Firework Crafts

 This is it, my last 4th of July post for the year. I didn't realize how much we have done over the course of a couple weeks. The anticipation was just too exciting, I guess. These last two firework crafts are simple and great crafts to do tomorrow afternoon while waiting for all the festivities to begin.

 This Firework Drawing was done using oil pastels on black paper and then going over them with glitter glue. If you don't have oil pastels, chalk will work well, too. They both give that great "pop" effect on the black paper.

 We started our Popsicle Stick Fireworks by gluing four sticks together to create a star look. Tacky glue works best for this. We added ribbon strands to the back using the same glue.

Next, just decorate. We used dot painters, but just about anything from paint to glitter will get the job done.

Now, I must sign off for a bit. We have dear friends arriving in just about an hour. Wine is chilling, grill is ready and the kids are soaking each other with water balloons as I type.
From our creative space to yours--I wish you a beautiful day.

4th of July Party Ideas for Kids

 Here are a few fun details to add to the party this year and make July 4th extra special for the little ones. This is a super easy way to make a cool and festive party cup without using disposable cups.

 Grayson helped me decorate some small mason jars with red, white and blue felt star stickers.

 We added a fun paper straw and some strawberry lemonade and he was as happy as could be!

 No one wants to be baking in July! For an easy special treat we cut stars out of an ice cream sandwich using a very small cookie cutter. The kids quickly rolled them in sprinkles and we laid them on wax paper to go back into the freezer. So easy and my kids loved making them (and eating them!!)

 You can easily change these up for any party theme with all sorts of shapes and colored sprinkles.

 These disposable tins are great for crayon making. Add your old broken crayons and pop into the oven for a few minutes (300 degrees.) Once melted just pour right into a candy mold. We used stars for this 4th of July.

Pop into the freezer for about 10 minutes and your crayons fall right out of the molds. If you would rather more prominent colors--melt each color in separate tins.

These would be fun to have at the kids table and also has a cool party favor.
I shared these ideas and many more over at Kiwi Crate. Head there to check out more.

Happy 4th of July! Make wonderful memories, eat great food, laugh, love and be safe!!!

Red, White and Blue Tie-Dye for The 4th of July

 That's my cutie patootie nephew above, eating ice cream in his red, white and blue tie-dye. Is that photo just screaming the 4th of July or what?! Yes, tie-dye is a necessity for the 4th and really easy to do!

 You need a t-shirt, (did I just state the obvious? Sorry!) plastic gloves, rubber bands, plastic bag and red and blue dye. If your dye does not come with those great squirt bottles then you will need those, too.

 With a damp t-shirt you will pull up from the center and start to twist. This is for traditional style tie-dye. You can also just twist in random spots to create small star-bursts all over the shirt.

 Start to rubber band the shirt as you go.The more bands the more design you get. I usually use about 8-10 per shirt.

 OK, this is a must do outside part of the project. Once your shirts are all twisted and secured with rubber bands you can start dyeing. Squirt the dye right onto the shirt using enough to saturate the shirt. Try to keep the colors separate. They will blend quite a bit if they touch too much. Once they are covered well with dye place the shirt into a plastic bag over night. The next day cut the bands off and wash (alone) in the washing machine.

 And now you got yourself some pretty cute 4th of July gear! For more details I shared this tutorial over at Kiwi Crate.

Happy 4th!!!

With Love,

Em, Gracie, Neh-Neh and Jewels

Easter Bonnet

 Sometimes you may notice in photos of Emma, large flashy rings, several strings of beads around her neck, sticker "earrings" on her ears and clothes that only a five-year old with an early opinion for fashion would choose. Yes, she already has an eye for the runway. Often, we are told "you are going to be in trouble in a few years!" But, I love her creative eye and her love for style already at five years old. I'm sorry, I just find it adorable! I'll get back to you in ten years!

 On to our sweet Easter bonnet (styled by Emma.) Can you believe this hat started as a paper bag? Yep, we just rolled it down until we had a hat. This technique could work for so many different hats. I think I may make Grayson a pirate hat soon. He would love that. Yes, while Emma loves fashion, Grayson is more of a pirate loving kid and yes I am embracing that one too and hoping that in ten years there is no need for further addressing of the issue. Hehe...imagine that!

 With some paint our paper bag started to turn into a hat. Emma mixed a few colors to get this perfect shade of lavender. Pretty, right?

 A few details and some hot glue and we were set. I am working with Emma on learning to use the hot glue gun. This makes her smile from ear to ear. Any kind of grown-up step and she is in absolute heaven.

There you have it! Our homemade Easter Bonnet. For more details on this project check out my full tutorial on Kiwi Crate!

Pet Frog

 Since the weather has warmed up here we have been hearing a chorus of frog friends singing melodies each evening to us. It sounds as if there are a thousand frogs outside our home, but have still yet to see one frog. We decided to make our own!

 My favorite crafts require a little nature walk. We took a nice long walk and collected things that the kids thought would make good frog building materials. Rocks and leaves seemed to be the best nature goods among the two!

 

 With a little glue, googly eyes and felt feet our rock became a new pet for the kids to play with.

This guy got well taken care of since everything in our house gets a name, a bed and of course some frog food. Although, Emma made this one a vegetarian since she was not willing to collect bugs for her new pet.
My full pet frog tutorial is over on Kiwi Crate.

Treasure Hunt For St. Patrick's Day

 My fellow crafty and very good friend, Gwen, sent us golden nuggets at Christmas time. They were filled with sweet treats and little treasures for the kids. When these arrived in the mail I hid them in the yard and Emma and Grayson went on a golden nugget hunt. They thought this was wonderful and so did I!
These adorable little gems have been on my list of art to-dos for months now and I knew I would find the perfect reason to make them. I think a golden nugget hunt is the perfect activity for some St. Patrick's day fun.

materials needed:
walnut shells (remember to try and keep the shells in tact when cracking)
gold paint
hot glue gun
tiny treasures and sweets

Once you have shelled all your walnuts, lay the shells out on some newspaper and paint them gold. Let dry completely before filling with your goodies. The kids helped me paint these gold, but I had them get into some clay while I filled them. I used some teeny tiny figurines, charms, coins and of course some sweet treats. For the unwrapped edibles be sure to wrap them in a little piece of tissue or wax paper before placing in the shell.
Now to close the shell add a few drops of hot glue on the edge of the shell and close. This will be just enough glue to keep it closed, but also to allow those little fingers to easily pry the shell apart and giggle with excitement as they find their little treasure.

Thank you Gwen, for this great idea and even more so for your great friendship!

St Patrick's Day Painting Fun

 Remember that paper roll heart stamp I shared for Valentine's Day? Well, stamp it three times to make a simple little shamrock and a wine cork makes a great stamping tool too! Yes, you must sacrifice and finish that bottle on wine for the sake of your children's St. Patrick's day art fun. Someone has to do it, right?

And lastly, Grayson and my sweetie nephew Nicholas enjoyed stamping with some shamrock cookie cutters. I put an assortment out the next day and Emma made a entire cookie cutter scape. She had fun filling the images in after with markers. This is an easy set-up activity, great for lazy weekend mornings. I have shared this over at Kiwi Crate, join me there.
Can you believe just four more days until we are mid March! This year is flying by.
Happy St Patrick's Day!