A Time for Felt Pins/Magnets

You have all heard me admit time and time again that I am not a crafty/creative person. But I really enjoy doing crafts...especially the easy ones. Thankfully I have some really crafty people in my life and so I get great ideas from them. We did this craft at a recent Bible study and it was very easy. I thought they'd make great "just because" gifts for people whose day you want to brighten. 

You will need the following:
* Felt flowers (can find on amazon, joann fabrics, etc.)
* Small colorful buttons (use what you have on hand or you can get little bags cheap like the ones pictured at Walmart)
* Pin backs (I got mine on amazon but I'm sure any craft store carries them)
* Magnetic Buttons (Walmart)
* Hot glue gun

Once you have all your supplies the fun begins. I got everything except the buttons on Amazon because I don't have a lot of time for shopping so I take advantage of the free shipping and I don't have to leave the house...it's a win-win. The buttons I found at Walmart for $1.97 a bag because I didn't have a lot of colorful buttons on hand. First you will want to plan out your flower. You can use 2-3 different sizes/colors and hot glue one on top of the other to make a colorful flower. Then you choose a button to hot glue in the center of the flower. Now you can either make it a magnet or a pin. Once you decide hot glue the pin back or self adhesive magnet to the back of the flower and you are done! 
These aren't just for adults either. I made a pin for Jena and she loves it. I keep it on her jacket and it gives it a fun spring flair! Hope you enjoy making these for yourselves!

A Time for Tile Coasters

Any of you on Pinterest have certainly seen this project! But I thought I would share this super easy craft for those of you who aren't on Pinterest. The first time I made these coasters was during one of our ladies Bible studies and I liked it so much I made several sets this Christmas for teacher gifts. I have gotten so many positive remarks. Here's what you will need:

Ceramic Tiles (find at any home improvement store. I got mine at Lowe's for $0.15 each!)

Scrapbook paper cut into squares (not quite the same size as the tile)

Modge Podge and a brush to brush it on

Krylon Clear Glaze

Felt pads or felt cut up into squares for the back of the tiles

First you want to wash and dry the tiles. Then choose the scrapbook paper you want. I made the coasters in sets of 4. Some I chose 2 different patterns and some I used 4 different coordinating patterns. This is the fun and creative part!

Apply felt pads or squares to the back of your tiles. I prefer the pads and put one on each corner of the tile.

Next put modge podge on the back of the scrapbook paper and lay on the tile (line it up so it's straight). I gently press down on the paper to make sure it adheres well. Also try to get rid of any air bubbles there may be.

Now use the modge podge and over the entire top of the tile and top of scrapbook paper. You want to use enough to get a good hold but not too much so that it doesn't want to dry. 

Wait 15 mins for the tiles to dry then take them outside or in a well ventilated room and place them on a piece of plastic or tarp. Anything that will protect the surface they are on. Now you want to spray a couple coats of the clear glaze. I put one coat, then another about 1/2 hr. later. Let the tiles dry for 24hrs. to make sure they are dry. 

That's it!! It's so super easy and makes a great, inexpensive gift!! 

A Time to make-over a trash can!

Before

I have been wanting to do this project for a couple of years now. The trash can to the left is the trash can we use in our house. It's big and that's what I like about it. What I don't like about it is how ugly it is. I have been wanting to paint it but was worried about ruining it, knowing that if I did ruin it I would be stuck with it because my husband had told me NOT TO PAINT IT! :) He jokes with the kids that someday he's going to wake up painted because I paint everything.

After

Once my dad finished painting the cabinets (pretty cool aren't they?) I was determined to paint the trash can. I am happy to tell you that I am thrilled with the results!


To do this project, here's what you'll need:
1 galvanized metal trash can 
1 can self etching primer
1 can Rust-Oleum spray paint (you choose the color)


1. In order to paint any galvanized or stainless steel metal you first need to prime it with self etching primer so that the paint will adhere to it. I wasn't able to find this at any of our local hardware stores so I ordered from amazon and was able to get free shipping! 
2. Next you'll need to choose your color. I chose Rust-Oleum Gloss Protective Enamel in Regal Red. 
3. Wash your can well and make sure it's completely dry before you spray the can.

This is what it will look like
after 2 coats of primer

4.  Follow the instructions on the can of your primer. You will want to spray your can in a well ventilated room, like a garage with the door open or outside. This stuff is incredibly strong! You will want to put on at least 2 thin coats of the primer before using the paint. You only need to let it dry about 10 minutes between coats. Let it dry 24-hrs after you are finished spraying the can with the primer.
5. Now you can start spraying your can with the paint. Again, you want to be in a well ventilated room and spray on several thin coats. It took me about 4 coats to get it completely covered. Let it dry a few minutes between coats of paint. When it is fully painted and you are satisfied let it dry a day or two before using it. 


If you are really artistic, which I am not, you can really have some fun painting a design on it if you want to really customize it.

I'm so happy with the results. Not only does it look ten times better in the kitchen but it also cleans better. I bought an extra can of the same color to have on hand in case I need to do any touch-ups. I'm not sure how it is going to hold up to the every day abuse it will take but I'm hoping for the best! 


***If you noticed none of my canning jars have covers in the picture above, that's because I'm working on a project that I can't wait to share!

A Time for Crayons

Ever wondered what to do with the broken pieces of crayons you have? I know with my kids they are always breaking crayons. After seeing this idea I knew I had to try making some of my own.


Here's what you'll need:
Broken pieces of crayon
A silicon baker with shapes of your choice


Preheat your oven to 250*


First you need to decide what colors you want. If you use the darker crayons (black, purple, dark blue) it will melt and look black. If you want brighter colors keep out the darker ones. 

Next peel the paper off the crayons. This is a step the little ones can help you with. If you are having a hard time getting the paper off, soak the crayons in water first.

Now you will need to break the crayons into small pieces. My silicon baker was very small so I had to use a knife to chop the crayon to get pieces small enough to fit. I placed my silicone baker on an old metal cookie sheet to make moving it easier.

Once they are all cut up you can start filling your baker with the crayon pieces.I chose gingerbread men. Bake in the oven till the wax is melted. I had to leave mine in there for 20 mins. but you may need less time so keep an eye on it. Remove from oven and place in the freezer for 5-10 mins. or until it's set. Remove from freezer and pop the crayons out by inverting your silicone baker. 

How cute are these?! This will make a fun and adorable treat for our Good News Clubbers on Friday!

A Time to Organize Kids Art Supplies

This idea is the best one I've come across in a long time! We have a lot of art/craft supplies because it's great to have on hand for activities for the kids. The frustration I always have is how to keep it organized. I basically had a bin for all the paint stuff that I had in one spot, then a tin for all crayons and that was in another spot and a place for papers, etc. It was all organized but not in one place. This idea keeps it all in one place and I am just so happy with this system!
Ben bought me the tool caddy (I think that's what they call them) at Home Depot and we have dozens of 5-gallon buckets because that's how I buy my laundry detergent. Just  slide the caddy over the bucket and voila! Then you can start placing things in the many dividers and pockets. I did two, one for the kids drawing and card making stuff and another for their paint supplies. 

Inside the bucket for the drawing supplies are the tracing, drawing and construction papers, container of crayons and coloring books. On the outside I put markers, pencils, pens, tape, pipe cleaners, tape, stickers, rulers, etc. For the second bucket of paint supplies I put the painting smocks I make the younger ones wear and the paint cups (everyone with kids should own these! I love them!) with bottles of refill paint. On the outside I put the brushes, paper, more paint bottles and glitter paints. 

This had been working really well. I store the buckets in the bottom of the closet and then when it's time for one of these activities just pull out the bucket and it's all there. So easy, and so organized! I think the caddy cost about $6 so it's inexpensive too!

A Time for Painting

I have been introduced to a little thing called Pinterest and it has not only been a wonderful avenue to waste time but also of great inspiration. After one day of being on I had plans for just about every inch of space in our house. That is when I began painting everything in sight! My husband joked that he would come home one day to find I had spray painted our suburban.


The first thing I really wanted to do was from an idea I saw on a blog called Less Than Perfect Life of Bliss. I scoured my house and attic for frames I wasn't using. I then located as much leftover paint from various projects and got to work. I have also seen in "blog land" people doing different things with letters of the alphabet and  I really liked those ideas too so I decided to combine the two ideas. I found unfinished letters at Ocean State Job Lots for $1 each and just picked random letters. Then I painted...and I painted....and I painted. The end result was this

It's not quite finished as there is still about a foot or so of this wall left to fill and I still need to find some of the kids art work to hang in the frames. I don't know if you can tell but the larger frames have a nail on the top of the inside of the frame that I hung a butterfly clip from to hang the artwork. The smaller frames are too small to hang art work but I know one of these days I will find the perfect idea for them on Pinterest...yes, the website is just that good! The picture doesn't do this space justice. It's super adorable in person.

A Time for Rice

How cool does this rice look? I saw this idea  at Share & Remember and knew I had to make some. If you remember, awhile back I posted HERE how my kids love to play in beans so I knew they would love this too. 

All I did was take a clear "under the bed" storage bin that I had and wasn't using as my container to store it. It's big enough that 2 can play in it easily and it has a lid for when we are not using it. Then I measured 1 cup of rice and put it in a ziploc bag. Then I measured 1 tbs. of food coloring (I played around with the colors to get different shades) and dumped that in the plastic bag. Then I measured 2 tbs of rubbing alcohol and put it in the bag. I then sealed the bag and began coating the rice in the colored liquid. When we did this is was during a week we had no sun so I let in dry in the bags for about a day, then dumped it all in the bin and let it air out on the porch. The reason I did this is because I found the alcohol to smell really strong so before I let the kids play in it I wanted to get some of the smell out. 


I foresee a lot of our winter days consumed with playing in the rice! And since I am working on colors with Will (identifying and speaking) this is a great activity to make the "work" of that fun for him.  

A Time to Make a Spoon Necklace

This spoon necklace was a craft we did at our Bible study a couple weeks ago. We have a very talented artist in our church and she taught us how to do this. The spoons had already been cut and bent for us, we just needed to do the remainder of the work.

If you want to try this at home, here's what you'll need:


Silver spoon
Hacksaw
Sand paper or rotary tool
Pliers
Acrylic Paint (various colors)
Thin paintbrushes
2-part Epoxy Resin
1 measuring tsp
Clear disposable plastic cup
Toothpick
A few cups of rice
8X8 or larger dish or container
Ribbon 
Embellishments (optional)


The first thing you do once you have selected your spoon is to cut of the handle using a hacksaw and leaving about 1 inch. Sand down the rough edge with a rotary tool (using wire attachment) or by hand with sandpaper. Next take a pair of pliers and bend the remainder of the handle to form a circle. You want the edge to touch the back of the spoon or get as close to it as you can. 


Using acrylic paint start by painting your spoon one solid color. This will take two coats. Let it dry completely in between coats of paint. We used a hairdryer to speed the process along and it took only a couple of minutes for it to dry. Now your spoon is ready for the art. Paint whatever you like. I love sunflowers so that's why I chose to do a sunflower. This is a delicate process so you want to use very little paint and a thin brush. Our teacher had some really nice gold embellishment's we could put on so I chose a dragonfly. If you choose to put embellishments on this is the time to do it...before the resin is poured on. Once you are finished your painting you want to let it dry. We did this project in two steps so I'm not exactly sure how long you would need to let the paint dry before adding the epoxy but I'd say a couple of hours to be on the safe side. 


While your spoon is drying take your tray or plate (we used a 9X11 plastic tupperware) and cover it with rice. You will use this to rest your spoon on once you have poured the resin into it.


Taking your 2-part epoxy resin you want to mix equal parts of each expoxy. We mixed 1 tsp. of the first kind with 1 tsp of the second kind (order does not matter) into the plastic cup. Take the toothpick and stir the mix gently for about 2 minutes. Very carefully pour the resin into the base of the spoon till it just meets the edge of the spoon. If you get any of the resin on the table or your hands wipe it immediately with nail polish remover. We covered the tables with newspaper to be on the safe side and I recommend you do the same. Hold your spoon and watch as air bubbles begin to rise to the surface. You want to gently blow on the spoon to pop them. Some of us had success with this process and others didn't. Joy mentioned that those who had more air bubbles than others most likely stirred the epoxy too fast when mixing. After about 5 minutes the bubbles should be done rising to the top. Then gently place the spoon onto the rice and cover the container. This is to avoid dust landing on the spoon before the resin has dried. Place the container in a place you know it won't be disturbed for 24-hrs. 

The next day check to make sure the resin is hardened. Take a piece of ribbon to put the spoon pendant on. You can use anything you like for the necklace part. 


This was a really neat project to do. I am not at all an artist but my sunflower didn't turn out half bad. If I can do it, then any of you can do it too!

A Time to Make Puzzles

I have been looking for things to decorate the playroom walls for awhile now. Every time I see something cute though it seems to cost a fortune and I just can't justify spending a lot of money on a PLAY room. It never occurred to me to find puzzles to frame because I am NOT a puzzle person. I find no enjoyment in making them much to my children's dismay. This one above is a Melissa & Doug puzzle and was a birthday gift for one of the boys. After we made it I just kept thinking how pretty it is and how perfect it would be hanging on the wall of the playroom. I asked him what he thought about putting some modge podge over it to glue it together. He loved the idea because he had seen some in his aunt Addie's room not too long ago and thought it was very cool. It's an odd shape so I haven't been able to find a reasonably priced frame for it yet. We're still brainstorming ideas of how we can mount it on the wall so if you have any ideas send them my way! 

A Time for Cake Stands

In Columbia Falls with Robin
& Tony

A couple of weeks ago we went up to Columbia Falls, ME to stay with some friends for the weekend. Robin is into antiques and her home is amazing. She took me out "antiquing" to some different places around their area and in talking she mentioned to me a craft making cake stands she and her grand-daughters do. I fell in love with the idea and decided to give it a try myself. As soon as we got home I went to the flea market down the road from our house to get some supplies.

I remembered this particular flea market has tables full of dishes and odds and ends all for $0.25 a piece. What you need are plates, any kind that you like. Then find candlestick holders or something similar for the base. I found what you see pictured. I tried to find plates that reminded me of someone to give it to them as a gift once it's made. To get started find a plate & base then you'll need a strong glue. I used amazing e-6000 that I found at Walmart for under $4. 

I chose this plate because it made me think of my aunt, Joyce, who now lives in GA. She entertains a lot and I thought this might be a fun piece for her to have to serve a desert of some sort. And if she ends up not liking it then it only cost me 50 cents to make!! 

Once you've made your selection make sure you wash the plate and base well and dry it before you begin. Take the glue and cover the rim (the area the candle would go in) of the candlestick holder with the glue. The tricky part is getting the base even on the plate so that it's centered. Apply light pressure to the candlestick once you've placed it on the plate for a few seconds to get the glue to hold. Leave it for a few hours before you try to pick it up. 

My finished product

What I love about this craft is you can be so creative as there are so many different kinds of plates and candlesticks. I love looking around flea markets so I'm really looking forward to the challenge of finding just the right base for just the right plate! If you decide to try this craft I would love to see your finished product!

A Time for Jelly Bean Topiaries

Jena's 1st birthday is coming up and for the theme I choose to do jelly beans because we call her Jena Bean and because I didn't love anything the stores were selling. I do not normally go all out for birthdays. All the kids have had a 1st birthday and we always celebrate with family, sometimes extended family sometimes not. I honestly feel birthday parties have gotten a little crazy when it comes to how extravagant some can be. Then again, who am I to tell people how to spend their money!  I say all this to say that for someone who isn't usually into big birthday parties, I am going nuts with Jena's party. I think it's because she's my first girl and let's face it, she's spoiled and I'm a little obsessed with her. My mother-in-law sent me this link for instructions on how to make a Jelly Bean Topiary. I fell in love with this idea and decided I would make these for Jena's party. I tweaked it a little to make it my own as you can see. It was a little time consuming but so worth the effort. I love how they turned out. 


What You'll Need: (to make one)
Approx. 150-200 long pearlized pins
1 foam ball 
Long wooden dowel
A bucket 
Green foam 
Moss or colored grass
Approx. 3 bags of jelly beans
Ribbon (optional)
Rocks


I did not paint my foam balls, I left them white. Start by taking the dowel and making a small hole in one end of the foam ball. For the jelly beans any brand will do. It's up to you what color you want them. I happened to find the Jolly Rancher brand for $0.88 a bag at Marden's so that's what I used. Start pinning the jelly beans to the foam ball. You can do this however you want. I went in a circular pattern for one and for the second did a more random pattern. Stick a long pin in the middle of the jelly bean to secure it to the foam ball. Do this till it's completely covered. Place the green foam at the bottom of the bucket. When the foam ball is completely covered with jelly beans stick the wooden dowel into it then place it in the bucket using the green foam to secure it. I had to use rocks to weight down the foam once the topiary was in place because it was too top heavy. Then cover the rocks with moss or colored grass. If you like you can tie ribbon around the dowel. It's that easy!

A Time to Have Some Friends Day 4

It was a Star Wars kind of day. When my dad arrived yesterday, he brought along a gift my sister had for Noah for his birthday, this Star Wars mask you see Will wearing. One great thing about having an older cousin is you get all his hand-me-downs and they're always in brand new condition! My dad also had a gift for Noah...Star Wars coloring pages. I love that my kids still get excited about little things! You would think that with all this Star Wars stuff that our kids must really be into them and I guess they are but I don't know how since we've never let them watch it. Anything they know about it comes from kids at school talking about it and so with that comes some poor facts about Star Wars. For example: as they are coloring Owen says, "look mom I colored this guy green. Noah told me his name is Toyota". I laughed and said, "No, I'm pretty sure his name is Yodi". I'm pretty sure we're both wrong as I've never seen it either. I was glad they all were enjoying coloring these pages because I hadn't prepared a craft for today. We were supposed to go to a play date at my friends house but the weather did not cooperate. We got A TON of snow today. :( I'm ready for spring!

Everyone was pretty cranky today. I think being in the house together for this many days had all the kids on each other's nerves. Today was the first day that I had to deal with fighting amongst the natives. After the coloring and after trying to get them to play well in the playroom I decided I'd give in and let them watch a movie since it's all they really wanted to do. Toy Story it was and I didn't hear a sound out of them till it was over! I also had everyone go down for a nap today too. I figured they all just needed to be in their own quiet space for a couple hours. When they woke up everyone was getting along much better and we had a good evening. Emily was especially happy since we had her favorite for supper...spaghetti! I also gave all 7 baths tonight...I will never complain about having to do 5 baths again! :) The girls really miss mommy tonight but I think that's because I've been telling them all day that she'll be here tonight and when they wake up they'll see her. They went to bed very well. No tears just excitement for the morning! We say goodbye to our friends tomorrow but we'll see them again in July when we're in Madawaska for our family vacation!

* I also want to thank everyone for their prayers not just for me and my busy week but also for Jena. She is doing so much better and back to the happy little Jena Bean we're used to!

A Time to Have Some Friends Day 3

The kids continued to do very well on Thursday. It was a more hectic day then the other days were and I'm not really sure why. It was harder to get everyone focused but once I did they appeared to be enjoying themselves. The craft for today was making bookmarks with "foamies". I was able to get a package of them for under $3 and everyone got to make 3. I bought the special "foamies" paint, some glitter glue sticks and let the little ones use markers and stickers to decorate them. This craft they really enjoyed and still after making 3, wanted to make more. The markers worked very well on the foam and I think next time would consider only having markers to use if I have little ones. Less mess to clean up afterwards. 

I knew that Ben was wanting to take the kids outside to play when he got home so to release some of their energy in the afternoon I had them go ride scooters and roller skate in the addition. They LOVED this and have continued to be out there playing. Abby & Emily are great on skates!


When Ben got home, he and my Dad took the kids out sledding and they played out there for a good hour and a half while I took care of things inside. My sister sent the kids a Rescue Hero's movie with my dad so in the evening they watched that then it was time for bed. They have been so great going to bed without any trouble and no tears! We know lots of people must be praying for us because what could easily be a very chaotic, unpleasant time is going incredibly smoothly! 

A Time to Have Some Friends Day 2

After a good nights rest everyone was in good spirits all day and FULL of energy! I'm wiped, but so happy to see all the kids playing so well together. Right now Ben is at prayer meeting with the 4 older ones. I had to stay home since Jena is sick and kept the younger boys home as well. I would be lying if I said I wasn't happy to have a few minutes of quiet right now!

Our craft for today was making bead necklaces and bracelet's. This, thankfully, took up the majority of our morning and when they all got tired of making them out of beads it was suggested we try Fruit Loops. I didn't have any but they were satisfied with Cheerios so craft time turned into snack time, which was fine with me.

I was really happy that today all the food I made for everyone got eaten. Yesterday we didn't do so well so I was concerned that today would yield the same results. We had sloppy joes for supper. Not the kind from a can but homemade. Abby informed me that she eats these at the school cafeteria and that mine aren't as good but they're pretty good....I'm not sure how I feel about that, haha! In my day cafeteria food was pretty bad so......

It was another beautiful day for playing outside so again, the older ones went out while the younger ones napped. I looked out to check on them at one point and saw Noah sliding off our "spare" car in the backyard and plow into Abby. I went out to tell him that wasn't a good idea, he could hurt her and he says, "no it's ok. I'm a bowling ball and she's the pin, I'm supposed to hit her". Oh...ok. Shortly after I had them all come in and take a nap too, since I knew tonight would be a late night for them. All 4 slept soundly for 2 hours...wish I could say the same for my younger ones!

Everyone is getting a kick out of Jena's nebulizer treatments. She makes all the kids laugh, it's so cute. Emily also has really warmed up to Ben. This evening after supper they sat at the piano together singing songs. It was very sweet. Tomorrow Ben is home with us all evening(poor guy has had a really busy week with late nights) and he's really looking forward to spending some time with all the kids. My dad will also be here visiting so that should add to the excitement! The girls talk a lot about mommy on vacation in North Carolina! It's evident they miss her but they are such troopers and have been a real joy to have around.

A Time to Have Some Friends Day 1

We are very lucky to have some special friends with us this week. They are from "where Oma & Pepere live", otherwise known as Madawaska! So we don't get to see them as often as we'd like to. Their mom is on a much needed vacation in North Carolina while we take care of them. Part of my survival kit for this week is having lots of activities for them. I thought I'd blog about each day so their mom can come and take a look at what they're up to and see the fun they're having.

Yesterday we did a mask craft. I found these wooden masks at Joann's for $1.00 so I got one for each of the kids and they painted them. You could easily use markers to color these also, which was my original plan. Once I got home and inspected the markers (whose caps were left off for several days) I realized they were no longer any good. So plan b...paint. For obvious reason paint is never my first choice but they actually did a great job.

Later in the afternoon after I put the younger 3 down for their naps I let the older 4 go outside and play. It was such a beautiful day yesterday with the sun out. Our neighbors grandson also came over and joined the fun. About 2 hours later he and Noah bumped heads leaving Noah with a bloody nose. It seemed like the perfect time to bring them all back in!

All in all it was a very good first day. Minus Jena needing to go to the Dr. and finding out she is one sick little lady, it was a very successful day. Everyone agreed that the best way to end the day was in PJ's watching The Backyardigans!