back to school countdown

Day 5! I made it. Five posts in one week! This craft came together in just 10 minutes, and it's one of Claire's favorites. I'm trying to prepare Claire for school as best as I can, obviously. One thing I wanted to make clear to her was exactly when she'll be starting school. September is fairly arbitrary to her, but this chain helps her realize exactly when she'll be sitting in the classroom. (With Mommy standing outside crying.)

I used my cricut to cut out the bus. I used my cricut because if I had drawn the bus myself and cut it out, you might have thought Claire had drawn it. If you don't have a cutting machine, you could print out a picture of a bus. Or you could cut an apple out of paper. Lots of possibilities. I used red and yellow construction paper cut into 1 inch (ish) stripes of paper to make the chain. Claire liked helping with this part. It's a great opportunity to teach your kids about patterns. That's it. Every day she rips off a piece of the chain, and she's one day closer to going to school. 

Linking up with: Six Sister's Stuff &  Skip to my Lou & Weekly Kids Co-op & Flamingo Toes & Tatertots and Jello 

cute penguin craft

What a cute penguin craft to brighten up these dark winter days! I am so proud of Claire, because she cut all of the penguin pieces all by herself. This was just the second time that I traced shapes on paper and asked her to cut them out.

What you need:
black paper
white paper
orange paper (scrap)
patterned paper (with a small pattern)
12x12 background piece of paper (your colour choice)
decorative ribbon
black marker
scissors
glue
template

Start by printing off the template. Cut the pieces out of the template and trace them on the paper. The main body and wings need to be traced on black paper (I used a white colouring pencil which worked well.) Then penguin tummy and eyes need to be traced on white paper. I used an embossed piece of white paper for the tummy. I like the extra piece of texture that it adds to the penguin. Trace the beak on orange paper. I forgot to include the template that we used for the earmuffs, so just make sure the circles that you use are bigger than the penguin's eyes.

Have your child cut out all of the shapes. Once cut, you can start to assemble your penguin on the paper. We started with the main body, followed by the penguin tummy, eyes, beak (fold in half) and earmuffs. I cut a scrap of ribbon for the long bit of the scarf, and then two small pieces for the tails of the scarf. Once Claire glued the scarf on the penguin, she glued the wings on, so that they covered up the cut edges of the ribbon. Lastly, she drew (traced) a line to connect the ear muffs, and dots for the eyes.

Click here for the link to the template.

Linking up with: Six Sister's Stuff &  Skip to my Lou & Tip Junkie & Weekly Kids Co-op & Tatertots and Jello

puppy love Valentines

Looking for some last minute Valentine ideas? These puppy cards are a cinch to make. I had done the prep work before we sat down to make them so that Claire wouldn't get annoyed with cutting out hearts. I did give her one to cut out, but she didn't get quite close enough the outline of the heart, so when you flip hers over it just looks like a blob of paper :)

Supplies needed:

dark and light grey paper (of course you could use brown paper too)
cardstock for the Valentine (I used purple)
googly eyes
sequin or jewel for the nose (optional, you could of course just draw on the nose)

heart template

1. I cut up a sheet of 12 x 12 paper into 4 inch squares. Then I used my punch to round the corners.
2. Cut out several light and dark grey hearts. I used a white piece of paper, folded it in half, and drew my heart. Then I cut that one out and used it to trace onto the grey paper. I cut out a few hearts. I cut all of the dark grey hearts in half to make the puppy ears.
3. Glue the light grey heart on the piece of square paper. (Use a glue stick for this part. If you use school glue, your paper may or may not get bubbly. Not that I know this from personal experience or anything.)

4. Glue the ears on either side of the heart. (You can use the school glue here.)

5. Glue on the eyes, and nose.
6. Draw some freckles on the dog (cause all dogs have freckles, right?)
7. Once dry, add your Valentine message.

There you have it- the most adorable little puppy dog Valentines. The best part of these, is that with all of the prep work done ahead of time, each Valentine only takes a minute to make.

Hope that you all have a lovely Valentine's Day.

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Linking up with: Skip to my Lou & Tip Junkie  & Toys in the Dryer & Tatertots and Jello

thumbprint Valentine Day bookmarks

 Valentine's Day is just around the corner. We're getting a head start on our projects this year, mostly because Claire loves working on new 'projects'. Switch it up this year and hand out little Valentine Day bookmarks. These were quite easy to make- and you probably have all of the supplies on hand right now. Paper, paint, markers and googly eyes (optional). Go ahead, go check for them. I'll wait right here. 

 Claire loved drawing all the faces and gluing the eyes on the animals. And the back of the bookmark is the perfect spot to write a little message to your special Valentine.

 I cut all of the paper before Claire and I sat down to start this craft. I used 12 x 12 paper. I cut it in half, and then cut two inch strips (so the bookmarks are 6 x2). I did use my corner punch to round the corners of the bookmarks, but obviously this is a very optional step. Using my hole puncher I punched the hole for the ribbon.

 Using brown paint Claire stamped her thumbprint. Once it was dry, we used a brown marker to draw the ears. I used my hole puncher to punch some holes from cream coloured paper for the nose of the bear. Claire glued on the eyes.

 The lion was the easiest of all of the bookmarks. I mixed a little bit (and I mean tiny bit) of orange paint with the yellow paint so that it would look more lion-y (I know that's not a word.) Draw on the mane, and mouth, and glue on the eyes.

 We used red paint for the bird, and then used an orange marker for the comb and legs. A black marker for the smile, and then we glued on googly eyes.

I mixed a bit of the purple paint with white paint so that we'd have a lighter shade of paint for the top wings. Once the paint was dry we used a grey marker to draw the body of the butterfly and the antennas. We added a smile with a red marker, and glued on googly eyes.

 After Claire stamped her thumbprint with the white paint, she dipped her pinky finger in the white paint to stamp the ears. Once it was dry, we used a pink marker to colour in the ears, and draw the nose. We used a black marker for the smile and whiskers. Googly eyes finished it off.

 Stamp the frog using green paint. Once it's dry use a green marker to draw the legs and the round balls behind the eyes. Use a black marker to draw the nose and smile. Glue the googly eyes on top of the frog.

Show me what you're making for Valentine's Day. Link it up in the comments. 

Linking up with: Skip to my Lou & Toys in the Dryer & Tip Junkie &Today's Creative blog  &  Tatertots and Jello

thumbprint santa tags

Thanksgiving and Halloween have come and gone here in Canada, and we are getting so excited for Christmas. Claire asks every day if we can get our Christmas tree yet, and she's well on her way to learning her second Christmas carol! We've been busy working on Christmas crafts- this is one of the first ones that we did.

The supplies to make these are pretty basic. 

A few tags cut from cardstock

red and cream paint

red and black pen

googly eyes

sequin for the belt (or you could use a small button)

q-tips (we just pulled the cotton off the ends for the hat and beard. Admittedly, I was looking for our cotton balls, but I couldn't find them so we used the q-tips.)

twine to hang the tags (mine is from The Twinery and I love it!)

Sadly I have no pictures from along the way. Paint + toddlers = work fast before the paint covers everything.

Start with the cream colour paint. Have (or help) the child stamp a thumbprint in the middle of the card. Using the red paint stamp a thumbprint on top and underneath of the cream one.

Set aside and let them dry.

Once the tags are dry, add on all of the finishing touches. Use the red pen to draw the smile, arms and legs. Use the black pen to draw the belt. Glue on the eyes, sequin, and cotton. (Roll the cotton off of the q-tips and form ball the the top of the hat. Roll the cotton between your fingers to stretch out for Santa's beard.)

Embellish with some beautiful twine (or ribbon) for the prettiest Christmas gift tags.

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Has anyone else started their Christmas projects? Link them up in the comments, I'd love to see what you're working on!

Linking up with: Skip to my Lou & Tip Junkie &  Tatertots and Jello

footprint rocketship

 I loved Lisa Klein's footprint rocket design so much that I couldn't help but try it with my kids. I love her creativity. It certainly has me thinking outside the box when it comes handprint & footprint crafts. (Wait until you see my next one!) This one was pretty straightforward to make.

Claire and I (yes, both of us) painted her foot blue and then stamped it on a piece of light blue cardstock. I cut 3 triangles, one for the top of the rocket, and two for the wings. (I cut the triangles so that they didn't cover up any of Claire's footprint.) You could paint on all of these details, but you all know how I love to play with paper. I added some fire at the bottom of the rocket and put a few stars in the sky.

Be warned, I'm sort of on a handprint/footprint kick right now, so be prepared to see a few more before I move onto other projects :)

Linking up with: Skip to my Lou &Tip Junkie & Sun Scholars & Tatertots and Jello

ABC print

So, ages ago you may remember me posting about this number print that I made for Claire's room. You can read all about that here. As soon as I finished the number print (see pic below) I knew that I wanted to make an alphabet one to match it. So I went through my paper stash and picked out 26 pretty colors.

 I cut a snippet of each color so that I could have the paper arranged in the order that I wanted it in. Then I used my cricut, and 3 different cartridges, to cut out all of the letters. I played with the layout of the extra shapes on the print and in the end, I decided that less was more. I had quite a few shapes on the number print, but when I tried to add loads of shapes to the ABC print it just made it way too busy. So I picked out a few that didn't take away from the letters.

There you have it a piece of art for your little ones room. Customize the colors as you desire! I'd like to make one for Simon's room using blues and oranges. Have you made any art for your kids rooms? Leave me a link in the comments, I'd love to see it.

Linking up with: Sun Scholars & Tatertots and Jello &Skip to my Lou & Delicate Construction

happy spring

I am so ready for it to be spring here. We've had a few nice days, which give me some hope that spring's here, and then I hear the weather forecast. Snow tonight. Seriously? It's April. I just want the weather to warm up, the grass to become green, and the trees to bloom again. I want to go outside in t-shirts, draw hopscotches, and see the tulips grow. I don't think I'm asking too much of mother nature.

I'm bringing spring inside with this wooden sign that I made. I (as I've said before) love these pastel colours, they're so refreshing. If you're interested in the tutorial on how to make this sign, please look at this post.

 If this doesn't will spring to come, I'm going to need some other suggestions...

Linking up with:Tatertots and Jello & Sew Much Ado & Laugh Love and Craft & Somewhat Simple & WhipperBerry

cupcake toppers and more!

 Not sure what to do with the chicks and bunnies that I made earlier in the week? Don't want them just hanging out in a bucket or jar? No problem. I've come up with a few other ways that you could use them. Use them as cupcake toppers. It's a fast and easy way to decorate those cupcakes for Easter.

 The next few ideas would be especially great if you're having an Easter brunch or get together. I used the bunny to make a bag topper for this bag of treats. The best part is that it seriously took less than three minutes to make. I just cut a scrap of purple paper and folded it in half. I cut a piece of ribbon and glued it on the the paper. Then I used 2 pop up dots to secure the bunny to the paper. Now, had I been able to find my stapler I would have stapled it onto the bag, but instead I just used tape.

Claire really liked this idea and it was probably the easiest one yet. I just punched a hole on the top and bottom of the chick and threaded the straw through the holes. Chocolate milk anyone?

How about using the chicks and bunnies to make some place cards for brunch. Who wouldn't like these? I used pop up dots to secure the bunny and chick onto these cards too. I also used some old rub ons that I had hanging around my stash to write the names.


Linking up with:Skip to my Lou & Be Different Act Normal & Somewhat Simple & Tatertots and Jello & So You Think You're Crafty & Sun Scholars

chicks and bunnies

 

Some of my favorite crafts to make are ones that I don't have to make a trip to the craft store for. Granted I had picked up these pails a while ago at Michaels (for just $0.75) and I knew that I could use them for something!

 I kind of cheated, and I used my cricut to cut out the bunnies. I think that they look pretty cute though.

 But the chicks- the chicks were inspired by Bakerella's Spring Chicken cake pops. I just love how they turned out. And they were so simple to make. I cut out a circle (about 1 1/2 inches). I added googly eyes, and cut a small triangle from a scrap piece of cardstock for the nose. I had these flower sequins that I bought ages ago that I used for the feet, although any sequins would look cute. The comb on the head was actually a vellum flower that I also had in my stash. Obviously you could just cut this out of cardstock.

There you have it. The perfect little decorations for Easter. I put sheet of tissue paper in the bottom of the pail so that the skewers would stand up. Yes, I know floral foam would have worked just as well- but I was all about not having to go to the store for this craft!

Stay tuned for more Easter craft ideas with the chicks and the bunnies later this week.

Linking up with : Sew Much Ado & Somewhat Simple & Sun Scholars & Tatertots and Jello & ABC and 123 Learning & Skip to my Lou

spring paper globes

 I made these paper globes as a spring decoration to put in this tall glass vase that I have (see below). If you've never made these before, they're so simple to make. Just cut lots of strips of coloured paper. Mine were about .5 cm wide. I cut some at 6" lengths and some at 4" lengths. (5" probably would have been the perfect size!)

 Then using my eyelet punch (you could also use a micro hole punch, or cut a slit with a utility knife) I cut a small hole on each end of the paper. When that's done stack all the strips together and poke a brad through each end. Flatten the backs of the brad and fan the paper out into a ball shape.

This is the vase that I made the globes for- but it's really hard to photograph glass. (Please send me along any helpful hints!) Anyway, it was nap time and I wanted to get these photos done, so I put the globes in a little white dish for my photos.

 I love my new spring decoration (that may or may not remain out until the fall!)

 

Linking up with: Somewhat Simple & SAS Interiors &  Skip to my Lou &  So You Think You're Crafty & It's a Hodgepodge Life & Tatertots and Jello & Sun Scholars

Bunny Bunting

 I just love the look of buntings. I made one for Claire's room a little while ago and I just love the punch of colour that it adds to the room. I wanted to make a scaled down version for Easter. What does one need to make an Easter Bunny Bunting?

For the bunnies:

pink cardstock

googly eyes

black marker to draw on the face

dark pink paper for the nose

template for the bunny

For the bunting:

coordinating patterned paper

template (makes things easier)

scissors

hole punch

ribbon

The project was so simple to make. To start, I made a bunny template. (If you're interested, I can post the template.) Then I cut out all of my bunnies. I like to get all of the cutting out of the way, so I also cut the bunting triangles too. It's so easy to do while you're watching tv. Then Claire and I glued on the googly eyes. I ended up finishing off the bunny faces while Claire was napping, but obviously older children could draw the faces themselves. Then punch a hole in each ear of the bunny, and each side of the bunting. Thread a ribbon through the holes and voila! you're done!

 Can you tell Claire glued on these eyes?

 Bunny bunting.

Linking up with :Somewhat Simple & Wildflowers and Whimsy & Skip to my Lou & Tatertots and Jello & So You Think You're Crafty & Sun Scholars & It's a Hodgepodge Life & The Trendy Treehouse & Someday Crafts & ABC and 123 Learning & Funky Polkadot Giraffe & Today's Creative Blog  

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