Almost Spill Proof Bubble Container

My children are notorious for spilling their bubbles within the first minute of playing with them. I can't count the number of bottles that have gone to waste. So I was determined to fix the problem and of course make something. Above is the final result and I'm happy to say it was a success. Directions below.

Supplies:
*one plastic container with a reusable lid, exp. cottage cheese container, yogurt container, tupparware, etc.
*exacto knife
*string or ribbon

1.Cut a large enough rectangle in the top of the lid so the bubble wand can be easily removed(refer to picture).

2. Cut two holes on the side of the container. Tie handle into place (just like a gift bag).

*The handle is optional, I made it for my two year old so she could tote it around easily. Otherwise the container was too big for her tiny hands.

*For a fun child craft project let them decorate the containers with puffy paint.

Knit Fireman Hat and Booties

I knit this hat/booties set for a baby shower. The Father of the baby is a Fireman, hence the theme. I used the booties pattern from the book "Knitting Pretty" by Kris Percival and omitted the eyelets. For the hat I used the pattern here. I also left out the eyelets and used cotton yarn instead for the hat pattern. It would be fun to make other themed sets like a nurse, or police officer. The possibilities are endless.

Funny Food Contest at The Crafty Crow

photo via Crafty Crow

The Crafty Crow is having a Funny Food Contest with five different categories: fruit, all vegetables, breakfast, lunch/dinner, and sweets. It looks like a lot of fun. To find out more about the contest, click here.

Creative Uses for Tchotchkes

Last weekend after attending two bazaars, a kid's birthday party and a community fair we acquired enough toys to host our own carnival. The picture above reflects only some of the loot, the rest of it is dispersed around the house (waiting to be stepped on in the middle of the night). Usually I just donate or throw away the toys when my children lose interest. But this seemed so wasteful and I just new I could use them for a craft project. So here's just one project I came up with for all those cast away toys.

I turned these two dollar flip-flops into something a little more fun. All I did was glue the toy sharks to the sandals with E6000 glue(this glue is water resistant and flexible). When choosing a toy to glue to the sandal look for something that is soft like rubber, has give, and is water proof.

Here's some other uses for those cast away toys:

Ice Treasures - I did this with my son's preschool, they loved it!

The Attirbute Game - Good to take along to a restaurant

I Spy Bottles - another hit at my son's preschool

Toy Bowling - tested this out too, easy for little hands to setup by themselves

Turning Photos into Shrinky Dinks

For another Father's Day project I thought it would be fun to convert a photo into a Shrinky Dink. It's a nice alternative to a framed photo and it doesn't take up much space. After creating this, my mind's been racing with other ideas. For instance, I'm planning on making a whole set of our family for monopoly pieces. ShrinkyDink busts perhaps? The possibilities are endless.

Directions Below.

Supplies:
ShrinkyDinks Paper - There are two kinds you can buy, regular and printer friendly. For this project I used the regular kind only because that's what was on hand. I'm sure the printer friendly ShrinkyDinks paper would work better since it's made for the printer. You can purchase this at most craft stores

E 6000 glue (found at most craft stores)

scissors

Here's the picture I started with (8 1/2" by 11"). I recommend one that has a clear outline of the figure. Also, select an image with good contrast.

I changed my image to a black and white picture simply because this is how I envisioned the project( you could keep it in color. Print the image on the ShrinkyDink paper. Let dry. Cut out the shape of the image (refer to picture above). Place in oven and follow the ShrinkyDink's directions. As soon as you take it out flatten it with a book.

Cut out a right triangle of the ShrinkyDink paper and shrink it. Glue to the back of the image with E6000 glue. Done.