Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hi everyone! I'm so sorry that posting has been a bit sporadic this week.  I've been feeling a bit down, so I just haven't had the heart to make cute stuff.  But not to worry though!  We're going to hang out with family this week, so hopefully things will perk up.

In the meantime, happy thanksgiving!  I know that I have a lot to be thankful for.... and one of those things is definitely you.  If you're reading this post right now, thank you.  Thank you for visiting and supporting this little corner of the internet.  You make blogging even more fun. :)   

On a side note, my friend Lisa from About Proximity posted some cute photos of kids showing things that they were thankful for.  (You can see her posts here and here.)  I asked Chuck to draw something that he was thankful for, and he drew this photo:



I then asked him what he drew and was surprised by his answer.  Instead of saying "Cars," or "Lightening McQueen" (which are the topics of most of our conversations nowadays), he said, "Mommy, me, daddy."  What?  Our kid was thankful for us?  That really warmed my heart.

And lastly, here's a short poem that I wrote last year.  Rereading it now, the same sentiments apply.

Happy Thanksgiving!  I'll see you on Monday (hopefully a couple of pounds heavier, yum!)

Monday, November 25, 2013

DIY Double-sided Popsicle Stick Puzzles

I'm not sure when it happened... but Chuck went from being a "sparkly-pink-bracelet" wearing boy to being a "rough-and-tumble-loves-cars-and-trucks" kind of boy.

It happened so suddenly.  *Sigh*   (Strange, I'm humming "Sunrise, Sunset" right now...)

Anyway, with Chuck's new love for cars with eyes and Bob the Builder, I made him this set of popsicle stick puzzles. There are tons of tutorials out there for these things, but I used the one from Repeat Crafter Me because she made double-sided puzzles.  (Two puzzles for the price of one?  Love it!)

Here's a photo of one puzzle set.  It's got Bob the Builder on one side and Scoop on the other.  (Yup, I know the names of the machines.  I can't remember what day it is sometimes, but I can name most of the characters on that show by heart....weird.)

Let's get crafting!  Can we build it?  Yes, we can!  (Tee hee, I couldn't help it.)

Materials:
  • Popsicle sticks
  • Images (two of each)
  • Sandwich bags
  • Packing tape
  • Clear tape or masking tape 
  • Mod Podge*
  • Sponge brush
  • Cutting Mat
  • Exacto knife
  • Scissors
  • Optional:  Markers / Crayons
 *Note:  Some people just use Elmers glue.  I had a ton of Sparkle Mod Podge, so I just used that.  That's why they came out rather.... sparkly.... Next time I'll just use normal Mod Podge.

Directions:

1.  Print and cut out two of each image.  One copy will go on your puzzle and another will go on your sandwich bag. (I don't own a colored printer, so I had to color my images in by hand.  I don't really recommend that because it was pretty time intensive...)

2.  Figure out how many Popsicle sticks your image will need.  Then, line up your sticks against something straight.  Tape the sticks together so that they'll stay together for step 3.


3.  Turn your sticks over so that the taped side is on the bottom.  If you'd like, label the sticks with numbers.  Use Mod Podge to glue your images onto the non-taped side of your Popsicle sticks.

4.  Let your images dry.  (I moved mine to parchment paper so that the Mod Podge wouldn't stick to my work area.)

5.  Once your Mod Podge dries, turn your puzzle over so the taped side is facing up.  Take off the tape and use an exacto knife to cut the sticks apart.  (Make sure to work on a cutting mat and cut from the back/ non-image side.)

6.  Optional:  To make a double-sided puzzle, tape the sticks together again, Mod Podge another image on the backs of your puzzle, and then cut the sticks apart again.


7.   Use packing tape to label sandwich bags with the images.  This will make clean-up easier and help the user to put together the puzzle.

Happy crafting!

Sunday, November 24, 2013

What's up Chuck? Eately!

Awhile back, hubby, Chuck, and I had lunch with friends at Eately, an Italian marketplace in the city.   We loved the food so much that we went again this weekend with another friend.  

Oy vey!  Oh New York, I love you dearly, but I really don't like your crowds.  Eately's shops and restaurants were jam packed with rows and rows of people.  Poor hubby struggled to maneuver our stroller through it all.  But despite being pushed around,  I'm really glad we made the trek across the river.  We saw shops lined with rows and rows of yummy goodies and we got to hang out with a dear friend.  Oh yeah, and let's not forget about the food.  Oh boy, it was just as good I remembered.  In fact, I'm drooling now just thinking about our pasta dishes.  Yum yum.

Here are some photos from our Italian adventure:

Cheese and meat shop

I love the little hearts on these desserts


Cool geometric tile design

Italian candies


Fresh, handmade pasta


Hubby's dish

Chuck taking a big bite out of his gluten free pasta


Friday, November 22, 2013

Super easy DIY Toddler Dominos

Do you love dominos?  With the daylight hours getting shorter, sometimes Chuck and I find ourselves twiddling our thumbs, wondering what to do to pass the time.  Lately I've been making him new playthings out of random stuff that's lying around the apartment.  Here's one super easy toy that was made using mini craft sticks and Sharpie markers.  

Super Easy DIY Toddler Dominos


super easy popsicle stick toddler dominos

 

Materials Needed to make DIY Dominos Game:

  • Mini Craft Sticks (I used 21)
  • Distinctly Different Colored Sharpie Markers (I used 6 colors)
  • Plastic Sandwich bag
  • Scrap paper

Directions to Make DIY Dominos Game


DIY Sharpie and Popsicle Stick Dominos
1.  Cover your work area with a piece of scrap paper so the Sharpie markers won't stain it.

2.  Color the ends of your craft sticks different colors.  (I used 6 different markers to color 21 craft sticks.  I tried to make sure that each color was used the same number of times.  So, each marker colored one end of 5 mini craft sticks and both ends of 1 craft stick.  Does that make sense?  Erm... there must be a mathematical equation to explain that....)

3.  Place your sticks in a plastic bag until you're ready to play!

Yurp.  Suuuuuper easie peasie.

Make your own set of popsicle stick dominos

To make it easier for my 2 year old, I first placed the sticks in rows, colored sides up.  I wanted him to be able to see all of his choices as we played.  Once I explained the game, I had to do quite a bit of prompting to get him to find matching colors.

At first he didn't seem to understand that we had to place our sticks a certain way.  But once I told him that the two matching colors had to "kiss" each other, he got it.  (Not sure why, but he got a big kick out of making his two sticks "kiss.")

Overall, our game lasted a couple of minutes... and then he ended up using the sticks to make a house for... you guessed it, one of his beloved cars.     

Happy toddler toy crafting!
how to play with DIY toddler popsicle stick dominos kids craft


Thursday, November 21, 2013

DIY Crapted Wrapping paper (Plastic Bag Printing and Cat Stencils) and DIY Washi Tape

Alright, this post's title is rather crazy.  In my defense, I just put everything up there because I couldn't figure out a better way to incorporate all the ideas into one slick title.

Hrmm... let's take a step back and start again.

*Breathes*

My sister's birthday is coming up next week.  I already bought her a gift and thought it would be nice to crapt the wrapping paper.  So, I cut up a paper bag (the kind that you get from a store when you buy stuff) and made these two crapty wrapping paper patterns:

The design on the left was made using this Plastic Bag printing method.  It was inspired by my sister's love of turtles.  (That's what the green blobs are.)

The design on the right is made using cereal box stencils.  It's a bit more modern.  (Psst- Can you tell that it's a bunch of golden cat faces?)

Would you like to see how I printed the patterns?  If so, read on!  If not, you can always eat some ice-cream. Yum.

How to make cat stenciled wrapping paper:
Materials:
  • Cereal box
  • Pen
  • Pencil
  • Exacto Knife
  • Scissors
  • Cutting mat
  • Paint
  • Sponge brush
  • Paper towel

Directions:

1.  Doodle your cat face on a piece of cereal box.  Cut the face out.

2.  To keep your design even, first use a pencil to lightly mark where you want your cat faces.  (I used my stencil as a guide.)  Then, stencil your design over your pencil marks.  When you're stenciling, don't load too much paint onto your sponge brush and keep your hand steady as you hold down the stencil so you don't smudge your design.  If you're worried, you can always do a couple of trial runs on a piece of scrap paper first.

3.  Let your design dry and you're done!  Meow!


How to make a plastic bag printed wrapping paper design:
Materials:
  • Sandwich bag
  • Paint
  • Paint brush
  • Q-tip
  • Paper Towel

Directions:

1.  "Ink" your plastic bag by painting over a portion of it.  (If you're a clutz like me, only paint in the middle of your bag.  This way your hands won't smear the paint when you flip the bag over.)
2.  Use a Q-tip (or the back of your paint brush) to remove bits of paint and create a design.
3.  Flip your bag around and press the painted side on top of your wrapping paper.  Rub your hand over the design to make sure it transfered.
4. Repeat this step to add other blocks of colors or designs.  (I used the same bag throughout and simply wiped off excess paint with a paper towel.)

You can also paint little shapes onto your bag and then use those to make prints too.


As you can see, I added some turtles and yellow flowers to complete the print.

And since I was already making the wrapping paper, I figured I might as well make fake washi tape out of masking tape.  I simply took pieces of masking tape, stuck them to parchment paper, and then doodled on them with Sharpie markers.  The ends of the tape don't completely adhere to the parchment paper, but that's ok because I used the tape up right away.



Did you make it this far?  Phew.  *High five.*  This was a long post.  Here's a photo of the final product.  (I chose the cat design because it looked cooler.  Plus, my sister really loves her cat.)
 



Here's a photo of the back.  Yurp.  I went crazy with my fake washi tape because the patterns were just too cute.

Happy Thursday!

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Geometric Popsicle Stick Christmas Tree Ornament Craft

Christmas tree ornaments?  What? 

Yurp.  I know that we haven't celebrated Thanksgiving yet.... and this craft is for Christmas... but please bear with me.  I was bored one night and began playing around with leftover mini craft popsicle sticks.  After messing around with them for a bit, I came up with this easy, geometric looking Christmas tree ornament.


It was really easy to make, so if you like the design, the kiddos can certainly help out too. (Ooh.   Did you notice the sequins?  Bling bling!)



Here's what I did:

Materials:
  • Mini Popsicle Sticks (I used 22)
  • Scrap paper
  • Paint Brush
  • Paint (Shades of green and brown)
  • Hot glue gun
  • Parchment paper
  • Sequins 
  • String or ribbon

 Directions:
1.    Cover your work area.  Paint 18 of your popsicle sticks shades of green.  Paint 4 of your popsicle sticks shades of brown.  (I only painted the front and the sides of the sticks, but you might want to paint the backs too if your ornament is going to twirl around.)

2.  Once your paint dries, begin hot gluing your sticks together.  (I made sure to hot glue on top of parchment paper so my glue won't stick to my work surface.  Cheapie crapter tip:  You can reuse this parchment paper for other project too!)  To ensure that my triangles looked the same, I made one triangle first, then traced the corners onto the parchment paper. I then used those corners as guidelines when hot gluing other triangles.)

3.  Hot glue your "trunk" sticks on.

4.  Hot glue your sequins onto the green triangles' corners.

Smaller versions would like nice as ornaments or strung together as a garland.  Right now my bigger tree is just hanging outside of our door, waiting for December.

Happy Wednesday!

Sunday, November 17, 2013

DIY Pineapple Stenciled Sweatshirt

Last week I admitted that my outfits lately have been less-than fashionable... and I made a manifesto to fight against my tendency to wear sweatshirts and sneakers.

Eh.  Wee-eeeeellll, I backtracked.  Sweatshirts are just so comfortable and warm.  I couldn't resist!  But hear me out, at least I tried making my sweats a little more fashionable by adding some stencils.

Yes.  Pineapple stencils.  Yum!

 Here's what I did:

Materials:
  • Sweatshirt
  • Cereal Box
  • Pencil
  • Exacto Knife
  • Scissors
  • Sponge brush
  • Craft paint
  • Fabric medium
  • Masking tape 
  • Kitchen towel
  • Iron

Directions:

1.  Create a stencil out of a cereal box.
2.  Make fabric paint by mixing your craft paint and fabric medium together.
3.  Place a cereal box inside of your sweatshirt to make sure that the paint doesn't bleed through.  Stencil your sweatshirt by tapping your sponge brush up and down over the stencil.  To ensure that your stencil looks nice and neat, hold the stencil very still, try not to put too much paint on your sponge brush, and practice a couple of times before you work on your actual sweatshirt to get a feel for things.
4.  If you'd like to ensure that your stencil design is uniform, create a masking tape grid to help with stencil placement.
5.  To protect your stencils in the wash, heat set them by placing a thin kitchen towel over them and then ironing it.  

So, what do you think?  I really like how it turned out because now the sweatshirt is comfy and cute too.
Happy crafting!


Wednesday, November 13, 2013

DIY Faux Stained Glass (using Mod Podge and Fabric paint)

Around this time last year, I made myself a lovely faux stained glass panel out of an old frame, Elmers glue, and craft paint.  Sadly, that panel broke a couple of months ago.  I thought it was high time that I made another one, but this time I experimented with 3D fabric paint, Mod Podge, and acrylic paint.   After everything dried, I was surprised by how nice the panel turned out!  Here are the results of my little experiment: 

Tee hee hee.  Do you see bald men sitting in chairs.... or ladies with large hairdos?  They're supposed to be ladies... and I find them hilarious!  (I can't take credit for the design though.  It came right from this pinned image.)  Right now this modern and quirky stained glass panel sits inside Chuck's room and I always supress a giggle whenever I see their round glasses looking at me.

Wanna try making your own faux stained glass panel?  Read on!

Materials:
  • Picture frame
  • Three dimensional black fabric paint
  • Mod Podge (I used Matte)
  • Craft Paint 
  • Paint brush
  • Muffin Tin (or artist's palette)
  • Pen
  • Paper
  • Optional:  Clear tape, glass cleaner

Directions: 



1.  Pull out the sheet inside of your frame and trace it onto a piece of paper.  (Alternatively, you could also trace the glass or back panel of the frame.)  Cut out your rectangle and draw a design on it.

2.  Clean the glass of your picture frame.



3.  Place the glass on top of your sketch.  Then, use your fabric paint to trace the black "lead" of your stained glass panel.



4.  Once your "lead" dries, turn your glass over so that the lead is on the bottom.  Place your glass panel on top of a sheet of clean, white paper.  Now you're going to paint the colored portions on the back of your glass. (I chose to do it this way so that I wouldn't have to worry about painting over my black lines.)  Create the colored portions by mixing together approximately 1 teaspoon of Mod Podge and 2-3 drops of craft paint.  Mix both together well.  Then, paint the back of your glass panel with the different colors.   



5.  Once your colored paint dries, place your glass back into your frame and secure it.  (I used a couple of pieces of clear tape to make sure the panel stayed put.)   Remember that the front of your stained glass has the fabric paint on it and the back of your stained glass has the colored Mod Podge on it  Also, make sure that you do not scratch the glass panel because the Mod Podge and fabric paint will scrape off.  


And that's it!  Make one of these babies for yourself... or better yet, get your kids to make one as holiday a gift for someone they love.  Happy crafting! 

DIY Heart Stenciled Shoes


DIY Heart Stenciled Shoes

 

DIY Heart Stenciled shoes


As a stay-at-home mom, I often find myself suffering from a terrible illness...  shleppy-clothes-itis.

*sob*  

Yes.  It's true.

Instead of putting effort into my appearance, I often leave our apartment in super comfortable (aka super unflattering) clothes.  Extra large hoodies?  Check.  Shirts with stains?  Double check.  Ratty sneakers?  You betcha.

But I refuse to go quietly into the land of baggy sweats and Snuggies!  Oh no!  I will fight.  And with last weekend's unseasonably warm weather, I took a step in the right direction and crafted this pair of heart stenciled shoes.


These were definitely the cutest things that I wore last week.   I love hearts, so these red shoes were just the perfect little pick-me ups.


Here's how I made them:

Materials to make DIY Heart Stenciled Shoes:

(*Note:  This post includes affiliate links which means that I earn a small commission for every purchase made at no extra cost to you. Thank you so much for your support.)     

  • Canvas shoes (I purchased mine from Walmart.)
  • Fabric markers
  • Cereal box
  • Pencil/Pen
  • Scissors
  • Exacto knife
  • Cutting mat
  • Rags


Directions to make DIY Heart Stenciled Shoes:


stuff rags into your canvas shoes

1.  Stuff your rags inside your shoes.  This will create a sturdier surface for you to stencil.


create a heart stencil from a cereal box

2.  Create a stencil from your cereal box.  (Looking back, I wish I made the area around the heart bigger so that I would have more material to hold onto as I stenciled.)



randomly stencil on your hearts

3.  Place your stencil onto your shoe and trace it.  Keep tracing your shape until your shoe is covered with them.  Then, color your shapes in.  (I tried to make the pattern uniform... but then failed, so I went with a more haphazard look.)

Repeat the procedure with the other shoe.  Wait for your fabric marker to dry, remove your rags, and then enjoy your new custom kicks.

Happy stenciling!

how to stencil hearts onto your shoes

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Sparkly Ombre Popsicle Stick Star Garland (using Mod Podge)

Note:  This is a post sponsored by Plaid, but the opinions are 100% mine.

Halloween is finally out of my mind and I'm now looking forward to the next set of holidays.  Even though I don't really like winter (boo, shortened daylight hours), I do appreciate that we're entering a special season filled with cozy sweaters, yummy food, family get-togethers, yummy food, twinkly lights, yummy food and of course... holiday crafting (and yummy food)! Right now I've got an itch to add more glitter and sparkle to my life.  Luckily for me, Plaid sent me a couple of holiday-themed crafting items, including Mod Podge Sparkle, which will help me to do just that.

Psst-  If you're new to Mod Podge, here's a bit of an introduction to their line of awesome products
  • Mod Podge is an excellent all-in-one glue, sealer, and finish.  It's available in a ton of different formulas, making it a perfect to use for your holiday (or everyday) gift giving projects.
  • You can buy Mod Podge at tons of retailers nationwide or directly from Plaid's website as well
  • Not sure how to start using the product?  No worries.  Plaid's website has a ton of great tips and tricks for using all their products:   http://www.plaidonline.com/decoupage/dept/basics.htm

So, inspired by the upcoming holiday season and my love of the nighttime sky, I made this sparkly, ombre, popsicle stick star garland. 



Wanna make this simple and sparkly garland?  Well, put on your favorite holiday song and let's get started!

 Materials:
  • Mini Craft Sticks
  • FolkArt Multi-Surface paint 
  • Plastic Artist's Palette
  • Paint Brush
  • Scrap paper 
  • Mod Podge Sparkle
  • Mod Podge Spouncer (an easy to use sponge brush)
  • Hot Glue Gun
  • Parchment Paper
  • String
  • Scissors




Directions:


1.  Decide how many stars you want to make.  Then, take that number and multiply it by 5 to figure out how many craft sticks to paint.  (Each star will be made out of five craft sticks.)  Now it's time to paint.  To create an ombre effect, first paint five stars your darkest color.  (Be sure to paint the sides of your sticks too!)  Then, add a bit of white paint to your original color to lighten it just a bit.  Paint five more sticks with this lighter color.  Keep repeating this procedure and mixing in white paint as you paint each new set of five sticks.  Your original color will become lighter and lighter, creating an ombre effect. 



2.  Once your paint dries, use the spouncer to apply Mod Podge Sparkle to your sticks.  This will protect your paint job and add just a bit of lovely sparkle.  Lay your sticks on parchment paper to dry.  (The parchment paper prevents the sticks from sticking to your work surface.)  Try to make sure that your sticks don't touch one another as they dry

3.  Once your sticks are dry, it's time to make your stars!  (If you have a bit of excess Mod Podge around the edges, use your scissors to trim it off.)  To make sure that your stars look similar, first make a practice star and then use a pencil to trace your star's five points.  Use these pencil marks as guidelines when you hot glue your stars together.


 4.  Arrange your stars in order.

 5.  Cut out your desired length of string.  Then, tie your stars on one by one to the string, starting from your darkest color and ending with your lightest color.  To make sure that the stars don't slide off, tie your string through the center of each star and not through one of the arms.   

And voila!  A lovely star garland, just perfect for the holiday season (or really... everyday!)



(To see how I painted the star painting, click here.)

If you'd like to learn more about Plaid Products, you can always connect with them on Facebook, check out their Paint Me Plaid Blog, or sign up for their Newsletter.

And.... Happy crafting!