July 4th Decorations for Meals on Wheels

I made 50 of these little decorations for Meals on Wheels. They were actually fun to make and look so cheerful. I had everything I needed to make these fun ornaments in my craft cabinet. This project would look awesome made into a banner type project.

Supply List:

red, white and blue fabric 

red, white and blue felt

red, white and blue embroidery thread

red, white and blue buttons or beads

red, white and blue narrow ribbon

round cookie cutter

star cookie cutters

black pen

sharp fabric scissors

cotton batting, cotton balls


Directions:

Using the black pen trace two circles for each ornament onto a red, white or blue fabric or felt.

Start cutting the circles. The cutting is always my least favorite part of any project. I made 50 ornaments so I had to cut 100 circles.

Using the star cookie cutters trace 1 star for each ornament that you are making.

Sew a star on the front of each ornament with a simple running stitch.

I sewed a button in the middle of each star.

Cut a 6" piece of thin ribbon and sew the back to the front - sewing in the ribbon at the top in a loop. Before sewing the ornament all the way closed add some batting or a few jumbo cotton balls.

These ornaments would look cute on an indoor doorknob or on a bulletin board.

They look so cheerful! Have a wonderful July 4th!

Shortbread Cookies with Miniature Chocolate Chips

Shortbread cookies are super simple to make and you just need 5 ingredients.

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, room temperature

2/3 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

2/3 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:

Beat butter and powdered sugar until it is light and fluffy. Stir in vanilla.

Add in the flour and stir in until it is combined. Fold in the mini chocolate chips.

I used a green bowl and green spatula. I apologize for the blah picture.

Transfer the dough to a gallon sized zipper top bag. Use a rolling pin and roll the dough to 1/4 thick. Refrigerate the dough for 1 to 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Cut the dough into squares or rectangles. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. 

Once the cookies have cooled  they can be dipped into some melted chocolate and placed on some parchment paper to harden.

These cookies would be an awesome addition to an afternoon tea. 

Baked Zucchini Sticks

These zucchini sticks are super healthy because they are baked instead of fried.

Ingredients:

3 zucchini

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 cup panko crumbs

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat a cooling rack with non-stick spray and place on a baking sheet and set aside.

Combine the parmesan cheese, panko, oregano, salt and pepper.

Cut the zucchini into strips. I use this Veggie Wedgie to make perfect strips. I bought it at Bed, Bath and Beyond. 

The Veggie Wedgie makes perfect strips in seconds.

Put the zucchini strips in a bowl. Drizzle in the olive oil and toss. Then add the parmesan cheese mixture and toss to combine. Place the zucchini strips on the prepared baking sheet.

Baked for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce. I made a quick honey mustard sauce. With honey, dijon mustard and mayonnaise.

Your family will love this healthy recipe!

Watermelon Bookmarks for Meals on Wheels

I  made 50 watermelon bookmarks for Meals on Wheels. It is a summer reading bookmark. This would be an awesome project for any charitable group to make for a retirement home or Meals on Wheels. Hosting a book drive to go along with the bookmarks would be a wonderful idea.

When I was in Junior League we often had book drives for underprivileged children. Book drives are so important. Many children in lower income households don't have access to books and can fall behind in reading. And it is so important for the elderly to keep their minds engaged.

Supply List:

red felt

green felt

black seed beads

tennis can lid

juice bottle lid

black pen

scissors

black embroidery thread

needle

black ribbon

I cut green felt circles with a tennis ball can lid and red circles with a lid from a bottle of orange juice.  Just find cookie cutters, jar lids or glasses that you can trace.

Cut the green circles in half.

Cut the red felt in half.

Make sure that the felt pieces look like a proportional watermelon.

Sew the black seed beads onto the felt pieces.

Then sew the red piece onto the green piece with black thread using a running stitch.

Cut the black ribbon into 10-inch pieces. 

Sew the ribbon onto the back of the watermelon using a small stitch on the green felt only.

It took along time to make 50 bookmarks. So I made a few extra for me!