Harry Potter Wands

ok so I took regular copy paper and rolled it up, adding glue to the end to hold it. The skinnier it is the more sturdy in the end.

Start by filling with hot glue, make sure you have plenty of refil sticks on hand. I did the skinnier end first let that set then flipped it over and filled the rest. It helped to tap it to get the glue to move father down. Be patient this will take a while.

I set mine in a cup to let it settle and dry.

Next add swirls of hot glue to the outside in whatever way you wish!This will create the look of vines.

next begin painting with acrilic paint, I did brown first you could do black first.

Add your second color. lighly and add some  texture I did a third color even lighter, on one I did red, another blue and my daughters has a sparkly purple.



this is the one with the red.



next I took rub and buff, in silver and added that to the hot glue vines.This is liquid silver leafing. I used my finger and rubbed it on.

Then I spray sealed them, you could modge podge it with a brush.

and here they are drying.

look at those practicing wizards!

Later He made me draw a scar on his forehead!

I saw this on another blog, but have no idea where! I loved this project, very cheap and easy with awesome results! Who knew you you could make such an awesome thing with copy paper and hot glue!

Penguin Purse or Softy

We had a little friend turning six this week. She loves penguins but is also very girly and loves dress up and accessories. I needed a gift she would love that was simple, inexpensive, cute, and versatile. And could be made in the time left before the baby woke up and the kids came home from school (about 30 minutes). I gathered up some felt scraps, did a google search for a template, and plugged in my sewing machine. A fast and free birthday gift was soon hatched! If you don't have a sewing machine, you could even hot glue the whole thing together! And it is simple enough your kids could make it themselves with a little supervision.

Presenting the 15 minute pink penguin purse!

For the body shape I used a template that I found HERE.
You can enlarge or shrink it if you want, left original size it is about 6 inches long.

Cut out the pieces, trace onto some felt, and cut out the felt. I also grabbed a ribbon for making a handle. Make two bodies, two feet, two eyes, and one each of the beak and tummy.

Place the front embellishments on the top body piece. Pin in place and sew!

Arrange the feet and handle on the bottom body piece and pin in place.

Put the top body piece on, pin the two together, and sew around the outside edge from one end of the handle to the other leaving the top open. Unless you are making a softy, not a purse, then stuff in some filling and sew all the way around!

Ta-da! Now put something cool inside and give to your favorite little person. This penguin is going to hold a pair of glamorous sunglasses, but she can do double duty as a candy bar keeper, door hanger, or tiny accessory bag.

Monograms and a Hair Bow Holder

ok so let me just say it was hard to let my kids take control and do what they wanted. But I did, I sat back and watched as they painted and decorated these letters!

I hot glued ribbon from the E to create the bow holder.

Painted Pirate Map

A real treasure map for the little pirate at our house.

I started by drawing a design on paper- nothing fancy, just four pieces of copy paper taped together. I started with pencil, then traced with a marker so it would show through for the next part.

Then I put a square of white cotton fabric on top. Again nothing fancy, just a discounted scrap I found in the remnants bin at the craft store. I used a pencil to trace the lines onto the fabric.

I thought maybe the fabric was a little too white, so I dyed it using tea. I normally don't drink tea, so I just snagged a few bags from the breakfast bar of our hotel one weekend. I put a few cups of water in a pan, brought it to a boil, then added the wadded up fabric and the tea bags and left it there overnight. The next morning I had a nice dirty map!

Then I painted with some acrylics using a sponge brush, q-tip, and waded paper towel depending on the texture I wanted.

After the paint dried, I used permanent markers to draw in the details or add color where needed. By this time I had lost my original drawing, but I think I remembered enough of the cool stuff to make it work! 

To make a fun gift, I packaged this rolled up in a treasure chest with a lock and key, a bandana, and a play spyglass for some ready-made pirate fun!

A nesting doll family

I found these blank wooden nesting dolls at Hobby Lobby for just $6. I couldn't pass up the chance to make a personalized set for my girl to play with. She has nearly lost the parts to her big sister's "special" souvenir set more times than I care to admit, so I was happy to find her an alternative. 

I traced the outlines on scratch paper and sketched in the details I wanted to paint on, then used a pencil to draw right on the dolls.  You'll notice I got simpler with each level of design!

I used a tiny brush and craft store acrylics to paint, then a sharpie pen to draw on the detail lines. 

Finally I finished them off with a few coats of modge podge sealant. I went with modge podge instead of an acrylic spray because modge podge is non-toxic and I was worried they might get licked or something.

I think the baby is my favorite, even though she will not be put into circulation any time soon since she is a choking hazard!

Tween Room Makeover

Over the summer my 8 yr old daughter started watching "Trading Spaces Kids." We have now blocked tat channel, for my sanity sake. Ever since, she has been begging me to give her room a make over. In a day, so she can be suprised. She was so enthusiastic for the project, she asked her only birthday presents this year be the ones that would go towards her big room makeover. She told me what she wanted, and I spent a few months preparing and making a few accessories. Then I locked her out for a weekend and went to work. She now a happy 9 yr old with a fairy garden room that she actually wants to keep clean!

Her requirements: fairies, but not the baby kind or Disney kind; colors, especially purple; a bulletin board; a writing desk; a chair for reading in; vines and floweres hanging from the ceiling and on the walls so it feels like a garden.

My requirements: cheap, easy, sibling-proof.

Supplies:

Flower garden bedding set and purple curtains- $0.00 snagged from a friend who was moving 

Desk- $0.00 handed down by a friend who was moving

Dish chair- $30.00, but jointly gifted by a friend bring my cost to $15.00

Purple bean bag chair- $2.00 from goodwill

Memo board- $2.00 for ribbon, $1.00 for fabric, made by me here

Mobiles- $2.00 for 10 pieces of cardstock, $4.00 for butterflies and flowers, made by me here

Canopy- $6.00 for ribbons, made by me here

Wallies flower fairies stickers- $14.00

Paint- $6.00 for assorted colors of acrylic paints

Total Cost: $52.00, plus about 10 hours of labor. You might be faster if you don't have 2 yr old to help!

Before:

 After:

I practiced the painting with water first.

 Flower garden mural:

 Stick on Fairies with glitter paint pixie dust:

 New desk and chair:

 Painted the tree:

Added mobiles, memo board, curtains, and bedding:

 Hung the canopy, tested out by lil' sis:

 A few more wall fairies:

 Memo board and fairy headress: