Sunday, March 31, 2013

Happy Easter


In the midst of dying Easter eggs and making crafts, this chorus kept repeating itself in my head.

"Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives!"

Hope you had a good and restful Easter weekend.




Thursday, March 28, 2013

Guest Post: Sumo Plastic Bottle Bowling Pins

Did you ever look at plastic bottles and think... whoa... those look just like sumo wrestlers?

(Am I the only one who does this?)

If you want to make yourself a whole bunch of these fun guys, you can get my full sumo wrestler plastic bowling pin  tutorial here!






























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Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Styrofoam gliders

Guess what?  We won the lottery.  Then we took our winnings and purchased a small fleet of planes.

Ok, ok, ok.  I'm just kidding.  We didn't win the lottery, but Chuck and I are the proud new owners of three airplanes, Styrofoam gliders, to be exact.


One of the nicest things about being a mom is that I get to let go and do fun kid things again.  Currently, Chuck is still too young to fully appreciate flying toy airplanes.  However, he is old enough to enjoy throwing things and seeing them float around.

Armed with leftover Styrofoam plates, I made him some Styrofoam gliders.  Then we had a lovely day enjoying the sunny weather, the company of some feathered friends, and our new gliders.


(Psst- If you want to make your own, you can get the templates from NASA here  and here.)

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

I heart peeps (freezer paper stencil)

Ok, ok, you got me.  I have a thing for freezer paper stenciling... but it's just so easy to make cute, customizable shirts for the holidays.

Take this "I heart peeps" shirt, for example:


I just used the same freezer paper technique that I used for St. Patrick's day and my "left" and "right" pants.  The results are always so clean and neat.  Here are some photos of the process:


Hooray! Now Chuck has something to wear for Easter.

Hrmm... and since we're talking about peeps, now I've got a hankering for a large pink rice krispy peep treat... yumm...


Monday, March 25, 2013

What's up, Chuck?

Hi everyone!

How was your weekend?  Ours started out fun and ended a bit stressful.  Friday night a friend kindly volunteered to watch Chuck, so hubby and I went on a real date.  (Thanks Melissa!)  On Saturday we had fun with some friends at an Easter egg hunt in Hoboken.  (See photos below.)  Then, on Sunday I got stressed out by a guest post that I'm writing for another blog.  (I'll share more details about that later this week.)  I was really struggling because none of my craft ideas were working out.  Thankfully hubby helped me to keep my cool and everything ended up working out in the end... phew.

Here are some photos from the Easter egg hunt.
Thanks Olena for taking this photo!

More than 2,000 people attended the event.  Can you spot us in the crowd?

After this photo was taken, Chuck tried to hop in the pool with the ducks.

I love boy bonding time

Forget the Easter eggs, bring on the hay!

Counting our loot

Everybody left tired and happy....



    

Friday, March 22, 2013

Hubby makes a rollie pollie chair

A few days ago I shared that hubby and I engaged in some friendly competition.  Both of us wanted to make kid friendly furniture for Chuck.  I came up with the idea to make a chair out of pvc pipes.  Hubby followed these directions and took another route.  He made a rollie pollie chair


This chair may look like a beanbag chair, but it's not.  It's filled with stuffing instead of beads.  (Basically, it's one huuuuuuge pillow.)

 <<UPDATE!  4/8/13-  We un-stuffed the rollie pollie chair and exchanged the stuffing for a laaarge  bag of Styrofoam beans from Walmart.  We noticed that Chuck was kind of just bouncing off the chair whenever he tried to sit on it.  Now he sinks in nicely and it's way more comfy.>>

So who wins?  Well... while Chuck easily sits in my chair,  he'll outgrow it in a year or two.  Hubby's rollie pollie is too big for Chuck to use right now, but he'll grow into it some day.  (I'm getting it ready  for him by napping on it now.  Zzzz...)

So I guess this round of friendly furniture competition ends with a draw.  Admittedly both chairs have their drawbacks, but I'm proud of what we accomplished.




Have a great weekend!

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Make a Cardboard Bunny Tissue Box Holder

With Easter just around the corner, bunnies, chicks, and carrots seem to be  popping up everywhere.  Since I had some practice crapting a whale tissue box holder, I thought I'd try making a bunny tissue holder for Easter.

Meet Pinky.  
This little rabbit is my newest cardboard animal creation.  
She's super girly and cute.

And bonus- her tail provides comforting tissues when you sneeze.
Chuck can't resist pulling on her tail...






Want to crapt your own?  Read on!

Materials:
- cardboard (not bent, in good condition)
- pencil
- exacto knife
- self healing cutting mat
- scissors
- packing tape
- ruler
- paint
- paint brushes
- Sharpie markers
- Mod Podge

Directions:
Step 1:  Measure and cut out your pieces from cardboard.  (See pdf below) You'll need:
a.  1 long rectangular piece (15 3/4 inches x 5 1/2 inches)
     - folded lengthwise every 5 1/4 inches
     - with two tiny, thin rectangular holes cut out from middle section (for ears)
     - with two rectangles cut out from each side (for feet)

b.  2 identical ear pieces (about 4 1/2 inches tall)
     - bent 1/2 inch from bottom
     - two tabs cut at bottom (tape tabs down to attach ears)

c.  1 bottom piece (5 1/4 inch x 5 1/2 inch)
     - sides will probably be trimmed down and corners rounded when you assemble pieces

d.  1 front and 1 back piece (5 1/4 inch x 5 1/4 inch)
     - rectangle cut out from bottom of both pieces (for feet)
     - circle (approx 1 1/2 inch in diameter) cut out from back piece (for tissue tail)

Bunny Tissue Holder Measurements

Step 2:  Bend the long piece into three equal 5 1/4 inch parts.  (I found that it helped if I first scored the cardboard with my ruler or scissors).

Step 3:  Carefully tape front piece in front of your bent piece  (It was easier to maneuver smaller pieces of packing tape.  Try your hardest to make sure that the tape sits right against the cardboard.)



Step 4:  Attach bottom piece with tape.  Before taping, make sure that your tissue box fits into your construction.  You may need to trim the edges of the bottom piece and round off some corners to make sure that it fits.  (Honestly, I wish I trimmed a bit more off my bottom piece.  It's still slightly too wide and it pushed the sides out in a funny way.  So, I ended up taping them down from the outside... which ruined the effect a bit... )




Step 5:   Place your tissue box into the cardboard container.  Then, attach the back piece with packing tape.  (First I taped the top of the back piece to the bent long piece.  This created a nice hinge effect and the back piece could open and close.  I could have left it like that, but with Chuck on the loose it was safer if I taped the feet portions together too.)





Step 5:  Paint your piece.  (Honestly, I liked the au natural look.  But, pink just felt more spring-y, so I went with it.) To protect the tissue tail, push a plastic bag into your hole.  Pull it out when you're done.  Don't forget to use Mod Podge to protect your paint job.

And there you have it- some bunny to hand you tissues when you need them.  (Har, har, har.... )

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Make a toddler chair out of pvc pipe

For the last month we've removed our sofa's cushions on a daily basis.  Chuck likes sitting on the sofa and watching tv, but it was too tough for him to climb up with the cushions in place.

We didn't mind him sitting that way, but we figured we should get him some kid-sized furniture.  And then a DIY light bulb went off in our heads.

Why buy him furniture when we could make our own?

Hubby and I had two different furniture concepts, so we ended up with two solutions.  Since hubby's project is 90% completed, I'll post up his solution later.  Here's how I chose tackle the problem:  a toddler-sized chair made out of PVC pipes and fabric.

Front

Side

Back
Cute, right?  I love it.  But honestly, I can't take much credit for its creation.  All I did was follow Que Linda's super clear directions and assemble the pieces.  Our uncle cut the pipes (thanks Tito Ric!) and hubby sewed the fabric (thanks hubby!). So they're really today's star crafters.

As you can tell, Chuck loves his new seat.  He's certainly one happy customer.


Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Make shrinky dink charms (out of number 6 plastic)

Can you believe that these charms were once take out sushi lids?


Well, it's true.  I've been saving number 6 plastic containers for awhile because I wanted to make shrinky dinks.  (Number 6 plastic is usually found in takeout containers.  You know it's number 6 because it has a "6" printed in it.)  This past weekend I finally had enough plastic lids, so I took the crapty plunge.

Want to try this crapt out too?  If so, read on:

But first, a cautionary note:
Most craft bloggers seem to say that it's ok to melt this plastic in the oven.  However, there are a few who worry about toxic fumes being released.  I went with the majority's opinion and tried out the  craft.  I just wanted to put that out there....

Materials:
- Number 6 plastic
- Permanent markers
- Scissors
- Hole puncher
- Aluminum foil
- Baking sheet
- Jump ring (and jewlery pliers to apply jump ring)
- Optional:  Mod Podge or clear nail polish (see step 7)

Directions:
Step 1:  Wash and dry your number 6 plastic containers.  Make sure to get rid of any sticky sticker residue.

Step 2:  Draw your design.  (I found some pendants from online stores that I liked and I doodled those images on paper first.  Then, I placed my piece of plastic over the doodles and traced and colored them.  All my original images were about 2 inches long.)




Step 4:  Cut out your images.

Step 5:  Hole punch your images.

Step 6:  Place your charms on a baking sheet covered with aluminum foil.  Bake them at 350 degrees for about 3 minutes.  (Each charm will initially bend and curl.  But then they will flatten out and stop shrinking. If a piece isn't fully flattened when you pull it out of the oven, you can always quickly push it flat yourself.)

Step 7:  Let your charms cool.  Then, add a jump ring to each one.

Another word of caution:  You have to handle the charms with care because the ink can rub off.  I tried protecting my work with Mod Podge, but got mixed results.  Some charms seemed alright, but the color rubbed off of others.  I also tried sealing some charms with clear nail polish.  But, I noticed that the nail polish smeared some of my images and not others.  So.... I'm not really sure how to seal them so that the images last.... Hrmm.... let me know if you figure anything out...




Happy crapty shrinky dinking!  Let me know if you try this out!

Monday, March 18, 2013

What's up, Chuck?

Hi everyone!

 Did you have a good weekend?

Last week hubby had to work some pretty long hours, so Chuck and I really looked forward to the weekend.  Thank goodness everything was low key and relaxing.  We ended up visiting some nearby relatives and shopping for supplies for a new project...

Here are some photos from last week:


Chuck and I continue to really enjoy music time at the library.

Thanks Vanessa for taking such a lovely photo!






We celebrated St. Patrick's day: 
I think Chuck looks good with a beard, no?

Leprechaun?  Nope.  It's hubby!




And this is why toddler time rocks....
It's so sweet how Chuck's face lights up whenever he sees this little girl.  
Hope your week starts off well.... (and if not, well, there are only four more days till the weekend... woo hoo!)  Today I'm taking Chuck to the dentist for his first checkup. *Gulp.* We'll see how that goes....

Friday, March 15, 2013

St. Patrick's day photo props

Today our toddler time is holding a St. Patrick's day event for the kids.  Here are two photo props that I crapted for the event:



Both props were made out of old cereal boxes. The kids are supposed to stick their faces through the hole in the left prop and they're supposed to stand underneath the hat on the right.

Please send some good Irish luck our way.  I'm hoping that the kids will use the props and we get some super cute and silly photos.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Make an eggshell mosaic pendant

Don't toss out your eggshells!  Today's craft shows a really unique way to turn them into beautiful pieces of art!

I love vintage micro mosaic jewelry, but being a huge cheap-o, I never allow myself to buy it.  So, yesterday, armed with a bunch of eggshells and milk jug caps (thanks Tita Tina for the stash!), I made my own version of micro mosaic jewelry.  Here are my two finished pendants:

Eggshell Mosaic Pendants


make yourself an eggshell mosaic pendant- great kids craft!
What a lovely piece of crapt



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Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Freezer paper stencil "left" and "right" pants

Nowadays when things get stressful, I get a craftin'.  Last night I freezer paper stenciled a pair of Chuck's pants.

Who knew?  Apparently I have a thing for typography on clothes.

First I stamped "hello" on a pair of pants, then I stenciled a "lucky charm" shirt, and now... well... it just felt like a good time to make some "left" and "right" pants.

Hmm... whose left and whose right? . 

They were pretty easy to make because I used the same freezer paper stencil technique from before.  Here are some photos of the process:


Hrmm... what should I make next?

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Stencil a St. Patrick's day shirt (using freezer paper)

Can I admit something to you?

I'm not Irish.  *Gasp*  I know!  How surprising!

I've never felt the need to celebrate St. Patrick's day.  But, strangely... now that I'm a mom I feel the need to celebrate this and every holiday with Chuck.  President's day? St. Patrick's day?  Passover?  Bring them all on.  I relish the thought of dressing him up in holiday themed gear.

And since St. Paddy's day is just around the corner, what better way to celebrate than dress him in green. So last night I donned my crafting hat and made this "lucky charm" shirt for Chuck to wear.

Freezer Paper Stenciled St. Patrick's Day Shirt

Not too shabby, right?  It was my first time trying out the freezer paper stenciling technique.  Isn't it surprising how nice and crisp the lines turned out?  Wow.  This is definitely a technique that I'll use in the future.


Monday, March 11, 2013

The Craft Fair

was this past Saturday.  Oi vey!  I never realized how much effort it takes to design a product, make a product, package a product, set up shop, and then sell a product.  Yikes.  We're still recovering from all the preparations.

Tita Tina did pretty well selling her paintings.  I had some sales (mostly from family members- thank you for coming by and supporting us!), and I made enough to just cover 90% of my material costs.  Wowzers.  For all of you who do this in real life, I salute  you!  Truly, crafting is not for the weak.

All in all, I'm really glad we tried something new.  Now I can check something off the old bucket list.  I'd like to try this venture out another time in the future... but next time I'll think of different crafts to sell.... Hrmm....

Oh yeah- here are some photos from the fair!