Flower halo | Flower Chandelier

Hi guys!  I owe you all some crafts so I’ve come today with two!


That sweet little girl above is my daughter Ellie.  She recently went to the most fabulous birthday party I’ve ever seen.  It was a fairy themed party complete with costumes for all the girls to wear and keep.  They included fairy wings, a tutu, a top, a large fairy wand with flowers and ribbon attached to a bamboo stick and those sweet little flower halos.  The moment I saw the halo on Elliott, I knew I had to make some.

Make window clings

I found that plastic cling wrap (Saran) makes great window clings!  Use Sharpies to draw a picture and color in and you get the same effect as sun catchers!  They go up and come off easily.  When laying out the plastic wrap, it’s a good idea to tape it to the table before you starting drawing.

A fun way to dress up your windows on a sunny day or something to do when it rains!

TOMS-inspired tote

I bet a lot of you might recognize this as the TOMS bag.  Only, this isn’t a shoe company, it’s my son’s book tote!




Although, I was definitely inspired by the TOMS bag.




I thought it would be a cute way to personalize a child’s tote or pencil case.
 



It was super simple to make.  I found a font on my computer that was very similar to the TOMS lettering (Corbel) and sized it to fit the tote I was going to make.  I used the freezer paper method (tracing the letters right off my computer screen) to print the letters and the blue bands.



I even added four grommets in the corners just like how the TOMS bags always come.
If you wanted to do something similar for your child (or for yourself) but maybe you think their name is too long or you just don’t want a name, you could always add any other word like “PENCILS” or “PENS” for a pencil case or the word “ARTS” would be cute on a tote.
Do you have any ideas for TOMS bags?  I have a bunch that I don’t use as bags but I just know there’s something I could do with them.
 

Make a spin drum

Remember the end fight on Karate Kid II when Daniel-son is getting his butt kicked and the audience started pounding those tiny drums that led to his victory?  Yeah.. I loved that part.  Well I wanted to make some for my kids and my fabulously lovely boyfriend gave me the greatest idea!  He also went to the store that night to get the supplies so that I could get to work on some spin drums.  So here’s what we came up with, only ours don’t have the Japanese flavor of the “Den-den Daiko” as they are called.  The kids loved them so much they hardly gave me a chance to show them how to do it.  They just wanted to play with mine until I got theirs done.

So here’s what you need to make your own:

• 2 balloons
• 2 mason jar lids (same size)
• twine
• 2 beads
• 1/4” wooden dowel
• craft glue
• scissors
• hammer and screwdriver

First, cut the necks off of your balloons.

Next, remove the inner discs of the lids.  You don’t need them.  Using a hammer to pound a screwdriver, make a dent in both of your mason jar lids.  This is where the dowel will fit in.

Now stretch the balloon over the lid so that the open part of the balloon is on the inside of the lid.  The tighter, the better.  You’ll get better sound that way.

Line the perimeter of the inside of the lid with craft glue.  Lay your twine across in the middle and lay a dowel on top resting in that little ditch you made with the screwdriver and hammer.  A little more glue on the dowel will be helpful.

Sandwich the two lids together and rest something heavy on top, like a book.  Wait for the glue to dry.

Tie on a bead on both sides so that the bead hits the middle of the drum.  Then decorate as you please!

Here’s mine (above) and my son’s (below).  Now pass them out to all your kids and curse yourself later as to why in the world you gave them all noise makers.  Let’s just hope it doesn’t prompt them to start kickin’ butt like Daniel-son did!

Thank you, baby, for your marvelously crafty idea!!  I love you!! <3

Make a “Control Panel” with your kids

It’s Saturday!  I’ve got a fun project for the kids that should keep them busy for at least a little while.  We like to call this our “control panel” or our “command center” depending on what it’s being used for at the time.  It’s perfect for encouraging imagination (something I think a lot of kids are lacking these days) both during the building process and during play.

Depending on your child’s experience and motor skills, this will require some adult supervision.  How much you involve yourself is up to you but I’m warning you, you may want to join in on the fun!
This project is perfect for cleaning out junk drawers and miscellaneous tools and hardware.  All you need is a piece of wood (we used a wooden stool), random hardware and tools and imagination.  Encourage your child to use their imagination when rummaging through things to use.  Think outside the box when looking for items to use.  You can get ideas from what we used or come up with your own.  Let your child use the screwdriver, hammer some nails, and paint.  He or she will get early experience with tools and how they work and will feel a major accomplishment when you guys finish the “control panel”.
                       
We used plastic bottle caps as dials.  Hammer a nail through the center of the cap and into the wood and with a little paint, you've got controls for voltage, volume or frequency!  They really turn, too!                 
                       
I’m not really sure what that black hook doo-dad is but it had a nail already stuck in it so we hammered it in and now it’s job is to point to numbers (hey, it’s an important job, trust me).  The numbered buttons are made from those plastic glider pads that are nailed into the bottom of chair legs.  I had a bunch left over from redoing some dining chairs and they worked great, not to mention easy for my son to hammer.                       
                       
Hinges are a fun component to add to the control panel.  We made an emergency hatch that reveals the emergency shut off switch button.  It’s vital to any control panel or command center.  You never know what may happen that could lead you to abort your top secret mission.
This really is a fun project for any kid or grown-up.  Search through your tool box or junk drawer.  Poke around in Home Depot.  I assure you that you’ll find some really cool gadgets and hardware.  We also used acrylic craft paint and puff paint to make it look official.  I would make sure that you replace anything that becomes rusty if left out in the rain and use caution when using sharp objects.  Saftey first!
Have you already got ideas?  I would love to hear them!

Tooth fairy tin

The tooth fairy appreciates when you provide a way for her to take teeth and leave money undetected and quietly.  A felt-lined tin will work perfectly! 

Ever since I made the fabric covered boxes, my girls just love special containers.  I made them each their own fabric box where they like to keep their treasures.  Since then, I’ve been making all kinds of pretty containers.  Well a tooth fairy tin it is!  Take a mint tin, felt, fabric and glue and we have ourselves a sweet little container to leave a tooth and receive some money!


 
So, what do you use, if anything, to leave teeth for the tooth fairy?  Do your children still believe?  How much does she leave them?

Backseat organizer

Hey guys!  I’m am so thrilled to announce my first guest post!  Zina from Let's Lasso the Moon has featured my tutorial for a backseat organizer for kids!  You can find the full tutorial here and be sure to look around at her other fabulous ideas.  I am so honored to have been invited to be a part of her amazing blog, all about the adventures in parenting and our quest to make it a fun and educational experience.
Don’t forget to subscribe so you won’t miss out on anything!

Thank you, Zina!!

Coloring Case DIY

 
I found the most awesome idea for take-along coloring supplies one day while poking around different blogs.  I’ve been wanting to make something that I could just throw in my purse and pull out when I needed something to occupy a child. 
So when I saw this one, I had to make one for myself.  I couldn’t wait and so I was tearing through all our DVDs trying to find one that would be suitable for this project.  Surprisingly, we didn’t have very many with the little locks on the sides.  Once I found one I got right to work and this is what I came up with.

This idea came from Handmade by Stacy Vaughn.  She has the full tutorial on how to make one of your own.  I think it’s genius because the case protects the crayons or colored pencils, they don’t spill out into your purse, it’s sleek and takes up hardly any room and it also provides a hard surface to color on.  Brilliant!
 

STAMPED PRINTS FROM STYROFOAM PLATES

Photography by Debi Campbell

You and your kids can make really cool prints using Styrofoam plates!

GOOD BEHAVIOR REWARD JAR WITH SCRATCH-OFF TICKETS

Reinforce good behavior with these fun scratch-off reward tickets!  Read on for more.