Did you know that Taylor Swift was a Girl Scout too? During a recent troop sleepover my girls shared how much they loved Taylor Swift (TS). My girls are 8th and 9th graders and I'm always looking for ways to make our time together fun and memorable. Half of the girls bridged to Seniors this year and I wanted to find a way to entice a few of them to renew for high school. Since I knew how much they loved TS I wanted to find a way to include her in an upcoming meeting. During my search I found a TS Was a GS, Too Fun Patch and a fun lesson plan that incorporated the lyrics of TS and the Girl Scout Law (you can find anything in Facebook groups if you look long enough). Below is a summary of what our night looked like during our meeting and a few of the special things we did as a troop. Dress As Your Favorite Era That's right, I told the girls they could dress anyway they liked for this meeting. Let your creativity fly here girls. Go big, go bold, or go soft and sweet! I let ... [ Read More ]
Meet Jellyfish
There's a new contributor to the Creative Collection and she has her own mini-shop; The Jellyfish Corner. Meet my daughter, Bailey! She is a 14 year old creative soul with even more talent than her mama. As a Florida girl she naturally loves all marine animals but especially jellyfish. She finds it fascinating how some of them are bioluminescent and that they have no organs. Her first two designs are both hand drawn jellyfish that she turned into stickers. She also loves Mason Thames (actor). Check out both of her stickers available now! ... [ Read More ]
NEW! Sunny the Pelican Florida Holographic Sticker
To buy now: https://www.backtocalley.com/product-category/stickers/?v=1d20b5ff1ee9 I have always had a special place in my heart for pelicans. They remind me of my Grandma, Dorothy. She lived on St Pete Beach in Florida when I was growing up and we would always drive down to the fishing docks and watch them waiting for dinner. I designed this sticker with her in my heart and memories forever. To see my entire sticker collection: https://www.backtocalley.com/product-category/stickers/?v=1d20b5ff1ee9 ... [ Read More ]
How to Make Acrylic Keychains
If you are anything like me, you are a creative person who wants to learn how to make something creative. I'm always searching Google, Pinterest, Instagram, and YouTube for my next project. Sometimes these are just for fun, for a gift I'm giving, or for a new product I want to sell in my shop. I do make and sell these acrylic keychains if you want to skip a few steps or if you don't have all the supplies. Visit my Creative Collection here. Want to make your own acrylic keychains? I'm here to walk you through my process from start to finish. Before we talk about the steps, let's first talk about the supplies you'll need. I've included direct links to these products on Amazon throughout this tutorial. I'm an Amazon Affiliate and will earn a few pennies off your purchases, so thank you for clicking from this post. Supplies: Silhouette Cameo, or Cricut Vinyl Cutter Machine - There are several different models to choose from at different price points. I have a very old ... [ Read More ]
Welcome to the Creative Collection
The Creative Collection is my new shop. Over the past year I've had quite the creative burst of energy and it's time for me to share some of this creativity with you. Inside the shop you'll find an array of finished products that I've created. Just like my creativity, these finished pieces will be quite diverse. To kick off the collection you'll find my first set of Acrylic Keychains. I'll slowly be adding to the collection with different pieces that I'm working on. What would you like to see next? Custom orders are available. Just email calleypate@gmail.com with your requests. ... [ Read More ]
Traveling to Savannah with Girl Scouts
I’ve dreamt of this trip since before I even had kids. My mom was my troop leader when I was in Girl Scouts and took us to Savannah when we were in 5th grade. I remember the friends and the funny travel experiences (like locking our keys in the car - twice) even now as an adult. Once I had a daughter I knew this was a trip I’d want to take with her when she was old enough. Thanks to the pandemic this trip was cancelled last year and we were so fortunate that our council opened up out of state travel for this summer. Our girls have slowly been saving for this trip for several years. Once they were in 3rd grade we began saving a few hundred dollars from cookie sales each year. We saved $300 for 3rd grade, $400 for 4th grade, and in 5th grade the girls worked extra hard to earn the rest of the money they needed for their trip that summer. Each girl had a goal of 500 boxes of cookies to sell during their 5th grade year so that we’d have enough money to do the trip. We had already made our ... [ Read More ]
Scalloping in Florida – Everything You Want to Know
We've lived in Pinellas County for 15 years and last year was our first time going scalloping. This is now an activity that our family will enjoy each summer. If you're not a boater or if you've never been scalloping before there's a lot of information you need to know before you get out there. What is scalloping? Think fishing, but for scallops. Bay Scallops can be found off the gulf coast starting in June each year. Bay scallops are smaller than sea scallops that we get at most restaurants - but just as tasty! When is scallop season? Depends on where you want to go in Florida, but the scallop season opens in June and runs through early Fall. You do need to check these dates each year since the exact dates do change from year to year. Visit https://myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/recreational/bay-scallops/ for full details. Gulf County: Aug 16-Sept 24Franklin - NW Taylor County: July 1-Sept 24Fenholloway - Suwannee River: June 15-Labor DayLevy, Citrus, and Hernando Counties: ... [ Read More ]
5 Key Steps for Branding Your Social Media Accounts
Your social media accounts speak for your brand - does it look like your brand? These tips can apply to influencers or any brand or business with a social media account. These tips work on any social media platform - Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Pinterest, YouTube, and Twitter. Branding your brand starts with your website and your logo. Many of us spend a lot of time making our website look beautiful and our social media accounts should mirror the look and feel of your website. Versatile Logo - Is your logo versatile? Will it work on all of your different platforms? You'll likely need several different sizes and orientations of your logo. You may even need it with a transparent background. If you're working with a professional designer they will be able to guide you to creating these different versions. If you are starting small and creating your own branding and logo you can use websites like Canva or PicMonkey to look professional and high quality. These websites can give you ... [ Read More ]
Swimming With Manatees – Crystal River, Florida
I've always been fascinated by sea mammals - dolphins, whales, and yes, manatee! I've had many encounters over the years with dolphins - both in the wild and in captivity. I've been on a whale watching cruise in Hawaii. I've seen manatee in the wild while kayaking. But I've always felt conflicted about swimming with these beautiful animals. After my experience swimming with manatee in Crystal River, Florida I am no longer conflicted - but I do have some opinions! Swimming with manatee is only legal in Crystal River - nowhere else in the United States is it legal to swim with manatee. The animals are endangered and it is very important to care for their wellbeing. They can be easily harmed by accident and on purpose (let's not even get started on the Trump manatee) because they are such docile animals. I'm happy to say that every one of the tour companies in Crystal River that we encountered have a genuine care for protecting these animals and educating the public. We used the ... [ Read More ]
Plantation on Crystal River Resort Review
With all of the COVID travel restrictions this past year we haven't been taking the same type of adventures as we have in the past. That's not all bad though because we're finding some hidden treasures in our backyard! We've taken a few short adventures within the state of Florida and I am so excited to tell you all about the Plantation on Crystal River. Disclosure: We were compensated for our stay in exchange for this review. All opinions are honest and my own. Crystal River, Florida is part of the Nature Coast and only about an hour drive north of Tampa Bay. While it would make a great day trip, we decided to spend the weekend! We've visited several times in the past to Homassasa Springs, Weeki Wachee, and even to Crystal River this past summer. There are several area attractions to see and do in the area if you like to be outdoors enjoying nature. This summer when we stayed I let my brother handle the reservations and he found a charming rental house in the area. This ... [ Read More ]