Crafts

SummerTime Series – Circle Painting

June 19, 2013 by Morgan 5 Comments

summertimeseries1

Summertime, in the scorching desert, is the time of year that we hibernate. If water is not involved then don’t expect to find us outside while the sun is up.

It’s not happening.

This staying inside can occasionally cause a challenge to keep the kids busy and not complaining of boredom.

Don’t get me wrong. I am a firm believer that it’s healthy for kids to get a little bored and learn to entertain themselves.

Mom is not your entertainer.

However, projects that are provided will prove to keep those small idle hands busy and perhaps teach them something new.

For example, drive mom crazy enough and she will give you and your friends paints….

CIRCLE/SHAPE PAINTING

Disposable cups

Acrylic paints

Paint brushes

Mod Podge

Canvas/poster/foam board

**Glitter – optional

This is fairly simple so I’m not going to go into too much detail.

1.Using the cups and your chosen color, dip the cup into the paint and apply to your canvas/poster/foam board

We used foam board

Circle Painting

Circle Painting Boys

2. After the circles are finished have your artists start painting them in.

Acrylic craft paint dries quickly so dry time shouldn’t be too much of an issue.

Circle Painting in the circles

Circle painting example beginning

3. Once they are finished stand back and admire.

Circle Painting complete N

Circle Painting masterpiece

I have a million bottles of glitter for some reason so I pulled them all out and gave them the option of using some.

If you are going to use glitter I suggest you wait until all the paint has dried, apply a layer of Mod Podge Matte or Gloss finish and dump on a large amount. After a few minutes, shake off the excesses.

To preserve our art work, I sprayed it with Mod Podge in spray can.

Love to see what you make!

Filed Under: Crafts, Kid Crafts, summer, SummerTime Series Tagged With: art, Crafts, Kids Crafts, Painting, SummerTime Series

Borax Crystal Craft and Giveaway

June 14, 2013 by Morgan 5 Comments

Borax

It sounds like an industrial solvent but it is actually an extremely hand tool to have around the house.

It can be used for:

laundry detergent

dishwasher hard water

cleaning

stain removal

and my favorite

CRAFTS!

It is also completely natural. So there are not toxic chemicals floating through the air when you are working or playing with it.

Recently, my children and I (with a group of friends) decided to give the Borax crystals a whirl.

The results were amazing and our kids had a wonderful time.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED:

Popsicle sticks

String

Pipe Cleaners

Hot Water

Borax

1. Assemble your ingredients

2. Create your shapes. Make sure that the finish product will fit through the hole of your container.

I only had mason jar readily available so we had to focus on slender shapes.

Attach a string to your shapes and then to the Popsicle stick. The stick needs to be longer than the opening of your container. It will be holding your creation.

3. Dissolve the 3 TABLESPOONS of Borax per 1 CUP of HOT water.

After the Borax has been mixed/dissolve place your designs in the mixture.

4. Leave! Wait 24-48 hours. The longer you wait the larger the crystals.

5. After 24 hours slowly remove the shape and allow them to dry.

This craft is great for ages 4+. We had ages 4-8 represented and all of them enjoyed it. It’s also a wonderful science experiment!

Now time for you to win a box of 20 Mule Team Borax for your home!

3 winners will be chosen!

Enter below

Good LUCK!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I was given three coupons from Purex and 20 Mule Team Borax to review and giveaway. All opinions are my own.

Filed Under: Crafts, giveaways, Kid Crafts Tagged With: Borax, Crafts, Giveaways, Kids Crafts

SummerTime Series – Plastic Bowl Boats with Plain Vanilla Mom

June 12, 2013 by Morgan 4 Comments

Hi I’m Jen, founder of and blogger at Plain Vanilla Mom. First let me say I’m thrilled to be taking part in this SummerTime Series with Becoming Homegrown! I am a full time Mom of three boys, ages 8yrs, 21 months, and 4 months. Yup! I’m a busy bee. I started Plain Vanilla Mom as a creative outlet after making the decision to stay home with my second child. Since then it has become the place where my love of my children, baking, crafting, playing, learning, writing and photography all come together. Phew! That’s a mouth full. Did I mention I stay busy? I hope you’ll stop by for a visit sometime. We’d love to have you! Now, on with some summertime fun!

SummerTime Series Plastic Bowl Boats Header

Some of our best activities have not come from pinterest boards (although there’s some good stuff there) but they are the ones that I throw together on a whim in 5 minutes flat. These plastic bowl boats fit into that category. We’ve had a few hot days lately and I’ve been looking for ways to make my toddler’s experience with the kiddie pool a little different every day. It took all of two minutes to put these plastic bowl boats together and the end result was pretty much a whole afternoon of fun. My 8 year old even got in on the act. I would venture to guess you have everything you need at home already to make them too!

bendy straws
plastic bowl
construction paper or card stock
scotch tape

Summertime Series Plastic Bowl Boats

To Make the Boats

1. Tape the bendy end of the straw straw to the inside bottom of a plastic bowl.

2. Cut a sail out of construction paper.

3. Make a couple of slits in the sail with a pair of scissors and slip it over the straw.

Then… Set sail!

SummerTime Series Plastic Bowl Boat Floating

These little boats are great! My 21 month old has yet to tire of watching the breeze blow them around the kiddie pool. The kids move them around too by blowing on the sails. We’ve since made them a few more times with various sizes of plastic bowls and it never fails to provide us with some good SummerTime entertainment. I suspect these will be a go-to activity for us thorough the summer.

SummerTime Series Plastic Bowl Boats Child

Jen blogs over at plainvanillamom.com You can find her on facebook, twitter & pinterest too.

Filed Under: Kid Crafts, SummerTime Series Tagged With: Crafts, Kids Crafts, SummerTime Series

Summertime Series – Learning the 50 states

June 5, 2013 by Morgan 4 Comments

The SummerTime Series today is by:

Niki Cloud a creative and busy stay at home mom of two boys 8 and 3 1/2. Her oldest, Brady (our handsome subject today)has Aspergers on the autism spectrum. He is uber smart and very hard to keep entertained. During the SummerTime series Niki is going to share the amazing ways she keep Brady busy while learning and having fun!

Help Brady Learn the 50 States

For the Summer of 2012 I needed a plan to keep my almost 2^nd grader busy. The summer before we had learned about the Presidents of the United States, the summer previous to that was all about the alphabet. What will keep our extra active, super smart (if I do say so myself) 7 year old interested for three L-O-N-G months?

I don’t know “when” I had the idea hit, but it was perfect…I would go to EVERY state’s visitor website and order vacation guides. Brady LOVES to get mail so he WOULD totally get mail. How could I make it a little more than just mail? I thought about contacting friends on Facebook. I would ask them if we could schedule a day so Brady could call them in their state and talk to a real-live person in, say, Texas. Hmmm…this would be a huge organizing task. What about just creating a Facebook group page “Help Brady Learn the 50 States” THIS would work!

So, that’s how his/our Summer 2012 project began. I worked on submitting Brady’s name and address 50 times and got the state vacation guides ordered with a confirmation saying, “Your packet will arrive in the mail 4-12 weeks” (most of the time they arrived much quicker than that). The mail started coming! Some states would send a small brochure, other states sent maps, guides to all sorts of activities, and even “MOVE HERE” information. Step one complete!

Then onto Facebook. I created the group and started inviting! I asked friends to invite their friends. I wanted Brady to get a letter from every state in the US. There were two things Brady needed in the letter…

#1-How do you know Brady

#2-Tell Brady 5 things about the state you live in (history, what your state is famous for, anything!)

(Our state map to help keep track of the states we received.)

SURELY I could reach 50 people…and we totally did, more mail for Brady!! Sometime just a short postcard, other letters were a bit more elaborate. My cousin’s fiancé’s grandma even sent a CARE PACKAGE (thanks Rhode Island). Whenever we would get a letter, I’d take his picture and post it to the group page & tag that person so they’d know we had received it. I also made a copy of the US map and colored in the state we received so people could tell which states we had, and those we had not gotten yet. It was a great summer project and I have kept everything in a HUGE 3-ring binder. I just realized, too, that since I took a picture of him nearly every day, how much he GREW…wow!

The infamous Rhode Island package!

From my brother’s high school friend and college roommate who happen to organize the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade! WOW!

This boy LOVES Abraham Lincoln!

What a funny kiddo!

Some late arrivers. Notice how much Brady has grown!

If I were to do it again, I would have him write those people back thanking them for their letters but with his attention span, I was happy to get him to read, that’s just what you get with our boy. Our entire family learned a little more about our wonderful country while never having to leave our house-the ultimate “stay-cation!”

Questions, comments, need a letter from Missouri? Email me!

montrella@hotmail.com

Filed Under: Crafts, Kid Crafts, summer, SummerTime Series Tagged With: Crafts, Kids, Learning, SummerTime Series

How to write a project tutorial

June 2, 2013 by Morgan 6 Comments

I enjoy crafts and projects. I am really fond of projects that end in magnificence. There is nothing quite like creating something that not only do you want to show off to others but you will proudly display in your home. It’s rewarding and satisfying. Your stating, YES, I MADE THIS AND YES IT LOOKS GREAT! However, there are times when those would be/should be projects end in failure and you are looking at a mess of felt, needles and stuffing cursing the tutorial screaming “LIAR!”. Tutorial’s can make or break a person’s crafty loving spirit.

How to right a good tutorial:

1. BE HONEST. If that Happy Birthday banner took you six hours and left you swearing like a sailor do not post it with words like; easy, simple, fast and fun to do. It’s deceiving and it will make you followers curse you AND the banner.

2. Take pictures. Even if you are taking 20 billion pictures and you are thinking “No one could possibly be this stupid”, your wrong. I am that stupid. I will screw it up if there is not a visual aid, especially if it involves food.

3. Include those details. For every picture include explanations. For example:

Here is a picture of my homemade pallet planter that I made from scratch.

Here it is again from the left side.

Here it is from the right side.

From this angle can you see all my fertile plants growing food that you can’t?

That can be four pictures with four explanations.

4. List the supplies or ingredients at the TOP of the tutorial. I like to see what I need before I start skimming the pictures and falling in love with your creation. If I see that you used industrial grade sealant that can only purchased in Minnesota on Monday, Wednesday and Friday I will be extremely irritated. Cursing will then ensue.

5. Kid crafts are not one size fits all. I love doing crafts with my kids…most of the time. But if I spot a craft that is labeled “Great to do with kids” and see the perfect final project, I will know within a matter of seconds how much help your children provided. That cardboard Spaceship with real buttons, lights and access to NASA was NOT built by your kids. I don’t care how many of them you can squeeze into that picture. If the craft is for little guys, elementary or adults, say so! Forget your stats and SEO ratings and be nice.

My craft project today broke rules 1-5

I gave up.

Now my child has some weird doll that looks more like a Voodoo doll than Star Wars.

Filed Under: Crafts, Humor Tagged With: Crafts, Humor

Summertime Series – Must haves in your d.i.y. or craft stash

May 29, 2013 by Morgan 4 Comments

Today starts the SummerTime Series on Becoming Homegrown. Every Wednesday, new ideas, tips, tutorials or recipes will be posted in order to help you or kids stay busy this summer. It is easy to get stuck in a rut and repeat the same activities every day but a small project or craft can help break the monotony without breaking the bank.

In our family we do a lot of art projects and I am always looking for a good D.I.Y project. Over time I have learned that it is essential to keep certain items always in stock that allow me to do almost any project (within reason).

Essentials for your d.i.y or craft stash

Hot Glue gun ~ This amazing tool can put back together a broken toy, cabinet door and add a little pep to that dreary thumbtack or Cork board.
Mod Podge ~ Spray or paint. I am not sure how I ever worked without Mod Podge. It can give your finished project a little shine AND makes sure it stays sealed. I have used it on art work and d.i.y. projects. It is a multi-purpose genius glue.
Acrylic paint ~ We always paint with acrylic paint. I like the colors that are offered, it is always a great price and it is easy to use. I am not a fan of children paints. The color selection is usually minimal and mostly within primary color range.
Spray Adhesive/Sealant ~ Just buy it. It’s like Mod Podge on crack. It’s awesome and about 3.50 a can.
Buttons~ Buy buttons that you and your children enjoy. They are GREAT for added decoration in crafts and sometimes you can find a fun use for them too. Be sure to buy one that you actually enjoy.
Cardboard Letters ~ These are easily traced on to that stolen barn wood or pallet piece that you are dying to hang in your kitchen. The other option can be the vinyl stickers that you can paint over and then pull off but if you don’t have stickers readily available then the letters can save you. I have Small, Medium, and Large. Hobby Lobby has a great inexpensive selection.
Glitter~ Even if you have boys (like I do) there will always be a time to use glitter. Don’t believe me, check Pinterest.
Pipe Cleaners ~ For the kids. Children love pipe cleaners and they can be used on crafts AND awesome baked good creations.
Wooden sticks~ These can be long thin “craft” wood stick or merely Popsicle sticks. These always prove useful to have around. See below:
Spray Paint~ It’s not just for tagging train cars. It can make a dollar store tin look like a vintage find in about five minutes. The are so many colors that it is almost more fun to use that acrylic paint.
Colored Pencils, Crayons, and Markers~ Sometimes paint is not on the agenda with little hands. Pull out the crayons and let them go to town. In our house the kids have their own set of everyday crayons and coloring pencils but if there is a specific project they need to work on I have a secret stash in the closest. (I also have my own personal stash of colored pencils that I DON’T share)
Elmers glue~ Easier for kids to use and it can be used to make a slimy glop most kids enjoy. (Equal parts glue and shaving cream) If you are feeling adventurous you can add a bit of elmers glue with food coloring and it adds a nice color to whatever you are glue or painting.

This is a fairly basic list. If you lean more to the d.i.y. there are many more items that are essential to have on hand but for everyday projects and crafts this should get you started!

**Interested in contributing? Email me at morgan@becominghomegrown.com. I am always looking to feature new bloggers!**

Filed Under: Crafts, DIY, SummerTime Series Tagged With: Crafts, DIY, Ideas

Unique Tie-Dyeing that is worth the time

May 17, 2013 by Morgan 1 Comment

I have come to the conclusion that the majority of art crafts or projects that I choose for my children are really projects that I want to do. If you take a glance at my Pinterest board there are a variety projects on the “Ideas for the kids” board that I have fallen in love in with and can’t wait to try.

Do I think the kids will like them?

Maybe.

Do I really care?

Nope.

Are we going to do them anyways?

Yep.

Art under protest sometimes brings out the best results.

This, however, was not one of those times. My kids and I really enjoyed this one.

SHARPIE T-SHIRT DYEING

I found this tutorial being pinned like mad and I jumped on the pinning bandwagon.

It is easy, has minimal ingredients and can be very creative.

We had a lot of fun experimenting.

The above is mine trying different techniques.

Annie, the creator of this up-cycled brilliance, recommends using a cup underneath the design. Tightening the design across with a rubber band around the brim and dropping rubbing alcohol on it.

The affect is seen in the finished circles above.

I played around with the idea and some designs….

I ditched the cup and simply added drops of alcohol on each spot and waited

The tutorial gives you and step by step process including ingredients and photos.

This is a GREAT art project for both kids and adults alike.

Unique and it doesn’t take days to create. Individuality on a clock. My favorite kind of individuality, the fast kind.

Now don’t be surprised if your kids don’t create something astonishing… (Not that mine is either)

It’s going to look more like this:

Blobs of color.

Well….

Jackson Pollock had to start somewhere.

Filed Under: Crafts, Kid Crafts Tagged With: art, Easy, Kids, Kids Crafts

Adventures in Pinterest

March 16, 2013 by Morgan 10 Comments

I have posted about my adventures with Pinterest projects in the past and they average about 50/50 in the success and failure rate. Each time I have one that is an enormous success and people are raving about my brilliance, I have another that is miserable and almost too humiliating to report.

In the last month I had three separate projects and the stats stayed true to form. One success, one failure and one right in between.

Failure:

I love art projects with my kids. I really enjoy trying new mediums and process to create. I ran across the Impressionism Crayon Art all done with an Iron.

Ours did not come out as pretty…. We broke our crayons into tiny pieces

and created pretty abstract-ish designs

applied the newspaper

and after I ironed..(but first the crayon “juice” was EVERYWHERE)

We tried to fix it. We melted individual crayons for the drop effect.

Now we are sending it to the Grandparents. They can’t say no to little children “artwork”, it’s illegal.

Success: Homemade Fabric Softener Ball

Jill over at One Good Thing has an incredibly easy DIY for homemade dryer balls.

Easy and it works. These are my balls. (insert immature joke here)

Success mixed with Failure: Boys bathroom scrub

Boys bathrooms stink. This is truth. No matter how much scrubbing and bleach will fully rid the bathroom of the stench. It will smell clean for awhile but soon afterwards the smell returns.

I found a recipe for a homemade cleaner (baking soda and lemon) juice that was supposed to get rid of the smell. The failure is the consistency.

You are supposed to make a paste and apply it to the floor and surround areas of the toilet region. The paste is crusty. Not really a paste…

It was horribly hard to apply and afterwords there was no scrubbing. It looked like this. Crummy. I had to vacuum up the stuff and scrub again. However, the smell hasn’t returned in over 4 days so…. smell success?

Projects with pinterest are adventures. Sometimes you get exactly what you want and other times you are left scratching you head thinking….Seriously?

Filed Under: Crafts, DIY, Humor, Kid Crafts Tagged With: DIY, Humor, Kids Crafts, Pinterest

Pointillism craft

February 25, 2013 by Morgan Leave a Comment

This is a fairly easy art project you can do with your kids or classroom that will introduce the concept of pointillism.

I am big fan of pointillism with younger kids because it can really get the kids involved in the process of creating. Instead of using a brush, fingers and q-tips are the tools of the trade. Painting becomes fun and memorable and it will be easier for them to remember the medium in the future.

Cut a circle or any shape you can out of a paper. Tape the paper with either masking tape or to the table itself. (to avoid it damaging the actual piece)

Depending on the age of the kids, they may be able to cut the shape themselves. Have your paints and q-tips ready to go. Once they have completed filling in the shape remove the paper.

The tree trunk was added after they circle was complete. After the shapes are filled encourage them to add more and be creative.

Here are two results from our pointillism day.

This has the ability to take a lot of time or be a quick and simple craft. I had some kids that needed to be directed a bit but the majority of them loved the process and really put forth an effort.

Have fun creating!

Filed Under: Kid Crafts Tagged With: art, Kids Crafts, Kindergarten

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