Posts from the ‘Arts & Crafts’ Category

May 17

How To Make Sidewalk Paint

Whipping up a batch of sidewalk paint is not only easy, but it might just keep the kids busy long enough for you to get dinner ready. Have you ever sidewalk paint before?

If not, here is how to make it:

Mix equal parts water and corn starch {I used one cup of each} in a bowl and mix until the cornstarch is dissolved. Next, grab one of your old muffin tins and fill the muffin cups with about 1/4 cup of the corn starch and water mixture.

Add 2 drops of food coloring for lighter colors and 4-5 drops for darker colors. Walk the tin of sidewalk pint outside, hand your kiddos a few paint brushes, and let them have some fun. The chalk washes off easily when they are done.

Summer vacation is almost here. Are you ready? I know I am!

~Mavis

For more easy {and fun} children’s craft projects, check out The Complete Book of Arts and Crafts. The reviews are awesome.

Apr 29

Teacher Appreciation Gift Idea – Chalkboard Painted Herb Pots

If you’re trying to come up with a craft project for your kids to make for Teacher Appreciation Day next week, these chalkboard painted pots should do the trick. Not only are chalkboard painted pots easy to make, but your kids will love making them for their favorite teacher as well. Plus, the teacher will be THRILLED it’s not an another apple. Ha!

Supplies

4 Terra Cotta Pots
Fresh Herbs {I chose Basil, Chives, Rosemary and Oregano}
1 Quart Chalkboard Paint
1 Paint Brush
Potting Soil
1 Piece White Chalk or Chalk Pens

Instructions

Paint dry pots and let them dry for 2 -3 hours
Add moistened soil to the bottom of the pot, add herb, add additional soil
Label each pot with chalk and water

Personally I think these pots look great outside sitting on a potting bench. If you would like to give them as indoor gifts, I would suggest purchasing little terra cotta saucers to place underneath the pots to allow for drainage.

I’ve tried several different brands of chalkboard paint over the years and Rust-Oleum Chalkboard Brush-On is my favorite. You might be able to find it in your local hardware store, but if not, Amazon has it too.

Another great thing to have on hand are Chalk Ink Markers. Amazon has these, but you can probably find them for less at the craft store with a coupon.

Apr 26

7 Comments

Gardening Tips – How to Organize Seed Packets

If you are like me you probably have a bunch of empty seed packets laying around {or you soon will!}. I like to place my empty seed packets in a mini photo album I found at the dollar store. The albums 4×6 inch pockets can accommodate practically any size packet and the photo album fits nice on a shelf for easy storage.

I don’t know about you, but I find myself find myself checking the back of the seed packets from time to time to make sure I planted everything right and that the germination process is on schedule.

How about YOU?

Do you toss you seed packets or keep them.

~Mavis

Apr 5

6 Comments

DIY Garden Projects For Kids – How to Make a Seed Tape

If you’re looking for a fun rainy day garden project to do with your kids, or if you are a new gardener and are concerned about planting tiny seeds like carrots and lettuce in the garden, I have the perfect project for you.

A seed tape. You can typically find seed tapes in the gardening section of your local store this time of year, but they usually run about $3 to $5 and half the seeds a a normal seed packet would.

How to Make a Seed Tape

Supplies

Toilet Paper
Flour
Water
Seeds
Bamboo Skewer or Toothpick

First figure out how long you want to make your seed tape. My garden boxes are 8 feet long so I used 8 feet of toilet paper. The great thing about seed tape is you can make it as long {or as short} as you need to accommodate your garden space.

Seed tapes can be made with any type of small seeds. Peas and beans are easy for children to plant with their tiny fingers, but seeds like carrots, lettuce and radishes are quite a bit harder for them to grasp.

Directions

Make a simple paste out of flour and water. You want the “paste” to be the consistency of glue. Next use a chopstick or a bamboo skewer and carefully dab a little paste onto the toilet paper.

Add 2 seeds to the dab of paste {I like to use 2 seeds just in case one does not germinate}. If you are unsure as to how far apart to paste your seeds, simply look at the back of the seed packet for instructions. Most carrot seeds need to be planted 3″ apart.

Once the paste has dried, roll up your seed tape and head out to the garden.

Lay the seed tape down and cover with dirt {refer to your seed packet to find out how deep}. For carrots cover with 1/8″ of soil. Water and care for your newly planted seeds just as you would had they been sowed directly in the garden. The toilet paper should dissolve in about a week.

Yee-Haw! Gardening is cool, even for kids!

~Mavis

For more simple garden ideas to do with kids, check out Gardening Projects for Kids.

Mar 28

3 Comments

DIY Rustic Pea, Bean or Garden Trellis

I originally posted these photos of my rustic pea trellis last year but I thought I would share them with those of you who might have missed it and are looking for an inexpensive way to trellis you peas {or beans} this spring.

If you happen to live in an area where you can score some free sticks, you are in luck. Last spring we had a ton of saplings and dead branches that needed to be removed from the backyard.

We were able to re-purpose them and create a rustic pea trellis instead of just letting them decompose.

To make a rustic trellis, simply lay the branches down in a grid like pattern, and tie the sticks together at each crossing {I tied triple knots}.

This is suppose to be rustic, so remember, it doesn’t need to be perfect. Quirky is good!

I like to use Luster Leaf twine for my garden projects because it comes with a built-in twine cutter.

Once you have all your knots tied carefully lift your trellis and move it into place.

Another great way to grow peas is to create a teepee. Either way, fresh peas rule, and once you get your peas planted, you’ll only be about 60 days away from a delicious harvest.

Grow Baby Grow!

~Mavis

Mar 22

7 Comments

Glow in the Dark Easter Eggs with Glow Sticks

This year instead of a traditional Easter Egg hunt on Sunday morning, I’ll be hiding Monkey Boy and The Girl’s Easter eggs after the sun goes down. They are teenagers, and getting them to go outside and hunt for candy filled eggs at the crack of dawn just isn’t as fun as it use to be.

So in an effort to bring back some of that fun, I’ve decided to make egg hunting a little more exciting this year by making my kids hunt for their Easter eggs in the DARK!

How to Make Glow In the Dark Easter Eggs

Supplies

12 plastic Easter Eggs
12 Glow Stick Bracelets
a wee bit of candy

Directions

Open plastic eggs, snap bracelets to activate and stuff the bracelets in to the Easter Eggs along with a treat.

Happy Hunting!

~Mavis

Mar 21

18 Comments

DIY How to Make Redneck Wine Glasses

The summer entertaining season is right around the corner and now is a great time to get a few of those arts and crafts projects out of the way. This morning I made a set of DIY Redneck Wine glasses for one of my friends. She had mentioned having seen some redneck wine glasses on Amazon a while back and thought they were cool

Well guess what? Her birthday is coming up and so I made her a set.

Hot Diggety Dog!

How to Make Redneck Wine Glasses

Supplies

6 Canning Jars
6 Glass Candlesticks {I found mine at the Dollar Store}
Epoxy Quick Set Glue {Home Depot or Amazon sells it}
Sandpaper {I used medium grit}

Directions

Use a piece of sandpaper to scratch up the rim of the glass candlesticks {this will help the epoxy adhere the canning jars and the candlesticks together}. Wash, then dry the candlesticks to remove any dust.

Set the mason jar, bottom side up, on your work surface. Carefully place a generous amount of Epoxy glue on the bottom of the mason jar.

Place the candlestick on top of the canning jar and press the glass pieces together. Let your new redneck wine glass sit undisturbed for 24 hours before using or gifting.

Yee- Haw! How easy was that?

~Mavis

Mar 20

Easter Crafts For Kids – Marshmallow Peeps

easy easter crafts for kids peeps

~Happy Easter to one of my favorite PEEPS~

I posted this easy peasy Easter Craft last year and thought I would share it again for those of you who might have missed it.

All you need are a few “snack size” ziplock baggies, a few boxes of brightly colored marshmallow peeps, and this free printable peeps topper.

Simply place 1 row of peeps in a snack size ziplock bag and close it tight. Then staple {or glue} the printable peeps topper and you are good to go.

♥ Mavis

Mar 18

6 Comments

Dye Eggs With Natural Ingredients

how to dye easter eggs naturally

Did you know you can dye eggs with natural ingredients?

Since my chickens lay brown & green eggs, last year I decided to splurge and buy 2 dozen white eggs at the store and give it a try. I was worried if I used the brown eggs the dye would not be as vibrant, and in the end, I’m glad I went the white eggs {even if they were not as fresh as home~~grown~~ laid eggs}.

vinegar

The process is surprisingly easy. Here are the simple directions:

Blue Eggs: Combine 2-3 cups chopped red cabbage, 3 tablespoons of vinegar and 4 cups of water and simmer for 3o minutes. Drain colored water in a large bowl and steep the desired number of hard-boiled eggs in the colored water for 3 hours {less time if you don’t want dark blue eggs}.

Yellow Eggs: Combine 2 teaspoons turmeric, 3 tablespoons of vinegar and 4 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and steep the desired number of hard-boiled eggs in the colored water for 2 hours {less time if you don’t want dark yellow eggs}.

Red Eggs: Combine 1 cup shredded beets {2-3 beets} , 3 tablespoons of vinegar and 4 cups of water and simmer for 3o minutes. Drain colored water in a large bowl and steep the desired number of hard-boiled eggs in the colored water for 3 hours {less time if you don’t want dark pink eggs}.

blue eggs

*Keep in mind that the longer you keep your eggs in the colored water, the deeper your eggs shells will turn out.

naturally dyed easter eggs

Dry your eggs on a cooling rack. Once the eggs have completely dried, use a paint brush to brush away any extra bits. See, I told you it was easy.

how to dye easter eggs naturally

Have you done this before? What did you think? Pretty easy huh?

Looking for the ceramic egg rack featured in this photo? Amazon has it HERE.

Jan 27

35 Comments

How to Make Newspaper Seedling Pots

Have you ever made your own newspaper pots before? If you haven’t, they are are super easy to make. Some people use tin cans, but I prefer to use the Pot Maker. I’ve found I can whip out a batch of 50 pots for me seedlings in about 20 minutes.

I’ve also heard of people using toilet paper rolls, but I’ve always worried the cardboard would not breakdown and the roots would compact, so I prefer making seedling pots out of newspaper instead.

Here is how to use the Pot Maker.

pot maker