Autumn Placemat - Crafts with Kids

Make a Autumn Placemat with Fall Leaves

Fun Easy Crafts with Kids

I love doing projects with my kids that involve various activities.  This was a fun and easy project that I did with my daughter last fall when she was 3.  First I let her use her trick or treating pumpkin and we went for a nature walk and collected fall leaves.  She collected A LOT!  When we got back, she had a nap.  When she woke up, we went through and picked out the leaves that weren't torn.  We cut a section of contact paper the size of a placemat with the sticky side up and we arranged the leaves on top.  Then we cut another sheet about the same size and pressed it on top, so the two sticky sides were against each other.  She pushed it down and I had her rub it to get out the bubbles.  This was her placemat for the fall!  A fun, easy, cheap, no stress activity that even little ones can do and enjoy!  And for those of you with Vinyl cutters, I bet you could make this even cuter adding some lettering or something on top over the middle!  Maybe someday....sigh....:P

Freezie Pop Holder Sleeve - Easy Crafts with Kids

Sleeves for Freezies

don't freeze your fingers!

Nothing too new here, I saw these freezie holders  / sleeves all around blogland like two years ago and just never got around to making...like a million other cool things I see on all the great blogs out there.  After finishing those milk and cream jugs so quickly, my little crafting sidekick wanted to make something else so we whipped these up next....better late than never!

We started with these scrap squares, there were about 4 inch squares..left overs from the corners of a tie blanket.

We used some of the smaller pink scraps and cut out letters...very rough...nothing professional! It was just some fun mommy daughter time!

 Folded the square in half and stiched a seam along the bottom and open side, leaving the top open...I cut the corner as pictured below...I don't know if it's really necessary though....Then flip them right-side-out---a good job for a little helper.  She also pre-folded in half them for me before sewing.

Then we used the glue gun and glued our letters on....And I don't know about you all, but I don't think I have EVER used my glue gun without burning myself..multiple times!

 

Nothing fancy, but as you can see, my product testers approve....

PS-Scrappy Saturdays is making a comeback!  

Come back every weekend and join the linky party!

Wooden Memory Game - Tutorial

Looking for an easy project to do today???

Remember playing the game "memory" as a kid? Heck, you might even still play it now! Well, I was trying to think of some education toys for my daughter who will be 3 in a couple of weeks. I was browsing Amazon and came across this cute wooden memory game set.


Of course when I saw these, I thought about making my own! So I headed to good old HobLob so conveniently just around the corner and picked up some wooden cards (very inexpensive)! Then I had a thrifty day at Micheal's earlier this week, all the $1 bin items were on special 2 for $1. So I picked up a pad of coordinating papers for 50 cents. The rest of what I needed I had at home in my pile of crap in the corner of the dining room craft room.

Here is the awesome tutorial so simple you don't really need one for making your own set of wooden memory cards!

WHAT YOU NEED
images for the cards
wooden cards
coordinating set of decorative papers
contrasting paper
modge podge
foam brush
scissors
paper plate

Google search "animal clipart" "animal silhouettes" or just use basic shape...depending on what your theme is. You could use insect silhouettes, construction equiptment, vehicles, their favorite cartoon characters...whatever!

Print out your selected images and cut them out.

Trace your images onto the back of your decorative paper and then cut out. Repeat, making two of each image.

Using a contrasting decorative paper, cut out rectangles just smaller than the wooden card for a backdrop. I had 12 cards so I needed 12 rectangles.

Using a foam Brush, apply a layer of modge podge to the entire surface of your wooden card. Carefully line up your paper rectangle and press down. Set aside to dry and repeat until all cards are done.

Starting with the dry wooden cards, apply a second layer of modge podge over the paper rectangle that is now dried to the wooden card. Line up your animal silhouette (or whatever image you are using), press down and smooth out using your foam brush. Brush a layer of modge podge over top of the entire card and set aside to dry. Repeat to complete all cards.

Allow your set of wooden cards to dry completely. Then wrap as a gift or start playing with the kids!



This would make a great little handmade gift for boys or girls! Need something cute for their Easter Basket???

A Classic Game for exercising the memory! Let the family fun begin!

Milk Jug Bath Toy Scoop

Reduce.Reuse.Recycle.....Here is a great way to recycle and reuse that milk jug you just finished up! Simply cut the top off like this......



Then poke some holes in the bottom like this.....





And now you have a super useful toy scoop for picking up all those toys in the bathtub and keeping them from getting mildewy! Some things are just TOO easy not to do! I saw this in my most recent issue of Family Fun magazine and it works great! It makes for a fun bath toy too as my daughter likes to use it like a net to catch her toys while in the tub...and she likes when I fill it with water and let it "rain" over her. And to think I almost BOUGHT a turtle bath toy scoop at the store the other day!!!