Create-Celebrate-Explore

Multiples and More: St Patrick Day Crafts

Come over to Multiples and More for the instructions on how to make these fun St. Patrick's Day t-shirts with your kids.

Kidzui Blog: Penguin Potato Stamped Shirts

Happy Feet 2 comes out tomorrow.  The kids are super excited to go and see it.  I thought it was a great excuse to make a fun potato stamped shirt with them that they can wear to the movies. 

The full tutorial for making this fun project is over at Kidzui.

A stamped vase cozy (and a giveaway)

UPDATED:  The winners of this giveaway drawn via random.org are no.12 Sabirah and no.32 Kate Dunn.  Congratulations, I will be emailing you shortly.

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I recently received some fabulous Faber-Castell Mix & Match products to try out.  After days and days of procrastinating as to what I should make with them and perusing every single page of the design memory craft blog, I was doing dishes one afternoon and happened to be washing out a large crushed garlic jar to pop into the recyling bin when I finally had an idea.

The jar was just too big for me to give it up that easily, I knew I could re-purpose it and I had remembered reading that the Mix & Match products could be used on canvas, so I decided to make a jar cozy and turn this great jar into a funky vase.

The products I received were these Mix & Match Mixed Media Sampler and Color Gelatos & Clear Stamp kit.

With the various products in the Mix & Match collection you can create some absolutely stunning pieces of work.  I came across this gorgeous artwork on Scrapscene and then this fantastic bird banner (scroll down a bit) on Art Talk (you may want to turn your volume down, there's music).  

Here are the instructions to make the vase cozy:

Step 1:

Using a tape measure, take the measurements of your jar and cut out a piece of canvas allowing an extra 5mm all round for a hem.

Step 2:

Choose a clear stamp and attach to a stampers block.  Fill in the detail on the stamp using the Color Gelatos - you can brush over these with water to create a watercolor effect.  I used 3 colors on mine: The metallic pink gelato around the outside, orange just inside that and yellow toward the center of each wing.  Stamp onto your canvas.

I then used the Art GRIP® Aquarelle Watercolor Pencil in red to highlight the details around the butterfly.  These pencils are permanent, but again, if you brush a little water over the top it creates a beautiful watercolor effect.

Step 3:

Color over a worded stamp using the Metallic PITT® Artist Pen and stamp just underneath the butterfly.  I did this in two stages as the phrase was quite long and I wanted to separate it over two lines.

Step 4:

Using a Yellow Gelato in a downright position stamp a few scattered circles around your design.

Step 5:

Create a frame around your design using a PITT® Pastel Pencil.  Add highlights using the Metallic PITT® Artist Pen.

I had a cardboard scrapbooking frame that I used as a stencil to create the frame around my design.

Step 6:

Sew hems on the top and bottom of your canvas using a zigzag stitch to prevent fraying.  Stitch the open side together using a straight stitch to make a sleeve and very carefully wiggle it down over your jar.

The possibilities truly are endless with these amazing products. 

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And with that, I have a GIVEAWAY!

2 winners will each receive the same kits that I did to create their own masterpiece: the Mix & Match Mixed Media Sampler and Color Gelatos & Clear Stamp kit.

It is very simple to enter, just leave a comment below, ensuring that you leave details on how I can get in contact with you if you are one of the winners.

This giveaway is open to all residents of the United States over 18 years of age and will end on Thursday May 5 at 10am PST when a winner will be drawn via random.org.

To keep up with the latest design memory craft news, please follow them on Twitter and Facebook

 

Disclosure:  I was provided with product for the purpose of this review

Foam Stamps

Hands up if you have a set of interlocking foam alphabet, number or animal play mats.  The twins haven't played with theirs for at least a year.  We are gearing up to move house so I have been tossing and donating left and right. 

Side note: I should also probably be banned from entering stores between now and our move date because I seem to bring home two bags for every one I get rid of.  

During a toss-out vs donate frenzy on Monday I found an entire box full of foam play mat pieces.  I studiously set to work piecing it back together so I could clean it and donate it.  Of course there were at least a dozen pieces missing.  I eventually gave in and tossed them in the trash.  But I felt guilty.  I hate throwing things away. I always try to find a way to re-use items.

Last night when everyone was in bed the light bulb finally went off.  And dumpster diving style I went into the trash bin and retrieved as many pieces as I could.   Thank goodness too because the trash truck arrived this morning.

I dug up some scraps of wood in my craft room and a bottle of Elmer's Craft Bond and set to work making stamps for the kids. 

Then I tested out a couple before the kids came home from school.  The verdict: these work great if you pour a little paint onto a re-usable plate, similar to what we did for the Spring Memory Book project.

Or you can hand paint them and create something like this:

These would make a lovely handmade Easter card for someone special. 

Tulip Fondant Cupcake Topper

You may think that you cannot decorate cakes, but you CAN!  Cake decorating doesn't have to be elaborate to be beautiful.  Sometimes simplicity is key.

Anybody can make these cakes.

What you will need:

Cupcakes

Fondant

Buttercream icing

Decorative fondant punch (or alternatively a clean rubber stamp)

Round cut-outs (alternatively, use a glass or cookie cutter, compare the size with the cupcake first)

To make:

Step 1: Color your fondant with assorted icing colors.  I know that some people do not like the taste of fondant (my husband and teenager don't), so here is a tip I came across a while ago to make chocolate fondant.  The recipe I linked to is a tip for making chocolate fondant using candy melts to darken the fondant before adding a dye such as brown or black.  Now, I haven't tried this yet, however, if you are making fondant in other colors (green, yellow, pink, blue etc), I would switch the dark cocoa candy melts for white ones. 

Step 2: Roll out your fondant to about 5mm thick. Fondant dries out very quickly, so whatever you aren't using, keep it covered.

Step 3: Cut out the round shape

Step 4: Gently stamp the fondant cut-out

Step 5:  Use a small amount of buttercream frosting to attach the cupcake topper to the cupcake. 

You could make these for any kind of party, the possibilities are endless. 

Also, if you are looking for a fun idea to keep your kids occupied, cut out circles of fondant and arm your kids with some stamps.  Let them stamp their own fondant cupcake toppers.

As seen on:

Muffin Tin Mom

Tire Track Printing

or tyre tracks as my family back home would say.  Somebody is sure to yell at me for spelling it 'wrong'. 

Upon receiving an invitation to a little friend's birthday party over the weekend and finding out that he likes cars and trucks I had the kids make very special wrapping paper for his gifts.

That's right, tire tracks.  So fun.  I purchased a pack of Cars tire stamps from Target for under $4 (4 per pack - located in the party section). 

Another idea I had was to tie another little gift onto each parcel. 

So here is a fun little experiment your kids can do at home.   I call this the "Tire Track Experiment".

Take assorted tires and ink pads and let your kids explore the different patterns tires can make.  The tires we used were from a Lego set, a random tire that had fallen off a car (I put a lollipop stick through the center), a toy car and the Cars stamp.  I'm sure if you have a little boy in the house you have a lot of odd tires laying around in the mountains of cars and trucks they have collected.

This would make a great (shhh and educational) party activity for a cars or trucks themed party too.  Or even just for your kids to play at home.  Don't we all love rainy day activities.  Use assorted stamps and print tire tracks on paper.  The child who matches them all / the most tire tracks together with the stamps wins and receives a small prize.

Stampin' Up Build-A-Bear Workshop

Over the weekend Marisol and I attended a Build-A-Bear Workshop and Stampin' Up event. 

Our fabulous host was Patty from Patty Stamps.  She introduced us to the Build-A-Bear Workshop Stampin' Up products, and while we were happily snacking on the yummy treats she had put out and making beary cute cards and paper doll bears to take home we had a viewing of the Holly & Hal MooseTM: Our Uplifting Christmas Adventure DVD.  Marisol was a very lucky girl and was given a copy of the DVD - which she watched in the car on our long drive home. 

I love an opportunity to craft and more importantly to try products that I have never used before so this was a real treat for me ... not so much for hubby though once he views my wishlist which has now been updated in time for Christmas.

Marisol with our wonderful host Patty, and with the two paper doll bears in sleeping bags that we made.  She insists that her 'girl bear' sleep next to her bed every night now.

A demonstration on The Sizzix Big Shot

The Stampin' Pastels kit


I absolutely loved trying them out, they are so easy to use and blend beautifully. 

The little collection of cards and paper doll bears that Marisol and I made - as you can see Marisol loved stamping.

Some of the beary cute paper dolls and cards that Patty had created using the Build-A-Bear Stampin' Up products.

 

Disclosure: I attended this event thanks to MomSelect.com, Build-A-Bear Workshop and Stampin' Up.

Kid Stamped Gift Wrap

We have SOOOOO much packing paper from our move.  It’s beyond ridiculous how much paper our moving company used, BUT on the plus side, we had no breakages.  Instead of calling them to collect it all we’ve be flattening it out to use as gift wrap which the kids are more than happy to oblige with decorating for me.

This isn’t a great shot but you’ll get the idea.  Marisol decorated paper for a party gift last weekend.  She did a fantastic job.

While we had visitors over today I put the twins to work decorating more paper for me.  This time we tried stamps.

Now gift recipients will have a wonderful gift and a piece of the children’s artwork