What's been going on here + cute owl Valentine

So I have a few projects I meant to have posted by now!  BUT here's what the last couple weeks have looked like for us:

Needless to say, I've been dragging a bit.  I am seriously happy to say things are back to normal!  Isn't it crazy how bad things tend to happen all at the same time?  Our bad run seems to be over : )  Well, our kitchen tile still needs to be replaced but that's going to have to wait for our wallets to catch up.  Um, it's also really cold still; but that too has to wait....I sure hope your January was a little better than ours : )
Anyway... on with the cute owl Valentine!  My second grader needed to take a Show and Teach for her whole school class, so it needed to be easy but cute!  I found these fun little owls at a kid craft roundup at Second Chance to Dream.  There is a downloadable template for them too! 

Aren't they cute?!  My 8 year old had no trouble showing and teaching these and they were a hit!  I did feet on one and then decided I did not want to cut out 24 pair - they were pretty cute without too : )

What to do with all the kids art?

I'm excited to show you a fun project that has been on my list for a long time!  
But...let me first share with you one of my quirks that has made this project kind of a big deal to me.  We all have certain things that we must have a certain way right?  We're all a little weird about SOMETHING (I hope : )  Well this is one of mine.  My fridge cannot have stuff on it.  It makes me crazy!  You won't see wedding announcements, birthday cards, appointment reminders, or precious works of art by the little artists who live here.  I know, it's kind of weird!  Refrigerators are like the most central part of a home, making them excellent to stick all that stuff to; but I can't do it!  All that's on there are these fun alphabet magnets that somehow create a perfect balance in my world of clean fridge-ness!

This is how it looks all the time!  (Except when someone changes the message.)  You can see there is stuff on the one side, which is great and helpful, and tolerated by my quirk : )

So because I'm weird, my poor children don't get to plaster their art all over the beloved fridge.  I had to come up with another way to display their many projects and pictures.  (And there are many!!!)  

 Here was plan A:

Hmmm... Not so special.  Are we all thinking the same thing?  THIS doesn't drive you crazy but some paper on the front of your fridge does?  Quirks don't always make sense, right?

Here is Plan B:

This is a wall in our garage, right by the door.  I found this awesome butcher paper at Hobby Lobby (see my other uses for it here and here) and covered the unpainted wall to make a pretty backdrop. I just used a staple gun to put the paper up.   Then I took all the piles and pinned the best projects up for display.  We recycled the rest : ).

 Ta-Da!!

 It's pretty full so we'll need to switch things out here and there as more art comes in.  I've got to say, this is one of may FAVORITE projects ever!  It makes me so happy to see all the girls fun art every day as we come and go.  It has been the perfect solution for us!  Kids love to show their work and we as parents love to see it!  (And my refrigerator stays clean: )  I'll leave you with some of my favorites and one before and after shot, just for fun!

Thanks for coming by!!

Linking up at Gingersnap Crafts.

Kids easel makeover

This easel needed a small makeover.  The chalk side didn't really work anymore.  The other side was a whiteboard and pretty scratched.  I'm not a big fan of whiteboard for kids,  markers are always risky and used in places they are not supposed to be used; or the markers just get lost, ruined, or dried out.  I decided on chalkboard for both sides.

 I was not sure if painting over whiteboard would work, but good news:

Whiteboard can be painted!

Step 1:  Clean really well with a de-greaser.

Step 2:  Sand with 80 grit sandpaper to really rough it up.

Step 3:  Tape it off.

Step 4:  Prime!

Step 5:  Paint with chalkboard paint, two coats.

To break the fresh chalkboard in, color over the whole thing with the side of some chalk:

 Then erase and let the kids at it!  We've used this for a yard sale sign and at my sisters wedding.  My girls also use it for their summer lemonade stands, playing school, and just doodling. Our easel is as good as new!

 

Free artwork

There are so many choices out there for wall decor,  but none that showcase our family quite like our own art!  I picked a couple of my favorites then I scanned them into the computer and increased the contrast so they showed up darker when printed.  Then I took some mats and frames I had stashed in the basement and gave them a make over -  I covered the mats with some scrapbook paper and gave the frames a coat of black spray paint. 

The girls feel so proud that something they created is framed and on display in our family room! 

Easter bucket makeover!

Rather than collecting a new basket every year on Easter, our girls put out the same basket the night before for the Easter bunny to fill and hide.  We have just been using those $.97 buckets from Walmart, and we thought it would be fun to customize them.  I rummaged up felt in Springy colors, fabric and ribbons, some puff paint, and of course the trusted glue gun.  I also found these fun dragonfly/butterfly felt stickers.

 Each girl picked their colors and I hot glued the felt right to the plastic bucket.  I cut out some eggs in white felt and the girls decorated them with the paint.  We wrapped the handles in fabric or ribbon too.  Now they are personalized and textured and colorful! 

 Happy Easter!

Bathtub paint-let's make it!

This is such a fun, easy, and inexpensive way to add something new to bath time!  WARNING:  once you do this, the kids will be asking for it all the time-I kid you not.  My 4 year old loves when we do this!                     

All you need:

                

 Inexpensive mens shaving cream

food coloring

silicone cupcake pan (or any plastic container)

Squirt the shaving cream, add a couple drops of food coloring, and stir.  This is also fun to teach what colors mix to make new colors.  Here we did blue and red to make purple and yellow and red to make..........orange.  (I'm sure you were on the edge of your seat just now.)

My Lila (she's 4)  prefers to smear it all together and just squish it in her hands.  Despite my coaxing to actually draw something, she just smears.  The older kids really love this too, they do actually draw.  And, good news!  It cleans up with just water!  Good, clean fun!

St. Patrick's Day treasure hunt

Our treasure box.  You can see we kept it very simple and easy.

This year I decided to do something fun for the kids on St. Patrick's Day.  I must admit I have no idea why we have this holiday, but let it be fun I say!  Here's the supplies needed:  

Treasure box (or shoe box, or anything)

Treats, little treasures

Leprechaun footprints (free printable below!)

 "Legend of the   Leprechauns"

   Green food coloring

The night before Saint Patrick's Day, the kids  decorated our Treasure box with stickers, and paper, whatever we had around.  Then I read the "Legend of the Leprechauns"  to them.  Here's the Legend:  (The original is from Family fun, I made a few changes....http://familyfun.go.com/st-patricks-day/st-patricks-day-crafts/magic-treasure-box-710371/)

 

LEGEND OF THE LEPRECHAUNS

Full of magic and trickery,  Leprechauns remain in their hidden world until the night before St. Patrick's Day. On that one night of the year they appear throughout the world to dance and sing and frolic; and get into mischief!

Disguising themselves as leaves and grass, and sounding like the wind and the crickets, they come and go unnoticed.   They love to be sneaky.

However, it is said that if a decorated treasure box is left empty under the moon, the leprechauns must fill the box with gold or jewels or gifts. But then they will hide the filled box in the most unlikely of places.

If the box is found on St. Patrick's Day, the treasure remains in our world. If not, the leprechauns may retrieve what is rightfully theirs. And though the leprechauns are very clever, it is not impossible to find the treasure because, unknowingly, leprechauns often leave some kind of trail  behind them. 

In the morning, the girls woke up to Leprechaun footprints all over the house.  They had come in and flipped over some couch cushions, jumped up on the kitchen chandelier, hijacked the kids little chalkboard and drew a rainbow and pot o' gold, they even used the bathroom.  There were two little footprints on the toilet and the water was green.  The footprints led to the fridge where they had turned our milk green.  And of course some of the footprints led to the hidden treasure box which had some candy necklaces and gold wrapped candy (Rolo's are perfect!)  The girls thought this was so fun!  So did I :)

For the footprints, I just traced a little doll shoe and cut out about 75 of them. (Yay for the good scissors I got as a neighbor gift for Christmas!  I could cut about 5 sheets at a time:)  In the case that you do not have little doll shoes for tracing, or you'd just rather not trace a doll shoe 15 times, I put together this little printable of the Leprechaun footprints!

http://www.scribd.com/doc/86805678/Leprechaun-Footprints 

  

 Happy St. Patrick's Day!