Play Dough How To: Chocolate Cookies & Mud

April 4, 2013 By 14 Comments
Play Dough Chocolate Mud

We made a spring batch of our homemade play dough last week and Bryson specifically asked for some brown mud.  The color didn't come out exactly like I wanted, so we created some homemade chocolate cookie & mud play dough which turned out great.  I started out with just mud play dough in mind and Bryson played with his monster trucks making tracks, crashing, etc.  Before I knew it though, he was rolling out chocolate cookies, placing them on a baking sheet, and putting them in the oven.  When the ding, ding, ding of the timer went off, we gathered around and enjoyed chocolate cookies made with this recipe.  I love his imagination! Chocolate Mud Play Dough 5.0 from 1 reviews Chocolate Scented Mud Play Dough   Print Prep time 1 min Cook time 10 mins Total time 11 mins   Recipe type: kids, play dough Ingredients 1¼ cup all purpose flour ¼ cup salt ½ cup cocoa 1 tsp cream of tartar 2 tbsp vegetable oil 1 cup water … [Read more...]

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Egg Carton Bug Craft

March 1, 2013 By 3 Comments
DIY Bugs Egg Carton Craft

One of the great things about crafting with kids is that it never has to be perfect.  Crafting for us is just an opportunity to get creative and in this case, recycle some items in our home.  We had so much fun on this egg carton craft.  The kids loved making these egg carton bugs and were happy to be able to play with them when they were finished drying. Please join me over at the GummyLump blog where I share the supplies, tutorial, and some cute photos for these adorable … [Read more...]

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Christmas & Snow Play Dough Box

December 6, 2012 By 9 Comments
Christmas & Snow Play Dough Box

I believe in the power of play dough.  It's one of the few things that Bryson and Bella ask for almost daily, as you can see by my Instagram.  I've been making homemade play dough for almost two years now.  It's so easy, it's cheap, and it lasts so much longer than store-bought play-doh.  The kids especially love it when I make seasonal themed play dough and change out their play dough tools.  I made Halloween play dough in October and I loved watching Bryson act out stories with it as I would read the books to him. We use cookie cutters from the 101 piece Wilton set and rolling pins and stamping cubes from the Melissa & Doug Shape, Model, and Mold set.  The Wilton set comes with the alphabet, shapes, holiday themed cutters, and more.  It's a really great set for crafts as well as baking.  You can find it for $10 at Walmart if you don't want to order it online. I also found the box we're using in the craft section at Walmart. Homemade Play Dough Recipe   … [Read more...]

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Handprint Turkey Shirt with Puffy Paint Tutorial #ilovetocraft

October 5, 2012 By 5 Comments
turkey handprint shirt craft thanksgiving

I know it's only October, but this handprint turkey shirt is so fun to make and cute that you'll want to do it now so your child can begin wearing it.  Y'all know that I never craft alone- my kids are always involved and this shirt is no exception.  After receiving a pack of puffy paint as part of an iLoveToCreate challenge, this handprint turkey shirt instantly came to mind.  One thing to remember is that this shirt doesn't have to be perfect- it's supposed to be a fun craft and activity to do with your children.   How to Make a Handprint Turkey Shirt You'll need: a plain white Tshirt black or brown fabric paint fabric puffy paint multipack Start by laying your Tshirt flat.  Insert a piece of cardboard into the shirt to keep the paint from bleeding through.  I used a placemat because that's just what I had on hand and it worked well.   Next, paint the inside of your child's hand and their thumbs with the black or brown fabric paint.  Do not … [Read more...]

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Apple Pie Scented Play Dough

September 11, 2012 By 14 Comments
Apple Pie Scented Play dough

Fall is officially here so to celebrate I adapted our homemade play dough recipe into this wonderful apple pie scented play dough.  It's made with ingredients from the pantry and is safe for little ones to taste, but it doesn't taste good so they'll probably spit it out quickly.  Because apples are in season, this is perfect for apple themed play.  The cinnamon and nutmeg come together to give this play dough a delicious apple pie scent.  The spices also add texture that reminds me of apples. Apple Pie Scented Play Dough Ideas Build letters on ABC play dough mats Add beads & sequins for fine motor skills Use cookie cutters and rolling pins to make shapes Set up a bakery with cupcake liners, candles, etc. Use googly eyes and pipe-cleaners to make monsters For the play dough mats, simply print the pages you want and laminate them.  Easy, peasy! I borrowed a bottle of Sauer's red food color from my mom for this play dough and it is the perfect apple red.  It's … [Read more...]

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Green Kid Crafts Monthly Subscription Service {Giveaway}

July 8, 2012 By 23 Comments
Green Kid Crafts Subscription Kits

If you've been around here any time at all, you know that we enjoy all kinds of kids crafts and activities.  Making our own art and craft supplies like homemade play dough and edible finger paint is the norm, but when it comes to putting actual crafts together, I'm not very creative.  That's where Green Kid Crafts comes in. As the name suggests, Green Kid Crafts is a monthly subscription service that offers eco-friendly craft projects geared toward children.  It is a mom-owned, green company that prides itself with the ability to offer natural, sustainable, and responsible choices for craft projects.  The kits include recycled content whenever possible and all craft supplies are recyclable. We received the June 2012 kit to craft & create with and I can honestly say, I'm am very impressed!  Each kit contains different projects- for instance, the June kit included a pirate loot set, a wooden wind-chime craft, and a scrapbook kit.  It all came nicely packaged in a 100% … [Read more...]

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Marbled Pottery Painting – Preschool Craft

June 12, 2012 By 14 Comments
Marbled Preschool Pottery Painting

This marbled pottery painting preschool craft started off as a "mommy" project- no kids allowed.  Both Bella and Bryson were tucked in bed on their way to sleepy-town.  So I thought.  Bryson must have sensed that I was about to start a project that involved paint and Plaid products.  The kid loves paint- acrylic paint, water color paints, you name it- he likes it.  He watched as I went through several of the steps (outlined below) and I could see the anticipation in his eyes.  When he finally asked to help, I couldn't tell him no.  The result?  LOVE. For this project, I was sent a box of goodies from Plaid to get creative with, but needed a project piece so we headed to Walmart.  Imagine my surprise when we got to the craft department and there was nothing there except fabric!  After a little bit of searching, I found the new craft aisles and they are better than ever.  I'm glad to see Walmart bringing back the fabric department, but even more excited about the expanded … [Read more...]

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Homemade Water Color Paints

June 5, 2012 By 16 Comments
Water Colors LOGO 1

Homemade water colors paints are new to my kids.  They've enjoyed finger paint and chalk paint, but never water color paints.  You can go buy water color paints, but why?  You probably have everything you need in the pantry to make them right at home.  Bryson and I made our first set last week and I am thrilled with the results.  The process got a bit messy when Bryson knocked one over, but the fun was worth the mess. As we mixed them up, I let him do some of the coloring and stirring.  I showed him how by mixing certain colors, you can create a new color.  These are fun to paint with, but don't forget to enjoy the process and take advantage of those teachable moments! Ingredients: 4 tbsp. baking soda 2 tsp. white vinegar 1/2 tsp. light corn syrup 2 tsp. corn starch food colors* containers for storing paints* something to stir with (toothpicks) * I used liquid food colors, but you could also use gel colors. * I found these little paint cups at Hobby Lobby.  … [Read more...]

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