Pencil & Crayon Wreaths

Pencils, crayons, glue sticks, notebooks… it’s about that time!

In honor of the new school year, we decided to collage some wreaths together. Here’s  what we came up with:

Materials:

Wreath form, notebook paper, pencils, Mod Podge(matte), hot glue  

This project was super easy and cost about $4 to make. :)

Step One: Mod Podge notebook paper to 12" wreath form (I cut the paper into strips and glued a couple of layers). Allow to dry.

Step Two: Hot glue various sized pencils to ring.

Step Three: Attach a ribbon for hanging.

Crayon wreath...

 

              

Same steps here, only I coated a 6" ring with some white paint first. :)

Have a happy and safe school year! :)

I am sharing these projects and getting super  inspired over at:

The 36th Avenue
Johnny in a Dress
Scissors&Spatulas
WhipperBerry
Tatertots & Jello
30 Handmade Days
Six Sisters' Stuff
SNAP!
Today's Creative Blog

Ketchup

Hi there!  We’ve been up to our ears in summer.  We’ve been creating things, making things, eating things, playing things, swimming in things, chalking things, riding things, singing things, watching things, collecting things, catching things, climbing  things, building things...so, let’s catch up (in random photos), shall we?  Sorry, if you thought this was a post about ketchup. I like Heinz by the way.

Our 4th of July Menu.

 Our festive fruit salad.

My little one decided that brown was just not a good color for our deck...so she went all Caribbean on it. Yahhh Mon. I like it. :) 

 ...collected sea shells by the seashore.

sweet corn...a summer staple.

...coolest drawing/painting of the summer...so far.  :)

So...what have you been up to?

Noodle Doodles

A couple of years ago we dyed a bazillion noodles to make super colorful Thanksgiving necklaces. My daughter found our left over stash the other day so I let my little ones go crazy collaging them to cardboard (recycled cereal box).  They think glue is the coolest...so this kept them occupied for an hour or so.  

How to dye noodles:

1. place dry noodles in baggies
2. drop 3-6ish drops of food coloring in bag (mixing colors is fun- so experiment!)
3. add 1 tablespoon of rubbing alcohol
4. seal bag and smoosh noodles around to coat.
5. remove from bag and allow to dry completely (parchment paper, pan, sunshine worked for us).
6. make art

Here are some pics of my noodles at work:

An easy, basic activity that you can take in any direction.

And there you have it...a noodle doodle. :)

Patriotic Can Clunkers

The 4th of July is just a month away...so we are loving all things red, white and blue.
After seeing some way cool recycled can wind socks and wind chimes on Pinterest (here and here), we were inspired to make some patriotic chimes (clunkers) to hang in our backyard.  Here is how we made ours: 

First, gather these materials:

Cans (different sizes)

White primer (gesso is my go to)

Red, white and blue acrylic paint
Blue Sharpie

White string

Hammer & nail

Step One

Prime your cans white and set aside to dry.

Step Two

Paint cans as desired. We added stars, stripes and added a portion of the Star Spangled Banner to one using a blue sharpie.

Step Three

When the cans are dry, seal them with mod podge or whatever sealer you have.

Step Four

Using your hammer and nail, poke holes through cans and string them together. Sorry, I don't have pictures of this step - my little guy kept trying to steal my hammer (multi-tasking was not an option).

There is something silly about the sound of the cans hitting each other. Kinda get the mixed vibe of a “just married” couple driving off with cans attached to their car and a windy scene in the movie, Twister. Clunk-it-y, clunk, clunk.

So there you have it.  Save your cans and make some wind clunkers. :)



I am sharing this project and getting super inspired over at:

WhipperBerry
30 Handmade Days
Tatertots & Jello
Six Sisters' Stuff
Itsy Bitsy Paper

Patriotic Ribbon Sticks

Excited for the holiday weekend??  We are!  To add to our excitement, we spent a good portion of our day splattering things (and ourselves) up with some festive red, white and blue paint.  Today’s project:  scrap fabric patriotic ribbon sticks.

Materials:

White scrap fabric cut into strips (various lengths) …you can even use an old white shirt.

Red, white and blue acrylic paint

Brushes

Pencil eraser

Step One

Cut fabric into strips (1" x 12-24"...roughly)

Step Two

Paint strips as desired.

polkadots

 stars and stripes

Step Three (optional)

I made a simple star stamp to make things more interesting. Draw a star, cut out shape using an exacto. Hello, cute little stamp.

Step Four

Attach dried fabric strips to dowel or some kind of stick. I stacked a few strips, poked a hole, threaded some string through and tied it to a slightly notched dowel. I tied/wrapped the string around the dowel numerous times and secured the string with hot glue.

My kids loved making these and they giggled and squealed as they sprinted around the yard flying them.  It’s great how a stick and some fabric can add a little excitement to an ordinary afternoon.  These would be great for 4^th of July parades, for topping off a giant sand castle, birthdays...and they kind of remind me of sparklers too - just a safer, toddler friendly alternative. :)

Have a super weekend!




Check out this project and get inspired at:
Tatertots & Jello
Whipperberry

30 Handmade Days

Paper Beads

Hi there! So sorry for my recent lack of posts…I was in a jello fog for a couple of weeks recovering from a tonsillectomy.  Fun times! But don’t worry, we escaped creative withdrawal by making these colorful paper beads (so that my little one can make her own super cool jewelry):

Materials:

Scrapbook paper (any paper will do)

Matte Mod Podge

Brush

Pencil/marker/dowel/toothpick(for tighter beads)

First, I used a ruler and ripped scrapbook paper into triangular strips. I like the look of torn edges.

Using a marker, pencil or dowel... roll paper around marker one time (without glue). Then brush Mod Podge on remaining paper and continue rolling out the strip. Slip the rolled paper off marker, apply coat of Mod Podge and set aside to dry. This was fun for the kids and kept them busy. You can make smaller beads if you wrap a toothpick. The marker gave us penne sized tubes which made it easier for my little ones to string them with yarn.

rolled mini tubes...

Once the mini tubes dried we cut them into smaller beads and made necklaces.

This could be a fun summer activity for kids. Maybe have them paint/ design their own paper for beading.  So many options!


Have a nice day! :)




See this project and get inspired over at:
Whipperberry
Tatertots & Jello
30 Handmade Days

DIY Easter Grass

Confession: I am not a fan of old school plastic Easter grass (thanks Mom!). So instead of searching for the perfect basket filler, we made our own.  First, we painted a few sheets of white computer paper (both sides) with springy green craft paint. I used a dry brush method to exaggerate the streaks to give it a grass-like look.

Then, we ripped the paper into long strips to create our grass. I love the torn paper look.

If this stuff ends up scattered all over our house on Easter morning I don’t think I will mind so much. :)

Check out this project and more over at:
30 Handmade Days
Tatertots & Jello

Painted Easter Eggs

These adorable cardboard/paper mache-ish eggs grabbed my attention a few years ago while combing through the Easter goodies at Michael’s.

Since then, it has become a tradition to paint eggs each year. First, we coat them with white gesso and let them dry. Then we mix up some spring colors with craft paint and go to town. 

 

To help with the drying process, I cut up a few handy dandy tp rolls to hold the freshly painted eggs. 

Polka dots, stripes, scallops, you name it.  Add personal designs/text and give them to grandparents, family, friends, etc. for a sweet keepsake/gift.

Pretty little eggs.  :)

 

See this project and more over at Tatertots & Jello!