Monday, June 29, 2009
Wow.
I have been seriously lax about this blog. Hard to get into the habit of working on it daily when things are so BUSY during the summers. I think we'll start off as a WEEKLY blog, then move it up to two or more a week once fall comes and weather isn't so nice. But right now, we are outside all the time, and while we might do crafts here and there, it is nothing to write home about. LOL. So I'll update the blog on Tuesday nights---AFTER I have done the craft at Sprout Soup. (Those in Columbus, FREE crafts at Sprout Soup, 4310 N. High St. every Tuesday!)
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Oh dear
SLACKER!!!!!!! I am SUCH a slacker! This is kicking my butt, man! Who knew that trying to do a craft a day would be so hard, when my kids are like crafting wizards? Anyway, I'll post soon, I promise.
Tomorrow we are making Father's Day gifts. That ought to be good for at least three days of craft! Maybe.
Tomorrow we are making Father's Day gifts. That ought to be good for at least three days of craft! Maybe.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Crafty Tuesdays
So, did you know this is National Zoo and Aquarium Month? It is! So, today we made animal masks! We had a dog, a sheep, two tigers and even an elephant!!
Needed:
Paper plates
scissors or craft knife
crayons
tissue paper
yarn
hole punch
imagination!!
You can make whatever your imagination permits! Using the paper plate as the face, decorate as you want. Here is an example of our elephantine fun!!
Needed:
Paper plates
scissors or craft knife
crayons
tissue paper
yarn
hole punch
imagination!!
You can make whatever your imagination permits! Using the paper plate as the face, decorate as you want. Here is an example of our elephantine fun!!
Finger fatigue! But here is Monday's craft!
Last night, hubby comes running into the house--there is a bird in our front yard!! I was nonplussed. We often have birds in our front yard. However, when he said he had accidentally THROWN A HOSE on the bird, I knew that all was not well. AS an ardent bird lover (who has been banned from feeding birds by aforementioned hubby due to attracting small furry creatures as well as the winged ones) I rushed outside. Totally leaving my kids INSIDE. Oops. But hey, the house didn't burn down and no one died, so I guess it all ended up alright!
Sure enough, there was a bird, a mourning dove, to be exact, sitting there. Alive. Stunned. And unable to fly. As hubby was telling oldest son not to touch the bird, I (you guessed it) caught it (in a towel, I am not a total moron!). It was hurt, indeed, though I did not see any blood it was missing quite a few feathers from a wing. I called Ohio Wildlife Center, but they were not in office anymore, so I checked with Dr. Google.
I put the dove in a box, taped it shut and put it in out closet. (I an not cruel! That is what they told me to do at Dr. Google!) So the bird spent the night in our closet. This morning, we took it to the Ohio Wildlife Center, where it was admitted.
When it gets better, they are going to call us and we will go get it, bring it home and release it. I am excited for that bit.
In the meantime, I figured what we could do for its family is to make a bird feeder and feed them!
And this craft (borrowed from: http://www.allfreecrafts.com/nature/bird-feeder.shtml)
You can recycle a milk carton or juice carton and make an it into an excellent bird feeder for finches, sparrows, chickadees and other feathered friends.
Keep in mind, though, that feeding the birds is a year-long commitment--they don't only need fed in the winter! Keep a birding book by the window and mark them off as you see them! You can even keep tabs on them for http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/.
To make a Milk Carton Bird Feeder, you will need:
Sure enough, there was a bird, a mourning dove, to be exact, sitting there. Alive. Stunned. And unable to fly. As hubby was telling oldest son not to touch the bird, I (you guessed it) caught it (in a towel, I am not a total moron!). It was hurt, indeed, though I did not see any blood it was missing quite a few feathers from a wing. I called Ohio Wildlife Center, but they were not in office anymore, so I checked with Dr. Google.
I put the dove in a box, taped it shut and put it in out closet. (I an not cruel! That is what they told me to do at Dr. Google!) So the bird spent the night in our closet. This morning, we took it to the Ohio Wildlife Center, where it was admitted.
When it gets better, they are going to call us and we will go get it, bring it home and release it. I am excited for that bit.
In the meantime, I figured what we could do for its family is to make a bird feeder and feed them!
And this craft (borrowed from: http://www.allfreecrafts.com/nature/bird-feeder.shtml)
How to Make a Milk Carton Bird Feeder
You can recycle a milk carton or juice carton and make an it into an excellent bird feeder for finches, sparrows, chickadees and other feathered friends.
Keep in mind, though, that feeding the birds is a year-long commitment--they don't only need fed in the winter! Keep a birding book by the window and mark them off as you see them! You can even keep tabs on them for http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/.
To make a Milk Carton Bird Feeder, you will need:
Sunday Funday!
Salt Dough Sundays?
I am thinking maybe we will do a salt dough sculpture every Sunday! Salt dough is easy to make and very fun to play with.
(recipe from: http://www.artsncrafts-ideas.com/salt-dough-recipe.php)
If the dough is sticky (too much water), add a mix in the right proportions of flour and salt.
You can also use coarser salt : mix it with water to dissolve it.
Any leftover clay will keep several days in a closed plastic bag.
Salt dough can be colored before baking, either with natural colorings, (instant coffee, curry or chocolate powder) or with food coloring.
Baking
Baking time : 3 to 4 hours at 100 celsius (212 fahrenheit) in a fan assisted oven, filling two or three of the racks. After one hour, take the models off the baking sheet and greaseproof paper and place them directly on the rack. This allows for more even baking. Bring the temperature down very low, to let the salt dough dry without losing its shape.
Since we are starting salt dough this week, we will do a simple craft and build up to more complex ones!
After creating the dough, roll it out on a floured surface. Find a favorite cookie cutter and cut out some shapes. If you want, you can make summer "ornaments" to display in the garden! Pick a bug or a flower. Or a few circles and ovals.
You can join together multiple cutouts by scoring the dough (XXXXX marks on the parts of the cut outs that are to be joined) and use a little bit of water to meld the dough together.
After you are happy with the raw product, stick it in the oven and bake at 200F for an hour, remove from cookie tray, and replace in oven for longer at a lower temp.
After it has cooked, and cooled, PAINT!! :)
I am thinking maybe we will do a salt dough sculpture every Sunday! Salt dough is easy to make and very fun to play with.
(recipe from: http://www.artsncrafts-ideas.com/salt-dough-recipe.php)
Salt dough recipe
If the dough is sticky (too much water), add a mix in the right proportions of flour and salt.You can also use coarser salt : mix it with water to dissolve it.
Any leftover clay will keep several days in a closed plastic bag.
Salt dough can be colored before baking, either with natural colorings, (instant coffee, curry or chocolate powder) or with food coloring.
Baking
Baking time : 3 to 4 hours at 100 celsius (212 fahrenheit) in a fan assisted oven, filling two or three of the racks. After one hour, take the models off the baking sheet and greaseproof paper and place them directly on the rack. This allows for more even baking. Bring the temperature down very low, to let the salt dough dry without losing its shape.
Since we are starting salt dough this week, we will do a simple craft and build up to more complex ones!
After creating the dough, roll it out on a floured surface. Find a favorite cookie cutter and cut out some shapes. If you want, you can make summer "ornaments" to display in the garden! Pick a bug or a flower. Or a few circles and ovals.
You can join together multiple cutouts by scoring the dough (XXXXX marks on the parts of the cut outs that are to be joined) and use a little bit of water to meld the dough together.
After you are happy with the raw product, stick it in the oven and bake at 200F for an hour, remove from cookie tray, and replace in oven for longer at a lower temp.
After it has cooked, and cooled, PAINT!! :)
Saturday Craft
So, for lazy family days, the craft should be easy and yet still fun! So, here is something fun and uber-messy!! Recommend doing this one in OLD clothes outside!
Supplies:
Paint (acrylic, or poster)
Water
Brushes
Paper or sheet
Get a large piece of paper, or even better, an old sheet.
Put the paint into a cup, and water it down. If you do not have paint, you can use food coloring, but it might not last as long.
Add your creative expression to the paper, Pollock style! Drip, drop. Drip, drop.
Display your masterpiece! (after it dries!)
Supplies:
Paint (acrylic, or poster)
Water
Brushes
Paper or sheet
Get a large piece of paper, or even better, an old sheet.
Put the paint into a cup, and water it down. If you do not have paint, you can use food coloring, but it might not last as long.
Add your creative expression to the paper, Pollock style! Drip, drop. Drip, drop.
Display your masterpiece! (after it dries!)
Fantastic Friday!
So I GROSSLY overestimated my ability to do a craft a day. Or even pretend to do one and blog about it. But, I am not one to give up easily, so I will keep trying--just need to figure out how to work it into our busy schedule.
I am going to cheat a little. We went to the Columbus Arts Festival this weekend and they had so many cool things! So here is an idea for a Family Friday Night craft!
Family Flags!
There are 2 different ways to do this crafts. Each person can create their own flag, or you can work together to crate a family flag! How fun would it be to crate a family flag and display it on your door!
Supplies:
If doing individual flags, each person gets a piece of paper. If doing a family flag, a bigger piece of paper might work better.
Dowel rods--one for each person, or one big one if doing a family craft.
Markers
Spray bottle
1. Using markers, design a flag and color it.
2. Lightly spray the paper with the water--in the mist setting. It will make the marker run and create a lovely effect.
3. Attach the flag to the dowel using tape.
4. Display your flag!
And for even more fun, crate a name for your family nation. And a constitution!
I am going to cheat a little. We went to the Columbus Arts Festival this weekend and they had so many cool things! So here is an idea for a Family Friday Night craft!
Family Flags!
There are 2 different ways to do this crafts. Each person can create their own flag, or you can work together to crate a family flag! How fun would it be to crate a family flag and display it on your door!
Supplies:
If doing individual flags, each person gets a piece of paper. If doing a family flag, a bigger piece of paper might work better.
Dowel rods--one for each person, or one big one if doing a family craft.
Markers
Spray bottle
1. Using markers, design a flag and color it.
2. Lightly spray the paper with the water--in the mist setting. It will make the marker run and create a lovely effect.
3. Attach the flag to the dowel using tape.
4. Display your flag!
And for even more fun, crate a name for your family nation. And a constitution!
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Patience
...they say it is a virtue. I say it is needed to read this blog! LOL. I will post yesterday and today's craft...in a bit. Stay tuned!
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Dinosaur Days
Today was a perfect day! And after yesterday's bad-momness, my kids deserved a good day. LOL.
So the craft today is a paper plate dinosaur, made from two paper plates. I got the idea from a picture posted on the kidscraftweekly.com site**. Basically, you take two plates per child, and paint them. Here are my kids painting away.
So we painted these plates, then let them dry while we went to the park to visit with a friend I do not get to spend enough time with anymore. It was, altogether, a fabulous afternoon!
After dinner, we did the finishing touches.
Fold the paper plates in half. Choose one to be the body, and one to be the head, tail and legs. I used the rim of the plate for the tail, to give it texture. I cut it so that it was 2 layers thick (along the bend), then I attached it to the "body" paper plate with a brad.
The headless dino can now wag his tail!!
For the head, I cut a neck and head and attached it to the body with a brad. But I cut it on the crease where it met the "back" so that the head could go up and down.
4 more brads, 4 more bits of paper plate and the dino is done-o. It really was a super easy, super fun craft. And I think it is adorable.
Finished project:
Not sure if you can tell or not, but I have the tail attached on the inside of the body, and the head on the outside. And I used a wee bit of tape (or glue would work too) to keep the head and tail together.
Once the dino is assembled, you can apply finishing touches, such as spots, rhinestones, hair, feathers---there are no rules to what your dino should look like.
And a wee confession. The baby's--which is the one I finished, but he did do all the painting--was the only one that was finished today. I imagine the others will find their bodies tomorrow. :P
For those that want to craft without the commentary:
Materials:
2 paper plates
paint
6 brads
Embellishments
Procedure:
1. Paint the plates
2. After the plates have dried, fold both in half. One will be the body, the other will be cut into head and neck, tail and legs.
3. Cut a crescent shape for the tail. Cut a "j" shape for the head and neck. Cut 4 legs from the remaining plate.
4. Poke through the plates and use the brads to attach the neck, tail and legs to the body.
5. Cut up the neck about 1 inch, so that it can raise and lower.
6. Embellish as desired.
Grand total:
Plates: had them
Paint: had them
brads: had them.
This craft cost me nothing. If you had none of the supplies, I am guessing you could get it done for under $5--but might be more since you can rarely buy just one plate, or a handful of brads. Wait for a birthday party and take home extra plates. LOL.
**after returning to the site and looking further, I found that this craft was in an issue of kidscraftweekly.com. Issue 72 to be exact. I did my version a bit differently, but it is still a cool craft no matter how you do it. To see the original, go to: http://www.kidscraftweekly.com/paper_plates_issue.html
So the craft today is a paper plate dinosaur, made from two paper plates. I got the idea from a picture posted on the kidscraftweekly.com site**. Basically, you take two plates per child, and paint them. Here are my kids painting away.
So we painted these plates, then let them dry while we went to the park to visit with a friend I do not get to spend enough time with anymore. It was, altogether, a fabulous afternoon!
After dinner, we did the finishing touches.
Fold the paper plates in half. Choose one to be the body, and one to be the head, tail and legs. I used the rim of the plate for the tail, to give it texture. I cut it so that it was 2 layers thick (along the bend), then I attached it to the "body" paper plate with a brad.
The headless dino can now wag his tail!!
For the head, I cut a neck and head and attached it to the body with a brad. But I cut it on the crease where it met the "back" so that the head could go up and down.
4 more brads, 4 more bits of paper plate and the dino is done-o. It really was a super easy, super fun craft. And I think it is adorable.
Finished project:
Not sure if you can tell or not, but I have the tail attached on the inside of the body, and the head on the outside. And I used a wee bit of tape (or glue would work too) to keep the head and tail together.
Once the dino is assembled, you can apply finishing touches, such as spots, rhinestones, hair, feathers---there are no rules to what your dino should look like.
And a wee confession. The baby's--which is the one I finished, but he did do all the painting--was the only one that was finished today. I imagine the others will find their bodies tomorrow. :P
For those that want to craft without the commentary:
Materials:
2 paper plates
paint
6 brads
Embellishments
Procedure:
1. Paint the plates
2. After the plates have dried, fold both in half. One will be the body, the other will be cut into head and neck, tail and legs.
3. Cut a crescent shape for the tail. Cut a "j" shape for the head and neck. Cut 4 legs from the remaining plate.
4. Poke through the plates and use the brads to attach the neck, tail and legs to the body.
5. Cut up the neck about 1 inch, so that it can raise and lower.
6. Embellish as desired.
Grand total:
Plates: had them
Paint: had them
brads: had them.
This craft cost me nothing. If you had none of the supplies, I am guessing you could get it done for under $5--but might be more since you can rarely buy just one plate, or a handful of brads. Wait for a birthday party and take home extra plates. LOL.
**after returning to the site and looking further, I found that this craft was in an issue of kidscraftweekly.com. Issue 72 to be exact. I did my version a bit differently, but it is still a cool craft no matter how you do it. To see the original, go to: http://www.kidscraftweekly.com/paper_plates_issue.html
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Fail Whale!
Well, *I* get the big ole fail whale for today. *I* did not get my act together for a craft. However, ever resourceful, my daughter created her own game out of scotch tape and construction paper. Lots of complicated rules and hard to see (tape on the paper is the board). At least someone was feeling more creative today than a paper bag.
Oh, and continuing along the crafts=let's make a mess trend, apparently the baby dumped a REALLY BIG jar of beads all over the floor while I was out getting some much needed me time. Ah well. Still hadn't cleaned up the ribbon mess, so what is a few (hundred) beads?
Tomorrow is cleaning day. I mean it.
Oh, and continuing along the crafts=let's make a mess trend, apparently the baby dumped a REALLY BIG jar of beads all over the floor while I was out getting some much needed me time. Ah well. Still hadn't cleaned up the ribbon mess, so what is a few (hundred) beads?
Tomorrow is cleaning day. I mean it.
Hoping inspiration hits in the night
........but not too hard! I am a light sleeper!
Anyway, I have not a clue what to do tomorrow, um, I mean today, for craft. Maybe kids and I will go on a rock hunt (fave activity for the boys) and paint them as paperweights.
Speaking of paperweights--come to Sprout Soup on the 13th of June and have your kids handcraft a present for dad. Why yes, paperweights is going to be one of those projects! How did you know?!?! Psychic? .....rustle rustle rustle...where did I put that tin foil hat?
(ok, quite OBVIOUSLY I should be removed from the chair--which I swear has its own gravity field--and get my buns to bed. When the (attempted) humor gets this bad, folks, it is time to close shop!!)
OH! And if we do do the paperweights, the cost is delish! FREE!! Or at minimum the cost of the paints.
Anyway, I have not a clue what to do tomorrow, um, I mean today, for craft. Maybe kids and I will go on a rock hunt (fave activity for the boys) and paint them as paperweights.
Speaking of paperweights--come to Sprout Soup on the 13th of June and have your kids handcraft a present for dad. Why yes, paperweights is going to be one of those projects! How did you know?!?! Psychic? .....rustle rustle rustle...where did I put that tin foil hat?
(ok, quite OBVIOUSLY I should be removed from the chair--which I swear has its own gravity field--and get my buns to bed. When the (attempted) humor gets this bad, folks, it is time to close shop!!)
OH! And if we do do the paperweights, the cost is delish! FREE!! Or at minimum the cost of the paints.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Celebrate Hot Air Balloons!
On June 4th, 1783 some crazy fellas (The brothers, Joseph Michel Montgolfier (26 August 1740 – 26 June 1810) and Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier (6 January 1745 – 2 August 1799--and I really can't speak to their sanity since I never met them! LOL) strapped themselves into a basket, tied the basket onto a balloon and voila! The world's first hot air balloon flight! Personally, I prefer to keep my feet on the solid ground, but I am boring like that. Afterall, you are much more likely to die in a car accident than in an air transport disaster--but I don't relinquish the element of control over easily.
Anyway, my point is that, being the Quasquibicentennial (plus one!) of the first flight---er, glide? float?--we decided to make a hot air balloon craft. I posted the supplies yesterday, as well as a cost list. The cups ended up being 3.50, but there were 200 of them so we have them for future crafts (that is, if the girl doesn't use them all stacking them first!).
Anyway, I was pleased with the results. Granted, this is a fleeting craft, as the air in the balloon lasts 3 days at most, but this dramatically reduces the "Looks Great honey (now what do I do with it?)" factor. :P
So, without further ado, here are the pics of the craft!
**all joking aside, I would like to extend my most heartfelt condolences to those that lost loved ones on Flight 447.
Anyway, my point is that, being the Quasquibicentennial (plus one!) of the first flight---er, glide? float?--we decided to make a hot air balloon craft. I posted the supplies yesterday, as well as a cost list. The cups ended up being 3.50, but there were 200 of them so we have them for future crafts (that is, if the girl doesn't use them all stacking them first!).
Anyway, I was pleased with the results. Granted, this is a fleeting craft, as the air in the balloon lasts 3 days at most, but this dramatically reduces the "Looks Great honey (now what do I do with it?)" factor. :P
So, without further ado, here are the pics of the craft!
**all joking aside, I would like to extend my most heartfelt condolences to those that lost loved ones on Flight 447.
The drawbacks of crafts
I have crafting materials available to my children whenever they want to make a mess, I mean masterpiece. Generally, this means lots of messes for me to clean up.
Sometimes, I just have to giggle. This is what the snowflakes got into this morning! Nothing like having warpaint!! LOL. And it looks like a ribbon rainstorm too!
Sometimes, I just have to giggle. This is what the snowflakes got into this morning! Nothing like having warpaint!! LOL. And it looks like a ribbon rainstorm too!
Monday, June 1, 2009
Hot Air Balloon Craft
So this is what I was thinking about! I would love to do this tomorrow.
Basically, get a balloon, tissue paper, small paper cups and thin ribbon. Cover the cup in tissue paper and secure it with tape. Attach 4 pieces of ribbon equidistant around the cup. Then, inflate your balloon. Take 2 long pieces of ribbon and form an "x" over the top of the balloon, securing with a piece of tape. Tie the cup to the balloon ribbons. Then, decorate as you wish. If time permits, you can either create your own people, or cut out some from magazines and give them a ride! You can also attach a short piece of ribbon underneath the top ribbon and use this to hang your balloon.
So, here is the grand total for the craft!
25 balloons--$1.00
300 yds of ribbon--$1.00
Tissue paper--$1.00
Dixie Cups. Whoops! Still need to get these. I am thinking $2.00? So grand total for a day of crafts--$5.00 or less.
I will try to post the cost of each craft as I do it too. And I will have pictures. Keep in mind on Tuesdays I do crafts for a large group of people at Sprout Soup! (What is Sprout Soup? A really great, natural family, community building store!! Check it out: www.sproutsoup.com Make sure to check in the events calendar--we do lots of crafty things and typically have a lot of fun!)
Basically, get a balloon, tissue paper, small paper cups and thin ribbon. Cover the cup in tissue paper and secure it with tape. Attach 4 pieces of ribbon equidistant around the cup. Then, inflate your balloon. Take 2 long pieces of ribbon and form an "x" over the top of the balloon, securing with a piece of tape. Tie the cup to the balloon ribbons. Then, decorate as you wish. If time permits, you can either create your own people, or cut out some from magazines and give them a ride! You can also attach a short piece of ribbon underneath the top ribbon and use this to hang your balloon.
So, here is the grand total for the craft!
25 balloons--$1.00
300 yds of ribbon--$1.00
Tissue paper--$1.00
Dixie Cups. Whoops! Still need to get these. I am thinking $2.00? So grand total for a day of crafts--$5.00 or less.
I will try to post the cost of each craft as I do it too. And I will have pictures. Keep in mind on Tuesdays I do crafts for a large group of people at Sprout Soup! (What is Sprout Soup? A really great, natural family, community building store!! Check it out: www.sproutsoup.com Make sure to check in the events calendar--we do lots of crafty things and typically have a lot of fun!)
Last Day of School
Wow. This year has flown by! Seems like just yesterday I was walking the girl off to her first day, and now it is the last. Now she is a big first grader!! How did that happen?
Today, we are going to do bookmarks and handprints on a tote for the teacher. I wish I could do more, but I have a lot of stuff to get done that was supposed to happen yesterday. Like the chapter to edit for work.
But I am planning a hot air balloon craft for tomorrow at Sprout Soup since it is the anniversary of the first hot air balloon flight in 17something or another. I have it written somewhere. Maybe we could incorporate something about the new Pixar movie UP. Interweb, here I come!! Will post details here soon.
Today, we are going to do bookmarks and handprints on a tote for the teacher. I wish I could do more, but I have a lot of stuff to get done that was supposed to happen yesterday. Like the chapter to edit for work.
But I am planning a hot air balloon craft for tomorrow at Sprout Soup since it is the anniversary of the first hot air balloon flight in 17something or another. I have it written somewhere. Maybe we could incorporate something about the new Pixar movie UP.
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