Tag: craftiness

Bunny Trail Sidewalk Chalk

Posted on March 29, 2018March 27, 2020 by Mama

Oh my goodness, it’s almost Easter and I feel like I’m so far behind. It seems like St. Patrick’s Day was just a couple of weeks ago. . . Oh wait, it was! With Easter’s early arrival and our spring break adventure last week, I’m afraid all the holiday hoopla has simply taken a backseat to life. Not that I’m downplaying the importance of Easter and the resurrection of Christ, but let’s just say that I’ve been a little lax in my outward display of enthusiasm. Anyone else in my shoes this year?

Okay, so enough of my excuses. We all still have time to whip up a few items just in time for Easter, and this adorable little bunny sidewalk chalk definitely fits the bill. I love this craft because it is easy to make, it fits into many plastic eggs and kids love them. Winner, winner, bunny dinner!

Here’s what you need:

Silicone Mold (bunnies, chicks or Easter eggs are all good choices)
Plaster of Paris
Water
Tempera Paint
Disposable cups and spoons

Here’s what you do:

Mix equal parts Plaster of Paris and water in a disposable cup.
Add paint to the mixture and stir until you get the desired color. Of course, the more paint the deeper the color.
Pour the colored mixture into the molds. Fill it close to the top, but don’t overflow or you will have to trim off the excess (and that definitely would add oodles of unnecessary work to this super easy craft).
Let the mold set on a level surface until dry, which will take several hours. Your Plaster of Paris container probably will give you an estimated time.
Pop out the little chalks and let them continue to dry for at least a day. You will know when they are completely dry when they are no longer cool to the touch (not that you have to wait quite that long).

As a side note, if you plan to package these fun little chalks in a sealed container, you may want to let them dry longer. I plopped mine in mini baggies and they were a bit moist when I handed them out to the kiddos in the Hollow. The kids loved them but the chalks didn’t seem to last as long. Also, make sure you wash your mold immediately or you might have a hard time getting it completely clean.

Okay, I think that’s it. Enjoy your sidewalk chalk and have a happy Easter!

“Sweet” Shaker Card for Summer

Posted on March 17, 2018March 17, 2018 by Mama

shaker card

Winter still has a grip on our little part of the Midwest, so I spent a couple of hours this afternoon dreaming of sweet treats and summer skies as I put together a little something for this week’s Freshly Made Sketches.

This is my first solo shaker card, so I was working without a net. Other than a few too many beads (rookie mistake) I think this “Sweet” card turned out pretty cute. I just can’t wait to send it to someone special when summer finally arrives. . . I do realize spring has to get here first. *sigh*

I used Echo Park’s Summer Bliss paper to create this card and the ice cream cone and sentiment came from the Small Talk Frames & Tags Cricut cartridge. . . very aptly named, I think! I recently purchased this cartridge at Tuesday Morning and my sister was disappointed that they only had one. It’s full of some stinkin’ cute graphics and I’ve been on the hunt for another one for my sad sis. I’m sure I’ll run across another someday.

The “sprinkle” beads were part of a Martha Stewart Crafts microbead set. I used pretty thin foam tape for the card so these were the only thing I had small enough to roll around on the ice cream. I think some oblong beads would have looked more like sprinkles, but I had none. I probably donated them to the thrift store last week. *grin*

Stuck Inside with a Stuck Sketch

Posted on February 21, 2018 by Mama

Yesterday was an ~~snow~~ ice day for my son’s school but he was still running a fever, so I knew it would be another long housebound day for the two of us. After making the trek through the basement to feed the chickens, I flipped on the space heater in my craft room on my way back through the house. I anticipated a crafty kind of day and thankfully I carved out a couple of hours to do just that.

I decided to continue working on my 2011 scrapbook (save the “poor things” and “bless her hearts” please — I know I’m way behind *sigh*) and after I inspected the Stuck Sketch challenge for the second half of the month, I knew I had the right stuff to pull together this page. You see, I’ve been Spring cleaning about the house and I came across an old paper kit in my craft room that I almost tossed into the donate pile this weekend. I’ve had the kit stuffed in my stash for years and figured if I hadn’t used it by now, it probably wouldn’t happen. I reluctantly held onto it (probably why I have so much stuff in the first place) but I quickly realized this Stuck challenge was perfectly made for my weary purple paper pack.

The Kolette ColorbÖk kit included two 12×12 pages already pieced together with a large coordinating strip down the side and stitching all around. The kit also included some decorative quotes and do-dads, which I didn’t use except for the long decorative banner I added down the side with the vellum quote piece ripped off. I ended up using both large sheets of paper because I cut “family” out of the second piece so that everything would coordinate.

Luckily I found the Pembroke 6×6 paper pack by s.e.i. in my stash that coordinated well with my page. All the extra paper came from this pack and I added a white heart doily and white tag for extra interest. I inked all my papers in purple and added all kinds of extras to the page. I colored little white flowers with markers and spritzing spray and added another long-time resident of my stash, the large purple and white flower towards the top of the photo. Some purple and white bakers twine, a little puffy sentiment, sheer purple ribbon and a few purple dots brought this project to a close.

I thought all the purple might be a bit too girly for my little man, but I think it turned out super sweet and I rather kind of like it. After I took the photo, I noticed my bakers twin was a bit wonky, so I straightened that out lickety-split and I’m very satisfied with another 2011 moment in the books.

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