Happy #NationalPuppyDay to these two. I used to ca Happy #NationalPuppyDay to these two. I used to call Clifford an asshat, because he basically was. But there’s a new asshat in town… 🙄 Clifford is now a freaking rockstar. His tumor and age have slowed him down a LOT and he virtually never misbehaves, and we are seriously so proud of him. Lola, on the other hand, is still full blown PUPPY. Tonight I’m assembling a gate to replace the wooden one she ate through. 😂 Berners love wood and she is OBSESSED with being in the kitchen. So one new metal gate coming right up as soon as I can figure out how to put it together.
Last week when I met the owners of the new French Last week when I met the owners of the new French bakery in town, I told them how happy I was that they were opening … because now I had an endless source for gifts for my mom’s future birthdays and Christmases. She was born in Paris and we’ve grown up with a healthy appreciation for French things … starting with their pastries and baguettes, but so much more. My daughter took her first trip to Paris last year and thoroughly enjoyed the croissants there and she deemed the ones at @chocolatinenj just as perfect. No surprise there since the owner is a French pastry chef! If you’re local and haven’t been, do make a point to stop in and visit. They’re open Wednesday through Sunday and have a wide selection of sweet and savory items and a few French retail selections as well. We’ve tried the macarons, the Croque Monsieur, the croissants, the tomato tarts, the baguette … basically we’re working our way through their display case in due time. Don’t miss this one - enjoy!
People complain about how much time is spent on ph People complain about how much time is spent on phones sometimes, but if it wasn’t for phones. I wouldn’t have these awesome little snippets of them growing up. I only wish I had more. Appreciate and document the little mundane things, for they are the very fabric of your life.
happy Spring, friends! Y’all know how long I’v happy Spring, friends! Y’all know how long I’ve been waiting for the seasons to change and I’m so excited that Mother Nature was on board today! ☀️ There is nothing like the energy from the sun and it makes me happy. Hope you got some today!
Weekend photos in review, old school style. Contex Weekend photos in review, old school style. Context: 1) saying goodbye until Easter, 2) sending him back with good bagels, 3) sunlight charging station, 4) the sun was out all day yesterday and it was glorious, 5) hitting the farmers market for my favorite garlic butter, 6) make a wish, 7) sun patterns, and 8) my sous chef
I don’t eat French fries often, but when I do, I I don’t eat French fries often, but when I do, I’m going to make it count. Doo Wop Eats opened a few months ago in downtown Denville and their fries are LEGIT. They are hand cut and taste the way fries should … like potatoes! I add a sprinkle of salt and dunk them in a side of their special sauce and they are pure perfection. You can order a small bucket or a large one (better for sharing!), or as a side item with one of their other delicious menu items like their cheeseburgers, fried chicken sandwiches or cheesesteak. I do believe they’re the best fries in town. I said what I said. Doo Wop’s menu celebrates all your favorite Jersey shore boardwalk treats, including Fried Oreos, clam strips and milk shakes and has a fun vibe for kids and families. 😍
The Grinder Salad, a recipe I found on tiktok that The Grinder Salad, a recipe I found on tiktok that takes all of your favorite ingredients from a grinder (or sub) sandwich and makes it into a delicious chopped salad. It’s as easy as putting everything in a bowl and chopping it up. Perfect for busy days and lazy nights, light meals and warm weather choices. Ingredient list below. Enjoy!

One bag or arugula
One container of cherry tomatoes 
Quarter pound of hard salami
8 Oz of fresh mozzarella
One small red onion
1/3 cup banana peppers 
Handful of fresh basil
Half cup Italian salad dressing
3 T Kewpie mayo
2 T red wine vinegar 
Sea salt and black pepper

Chop it all up, add a half box of ditalini pasta, cooked. Mix to combine.

Recipe from GrilledCheeseSocial.
We had a fun little board party this week and the We had a fun little board party this week and the delicious whipped Brie I shared earlier was front and center. If you haven’t heard of board parties, it’s when every guest makes a different type of food board and brings it - so much fun noshing ensues! With toasted baguette slices, cornichons and local honey, this was mostly a French-inspired board. So simple to pull together and totally my kind of meal.
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Sweetnicks

Food and Life

Craft Time: Crayola Art Project

September 6, 2011 · Craft Ideas

Crayola Art 101
This is how we spent the Friday before Hurricane Irene. Making art work. Less than ten dollars of supplies and inspiration from Pinterest, this is a reasonably kid-friendly craft that I love because a) it has the rainbow and b) you can totally customize it to use whatever colors you want. You can coordinate it to match your kids’ rooms, or a specific theme, or do a rainbow like ours. Get creative!

Supplies
With school supplies on sale, this is the perfect time of year to make this art. You will need a canvas, boxes of crayons, glue and a hair dryer. The canvas was 40% off at Michael’s for a two-pack, the crayons were 40 cents a box (I ended up using four) and the glue was $4. My grand total was $9.60 for individualized art that we could do together as a family. Which you all know is priceless, baby, priceless.

I opened up all the boxes of crayons and removed all the whites, browns, blacks, pinks, aquas and any other non-rainbow colors. Then I arranged them neatly across the top of the canvas in ROY G. BIV order, making sure the Crayola label was front and center for all of them.
Arrange by Color

Like So

Madeline helped by arranging crayons on her coloring book.
Madeline's Turn

Like so. She is not the OCD member of the family.
Madeline - Like So

She also helped me by grouping colors together.
Purples

Man, I love crayons. Especially Crayola crayons.  And crayon art even more.

Row

Green Row

Orange and Yellow

Purple Row

Oranges and Yellows

Mystic and Nick helped with the heating and holding.
Helping Hands

Oh wait. Forgot to tell you. Once you have the crayons arranged in the color order you want, glue them securely to the top of your canvas, from left to right.

Starting to Melt

Then start to heat them with a blow-dryer. I did it from the front. Mystic sometimes heated it from the back of the canvas. Either way works.

Applying Heat

I love this project because you can totally mess with the outcome. If you want more white space, stop when the wax is halfway down. If you want it more full (as we did), then keep on going. Don’t like how a drip fell? Heat that section back up and get the wax moving again.

Halfway Through

Our finished product:
Crayola Art 101

Go Crayola! Go us! Go Pinterest!

PS – Want more fun craft ideas?  Check out my Crafts board on Pinterest right here.  If you’re hooked on Pinterest, but haven’t signed up yet, you need to be invited to do so.  Drop me a line at cate AT sweetnicks DOT com and I’ll hook you up.

PPS – Although I’m a touch late, this totally qualifies as my entry in the recent Pinterest challenge.

September 6, 2011 – Bonus Photos
First Day of 4th Grade
First day of fourth grade. Fourth grade is apparently heaps tougher than we thought. He came home, had a snack, watched a few minutes of tv, complained of a headache and slept for two and a half hours. Re-entry is hard, folks.

First Day September 2011

From Sophie
Madeline and I hung out with my nieces on Friday night, and this was a present from Sophie, the oldest. My first piece of art work from my niece! I cleared our art gallery (ready to hang new school projects) and Sophie’s princess doll is proudly the first piece hung. Unfortunately, the next day, Sophie had an accident at a local playground and shattered her elbow. She was in surgery on Sunday and is now mending at home. It will be another week before she can get the cast put on, and this is an awful lot for an almost-four-year-old to handle. It’s a lot for anyone to handle. So please keep her in your thoughts for a superfast recovery. Much appreciated, Sweetnickers.

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Posted In: Craft Ideas · Tagged: art, craft, craft time, Crayola, Pinterest challenge

Comments

  1. Joanne says

    September 7, 2011 at 6:27 am

    I’m glad to see I’m not the only one who organized all of my Crayolas by color. It irritated me to no end that the box came all mixed up. Would it be weird or immature if I got my friends together to do this?

    Poor Sophie! Thankfully, four year old bones heal EXTREMELY quickly. It would be way worse if this had happened when she was older. As is…in a few months she’ll barely remember that it happened.

    Reply
    • Cate says

      September 7, 2011 at 9:17 pm

      I think it sounds like an awesome excuse for a get-together!

      Reply
  2. Patsy says

    September 7, 2011 at 8:04 am

    Love that project! I also think it’s funny that my boys have the EXACT same lunch box… guessing that you got it at Costco, like us? :)

    School starts for us tomorrow… I know re-entry is going to be tough for them since they have been with their grandparents the last couple of nights… going to bed on time will not be easy tonight!

    Reply
    • Cate says

      September 7, 2011 at 9:17 pm

      Yup, Costco. Splurged for a rough-and-tumble one in the hopes that it would last the year. Unfortunately, as you saw on Twitter, it didn’t even last the morning… Some things never change.

      Reply
  3. Betsy says

    September 7, 2011 at 2:15 pm

    Cool looking bag that Nick is carrying in his hand. That’s for ???

    My first day of first grade, I came home, went right to sleep, and I think I didn’t wake up until the next morning. I was wiped.

    Can’t believe your son is already in 4th grade.

    Reply
    • Cate says

      September 7, 2011 at 9:16 pm

      Betsy – That’s his lunchbox. And that picture yesterday am was the last we’ve seen of it because he managed to lose it before am snack. Color me not happy.

      Reply
  4. Meg says

    September 8, 2011 at 3:36 pm

    Love the Crayola artwork — so cool and creative! Mine would have to be mostly reds and pinks, because that’s how I roll, but I love the rainbow.

    Reply

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Happy #NationalPuppyDay to these two. I used to ca Happy #NationalPuppyDay to these two. I used to call Clifford an asshat, because he basically was. But there’s a new asshat in town… 🙄 Clifford is now a freaking rockstar. His tumor and age have slowed him down a LOT and he virtually never misbehaves, and we are seriously so proud of him. Lola, on the other hand, is still full blown PUPPY. Tonight I’m assembling a gate to replace the wooden one she ate through. 😂 Berners love wood and she is OBSESSED with being in the kitchen. So one new metal gate coming right up as soon as I can figure out how to put it together.
Last week when I met the owners of the new French Last week when I met the owners of the new French bakery in town, I told them how happy I was that they were opening … because now I had an endless source for gifts for my mom’s future birthdays and Christmases. She was born in Paris and we’ve grown up with a healthy appreciation for French things … starting with their pastries and baguettes, but so much more. My daughter took her first trip to Paris last year and thoroughly enjoyed the croissants there and she deemed the ones at @chocolatinenj just as perfect. No surprise there since the owner is a French pastry chef! If you’re local and haven’t been, do make a point to stop in and visit. They’re open Wednesday through Sunday and have a wide selection of sweet and savory items and a few French retail selections as well. We’ve tried the macarons, the Croque Monsieur, the croissants, the tomato tarts, the baguette … basically we’re working our way through their display case in due time. Don’t miss this one - enjoy!
People complain about how much time is spent on ph People complain about how much time is spent on phones sometimes, but if it wasn’t for phones. I wouldn’t have these awesome little snippets of them growing up. I only wish I had more. Appreciate and document the little mundane things, for they are the very fabric of your life.
happy Spring, friends! Y’all know how long I’v happy Spring, friends! Y’all know how long I’ve been waiting for the seasons to change and I’m so excited that Mother Nature was on board today! ☀️ There is nothing like the energy from the sun and it makes me happy. Hope you got some today!

Pinterest

Happy #NationalPuppyDay to these two. I used to ca Happy #NationalPuppyDay to these two. I used to call Clifford an asshat, because he basically was. But there’s a new asshat in town… 🙄 Clifford is now a freaking rockstar. His tumor and age have slowed him down a LOT and he virtually never misbehaves, and we are seriously so proud of him. Lola, on the other hand, is still full blown PUPPY. Tonight I’m assembling a gate to replace the wooden one she ate through. 😂 Berners love wood and she is OBSESSED with being in the kitchen. So one new metal gate coming right up as soon as I can figure out how to put it together.
Last week when I met the owners of the new French Last week when I met the owners of the new French bakery in town, I told them how happy I was that they were opening … because now I had an endless source for gifts for my mom’s future birthdays and Christmases. She was born in Paris and we’ve grown up with a healthy appreciation for French things … starting with their pastries and baguettes, but so much more. My daughter took her first trip to Paris last year and thoroughly enjoyed the croissants there and she deemed the ones at @chocolatinenj just as perfect. No surprise there since the owner is a French pastry chef! If you’re local and haven’t been, do make a point to stop in and visit. They’re open Wednesday through Sunday and have a wide selection of sweet and savory items and a few French retail selections as well. We’ve tried the macarons, the Croque Monsieur, the croissants, the tomato tarts, the baguette … basically we’re working our way through their display case in due time. Don’t miss this one - enjoy!
People complain about how much time is spent on ph People complain about how much time is spent on phones sometimes, but if it wasn’t for phones. I wouldn’t have these awesome little snippets of them growing up. I only wish I had more. Appreciate and document the little mundane things, for they are the very fabric of your life.
happy Spring, friends! Y’all know how long I’v happy Spring, friends! Y’all know how long I’ve been waiting for the seasons to change and I’m so excited that Mother Nature was on board today! ☀️ There is nothing like the energy from the sun and it makes me happy. Hope you got some today!
Weekend photos in review, old school style. Contex Weekend photos in review, old school style. Context: 1) saying goodbye until Easter, 2) sending him back with good bagels, 3) sunlight charging station, 4) the sun was out all day yesterday and it was glorious, 5) hitting the farmers market for my favorite garlic butter, 6) make a wish, 7) sun patterns, and 8) my sous chef
I don’t eat French fries often, but when I do, I I don’t eat French fries often, but when I do, I’m going to make it count. Doo Wop Eats opened a few months ago in downtown Denville and their fries are LEGIT. They are hand cut and taste the way fries should … like potatoes! I add a sprinkle of salt and dunk them in a side of their special sauce and they are pure perfection. You can order a small bucket or a large one (better for sharing!), or as a side item with one of their other delicious menu items like their cheeseburgers, fried chicken sandwiches or cheesesteak. I do believe they’re the best fries in town. I said what I said. Doo Wop’s menu celebrates all your favorite Jersey shore boardwalk treats, including Fried Oreos, clam strips and milk shakes and has a fun vibe for kids and families. 😍
The Grinder Salad, a recipe I found on tiktok that The Grinder Salad, a recipe I found on tiktok that takes all of your favorite ingredients from a grinder (or sub) sandwich and makes it into a delicious chopped salad. It’s as easy as putting everything in a bowl and chopping it up. Perfect for busy days and lazy nights, light meals and warm weather choices. Ingredient list below. Enjoy!

One bag or arugula
One container of cherry tomatoes 
Quarter pound of hard salami
8 Oz of fresh mozzarella
One small red onion
1/3 cup banana peppers 
Handful of fresh basil
Half cup Italian salad dressing
3 T Kewpie mayo
2 T red wine vinegar 
Sea salt and black pepper

Chop it all up, add a half box of ditalini pasta, cooked. Mix to combine.

Recipe from GrilledCheeseSocial.
We had a fun little board party this week and the We had a fun little board party this week and the delicious whipped Brie I shared earlier was front and center. If you haven’t heard of board parties, it’s when every guest makes a different type of food board and brings it - so much fun noshing ensues! With toasted baguette slices, cornichons and local honey, this was mostly a French-inspired board. So simple to pull together and totally my kind of meal.

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