Teacher Survival Kit Christmas Gifts

So now that the holidays are out of the way, and I have had some time to get everything back to normal, it's time to get back into blogging!

Today I thought I would share my favorite teacher Christmas gift.  Every year, I make each of our teachers a personalized teacher survival kit.  I start with a jar and I paint it with something personal for that teacher, then I paint their name.  Finally I fill the jar with winter necessities. This year I added a pack of travel Kleenex, a tube of chap-stick, a pair of Christmas socks, a travel sized hand sanitizer, an individual pack of hot cocoa, and a wooden hot chocolate spoon covered in chocolate, peppermint flakes, and marshmallows. It is always a hit with the teachers.

This year we had 6 teachers to gift.  I started with my daughter's teacher.  Her class is known as the bookworms, so I painted the jar with a bookworm on one side and the teacher's name on the other.

The other jars were for my son's school.  We started with his class teachers.  He is in the duck class, so I painted a cute little duck on both of their jars.

Then I worked on the presents for the principal and vice principal.  I painted the school logo on their jars.

Finally I made a jar for his music teacher.  I painted a few music notes on hers.

Everyone seemed to love their gifts, and they can be reused as candy jars for the rest of the year.  I bought these jars at hobby lobby, and the paint is folk art enamel.  I followed the directions on the paint bottle for curing them in the oven, and now they are top rack dishwasher safe.

This is a fun project that doesn't take very long but always has a positive impact.  Hopefully this gives you a few new ideas around Christmas time.  Thanks for reading!

My Nursery Mural

I've decided I need to give this another try.  I wrote a few posts in the beginning, then life got in the way.  I never stop working on some kind of art or project, but I have not been good about taking pictures or posting about them.  I'm going to try and do better.  I am going to try and post at least once a week, both on current and past projects.

This past week was Thanksgiving.  I really enjoyed the family time, and the turkey, but I spent most of my time painting a mural in my niece's room.  I realized that I had never shown off any of my work on here.  So I thought I would start by showing you some of my early work, in particular, my daughter's nursery.

I have painted a few murals before this, but I don't have many pictures.  My first mural was based on Fantasia, and was painted in my dorm hallway.   Several of the people living on my floor submitted mural designs.  We spent an entire semester painting.  We had Fantasia, Simpsons, Toy Story, and Gummy Bears.  We were all very proud of ourselves.  Two years later, we moved out of the dorm.  When we came back for a visit, we found out the university had painted over all of them.  Suddenly they were worried about copyright infringement.

My second mural wasn't much, and hardly anyone saw it.  I was working at Walmart and they wanted me to paint a scroll with our pledge on it.  It took me a few days, and it stayed there until the building was torn down about 4 years later.  I was quickly learning that my works don't seem to last long.

Next was my daughter's nursery.  I made a cross stitch blanket that had a teddy bear laying on the moon.  This became my inspiration.  I found a bedding set that had a similar design, then painted the nursery to match.  My husband helped paint the other walls, the border trim, and helped with the sky.

I started with a mural on the main wall. We then added a border along the other walls.  I painted the characters of the mural into the border of the longest wall and stars on the shorter walls.  The room took a couple of weeks to finish.  Both kids have really loved it though.  When they were babies, they would talk to the characters right above the changing table.

We got a valance in our bedding set, and I made a set of curtains from blackout fabric.  We also hung up a net for stuffed animals.

We painted two constellations in the sky, Gemini and Canus Major, to include our dogs Gemini and Sirius. 

The bunnies and the sheep came from our bedding set.  They rounded out the picture perfectly and added some character.

  This room will always be a turning point for me, and I have always been proud of it.  This was a large project that I was able to complete and that made me feel like I might actually be a bit of an artist.  The colors were perfect for a nursery, and both of my kids have loved the animals around the room.  We taught them about the constellations and why they were important to us.  I hope the next person who lives in this house loves it as much as we do.

Frozen Birthday Party

So recently my daughter celebrated her 5th birthday.  Needless to say, it was a frozen birthday party.  We knew the theme since last year.  So after we came back from our vacation, I started planning the party.  I searched the internet for ideas and found some good starting points to create our own frozen extravaganza.  Unfortunately, I didn't get very many pictures.  I still wanted to share our ideas though, in case someone reading was like me a month ago and desperately trying to come up with something original for their party.

So the biggest thing for our parties is the decorations.  We always set tables up in our garage for our guests who would rather stay out of the bustle of the house, or for the kids who want to play in the yard.  We decided that  the garage would be Anna's area.  The tables got either a pink or a blue tablecloth.  I bought some cheap snowflake ornaments at Michael's and hung them from the (opened) garage door.  Party City had some Frozen wall hangings for $6 that had a 5 foot poster of Anna, a 5 foot poster of Elsa, two small Anna and Elsa posters and a Happy Birthday banner.  We taped the Anna poster next to the door leading into the house, and taped up the Happy Birthday banner so that it was visible to our guests as they walked up. We placed a stuffed Olaf on one table and a stuffed Anna doll on the other table.  My husband wrapped my daughter's play house in white paper to make it an "ice palace."

I made this Happy Birthday banner on the computer.

Once you came into the house, Elsa took over.  The kitchen table and the dessert table both had a light blue tablecloth topped by a white tablecloth that was cut to look like icicles. I made a Happy Birthday banner that hung above our bay window.  We put the 5 foot Elsa poster over our sliding glass door.  I bought table decorations from Party City for the dessert table as well as a balloon bouquet.  Our dessert table sat in front of our 6 foot shelving unit, and I wanted something prettier than black bins for the background, so I bought a 62x42 Frozen poster from Walmart and put it over the shelves.

I made the kitchen table our snack center.  I put out bowls of snack foods with a Frozen theme.  I had baby carrots as Olaf noses, pretzel sticks as Olaf arms, Blue Jello cubes as Kristoff's ice, combined blue and pink M & M's as Anna's chocolates, another bowl of mini york peppermint patties as Elsa's chocolates, and a bowl of white sixlets as Marshmallow's snowballs.  I doubled these as treat bag snacks by telling the kids at the end of the party to fill their bags with whatever they wanted to take home.  We also made a frozen punch by filling a punch bowl half full with blue hawaiian punch, and the rest with Sprite.  We finished it off by scooping in vanilla ice cream on top.

Elsa crowns for the girls.

For the party favors, I made sparkly blue crowns for the girls and brown antlers for the boys.  I drew up a template for each in AutoCAD then cut them out of foam.  I punched a hole on each side and tied an 18 inch ribbon. Inside each treat bag, there was a rock candy wand and a few frozen tattoos. 

Antlers for the boys

 Finally, I made white, brown, orange, and black play doh and assembled them into Do You Want to Build a Snowman kits.  Here is the link for the white and orange play doh.  I mixed some fine white glitter into the white play doh to make it look more like snow.  To dye the play doh orange, I stuck my white play doh into a sandwich bag, then added food coloring.  I then closed the bag and squished the play doh around until the food coloring was completely absorbed.  It keeps your hands from getting all messy.  I used a chocolate play doh recipe for the brown play doh.  Here is the link to that recipe.  It smells like brownie batter, but don't eat it.  It won't hurt you, it just tastes awful.  I then dyed some of it black using the same technique I used for the orange play doh. 

I assembled my kits by buying small, round containers from Michael's in their wedding section.  I made one full container of white. I then split the other container into 3 compartments for the other playdoh; half brown, 1/4 black, and 1/4 orange.  These containers came with white labels that you can print at home, but I ran out of time.  I just stuck the containers in the treat bags, but you could easily put them into a sandwich bag and make a topper saying "Do you want to build a snowman?"

My daughter loved her party.  I had other ideas but I ran out of time.  Here are a few other things you may want to consider:

• I wanted to put a picture of Oaken's sauna on the door leading out to the garage.  It was 99 degrees that day.  

• I wanted more snowflakes especially on the windows.  You can buy a paper punch and then punch them out of vinyl shelf liner and stick them up. 
• We didn't do any games, but pin the nose on Olaf was popular at my daughter's school.
• You can also build snowmen out of marshmallows, pretzel sticks, fruit by the foot for the scarf, half of an orange mike and ike or a candy corn for the nose, and a miniature reese's peanut butter cup for the hat. I also used edible ink pens to make the face and buttons, but mini chocolate chips could probably be used.

Like I said, we had a great time at our Frozen birthday party.  I hope you can use these ideas to plan your own perfect party!

Light Switch Cover

My daughter is obsessed with Frozen.  We saw it the first week it was out, and she fell in love with Elsa right away.  We were about to move her to a new room, and she decided she wanted a frozen room.  Due to time constraints and other factors I wasn't able to do a large mural, so I tried to find other ways to make her a frozen room.

My daughter's favorite part of Frozen is Elsa.  She loves her look, dress, powers, and most importantly, her ice palace.  So I tried to focus on snowflakes in our decorating.  I am still not done, but we've managed to give her a great room.  I've made her some snowflake curtains and her Daddy found a great curtain rod that looks like Elsa's wind gusts.  I'm working on a small border of snowflakes on the wall above her bed, and this past weekend, I made her an Elsa light switch cover.

I'll start off saying that I was feeling torn on this project.  I decided to try mod podging a printed image instead of painting it.  I'm not always that great at painting people, and I wanted a good looking product.  I felt like I was cheating, but I am glad I did.  The project came out great, and of course, she loves it.

For this project you will need your decorative paper or image, Mod Podge, Scissors, an exacto knife, a light switch cover, and sandpaper. A hole punch and high gloss acrylic sealer are optional, but recommended.

You can do this with any printed image or decorative paper.  I found the image I liked and cropped it down to a rectangle that was a quarter inch larger than my light switch cover.  I printed it and cut it out leaving about 1/8 of an inch of white around the image to wrap around the back.


Next I took a plastic light switch cover and sanded it with 220 grit sandpaper.  You are just trying to rough up the surface so that the adhesive sticks.  I sanded it once horizontally and again vertically.  Don't forget the very edge of the back since you will be wrapping the paper back there.




I positioned my image over the light switch cover, getting it centered. You should not be able to see any of the white border.  Once I positioned it exactly as I wanted it, I flipped it over and marked where the cover and holes were located on the paper. I created an X in the center hole.  I also mark the corners from where the plate starts to curve up to the corner of the cover.  The image on the right shows how the back of your image should look when the cover is removed.  Using an exacto knife, cut along the X lines.  Do not cut along the rectangle. Cut out the holes as well, or use a hole punch. Also cut along the corner lines from the outside edge of the paper to where the mark starts. 

 Next comes the gluing.  I apply Mod Podge to the back of my image as well as the front of the light switch cover.  I laid the paper image side down, and position my light switch cover onto it by lining up the center holes that were marked earlier.  Turn the cover over and make sure there are no bubbles.  If there are any, gently smooth them out.  Turn your cover over and apply Modge Podge to the edges of the light switch cover and around the center hole.  Carefully wrap around your paper to the back.  The cuts I made to the corners allow me to wrap the image around easily without any bubbles or wrinkles. I then carefully push the triangles in the center hole through to the back and wrap them around.  Apply more Mod Podge over your edges to hold them down.  When I am done, the back of my plate looks like this.

 

Finally I seal my light switch cover.  I apply at least 3 coats of Mod Podge to the front of my cover.  I usually alternate between apply coats horizontally and vertically.  I do not know how to make this less streaky.  No matter what I have tried, it always gets that way. So to try and combat the streaks, I have been spraying a layer of high gloss acrylic sealer over the top.  I apply a few coats until the streaks are less noticeable. And with that, your cover is completed.  Let it cure for 24 hours before installing.  Be careful not to over tighten the screws or you will start to rip up the layer of sealer. 

Here are a few other covers that I have done.

I hope you find this tutorial helpful.  Have fun creating!

Butterfly Flower Pots

So yesterday was mother's day.  Nothing gets me more creative than being able to make something for people I care about, and I love having the kids make something fun for their grandmas.  I was going to have them make a stepping stone with their hand prints on them; however the kit that I bought was plain plaster, and plaster and I don't get along really well.  After messing that up, I decided to go a different route.  I started looking on Pinterest and found someone who used their child's footprints to make a butterfly.  Of course when I tried to click on the tutorial, it didn't work. It seemed simple enough, so we gave it a try.


We started with my daughter painting two terracotta pots a sky blue color.  She painted the terracotta base green.  It took two coats of craft paint.  Next we put the footprints on the pots.  My daughter's feet are bigger than I expected so they barely fit on the 6 inch pot I bought, but we made it work.  I marked the length of her foot on a paper plate, then divided that in thirds.  I put down a color of paint in each section, then spread it out with a brush until she was able to step into the painted area.  Then I positioned her foot on the pot and pressed it down.  The feet should be placed so the outside part of the foot is in the middle (left foot on the right, right foot on the left).  Since we were doing two pots, I had her step back into the paint and place it on the second pot before washing her foot.  Then we switched feet.  I then did my son's footprints the same way on the back side of each pot.


 I painted a simple butterfly body down the center of the two footprints.  I then painted a simple wing pattern around each footprint in black. I filled in the area between my wing and their footprint.  It made the footprint stand out.  My daughter then finger painted some clouds.




For the base, my daughter stuck her fingers in paint and left a few fingerprints in red and yellow.  On one base, she left a bunch in a row.  I then went through and painted ladybug patterns on the red dots and bee patterns on the yellow ones.  I tried to make the ones in a row look like a caterpillar.  Then I used several other shades of green to make the pot base look like grass.

I finished the project by sealing the pots and bases in 3 coats of polyacrylic.  I have never used it on this material or for this type of application before, so we'll see how it holds up.  So far it seems to be fine.  Finally I transplanted the flowering plants that my daughter picked out for her grandmothers into their pots.

Overall, this project came out really well.  The grandmothers were impressed, and hopefully this is a gift that they will enjoy for years to come.

Helpful Tips

So I have a few small things on my mind, but none are big enough for a whole post, so I thought I would just offer them up for anyone who is interested.

First, I can't drink regular milk but I love chocolate milk. I go through phases of wanting it and not having it for a while.  So instead of buying a big container of chocolate milk mix, I found a quick and easy chocolate milk recipe that uses things I always have around the house, and I can control what goes in it.  Basically, I put two tablespoons of sugar and one tablespoon of cocoa powder in a cup, then add just enough hot water to cover them.  I stir until the ingredients are dissolved, then fill the glass up with milk and stir.  Depending on what kind of cocoa you use, it tastes just as good, if not better, than the nesquik powder, and there's only 4 ingredients.  You can also add more or less sugar or cocoa powder to make it perfect for you.

If you have a little one, I recommend putting something on the wall next to the changing table for him or her to look at while getting changed.  We have a small painted bear laying on a moon next to ours, and my son loves it.  He laughs and talks to it which makes changing him a whole lot easier and it makes my day to see him so happy.  It doesn't have to be anything huge, even a mirror could make changing time so much more enjoyable.  You could also find something that you know your child enjoys, i.e. a cartoon character, print out a picture of it and tape it to the wall where your child can see it.  You can also change it periodically to keep him or her interested.

Everyone should keep chalk in their house.  It comes off most surfaces with just a little water and it usually doesn't leave a mark.  It sometimes won't come off flat paint, but it comes off semi gloss easily.  I use it a lot to transfer images onto different materials before painting, to mark where nail holes need to go when putting up picture frames, and to mark level lines. Plus if the kids mark up their toys, walls, or furniture with it, you can usually get it off.

 These are my little tips for today.  I hope you find at least one of them helpful! 

Removing a Wine Bottle Label

As promised, the next topic I want to cover is how to remove a wine bottle label.  This is the first step for me when I make one of my lamps.  I will not be saving the labels in this tutorial.


 My first job is to pick the bottle I want to use.  My favorite bottles are the ones I have collected from the Blumenhof winery near Washington, MO.  If you are ever in the area, I definitely recommend it.  I love the scenic location, and their blush wine is excellent.  I am not usually a wine drinker, but I do love this one.  On the weekends, they also have a food stand that serves delicious sandwiches, and they usually have a band playing.  It is one of my favorite places to collect bottles because they have such great lines and colors. I especially like their blue ones.






These are the two bottles that I am going to be using for future projects.  I will be making a peacock wine bottle lamp out of the blue one, and a nightlight for my son out of the clear one.

 

The easiest way to remove a wine bottle label is simply to soak it for as long as possible.  I fill my sink with the hottest water possible and some dish soap.  Next I put a little dish soap into the wine bottle and fill it with water so that it will sink.  You should soak them for a minimum of four hours, but I prefer to leave them in overnight.

 



 The next day, I empty the sink and remove the bottles. On some bottles, the label will already be floating in the water, but most need a little more work. I peel off as much of the label as I can. This picture shows how much I was able to peel off without any tools.





Then take a sponge with a non abrasive scrubbing surface on one side of it and scrub off whatever is left. This should remove everything, however if you have a stubborn spot, you can always use a glass scraper as a last resort.  The label removing process took me about 10 minutes for both bottles, and I was able to remove the rest of the label with only my sponge.  Once they are clean, I turn them upside down on a paper towel to dry.




The bottles are now ready for whatever project you want to start.  I  am going to cut the bottoms off of these bottles, and I will cover that process in the future.  I hope this helps you with your wine bottle crafts!