July Fourth - Easy Kid DIY

 I cannot believe it's July 1st and that we are already looking at the Fourth of July weekend! This summer is flying by! We have some tentative plans for the weekend. Pool time, taking in "School of Rock" at Theater in the Park if the rain holds out, and a family cookout on Monday. And, as always, we will adorn our table with darling DIY placemats that McKinley made several years. 

But, what started out as a fun DIY fireworks project, turned out to be the most adorable tablescape focal point. As McKinley was trying the toilet paper fireworks painting project, midway through his creations, my husband had the brilliant idea to take them and have them laminated after they dried! It's a minimal cost DIY, one that takes truly minutes to create, and one that will last a lifetime!

Here's what you need:

At least three toilet paper rolls depending on how many kids are participating, red, white, and blue paint, heavy white paper, paper plates, and wet wipes! And a little patience as it can get a little messy! I lined my table with a throw away table cloth.

To get started, cut the end of one toilet paper in small slits all the way around the roll. Only on one side and cutting roughly half way up the roll. Take the slits you cut and flip them up on their edges so you create a flat end. This will be the firework and the end you place in the paint.

Next, load up your paper plates with your paint. Dip each end of your toilet paper rolls in the different paint colors and apply to your white paper. Let them get as creative as possible. And make sure to layer some of the fireworks over each other so it resembles the ones in the sky.

Set aside to dry. Make as many as you want. Like I said, we had McKinley make five for our placemat idea. We took the completed project to UPS for the lamination. So easy and convenient! Done in minutes. 

Have a blast when setting your table. 

Honestly, this is a last minute DIY that you will use over and over again. Make them today and use them on Monday! They are that fast! You can also use them on Memorial and Labor Day weekend.  

Another darling idea just came to mind! Find an inexpensive white table runner or table cloth and use a stencil paint to create a larger canvas for your kids creation! I'm off to find one now!

Happy Fourth of July!

XO,

Andrea

Creating with Chalkola

 It is no secret I love to craft! And I love working with as many materials as I can. So when Chalkola reached out and asked if I would be interested in working with one of their products, I jumped at the chance! At Chalkola, their philosophy is “live a vibrant life” and who can’t get behind something so simple? And vibrant is definitely a word I would use to describe their products.

I was gifted their pack of 40 Chalk Markers and they are amazing!! Just like chalk paint but in a marker. They can be used on several non-porous surfaces like glass, chalkboards, and for most of my projects, aluminum or tin! For the non-artist, like myself, I used stencils for my guides when creating my projects. However, if you are good with free handing anything, you are going to love the ease of these markers!! 

Want to know something equally as cool? If you want to create something new, after you’re done with the Christmas signs like mine, you can remove the chalk marker from the material you originally used!! The marker is made with high quality water based ink, which is washable! The markers are smudge free, which allowed for a clean design that quickly dried within minutes. And when you’re ready to do a new project, using a wet paper towel should help remove the ink from almost any non-porous surface. Full disclaimer, I tried the wet paper towel on the tin surface and it worked great! As did a baby wipe. The chalkboard was a different story. A magic eraser worked the best. Just barely wet it and use some elbow grease. You should be good to go!

So here are a few additional tips for using these awesome markers! If you are using a stencil, which is what I used for all of my projects, make sure to outline the template with a piece of chalk first! After using the chalk markers with the stencil, and because they are paint based, it smeared the stencil design outline because it ran under the stencil itself. It was an easy fix, if the design outline was visible. I could clean it up easily with a toothpick, but it was tedious and time consuming. The chalk outline allows you to prep the design, go over it with the marker color of your choice, and once dry, wipe away the excess chalk lines! So easy! Check out the process!

Here is the example of the project that bled under the stencil template. I used the magic eraser and it pretty much removed the marker. You can see a small hint of the design, but once the new was added, it's not as noticeable.

Using the chalk as my initial outline worked best for me!

And these are some additional projects I made with the chalk markers on tin and chalkboard. I love them!

I am obsessed with these markers and can’t wait to create more with them. I have an old glass window that’s been sitting in my garage and I haven’t had a clue what to do with it. Once I get it cleaned up, I can use the glass as an ever evolving sketch pad!! Stayed tuned for a possible project! 

You can purchase the Chalkola Chalk Markers directly from their site or on Amazon. And check out the other products they offer. What would you do with these markers? 

Happy Crafting!

XO,

Andrea

I was gifted these markers by Chalkola, but all opinions expressed are my own!

DIY Felt Ornaments

Since McKinley is going to work on these after school today, I felt it was the perfect time to post this fun holiday DIY! I am a big fan of giving homemade gifts to family and friends and I make sure that McKinley gives one every year. This year, it's felt ornaments. But they don't have to be just an ornament. They make super cute gift tags on wrapped presents, a tag on your hostess gift bottle of wine, or a darling name tag at your holiday table. And they are so easy to make!

Here's what you'll need:

Felt, fabric glue, cookie cutters, a black Sharpie, fabric scissors, string, and any small craft adornments. I decided against the glue gun, but if you use on, make sure your little ones fingers are out of the way! It's hot!!

First, pick the perfect cookie cutter for your stencil. I chose a tree, snowman, sweater, bell, mitten, and stocking. 

Fold your felt in half so you only make one cut. You will want to double up your ornament to keep it from being see-through and to make it a little more sturdy. 

Next up, glue. You will want fabric glue for this project. You could use school glue, but the fabric glue is a little stronger. And it dries clear. Put a thin outline of glue around the edge of the ornament and make sure to glue the Sharpie side to the inside of your ornament. Once together, you can trim an excess you have.

 Originally, I punched a hole at the top of the ornament to string the hanger, but after the first one, I ditched this method and went with simply gluing the string inside the ornament before sealing it closed. It worked much better. The hole punch is still an option.

 

Now you are ready to start decorating! Use anything and everything small and cute that you can get your hands on! I shopped my mom's craft room and found tons of little mini things to use. Check out the craft stores miniature sections. That's where we got a lot of these things last year.

Here is the loot! I am in love with the sweater, but they are all so darling! 

And here's how they look on the tree, gift, and wine bottle!

The options for creating are endless AND, you don't have to use this idea for just Christmas! Think about Valentine's Day, Easter, Halloween! So cute, right? 

Happy Crafting!

XO,

Andrea

DIY Halloween Treat Bags

When I was growing up, we didn't have fancy trick or treat bags. We had that generic plastic orange  pumpkin with a black handle, and as we got older, the trusty pillow case. McKinley carries a fuzzy pumpkin bag or large fabric pumpkin bucket. Either way, they are super cute! However, I decided we needed to elevate the trick or treat bag this year and I decided to make it myself!

Here's what you'll need:

A canvas tote bag, fabric paint, sponge brushes, paper plate, pencil, eraser, puffy paint, and a steady hand!

Load up your brush with the first color of your choice. Because I was doing candy corn on the bag, I used the colors in order of a candy corn. I started with white, but you couldn't really see it in photos. Apply horizontally on the bag in large strokes. You can make your strips as thick or as thin as you wish. On my second bag, I went for a larger band of paint.

Do the same thing with yellow. After you've applied your colors, go back in and smooth out any defined lines you might see and create an ombre effect with the three colors. 

Next up, it's time to apply your candy corn. If you are anything like me, I need a stencil! I can't even draw a straight stick figure. So, I headed out on the web and found free clip art of candy corn (also witches hats and bats) and sized them to different heights. Go with what makes you happiest. I decided to use smaller candy corn scattered throughout and larger witches hats for the second bag I made.

Once I cut out all the candy corn, I placed them around the bag. I will say, I originally traced too many and needed to erase a few after the fact. When you go to erase them, use a rubber artists eraser. This will allow the pencil marks to come off easier and not pill the fabric.

See that smudge? I tried to use a pink eraser before the rubber one. It didn't work as well!

Fabric puffy paint is what you need! I've used Scribbles and this Imagin8 and they both work well. 

When you apply your puffy paint, make sure you start with a light pressure on the bottle. The paint can splatter out and leave a blob on your project. To get started, try testing it on a paper plate or another piece of fabric to get the feel. And make sure you shake the paint to the end of the bottle. 

Trace each of the candy corn and then add small half circles to the inside to create those defined lines you see in the candy itself.

If you need to smooth out some of your lines, use a toothpick. 

This is the witches hat bag I was talking about earlier. Do all the same things you did above. I made the paint stripes larger and I prefer it! Really fills the space of the canvas. And I love the dimension the puffy paint gives to the hats! 

And here's the completed project!! I love it! It's so happy and makes me smile. And I may use it for more than just trick or treat! It would be so cute this time of year as a little tote for all the things you carry throughout the day. It adds just a hint of Halloween to your daily look without screaming costume alert!! It would make a sweet teachers gift during the Halloween classroom party. 

Allow 24 hours to dry, especially since you applied fabric paint to the bag and all the puffy paint inside the hats. 

What do you think of this cute project? Head here to see the fun segment on Better Kansas City! Belinda Post was excellent at applying the puffy paint! You will be too!

XO,

Andrea