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

Thursday, November 7, 2013

DIY Kids' Portable Stove top

Sometimes when I'm cooking in the kitchen, Chuck pretends to cook alongside me.  It's pretty cute.  I'll give him one of my unused pots and a large plastic spoon, and he'll whip up something for me to try.

Lately he's been cooking for his toy cars.  With this new interest in entertaining, I thought it was high time he got his own stove.  Taking inspiration from this Pack-n-Go Kids Play Stove, I made him a mini portable stove top.

DIY Portable Kids Stove Top Toy


DIY Kids' Portable Stove Top

Since we live in a small apartment, I'm always hesitant to purchase large toys for Chuck.   I loved this simple DIY toy because it supports his imaginative play and doesn't take up too much space!  The storage container's lid becomes the "stove top" and all his cooking toys are stored inside.



Materials:
  • Plastic storage container
  • Sharpie Marker
  • Scissors
  • Contact Paper

Directions:
1.  Doodle some burners and knobs onto your contact paper using your Sharpie marker.
2.  Cut out your doodles.
3.  Stick them onto your plastic storage container.

That's it!  Now you've got an easy-peasie DIY stove for cooking.  Pretty awesome!

How to make a toy stove top for kids


Happy crafting!

Friday, September 7, 2012

Crapty Fridays- DIY photo filters

You probably saw this post and wondered, "Um, was that a typo?"

The answer:  No.

I've decided to try crapting something once a week.  Crapting is when I take a piece of junk (any worthless piece of crap) and try to make something from it.  The resulting item could be really neat or weird or really... well... crappy.  Whatever the result may be, I'm hoping that this crapty (hee hee) exercise will work out my brain, hands, and creative juices.

Here's my first crapt (hee hee):  A DIY photo filter.

After seeing the super talented ladies at A Beautiful Mess create photo filters using transparencies and permanent markers, I thought I could go crapty and use a disposable plastic snack container instead of a transparency: 
Ahh, sharpie marker on crap.


Here's what it looked like when I placed my crapty filter in front of my lens:
Ooh- Cheesy horror movie  effect




Here's what it looked like when I placed the filter in front of my flash:
Left:  Without filter                                                       Right:  With filter



With a night's worth of fun under our belts I was all set to toss out the filter.  But I changed my mind after realizing that nail polish remover could remove sharpie marker.   Ooh!  With a couple wipes and a doodles, I had a new filter to use.  (Cha-ching.  Double crapting points):


The next day I played around with this new filter.  Here are some of my better photos:


Thanks for joining me on my first crapty adventure!
What would you make out of a disposable plastic cover?
What should I crapt with next?

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Tissue Paper Luminary Drawings (and book list!)

How did you celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day?  This is the first year that I’ve talked to my preschooler about this holiday.  We read a bunch of picture books celebrating diversity and service (links below) and talked about what it means to dream and treat all people kindly, no matter what they look like.  Being a craft lover, we also sat down and made these Tissue Paper Luuminary Drawings.  I love the discussion that we had while making them and I love how they beautiful they turned out too!

Martin Luther King Tissue Paper Luminary Drawings 

tissue paper luminary drawings- beautiful art and craft idea for celebrating martin luther king jr day
This post contains affiliate links.  Thank you for your support!

Wednesday, April 7, 2021

Pressed Flower Tray Craft for Mother's Day

I love spring! All the flowers around our neighborhood have inspired me to make another spring craft.  Today I'm sharing this pressed flower tray craft. This would be a very easy project for kids of all ages and would be a great present for Mother's Day! 


How to Make Pressed Flower Trays for Mom

How to make pressed flower trays for a DIY kid-friendly Mother's Day craft


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.

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Make a Cardboard Bridge for Trains and Cars

We bought an Ikea train set awhile back and Chuck loves it.  The only problem is that our poor Thomas train is too big and doesn't fit under the train set's tunnel.  So I poked through my trusty cardboard stash and made him a cardboard mountain bridge.  

Cardboard Bridge for Trains and Cars

Aha!  Problem solved.
cardboard bridge for trains and cars

Now all the trains can fit underneath the mountain while his cars drive over the train track.  Yay! 

Wanna make a bridge too?  Well then keep on reading! 

Saturday, June 10, 2017

Clothespin People and Doodles

I needed a few clothespins for some crafts... but ended up acquiring a whole bunch more than necessary.  They were just lying around, so I fiddled around  and came up with a really fun, open-ended art project:  Clothespin Doodles!

clothespin kissing people and other doodles- fun open-ended art prompt for kids


This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for the grocery money!  For my full disclosure policy, click here

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

DIY-Sharpie dye your clothes

I've always wanted to learn how to tie dye properly.  I tried to do it once way back in elementary school, but ended up with a light grey stained shirt.  (We were going for bright purple.) 

Now that summer is showing off her vibrant hues, I once again felt inspired to try this colorful art form.  Some quick researching online showed that people were actually using Sharpie markers to dye their shirts!   The method was so simple and I had all the materials at home.  Score!  So, I decided to give this craft a try. 

Here are the materials that I used:


Here's what I did: 
  1. I placed a piece of cardboard inside my shirt so the marker wouldn't seep through.  (I only wanted one side of my shirt dyed.) Note:  You could probably also use a plastic bag too. 
  2. I channeled my inner artist and began doodling on my shirts.  Note:  I used old markers which didn't have much ink in them.  I recommend using juicy, new, fat markers.  Then you can put more ink on the shirt and get a better effect.      
  3. I stretched my t-shirt over a baking pan to catch the alcohol.  Note:  Again, you could probably just do this part with a plastic bag.
  4. I used my dropper to drip alcohol onto my design.  A couple of drops was all it took to make the marker bleed. 
  5. I let my shirt dry.
  6. I ironed my shirt to set the colors.  (Note:  This didn't work because the colors still bled when I hand washed the shirts.  Other people suggested placing your shirts briefly in the microwave or dryer.)
  7. I hand washed my shirts.
 Want to see the results?
Here's my first attempt:
My inspiration came from beach waves and fourth of July fireworks.
The design reminded hubby of a dental x-ray.
Hmm... crafty or crappy?  Not sure if I'm digging my design...



And here's my second attempt:  (This time I tried something simpler.)  

All in all the method worked relatively well.  The colors were vibrant and reminded me of watercolors.  But, the markers bled during my hand washing, resulting in staining on the back of the shirts.  Also, the rubbing alcohol and markers smelled A LOT.  So just be sure to do this in a well ventilated room!

Have you tried using sharpies to dye your clothes?

Sunday, February 3, 2019

Cute Mandarin Pig Craft (For Chinese New Year!)

Hosting a Chinese New Year event and looking for a super cute Chinese New Year Craft that also doubles as decor?  This is it!  Halos Mandarins recently reached out and challenged me to make a craft using their fruit.  Well, these adorable mandarin pigs definitely fit the bill.  These sweet pigs are a yummy and cute way to celebrate the Year of the Pig.

(Many thanks to Halos for sending me craft supplies and boxes of yummy mandarins!)

Super Sweet Mandarin Pigs for Chinese New Year!


Adorable Mandarin Orange Pig Craft for Chinese New Year



Thursday, February 26, 2015

Shark Binoculars

We are in LOVE with shark crafts over here.   Love, love, love them.

So when I was sent a bunch of free craft materials from Horizon Group awhile back, I knew what we had to use them to make.... Shark toilet roll binoculars!

Toilet Roll Shark Binoculars 


Here's a fun take on toilet roll binoculars- turn them into sharks and add some lovely decorative beads!

Aren't they adorable?  They are my favorite shark-themed craft so far!


Tuesday, April 30, 2019

How to Host a Bob Ross Party (With Adults or Kids!)

Looking for a creative and unique art activity to try with kids and adults?  Well, have you ever thought about doing a Bob Ross themed party?  Here's everything you need to know to paint Bob Ross with artists of all ages!  And bonus: expensive, fancy-shmancy materials definitely AREN'T required!

Everything You Need to Know to Throw a Bob Ross Party

(with adults and kids!)

Everything you need to know to host a Bob Ross Painting Party for Kids or Adults on a budget- a great how to tutorial!

This post contains 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.


Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Modern Art with Kids- Lichtenstein Dot Art

Lately I've wanted to expose my preschooler to different types of art.   But with a new baby at home, our creative and crafty times have been hard to come by.  So I was really excited when my older son and I had the chance to make some art the other morning.  We looked at Lichtenstein's Stepping Out, talked about what we saw in the artwork, and then made some of our own inspired modern pop art!

Modern Art With Kids- Lichtenstein Dot Art


Making Lichtenstein-inspired Modern Art with kiddos!
This post contains affiliate links.  Thank you for your support!  For my full policy, click here.

Friday, October 5, 2012

Crapty Fridays- DIY mustache tie clip

Hubby has a thing for tie bars and I have a thing for mustaches.
So when he asked me to make him a mustache tie clip (like the one here), I rose to the *hairy* challenge!

But how to do it?  And for that matter, how could I do it cheaply?

After brainstorming for a bit, I decided to go with the ol' plastic lid route.
Yep.  You read right.  I'm talking about a disposable plastic lid from a take-out container. 

Materials:
- paper
- pencil
- scissors
- old tie clip that you don't want
- wrench
- plastic take out lid
- Sharpie marker
- nailpolish (I used silver and a clear top coat)
- glue gun
- sandpaper

Directions:

Step 1:  Get yourself a tie clip with a relatively flat face.  We had this old tie clip that we had lying around.  It came in a bag of random doodads at a thrift store.  Hubby and I found the tie clip funny, but totally inappropriate for him to wear to work.  (Hubby's name isn't Richard, silly!)

Step 2:  Use your wrench to pull off the unwanted adornment from your tie clip.  Hubby did this step because I have the arm strength of a four-year old.

Step 3:  Trace your tie clip on a piece of paper.  This will help you figure out how big to make your new mustache adornment!  Doodle different mustache shapes that you'd like to use.  (I had three choices and opted to use the middle not too full, not too skimpy mustache.)

Step 4:  Cut out your chosen mustache.

Step 5:  Use your sharpie to trace your mustache shape onto a plastic container lid.  Cut out your mustache shape.

Ooh.  That's one crapty mustache.


Now it's time to get your hands nice and dirty.

Step 6:  Sand the back of your mustache and the front of your tie clip.  Roughing up the two surfaces will hopefully help the hot glue to stick the two items together.  (I tried this at first without sanding and the mustache easily peeled off from the metal.)

Step 7:  Paint the front of your mustache with several coats of nail polish. 

Note:  Before going the nail polish route I tried spray painting my mustache silver. It totally did not work.  The spray paint peeled right off.

Step 8: Hot glue your mustache to your tie clip.  Then, voila!


Hubby wore this clip to work and got a ton of compliments.  Phew.  The mustache stayed put the whole day and now he can wear it again.  .  

Have you crapt lately?  If so, I'd love to hear about it.
Or, would you like to give me a crapting challenge?    I'd love to crapt with your crap!

Happy crapting! 


Thursday, May 20, 2021

Artsy Watercolor Father's Day Poetry

Looking for a quick, easy, and beautiful way to wish dad a happy Father's Day? Today we have a gorgeous watercolor Father's Day Craft that kids can make themselves, or you can paint together as a family. 


Artsy Watercolor Father's Day Poetry

Super Fun Artsy Father's Day Poetry- A DIY Kid Card and Art Piece for Dad

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

DIY Disney Character Snack Bags

As a child, I LOVED watching Disney Movies.  I watched Little Mermaid and Beauty, Beast and the Beast a million times (no kidding).  In fact, to this day I know 80% of the lyrics by heart.  (But ask me any question about US history and I'll totally draw a blank.  Crazy how the mind works, right?)

Why all the Disney talk?  Well, today 7 other kid bloggers and I challenged ourselves to come up with easy, Disney Inspired Crafts.  But wait, there's a catch... we have to make the crafts with... kitchen items!  (Duh, duh, duuuuuh!)   So stick around to the end of the post to see the other ladies' great ideas!

I thought it would be fun to make Chuck some Disney Character Snack Bags.   They took a couple of minutes to make, and really make the bags special for kids.


DIY Disney Character Snack Bags! 


Add Disney Characters to any of your snack bags using this quick and easy method!
This post contains affiliate links.  Thank you for your support!

Thursday, March 31, 2016

How to Fold Origami Ice Cream Cones

Ice cream and origami.  Two of my current favorite things in life.  Today I'm sharing a super cute and easy origami and paper craft- origami ice cream cones!  These little guys are super sweet and easy to make.

So let's get making!

How to fold Origami Ice Cream Cones


origami ice cream cone craft
This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for your support!  For my full disclosure, click here.


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



Friday, October 26, 2012

Crapty Friday- Faux metal magnets made with glue, aluminum, and cardboard

I can't believe it's Friday already.  Time is really whizzing by!  We're still doing some last minute Halloween preparations over here.  I just finished sewing Baby Chuck's super simple costume.  We're also planning on picking out and carving pumpkins this weekend.  Hopefully we aren't too late and there are still good pumpkins to be found.  Eek!   

This week I crapted two kitty magnets.  I was inspired to try out this crapt after seeing this awesome  post.  My kitty magnets were made out of aluminum foil, cereal boxes, and old magnets that I saved from  a magnetic notepad.  (After finishing the last page of the magnetic notepad, I saved the magnets and used them again.)  

Here are the materials that I used:
- magnets  <-- crap
- cereal boxes
- pencil
- Sharpie
- glue
- glue stick
- aluminum foil
- Q-tip
- paper towel
- scissors
- black craft paint (the original set of directions used shoe polish, but we didn't have any so I improvised)
- hot glue gun

Directions:
Step 1:  I cut out two rectangles from the cereal boxes.  These became the base of my magnets.  I doodled images on both and then traced my doodle with glue.  I let the glue dry overnight.  (Note:  I made very simple designs because glue lines are pretty thick.  Later I used a pencil to add details.)

Step 2:  I cut out two pieces of aluminum foil that were bigger than my rectangles.  I glued the aluminum foil onto each rectangle.  Then, I carefully rubbed the aluminum foil to reveal the raised cat shape underneath. (Note: I placed a paper towel between my fingers and the aluminum foil to make sure that I wouldn't rip or scratch the foil.)

Step 3:  I used a Q-tip to rub around the glue.  This made the raised glue bits further stand out.

Step 4:  I trimmed the aluminum foil and glued the excess bits onto the back.

Step 5:  I used a pencil to create texture by drawing different patterns and finer details.
 Step 6:  Using my Q-tip and paper towel, I dabbed craft paint onto small portions of the magnet.  Then I quickly wiped off some of the paint.  The black paint helped the patterns and raised bits to further stand out.  It also made the aluminum foil look less shiny. 

I repeated this dab and wipe off procedure until I got a look that I liked.  To further emphasize the details, I lightly traced portions of my design with the Sharpie marker. 

Step 7:  I glued the magnets onto the back of my cat images and voila, two finished magnets.
This was a pretty fun process.  I felt like I was making some counterfeit antique items.  Don't the finished products look a lot more substantial and expensive than they really are? 

Thanks for joining me on another crapting adventure.
Hope you have a great weekend! 

Sunday, February 5, 2017

3D "I Love You" Hand Craft (And our Favorite Books about Love)

It's already February and I haven't yet put up any Valentine's Day Crafts this year.  Oof! What kind of kid crafter am I?

I've just been so caught up in what's happening in our country and world that I haven't fully had the heart or energy to embrace doilies, flowers, chocolate, hearts.... basically anything Valentine's yet.  But today I'm turning a new leaf.  Here's my first Valentine's day craft of the season... these 3D "I Love You" Hands.

(They're not quite hearts and flowers and pun-ny sayings.. but it's a start, right?)

How to make 3D "I love you hands" for Valentine's Day (or Mother's Day) with kids

This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for your the grocery money.  For my full disclosure policy, click here.


Sunday, November 6, 2016

Amazing 3D Paper Christmas Star Ornaments

What?  Thanksgiving isn't even here and we're already talking about Christmas Crafts?  Ok, you've got me.  I'm jumping the gun with this super neat folded Christmas star ornament.  But, I had to share because this week we'll be launching our new STEAM KIDS Christmas books.  Woot woot!  I'll be sharing more about those books later on this week.  Today I'm giving you a sneak peak of one of cool projects included.  These 3D paper stars are super fun to color in and such a neat way to craft this holiday season!


Doodle some designs on these awesome 3D paper Christmas Stars- great Kids art project

This post contains affiliate links.  Thank you for the grocery money!  For my full disclosure policy, click here.


Sunday, September 16, 2012

Sharpie on shoes

In high school I used a lot of Sharpie markers and white out pens to decorate my clothes and backpacks.  Inspired by this momma's post I felt the urge to pull out my trusty tools again and doodle on a pair of shoes. 


My triangles were a bit... erm... wonky.  But, I had lots of fun and now Baby Chuck will have a one-of-a-kind pair of shoes just in time for fall.