Looking Forward to Thanksgiving - Printables

I made a little some just for you my sweet readers and true following fans. I am Thankful for you all and I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed painting these little watercolor doodles and making them into a cheery print for your Thanksgiving. It would be great just printed and framed or you could use it as a cover for a card, or print one out in a mini size as a place card for Thanksgiving dinner.

If you want to buy the complete set of my Fall Watercolor Clip Art please let me know. It includes an assortment of fall leaves, an assortment of acorns, 3 lovely pumpkins and some streams and vines too. The whole set is only $9.99

If you would like me to design you a custom card, place card, or invitation using these lovely fall clipart pieces send me an email and I'll put one to together for you. Email me more prices and details.
april@simplythesweetlife.com

TIP: Print your copy on watercolor paper for a custom look.

Click Here for the printable version

Baby Sea Turtle Crocheted Blanket

UPDATED With Pattern Links. Yeah!

This week I shared on Facebook a this super cute Sea Turtles Crocheted baby afghan that PJ's Designs made. Her Facebook page is down so I added more info for each of you to try to Everyone loved it and of course, I did too which is why I shared it. She got so many shares and likes on her sweet baby afghan that she had to stop taking orders! Sad for those of us who would love to order one from her.

She did, however, share that she got the Baby Sea Turtle Crochet Pattern if you want to make one yourself. The blanket is as she said a layer of sand then sea foam and then 3 color waves of water. It's really is a brilliant design and a sweet afghan for a boy or a girl.
Baby Sea Turtle Collection Crochet Pattern

After some questions and searching, I found this great Easy Ripple Baby Blanket Crochet Pattern that can be used to create the base of the blanket. These are the colors I would use for the Sea Turtles and they blanket.

Bernat Softee Yarn 

• White
• Taupe
• Grey Heather
• Grey

Do you love to crochet? Look at this amazing set of hooks in a leather case!

I'm not very good with yarn but my mom is really good with crocheting so if you can't make one yourself you can probably find a mom, friend etc who can make these cuties for you. Wouldn't it be fun to have the blanket and then another set of the sea turtles for toys to play with? Yes, the ones on the blanket are attached.

Crochet Flowers

I just love the first flowers of Spring popping up out of the brown and drery earth. Add a little bit of spring color with some Crochet Flowers to your shoes for Easter or in a very pretty pincushion or on a sweater can't help to make you feel happy. I looked around and founds some great designs for stylish crocheted flowers. If you know of any more please add a link in the comments. Even though I'm not very good with the crochet hook or knitting needles I think I am going to give each of these sweet crochet flowers a try. I've made some before so maybe I just need the practice.

Here are a few great places to buy yarn online for your projects:
Soft Yarns 
Great Selection of Colors including Cotton Yarns
Nice Wool Yarn for Flowers

Cynthia Banessa's pretty Purple Crochet Flowers remind me of little purple pansies. The pattern looks pretty easy too.

Erica from Caught on a Whim made these little Crochet Puff Flowers in the most lovely shades of pink. I can see these all over a sweet little baby blanket.

This Small Flower Crochet Pincushion is very perfect for your sewing pins. I love the color combinations that Anabelia Craft Design put together

Look how cute these itty bitty Tiny White Crochet Flowers are... They look like little alyssum flowers. Happy DIY is not in english  but her directions are in photos and pretty easy to follow.

This pretty bunch of Crochet Daisies would be nice in a vase on a bookshelf or table. Do you remember that daisies are Kathleen Kelly's favorite flowers, " They're so friendly. Don't you think daisies are the friendliest flower?" from You've Got Mail. Jung Jung is another blog that isn't in english but if you can figure out the pattern let us know. If nothing else it's a little but on inspiration.

This is a Simple Five Petal Crochet Flower that I think even a beginner could accomplish. I love color combinations too. Retextil includes the directions for the leaves too.

If you're a knitter I didn't leave you out. These cute Mini Roses are a knitting pattern. Clipping some flowers on your shoes for Easter would be so nice.

xo

DIY Farmhouse Style Sponge Holder

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and  Scotch-Brite®. All opinions are mine alone. #TeamSponge #ScrubMyWay #CollectiveBias

I'm a sponge user in my kitchen. I also use sponges throughout my house for cleaning.  The funny thing is I come from a household that always use dishcloths and cleaning cloths.  I switched over when I was a nanny. I worked for the best working mom. She was very tidy and used sponges. I got use to using them and loved having the scrubber on one side for those tough to clean spots and the sponge side for wiping down the counters and of course for washing the dishes.

   I like having both the Scotch-Brite® Heavy Duty with the dark green scrubber side and the Non-Scratch sponge with the blue scrubber side. Now a regular old sponge won't due for a cleaning. You need those two scrubber options to make cleaning up quick and easy so you have time for other things in your life and to enjoy your home.

Right Tools for Every Surface

The green Scotch-Brite® Heavy Duty Sponge is great for cleaning tough messes, for example, it cleans 50% better on those tough, baked-on messes. It also great for other kitchen messes like your oven racks, use in the garage and even outdoors.

The blue Non-Scratch Scotch-Brite® Sponge is safe for cleaning non-stick cookware. It's your got to for cleaning without scratching on surfaces like counter tops, cook tops and other surfaces around your home.

Right now can enter for a chance to win a $20,000 kitchen makeover. I sure wish I could WIN this is AMAZING!! Click the green button below to enter!

 Click here for the ibotta Scotch-Brite® Walmart offer.

Since I need both the green Scotch-Brite® Heavy Duty Sponges and blue Non-Scratch Scotch-Brite® Sponges, I came up with this great super easy to make Farmhouse Style Wooden Sponge Holder to keep your sponges dry in between uses.

Farmhouse Style Wooden Sponge Holder
supplies:

• Short Wooden Skewers (can be found in the food section near the baking supplies)
• Super Glue
• 1 Package of Scotch-Brite® Heavy Duty Sponge
• 1 Package of Non-Scratch Scotch-Brite® Sponges

Layout 2 wooden sticks parallel as shown with the pointed end in the opposite direction. Using your super glue put a dot of glue on each wooden stick and place your first stick across. 

Repeat this process alternating the direction of the sticks as shown above.

Allow the glue to try and you are ready to use your super easy super fast Farm Style Wooden Sponge Holder. This simple drying rack will keep your sponges fresh and dry in between uses.

Scotch-Brite® Heavy Duty Sponge and the 1 Package of Non-Scratch Scotch-Brite® Sponges can be easily found in the cleaning supply lane at your local Walmart store along with wide selection of other Scotch-Brite® high-performance tools that make it quicker and easier to clean each room of your home.

Max Your Tax Cash * Movie Night Craft

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser, Walmart Family Mobile. All opinions are mine alone. #YourTaxCash #CollectiveBias

How do you max your tax cash? We decided to use the Walmart Family Mobile plan to get the most out of our tax return. With the leftover money, we were able to spend some extra money on family time including some travel and regular movie nights at home will tons of snack, treats and drinks.

We are loving the Walmart Family Mobile PLUS Plan and the Samsung Galaxy On5 phone we got for it. My college kids are loving it too. They have been texting me regularly and taking advantage of the 10GB of data (includes up to 10GB of 4G LTE† data then 2G.). My daughter and I Snapchat each other regularly, pin to our Pinterest boards and play games too.

Walmart Family Mobile PLUS Plan and the Samsung Galaxy On5 phone are such a great value. The price of the phone is so affordable. The mobile PLUS plan not only gives us great coverage in our area it provides hours of data for only $49.88 per month, per line. The Samsung Galaxy On5 is at the the Rollback price of $69 (see below.) 

A few things to know about the Walmart Family Mobile PLUS Plan

• Unlimited* Talk, Text, & Data which *includes up to 10GB of 4G LTE then 2G and a free movie credit on VUDU every month ($7 value) for $49.88 per month, per line.
• Plan includes a free VUDU movie credit every month, $7 value (same as a new release rental) per line
• Just pick a phone or Bring Your Own, and get your SIM Kit for only $19.88.

Let's talk about Movie Nights!

With our free movie rental at VUDU and the money we saved from using the Walmart Family Mobile PLUS Plan, we are hosting regular movie nights each week at our house.  We stream our movies with our Chromecast. With everyone on the sofa, chairs and floor watching the movies spills tend to happen so I came up with this fun idea for everyone who joins us.  It's a Movie Snack Caddy to hold your drink, popcorn and snacks! 

Supplies:

• 1 new plastic (cleaning supply) caddy per person
• 1 plastic popcorn box per person
• craft glue (super glue works great)
• assorted gems, stickers and other embellishments
• all the drinks, snacks and treats you want!

This could be a fun activity before the movie. Everyone can decorate their own movie snack caddy. Simply glue your embellishments to the caddy and plastic popcorn box. Allow the glue to dry. If you have older kids like me we used super glue which dries in seconds. 

 The great thing about the Movie Snack Caddy is that you can use them every time you have a movie night.

What are you planning to do with your extra cash and your free movie rental?

Be sure to go check out the Walmart Family Moble section at your local Walmart for plans, phones and more.

Disclaimer: All prices for phones and plans included in this post are accurate as of the date of posting; however, these prices are subject to change. Please refer to http://cbi.as/7e-jr or your local Walmart for current pricing.

A Rose for Your Belle * Felt Rose Craft

Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorite Disney movies. I love the new live action version of it. The casting was wonderful, the music was amazing and the story true to the original animated version of Disney's Beauty and the Beast. If you love the movie too you will love to make one of these beautiful enchanted roses to wear. It can easily be made into a rose hair clip or a pin. It can be sized up or down.  

Beauty and The Beast-Felt Rose Pin Hair Clip Tutorial

 1. Gather your supplies. You will need to following items.

• Quality craft felt. Here is a great assortment of colors.
• Glue Gun and glue sticks.
• Good quality scissors. We use the Fiskars Non-stick Detail Scissors.
• Safety pin, metal hair clip or metal pin back.
• Complimentary of color crochet thread and needle.

2. Fold the red piece of wool felt to cut out a square.

3. Cut out felt rose starting with the outside edge moving inward to the center. Cut in a wavy uneven line to add interest to your rose petals.

4. Cut out a 2-inch circle of green felt. Cut out another green circle of felt about 1/4 inch larger. Cut out two leafs free style about 2 1/2 inches long and 1 inch at the base.

5. Using the smaller green circle glue starting in the center of the felt circle the center of the red petal felt. Continue to glue the red petal felt in a circle around moving outward until the end of the felt is reach to form the complete rose.

6. At the base of the green leaves pinch together and glue in place to add dimension to the leaves. Next, glue leaves to the bottom of the rose then top with large green felt circle.

7.  Glue or sew safety pin, hair clip or pin back to the back of the rose.

Now you have a rose for your Belle!

xo

P.S. Check out the exclusive "Something There" movie clip from the new Disney's Beauty and the Beast.

more Sweet & Simple Crafts you might enjoy!

• DIY Dog Craft Collar

• Easy Easter Ribbon Chain

• Quick Simple Birthday Decorations

Easy Craft Ideas * Snow

With the wintry stormy weather outside here are some easy craft ideas that celebrate all this snow! Why no craft away this snow covered Janurary with the kids or with your friends.

These super cute and easy to make Handmade Deer Snow Globe Ornament's from Pitter and Glink are made with dollar store items!

Here is an easy craft idea for kids that will make playing inside fun when it gets too cold outside. Make some Play Snow. You can find the recipe on Huckleberry Love.

This kids will love to help you make some Melted Snowman Bark to eat while crafting and playing. Find the supplies and directions on Princess Pinky Girl.

Decorate your house with these Sweet & Simple Snow Covered Pinecones from Ella Claire.

I just love this Pink Snow Wreath made with an old sweater from Kara's Party Ideas. I love how it's pink rather than auqua which we often see if snow themed crafts.

Happy Snow Day!

Krazy Christmas Balls with Krazy Glue

sponsored by Krazy Glue

Don't you just love going to all the fun Christmas parties with your friends and neighbors during the holiday season. Some of the funnest parties are the ones with everyone dressing up in their crazy ugly Christmas sweaters and exchange white elephant gifts and play fun silly games.

Inspired by these parties and the crazy Christmas sweaters, I created this fun new Christmas tradition that even your most craft challenged friends will have fun making because anything goes!

Krazy Christmas Balls are over the top glittered, ribboned, tinseled, rick racked, jingle belled ornaments. The key to getting all those layers of glorious sparkly bits to stick is the Krazy Glue.

Gather your supplies. Lots of them. The more and varied and holiday themed the better.

Supplies List:

• Krazy Glue
• Mini Wood Cutouts
• American Crafts Glitter Set
•  Essential Colors Glitter Set
• Christmas Ornament Balls
• Glass White pearl Ornament Balls
• Wired Tinsel
• Craft Scissors
• Tiny Jingle Bells
• Tiny Reindeer
• Paint Brush Set
• Nail Polish Remover (in case you glue some bits to your fingers or your fingers together!)

Now start creating. No reason to be intimidated or trying to make them perfect, anything goes! There are no rules. Just add Christmas bits to your heart's content.

To apply the seed beads, sequins and tiny pieces of glitz I used the Krazy Glue All Purpose No Run Gel. It's great for precise glue application without running. For adding the ribbons, tinsel and other embellishments I used the Krazy Glue All Purpose with the brush. The reason Krazy Glue is key to this craft is because it is fast-acting and dries so quickly and can be used on multiple surfaces including, glass, wood and vinyl.

This is a great craft for parties because of the quick drying glue everyone's ornaments will be great to take come with no drying time.

Be sure you have good ventilation in the area you are crafting with Krazy Glue.

Happy Christmas Crafting!

xo

Talk Like a Pirate Day

It's national Talk Like a Pirate Day Arrrgh and  Shiver Me Timbers, Krispy Kreme Doughnuts is giving away free doughnuts to everyone who asks for one in a pirate's voice. OR you get a dozen doughnuts if you dress like a pirate. Here are some dress like a pirate ideas and  some other fun things add to your Talk Like A Pirate Day festivities.
"Find a Krispy Kreme near me."

Make a Watermelon Pirate Ship, Tutorial by Leaf.

An easy fun way to celebrate with kids is to put out some pretzel Pirate Peg Legs.

Make some Pirate Paper Hats like these ones on Oscar Ate My Muffin.

Mix up a batch of Pirate Punch, recipe on Kara's Party Ideas.

Look up what your Pirate Name is by using this chart from Miss Frugal Fancy Pants.

Make some simple Pirate Eye Patches with some felt, craft glue and twine. Instructions on Moon Frye