The winner of the custom made crayon wallet giveaway is…… … Ally from Mommy Love! Congratulations! And thanks to everyone for all of your kind comments. There is an upcoming tutorial on how to make the crayon wallets, plus another fun giveaway starts again soon, so stay tuned…..
Fabulous Keychains Your Kids Can Make
June 1, 2009 by
Tucked in among our craft supplies, I found some keychains I had ordered a long time ago from Oriental Trading Company. They weren’t much to look at, but they had little photo frames in them, and the kids could paint the frames. These would be okay for keeping the kiddos occupied, but personally I wouldn’t […]
$5 Friday — Crafty Dollar Store Edition (and Giveaway)
May 29, 2009 by
I’ve made felt crayon rolls for Emily before, but when I took the girls to my local moms club meeting, Emily pointed out that we didn’t have any paper for her to color on. After the meeting, we had lunch and did a fun shopping trip to the dollar store! When we returned home, I […]
Tutorial — Handmade Pinwheels
May 28, 2009 by
Another wet day here, but we had a tiny bit of time when we could go outside and run around with our newly made pinwheels. I have been meaning to make these for awhile to use in the garden as a way to keep the birds away. Emily needed a little help to make hers, […]
Spin Art (Lazy Susan Style)
May 26, 2009 by
We had a rainy day this afternoon, so while Clara was napping, Emily and I had a pocket of time for a fun messy art project. I remember making lots of spin art as a kid, but I had a battery-powered kit which included paper and paint. The kit was fabulous, but once the batteries ran […]
Patriotic Wreath Craft
May 25, 2009 by
Happy Memorial Day! Here’s a simple craft Emily enjoyed in-between picnics, barbecues, and working in the garden. To make your own patriotic wreath, you will need a star-shaped hole puncher (I found this one at Big Lots for $1), some red, white, and blue construction paper, glue, a paper plate, and a pair of scissors. […]
Block Prints from Foam Meat Trays
May 21, 2009 by
I started saving our foam meat trays to make our own block printed cards, and Emily enjoyed the entire process of this activity! To make your own block prints, you will need: foam meat trays, water-soluble block printing ink, brayer, cardstock, and a large spoon. We used the opposite end of a paint brush to […]
Bean Face Mosaic
May 18, 2009 by
Emily informed me this morning that she wanted to make a smiley face. I have no idea why she chose to make such an angry face this afternoon, but she kept telling me this was a picture of a bad guy who is very very VERY ANGRY. To make bean faces, you will need heavy […]
Organizing with Recyclables — Pencil Holder
May 14, 2009 by
This decorative pencil holder is great for organizing pencils, paint brushes, pens, and/or markers. We used chalkboard paint, and a little ribbon to give new life to an empty baby formula canister! This is messy, so you might want to do the painting part outdoors. We used a water-soluble non-toxic chalkboard paint. You can find […]
Leaf Prints
May 13, 2009 by
I love incorporating elements from nature in our art projects. Nature provides free art supplies, and I feel it’s important for kids to connect with nature on a regular basis. Emily enjoyed gathering leaves from the yard for this one. I have a feeling we will be doing more block-printing type projects in the future, […]
Butterfly Paintings — Lessons in Symmetry
May 12, 2009 by
Like most 5 year old girls, Emily adores butterflies. Today we painted butterflies and I introduced the concept of symmetry. To make your own butterfly painting, start with a sheet of paper, and fold it in half. Draw half of a butterfly, as shown. I used watercolor markers (just $2.50 for a pack of 8 […]
3-D Spring Art
May 11, 2009 by
Today we used Q-tips and twigs for a 3-D Spring craft — catkins (a.k.a. pussy willows) in a vase! These buds are one of the first signs of Spring. The one in our front yard has since bloomed, but this was a nice way to remember how the buds looked. Have your child mix black […]
$5 Friday — Mother’s Day Gift Idea and More
May 8, 2009 by
Here is the sundress I made for Emily using one of Mark’s old dress shirts. If there is enough interest (just leave a comment), I would be happy to post a tutorial on how to make one — it’s very easy! Today, we used our marbled paper from last week to make a Mother’s Day […]
A Sundress for My Sunshine
May 4, 2009 by
I’m embarrassed to admit this, but I have not used my sewing machine since college and that was a long time ago. *gasp* It’s not that I don’t like sewing, it’s just that I’d rather be knitting or crocheting. When the weather starts to warm up, I find myself wishing that I would just start […]
$5 Friday — Paper Marbling — This is awesome!
May 1, 2009 by
After yesterday’s post about making an art smock from a garbage bag, you knew today’s post was going to be about a fun, messy project, right? Paper marbling is a bit messy, but lots of fun, and very frugal! To do your own paper marbling, you will need: cardstock, liquid starch, water, 2 dish tubs […]
Oil Pastel Art
April 29, 2009 by
A few months ago, I picked up a pack of Crayola Oil Pastels from the clearance section of Office Depot, and Emily enjoys drawing with these much more than regular crayons. She made a comment today about how the oil pastels are easier to mix colors with than crayons. In any case, if she will […]
Make Kites, Not Friends
April 28, 2009 by
Today’s post was going to be all about making kites, and how we followed this great tutorial from maya made showing how to make your own kite. Not just any kite, mind you, but the best damn kite ever! I’m planning a similar activity for my MOMS Club, so I thought I would take the […]
$5 Friday — Spring Shaped Bubble Wands
April 24, 2009 by
I’ve posted previously about how much the girls enjoyed our Homemade Bubble Solution. Today after Emily helped me weed the flower beds, we made our own Spring bubble wands! To make your own Spring bubble wands, you will need: 12″ wooden dowels, thin-gauge wire, some electrical tape, and some cookie cutters. Wrap the thin gauge […]
