Craft: Chalkboard Name Tags

Hooray, my craft idea actually worked out this time! So, it with great pride that I give you the chalkboard name tag tutorial, fun and eco-friendly. Now, I just need a good excuse to use them. Craft party anyone?

Supplies:
Chalkboard paint
Flat wood disks - can be found at craft stores - they also come in other fun shapes
Pin backs
Hot Glue Gun

1. Paint wood disks ( 4-5 coats). Let dry overnight.

2. Glue on pin backs. Done.

A Visit to The Charles M. Schulz Museum

Comic tiled wall

When we have the chance, our family likes to get to out and explore. Fortunately for us, we live in the Bay Area so there's a lot to do. This weekend we took the kids to the Charles M. Schulz Museum. There was something there for everyone (adults & kids), from art exhibits to drawing your own cartoons.

There's my comic loving son making a cartoon for the zoetrope.

The museum has a education room for kids where they can draw cartoons and fold origami snoopy houses. My children must have spent a good half hour in that room drawing.

Once they were done drawing the cartoons they placed them in the zoetrope to watch their cartoons come alive.

By the way, there's a great tutorial on Dollar Craft on how to make a zoetrope if you're interested.

Did any of you do anything fun for President's day weekend? Please share in the comments.

Origami One Dollar Picture Frame

Celebrate President's Day with this easy origami dollar picture frame. I found the directions to this origami frame at Money Origami. This frame is simple to fold and a good project for beginners.

Hope all of you are having a nice President's Day weekend.

New Superhero Lollipop Templates

Whitney from Whisker Graphics suggested I make some generic templates for these Superhero Valentines. I thought that was a great idea so I whipped up a new template. Use them for birthday party favors or a super sweet treat. Template below.

Click on image to make larger, right click, copy, save, and print on card stock.

For full directions on how to construct the Superhero lollipops, please visit the Superhero Valentine post. It's really easy, promise.

Free Washi Tape Clip Art

You know my love for all things washi tape so when I saw this cute clip art I just had to share! There's even a tutorial on how to make your own washi tape graphics. Head on over to Pugly Pixel for the free download.

Make Your Own Decorative Brads

I was out on the hunt for brads the other day and was a little shocked at the selection, in a good way. There's all kinds of styles ranging from faux screws to clouds to rhinestones! I must have stood there for a good ten minutes just to soak it all in. Then I did the next logical thing, bought a whole bunch of them. After I got home, it occurred to me that I could make my own. So I did a little experimenting and here's what I came up with:

Supplies: Brads, E600 glue, Embellishments

Glue embellishment to top of brad. Let dry over night. Done!

I can see these being used for wedding and party favors. There's so many possibilities with this.




Some of the embellishments I used were, fabric buttons, buttons, and dresden trims.

What else do you think would be good to use?

It's a Bird... It's a Plane... It's a Super Valentine!

The directions and template for this Valentine has moved. Click here.

How To Make a Sweetheart Cookie Box

Who doesn't like conversation hearts? They come in pretty pastel colors, they have cute sayings (Tweet Me) printed on them, and did I mention they're made of sugar! So, as a tribute to the conversation heart, I've made an oversized box to fill with conversation heart cookies. Enjoy.

Supplies:
Template printed out
Box - I used a Barilla pasta box but you can use any kind you want
exacto knife
Paint
Hot glue

Click on image to make it larger, right click, copy, save, and print on cardstock. I made the borders extra large on this template so it can fit different size boxes. You can also scale the image if need be.

If you can, find a box with a window like the one in the picture.

Carefully take apart, re-glue inside out (refer to picture).

Paint the sides and back of box pink. You can also cover it with pink paper. I tried both ways and here's the verdict: painting is quick and easy, paper looks better but takes longer.

If your box has a window, cut out heart with exacto knife (refer to picture). If not, skip this step.

Line up printed template how you want it to show on the box. Trace front of box + top flap onto the back of template. Cut out and glue on front of box. Done!

I paid the model in cookies.

Comment Challenge - write your comments using conversation heart sayings.

Craft: Watercolor Heart Garland

I've been wanting to test this heart garland idea out for a while. It was just a matter of getting to the store to buy the doilies. I feel like lately we've been so busy. Baseball season has officially started for us and now we're up to two practices a week opposed to the one that I'm used to. I'm just thankful my youngest hasn't started a sport yet.

This craft is quick, easy and inexpensive to make. It's great for all ages. Simple direction below.

Supplies:
Heart Doilies - I find they're usually cheaper at the dollar store. You can also find them at craft and party supply stores.
Watercolors
Paintbrush
Fishing line

1. Paint with watercolors. Let dry.

2. Iron flat, paint side down. Use the lowest setting.

3. String on fishing line. Done.

Craft Tips:
1. If you're going to have a child make these, I recommend selecting the color palette. Take out the blacks and browns so the hearts don't end up murky looking. This still gives the child creative freedom and works much better than telling them not to use certain colors. I speak from experience.

2. Fishing line is a great investment for your craft supplies. I'm constantly using it for birthday parties, garland and even mobiles. It's inexpensive and you get a lot. You'll have it for years.

Chinese New Year Snail Mail

This little package of Chinese New Year goodness arrived just in time for the festivities. Included in the package were lanterns, Hello Kitty money envelopes, a stamp from Canada, and a few other crafty things. I received the package from Let's Go Fly a Kite. She's got some wonderful Chinese New Year kid tutorials on her site if you're looking for some good craft projects.

To all my blog friends celebrating,

Kung Hei Fat Choy!

Craft: Miniature Colored Pencils

I had planned on posting a recipe today but it just didn't work out. Don't you hate when that happens? You put all this time into a post only to find out it's a total fail, so sad. Anyways, in need of a replacement post I thought back to older crafts. That made me remember these miniature colored pencils I used to make. You can't actually color with them but they make great little embellishments for craft projects such as cards. They're also the perfect size for Barbies. Super easy directions below.

Color with markers.
Easy, right?