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Fourth of July Busy Bags For Waiting For The Parade

March 24, 2020 by Shellie Wilson

If there is one thing I hate about festival parades and celebrations it is all the waiting for things to start. In that short amount of time the kids can literally go stir crazy. It’s as if all the excitement and anticipation of a parade starting or fireworks in bottled up and they are a can of soda wanting to explode!

That is why I NEVER leave home for a parade without tricks in my bag, snacks in my purse and a coffee in my hand.  Obviously snack wise you know what your child is likely to eat, granola bars work well as they are filling and light to carry, So I won’t bother listing those things. Here instead is a list of toys and trinkets. Most of these items are sold in bulk, but don’t worry they are affordable and you can easily put them aside for another year as it doesn’t matter how many times I do this for my kids each year they are delighted with the same items, it’s an item they may only get to play with once a year, like the gliders.

I also take a couple of extra items with me, as there is always an onlooking child who is going stir crazy, it’s worth the investment for me to give them a $1 item to keep the sanity around me.  I hope you like all these items and it inspires you till fill a bag for your own kids.

 

Coloring Activity set

Folding Fan to beat the heat

Pom Pom Cheer Shakers

Bulk stickers that can be handed out to the people around you.

Plastic printed bags for wet or sticky food.

American Flag Paper Bag to keep everything in.

Mardi Gras Red white and blue beads 

Silly Photo Props to Entertain the crowd.

American flag Pinwheels

Patriotic gliders

Noise makers 

Activity books

American Skittles for 4th of july 

Red white and Blue M&M’s

Fourth of July Temporary Tattoos , take along a wet sponge and some water.

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Mini Pumpkins and Jack o’Lanterns to Cross Stitch

I just can’t resist sharing a few more Halloween cross stitch patterns when they are as cute and quick to stitch as these!

This boo cross stitch from Luzatolye was the first little Halloween cross stitch pattern to catch my eye. I love the pumpkin Os! At just 23 by 8 stitches and using four colors, you can stitch it up in no time. On 14 count fabric it measures 1.6 by.5 inches, or about 4 by 1.27 cm. 

Another cutie from the same designer is this jack o’lantern with a witch hat. Another four-color project, this one is 14 by 18 stitches, which is an inch by just a little more than an inch, or around 3 cm square, worked on 14 count fabric. 

If you like your minis a little bit bigger, this jack o’lantern with leaves is from White Protea Art and measures 47 by 28 stitches. That comes out to 3.4 by 2 inches, or 8.5 by 5.1 cm, when stitches on 14 count fabric. It uses nine colors. 

Or there’s also this little cutie from that same designer. I love the little leaf on top of the pumpkin. At 33 by 36 stitches, it comes out to 2.4 by 2.6 inches, or 6 by 6.5 cm, when stitched on 14 count fabric. I think it uses around eight colors. 

Template Love Create also has two mini jack o’lantern cross stitch patterns that I like (I swear I didn’t plan to do two from each of the same designers, it’s just the whimsy of an Etsy search!). There’s one that is more round and one that’s oblong, which I like because it’s different from most of the pumpkin patterns you see. The pattern listings say both are six colors (though they look like four to me) and 28 by 28 stitches, but I don’t think that can be true. Either way they both fit in a 3 inch hoop and would be a super cute little addition to your Halloween decor. 

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