No-Sew T-Shirt Wreath DIY

Today in the office we decided we wanted to spruce things up a bit and celebrate spring time! With the help of a few leftover shirts, some cardboard, and some scissors, we were able to make a pretty pastel wreaths  for all of our office doors! To make one like we did follow these instructions:

Supplies:

Cardboard (cut in a circle to the size you want your wreath to be)

Scissors

Old T-shirts cut into 6-8 inch strips (you can use however and whichever colors you’d like)

Directions:

Start off by picking out whatever colors you want to work with from the old shirts you have. If you don’t have any old ones to cut up, you could always buy fabric swatches! For spring we chose bright colors but this craft could easily be done in any other colors for any season (can you imagine green red and white for Christmas?)

Once you’ve done that your going to need you base for your wreath. I decided to use a piece of cardboard cut into a circle with the middle cut out. The circle was about 1.5 inches wide. Alternatively, if you want your wreath to hold up a little longer, you could always pick up a Styrofoam spherical circle from your local craft store. I would recommend getting the D shaped one so that the back side is flat against the surface you’ll be hanging it on. 

Now let’s go back to our shirts. You’re going to want to cut your shirts into thirds (about 8 inches long). You’ll be tying them to your wreath so if you do a thicker wreath or with the foam ring, you’re going to want them to be longer. I cut my shirts into thirds and then cut those thirds into 1.5 inch strips.

Above I’ve included a picture of how I cut my shirts. Notice that I didn’t bother using the sleeves and after I took this picture I cut off the neck line too so the ribbed neckline wouldn’t infringe on my wreath! I also took a picture of my cut up strips so that you could see about how many I used.

Finally, once you have all your materials ready to go, you’re all set to finish your project! This part took me about half an hour and was super easy! (easy enough to have your little ones help!). To finish the wreath, I ended up just tying the t-shirt strips over the cardboard until it was all filled in! I loved the way my wreath came out with the fringe look! If you would rather have a more finished look, double the length of your strips and tie them into bows instead of knots! Here’s a picture of my completed wreath! 

Our Favorite Easter Eggs

Easter is almost here and we'll be celebrating in the Itsa Girl Thing office by dyeing Easter eggs! Here are a few Easter egg designs that we absolutely LOVE! Pick your favorite design and we'll create a tutorial for it next Tuesday.

Pinwheel Printable

Right click on the image and choose "Save as..." to download.

St. Patrick's Day Events from Our Favorite Southern Cities!

St. Patrick's Day is only a couple of weeks away! We've compiled a list of our favorite Patty's Day events in the South. Find out if your city made our list!

St. Pat's in Five Points - Columbia, SC

St. Pat's in Five Points is bigger and better than ever this year. There will be a parade, dancing, live music, and lots of food and beverages! Have little ones that will need to be kept entertained? Wells Fargo is providing a Pot O' Gold Playland with family friendly games and entertainment including a petting zoo, magic shows, and face painting.

Music

This year's event will include a 16-artist lineup that ranges from rap to country to punk.

The Lineup

Chris Robinson Brotherhood

Holly Williams

Love and Theft

J. Roddy Walston and the Business

The Bouncing Souls

Moon Taxi

Langhorne Slim

Stop Light Observations

Atlas Road Crew

Tim Barry

Ben G & Friends (Super Jam)

Jessica Hernandez and the Deltas

Saints of the Valory

SUSTO

Dave Britt Music

Palmetto Blue

  

St. Patrick's Day Parade - New Orleans, LA

New Orleans takes St. Patty's Day to the next level. From May 13-17, there will be numerous parades and block parties to attend. Remember to wear your green!

Friday, March 13, 2015

Molly's at the Market Irish parade - 6:00 p.m.

In the French Quarter, riders in carriages and marching groups. Begins and ends at 1107 Decatur St.

Saturday, March 14 & Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Tracey's St. Paddy's Day Party - 11 a.m. til

Annual celebration in the Irish Channel - 2604 Magazine Street. Lots of green beer, corned beef and cabbage and more fun. They are the party at the end of the Irish Channel Parade.

Saturday, March 14 & Tuesday, March 17, 2014

Parasol's Block Party Celebration - 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.

3rd and Constance 10am to 8pm. Music, green beer, food and surprises. The start of the block parties on the 15th, the day of the Irish Channel Parade. The fun runs from 10 am to 8 pm, both days.

Saturday, March 14, 2015

Irish Channel Parade - 1 p.m.

The Irish Channel St. Patrick's Day Club will hold its 66th Annual Mass and Parade celebration on Saturday, March 14th, 12:00 p.m. at St. Mary's Assumption Church (corner of Constance and Josephine Streets) followed by the parade (corner of Felicity and Magazine) at 1:00 p.m.

Saturday, March 14, 2015

Italian-American St. Joseph's Parade in the French Quarter - 6:00 p.m.

The Italian American Club celebrates St. Joseph with a parade through the French Quarter. This year parade kicks off at 6 p.m. at the intersection of Convention Center Blvd. and Girod Street. It includes 16 floats, nine marching bands and a whole lot of guys dressed in tuxuedos.

Sunday, March 15, 2015

St. Patrick's Day Parade on Metairie Road - 12 Noon

The annual Metairie Road St. Patrick's Day parade will take place on Sunday, March 16. The parade begins at noon in front of Rummel High School on Severn Avenue, goes down Severn to Metairie Road, then Metairie Road to the parish line.

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Downtown Irish Club Parade - 6:00 p.m.

The annual downtown St. Patrick's Day parade begins on the corner of Burgundy and Piety in the Bywater, proceeds roughly up Royal, across Esplanade to Decatur, up Canal to Bourbon. The parade makes several "pit stops" on its way to Bourbon St.

Sunday, March 22, 2015

Louisiana Irish-Italian Parade (Metairie) - 12 Noon

The 2014 Louisiana Irish-Italian Parade will roll on March 23th, at 12:00 noon, on the traditional Veternas Highway route in Metairie.

Sunday, April 12, 2014

St. Bernard Irish Italian Islenos Parade - 11 a.m.

- St. Bernard Irish Italian Islenos Community Parade & Marching Club Judge Perez Drive, Chalmette and Arabi 43 floats, 1,500+ members and 300,000 pounds of produce.

Atlanta St. Patrick's Parade - Atlanta, GA

This is Atlanta's premier family-friendly event! The parade has lots of groups like floats, bands, clowns, bagpipes, drill teams, dancers and more. Atlanta is proud to celebrate its diversity and considers "everyone Irish" on St. Patrick's Day. Best of all the event is completely free!

St. Patrick's Day Austin - Austin, TX

Austin is offering a wide range of entertainment for St. Patrick's Day. Their event focuses on creating an authentic Irish experience that features an award-winning chorus, Irish music groups, bagpipes, drums, dancers, and cloggers. Looking into digging into some delicious Irish fare? There will be fish n chips, Irish po'boys, corned beef and cabbage, and an assortment of Irish beers.

Less traditional entertainment includes:

Free Into to Irish Language Workshop

Video Game Theater

Human Gyroscope

Face Painting

St. Patrick's Day in Nashville - Nashville, TN

Nashville is hosting many great events from March 14-17. Here's a few things you may want to check out:

Saturday - March 14

The  Lucky Stache Bash III

Music City Irish Fest

St. Patrick's Day Festival at East Park

Main Street Brew Fest

Tuesday - March 17

Pot O'Gold Block Party

Dan McGuinness St. Patrick's Day Celebration

Mardi Gras King Cake Recipe

What's Mardi Gras without king cake?! We've found a yummy recipe that you're sure to love!

Did you know?

Mardi Gras means "Fat Tuesday." It's a time for celebration and fun. For Catholics it marks the last day before weeks of fasting during Lent.

Ingredients

Cake

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 package of Quick Rise yeast

1 cup milk

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, and cut into 12 pieces

Cinnamon Filling

2/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Icing

1 cup powdered (confectioners' sugar)

1 tablespoon milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Decoration

Green, purple, and yellow or gold sugar

Miniature plastic baby

Directions

Prepare the Dough

Mix 2 1/2 cups of flour and yeast in mixing bowl using the paddle attachment on low for 30 seconds.

Heat milk, sugar, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat until sugar is dissolved.

Pour in liquids with mixer on low. Add eggs and mix until a shaggy dough forms. Switch to the dough hook and mix in the last cup of flour. Then add the butter, kneading it until all the butter is absorbed.

Knead the dough on low for eight minutes. The dough should clear the sides of the bowl. If it's too sticky, add 1 tablespoon of flour at time and mix thoroughly before deciding if more flour is needed. If your dough is too dry, add a little water and mix before deciding if more water is needed.  Stop the machine and scrape the dough off the hook every two minutes to ensure all of the dough is properly mixed.

Empty the dough onto a lightly floured surface and form into a ball. Place it in a greased bowl and turn it so that the greased surface is on top. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Prepare the Cinnamon Filling

Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon. Then add butter and mix well.

After Dough is Chilled

Roll the dough into a 10x20-inch rectangle. Spread the filling on half of the long side of the dough, then fold the dough in half covering the filling. Pat the dough down firmly so the dough will stick together. Cut the dough into three and press the tops of the strips together and brain them. Press the ends together at the circle and press the edges together. If you would like, you can hide the miniature plastic baby in between the ends of the circle before sealing the ring.

Transfer the ring onto a baking sheet that is greased or lined with parchment. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rise until it is doubled. This should take about an hour. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees while the dough is rising. Bake the cake until it's golden brown, which takes 20-35 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet. Then place it on a cooling rack to completely cool for icing.

Icing

Mix powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth. Add more milk if it is too think or more powdered sugar if it is too thin.

Spoon icing over the top of the cake and immediately sprinkle the purple, yellow and green sugar.

Best served with: Blue Bell makes a Mardi Gras King Cake ice cream. You may have to do some searching at a few grocery stores but it's well worth.

Valentine's Day Printable!

One of our favorite holidays is coming up this weekend! We are looking forward to hugs, cuddles, and let's face it, CHOCOLATE! We've created an adorable Valentine's day themed printable that can be used as cards, stickers, or a cute holiday decoration.

How to Download:

Right click on image and choose save image as... to download!

Valentine's Day Gifts for Her!

We're so excited that Valentine's Day is almost here! We've compiled a list of awesome gifts to make finding the perfect present for your daughter, mother, or grandmother easier.

For Your Daughter

For Your Mother

For Your Grandmother

Three Smoothies for the New Year!

With the start of the new year, we all make resolutions. Many of us resolve to lose weight or even just to be healthier. But as the weeks go by, one by one we all begin to crack and break down a little bit. It’s easy to break your resolution, trust me! But, with these three smoothie recipes it’s even easier to keep it! Not only are these delicious, but they will help you stick to your resolutions.

Energize

Is your New Year's Resolution to be more focused and productive? Try this Blueberry Brain Booster smoothie! To make this yummy creation you’ll need to blend together the following ingredients:

 1 cup of frozen blueberries

 ½ a small sliced banana

½ cup of sliced cucumber

1tbsp. of Chia Seeds

1 cup of water

Cleanse

One of the hardest resolutions to keep is to be healthier! This cleansing green smoothie is all-natural and promotes a happy, healthy body.

1 cup of sliced papaya

½ cup of fresh kale greens

½ cup of spinach

½ of a sliced banana

½  of a sliced green apple

Relax

If you're always on the go and want to slow down and enjoy life more this year, we have a fun and delicious smoothie for you!

1 banana, sliced

½ cup nonfat vanilla yogurt (or any of your favorite flavors)

A handful of chocolate chips

½ cup of Kale greens

2 Tbsp of peanut butter

¼ skim milk

Mix up all your ingredients and enjoy a sweet treat!

Bringing your new favorite smoothies with you to school, work, or while running errands just got WAY cuter! Check out our new travel mugs.

Top 5 Ways to Keep Your New Years Resolution

1) Come Up with a Plan

Following through on your resolution is much easier when you have a plan. With a plan, you can create baby steps that can help lead you up to keeping your resolution for the year. Want to lose 20 pounds? Cut down on sodas and sweets or find healthier alternatives. Is your resolution to spend more time with your family? Plan game nights, events, and trips throughout the year.

2) Talk About It

Telling your family and friends about your resolution will help you gain the support and confidence you need to make it a reality. Plus, they may want to join in and turn over a new leaf with you.

3) Track Your Progress

It's easy to get discouraged if you focus on the long road ahead of you. Tracking your progress allows you to see the steps you're taking towards your goal every day.

4) Reward Yourself

Create milestones towards your goal to help motivate you to keep at it. For example, if your resolution is to make better grades in school you can reward yourself with shopping trips, your favorite sweets, and more time with friends. An even better is an idea is to give yourself rewards that will help you reach your goal, like replace your old computer or having friends over for a study group.

5) Don't Beat Yourself Up

If you have a bad day, month, or even half a year, it doesn't mean that your resolution is no longer reachable. None of us our perfect and we'll often make mistakes when trying to reach a goal. Learn and recover from your mistakes and get back on track.

Happy New Year Banner

Celebrate the New Year with this adorable banner! The letters spell out Happy New Year! Just click on the image below to download.