After many failed attempts at making cake pops (how are there so many bad instructions out there?), I finally watched Kris Galicia Brown’s Cake Pop Decorating Class on Bluprint. It was not only super informative, but it had debunked so many false “rules” of cake pops that I had been using…the biggest being that candy melts should only be melted in silicone or plastic (that’s the true statement).
When Bluprint asked me to make these Jack-O-Lantern cake poppers for an article on their site, I used all of her genius tips!
I swear they are easier than they look!
August 7, 2018
ad, Early Elementary, Older Elementary, Paper, STEM, Tween to Teen
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BackToSchoolGoals18 #CollectiveBias
All summer long I worry about brain drain. I mean, it doesn’t keep me up at night or anything, but I think a lot about how their every-day habits of learning 9 months of the year halt during the summer months.
Our school sends us homework packets to do over the summer (not to turn in, but just as practice—which is really what homework is, after all), but it’s always just math and literacy. One of my favorite things about my kids’ school is that they start them on Spanish in Kindergarten. Oliver and Sommer have come away from these classes with the cutest little accents! Because they learn in a totally immersive way from teachers whose first language is Spanish (they don’t think their teachers even speak English!), they have adopted the best pronunciation when speaking.
So this summer I decided to do a little exercise in keeping the language recognition going by making labels for common household objects. So when we refer to these objects, my husband and I say them in Spanish and that reminds the kids to do the same. Since we are spending the last part of our summer in Scandinavia, I made the labels double-sided to introduce them to a little Swedish. I wanted to make them “flippable” so I used this amazing product from 3M— Scotch® Wall-Safe Tape—from Walmart so I could (A) attach a string securely to the wall and (B) not damage the paint in the process!
What you’ll need:
Print words in both languages on cardstock. Punch the works with a circle punch. I used yellow for Spanish and teal for Swedish.
Cut a 2-inch piece of string and sandwich in between the two circles, using a glue stick to attach them back to back.
So that I didn’t damage the paint on our walls, I used Scotch® Wall-Safe Tape that I bought at Walmart to attach the string to the wall.
Visit Scotch/3M for more clever inspiration for back-to-school ideas!
July 19, 2018
ad, Animals, Birthdays, Decor, Early Elementary, Favors, Food, Games & Activities, Older Elementary, Parties, Preschool, Printables, Toddler
Thanks to Brother for sponsoring this post and providing crafters with a cool tool for our trade!
I grew up with a mom that really knew how to do birthday parties. She could carry a theme from the invite (back when we sent paper invitations), to the activity, to the cake, to the favor. And this was well before Martha Stewart and Pinterest came along.
So regardless of my crafty career, there is no doubt that my kids’ parties would always be cohesive since that is what I knew to be normal. When I asked my almost six-year-old daughter, Sommer, what she wanted to do for her birthday, she said she wanted an animal party. But not one single animal…she didn’t want to hurt any species’ feelings by being left out. (Can you even stand it?)
When my friends at Brother asked me to design a party using their P-touch Embellish Ribbon & Tape Printer, I was giddy with the endless possibilities. I laid all of my ribbons and tapes in front of me and realized that I literally had the entire rainbow at my fingertips, so I dove in and used the full spectrum, creating an animal party full of whimsy and joy with animal faces that all kids will fall in love with!
Here’s how we celebrated and what we made…
PAPER PAW-TY HATS
To carry the animal theme, we used the adorable paw print symbol to make ribbon tassels for the tops of basic party hats. Here is a free printable that you can use to print out these cute, animal hat medallions.
ANIMAL TRIVIA GAME
This is the third time I’ve made a punch game for my kids’ birthday parties. They love the action of punching and the surprise of what’s inside!
What you’ll need:
Make it:
ANIMAL CUPCAKE TOPPERS
What you’ll need:
ANIMAL FAVOR BAGS
What you’ll need:
If you want to decorate with the adorable animal-face garland that we made, you can print out these, cut out the circles, and string them onto a thin string. Just punch two holes at the top of each circle to thread the string through.
Thanks to Brother for sponsoring this post and providing crafters with a new tool for our trade!
Illustrations and animal paintings by Clare Yaghjian
Photography by Michael Cohen
Video by Lucy Schaeffer
Editing by Annie Bernstein
July 19, 2018
Back to School, Decor, DIY Home, Kids Rooms, Older Elementary, Organization, Tween to Teen
This post contains affiliate links.
The shift from summer to school can be a tricky one – especially when it’s still swimming weather! But one of our favorite ways to smooth any transition is to spruce up your space. Setting up a homework area with your kids that’s as fun as it is functional will help them ease back into school mode. To keep them organized, turn a standard office supply into something a little more special. We’ve pinpointed the best prickly patterns for cork boards, so follow our 3 how-tos below—or if you’ve got another sharp shape idea, let us know in the comments!
CACTUS
What you’ll need:
How to make it:
HEDGEHOG
What you’ll need:
How to make it:
ARCHERY TARGET
What you’ll need:
How to make it:
For more workspace inspiration check out our post on 10 Kids’ Desk DIYS
This post contains affiliate links!
July 13, 2018
Decor, Early Elementary, Grown-Up, Older Elementary, Summer, Tween to Teen, Unplugged Time, Wall Decor
(image above via: @artsacessvic)
If you attended summer camp at any point in the last 50 years, chances are you learned to make a god’s eye. Whether you used twigs, dowels, or popsicle sticks, the classic craft was the right blend of simple yet time consuming – perfect for keeping kids occupied and giving counselors a breather. Kids this summer are just as likely to be weaving a god’s eye as you were at their age. There’s definitely something to be said for a craft with such staying power!
Time travel isn’t the only magic that’s been attributed to god’s eyes. The objects were first made in Mexico during the 15th century by the Huichol people who used them for prayer and protection. Though today the craft’s wooden cross is sometimes associated with Christianity, the Huichol focused their worship on nature and the earth. The four points represented the elements and the hole left at the center of the weaving served as a portal to the spirit world (Sol Mexico News). Often the charms were made when a child was born and added to each year to help ensure a life of health and happiness. In a mysterious world full of uncertainty, they provided knowledge and understanding.
(images via Laura a Love Land blog)
In the late 1960’s, god’s eyes were adopted by the counter culture movement on the West Coast. Gigantic versions of the weavings showed up at rallies and gatherings during the Summer of Love such as the Be-In in 1967 pictured below. (Refinery29)
(image credit: Lawrence Ferlinghetti)
Though it’s hard to find any information about the craft first being adopted in summer camps, it fits right in with the era’s other woven wall hanging trends such as macrame. It’s still possible to purchase tutorials from the time, like this book found on Etsy, ‘The Advanced Creative Ojo Book’.
Though they may be groovy, god’s eyes are also super graphic, which stops them from feeling stuck in the 70s. Crafters and artists have continued to reinvent them in all different sizes, starting small and working up to wall worthy. Below are some examples of our favorites.
Toothpicks and embroidery floss are the tools needed to make the craft charm sized. A bracelet full of these would be so fun! (via Concien cia Concentrica )
These layered beauties from blogger Honestly WTF are used as present toppers but are gift worthy all by themselves.
Aunt Peaches adds pom poms to cover one of the most colorful Christmas trees we’ve ever seen – she calls it granny chic.
Trading pom poms for tassels is another way to up the trendiness! (via Pinterest)
Mixing a variety of sizes and colors makes a show stopping wall collection. (via ClaireabelleMakes)
Hobby Craft blog moves off the wall and into the air allowing for a 360 degree view of a craft that truly looks good from all angles.
Pae White‘s installations aren’t made of god’s eyes but are certainly inspired by them. Her silkscreened versions float like falling leaves. Wouldn’t you love to walk through them?