Creative Indoor Kids Crafts with Crayola

These creative kids crafts are part of a sponsored post for Collective Bias and Crayola at Walmart. #ColorfulCreations #Collective Bias

This weekend we had a couple very rare rainstorms here in Southern California, which was a nice change, but meant that we were stuck inside for a few days.  Luckily for me, I had just purchased some Crayola crayons, washable kids paint, and sidewalk chalk at Walmart, so we were all set for some fun craft time!  You know I'll find any excuse to get creative and make something, and luckily my kids love creating just as much as I do!

There was a large area devoted to Crayola products at Walmart and a huge selection, which was great, because they had tons to choose from.



We decided to create three different crafts with our new Crayola supplies- painted animal rocks, leaf and flower rubbings, and fingerprint animals.

Painted Animal Rocks

Supplies:

• Small to medium sized rocks
• Crayola Washable Kids Paint
• Paintbrushes

These painted animal rocks were the kids' favorite craft of the day.  When there was a break in the rain, we went outside and collected rocks that we could paint to look like different animals.  We went back inside and the kids brainstormed what animals they thought their rocks looked like, and then got to work painting!

My kindergartner decided to paint her rock blue, with a cheerful pink and purple butterfly in the center.

My son found the perfect broken rock to make the shell of a turtle!  

He decided to paint an oval rock brown for the head, and then we glued them together with a strong glue to make them stick.

My oldest made a blue dragon, complete with small, detailed scales.  She used smaller sharp rocks painted white for the ears, and added a few colored scales to the dragon's back.  

I loved her creativity!

You know I had to get in on the fun, too!  I chose to make two insects, a ladybug and a bumblebee!

Even my two year old had fun creating!  The best thing about this paint is that it's washable!  I didn't worry when my son had paint all over his shirt and hands because it all washed right out, which is perfect for my four kids and their messes!  

Fingerprint Animals:

Supplies:

• Ink pads (or paint would work as well)
• Crayola crayons
• Paper, blank cards, to tags

This fingerprint animal craft was SO easy, and kept my kids occupied for a long time, which is always a good thing!  

All they had to do was press their finger or thumb into one of my ink pads, press their finger down onto paper or a tag to leave a round print, and then use their crayons to add the details to their fingerprint animals with their crayons. 

My five year old made two cute little tags, one for her grandma and one for her grandpa who were taking her to a play later that day.

My son decided to create a jungle scene with his thumbprints, complete with a swinging monkey and bird up in her nest!

I love that there are so many possibilities with this craft!  You can create any animal you want with just the tips of your fingers, ink, and some crayons, which makes this craft easy and so fun!  Plus, who doesn't love a fresh new big pack of crayons?  My kids were practically drooling when they saw the new big box I bought them, and all of the great color choices they had!

Leaf Rubbings:

Supplies:

• Leaves, flowers, and other mostly flat items from nature
• Crayola sidewalk chalk
• paper

Now when you think sidewalk chalk, you think about big pictures drawn by your kids out in the yard, right?  But when it's raining or snowing outside, that's not an option.  We decided to get creative with the sidewalk chalk indoors, and make nature rubbings with the chalk and some leaves, flowers, etc. that we found out in the yard when there was a small break in the rain.

Here's what we gathered…

The directions are simple.  Place a leaf or other somewhat flat item from nature underneath a piece of paper (the thinner the better- we used copy paper which worked great), and carefully rub over the paper and leaf with the sidewalk chalk.

You'll find that some leaves and items work better than others, so it's an experiment to see what worked and what doesn't.  This is a great opportunity for discussion with your kids, too, as to why one leaf made a great rubbing (maybe it was thicker and had deeper veins), and flower didn't work as well (maybe the petals were too thin to leave a mark).  

You could also use this as a way to discuss different types of plants and their characteristics, what plants need to grow, etc.  As a former elementary school teacher, I know that the best way to teach is to tie learning into fun activities, and sometimes your kids won't even realize you're teaching them science because they're having so much fun!

I hope I inspired you to get creative with your kids indoors!  Crayola has so many great products, perfect for keeping your kids thinking and creating when the weather isn't cooperating and your kids are stuck indoors.  

Happy creating!

xo, Laura

Sharing here: Show + Tell

Gold Glittered Feather Thanksgiving Name Cards

I have fallen head over heels in love with all of the the gold-dipped feathers that I have seen on Pinterest.  Plain, ordinary craft feathers are transformed into chic, sophisticated little works of art with just the addition of some shiny gold paint.

I thought to myself that if gold-dipping the tips of feathers looks so great, why not paint the whole feather gold, and add some sparkly gold glitter to the top?  If some gold is great then a lot of gold would be spectacular, right?

To create these beautiful gold glittered feathers, all I did was paint the feathers gold with a paintbrush and Martha Stewart gold metallic craft paint.  Immediately after painting each feather, I sprinkled some gold glitter all over the top (Martha Stewart brand again), and then gently shook the feathers so remove the excess glitter.

Let dry, and voila!  Super easy and extremely cheap glittered gold feathers, perfect for the Thanksgiving table!  I added a little tag with names to them, and will use them as name cards on Thanksgiving.

As with most projects involving glitter, the glitter does tend to leave a little trail everywhere it goes.  BUT, I have a solution!  In past glitter projects, I have sprayed Krylon's Triple-Thick Crystal Clear Glaze over the top of my dried projects to seal them, and it has worked perfectly to stop the glitter trail.  It seals in the glitter, and yet still lets the sparkly brillliance shine through!

If you liked this, I'd love for you to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Bloglovin', and Instagram.

Happy glittering!

xo, Laura

DIY Gold & Bronze Painted Acorns

Today I wanted to share with you one of my very first posts from when I started my blog a year ago.  Most of you have probably not seen my DIY gold and bronze painted acorns yet, since my blog was just a newborn when I made them!

I LOVE gold, especially during fall and Thanksgiving time, and painting a light thin layer of gold and bronze takes a handful of plain, ordinary acornsand turns them into into exquisite and chic decor.  You can use them display them in a bowl, as a vase filler, or even turn them into tiny ornaments and hang from a Thanksgiving thankful tree or even your Christmas tree!  Without further ado, here's my original post... enjoy!

I was taking a walk through the park recently with my kids, when they started picking up and collecting acorns that they found on the ground.  Acorns are like little magnets that draw you in and make you want to pick them up.  They're so cute, and each of them has its' own unique shape, size, and color.

Soon I was down on the ground with my kids collecting acorns!  We brought them home, and I thought they would make a great decoration, but they needed just a little something.  I got out my Martha Stewart metallic paints, got to work, and ended up with these little jewels.  Aren't they beautiful?

The metallic bronze and gold paint gave them just the sparkle they needed, while still maintaining the beautiful browns of the acorn itself.  Want to make some to?  Your home will thank you.

You will need some Martha Stewart metallic paint in bronze and gold, a paintbrush, acorns, and a glue gun.  That's it!  I bought my paint at Michael's, used two coupons, and paid under $3.50 with tax.  

The first and most important step is to bake your acorns!  They could have little critters in them, and baking them for an hour at 200 degrees will kill them, so better safe than sorry.  After they have baked and cooled, all you need to do is to paint the acorns with the bronze paint, and the little acorn tops with the gold paint.  Let them dry, then glue the tops onto the acorns.  That's it! 

 I love the way they look in my Pottery Barn leaf bowl.

Or on my rustic wood stands.  (See how else I used these stands at the Very Hungry Caterpillar baby shower I created for my friend)

They also make a great vase filler.

There are so many fun ways that you can decorate with these golden acorns.  Get creative, try making these, and then have fun finding the perfect way to display them in your home! Let me know what you think of these little cuties by leaving a comment below.

You might also like my Easy DIY Fall Thanksgiving Wreath, this cute Boy's Thanksgiving Pilgrim Hat, and this Easy DIY Fall Headband (for boys or girls).

If you liked this project, please follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Bloglovin', and Instagram.

Happy crafting!

XO, Laura

Giant Spider Candy Dish Decoration for Halloween

This post brought to you by The Orkin Ecologist. All opinions are 100% mine.

Have you ever encountered a black widow?  In Southern California we have TONS of them, and I see have seen them in our yard many times.  I have even found brown widow egg sacs in our yard.  EEK!  The last straw was when I found a black widow in the bottom of my laundry basket a few weeks ago.  Talk about scary!  I knew that they were dangerous and how to identify them, but not much beyond that.  I decided that we needed to learn more about these creatures living in our yard (and laundry basket!), and that a craft project highlighting them was definitely in order!  You know I'm always up for a good craft, especially since I could use this science project as a Halloween decoration as well.

I turned to The Orkin Ecologist website to find out more about black widow spiders, and decided to involve my son too!  The Orkin Ecologist site is a great resource for both new and experienced science lovers, and has a great readable layout with lots of large photos.

We learned that of the over 3,000 spider species found in the U.S., only two types pose a significant medical threat to humans- the widows (brown and black) and recluse spiders.  My uncle was actually bit by a brown recluse years ago, and his leg turned black because of it for a long time, so I know that spiders can be dangerous!

We did even more research and learned that a black widow's venom is reportedly 15 times stronger than that of a rattlesnake!  Black widow bites usually cause muscle aches, nausea, and a paralysis of the diaphragm that makes it hard for humans to breath.  Luckily most people that are bitten don't have serious damage, but a black widow bite can kill small children, the elderly, or those who are already weak or very sick.  Black widows are also not aggressive, biting only in self defense.
Armed with some good facts about black widows, it was time to get crafty!  We went shopping at the hardware store and picked up some supplies to make our giant black widow:

You'll need:

• 5- 3/4" PVC pipes (10 feet long), cut into 2' sections (you should have 25 2' sections)
• 1- 3/4" PVC (10') pipe (will be cut into a few pieces to make the planter holder on the body)
• 12- 3/4" PVC 90 degree elbows
• 8- 3/4" PVC 45 degree elbows
• 4- 3/4" PVC cross pieces
• 2 cans flat black spray paint
• Large and small black planters (for the head and body)

First, I attached all of the 2' long leg sections together by attaching 3 pieces of 2' long PVC pipe with a 90 degree elbow and a 45 degree elbow.  Repeat for all 8 legs, and spray paint each side of the legs
with the flat black paint.



Once the paint was dry, I put together the spider so that I could paint the middle structure of the body. For the middle structure you are basically making a large rectangle that will hold the head and body planters in place.  Use the four PVC cross pieces to hold the legs together, and attach onto the spider with small cuts of PVC pipe.  Cut some more PVC pieces to make a rectangle as in the above photo. Make sure that the head and body planters will fit with the PVC rectangle.  Measure where the PVC pipe will go through the planters.  You will be drilling a hole into them for the PVC pipe to stabilize the head and body planters.  I left this section white just for the photo so it was easier to see the different pieces, but you will want to spray paint it black.

Using a drill and a 1 1/8th" drill spade bit, drill two holes in each bucket for the 3/4" PVC pipe to fit through to hold the buckets for stability.

Here's a view of the bottom of the planters with the PVC running through them (before it was all painted).

Attach the buckets, and you're done!  Isn't it cool?  Who needs a boring Halloween candy bowl anyway when you can make this cool unique one for cheap!

You can leave the buckets empty, but I think they're the perfect spooky candy holder for trick or treaters to reach into to get their candy!  Especially if you hang a giant web behind the spider, and add some scary spider eyes!  I kept mine plain because my two year old was already freaked out by the spider, and I figured the eyes and more details wouldn't help the situation ;)

I hope you enjoyed this fun Halloween craft, and maybe even learned a few things about black widows in the process!  Be sure to checkout The Orkin Ecologist website, and leave a comment telling me what you think!  Do you have black or brown widows or brown recluses where you live?  Have you had any encounters with any scary insects?  You can let me know in the comments!

If you liked this, I'd love for you to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Bloglovin', and Instagram.

xo, Laura

Spooky Halloween Tree Decoration + Free Printable

As I pulled out my Halloween decorations about a month ago (yes, I know, super early), I noticed that most of my decorations were from Pottery Barn.  I didn't have much of anything that I made myself, so I set out to change that!  Not that there's anything wrong with Pottery Barn... my whole entire house is either from there or World Market ;) But sometimes you just need a little homemade in your life!

So I came up with... A spooky Halloween tree!  

It was perfect!  It literally cost me $3 to make, and gave some height and width to my Halloween decorations.  I went outside to some of our trees, and cut off a few gnarly, twisted branches, gave them a coat of spray paint, put them in my urns, and added some cute homemade Halloween medallions, and I had a quick, easy, homemade decoration that I love.

I also included a free printable that I designed for the centers of the medallions.  All you need is for the outside of the medallions is Halloween scrapbook paper or orange and black card stock.

Supplies:

• Tree branch (or branches)
• Black matte spray paint
• Floral foam
• Moss
• Newspaper
• Container (to hold the tree)
• 12 x 12" scrapbook paper or card stock (in Halloween patterns or colors)
• Glue gun
• Ribbon or string
• Free Printable Halloween Medallions

Directions:

1.  Find a couple great branches that fit well with the container you are using.  Spray paint them black.  Place floral foam in the container, then stick the branches in the foam.  Add crumpled newspaper to the top if needed to add to the height. 

Cover the newspaper (or foam) with moss.  

2.  Print out the free printable medallion centers here, and cut them out.  To make each medallion, cut 4 strips of patterned paper or card stock into 1 x 12" strips.  Accordion fold each of the strips, and then hot glue them together to make one long circular strip.  Flatten out the strip, so that the bottom of the medallion is flat on the table and the printed side of the paper is facing up.  Apply hot glue to the center of the medallion, and carefully stick it onto the folded outside piece.  Carefully hold in place for a minute to allow the glue to dry and stay in place.  Cut a short piece of ribbon or string to hang the medallion, and glue it onto the top of the medallion.

3.  Hang the medallions onto the tree.

I also hung some cut black silhouettes up in a smaller Halloween tree that I made, to go right next to the bigger tree.  I traced some of my Martha Stewart holiday stencils and cut them out, and then drew some other Halloween shapes as well.

Easy, right?  Now doesn't it feel good to have a homemade decoration in the middle of all your store-bought spookiness?  You can keep the medallions from year to year, but if you don't have the space to keep tree branches (who does, right?), then there's no worries, because next year you just get yourself a new branch!

I love my spooky tree, and the medallions are the perfect touch to give it a little something extra.  A realistic black crow would look great, too, I just haven't found the perfect one yet...

Now I can punch "Make a fall craft" off of my fall activities bucket list punch card.  Have you printed yours out yet?  Punch a hole in the pumpkins each time you complete a fall activity with your family!

This make at home Starbucks Caramel Apple Spice drink tastes just like fall, and is a great treat to have after making a craft or doing a fun fall activity ;)

And for a fun family Halloween meal, check out this Spooky Spaghetti with Eyeballs!

To decorate your home this fall, you can see how to make this cinnamon-scented nature wreath,

or this fall wreath made out of paper!

Can you believe there are only 17 days left until Halloween?  Time to get making my family's costumes!!  Do you know what you're going to be for Halloween this year?  Do you make your costumes or buy them?  Leave me a comment, I'd love to hear!

If you liked this, I'd love for you to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Bloglovin', and Instagram.

xo, Laura

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