HAPPY EASTER!

navy and tie dye eggs
navy and tie dye eggs

Cabbage Dye:

1 head of red cabbage, chopped
5 cups water
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 pinch baking soda

In a large stainless steel pot, bring all the ingredients to a boil, then reduce and simmer for 30 min. Strain out the cabbage, and separate from the liquid dye. You can pour the dye into glasses and soak your eggs overnight.

Cabbage Dye Eggs

We chose to save the strained cabbage and use it to tie dye some of our eggs. We created a nest of sorts and buried our eggs in the left over leaves. Let them sit over night, and you’re left with white and blue tie eggs!

navy and tie dye eggs

 

Creative Kids : Storytelling

DIY Storytelling

 

Good Morning! The last couple weeks we’ve had fun practicing storytelling with Sydney, all thanks to Elmer’s Early Learners Academy. As soon as our fun box filled with supplies arrived, Syd couldn’t wait to open it up and get crafting! Continue reading

Crafts for Kids : Raindrop Suncatchers

April Showers DIY Suncatcher Craft via www.thegoldjellybean.com

 

These suncatchers are easy to create, and Sydney had lots of fun making them! All we used was wax paper, a marker, white paper, school glue, and a few shades of blue tissue paper. Sketch your cloud and raindrops onto white paper and cut them out. Then cut up your blue tissue paper into small squares.

April Showers DIY Suncatcher Craft via www.thegoldjellybean.com

Now, trace your raindrops onto wax paper and cover with glue. Allow your little ones to go crazy gluing the tissue into each raindrop shape. Then, coat with a thin layer of glue to make sure all tissue is glued down and secure. Allow to dry.

April Showers DIY Suncatcher Craft via www.thegoldjellybean.com

Cut out your blue raindrops, and they’re ready to hang and admire on your windows!

April Showers DIY Suncatcher Craft via www.thegoldjellybean.com

Now, if only these april showers would bring some pretty May flowers…

DIY Spring Felt Flower Box Craft

Spring Flower Box Craft for Kids, via www.thegoldjellybean.com

 

 

Good morning! I hope everyone is set and ready for a great weekend!  I am really excited to share a DIY feature I did for Delighted Magazine! Sydney and I had so much fun with it.

Spring Flower Box Craft for Kids, via www.thegoldjellybean.com

Spring Flower Box Craft for Kids, via www.thegoldjellybean.com

You can check out the full tutorial in the online publication by clicking here.

Spring Flower Box Craft for Kids, via www.thegoldjellybean.com

Painting Easter Eggs

Painting Easter Eggs, via www.thegoldjellybean.com

 

We finally painted our eggs! Instead of messing with natural dye again, or picking up the boxed kind, I opted to find something around the house to reuse instead. I can never seem to use my nail polish fast enough, and it always ends up goopy. So using some of my bright colors from last year worked perfect! I started by blowing out the eggs, and of course making some omelets.

Painting Easter Eggs, via www.thegoldjellybean.com

Use whatever technique works best, I went with the ol’ pin and aspirator method. A straw can also be very helpful if you don’t have the aspirator.

Painting Easter Eggs, via www.thegoldjellybean.com

Then, once the eggs were washed and dry, a little white spackling paste makes the holes vanish. I also created some little egg stands by cutting up all the sections in the egg carton, flipping them upside down, and adding pins to carefully cradle and hold the eggs in place.

Painting Easter Eggs, via www.thegoldjellybean.com

Then I put some q-tips into the polish jars, and let Syd go to town painting. She opted for a drippy paint look.

Painting Easter Eggs, via www.thegoldjellybean.com

I went for my go-to black, white and gold palette, using sharpies & metallic nail polish.

Painting Easter Eggs, via www.thegoldjellybean.com

We cut strips of paper bags to create little nests for our pretty eggs. Here are Syd’s colorful creations:

Painting Easter Eggs, via www.thegoldjellybean.com

Sprouting Eggs

Spring Egg Sprouts for Easter, via www.thegoldjellybean.com

 

For the last couple weeks Sydney has been learning about plants and growth, and sprouting some beans. And now we’ve added the plants to our easter egg centerpiece.

We used egg shells as planters.

We used egg shells as planters.

Spring Egg Sprouts for Easter, via www.thegoldjellybean.com

Added with a little soil….

Spring Egg Sprouts for Easter, via www.thegoldjellybean.com

 

And now Syd’s sprouts have their new homes.

And with a little soil, Syd's sprouts found their new homes.

DIY Patterned Name Sign

DIY Patterned Name Sign, via www.thegoldjellybean.com

 

I am so excited to share another fun craft project I made for Shutterstock! Head over to their blog to check out the full tutorial. I used Photoshop for this one, but if you don’t have the program you can simply print out your patterns & use stencils to cutout your letters.
(if you’re liking the neon animal mobile, you can find that tutorial here)

DIY Pattern Name Sign, via www.thegoldjellybean.com

Under-the-Bed Storage Drawers

Using Old Drawers For Storage, via www.thegoldjellybean.com

 

I posted awhile back that we finally got around to taking down the crib in Sydney’s room. Well, we salvaged as many pieces as possible, and that included the drawers. With just a few bucks, and five min, I adapted those drawers to store toys under Syd’s big girl bed!

Using Old Drawers For Storage, via www.thegoldjellybean.com

All I needed was a hammer, and 8 furniture glides (found at the hardware store). You can also use casters, but her bed was too low for those.

Using Old Drawers For Storage, via www.thegoldjellybean.com

Turn the drawers over, and hammer a glide into each corner. Flip over, and…..

Using Old Drawers For Storage_0003_storage

…that’s it! You can do this with almost any drawers. I’m thinking of using some cool vintage ones on casters under our bed!

DIY Neon Animal Mobile

 

Last week I made a fun mobile to add to Sydney’s new reading corner!

DIY Neon Animal Mobile, via www.thegoldjellybean.com

I’m so excited to share it with you. It’s a very easy and inexpensive DIY. The first thing I did was pick up some toy animals at the dollar store.

DIY Neon Animal Mobile, via www.thegoldjellybean.com

I drilled a small hole in each animal, all the way through, (closer to the head to help balance out weight).

DIY Neon Animal Mobile, via www.thegoldjellybean.com
Then I painted them different neon colors. I used acrylic paints, spray paint, and nail polish.

DIY Neon Animal Mobile, via www.thegoldjellybean.com
I then added a glossy clear coat for extra protection.

DIY Neon Animal Mobile, via www.thegoldjellybean.com

Next, using a needle and thread, I strung each animal onto a string, and secured them tightly with hot glue.

DIY Neon Animal Mobile, via www.thegoldjellybean.comI created the base of the mobile by simply using two wooden dowels, glue, and lots of string. Then I tied all of my threaded animals onto the mobile.

DIY Neon Animal Mobile, via www.thegoldjellybean.com

And that’s it! Sydney loves the fun, bright colors. The mobile is the perfect addition to her brand new reading nook!

DIY Frames

DIY Art Frames For Kids, via www.thegoldjellybean.com

 

We finally trust that Sydney won’t use her paints, crayons, and markers to decorate the walls, floors, or furniture. So, we moved her workstation into her bedroom. In doing so, it was totally necessary to hang some masterpieces on her wall. I made a few quick frames using cardboard, markers, and twine. It’s super easy. Check it out!

DIY Art Frames For Kids, via www.thegoldjellybean.com

Cut a frame shape out of cardboard.

DIY Art Frames For Kids, via www.thegoldjellybean.com

Decorate it with markers.

DIY Art Frames For Kids, via www.thegoldjellybean.com

Attach some twine to the back.

DIY Art Frames For Kids, via www.thegoldjellybean.com

And hang!

DIY Finger Print Valentines

DIY Fingerprint Valentines, via www.thegoldjellybean.com

 

Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, and this year is Sydney’s first Vday at school. So, we have been hard at work on some DIY Valentines!

DIY Fingerprint Valentines, via www.thegoldjellybean.com

All we used was an ink pad, card stock, pen, and her cute little fingers.

DIY Fingerprint Valentines, via www.thegoldjellybean.com

Syd tackled the first step, using two thumbprints to make a heart.

DIY Fingerprint Valentines, via www.thegoldjellybean.com

Then, I added some black ink to create a heart balloon and sweet greeting.

DIY Fingerprint Valentines, via www.thegoldjellybean.com

I wrote Sydney’s name in pencil, then let her trace over it in pen.

DIY Fingerprint Valentines, via www.thegoldjellybean.com

Now these cute little cards just need some candy and they’re ready to give!

DIY Fingerprint Valentines, via www.thegoldjellybean.com

DIY Kids Valentines Day Peter Pan Collar

Kids Peter Pan Collar, Perfect for Valentines Day, via www.thegoldjellybean.com

 

I did this project with Syd, but it can be done by anyone, big or small!
It just takes a few simple supplies:
– paper, pencil & scissors to make a pattern
– felt or other fabric and ribbon
– pins to hold things in place
– fabric glue, and/or hot glue (not for kiddos!)
– various sequins, jewels, etc. for embellishment

Kids Peter Pan Collar, Perfect for Valentines Day, via www.thegoldjellybean.com

Then, just follow the simple steps pictured above.

Kids Peter Pan Collar, Perfect for Valentines Day, via www.thegoldjellybean.com

Here are just a couple that we did on a rainy day. The pink one Sydney made to wear for Valentine’s Day!

Kids Peter Pan Collar, Perfect for Valentines Day, via www.thegoldjellybean.com

Fun & Free Toy Storage for Kids

Shoe Box House Storage viawww.thegoldjellybean.com

 

Ever since Christmas, I have been working with Sydney to get rid of some old toys, and make room for the new ones. In doing so, I am also trying to make organizing her toys fun. She loves everything little, and has tons of tiny erasers, dolls, etc. So I took some old shoe boxes, paint, & markers, and made fun little homes for her favorite micro toys.

Shoe Box House Storage viawww.thegoldjellybean.com
These cute little houses are fun & free to make, will help keep rooms clean, and can even be used to play! Doesn’t get better than that…

Shoe Box House Storage viawww.thegoldjellybean.com2

There’s less than a week left to vote, so please stop by and show your support. It just takes one little click!

Throwback Thursday : Dinosaur & Animal Photo Holders

 

Today I’m bringing back an old post from last spring. I originally posted this project on my old site Sunbutter & Jelly, and I wanted to get it back up on my blog to share with you! This is a super easy dollar store DIY. Using some spray paint and an x-acto, I turned these little plastic figures into photo / place card holders. I love the finished product, they add playfulness and humor to our decor!

Pick out the plastic animals of your choice.

Use an utility knife or x-acto to cut a slit in the top of the animal.

Be sure to cut deep enough to hold a card or pic, but don’t cut all the way through.

In a well ventilated and protected area, spray color of your choice.

Let dry, and then they’re ready to use!

You can even use them for place card holders. How cute would these be for a kids birthday party!?

Dinosaur Card Holder, via www.thegoldjellybean.com


And don’t forget to stop by and vote for me COM Top 25 Creative Moms of 2013!

Shaving Cream Art : Snowmen

 

Last week Sydney and I got messy and had fun with shaving, cream, glitter, and construction paper. Shaving cream can be used for all sorts of fun learning and art with toddlers & preschoolers. We decided to be festive and make some snowmen and snowy scenes. Enjoy! Continue reading

DIY: Making Handprint Christmas Ornaments

 

Today Sydney and I have an assembly line of handprint christmas ornaments going. I remember making one when I was a kid, and it still goes up on my mom’s tree every year. Now, we’ll have one to put on our tree every year!

We made a dough using 2 c. flour, 1 c. fine sea salt, and 1 c. water. Mix all ingredients together and knead for about 5 min. Then roll the dough out, about 1/2″ thick, and use a cup or bowl to cut out circles. Continue reading

DIY Snowflake Window Clings (plus tips and the best method)

 

We have been working on making snow flake window clings for about 4 days now, and finally put them up yesterday. Perfect timing since we had our first snow of the season last night! As soon as we noticed the wintry scene outside, my husband and I ran to Sydney’s room to wake her up. We found her already sitting in her window, watching with excitement. It was so sweet!

Continue reading

10 Rainy Day Projects For Kids

 

After a very chilly night of tricks and treats, and a little too much candy, Sydney and I are feeling a under the weather today. As a result, we have decided to spend the entire afternoon relaxing indoors and getting healthy again. So, today I thought I would share some of my favorite rainy day craft ideas for kids. Enjoy!

1. Making Slime is always a fun time!
2. With $1 Birdhouses just break out some craft supplies and get creative!
3. Glow Jars are a reader favorite
4. Play pirates and Make your own telescope!
5. Stick People are a fun craft, and they promote imaginative play and story telling
6. With some oil and whole wheat flour, have an indoor beach day with Moon Sand fun.
7. And the classic homemade Playdoh is always a kid favorite!
8. Have some unmatched socks laying around? It’s Sock-topus time!
9. Make Pasta Necklaces with some dry pasta, food coloring, and rubbing alcohol.
10. Chances are you have all the ingredients for some homemade Puffy Paint art.

And, I will most likely be spending some quality time on Pinterest during nap time today, so be sure to follow me here!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...