Sticks & Stones Pebble Plaque

I have to be honest with you I found this great idea on Pinterest. I love,love,love that site. I've discovered and tried so many great ideas from Pinterest. My home looks all the better for it too. I'm literally hopelessly addicted (thanks Jenn! =smile=).

If you haven't tried Pinterest,check it out and I promise once you start you will be hooked. They have EVERYTHING under the sun from crafts, food,sewing,DIY projects,gardening,reupholstering, even decorating ideas...whatever you need can find it there. If you don't see it type it in their search engine and you will most likely find it on Pinterest.                         

 

Here is one I found on Pinterest. This craft is called Sticks & Stones Pebble Plaque. You will need to go outside and search for rocks with your child or possibly buy some from the dollar store. You know everything is available now a days for a price. If I can find marbles this will be my choice.

 

Here are your supplies:

• 3 cups flour
• 1 cup salt
• 1.25 cups water (plus up to 1/4 cup more)
• Pebbles and rocks or maybe some colorful marbles from the dollar store.

Put ingredients in large bowl and mix the ingredients together on medium until ball forms, if crumbly then add more water. Knead until smooth. Divide into 3 balls and place each on foil and flatten to a disc. Press pebbles/sticks into the dough. Heat in oven at 275 degrees on backing sheet for 2 hours then let cool.

 

DIY easy to make birdbath

This is a very easy project that you can help the little ones make and then spend hours of fun watching the birds frolic in your backyard while you teach them about nature. Anyways...it's nice to think of our feathered friends.

Here's what you will need to complete this project:

• grapevine wreath (you can find these for a $1. at the dollar store)
• twine (again at the dollar store)
• swallow plastic bowl (.88 cents Walmart)
• Plastic leaves (I cut a few leaves off of something I had laying around the house.)
• large metal ring
• florist wire
• drill

Basically this picture is self explanatory. What you want to do is basically make a hanging basket type thing using 3 strings of the twine. I cut mine 54 inches each so that I'd have enough to tie on a tree. First I looped the strings of twine through the ring and then all you have to do is basically knot them at the bottom.

Once knotted place your wreath inside the hanger and then place the bowl inside of the wreath. I drilled three holes into my plastic plate and used a little bit of florist wire to secure the plate inside so it was more stable or wouldn't blow out of the wreath. I didn't want to give the poor birds a heart attack if a strong wind came along. (I wish I would have gotten a picture of mine but I gave it to a friend and didn't get one before doing so.) You can fill with water or even food---it's up to you.

Partridge Art Work

Materials Needed:

• Burlap
• Colored fabric
• Colored buttons
• Green felt
• Green duster (from dollar store or some fake grass
• Old frame
• Cardboard
• Glue gun
• Glue sticks
• Twigs or pipe cleaners for legs
• A few bugle beads

Measure your cardboard and cut it to the size of your frame. (You won't need the glass). Spread burlap over cardboard and glue into place. You can also help secure it with a few pieces of duck tape or masking tape. Once the burlap is secured onto cardboard you are ready to begin.

I made 2 bird shaped templates from the cardboard. You will need 1 large bird and 3 small birds (unless you want less or more). You will also need 3 cardboard wings and 1 larger wing. You can draw these free hand and then cut them in cardboard. Once you have your cardboard bird templates cover with colorful fabric and glue them down onto the burlap allowing about 2 inches for your grassy area. I used bugle beads for eyes and pipe cleaners for the legs but I think next time twigs would have looked so much cuter.

For the grass you can either use moss,or Easter grass or like me I used a cleaning mitt that I got from the dollar store. It was green so I cut it apart and then glued it down it bits and pieces. I then added button flowers and green felt stems with bugle beads for the stamens (centers).

Be creative and have FUN!!!

DIY Suncatchers

These suncatchers are so easy to do. (**Mom's you need to help and supervise as we use a hot oven for this one!!)
This is what you will need:

• Use an old round cake pan. (Make sure it's clean and free of grease.)
• Bag of colored plastic beads (Walmart or any craft shop has them)
• Drill to make a hole
• Nylon thread or some type of cord for hanging
• Suction cup
• Oven and oven mits

Pour it into the cake pan and let your child at it down. I got creative and added a heart cookie cutter to the center and fileld it with red beads and then when I took it over to the oven I very gently removed the heart cookie cutter before putting it into the oven to bake.

Bake at 350 degrees until beads are melted. (You have to watch it)

Drill a hole and add string and it's ready for hanging. When the sun hits it it looks like a giant starburst!

This is how it looks with the sun shining through. It reminds me of a giant sunburst of colors.

April Craft---Growing seeds

Having a very ill teen at home leaves me little time to myself much less managing my blogs. I have decided to continue with my blogs but I will only be adding content occasionally for the time being.

April's Craft is going to be something for "spring". The warm weather makes you want to go out and dig in the garden.

My daughter and I both love to grow things. I think playing in the dirt and getting in touch with Mother Nature can be quite rewarding. I have bought several little kits for my daughter and so she began growing tomatoes,and sunflowers...etc...Being sick she isn't able to get out much so this project was very rewarding because she could watch her seeds grow and see the changes each and everyday. 
This photo is of my daughter's first seed project. I believe these are of Sunflowers.


Kids of all ages can enjoy doing a project like this. However if you have small children I would advise you to plant some of your bigger seeds like sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, watermelon seeds etc...The plants are more hardy and seem to grow faster.  You might even get them to eat some of the vegetables they grow...if you are lucky.

You don't have to purchase these kits however. All you need to do is go to your local dollar store and buy a package of plastic cups,some seeds,a bag of soil and a permanent marker.

Fill the cups up with soil. Halfway is good enough...then make a small indent with your finger. Place a few seeds into this indentation and then cover lightly with soil. Water and place in a sunny window. Make sure you write the name of the plant on the plastic cup with a permanent marker. Be sure to keep the soil moist and check everyday.

If you want you can even add some plastic wrap over the cups to help the growing process. Germination doesn't take too long...soon you will see the leaves and stem poking through the soil. I have placed my cups in a baking pan so that it makes it easier to move from window to window.

Happy Spring and happy growing!!

Turkey Day is Coming

Here is a fun craft that is easy for the little ones Toilet Paper Roll Turkey.

And a coloring page ---Right click save as and then print or just click print target.

Books related to Thanksgiving--

What Is Thanksgiving?
Reviewed on Amazon---"A quick and easy reminder to toddlers what Thanksgiving is all about. Only caution is that is does have a religious theme so if you are not Christian, you may not like it. I personally loved it and found it a perfect way to explain the real meaning behind Thanksgiving (other than the food, the football, the parade). It rhymes and its short so good really for any age." For more info

Thanksgiving Is for Giving Thanks
Reviewed on Amazon--"This is a very cute Thanksgiving book. My boys (ages 3 & 6) do seem to enjoy it and do tell me what they are thankful for, after seeing some of the things in the book. It was a bit shorter than I expected though, but otherwise a nice book." For more info 

Trash Bag Sprider

With Halloween just around the corner here is a last minute craft that you can get your children involved in and clean up the yard at the same time. It's easy to make and clean-up as well.

 

Here is a list of the materials you will need: 

• 18 large black trash bags
• Leaves or newspaper
• Black electrical tape
• Large red plastic party cups

Instructions

To create the spider's body, stuff one trash bag full of dry leaves (you can also use crumpled newspaper). Tie the bag closed, then flip it upside down. To make the head, stuff a second bag (not as full as the first), tie it closed, and tape it to the body.

To make one of the legs, roll up two garbage bags together lengthwise. Wrap them with electrical tape at both ends and at two points along the leg to make joints. Roll up seven more legs, then cut four small slits in each side of the spider's body and slip the legs in place.

Cut the white lip off two of the red plastic cups, then tape them onto the spider's body to make his beady red eyes. For the fangs, cut two triangles out of the third plastic cup (or another piece of white plastic) and tape them onto the spider so that the white side faces up.

Perch the spider atop a big pile of relatively dry leaves. To create a web for her, simply weave and tie lengths of clothesline or twine across your porch. For an extra scary effect, tie a few unlucky stuffed animals to her web.

Books related to our topic:

Halloween Bugs: A Trick or Treat Pop Up Book

Reviewed on amazon--"My little girl adores this book, she talks about it at bedtime, we have to draw pictures of all the bugs, she won't stop talking about it.
Love it!!"  For more information

Sipping Spiders Through a Straw: Campfire Songs for Monsters

Reviewed on amazon--"This book contains a mix of deliciously funny, ghoulish, and sometimes even quite gross replacement lyrics for familiar songs. "A-camping we will go with monster friends in tow" replaces the regular lyrics of "The Farmer in the Dell". Instead of singing, "Take me out to the ballgame", substitute "Take me out to the graveyard. Take me out to the tombs. Buy me worms from that Quasi named Jack. I don't care `bout that hump on his back". Be prepared for the truly disgusting, "Blow, blow, blow your nose sick and stuffy ghost. Pick it, and poke it, and pull it out, and spread it on your toast." If you do not know the original song, you will have to "Google" to learn the tune. Primarily black and brown tone watercolor and mixed media illustrations accompany the lyrics revealing figures with elongated and exaggerated appendages and spiked and scraggly hair. " For more info

Caterpillar Craft

Fuzzy,wuzzy catepillars....
Many years ago I made this caterpillar craft with my nieces and nephews . And then again later when my daughter was old enough.

This craft is so easy and it's been around for ages. This is a fun craft for any time of year but especially for spring!!

What you'll need:

• Pom-poms, in various colors and sizes
• Tongue depressor sticks
• Google eyes
• Elmer's Glue or crafts glue
• red felt

Directions:

1.    Choose 5 colored pom-poms making sure 1 is bigger than all the rest.

2.    After you have chosen, the pom-poms glue them to the tongue depressor making sure the biggest one is first.

3.    Now glue two of the google eyes onto the face of the caterpillar. If you would like to make the happy version with a nose, cut a smile and a nose out of the red felt and glue it onto the face of the caterpillar.

Here's a nice story by Eric Carle that your children may enjoy!