ice cream...

Who doesn't love ice cream?  We certainly do!!  Last summer we made our own ice cream several times...the quick and easy way - in a ziploc baggie (keep reading for the recipe)!

Of course I had to take lots of pictures of the process...from the ingredients, to the shaking (and dancing, and goofing around), to the pouring out into bowls, to the adding of many various toppings and eating approaches.  Seriously, we had so much fun...and just thinking about it makes me want to do it again.  Tomorrow.  Yep, we're making ice cream tomorrow.

I just loved this Cosmo Cricket paper line - it just makes me happy...and that's why I used it for this spread!  (please ignore all of the magnets holding the pages onto the board for the photo...rainy days/dark clouds are not my friends for taking pictures of layouts!)

I tried a couple of fun new techniques on this page too...here's a peek at one of them - covering buttons with patterned paper!  A little mod podge, some flat buttons, a sanding tool, and patience - that's all it takes to make your very own unique accents to coordinate perfectly with any patterned paper! :o)

P.S. Here's how to make the ice-cream...you know you want to...and it's the perfect 4th of July treat!!

Ice Cream in a Ziploc

What you'll need:

• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 cup milk or half & half
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 6 tablespoons rock salt
• 1 pint-size plastic food storage bag (e.g., Ziploc) 
• 1 gallon-size plastic food storage bag
• Ice cubes

How to make it:

1. Fill the large bag half full of ice, and add the rock salt. Seal the bag.
2. Put milk, vanilla, and sugar into the small bag, and seal it.
3. Place the small bag inside the large one, and seal it again carefully.
4. Shake until the mixture is ice cream, which takes about 5 minutes.
5. Wipe off the top of the small bag, then open it carefully. Enjoy!

Tips:

A 1/2 cup milk will make about 1 scoop of ice cream, so double the recipe if you want more. But don't increase the proportions more that that -- a large amount might be too big for kids to pick-up because the ice itself is heavy.

**You are going to want to dig out your winter gloves before making this...trust me...especially if you're making it with your kiddos...which means YOU will be shaking several bags of ice all by yourself! :o)