FATHER'S DAY MEDALS

The dads in your life are totally the best, right? Right. Ours too. We made these easy medals for Father's Day to let them know we think they are gold. Aren't they fun? The dads will love them because the little ones helped make them and because deep down, they have always wanted to win the gold. Ideally I would have shown these on Preston, but you know. It's not Father's Day yet! To make your own, you just need a few things you probably already have!

Here's what you will need:

- Cardboard
- Scissors
- Pen
- Duct tape (gold and white)
- X-acto knife
- Cutting mat
- Red, white and blue ribbon
 

To start, draw a circle on your cardboard the size you want the medal to be.

Next, flip the cardboard over and cover with your gold duct tape.

Now that we're all golden and pretty, flip it back over and cut out around the circle with your scissors.

Now for the letters! Take a strip of duct tape and place it on your cutting mat. With your x-acto knife, cut out the letters you need for your medal. Then stick them on!

Next we need to make a hole toward the top for the ribbon to go through. So cut that out with your x-acto knife as well.

String the ribbon through, cut it and knot it at the top and you are done! Fun, right?

HAPPY WEEKEND + LINKS

Yesterday was Elliott's last day of preschool. Ever. Though I am excited for summer break, I am not ready for him to be moving on to elementary school in just a few months. He has gotten too big too fast. Maybe I can stunt his growth and development by feeding him a steady diet of junk food? I kid, I kid. But seriously folks, we are so proud of our little man and all that he has accomplished and learned this year. Playing and singing is hard work! Now that summer vacation is officially here, we are off to splash in any body of water we can find and get tan. It's a little bitter sweet but man oh man are we excited for some summer fun! I will be working a little on a couple of upcoming projects. Think, Father's day! Yep, it's coming up fast. Whatever you do this weekend, I hope it's a good one! 

And the links for the week!

The cutest (and most colorful) baby shower ever!

Ultimate summer craft supply list.

Pretty rad party invitations.

One amazing kids room.

If you love moonrise kingdom and babies, you'll love this party.

I love this play castle!

A new meaning to crayon art.

I need to make and consume these ASAP.

FELT BALL SHOOTERS

We have been looking for a few indoor activities to keep Elliott occupied while school is out. As much as I would love to spend every minute outdoors this summer, it's just not possible. A working mama has got to work, and clean, and yada yada yada. Enter these guys! These super easy felt ball shooters are a blast to play with! I have to admit, even Preston and I have gotten in on the action. The felt balls really do make the perfect ammo. Soft, round and just heavy enough to go far. You can buy some colorful balls of your own right here. We used the same ammo for our slingshot. These shooters are so easy you kind of have to make them. You have no excuse. Your kids will love you forever. See the full tutorial over here on Handmade Charlotte. Happy shooting!

FINN THE PIÑATA

I have never seen the show Adventure Time, but my nephew loves it and when he requested a Finn piñata for his birthday, you know I couldn't say no. Challenge accepted! I think it turned out pretty great and it was so rewarding to see his face light up when I showed it to him. Does a heart good. It's kind of strange making a piñata you know you are going to smash to bits. It gets me excited! You spend so much time on the construction making it perfect, and a few minutes later it's a pile of rubble on the floor. It's totally worth it. To make the piñata, I used the same method as the Jupiter piñata from his party last year. Just with a little more crepe paper. I made the face on my computer, printed it out and drew the shape of his head around that. Then cut it out with a blade or scissors and trace that shape again to make the back. After a ton of hot glue, some cardboard trim to connect the two sides and a whole lot of toys and candy for the insides, we had our piñata! Oh and I poked two holes in the top and pulled some string through for hanging the piñata up. Pretty basic piñata stuff. The kids had a grand time beating the treats out of it. I am finding that the older the kids are, the stronger I need to make it! My nephew loved the piñata. He said it was perfect, except Finn isn't hairy. Ha! Happy birthday to my favorite nephew!

WE LOVE: PERFECT SUMMER SHOES

School is out for the summer in a few days (huzzah!) and we have already started in on the summer fun. Something that I think is vital for an easy and fun summer are shoes. That might sound a little strange, but since Elliott doesn't tie his own shoes yet, having some great shoes for him to put on himself and go out to play in is vital. These shoes look like Chuck Taylors (which we love so much Preston and I wore them on our wedding day) but they are actually from H&M. I have never been a fan of "knock offs" but these were too good to resist. They look just like the real deal and the price tag couldn't be beat so I gave them a shot and we are loving them. They come in a spectrum of great colors which is perfect for a stylish little one. But the absolute best part about these shoes is the laces are elastic! So Elliott can put them on all by himself. Unlike some other elastic shoes, they velcro at the top to stay secure. I love that the elastic looks like laces though. Finally a shoes that is practical, easy and looks great! We really can't say enough great things about them. Oh, Elliott also swears they make him run at cheetah speed. So there's that.