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!

Christmas Gift Wrapping : Re-using Boxes

 

I’ve had a busy month thus far, and am finally getting around to gift wrapping. Once I got started, the first thing I did was take a good look around the house for items I could reuse. I ended up with some leftover gift boxes and a few empty brie containers. With a little paint and a few embellishments, I completely transformed 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

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!

Fall Artwork : Finger Print Trees

 

I am beyond ready for fall weather, so I think it’s time to break out the apple and pumpkin spice candles. And, time to decorate the house with some autumn artwork made by cute little hands, literally! Today, while Sydney is hard at work fulfilling my wishes, I wanted to share the first project of the day with you. We broke out the finger paints and rolled up our sleeves to make this cute little tree!

Her hand and arm create the trunk and branches…

 

and her little fingers are the leaves.

A squishy ball helped her create the grass to finish off her masterpiece.

Creative Kids : Learning About Insects with Paint

 

Today we are having fun learning about bugs! Sydney has been very interested in insects lately, so I picked up a bunch of little critters at the store. I thought the toys could help cure her fear of bugs, and teach her how to identify some different kinds insects. Drawing pictures of each insect is a little advanced for her age, so I created a bug painting activity instead!

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Make It Gold

 

Good morning! This weekend went by way too fast! I spent some time working on new handmade items for my Etsy store. They’re almost done, and I can’t wait to share them with you! While I was working, I had the urge to break out the gold spray paint and give some of my tools a new look. Now my tape measure, seam ripper, scissors, tweezers, and xacto feel more like a pretty set. A few coats of clear enamel will keep them protected from scratching and flaking.

While I was working on my tools, Sydney wanted to transform something of hers as well. So, we gave a few of her hair clips a shiny new look.

Sometimes I wish companies would make household products simple with standard black, white, silver, and gold finishes. Like, why can’t tissue boxes just come in a solid black box? Oh, well… I guess that’s why I go through so much spray paint!

Jewelry DIY with Paint Dipped Coral and Gold Shells

 

I’ve had this DIY on my mind for quite awhile now, and finally got around to it last week. It all started when I saw, and fell in love with, these necklaces from Anthropologie. I immediately thought “I can make that!” I have had my shell collection stored away ever since we moved, and this was the perfect reason to sort through it. My collection is entirely made up of shells and coral my dad and I found over the years. So in the end all the necklaces I made have a special memory behind them!

Supplies:

I used nail polish to give the coral the paint dipped look of the inspiration necklace.

I was also inspired to transform the shells with a shiny coat of gold spray paint.

Then I used gold and other colored string to create necklaces.

Sydney even joined in on the fun! I assemble her necklace first, then let her paint away.

To finish off the necklaces you can either add a clasp to your string, or attach the coral or shell to a finished chain.

And that’s all there is to it!

Design Trends : Seeing Blue

 

There’s no doubt that when it comes to recent design trends, blue is in. I first fell in love with the color and brought it home when we moved to our current apartment last spring. We coated our 12 foot bedroom walls in the perfect shade of navy blue. The color has actually become one of my all time favorite paint colors, and I can’t wait to use it in another room!

The blue hue is the perfect color scheme if you’re looking to achieve a unique and globally inspired design. Earlier this summer Ikea launched their limited edition True Blue Collection. It’s an Indian-inspired collection, and, in my opinion, it’s to die for. I want to own it all, and have been eagerly awaiting a release of the collection in our local stores. Sadly, I have finally come to the realization that it probably won’t happen. Sigh.

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