Child Painted Canvas

My kids love to paint and this is a great way to make their "abstract" masterpieces something extra special!

What you need:

• Canvas
• Paint
• Brush
• Alphabet Stickers (Located in the scrapbooking section at Michael's) or Die-Cut Vinyl Lettering

How to make it:

• Place letter stickers on canvas to display your desired phrase.

• Let your child paint the entire canvas.

• Once dried, remove stickers. 

Linking to:

http://www.whipperberry.com/

http://thirtyhandmadedays.com/

Chalkboard Wine Bottles

Chalkboard paint in a can is great stuff! This craft was extremely easy and can be used in so many different ways....home decor, vases, weddings. 

What you need:

• Chalkboard Paint
• Empty Wine Bottles
• Chalk

How to make it:

• Fill in the sink halfway with hot tap water and place bottles in the sink, label down.
• Let it soak for about 30 minutes. 
• Remove label and let bottles dry.

• Once dried, spray the wine bottles with chalkboard paint. You may need to do two to three coats.
• Using chalk, write anything you want!

Linking up to:
http://nightowlcrafting.blogspot.com/
http://www.lilluna.com/
http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/
http://whipperberry.com/
http://thirtyhandmadedays.com/ 

Rootin' Tutu-in' Cowgirl

My son wanted to be Woody from Toy Story for Halloween, so I had to make my little girl a cowgirl to match. This is such an easy and ADORABLE costume to make for a toddler.

What You Need:

• Blue Tulle (3-4 yards)
• Crochet Headband to Match Tulle Color
• Red Hankerchief (although pink would be really cute too)
• Red Grosgrain Ribbon
• Cowboy Hat
• Cowboy Boots

How To Make Tutu:

• Cut tulle into strips 4" wide by about 20" long (can adjust this to make tutu longer or shorter, fuller, etc.).
• Place crochet headband around back of small chair or table legs to stretch out - this step isn't absolutely necessary, but sure makes life a lot easier when trying to thread through the strips of tulle. I've also seen it done by sitting down and stretching the headband over your thigh.
• Fold single strip of tulle in half and insert folded end through opening at bottom of headband. Pull bottom ends of strip through to tie a knot.

Repeat knots through every opening at bottom of headband and that's it!

How to Make Rest of Costume:

• Fold hankerchief in half diagonally and tie ends around back of your toddler. I was afraid it would fall down, so I took 2 pieces of ribbon and hand-stitched one end to the front of the hankerchief and tied the other ends around the back of her neck.
• Put on cowboy hat and cowboy boots and now you've got yourself a rootin' tutu'in cowgirl!

Notes:

• Elastic can be used in place of the headband. Just measure your cowgirl's waist and subtract 3 inches, then sew ends together. Be sure not to tie the knots too tight on the elastic because it will cause it to stretch out.
• The tulle tutu tends to be a bit sheer, so we wore little blue shorts underneath.
• I also tied a little red scarf around her neck for a little extra flair!

Other Tutu Costume Suggestions:

• Make a white tutu and pair it with a white long-sleeved shirt or onesie with a ghost face on it (can glue on face with black felt or iron-on fabric) for a cute little ghost.
• Make a black tutu and pair with a black shirt or onesie with either a cat face on it or "meow". Add cat ears and a tail for a really cute black cat.

Linking to http://todayscreativeblog.net/

 http://www.thegirlcreative.com/

http://nightowlcrafting.blogspot.com/

http://www.lilluna.com/

http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/

http://whipperberry.com/

Monogrammed Coasters

These monogrammed coasters can be made to match any decor and would make a thoughtful hostess gift for the upcoming holiday parties.

What You Need:

• Round  Cork Coasters, 4" diameter (can be purchased at craft stores or cut out of a sheet of cork)
• Scrapbook Paper
• Monogram Letters Cut From Scrapbook Paper (sized no larger than 3.5")
• Mod Podge
• Glue
• Acrylic Sealer

How to Make It:

• Place coasters on reverse side of scrapbook paper. Trace the shapes and cut out circles (if you have a die-cutting machine, you can also cut a 4" circle).
• Glue paper circles onto coaster. For our project, we used 2 coordinating papers and cut a 4" circle from one and a slightly smaller circle from the other.

• Center the monogram letters in the middle of the coaster and glue down.
• Next apply several layers of Mod Podge over surface of coaster, allowing each layer to dry completely before applying another (Mod Podge goes on white, but dries clear)
• Once Mod Podge dries, apply a good coat of acrylic sealer to help waterproof the coasters.

Acrylic Painted Vases

A simple craft for the glass jars and vases you have hanging around at home. Just paint them and now they can be displayed. 

What you need:

• Glass Vases (Available at Goodwill or Dollar Tree)
• Acrylic Paint

How to make it:

• Clean vase with hot, soapy water.
• When completely dry, pour paint into the inside of the vase.

• Swirl to coat vase completely. Then pour out excess paint to container for reuse.

• Place vase upside down on paper towel for about 20 minutes.

• Wipe the excess paint from the lip of the vase with a wet paper towel.
• Let dry upright for 24 hours.

Note : You can no longer use water in these vases.

Magnetic Memo Board

This inexpensive and easy craft is a great way to add a little custom decor to your kitchen, kids' rooms, etc.

What You Need:

• Burner Covers (available in sets of 2 at Dollar Tree)
• Spray Paint
• Scrapbook Paper
• Mod Podge
• Ribbon
• Hot Glue Gun

How to Make It:

• Place the burner cover upside down on reverse side of scrapbook paper. Trace the outline and cut out the circle.
• Spray paint the burner cover in a color to coordinate with your scrapbook paper. Allow to dry completely.
• Once dry, apply a coat of Mod Podge to the burner cover and glue down the circle of scrapbook paper. Let dry.
• Apply several coats of Mod Podge over the top.
• Hot glue ribbon to back side so you can hang up the memo board.
• It is a great idea to make coordinating magnets. See tutorial here http://thedesperatecraftwives.blogspot.com/2011/10/scrapbook-paper-magnets.html

Framed BOO

It seems we can't get enough Halloween decorations and this one is about as easy as it gets! This project takes about 5 minutes once you have the supplies.

What You Need:

• Black Collage Frame for Three 4x6 Photos (purchased ours at Michaels for $5 using coupon)
• Halloween-Themed Scrapbook Paper, 4.5" x 6.5" size (three sheets)
• B-O-O Letters Cut from Black Cardstock, approx. 3" size
• Glue, Tape

How to Make It:

• Glue each letter onto center of each of three pieces of scrapbook paper (our letters were cut out using a Cricut Expression).
• Remove back from frame. Take out matting.
• Place paper behind matting so that the word BOO is aligned evenly showing through each space. Once each letter is centered, glue or tape into place.
• Place back in frame and replace backing. Done!

Ghost Footprints

This is a great keepsake and fun craft that involves your kids.

What you need:

• 8x10 or 4x6 Canvas
• Black Acrylic Paint
• White Acrylic Paint
• White Glitter (Optional)
• Googly Eyes
• Your Kids Feet or Hands

How To Make It: 

• Paint canvas black with foam brush and allow to dry.

• Paint the bottom of your kids hands or feet with white acrylic paint. Then place painted hands or feet on black canvas to apply print.
• Sprinkle with glitter while white paint is still wet. 
• Flip canvas over so print resembles ghost, and once dry, glue on googly eyes. 
• Using a paint brush or paint pen write their names and year on the canvas.
• If you used the glitter, we recommend using a spray acrylic sealer so the glitter doesn't get everywhere.