Craft Day Tuesdays - Necklace plus Art

 Does inspiration ever come to you at the weirdest times? It does me.  I went to Hobby Lobby on Saturday.  I was a woman on a mission.  I knew exactly what I needed.  I had a short window of time...then BAM!  Inspiration struck.  I saw these tiny wooden discs and I thought, "I know our next project!"

 We painted the discs pale blue.  It took very little paint to do 4, so a whole bottle of paint would probably paint 50+.  Then, we went off to play while they dried.

 Later, we drew the "scenery" with Sharpie markers.  Just fun things like sunshine, grass, rainbow, etc.  Easy, right?

We picked which button would go with each scene (Dress It Buttons - aren't they cute?).  I hot glued on the buttons.  I burn my fingers ev.ery.time.  Then, I hot glued the ribbon on the back for the necklace.

They turned out sooo cute.  I might make theses with my nieces and nephew, too.  They were a hit!

8 wooden discs - $1.99
Blue paint - $1.00
Ribbon - $1.00
We already had the Sharpies and the buttons

Are you inspired to make some adorable necklaces?  I think I want to wear the unicorn one!  :)

Have a fun and playful day!
Mel

Baby Food Jar Terrariums

 Remember this hint from yesterday?  No, there will not be a new baby in our house.  We are making mini terrariums with baby food jars!

 It's sooo easy.  Layer pebbles then potting soil then plants.  I used a plant called "baby's tears" available everywhere.  I went to my local nursery and they had tons of it.

 Now, comes the fun part.  Add in any small animal, rocks, gems, fake mushrooms, etc.  Use your imagination or "borrow" some of my ideas.  I used these teeny tiny mushrooms that I found at Micheal's Craft Store - a bundle was $2.99.  The deer is a button from Dress It Up buttons. You can find them at Hobby Lobby, JoAnn, or at shellysbuttonsandmore.com

 The rabbit above is from a Safari Ltd Toob.  Very woodland, right?  AND just in time for Easter.

 The blue butterfly is from Safari Ltd as well - it's in a "good luck" pack found at Michael's.  They also have dragons and unicorns and animals - very tiny not recommended for kids under 3. :)

 I call her Cinderella, but she is a princess button from Dress It Up.  There are 3 princesses in that pack - purple, yellow, and blue for $2.00

This bear is also a button - how cute are these??? - from Dress It Up.  I cannot get over the cuteness level of their buttons!

The fun thing about terrariums is...1) they are easy to make, 2) kids will enjoy making them, 3) it's creative and imaginative, 4) if you can out the animal or button, it's a whole new scene!  I love creating terrariums, because you don't need much of a green thumb to keep them alive.  They cost very little to make.  And it's like you are creating this tiny new world.  Plus, it's science.  It's nature.  It's fun...and kinda messy, too.

Have a fun and playful day!
Mel

Safari Ltd Terrarium

Now that I am thinking about terrariums, I am on a roll.  Safari Ltd has new gnomes out this year that I think would be great in a terrarium.

Terrariums are easy to make and kids will love helping.  It's messy and creative and imaginative.  I once did a whole Earth Day celebration at the local community center.  Kids created mini terrariums with two clear plastic cups, moss, dirt, rocks, and small animals.  They LOVED it.  Parents were like, "I am so stealing this idea or a party or for Girl Scouts or Boy Scouts' projects." 

You give 12 kids the same materials to make a terrarium and you will end up with 12 terrariums that look completely different.  It's an open-ended project that the kids can take in all different directions.  And that's what is great about a project like terrariums - kids can make it individualized.

The steps are easy.
1. a few rocks in the bottom of your container, fishbowl, cup, etc.
2. potting soil on top of the rocks
3. moss and/or small plants on top of the potting soil
4. add small animals like Safari Ltd Toobs or happy meal toys or whatever you have
5. give it a good watering and keep it moist

Easy.

Are you now thinking about making a terrarium?

Have a fun and playful day!
Mel

Safari Ltd Terrarium by melanieshanks featuring wide mouth glass jars

Wide mouth glass jar
shopterrain.com