Kid Craft: Packing Peanut Igloo

This week I'm sharing another craft made from packing supplies. This time I'm making an igloo out of packing peanuts.  The secret to this project is that the packing peanuts are biodegradable so no glue is required.  All you need are three things: cardboard, water, and water soluble packing peanuts.

To make the base for your igloo, trace a 5.5 inch circle on cardboard.  Add a rectangle to the circle according to the measurements above. Cut out your base.

Dip the packing peanuts in water and adhere them to the base as pictured above.  The water will make the peanuts sticky.  Only get the side of the peanut wet that's going to stick to something, just like you would with glue.

*I like to soak a folded paper towel in water and place it on a plate.  Then I pat the packing peanuts on the paper towel to get them moist.  Just make sure not to get them too wet or they will start to disintegrate.

For the opening of the igloo, stack three peanuts on each side directly on top of each other.  Then add two peanuts in the center to make an arch shape.  Refer to the pictures above.

Now add three more layers directly on top of each other around the circle.  In the picture there's only three layers but there should be four.

Now you're going to make the top of the igloo arch.  For the next layer line the circle as before but have the peanuts closer to the inside of the circle.  Do this with two more layers.  For the top, add as many peanuts as you need to fill the hole.  From the picture above, you can see that I used three.

You can also cut the peanuts with scissors if you need them to be smaller.

It's hard to see in the photo but I added a little glitter to the igloo for some extra sparkle.  The polar bear came from a piece of junk mail. 

Featured in Family Fun Magazine

A few months ago Family Fun Magazine asked me if they could feature my Christmas pom pom ornament in their December/January 2013 Issue.   Well the issue is finally out for all to see.  If you have a chance, check out the magazine when you're at the store or pick up a copy.  They always have great crafts targeted for kids between ages 3-12.  I know I'm probably biased but I really like the crafts they share in the magazine.  In fact, there's a metal washer necklace craft on page 83 that I can't wait to try out with my kids.

There's the Pom Pom ornament on the left.  I like how they switched it up and used shades of purple for the pom poms.  You may recall, the original ornament was sparkly and multicolored.

Christmas Popdown Calendar

One of childhood's simple pleasures is popping bubble wrap.  Even now, I'll find myself popping a couple bubbles when I receive a package.  It just calls to me.  Inspired from this simple amusement, I created a Christmas Popdown Calendar for my children.  I can tell it's already going to be a hit in our house.  My youngest keeps circling the calendar waiting for me to hand it over to her.  I just hope I don't find all the circles popped three days into December.

Want to make a popdown calendar of your own?  Here's what you'll need.

Supplies
Bubble wrap - 1" circles
Scissors
Glue
Two toothpicks
Paintbrush or Q-tip
White Cardstock

Print out the template on cardstock.

For the pink/orange template click here.

For the red/green template click here.

Carefully cut out 25 circles from bubble wrap.

Turn bubble upside down and brush glue around the edge of the circle.  Place down on number.  Hold one edge down with toothpick and run the second toothpick around the edge to seal to paper.  It took me about 30-45minutes to glue all the bubbles down.

*Make sure the bubbles are glued on well so they don't fall of when you pop them.

To display your calendar, place it in a frame without the glass. 

Free Thanksgiving Printables

Photo Credit:  Oana Befort

I can't believe Thanksgiving is only two days away! I feel like we just celebrated Halloween. If you're feeling like the holiday caught you off guard too, here are a few printables to help you with last minute details.

Thank Your Cards (pictured above) - Sincerely, Kinsey 

Place Cards and more - Hank and Hunt

Grateful Mod Party Printables -  Hostess with the Mostess

Food Gift Labels - nickwilljack

Easy Thanksgiving Kid's Table Setting

This may come as a surprise but sometimes I rather just buy a decoration instead of make it. After all the shopping, cleaning and cooking I just want to purchase the final touches for a party.  I've learned I can't make it all.  If you're feeling the same way about Thanksgiving, here's an easy idea for a kid's table setting. 

Often you can buy kid custom placemats but I've found oversized coloring books work just as well.  The main thing is that the paper is a heavy weight and larger in size.  The coloring page above came from a picture frame pad by Melissa & Doug.  I picked up the 40 page pad at Marshalls for $4.  Usually you can find these kinds of coloring pads at discount stores.  I also saw some that were kind of like "Where's Waldo" that one could color as well.

Page from Doodles at Dinner by Deborah Zemke 

The picture above is from a coloring book meant to be used as a place mat.  This paper is actually a little smaller than the picture frame paper but the weight is about the same.  I'm sharing this so you can see there isn't much difference in buying a paper pad designated for place settings vs. a drawing pad.

To finish off the place setting, take a couple colored pencils or crayons and secure them with ribbon.  Then just tuck in a name tag. The colored pencils don't have to be fancy either.  I used these twig pencils because that's what we had laying around the house.  Good old fashioned crayons will work fine.

*Other idea - line the table with craft paper for drawing. This is always a crowd-pleaser. It's not everyday that one gets to draw directly on the table.

Book Review: Make Magic! Do Good!

Make Magic! Do Good by Dallas Clayton

It seems everywhere I look, I'm always reading glowing reviews of Dallas Clayton's books.  So when I was offered a copy of his newest book Make Magic! Do Good! , I couldn't pass up the opportunity.  I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.  

First a little about the author, Dallas Clayton writes and illustrates kids' books.  He is the author of An Awesome Book of Thanks!, An Awesome Book!, and An Awesome Book of Love!.  His books always have a positive message to encourage kids.  When Dallas isn't writing, he likes to travel the world to share his stories with others.

MAKE MAGIC! DO GOOD!. Copyright © 2012 by Dallas Clayton. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Candlewick Press, Somerville, MA. (click on image to see a sample poem)

Make Magic! Do Good! is a collection of 49 poems.  The poems are written to encourage children to make their own magic and follow their dreams.  The poems are short in length (no longer than two pages) and easy to read.  Each poem has a fun illustration to accompany it.

I've already read about half the book to my daughter.  She would tell you that she liked the longer poems best.  The book is for all ages but I personally think it's ideal for children nine and under.  Of course, this always depends on the person.  I could see an adult encouraged by the poems as well.  One of the things I enjoyed about Make Magic! Do Good! is Dallas's whimsical illustrations.  Below are a couple of my favorites. 

 Want to learn more about Dallas Clayton and his books?  Stop by his site, click here.

Craft: Upcycled T-Shirt Ornament

I'm always searching for new ideas on how to re-use t-shirts.  With two growing children, it seems there's always an endless source of t-shirts piling up in my craft room.  Which has me asking, do I make something or do I donate the shirts?  Usually donate wins.  But this time around I decided to make something, upcycled t-shirt ornaments. These star ornaments are fun, bright, and simple to make.  So simple in fact that a child could make them (age 7 and up). 

Supplies:
T-shirts in 2 different colors
Embroidery thread in a complimenting color
Polyfill
Sewing Needle
Scissors

Download the star template here and cut out.  I'm trying something new and using Google Documents.  Please let me know if you prefer this over having to copy and paste the image.  I think it will be easier for everyone.

1.  Place template on t-shirt and cut out three stars.  I recommend taping the star down opposed to tracing or pinning.  Do what is easier for you.

2.  Layer your three stars directly on top of each other (orange, pink, orange).

3. With embroider thread, sew through all three layers using a running stitch.  Leave a small opening.  Stuff with a little polyfill between the two bottom layers.  Make sure not to over stuff or your top layer will not lay flat when finished.

4.  Finish stitching all the way around and knot closed.  Add a loop of embroidery thread for hanging.

5.  Carefully pull up the center of your top layer and make a small cut in it.  Make sure not to cut any of the other layers.  Now cut a star shape out of the top layer from the cut you just made (refer to picture on right).

You could make these ornaments in any shape you want such as hearts or birds.   I recommend keeping the shapes simple for best results.  Have fun!

November Calendar & More

Does anyone else feel like the months are just flying by?  I meant to share this calendar with you a week ago but just lost track of time.  But since we have three weeks left, I figure it's still worth a post.  Free People is offering this lovely November calendar to download for free.  They also have some pretty desktop wallpaper up for grabs as well. You can get all the free downloads on their flickr page.  

Other crafty news going on this week:

Pinterest is now offering private boards!  Just scroll down to the bottom of your board's page to find them.

Spoonflower is printing custom wrapping paper for a limited time.  There are so many crafty possibilities with this. 

Hearts and Crafts: The People That Make Hermes

I was browsing the Hermes site when I stumbled upon the film Hearts and Crafts: The People That Make Hermes.  The film is by Frédéric Laffont and Isabelle Dupuy-Chavanat which documents some of the artists behind the Hermes products.  In the film, the artists share about there craft and you get to see them in their work environment. 

I realize this is another promotional piece for Hermes but it's well done and quite interesting.  It makes me wish I had just one craft that I was dedicated to.  I feel like I'm all over the place when it comes to creating.  That's always been somewhat of a craft insecurity for me. 

How about you?  Are you strong in one craft genre or do you find yourself trying/doing it all?

Wagashi: Japanese Desserts

Forget the Halloween candy, this is what I've been snacking on for the past week.  My husband surprised me with a box of Japanese desserts from Minamoto Kitchoan.  Minamoto Kitchoan has become one of our favorite places to purchase wagashi.  Wagashi is a traditional Japanese dessert that is often served with green tea.  It's mainly made with plant based foods such as red beans, chestnuts and sweet potatoes. 

I thought I would share a few pictures of the desserts with you.  If you're looking for a hostess gift to impress, you might want to try one of these boxes filled with Japanese confections.  They're always beautifully wrapped, ready to gift.  These desserts usually last no longer than a month so if you're going to gift a box for the holidays, keep that in mind.  Some of the desserts are only good for about a week.

Inside this pretty package is Hakutoujelly.  It's a peach flavored jelly that has the texture of a gelatin apple sauce.

Fuku Watashi Senbei -  Vanilla cream filled cookie

Cherry Blossom Wagashi - sorry I don't have the official name for this one.  I was more concerned with eating it than documenting it. 

Here's what the cherry wagashi looks like.  Many of the wagashi desserts have a cake like outside and a flavored center.  Many of the confections have mashed up sweetened beans inside.  They're always just as pretty in the inside as they are on the outside.

What special items do you like to bring for a hostess gift?  I always like hearing new ideas.

My Old Stomping Camp Grounds

When I was back in Connecticut I had a chance to visit the place I grew up, The Advent Camp Ground.  We lived in one of the cottages on the grounds.  If you're wondering my connection to the Camp Ground, both my families were involved in the Advent Christian Church.  On my mother's side, both Grandparents attended one of the churches.  On my father's side, my Grandfather was a pastor for one of the Advent Churches.  This might have you asking if I'm an Advent Christian.  The simple answer, I'm a practicing christian but I don't practice the Advent Christian doctrine.

I took a lot of pictures on my trip so I'm going to try to be selective and only show a few but I'm not promising anything.  I feel like there's so much I want to share and say.

See that brown house on the left?  That's where I grew up.  I have fond memories riding my pink powder-puff big wheel down this street.  I also recall how tiring it was to drag it back up the hill.  There was so much to do on the campground, jumping in freshly piled leaves in the fall, sledding in the winter, and swimming in the summer.

On the campground there are about 40 cottages that all look similar to the ones pictured above.  Most often they would be vacant in the fall/winter so the porches became my stage for playing. 

One of the things I liked most about the campgrounds was the camp.  Every summer my home would be flooded with campers and I loved it.  I got to make use of their snack bar where I was formally introduced to fireballs and pizza flavored combos.  I also would spy on their church services at the tabernacle (more about that later).  When I lived here I was too young to attend the camp.  It wasn't until I moved from the grounds, that I got to attend Camp Faithful.

This is one of the boy's cabins.  They're your typical run-of-the-mill cabins, bunk beds and a light.  If you had to go to the bathroom, plan on bringing a flashlight for the trek.

This is the tabernacle where the services would be held while camp was going on.  On both sides of the church the walls open up like garage doors.  Often I would stand outside and watch what was going on.  Sometimes I would even sneak into one of the seats. 

And it just so happens that the doors were open when we visited so I got to take a peek inside and snap a couple photos.

Here's a better picture that shows how the windows/doors open on the side.  See all those windows behind me?  They open too.  And if you look at the top of the picture, you can get an idea of what I mean by garage doors.

So I have to ask, has anyone been here before?  Have you ever gone to camp here?  I would love to here your story and your connection to this place.