a few from our fourth

I didn't have my camera out all day so these are just a smattering of moments from our time with family and friends but there was lots of laughter and food and fireworks and fun to make up a spectacular Fourth of July! I love when I get a free moment to look at and work on photos because it just makes it easy to feel so blessed even when life is full to the brim. We have had a wonderfully busy start to our summer - hoping to pop in here more often with much to share!! Hope you had a wonderful holiday weekend if you're here in the states...and happy Monday to you too!

make something monday :: chocolate covered cherry bombs

Over the Fourth of July the boys and I came up with these "cherry bombs" cleverly named for the holiday and the smoke bombs Dad was playing with. We wanted something fun, festive and easy and dairy and egg free to share at the BBQ. I realize that chocolate covered cherries is not a new idea and it doesn't really take rocket science to figure out how to achieve this yummy treat but I have made them a few times since and feel like I need to celebrate even the most simple creative moments during this crazy season I am in. They always turn out so cute and are perfect to make with the kids so I thought I would share with you a few little tips to make these cuties.

First of all you don't need anything fancy. Just cherries, chocolate chips and sprinkles. We have tried out a few different kinds of sprinkles and decided that the ones up top, the tiny little round balls look the best but these ones here taste better...not so crunchy.

All you really need to do is wash and dry the cherries and melt about half a bag of the chips in a double boiler over low on the stove. A little chocolate goes a long way with these but you will need a lot of sprinkles so make sure to buy extra of those.

Line a baking sheet with parchment and then get to work dipping the cherries into the warm chocolate and then immediately into the sprinkles. I dip all the cherries with the stems and set aside the ones without to roll in the extra chocolate at the end. Those end up in a separate parchment lined dish as the reject bin...the best ones right :).

Pop them in the fridge for a bit to set up and then share at your next party. They look super cute on top of a sundae as well!

Hope you all have a wonderful Monday!

thursday :: through my lens

{a few captures from our fourth}

4th of July!

{paint chip banner project HERE}

Happy Fourth of July to all of you stateside, may your festivities today be fun, safe and sparkly! We have had five bags of fireworks sitting on our dining table for about a week now and I know at least three boys here super excited to get the party started!!

make something monday :: a presto chango t-shirt

I picked up this plain navy blue t-shirt the other day at the thrift mainly because I knew the cut would be comfortable and accommodating for nursing. It was only a couple of bucks and I figured I would get a least a little use out of it. I decided though after washing it that it might be fun to give it a festive update for this weeks Fourth of July holiday so I whipped up a few fabric covered buttons and got out some old vintage trim and glue.

It was super fast and easy and I didn't even break out my sewing machine or anything. I just replaced the original buttons with the ones I made and went around the top of the shirt with some fabritac and glued down the trim.

Nothing too fancy but for a couple of bucks I thought it turned out pretty cute!

I am really looking forward to the week ahead the summer feels like it is in full swing and I am excited about celebrating at our Aunts annual BBQ on the lake! Do you have big plans for the holiday this week?? Hope you all have a wonderful Monday!

ps. you can check out what I made for the fourth last year HERE!