Valentine's Day Garland and other crafts

While Hazel was decorating her valentines some more, I made a very simple garland. I glued some red heart cut-outs that I got at the Dollar Tree (I think) onto heart doilies. I alternated the doily colors pink and white. Then with Hazel's glitter glue I wrote letters on it. To string it I cut two slits in each one with an Exacto knife and strung it on a thin ribbon (which had tape on the end). Very easy and gets us into the holiday spirit a bit more.

Close up of one letter

Hazel was having fun decorating the wood cut-outs today with glitter glue. Yesterday she added glitter glue, stamps and stickers to our paper valentines.

Then remember the needle felting I did at the end of January. I finally did something with a few of them. I bought a head band at Joann Fabrics and sewed on the flower.

I got my model to stay still and let me take a picture, but first I had to wear it and let her take a picture of me with her camera. Luckily she doesn't know I can download her pictures yet. We got her a kids' digital camera for Christmas so she wouldn't play with ours all the time. Most of the pictures she takes are of something like a leg or the sofa because she doesn't quite get the proper way to use it.

This one might be the one to send to family for Valentine's Day.

I also bought some barrettes at Joann Fabrics to make different barrettes for her. So I glued one of the hearts onto one. She has actually been letting me pull her hair back at least for a short bit most days. I used the idea I read on someone's blog of using the non-slip shelf liner inside the barrette to make it not slip out. This is one of the biggest problems we have is nothing will stay in her hair. I will let you know if it works or not. We are waiting for the glue to dry still before we could try it.

Well that is about all we have been up to in crafting besides a bit of painting.  Hope you are having a good day!

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Trash Painting, tissue paper and more

We had a very crafty morning. We were waiting for the stores to open to go buy some supplies for our valentines for the Valentine Swap. Today is the last day to sign your kids up for it, so if you want them to do, please let me know.

Hazel was up early this morning and I really wasn't functioning well, so I kept her busy. First we made tissue paper stain glass hearts by having her arrange red, pink, purple and white tissue paper squares over clear contact paper. Then I covered hers with another sheet of clear contact paper and cut the hearts.  This was a project she could work on while I had my breakfast and gathered the next projects things.

While I was gathering I gave her some wooden hearts that I got at Michaels on clearance and some gem stickers. She decorated two of them for her aunts before she got bored. She still has several to do, but we will do them over time.

Then we did some melted crayon art. I chose to use the melt the tips and make dots method so we wouldn't waste all of her crayons. Though I did remove all the paper so they wouldn't be fire hazards. Hazel thought it was fun but got bored easily (or didn't like me telling her not to hold it so close to the flame and for so long). However we had fun doing it and she colored whenever she got bored. We did a nice circle and once it cooled down, I cut it into a small heart.

My notes are that the fatter crayons are easier to use. First they make bigger dots and second you don't feel the heat of the candle as easily.

Then we pulled out the paints. We made a TP roll into a heart shape and used it to paint. I saw this idea somewhere, but I can't find where I saw it now. Sorry!!

Hazel loved doing this. She had me cut the TP roll into smaller pieces so we would have one for each color. Then we moved onto making a snowman with a regular TP roll and some lids.

We added some glitter and I looked in our recycling bin for some other things we could use and we tried a water bottle.

Then I remembered a fun idea I saw on Family Fun. Painting with celery.

Ok, ours doesn't look as pretty as theirs, but Hazel was having a blast doing it.

As you can see the bunch of cut celery looks a bit like a flower or a bunch of flowers then you use one of the cut stalks to make leaves.

Then we decided to add a purple flower to the mix and by this time Hazel grew bored with our painting.

Now we are happy to get ready to go out and get our supplies for our valentines. I hope you have a great day!!

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Getting Ready for Valentine's Day

Today we started making some Valentines to give to family and friends and perhaps for the Kids' Valentine Swap. Are you interested in joining us for the swap? Tomorrow is the last day to sign your kids up, so please let me know.

We started by arranging hearts into different shapes. You can definitely tell which ones I made and which ones Hazel did on her own.

Hazel decided I made this one above for her. I was thinking I would send it to my nephew, but we will see.

Then I pulled out some of the cut hearts and pictures from the scrapbook paper I got (I got a great set at Target for $1 for 8 sheets including some with glitter) and my handmade paper collection.

We also pulled out the other stickers and rubber stamps. I made sure each one got stamped on the inside with the Happy Valentine's Day stamp.

Hazel had fun making different ones. Here is one for Daddy who loves turtles.

Then on the inside Hazel had fun with the stamps and stickers.

I'm not sure why she thinks it is good to put all the stickers on top of each other but she always does this. Here is the only other inside she decorated. Then she wanted to do a clean sheet of paper and cut and glue, etc.

Then last night I gave Hazel a game to play that she loved! I poured some conversation heart candies into a bowl and gave her some tongs that I bought at Lakeshore Learning Store and asked her to sort them by color into an egg carton.

Daddy and I helped and enjoyed eating them. She decided it was easier to use her hands, but we rewarded her for using the tongs by letting her eat one after she had done a few with the tongs. After the hearts are gone we may try it with M&M's. Those are her favorite candy.

She wanted to do it again after she had sorted them all. You could also sort them by sayings, but we aren't teaching Hazel to read yet so I didn't try it.


Hope you have a great day!!

Some Valentine's Day Crafts

So I saw a great idea on One Artsy Mama yesterday. Amy and her little crafter made some festive placemats. I loved the idea so Hazel and I made one today. Well, mostly Hazel did after I cut everything. I probably should have helped her with the glitter a bit more, but she enjoyed it and wants it in her play kitchen.

They are very easy to make. You take a piece of clear contact paper and decorate half of it (or at least that is what we did. I cut the length about 20 inches so the finished width would be about 10 inches.  I let her decorate it with cut hearts, doilies,stickers, and glitter. Then you fold the other half over it and press it to seal and trim if necessary.

We also decorated a felt lace heart I bought at one of the craft stores or dollar store.

I gave her gem stickers and her glitter glue and stickers. She is going to keep this in her play kitchen as a trivet. Again she had a lot of fun and I left her to decorate it how she wanted.

Those are the few things we did today besides our early play date and errands and a nap. Now I need to get ready for the Parish Council meeting at church tonight. Have a great day!!

Some Needle Felting

Last night was a rather quiet night at my home. My dear husband fell asleep with Hazel in her bed. I knew he was really tired, so I didn't wake him. I did go in and turn off the light before I went to bed, but since I had time to myself, I visited many of the entries to Sharing Saturday.  (If you haven't gone to check them out, you really should--they are amazing! And of course it is still open for more sharing!!)

I had total control of the television. Steve and I only watch it when Hazel is sleeping or not home. Of course Saturday night television is not very great, but I watched a few shows On Demand that are on later than I would like at night. And I did some needle felting. I had bought a needle felting kit at the Paper Source which was on their clearance table. It was to make a flower pin. It came with three bright colors of wool roving--brighter than I have seen around here. I made the flower and decided I would either glue it onto a barrette or sew it onto a hairband for Hazel.

Then I played with making some hearts. I started with the bright colors since all three colors came with equal amounts but then used a purple and white that I already had to fill in the center.

Then I made a red and white one. Seems perfect for a Valentine.

Finally I made a smaller pink one and then added a white H on it for Hazel. Then I thought about what I wanted to do with these. I decided to make the smaller one into a necklace for Hazel. This morning I sewed a piece of embroidery floss onto it and she wore it to church.

And I sewed a loop on one of the other ones for Hazel's craft tree (or small Christmas tree that I bought on clearance and we are going to hang our crafts on).

Now we just need to hang it up and sew strings on the other two. Hazel of course loved them.

An interesting article to share which makes me happy that we are sending Hazel to a Waldorf School: Wall St. Journal Article: The Importance of Child's Play

Hope you are having a relaxing weekend!