DIY trick or treat bags

DIY halloween trick or treat bag

I’m not sure we could get our children to agree to floss, visit the dentist, go to bed early and eat their green leafy vegetables without some sweet and sugary bribery. Halloween is no exception – it s a sugar-high holiday for kiddos – so why not have ‘fun’ with the kids and talk to them about what you expect of them after they consume of all that addicting sugar…oh, and get their commitment in writing!

How To
Buy a monster or pumpkin tote bag from the Dollar Section at Target
Use the Silhouette Electronic Cutting Tool to create a fun contract. Be sure to mirror the image before printing.
Place the text face-up on the tote bag, and cover it with a thin cotton cloth.
Iron on the image with an iron on medium heat. Press down firmly for 45-60 seconds, let cool for about 30 seconds, and peel off. You will likely have repeat the iron step several times – I know I did for all the letters to stick.
If you don’t have a Silhouette, another option is to use Sharpies or even stencils.

target trick or treat bag

DIY trick or treat bag_jsorelle

diy halloween trick or treat bag

We shopped around for other fabulous DIY bags for you too!
1. Pillowcase Ghosts, Martha Stewart
2. Duct Tape Bag, Dukes and Duchesses
3. Silhouette Bag, Uncommon Designs
4. Witch Hat, So You Think You’re Crafty
5. Wild Things Tote, Bloesem Kids
6. Graphic Tote, Country Living

DIY halloween treat bags_jsorelle

{images via j. sorelle, Martha StewartUncommon Designs, Dukes and Duchesses, Country Living, So You Think Your Crafty, Bloesem Kids}

DIY Bat Halloween Cards

love you to the moon and bat halloween cards_jsorelle

We know bats and Halloween aren’t always associated with fuzzy feelings of love. When we think of Halloween, we think of candy, scary ghosts and goblins, vampire fangs, trick or treating, etc. But, why not take the opportunity to tell friends and family you love them with a Halloween favorite…BATS.

How cute are these ‘love you to the moon and bat’ Halloween cards? We frequently say, “I love you to the moon and back,” to our kids, so this phrase carries a lot of meaning at our house. We used our awesome, amazing, couldn’t-live-wihout Silhouette to cut the images of bats, and also to create the cut out cards. We added glitter, orange and black and white striped paper behind the front of the card to make the letters pop.

Happy {early} Halloween. We love you to the moon and bat too!

love you to the moon and bat_jsorelle

love you to the moon and bat_jsorelle

love you to the moon and bat_jsorelle

{images via j. sorelle}

Fall in a Basket Ideas

fall in a basket_silhouette letters_jsorelle

When a Silhouette America Portrait electronic cutting machine arrived at our door step, we literally leaped with joy! We know, who seriously reacts in such a way when an electronic cutting machine arrives? US! And, for good reason – the Silhouette is amazing. It takes our projects to a whole new level of creativity and endless possibility, and it’s a major time saver since it so perfectly cuts everything for us! It’s been a dream come true for us. Honestly, it was on Jessica’s Christmas list – and she will argue it was a NEED, but it was a WANT, a desperate want.

We have found it to be very user-friendly, and we love it. We don’t know what we ever did without it. We’ve made thank you cards, and some other fun projects we will reveal soon, but with the changing colors and the crisp air, a Fall in a Basket seemed appropriate…and too cute not to do.

fall in a basket_silhouette_jsorelle

Fall in A Basket Ingredients
A fall-inspired basket
Pumpkin Mason Jar {spray paint a vintage green mason jar orange, buy green lids designed for mason jars, find a small branch, cut and glue, then add a raffia ribbon}
Starbucks Via Pumpkin Spice Latte individual packet
Essie “she’s pampered” nail polish
Apple, caramel and a stick – the essentials to make a delicious caramel apple
A cinnamon stick garland {tie cinnamon sticks to twine to create the cutest garland ever}

And, of course, buy or use your Silhouette to print letters, “Happy Fall Y’all,” then use a hot glue gun to glue tiny clothes pins and the letters to the basket handle.

fall in a basket_silhouette_jsorelle

fall in a basket_silhouette_jsorelle

fallin a basket_silhouette_jsorellefall in a basket_silhouette_jsorelle

Happy Fall Y’all!

j. sorelle received products for this post from Silhouette, however we love would Silhouette even if they didn’t send us product, and all opinions are ours, we promise. View all of Silhouette’s amazing products here

{images via j. sorelle}

tgif link love

Have yourself a lovely Spring, Easter weekend…

1. Do yourself a favor, and listen to some John Legend this weekend. I have always liked John Legend. But after an intimate concert my hubby and I went to last week {yes, date night}, I’m obsessed! His voice was flawless, his humor was sincere and funny and his honesty in sharing his story made him even more personable and lovable. I would share our video we took of his famous “All of Me” but you would hear my hubby and I in the background singing…and that may ruin it for you. So, this weekend, listen to  ‘You and I’ {1st video below…song starts at 0:50}, ‘Good Morning,’ ‘Tonight {Best You Ever Had}’, ‘All of Me’ and one of my faves, ‘Stay with You.’

2. Jenna daydreams of devouring this daily, and now that she’s no longer preggo, she can! Cheers to Moscato Jello Parfaits.

3. This birthday cake you can send in the mail is better than a chocolate cake!!

4. Make this French Toast for brunch this weekend…SO incredibly delicious.

5. This video and story couldn’t be any sweeter, more beautiful, heartbreaking or inspiring.

 {video via YouTube}

garden essentials for the kiddos

garden kits for kids_jsorelle

Nani and Mimi have the Easter baskets filled with goodies, accessories and clothes, so instead of a typical Easter Basket this year, we bought the kids their own gardening essentials to grow their favorite vegetables. My fave, Target’s dollar section, had colorful watering cans for just $3 each and gardening tools, and good ‘ole Home Depot supplied the organic cucumber, carrot and pepper seed packets, as well as the Transplant Peat Pots.

You’ll Need:
organic potting soil
biodegradable peat pots
cellophane bags
seeds packets
tools
watering can
name labels

How To:
Fill the cellophane bags with potting soil and tie a bow, then just fill the watering cans with the gardening goods. All the kids need to do is plant, water, find a sunny spot…and watch them grow. Once the weather gets warm, we will transplant the biodegradable pots into pots or the garden.

DIY gardening kits for kids_jsorelle

DIY gardening kit for kids_jsorelle

DIY gardening kits_jsorelle

DIY gardening kits_jsorelle

DIY gardening kits for kids_jsorelle

It’s a fun project for the kids {especially on Monday, April 22 – Earth Day}, teaches them the responsibility necessary to take care of something, and they will have the opportunity to watch and eat what they sow.

NOTE: The potting soil bags look slightly foggy – seems the soil was somewhat wet, and when I took the watering cans outside, the outside cold temps ‘frosted’ the bags.

{images via j. sorelle}