Still wondering what to get give your child’s teacher for Christmas this year? Why not brighten up the snowy season with a happy sunflower?
Plus, a painted pot adds a sweet personal touch : )
DIY : Teacher Gift Idea
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Tag Archives: toddler
Creative Kids : 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
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.
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.
Cut out your blue raindrops, and they’re ready to hang and admire on your windows!
Now, if only these april showers would bring some pretty May flowers…
DIY Spring Felt Flower Box Craft
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.
You can check out the full tutorial in the online publication by clicking here.
Painting Easter Eggs
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.
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.
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.
Then I put some q-tips into the polish jars, and let Syd go to town painting. She opted for a drippy paint look.
I went for my go-to black, white and gold palette, using sharpies & metallic nail polish.
We cut strips of paper bags to create little nests for our pretty eggs. Here are Syd’s colorful creations:
Sprouting Eggs
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.
Added with a little soil….
And now Syd’s sprouts have their new homes.
DIY Frames
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!
Cut a frame shape out of cardboard.
Decorate it with markers.
Attach some twine to the back.
And hang!
DIY Finger Print Valentines
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!
All we used was an ink pad, card stock, pen, and her cute little fingers.
Syd tackled the first step, using two thumbprints to make a heart.
Then, I added some black ink to create a heart balloon and sweet greeting.
I wrote Sydney’s name in pencil, then let her trace over it in pen.
Now these cute little cards just need some candy and they’re ready to give!
DIY Kids Valentines Day Peter Pan Collar
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
Then, just follow the simple steps pictured above.
Here are just a couple that we did on a rainy day. The pink one Sydney made to wear for Valentine’s Day!
Fun & Free Toy Storage for Kids
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.
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…
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Cinnamon & Glitter : Making Christmas Ornaments
I love the smell of cinnamon and applesauce ornaments at Christmas time. And a like a little sparkle. So why not put the two togehter?!
I found several basic ornament recipes Continue reading
How to Make Borax Crystal Snowballs
These borax crystal snowballs are a fun and festive science experiment, plus they make for beautiful decorations and gift toppers. To make the snowballs you need white craft pom poms in various sizes. Tie one or two pom poms to a string. Continue reading
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 Bowtie Pasta Garland
I am in full force holiday decorating mode over here, and I’m excited to finally put up some garland I made awhile back when Syd and I were working on bowtie pasta hair bows, artwork, and father’s day cards. It’s a super easy project, and even fun for the kids!
You need bowtie pasta, white glue, paint brush, string, and glitter.
First, brush the pasta with glue, giving it a nice thick coat.
Cover the pasta with glitter. Allow to dry, and repeat on the backside.
After your glittered bows have dried completely, simply tie them onto string or yarn.
Repeat with as many bows as you’d like, making sure to secure each one with a double knot.
We also made a red version. These were done the same way, with just one added step. We first dyed the bows red using food coloring and rubbing alcohol. You can find the tutorial for coloring pasta here.
Have fun and get creative with your colors and string. We enjoyed using a red and white striped string, and even mixed the solid red and red glittered bows.
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!
Halloween Roundup
Good Morning and Happy Friday! So far October has been full of fun Halloween ideas and DIYs. As the 31st is quickly approaching, I decided to put together a little roundup of the festive costume and decor tutorials I did this month. Enjoy!
garden flower, lumberjack, hula girl
gold studded pumpkins, mummy candles, black drippy candles, paper jack-o-lanterns
And don’t forget there is still time to vote for my Fiber One Snackcessory! You can vote once daily, so please click and help send me to Fashion Week!
DIY Lumberjack Halloween Costume
If you remember a little while back, I announced the winner to my Thredup DIY Halloween Costume Giveaway. It was a reader who had a great idea for a lumberjack costume. Well, this weekend I put the finishing touches on the costume and suited Sydney up for a little photoshoot. I absolutely adore the outcome, and I hope you do too!
The beard is essential to this costume, and it was pretty easy to make. I started out with three shades of brown felt. I used a piece of paper to create a template for the beard shape, and then cut the shape out of my darkest felt. To add some dimension and character, I cut several scallop edged strips out of the two lighter felts. Next, I used a sewing machine to attach and layer these strips to the beard. You can skip the sewing machine and use glue if you’d like. Once layered, I trimmed off all the excess felt. Then attach a piece of elastic for the band, and it’s ready to wear!
To add to the look, I cut an axe out of cardboard, and adorned it with silver spray paint and a faux bois paper. Jeans, boots, a flannel, and of course a beanie finish off the outfit.
Now it’s time I get started on Sydney’s halloween costume! After going through a few ideas, I think she’s finally made a final decision to be a cat!
And don’t forget there is still time to vote for my Fiber One Snackcessory! You can vote once daily, so please click and help send me to Fashion Week!
Halloween Jack O’ Lantern Craft for Kids
I was going through the craft drawer the other day, and I came across some of the paper lanterns from Sydney’s Alice in Wonderland birthday party. I immediately knew we had to make jack-o-lanterns out of the orange ones!
All you need is an orange paper lantern, some glue, and black glitter. You could also use paper, felt, or even just paint to create the faces. Personally, Sydney and I just can’t get enough glitter!
Using lots of glue, I drew on the eye and mouth shapes.
Then Sydney helped me pour on the glitter.
We put a few in Syd’s room, and they make the perfect Halloween night lights!
DIY Halloween Costume Winner, and Hula Girl Tutorial
Good Morning! I want to thank everyone who entered the costume giveaway, there were so many wonderful ideas! I am excited to announce the lucky winner is….. drum roll please……. Jenny Downs, congratulations!!! I am getting out my pencil and sketchbook, and coming up with some great ideas to turn your little one into a lumberjack for the night. I’m starting on it right away, and I will share the costume with you all as soon as it’s done.
While I get to work, I wanted to share one more diy costume Sydney and I worked on together. It’s a Hula Girl!
This one is so easy, and I’m sure a lot of you have these items on hand at home. You’ll need a brown paper bag, coffee filters, food coloring, and ribbon.
1. Start by dying several coffee filters in a mixture of food coloring and water. About 3 drops color to two tablespoons water. Set filters aside to dry.
2. Taking a brown paper bag, cut it open and lay it out flat. Trim off excess flaps to create an even rectangle shape.
3. Use scissors, or an x-acto and straight edge, to fringe the paper bag, creating a grass skirt. Be sure to leave a 2″ band at the top of the paper bag. This will be the waistband.
4. Glue ribbon to the inside edge of the waistband, leaving it long enough to be tied.
5. Once the colored coffee filters are dry, use them to make flowers. One large flower can be glued to a clip and worn in the hair. Smaller flowers can then be glued to a necklace or thick strand of yarn to make a lei.
Now just pair your homemade pieces with some brown leggings and a bright colored shirt, and get ready to hula!
