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: DIY
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
Beach Glass Mobile
Today’s post is all about sea glass and driftwood.
I’ve had a giant bag of beach glass that I’ve collected over the years, and all it’s done is just sit and accumulate dust. I’m so happy that I finally put some of it to good use! The supplies for this project are simple: driftwood/stick, scissors, beach glass, string or wire.
You can use either string or wire to attach your beach glass to one another, and to the driftwood. I opted for string since it won’t rust in the salty air. The next step requires patience and time and tying a series of knots. Tie your first knot at the point where you want to insert a piece of glass. Slip the glass in place, and secure with another knot. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.
You can get creative with different shapes, colors, and incorporating shells.
And it’s ready to hang….
indoors or out!
Beach House Birthday
It’s already been a month since Sydney’s birthday, and I still can’t believe she’s four years old. My oh my, where does the time go?
Being busy back at work, I wasn’t able to be as hands on and crafty as I would have liked, but nonetheless, it was a fantastic party! And, the fact that we threw it at a super adorable beach house set the tone for a great afternoon. Here are a few pics to give you a feel of how adorable it was, including a super cute bathroom that I just can’t get enough of:
love, love this artwork idea:
… and these concrete succulent planters are adorable!
I was most worried about keeping the kiddies occupied, so we set up a pool, had a piñata, opted for a cupcake decorating session vs a traditional cake, filled beach pails with goodies, and finished off the evening with some crab hunting!
We were so thankful to have such great family and friends to help us celebrate!
p.s. no crabs were harmed, we set them free the very next morning…
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.
Springy Spring Spring : Yarn Wrapped Candles
These yarn wrapped candles are the perfect way to add a bright & cheery touch of spring to your table!
And they couldn’t be any easier to make. You just need candles (I picked up mine at Target for under two bucks a piece), colorful yarn, and some glue.
Start by glueing one end of your yarn to the candle, then get to wrapping. Make sure you wrap tightly, and add a dot of glue every so often. If you’re using hot glue like I did, be sure to just use a little dot. If the glue builds up it creates bumps under your yarn.
Switch up the colors to make different designs.
Then they’re ready to display! As always use caution when working with hot glue, and make sure you keep the yarn far enough away from the tops of your candles!
DIY Patterned Name Sign
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)
Felt Shamrock Plant For St. Patrick’s Day
Good Morning! I have been so busy working with a few different clients, helping them to refresh and update their homes. But, yesterday I finally found some time to break out my glue gun again! I made this cute little shamrock plant to add a festive touch to our window sill. All I used was green & white felt, wire, scissors, and glue.
Cut out some hearts. Use glue to give them a little dimension. Then, glue the heart shaped clover leaves to your wire. I also made larger clovers by turning my hearts upside-down. Get creative with it.
Then stick them all into a cute little cup or pot with some foam in the bottom. And done! A super quick afternoon craft!
Under-the-Bed Storage Drawers
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!
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.
Turn the drawers over, and hammer a glide into each corner. Flip over, and…..
…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 Driftwood Candle Holders
I finally got around to using the great pieces of driftwood we collected during our little Kauai getaway. I made candle holders!
If you already have a drill, then these are super easy to make. You just need your driftwood, and a drill bit that can make 1 1/2″ holes. I picked one up for about $8.
First, I used my tea candles to figure out exactly where I wanted them to sit on the driftwood. Then I drilled away. Make sure to used extreme caution when handling a drill, work on a safe surface, and wear protective eyewear. I also recommend holding your wood in place with some sort of clamp.
Now clean them up with a vacuum, drop in your candles, and…
… light!
Not only do my driftwood candle holders make the perfect addition to our coastal navy bedroom, they’re also a great keepsake from our trip!
DIY Neon Animal Mobile
Last week I made a fun mobile to add to Sydney’s new reading corner!
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.
I drilled a small hole in each animal, all the way through, (closer to the head to help balance out weight).
Then I painted them different neon colors. I used acrylic paints, spray paint, and nail polish.
I then added a glossy clear coat for extra protection.
Next, using a needle and thread, I strung each animal onto a string, and secured them tightly with hot glue.
I 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.
And that’s it! Sydney loves the fun, bright colors. The mobile is the perfect addition to her brand new reading nook!
DIY Valentines Featured On Shutterstock Today!
Check out how to make these fun Valentine’s I made for Shutterstock! My tutorial is featured on their blog today. With this DIY tutorial you can make personalized homemade cards, and there are no special talents required! It’s a super easy way to create custom Valentines with printed artwork or photographs.
Click Here for the full tutorial.
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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Chalkboard Backsplash Pattern
One of the beauties of a chalkboard backsplash is the ability and ease to change things up. And with the help of a cardboard stencil, that’s exactly what I did last week!
Check out my chalkboard backsplash and other great chalkboard ideas on HGTV.
Testing Out DIY Sharpie Mugs
The Sharpie mug DIYs have been done several times, and I always see them and love the idea, but don’t believe they actually hold up. So I put them to the test!
I picked up some inexpensive mugs & bowls, and some Sharpie permanent markers. I grabbed the typical black, a couple metallics, and a pack of silver & gold oil based markers.
I doodled away, popped them all in the oven at 350 for 30 min, let them cool fully, then soaped up a sponge and got to washing. Here are the results….
Typical black marker: Fail
Mix of typical black and metallic: No good
Oil based metallics: ding ding!
We have a winner!
One little tip, if you’re nervous to try this out because you might make a mistake… have no fear! Just put a little rubbing alcohol on a cloth and wipe away your booboos. As long as you fix it before baking, it’s all good! I found this to work for both the regular and oil based sharpies.
** I would never recommend using the markers on any surface that will come in contact with food or your mouth. I was sure to keep my designs away from the lip of my mugs, and I highly suggest you do the same!
** With washing I thoroughly scrubbed my mugs, but was sure to be more on the gentle side when washing over top of my designs.
