Nesting Supplies

This is a good use for your dryer lint and yarn scraps. We filled up one of those cages you get that holds suet blocks with dryer lint and lots of yarn and hung it outside where the birds and squirrels can get to it. They can pull out supplies for their nests.

felt pirate hat

this is a really simple project for those people who are still in pirate mode. I used regular felt sold by the yard at fabric stores for the hat, and one of the craft squares for the jolly roger. I just traced a pirate hat we had from a birthday party and added a purple ribbon as trim.

After Bath/Sun Oil

Use this after getting out of the shower (before drying off) after a day at the beach

Mix ingredients in an 11/12 oz container (shampoo/lotion bottle shape) with a lid.

2 T. Sesame Oil (available at most supermarkets)

8 T. Almond Oil (available Whole Foods or on-line)

18-32 drops Essential Oil (available Whole Foods, on-line, many places)

   Bergamot

   Chamomile

   Geranium

   Lavender

   Vanilla

   Yling Ylang

* Add essential oils slowly and sparingly, a little goes a long way! Smell is very individual too.

Shake well before using.

Plastic Bottles can be found at some grocery stores, Container Store ($) and on-line (Sunburst Bottles). 

E-mail any questions.

Decoupage Light Switch covers

Who wants plain plastic light plates? Not me! I covered every single one in my house, and even made ones that went with the theme of the room. The Sky's the Limit!

Need (for one):

1 plain light switch cover (remove from wall or buy at hardware store)

desired decorative paper, could be anything - magazine clippings, etc

Elmer's Glue or double stick tape

X-acto knife (or scissors)

Mod Podge & brush

First, lay out your design over the light switch cover and line it up so it looks good to you. Leave 1/4" overhanging so that you can wrap it around.

Center the plate in the center, and make a diagonal cut on each corner of the paper. This will facilitate wrapping so it doesn't bunch up and make wrinkles when you glue down.

Next, brush glue over paper (alternatively, you can lay paper on double stick tape and use X-acto to cut out, then peel off backing and stick to light switch). Once you have covered it with an even layer of glue, center the light switch cover in the middle and then immediately fold over the edges, one at a time, until the whole thing is covered in the paper.

Next, using a blunt pencil or the screws that came with the light switch, pop out the holes. Now you are ready to give it a final finish using the mod podge. Brush an even layer over the surface of the paper, making sure it is completely covered and let dry for about an hour or so. You can also add glitter or sequins while the mod podge is wet if you desire.

The last step is - once the mod podge has dried completely, use your X-acto to carefully cut out the switch area from the back side.

playdough that will last forever

this is the same recipe that is easily available online and in craft books with some tips for success.

1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
1 cup water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

First, stir everything together really well before you start to cook it. That is a tiny amount of cream of tartar and it has to be well distributed. (Whatever it is that it does.) Then heat on medium low and stir all the time. Recipes will tell you to stir until it pulls away from the sides but mine does not seem to do this. The dough needs to get cooked through or it will be sticky so you keep on stirring it over the heat until it seems like it is changing consistency. The parts that touch the bottom will get cooked first and you just keep stirring until it all seems done. If homemade dough is properly cooked you can use it immediately with no stickiness or additional flour so just keep practicing. I turn mine out into a bowl and cover it tightly and let it cool, then add food coloring and have my children mix it in.

Toddler Pizza

We read "Pete's A Pizza" by William Steig and then made pizzas. The pizzas are round pieces of paper (or a paper plate), painted with red paint tomato sauce, with lots of toppings. There were little yellow rectangles to represent the cheese, red circles for pepperoni or tomatos, little black olives, mushrooms cut out of a crinkly paper bag etc. If your child can cut encourage her to make other toppings. Then i had a shaker with green sand (sand with green paint in it) and they could shake on their spices at the very end. Then you bake the pizza in a sunny window! The book is about a dad who turns his son into a pizza by covering him with checkers, shredded paper, talcolm powder. etc. After they make the pizzas you can turn them into pizza or have them turn you into a pizza.

felt abc blocks

I used inexpensive abc blocks from the dime store, craft felt and tacky glue to make these easy blocks. I also cut out some squares and let my 5-year old cover blocks on her own and that worked out really well too.

laundry starch putty

1 part liquid laundry starch (they still sell this at grocery stores in the laundry section.)
2 parts elmer's glue
optional: food coloring, glitter


This is a recipe that you see in any kid's craft book. The key is to make alot. Since it resembles silly putty the recipes often call for tiny amounts so you can fit your putty in a plastic egg. This isn't really that fun for kids to play with. As with playdough, it is better to have a large amount. I get a big jug of glue from the hardware store and use a cup of starch and two cups of glue. Then you mix it together well and let it sit in a ziplock bag or an airtight container and by the next day it should be perfect. If you keep it covered well it will last forever!

sand clay

1 cup sifted beach sand (or sand from sandbox)
1/2 tsp alum (look at a pharmacy)
1/4 cup corn starch
1 cup water

Your kids can help gather the sand and measure and stir ahead of time, then you should take over. Heat on a medium burner and stir it a lot until it gets thick. (Use an old pan for this.) Let it cool enough to use. You can store it in a sealed container pretty well for an hour or so if yu want to prepare it in advance. Spoon some out on a paper plate or a regular plate covered with foil so it doesn't stick. Your children can mold it into a paper weight or castle or whatever you want. It doesn't actually hold a shape as well as real wet sand so you can't get too detailed with your structure. You can press shells, rocks, other beachy stuff in (put glue under them. Just apply it right on top of the wet sand clay to make sure the stuff sticks well.) or shape it more like a mounded castle and make little toothpick flags to put on top. I saw an idea on thriftyfun.com to cover a picture frame with the sand clay and then press shells and stuff in to make a nice beachy frame. I have also thought about filling lots of ice cube trays with the clay and when it dried you would have these nice uniform sand building blocks to glue together to make a larger structure. It doesn't dry completely for a few days so try to leave your creation out of the way until your children can handle it with no risks. Once your sand clay is dry it is very strong.

pie pan stepping stones

coming soon!

marshmallow and toothpick sculpture

You need toothpicks and mini marshmallows (or gum drops. jelly beans, etc.)

Using the toothpicks and marshmallows, your child can build virtually anything. The younger ones do better if you make some barbells with toothpick in the middle and marshmallows on either side that they can attach to one another. Older kids can make really nice structures. The key is to use triangles for strength. Squares will flop around and triangles are just more stable. This is adapted from a traditional Kindergarten craft called peas and sticks where children used soaked dried peas and small sticks to build stuff. I have tried the soaked peas without much luck but it would eliminate the problem of having all your art materials getting eaten. Buckminster Fuller, the creator of the Geodesic Dome (think Epcot Center) and Dymaxion car (think 3 wheeled car that got 100 mpg) said in an interview that he first understood the importance of using triangles for strength when completing the peas and sticks exercise in school. So maybe this will guide your child towards great future building projects. The marshmallows dry out in a day or so and make the structures stronger.