Tennis Ball Sachets for a Charity Tennis Tournament

I made some tennis ball sachets - they are party favors for a charity tennis event.

Supply List:

lid from can of tennis balls

white pen

yellow felt

scissors

black embroidery thread

white embroidery thread

yellow embroidery thread

embroidery needle

sachet filler



Directions:

Trace the lid of a tennis ball can with a white pen onto the yellow felt and carefully cut out the circles.

On the front of the tennis ball - sew a white looped line in white and Penn in black thread.

Sew the front piece onto a yellow plain piece with yellow thread. Before sewing the tennis ball closed add some sachet filler. Then sew the tennis ball closed and tie off with a small knot.

I bought the sachet filler at Micheals. 

These tennis balls make great party favors. They can be kept in a tennis bag or a lingree drawer.

I placed them in cellophane bags and tied off with a black ribbon.

You could also make these sachets into baseballs with white felt and red thread or basketballs with orange felt and black thread. 

Tennis Anyone?

Madeleine Cookies

I have been watching the French Open although my two favorite players are not playing this year (Roger and Maria). However, in honor of the French Open I made some Madeleine cookies. I used Martha Stewarts recipe and they were surprisingly easy to make and I had all of the recipe items in my pantry and fridge.

Ingredients:

4 eggs

1/4 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup flour

14 cup butter, melted and cooled

confectioner's sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray the pans with a baking spray.

Beat the eggs, salt and sugar in your stand mixer on low for approximately 8 minutes. Add the vanilla. Stir in the flour and lastly add the cooled butter.

Fill each cavity with the batter and bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes.

Pop the Madelines out of the molds.

Sift some confectioners sugar over the Madeleines. The perfect snack to eat while watching the French Open! Bon Appetit!

Tennis Party Favors

I filled some little plastic containers with green and yellow m&m' With a plastic tennis ball hot glued onto the lid.

The tennis balls were actually cupcake picks.

I simply cut off the long pick.

I filled the little containers with yellow, green and white m&m's.

Last week I didn't make party favors for after the match - but this week I was feeling crafty.

Fruit Skewers For After the Tennis Match

I made two trays of fruit skewers for after the tennis match on Thursday.

The trays were garnished with a few sprigs of mint.

Quick tip - if you don't have time to cut a pineapple, watermelon and cantaloupe into cubes buy the precut fruit in the produce section. I know it is more expensive but often the convenience is worth it!

Mini Chicken Tarts for After the Tennis Match

I was unsure if we were going to have a tennis match yesterday morning. But we played - it was super windy. I organize the after team lunches for the Captain of the team. I said that I would bring mini chicken tarts. However, it was raining and super windy - so I decided to use my Whole Foods frozen phyllo cups and ran to Trader Joes before the match and bought some chicken salad.

I stock up on these mini shells. They are in the Frozen section at Whole Foods. They are so handy to have in your freezer. 

I picked up three different kinds of chicken salad at Trade Joes.

The curry chicken salad is garnished with rosemary, the wine country chicken salad is garnished with a pecan and the standard chicken salad is garnished with two chives. This took me about 10 minutes to make 36 mini tarts! 

It was super cold and windy during our tennis match! I am subbing for a team on Thursday and have a rain makeup on Friday - I have checked the weather and it should be a lot nicer toward the end of the week!

Watermelon, Feta and Fig Salad

Today after some humid tennis - I mean I was sweating profusely after about 5 minutes of play. I decided to make my favorite refreshing salad.

This salad is so simple to make and can be made in less then 10 minutes.

Ingredients:

arugula

olive oil

salt and pepper

watermelon cut into cubes

feta cheese cut into cubes

figs sliced in half

balsamic vinegar

Directions:

Toss a few handfuls of arugula with a small drizzle of olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Scatter the dressed arugula onto a rectangle shaped plate.

On top of the arugula - add the watermelon and feta in a checkerboard type pattern. Add the figs along the outside of the pattern. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and sprinkle with additional salt and pepper.

This salad is so delicious and light. Enjoy!

Tennis Team Emergency Kits

Tomorrow is our last USTA match of the season - so I made all of the ladies little Tennis Emergency Bags! These were so simple to make and you can get everything you need at Target or a drugstore that carries little travel size items. 

Each kit contains a hand sanitizer, sunscreen, Chapstick, nail file, two bandaids, two hair ties and a granola bar.

I put all of the items in a cellophane bag.  

I tied each cellophane bag with yellow and white ribbon.

Made some simple labels. And my little tennis gift is ready for the ladies on the team.

I hope we win tomorrow! It is going to be HOT!

Another Tennis Party Favor

Tomorrow I am going to another tennis party. So when I bought the yellow candies that I put in the little jars for the tennis party a few weeks ago - I bought extra yellow candies for the tennis party tomorrow. And I made these cute little candy tubes.

I filled some 1 x 8 inch cellophane bags with some yellow six lets that I bought at Party City.

I punched out some yellow circles. I used the punch that was just a little bigger than a quarter.

I added a tennis ball sticker to the yellow circle. And taped the yellow circle onto the yellow candy tube.

This particular tennis team members also won a "good sportsmanship" award.

So everyone got a "good sportsmanship" tennis bag or luggage tag. 

Tennis Team Party Favors

I made some party favors for a teens team party this Tuesday. I happened to have everything at my house for this project except the yellow candy. I had the little jars left over from some little project, the yellow paint leftover from the tennis ball Christmas ornament and the yellow balls from a very long time ago!

The first thing that I did was paint the silver jar lids with several coasts of yellow paint.

I save pieces of cardboard to use for my paint projects.

I bought these tennis ball cupcake toppers along time ago! And I had a ton left over form the cupcake project.

So I broke the bottom portion off! So that I could hot glue the tennis ball on top of the lid.

While the paint was drying and the hot glue setting up - I went to Party City to buy some yellow candy to fill all the little jars.

I filled the little jars with the yellow Sixlets.

Then I found the perfect basket and put all of the little jars in the basket to bring on Tuesday. I feel so organized. 

I had the little jars left over from another project - but I am pretty sure they came from the wedding favor section at Michael's. If you did not want to paint the lids you could cover the top of the lid with a round piece of scrapbook paper and hot glue a piece of ribbon around the lid.

Tennis Anyone?

Grilled Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich

This sandwich is my new pre-tennis breakfast. It is so delicious and filling.

Ingredients:

2 slices of bread

peanut butter

banana slices

butter

powdered sugar

Directions:

Spread both slices of bread with peanut butter. Lay banana slices on the peanut butter layer of one slice of bread. But the other slice on top and lightly spread some butter on the outside of each slid of bread and lightly grill the sandwich. Cut in half and sprinkle with a little powdered sugar.

This is also a great after school snack. 

Tennis Ball Christmas Tree ornaments

Tomorrow is our tennis team is having a holiday round robin and lunch. Fingers crossed - no rain and that the courts dry enough so that we can play. I made everyone a tennis ball Christmas ornament. But you could make these ornaments into almost any sport I could easily make them into baseballs, basketballs or soccer balls.

I was really looking forward to playing tennis today but the ladies that went to the club before me said that the courts had huge puddles. So our match against San Clemente was cancelled.

Supply list:

wooden round and heart shaped pieces

paint

large sponge brush

fine paint brush 

paint

paper clip

hot glue gun/glue

labels

pen

vinyl letters/sticker

Modge Podge

coordinating ribbon

I bought these wooden pieces at Michael's  I think they were something like .29  each.

On top of pieces of recycled cardboard - I painted the front and back of each wooden piece in yellow.

With a fine tipped paint brush I painted a white squiggle line.

On the back of each ornament I hot glue gunned a paper clip.

On the back of each ornament I Modge Podged a label with the club and team name.

On the front of each ornament I Modge Podged some vinyl letters and tied a ribbon onto the paper clip.

Here is picture of an ornament on my tree!

I think these ornaments came out really cute and they have that imperfect homemade look!

I made both heart and round shaped tennis balls!

Merry Christmas! I hope that between chauffeuring my son to basketball tournaments, games and practiced that I can still play a little tennis.