Showing posts sorted by relevance for query felt. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query felt. Sort by date Show all posts

Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Giant Canvas Family Cooperative Art

Ever have one of THOSE weeks?  Where life is chaotic, stressful, and messy?  Where things don't go your way and you find yourself late at night picking apart all the things that went wrong?   Well... we just had one of those weeks. (Ok... if I'm going to be honest... probably one of those months...)  And I wish I could say that I was patient and loving and wise and kind and strong... but I wasn't.

When life spirals out of control, I find myself doing two things- (1) taking naps and (2) doing easy art and craft activities.  It's surprising how these two activities revive my spirits.  So today I wanted to share this really easy art activity that my preschooler and I recently worked on together.  Inspired by Meri Cherry, we made our own GIANT family process art.   
giant family process art- great open-ended activity for the whole family!
This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for your support!  For my full disclosure, click here.


Friday, October 21, 2011

I wonder what that feels like?


 I can attest to the wonders of swaddling a baby.  We do it every night to Baby Norris and it helps him to sleep.  The transformation really is remarkable.  One moment he's upset, arms flailing about, bottom lip quivering and then, once swaddled, he calms down.


And the wails become whimpers.

And then...
they...
disappear (and we sigh in relief.) 

Why does swaddling work?  Why does it calm him down?  Does it remind him of being in the womb?  Or, does it prevent him from jerking himself awake?

I asked Baby Norris, but he didn't have anything to say on the matter (go figure).  So, I tried another tactic to understand the swaddling phenomenon...

and asked hubby to swaddle me for a late evening nap.
Charlie, of course, had to investigate.
Conclusions?
I still don't understand it.  Babies are weird.

I hated being swaddled.  I didn't feel secure, I felt claustrophobic.  I couldn't roll around.  I couldn't find a comfortable sleeping position. And  I most certainly could not scratch a very annoying itch on my nose.

Thursday, December 5, 2019

Op-Art Christmas Ornaments


Last week we made some Optical Illusion Christmas ornaments for the tree. The results were so groovy that I had to share them here!


Making Op-Art Ornaments with Kids


How to make Op-Art Christmas Ornaments with Kids


This post contains affiliate links. This means I make a tiny bit of grocery money from each purchase made. Thank you for your support! For my full disclosure policy, click here.


Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Melted Crayon and Watercolor Frames (Kid made gift)

Do you ever feel like life is moving at a super fast speed and you are just being pulled along for a ride?  That's what I've felt these past two weeks.  We battled an illness, hosted a good friend for a couple of days, and celebrated my sister's graduation.  Oh yeah.  We've also been preparing for our move to California later this summer.  Ahhh!  (More on that later.)  So today's kid-made crayon and watercolor frame was actually made quite a few weeks ago.  I'm excited to finally be posting it today.  I love how easy the it was to make and how lovely it turned out.  (This would definitely be a great kid-made Father's Day gift!)  But, I can't take full credit for the idea.  I originally spotted the idea on fellow Rockin' Art Mom Twodaloo's Crayon Resist Photo Display post.  And she was originally inspired by Artful Parent's Melted Crayon on Wooden Blocks post.  (These two ladies are super creative, so definitely check their blogs out!)


Kid Made Gifts- Melted Crayon and Watercolor Frames



(This post contains affiliate links)

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

2 DIY Cardboard Fourth of July Hats!

Fourth of July is in a couple of days.  Now if you're like me, you probably just realized that fact just this week.  (Oh wait... am I the only one is in a perpetual time warp and constantly forgets what day it is?)  This year we plan on seeing fireworks with Chuck and I thought it would be fun to whip up some cute Fourth of July Cardboard Hats for us to wear.  Can you believe that these 2 hats were made from cereal boxes, toilet paper rolls, and corrugated cardboard?

2 Easy DIY Fourth of July Hats!

Make 2 cardboard Fourth of July Hats with the kids!

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

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.


Friday, September 14, 2012

Crapty Fridays- Making stamps out of styrofoam plates

I'm a jealous crafter.
For the past couple of months I've suffered from envy...fruit and vegetable stamp envy.

Whenever I see other crafters using produce like apples or potatoes to create beautiful stamps, I always think, "Gee, that looks like fun.  I wish I could do that."  I then go to the grocery store intending to buy and carve something beautiful.  But once I make my way to the produce section I can never push myself to actually do it.  I'd much rather eat food then craft with food.  Potato stamp.... or creamy potato salad? (Yum.)  Apple stamp... or healthy and crunchy snack?  (Double yum.)  My hunger beats my crafting intentions every time. 

Since produce stamping is probably out of the picture for me, I've turned to another option:  Styrofoam bowls.  We had a couple of random ones lying around.  I was going to toss out, but then I felt the strong urge to crapt.  (Tee hee.)   Here's what I did:

I drew and cut out shapes to act as the stamps. I also cut out large rectangles to create stamp handles.

I used plain ol' Elmers glue to glue my cutout shapes to their respective rectangle handles.  (Note: I made sure that my rectangular handle was thinner than my shape.  I didn't want the handle to be part of the stamp too!)

To "ink" up my stamps, I painted craft paint onto them.  Then, I repainted the stamp each time I made an imprint. 




I'm glad I went with simple shapes because my craft paint kind of squished and oozed underneath my stamp.  A lot of my imprints were far from perfect, but I'd think that adds a certain crafty charm, right?  I'm unsure whether this activity was similar in any way to real fruit and vegetable stamping, but it was the perfect crapty project to help me get over my stamping envy... for now.

How would you crapt with a used Styrofoam plate? 
What should I crapt with next??      

Monday, December 12, 2016

Easy, Colorful Pom-Pom Garland

If I had to choose one Christmas Craft to choose as my favorite this year.... this DIY Christmas Pom-Pom Garland is probably it.  Seriously, folks.  It's got all my favorite crafting elements.  It's super easy to make.  The materials are really affordable.  And it's hyper colorful.  I'm mean seriously.... is this not the cutest garland ever?

how to make a pom-pom garland- the absolute easiest craft with adorable results!


Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Mini Painted Sponge Christmas Trees

Can you believe that it's already mid November?   Time sure flies by quickly!  Even though it's not yet Thanksgiving, my son's already asked me to put up the Christmas tree and make Christmas Crafts.

Well, we still haven't put up the tree, but we have been crafting more together at night.  Recently, we turned a bunch of old makeup sponges into mini Christmas trees.  I know, they're not as beautiful as the real thing... but for now, they'll do!

Mini Sponge Christmas Trees

Easy Christmas Craft- Painted Sponge Christmas trees
This post contains affiliate links.  Thank you for your support!

Monday, March 19, 2018

Smiley Sun Popsicle Stick Weaving

Sometimes it feels like we go in craft cycles.  Before, my son and I were really, really into origami projects. Now I'm starting to dream about doing more weaving projects.  There's something really beautiful and relaxing about the process of weaving.  There's a lovely pattern of movement and you always seems to get beautiful results. 

So, in celebration of the sunny and warm weather, I recently made this really cute smiley sun popsicle stick weaving.   If you enjoy weaving God's Eyes, you'll really enjoy this craft too!

Smiley Sun Popsicle Stick Weaving Craft


smiley sun popsicle stick weaving- great Summer kids craft!



This post contains affiliate links.  This means I make a teeny tiny bit of money from any purchases made through the Amazon links below.   Thank you for your support! For my full disclosure, click here.

Monday, January 13, 2014

6 ways to entertain a toddler at home

Looking for some easy ways to entertain your toddler in the winter?

So... how about that polar votex?  Boy, oh boy, that was some crazy weather.  With the snow, ice, and freezing cold winds, Chuck and I hunkered down at home. 


After a couple of hours of reading the same books over and over again, and playing with the same toys over and over again, and listening to the soundtrack of "Planes" for the trillionth time, I finally cracked.

Redrum, redrum?

Thankfully, we didn't make it to that point.  But, we definitely bounced off the walls a bit.  To maintain some sense of sanity, we had to do something to make the time at home more enjoyable.  So here are a couple of fun activities that kept us sane and smiling...

1.  Yarn family portrait craft

yarn hair family portrait craft
Chuck loves using scissors and the glue sticks, so this activity was a hit.  First he helped me cut tons of short, white yarn strands.  Then, I doodled a bald family on a piece of paper.  Then, he helped me glue hair onto all of their heads.  The result is this cute and funny family portrait. 

Keep reading to see more ways we entertained ourselves at home...

Wednesday, April 22, 2020

Easy Fairy Paper Quilling with Kids (Printable included!)

It's Spring! And I felt like I needed a cute fairy craft in my life. So I tried my hand at making these sweet quilled fairies. This was my first time quilling and you know what? It was surprisingly easy to roll up paper strips into shapes. Who knew? If you're interested in trying out new paper crafts and you have an elementary-aged kid who looooooves all things fairy, then this is your post!

Spring Quilled Paper Fairies 

(Printable included!)


Make Easy Paper Quilled Fairies with Kids- Fairy Printable included

Note:  This post contains affiliate links.  This means I make a small bit of change when you purchase items through the links.  Thank you for your support and the grocery money! For my full disclosure policy, click here.


Friday, January 9, 2015

The Snowy Day Shadow box

Howdy, friends!  Today the Creative Preschool Collaborators and I are sharing 5 fun Winter-themed preschool activities and crafts!  So be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the post for other great ideas!

The Snowy Day Shadow Box  

The Snowy Day Shadow Box- fun kid's winter's craft
This post contains affiliate links.  Thank you for your support.

Ezra Jack Keats' book, The Snowy Day, has always been a favorite of mine.   His illustrations are simple, charming, colorful, and graphic.  He really captures the magic of a winter snowfall.  Plus, I love that he supports multiculturalism and made his main character a young black boy.  So when I found out that this week's theme was Winter, I was excited to read this book with Chuck and combine it with a craft.  


Friday, December 13, 2019

Christmas Pin Prick Angel Art

Christmas is just around the corner and if you're looking for a different and unique Christmas Art and Craft Project to try out with the kids, I highly recommend this Pin Prick Art. It's simple and super engrossing for young artists!

How to Make Pin Prick Art with Kids


How to Make Christmas Pin Prick Angel Art with Kids


Monday, August 5, 2013

What's up, Chuck?

How was your weekend?  Ours flew by way too quickly. A college friend came up from Maryland to visit us.  We hung out at home on Friday and Sunday, but on Saturday I put on my non-mommy clothes and explored Manhattan with her.

Ooh la la.  I felt like I was in college again.  It was so nice having her around....
 and I miss her a whole bunch already. 

Here are some photos from our weekend:


Chuck and I attended a friend's birthday party.  As you can see, he kept the party going as we walked home.

My friend's a pretty good storyteller....

and artistic to boot.  (Can you believe that she doodled this shirt freehand with fabric markers? Whoa.)

We tried Xi'an Famous Foods' hand-pulled noodles... Yummy oxtail...

and watched a Broadway show...

 and toured Soho (which, by the way, is really just way too glamorous for me....)

I also found out that Topshop teamed up with Project CANVAS to raise funds for art programs in the city.  If you're interested in supporting art programs (and getting a pair of one-of-a-kind kicks), visit Topshop's Soho store.  Local artists will personally decorate your purchased shoes until 8/8.

Happy Monday!

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Make Spin Art using Tupperware (Method 1)

One of my clearest childhood memories was attending a birthday party and getting to make spin art t-shirts.  I remember carefully dripping beads of paint onto my shirt and then watching my artwork spin around and around.  Once the spinning stopped, voila!  All my beads of paint spread out and made a lovely sun burst design.

It was magical.

For some reason this particular memory popped into my head this past weekend  I felt inspired to try making our own spin art with Chuck too.

But how would we do it?  We didn't have a spin art machine, or a salad spinner, or a lazy susan. 
I was stumped.  Luckily, clever hubby came up with two ideas to make spin art using materials that we already had at home.   

Materials:
- Tempera paint
- Tupperware
- Paper cut to fit the bottom of your Tupperware
- Yarn
- Packing tape
- Masking tape (optional)

Directions:
1.  Cut a piece of yarn.  Tie it together to make a loop.

2.  Use packing tape to attach the loop to your Tupperware.  Congratulations! You now have a human powered spin art machine.
3.  Place drops of paint into your Tupperware.  (Optional:  You could also tape your piece of paper down into the Tupperware first and then place your drops of paint inside.)

4.  Close the lid and spin your Tupperware around and around. 
 5.  Open your Tupperware to reveal your spin art design.  (We placed a piece of paper over the design to capture the paint.  Alternatively, you could have also just put the paper inside first and then add the paint.)

Really, really easy, right?  The only problem was that our design wasn't really sunburst looking. So clever hubby got to thinking and came up with another solution....

which you'll have to read about tomorrow!
(Can you guess what it is?)

Happy toddler crafting!

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Mommy date

A couple of days ago I went on my first date in New Jersey... my first mommy date that is.  Another mommy and I planned to go out for lunch by ourselves (without the kids!) and I was kind of a nervous wreck.  I felt like a pimply faced boy going on his first unchaperoned date.

As I got ready, a whole slew of questions popped into my head.  Some questions were a bit easier to answer...

What do normal women wear when they go out?
Is this shirt too dirty to wear out?
Do I have time to wash my hair?
How should I do my hair?  
Will I look like I'm trying too hard if I paint my nails?

And others questions pointed at deeper worries...
What if I'm too boring?
What if I have nothing to say?
What if I forgot how to just be... me?

Hubby was really sweet and gave me a good pre-date pep talk.  He also helped me to pick out an outfit.


And  look, I even wore an accessory!







We ended up going to a nearby restaurant and having a really fun time.  
Sometimes it's nice just being me... instead of mommy-me.

Oh yeah, in case you're wondering- here's a picture of my hot mommy date.  :) I look forward to going out with her again soon.



Friday, November 23, 2018

Handprint Christmas Peace Dove Art

It's time to start making Christmas crafts! Yesterday we put up the tree and it was so, so sweet to see my preschooler oohing and ahhing over the lights.  Today I tried to keep the Christmas-y momentum going with this super easy paper plate dove craft.  Inspired by Imagination Tree's sweet dove handprint keepsake, we made our own version using paper plates instead of salt dough.  (Anna's craft is really, really lovely, so definitely check out the post for another fun idea.)

Let's Make Christmas Peace Doves!


How to Make Easy Handprint Christmas Dove Art using Paper plates- such a sweet Christmas craft for kids


This post contains Amazon affiliate links.  This means I make a small portion off of any purchases made through the links at no additional cost to you.  Thank you for the grocery money!  For my full disclosure policy, click here.

Friday, January 17, 2014

I took the risk... so now what?

Last Thursday, I shared with you my secret, well now not-so-secret dream to make a career as a craft blogger.  Today I just wanted to briefly share what's been happening since then...  

Ehh... a lot of hard work.
End of post.

Image by Marc Johns, found here
What, you're still here?  Ok, ok, maybe I was kind of vague.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Independence day images

Hubby and I celebrated 4th of July with some friends. 

We ate a delicious grilled meal. 

Then we sat outside and watched the fireworks. 

Some fireworks were patriotic red, white, and blue.

Others were shot so high, it felt like we were contacting aliens.

These reminded me of funny deep sea creatures.

These look like dandelions set aflame.

I also tried out sparklers for the first time.  I loved them.

Hope you had a wonderful July 4th too!