TP Roll Pencil Holder

This craft is only suitable for an older child that can safely handle a low heat glue gun. Or, Mom, make it for yourself to decorate your own desk. It's easy and simple with minimal supplies.








Supplies needed:

3 pieces of fabric (the same or different, whatever you choose)
3 toilet paper rolls, free of leftover paper
low melt hot glue gun and glue
thin cardboard or heavy card stock
pencil
scissors




Directions:

Step 1: Measure and cut the fabric to be just a touch longer than the toilet paper roll and enough to wrap around the roll and overlap itself about one half inch. Do this for all three pieces of fabric.

Step 2: Stand a TP roll up on the thin cardboard or heavy card stock. Trace it three separate times to make three separate circles. Cut these out and hot glue them to the bottoms of each toilet paper roll.

Step 3: Line up the fabric at the top of the toilet paper roll and glue down the length of one edge. Wrap the fabric around and glue it to itself where it overlaps. Finally, glue the extra length to the bottom taking care to make it lie as flat as possible. Repeat this with the other two rolls and cuts of fabric.

Step 4: Glue the three rolls together where they touch.

Step 5: Make a ring of glue on the bottom of each roll to a) even and balance out how all three rolls stand together and b) make them slide free




Fill them up with pens, pencils, scissors, markers or anything else you want to. You now have your own personalized pencil holder.


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Homemade Pet Rocks

This is a great craft to make along with your toddler. Some pieces and steps are included which require an adult to complete and look over. Do not leave your young child unattended with this craft. It is designed to be a gift for someone else, made with love by you and your child.








Supplies needed:

1 open topped, small plastic container
1 brown paper bag
2 small rocks
1 paintbrush
4 safety pins
8 small bells
4 google eyes
2 small pom poms

tempura paint
handful of cotton
white glue
colored sand and/or glitter
hot glue gun and glue
paint pens



Directions:

Step 1: Set your child up with some different colors of tempura paint, paint safe clothing, a paint brush, and an opened and flattened brown paper bag. Instruct them to paint whatever they wish all over the brown paper bag on one side.

Step 2: While they are busy painting the paper bag, you can paint a decorative name of your recipient on the front of the container with the paint pens, and the name of your child and date on the back. Add any art or decor you wish to the container.

OPTIONAL Step: Do this if your container has holes on the sides, as shown in the pictures. While their artwork is drying, have your child hand you one bell at a time and attach two bells to each safety pin. You can do this with either small jumprings, or just by stringing them onto the point of the safety pin and then close it. Attach two safety pins to either side of the container through the handles.



Step 3: Have your child place a handful of cotton into the container. Then have them crumple their brown paper bag artwork and arrange it in the container to look like bedding. (Semi flat surface for two rocks to sit on) Depending on the size of your container, you may not need the cotton.

Now that the bed is finished, you can create your rock buddies.

Step 4: Paint white glue all over each rock (or help your child to do so) Roll each one in either sand or glitter and let dry.

Step 5: When they are dry, glue on two eyes and one nose to each pet rock. Their happy faces will help let your child see the progress of their hard work.

Step 6: FOR PARENTS: Use the hot glue gun to glue both rocks into their bed and help keep them from flying around.



Your pet rocks are ready for gifting.



If you are going to allow these to be your child's pets, please make sure to entirely skip the safety pin step.

You may also wish to not glue down the rocks if your child keeps them, so they can be taken out and played with. In that case, make sure the rocks are not small enough to be swallowed.


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Easy Bird Feeder

Simple enough for most preschoolers to do on their own, this bird feeder may attract a few local birds which will have your child entertained with plenty of learning opportunity. A small list of supplies is needed and chances are you may already have them around your home.







Supplies needed:

2-3 paper plates
3 12 inch long pieces of twine, yarn, or sturdy string
4-5 brads (or, in a pinch, staples)
Hole punch
Bird seed



Directions:

Step 1: Layer the 2-3 paper plates together and press the brads through them all, evenly around the rim of the plates. (If you don't have brads, you can staple the plates together)

Step 2: In between the brads, make three evenly spaced holes with the hole punch (Not too close to the edge). Tie one end of a string through one hole, and repeat for other two holes and strings.

Step 3: Gather the loose ends of all three string up at the top and tie together to make a loop for hanging. Be sure to make it strong enough not to fall apart, and also make sure the plates hang flat when held by that loop.

Step 4: Fill the plates with some bird seed and hang out in the yard to attract and feed the birds.



Hint: The weight of the birdseed may cause the plates to droop a little, creating a bowl shape for the seed. It will still work just fine.

Hint: If it's windy weather outside, smear a thin layer of peanut butter on the top of the plate first, then sprinkle a thin layer of bird seed all over it. That way the wind won't flow the food away.


Tip: For a more fun looking feeder, you can paint the plates and/or use colored yarn.



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Easy Handmade Easter Baskets

In order to be able to give to everyone when we celebrate a holiday with the family, we try to make cute crafty gifts that are affordable for us. The family gives us so much, and we try our best to give back to them also. It makes our son happy to paint anything, so this crafts was very exciting for him. One day we will have more money, but even then I plan to make crafty gifts all the time. They just might be more advanced and detailed.

We bought some paper cups at the party store. 24 for $1.99. Then I had my son paint spring colors all over the outsides (and he also covered the insides). I attached a pipe cleaner to each one to create a handle. Together we filled them half with fake basket grass (25 cents for one package was all we needed) and half with Easter chocolates which we paid about $5 for (with some leftovers for us to snack on)



This simple and super easy craft cost us less then $8.00 and everyone loves getting cute handmade gifts from our son. We can be sure no one else will show up with the same gifts anyway, these are unique.

Garden Crafts

Just a couple days later and we were able to get our plants going. I got the great idea that we could start some Earth Day gifts while we were in the gardening mode. That was a crafting adventure for my son while I planted my new herb garden in the front yard. I've never actually planted in a yard before.

We bought some peat pots, seed starting soil, and grass seeds. With these supplies I sat my son down in the grass. I placed all the pots out on a tray and instructed him to fill each one with dirt. He went to work and made a mess, but had so much fun. It's just dirt, and the grass outside didn't mind. When he had filled them all up I helped him add seeds to each one and then fill them all with water. I talked to him the whole time about how grass was going to grow and then we could give them out as gifts, and we named each person we would give a pot to. I hope 4 weeks is enough time to give them as Earth Day gifts.



For my side of the gardening, I had basil, sage, cilantro, and rosemary for my herb garden. Separately in the garden I got a lavender, tomato, and aloe vera plants. With my fancy new dollar store hand tools (which did break as I used them), I went to work digging holes, placing plants, and filling with amend soil along with our own. I also got these cheap metal fences from the dollar store and they decorate and separate my herb garden. I am proud of the work I did, as it was my first time. I hope I can keep them alive.

Handpainted Knobs

We were lucky that last year a family member offered us their sons furniture. It is a twin size bed with mattress, two night stands, and a dresser. Being less abundant with cash flow, and knowing one day he WILL need these things, we took them. I already wrote about how our son got his new "big boy" bed and we put the dresser in the living room for extra storage space. It looks better there than it sounds.

These furniture pieces aren't the highest quality, but they certainly serve their purpose. I've tried a few things to help spice them up a tad. We did add the tent to his bed and he loves it so much. On the dresser I added a scarf as a runner and some cute pictures and books. Still, both pieces needed something else. Finally, I figured out what that was.

KNOBS! A simple change of knobs (and some of them were missing on both pieces) can really change the look of a drawer, and the furniture overall. I got some cheap simple black metal ones for the living room dresser. They look amazing if I may say so myself. For our sons bed, which has two drawers beneath it, I bought four white plastic knobs that are easy for his hands. I took them home and painted them with symbols that he knows and loves. It was fun, and considering that type of craft (drawing/painting) is not at the top of my skill list, I think I still did pretty good.

Valentine Fun

Cheap, easy, and fun to make.... these valentines are a heartfelt way for your child (or you) to spread the love. My two year old had a blast doing most of the work, I helped with glue and scissors of course. They can also be altered for any holiday as neat gift tags.

Step 1: Have your child paint a large sheet of construction paper, any way they wish. The smudgy mess of two year old art, actually comes out quite nice in the end.

Step 2: When dry, tear into small (but not too small) pieces. About one inch, odd shapes should be great.
Step 3: Arrange onto another large sheet of construction. Paint over the whole thing with white glue. Sprinkle some glitter over the wet glue. Let dry again.

Step 4: When dry use a stencil, cookie cutter, or freehand hearts all over the sheet of art. Cut them out and write the names of your loved ones on the back of each. These cute valentines are sure to bring a smile to the face of anyone who receives them. And your child will feel proud to have done most of the work.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY


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Handmade Ornaments

After a few Tweets about the ornaments I finally have the recipes ready to share. I completed the ornaments tonight, it took a lot longer than I had expected, but I am very happy with them and want to share the knowledge I now have so that others can make some heart felt, handmade gifts in the years to come. Key thing to keep in mind, these can take a few days to dry and decorate. A lot more if you are making multiple batches. Prepare to make them ATLEAST a week in advance to when you will need them. I finished two separate flour batches and one cinnamon batch (including drying, decor, and glue) in just about a week. With a toddler that's not too bad, but honestly it is time consuming to make quality ones. Plain Jane shapes without paint would be adorable as well. But you should still add the glue.

First, the flour dough ornaments. (tree and heart in picture)

You will need:

2 cups flour

1 cup salt

1 cup water

food coloring

rolling pin

cookie cutters (in holiday shapes if you wish)

cookie sheets

a straw

acrylic paint

white glue

string or yarn

Baking

1. mix together flour and salt.

2. add food coloring to water and stir until mixed.

3. gradually add water mix to the flour mix until you have a nice dough. Add more flour or water for the proper texture. Knead it smooth.

4. roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch thick and cut out shapes.

5. With the straw, giving enough space around, make a hole for the string to fit through.

6. Carefully lift off shapes with a spatula and transfer to cookie sheets.

7. repeat steps 4-6 until you don't have enough dough left for one shape.

8. bake at 250 degrees for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until dry, being careful not to burn. Remember to flip them half way.

9. lay them out to cool and continue drying. Depending on their level of dryness it may take a few days to completely harden. Cracking is normal with this type of dough ornament.

Decoration

1. use acrylic paint to decorate your ornaments any way you wish. Add googly eyes, glitter, or confetti if you want also.

2. when paint is dry coat the entire ornament in white glue and allow to dry again. (remember to sharpie in the year on the back before you add the glue)

3. when completely dry, tie some string through the hole and your ornaments will be complete and ready to hang.

((makes about 12-15 ornaments))

Now the cinnamon dough ornaments (brown man in the picture). In my opinion, these turned out much better overall. I will probably only make this type next time.

You will Need:

1 cup applesauce

1 cup ground cinnamon

straw

wax paper

cookie cutters (in holiday shapes if you wish)

string or yarn

white glue

acrylic paint

rolling pin

Directions:

1. combine cinnamon and applesauce in bowl until dough forms. Add more cinnamon or applesauce if needed until you have a good thick dough. Knead smooth.

2. place ball of dough between two sheets of wax paper. Roll out to about 1/4 inch thickness.

3. remove top sheet of wax paper and begin cutting out shapes.

4. carefully peel away the excess and roll into another ball to repeat on a new sheet of wax paper. (Reuse the top sheet to conserve)

5. repeat steps 3 and 4 until you run out of dough.

6. use the straw to make holes for the string in each shape, remembering to leave enough space to prevent breakage.

7. Place full sheets of wax paper in a safe place to dry. (remember to tell your husband they are not cookies)

8. When they are mostly dry on top (which can be a couple days), carefully peel them away from the wax paper and flip over to continue drying on the bottom side for a few more days. Repeat this flipping process until completely dry.

Decorating:

1. use acrylic paint to decorate your ornaments however you wish.

2. when the paint is dry, remember to write the year on the back, and then seal the whole ornament with white glue.

3. Once the glue is dry, tie some string through the hole and your ornaments will be ready to hang. The strong cinnamon smell should still be noticeable through the glue.

((make 12-15 ornaments))


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Happy Halloween

We didn't complete our costumes until the very last minute. They still turned out wonderful. I spent a total of $32 for all three of us. We were the Mad Hatter, the Cheshire Cat, and the White Rabbit. Isn't that sweet?

I happen to be a huge fan of the homemade costume. The number one reason, well it is tied with another, so the two best reasons for homemade costumes is that you don't spend a fortune on a flimsy cheap costume you wear once, and you most likely will not find anyone else wearing the same costume as you. Similar costumes maybe, but not identical like the packaged ones.

Starting with my husband, the Mad Hatter: At a thrift store I bought him a great dark brown corduroy jacket with the elbow patches and all kinds of awesome secret pockets. It was $10. We already had the cartoon hat from a previous Disneyland visit. Then he wore his own vest, pants, button down long sleeve white shirt and shoes. He had some white hair spray for his (black) hair since he couldn't find a wig to work. He may not have looked like the cartoon version, or even the book version I suppose, but I think he looked awesome! And MAD!



Then for me: I picked up some cheapo cat ears and a bow tie from the party store. I found a great striped shirt at Old Navy on clearance for about $3.24. I also found some socks at Big Lots that matched the shirt so I cut off the tips, pulled them higher, and made them leg warmers. I wore my own leggings and shoes. Oh, and face paint to make me look like a cat, the Cheshire Cat.



Now our son, the White Rabbit: At the thrift store we found a green vest for about 50 cents. Put that over a $10 white and green sweatshirt from Target and added some pants and shoes he already owned. I bought a bunny ears headband and cut off the ears, which I then safety pinned to the hoodie. (I don't sew.)I gave him the bow tie from my kit, and made him a tail out of old white nylons and cotton balls. That too was safety pinned on. The part of his costume which I was most proud of was his trick-or-treat bag I made with paper plates, crayons, construction paper, and staples. All on a small Whole Foods reusable bag.

We all had a blast together trick-or-treating. And we all have been sharing his treats as well. Going up to each house our son would say, "Treat". We were at my moms so we had all my siblings there and my niece and nephew which made it that much more fun for our son. It was a wonderful day and I am excited to repeat this fun for many years to come.

Later when asked about Halloween he would announce that he had a tail and got candy. I see what was most fun to him :)


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Pumpkin Carving

Here is a bit of a delayed post on this past Halloween's pumpkin carving with our son. We never did find those carving tools and we ended up buying more. I was able to find the one cool scoop we had so I put them all in a safe place for next year.

His uncle brought him a really cool kit that turns your pumpkin into a light bright basically. You trace the dots onto your pumpkin, pound in the clear nails and place the kits color changing light inside and voila! It came out really awesome and he enjoyed it right up until the day we found the massive mold infestation inside of it. They last about 3-4 days after we cut them.

We smeared petroleum jelly all over the cut areas of our pumpkins, but we figured they were just too old already so that would be why they didn't last very long. We got them from a pumpkin patch that has no shade at all. And we are in sunny so cal. However, the best part of that was how soft they were when we cut them. Our son was able to carve his own pumpkin. We later sat him down to do another at my Mom's house but their pumpkins were just too fresh and too hard so he gave up once he started to struggle with the cutting.

He also helped Daddy carve a goofy bat into his pumpkin, and then we all ate some yummy pumpkin seeds.










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Birdy Bird Feeders

Really easy activity to do for a Wubbzy party, or renamed, great for any party. Chances are all of these supplies can be found at your local dollar store.

You will need:
Enough peanut butter for about 1/4 per kid
1 empty toilet paper roll for each kid
1 small sheet of wax paper per kid
1 length of about 15 inches twine or yarn per kid
1 safe plastic knife or spoon per kid
1 bag of bird seed
a few small plates (try the plates from your party)
a sharpie

Prep:
1. Cut out the lengths of twine/yarn.
2. Pull out the wax paper about as long as the toilet paper roll and tear
3. Collect toilet paper rolls
4. Fold up wax paper and stuff it, and string, into the toilet paper roll.

This makes your Birdy Bird Feeder "kit" for each kid.


Directions:
1. Grab a few plates and fill them with a layer of bird seed.
2. Open the containers of peanut butter and stick plastic knives in them.
3. Call the kids over and announce that it's time to make their birdy bird feeders.
4. Explain or demonstrate to the children that they are to create bird feeders by separating their "kits", spreading peanut butter on the outside of the toilet paper rolls rather thick, roll the peanut butter covered rolls in the birdseed, thread their string through the toilet paper rolls and tie a knot to hang them when they get home. Wrap each roll in the supplied wax paper, and tuck in the edges.
5. Write each child's name on the wax paper so they don't forget which is theirs.


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Crafty Days.

It all started last week when I decided I wanted to make as much food around here as possible from scratch. Not only for better health, but also better taste. Food these days is just nasty. I already became addicted to farmer's markets a while back. The fresh fruits and veggies there have so much flavor and nutrients left in them that you feel like you are eating something foreign almost, and yet, you are saving the planet (or us rather) by buying local. The markets have fruits and veggies that are shipped before they are ripe and chemicals are used to give them the color they are supposed to have. It's really disgusting and seems to be fine for many people out there. I want the best for myself, my family, my son. I want us all to taste these lovely gifts from the earth and I want to avoid anything "man made", humans are slowly killing themselves.

Anyway, I have been very lazy with cooking since we moved in here two years ago. I have never been proud of it, and I finally woke up last week and decided that I have no excuse. Since I do not work, I have nothing but time. I should be utilizing my time to make sure our bodies are at maximum health in and out. I wanted to start with spaghetti sauce. I have been using jar sauce and adding random ingredients, yet it never tastes that wonderful. I finally organized my recipe book and located my three spaghetti sauce recipes. I cooked all three in one day and froze them all. Which gave us 6 meals that are as easy to make as any of the convenience food we've been eating. It is my mission to find a great recipe and stick with it, so that eventually people will say, "Wow, your spaghetti is so good! I love the sauce!!". Tonight we are eating the second recipe. We ate the third last week and will try number one later this week.

I got excited about making the sauce, and re-discovered how easy it is to cook food, and actually I am very good at it. I vowed to stop being lazy and kept looking for ideas. Butter came next. I found a wonderful article on eHOW and set sail. Butter was SO easy to make and it came out delicious. I used organic cream so I have some lovely organic butter sitting in my fridge. I gave some to the in-laws as well, but they are pretty far from making any kind of switch such as this like I have. I doubt they will eat it, they like margarine. Oh well, It's so easy, I'll make lots more for sure. This week I will also test for the perfect bread recipe to find one that will replace our store bought type. Fresh bread and butter each week, how luxurious.

So, back to today. my son and I got up and decided to make some friendly bird feeders. We did the simple style of smearing some peanut butter all over a pine cone and two toilet paper rolls. Then we rolled them in birdseed (which my son LOVED) and we added a string and hung them. I don't know if it is our unkempt yard/house or the fact that we live on a busy street, but birds don't visit us too often. I hope some discover the feeders which are on the slightly calmer side of the house. I told my son they were for he birdies and I really would love if he gets o see them eat it. I once hung a birdhouse and they came by and trashed it, but at least they came by ha ha.

After that we cooked up some cornstarch finger paints and make a couple Fourth of July finger paintings. Followed by me making some almond meal for my face/body scrub. Then I gave him a Pirates of the Caribbean tattoo on his arm right where both Mommy and Daddy have one. Finally we both decorated some paper plate Sunshine.

We had a very crafty and fun day, my son have a blast, I felt great about everything, and we are all happy. Funny thing is when my Husband came home for work he finally sewed up the torn pillow on the couch. and then our son made his own art out of his apple juice and the freshly washed bed sheets. Maybe there is craft in the air today.


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