Create-Celebrate-Explore

Tea Party Tableware

I don't think it's any secret that I am a huge fan of Marshalls.  I shop there frequently.  I always seem to find great bargains, especially items for the house.

A while ago I found some very pretty tableware, however there were only 4 small plates, 4 cups and 1 dinner plate left.  I wandered around the store picking up other bits and pieces while debating whether I should grab this too.  It was just too pretty to leave behind though and I spent less than $10 for it.  Who can possibly pass up a pretty bargain.

I decided in the store that I would turn the larger plate into a cake stand and then this set would make lovely tea party tableware for when I have girlfriends over to visit.

This project of course had flitted to the back of my mind recently, you know, with moving house and my office/craft room being in a right royal mess still.   Then, whilst staring starry eyed at Pinterest the other day I came across this.  It seems that Brenda of Cozy Little House has the same tableware, she has found some lovely co-ordinating items too.  It jogged my mind that I still hadn't done anything with my lovely set.  So I dug it out of one of the boxes in my office, then headed to a local thrift store where I found two lovely candle sticks for $1.99/set - I now have a spare for the next lovely plate I find to build on my dessert plate obsession.

You are going to need some seriously strong glue to hold this together, but isn't it lovely.

Such a pretty pattern.  In the words of Miss M: "I like flowers".

I like cake too.

This would also make a lovely dessert stand, don't you think?

Now who is going to come over and enjoy cake and tea with me?

Summer Camp for Kids

Marie at Make and Takes is hosting a Summer Camp for Kids series.  She's asked a few kid craft bloggers to get involved and share some activities too.

I'm over there today with a tutorial on making a Stick Raft so please come by and say hello.

You can check out Marie's Summer Camp for Kids series by clicking on the image below.  Keep checking back often though as there will be more fabulous ideas coming up.

Elmer's Tri-Fold Display Board Crafts

With an Elmer's Tri-Fold Display Board?

This is what I have done:

I've made a Puppet Theatre

And a couple of Photo Stations: A Bumble Bee on and a Halloween one.

And now I want to see what YOU can do.

There are 6 Project Leaders in the #CanYouTopThis challenge, and I am one of them.  That's 6 chances to win one of 5 $100 Walmart gift cards being given away on each of the 6 blogs.  That's right, we will be giving away 30 $100 Walmart gift cards in total.   All you have to do is submit a project.

Can't think of any ideas.  Not to worry, I have a plethora of them.

A back-drop for a nativity scene

A science fair project

A book report

A chore chart

A potty training rewards board

A photo station - paint on a reindeer, Santa or elves and cut out the faces.

A puppet theatre

A make-up station for girls - attach a mirror and paint with lots of glitter.

A beanbag toss

A display board for your child's artwork

A blackboard - blackboard paint available at craft and hardware stores. Anchor one of the folds to make a shelf for chalk and an eraser to sit on.

A magnet board - did you know you can buy magnet paint?  You'll need a few coats.  How many of us have little ones with those colorful alphabet and number magnets that are stuck all over our refrigerators. Now they won't need to be.  Or make your own magnets.  It makes a great holiday gift.

A snowman - cut out the shape of a snowman, make a paper carrot nose, put a hat and scarf on him and stick him in the ground with a stake.

A Christmas Tree - Cut out the shape of a tree, paint it, attach a stake to the bottom, or put it in a large pot, anchored down.  Cut small holes in the tree and poke Christmas lights through the holes and tape the back of them so they don't move about.

And if that isn't enough for you, check out the other entries that have been submitted so far.  Or visit the other 5 project leaders blog posts to see what they created.

• Sarah's Deals
• Super Saving Sense
• Dealusional
• Confessions of an over-worked Mom
• Mama Buzz

You have until December 1st to submit your completed project via your blog, Flickr or Facebook.

For all of the entry requirements and to submit your project, just head over HERE

Disclaimer:  As one of the Project Leaders for this #CanYouTopThis challenge, I am being compensated with thanks to Collective Bias.

Handmade Puppet Theatre

UPDATE:  THE #CANYOUTOP THIS ELMER'S TRI-FOLD BOARD CHALLENGE HAS ENDED. 

AND THE WINNERS ARE:

Nana's Tutu Trunk: Dress-Up Station

Cheryl Budge: Photo Wall Display

Christy Nelson: Homework Station

Susie QT Pies: Coffee Cup Chalkboard

Upstate Ramblings: Turkey Basket

*********************

Remember the Bumble Bee Photo Station I created for the twins 4th birthday party? 

Well, it seems to have inspired an Elmer's Tri-Fold Board "Can You Top This" Challenge.

As one of 6 project leaders for this challenge I was asked to create something new using an Elmer's Tri-Fold Display Board.

Having been on a recent Real California Milk Tour (yet to be blogged about), I guess I had cows on my mind when I came up with this idea.

The kids absolutely LOVE their new Barnyard Puppet Theatre.  If you would like to make one visit the Can You Top This website for instructions.

Onto the challenge.

My challenge to you is to come up with an Elmer's Tri-Fold Board project.  Any project.  Can't think of anything, well not to worry, here are a few things I thought of:

• A science fair project
• A book report for school
• A backdrop for a nativity scene for the Holiday's
• A chore chart for your children
• A holiday calendar
• A bean bag toss game
• A display board for your kids artwork

You can break down the board, you can cut it, glue things to it, paint it.  Whatever you like.  You just have to use it.  Does your child have a school project coming up?  Or do you want to make homemade gifts this year?  Perfect.  And where do you purchase these boards?  Walmart.  That's where.  And they are very reasonably priced and you have 2 options, a cardboard or foam version.  I used the foam version for both the Bumble Bee Photo Station and this project and I used the cardboard version for the Halloween Photo Station.

And why would you want to take me up on this challenge?

I'll give you two reasons.

1. I will be choosing 5 tri-fold project board submissions to each receive a $100 gift card to Walmart
2. The 5 winning designs will also be turned into an 'recipe card' and included on the Can You Top This site.

So here are the rules:

You must create a project using an Elmer's Tri-Fold Board

You need to include the instructions and materials used to create your project.

You do NOT need to have a blog to participate.  You can post your project as a public note on Facebook, or add a photo with details required on Flickr.

You must acknowledge that you are submitting your photograph to the Can You Top This challenge (with a link to either the Can You Top This site or my blog post) and use this hashtag #CanYouTopThis

That's it!

Once you have published your project to your blog, Facebook or Flickr, add a link below.

You have until December 1st at 9pm (PST) to get your entries in.  So let's get crafting.

CAN YOU TOP THIS?

Oh and one last thing.  I mentioned that there are 6 project leaders in this challenge.  Let me introduce you to the other 5:

Sarah's Deals / Super Saving Sense / Dealusional / Confessions of an overworked mom / MamaBuzz

 

---

1. Cheryl Budge 2. Count Down To 3. Boler Home 4. Xmas Command Ctr 5. Becca Ludlum 6. Vinyl Wall Decals 7. "Be Thankful" Card! 8. Turkey Basket 9. Momma D's Handiwork 10. won 11. Children's Playset 12. Hanukkah Deco & Game 13. Advent Calendar! 14. Train Xmas Countdown 15. Christmas Countdown 16. Giant Wallet Craft 17. Harry Houdini Craft 18. Fireplace 19. A learning Board 20. Homework Station 21. Sparkly Christmas 22. Organizational Board 23. Barbie Nativity 24. 25DaysofChristmas 25. Dress-Up Closet 26. Alabama vs LSU 27. Nativity background 28. our chimminey

This linky list is now closed. 

Get your own FREE Linky Tools

 

Disclaimer: As a project leader for the Elmer's "Can You Top This" Challenge for Collective Bias, I am being compensated.

Jewelry Organizer for Kids

Marisol has a lot of trinket boxes.  Trinket boxes that are continually knocked over, empty, broken or aren't used to serve their purpose, which was to keep her jewelery organized.  So I decided to make her a hanging organizer, which so far she loves and her jewelery remains on it ... for the time being.

 
This was very simple to make and I had nearly all of the materials required on hand in my stash, which I had picked up on clearance at some time.  The only item I needed was the beautiful rose ribbon to hang the organizer - it was also the most expensive item used at $3.99 for this small piece at Beverly's.

Here is how I made it.

The above frame and pegs I had purchased on clearance at (I think) Michaels a long time ago for $1 each.

I glued the pegs to the frame using Elmer's wood glue and then painted the entire item white.

Then using an old loom (which I haven't used since I was in elementary school), I made a piece to fill the center of the frame so that her brooches (pins) would have somewhere to call home.

Then I cut some images from scrapbook paper and using mod podge adhered them to the frame.  I then added some hooks to use for bangles, bracelets and rings.  Added the ribbon on top.  And viola.

Hand Puppet Ghosts

 You know how the washing machine or dryer eats socks and if you are like me you have a basket containing all the lonely socks just in case their partners return.

Today I used a few of those lonely socks to make hand puppets for the kids for Halloween. 

Supplies:

• White fabric
• Patterned edge scissors
• Lonely white socks
• Embroidery thread & needle
• Black fabric marker

 

Using something large and round (I used serving platters in different sizes) mark a circle on the fabric.

Cut out using patterned edge scissors

Using the embroidery thread and needle stitch the toe of the sock to the middle of the circle.

Draw on the eyes and mouth with the fabric marker.

Place a few random stitches around the middle of the ghost to attach it to the sock and to give it a little more shape.

Uppercase Living

Last night I was invited to an Uppercase Living party. 

A couple of friends and I made these cute coasters for Marisol’s kitchen.

I think this may become a new addiction for me - like I need a new one.

Oh yes, I will be making a few purchases this week and will be sure to share some of the fabulous ideas I have brewing.

Handmade Train Track Accessories

You may remember my little boys obsession with trains.  I made this play mat for him a while ago.

Well he keeps that ‘train mat’ inside a tent in his bedroom where he loves to sit and drive his trains around the track.  However in the kids play room we have a large train table. 

While my parents are visiting they wanted to buy him some more pieces to build on the basic track he already had.  Train tracks and accessories are E.X.P.E.N.S.I.V.E though.  So dad and I put our creative heads together and made a few bits a pieces.

So using a Pringles container, a plastic apple juice bottle, an orange juice carton and a coffee creamer bottle we set to work.

First we cut each piece to the size we required, then  put a couple of coats of paint on.

Then we cut a piece of ply wood to make an arch for a tunnel, which was glued inside the orange juice carton.  The reason for this is if you leave the box rectangular it can start to lean or bend out of shape very quickly.  The ply wood adds extra support so the tunnel holds its shape.  Good thing I picked up a little woodcarving tool set about a year ago on clearance … see, I knew it would come in handy one day.

Before adding finishing touches to each piece.  Including a coat of sealant over the top of each piece, this helps to prevent the paint from chipping, especially on the plastic.

The end result:

The orange juice carton made a great tunnel, once the plywood archway was added.  Flynn can reach his hand into the other end to pull his trains through and loves that I painted it black inside to make it ‘spooky’.

The end of the coffee creamer bottle was turned into a mountain and grass and ladybugs were painted on the side.

The plastic apple juice bottle was turned into another tunnel complete with graffiti (thanks to the teenager) on the inside.  We only painted the inside of the plastic, not the outside.

Lastly, the Pringles carton was cut in half and made into 2 train depots for the trains to go to sleep at the end of their very busy day.

Flynn loves it and there is nothing better than free accessories for his most beloved toy.

Oh and I have to show you one last thing that we added.

One section of the train table has a construction theme.   So what better item to put there than a dinosaur egg boulder painted by Flynn at pre-school last week.  Let’s just hope it doesn’t hatch :)

AS SEEN ON:

 

733 and Craft Gossip

This post linked to:

 

 As seen on:

Craft Gossip ...  733

CONTEMPORARY VISUAL ART

While visiting the Steinbeck Center last week I saw this in the art gallery:

It is part of a collection for the exhibition From This Stone and Anvil: Arthurian Legend Exposed and Abstracted. 

Okay, so this may not look like much until you see what it is made of.

Recognize it?

Twist-ties.  You know the ones you get on bread packets.

Ingenious.

Artist: J.R. Uretsky, who by chance has a blog which I found while google searching for other works of art she may have done.

Information about the exhibition: National Steinbeck Center

FINDING CREATIVITY EVERYWHERE

There are so many amazingly creative people in the world.  So many people that you may not give the time of day to, who you wouldn’t even notice if you walked past them.

 

This gentleman is on hard times, as are so many others these days.  I saw him sitting on the pier, making these

It was my birthday.  So I had my husband buy me a rose. 

So instead of just standing on a street corner asking for donations, he spent time making something beautiful with his own two hands hoping that people would appreciate his creativity.  I was more than happy to oblige.