Monday, March 30, 2015

Woven Paint Chip Easter Egg Banner

Last Friday we held an early Easter get-together at our place.  I wanted to "spring-ify" our place up, but didn't want to spend a fortune to do it.  So during a trip to our local hardware store, I picked up a couple  oh let's be honest, A WHOLE LOT of paint chips.  (I can't help it! The colors... the colors!!!)  And then I wove myself a colorful Easter garland.  :)

Woven Easter Egg Banner

how to make woven Easter egg garland



I love how the eggs are just so colorful and modern looking!

how to make an Easter egg garland



So if you want to make this simple and FREE Easter decor, visit DIY Candy for my woven Easter Egg Garland tutorial today!  Plus, you can always find other easy Easter crafts on the blog too! 

Let's keep in Contact!

Check out other fun and easy ideas on my Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter accounts!  (Or subscribe to my email mailing list by filling out the pink bar at the top of your screen.)

Happy creating, friends!

Saturday, March 28, 2015

Crayon Hugger Cards

This past week Chuck attended his friends' (twin boys) birthday party.   I was all set to have him cards for them.... but then we totally ran out of time.  (Does that ever happen to you?  It happens to me all. the. time.)  So the morning of the party, I came up with this really, really, REALLY easy set of birthday cards for the two boys.

Inspired by Lia Griffith's super cute Valentine's Candy Huggers (which by the way, you should totally check out because she includes free templates for them), I doodled up some crayon hugger cards.

Melted Crayon Hugger Cards

DIY Crayon Hugger Cards- Easy for kids to make and give!

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Aren't they adorable?  Here's the super quick tutorial showing how we made them!


Thursday, March 26, 2015

Paper Bag Bunny Pinata

Last weekend we attended a friend's Easter party.  It was so fun!  The kids dyed eggs, played with play dough, went on an egg hunt, and broke open a paper bag bunny pinata.   What?  Yup.  I know, Easter isn't usually associated with pinatas, but I made this super quick and easy pinata from a paper bag to add a bit more fun for the little guys.

Paper Bag Bunny Pinata

Easter Bunny Craft - super simple bunny pinata!  perfect for easter!


To see how I made this cute guy (and the goodies we fit inside), visit MollyMoo for bunny pinata directions.  And if you're looking for more holiday crafts, definitely check out my other Easter crafts (like these fun confetti eggs.)

Let's keep in Contact!

You can always find  fun ideas on my Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter accounts!  (Or subscribe to my email mailing list by filling out the pink bar at the top of your screen.)

Happy creating, friends!

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

How to make a DIY Computer Wrist Rest (Kid made gift idea!)

Do you use a computer a lot? Do your wrists feel sore?  Lately hubby's been working long hours on his laptop.  Chuck and I were worried because he started noticing that his wrists hurt.  Yikes.  So we whipped up this computer wrist rest for him for FREE!  Yup!  We didn't need to buy anything super fancy because we already owned all the materials.

DIY Computer Wrist Rest 

how to make a computer wrist rest decorated with your child's artwork for for practically free!

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Wouldn't this make such a cute and useful DIY gift for kids to make?


Monday, March 23, 2015

Origami Artwork With Kids

Ever have just a crazy, crazy, week?  I'm sure you have... and last week was mine.  Chuck was sick the entire week and hubby had to work late hours.  So at night I found myself trying to relax by catching up on my favorite shows (currently Brooklyn 99) and folding origami.  Yup.  I'll hopefully have some cool origami projects  (like these origami black catorigami jack-o-lantern, and origami vampire lips) to show you in the next couple of weeks.

I'm not an origami ninja.  A lot of times projects just don't turn out quite how I imagined.  Lines aren't folded correctly and have to be refolded (again and again).  When imperfect projects are finally finished, it always seems like a shame to toss out the paper.  So I thought to myself, "Why not turn my old origami projects into art?"  And that's how this idea was born!

Make Origami Artwork with Kids

make easy origami artwork with kids
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Sunday, March 22, 2015

4 Eggshell Crafts

Ah Easter.  It's the holiday where everyone makes crafts featuring eggs and small fluffy animals.  Over the years, I've made Easter egg weebles, Egg carton Wreath Confetti eggs, and even this Cardboard bunny tissue holder .   While looking through old posts, I saw that I have also done quite a few eggshell crafts too!

Eggshells are a great craft material because they're cheap  AND you can easily change their colors. So today let's take a stroll down memory lane and review these 4 pretty awesome eggshell crafts.

4 Crafts to Make with Eggshells

4 Eggshell Crafts to make for Easter with the kids


Friday, March 20, 2015

Map Learning with Planes!

When we moved to our new place, one of the first things I bought for Chuck's new "big boy" room was a large world map.  I intended to teach him about all the different places and people in the world.  Well....  lots of other things came up and that dream never quite panned out.  That's why I was excited for this week's preschool collaborator challenge.  It's all about map learning!  Yup.  This challenge gave me a swift kick to the bum to think of an easy and fun way to help preschoolers learn about maps.

I came up with this idea to travel the globe with the Planes and Cars characters!

Let's Learn Geography with Disney's Planes and Cars characters!


How to use Disney Planes and Cars movies to teach preschoolers about geography and maps
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So keep reading to see how I (and 4 other bloggers) taught our preschoolers all about maps!


Thursday, March 19, 2015

Make Matisse Murals with Kids

The more I look at Matisse's artwork, the more it really speaks to me.  I love his vibrant colors and the way his artwork expresses such movement.  Around this time last year, Chuck and I made Matisse Collages from construction paper.  We had such fun making them together... that I thought we could take it to the next level... wall murals!

Making Matisse Murals with Kids


make matisse-inspired wall murals with preschool kids
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Yup.  We made ourselves Matisse mural.  The idea was inspired by this gorgeous kate zaremba wallpaper.  (Love, love, loooove!)   Here's how we did it!


Wednesday, March 18, 2015

3 Ways to Make Fruit and Vegetable Prints with Kids

Hey!  Are you going to throw away that shriveled carrot?  Got a few limes rolling around in the fridge and not sure what to do with them?  Then today's post is for you!  Today I'm going to share 3 fun ways to make fruit and vegetable print artwork!  And just to give you a heads up... one of the methods combines art AND science together to create prints that .... MAGICALLY APPEAR when you heat them.  Whoa.....

3 Ways to make Fruit and Vegetable Prints!

3 ways to make art with fruit and vegetable prints (including one magical + scientific way!)
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Today several other kid craft-loving bloggers and I are sharing cute and fun crafts involving fruit and vegetable prints.  So scroll down to the bottom of the page for 10 MORE fun and crafty fruit and vegetable print ideas!

Let's get started!


Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Fizzy and Fun Ice Painting

Are you looking for fun process oriented art activities for kids?  As a craft lover, I'm definitely biased.  I tend to pin images of kids crafts.  I can't help it.  There are always cute smiles and googly eyes on everything.  (Happy sigh.)  Yup.  That's my happy place.

But lately, I worry that I'm boxing Chuck in too much.  He isn't always keen to make crafts with me. So I'm trying to let him just explore art materials more... without stressing about what the end product will look like.  (It's hard...but I think it's an important process for both of us.)

Today I'm joining with 34 other kid bloggers to share some fun, process oriented art activities that children will enjoy!  It's a series all about fun and messy exploration.  So check the bottom of the post for a link to all 35 ideas!

Here's my process oriented activity that Chuck and I recently completed together:

Fizzy and Fun Ice Painting 

fizzy ice-painting- a fun, fizzy, and colorful activity that will keep your child entertained!
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Monday, March 16, 2015

How to make Colorful Swing Streamers

Have you ever wanted to find the end of a rainbow?  As a child, I believed in fairies and magic and would always try to find the pot of gold.  While I know now that such a dream is impossible, I still wanted to bring some colorful St. Patrick's day magic to Chuck.  So I created these lovely colorful swing streamers for him to use at the park!

Colorful Swing Streamers

how to make colorful swing streamers with kids
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This craft is perfect for using up any extra tissue paper you might have lying around.  (And if you like tissue paper crafts, check out these easy tissue paper art and cherry blossom tissue paper flower crafts!)


Friday, March 13, 2015

The Artful Year and Melted Crayon Friendship Rocks

Chuck doesn't always enjoy making things with me.  (What? Yup.)  A lot of days he would just rather that we read books or race airplanes together.   And I'm really trying harder to let go and follow his lead.  But I love crafting.  So I keep putting out those invitations in hopes that he'll join me.  And on those special occasions when he's interested and involved in a craft... boy oh boy... those days are really magic.


The Artful Year
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We recently received a copy of Jean Van't Hul's The Artful Year to review.  Jean is an artist, mom of 2, and author of the amazing kids' art blog Artful Parent.  (She's also the author of another great kids' art book The Artful Parent. ) 

In her newest book, Jean shares a whopping 175 family-friendly crafts, and recipes!  The photos are dreamy and beautiful; the crafts span through all the seasons and holidays of the year; and the recipes look really, really yummy.  I love this book.  But those things aren't what I love the most about her book.

What I love the most about the book is her voice.  In the beginning she shares this beautiful quote-

"We need to be more intentional than ever as we carve out quality time together, celebrate in meaningful ways, build traditions and memories and create stronger families.  It's not about doing more.  It's about making choices, fostering creativity, and building family connection."  

Wow.  That just hit so close to home.  I don't want to just make things with Chuck.  Things eventually break down, get lost, or tossed away.  I want to foster creativity.  I want to build our relationship.  I want to make lasting memories.

Ok.  This was a super long intro, I know. But I just had to get that all out there.  Because it really is a beautiful, beautiful book.

Here's the craft that we chose to try out first from the book:

Melted Crayon Friendship Rocks


Melted Crayon Friendship Rocks- A craft inspired by The Artful Year




5 Preschool Pi Day Activities

Ok.  Pi day is coming up this Saturday.  Are you ready to celebrate it with some fun activities?   Last year I came up with 3 Pi Day Activities for elementary aged children, like making Pi Day Bracelets and making 2 Types of Pi Inspired Artwork!  This year I thought it would be a fun challenge to try to introduce Pi Day to my Preschooler.

Pi Day celebrates Pi, the mathematical constant that describes the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter.  Pi's digits stretch infinitely long, never repeat, and seem to be random.  I really wanted to share my love for math with my 3 year old.  So here are 5 Preschool Pi Day Activities that are fun, easy to set up, and great opportunities for some hands on learning!


5 Preschool Pi Day Activities


5 fun Preschool pi Day Activities



Thursday, March 12, 2015

Snack Time Veggie Monsters

Is it possible to be allergic to green, healthy food?  Because I think Chuck has that allergy.  Yurp.  Whenever I mention things like "cucumber" or "carrots" he immediately makes a face and says he won't like it.  Every. Single. Time.  Bah!  I'm just hoping this is a phase.

To help Chuck eat more fruits and veggies, I recently tried making snack time more fun and made Snack Time Veggie Monsters!

Snack Time Veggie MonstersUse vegetables and googly eyes to create monsters to help encourage kids to eat their veggies and fruits!

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Tuesday, March 10, 2015

How to do a Blind Contour Drawing

Have you ever tried doing a blind contour drawing before?  I'm halfway through auditing an art class at a local university and thought it would be fun to share some of the art activities that we're doing in class with you!

How to Do a Blind Contour Drawing

how to do a blind contour drawing


Sunday, March 8, 2015

Bunny Toilet Roll Napkin Rings

Does your family have fancy Easter dinners?  That was never really the tradition in my family.  Once I got married, we started attending hubby's aunt's Easter meals.  Boy, oh boy- they were really, really special.  We dined with fancy cloth napkins, silverware, and china.  And we gorged ourselves on yummy ham, savory side dishes, and a large sampling of desserts.  (Wow.  I can't believe I'm actually drooling just thinking about that meal.)

Try as I may, I don't think I'll ever achieve that kind of amazing Martha Stewart-esque domestic achievement.  Cooking for large groups of people freaks me out.  But if we were to ever host a large Easter meal, it'd probably involve paper plates, plastic cutlery, paper napkins, and maybe these bunny toilet roll napkin rings.   (You know, to fancy the meal up just a tad bit.)

Bunny Toilet Roll Napkin Rings

Turn toilet rolls into napkin bunny rings- fun Easter craft!


Friday, March 6, 2015

10 Ocean Crafts and Activities

This week's Creative Preschool Collaborator's theme is Oceans and Fish!  I was excited to tackle the theme because Chuck LOVES going to the beach and playing in the ocean.   So keep reading for some ocean themed storybook ideas, 10 preschool ocean crafts/activities, AND 4 other kid blogger's creative Ocean themed activities!

10 Ocean Crafts and Activties

10 Ocean themed Activities for Preschool kids and a list of ocean-themed storybook ideas
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Thursday, March 5, 2015

Magazine doodles- Fun open-ended art activity!

Recently I've been auditing a basic art class at our local university.  It's been awhile since I've attended college (*cough cough* over a decade), and it's been even longer since I took art classes (I think middle school?)  But I'm really enjoying the experience.  The other students are friendly, the professor is an excellent teacher, and I enjoy the opportunity to let go and use the right-side of my brain.


My art course got me thinking about trying to do more bite-sized art activities on the blog. Whaddya think?   I hope to share some fun art activities that our professor had us do in the future.  Today's art activity is one that I came up with after seeing so many inspiring IG feeds where artists incorporate everyday items into a drawing.   Have you ever tried making magazine doodles?

Magazine Doodles- Just add doodles!

Magazine doodles- Fun open-ended art activity for kids!


Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Rock Tic-Tac-Toe Game

Ah, oil pastels.  After seeing that they could be used to decorate pumpkins, I thought they would be perfect for creating a cute and colorful rock tic-tac-toe game.

Rock Tic-Tac-Toe Game

rock tic-tac-toe game


Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Cardboard Airport Runway

Ever since I saw Paging Fun Mom's pizza box airport, I knew I had to make one for Chuck.   I mean, my goodness, what a neat way to use Christmas lights!  So here's my version of a Cardboard Airport Runway.

Cardboard Airport Runway

Make your own cardboard runway for airplanes
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I love this craft because it's made from an old box and some Christmas lights.  Plus, we made it together as a family. Chuck and his dad drilled the holes together and I painted the box with him.  (And I think it looks just as nice as any of these airplane runway toys.  Don't you?)

Monday, March 2, 2015

Easy DIY Bubble Ring Favors

I LOVE snow globes.  Last Christmas Chuck and I walked through store aisles shaking a ton up and then watching, mesmerized, as the snow gently drifted down.  It was hypnotizing and strangely therapeutic.

My love for snow globes was the initial inspiration behind these DIY bubble rings.  I thought it would be so fun to wear tiny snow globes on your fingers.  Then you could shake them and see lovely swirling designs any time you wanted!

DIY Bubble Ring Favors! 


DIY Vending Machine Bubble Ring
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