Two Toddler approved Fall Crafts

Even though I really enjoy crafting, sometimes it takes a bit of persuasion to get Chuck to join in.  Currently he's much more into playing with toy cars than crafting with mom.  Go figure! :)  But I'm a persistent bugger, so I keep encouraging him to make stuff with me.

So far several of my craft plans flopped, but here are two crafts that Chuck actually participated in. (Hooray!) 

1.  Paper Bag Pumpkins:

Materials:

• Lunch bags
• Tissue paper squares
• Glue stick
• Marker 
• Googly eyes (optional)
• Pipe Cleaner
• Newspaper

Directions:

1. Glue your tissue paper squares onto your lunch bag.
2. Add a face
3. Crumple up newspapers and stick them into your bag.
4. Use a pipe cleaner to seal up the bag.

And here are some pumpkins made during our toddler craft time:

2.  Contact Paper Leaves
 

Materials:

•  Leaves
• Contact paper
• Scissors
• Tape
• Tissue paper (optional)

Directions:

1. Place leaves in a heavy book to flatten them.
2. Tape down contact paper, sticky side up.
3. Stick leaves and tissue paper squares onto your contact paper.
4. Place a piece of contact paper(sticky side down) on top of your first piece of contact paper.
5. Trim the edges and tape your leaves onto a window.

Have a great weekend!

DIY Honeycomb Hexagon Popsicle Stick Wall Art

Did you ever make things out of Popsicle sticks as a kid?  I have fond memories of making popsicle stick picture frames and jewlery boxes in summer camp.

Today's craft is a slightly more sophisticated version of this beloved childhood activity.  (Maybe that's why I enjoyed making it so much?) This hexagon wall art is graphic, super easy to make, and (bonus!) covers a large space for relatively little cost.   If you have a wall that you'd like to easily decorate, why not give it a try too? 

Materials:

• Popsicle sticks
• Paint
• Paint brushes
• Hot glue gun

Directions:

 1.  Practice arranging your Popsicle sticks.  When you're pleased with your arrangement, take a photo so you'll remember it. 

2.  Paint your sticks.  (I initially painted them yellow, but thought they looked a little too flat.  Hubby suggested that I add a gold stripe to them to give them more depth.)

3.  Hot glue your sticks together.  One easy way to ensure that your hexagons have similar angles is to draw out a hexagon shape and use that to guide your gluing. 

And that's really all you have to do to create your own honeycomb wall art.

Happy crafting!

DIY Monster Mash-up Rubbing plates

Looking for a neat Halloween activity for your older kids to do? 

Well, why not try making some monster rubbing plates?  Call forth your inner Frankenstein and create a bunch of monster rubbing plates out of cereal boxes and fabric paint. Then, cut your monsters up and mix and match different heads and bodies to create even more wacky creatures. 



Pretty silly, right?  Head on over to Handmade Charlotte to get started on this spooktacular craft.

Trip to Baltimore

Hi everyone!  How was your weekend?  (Good, I hope!)

This past weekend I left hubby and Chuck to fend for themselves (eek!).  I had a mini adventure and rode the bus to visit a friend in Baltimore.  We met there while we were both college students.  I guess our goofy personalities just clicked because we're still friends ten years later.  Here are some photos from our Baltimore adventure...

Fried green tomato, avocado, egg, bacon, and cheese on pumpernickel bread... yum!

Make your own glow in the dark chalk

A couple of weeks ago Chuck and I were perusing the Halloween aisles at Target (for the bajillionth time... what can I say?  It's my favorite holiday!) and I spotted a pack of glow in the dark chalk.

Then a light bulb went off in my head.  I could buy the chalk... but it'd be more fun to try making my own.  So after tinkering around for a bit.... I came up with this result. 

Ooh!  It glows!

What what?  Yup.  They glow after you "charge" them with light.  Just doodle a design at night, shine a light on them to "charge" them, and then turn off your light.  Your doodles should glow for a bit and then you'll need to charge them again.  

To make this novelty chalk, I simply modified this homemade chalk recipe.  Instead of tempera paint, I added 3 T of glow in the dark paint to the mixture.  Here's what my chalk looked like setting up:

Have a great weekend!