Watermelon Party

Kids love parties. And parties can be easy, as long as adults remember that it doesn't take superhero plates and a room full of kids to make a party.

Here's an idea for a quick and easy Watermelon Party. All you need are Watermelon Party Hats and watermelon. The three and five year old boys I baby sit for loved it.

To make the hats you'll need:
White card stock
elastic cord for chin strap
a mixing bowl to trace
a marker
scissors
red, green, and black crayons
a stapler and hole punch

The hat is made from a half circle. To get the shape I traced around my 11 inch mixing bowl, then used a magazine as a straight edge to half the circle.

Then cut out the half circles. Have the children color them to look like watermelon slices. Fold the colored half circle into a cone. Staple twice. Then a punch holes on the left and right side of the hat. Tie one end of the elastic cord through the hole, put the hat on the child and measure the length of cord to fit his head. Tie the other side and party.

I cut half the melon into slices and let the boys practice their melon-balling skills on the other half. It's a sticky, sweet time, best finished off with a run through the water hose.

fresh local eggs for breakfast

I got this dozen eggs today. There are no blue eggs in the batch this time, but I'm sure they are as rich and delicious as always.

There was the cutest story in the paper yesterday about the family farm that I buy eggs and honey from. Click here to read it.

Migoto Chou's bracelet tutorial

I wrote an article for the newspaper about the Knoxville-based Etsy seller that makes these beaded cupcakes (read it here).

The artist, Amanda Hinson, was kind enough to let me make my first video tutorial of her demonstrating how to make the Treasure Tube bracelets she often has in her shop.

Friday Find: vintage food photography

When I spotted this book on a shelf of children's books at a thrift store, I opened it thinking I might find a Hansel and Gretel story. It's actually a book about German cuisine with amazing photography, entitled The Cooking of Germany. It's from the Foods of the World series from Time Life books, published in 1969.

Henry Groskinsky planned and photographed the pictures for the book made in the test kitchen and Ralph Crane traveled around Germany in a Volkswagen bus to take the field photos.

The caption reads, "Floral patterns of carrots, cucumbers, hard-cooked egg white, tomatoes, and leek tops beautify these pork chops in aspic."

Writer Ursala von Kardoff is pictured holding a crock of goose-fat spread.

I want a portrait of myself standing in front a cupboard full of my pretty dish collection and a tub of pimento cheese or something.

The cutest mushroom foray I have ever seen

eye candy


That's like the stove that Gretel pushes the wicked witch into on the right page.


Just look at that table cloth!

"a supermodern supermarket in West Berlin"


In case you are as into this as I am, I saw that the book is available on Amazon and here's the link: The Cooking of Germany (Foods of the World)

Yellow

Those are the lights from Fuji Rock Festival 2007.

My school's play kitchen set is cute, but it's nothing compared to this.

Scroll down to see more from color week.

fun for Valentine's Day

Today was the last day of school before Valentine's Day. The children were just giddy about the cards, candy, glitter, and stickers. They would all have been amazed by this Valentine breakfast from No Fuss Fabulous.

I wish I had taken pictures of the elementary kids' valentine bags decorated with hearts and letters made with paper quilling.

photo from No fuss fabulous

Felt Fortune Cookies

I'm getting really into felt food. I am planning to make a nice set for the kids at my school to play with, but these fortune cookies are for an adult.

I learned to make them from a good video lesson by Hilary Seabolt. Seabolt is one of many designing and selling felt food. She owns Lily Bean Market, a small business that sells felt food and kits, patterns and material to make felt food. Lily Bean employs a few Amish seamstresses to do hand sewing.

Visions of Sugar

Last night I woke up at 2 a.m. with the vision of this candy cane in my head. Then I couldn't get back to sleep, so I whipped it up. It'll be a cute decorative stocking stuffer.