This free Christmas lights scavenger hunt is a fun way to enjoy the Christmas lights with your family. Just print it out and drive {or walk!} around to see how many items you can find!

Christmas Lights

Christmas lights are one of my favorite things about the holidays. I’ve always loved driving around with the kids and looking at all of the different light displays in our town. And, of course, it’s always better with a good cup of hot chocolate and maybe a Christmas cookie or two!

To make your Christmas light outings even more fun, use this free printable Christmas lights scavenger hunt  You can work together as a team to find as many items off the list as you can or have a little competition and see who can check off the most boxes. If you’re working individually, the first person on the list to find the item can check it off. The others will need to find the item somewhere else to check off their boxes.

How to have a Christmas lights scavenger hunt.

A Christmas lights scavenger hunt is a fun family tradition that’s sure to be a hit. To get everyone in the Christmas spirit, put on some Christmas tunes in the car, dress up in your Christmas PJs, and grab a cup of hot chocolate. Then head out to the car with your printable and see how many items you can find.

There are a few different ways that you can use the Christmas lights scavenger hunt printable…

• Work as a team to find all of the items on the list.
• Have a competition (either individually or in small teams) and see who can find the most items. Each item found can only be checked off by one team – whoever calls it first!
• Play with multiple families and drive around to see which family finds the items {or a certain number of items} first. Have them take photos of at least one team member in front of each item.
• Keep the printable in the car, and just check off items as you’re driving around doing your regular activities. This is a great way to keep the kids occupied!
• If you live in an area that has lots of different lights close by, bundle up and go for a good Christmas stroll instead of driving. 

Christmas Lights Scavenger Hunt Free Christmas Printable

If you’d like to download your own Christmas lights scavenger hunt to play with your family, just click on the link below and print it out on your computer.

DOWNLOAD YOUR CHRISTMAS LIGHTS SCAVENGER HUNT HERE

I hope you and your family have fun with this! I’d love to hear if you use it.

More Fun Christmas Activities for Kids

If you’re looking for more fun activities to do with your kids this Christmas season, check out these ideas…

Christmas Movie NIght Cart

Reindeer Donut Holes

Christmas Lights Scavenger Hunt Free Printable appeared first on Clean and Scentsible.

Check out this collection of the BEST s’mores recipes!  There are so many fun ways to get that delicious s’mores taste!

The Best S’mores Recipes

S’mores season is here!  There is nothing quite like a good campfire and a perfectly toasted, melt-in-your-mouth s’more to go with it.  Ohhh…I can almost taste it! Of course, just because you don’t have a campfire, doesn’t mean that you have to miss out on that amazing s’mores taste!  Check out these awesome s’mores recipes for some fun variations of the traditional s’mores!  I bet you’ll want to try them all!

Fudgy S’mores Brownie Pie from Avery Cooks.

S’mores Milkshake from Bombshell Bling.

S’mores French Toast from Spicy Southern Kitchen.

Easy S’mores Trail Mix from Clean and Scentsible.

S’mores Donuts from Buns in My Oven.

S’mores Birthday Cake from A Subtle Revelry.

DIY S’mores Bar Recipes from Clean and Scentsible.

Skillet Smores Brownies from Satori Design For Living.

Reverse S’more Bites from Clean and Scentsible

Ritz Peanut Butter Cups S’mores Bars from Kevin and Amanda.


S’mores Cookies from Tidy Mom

Oreo S’mores Brownies from Yellow Bliss Road.


S’mores in a Jar from Clean and Scentsible

No Bake S’mores Cheesecake from Life with the Crust Cut Off.

S’mores Ice Cream Cake from Crazy Little Projects

Grilled S’mores Pizza from Clean and Scentsible

S’mores Dip from The Recipe Critic


Chocolate S’mores Popsicles from The Crafted Sparrow.

S’mores Cake from Baked By Blair.

Frosty S’mores Cups from Easy Baked.

S’mores Hot Chocolate from The Minimalist Baker.


S’mores Box from Clean and Scentsible. Mix and match cookies and fillings for a custom s’mores treat!

Create a S’mores Bar

If you love s’mores as much as we do, you can even create your own s’mores bar at home with these cute free s’mores printables. Just print out the s’mores labels and add them to mason jars or other storage containers for a fun and accessible treat.  We have a firetable on our back patio that’s perfect for a quick marshmallow roasting, but this DIY s’mores maker would be easy to create too!

Now doesn’t that make you want to get up and make some s’mores?  Do you have your own favorite? I’m always open for s’more ideas!!

The post The Best S’mores Recipes appeared first on Clean and Scentsible.

A camping gift basket is a fun and unique gift idea for any outdoor enthusiast! Customize it with a personalized ice cooler backpack, custom mugs, and your favorite camping supplies.

Ice Cooler BackPack Camping Gift

I love putting fun gift basket ideas together and thought that this ice cooler backpack would make the perfect container for some camping or outdoor supplies. To make it even better, I decided to personalize it and create some cute custom camping tumblers and mugs to go with it using my Cricut Joy and Cricut EasyPress. Add some of your favorite camping supplies and you have a fun and unique camping gift basket that anyone would love! It’s great for travelling or picnics too!

This post is sponsored by Cricut and does contain affiliate links. This means that I may make a small commission {at no charge to you} off purchases made directly through the links provided. As always, all opinions are 100% my own. Thank-you so much for your support.

Camping Gift Basket

Summer is almost here and we can’t wait to spend more time outdoors again! Whether you’re camping, going for a picnic, or heading out on a day hike, this camping gift basket can be totally customized with whatever you need!

Custom Camping Mugs and Tumblers

These personalized camping mugs and tumblers make the perfect addition to your camping gift basket. If your family is anything like mine, you probably go through a ton of cups and mugs when you’re camping. Having personalized cups for each family member makes it easy for everyone to know who’s cup and is who’s, and helps to cut down on the dishes you need to clean. Everyone is responsible for their own cup and I don’t get stuck washing a bunch of extra cups! Total win!

These designs would also work well for water bottles and can be whipped up in no time with your Cricut. I think the camping mugs make great gifts on their own too and don’t forget to buy extras to make some for yourself!

Materials

• Cricut Joy {could also use Cricut Maker or Cricut Air2}
• transfer tape
• permanent Smart vinyl
• basic tool set
• stainless steel mugs or tumblers {I found mine at HomeSense for a great price}

To Do

Step 1: Create your design.

Open Cricut Design Space. You can either create your own design, choose a different camping themed image from Cricut design space, or just customize the designs that I used. You can find my two designs here {you’ll just need to open Cricut Design space first}:

• tree design with names
• Adventures Await {this is the same design I used for the ice cooler backpack)

I personalized the tumblers with the name of each person in our family so we don’t go through so many cups on our camping trips. These ones will keep cold drinks cool for 12 hours and hot drinks for up to 3 hours and have a lid on the top to keep bugs out!

To change the name on the design, you’ll need to highlight one of the designs, click on “detach”, and then edit the name ot whatever you would like. Once you’re happy with the size and spacing of the new name, highlight the design again and click “attach”.

You could always add a name to the Adventure Awaits design too if you would like or add the design to one side of the mug and the name to the other side.

If you’re just giving the mugs as a gift, you could add a large stainless steel hot/cold water bottle and tuck in some gourmet hot chocolate packs and marshmallows into the mugs. It makes a cute hot chocolate gift set all on its own!

Step 2: Cut your vinyl.

Once you’ve finalized your design, click “Make It” and choose the no mat Smart materials setting. Check the image layout on the preview may to ensure that everything is the way you like it. Follow the prompts and place your vinyl in the Cricut Joy vinyl side up.

Step 3: Weed your vinyl.

Using a weeding tool, remove the excess vinyl from in and around your design. When you’re done, you should just be left with your design on the liner.

Step 4: Apply the transfer tape.

Remove the backing from the transfer tape and place it over your vinyl {adhesive side down}. Use the scraper tool to burnish the tape onto the vinyl. To prevent any bubbles, start in the center of the design and move outwards. Peel away the vinyl liner at a 45-degrees angle until your design is completely on the transfer tape. {TIP: If you’re finding that you’re having a hard time separating the transfer tape from the vinyl, use a hairdryer over it for 5-10 seconds to heat it up, quickly burnish again and then peel. I find it comes up so much easier especially with the Smart vinyl.}

Step 5: Apply the design to your mug.

Make sure your mug is totally clean and dry. I will often use some rubbing alcohol over the area that I’m going to apply the design to make sure it’s free of any dirt or residue. Place the transfer tape with the vinyl image onto your mug. {NOTE: I like to sit and hold the mug between my legs while I’m applying the vinyl to make sure it stays in place.} Once you’re happy with the placement, rub the transfer tape onto the surface starting in the center and moving outwards. Slowly peel the transfer tape away from the vinyl at a 45-degree angle. Once the transfer tape is removed, I go back over the design and rub it firmly into the mug (especially at the edges).

The cups can work as little bowls or storage containers too – perfect for some trail mix!

Custom Ice Cooler Backpack

This ice cooler backpack is the perfect size for a day hike or boat ride on the lake, and would be great for packing around food and drinks when travelling too. If you’re thinking on a bigger scale, you could always use the same idea for a larger ice cooler too

Materials

• Cricut Joy {could also use Cricut Maker or Cricut Air2}
• transfer tape
• everyday Smart iron-on
• Cricut EasyPress 2
• ice cooler back pack {You can find tons of other ice cooler backpack options HERE or use a regular ice cooler if you prefer.}

To Do

STEP 1: CREATE YOUR DESIGN.

Open Cricut Design Space and design what you would like to use on your backpack. If you would like to use the Adventure Awaits design that I used, you can find it HERE. Click on “customize” and then adjust the design to your desired size. You can always add to it as well if you would like to add a name or other design elements. If you add to it, be sure to group and attach your design together at the end so it cuts as one design.

STEP 2: CUT YOUR IRON-ON DESIGN.

Once you’re happy with your design, click “Make It” and choose the no mat Smart materials setting. Check the image layout on the preview mat to ensure that everything is the way you would like. The most important thing to remember when cutting iron-on is to click the button to mirror the images. Place your Smart iron-on material into the Cricut Joy shiny side down and follow the prompts to cut your images. Select Smart Iron-On from the list of materials.

STEP 3: WEED YOUR IRON-ON DESIGN.

Trim any excess iron-on vinyl from around the design and use a weeding tool to remove any remaining elements of the design that you don’t want to transfer. You can hold the piece of vinyl up to a bright light to reveal the cut lines if they aren’t clear – especially if you’re using white iron-on like I did. When you’re done, you shoulder be left with the desired image on the clear protective liner.

STEP 4: APPLY YOUR IRON-ON.

Check the EasyPress temperature guide HERE to determine what temperature you should use for your material. Since our backpack was made from polyester, I set mine to 355F and 30 seconds. IMPORTANT TO NOTE: Due to the location of where I was putting the design and the more delicate material of the insulated, cooler material on the inside of the backpack, I inserted a small folded towel in the zippered pouch to act as a barrier between the heat from the EasyPress and the cooler material. I then had my Cricut EasyPress mat under this. If you are unsure of how your material will react to the heat, always test on a small inconspicuous spot first.

Place your backpack over the EasyPress mat {or use a thick towel} and pre-heat the surface for 5 seconds where you will be applying the design.  Next, place the design on the backpack top with the clear protective liner facing up. Apply the heat with your Easy Press for 30 seconds with light pressure. Allow to cool to touch and then carefully peel away the liner. Once the liner is removed, press the design down with your fingers until completely cooled.

IMPORTANT TO NOTE: I will usually flip over the material and then use the Easy Press on the back of the material as well, however, I did NOT do this for this project since I did not have access to the inside of the pouch and did not want to apply any heat to the insulated material.

I also added our name to the bottom of the backpack straps. Our straps did have some foam padding in it, so I kept the name pretty small as I figured the foam would melt down a bit when the heat was applied {which I did}.

You could always try using a lesser heat setting and/or putting a light towel between the design and EasyPress, but it still functions well and is comfortable even with the padding melting down a bit.

What other items can I put in a camping gift basket?

The best part about putting together a gift basket is customizing it! There are a variety of different items that you can add based on your budget and what your recipient loves. Many of the items listed can also be customized with your Circut using vinyl or iron-on vinyl, so have some fun with it! The backpack cooler works great for smaller items, but you could always use a larger ice cooler too if you want to add bulkier items. Here are a few ideas to get you started…

• water bottle
• waterproof Bluetooth speaker
• bug spray
• favorite camping snacks and treats
• a mini smores kit
• sunscreen
• hat
• lightweight portable hammock
• camping cookbook
• outdoor emergency survival kit
• headlamp
• folding pocket knife
• picnic blanket
• cozy camping socks
• folding camping chairs
• portable power bank
• camping cutlery and plates
• local hiking books

If you really want to ramp it up, you can even include a gift card to their favorite outdoor store.

I hope you have fun personalizing and putting your own camping gift basket together! Let me know if you have any questions. I’d love to see your creations!

More Camping Ideas

For more camping ideas, check out these posts…

S’mores Trail Mix

Outdoor Scavenger Hunt

Best Camping Recipes

The post Camping Gift Basket Ideas appeared first on Clean and Scentsible.

If you’re a Disney fan, you must try these delicious Mickey waffles! Light and fluffy waffles in a fun Mickey Mouse shape for the perfect family breakfast.

Mickey Waffles

We’re big Disney fans at our house, and the Mickey waffles at Disney are one of our favorite foods to enjoy at the park. We even had them every morning when we were on our Disney cruise. So, after trying multiple waffle recipes, I finally found one that tastes just like the original!

These waffles are so light and fluffy and taste delicious even without all of the toppings. But, of course, syrup, berries, and whipped cream always make it better!

If you don’t want to make your own batter, you can actually purchase the actual waffle mix that Disney uses. It’s called Carbon’s Golden Malted Pancake & Waffle Flour and you can find it on Amazon.

Where to Buy a Mickey Mouse Waffle Maker

There are a few different styles of Mickey waffle makers out there at various price points This 90th Anniversary Mickey Mouse waffle maker from Shop Disney is probably the cream of the crop and has the exact Mickey face that you’d find at the park. {You can also find this model at Bed, Bath, and Beyond for a few dollars cheaper if you’re a member.} While it’s a little more expensive than the other ones, it makes 6 waffles at a time and is perfect if you’re feeding a larger crowd.

If you’re short on kitchen space, a smaller model might suit you better. You can find various single waffle Mickey waffle makers on Amazon or Bed, Bath and Beyond. Some have an actual Mickey face and others just have the Mickey shape. This is the Mickey waffle maker that we have. For some reason it’s cheaper on the Canadian site if you’re able to order from there. {Which is super strange as things are never cheaper on the Canadian site!!} They even have a cute Minnie Mouse waffle maker! And if you really don’t want another waffle maker, you could always make regular waffles and use a Mickey cookie cutter to make Mickey shapes.

What do I do with leftover waffle batter?

We really only make big breakfasts on the weekend, so I like to make extra batter that we can use throughout the week for fresh waffles on the go. Leftover batter can be refrigerated for 2-5 days {assuming the ingredients that you used don’t expire in this time}. Just store it in an airtight container in the fridge. You could also make up the extra waffles and store the cooked waffles in the fridge or freezer, but I love having mine fresh out of the waffle maker.

I hope you enjoy these just as much as we do! And remember that waffles aren’t just for breakfast! Breakfast for dinner is always fun and you can always play around with the toppings. I love these with ham and cheese!

More Breakfast Ideas

For more breakfast recipes, check out these posts…

Blueberry Streusel Muffins. If you have leftover berries from the pancakes, these muffins would be the perfect way to use them up!

Add some fruits and veggies to your breakfast with this Berry Green Smoothie.

Prefer pancakes? Give this apple pie pancake recipe a try!

More Easy Recipes

If you’re looking for other easy recipe ideas, check out these delicious ideas from some of my blogging friends…

Easter Shortbread Cutout Cookies from A Pretty Life
Jello Lemon Meringue Pie Recipe from It All Started with Paint

French Toast Bake with Cream Cheese Drizzle from Decor to Adore
Light and Fluffy Waffle Recipe from Clean and Scentsible

Shrimp Tacos with Pineapple Salsa from Pink Peppermint Design
Tomato and Feta Pasta from 11 Magnolia Lane

Easy DIY Birthday Cake from Our Southern Home
Coconut Cream Pie – The Easiest Pie Recipe from A Stroll Thru Life

The post Mickey Waffles Recipe appeared first on Clean and Scentsible.

These cute Christmas candy and gift card jars are a fun way to dress up gift cards for the perfect Christmas gift! Free printable Christmas gift tags included.

Christmas Candy and Gift Card Jars

Gift cards are definitely becoming more and more popular these days. As a Mom of two teen boys, I know gift cards are always on the top of their Christmas lists! These Christmas candy and gift card jars are a fun way to package everything up and a little more personalization to your gift.

Materials

• wide mouthed mason jars
• plastic mason jar lids {optional} if you don’t want to use the regular mason jar lids
• Christmas candy. Smaller candy works best such as Christmas M&Ms.
• gift card
• paper cutter
• white cardstock or wrapping paper {see instructions below}
• printable tags {see below to download}
• thin ribbon or baker’s twine

Instructions

• There are two ways that you can add the gift card to the jar. The first is to simply wrap the gift card in wrapping paper to protect it from the candy. This is the easiest, but, for larger jars, it can make the gift card harder to get out and requires a lot of candy. The second is to make a tube out of thick cardstock to place in the centre of the jar. Not only does this hold the gift card but it also takes up space so you don’t have to use as much candy.
• If you’re wrapping your gift card, simply wrap the card and add a light layer of candy to the bottom of your jar. Then place the gift card into the center of the  jar, and fill with candy making sure that the edges of the card aren’t showing.
• If you’re using the tube method, cut a strip of paper slightly shorter than the height of the jar. Form a tube with the paper {so it looks like a toilet paper roll!} just large enough that the gift card will fit. Secure with tape and place in the jar. Fill the sides of the jar with candy making sure that you’re filling equally around the whole jar before working your way up the jar. This will ensure that the tube stays in the middle. You can slide a butter knife down the jar to move around candies to fill in any gaps if needed. Once it’s filled, add your gift card and secure the lid.
• Print out the free printable labels and cut out with a paper cutter. You can trim the corners if you’d like or keep it as a square tag. Punch a hole in the top of the tag and tie to the mason jar with ribbon or twine.

The Best Christmas Candy to Use

Christmas colored M&Ms or the Canadian Christmas Smarties would work best for this project as they’re smaller and will fill in any gaps better. Unfortunately, they were sold out EVERYWHERE where I live, so I improvised with peanut M&Ms and Eggies. They worked okay but were a little big to fit between the tube and the side of the jar. The thin Christmas gummies also worked pretty well and I just used a knife to mold them into place when needed.

Free Printable Tags

If you’d like to use the free printable gift tags, just download them, save to your computer and print. I have 4 different characters at the bottom of the tag that you can choose from.

DOWNLOAD THE TAGS HERE

The post Christmas Candy and Gift Card Jars Gift Idea appeared first on Clean and Scentsible.

These cute Frankenstein Rice Krispie treats are sure to be a Halloween hit!  Fun for Halloween parties, class treats or just for a little Halloween spirit!

October is here and Halloween is fast approaching.  My kids are already getting excited for the big night and actually picked out their costumes a couple of weeks ago.  I’ve never enjoyed putting together Halloween costumes so I was thrilled that they wanted something store bought. Yay for me!

While making costumes might not be my thing, I really do love all of the fun activities and projects that come with Halloween.  I hope you enjoy these cute Frankenstein Rice Krispie Treat pops as much as we did!

Frankenstein Rice Krispie Treats

If you’re looking for a fun Halloween treat to create with your kids, you’ll love these Frankenstein Rice Krispie treats! They’re fairly quick and easy to whip up and the kids loved them. You can leave them as squares or add a paper straw to turn them into Rice Krispie pops. They’d be perfect for a Halloween party or just a fun Halloween treat or movie night.

Free Printable Halloween Labels

These Frankenstein Rice Krispie treats can also make a cute gift idea – just put them in some clear cellophane bags and add one of my free printable tags. I have two versions available for you – a round tag that you can just punch and tie it on with some baker’s twine…

…or a banner tag that you can just wrap around the stick and attach with double sided tape.  Just notch out the end for an extra decorative touch!

I hope you get a chance to give these a try! They’re lots of fun to make and even better to eat!

More Halloween Projects

Before you go, don’t forget to check out all of the other fabulous Halloween projects from some of my amazing Canadian blogger friends …

The post Frankenstein Rice Krispie Treats and Printables appeared first on Clean and Scentsible.

This quick and easy Halloween beverage bar is a fun way to celebrate the holiday! Add your favorite Halloween treats for that special touch!

This post contains affiliate links. This means that I may make a small commission off purchases made directly through the links provided at no cost to you. Thanks for your support!

Portable Beverage Bar

I purchased this milk bottle crate from Decor Steals and have had lots of fun changing them up for the different seasons. I used it for fall, Valentine’s Day, Easter, and Christmas, and now I’m doing a Halloween version!

If you don’t have a crate similar to this, you can always just use mason jars, cute Weck jars, or any other containers that you may already have. Just place them in a tray or crate and you suddenly have your own portable beverage bar!

Halloween Beverage Bar

This Halloween beverage bar is fun for Halloween parties, post Trick or Treating, or just that special treat! For the Boo Bar sign, I spray painted a thin wooden plaque {you can find these at Michaels} with some chalkboard spray paint and tied it to the wire basket with some baker’s twine. I filled the jars with ghost peeps and marshmallows, hot chocolate powder, and candy corn and Caramilk bars.  All the fixings for the perfect Halloween hot chocolate!

Free Printable Halloween Hot Chocolate Bar Labels

I created some quick printable Halloween hot chocolate bar labels with more appropriate Halloween names {the kids always like helping with this!}. Once you’ve printed them, punch them out using a circle punch or trace a circle around them and cut out. I added some black ink to the edges and ran it lightly over the top to give it a spookier look. I then glued these onto some colored cardstock for more visual interest and tied them on with some baker’s twine.

DOWNLOAD THE PRINTABLE HALLOWEEN HOT CHOCOLATE LABELS HERE.

For the hot chocolate, I prepared the hot chocolate mix as usual and then popped a couple of Caramilk pieces in it.  If the chocolate doesn’t melt completely, just pop it in the microwave for 5-10 seconds and stir.  It just adds a bit of richer chocolate flavor and that hint of caramel.

Now just top as you would like.  Add some ghost droppings or a cute Peeps ghost, or some whipped cream with candy corn garnish. YUM! For more ideas on how to put together a hot chocolate bar, check out this post.

More Fun Halloween Ideas

For more fun Halloween ideas, check out these posts..

Candy Corn Veggie Pizza

Free Chalkboard Halloween Printables

Free Printable Halloween Tags

The post Halloween Beverage Bar appeared first on Clean and Scentsible.

Have some fun making your own DIY slurpees! The kids will love this cool and tasty treat and you can even throw a little science lessen in there!

DIY Slurpees

My kiddos {and hubby!} are absolutely obsessed with slushies, so I thought these DIY slurpees would be a fun treat. They work through the process of supercooling, so it can be a fun little experiment too!

Sine these drinks do maintain the carbonation of the soda, they don’t have the exact same flavoring as the slurpees that you would buy at the store. But, they have that same icy texture of a slurpee and are just as refreshing. Plus, the process of making them is pretty cool!

It can take a little bit of experimenting to get the best results, but that’s half the fun. Even if it “fails” you’re still left with a nice, cold soda to enjoy. If you prefer a thicker slushie, the second recipe at the bottom of the post, may be more to your liking.

What is supercooling?

These DIY slurpees work due to a phenonmenon called supercooling. Supercooling occurs when you chill a liquid below its freeing point without it becoming solid. So how do these DIY slurpees work?

When you shake up the soda before putting it in the freezer, the pressure in the bottle is increased. This naturally lowers the freezing temperature and, more importantly, removes any large bubbles from the soda that could act as sites for the ice crystals to form. As your soda sits in the freezer, the temperature will eventually drop to that supercool state. When you then remove it from the freezer, release the increased pressure, and shake it around, the carbon dioxide bubbles are released again. The crystals can then start to form around these bubbles and create that slushie-like consistency.  Science can be pretty cool sometimes!

How to Make DIY Slurpees

Are you ready to make your own DIY slurpees? You can use any flavor of soda that you prefer, so pick your favorite! For some reason, we seemed to have better luck with the darker sodas such as root beer or coke, but this really shouldn’t have any effect.

Shake

Take a 500 mL {16 oz} plastic bottle of pop and shake vigorously for 5-10 seconds to increase the pressure in the bottle. This will help to lower the freezing point a little bit and also eliminates any large bubbles that could act as sites for ice formation.

Freeze

Place the bottle in the freezer for approximately 2 1/2 – 3 1/2 hours. The goal is to get the soda as cold as possible without actually freezing it. The closer you can get to this “magic” point, the better your slushie will turn out. Try not to move the soda around during this process as it will make it more likely that it will just freeze.

We started checking on our pop bottles every 15 minutes after the 2 hour mark to try and find that perfect time.  It actually took a couple of failed attempts {when the pop actually froze} before we settled on about 2 hours 45 minutes. Just remember that this time will vary from freezer to freezer {and even with different locations within the same freezer} so be consistent with where you put the pop bottles. You might need to do a little bit of experimenting!

Slurpee Magic

Remove the bottle from the freezer.  In one continuous movement, unscrew the bottle cap just enough to release some of the pressure, quickly tighten it back up. Turn the bottle upside down or shake it a little and you should see the ice crystals magically starting to form.  Pour into a frosted glass.

And this is what you get.  A nice, cool DIY Slurpee!

Alternate DIY Slurpee Method

While I think the process of making the slurpees using the supercooling process is pretty cool, here’s another method that’s totally fool proof. Simply freeze half of the bottle of soda {approximately 1 1/4 cup} in ice cube trays and keep the rest of the soda in the fridge. Once the soda cubes are frozen, blend the soda cubes with the remaining soda in a blender plus 4-6 additional ice cubes. You’ll get a delicious slushie every time. Easy peasy!

I hope you have as much fun with this as we did. The whole science behind it would be a fun idea for older kids to research and might be a cool idea for a science fair project! This also works with Gatorade and other sports drinks, And if you want an adult version, it will work some alcoholic drinks too {those with lower alcohol content}.

More Summer Drink Recipes

For more delicious summer drink recipes, check out these posts…

Sparkling Strawberry Slush

Raspberry Watermelon Slush

Homemade Lemonade Floats

The post DIY Slurpees appeared first on Clean and Scentsible.

This quick and easy s’mores trail mix is the perfect summer snack. All of the delicious s’mores flavors you love with a sweet and salty twist!

S’mores Snack Mix

It’s not summer unless you have at least a few s’mores, right?  This s’mores trail mix will help with your s’mores cravings even if you don’t have a campfire. It’s super quick and easy to make up and the added pretzel sticks gives it the perfect salty and sweet combo. It’s the perfect snack to take on camping trips, hikes, road trips, or any other summer activity. And, really, it’s good all year round!

To be honest, I never actually measure out the ingredients. I just wing it. But, I’ve put together a recipe for those of you that prefer specific measurements. Feel free to adjust the ingredients to suit your liking!

S’mores Trail Mix Recipe

If you love the taste of s’mores but don’t want the hassle of a campfire, this s’mores trail mix is for you!  It has all of your favorite s’mores flavor with a sweet and salty twist! You can always leave out the pretzels if you like, but I think they balance out all of the sweetness perfectly.

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How to Store S’mores Trail Mix

The trail mix should be stored in an airtight container. It will last for 7-10 days but I do find that the Golden Graham version lasts longer than the graham cracker version as the graham crackers tend to go softer faster. I use a mason jar or Weck jar with a plastic lid for storage but any airtight container will do.  If it’s really hot, I’ll sometimes even store it in the fridge although this will make the graham crackers go soft faster. Honestly, this mix gets eaten so fast, that I never really have to worry about it going stale.

Free Printable S’mores Tag

If you would like to dress up your jar a bit, you can download and print one of these s’mores tags and add it to your jar with some twine. I downloaded the 5×7 size and printed it out at 60% size to get the smaller tag. I then glued it to some patterned cardstock and punched a hole for the twine.

This would also make a cute hostess gift or neighbour gift. {Well, during normal times anyways!} Just make sure to make double as it goes really fast!

I have one last idea for using this s’mores mix. If you’re an ice-cream fan, try mixing it in with some vanilla ice-cream for your own custom s’mores ice cream. It’s pretty yummy! I might just have to add a jar to my ice cream sundae bar!

I hope you enjoy this s’mores trail mix recipe! Let me know if you try it out! And don’t forget to grab your free printable s’mores tag.

More S’mores Recipes

For more s’mores recipes and ideas, check out these posts…

DIY S’mores Bar and S’mores Recipe Printable

S’mores Pizza

S’mores in a Jar

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These cute Easter bunny donut holes are quick and easy to make. They’re perfect for Easter parties, an Easter tablescape, or just a fun Easter treat to make with the kids!

Easy Easter Treats

I wanted to make something fun for Easter, but obviously we’re limited in what craft supplies we can get right now. So, I went searching through my stash to see what I could come up with. I had a bunch of pipe cleaners left over from my Easter bunny treats that I made last year and came up with these easy Easter bunny donut holes.

Easter Bunny Donut Hole Tutorial

These Easter bunny donut holes are a fun Easter project to make and don’t take a lot of time.

Materials

• donut holes. Powdered donuts would be ideal but I could only find honey glazed ones with the limited shopping we can do. Gotta use what you can find!
• candy eyes
• pink M&Ms {or Smarties if you’re Canadian!}
• white icing
• colored paper straws. You could also use skewers or white sucker sticks.
• white and pink pipe cleaners

To Make

• Take a white pipe cleaner and fold over each end to make the ears. I made my ears just a little bit bigger than 2 inches. This may vary depending on the length of your pipe cleaner. Cut the pink pipe cleaner to fit in each ear. Twist the end of the pipe cleaner around the base of the ear and ends of the pink pipe cleaner. Repeat on the other end.

• Cut down the paper straw to the size you would like. Wrap the middle of the pipe cleaner around the straw.
• Put the paper straw through the donut hole.
• Use a little icing to add the candy eyes and nose to the donut hole.

I hope these bring a little smile to your face and you enjoy making them!

More Easter Treats

For more Easter treats, check out these posts…

Easter Bunny Sundaes

Mini Egg Dessert Bars

Easter Bunny Treats

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