DIY Gift Idea For Kids: The Creative Experience Gift Bag

It's that Birthday Party time of year! Every year, we seem to accrue more and more parties to attend. Which is, actually, a really fun problem to have. I used to really struggle with what to give as a gift to the Birthday Boy or Birthday Girl. Kids are hard to buy for. Well, in some ways they are really easy to buy for. Kids love toys, books, etc.

But, as a parent whose kids, twice a year, are on the receiving end of gifts, I started trying to be more thoughtful about the gifts that we give. It's so easy to duplicate a toy or book, especially at birthday parties for classmates you do not know as well. 

And, in general, I'm pretty over the amount of toys we have. That sounds ungrateful, which I don't mean it to. I have just realized over the past few years that we have a room of toys, but only a small percentage actually get played with. 

With this in mind, I got the idea to start giving birthday kids a creative experience. Something they could use their imaginations to decorate and enjoy during special time with their parent, grandparent or caregiver. 

My go-to gift for all birthdays now is the DIY Gift Bag. I head to Michaels or AC Moore and head to the fabric section (or, if I have enough forethought, you can Amazon). 

Depending on the kid, I grab a child-size plain canvas apron, canvas tote bag, t-shirt or hat. 

I think of the child's personality and interests, and try to find an iron-on patch or a pack of iron-on letters. 

Then I grab a package of fabric markers (particularly for younger kids, as these are less messy than fabric paint) and any fun decorations I can find. 

Lastly, I pick up a cheap canvas reusable bag or backpack (you can usually find these for $1 at most craft stores) to put all of the materials in as the gift bag.

Voila! You now have a DIY gift experience that is not only fun, but usable or wearable again and again. It's a win-win.

I'd love to hear your favorite DIY gift ideas for kids - so leave a comment and inspire me!

Easy Thumbprint Reindeer Ornament

If you are looking for an easy last-minute gift idea, or just want to make something homemade and memorable for the holidays, this DIY Thumbprint Reindeer Ornament  is easy and awesome. I started making them a year or two ago and give them as gifts to family. If the kids are cooperative (ahem) they take less than 10 minutes to make. And I love seeing them on the tree for years to come, exclaiming embarrassing things like, "Squeeeee! Look how tiny your thumbs were two years ago!"

If you are pulling this together last minute like me, you are in luck: this week, Michael's has all of the supplies ON SALE. The ornaments were 70% off and Sharpie markers are buy one get one 50% off. Luckily, the little jar of Crayola Washable Kids Paint is less than $2. So for the whole project, I spent less than $8, and I have enough supplies to make 9 ornaments.

And I apologize in advance for the reflection of my phone and hands in these pictures. The ornaments are silver and super reflective and there was just no way around it, people.

Here's what you need:

• Brown paint (preferably kid-friendly and washable)
• Black Sharpie marker (fine-point)
• Red Sharpie marker (fine-point)
• Bulb Ornaments (whichever size you prefer)
• Cute little kid thumbs (not pictured)

Step 1: Dip your child's thumb in the paint. Dab it on a paper towel to get off excess.






Step 2: Press the cute little thumb onto the ornament. Account for spacing if you'll have more than one thumbprint on the ornament.




Step 3: Let the paint dry.




Step 4: Add antlers, eyes and noses (black or red) to the thumbprint(s). Write name(s) and the year.







And...you're done! 

So cute, right? Happy holidays, friends!

Mini Clay Pot Hanging Planters

At the challenge of my blogger AND in-real-life friend, Barb, a few other bloggers and I are sharing fun ways to use mini clay pots for crafts!

Now, I smirked a bit when Barb was all, "Let's get crafty and each make something out of those mini clay pots from the dollar store!" Because I'm a living #CraftFail. But I love Barb. And I think those mini clay pots are super cute. 

So I obliged.

When I picked up my clay pots, I saw that they each had a small drainage hole in the bottom. 

Since I had yet to figure out what craft I was going to make, I let my imagination settle on a very simple project that even I could make:

So cute and easy, right?

Supplies

• 3 Mini Clay Pots
• Twine or Leather
• Plants or herbs of your choice

Instructions

1) Cut a length of twin or leather long enough to thread through all 3 pots, leaving enough length to keep the pots roughly 3 inches from one another.

2) Tie a large knot (big enough to cover the drainage hole) at the one end of the twine like this:

3) Thread the twine through the first pot and let the pot settle on the knot.

4) 3 inches above the top of the pot, tie another knot. Thread the twine through the hole of the second pot, and let the pottle settle on the knot.

5) Repeat for pot 3.

6) Fill each pot with flora of your choice. Cute little pansies would be great or even an air plant. I loved the idea of filling the pots with 3 different herbs so I could use them in the kitchen!  Pictured below, I have filled the planters all with thyme. I lurrrrrve thyme.

7) Tie a loop at the top of your string 

8) Hang wherever it will make you happiest :)

For more ideas, check out the craft posts from some of my favorite bloggers!

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An InLinkz Link-up

Summer Boredom Busters Week 1: 7/1-7/5

I'm a schedule kind of gal. I don't mean to say that I have a strict schedule and that every minute of my day is planned out. But I have a routine. I like having routine. During the school year, there is a gentle, familiar rhythm to our life that I find comforting. It's nice to know what is coming, what will happen next. 

Summer throws all ideas of schedule out the window. Chica is off school, and any daily or weekly meetings/activities we normally do are on hiatus until the Fall. My life is particular thrown off-kilter as Hubby, who is a high school teacher, is on "Summer Hours." This means he has a few part-time jobs he works, but otherwise he is home. 

So, Summer is an adjustment for all of us.

While I enjoy the freedom and fun that Summer brings, it helps me to have a few ideas each week for things we can do. It gives us something to look forward to and keeps us from being lazy bums. This Summer, I've tried to think of one interesting thing to do each day: an activity, an errand, a trip or an adventure. 

Starting today, I'll post 5 ideas each Monday. Some may be crafts. Some may be recipes to try. Some may be places to visit. But the posts are meant to inspire, especially if you are hitting a rut of Summer Boredom. And it's good to keep kid's minds sharp, even if school is not in session.

Bust that Boredom, I say!

Here are my ideas for this week:

Week of 7/1-7/5

Make Granola

My friend Kate alerted me to this fantastic granola recipe. We made some a few weeks ago and I could not get enough of it!  The hint of coconut is what really makes this recipe special. Kids will love that they can eat something that they helped create. This is great in a yogurt parfait or over ice cream. Sometimes I would just sneak handfuls when the kids were looking (and maybe thrown in a few chocolate chip morsels as an extra special treat. SHHH).

Source: The Crafting Chicks
http://thecraftingchicks.com/2011/06/paper-lantern-kids-craft4th-of-july-style.html

Paper Lanterns for 4th of July

I came across this cute Patriotic Paper Lantern craft on Pinterest, and it seemed easy enough for both Chica AND Bug. Also? It looked only minorly messy, which in my book is a huge plus. It's always fun to have a craft or recipe to do in conjunction with a holiday. And since we have a wedding to attend at night on July 4th, this is something I could easily do with the girls that morning or even the day before. 

Visit a Local Garden

We are lucky to live near Longwood Gardens, one of the most amazing gardens in the entire nation. We have a membership, so we frequent there often. There are so many great exhibits to explore and Longwood offers lots of family-friendly special events. You may not be local to me, but Find A Garden is a great resource to find a "Happy Botanical Garden" in your area. 

Go to the Library

I know, I know. It's a simple thing. But don't we often overlook the simple things? We've come to really love the library as of late. Both girls are old enough to enjoy time at the library, and Chica is old enough to take books home. I've been reading a lot too (did you see my Summer Reading List?), so we've actually been making weekly trips to return read books and check-out new ones. If you are scratching your head as what to do today, consider a free trip to your local library. You may be surprised how much fun you have!

Grill Pizza for Dinner

This has been my favorite weekly meal for a while now. I discovered the joy of grilling pizza a few months ago. Since then, we've been grilling up pizza once a week. The kids love trying new toppings, and Hubby and I challenge ourselves to create a new gourmet pizza each time. Here is my How to Grill Pizza post (complete with recipes and a how-to video). It's not only tasty and keeps the kitchen cool, but it's a fun activity you can do as a family.

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How are you keeping Summer Boredom at bay? 

What activities do you have on the agenda this week?  

Do any of these suggestions suit your fancy?

I'd love to hear from you, so be sure to leave a comment - and share more Boredom Buster ideas to inspire the rest of us (who knows - they may even be in one of the upcoming Summer Boredom Buster posts!)

Getting My Craft On With A.C. Moore #ACMooreGNO

Craftiness is not my forte.

I shared this recently during my review of Wummelbox. It's not that I don't enjoy crafts. I just struggle to be creative enough to come up with craft ideas. And even when I can find ideas on Pinterest, I sometimes lack the skill to complete a craft in a timely or tidy manner.

So when I was invited to a blogger Craft GNO at my local A.C. Moore, I was thrilled and frightened and pretty sure I'd mess it all up. I was going with some very crafty bloggy friends of mine, and I was pretty sure I'd be the bottom of the Craft Totem Pole for the night.

Luckily I have my good looks and witty sense of humor, no?

Well, I was blown away by my time at A.C. Moore. Blown away. Why? Because A.C. Moore is so stinkin' crafty, that when they guide you through crafts you can't mess it up. They have a newly redesigned website with step-by-step guides to crafts like the Paper Patchwork Composition Book and the Rustic Romantic Quilled Flower Wreath (which we, in fact, made during our #ACMooreGNO. AND I SURVIVED).

A.C.Moore makes me feel a little like this:




Except replace "Beautiful" with "Crafty."

True story.

So want to see the crafts we made?

Friends, meet
Rustic Romantic Quilled Wreath
and
Paper Patchwork Composition Book

The flowers. ::swoon::

Those were the examples. I'm not that good. Here are my half-made creations:

I just have to add my bedazzled initial sticker. 

I looooooved all the cute pieces of paper!

One of my quilled flowers.

Our guide for the night was Robin Beam, who is the Director or Education. For, like, ALL OF A.C. Moore. "Guide" is not strong enough of a word. Sherpa, perhaps. Because Robin? Robin is the Craft Master. I'm pretty sure she bleeds glitter glue. SHE IS AMAZING.

So apart from making great crafts, I learned a lot of important crafty terminology that I didn't know existed. Have you ever heard of:

Quilling?

Cricut?

Scoring Boards?

Yeah, me neither.

But now I do. And I'm hooked.

Quilling is AWESOME. You use this little tool and take scrap pieces of paper and turn them into flowers. WHAT?!

Scrap paper.

BOOM. Flower.

I also learned a bunch about adhesives. Beacon Adhesives was kind enough to come out and share with us all their products.  

Steph Fact: You can glue anything.

Like, there are adhesives for  ev. ery. thing. Fabric? There's an adhesive for that. Semi-porous surface? There's an adhesives for that. Decoupage? There's any adhesive for that.

Yeah. We make things stick together.

Now that school is out, I plan on finishing the two projects I started that night. But I am also excited, because A.C. Moore has Summer Fun Wednesdays every Wednesday from 1-3pm for kids ages 4-12. These are free craft sessions!   Check it out:

If you've ever doubted your craftiness, I highly encourage you to check out the Project Ideas from A.C. Moore, and get your kids crafting at Summer Fun Wednesdays!  

Who wants to have a craft night with me?



I'd love to hear from you:

What crafts would YOU pick to do for a Crafty GNO?

If you could buy one thing from A.C. Moore, what would it be?

What are your favorite crafts? 

Leave a comment!  And let's get crafty!