Sleeping Bag for a Doll

Found a tutorial for a doll's sleeping bag here.  I just had to make one for Kate's newest doll!  This simple project didn't take much more than an hour. 

Look how happy she is!  She now sleeps by Kate's bed like this every night.

"Under the Sea" Felt Board (To Go)

Here's an idea I found for keeping kiddos entertained on a road trip: felt boards on a clipboard!  Felt can be glued on the back of the clipboard.  I chose to make an "Under the Sea" theme, so I added a little "sand" (tan felt) and some wavy green sea-plant-things (green ric-rac and felt).  

All the pieces, made of felt, can be kept in a Ziploc bag clipped to the other side. 

I added googly eyes to all the animals. 

I only glued down the bottom edge of the sea plants so fish can swim through them.

A turtle, a crab, a shark, a starfish, a clam, and five fish... quite a busy little scene!

Jumping Cups Activity

We always need craft ideas for our summer get-togethers in playgroup.  Here's an activity we found: jumping cups! 

All you need: plastic cups, scissors, rubber bands, tape, and a print-out of a rocket (or anything else that can jump or fly). I didn't print mine on cardstock, but next time I will.  It could also be laminated. 

Directions: Color the picture and cut out.  Cut four small slits, evenly spaced, around the rim of the cup.  Snip a rubber band in half.  Knot the ends of each rubber band and place in the slits so it makes a cross in the inside of the cup.  Place a bit of tape on the inside of the cup where each rubber band is knotted, to help hold it in place.  This will be your cup that you place on top of another.  Glue or tape the picture on the top cup.  Place another cup underneath.  Push down the top cup and let it spring loose.  And there you have it... jumping cups!

Coffee Filter Butterfly Craft

Another fun summer afternoon activity!  This idea is from this blog post.   

Supplies needed:
coffee filters
markers
spray bottles filled with water
clothespins
pipecleaners
googly eyes

Step 1: Color the coffee filters with markers.  Spray with a little water (not too much) so the colors run together a little.  Let dry. 

Step 2: Scrunch the middle of the filter and add a clothespin.  Hot-glue on some googly eyes.  Cut a pipecleaner in half and twist it into an antenna shape.  You can hot-glue that into place, too, although we haven't yet.  Kate added little mouths with markers. 

Miss Maggie demonstrating the flight of the butterfly

Recycled Materials Robot Craft

I'm always looking for good craft ideas for a hot summer afternoon.  Yesterday, Jack wanted to make a robot.  Hmm... of course, I turned to Pinterest.  We scrolled through hundreds of ideas before I compiled a few.  All we needed was cardboard from a box in the recycling pile, foil, a hot glue gun, a Sharpie, googly eyes, and different-colored craft foam.  I also offered him pop can tabs and milk jug lids, but he didn't use them.
First step: cut out cardboard in the shape of a body, head, arms, and legs. Cover them with foil and tape the back.  Hot glue the pieces into place. 

Second step: decorate however you want! 

DIY Watercolor Paints

How awesome is it that you can make your own watercolor paints at home, using just a few simple ingredients (vinegar, baking soda, cornstarch, corn syrup, and food coloring) that you probably already have on hand?  We had to get a couple extra ice cube trays so each kid could have his/her own tray, but we've been able to use these several times now, so it's definitely worth it.  I found complete directions at this site.
 

What can I say?  My kids are natural artists!  :-)

Rainbow Hearts Applique T-Shirt

I found this fun, simple idea for applique here.  It was easy enough to find fabric in the six rainbow colors in my stash.  The best thing about this shirt?  She can wear it with just about anything! 

American Flag Applique T-Shirts

Our 4th of July shirts were inspired by this tutorial, which promises to take no more than 10 minutes to complete.  I used Wonder Under, like with all my applique, which isn't mentioned in the tutorial, so mine took a bit longer, but still.  These shirts for the girls I whipped up in maybe half an hour the other night.  And for Jack?  A matching tie applique on his red t-shirt.  I had a vision of taking their picture in the Radio Flyer in front of the nearby pecan orchard while they were eating ice cream cones... and it almost happened.  The possibility of mosquitoes never crossed my mind.  And, yet, as we were unloading the wagon from the back of the van at the orchard, we were absolutely attacked by the horrendous creatures!  Imagine me, yelling at the kids to get back in the van and close the windows, re-loading the wagon (which didn't fit well in the first place), and worrying about melting ice cream cones.  And now imagine me driving back home (only a couple houses away) with the back of the van open because I didn't want to take the time to wedge the wagon in the right way.  All the while slapping mosquitoes on my arms and listening to Kate's panicked cry.  Mother of the Year right here!  We ended up taking our pictures in front of the garage door.  And they still turned out super cute.

A close-up of the applique on the girls' shirts