Part of the fun in raising Zoey is making things that delight her; I want to create fun, educational crafts for her that are made with love and will be loved! This week we’ll be creating pom pom paintings of bat silhouettes for halloween!
I remember when I was a kid we made halloween crafts at school and my mom would bring them out every year as part of our halloween decor. It made me feel super happy and proud that she would take the time to save and display my art every year and that is the feeling I want to inspire in my own daughter.
I am so bad at decorating my house for the holidays! I want to be better about it, but I’d like to create and/or collect decorations that are my vibe and that I’m proud of!
One of the looks I’ve always loved are colonies of bats flying across doorways and walls of a home. I’ve created my own bat pattern, so let’s create!
Fold each piece of cardstock paper in half horizontally and lightly tape the body of the bat patterns to the fold of the cardstock paper.
Cut out as many bat shapes as you like and attach them to the wall or walls around your home. **For added texture you can fold some or all of the wings up so they aren’t flat against the wall!
Part of the fun in raising Zoey is making things that delight her; I want to create fun, educational activities for her that are made with love and will be loved!
I don’t believe I ever played with slime as a child, but it is super fascinating and fun to play with even as an adult! Adults should mix the slime, or supervise while a child over the age of 6 mixes. This recipe is safer for children to handle, but if they are younger than the age of 6 please supervise and please do not let them eat any!
Let’s make some slime!
SUPPLIES
8 oz of washable school glue (i.e. Elmer’s)
1 to 2 drops of liquid food coloring (optional)
1/4 cup glitter (optional)
1 teaspoons of baking soda
2 tablespoons of saline solution (contact lens solution)
INSTRUCTIONS
Squeeze the glue into a medium bowl, then stir in the food coloring and glitter if desired.
Add the baking soda to the glue mixture and stir until smooth.
Add 2 tablespoons of the saline solution and stir slowly until the mixture forms into a blob and becomes stringy.
Pick up the slime and work it between your hands, until smooth.
Enjoy and store in an airtight container so you can enjoy again!
Part of the fun in raising Zoey is making things that delight her; I want to create fun, educational toys for her that are made with love and will be loved! I loved dinosaurs as a child and quite honestly I still do! I see that interest piquing in Zoey too and of course I’m going to encourage it!
I was always fascinated by power wheels as a child and envious of any of my friends who owned one! When my parents found this one at a thrift store, I jumped at the chance to get one for Zoey, but it needed a little work! As you can see it started out as Barbie themed, and while I loved Barbies too this was the opportunity to try something new!
Let’s create a Jurassic Park themed power wheels! Please feel free to use this information to breathe new life into an old toy and, if you have any new tips, please feel free to share!
Using a screwdriver, dismantle the toy as much as possible without breaking anything. If a piece is not coming off and you’re worried it will break if you force it, don’t force it, and don’t worry! Painter’s tape and paper are your friends!
Remove any old stickers and completely wash/clean the plastic toy and it’s pieces, then allow to dry.
Wipe the toy down with rubbing alcohol to prepare the surfaces before painting, then allow to dry.
Spread flattened cardboard (or something similar) in a well ventilated space to protect the floor.
Paint the removed items first, taking care not to pile the paint on too thickly, instead try misting it on and applying multiple layers.
Tape and paper the wheels surrounding the hubcaps, then paint the hubcaps red in layers.
Once you’re satisfied with the hubcaps, and they are fully dried, you can cover each whole wheel with a disposable bag.
Flip the car over and paint the undercarriage first with whichever color you choose.
Once you’re satisfied with the undercarriage and it is fully dried, you can flip the car back over and place it on the cardboard directly or place it on a couple of sawhorses.
Tape up anything you do not want painted, i.e. the pedal and shifter.
Paint the base layers first (where any surrounding paint can be covered with top layers) and allow to dry completely. This may take a few layers so be patient and wait for each coat to dry a bit before painting another. I started with the red of the dashboard/windshield piece, then the gray of the front bumper.
Using painter’s tape, bags and/or paper, cover the painted items that cannot be removed once they are completely dried. I covered the dashboard/windshield piece, but left the steering wheel exposed. I also covered the front bumper.
Once these layers are covered, paint the next layer up and allow to dry completely. This may take a few layers so be patient and wait for each coat to dry a bit before painting another. For me, this was painting the steering wheel gray.
Using painter’s tape, bags and/or paper, cover everything painted that cannot be removed. In addition to the previously covered items, I also covered the steering wheel with a disposable bag after it was completely dry.
Once everything is covered, paint the body of the toy and allow it to dry completely. This may take a few layers so be patient and wait for each coat to dry a bit before painting another.
Gently remove all of the coverings and reassemble the Power Wheels Ride On Jeep.
Part of the fun in raising Zoey is making things that delight her; I want to create fun, educational toys for her that are made with love and will be loved! I loved dinosaurs as a child and quite honestly I still do! I see that interest piquing in Zoey too and of course I’m going to encourage it!
Let’s create some dinosaur eggs! We can hide them for the kids to find, and then they can excavate them for a small dinosaur toy inside!
Christmas is nearly here and we love celebrating every moment!
What better way to celebrate than having a Christmas box! Now when I first heard of these, they were and are referred to as Christmas Eve boxes and presented on Christmas Eve for the family to enjoy, but then some of the items can only be enjoyed for one to two nights before Christmas is technically over, so I’ve decided to just call it a Christmas box and we can present it a week before Christmas to really enjoy its contents!
SUPPLIES
Wood crate
White acrylic paint
Red acrylic paint
Foam paint brushes
Painter’s tape
Matte varnish
Embellishments (optional)
Hot glue (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
Paint every other beam of the crate (outside and inside) with white paint and then allow it to dry.
Repeat step 1 until the desired brightness of the paint is reached.
Once the paint is dry, use painters tape to tape up and protect the edges of the white beams or anywhere else where the red paint may drip or bleed.
Paint the remaining beams and the sides of the crate (outside and inside) with red paint and then allow it to dry.
Repeat step 4 until the desired brightness of the paint is reached.
Carefully peel off the painter’s tape and coat the whole crate with varnish, this may take two coats to reach the desired coverage.
If you have any embellishments like an ornament or two, carefully glue them on with a hot glue gun and allow it to dry.
Fill it up and enjoy!
If you’re looking for ideas to fill your new Christmas box with here are a few to spark your imagination!
I want to begin creating well-made decorations that mean something to us and will last. What better way to start than by something that will go great with Halloween and Thanksgiving, pumpkins! I’ve created a pattern for fabric pumpkins and you’re welcome to use it to create your own! This will work to create either felt or regular fabric pumpkins, I’m excited to create a few different colors and sizes!
Print out the pumpkin patterns I’ve provided, then cut the patterns from the paper.
Pin the patterns on the appropriate colored felt, then use sewing scissors to cut the felt.
Thread orange embroidery floss onto your sewing needle.
Align two of the pumpkin pieces and whip stitch along one side, from one point to the next, concealing the first and ending knot underneath so that the stitching will be exposed.
Repeat step 3 to continue adding pieces of the pumpkin.
Once you’ve stitched the last piece on, join the two ends together with a whip stitch to complete the pumpkin body.
Stuff the pumpkin, then place the circles on the top and bottom of the pumpkin and secure them with sewing pins.
Using a whip stitch, attach the circles to the pumpkin, concealing the first and ending knots underneath. Then remove the sewing pins.
Thread green embroidery floss on your sewing needle and stitch the veins onto one side of each leaf.
Once done with the veins, align the two halves of each leaf (concealing the stitching in between) and whipstitch around the edges of the leaves to make them whole.
Thread brown embroidery floss onto your sewing needle and whipstitch around the outside edges of the stem, leaving the bottom of the stem open. At this point you can leave the stem as it is or turn it around to conceal the stitching.
Stuff the stem, then place it on top of the pumpkin and secure it with sewing pins.
Using a whip stitch, attach the stem to the body of the pumpkin.
What child (or inner child) doesn’t love preparing toy food in a play kitchen?
I had a play kitchen when I was a little girl and loved baking cookies for myself, my sister and my parents. Now that I’m grown and have a daughter of my own, I want to make her some handcrafted play food so she can enjoy making meals for everyone during play, or while we cook in the kitchen next to her!
Please feel free to use these patterns to create some play food for you and yours! This pattern will make one circle cookie, one heart cookie, one star cookie, one triangle cookie, one square cookie and one rectangle cookie, each with frosting. I made one extra of each cookie shape so Zoey will have two of each. You can duplicate it as much as you want to make multiple pieces of each food!
Embroidery floss (pale tan, pale blue, light brown, dark brown, pale pink, white)
Sewing needle
INSTRUCTIONS
Print out the cookie pattern I’ve provided, then cut the patterns from the paper.
Pin the patterns on the appropriate colored felt, then use sewing scissors to cut the felt.
Align and pin the pale blue circle of frosting to one half of the circle of pale tan felt, then thread pale blue embroidery floss onto your sewing needle.
Begin sewing around the outer edges of the frosting using a whipstitch, concealing the first and ending knots underneath the layer of cookie.
One at a time, thread three of the other colors of embroidery floss onto your needle and create randomized stitches within the frosting to make sprinkles. Conceal the first and ending knots of each color underneath the layer of cookie.
Thread a sewing needle with pale tan embroidery floss and pin the bottom cookie layer over the stitching on the back of the frosted top half.
Using a whipstitch, begin sewing around the edges of the circle cookie, concealing the first knot and end knot in between the layers.
Align and pin the pale pink heart of frosting to one half of the heart of pale tan felt, then thread pale pink embroidery floss onto your sewing needle.
Begin sewing around the outer edges of the frosting using a whipstitch, concealing the first and ending knots underneath the layer of cookie.
One at a time, thread three of the other colors of embroidery floss onto your needle and create randomized stitches within the frosting to make sprinkles. Conceal the first and ending knots of each color underneath the layer of cookie.
Thread a sewing needle with pale tan embroidery floss and pin the bottom cookie layer over the stitching on the back of the frosted top half.
Using a whipstitch, begin sewing around the edges of the heart cookie, concealing the first knot and end knot in between the layers.
Align and pin the pale yellow star of frosting to one half of the star of pale tan felt, then thread pale yellow embroidery floss onto your sewing needle.
Begin sewing around the outer edges of the frosting using a whipstitch, concealing the first and ending knots underneath the layer of cookie.
One at a time, thread three of the other colors of embroidery floss onto your needle and create randomized stitches within the frosting to make sprinkles. Conceal the first and ending knots of each color underneath the layer of cookie.
Thread a sewing needle with pale tan embroidery floss and pin the bottom cookie layer over the stitching on the back of the frosted top half.
Using a whipstitch, begin sewing around the edges of the star cookie, concealing the first knot and end knot in between the layers.
Align and pin the white triangle of frosting to one half of the triangle of pale tan felt, then thread white embroidery floss onto your sewing needle.
Begin sewing around the outer edges of the frosting using a whipstitch, concealing the first and ending knots underneath the layer of cookie.
One at a time, thread three of the other colors of embroidery floss onto your needle and create randomized stitches within the frosting to make sprinkles. Conceal the first and ending knots of each color underneath the layer of cookie.
Thread a sewing needle with pale tan embroidery floss and pin the bottom cookie layer over the stitching on the back of the frosted top half.
Using a whipstitch, begin sewing around the edges of the triangle cookie, concealing the first knot and end knot in between the layers.
Align and pin the dark brown square of frosting to one half of the square of pale tan felt, then thread dark brown embroidery floss onto your sewing needle.
Begin sewing around the outer edges of the frosting using a whipstitch, concealing the first and ending knots underneath the layer of cookie.
One at a time, thread three of the other colors of embroidery floss onto your needle and create randomized stitches within the frosting to make sprinkles. Conceal the first and ending knots of each color underneath the layer of cookie.
Thread a sewing needle with pale tan embroidery floss and pin the bottom cookie layer over the stitching on the back of the frosted top half.
Using a whipstitch, begin sewing around the edges of the square cookie, concealing the first knot and end knot in between the layers.
Align and pin the pale brown rectangle of frosting to one half of the rectangle of pale tan felt, then thread pale brown embroidery floss onto your sewing needle.
Begin sewing around the outer edges of the frosting using a whipstitch, concealing the first and ending knots underneath the layer of cookie.
One at a time, thread three of the other colors of embroidery floss onto your needle and create randomized stitches within the frosting to make sprinkles. Conceal the first and ending knots of each color underneath the layer of cookie.
Thread a sewing needle with pale tan embroidery floss and pin the bottom cookie layer over the stitching on the back of the frosted top half.
Using a whipstitch, begin sewing around the edges of the rectangle cookie, concealing the first knot and end knot in between the layers.
What child (or inner child) doesn’t love preparing toy food in a play kitchen?
I had a play kitchen when I was a little girl and loved preparing pizza for myself, my sister and my parents. Now that I’m grown and have a daughter of my own, I want to make her some handcrafted play food so she can enjoy making meals for everyone during play, or while we cook in the kitchen next to her!
Please feel free to use these patterns to create some play food for you and yours! This pattern will make four slices of pizza with sauce and cheese. Toppings include 4 slices of bell pepper, 4 slices of mushroom, 12 slices of pepperoni, and 6 slices of olives. You can duplicate it as much as you want to make multiple pieces of each food!
Embroidery floss (light tan, red, dark red, white, off-white, green, and black)
INSTRUCTIONS
Print out the pizza patterns I’ve provided and cut them from the paper.
Place the patterns on the appropriate colored felt and pin them in place, then use sewing scissors to cut out the felt pieces.
Align and pin the two halves of pizza crust together and thread light tan embroidery floss onto your sewing needle. Then, with a pencil, lightly sketch a curved line along and about 1/2 inch in from the arc of the crust.
Starting to one side of the pizza slice’s point, whipstitch along that edge and the top arc of the crust, stopping at the far end of the arc and setting that thread aside for a moment.
From the open edge of the pizza slice, use a running stitch along the pencil line to seal off the crust, concealing the first and ending knot between the layers, then use a little stuffing to inflate.
Pick up the previous thread and continue stitching down the remaining side of the pizza slice, concealing the end knot in between the layers.
Repeat steps 3 through 6 to create the three other pizza slices.
Align and pin the two halves of pizza sauce together and thread red embroidery floss onto your sewing needle.
Begin sewing around the edges of your pizza sauce using a whipstitch, concealing the first knot and ending knot in between the layers.
Repeat steps 8 and 9 to create the three other pizza sauces.
Align and pin the two halves of cheese together and thread off-white embroidery floss onto your sewing needle.
Begin sewing around the edges of your cheese using a whipstitch, concealing the first knot and ending knot in between the layers.
Repeat steps 11 and 12 to create the three other cheeses.
Align and pin the two halves of bell pepper together and thread green embroidery floss onto your sewing needle.
Begin sewing around the outer and then inner edges of your bell pepper using a whipstitch, concealing the first knot and ending knot in between the layers.
Repeat steps 14 and 15 to create the rest of the bell pepper pieces.
Align and pin the two halves of mushroom together and thread white embroidery floss onto your sewing needle.
Begin sewing around the edges of your mushroom using a whipstitch, concealing the first knot and ending knot in between the layers.
Repeat steps 17 and 18 to create the rest of the mushroom pieces.
Align and pin the two halves of pepperoni together and thread dark red embroidery floss onto your sewing needle.
Begin sewing around the edges of your pepperoni using a whipstitch, concealing the first knot and ending knot in between the layers.
Repeat steps 20 and 21 to create the rest of the pepperoni pieces.
Align and pin the two halves of olive together and thread black embroidery floss onto your sewing needle.
Begin sewing around the outer and then inner edges of your olive using a whipstitch, concealing the first knot and ending knot in between the layers.
Repeat steps 23 and 24 to create the rest of the olive pieces.
What child (or inner child) doesn’t love preparing toy food in a play kitchen?
I had a play kitchen when I was a little girl and loved preparing sandwiches for myself, my sister and my parents. Now that I’m grown and have a daughter of my own, I want to make her some handcrafted play food so she can enjoy making meals for everyone during play, or while we cook in the kitchen next to her!
Please feel free to use these patterns to create some play food for you and yours! This pattern will make two slices of bread, a slice of American cheese, a slice of Swiss cheese, a slice of provolone cheese, a slice of deli meat, a lettuce leaf, two slices of tomato, two onion rings, two slices of pickle, ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, peanut butter and jelly. I made an extra slice of deli meat and an extra (darker) leaf of lettuce. You can duplicate it as much as you want to make multiple pieces of each food!
Embroidery floss (light brown, green, light green, vibrant green, pale pink, purple, red, dark red, white, off-white, yellow, dark yellow and vibrant yellow)
Hot glue gun
INSTRUCTIONS
Print out the sandwich patterns I’ve provided and cut them from the paper.
Place the patterns on the appropriate colored felt and pin them in place, then use sewing scissors to cut out the felt pieces.
Align the two pieces of bread crust onto one another and thread your sewing needle with light brown embroidery floss. Whipstitch one of the shorter sides together, then pull open the strips to reveal what will be the dip in the top center of the bread.
Align the joined point of the bread crusts to the dip in the top of one half of the bread slice and begin to whipstitch around and down one side to attach. When you reach the bottom center, stop and tie it off. Begin at the top dip again and whipstitch down the other side of the bread until the two halves of crust meet, then tie it off. Within the piece of bread, join the two ends of the bread crust together and stitch them for reinforcement.
Lay the other half of the bread slice over the bread crust and whipstitch all the way around the bread, stopping 2/3 of the way around to insert stuffing, then complete the bread slice and conceal the knot between layers.
Repeat steps 3 through 5 to create the second slice of bread.
Align and pin the two halves of American cheese together and thread dark yellow embroidery floss onto your sewing needle.
Begin sewing around the edges of your American cheese using a whipstitch, concealing the first knot and ending knot in between the layers.
Align and pin the two halves of Swiss cheese together and thread yellow embroidery floss onto your sewing needle.
Begin sewing around the edges and inside the holes of your Swiss cheese using a whipstitch, concealing the first knot and ending knot in between the layers.
Align and pin the two halves of provolone cheese together and thread off-white embroidery floss onto your sewing needle.
Begin sewing around the edges of your provolone cheese using a whipstitch, concealing the first knot and ending knot in between the layers.
Align and pin the two halves of deli meat together and thread pale pink embroidery floss onto your sewing needle.
Begin sewing around the edges of your deli meat using a whipstitch, concealing the first knot and ending knot in between the layers.
Thread your sewing needle with light green embroidery floss and create the veins on each half of the the lettuce using a backstitch. Check before you begin to make ensure your stitches and knots will be concealed between the two halves.
Align and pin the two halves of lettuce together and thread green embroidery floss onto your sewing needle.
Begin sewing around the edges of your lettuce using a whipstitch, concealing the first knot and ending knot in between the layers.
Align and pin the two red halves of tomato (with the dark red base in between them) together and thread red embroidery floss onto your sewing needle.
Begin sewing around the edges of your tomato using a whipstitch, concealing the first knot and ending knot in between the layers.
Use small dabs from the hot glue gun to secure down the inner ridges of the tomato.
Repeat steps 18 through 20 to create the second tomato slice.
Align and pin the two different onion rings together and thread white embroidery floss onto your sewing needle.
Begin sewing around and over the white ring of the onion using a whipstitch and concealing the first and ending knots between the layers.
Repeat steps 22 and 24 to create the second onion ring.
Align and pin the two halves of the pickle (with the dark green base in between them) together and thread vibrant green embroidery floss onto your sewing needle.
Begin sewing around the vibrant green of your pickle using a whipstitch, concealing the first knot and ending knot in between the layers.
Align and pin the two halves of ketchup together and thread dark red embroidery floss onto your sewing needle.
Begin sewing around the edges of your ketchup using a whipstitch, concealing the first knot and ending knot in between the layers.
Align and pin the two halves of mayonnaise together and thread white embroidery floss onto your sewing needle.
Begin sewing around the edges of your mayonnaise using a whipstitch, concealing the first knot and ending knot in between the layers.
Align and pin the two halves of mustard together and thread vibrant yellow embroidery floss onto your sewing needle.
Begin sewing around the edges of your mustard using a whipstitch, concealing the first knot and ending knot in between the layers.
Align and pin the two halves of peanut butter together and thread light brown embroidery floss onto your sewing needle.
Begin sewing around the edges of your peanut butter using a whipstitch, concealing the first knot and ending knot in between the layers.
Align and pin the two halves of grape jelly together and thread purple embroidery floss onto your sewing needle.
Begin sewing around the edges of your grape jelly using a whipstitch, concealing the first knot and ending knot in between the layers.
Whole Heartily 