Instead of preserving nature by pressing or drying leaves, you can instead use them to make an imprint in one of my favorite craft supplies: air dry clay.

Go on a nature walk with the kids and find leaves that have very pronounced veins—the more distinct the veins, the better the finished product. Roll out the air dry clay until it’s about 1/4″ thick, then use a rolling pin to press the leaves down into the clay. Peal away the leaves and use a toothpick to “cut out” the leaf. Gently rest the clay leaf inside a bowl, creating a bend, and let them dry completely (at least 24 hours). I made a very watery acrylic paint mixture to add a translucent coating to the leaves, but you can choose whatever paint finish you like. The one thing to keep in mind: if you are using water with your paint, you have to paint your strokes fast and few…when air-dry clay gets wet, guess what it does? It wants to return to malleable clay, so you have 2, maybe 3 strokes to get it fully covered.

Check out the full post that I did for Camp.com for more details!

Now that winter is over and spring cleaning is upon us, you likely have some lone gloves who lost their mate in the last sledding excursion of 2021. You have three options here…first, you can hold onto that glove, hoping that one day the other will magically reappear. Second, you might be the “out of sight, out of mind” type and you just get rid of the sad lone glove. And third, if you are like me, you’ll keep it and turn it into a fun craft.

The how-to for this recent project can be found over on Camp.com! And for other ideas of past glove monsters, check out this post from a few years back!

There are so many more fun things to celebrate than school, so why do we reserve these rah-rah pennants for school spirit? Come up with a list of things that your kids loves and make some wall signs to cheer them on! Need suggestions?

• Bacon
• Cake
• Sleep (Maybe for the parents’ room!)
• Glitter
• Youtube
• Ramen
• Legos
• Beach
• Roblox
• Rainbows

Check out this super cute and easy upcycled project that I did for Camp.com! They are made from materials that you likely have around the house, including cardboard! Head on over to their site for the full how-to!

Goooooo WIFI!!

Be a sweetie and give candy to your close friends and family for Valentine’s Day! This project is so easy and uses materials that you likely have around the house.

What you’ll need:

• Cardboard tube (toilet paper or paper towel)
• Construction / colored paper
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Clear tape
• Plastic wrap or plastic sandwich baggie
• String, yarn, or twine

1. Line the cardboard tube along the bottom shorter edge of your paper, and mark the opposite end with a pencil. Move the tube across the paper and make several marks. (If you are using a paper towel tube, cut it in half first.)
2. Cut along this line and set other piece of paper aside for a future project. 
3. Roll the cardboard tube with the paper and tape to seal. Set your tube aside for now.
4. Fold second piece of paper in half lengthwise and rest the tube in the middle. Make a pencil mark on the second piece of paper on the top and bottom of the tube, right along the crease.
5. Draw half hearts along the fold.
6. Cut out the hearts.
7. Fringe the top and bottom edges of the paper to the marked line. Don’t go past this line. The thinner the fringe the better!
8. Cut off about 1 inch of the paper on either end (You can do this before step 7 but we forgot!). 
9. Unfold the paper.
10. Tape the second piece of paper around the tube, making sure to center the tube from top to bottom. You can use the marks you made in step 4 to line it up. 
11. Now fill your tube with candy, chocolates, toys, etc! We recommend putting unwrapped candy in a plastic baggie or in plastic wrap.
12. Gently bend the fringed ends over the edge of the tube all the way around. Repeat on the other end.
13. Cut two 3″ pieces of string and tie them around the fringed ends. 
14. Tape the ends of the string to the back of the tube to prevent them from sliding off. 
15. Holding a fringe between your thumbnail and the pad of your middle finger, gently pull at a few strands of paper to curl.

Remember Valentine’s Day as a kid, actually in a school building? You’d spend evenings leading up crafting Valentines, deciding which people get signed “love” and which get “from.” This year, like most things, is looking a little different than norm, and Valentine’s Day is no exception. Most kids will miss out on sifting through their classroom mailboxes, anxiously anticipating the candy, toys, and treats attached to their Valentines.

Surprise the kiddos with a little something from you on February 14th this year! Here are 14 ideas for Valentine’s Days gifts for kids of all ages!

1. I Heart Art Crayons
2. Recycled Foam Heart Figure Set
3. Love Languages T-shirt
4. Happy Hearts Mini Pin DIY Kit
5. The Dough Much Love Bundle
6. Ooly Stacking Heart Crayons
7. Chalkboard Heart Necklace
8. Emoji Embrace Valentines Day Cards
9. Rainbow Wooden Heart Clips
10. Custom Letter Cookie Stamp
11. Hearts Tamsin Kids Chair
12. Valentine’s Day Yoda
13. Rainbow Heart Bead Hair Ties
14. I Heart Watercolor by Kid Made Modern

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