Seahorse Craft

June 17, 2014 by Heather 7 Comments

It’s Under the Sea Week

I’m SO excited summer is here! I say that now.. check back in with me around August 1st and I might just sing another tune, but for now I’m content enjoying the freedom summer brings at our house. As much as I enjoy the days that we get to “sleep in” until a whopping 6:30am when the kiddos awake, I also continue to incorporate the love of learning at home, even during these fun-filled summer months.

So, this week I’m super excited to kick-off our first official week of summer with Under the Sea as our theme. Each week this summer I will feature a new theme with activities for the kids to go along with it.

Under the Sea seemed to be the perfect way to start summer off with some fun at home.

First, we decided to make this adorable, and easy Seahorse craft using Cheerios. This was a great activity for my son to help foster hand eye coordination and his counting skills. Plus, he got to eat Cheerios as we crafted - he was pretty much a happy camper, as I hope your child will be too!

Seahorse Craft

My son really loved practicing his counting, and I enjoyed seeing him work on his fine motor skills. Plus you can eat as you go, of course this was a lot of fun.

Supplies

8×11 - Blue paper

1 - Piece of paper (for the Seahorse body)

Scissors

Glue

Handful of Cheerios

1 - Googly eye

Miser Seahorse Book by Eric Carle

Mister Seahorse by Eric Carle is a great story we read to help inspire our craft. Such a fun story with lots of Seahorse pictures to inspire your inner artist.

Instructions

1) Using your white sheet of paper, trace a seahorse using Mister Seahorse book - there are lots of choices in this great book. Unless you can free-hand a seahorse, this is a great option.

2) Once your done, cut your Seahorse shape out.

3) Glue Seahorse shape onto your blue craft paper.

Next, add dots of glue all over Seahorses body + add 1 googly eye

Let the eating… I mean, the decorating your Seahorse begin. This may be the hardest part - just to keep your child from eating all their Cheerios before they actually place them on top of each dab of glue. My son had a blast with this, eating, adding to Seahorse, then eating some more, and adding Cheerios to his Seahorse.

This was so much fun to make - Snack + Craft all in one, it was a win/win.

I hope you you enjoy Under the Sea Week! Check back throughout the week for super exciting Under the Sea activities, crafts, and stories, that are all about Sea Life.

Thanks for stopping by Krafts and Kiddos.

Fathers Day Coffee Mugs

June 12, 2014 by Heather 11 Comments

Mugs for Fathers Day

Not every dad is a coffee drinker, but he can still enjoy a cup of hot cocoa, cider, or tea from a special Fathers Day coffee mug made by who else….his kiddos. I know I’d be beyond thrilled to receive a cool mug with my name plastered across it with handprints or love notes from my kids. Of course, any dad or grandpa will love this decorated coffee mug.

If you have a child Picasso in your home, let them break out their drawing or writing skills and see what they create. If you have someone more like my son, who needs a little guidance to decorate the mug - this can still be hands-on fun for the whole family. I just helped my son along with the spelling, otherwise my kids did all the decorating.

Here’s what the kiddos came up with

The trick to this project: use OIL BASED Sharpies. If you use regular paint or sharpies it will come right off with water. These wonderful, and yes I mean wonderful oil based sharpies - are super terrific for decorating mugs.

Once you have blank mugs of any size + your oil based sharpies you are ready to rock and roll and get the kids decorating.

Did I mention how easy decorating these mugs for a gift would be, it’s super simple. I will mention, you do have to really shake these pens up, to get the ink pumping through. Shake em’ up, a lot! This will do the trick.

Supplies

Blank mugs (I found ours for $1.00 at Michaels craft store)

Oil based Sharpies

As you can see my kids had a blast decorating their Fathers Day coffee mugs. The pen dries pretty quickly, which is nice with busy kid-hands, but a warning - if you have any wetness on your hands dry it up first. Decorating your mugs is best done with completely dry hands - otherwise it’s tough to fix any boo-boos. My thoughts on that, if their hands are dry then let the Picasso shine through with this project, and show Dad their creative side.

So here is what dad will be getting this Fathers Day. The kids and I are super excited to give it to him. It’s a simple craft for the kids to enjoy and it doesn’t break the piggy-bank either.

If you’re still unsure what to give Dad this Fathers Day take a look at some of the other ideas I have. We’ve been busy making all kinds of goodies for Dad, I know there will be something to inspire you.

More Fathers Day Gift Ideas

Decorate picture frames for Dad

Grab the kids, props, and your camera for this Fathers Day photo inspiration

Wishing you and your family a very Happy Fathers Day!

Fathers Day Picture Frames

June 9, 2014 by Heather 12 Comments

Easy Frames for Fathers Day

I couldn’t be happier, and surprisingly it’s for more than one reason….. First, this week is our last 4 days of school for the kids and it’s officially SUMMER, yippee. Second, it’s Fathers Day next weekend and we have a lot of exciting things planned for that special day. You have any special Fathers Day plans or traditions? I honestly, had my dates mixed up and thought we had 2 more weeks until Fathers Day this year, ooops.

The kids and I have been busy at work making some really cute things for Dad and even for Grandpa too! Can’t forget him, he’s usually pretty awesome too and deserves a nice gift this Fathers Day.

So to kick off our week of celebrations, first on our list is our super cute and sweet Fathers Day Photo Frames. Okay, I’ll admit I love photos, frames, collages, scrapbooks, really any and all things related to showcasing photographs. This craft was right up our alley.

We have so many Fathers Day photo frame ideas to share with you, let’s get started. I hope you find a few you like and can craft with your kids. They all are easy to make, especially if your kids are up for lending a hand to write a few things, or can help using the wood glue - then it’s a fathers day craft party in the making.

Supplies:

Wooden Popsicle Sticks

Wood Frame (4×6) size

Scotch Expression Tape 3/4in.

Embellishments (I used Me&My Big Ideas sticker sets)

Braiding Cord or Twine

Mini clothes pin

Chalk pen or regular chalk

Wood Glue or Glue Gun

Rust-Oleum Chalkboard Spray Paint

First we went outside and sprayed the wooden frames until they were completely covered in chalkboard spray paint.

Once the frames were dry we went inside and added our stickers. You could use any embellishment for this that sticks to a wooden frame.

We can’t forget all the Grandpas, Cappas, & Papas out there

I had my daughter write a special message of her choice to dad, on the outside of the photo frame. She used my favorite Bistro chalk pen. I love using this pen, it doesn’t smear like regular chalk and I like the overall look, but you could always use regular chalk for this too, either works fine.

Then, we decided to add a braided cord on the back of the frame and hang a small photo from a clothes pin instead of using a standard 4×6 photo.

Flip frame over and measure enough braided cord to stretch across the inside of the frame, cut once it’s measured, now just dab on some glue (I used a glue-gun) to secure each side of the braided cord to the frame. Let dry.

Now you’re ready to add your clothes pin and photo. Any dad would love this frame made from the heart.

We have been busy-bees making some exciting fathers day gifts, so we had some left over painted popsicle sticks for this next frame. My daughter decided she only wanted to glue the popsicles sticks onto the frame + add 1 sticker. Simple enough, but sweet idea for Dad.

For this last frame we used more popsicle sticks and some of our Scotch Expressions tape to cover each wooden stick.

Measure Scotch Expressions tape to match length of each popsicle stick, cut, and apply to top of wooden stick. I made at least 16 just to be safe. Now you’re ready to apply the wood glue to the back of each wooden stick, attach each stick onto frame to make a pattern. Add any stickers or embellishments once dry.

Here’s our final Fathers Day picture frame.

All these wooden frames cost $1.00 each from my local craft store Michaels + any embellishments make these Fathers Day photo frames an easy craft for you and the kids to enjoy making together for your special Dad or Grandpa.

Check back each day this week for another Fathers Day gift idea or craft. I am super excited to share all the fun of the upcoming week, and I hope you are too!

I hope you were inspired to make a frame or two. If you do, come stop by and share a picture with me on Facebook or Instagram. I always loving seeing what you’ve been up to.

Picasso Flower Art

June 3, 2014 by Heather 17 Comments

Picasso Flower Art with 1st Graders

The classic Picasso Flowers painting seems to be such an amazing piece of artwork for all ages.

I have the lucky opportunity to teach Arts to my daughters first grade class once a month. For our last project of the year before these kids become second graders (tear, tear…. can’t believe they will be 2nd graders in the fall) I decided we’d re-create Picasso Flower Art from a child’s perspective.

I’ve seen so many variations of this beautiful art I wanted to let these amazing and talented first graders be creative by giving them a canvas, an idea, and letting them create!

These first graders are so amazing! I’m always so proud after teaching them - I love seeing what they come up with from the lesson.

Supplies:

1 - 12×18 sheet of white paper

Pencil

Black Marker

Assorted Paint Colors

Paint Brush

To start, I had each child trace their hands with pencil.

Using a pencil I had the kids begin drawing the stems up through the center of the page, then draw the flowers attached at the top of each stem. Once they finished with the pencil we re-traced our hands using the black marker.

Then we began to PAINT!!!

This is always the fun part.

This project was perfect for the kids of all levels. To help the kids I placed flowers in a vase to give them some ideas of what different flowers are shaped like, the different colors, and textures. A little inspiration never hurt, right. Here’s one of their final masterpieces. Picasso Flower Art.

I hope our project inspires you to find the Picasso in your child.

DIY Wine Bottle Decoration

May 20, 2014 by Heather 10 Comments

Three things I love… Wine, Decorating, and Chalkboard Paint, Yay! Put those three together and you’ve got a DIY Wine Bottle Decoration. Why not re-use some of your empty wine bottles around the house and re-purpose them. Even if you don’t have wine bottles, you’re still in luck as most craft stores sell all kinds of bottles similar to this, if not the same you can decorate. Gather your bottles around the house and join me as we make some beautiful wine bottle decorations.

Supplies:

Wine Bottles

Ashland Burlap Garland

Floral Embellishments (3.5 inches x 3.5 inches or larger)

Chalkboard Spray Paint (I use Rust-Oleum)

Scissors

Hot Glue Gun

Instructions:

First rinse out bottles, I know it seems silly to say - but just in case…. Then remove the label.

Start spraying your wine bottle with your choice of chalkboard spray paint & let dry at least 30 minutes.

Once your wine bottles are dry - you are ready to get decorating, yay because this is my favorite part……

Roll out your burlap and measure the width of each wine bottle.

Cut your burlap

Using your hot glue-gun spread glue along edge of burlap and position tightly over the wine bottle into place. Press down on the seam to ensure burlap is tightly fitted around the bottle.

Using your hot glue-gun dab a small piece of glue onto back of floral embellishment, then press firmly into place.

DIY Wine Bottle Decoration

Enjoy your newly decorated DIY Wine Bottles.

So next time you’re whining over wine and unsure what to do with those left-over bottles, you can re-use them to make beautiful wine bottle decorations. These are perfect for centerpieces, end-tables, or just for regular home decor.

Where will you put yours? Have fun!

Easy Chalkboard Frame

May 2, 2014 by Heather 8 Comments

Easy Chalkboard Frame

Let’s chalk-it up to a Great Teacher! Anything chalkboard related and I’m in! This easy craft is perfect for this years Teacher Appreciation week, which happens to be next week! These wooden frames I used cost only $1.00 at our craft store.

If you’re looking for an easy DIY Teacher Appreciation gift, look no more - and make these easy Chalkboard Frames for your Teacher.

Supplies:

4×6 Wood Frame ($1.00 at my craft store)

Rust-Oleum Chalkboard Spray Paint

Chalk Pen

4×6 photo

Embellishments (optional)

Glue Gun or regular glue (optional)

Instructions:

Find a place outdoors. Completely cover your wooden frame with your Chalkboard spray paint. Let dry at least 20 minutes.

Once dry, grab your Chalk Pen and write a phrase or teachers name onto your frame. If you like to add an embellishment, just get your glue gun out or use regular glue and place embellishments on front of your frame. Last, insert your 4×6 photo into the frame and insert dowel on back of frame.

Super easy chalkboard frame, + inexpensive = yet a thoughtful gift!

This Chalkboard Frame is sure to make a lasting impression on any teacher!

What are you and your kids making this year for Teacher Appreciation week?

Glitter Eggs

April 17, 2014 by Heather 6 Comments

Can’t believe Easter is around the corner… literally just a few days away. I may not have the Easter baskets filled and ready to go, but I can at least say I have some fun Glitter Eggs to share. This week we are having so much fun decorating eggs. The kids are so happy to try out new ways of decorating eggs.

Glitter Easter Egg Decorating

1 dozen hard-boiled eggs

Assorted colors of 1.5 oz glitter

Mod Podge

Glue brush

Bowls

Spoon

Plate or Egg Carton to place completed Glitter Eggs on

Hard-boil 1 dozen eggs, let cool. While eggs are cooling select your glitter colors, then pour a small amount of each color into small bowls. Next, completely cover the egg with modge podge using a paint brush. Then dip and roll your egg into the glitter. Continue rolling egg around using a spoon until completely covered with glitter. Let the egg sit in bowl of glitter and dry for a few minutes before moving to an egg carton or plate. Continue these steps for each color you choose. This Glitter Egg project can get a little messy with the kids (so I suggest sitting outside, if you can). We got a very tiny bit of excess glitter on the table and ground outside, but nothing a broom or wind wouldn’t fix.

These Glitter Eggs are so festive and fun to look at!

The results are beautiful Glitter Eggs to impress anyone this Easter!

I’d love to hear how your Glitter Eggs come out.

Comments always welcome and appreciated!

Chalkboard Easter Eggs

April 16, 2014 by Heather 4 Comments

So I must admit, I’m a little obsessed with anything chalkboard related these days. I always seem to have Rust-Oleum Chalkboard Spray Paint as a staple item in my house. You just never know what project may need a little pick me up with some chalkboard paint. This was my first experience making eggs painted with chalkboard spray paint and I must say, I’m pretty happy with the results.

You need: 1 Dozen hard-boiled eggs, Rust-Oleum Chalkboard Spray Paint, Plastic Gloves, Chalk, and Stencils (Optional). I used my favorite Chalk Marker for this project, these have a nice fine 6mm tip that helps when writing words or tracing with stencils onto chalkboard items. I also happened to have Mod Podge Tracing Templates on hand, which came in handy to trace the birds and hearts. You could also just free-hand words or have the kids draw pictures too!

Instructions:

Hard-boil 1 dozen eggs, let cool. Once eggs are cool, find a place outdoors and place the eggs onto a plate or even the grass (which is what I did). Put your gloves on, and begin spray painting. I thought placing the eggs on the grass was easiest, because the eggs don’t stick to the grass and you can always cut it afterwards. Let the spray paint dry for at least 15 minutes or longer. If you need another coat of spray paint just repeat the steps until completely dry. Once your chalkboard easter eggs are nicely painted, now comes the fun part… decorating them with chalk and stencils.

Be creative, and have fun!

Here are the supplies I used:

I’d love to hear how your chalkboard easter eggs turn out. Comments always welcome and much appreciated!

Temporary Tattoo Easter Eggs

April 14, 2014 by Heather 2 Comments

This week we are decorating all sorts of fun Easter Eggs. First on my list, Temporary Tattoo Easter Eggs. These eggs came out great and didn’t take very long to make either. All you need is 1 dozen hard-boiled eggs, temporary tattoos, and a wet paper towel or sponge.

First boil your eggs, then let cool. Once cooled off peel plastic film from the temporary tattoo, place face down onto egg, use damp paper towel to moisten the temporary tattoo onto the egg, and press firmly then release after a few seconds (or you feel the temporary tattoo is firmly in place).

Total time to add temporary tattoo decor, is less than 30 seconds per egg. Very easy, no mess, no fuss!

These are so fun, you can use any type of temporary tattoo theme such as Disney, girl or boy themed. I chose a nice festive butterfly theme, but the choice are endless. I found my temporary tattoos online at Amazon.com for under $3.00, plus the cost of a carton of eggs. This complete craft is under $6.00.

Have fun making your Temporary Tattoo Easter Eggs! I’d love to hear how yours come out.

Comments always welcome and appreciated!

«Previous Page