Crafts/DIY – Page 4

DIY Bouncing Ball

May 1, 2017 by Danielle 73 Comments

Make DIY bouncing balls with your kids and share the fun of science in the process!

Have you ever wanted to make your own toys? See your creation unfold from idea to reality? My kids absolutely love balls. They always ask to buy more and our front yard is filled with them. So when I saw this tutorial on About.com on how to make polymer balls I had to give it a try.

Result? A pretty fun experiment and toy all in one! And while the ball doesn’t bounce quite as high as the ones you buy from the machine outside of the grocery store it still provides hours of entertainment for children and adults alike. Whether you are looking to teach your kids about a little chemistry or just ready to make a fun toy, this is the perfect craft for a lazy afternoon.

This post contains affiliate links.

DIY Bouncing Balls

What You’ll Need:

borax (found in the laundry section of the store)
cornstarch (found in the baking section of the store)
white glue (makes an opaque ball) or blue or clear school glue (makes a translucent ball)
warm water
food coloring (optional)
measuring spoons
spoon or craft stick to stir the mixture
2 small plastic cups or other containers for mixing
marking pen
watch with a second hand
ruler
ziploc bag

Smurfette’s Secret Succulent Fairy Garden

April 10, 2017 by Danielle 1 Comment

This secret succulent fairy garden would make a perfect gift for Mother’s Day or any other special occasion. Plus, it’s super easy to put together when you have the right tools!

A few weeks ago we were invited to a screening of Smurfs The Lost Village and boy did my kids love it! The movie took us through the story of Smurfette’s creation and her struggle with finding her unique talent. Since she was made out of clay and different from the other Smurfs, she grew sad and frustrated with her lack of being able to master one skill.

As the story unfolds, she and a few Smurf friends head off on an adventure that brings her to realize who she really is and the power she holds inside.

Well… my kids were quite inspired by the movie because as soon as we got home they wanted to create their own Smurf village in the back yard! The fun plants that came alive and the various creatures found along Smurfette’s journey were all they could talk about.

So I pitched a fairy garden but instead of fairies, we used Smurfs! And how perfect did it turn out? Plus? It was so easy for the kids to make!

Watch the video at the end of this post for more details!

Star Wars Rogue One Perler Bead Templates: Rebel Alliance and Galactic Empire

April 4, 2017 by Danielle 1 Comment

Use these Rogue One Rebel Alliance and Galactic Empire Perler Bead Templates to show the world if you’re on the dark side or the light side and see if your true Jedi comes out!

May the 4th… er… April the 4th be with you.

Today’s the day!! Did you preorder your copy of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story? If not, get on it! It comes out on Blu-ray/DVD today and is the perfect addition to your ever-growing collection of Star Wars movies.

The fact that it is being released on my husband’s birthday did not escape me. How perfect is it to have one of your favorite movie franchises release a movie ON your birthday? Kismet! In celebration of my husband’s birthday and the release of Rogue One on store shelves, my daughter and I got to crafting to make the perfect birthday gift for dad: Star Wars Perler Bead creations!

My daughter has been obsessed with her Perler beads since receiving them for Christmas this past year so when she was thinking of what to make her dad for a birthday gift, she immediately went and grabbed her Perler bead kit. But she couldn’t figure out what to make. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Crafts/DIY, Disney, Disney Crafts, DIsney Movies, Kids Crafts Tagged With: Crafts for Kids, disney, Disney DVD, Disney Movies, kids activities, Kids Crafts, Perler beads, Star Wars, Star Wars Rogue One

20 Beautiful Butterfly Crafts for Kids

April 3, 2017 by Danielle 2 Comments

In celebration of spring, we’ve put together a list of 20 butterfly crafts for kids that will be perfect for celebrating spring with the littles! Try one or try them all and add some springtime fun to your day with the kids.

Springtime is my favorite time of the year! I get back into gardening, enjoying the birds in the back yards making nests and eating from our bird feeders, and the gorgeous butterflies flying around our yard.

Spring also begins on my birthday most years so it holds a special place in my heart. There’s something about getting outside and soaking in the sunshine after a few weeks of rain. And one of my favorite things to do is to go outside with a blanket and lay down in the grass with the kids as we look up and watch nature around us.

The kids are always amazed at how much they can see once they sit still and silence themselves for a few moments. I ask each of them to try and find one new thing they didn’t notice when we first came outside and I love hearing what they discover. Yesterday Ethan discovered that the bird who nests at our house every year has finally returned. So we can expect some babies soon!! Molly is on the hunt for caterpillars so we can see if we can watch them turn to chrysalises.

If you want some hands-on inspiration for your butterfly crafts, try creating a butterfly garden in the yard so you can attract butterflies in your yard for the kids to check out.

Butterfly Crafts for Kids

1. Coffee Filter Butterfly | Crafts by Amanda
2. Oil Pastel Butterflies | My Bored Toddler
3. Toilet Paper Roll Butterfly Craft | Life Over C’s
4. DIY Butterfly Magnets | Mom Endeavors
5. Bright & Beautiful Butterfly Craft | Mom on Timeout
6. Butterfly Finger Puppets | Twig & Toadstool
7. DIY Butterfly Window Clings | Gym Craft Laundry
8. Washi Tape Butterflies | Artsy Momma
9. Tissue Paper Butterflies | J-Man & Miller Bug
10. Bow Tie Noodle Butterfly | Craft Morning
11. Paint Splat Butterflies | Glued to my Crafts
12. Colorful Butterfly Symmetry Painting | Artsy Momma
13. Fluttering Butterfly Wand | The Simple Parent
14. Paper Doily Butterflies | Crafts by Amanda
15. Sun Catcher Butterflies | Parenting Chaos
16. Butterfly Ribbon Dancer Craft | Simple at Home
17. Handprint Butterfly Craft | Glued to my Crafts
18. Egg Carton Butterfly | Craftulate
19. Foam Cup Butterfly Craft | I Heart Crafty Things
20. Watercolor Butterfly Craft | About a Mom

Do your kids love butterflies?

Love these ideas? Here are a few more!

Pin this article for later!

Click the Pin button on the image below to save for later.

Filed Under: Crafts/DIY, Outdoor Crafts and Activities

DIY Skin Care Kit + Travel Case Tutorial

March 22, 2017 by Danielle 2 Comments

We’re sharing our DIY skin care kit sponsored by Olay, plus a fun travel case tutorial to carry it around wherever you go!

The past couple of weeks has been a whirlwind. With recovery from the holidays, more travel for work, and just an overall amount of trying to fit too much into too little time. Luckily the one thing I have made time for, even with all of the travel and schedule changes, is my skin care. For the past 28 days, I’ve taken part in the 28 Days of Olay; I’m using Olay products for 28 days to see the clear difference it makes.

Now I’m not a products person. I’m also not much of a makeup person. So skin care is something that is very important to me. Because I don’t wear a lot of makeup, cover up, etc, I rely on my skin care to do the bulk of the work for me. And with my DIY skin care kit, I’ve been able to take my skin care with me wherever I go. It doesn’t matter if I’m on the go and attending a conference or just doing everyday work at home mom stuff from the comforts of my own home.

Looking to make your skin care routine simple AND feel better in your own skin?

Here’s how you can do it:

DIY Skin Care Kit

1. On your mobile device, visit the Skin Advisor website.

2. Snap a photo of yourself without makeup on and upload it. Skin Advisor will analyze your color, eye lines, wrinkles, and more – giving you an age estimate.

3. Then take the specific product recommendations for your skincare needs that Skin Advisor suggests that you purchase at Walmart.

4. Make sure to get a cleanser, a moisturizer (for night and day), and a serum or cream to focus on any trouble areas.

Tip: Buy trial size versions of your favorites to take with you when you’re traveling. Or purchase a pill container and fill each day up with the cream or moisturizer you’ll need each day.

For me, the Olay Total Effects Revitalizing Foaming Cleanser and Olay Eyes Illuminating Eye Cream were a must. I can clean my face completely both day and night and not have to worry about my face drying out. Then I can hit my trouble spots – those dark circles and bags under my eyes – with the Olay Eyes Illuminating Eye Cream. I use the Olay Total Effects 7 in 1 CC cream to finish everything off before applying light makeup (mascara, some eye shadow, and tinted lip balm are my go to).

A simplified skin care routine has made it easier to stick with it for the past 28 days and my skin thanks me! You can tell how well my skin is doing by taking a peek at the photo above. I can’t wait to see what my skin looks like in another 28 days!

DIY Travel Case Tutorial

What you’ll need:

zipper pouch or makeup case
craft paint
pencil with eraser
2 paper plates
scissors

What you do:

1. Take a paper plate and cut a design out of it. You can do a heart, a star, a letter, or even a cute little airplane to represent travel. Just make sure the shape will fit on the front of your pouch.

2. Put the shape cut out on the front of the pouch (make sure the top of the bag is at the top of your design).

3. Using the eraser of the pencil, dot around the design with the paint color of your choice. Outline the shape in two layers. Then once the layers are complete, start to add more layers and taper off how dense the dots are until you are left with a starburst design.

4. Remove the cardboard cut out and admire your pouch as you let the paint dry. Fill with your favorite skin care kit items and enjoy!

What are your go-to skin care favorites?

Filed Under: Beauty & Fashion, Crafts/DIY Tagged With: Olay, skin care, Walmart

DIY Rose Hair Tie inspired by Beauty and the Beast

March 20, 2017 by Danielle Leave a Comment

In celebration of the new Beauty and the Beast that hit theaters last week, my daughter asked me if I could make her a special hair tie to wear when I take her to see it. And since I’m always up for a challenge, I got to work to quickly make a cute DIY rose hair tie for her to wear.

Since she also had some leftover hair clips from St. Patrick’s Day, we used a few of those to make rose clips as well. We always try to craft with what we have around the house so feel free to adapt and create as you go to make the perfect rose hair accessory for you or your little one!

What I love about this craft is how easy it is to put together. You can have a super cute hair accessory in less than 5 minutes!

Here’s how:

DIY Rose Hair Tie

What you’ll need:

red felt
green felt
scissors
hair ties or hair clips
hot glue gun or crafting glue

What you do:

1. Cut a 2″ circle out of the red felt. The size of the rose will be determined by the size of the circle so you can adjust to a larger circle for a bigger rose or smaller circle for a smaller rose.

2. Cut out a spiral into the circle leaving a small center to use as the base of your rose.

3. Take your spiral and cut a scalloped edge on the outer edge of the spiral to create the petals of your rose.

4. Gather the spiral scallops and, taking the center, start to tightly wrap the petals around the center of the spiral until a rose forms.

5. Using the glue, secure the edge of the rose to the side so that it doesn’t unravel.

6. Cut out some leaves out of the green felt. Start by cutting out a marquis first and then cutting into the marquis to form a round center with two petals coming out of it (see video for visual instructions).

7. Take your hair tie and glue the leaves onto the bottom end of the seam of your hair tie. Then add glue onto the hair tie and leaves to adhere the rose to the center.

8. Let set completely before pulling your hair into a pony tail to show off your new hair tie!

Did you see Beauty and the Beast yet? What did you think?

Read our review here.

Filed Under: Crafts/DIY, Disney, Disney Crafts, DIsney Movies Tagged With: Beauty and the Beast, children's crafts, crafts, Crafts for Kids, disney, Disney Movies, Disney's Beauty and the Beast

What Age is Appropriate for Beauty and the Beast? Plus FREE Memory Game and Coloring Pages

March 17, 2017 by Danielle Leave a Comment

The story and characters audiences know and love come to spectacular life in Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast,” a live-action adaptation of the studio’s animated classic featuring an extraordinary ensemble cast, including Emma Watson as Belle and Dan Stevens as the Beast.

Directed by Bill Condon and based on the 1991 animated film “Beauty and the Beast,” the screenplay is written by Stephen Chbosky and Evan Spiliotopoulos. Alan Menken provides the score, which includes new recordings of the original songs written by Menken and Howard Ashman as well as three new songs written by Menken and Tim Rice. And those three new songs? Oh my! So good.

What I loved about this movie was that as soon as it started I was wrapped up in to the tale. It was almost magical how the story guided me through Belle’s life and shared her journey to finding the Beast. Another great part about this movie is that it delves deeper into Belle’s past, sharing who her mother was and how she died, making Belle more real and relatable.

The characters were as loveable as ever and the movie, while staying true to the original classic, had some great additional hilarious moments brought out by Lefou, played by Josh Gad. The inflection and way that he presented his lines turned Lefou into a character who almost took the limelight away from Gaston.

At first, I wasn’t too crazy about the adaptations of the characters like Mrs. Potts, Chip, Cogsworth, and Lumiere, but as I watched the movie I came to love the attention to detail and character put into each and every one of them. The literal personification of each character was put into their outward appearance and watching the difference between who they were as humans in the beginning of the movie and how they transformed was quite interesting.

Throughout the movie I kept being taken back to when I was a small girl watching Beauty and the Beast on repeat in my house and thinking of how my kids would react to seeing the movie. And I have no doubt that just like me, my 6 and 8 year old would love it.

Now there are scary parts in this movie that the littles might have a hard time with just as with the animated classic. There are wolves in a few scenes as well as the end when Gaston and the Beast meet. And the Beast himself can be quite alarming when you first get to know him.

But with those moments being small parts of an otherwise beautiful and happy movie, I believe that this movie would be perfect for 7+ unless you have a 6 year old who doesn’t mind a scare here and there.

Want a peek at what’s in store? Watch this trailer:

We have some fun activities for your kids to partake in! Simply download them here and enjoy coloring your favorite characters or printing out a fun matching game to play with the kids.

Click Here to Print

Beauty and the Beast Memory Game

Click Here to Print

Beauty and the Beast Coloring Pages

Looking to bring Beauty and the Beast to life in your home? Make a gorgeous DIY Rose Hair Clip to wear when you go see the show! Click on the image below to read our tutorial.

DIY Beauty and the Beast Rose Hair Tie Tutorial

Filed Under: Crafts/DIY, Disney, DIsney Movies

What To Do With Free Samples

March 15, 2017 by Danielle Leave a Comment

In this line of work, I am the recipient of a lot of samples and free products. Whether it’s a brand who’s at a conference and wants to get their product in my hand, or part of a campaign I’m working on with a few additional perks sent from the client, my cupboards are overflowing with full and trial size products. Enough to keep us stocked up for a while. In an effort to purge and sort through everything we have in our cupboards, I’ve come up with a few ways to use them up. Below are a few ideas on what to do with samples and freebies.

What To Do With Free Samples

New Homeowners Gift – Create a gift basket for new home owners with cleaning essentials they’ll need! Fill a cute bucket or basket with cleaner samples, wash cloths, squirt bottles.
Guest Bathroom Essentials – If you frequently have guests over in your home, create a basket with guest bathroom essentials that you can easily grab when friends or family come into town. Fill a cute container with the essentials one needs when they’re away from home! Include some tooth paste, soap, deodorant, a tooth brush, shampoo and conditioner, etc.
Baby Shower Gift – Since I write about parenting, some samples were more baby-related and didn’t really have any use in my house (before I had baby #3). So I would collect them and use them as extra gifts for diaper cakes and baby shower gifts.
Stocking Stuffers – a few things I get are the perfect stocking stuffers for my nieces and nephews. I have a box with gifts that I keep in the closet and add to it whenever I think something might be better for another friend or family member. I also add a sticky note to it so I remember that I have it saved for them!
Take On the Go! – Whether I’m travelling with the family or solo, or the kids are heading over to Grandma’s house for the weekend, I take any duplicates of products that we use and organize them in the cupboard to grab quickly while we’re packing for our next adventure. It helps that I have them already sorted and ready to go depending on our needs.

Whether you’re reusing your samples as gifts, or saving them for a trip, there’s always a way to use up the samples and freebies you get when you’re at events or conferences! And if that doesn’t work, consider swapping with a fellow blogger or friend for something they might want to get rid of!

How do you use free samples?

Filed Under: Crafts/DIY

How To Make Confetti Eggs + Cute Easter Outfit Ideas

March 13, 2017 by Danielle 1 Comment

With Easter right around the corner, these confetti eggs are a great way to celebrate. With the help of our sponsor, Kohl’s, we’re sharing how you can make them at home! This post is sponsored by Kohl’s. I was paid for this post and received the included Carter’s clothing as compensation.

Every year for our kids school festival the most popular booth for the kids is the confetti egg booth. Now before we went to our first festival, I had no idea what confetti eggs were. Then my husband explained it and shared how his grandmother would have egg cartons and eggs all over the house because she’d make confetti eggs all throughout the year in preparation of their school’s festival.

Guess what? I’ve turned into that person. I may or may not have stashed egg shells in egg cartons all around the house to start getting ready for confetti eggs. And with Easter coming up, it’s time to start making them! Good thing these are super easy to make and fun for the kids to get involved.

While we’re on the topic of Easter prep, in an effort to get ahead of the game, I had the girls come with me to Kohl’s to pick out some cute outfits for Easter. This year instead of the pretty dresses they normally turn to, they decided to chose more comfy, playful outfits in beautiful spring colors. I love how these Carter’s outfits we picked out allow the kids to play and create without being limited or uncomfortable.

You can check out a few of the looks we chose below!

How to Make Confetti Eggs

What you’ll need:

eggs
butter knife
bowl
tissue paper
confetti
scissors
glue stick
egg dye or markers (optional)

What you do:

1. Taking your egg, carefully tap the top of the egg in a circle with butter knife. Once tapped around the top of the egg, remove egg shell from top. Using knife, scramble the egg in the shell a bit and pour out into bowl.

Rinse egg with water and let dry completely. Scramble up the eggs and enjoy a protein-filled snack!

2. OPTIONAL: Once egg has completely dried, you may decorate your egg with markers or egg dye. We just leave ours the same color as the eggs.

3. Fill egg with confetti about 1/2 to 2/3rds of the way full.

4. Cut out squares and/or rectangles out of your tissue paper. Then, using the glue stick, add glue to the edges of the tissue paper square.

5. Add tissue paper square to top of the egg to cover the hole completely. Let dry and then enjoy going crazy with the eggs!

Cute Easter Outfit Ideas

Looking for some outfit ideas for Easter? We’ve picked out some cute outfit ideas you can pick up at your local Kohl’s or online from the Carter’s line. How cute are these?

We’re huge Carter’s fans. We’ve been clothing our kids in Carter’s since they were first born. No, seriously! Each of their newborn outfits was Carter’s brand. I love that I can get the girls coordinating outfits since many of the outfits and pieces I found come in both toddler sizes and kid sizes. Perfect for siblings!

From 3/17 – 4/2 you will $10 off a $40 Carter’s purchase with promo code KIDSALE10! Take advantage of this great deal and score some adorable outfits for the kids. Win-win, right?

shirt | shorts

outfit 1 | outfit 2

shirt | pants

outfit 1 | outfit 2

Have you made confetti eggs before?

My blog may contain links to other websites. I am not responsible for the privacy policies of those other websites. When you click on a link, your information may be collected by those websites so I encourage you to read their privacy policies. These affiliate links are not associated with Kohl’s.

Filed Under: Crafts/DIY, Easter, Holidays Tagged With: confetti eggs, Easter, Easter activities, Easter eggs, Eggs, Kohl's

DIY Nebula in a Jar Necklace

March 8, 2017 by Danielle 7 Comments

This DIY nebula in a jar necklace tutorial is a fun and easy way to get your daughter involved in STEM based crafts.

We’re pretty big on STEM learning here. With a passion for sharing the love of science, technology, engineering, and math with our kids, we’re always trying to figure out how to incorporate STEM activities in our daily lives.

This craft was great for STEM learning because it opened up the doors of communication with my kids about space, stars, and constellations. Not only did we talk about where stars came from (nebulas – which lead to a whole other conversation about the birds and the bees) but we waited until dark to count the stars and find constellations. We also talked about the full moon and moon cycles since we just had a full moon. Let’s make some nebula in a jar necklaces!