Birthday Party Fire Helmets

Here is a simple tutorial on how I made shiny, plastic fire helmets look more realistic and seasoned (for my son's birthday...see more DIY party decor here):

1. Coat the entire top side of plastic helmet (the kind that you get at the fire station) with white gesso and allow to dry completely.

2. Choose your helmet color and paint over the gesso.  For red, I mixed a few shades of red together and added a little black paint to give it character.

*Optional: To give your helmet a rough look (see white helmet-above & black helmet-below), begin by coating helmet with a layer of newspaper (basic paper mache method) and paint as desired when dry.

It’s great how a couple coats of paint can dramatically change the look of the helmets. Here is the before and after:  

                           Before                                                                                                           After

 

I love how these turned out. I'm going to add these to my little guy's bedroom decor.  :)

Have a great day!

I am sharing these projects and getting super inspired over at:
The 36th Avenue
WhipperBerry
Tatertots & Jello
30 Handmade Days
Six Sisters' Stuff

Fire Truck Party Decor

We recently celebrated my little firefighter’s 3^rd birthday.  He picked a fire truck theme, so I had a ton of fun whipping up some projects/décor to transform our home into a fire station. Here are a few of the details...

I made two of these for some fun yard games.

 

(tutorial here)

Materials: recycled cardboard, fire helmets & acrylic paint

I LOVE using cardboard as a canvas. It's free(YAY!), lightweight and you can get super creative with it.  In case you missed it, I have a cardboard valance over one of our windows...you can check it out here. 

Stay tuned for the next shindig! :)


I am sharing these projects and getting super inspired over at:
The 36th Avenue
WhipperBerry
Tatertots & Jello
30 Handmade Days
Six Sisters' Stuff

Tryer Trucks

My little guy turns 3 soon, so we have been preparing for his upcoming party. I let my kids choose their birthday themes…my little guy decided on a “tryer truck” (fire truck) party.  He has a small obsession with fire trucks, hoses, and taking trips to the fire station.  So here is a little peak at some of the things we’ve been working on to make this fire truck party come to life:

I decided to make his "special"  pancakes ahead of time so that I don't have to stand at the griddle through breakfast. :)  I usually make double batches and freeze them.

The beginnings of a fire hydrant...

Can't wait to share all of the other details with you! I'll have the full post for you soon.  Back to work...I have a date with some cute kids and red paint.  :)

Birthday Prints and Portraits

Here is a project that I shared over at Mess for Less last week. Enjoy!

I have to admit that I am overly sentimental at times. Having two pre-schoolers doesn’t make things easy as I am holding on to their early years for dear life. I enjoy finding creative ways to capture and document their growth. So I would like to share a little birthday project that has become a family tradition each year.

Materials:

6x6 canvas (I stock up on these when they are 60% off/under $2)

Craft paint /brush (under $1)

Birthday girl (priceless)

Ikea Easel ($1)

 

Here is what we do:

Step One

Let the birthday girl pick her color. Our birthday girl picked pink so I squeezed two shades of pink and some white paint into an old yogurt cup.  

Step Two

Birthday girl paints the canvas.

Step Three

Once the canvas is dry, paint birthday girl’s hand with a generous coat of white paint. I find this method easier than dipping the entire hand in paint. It saves paint and you can control coverage. Guide hand and make print on canvas. Seal with mod podge.

A brand new tradition:  

To go along with our handprint keepsakes, I decided to have my daughter draw a self portrait. Using an 8x10 canvas board and a sharpie, my little one whipped up this self portrait in about 30 seconds (pigtails and all). We painted the edges with some left over pink paint for a simple border.  Seal with mod podge.

Finally, we printed up this little “favorites” list, had an interview session and stuck this to the back of the portrait. 

As my little ones grow, so will our collection of prints and portraits. A simple and cherished birthday tradition.   :)




See this project and more fantastic ideas here:
WhipperBerry
30 Handmade Days
Tatertots & Jello
Six Sisters' Stuff

I Heart Nap Time
One Artsy Mama