School Supply Hack: DIY Rainbow Marker (in under a minute!)

Can you believe it's August?  Goodness.  My eldest is about to start elementary school in a month and I've been eyeing all the colorful back-to-school supplies.  Since we love making rainbow crafts, I thought it would be fun to make our own DIY Rainbow Marker.  Yup.  And guess what?  It took less than a minute to make.  And then- tada!   We swiped this marker to create a whole spectrum of lovely colors!

How to Make a DIY Rainbow Marker   

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Easy Origami Yoda Tutorial

So... I folded this origami pikachu with my son.  And after folding it together, it suddenly dawned on me.  If I just tweaked the ears to my original directions, I could make a Yoda instead.  (What?  Love it when those "aha!" moments hit.)  If  you're a Star Wars lover (or raising some little Star Wars lovers), definitely check today's post out.  Tada!  I'm sharing my easy instructions for folding an origami Yoda!

How to Fold Origami Yoda (The Super Easy Way)

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Easy Origami Pikachu Tutorial

We've gotten hooked onto Pokemon Go.  I kept holding off on the app, but once my husband showed my son.... he fell in love with the little critters, especially Pikachu.  Pikachu was always my favorite too, so it was neat to share that with him.  We recently made this super easy origami pikachu together.  (Oh yes! Another paper folding craft!)  It was such a fun kids craft that I'm sharing the step-by-step folding directions over here!  

How to Fold an Origami Pikachu

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(And yes.  These instructions are so easy that even an almost 5 year old can make it!)

Dip Dye Kids Art Project

If you're looking for the easiest, funnest, cheapest, and most colorful kids summer art project... you're at the right place.  We've been dying up a storm over here and turning plain old paper towels into lovely dip dye art!

How to Make Dip Dye Art With Kids

Dancer Paper Snowflakes

Does your child love to dance?  Then these dancer snowflakes are just the paper craft for you.  Dainty, fluttery, and lovely, they are sure to amaze children of all ages!

How to Cut Paper Dancer Snowflakes

Rainbow Snowflake Cutouts

Bet you read the title and thought... what?  Rainbow snowflakes?  Well, I had a tough time figuring what to name this rainbow craft.  Is it a snowflake craft?  Is it considered kirigami?  I'm not sure. All I know is that it's a cute and fun paper cutting craft for rainbow-loving kids to try out.

Let's Cut Rainbow Snowflakes

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Sparkly Sand Castle Art

Hello everyone!   How has your summer been so far?  Visited the beach yet?  Well... today's craft is a beach-inspired one. Today we're sharing a fun sand castle summer craft.  All you need is some sand and some glue and tada!  You've got an easy breezy summer art project perfect for kids for all ages!

Let's Make Some Sparkly Sand Art

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Summer Bug Cards for Kids

Bugs, bugs, bugs.  We've got bugs on the mind over here!  

So we made some cute bug themed birthday cards. 

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Build Your Own Unique Wooden Car

Ever since my eldest son was young, he LOVED cars.  Is your child that way too?  Then you'll understand why we've done a ton of car crafts over here on the blog.  And boy are you in for a treat with today'd post.  Tada!  My husband and son designed and built their very own wooden car... for free!

  Let's Build A Wooden Car!

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Family Watercolor Hand print Art

I'm always a bit nervous about transitions in life.  And having a new baby has certainly been a humongous transition for our whole family.  Diapers, giggles, crying, baby snuggles... we're still trying to find our new groove as a family of four.  So I came up with this hand print art project to do with my eldest son.  Despite all the crazy chaos that this stage of life brings, I still wanted to celebrate our family.

Family Watercolor Hand Print Art  

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Summer Camp No Sew Felt Pillows

It's time for another easy summer kids craft! Awhile back I tried out a box from Little Loving Hands and made a cute no-sew felt tie heart pillow with my son.  It was so fun making that easy pillow that we made another!  Today I'm sharing these two adorable no-sew felt lion and sun pillows!

Here's the lion pillow....

Tape Resist Dinosaur Bone Art (And our favorite 10+ Dinosaur Books!)

I love it when an art and science combine to create a beautiful and easy kids STEM project. When I was growing up science, math, and art were always treated as fairly different topics.  And I get why they taught us that way... it's easier and we get to dig down deep into each one.  But I wish that my kid self also experienced how all three things topics were linked.  Don't artist use math and science when making art?  Isn't there beauty in math and science? Certainly!  And so my inner nerd and artist gets very excited when my son and I do a project that touches on what seem to be different areas.

Ok... but I digress.  Recently my son and I visited our local natural history museum's dinosaur exhibit and marveled at the size and design of t-rex bones.  (Gosh.  Those are some ferocious creatures!  So glad they don't live today.  Eeek.)  So, inspired by that visit and this awesome human skeleton tape resist painting idea, we made our own very beautiful and scientific tape resist dinosaur bone skeleton paintings! 

Tape Resist Dinosaur Bone Paintings 

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Rainbow Grilled Cheese Sandwiches (2 ways!)

Remember that Skittles commercial where we were encouraged to "taste the rainbow?"  Weeeeeellll... I took it one step further.  Today I'm sharing yet another rainbow-themed craft.  If you're NOT a fan of food coloring, avert your eyes!  But if you're ok with using it once in awhile for creativity's sake, then read on, fellow color lovers!  Here are two ways to make... (wait for it...)  rainbow grilled cheese sandwiches!!!

Rainbow Grilled Cheese Sandwiches (2 ways!)

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Father's Day Super Hero Comic Book Picture Frame

Fathers, stop reading this post and step out of the room!  (Are they gone?  Good!) Now that they've left, let's talk Father's Day Crafts. Is there a guy in your life who is a super dad?  Um hmm..  Thought so.  And would you and the kids like to make him an awesome gift?  Yup.  Thought so too.  Well, you came to the right place.  My son and I L-O-V-E super hero crafts and recently whipped up this super hero comic inspired frame to give my husband for Father's Day.

(Shhh! Don't tell him!)

Father's Day Super Hero Picture Frame 

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Lovely Yarn Wrapped Rocks

Got yarn?  Got rocks?  Good.  Then you have all the materials needed for today's summer craft.  We'll be doing some easy rock wrapping!

Lovely Yarn Wrapped Rocks

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Cheap, Easy, and Creative Super Hero Party Ideas

A couple of weeks ago my son graduated from preschool.  I didn't think I would get emotional... but I did.  I felt kinda sad-happy realizing that he wasn't a baby anymore.  Oh boy, I'm starting to feel a bit emotional right now.  Yeesh... must.. toughen.. up.... Ahem.  Anyway, back to introducing today's post...

Our preschool celebrated with a super hero themed graduation party.  All the moms and dads came together to plan a really fun day for the kids. I was so impressed by everyone's creativity.  I just had to share the super hero-themed activities and crafts here because I know a ton of you probably have super hero loving kids at home too.

So put on your super hero capes and get ready for some...

Cheap, Easy, and Creative Super Hero Party Ideas!

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100 Color Challenge

Ever wonder just how big 100 really is?  Lately my son and I have been talking about numbers.  While small numbers are easy to imagine... large numbers always seem quite vague.  100?  1,000?  1,000,000?  10,000,000?  We just don't have much experience dealing with numbers larger than 20 in the real world.  So I came up with this really easy combination math activity and art activity.  We challenged ourselves to make 100 colors together!

100 Color Challenge!

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Rainbow Paper Plate Weaving Project

I've been a bit down in the dumps lately.  I'm not sure why.  Maybe it's because of all of the transitions happening in my life... or lack of sleep... or both.  Hopefully I'll feel better once summer starts.  In the meantime, I've been doing quite a bit of crafting to cheer myself up.  Recently I took my love of rainbow crafts and combined it with my love for paper plate crafts to make... tada!  This lovely rainbow paper plate weaving craft!

Let's Weave a Rainbow!

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30+ Awesomely Unique and Fun Paper Plate Crafts for Kids!

It's no secret that I LOVE paper plate crafts!   Wanna make my heart sing?  Hand me a bunch of blank paper plates.  Seriously.  No joke. (Ok- Crafter confessional here- I've even snuck interesting paper plates out of parties before to craft with... shhhh... )

If you follow me on Instagram you'll see that I'm this week's #kidscrafts101 judge! Yup!  Every week there's a fun challenge to craft with a different material.  This week's theme is... drum roll please... paper plates! I know all of you and your kids have such creative ideas, so I'd love to see your ideas on IG!  (Just use the #kidscrafts101 so I can see your great ideas!)

And in honor of this week's theme, I thought I'd also share my absolute favorite paper plate crafts!

30+ Super Fun and Unique Paper Plate Crafts for Kids!

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Tiny God's Eye Woven Pendants

The quest for super fun and easy summer crafts continues!  A couple of days ago we made these adorable woven turtles out of popsicle sticks. They were a hit!  And of course... that got me thinking... is it possible to make even tinier God's eye crafts that you can wear?  Well.  The answer is YES!  Today I'm sharing these tiny God's Eye Woven Pendants.  You an make a whole bunch to wear or give them away to friends!

Tiny God's Eye Woven Pendants

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Cute Handmade Cupcake Birthday Card

Is someone you know having a birthday this month?  Why not make them a cute cupcake birthday card?

Cute Handmade Cupcake Birthday Card

Today I'm over at DIY Candy sharing how I made this cute birthday card.

Happy making, friends!

Weaving Cute Baby Turtles Using God's Eye Weaving Pattern

Looking for some fun and unique summer crafts to do with the kiddos?   Me too! School is almost over and I've got summer crafts on my mind!  Today I'm sharing this fun twist on a God's Eye weaving craft.  (Remember collecting sticks and making those in summer camp?)  But, instead of making the traditional 2 stick version, we recently made a fun 3 stick version.... that also happens to look like a tiny baby turtle!

(Aww, aren't they cute?  My preschooler was in looove with these.)

Weaving Cute Baby Turtles Using God's Eye Weaving Pattern

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Let's design a zoo! (And our 15+ favorite zoo books!)

Are you looking for an easy, open-ended prompt to encourage children's play and creativity?  How about a building challenge?  We've designed and built playdough and rock houses , cardboard bridges, boats from recycled materials, and super hero hideouts.  Today, we're designing and building a zoo!

Designing a Zoo with Kids!

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Button Collages

Ever get in a funk with your art ideas?  Lack of sleep, a teething baby, and a sporadically sore back have made it such an effort to pull out the art and craft supplies. So instead of more structured art projects, we've been going the more open-ended  process art activity route.  (Basically I just throw a couple of art supplies on the table and then see what we end up with.)  Recently I pulled out a bunch of old thrifted buttons and gave the challenge to "create art with buttons."  Here's what we came up with!

Invitation to Create with Buttons

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Uber Cute Origami Mermaid

Looking for the cutest origami summer craft ever?  I recently signed my son up for swimming lessons and realized... oof! Summer is right around the corner!  That means that it's time for... summer crafts!  Woo hoo!  And what better way to inspire some summer crafting.. then this uber cute origami mermaid?    Yup.  Put this craft on your summer-to-do list!  It's a must for all mermaid-loving kiddos!

How to Fold an Origami Mermaid!

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Cardboard and Safety Pin Charm Necklace

Sometimes the best crafts are the easiest ones.  Today I wanted to share this really easy cardboard and safety pin necklace.  My younger son is currently teething, so I just needed something quick and fun for my eldest and I to make together.  This colorful and easy jewelry craft fit the bill!

Cardboard and Safety Pin Necklaces   

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"Family" Pop Art Coloring Page

Mother's Day is coming up this Sunday!  Kiddos can spend some quality time coloring and practicing their letters with mom with this free printable coloring sheet!

"Family" Pop Art Coloring Page  

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3D DIY Butterfly Cutout Wrapping Paper

Are you a butterfly lover?  Do you know a butterfly lover?  Then you're going to love today's 3D butterfly cutout wrapping paper.  3D?  Oh yes.  The wings pop up, making this the ultimate spring craft!

DIY 3D Cutout Butterfly Wrapping Paper!

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Artsy Paper Bag Stars!

I've seen versions of these paper bag stars all over the internet for awhile now.   And last weekend, we finally got a chance to make our very own version.  Half art project, half craft, these artsy paper bag stars are such a unique way to showcase children's art and decorate your home!

Artsy Paper Bag Stars      

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Accordion Folded Flowers

Spring is definitely in our neck of the woods.  And that means two things:  flowers and parties. Yup!  The flowers have gone gangbusters and we've celebrated tons of friends' birthdays in the past two months.   I think that's why I felt inspired to make today's super nifty flower craft.  These accordion folded flowers are such a nice way to bring the loveliness of Spring indoors.  They'll look great adorning your home or as pretty party decorations too!

How To Fold Accordion Folded Flowers!

So head on over to DIY Candy today to see my super easy tutorial for these accordion folded flowers!

Happy making, friends!

MAGIC Color Transfer Art!

Did you ever play with carbon paper as a kid?  (Hmm... have I just seriously dated myself here?)  I LOVED that stuff.  You stuck it behind a sheet of blank paper, went to town doodling, lifted up your carbon paper and then ooh la la!  Instant copy.  So, so cool.  Today I'm sharing an easy and fun art activity that hearkens back to good old carbon paper.  We're making ourselves some colorful, color transfer art!  (It's like making your very own rainbow carbon transfer paper!)

Magic Color Transfer Art!

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Super Easy Train Cupcakes!

Are you a whiz in the kitchen?  A baking maven?  A fondant savant?  If so... this post ain't for you.  This post is for people like me.  People who would rather just buy baked goods then slave away in front of a hot oven.  I stink at baking. But today I'm sharing this super easy food-themed post because I made these super super cute train-themed cupcakes for a friend's party.  (And you'll never guess how I decorated them!)

Easiest Ever Train Cupcakes!

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Artsy Origami Butterfly Stick Toys

These artsy origami butterfly stick toys are such a fun spring craft to make with the kiddos.  You get to paint and decorate... and then you get to fold... and then you get to play!

Artsy Origami Butterfly Stick Toys

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Hand Print Franz Marc Expressionist Art with Kids

Hi friends!  Today's art activity is a super easy one that involves looking at colors, emotions, animals, and making hand prints.  It's such a great activity to do with kids of all ages!  Today we're inspired by German Expressionist Franz Marc's Blue Horse Paintings.

Hand Print Expressionist Art with Kids!

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Playful and Easy Mathematics with Building Toys (And our favorite math books!)

Wanna know a secret?  In college I majored in Engineering and minored in math.  Eek.  Surprised?  Well...it's true!   I'm a bit rusty now... but I will always have a soft spot for mathematics. There was something about solving a difficult problem that was so thrilling and satisfying.

Now that my son is older, my husband (who is also a math lover) and I have been trying to help him to love math too.  With a new baby at home, I just haven't had time lately to plan math crafts and activities.  (Mucho props to all you homeschooling mamas out there... don't know how you do it!)   But, I've been giving myself a bit of slack and telling myself that it's ok.  We've still been learning math together... just in a more open-ended and playful way.  

Playful Math Learning with Kids

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Modern Mother's Day Card

Hiya!  Just popping in today to share this lovely, modern Mother's Day Card!  

Pop on over to DIY Candy today for the full tutorial!  And you can also find other easy kid-friendly Mother's Day Crafts on the blog too!

Happy making, friends!

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.   

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Magical COLOR CHANGING Bracelets

Ok. I am seriously IN LOOOVE with today's jewelry craft.  It's easy, great for all ages, involves a science component, AND it is the ultimate summer craft.  Don't believe me?  Well, tada!  We're making magical COLOR CHANGING beaded bracelets.

Yup. You read right.  Whoa!

Amazing and Magical Color Changing Bracelets!

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Spring Paint Chip Flower Bookmarks

Are the flowers blooming where you are?  Spring is fully in the air and I am LOOOOOVING it.  Today's craft doubles as a flower craft and spring craft.  We're making super easy paint chip flower bookmarks!

Paint Chip Spring Flower Bookmarks

So pop on over to DIY Candy today to make your very own flower paint chip bookmarks! 

Happy making, friends!

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

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Window process art (and our favorite 25+ art books!)

There is something about process art that really appeals to me.  When my son and I are free to just explore materials, there's more room to be creative (and a whole lot less pressure on both of us to make things "look right.")  We get to explore, create, and talk with each other.  Now, I will always love cute kids' crafts.  (Googly eyes and glitter will always hold a special place in my heart!) But lately I've just had enough time (and energy) to put out open-ended projects for us to do.

Here's a recent window process art activity that we recently did together...

Family Window Process Art

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