sparkle|Sparkles and Sprinkles

DIY Stickers (plus Youtube tutorial)

by sparkle | Mar 8, 2022 | Craft Tutorials

Want to make your own stickers? Come watch our latest Youtube tutorial on how to make these fun and super easy DIY stickers! You can draw your own designs, or download our free pdf printable to get started.

(Please scroll down to get your free printable.)

Supplies: clear packing tape, scissors, paper (or our printable), non-stick parchment paper (the baking type), pen or pencil, and markers or colored pencils.

Watch our quick Youtube tutorial and have fun making your very own stickers!

Click on the image below to get your free pdf sticker printable.

Knit a doll hat! Yes you really CAN!

by sparkle | Mar 5, 2022 | Craft Tutorials

Does knitting a hat sound daunting? Normally it would have to us too… but not anymore! I don’t really know how to knit, but I have tried to teach myself at times and to teach my children. We have never gotten too far and have a number of half-knit projects in our knitting supply bin.

I was so delighted, though, this past month when my 7 year old daughter picked up a round knitting loom that we had in our bin and said she wanted to knit something. I happened to have the time to sit down with her and start knitting. She caught on really fast! It is so much easier than a pair of knitting needles!

The knitting looms (24 peg or 12 peg) we used came with directions. However, we found this tutorial from The Sweetest Journey to be very helpful to get started. We found chunky yarn worked well for this project and makes a nice cozy hat.

In this post we have measurement suggestions for you to make a baby doll hat and a hat for an American Girl size doll (or a larger baby doll). We have found that for younger children, or children with limited patience, starting with the smaller 12 peg loom project is better (it takes quite a bit less time, and children can quickly have the joy of completing a project!). We used a 12 peg loom for the hat that this sweet little baby doll is wearing.

To determine which loom size to use, you can measure the circumference of your doll’s head.

For an American Girl doll size (13 inch head circumference), we found a 24 peg round loom works well.

For a baby doll with a small head (10 inch circumference), we found a 12 peg loom works well.

This photo shows a 24 peg loom for American Girl doll size hat, and a 12 peg loom for small baby doll size hat.

After knitting a number of rows, you can periodically check the length of your knitting. Before taking the knitting off the loom, it should be 5 to 6 inches in length for American Girl doll size (or about 4 to 5 inches in length for small baby doll size). If you want to be able to roll the hat up at the bottom, choose the longer measurements (we chose the shorter measurements for the hats pictured here). Be sure to follow the directions in the tutorial suggested above on how to remove the knitting from the loom and secure the top of the hat.

You can add a pom pom to your hat once the hat is removed from the loom. You can find our easy DIY pom pom tutorial by clicking on the pom pom image above.

We suggest the following loom options (these also come with a knitting tool for taking the yarn over the pegs and a large yarn needle for finishing the hat):

12 peg Boye round loom (for a small doll)
24 peg Boye round loom (for a larger doll)
Boye round loom set (smallest loom is 24 peg, and the larger ones can be used to make hats for children and adults)

We think chunky yarn is nice for these hats. We used Bernat Softee Chunky for the hats pictured here. It comes in a nice variety of colors.

We found the tutorial at The Sweetest Journey to clearly show how to make a hat. You can find that tutorial by clicking here.

You will also need a pair of scissors to complete this project.

We’ve become big fans of Lita Judge books ever since taking a writers workshop class she led through Read Aloud Revival. We love how she described that writing and reading did not come easily to her as a child, but that did not stop her from becoming a great author and illustrator! When we read Red Hat the other day, we could not resist adding it to our doll hat knitting post.

Red Hat is probably even more meaningful and fun to read if read after reading Red Sled. It seems to take place in the spring, following the winter of Red Sled.

Both of these books are great for young children and/or children who may struggle to read. There are very few words, and a lot of room for imagination! Our 7 year old daughter even found a sweet lesson in the book: Don’t get discouraged if something upsetting happens, you can probably fix the problem and make things better.

Wishing you and your children a peaceful knitting time together! Enjoy!

Note: Some links on this page are Amazon Affiliate links. Sparkles and Sprinkles is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Other links may or may not be affiliate links. We provide links because we have found these products or services beneficial, and we think you might too.

Microwave mug muffins! Super easy to make!

by sparkle | Feb 26, 2022 | Breakfast Recipes, Snack and Dessert Recipes

This recipe could be called, “Where there is a will, there is a way mug muffins” or “Necessity is the mother of invention cake.” But those names are quite a mouthful! Eating gluten-free and low sugar often means that good packaged foods are either hard to come by or quite expensive. Since our daughters often can’t grab something packaged when they are looking for a snack, they made up this mug cake all on their own, and they love it!

It’s really something a child as young as 5 could make without any help (or maybe just a little guidance). There are no eggs to crack and no oven to preheat. Simply mix the ingredients together and pop the mug in the microwave for a minute or two. Let it cool for a few minutes, and enjoy! Yum!

We recommend using a porcelain mug or dish. Porcelain tends to allow the heat to go directly to the food, whereas a stoneware mug can absorb more of the heat from the microwave (leading to longer cooking times) and become very hot to the touch.

One of our daughters likes to sweeten hers with honey, and she calls it a “honey puff,” as it puffs up nicely when it cooks. Another daughter likes to add cocoa powder to hers for a brownie-style mug cake.

Do your children like to be creative in the kitchen?

Announcing our first ever

BAKING CONTEST!

(Yes, there will be prizes!)

Experiment with this recipe by adding new fun flavors (like cinnamon or almond extract) or ingredients (like berries or chocolate chips), then submit your recipe and photo of your mug cake for a chance to win a fun prize! Click here to find out more.

This mug cake recipe is really flexible. In fact, our girls had never really measured the ingredients before, so we had to backtrack and figure out what quantities of ingredients they were actually using. So if you think it needs a little more maple syrup for a sweeter taste, or a little less milk and a little more butter for a richer taste, go for it!

However, the key to making this work is using equal parts almond flour and light buckwheat flour. We decided to experiment for you to see if we could just use almond flour or use a combo of almond flour and coconut flour, and rather than forming a beautiful cake, the ingredients just exploded out of the cup (yikes!), so please use equal parts light buckwheat and almond flour when you make this mug cake.

You can find light buckwheat flour on Amazon or you can order it in bulk for a discounted price directly from Bouchard Family Farms. If you want to read the story of how we came to know and love buckwheat, click here. We have tried a variety of brands of almond flour, one we like is Anthony’s almond flour (but almond flour is pretty easy to find at most grocery stores too). And now… it’s time to make a yummy snack!

Let’s make a mug cake!

Gather your ingredients:

Butter
Almond flour
LIGHT Buckwheat flour
Baking powder
Vanilla extract
Greek yogurt
Almond milk
Sweeter of your choice (maple syrup, honey or sweet leaf)

Optional:

Cocoa powder
Other flavorings/additional ingredients of your choice

Gather your kitchen supplies:

1/2 tsp
1 Tbsp
1/4 cup
large spoon
microwave safe mug, bowl, or ramekin
butter knife
stirring spoon

Get ready for a yummy treat!

Step 1

Slice 1 Tbsp of butter (use the lines on the butter wrapper to help you).

Step 2

Place the butter in the mug.

Step 3

Place the mug in the microwave until the butter is melted (about 30 seconds).

Step 4

Take the mug with the melted butter out of the microwave and set it on the counter.

Step 5

Measure 2 Tablespoons of almond flour.

Step 6

Pour the 2 Tablespoons of almond flour into the mug.

Step 7

Measure 2 Tablespoons of light buckwheat flour.

Step 8

Pour the 2 Tablespoons of light buckwheat into the mug.

Step 9

Meaure 1/2 tsp baking powder and add it to the mug.

Step 10

Measure 1 Tbsp maple syrup and add it to the mug. (Or use a sweetener of your choice, such as 1 Tbsp honey or a packet of SweetLeaf.)

Step 11

Measure 1/2 tsp vanilla extract and add it to the mug.

Step 12

Measure 1/4 cup almond milk and add it to the mug.

Step 13

Pour the milk into the mug.

Step 14

Measure 1/4 cup Greek yogurt.

Step 15

Add the yogurt to the mug.

Step 16

Stir everything together until well combined. Make sure your mug is no more than 3/4 full – if necessary, transfer to a larger container.

Optional

Add flavoring of your choice (we used 1 Tbsp of cocoa powder for the mug cake pictured here) then stir again until well combined.

Step 17

Place the mug in the microwave. Microwave on high for 1 to 2 minutes.

Step 18

Check to see that the mug cake is nicely cooked (you might want to stick a spoon into it to see that it is well cooked to the bottom, if necessary, cook slightly longer).

Step 19

Remove the mug from the microwave, being careful as it may be hot to the touch (use a potholder if needed). Wait a few minutes for the mug cake to cool (it might be quite hot!). Then enjoy!

Do you and your budding baker like to read too? We invite you to check out these fun books with a baking theme:

We love the Sophie Mouse series! These are great as family read alouds with preschool and elementary age children, or for elementary age children to read on their own. We thought you and your budding bakers might especially enjoy this one: The Great Bake Off! Really, though, the whole Sophie Mouse series seems to mention scrumptious baking, as Sophie’s mom has a bakery. The illustrations are adorable, and the stories are so sweet!

Another fun book we think you might enjoy is Tomie de Paola’s Pascual and the Kitchen Angels. We just happened to spot this one at the library the other day. This story can be a good reminder that our guardian angels are always there to help us in the kitchen… whether we are a busy mama trying to get dinner on the table, or a budding baker trying to figure out a recipe for the first time. Such a sweet story to enjoy together!

Do you have time for a coloring page? Click on the image to download this free pdf. Our 10 year old loves to make coloring pages for her siblings, and now she makes them to share with you too! Thank you for coming to sparklesandsprinkles.blog today!

Note: Some links on this page are Amazon Affiliate links. Sparkles and Sprinkles is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Other links may or may not be affiliate links. We provide links because we have found these products or services beneficial, and we think you might too.

Saint Patrick’s Prayer Shamrock Garland or Wreath

by sparkle | Feb 25, 2022 | Craft Tutorials

I love the Saint Patrick’s prayer. It is such a beautiful reminder of how God’s love surrounds us!

Christ with me,

Christ before me,

Christ behind me,

Christ in me,

Christ beneath me,

Christ above me,

Christ on my right,

Christ on my left,

Christ when I lie down,

Christ when I sit down,

Christ when I arise,

Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,

Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,

Christ in every eye that sees me,

Christ in every ear that hears me.

To make this shamrock garland or wreath, you can cut out shamrock shapes and copy lines of the prayer onto each one. If you would like a printable version, please visit our Etsy shop. (Your purchase helps us to cover blogging expenses so that we can continue to bring you more fun craft and baking ideas. Thank you!)

Cut out shamrock shapes with a verse from the Saint Patrick’s Prayer on each one. (Our printable on Etsy has lines from the prayer on each shamrock, plus a page of blank shamrocks if you want to include some blank shamrocks or write your own words. The shamrocks are a pdf of a hand watercolored shamrock.)

We find chunky yarn or 1/4 inch wide ribbon works well for the garland. It fits well through a standard hole punch hole, and allows the shamrock pieces to stay in place in the way you would like them to be spread.

You can create a circle out of pieces of cardstock or cardboard or a paper plate, then glue on shamrock shapes for a pretty indoor wreath.

Garlands can be a nice way to decorate a window, a mantel or any wall space in your home. This garlands brings a bit of greenery to our windows, where the trees are still bare at this time of year.

Of course, our favorite part is making it our very own, with decorations done by the children. We find this can be a fun time to talk about the beauty of the prayer. We hope you and your family can enjoy making a Saint Patrick’s Prayer Shamrock Garland or Wreath to decorate your home this season! Enjoy!

Are you looking for more Saint Patrick’s Day fun? I love the way the CCC cartoon version of Saint Patrick’s life imagines how Saint Patrick first composed this prayer. It shows him as a newly captured slave tending the sheep. Imagine how lonely and scary that would feel! He shows his trust in God, etches a cross in a tree, and calmly says this prayer.

If you are looking for a fun activity for your family this Saint Patrick’s Day, you may want to check out this beautiful movie.

P.S. If you have a formed.org account, this movie is available for free. Many churches have an account for everyone in their parish to access Formed for free, but you can also get an individual subscription (the last we checked, there was a free trial option too).

HAPPY SAINT PATRICK’S DAY!

Note: Some links on this page are Amazon Affiliate links. Sparkles and Sprinkles is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Other links may or may not be affiliate links. We provide links because we have found these products or services beneficial, and we think you might too.

DIY Pom poms (plus Youtube tutorial)

by sparkle | Feb 21, 2022 | Craft Tutorials

It’s so easy to make a pom pom! Just grab a fork, a ball of yarn, and some scissors and come watch our Youtube tutorial.

We find that a regular dinner fork is good for making pom poms from thin yarn, while a serving fork works well for chunky yarn.

They can also be fun to play with for little children – throwing them in the air or rolling them (or blowing them with a straw) on the ground. Paper towel tubes (or tubes made out of rolled up paper) can be taped in different ways to the wall and pom poms can be dropped through them. It can be harder than you think to get them to land in the bowls!

Pom poms can be used to top off a knit hat (click here to learn how to make an adorable doll hat!). We used the 24 peg loom in the Boye Loom Set to make this doll hat.

Our girls like to make little pom pom critters too.

Check out our Youtube tutorial to learn how to make these easy pom poms, using just a fork and some yarn.

Looking for more ways to use your pom poms? Check out The Creative Hour blog with so many fun pom poms ideas!

What are some ways you might use pom poms? We would love to hear from you!

You can submit a comment in the comment form at the bottom of this page.

Note: Some links on this page are Amazon Affiliate links. Sparkles and Sprinkles is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Other links may or may not be affiliate links. We provide links because we have found these products or services beneficial, and we think you might too.

DIY Stickers (plus Youtube tutorial)

Knit a doll hat! Yes you really CAN!

For an American Girl doll size (13 inch head circumference), we found a 24 peg round loom works well.

For a baby doll with a small head (10 inch circumference), we found a 12 peg loom works well.

This photo shows a 24 peg loom for American Girl doll size hat, and a 12 peg loom for small baby doll size hat.

You can add a pom pom to your hat once the hat is removed from the loom. You can find our easy DIY pom pom tutorial by clicking on the pom pom image above.