Shark-Cuterie Board -Shark Cucumber for Vegetable Trays

I'm having a little fun with Shark Week this year and happened to have a couple cucumbers from the garden... So I thought I'd try my hand at making a Shark for a Charcuterie Board or Birthday Parties:@) Perfect? Nope, but this was a quick little food craft that would give the kids a chuckle. This shark is my second attempt...

My first one had a little more body and was placed on a charcuterie tray... Cheese was cut into triangles to mimic waves. Black olives for eyes, toothpicks hold the eyes and fin in place. Little summer umbrella food picks are at Dollar Tree.

I'd make the mouth open wider and be sure to cut out the stem or blossom end of the cuke (which I did do in the first pic). Also, cutting some of the green off of the teeth would be fun too. But overall, I think folks would get the idea...

You can see different pictures and carvings if you Google shark cucumber. 

🦈Make something just for fun, and

Have a Happy Day:@)

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Enjoy Shark Week!

Have a great weekend:@)

Dollar Tree Items for Shark Week Fun

I was killing some time at Dollar Tree and decided to see what I could put together for a little Shark Week Fun:@) Shark Week starts July 7th this year. It didn't take long to find some things... Love the drinking glass and little metal bucket. The bucket would be great for popcorn. They happened to have this cool little monster truck with a shark body, and always seem to have those little sea creatures that grow when we add water... Shark bite arm swimmies, and there were inflatable rings in other fish styles too. As for food... Swedish fish are always popular, as well as Goldfish Crackers. Sometimes I see gummy sharks too. 

Fruit snacks:

Cool flip-flops...

We might have to look around the store a bit, things can be ~anywhere~... But I'm sure the kids would get a kick out of a few fun theme'd items for a shark party. This candle was from Walmart, but Dollar Tree had something similar too...

 Gotta Love Shark Week!

🦈Grab it when you see it, and

Have a Happy Day:@)

Shark Week July 7th! Barbie/Ken Felt Shark Hat DIY

Some holidays/occasions are overlapping in 2024 so this post is a little early... In honor of Shark Week starting on July 7th this year, Barbie and Ken took a road trip to the local aquarium to visit the shark display:@) The tank was very active, and honestly, Barbie felt it was a little overwhelming. They had never seen so many live sharks before. After a couple hours of wide eyed astonishment, what did they take away from the visit? A hankering for a fish sandwich for lunch...

And a souvenir shark hat:@)

The pattern:

✂What I did:

1. Cut bigger pattern piece from gray felt, smaller one from red felt.
2. Glue red to gray.
3. Cut small triangles of white felt for teeth, glue them on.
4. Trim bottom of hat (the part over the doll's eyes) into curve under the teeth if needed or desired for looks.
5. Glue on black beads or googly eyes.
6. Glue velcro to back of hat for closure.

My inspiration:

📌My Barbie Pinterest Board here.

Click for Previous Shark Week Posts:

2023 - Barbie Shark Petting Zoo

2022 - Barbie Jello Waves of Fun

2021 - Barbie Fishing on the Dock

2021 - Macaroni Salad for Shark Week

2020 - Barbie Floating in Ocean

2018 - Deviled Eggs for Shark Week

🦈Have a Happy Day:@)

Zucchini Gingerbread Muffins -Christmas in July & Shark Week 2023

How's your garden doing, got zucchini??? Yep, I thought you might:@) Recipe number three for 2023 using summer squash... Zucchini Gingerbread Muffins. And it's a winner folks! The only thing I'd do differently, add a little shake of sparkly, crunchy sanding sugar on top before baking. Some reviews suggest bumping up the spices a bit, I left my measuring spoons slightly mounded. This is a nice way to use up a little zucchini, and they do freeze well. And of course, gingerbread would be a perfect snack for Christmas in July with a nice cuppa...

I made a half batch (used 1 egg), and ended up with 10 mega muffins. You could easily get 12 normal ones.

Looking for more ideas: My Zucchini Pinterest Board here.

Zucchini Gingerbread Muffins-adapted from All Recipes

1 C brown sugar

1/4 C molasses

1/4 C vegetable oil

3/4 C vanilla yogurt-I had sour cream on-hand

3 eggs

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 1/2 C grated zucchini

3 C A/P flour-I used half white whole wheat

Sanding sugar, powdered sugar, icing-optional

1. Add liners to two 12 cupcake pans, or spray pan. Alternately, can use two 9x5 loaf pans.
2. Stir together first 5 ingredients, mix well.
3. Add spices, baking soda and baking powder, mix well. 
4. Fold in zucchini, then add flour. Mix until combined.
5. Add to pans. Sprinkle with sanding sugar if desired.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-25 minutes for muffins. 50-60 minutes for loaves, or until toothpick comes out clean.
7. Cool loaves for 10 minutes in pan before removing to racks.
8. Dust with powdered sugar or add icing if desired. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Each year I try to come up with a theme'd post for Shark Week, in 2023 it starts this Sunday, July 23rd. There's a lot going on right now (everything in one week), 21-The Movie, 23-Shark Week, 25-Christmas in July... Whew...

 

Barbie and Ken are on their summer vacation and this year the resort has a shark tank petting zoo! Baby sharks swimming around, and yep, folks could try to pet them. Barbie says she thinks baby sharks are still cute:@) 

But cute or not...

Ken was kinda like... Ah, no.

One thing I read said they feel like sandpaper,

another said going from head to tail they are smooth.

Wouldn't know, I'm on Team Ken...

You go Barbie😉

Details:

Background is a calendar page.

Pool and sand from Dollar Tree.

Icee = Mini Brands.

And the sharks...

Click for Previous Posts:

2022 - Barbie Jello Waves of Fun

2021 - Barbie Fishing on the Dock

2020 - Barbie Floating in Ocean

2019 - Deviled Eggs for Shark Week

🦈Enjoy Shark Week and

Happy Christmas In July🎅

Christmas in July-Jalapeno Lemon Jelly & What's Barbie been up to?

I'm always tickled by Christmas in July, even though this year the temperatures in Philly are hovering at 100 degrees... Ugh. Don't forget about canning a few things to tuck away for gifts as the gardens are over producing. It might take a little time, but homemade jams and relishes are truly something you just can't buy at the supermarket folks:@) This Jalapeno Lemon Jelly is fantastic with a little cream cheese on a cracker, and would also be a nice little something-something to add to a wine gift basket. 

My Jam and Jelly Pinterest Board is here,

and my Pickling Pinterest Board can be found here.

Every year as the holidays approach I start looking for Christmas ornaments that are about 1:6 scale and make fun props for Barbie's world. These little mirror disco balls caught my eye... I hot glued three into a circle (the middle), and then one on top and one on the bottom. A pin holds them onto the chain. This makes a fun 1970's type hanging disco ball light fixture. 

I added it to Barbie's computer corner/work station in the livingroom. The extra light, sparkle, and whimsy, are welcome during the -l-o-n-g- work day😉

The ornaments I started with:

While it's never easy to find the date until it's upon us (for some reason?), it looks like Discovery Channel's Shark Week will start on Sunday, July 24th. And for this year's contribution... We have Barbie swimming in a sea of blue and green Jello Jigglers, with white Cool Whip foam, as ~cue the music~... The shark stealthily comes into view. 

My doll is a Wilton cake topper, the shark is a rubber finger puppet from Walmart. My dish is vintage milk glass, I thought the fun edge would be a wink and nod to waves breaking and splashes...

Barbie says enjoy watching the shows!

Previous Shark Week Posts: 2020 & 2021

🎅Have a Jolly Christmas in July Weekend!

...And stay cool:@)

Shark Week for Barbie 2021

Shark Week starts on July 11th, and this year we find Barbie and Joe on a much anticipated tropical vacation. Today they're doing a little fishing. Well, Joe's fishing, Barbie ~was~ enjoying the scenery. After a couple hours it looked like he hooked a nice one for dinner, but... Cue the music... Whose dinner exactly??? I think Barbie's wide eyes express the magnitude of the situation, and while Joe has been trained to keep his cool and handle most unforeseen circumstances... They usually involve humans, not sharks jumping onto the dock!!!

Tip: I've started saving those annoying clear stretchy rubber bands that come in the packaging of new dolls, clothes and accessories. They come in handy for helping hold arms and items in position for pictures.

How did this outing end?

Joe says shark tastes like chicken😉

Oh, and when he tells this fish story back home...

this was the shark😎

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🌴Make something just for fun and have a happy day🐟

BLT Macaroni Salad & Pasta for Shark Week

I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that this BLT Macaroni Salad was the hit of our Sunday dinner:@) I've seen plenty of recipes out there, what makes mine a tad different is, start with your favorite macaroni salad, and the rest is simply plating and presentation. I mixed some bacon into the salad, scooped the salad onto a generous bed of shredded lettuce and placed sliced tomatoes around the edge. This helped keep the lettuce crisp and the tomatoes didn't make the pasta salad watery. And of course a little crumbled bacon for garnish is always nice. 

And Shark Week starts July 11th this year folks, you really can't tell from the picture but, I used shark shaped pasta and some small shells for the salad above. Just a little something to help make things fun for the kids... Walmart had this Baby Shark Mac and Cheese, I used the pasta for this salad. I've seen big boxes of ocean shapes in the past at Walmart, Home Goods etc, and Aldi. My best tip: If using small shapes like this or small shells, set your timer for 8 minutes and immediately run under cold water to cool off so they don't over cook and get mushy. 

Cute!

Eat well, celebrate the little things, and have a happy day:@)

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2020 Shark Week Barbie

I was 14 when the first Jaws came out, and yes, living on the east coast, it made quite an impression! But then truthfully, I've always preferred swimming in pools to the ocean. Although I will say ~looking~ at the ocean is good for the soul:@) I am tickled with how big Shark Week has become. While I personally can't watch (hand raised-total scaredy cat), I'm all for anything that gives folks something to look forward to and have some fun with. This year it starts on August 9th, Discovery Channel.

Until then...
At the shore, Barbie's drifting on a float in shallow water.
She's so intent on getting ready to take a picture of the scene in front of her,

she doesn't notice the real action is coming up from behind...

Cue the music...

 What do you say at a moment like this???

I mean, besides "oh Momma" (or something a tad more colorful)...

"Where's my can of mace when I need it?"...

Yes...

I'll stick to having my toes in the dry sand.

Thank you.

Bye, bye, Babs...

 *Disclaimer* No Barbies were harmed in the making of this post😉

No-sew bathing suit from ribbon here.

Pool float from Dollar Tree, shark was at Walmart $1.

Camera was in a mixed grab bag of goodies from Ebay.

~Make something just for fun and have a happy day😎

Deviled Eggs for Shark Week and other shark sightings and ideas

I thought these Shark Fin Deviled Eggs would be a fun little snack for shark week (July 22nd this year) or a shark themed birthday party. Super simple using black olives, a little blue food dye and the ripple cutter helped make the whites look a little wavy. Kids, big and small, are sure to get a chuckle from them... I know we all did:@)

 Directions:
1. Mix your favorite deviled egg recipe.
2. Dye the whites blue (1/2 C water, 1/2 tsp vinegar, 6 drops blue dye), turn upside down on paper towels, then blot dry.
3. Fill whites with yolk mixture and top with jumbo black olive cut in half and trimmed to look like a fin. Aim for one side straight, one curved.

The wavy cutter I used:

Apparently Shark Week is a pretty big thing... Here are just a few of the displays I saw at Walmart:

Floats and toys

Plush Sharks

Shark Candy at various Dollar Tree and Walmart stores

And of course Pinterest has lots of ideas...

My favorite one-a shark watermelon.

Have a swimmingly happy day:@)

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