Olympic Crafts

 The Olympics begin Friday....just in case you missed that.  It just so happens that are happening in one of my favorite countries-Brazil.  I'm putting together two segments for Good Morning, Texas.  Here's an easy craft-I'm going to bring some Olympic colored feathers to make some mask in honor of Rio.

I grabbed all the supplies at the craft store and all it required was a glue gun and about two seconds. The skies the limit with creativity.  

Brazil Sugar Cookies

I made these cookies last year for a dinner we had before our team headed south to Brazil.  I found the cookie cutter here.  I don't get anything for sharing the site, but....I figure if someone needs a good country cookie cutter, it's a good source to have.  These cookie cutters would be so cute for an adoption shower, or travel party as well.  I used this recipe for the cookies so that the shape holds, and the icing hardened so I could bag them up.  The next summer Olympics are in Brazil...so I'm ready for that party as well.  :O)

Olympics: Chalkboard Nesting Dolls

 I love nesting dolls.  I have a little collection-not too many...but only because my house is small and not because I don't one in every color, size, and shape.  I saw the idea for chalkboard spraying nesting dolls at cakies, and I thought, perfect-merging two of my greatest passions?  I think I will.  I found these unfinished wood dolls at Hobby Lobby.  At the time, they were with the other things (numbers, letters, small pieces of wood), but since then I've seen them in some of the paint your own section in a box for kiddos.
I sprayed them with chalkboard paint...

...and then pulled out my colored chalk to get down to coloring.  The great news-erase and repeat!  This Olympic season, perhaps my artistic rendering of an athlete or two set to star in Russia this Olympic season.

Olympics: Torch Trail Mix

 A little Olympic Trail Mix.  I think I will.  I've seen torches via ice cream cones, and what is cuter than a big Olympic edible torch?  A mini torch!!
Bugles-a buck a bag, which chocolate, and dye (if you want, just in case your sprinkles show through) and red and gold (or silver) sprinkles.

 I heated my chocolate in the microwave as the package instructed.  I do it in small batches.  I added a little yellow dye for the bottom, I picked it up out of the chocolate with a fork, tapped off the excess, then dropped it into a bowl of gold sprinkles.  I rolled it around, sticking a tooth pick up the center, and pulled it out the same way.

 I let it dry, then repeated with the red "fire" top.  You could add a little something to make it higher, but I was fine with this.

Toss in a trail mix, a bowl of this is sure to set the mood for opening ceremonies.  :O)

Olympics: Russian Doll Topper

 This summer, I realized....it's an Olympic year!!!  Better yet, this year's Olympics take place in Russia, which means-NESTING DOLLS!  Fine, maybe it doesn't mean Nesting Dolls to anyone BUT me, but by golly-I'm obsessed.  I started the hunt.  I came across a bunch of ideas, and I saw some various toppers like the one above.....I put my scissors to work and cut out scraps of paper in various colors to make these bags of trailmix.  Granted, I'm excited about the Olympics, but I didn't put all my doll trail mixes together yet because....a party gift kind of loses it's luster when the treat is stale, but.....
The innards are simple-I decide to go with the colors of each dolls (using sixlets I bought in small quantities at Party City, so I can match each dolls outfit).

 I took my toppers and a bag...

 ...and will tape the toppers to each bag.  I scanned this gal, so if you don't feel like using your scraps to make your own dolls-you can print these on tag boards, cut, fold, fill. Party.   Here she is, free to a good home.