Sharpie 3D Artwork

My boys have always loved crafting, but as they get older, I like to challenge them with more sophisticated art projects. Last week, my oldest son came home raving about a 3D Sharpie art project that he did at school. I thought it would be fun to replicate it at home with my other boys.

This simple art technique uses: old cereal boxes, yarn, white glue, a glue stick, tin foil, felt, tape and Sharpies. 

1) Cut a "canvas" from an empty cereal box.
2) Draw a simple design, and cover the design with glue and yarn. Allow to dry.
3) Cover the dull side of a piece of tinfoil with glue (from a glue stick), and place on top of the yarn design.
4) Fold the edges of the tinfoil, and secure to the back of the canvas with tape.
5) Smooth the tinfoil with the piece of felt to make the design "pop".
6) Color with Sharpies. Allow to dry.

I was really impressed with the designs my boys came up with. Doesn't the combination of tin foil and Sharpies create a beautiful effect?

♥ 
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

Leprechaun Trap {with leprechaun bait}

Each year my boys build a leprechaun trap the night before St.Patrick's Day. They spend a lot of time designing and creating their traps, and today I am sharing their 2016 version.

My boys decided that last year's design wasn't tall enough, so they made this one extra tall by stacking boxes. They cut holes in the top of the bottom box, the bottom of the top box, and the top of the top box. Then, they covered the top hole with tissue paper. When the leprechaun steps on it, he'll fall right through!

Of course, the leprechaun will need stairs, so my boys built one set from Lego and another set from pipe cleaners. To set the trap, they used leprechaun bait.

Here is a close up of their final trap.

We have our fingers crossed for success this year... but even if our leprechaun manages to escape, I'm confident he'll leave some gold behind!

Do you set a leprechaun trap for St. Patrick's Day? If you catch one, take a picture and send it to me so I can show my boys.

♥ 
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

***Update***

We didn't catch a leprechaun, but the tricky little guy dropped some gold while he was trying to escape. Maybe next year!

7 Simple Ideas for LEGO Lovers (and new LEGO shows on Netflix)

I have three boys, and they all love LEGO. It really is the perfect toy. It's colourful, and the possibilities for creating are limitless. So... today, I am sharing some of my favorite ideas for LEGO lovers!

1) Make LEGO treats - LEGOs' simple shapes and bright colors make them perfect for creating easy and fun snacks. Rectangle cookies, coloured icing and Skittles can be used to create yummy LEGO cookies. You can also bake LEGO cupcakes (using LEGO chocolate molds) and LEGO cakes (using the "step by step" instructions found here).

2) Make LEGO crafts - You can melt old crayons in LEGO molds to create new bright and cheerful LEGO crayon bricks. You can also design your own LEGO minifigure using the free printable here, or you can make your own life size LEGO (using the tutorial you can find here).

3) Visit LEGOland - If you want to take your LEGO love to the next level, you can plan a trip to LEGOland. Check out my my top 10 LEGOland tips here.

4) Celebrate the holidays with LEGO - With a little imagination, it's easy to incorporate LEGO into holiday celebrations. For St.Patrick's Day my boys used our LEGO to build a leprechaun trap, and at Christmas our "Elf on the Shelf" built himself a LEGO chair.

5) Throw a LEGO party - LEGO makes a perfect party theme. It's a great source of inspiration for games, food, and party favours. When my boys turned four and six, I threw them a fantastic LEGO party, and you can check out our all the DIY LEGO PARTY details here.

6) Organize your LEGO - With mountains of mini figures, LEGO kits, and loose pieces/bricks. I have found a perfect solution for our LEGO organizing needs. Click here to find out what works for us.

7) Watch LEGO shows on Netflix - On March 4, Netflix launched two new shows: LEGO Bionicle and LEGO Friends. My boys are already big fans of LEGO Bionicle.

Do your little ones love LEGO as much as my boys do? Will they be watching LEGO Bionicle, LEGO Friends or both?

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

Disclosure: I receive special gifts and perks as part of my affiliation with Netflix.... however (as always) the opinions on this blog are 100% my own.

Easter Treats for Classmates (with free printable tags)

My boys love sharing holiday treats with their friends, but their school has a strict nutrition policy so I like to come up with simple "non food" options. Over the years, I have found that the key to making the treats fun and inexpensive is the packaging. Today, I am sharing the printable for the simple Easter treats my six year old is sharing with his classmates this year.

I found some adorable stretchy bunnies and tiny Easter notebooks at the dollar store. I put them in a little Easter egg covered bags, and stapled the tags I designed to the tops. Cute, right?

To download the tags I designed: right click on the picture below, save it to your computer, and print it like a regular 4X6 photo.

These notes could be used with any Easter trinket that your little one chooses, and the treat bags are super-easy to put together. I think it is a fantastic sugar-free Easter treat... don't you?

♥ 
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

St.Patrick's Day Breakfast (Rainbow Seeds)

I don't usually buy sugary cereals, but I do make an exception on St. Patrick's Day. My boys always look forward to a special breakfast on March 17th, and this year I will be serving RAINBOW SEEDS.

I bought some little green bowls at the dollar store, filled the bowls with Froot Loops, popped the bowls in clear party favour bags, and attached adorable "RAINBOW SEEDS" tags that I designed. Cute, right?

To download the tags I designed (for free): right click on the picture below, save it to your computer, and print it like a regular 4X6 photo.

I am planning to serve my rainbow seeds with some green milk (which is regular milk with a drop or two of green food colouring). I am also going to place a few Froot Loops on a straw for an extra touch of fun!

My boys always enjoy their special St.Patrick's Day breakfast, and this year they are going to be delighted with the "rainbow seeds" I will be serving. Do you have a special St.Patrick's Day meal planned?

♥ 
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

Easter Candy Bark

I have been making almond bark for years, and last year I made a Halloween version that was a huge hit with my boys. So, given my love for mini eggs, I decided to make some Easter Candy Bark, and it did not disappoint!

To make Easter Candy Bark:

1) Melt the chocolate according to package directions. (Break up pieces of chocolate, microwave on medium for 1-2 minutes, and stir until smooth.)

2) Pour the melted chocolate onto a piece of waxed paper, and spread it out (gently with a spatula).

3) Place mini chocolate eggs and rainbow sprinkles on top of the melted chocolate.

4) Allow to cool and harden, and then break up the chocolate. (I put it in the fridge to speed up the process.)

It is a simple treat to make, and it tastes delicious. I think this Easter candy bark would be great for "egging" too. Have you ever "egged" your neighbours? You can read all about our "egging" adventures here.

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

Find more easy and inexpensive ideas for Easter crafts, recipes, and activities here.

Simple Leprechaun Trap

One of our favorite Saint Patrick's Day traditions is setting a leprechaun trap.  We have been doing it for years, and we have never caught one, but we keep trying.  Leprechauns are tricky, but one of these years, I know we are going to get lucky.  Here's the leprechaun trap we built (from LEGO) last year.

Last year, the boys thought they had designed a fool-proof trap, but the leprechaun managed to escape.  According to my middle son... when the leprechaun fell in the trap, he grabbed the ladder as he was falling, and used it to get out.  Luckily, the tricky leprechaun dropped a bunch of his chocolate gold coins while he was trying to escape.

We always use Lucky Charms as leprechaun bait, and my boys like to package it up and share it with their friends.  You can check out the adorable free printable tags here.

This year, my boys will design a new trap, and I will enjoy watching them do it.  You never know... this might be the year we catch a leprechaun, he will give us his gold, and we can take a super-fun family vacation.  Fingers crossed!

♥ 
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

Corn Chowder and Biscuits

Is there anything better on a cold day than a nice warm cup of chowder? This corn chowder is easy to make, and it is delicious. Pair it with some flaky homemade biscuits for the perfect comfort food combination.

My corn chowder recipe is based on one created by one of my oldest and dearest friends. (Thanks, Darc!) 

Here's what you'll need:
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
4 tbsp flour
4 cups milk (I use 1%... but you can use 2% or homo for a thicker, richer chowder)
1/2 cup blend (10%)
2 containers of Knorr Homestyle Stock Bouillon (or 2-4 tbsp of OXO chicken stock powder)
2 cups frozen corn
1-2 cups diced, pre-cooked potatoes (not soft)
grated cheddar cheese (for garnish)

Directions:
Melt butter on low/medium heat. Add onion and saute until soft. Gradually whisk in flour. Slowly add milk (whisking constantly). Add chicken stock, and continue whisking.

Add remaining ingredients, and heat on low until thickened.

Garnish with cheddar cheese and serve with homemade biscuits.

You can click here for my favorite biscuit recipe. 

Do you have a favorite comfort food when the weather gets cold? Give this corn chowder and biscuits recipe a try, and let me know what you think.

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

Simple DIY HOCKEY Party

All three of my boys are huge hockey fans, so it was no surprise that my oldest son chose a hockey theme for his 10th birthday party. Today, I am sharing the simple details from our DIY hockey party.

We rented a gym, and invited all our guests to join us for a morning of floor hockey. We asked everyone to wear their favorite jerseys. We also asked each person to bring his/her helmet, hockey gloves and hockey stick. I wanted to make sure no one got hurt!

I put together a "pin the puck on the ice" game, but the main party activity was floor hockey. I made a fantastic score board from dollar store foam core, and the kids enjoyed updating it. 

Of course, all the activity made the kids very hungry and thirsty, so we had a well stocked "canteen". I had tons of healthy snacks, "easy to grab" treats, water, and juice.

Of course, we had some easy DIY cakes too. I used a special pan to make a jersey cake (with my son's number) and a rectangular pan to make a "half ice" cake.

Here's another version of a hockey cake using the same "jersey" pan.

When the party was over, everyone left with a couple of party favours. We had some gum with a clever "I hope you had an 'EXCEL'lent time!" note, and the kids collected hockey cards from our prize punch. You can find the tutorial for the DIY prize punch here.

I have a feeling that this won't be our last hockey party. It was a huge success and a lot of fun.

Do you have a hockey fan in your house? What do you think of our simple DIY hockey party?

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

Disclosure: This post contains an affiliate link. By clicking on the link for the jersey pan, you can purchase the pan and support my blog. Thank you!

Coffee Shop Chocolate Chip Muffins

Don't you just love the chocolate chip muffins they sell in coffee shops? Today I am sharing my favorite recipe for chocolate chip muffins. They taste like they came from a coffee shop, but you bake them at home for a fraction of the cost.

Note: This recipe is based on one I found at Little Sweet Baker. You can find her recipe here.

You'll need:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups chocolate chips (I like a high quality semi-sweet version)
1/2 cup melted (salted) butter (cooled)
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup milk (I used 1% milk because that is all I buy... but you could use whole milk for a richer taste)
1 tbsp real vanilla extract

Then:

1) Grease a muffin tin, and preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2) Whisk dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix in chocolate chips. Set aside.
3) In a large bowl, whisk the butter and sugars together. Then whisk in the eggs, milk, and vanilla.
4) Combine the wet and dry ingredients, and stir just until combined.
5) Divide the batter into muffin tins. If you use an ice cream scoop, you can evenly divide the batter between the 12 muffin tins.
6) Bake at 425 degrees for 5 minutes. Then, reduce heat to 375 degrees, and bake for approximately 15-20 minutes.

Let the muffins cool slightly before removing them from the muffin tin... but they are delicious if you eat them when they are still warm.

I also freeze them individually, and pop them in my boys lunch bags when I need them.

These muffins really are delicious. My boys love them with a glass of cold milk, but I opt for a nice hot cup of coffee. If you give these chocolate chip muffins a try, let me know how they turn out. I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

10 Netflix Movies the Whole Family Will Enjoy

Every Friday night, we have "family movie night" at our house. We have pancakes for supper, and we snuggle up on the couch and watch a movie together. It is one of my favorite family rituals, but it can sometimes be difficult to find movies that everyone agrees on... so, today I am sharing a list of 10 movies that the whole family will enjoy (and they can all be found on Netflix).

Some of our favorite Netflix movies are:

1) Inside Out
2) Alvin and the Chipmunks Chipwrecked
3) Despicable Me 2
4) Home
5) Diary of a Wimpy Kid
6) Penguins of Madagascar The Movie
7) Lilo & Stitch
8) Mr. Peabody and Sherman
9) The Pacifier
10) How to Train a Dragon 2

We all look forward to our family's "night in", and we try to make it extra special when we can.

Here are some simple ideas for creating a fun-filled family movie night:

1) Make movie night a tradition by having it on the same night every week. It gives everyone something to look forward to.

2) Pair your movie with a favorite meal. (We always have pancakes for supper on movie night, but Pizza Friday would be fun too.)

3) Pick a good family movie... one that everyone will enjoy. If consensus is difficult, let the kids take turns making the selection.

4) Use special dishes. (I have popcorn bowls from the dollar store that we only use on movie nights.)

5) Set the scene with a special sign or two. We have a “Movie Snacks” sign and a “Now Playing” sign that we use.

6) Get comfy. PJs are the perfect attire for family movie night, and it makes the transition to bedtime (after the movie) easier.

7) Have movie snacks. Popcorn is always a good choice, but pick whatever your family enjoys.

It’s also fun to “mix it up” some weeks by adding something special. E.g. Choose a fun theme, have an outdoor screening, make a craft to go along with the movie, or bake a special treat.

Does your family have a favorite movie to watch together, or do you have a special "family night in" tradition? I'd love to hear about it!

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

Disclosure: I receive special gifts and perks as part of my affiliation with Netflix.... however (as always) the opinions on this blog are 100% my own.