10 Beautiful Hair Bun Tutorials

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Here’s 10 great hair bun tutorials for short and long hair.

1.) The Top Knot by Running On Happiness.

2.) The Braided Bun by The Beauty Department. This is a great hairstyle for short hair.

3.) The Fishtail Bun by Oncewed.

4.) The Fun Bun by The Beauty Department.

5.) A pretty side braids into a messy bun by Bobby Glam.

6.) The low side bun by Random Tuesdays.

7.) The bow bun by Long Hair Styles How To.

8.) The Sock Bun by the Wedding Chicks.

9.) The braided bun by Long Hair Styles How To.

10.) The triple braided bun by Camille Styles.

Hope you enjoyed these tutorials. I can’t wait to try several of these out myself.

Studded Friendship Bracelet

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Here’s a great twist on on a favorite past time of mine. I used to make tons of these friendship bracelets when I was younger. In fact, it was one of my favorite things to make in junior high school. There are several websites with really good instructions on how to make friendship bracelets. Here is the one I used for the chevron design by Clairebellemakes. Once you have your friendship bracelet made, this is what you will need:

2 Ribbon Crimp Ends 10 x 5 mm in gold. (I found mine here.)
3 Gold Jump Rings (You can get these at Michaels.)
6 Dome Nail heads/ 4 Prong (I found mine here at Mjtrim.com. You could also use the other sizes for variety.
1 Lobster Clasp

Step 1: Start by cutting the two ends of the friendship bracelet off with a pair of scissors.

Step 2: Slip the ribbon crimp end onto the end of the friendship bracelet. Clamp the two crimp ends closed with needle nose pliers. You can also cover the crimp end with a piece of fabric to avoid marking it up while you use the pliers to clamp it closed.

Here is the bracelet with the two crimp ends attached.

Step: 3 Place the dome nail heads/studs into the bracelet. Do not attach. This will help ensure proper spacing of the nail heads on the friendship bracelet. Flip the bracelet over very carefully. Attach the nail heads using needle nose pliers. Make sure each prong hooks through the friendship bracelet as you are securing the nail head.

Step: 4 Open the jump rings. Attach two jump rings to one end of the friendship bracelet.

Step: 5 Attach one jump ring to the ribbon clasp. Attach the lobster clasp to the jump ring and close.

There you have it! A clean finished look to the friendship bracelet. Now you don’t have to wear the friendship bracelet until it falls off because it now has clasps. It also now has a modern and updated look that is so easy for anyone to make. You should try making them again because they are just as addicting as before. Enjoy!

30 Summer Lemonade Recipes

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I LOVE summer time and lemonade! I think I have been craving it recently or maybe I’m just secretly really looking forward to summer. Summer is the perfect time for lots of lemonade. So, I’ve rounded up all sorts of lemonade recipes and variations to try throughout the summer.

Blackberry Lemonade Recipe By: Pastry Affair
Blueberry Hard Lemonade Recipe By: Some Drink Recipes
Mango Lemonade By: Plateful
Watermelon-Berry By: Recipe.com
Strawberry Lemonade By: Italian Dessert Recipes
Sparkling Cherry Lemonade By: A Handcrafted Home
Raspberry Lemonade By: How To Nest For Less
Fizzy Kiwi Lemonade By: Better Homes and Gardens
Plum Lemonade By: Chef In You
Lavender Lemonade By: One Kings Lane
Sparkling Apple Lemonade By: Plateful
Sunny Orange Lemonade By: Stockpiling Moms
Blood Orange Lemonade By: Food Network
Strawberry Ginger Lemonade By: Catch My Party
Strawberry Basil Lemonade By: Kitchen Meets Girl
Homemade Lemonade By: The Idea Room
Another Homemade Lemonade Recipe By: Adventures of a Clay Ball
Peach Lemonade By: Drinked In
Starbucks Passion Fruit Tea Lemonade By: Sohl Design
Raspberry Vanilla Lemonade By: Always Order Dessert
Sparkling Berry Lemonade By: Midwest Living
Rhubarb-Strawberry Lemonade By: Green Kitchen Stories
Blueberry Lemonade By: Kitchen Treaty
Pomegranate Lemonade Spritzers By: Sarcastic Cooking
Raspberry and Lemonade Slushies By: Make It and Love It
Chick-Fil-A Copycat Lemonade By: Cherrios and Lattes
Melon Berry Lemonade By: Baking with Blondie
Olive Garden Limoncello Lemonade By: Tastebook
Iced Strawberry Lemonade By: Babble
Roasted Peach Lemonade By: The Nap Time Chef

Hope you have enjoyed viewing all of these. I can’t wait to try some for the summer. They all look so great!

What’s New In The Classroom?

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I just had to share these projects with you. My students are currently wrapping up a project on tiki masks. We were able to collect 37 palm fronds for my 7th and 8th grade Advanced Art class to make this wonderful project. It took a lot of time to collect them, but it was truly worth it. Here’s a look at just a handful of the masks and what a great job my students did.

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4.)

5.)6.)

7.)

Hope you enjoyed these masks projects! I just love how they are all different and so unique. I saved an extra palm frond for myself because the student’s inspired me so much that I wanted to make my own. Hopefully, I will get a chance to work on mine soon.

My Award!

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I don’t normally do posts about myself, but this was a big night for me. I received the Outstanding Arts Educator Award for 2013. It was held at the Segerstrom Center For the Arts in Costa Mesa which is just beautiful. It was a great honor to be up there with other fellow Art and Music Educators from all around Orange County.

This is leading up to the Segerstrom Center for the Arts. I had to stop and get my picture by the Henry Moore sculpture. I’m a die hard art fan!

Here I am getting my award. It’s hard to put in to words. I’ve taught for 16.3 years. Teaching has been an integral part of who I am and what makes me, me. Over the years, there have been countless hours devoted to making my art program memorable, relevant, and important for all my students. There have been times of celebration throughout the years and many tears as well, but overall I have loved teaching.

This is my school family as I call them. There are my extended family too. With all of my family being in different states, they have truly been like family. I want to thank all of them for coming to support me and attending this very special event.

This was a picture of the Concert Hall as we were leaving. It’s just beautiful. Of course, of all nights, this was the night I left my camera at home and had to use my phone. Not the best picture, but it will have to do.

This is the Segerstrom Hall for the theater productions. This beautiful architecture is breathtaking, and just a wonderful facility that helps support the arts and the education of the arts.It was all wonderful!

This has been a very busy beginning to the week. That is why there was no post yesterday. I hope you enjoyed the pictures. I usually shy away from pictures of myself on my blog. If you are a regular follower, you can probably tell.

10 Cute Summer Hat Tutorials

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Here’s a list of 10 tutorials or patterns to make super cute summer hats. My daughters have such fair skin that the need all the protection they can get and I do too. So, I rounded up some wonderful hat tutorials for for adults and children to help you to prepare for those hot summer days.

1.) This is a cute Reversible Bucket Hat by Oliver + S Little Things To Sew. This pattern is available as a free download.

2.) This is another tutorial for a reversible hat that includes adult sizes too, by Martha Stewart.

3.) A great hat made by Elizabeth Abernathy that is from a vintage dishtowel.

4.) A 4-in-1 Bucket Hat by So Much Ado featured here. So cute!

5.) I love this DIY Sun Hat Dulce Taylor. I have to make this one for myself.

6.) This another great one for a Scalloped Hat Tutorial by verypurpleperson on Grosgrain Fabulous.

7.) This tutorial is for a hat made out of a thrifted t-shirt from Delia Creates. So many possibilities with this tutorial.

8.) Cute reversible denim hat that is made out of an old pair of jeans by Kitsch Bitsch.

9.) Here’s another great way to use old t-shirts with the Upcycled Bucket Hat by Twin Dragonfly Designs.

10.) I love this classic look by BurdaStyle. You can download the pattern.

I Hope you enjoyed the roundup. I don’t know about you by I can’t wait to try some of these out!

Turquoise Sunburst Earrings

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I made another pair of earrings today that I wanted to share with you. They are quick and simple. They took about 10 minutes to make. The hardest part was deciding which beads to use for the actual earrings.

Here’s what you need:

2 Czech Polished Beads in Turquoise
4mm Swarovski Clear Beads
4 Silver Findings
2 Head Pins (I used the ones with a little bead at the bottom.)
2 Earring Wires
Round Needle Nose Pliers
Wire Cutters

Step 1:

Start by threading the beads on to the headpin. Create you pattern.

Step 2:

Bend the headpin wire to a 90 degree angle.

Step 3:

Take the round needle nose pliers and bend the forward and wrap it around creating the loop as seen up above.

Step 4:

Taking two round nose pliers, hold the loop of the earring with one set of pliers and use the other ones to wrap the wire around for two to three times. Trim off excess wire with a pair of wire cutters. Squeeze the end of the wire to incorporate into the rest of the wire wrapping.

Step 5:

Open the ear wire and attach it to the rest of the earring. Close the loop.

There you have it. A great pair of earrings in just minutes!

Ultimate Cookie Challenge

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Have you made a batch of chocolate chip cookies and been totally frustrated because they don’t turn out? I’ve done this more than one time. I put all the effort and time into making cookies and something crazy happens to the them. Being a teacher, I also have to take something for pot luck lunches or birthday celebrations and I hate looking like I can’t bake. So, I decided to have a cookie challenge in my house to see which chocolate chip cookie recipe is best. I had the official blind taste test,and no one in my house minded… They thought it was my best idea yet! Please know this is not a paid sponsored post. My views are completely my own… and my family’s .

Here are the two contenders:

Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe vs. Williams-Sonoma Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Here is the first cookie I will introduce to you:

Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie:

This cookie has been a tried and true staple since I was a little girl. As most of you know, sometimes they come out and sometime they don’t. For both batches I made sure everything was exactly as they called for in the recipe. Eggs were room temperature. Butter was softened and I even checked the baking soda to make sure it was fresh.

Here’s what I noticed with this recipe. The dough seems to be much softer and seems to have a grainy texture because of the sugar. It is difficult to form the dough into balls. While baking, these cookies seems to spread out more, and upon letting them cool on the rack, the middles tend to sink. They never quite cook completely in the middles.If I leave them cook longer the bottoms tend to overcook and turn too dark.

William-Sonoma Chocolate Chip Cookie:

This cookie has been a recent addition to the family recipe book. Like I said before, I made sure everything was done correctly per the recipe ie: for the eggs, butter, etc.

I have noticed with this recipe that the dough is a much fluffier and dough like. This dough retains it shape making it very easy to shape and mold into balls. You do bake these cookies a little longer at a lower temperature, and these cookies do not spread out nearly as much. When cooling them on the rack, no sinking occurred.

Side By Side Comparison:

Toll House cookie on the left and William-Sonoma cookie on the right.

Taste Comparison:

The Toll House cookie is definitely a sweeter cookie. The recipe calls for more chocolate chips than the Williams-Sonoma recipe. Toll House is also very chewy. For me, the middle of the Toll House cookie never seems to be quite done. Like I said before, if I let them go a little longer in the oven, they get way too brown.

The Williams-Sonoma cookie on the other hand has a great texture to it. This is a very even and consistent dough and bakes up the same way too. This cookie reminds me of a great bakery cookie with the taste and all. This cookie isn’t too sweet either. It has just the right amount of chocolate chips in it.

Both my husband and I agreed that the Williams-Sonoma chocolate chip cookie was by far the better tasting and better looking cookie. My kids on the other hand cannot be included in this challenge because they are far to biased to any chocolate chip cookie that comes within their grasp. Needless to say, they liked them both.

I just wanted to pass on the Williams-Sonoma recipe for you because they don’t have this one online. I actually got this recipe when it was included in a pan we had purchased from them.

Williams-Sonoma Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

2 1/4 C. All Purpose Flour
3/4 tsp. Salt
3/4 tsp. Baking Soda
14 Tbs. Unsalted Butter
1 1/2 C. Firmly Packed Dark Brown Sugar (I did use regular brown sugar.)
1/4 C Granulated Sugar
2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 Whole Egg Plus 1 Egg Yolk
12 oz. Chocolate Chunks (I used regular chocolate chips.)

All ingredients need be at room temperature. Use a medium bowl and whisk together flour, salt and baking soda.

In a mixer beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium speed till light and fluffy for 3 to 4 minutes. Add vanilla, whole egg, and egg yolk. Beat this until incorporated. About 1 minute. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture till just mixed about 1 minute. Stir in chunks.

Makes 24 balls. Bake on parchment paper. 16 to 18 minutes at 350 degrees.

Enjoy! This has been a fun challenge and I will from now on be making the Williams-Sonoma cookie in my house. You should give it a try. They are wonderful!

Mediterranean Layered Dip

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This is a wonderful new dip that my girl friend recently made and she gave me the recipe. It’s very simple to make and a crowd pleaser, which are both pluses in my book. If you like hummus and are looking for an easy party appetizer to take to a party, you must try this out because it’s so yummy.

Here’s what you need:

1 Large Economy Size Container of Fire Roasted Hummus (Or you can use any type that you like. You can purchase the very large sizes at Costco/Sam’s Club. If you don’t have either of these you can buy 2 to 3 containers of humus.)
1/2 of a Large Cucumber
1 Large Can of Sliced Olives
1/2 to 3/4 of a Container of Feta
1/2 of Bag of the Sliced Sun Dried Tomatoes (With the sundried tomatoes you can use the ones that are in a jar which have a sweeter taste. Drain the liquid. If you don’t like the sundried tomatoes, use the red roasted peppers in a jar. Sliced the roasted pepper a couple of times so they are a little smaller.)

Start by spreading the humus on a large plate. Sliced up the cucumber and layer on top of the humus. Layer the olives on next. Put as many on that you want or as few as you want. Put the sundried tomatoes/red roasted peppers. Sprinkle the feta cheese and serve with pita chips.

Here are the pita chips I purchased for the dip! They were perfect!

*A couple things you could possibly add to to this dip. You can add fresh chopped spinach, chopped green onions, and artichoke heart. If you also like the taste of Kalmata olives, those could be substituted for the black olives.

This recipe has lots of options for variations. It’s great and I hope you enjoy it!

30 Prom Hairstyles

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This post is for my friends daughter who is getting ready to go to prom. I know young ladies are looking for the latest in hair styles, especially for a big event like prom. So, for all of you out there who are getting ready for this big event, I hope you find a great hair style and have a wonderful time!

1.) This is a beautiful hair style that is listed as a bridal hairstyle, but, this would be perfect for prom too. At Long Hair Style How To’s.

2.) A half up and half down hairstyle featured by Style Craze.

3.) A waterfall braid with a soft wave hair style from Long Hair Style How To’s

4.) Braids and a messy bun for a stunning look by Your Hair Style Ideas.

5.) A side French braid with a messy bun by The Beauty Thesis.

6.) A pretty and simple bun by Style Me Pretty.

7.) A beautiful take on a Dutch braid using a fish tail braid instead.

8.) A beautiful updo with criss cross pieces and pinned curls by Project Wedding.

8.) A simple chignon that is very soft looking by Hair and Make-Up By Steph.

9.) A great updo called a conch shell braid by Modern Salon.

10.) A half up and half down hair style with a beautiful clip by Petals By Xavi.

11.) Love the modern messy hair style with the braids and the head band by Fashion Gone Rogue.

12.) The dramatic bun for a sleek, polished look by Bridal Musings.

13.) A great updo if you have bangs with the braided crown by Kirsty.

14.) The princess braid updo by Ebeauty Blog. This site also has a lot of other hair styles that you may want to check out as well.

15.) The low ponytail style with a wave is a real show stopper by Long Hair Styles How To’s.

16.) Here’s a great updo with a cascading ponytail by Hair and Makeup by Steph.

17.) The half up and half down with beautiful curls by Zaphron Prom. This site also has lots of videos that show you how to do the hairstyles as well, if your good with your own hair.

18.) A pretty updo by Styles New.

19.) A gorgeous side bun by XC Sunny Hair.

20.) I love the beautiful soft waves by For Your Happily Ever After.

21.) Another beautiful updo with rhinestone pins by Zimbio.

22.) Great updo with side curly tendril by Zimbio.

23.) Curly updo with two side tendrils by Wedding Cakes.

24.) Beautiful side bun by Wedding Cakes.

25.) Here’s a very fancy bun that incorporates pinned curls, braids, rhinestones, and a clip in the front by Zimbio.

25.) A French twist hairstyle with rhinestones and flowers by Hair Cut Style.

26.) Another side bun with a variation of a French braid. So pretty and unique by Elleuk.

27.) Can’t forget the classic high ponytail with waves by Liz Fields.

28.) I love this high messy bun with the bows by Everything Fab.

29.) Beautiful updo with a reverse French braid or Dutch braid by Chelsea Belle Bryant.

30.) A twist on the classic Chignon by Bridal Musings.

I hope ladies you have found some great hair styles for prom ! I tried to make sure that all of the images were linked to sites that had additional hairstyles or were at least linked to a site instead of just a picture. I also wanted you to be able to view as many hair styles at once without going to to many sites and having to take too much time because I know you have a lot to do before your big night!

artzycreations.com

A website on how to do it yourself for sewing, jewelry making, nearly any craft, kids art lessons, yummy recipes and just life in general

10 Beautiful Hair Bun Tutorials

Studded Friendship Bracelet

30 Summer Lemonade Recipes

What’s New In The Classroom?

My Award!

10 Cute Summer Hat Tutorials

Turquoise Sunburst Earrings

Mediterranean Layered Dip

30 Prom Hairstyles

Enjoy!