Jumping for Kinder Joy

My sister in law went to Germany a month ago a brought back a couple of goodies to share. One of the items she brought back for the kids were kinder joy eggs. I don't think I've ever been so excited to see a piece of candy before. Let me explain, a few years back I learned about Kinder eggs through a blog (can't remember which one or I would tell you). What I also learned about the Kinder egg was that they are banned in the US due to the small toy that can be a choking hazard. So every year around Easter a small part of me has been coveting these eggs.

So now, finally, I get to see what all the hype is about. These eggs are slightly different than the Kinder surprise eggs which are the ones I've seen online. Below are few pictures of the eggs.

First you open the egg in half. I love how the little spoon looks like the silhouette of a child. I'm not sure if that's what it's supposed to look like but that's what it looks like to me.

In one half of the egg is this candy. Curious what it tastes like? Me too. It was such a small amount that I didn't make the kids share with me. Honestly, I was just happy to see the eggs.


The other half had this little toy in it. I thought the toy was okay. In the past, I've seen some really neat toys that people got in their Kinder eggs so I guess I was expecting a little bit more.

Have any of you seen the Kinder eggs before? Tried one? Got something cool in it? Curious.

On a side note, sorry there was no craft this week. Things have been a little hectic so I just haven't had much time to make anything.

And the Winner of The Silhouette is . . .

Congratulations to Katie who wrote, "I would use the silhouette for glass etching and to make labels to organize my craft closet/kids closet" You're the winner of a new Silhouette!

As always, thank you to everyone who participated in the giveaway. I always enjoy reading your comments and what you are interested in making.

If you didn't win, you can still get the the Silhouette for a great deal. There are two more days to snag a

Silhouette SD along with two packets of Temporary Tattoo paper for $199

or

25% off all other products in the Silhouette Shop (excluding gift cards & download cards)

use code: ZAKKA

It Sounded Like a Good Idea

Last week I heard that Mrs. Grossman's Sticker factory was going to be having a huge sale (70 -90% off) so I wanted to check it out. I have always loved their stickers. When I was a child one of my mother's friends gave me a large amount of the Mrs. Grossman's stickers. So many stickers in fact that I still have some of them today. So when I heard about the factory sale I thought it would be a lot of fun for my children (and me). Sounded like a good idea, right?

I figured it would be busy but I never anticipated how busy. When we got to the factory there was already a large line wrapping around the building. I thought no big deal, I'll just have my husband stand in line while we shop, problem solved. . .

Picture of line. Behind the line are the stickers.

. . .but when we were ready to buy our stickers, he really hadn't moved too far in line. I figured the line would pick up. Wrong again.

Morgan & I

I spent two hours pushing that tub of stickers in line, inching my way to a total of three registers. Actually they weren't even registers. They were manual credit card imprinters.

So what did I get after standing in line for two hours you ask? Pretty much what you see here. I got the kids some stickers but they have managed to use them already. I also bought a couple other things that I might use as gifts so I'm not showing them. I'm not really sure why I didn't get more stickers since I went through all that trouble. In my defense I was really sick but that also makes the whole thing sound even more crazy. Oh and I'm pretty sure everyone there thought I was crazy for taking pictures. Because really, there was nothing to take pictures of.


My son summed it up best when he told his dad this (when I wasn't around), "This is mom's second worst idea ever!". Hmm, wonder what my worst idea was?

Hope you all had a more peaceful weekend.

Silhouette Giveaway & Review

One of the fun things about having a craft blog is that once in a while I get to test out new craft products and sometimes even give them away! Today I'm going to be sharing a little bit about my experience with the Silhouette SD and their tattoo paper.

The Silhouette is a digital cutting tool that works through your computer. It allows you to cut all kinds of shapes along with designing your own shapes as well. Being able to design my own cut images was the most appealing thing about the machine to me. It's nice to not be limited to just the Silhouette designs (as cute as they may be). The Silhouette can cut paper, heat transfers, adhesive vinyl, stickers, and tattoo paper.

For cutting pre-made images, the Silhouette is pretty easy to use. Like any piece of technology, it does take some time to learn all the in and outs. I'm currently still learning how to design my own images. There software is very similar to photo editing software so many of tools I'm already familiar with.

Tattoos printed on Silhouette tattoo paper and cut with the Silhouette

If you're like me, you might be wondering how the Silhouette can cut out the exact image of an item printed on a separate printer? Answer, when you set up your item to print and cut, it also prints registration marks. The Silhouette then reads the registration marks and knows exactly where the printed item is. I'm telling you this because when I first set out to make the tattoos, I was a little hesitant because I wasn't sure how this part would work. I was concerned I would have to line up the images to the blade or something but that wasn't the case at all. It ended up being really easy to print and cut the tattoos.

Okay, on to the fun stuff:

One lucky person will win a Silhouette SD

How To Enter Giveaway

Mandatory entry:
To enter, please share what you would make with the Silhouette SD. (One entry per household)

2nd entry (optional): Like Silhouette on their Facebook Page. Leave a second comment on this site saying you did this.

Please leave an email address so I can contact you if you win. The last day to enter the contest is Monday, June 27 2011. I'll announce the winner Tuesday, June 28 2011. If I do not hear back from the winner after two weeks, I will choose a new winner. Open to US residents only.

Contest Closed

How to Make a Toy Parachute

The other day my son won a little parachute guy at a carnival. When I saw it, I knew it would be easy to recreate. So, I decided to make a few parachutes for his LEGO mini-figures. The only thing I did different was make the parachute so it could attach/detach to different toys (much more fun that way). I also made it a little more sturdier which you will see in the instructions.

These little toy parachutes would be great for party favors or to chase away the boredom blues.

Supplies:
Paperclip
Plastic bag cut into a 10" by 10" square
4 Pieces of thread cut to 24" each
Scissors
Sewing needle
Tape
Rubber band - for harness

Add tape in all four corners on the top side and bottom side of plastic ( 8 pieces total). This will reinforce the plastic where the thread is. The first time I made the parachute without the tape it ripped in the corners after a few uses.

Double thread needle and tie a knot at the end. Insert needle through the top of the parachute in the corner. Bring needle all the way down until knot catches. Tie end with needle onto paper clip. Trim ends. Repeat this with all four corners. Try not to twist thread when tying knots.

To prevent the thread from sliding off the paper clip or getting tangled, wrap tape around all thread where it meets the paperclip (refer to picture).

How to make the harness: Wrap rubber band around figure. The rubber band should go under the arms. Now take the bottom part of the rubber band and pull it under the top part of rubber band (refer to pictures). This allows you to attach the parachute to any figure.

Attach paperclip to the harness and you're ready to launch your parachute. Drop them from high places or throw them up in the air and watch the parachute open. Make sure to untwist with each use. Sometimes they get a little tangled.

*The LEGO mini-figs will drop down much quicker compared to the plastic army men. Experiment with different toys and have fun!

Winners of the Elmer's Craft Party Giveaway

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Elmer's Craft Party Giveaway! I enjoyed reading all your comments (yes, I really read all of them). Now on to the winners. Congratulations to...

Kimberly

&

Rebecca E. Parsons

Last Minute Father's Day Printables

Photo credit: Catch my Party via How About Orange

If you need some last minute ideas for celebrating Father's Day, head on over to Catch my Party for loads of free printables. Besides these cute little cards you'll find printables for water bottle labels, invitations, flags, napkin rings, and more!

Hope you all have a Happy Father's Day!

Tape + Hook = Tapehooks

Photos via Torafu Architects

You know I love tape, right? So you can imagine my excitement when I discovered these tape hooks via Down and Out Chic. The tape is created by the design team Torafu Architects. The tape hooks are made of paper so they can only hold light objects. Still, I think I could come up with plenty of uses for them. How about you? What would you use them for?

An Elmer's Craft Party & Giveaway!

Easel Matchbox Card

Over the weekend I was given the opportunity to throw an Elmer's Craft & Tell Party. Elmer's had sent me a bunch of products for my guests and I to try out. I decided we would make these cute little matchbox cards (picture above). The matchbox cards were a great project to make for a craft party, not to complicated but they still required a good amount of time to execute. Believe it or not, it actually took us about 2 hours to make these! Plus, the project allowed everyone to put their own creative spin on the craft (always important).

Here's how I set up the party along with a few craft party tips. We have a small house so I usually use the dining room table to craft. On the table you can see what Elmer's sent me: X-ACTO retractable knife, Designer Scissors, Self Healing Mat, Decorative Edge Scissors, Elmer's Extra Strength Glue Stick, Elmer's Craft Bond Tape Runner, and CraftBond Tape Runner.

*One thing I like to do is line the table with craft paper (kind you use for kids easels). This protects the table and also helps set guests at ease. They don't have to worry about drawing on or getting glue on your table. I usually use two sheets of craft paper and tuck it under the table and tape it down. You don't want it moving around when everyone is crafting.

*To cover up the seam and make things a little more festive, I like to add a runner. I've found the best thing to use for runners is wrapping paper. It's long enough for tables and comes in just about every color and print imaginable. Plus, you don't have to worry about it getting dirty. I used a cute little owl print.

*I'm the kind of person that tries to make do with what I have around the house. I used small pails to hold the pens and scissors. Let me just add that small pails are great for parties. They're perfect for holding utensils as well. To display all the tiny embellishments I used my deviled egg tray. It worked out perfect to separate all those tiny little craft supplies.

Grandma showing off her matchbox card. The hydrangea print was perfect for her as she is very talented in ikebana (Japanese flower arrangement).

More projects from other guests. Some of the elements used for the cards were mini gift tags and clip art from The Graphics Fairy.

Okay on to the best part. Two of you will win your own Elmer's Craft & Tell Party Pack! The pack will include:

X-ACTO Retractable Knife

8” X-ACTO Designer Series Scissors

X-ACTO Self-Healing Mat

X-ACTO Decorative Edge Scissors

Elmer’s CraftBond Extra Strength Glue Stick

Elmer’s CraftBond Tape Runner

Elmer’s CraftBond Glue Dots pack

Elmer’s Mini Bi-Fold Foam Board

How To Enter Giveaway: To enter, please share what you would make with these Elmer's & X-ACTO products. One entry per household. Please leave an email address so I can contact you if you win. The last day to enter the contest is Sunday, June 19 2011. I'll announce the winners Monday, June 20, 2011. If I do not hear back from the winner after two weeks, I will choose a new winner. Open to US residents only.

Contest Closed

Summer Reading Kit Printables

Image by Creative Mamma

Joy from Creative Mamma has another cute free printable out. This time it's a reading kit to get your kids excited about reading this summer. I know sometimes my kids need an extra push when there are so many other distractions, riding bikes, swimming, etc.

What do you do to motivate your child(ren) to read in the summer?

Kid Craft: Matchbox Guitar

I felt like doing something a little different for a Father's Day craft this year. Each year I see lots of cards and gifts that are sports or handyman related but not all fathers fit into these categories. My memories of my father are not attending baseball games or playing catch but of music. I have memories of dancing to my dad singing Rocky Raccoon and playing the guitar. I can recall 2 hour driving trips to the beach singing songs by Tom Petty, The Rolling Stones, and U2. My father is an artist not an athlete. So if you too have a Rockin' dad in your life, here's the craft for you, a matchbox guitar.

Supplies:
Matchboxes - Here's a template I made if you don't have any matchboxes. It also works well since it's blank. You can draw whatever you want on it.
Rubber bands
Black Seed beads
Popsicle sticks
Elmers white glue
Hot Glue gun

As with all my craft projects, they're meant to be created in your version. Feel free to substitute any of the supplies you want. Don't be afraid to change things up!

Have an adult cut a hole with an X-acto knife on the matchbox template. Decorate matchbox anyway you wish. If you have a pre-constructed matchbox, you may want to paint it instead.

*Before decorating the box, have the child look at some pictures of guitars to get a feel for what they want they're guitar to look like.

Fold and glue up match box. Wrap four rubber bands around the box (refer to picture). Cut a small piece of rubber band and place it underneath the four rubber bands (refer to picture).






Decorate popsicle stick to look like the guitar neck. Glue three black seed beads on each side of popsicle stick. Let dry. I used plain white glue and they stayed on fine.











Hot glue popsicle stick on the back of the guitar on top of rubber bands. Done.

After I made the guitar I decided it needed a prop for the photos so I made a matchbox amplifier as well. All I did was color the matchbox to look like a speaker. Then I glued on some black seed beads for the knobs. I also glued some beads on the bottom of the amp for legs (also helps it stand up). I'm thinking this might make a cute guitar pick holder. What do you think?

The Octonauts Coloring Pages

The past couple weeks we've been trapped inside the house on account of rain and illness. This week the youngest is suffering from slap cheek. So to keep her entertained, I've been printing out these adorable coloring pages of The Octonauts. For those not familiar with The Octonauts, they're a series of children books written by Vicki Wong and Michael Murphy. Besides coloring pages, The Octonauts site also offers desktop wallpaper and other activity sheets. Check it out and tell me what you think.

Flowers Made of Jello

Photo from bearexposed on Flickr

Have you ever heard of Gelatina Encapsulada (gelatin capsule) before? I just learned about them and I'm completely enthralled. The other day my aunt was telling me about a friend of hers who took a class on how to make the jello flowers. So as soon as I got home, I did a quick online search to see what they were all about. Once I saw the flowers I knew I had to share them with all of you. They're simply amazing.

The flowers are made by slicing the jello and injecting jello where the slice was made. Here's a video that demonstrates the technique.

I think I found something worthy of the bucket list; learn how to make these jello flowers!

Craft Camp at Skip to my Lou

Today you can find me over at Skip to my Lou for the first day of the series, Craft Camp. Every day for 30 days crafters will be sharing craft tutorials for kids. I'm sharing on how to make this pennant necklace. If you get a chance, please stop by. Thanks :)