseball plates, basketball plates, beach ball plates, watermelon plates, heart plates, square plates, Santa plates and more. I also have colored plates in 3 different sizes and every color you can imagine. I use them for movement and composition activities, but LOVE using them on bulletin boards. I pick them up at discount stores, dollar stores and party supply places. Here are a few examples. The What's Cooking in Music board can be downloaded HERE. The watermelon plates are so fun! This year I found them in a larger, oval size. This bulletin board is part of my Music Burger writing display. Puzzle Pieces Shhh! Don't tell my daughter but sometimes I swipe her old puzzles for school projects! In this instance, it was a jumbo Barney puzzle that had several missing pieces. For the display below I just attached them to the board with glue dots. You might be able to use Scotch tape too. I have painted them before to match a bulletin board. Tissue Paper Like many teachers I have created flowers and pom poms to decorate bulletin boards. They have a huge visual punch and are relatively inexpensive to make. It's very easy to just scrunch it up together and staple it around your board. Creating enough tissue paper flowers to use around the edge of a bulletin board is also pretty, but time consuming. Braiding long strips of tissue papers creates an interesting look and lets you coordinate your border with whatever colors you may need. Song Bugs Bulletin Board Odds and Ends Really, I'll put anything on a bulletin board. I've used socks, fishing poles, candy, lights, my son's overalls and more. For this movie themed bulletin board I used a few View Master reels to accent the corners. Wrapping Paper In my bulletin board kits I often talk about using wrapping paper as a background for your bulletin boards. It can be found in many themes and patterns and often stays bright and colorful without fading for several months. Reversible wrapping paper can also be used to create borders. As you are stapling the paper in place, leave about two inches overlap on each side. Fold this down to reveal the back side of the paper and staple into place. What unusual things have you put on your bulletin boards? I'd love to hear about them or see a picture!
Make this diamond friendship bracelet pattern - and learn how to give it an incredibly cool 3D effect, just by choosing the right strings!
Vocabulary instruction is so critical in today’s classroom! A vast vocabulary will help students to become better readers and writers. Vocabulary is also essential to their performance on standardized tests. Helping kids to develop their vocabulary is time that is well spent in a busy classroom. I have developed a routine to teach new vocabulary
Check out this collection of creative cardboard box ideas that will have your children playing in no time. It's the ultimate inexpensive way to beat boredom.
Once you become a mother, you may be surprised at the types of purchases that excite you. Bleach pens for tough stains, new carseats, and diapers that were on a…
My hallway was very plain and dark. It needed some sprucing up. "OMG, this is amazing! I have a dark hallway and I am stealing this idea!" said a reader: Wow! We weren't expecting THIS
Bean growing is a great way to explore science in your classroom! With all the bean measuring and play going on, we also took the time to explore how beans grow... We can also go outside and plant! The Bean Growing Process This was a simple
Discover a bit of fun and mystery with the top 30 best hidden door ideas. Explore entrances to secret rooms featuring hinged bookcases to walls and beyond.
These soft, overnight sourdough cinnamon rolls are the perfect weekend or holiday treat! Made with a luscious sweet dough and a not-too-sweet cinnamon filing, they are guaranteed to be a huge hit.
As one of the easiest herbs to grow indoors, many newbie gardeners may find themselves landed with an abundance of pungent and peppery fresh basil leaves to use up. Availing of the flavor and healing
If you plan to get in shape and feel better this summer, this collection of healthy, delicious soups low in calories is right for you! Here is a delightful creamy pea soup recipe to start with!The recipe makes 4 servings (about 1 ¼ cups each).
No Knots! I have a few pet peeves about sewing but my biggest one is tying knots. I have that little bitty sense of dread everytime I have to do it - partly because I can't see up close as well as I used to and partly that I like to make several knots and I hate the angst I have over trying to match them up so they're on top of each other. Anyway, here's a nice little technique for handsewing to do away with knots :) #1 double your length of thread/floss and thread the *tails* through the eye of the needle; this leaves a loop at the other end of your thread #2 starting from the back of your fabric, bring the needle up through the fabric to the front side but do not pull all the way through - leave the loop of your thread on the backside #3 push the needle through to the backside, leaving a small space between your original stitch and this new one #4 *this is a picture of the backside* after pulling the thread through from the front put your needle through the loop on the back #5 *this is a picture of the backside* now pull your thread firmly and you are ready to begin stitching! No Tails! One of my other pet peeves? Little thread tails poking up through your work ;) I use this technique on my softies/stuffies/stuffed toys. #1 okay, you've finished sewing up your seams and you've created a knot on the outside of your work #2 with the tail still attached, reinsert your needle as close as possible to your last stitch and then bring your needle up as far as possible from that stitch (basically the length of the needle but you can scrunch your fabric up on the needle so it will go further) #3 it should look something like this #4 now pulling the thread taut, scrunch the fabric up against your last stitch, then snip the thread close to the fabric and let go #5 voila! no peek-a-boo tails! I hope this helps some of you and my directions are clear enough. I'll permalink it in a side column for future reference.
Over 1000 FREE Math Worksheets to help kids practice addition, subtraction, multiplication, telling time, money and more for K-6th graders.
What do you do when one of your clients doesn't pay for your copywriting work? Here's your step-by-step plan.
These modern quilt patterns are perfect for the next generation of quilt lover. These aren't your grandmas quilts! Click for a full list.
When you’re working with vinyl, you can slice your designs with crafting scissors, utility blades, or Cricut machines. But while Cricut is a trademark, a lot of us use it generically. So in this article, we’ll routinely often say ‘Cricut’ when we’re talking about any brand of vinyl. Vinyl itself is quite versatile. You can