Kids Craft: Baked Clay

I have been all consumed with our trip to Disney World that I haven't had a moment to sit down and try to blog about anything! But before we left, McKinley and I were hard at work on our second kids craft segment for Better Kansas City and this time, we worked with baked clay. I've been wanting to do something fun with this craft clay and I came up with the cutest idea. Even though we are in the throws of summer, the new school year will be here before we know it, and why not spruce up your child's backpack with the cutest backpack charms! And because you're making them, you can tailor them to your personality! That's exactly what we did!

I had so much fun creating charms that I took it to the next level and made lapel pins too! Oh, and with the extras, I decided to make bookmarks. I mean, why not! Seriously though, I had way more fun than McKinley, however he's been sporting his lapel pins on his denim jacket and they are darling!! Want to know more? Keep reading!

Here is what you're going to need. We used polymer clay specifically for baking and I got mine on Amazon. For the charms, we used larger cookie and clay cutters and for the lapel pins and bookmarks, we used mini cookie cutters. You need large key rings, backpack hooks, flat backed pins, an assortment of headpins, E6000 glue, and a Silpat mat. 

Now it's time to get started. Make sure you follow the directions on the clay box. You need to preheat your oven while working with the clay.

You are going to wash your hands before working with the clay, and after each use, so you don't mix colors. Knead the clay until it's malleable.

We originally used a rolling pin to try and roll out the clay, but it picked up all the particles it touched and left it in the clay, so we used our fingers for the rest of the project.

To add the head pin, making sure that your pin has a small loop at the top, measure the length of the item and then snip the pin just a tad shorter than the cutout. 

Place the pin inside the cutout making sure not to go through the sides. The pin will bake inside the charm allowing it to stay in place.

Here's another look at the process. 

 Here is a look at the cutout process. Make sure you don't go all the way through the clay, like you would a cookie, because it sticks to the cutter and doesn't come out easily. You want to go through just enough to leave a deep impression and then use the tools provided with your clay to cut away the excess.

 After you've cut out all the charms or pins you wish to make, you bake them. Again, refer to your clay baking directions because you will need to increase the temp on your oven. Bake accordingly.

Now that your charms and pins are cool, you can put the finishing touches on them. For the charms, add the large key rings to the loop of the headpin and attach the ring to your backpack clip. You can layer them as well! I love the M for McKinley and his favorite dinosaur together!

Finally, hang from any zipper on your backpack!

I added a fish and whale to my DIY rainbow bag!

Now, if you want to make a lapel pin, it's super easy. No need for the headpin for this. All you need is your cutout, pin backing, E6000 glue, and a piece of cardboard to stick your pin in for the drying process.

McKinley is sporting a frog and dino on his denim jacket! 

 Lastly, it's the bookmark! You will need to add your headpin for this one. Follow the process above. I had some left over ribbon that I cut in half down the center to make a thinner piece. I then strung the ribbon through the headpin, tied a small knot, and then added it to my book! It's darling!!!

 There are so many things you can do with baked clay! Homemade ornaments would be so cute for any holiday tree for every season! These would be super cute as key chain charms too! And they all would be fun gifts for family! 

What would you make with your baked clay?

XO,

Andrea 

DIY Front Door Mat

A couple of weeks ago, I was on Better Kansas City chatting about how easy it is to create your own front door mat. I see cute ones all the time, but at roughly $40 a pop, it's hard to justify buying a new one every time I see one I want. So, I decided to spend a little on a plain one and make one myself!

I got this plain mat at Joann's several months ago, but wasn't exactly sure how I wanted to design it. Did I want to make a free hand a design? Did I want to stencil a cute saying? I decided to browse Amazon for some fun ideas and stumbled on several different stencils for all seasons! I found the perfect Mid-Century Modern stencil that just happened to be created by a local designer!! Her name is Audrey of the Oh So Lovely blog! How awesome that my favorite new outdoor mat happens to have a Kansas City connection! I can't wait to meet her!

So here is what you'll need to create your own rug! A plain outdoor mat, your favorite stencil design (or a free hand design), outdoor or weather resistant stencil paint, and stencil brushes.

Tape your stencils in the pattern you like best. I originally used painters tape, but that didn't stick at all. For better adhesive, use packing tape!

To get started, put some paint on a paper plate, dab your stencil brush into the paint and remove a little of the excess by tapping a little of your brush onto the plate.

Begin stenciling in a corner and move around the stencil, making sure that you work in a direction where you won't get your hand in the area you've already painted.

As you can see, the mat is pretty porous, so you will need to go back over the stencil with a little more paint. Use a small painters brush and fill in until you've reached a desired deepness.

Here is the finished product! I added a buffalo plaid rug for a little deepth and texture to the front stoop. And, I think it really brings out the design of the rug!

What do you think? Are you ready to tackle your own front door mat? I've got a couple of other mats I made and will share them soon! If summer would ever get here, I have the most darling design that's fun and cheerful. And so welcoming....

XO!

Andrea

Back to School - Mama Edition

This summer was spent in the car going on adventures around the country. Okay, not around the country, but instead throughout the Midwest and Southeast Region. There were multiple trips to the local pool by foot. Exploring the wild animals of the zoo. Feeding farm animals at Deanna Rose. Decorating and redecorating our booth in Louisburg. And endless hours of playing in the playroom. To say that we had any structure this summer would be a lie! We had zero. Dinners weren't on time. Bedtime got later and later. Sleeping in was a requirement on some days. And the house stayed in constant disarray all summer! 

So with the beginning of the school year, I felt it was time to get my house in order. It wasn't really the whole house, though that desperately needs it. Yesterday I decided to tackle things like a snack drawer for ease when packing lunch and McKinley's morning snack. My desk needed a complete overhaul with all the print outs, trash, and junk that had collected. And I took the time to finally utilize McKinley's Melissa and Doug dry erase calendar. I filled in all the dates, activities for the month, and added the daily specials so the whole house would know what was taking place at school the next day. By the end of the day, I felt like I had a decent handle on the house. Here's what I did!

I created a pantry in my unfinished basement to help keep the kitchen cabinets a little more organized and to keep extra things on hand so I could whip up dinners without constantly running to the store. And it's really helped. However, one the kitchen cabinets had become the catch all for everything! Left over baggies of snacks, half eaten sleeves of crackers that had been in there for ages, a can of chicken from 2012..... Needless to say, it was time to just throw it out and start all over! And that's what I did. Now, my cabinet is stocked with all the healthy snacks McKinley that he can grab anytime. And, it was awesome to just reach in the cabinet this morning when packing his lunch and not run up and down the stairs to get what I need! Huge time saver!

Up next was my desk! I should have taken a before photo, but I started organizing before I thought about it. Plus, it was embarrassing! The clutter was ridiculous! But now, it's back in working order and I'm so happy! Just sitting here typing this, I love looking at the pretty things that rest on its surface. Oh, and I just purchased this darling stapler yesterday at TJ.Maxx! Isn't it the cutest!! 

And lastly, it's the calendar update. This calendar has been hanging in several rooms of the house, but finally came to rest in McKinley's room where it belongs. It really is darling and perfect for helping him learn dates and days of the week. And it's keeping us all straight on what specials take place daily. Especially for me when picking out clothes the night before. Now I know which days should be dressier than others. Let's just hope I can keep up the effort.... 

There are thousands of other things that need organization in my house, but I thought this would be a good start! What are you doing to get yourself back to school ready? Any special prep around the house or with yourself personally? My personal calendar is another place that needs a little help, but I'm slowly getting that up to speed as well. 

I hope everyone is having an easy transition back to school! 

XO!

andrea

Back To School: First Grade

Today is the first day of school and I can't believe my baby boy is off to First Grade. And as a result, I found myself in tears the other night. Everyone had gone to bed and I was alone watching TV. I'm not even sure what I might have been watching so I don't think it triggered the emotion. I simply started to cry. I've loved having him as my constant companion this summer and I'm going to miss him terribly!

I've had those Mama moments.... Yes, I have found myself tensing up when I heard "Mama" for the thousandth time in a day. Sure we had our arguments. Of course there were times where I wished for peace and quiet as he made a train whistle as loud as he could or ran through the whole squealing at the top of his lungs. It grated on my nerves each and every time, and now my house is going to be so quiet you could hear a pin drop. I've really tried to remember that this week as all of these same scenarios played out and I found myself reacting each time. Taking a deep breath, I would mutter under it, "This is the last week before school. You are going to miss all of this come Friday morning." It truly is the best test of patience!

We were back to our "normal" routine this morning. Up and dressed for breakfast. Me scouring around getting all the morning details finalized while he ate. Taking that first day of school picture and begging him to look at my and smile, and then our drive to school. But I thought I would be more emotional than I was. I felt so excited for him. And he seemed excited himself. He found his cubby, hung up his backpack, double checked where his lunchbox was for his morning snack, and then found his place at his work table. It was old hat for him and I loved it. He was worried about not knowing his table mates, but I assured him that they would be well acquainted before school was over today. He seemed at ease.

My husband took the day off to take him to school and be there to pick him up as well. And as we drove home, after spending some time with fellow parents at the back to school coffee, we talked about our own nerves. But their our nerves, not his. We worry that he will like school. Be eager to learn. Make new friends. And deep down, we know that the answer is yes to all of these. Look at that face! Is that a face that says I don't like school? No! He screams excitement. He is eager to learn. That's evident in the questions he asks all day long. He is the sweetest kids with the kindest heart, so making friends won't be an issue. McKinley is going to rock First Grade!

I can't wait to see what this year brings for all of us! "School days, school days, dear old golden rule days" is the truth! We can all learn from this experience of school. It was about time I learned 'rithmetic!

Happy First Day of School!

XO,

Andrea