Thursday, May 29, 2014

Easy Melted Crayon Art

Your kid is sick.  You're stuck at home. What to do?  How do you keep him entertained?  Well, a couple of days ago we were in this exact situation.  So I grabbed some materials from our apartment and melted crayons with Chuck.  He really enjoyed using the hair dryer and seeing the colors run.  (I enjoyed seeing him happy.)

 Let's Make Melted Crayon Art!

Make melted crayon art
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Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Make Tortilla Art!

The other day I was staring at some leftover tortillas and a thought suddenly dawned on me.  These lovely flat circles would make great canvases.  So Chuck and I pulled out a couple of items from our kitchen and began painting some colorful edible art!    

Edible Art:  Let's Paint Tortillas!

make tortilla artwork


Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Corn Husk Paint Brushes

Last week my sister brought over a bunch of corn.  I roasted them in the oven with their husks on and they were yummy.   But as I cleaned up, I kept wondering if there was anything I could do with the discarded husks.  Last summer I used my husks to make a corn husk doll.  This time I tried my hand at making some corn husk paint brushes, since Chuck has been so keen on painting lately.

Corn Husk Paint Brushes

how to make corn husk paint brushes
(Note:  This post contains affiliate links.  Thanks so much for your support!)

Last time he really enjoyed making abstract art with cardboard.  This time he found it funny to paint with brushes make from food.  Now if you're eating a lot of corn too, your kids might like trying out this activity too! 


Saturday, May 24, 2014

American Flag Hand print Heart Art

The older I get, the more I appreciate the men and women that serve in the armed forces.  They are much braver that I will ever be, and I'm so thankful for the sacrifices that they and their families make.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.  In honor of this Memorial Day, I tried to come up with an easy, kid-friendly craft that could somehow capture my love of America and my thankfulness for those who sacrificed their lives to protect our country. 
    

American Flag Hand print Heart Art

American Flag handprint Art

The hands are painted like an American flag and placed in a heart shape, representing my love for America.


Friday, May 23, 2014

Make Homemade Body Paint

A couple of days ago my sister came over to visit.  Chuck and I were super excited for her to come.  She also enjoys making things so I wanted to try Paging Fun Mom's homemade body paint with her.  I ended up not following their recipe and just winging it.  It still came out and we had lots of fun painting homemade body paint on ourselves.

Make Homemade Body Paint

how to make homemade body paint

 (Note: This post contains affiliate links.  Thanks for your support!)

You just need three ingredients to make this creamy (and very moisturizing) body paint.  Just FYI- it has a completely different consistency then real body paint and it's not meant to stay on.  But that was ok with us.  We ended up painting our pictures, wiping off our artwork, and then painting something else.  Interested?  Let's get making!


Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Watercolor and Crayon Resist Notebooks

Even though I don't like clutter, I'm also a secret horder of two things.  One is cardboard.  (Happy sigh.)  The other is Chuck's artwork.... which is a growing problem because we keep painting and I never know what to do with the art that I like.  I hang some up in his room.  I turn other pieces into new artwork.  I also use some for cards and stationary (see here , here, and here for some of my favorites)  Goodness, I even turned one into a magnetic fishing game!  Well recently I began turning his artwork into lovely little handmade notebooks.  

Watercolor and Crayon Resist Notebooks


watercolor and crayon resist notebooks

(This post contains affiliate links.  Thank you for your support!)

 
These were made from from some old watercolor and crayon resist artwork... and I love them.  They're personal, lovely, and practical.  I use them to jot down all my bloggy and crafty ideas throughout the day.  And oh yeah, they're super easy to make too!  So let's get crafting!


Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Create Abstract Art with Kids

Chuck and I enjoy painting... well... just about anything.  Give this kid a brush and paint and he's good to go.  I love making art with the little guy and that's why I'm always on the look out for new ways to paint.  That's why this easy abstract painting tutorial on the awesome blog Create Art with Mel really appealed to me.  You simply use a common household item to create interesting abstract art.  Care to guess what the item is?   

create abstract art with toddlers
(This post contains affiliate links.)


Thursday, May 15, 2014

Corn Syrup Paint

Are you looking for a paint that's super pigmented and remains glossy looking when it's dry?  Well then this corn syrup paint is for you.  Chuck and I whipped up a batch of this glossy paint the other day in our kitchen.  Then we had loads of fun trying it out.  The paint is edible (although you probably don't want to eat it), has a consistency  thicker than regular paint, and looks like shiny enamel when it dries.  Intrigued?  Check out the results!

Make Glossy Corn Syrup Paint


how to make glossy corn syrup paint
(This post contains affiliate links. )

Oooooh.  Pretty.  So far we've made homemade sidewalk paint, homemade watercolor paints, and cornstarch toddler paint ... but none of those stand up to the gorgeous results of this homemade corn syrup paint.  The bright colors and gloss are fabulous.   (Yes.  I used the f-word.)  And ready for the best thing?  You could probably whip up a batch of this stuff tonight with ingredients and materials already found at home.  Let's get painting!


Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Make a Record Player! (Inspired by Travels with Charlie) #bookingusa

Today I'm going to share with you how I made a record player using materials found around our apartment.  *pauses*  Wait, wait, I know what you're thinking, "What are you doing Leslie?  A DIY record player?  Why would you even try to build one in the first place?" Well, friends, before I answer those questions, let me first show you the finished product:

Kid Science:  How to Make a Record Player

how to build a DIY record player from household materials


Yes.  This baby plays.  Yes.  I have a video of it playing a record down below.  And yes, I will share the inspiration behind this fun project!

Monday, May 12, 2014

Toilet Roll Helicopter Craft

Chuck loves his vehicles.  Thus far we've built a toilet roll airplane, a cardboard roll space shuttle,  a shampoo bottle boat, styrofoam gliders, and a tin can car.  (Wow.  That's a lot of transportation crafts!) Since we live near the river, helicopters fly over our building on a daily basis.  So we recently added this toilet roll helicopter to our collection of recycled transportation crafts.   (Can you tell that he's modeled after Harold the Helicopter from Thomas?)


Toilet Roll Helicopter Craft 

(*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.)    

make a cardboard roll helicopter



Thursday, May 8, 2014

6 Fun Flower Activities for Kids

I've had flowers on my mind lately.  But can you blame me?  Spring is here and the world is bursting with color!  Plus, Mother's day is coming up and I imagine mothers all over receiving flowers as gifts.  So that's why I put together this list of 6 fun flower activities that you can do with your kids.   You can turn flowers into works of art, use them to decorate stationary, or place them in a sensory bin!  Let's get started!

6 Fun Flower Activities 




Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Cup Weaving Tutorial

I've been meaning to try out weaving for awhile now.  I decided to start out small with this cup weaving project.  It's a super simple craft that can be completed while watching your favorite tv show.  (Yay Agents of Shield!  Does that make me geeky?)  To make your own cup weaving, you'll need some yarn, a pair of scissors, and a plastic cup and then you're ready to go!

Cup Weaving Tutorial 


how to do cup weaving (a tutorial)




Pretty right?  The yarn really transforms my plain old disposable plastic cup into something useful and beautiful.  Ok.  Let's get weaving! 


Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Painted Twig Wall Hanging


Painted Twig Wall Art 


Chuck's still too young to completely understand the idea of Mother's Day.  But if he were going to give me a handmade gift this Sunday, I'd venture to say that this Painted Twig Wall Hanging would probably be it.  My little guy has an eye for twigs.  Whenever we go for a walk outside, we inevitably bring back a twig, or a rock, or a leaf (luckily, he hasn't asked to bring back any bugs yet.  I might have to put my foot down there.)  Our nature collection tends to grow pretty quickly.  That's why I really like this twig wall art.  It's a beautiful way to remember walks outside, showcase his collection, and do some fun mommy-son crafting too.

Monday, May 5, 2014

Brooklyn Flea Adventure

This weekend my sister took me out to city to celebrate my birthday.  We passed the time thrifting, eating, walking, and chatting.  It was a really perfect day.  I loved hanging out with my sister and I felt so inspired seeing all the colorful street art and lovely handmade items.

Here are some photos from our adventures in Brooklyn...
The colors and smiling children made me so happy
To see more photos, keep on reading!

Thursday, May 1, 2014

Build a toy car that moves

I love painting things with Chuck, but sometimes I yearn to make things that actually move or do things.  So when a mommy friend suggested that we build cardboard toy cars that actually move, wowzers, I had to say yes.  She found the directions in an old kids' science book (that I don't remember the name of... sorry).  And that's how we spent an awesome play date with five kids- eating pizza and then building and racing some cardboard racing cars

Kid Science: Let's Build a Car that Moves!

how to build a cardboard car that moves
Today's craft is awesome for 2 reasons:

1.  The cars really move.  Really.  You just twist the tin can and then let go.  Bam.  The rubber bands store the potential energy and then once released, they turn the can... and your car moves by itself!

2.  You don't need any expensive materials.  In fact, you probably have most of the items already at home.  

Have I whet your appetite enough?  Ok.  Let's build! Vroooom!