Showing posts with label Decor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Decor. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Rain Gutter Book Shelves


I have seen Rain Gutter bookshelves on a couple of websites. I thought that they were an amazing idea from the start...we have had issues with the boys' books for WAY too long!!! HERE is a tutorial. We just did it without the tutorial & I think that they turned out GREAT!! I am so happy!!! Now I can use the top of their dresser for other things...LIKE THIS....

Yes..my husband talked me into dwarf hamsters...THREE of them. They are so stinkin cute & the boys ♥ them.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Organize



I love cute, functional things & it makes it even better if I can recycle something in the process. How cute is this for the kids art supplies or for your desk? Here is the link to find out how to make these. I need to start collecting so I can do this in the boys' room!

Monday, December 29, 2008

The Finished Product

So, we got our Salt Dough ornaments finished on Christmas Eve...nothing like cutting it close!! I love how they turned out & we will definitely make more for next year!!





Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Teacher Gifts

This is my first year doing teacher gifts. I nearly forgot. My sister in law & I (but mostly her) did tile magnets. The tiles are tiny & then we bought vinyl to put on the tile that said "Live", "Laugh", & "Love". I then attached magnets to the back of the tile. They were pretty easy & super cute. I wrapped them up & they were ready to go! Thanks Val for all that you did! They turned out super cute!!!



Thursday, December 18, 2008

**Salt Dough Ornaments--part 1**


Tonight, we were able to find a bit of time to make the salt dough ornament recipe. It was too much fun. A few things to note:

#1..I ended up mixing up 3 batches of the recipe...It made the amount of ornaments in the photo (plus a little left over for the kids to goof around with).

#2..I tested both the oven & the microwave method. I would definitely suggest the oven. It takes a lot longer, but they turn out way better. I only ended up cooking mine for 1 minute in the microwave & it came out with big bubbles & it wasn't a smooth surface. I did all of the rest in the oven & was very pleased with how they looked!

#3..We did most of the ornaments with cookie cutters, but at the very end we did some 3-D ones. I made our family of snowmen (& snowwoman) & the boys made balls with a hole in them. They were just giant clumps of dough, but they have character.

#4..I used a straw to make the hole for the ribbon. You still need to stir it around for a minute because the hole will shrink up a bit as you cook it, but I think that the straw made it quicker & the boys could help easier. Plus, the dough stays up in the straw.

Up to this point the directions that I gave you were great! It is really simple & the kids loved kneading the dough & mixing in the ingredients. Stay tuned for the second installment...PAINTING & EMBELLISHING! I am kind of excited to see how they turn out!

**If you make these, please let me know. I would love to see pictures of what you have done!

Monday, December 15, 2008

Salt Dough Ornaments

I found this on http://crafts.kaboose.com. Just search "Salt Dough Ornaments". Here is what you will need:

½ cup salt
1 cup flour
½ cup water


Rolling pin
Cookie sheet
Toothpick
Miniature cookie cutters
Acrylic paints
Glitter glue or glitter paint
ribbon


Here's what you do:

1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.**
2. Mix salt, flour, and water together until dough is formed.
3. Knead the dough on a floured surface until the mixture is elastic and smooth. If dough is too sticky, sprinkle with flour, continue to do so until stickiness is gone. Do not add too much flour, this will dry out the dough and will cause it to crack before you get a chance to bake it.
4. Roll out the dough to about ¼” thick with a rolling pin that has been dusted with flour.
5. Use cookie cutters to cut the shapes that you want.
6. Use a toothpick to make a hole toward the top of the shape. Poke the toothpick into the shape, then holding toothpick straight up and down, make a circular motion as if you were stirring something. Keep circling until the hole is the size you want.
7. Place all shapes onto an ungreased cookie sheet and place into the preheated oven.
8. Bake for 2 hours.
9. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
10. Paint the ornaments.
11. When paint is dry, use glitter glue (we used green) or glitter paint (we used gold) to put a sparkling cover coat on your ornaments.
12. When dry, thread ribbon through hole and tie in a knot in the back.

**I also read on another recipe where you can microwave them instead of using the oven. I got this step off of http://www.allfreecrafts.com. Here is what they say:

Using a microwave-safe plate (not paper or cardboard), microwave a plate of your ornaments for 1 to 4 minutes, increasing the time by 1 minute increments and keeping a close eye on the microwave as the ornaments bake. Microwave power levels differ greatly, so use high power in a less-powerful oven, but lower it if your oven tends to heat things very quickly. You don't want to risk a fire! Let the ornaments cool completely before decorating.

Tips:
If your toppers are large enough, you can make two holes in each so that you can thread ribbon through like a button, only showing a small amount of ribbon on the front.
These make adorable pins to wear to school. Just don’t make a hole. Glue a pin back to the back of the completed ornament instead.
Uncooked salt dough doesn’t keep well, so only make enough dough for the ornaments you are going to make. If you are only making a few toppers, halve the ingredients above. The listed amounts will make enough ornaments for a classroom of 20.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Snowman Ornament

I found this on the Family Fun website. I have been looking for fun ornaments to make with my boys (4 years & 2 years)...& these are the winners.




CRAFT MATERIALS:
3 round objects (we used a spice jar lid, the bottom of a yogurt container, and a mason jar lid)
Scissors
Craft foam, white and orange
Glue dots
Fishing Line
Buttons
Permanent marker
Ribbon

Time needed: Under 1 Hour

1. Using the round objects as patterns, cut out 2 white foam circles in each size. 2. Place one set of the circles on a flat surface, spacing them 1/4 inch apart. With glue dots, glue a 12-inch piece of fishing line across the circles as shown, then firmly press the matching circles on top. 3. Use more glue dots to attach buttons and an orange craft foam nose. With a permanent marker, draw on eyes and a mouth. Finally, tie a ribbon scarf around the fishing line at the neck, and then knot the line above the head to create a loop for hanging.
On the comments on this...everyone said that they made a hat for the snowman out of the craft foam. I can't wait to make these & put them on our tree.

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...