Groovy ribbon frame

One of my latest favorite crafts is anything with Mod Podge.

I love the idea of taking any old or new thing and making it into something spectacular. This ribbon frame I found @ Plaid Online is no exception. What a great idea. I have old frames, tons of ribbon, craft paint & of course Mod Podge.


Funky Ribbon Frame

What you need & probably already have:

FolkArt ® Acrylic Colors - Soft Apple, 2 oz.
Mod Podge ® Matte, 16 oz.
Small Wood Frame
Variety of ribbons
Foam brushes
Scissors
Ruler
Base coat entire frame Soft Apple; let dry.

Measure height of frame; cut multiple lengths of assorted ribbon to height size (we used a monochromatic selection of ribbons in a variety of patterns and textures).
Apply Mod Podge to back of one ribbon strip; position on front of frame then smooth; repeat with additional strips of ribbon placing them side by side until front of frame is covered; let dry.
Apply two topcoats of Mod Podge to finish and seal; let dry completely between coats.

Driveway signs

What you see is not all you get with these adorable driveway markers from Family Fun. By day, the plaques add color and a decorative touch to your yard. At night, the signs shine as beams of approaching headlights bounce off the reflective-tape moon and stars.

CRAFT MATERIALS:
Pencil
Wood (we used scrap lumber, but you can also use wooden plaques from a craft store)
Paintbrush
Acrylic paints
Scissors
Reflective tape (we used Duck brand)
Drill
Wooden stakes
Screws
Twigs
Hammer and nails
Time needed: Afternoon or Evening

1. Download our templates for the signs shown here, or create your own design. Lightly trace the pattern on the wood, then paint. 2. When the paint is dry, cut moon and star shapes from the reflective tape and apply them to the plaque. 3. Use the drill to make pilot holes in the stake (a parent's job), then screw the stake to the back of the plaque.

4. To prevent the twigs from splitting, create pilot holes with the drill and a small bit (a parent's job). Nail the twigs in place. If desired, a parent can instead drill holes in the plaque and insert the twigs, as we did with the owl design.

Fingerprint Poem for Mom

Kaboose is one of my favorite sites for crafty ideas. Whenever I have a need to make something, I hop on over there and always find a simple you-can-do project.

This fingerprint poem for mom is one example. Such a sweet and heartfelt mom's day idea. I guess it would work for dad's day to ??


This sweet poem combined with a child’s fingerprint art makes for a fabulous gift and keepsake. Simple enough for even young children to make, Mom will love the gesture and save it forever.

What you'll need:
2 sheets of card stock, purple and light blue
White printer paper
Acrylic paint: purple, light blue, pink, red, white
Scissors
Glue stick
Printer
Pencil
Damp face cloth

How to make it:
Print poem (below) onto white paper. We used the Comic Sans font.
Cut poem out, curving edges around the poem making it look like a cloud.
On a separate blank sheet of white paper, use pencil to lightly draw a heart and the word “MOM” above it.
Cut the heart and MOM out, leaving about an inch border.
Glue the heart drawing and the poem onto the purple card stock.
Cut around the poem and the heart drawing, leaving a small purple card stock border on each.
Glue both onto light blue card stock, poem at the bottom. Have child write their name and the year on the back of the blue card stock. Put small puddles of paint onto a paper plate, one puddle of each color except white. Make a second puddle of pink and add some white to it to make an even lighter pink. You should have 5 puddles of paint (purple, light blue, red, pink, light pink) Have child dip fingertips into puddles to decorate the heart and write MOM. Do the Ms in purple and the O in light blue. Use red, pink and light pink to decorate the heart. Use damp face cloth to clean off fingertips in between each paint color.

Let the paint dry completely.

Fingerprint Poem
My dirty little fingerprints I’ve left on every wall
And on the drawers and tabletops, I’ve really marked them all
But here are some that won’t rub off, I’m giving them to you
Because I’m thankful to have a mom that’s just like you!

Tips:
Construction paper can be used instead of card stock but will not be as sturdy. To add more strength, cover with clear Con-tact paper.
Use the print preview option on your printer before actually printing. This will allow you to see what the printout will look like without wasting countless sheets of paper.
Change the purple and light blue colors we chose to your mom’s favorite colors. Simply match up two colors and use them for the card stock and the two paint colors for the word “MOM”.

Happy Mother's Day Granny- A Crafty Gift Idea

As you know Mother's day (5-9-9) is going to be here very soon. I have to do my gift planning early because my mom lives in Iowa so I have to ship her gift. My Aunt is into making scrapbook canvases as gifts. Matter of fact, she made one for Kellan for his birthday. I am always a fan of personalized gifts, I think they come from a different place in the heart. So I decided to try and make one for my mom for Mothers day.

What you need:
blank canvas, any size
Acrylic paint & brush
Scrapbook paper, lace, colored paper, anything really
Picture(s)
Do-Dads/embellishments; I used letter stickers, card stock embellishments & flowers
Heavy glue, I like Tacky Glue
Ribbon
Picture hanger to attach to back for hanging

As with any craft of this sort, its best to collect lots of different coordinating items and play around with them till you find what looks best for your master piece. Always start with an idea of inspiration. For me, I choose a blue theme. My mom collects blue and white Willow Ware type stuff and uses them to decorate all over her house, so I wanted to make something that would match her decor.

Start by covering your work surface with newspaper. Paint 1-2 coats of paint on canvas, don't forget sides !! Once its good and dry, start to place things on canvas with glueIt took me about 3 coats of paint since I was using such a dark color.

This is a super simple project. My son and I went to Hobby Lobby this morning to get all the goodies I didn't already have. I put paint coats on while he played, and while he napped, I finished. Max 2 hours, but don't tell mom!!

One last note, when making a gift like this, I think is super important to write and date the back so its always noted with love where its from.

This is the one that was made for my son to give another example.

Easy egg carton bugs

I am all for easy and fun kids crafts. Especially ones that use recycled stuff. When I came across this idea, I had to share.

Cut out different sizes of egg cartons for each creepy crawler. We created a Ladybug, Caterpillar, Spider, and a Bee. We used pipe cleaners and googley eyes to make them pop out. Then we actually got out the paints, I rarely do as I fret about mess. But with lots of supervision for my 2 year old, it worked out great.

Jump on over to Make and Takes to see more fun and easy projects.

Tin Can Herb Pots

To celebrate earth day (4-22-09) I was in search of some crafty, earth friendly ideas. One of my favorite sites for ideas is Kaboose. These tin can herb pots are super cute. This project is a little more difficult than some, so make sure to help the young-ins.

What you'll need:
Empty aluminum can
Screwdriver and hammer
Liquitex Basics Gesso
Acrylic craft paints in colors of your choice
Flower stickers (optional)
Acrylic sealer spray, matte finish
Craft or Popsicle stick
Thin cardboard
Pinking shears
Black Sharpie marker
5-10 small rocks, stones or pebbles
1.5 cups Potting soil
4-inch potted herb plant
White craft glue
Water

How to make it:
Completely wash and dry aluminum can. If necessary, sand off any rough edges from opening of can.
Turn can upside down. Parent should use screwdriver or other pointed object to poke holes in the bottom of the can. Use a hammer to tap the end of the screwdriver to make the holes.
Paint outside of can with one coat of Gesso. Let dry completely.
Paint can desired color, repeat coats if needed.
Decorate however you like. Use a thin paint brush for long lines, dip the end of the paint brush into paint for polka dots.
Decorate with stickers if desired.
Spray the outside of the completed can with acrylic sealer spray. Let dry.
Place enough rocks or pebbles in the bottom of the can to form a single layer.
Add enough potting soil to fill the can two-thirds full.
Remove potted herb from its container and transplant into the can.
Fill edges with remaining potting soil, gently pat down so that plant is firmly in the can but not compacted so much that it’s too tight.
Place can on a plate (to catch any water drainage) and add some water to the newly planted herbs.
Paint craft stick whatever color you like. Allow to dry.
Cut a piece of thin cardboard into a small rectangle (about 1.5 x 3 inches) using pinking shears.
Paint both side of the cardboard with Gesso, let dry.
Glue the rectangle to the top of the craft stick.
Use a black Sharpie marker to write the herb name onto the rectangle.
Insert your plant marker into the soil, being careful not to crush any roots along the way.
Place your new garden in a sunny window and remember to water them!

Tips:
A 4-inch potted plant will be enough to make 2-3 vegetable sized cans (15 oz) or one larger tomato sauce type can (28 oz).
This is a great project to teach kids about growing plants, especially edible ones. Take this opportunity to visit your local library and check out a book on simple container gardening or gardening with kids.
Keep the kids involved, be sure they take care of “their” plant. Have them water their plant and show them how to check to see if the soil is too dry or just right by gently touching the soil surface with their finger.
Eat these herbs! Your kids will light up when they get to pinch off a basil leaf to add to your spaghetti sauce.

This would also be a great gift for mom or grandma on Mothers Day !!

Family Fun Bath Time Soap Paint

I came across this idea on the Family Fun website for bath time wall paint. What a brilliant Idea.

Talk about good clean fun! Your bathtub buddies are sure to appreciate the bright colors of this smearable, sudsing medium. Try dividing the paints into a muffin tin or ice cube tray for an instant palette. But don't try getting your kids out of the bath in a hurry.

CRAFT MATERIALS:
½ cup liquid hand soap, clear or white
1 teaspoon cornstarch
Food coloring

Time needed: Under 1 Hour


1. Combine the soap and cornstarch in a small bowl.

2. Divide the mixture into separate containers, then add food coloring one drop at a time.



Caution: Test the paints on a small area of your tub or wall first to make sure they won't leave a stain; darker hues may be more difficult to wash off. Tips: Apply to tub and body with fingers or paintbrushes. Use bathroom cleanser to clean the tub if any color remains. Keep any leftover paints in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to three days.