Clay Snowladies and Reindeer Fingerprint Ornaments

At our house, we love this time of year for giving, receiving (because what kid doesn't!?), and for creating presents.  Every year we've made our own ornaments.  Last year we made salt dough shapes and decorated them with glitter.  We also made some cinnamon ornaments.  My babies are getting so big.  Every year I have made a mold of their hand print so this year I started looking for to incorporate something to this regard into an ornament for Christmas.  And then..I came across this beautifully simple and elegant snowman fingerprint ornament from Pinterest. 

I used this homemade clay recipe.  It was extremely easy to make and didn't take much time.  You combine about a box of baking soda, one cup of cornstarch, and one and a half cups of water.  Combine all of the ingredient and then cook on medium heat until the mixture thickens-stirring consistently.  If you do not want to create your own clay, you also easily purchase clay from the craft store.

*The clay took about three full days to dry and while it did, I decided to keep rotating and flipping the ornaments.  Note to future self.  Be careful because this recipe causes uneven cracking to the point of no return.  I bought a sealant for the ornaments because I noticed the cracking and that seemed to slow down the process.  Unfortunately, some ornaments just didn't make it!

Aside from that.. they still came out looking beautiful, simple, and so very honestly made.  Mark Jr. has the reindeer ornaments and Harmony's are the snow ladies.  We stamped their initials, which I would recommend waiting until AFTER the ornaments dry.. something I clearly didn't do.  Punch a hole for the string and then light brush over the finger print area with crayons or paint until it becomes visible.  We waited about 2-3 days until they dried and then sprayed them with a sealant to protect the exterior from cracking.

Harmony and I really enjoyed creating these and plan to give them away to friends, family, and to her teacher as Christmas gifts.

Candice S

Truth in the Tinsel: The Christmas Story

 Harmony and I have really enjoyed learning the Christmas story and about Jesus' birth.  We've been using our book, Truth in the Tinsel: An advent experience for little hands, and have been following along with each new section of the story each day.  You can see more about our journey with this project about learning The Christmas Story.. 

Here are a few photo's of the daily ornaments that we have completed.  The above photo is of Mary, Joseph, the stable, and the manger.  Isn't it just lovely?

 We learned about the  meaning of Jesus' name.

 This is a pillow that signifies the dream that Joseph have and how he was told to marry Mary, and that her baby would be called.. Jesus.

..Lastly, this signifies Bethlehem. 

You can get your copy here.

Merry Christmas!

Candice S

Truth in the Tinsel: The Christmas Story

This Christmas I wanted to share something special with Harmony.  I wasn't sure if I wanted to create a new "advent calendar" tradition or to just experience something unique and enlightening with her.  For the Holidays, my husband and I have decided that we want to teach patience, giving, sharing, and appreciation.  So much of these qualities diminish throughout the holiday season because we all get so caught up in gift giving and seasonal purchases.  It is too easy getting lost in the clutter and crowds, isn't it?  My goal is to establish the sense of loving our belongings that we have now, instead of constantly begging for more, and taking the time during this holiday season to have fellowship amongst our families.  Fellowship is something that always gets left on the back burner when it's the gifts and wrapping paper that should be.  Well, not literally of course! 

Our Snowflake Advent Tree that has "clues" on the back leading us to the next part of the story..



In my search of advent calendars and other family traditions, I kept hearing all of these wonderful things about this book called, "Truth in the Tinsel: An advent experience for little hands."  This book includes daily activities that share the story of Jesus and his birth, as well as an ornament a day to go along with each part of the story.  Although our household is by far a religious household, I want Harmony to experience The Christmas Story firsthand, rather than guessing or wondering what the differences between Baby Jesus and Santa Clause are. 

Day 1:  Candle Ornament: "The Light"

This book is an absolute depiction of the Christmas Story, detailed on explaining most of the story through the creation of a daily ornament.  Harmony and I have had fun making our ornaments.  It has been rather hard keeping her "involved" in the story long enough to really explain what everything means, as some of elements and passages read in the bible are not too accommodating for a younger child but we read the scripture's none the less and discussed what it is we think the meaning of it might be. 



Day 5:  Mary

So, what have we learned?  I figured if Harmony didn't take anything else away from this fun experience than at least I could use it as a moral lesson on teaching kindness, giving, forgiveness, and to appreciate what we have.  "We should share our spark and our light to the entire world."  This is something that we have been saying a lot in our house and I don't mind that positive encouragement and enlightenment one bit.  :)

If you're interested in doing it with us and thousands of others, feel free to stop by and get Amanda's book here.  I promise, it is not time consuming unless you want it to be nor is it tedious.  You can use the materials you have on hand to create your ornaments and spend as little to no time everyday before or after your kids go to school.  The book is beyond worth it!! 

Happy Holidays!

Candice S

Last Minute- Thanksgiving Fun!

This pinup turkey is a 30 minute keeper that will provide some quick, last minute Thanksgiving fun, to your kids day!

I keep this enormous mess of recycling objects that I "might" want to use on the top of my refrigerator.  Haven't you had those frantic moments where you ask yourself if you saved that milk jug or that amazingly shaped plastic container?  :)  I have those often so I started keeping a stash of fun items for later use..  I saved the lids to our Parent's Choice baby wipes in hopes that I would some day find use for them.. and Sunday, was that day! 

We just glued all of the pieces together and then I used the hot glue gun for the heavier pieces, such as the clothespin.  We placed them up on a lamp shade.  :)

If you need more post- Thanksgiving fun, you can view earlier posts, watch a holiday movie, or read an amazing Thanksgiving book like "Over the River", "Turk and Runt", or "T is For Turkey".

Happy Thanksgiving!

Candice S

Fancy Nancy Party

The Decorations

We celebrated Ms. Harmony's fifth birthday with Fancy Nancy party that sported finger foods, tea sandwiches, fun fancy decorations, fancy sunglasses, and more!  It was a hit! 

Mark (my prince charming) and I scrambled Saturday morning, frantically at that, to clean the house, hang the decorations, and make the finger sandwiches.  Most of our "Fancy" decorations were made out of recycled articles, such as newspaper, book pages, and bottle caps.  I worked on the decorations every night for the past week, and had quite a bit of fun making them!

The Invitations

Fancy Invitations were decorated with scrapbook paper, ribbon, and sequins. Harmony decorated them all by herself and had a blast! On the back it read, "You are cordially invited to a Soiree. Soiree is "Fancy" for party!!" 

The Food

• Popcorn with Pink White Chocolate
• Teddy Grahams, Tortilla Chips, and Wheat Thins.
• Salsa and Hummus
• Strawberries and Blueberry Salad
• Cucumber and Cream Cheese Finger Sandwiches
• Peanut Butter and Jelly Finger Sandwiches
• Peanut Butter and Fluff AKA Fluffernutter Finger Sandwiched
• Carrots and Celery with Ranch Dressing
• Watermelon Balls
• Publix Decadent Chocolate Lovers Delight Cake

Fancy Crew

TheActivities

The girls decorated their fancy and glamorous glasses inspired by Fancy Nancy.. and then made these awesome dessert plate hats inspired by Vanessa at Silly Eagle Books.

Of course we played a fancy rendition of tag, created beautiful pictures with side walk chalk, and blew a million bubbles- all the while, baby brother followed the girls around like a little puppy. :) We also made forts in the living room, ate a ton of cake with sprinkles, and had fun jumping in the massive amounts of balloons.

Overall, it was a total success!  Happy Birthday to my vibrant and spunky, Harmonious!

Happy Monday!

Candice S

Linking to:

Bookmarks

Harmony and I were hand making her "Fancy Nancy" birthday invitations (post coming soon!).. and I was inspired to make some bookmarks for both of my grandmother's and for my aunt.  I "try" to be crafty and I am so often inspired.  What might seem totally awesome to me might cause you guys to snicker at the additions and alterations that can be made..but bare with my utter excitement when I say that I love these bookmarks!!  They came out so stinking adorable that I think I might just make some more...

Tools:

Tacky Glue (My fav!)

Ribbon

Scrapbook Paper

Scrapbook Stickers

Ruler

Scissors

Total time was approximately 15-30 minutes.  We were crafting our hearts out so we lost track of time!  These bookmarks were super easy.  They would make great gifts for teachers, book lovers, and friends!  I hope that you like them, too.

Enjoy!

Candice S.

Bird and Sun Art (Inspired by Eric Carle's "The Tiny Seed")

 Thee last month we have been working on learning about flowers so we have read so many brilliantly and beautifully written books that have inspired our preschool lessons and our craft time. 

We have re-read The Tiny Seed (World of Eric Carle) several times.  I adore the beautiful illustrations.  

I sat down this evening after putting the kids together and wanted to put some of my idea's to work.  The sun piece is actually very similar to what I saw Vanessa from Silly Eagle Book's put together.  I am still aw-struck by her stunning piece and her ability to portray images so uniquely as she selects them from her books. 

So, I decided it was time to get creative.  I took two mirrors that were purchased at a garage sale a couple years ago and cut scrap book paper to fit.  The bright pieces that I used in the sun image are from a magazine.  I also used scrapbook images to decorate the frames along with tempura paint.  My original idea was to spray paint the frame's red, but then decided it would be too much contrast.

So, what do you think?  :)  I'm pretty happy with the way they came out and I cannot wait to show Harmony in the AM!  I'm pretty sure she'll tell me that she is "impressed" .. Happy Friday!

Candice S.

I'm linking my bird art to...

Jumbo Toddler Crayons

The last time we made jumbo crayons was when Harmony was about 2 years old, so we have quite a bit of small piece of broken crayons that can be repurposed. 

Sort the crayons by color, or have your super smart/super sorter toddler/preschooler assist.

Take the paper off of each crayon.

Put in a muffin tin or mold.

Bake on 350 for about 10 minutes or until the crayon pieces have melted into one beautiful crayon!

I want to get some molds to make various shapes.  Any good idea's on where to get these molds from?

Have a rocking Tuesday!

Candice S.

Linking to: 

 Just Something I Whipped Up at The Girl Creative :)

Summer Family Fun Activities

Here are a few summer fun idea's that I have compiled together.  I plan on doing these with my family before Harmony starts school in August.  :)

1.  Play a game of hopscotch
2.  Have fun with ice cube painting
3.  Make puff paint
4.  Collect nature objects, rocks, twigs, flowers and place them into a display basket and use them for props or story time
5.  Make a nature book
6.  Blow bubbles
7.  Dance in the rain (a light drizzle- not recommended for dancing in thunderstorms! hehe)
8.  Go Hiking
9.  Go to the park
10.  Have a picnic!
11.  Camp out in your backyard
12.  Take a family bike ride
13.  Watch a movie under the stars (usually events like this are at your local theater, library, or within your community)
14.  Go to your local library and sign up for their children's programs- story time, family craft time, music, and art programs.
15.  Plant a garden or a tree
16.  Fly a kite
17.  Make homemade ice cream
18.  Make a puppet theater out of cardboard boxes
19.  Take a walk and explore your neighborhood
20.  Make homemade lemonade
21.  Eat lots of watermelon
22.  Start your own reading program.  Read a book a week with your kids to keep their minds fresh.
23.  Go to the beach
24.  Play in the water, pool, or water hose
25.  Start writing a pen pal
26.  Read a classic
27.  Go to your local flea market
28.  Make a sensory tub for your toddler/preschoolers:  You can make a garden sensory tub with seeds, soil, and a shovel.  :)

29.  Play tag outside your house and run aimlessly after each other (that's what we plan to do!)

30.  Have a family sleepover in your living room 

31.  Make homemade play dough

32.  Make smores

33.  Create a sun picture (place lemon juice on paper and place in sun)

34.  Use up your scraps from your art collection (example:  use extra broken crayons for making jumbo muffin tin crayons)
35.  Read the news
36.  Play a board game
37.  Play kickball
38.  Have a water balloon fight!
39.  Observe the clouds for rabbits, squirrels, and other fun shapes!
40.  Register for Lowe's or Home Depot's building program for kids (usually held on Saturdays and are completely FREE)
41.  Learn (or teach your child) how to jump rope, roller skate, or swim
42.  Make a sockpuppet
43.  Donate toys to your local charity
44.  Start a kids club for community clean up
45.  Play I-Spy
46.  Have a treasure or scavenger hunt
47.  Have a tea party
48.  Make tissues flowers
49.  Make a magazine holder
50.  Create a shadowbox
51.   Learn to sew
Most of all...stay safe, use sunscreen, and have fun!!

Candice S.

Linking To:

Color of the Rainbow: Preschool Schedule

051711 Preschool Week Rainbows

Click on the "Fullscreen" to see it in larger print.  Any questions, feel free to ask.  Most of my resources are included as hyperlinks, which I will have to test to see if they work for you.  Also, I will be posting on the crafts, projects, and videos that are utilized during the week as we learn!  :)  Stay tuned!

Candice

Mother's Day Gift Idea's

Here are a few quick idea's of what you can give your Mom for as a gift for Mother's Day.  These are fun gifts that Harmony and I have created in the past from recycled materials and things laying around the house.

Sugar, Honey, Vanilla, and Brown Sugar Handscrub.  Simple ingredients, mix about a tsp of vanilla and equal parts sugar and honey until moistened.  The labels are made from recycled paper and modpodged on, as well as lids.  This handscrub can be made with various scents and oils, so have fun!!  They work GREAT for removing paints and craft glue from artist's fingers.  :)

Paper Weights from recycled baby food jars.  They say "Your love weights down my heart."  Made from food coloring and corn syrup.

Chocolate Covered Chex Mix.  Super simple and fast!  YUMM.

 Tissue Paper and Egg Carton Bouquet of Flowers.

Cherry Blossom Hand Print made from construction paper, brown paper bag (recycled), tissue paper, glue, and an old book that Harmony and I decided we were going to use for crafting.

If you need last minute gift idea's these are quick, easy, and super cute!  For more idea's you can visit Silly Eagle Books, Tip Junkie, and Martha Stewart.

Happy Mother's Day!

Candice

Elegant Tissue Paper Bouquet

I came across a brilliant post from Ms. Vanessa over at Silly Eagle Books, of a beautiful arrangement of tulips.  Vanessa portrays the amazing world of books, beautifully, and creates such unique crafts that allows a parent and child to portray the story in such a brilliant way.  Silly Eagle Books is inspiring, informative for new ideas for children/infant books, and beyond elogantly innovative.  You must check out her work! 

These are just a few pictures of our bouquet that was inspired by Vanessa's work.  I wanted to take a minute and share our's with you. 

 Harmony wanted to see "bugs" in her bouquet so we created a catepillar with dowels, pom pom's, googly eyes, and a pipe cleaner.

These make a perfect addition to our table.  The bouquet would also be a wonderful Mother's Day present!

Enjoy!

Candice