Toilet Tube Monsters

Inspired by a photo on Pinterest (and as I type this, I realize it links to a tutorial - oops), Dylan & I collected several toilet paper tubes to create monsters for Halloween. I showed him the photo and then set him loose with markers, paint, pipe cleaners and googly eyes.

The faces amazed me. He drew the noses and mouths, then glued on the eyes:

Ok, so these turned out more "cute" than "monster" but we love them and Dylan is very proud of his monsters. He should be. He's 4 and made these entirely on his own minus punching holes in the sides for the pipe cleaner arms to slide through. I helped with that part but under his direction on where to make them.

Looking for more fun kid friendly Halloween crafts? Check out our past project shares: Candy Corn Art, Ghost Footprint Plaque, and Tissue Paper Pumpkins.

Linked up to Pintastic Tuesdays at This Mommy Cooks Dinner.

Read More

four days 4 parks

I came across this layout on Pinterest and thought it was the perfect inspiration for a title page for our photobook. I followed the general idea of a single photo & simple journaling for each day of the trip. Then I changed things up a bit for my own design. Loving how it turned out.

Supplies: More or Less collaboration kit from Pixels & Co; Count on Me brushes by Deena Rutter; This Week elements by Karla Dudley.

Read More

Disney Countdown!

For better or worse, we shared the news with Dylan that we're headed to Walt Disney World next month for a much needed family vacation. We figured it wouldn't really ruin the surprise since at 3 and a half, he doesn't begin to comprehend what it means enough to know what we're doing. He does know it's big and exciting. My guess is he's comparing it to his two recent Great Wolf Lodge trips. Before the second trip, we were frequently told that he wanted to go "today" even when it was weeks off. To help him visualize, we marked his calendar with a pawprint sticker leftover from the first trip (so glad I saved that!).

For Disney, we did a bit of the same. I helped him mark the days on his calendar with Disney stickers from a recent DVD club mailer. Easy, free and a good visual. But thanks to too much time spent on Pinterest, I decided to do one more thing - create a paper chain.

It hangs on the side of our fridge next to his chore chart (good reminder to earn those stars!) and I spelled out "Days to Disney" using his Melissa & Doug magnets. He was so excited and, amazingly, has been really good about tearing only one off - at night after dinner with us watching. We all cheer as the chain gets one link shorter.

There are some really clever chains pinned, but this newly fulltime working mama still trying to find that balance between work, family, crafting, etc kept it simple. Next time though, I think I might like to try one with the Mickey ears on the black links. So cute.

Read More

DIY Superhero Costume

I pinned a tutorial two years ago (yes, 2 years!) from The Southern Institute for making a superhero cape & cuff from an adult's t-shirt. Fast forward to a recent birthday invitation for a superhero party and I finally got around to making one.

I actually picked up the t-shirt at Goodwill so it cost me under $1.50. All other supplies for the cape and cuff I had in my stash. I purchased the blue/silver reversible mask at Target for $3 (purely a luck find as I passed through the toddler section).

My little superhero was more than excited. He had fun checking himself out in the new playroom mirror (finally got it hung!). Super D to the rescue!

Supplies: repurposed t-shirt; cotton fabric; interfacing; iron-on adhesive; velcro; Coats & Clark thread.

Read More

DIY Mirror

My latest Pinterest pin to become reality is a wood framed mirror for the playroom:

It's propped up for now (still need to buy hardware to hang it as it won't last long otherwise with an active 3.5 year old!) next to the basket of dress up items.

Find the original post on Shanty 2 Chic blog here. I followed the tutorial, but not exactly as I bought 1x3 boards instead of 1x4. Trent & I simply measured the mirror and cut accordingly. We actually cut the boards a few weeks ago while we had our miter saw out for updates I'm doing in the laundry room. More on that project soon!

Supplies: (2) 1x3 boards; Minwax stain; Liquid Nails adhesive; mirror.

Read More

Homemade Birdseed Molds

I've been trying to get a number of items checked off the "to do" list especially ideas I've pinned. This was a project I planned to do a year ago and was shared by Stomping in the Mud blog. Finally, Dylan & I got out on a warm (50s) afternoon and made it a reality.

Supplies

• 3/4 cup of Flour
• 1/2 cup of Water
• Unflavored Gelatin
• 1 cup of Birdseed
• Muffin tin coated with nonstick spray 
• Straws (we used 2 cut into 3 pieces each)

Start by mixing the flour, water and gelatin.

Add the birdseed. We poured about 1 cup into our bowl. I don't have any pictures as we quickly realized it was much easier to mix with our hands versus a spoon. It really has a fun texture and cleans off easily.

After it's fully combined, press the mix into the muffin tin sections. Then insert a small straw into the middle.

Let the molds dry for several hours. Or, if you're like me and forget about them, overnight. Pull out the straws and flip the tin over on a sheet of waxed paper. The molds should slide out on their own and will still be damp underneath. Allow to sit until completely dry.

Add a string and hang for the birds to enjoy!

Read More

Heart Penguin

Dylan created this adorable penguin a couple weeks ago:

It started off as a bunch of hearts. I forgot to take photos of the pieces & process, but if you want to help your child make one it's very simple. Cut 5 hearts of various sizes out of colored construction paper - a large one in black, medium one in white, and three smaller ones in orange. Cut a bow of out another color if you would like. Ours was a blue bow tie, but you could also make it a hair bow for a girl penguin. :)

Let your child glue together the hearts, bow and two googly eyes. Dry and admire!

The idea to make the penguins came from this post at Rainbows within Reach blog.

Read More

Roll A Snowman

On cold days stuck inside, new entertainment is a plus. This project kept Dylan & me busy for quite a while between picking the fabrics, sketching & cutting the pieces, constructing it and then playing.

I came across the idea of Roll a Snowman on Pinterest last year. Find the instructions and printable on this post at Funky Polkadot Giraffe blog. I followed her general idea, but substituted blue dotted flannel for the background as I was purely using my stash and somehow didn't have any blue felt. Actually, I liked how it turned out since the flannel looks sort of snowy with all the dots.

Everything stores in the back pocket when not in use (including our missing button that reappeared after I finished taking pictures, of course).

Read More

Santa's Magic Key

I saw the idea of Santa's Magic Key last year on Pinterest and meant to make one. The poem is the part I really love as it combines the magic of Santa with the real meaning of Christmas (find it here from Michelle at The Picadilly Post). I don't recall ever questioning Santa getting into a home without a chimney when I was little. I certainly didn't expect my almost 2 and a half year old to question it last year when our home didn't have a fireplace much less a chimney. I simply thought it would be fun and cute. And while we now do have a fireplace, it is gas so we still don't have a chimney. Thus, I finally finished this project!

I purchased the key last year at Michaels. I tried to find the dollar bin option mentioned in Michelle's post, but didn't have luck. Instead I found one in the jewelry section. It was a little bit pricier but not too bad with a coupon. Since I was never fond of the brass color, I used some bronze spray paint left from my bathroom hardware project to paint it.

The tag I made with fabric from my stash. I ironed freezer paper to the back, cut it to 8.5x11 and slipped it into the printer paper tray. I created a tag outline in Photoshop and added the poem plus a Santa graphic from Sara Schmutz's Jolly kit. I printed it to the fabric, peeled off the freezer paper and cut out the shape. Punched a hole in the tag using my Cropodile and added an eyelet (my scrapbooking stash pays off for all sort of crafty projects!). Then looped a red ribbon through to hang it on the door Christmas Eve and called it done.

Read More

And the Curtains Were Hung

As the holidays approach, we are slowly checking off items from our "to do" list around the house. (Even emptied a few more boxes! Yes, we still have plenty of boxes.) One that has made the most impact in the space we spend the most time - curtains in our family room:

We had curtains in every room in our last house. Partly because it was easy with the cats (oh how they loved to chew the mini blinds in our apartment once upon a time ago). All the windows in our new home had blinds already and the windows were different size/quantity than our old house so we only brought the guestroom pair with us. I ordered room darkening curtains for Dylan's room and hung them the day after we moved in. Partly to keep his room darker and because I'm still uncomfortable with corded blinds in his room.

Back to the family room though, I did quite a bit of searching to find the right style and colors to match our room. I struggled to find anything that I liked in a price that would also fit our current budget. Then I saw an idea on Pinterest (that I failed to pin from what I can tell) and searched for tablecloths instead. Sure enough in the kitchen section at Target I found 84" long tablecloths in a print I liked and in colors that matched our room. Since the room is in the southwest corner and faces wooded land designated for a future park, we didn't need lined panels. I simply clipped on curtain rings to hang. No sewing whatsoever.

I did end up visiting 3 local Target stores to get the 6 total tablecloths I needed for the 3 windows as the print I chose wasn't available online. We also picked up hardware there. I confess, I'm not thrilled with it. I would like larger curtain rods eventually, but for now it works. The simple act of hanging the panels added tremendously to the warmth of the room.

Slowly our new house is starting to feel like home.

Read More

Candy Corn Art

On a rainy afternoon earlier in the week, I went to Pinterest for a craft idea to entertain us. Dylan was very excited when I said "candy corn." I quickly explained it was an art project and that I didn't have any of the actual candy. I have a feeling it will find our cart during our next grocery trip... That said, he loved this simple craft I found on Mamas Like Me blog.

I hand sketched the outline of a candy corn using a white crayon. Then wrote each color name in its section using a crayon of the same color (ie, I wrote 'yellow' using a yellow crayon). I gave Dylan a small bottle of glue and pieces of white, yellow & orange construction paper. Together we worked on the glue (our gluestick had dried up and this was his first time using a bottle of glue). Dylan carefully placed each colored piece on his own.

He was very proud of his finished project and showed it off to Trent when he got home. Then hung it on the fridge for everyone to see. :)

Read More

Friday Freebie: 'I Spy' Book

Dylan loves I Spy books so when I saw the idea on Delia Creates blog for DIY I Spy Books, I knew I needed to make him one. He loves it especially since his toys are featured. He'll dig through his Duplo blocks to find the physical matching pieces as well as searching the photos. :)

Here's a peek at a few of the pages ...

The fun part? I'm sharing these pages with you. The alphabet find page is a bit different. It's 6 squares like the other search pages and features ABC instead of Dylan's name.

You can download the pages here. Please remember they are for personal use only. Thanks and enjoy!

The free I Spy pages today are in lieu of my typical monthly digital scrapbooking freebie. Find past Friday Freebies HERE and, don't forget to subscribe to my feeds so you won't miss future freebies!

Read More

Football Tee

A couple weeks ago I shared a birthday t-shirt I made for one of Dylan's friends. I had a creative spurt and couldn't stop there. She regularly tailgates (and attends a few games, I believe) with her parents before Duke football games so I made her this Pinterest inspired shirt as our gift:

Close-up shot:

Read More

Friday Freebie: 5 Favorites

In creating my layout for Round 5 of the Mad March competition, I made a template based on the inspiration piece from Pinterest. The template is 12x12 and features 14 layers including photo & paper masks and journaling. It's free for personal use only.

Click here to download the 5 Favorites template

Enjoy!

Have you missed one of my previous digital freebies? Click HERE to find them. And, don't forget to subscribe to my feeds so you won't miss future freebies!

Read More

Mad March Competition - Round 5

This was one of those layouts that went a lot of directions before it was complete. I'm really happy with the end result. Not sure I would have come to this conclusion without the Round 5 challenge.

The requirements:

1. Use an action on your photo - Totally Rad's Bitchin' B&W
2. Use an inspiration piece from Pinterest to start your page - this gallery wall
3. Do your journaling in list format - check
4. Blend a number into the background paper - blended a grouping of numbers from Digi Essentials 4 by Karla Dudley.
5. Recolor an element - I recolored several! Dots paper by Robyn Meierotto and Lacey paper by Celeste Knight, both from DHD's DSD 2011 collaboration. Zig zag stitches from In Stitches - Bright Basics by Robyn Meierotto. Plaid Heart from I Love Boys by Robyn Meierotto.
6. Make a 2-D element 3-D - Plaid Heart. Added stronger shadow than other elements and warped it.
7. Create your own word art using one alpha and one font - Title. Used Edwardian Script for '5' and Mellow Alpha by Robyn Meierotto.
8. Use stripes, polka dots & floral patterned paper - Pinstripe Grey by Deena Rutter, Dots (recolored) by Robyn Meierotto and Lacey (recolored) by Celeste Knight all from DHD's DSD 2011 collaborative.
9. Use only 3 colors: Black, White & your choice - kraft/tan/brown.
10. Use only black & white photos - check
11. Use something from one of our free kits - Pinstripe Grey by Deena Rutter, Dots (recolored) by Robyn Meierotto and Lacey (recolored) by Celeste Knight all from DHD's DSD 2011 collaborative.
12. Subject: Favorites - 5 favorites of Dylan's at age 2.5
13. Use staples on your layout - clipping heart to page. From Nursery Rhymes by Sara Schmutz

Supplies: Kindergarten Crafts by Miss Mint; Back to Basics - Black Frames & Nursery Rhymes elements by Sara Schmutz; Digi Essentials 4 by Karla Dudley; I Love Boys elements, Mellow Alpha & In Stitches - Bright Basics by Robyn Meierotto; Dots patterned paper by Robyn Meierotto, Pinstripe Grey patterned paper by Deena Rutter, and Lacey patterned paper by Celeste Knight - all from DHD's Digital Scrapbooking Day 2011 collaborative kit; Edwardian Script and Century Gothic fonts.

Read More

Toilet Tube Chicks

Yesterday morning, Dylan & I needed an activity so I searched Pinterest for an Easter project and came across Toilet Tube Easter Chicks at Happy Hooligans blog. Perfect. An easy project and I had everything we needed on hand.

Supplies

• Toilet paper tubes
• Acrylic paint and brushes
• Glue
• Googly eyes
• Orange felt (not shown)
• Tissue paper

We started by painting our tubes. Dylan was really into this at first. Then painting the tray of his highchair became more fun so I had to help him finish the tube!

Next, I had him point to where he wanted his eyes and beak. We went one at a time and with each I put a dot of glue, then he placed each piece.

Finally, he decided to skip gluing tissue paper to the sides, and instead stuck it out each end! I love that he made this project into his own. :)

And, I'm glad I had the camera ready to snap off a couple of quick photos because moments later he tore it apart. Then we had a new activity as he experimented with the pieces himself along with a glue stick I gave him. Part of the fun of crafting with a toddler - you never know entirely where you will end up!

Read More

Homemade Puffy Paint

We are currently in a phase where anything mixable and where Dylan can 'help' makes for a good project. Homemade puffy paint fit the bill. It was very easy to make. He loved helping me measure & dump each ingredient. We used the recipe shared on sandy toes and popsicles blog:

Supplies

• 1 tablespoon of self rising flour
• 1 tablespoon of salt
• food coloring
• water

Add the first 3 ingredients into each spot in a small muffin pan. Then add enough water to create a paste and mix it all together.

Use q-tips to paint designs onto stiff paper or cardboard. I cut up an old cereal box for us to use. (And, yes, the painting on the right was mine - Dylan isn't quite advanced enough to paint shapes on his own!)

After your designs are complete, microwave for 5-10 seconds. Admire your artwork!

Read More

Lens Pouch

Since getting a new lens at Christmas, I've been looking for ways to take it along from time to time. My camera only fits in my small bag with the kit lens (new one is too long) and I don't always want to carry my large camera bag as I typically have a diaper bag in tow as well. I found the idea for the Strappy Camera Lens Pouch on Pinterest.The tutorial was written by another mom who also wanted to take along the extra lens while toting the diaper bag.

This was my first time sewing a project with a zipper. I was proud I at least knew to change the foot on my machine! Beyond that, it took a minute of reading the manual. I was just about to search online for how-to videos when I figured it out.

The main fabric was in my stash leftover from creating my camera strap cover. On the inside I used a coordinating fat quarter I bought while shopping for the zipper.

Supplies: floral print fabric - Central Park by Kate Spain; liner fabric - JoAnn Fabrics; Pellon fusible fleece; Coats & Clark thread and zipper.

Read More

Cheez-its

My mom bought Dylan a play kitchen from Ikea during our visit a few weeks ago. He's loving it. While we had a few play foods already, there is room for a few more. I came across the idea for felt Cheez-its while browsing Pinterest. Can't get any simper than sewing straight lines down folded over orange felt and then cutting into squares.

But then the crackers needed a box. The original blogger used a real Cheez-it box. I liked the idea, but it is too big for our kitchen.

Using a scan of the box and an empty cereal box, I literally made a new box that looks exactly like the original except at a smaller scale.

Supplies: Cheez-it box (to scan); photo paper; cereal box; Mod Podge; X-acto knife and scoring tool (if available).

Read More

Stamped Heart

My neighbor and I have started a Friday morning swap with our boys. One week I watch her son and one week she watches Dylan. This past week, Dylan went to her house. The boys played but also did a little crafting. I was so excited when I saw his completed artwork.

The hearts were stamped using a toilet paper roll dipped in paint. I had actually pinned this idea last year and then forgotten to get around to it in recent weeks.

Photo Credit Nila Garriga Photography

After the paint had dried, each boy "sewed" the edges with yarn through punched holes. So cute. Dylan's is hanging proudly on his art wall in our dining room.

Supplies: paper; toilet paper tube; paint; hole punch; yarn.

Read More