Pink and Green Mama

Valentine's Day Sensory Box

2012-01-26T04:00:00.000-05:00

"C" and I were inspired by all of the cute

Pink (her favorite color) and Red Valentine Displays

at Target this week and decided we should make a

Valentine-themed sensory box!

We made a quick batch of pink rice.

I used Gel Food Coloring for the first time and the color is fantastic!

I am a convert.

We also used Rubbing Alcohol instead of our usual hand sanitizer gel method

and it blended the colors really nicely and dried more quickly.

(We used one big bag of white rice from Walmart for this box)

I also added a few drops of Lavender essential oil and the rice smells wonderful,

it also makes your hands smell nice after you've been playing in it!

We added three clear heart boxes from the Dollar Spot at Target,

they're fun to use as boxes to sort into-

they'll be great for our light table too!

We also picked up some smaller pink and red mini heart boxes

and pink heart shaped "gems" all from Target Dollar spot.

So for $4, we got all of these fun new goodies for our box.

"C" made me boxes of valentine candy all afternoon.

I also added our mini metal mail box from last Valentine's day,

a set of red measuring spoons from our kitchen (Dollar Tree)

a red funnel, and an ice cream scoop.

See those cute little paper hearts?

Those are from little toothpick toppers, the kind that come with

co-ordinating cupcake liners.

We picked them up at Dollar Tree last week.

We use them to make lunches and snacks "fancy"

After we eat with them, I snap off the tops

(without any pokey or sharp parts sticking out)

and toss them into our sensory boxes.

I almost forgot, they had this cute silicone heart pan in the

Dollar Spot at Target too! (So I guess I spend $5)

Fun for counting and sorting heart gems and little toothpick toppers.

"C" playing with her Valentine box in the playroom,

waiting for big sister to get home from school

and join in the fun!

Happy Valentine Play!

Fondly,

Pink and Green Mama

Kid-Friendly Spaces and Toy Storage Solutions In Our Home

2012-01-24T04:00:00.000-05:00

I am really enjoying my online Playful Learning Spaces e-class with the

lovely and talented, Mariah Bruehl

(you might know her from a fun little blog and book called Playful Learning)

I recently shared some of the successful kid-friendly spaces in our home

on our class' Flickr page

and thought you might find some inspiration in them as well!

(Warning: Get ready for a photo heavy and wordy post!)

I have found that having kid-friendly, proportional,
accessible and organized spaces
make our home run much more smoothly.

I'll start your tour with our Play Room.

Our formal "dining room" is our playroom.

Along the wall in our playroom I assembled book cases from Staples office store

and used paper covered foam core to color the back of each shelf.

You could also use cute wrapping paper.

Toys are in square (photo labeled) bins from Target.

The wire along the duct work is from Ikea and the flash cards

are Alphabet cards from Eric Carle.

These are the laminated photo labels I have tied onto each bin with bits of ribbon.

The labels are made with Scotch Brand self laminating pouches

from the office supply area at Walmart/Target/Kmart.

This bin holds Playmobil sets.

This bin holds our puppets.

Everything is labeled with photos

so kids, friends, and babysitters know how to clean up quickly.

Everything has it's own place or home, just like a classroom.

Here are some skinny plastic bins

we use to store various toys and light table materials.

I may add some photo labels

but the girls like seeing through the bins to know what they're getting out.

Wooden blocks in a sturdy basket at kid (floor) level in the playroom.

The dress up clothes are in the rotating stand

to the left of the Ikea bookcase.

I found the dress up stand online many years ago.

We have curtains (Pottery Barn, discontinued) hanging to provide privacy

from our kitchen eating area at night

and make a fun background for plays and puppet shows.

Here is a corner in our Family Room.

This is our "block corner" it has Duplos, Legos, Wooden Blocks,

and small wooden toys for building "Lands"

The boom box is for our "Listening Center"

with headphones, books and CDs/Tapes in the small basket in the corner.

The listening center books are on the right hand upper shelf.

The left hand upper shelf holds Legos and a binder with lego instructions/ideas.

The lower left shelf holds my daughter's rock collection

and the wooden crate holds more of their seashell and nature collection.

Here is the post I wrote about her Rock Collection.

Another view of the "block corner"

This is a small vertical Closet Maid unit from Target

that we have laying on it's side behind our couch in our family room.

The square storage bins (also from Target) hold toys and puzzles,

the table is great for drink glasses, snacks, and remote controls while watching TV.

Now we'll go upstairs and visit C's Room.

This is our 4 year old daughter, C's room.

She has access to her books,

toys are stored in the lower cabinets with doors,

a small play kitchen on the right wall,

and a small (kid-size) table and chairs

that she uses for coloring and having tea parties with her stuffed animals.

The table is an awful Disney Princess table set we got at Kmart

a few years ago, I was going to repaint it but then I put the cute table cloth

on it and it's MUCH better (and I didn't have to paint!)

You can see the corner of her "sticker board" collection hanging on her door.

It's a piece of foam core hanging from a ribbon that she is

allowed to stick on any stickers she gets from school, doctor's appointments, etc.

C's book nook.

This is her little reading corner in her room.

She enjoys sitting in her little chair and flipping through books.

We select 4-5 books to read together every night at bedtime as well.

The doll house book case came from Target a few years ago,

square bins are Closet Maid also form Target,

the tiny toile arm chair was a first birthday gift to my oldest daughter 8 years ago.

Close-up of the shelves in my daughter's room.

The bins are nice for paperback scholastic books.

They aren't in a specific order but we do keep some books together,

for example all of the Maisy Books, Curious George, Eric Carle, etc. are together.

I'll put other groupings together too: halloween books in one stack, winter-theme, etc.

She does flip through them easily because they're all facing the same direction

it's easier to see the covers than looking at spines on a shelf since she's not reading yet.

C's books are arranged by color.

Here is E's room.

There are built in book cases in E's room (age almost 9).

Some of my art books are in here because we don't have anywhere else to store them

(her room used to be our guest room)

I added the bins for her to store stuffed animals, coloring books,

knitting supplies, and various papers.

The square bins are Closet Maid from Target/Walmart.

The "dotty" plastic bins were from Target's Dollar bin section last spring.

That's our homemade Fairy House on the floor in front of the bookcase.

E's Desk.

This is a desk we rescued out of our neighbor's trash a few years ago.

We gave it a makeover with white and purple spray paint.

The mini shelf with the little bins is "Closet Maid" from Target.

She sits here to draw her fashion sketches, fold Origami,

and draw cartoons in the morning and after school.

And...Yes that is her terrarium in the corner.

Her pet garden snail "Tiny" lives in it, she's had him for 4 years. : )

This is on the other wall in E's room.

Books and a few of her favorite collectibles on display.

It's her own space to arrange as she wishes.

She is very tidy and likes everything in it's proper place (just like her mom!)

E's tall bookcase in her room.

One of my older daughter's bookcases in her room.

She keeps most of her "reference" library on these shelves.

It's her favorite book "genre".

Her American Girl dolls and doll clothes are stored in the lower cabinet.

Let's go back downstairs to the Kitchen.

Kid dishes in our kitchen.

This is where I keep bowls and cups at "kid level"

so the girls can get their own cups of water and snacks.

This is in that little drawer under the ovens

that is too small to use for much of anything.

They use glass dishes and cups too,

but they're in a higher up cabinet that I get down for them.

This is just for their own snacks and drinks for the girls and their friends

to grab when they're playing or out in the yard.

It's an odd assortment of dishes from Ikea and Target.

This wall in our kitchen table eating area is where we display the kid's school art projects.

I used old frames and bulletin board cork material to make a rotating gallery space.

They are backed with foam core and

I use thumbtacks or push pins to hold up the art work.

Here is our Art Studio.

When we moved into this house we decided to use

our very large "formal" living room as our art studio space.

The large cabinets along the wall are Ikea Kitchen Islands,

they have nice deep drawers and shelves for art supplies.

The little green table and stools are also from Ikea

- the girls do most of their projects here.

I re-arrange this space depending on what kind of project we're working on.

I have a big fold up picnic style table I set up in the middle of the room

for art classes and camps.

Watercolor Basket.

I was inspired by Mariah and another classmate to move our watercolors to a basket

so the girls have everything they need whenever they want to paint.

I included two tablets of watercolor paper,

a small roll of paper towels, paints, brushes, a glass jar (for water),

a small and extra fine tip sharpie, a sharpened pencil

and some water-soluble watercolor crayons and pencils.

The girls loved having easy access to the new watercolor basket

and jumped right in to creating with it!

Re-purposed Diaper Caddy = Portable Writing and Art Center

I converted our old diaper caddy from Pottery Barn
to hold markers, crayons, paper, etc.
Portable and easy for the girls to tote around wherever they need it.
Also great for homework time at the kitchen table.

Click here to tour our Kid-Friendly Spaces
Backyard Makeover!

I hope you enjoyed your tour of our kid-friendly play spaces!

Fondly,

Pink and Green Mama

Chinese New Year Paper Lantern Craft and Buddha Board Center

2012-01-23T09:57:00.000-05:00

The girls and I decided to get crafty yesterday

and make some paper lanterns to decorate

our kitchen for Chinese New Year.

It has been gross, gray, icy drizzle here for the past three days

so I apologize in advance for my too dark photos in our dark house.

We started out by stamping sheets of red construction paper

with some leaf and vine shaped stamps with gold ink.

Then we added some Do-A-Dot marker dots with red and yellow metallic ink

for a bit more contrast.

Then, we folded the papers in half ("hot dog" style)

and cut equally spaced slits (like fringe) along the folded edge.

We were careful not to cut all the way to the edge and left a paper "lip"

Then, we just rolled them into cylinders, stapled at both ends,

punched in a couple of holes and strung them up with red string

by our kitchen table.

Another too dark photo.

We've had the lights on and the heat cranking for three days.

The power bill should be awesome this month.

I also set up this little surprise for the girls.

I love to leave little areas like this out for them to discover and play with.

They've both been visiting it and leaving little designs

and notes for the past 24 hours.

I set out our "Buddha Board"with a lovely ceramic tray,

bamboo brush, and a Sake cup with water.

I also set out a Chinese New Year red envelope with a small note

that has the characters for Faith, Hope, and Love on a mini easel.

Wishing you and your family a happy new lunar year.

May the Year of the Dragon be the best one yet!

Fondly,

Pink and Green Mama

Block Play

2012-01-23T04:00:00.000-05:00

"C" and I spent an afternoon this week playing blocks

and I just loved how happy our little rainbow land looked when we were done.

It stayed up for two days and now it's all cleaned up

but every time I walked past the playroom it made me smile.

Kind of like a big I Spy book on our happy rainbow rug.

And in case you're wondering, because I get regular emails asking about

the playroom rug,

it was from the "MaryKate and Ashley" home collection.

Yes, THAT MaryKate and Ashley.

I bought it in 2006 or 2007 for "C"s nursery.

I don't think you can find them anymore. : ( Sorry.

Lining up to go somewhere....

or they're just used to standing in lines

since that's what you do at Dinsey World! : )

Love the clock tower.

See the bread tag by the guard at the front door?

"C" put it there and announced that it says, "No Solicitors"

That's my girl.

Happy Playing!

Fondly,

Pink and Green Mama

Birdseed Cakes

2012-01-21T04:00:00.001-05:00

The girls and I spent Christmas Eve making

our feathered backyard friends some bird seed cakes!

We have seen these all over Pinterest and I remember

seeing them in Family Fun Magazine.

I liked and used the directions from this blog.

We mixed together 1 pouch of Knox Gelatin with 1/2 cup of boiling water

(we heated the water in the microwave)

Stir the gelatin until it dissolves.

Then, let the gelatin cool for a minute.

The girls did not like the smell, can you tell?

Then, they stirred the gelatin into 4 cups of birdseed in a big mixing bowl.

We also tossed in 3/4 cup of flour

3 TBSP of corn syrup

a handful of dry multigrain cheerios

a handful of mixed raisins

"C" scooped the mixture into a silicone muffin pan

and into a regular metal cupcake pan.

"E" cut up some plastic drinking straws and poked one through each

bird seed "cake"

We put them in the garage fridge to set up overnight.

Then, we pulled them out three days later (when we remembered them again)

and threaded colored yarn through them like ornaments.

We hung them in our backyard and frontyard trees.

The squirrels ate all of the birdseed cakes out back in one day.

The cakes out front lasted a week before the birds ate them all.

We even gave three to Grandpa for his birthday because he likes to feed his birdies too.

Looks like we'll need to make some more!

Happy Creating!

Fondly,

Pink and Green Mama,

Cut Paper Dragons for Chinese New Year

2012-01-19T04:00:00.002-05:00

I used to make cut paper dragons with my elementary students

every year to celebrate Chinese New Year.

How appropriate that

this year is the Year of the Dragon!

These projects were always so bright and colorful.

They looked great in the school hallways.

There are several steps and they would take two 45 minute class periods to complete.

I usually made these with my third grade students as part of their unit of study on China.

We would start by folding a large sheet of colored construction paper in half

(like a big greeting card) and draw1/2 of a wavy dragon head

with horns, a beard, and a mustache.

Make sure your students make the folded edge the center of their face

and only cut away the open sides of the paper.

They would decorate the faces with cut pieces of construction paper

for eyes, mouth, nostrils, mustaches, horns, teeth, tongues, etc.

Then, we used the same technique to make a big tail but

we would fold the paper "hot dog" style to make a long skinny tail.

For the body we would accordion-fold another large piece of construction paper

and glue long strips of colored paper on the folds.

You can see my funky cut scissors in the back corner of the art cabinet.

The strips were cut with my "funky cut" scissors by the kids.

The kind you can buy in the scrapbooking aisle.

These scissors were always a huge hit with my students

and made neat textures and designs on the dragon bodies!

Finally, they would cut out and glue on legs and clawed feet. Rawr!

So Fun!

I may have to make another one with my own girls this week

to celebrate Chinese New Year!

I think he'd look pretty cool flying over our kitchen table.

Fondly,

Pink and Green Mama

Sick Day Craftivity: Decorate a Tissue Box

2012-01-18T15:49:00.000-05:00

My sweet little "C" woke up with a head cold this morning.

She's very stuffy and we've been going through tissues all morning.

To prevent a pile of dirty tissues all over the couch,

I put together this quick and easy "creativity" (crafty activity)

to keep her happily occupied while she watches Sesame Street and Team UmiZoomi!

I Pinned this idea a while back on my "Organization" board

from MeckMom Blog.

I used two rubber bands to attach a full tissue box to an empty one

and handed her a big stack of stickers to decorate them to her heart's content!

One box holds the clean tissues,

the other one is a trash can for the dirty tissues.

A perfect, snuggle up on the couch,

sick day, mess-free craftivity!

Fondly,

Pink and Green Mama

Clay Impression Buttons

2012-01-17T04:00:00.000-05:00

I loved making these clay impression and alcohol ink pendants with "E" last week.

Click here if you missed the tutorial!

I was looking at them and wishing they were cool buttons so

I spent a morning playing with clay in my art studio

and now I've got some clay buttons in progress.

Can't wait to share them when they're all done.

I'm thinking it might be time to restock my sadly neglected Etsy shop!

Fondly,

Pink and Green Mama

"Paint For Cats" App Homemade Cards

2012-01-15T04:00:00.004-05:00

Some of you have emailed me to ask about

the "Cat Artwork Cards" that were shown

in my post about the Letter Writing Center.

Say hello to my mom's cat, "Murphy"

He has quite a personality.

He was a homeless kitty we rescued via a very kind neighbor

one VERY chilly December, 12 years ago.

Here is the artist himself at work.

He loves my mom's iPad.

My mom downloaded the app "Paint for Cats" on her iPad

and both of her cats love it.

(Her other cat is camera shy and didn't want her identity revealed)

Both of her cats love this app so much that whenever my mom gets

out her iPad one or both cats will jump up on the table and pester her

to turn it on for them! It has become part of the weekend newspaper reading routine.

After the cat completes his or her painting, my mom will email

copies of their paintings to herself as jpegs.

Then, she adjusts them in Photoshop to the size she wants and saves that.

Finally, she uses Microsoft Word to create a card size document and prints

them out on nice watercolor cards with little envelopes.

Here are some completed kitty masterpieces:

If you make some artwork with your own pets, I'd love to see it!

Murph the Cat's Masterpieces.

Now you're going to think that my mom and I are crazy cat ladies.

You'd be correct, we come from a long line of them.

If you want another kitty story, my cat "Elly" and I were interviewed
for an article on cats and houseplants
for this month's Humane Society Magazine

Fondly,

Pink and Green Mama

Letter Writing Center

2012-01-13T10:13:00.002-05:00

When "C" and I went out to get the mail yesterday,

she asked me why she never gets any mail.

Well it just about broke my heart.

Then I realized an easy way for her to get her own mail

is if she starts sending some of her own to grandparents,

aunts and uncles, neighbor friends, and great grandmas!

I remembered the wonderful letter writing center in Mariah Bruehl's book

and the beautiful letter writing box on the "A Bit of This and A Bit of That" blog

and decided it was time to make our own (smaller) version.

We started with a basic lesson on how to properly address

an envelope. I glued an envelope to a piece of card stock

showing where to put a return address label,

the address and name of the person you are sending the card or drawing to,

and where to put 1 stamp. : )

I had to emphasize that stamps are not stickers and you only use ONE per envelope.

Then, I needed a way for "C" and "E" to have addresses

for the people they would be mailing cards to.

So, I printed small photos of all of our important people

and slipped each one in a baseball card collecting page protector.

Then, I made address labels for each person and stacked them

in the proper pouch behind their photos.

I also made some key vocabulary word cheat sheets

for "C" since she's learning sight words and can copy names

and words if she has one to look at.

I didn't have a super cute basket or bin to put the supplies in

but then we received a care package from Grandma in Texas

and I just cut off the top flaps of the priority mail box and put everything inside.

I even used the two long flaps as little dividers inside the box.

I included two boxes filled with blank cards, envelopes, writing utensils.

I also included school directories and a neighborhood directory

in case "E" wants to look up an address.

Blank cards. Some homemade and some are from our stationery stash.

The ones on top were made from "paintings" by my mom's cat on her iPad.

(tee-hee!)

Blurry photo of envelopes, stamps, etc. in the other box.

"C" didn't let me finish stocking the box before she was "writing"

her first card to grammy.

There are three cards in today's outgoing mail. : )

As soon as "E" got home from school, she wrote a letter

to her best friend as well. I think this little letter writing box

is going to be a fun new activity for the girls.

This is a fun activity for this time of year as practice

for Valentine's Day!

This was a million years ago, look how little "C" was!

Wish we still had our homemade mail box,

we may need to make another one for incoming and outgoing mail!

Photo used with permission from Ikat Bag blog.

We're planning to make some of Ikat Bag blog's awesome

homemade sticker card sets today after school!

Go here to get the full tutorial.

We will also be making a new batch of my

up-cycled art work stitched heart cards!

We're off to the post office to buy more stamps!

Fondly,

Pink and Green Mama

Giveaway: Playful Learning Spaces E-Course with Mariah Bruehl

2012-01-11T09:46:00.003-05:00

(Our block corner)

My wonderfully talented (and organized!) bloggy friend,

Mariah Bruehl is offering a space for me and one of my readers to join her

latest Playful Learning Spaces E-Course.

I am so excited about this upcoming winter session (it starts Wednesday, January 18th)

and can't wait to learn how to best develop spaces around our house

for my own two daughters to learn in a creative and organized environment.

We have been on a major cleaning and organizing purge around here

since Christmas and it makes me so happy every time I open a cleaned out drawer,

or pull my car into my garage for the first time since we've lived here for 4 + years!

Now, I'm excited to turn my attention to examining the spaces my girls use to fit

their current needs and activities.

Here's a wonderful little visual treat/sneak peek. : )

Click on this LINK to learn more about the six-week

Playful Learning Spaces E-Course.

Dates: 1/18, 1/25, 2/1, 2/8, 2/15, 2/22.

Playful Learning Spaces is a six-week online course designed to help

parents and teachers through the process of designing thoughtful spaces for children.

We will work on creating areas that invite children to engage in reading,

writing, science, art, and more. The class will also discuss organization, storage,

and selecting materials for different ages and stages of child development.

Each week participants will receive a video that contains

basic educational principles, simple guidelines, and helpful photos.

There will be weekly assignments and links to relevant research, products, and inspiration.

Participants will act as a supportive community

with the opportunity to look at the spaces each creates for their children.

During the course, we will tackle overdue projects, post before and after photos,

and receive practical feedback and support. (um, yes please!)

I can't wait to get started with Mariah.

I love her blog, I have her book on my bedside table, and can't wait

to get even more great ideas and support from her on this adventure.

I hope you will join me and am so appreciative of her sharing

this opportunity with me and one of you!

For an opportunity to join us in this session's e-course

~~please leave a comment here on the blog~~

(if you read my blog via email, please do not reply to my email account,

please visit my website and leave a comment on this post)

~~I will close comments and draw a name by random number generator~~

~~on Sunday, January 15 at 4pm EST.~~

Comments are now closed.

Congratulations "Cris"!
I am contacting you via email.

Fondly,

Pink and Green Mama,

Giveaway: Artterro Eco Art Kit

2012-01-10T04:00:00.015-05:00

When the lovely ladies from Artterro contacted me

to review one of their eco-friendly art kits, I couldn't wait.

Not only is their website beautiful, so is their packaging

AND... this company was started by two artsy,

creative mamas from Madison Wisconsin (Go Badgers!)

They started Artterro because they believe that everyone is born creative

and they wanted people to be able to create art with family and friends.

Hey, me too....sound familiar?!

They sent us their "Art Dolls Kit"

and their "Collage Jewelry Kit"

Artterro is committed to sustainability, they minimize packaging and print

all inserts on 100% post consumer waste paper using green printing methods

and energy offset by wind power. Their kits are assembled in the USA by

Goodwill Industries in Milwaukee, WI by people with disabilities

and those in need of job training skills.

They also sent us their "Art Journal Kit."

Even though the sets say ages 7 and up,

"C" (age 4.5) wanted to make the kits with us,

so I was her assistant while "E" worked independently at the table with us.

First, we all worked with the Collage Jewelry kit.

It comes with an assortment of wooden beads, pendants,

gloss glaze, a paint brush, and an assortment of pretty tissue papers.

The girls enjoyed this kit immensely.

They each made a pendant style necklace.

"E" (age 8) made this beautiful bracelet.

"C"s bead, pendant, and felt fairy friend from the doll making kit.

"C" drew the wings, legs, arms, and head for her fairy doll with the

beautiful handmade papers they included in the kit.

"E"s fairy doll in progress.

It was so nice for the girls to work with such nice art materials.

~~Want a chance to create and explore with an Artterro art kit with your own children?~~

~~Visit the Artterro site then, leave a comment here~~

~~telling me which kit is your favorite.~~

(sorry - my comment form is tiny, just look carefully below for it)

~~We will select one Pink and Green Mama commentor by random number generator~~

and close comments on January 17th at 9pm EST.

The selected reader will receive the Artterro kit of their choice.

Open to US residents only. Please make sure I can reach you by email.

Comments are now closed.

Congrats to #18, Whitney!

Winner will be notified via email.

Fondly,

pink and green mama

My family and I received three craft kits from the Artterro company for the purpose of this review.

All opinions expressed are my own. I did not receive any additional compensation for this post.

Alcohol Ink on Polymer Clay Embossed Pendant Tiles

2012-01-08T04:00:00.001-05:00

This is one of those ideas that popped into my head randomly.

It was one of my "I wonder if this would actually work?" ideas...

turns out it did and does.

First we rolled out some white polymer clay

(Sculpey or Fimo from the craft store) and

rolled paper doilies into the clay to create lacy impressions.

We cut out shapes by hand with clay knife,

you could use cookie cutters too but ours seem to have disappeared!

We made small holes in the clay shapes so they could be

strung later as necklaces or hung on ribbon as ornaments.

We baked them in the oven according to the package directions

and allowed them to cool.

The next day, "E" (age 8.5) and I used my Adirondak brand alcohol inks

to dye the ornaments. This wasn't a project for her little sister "C" (age 4.)

They're messy and they stain everything,

"E" had the genius idea for us to wear surgical gloves.

I've been wanting to play with these inks ever since I first saw them

on the Artsyville blog with this great alcohol tile project.

They're so fun and we plan to use them on future projects!

My first medallion in progress...

"E" working on one of her many (beautiful) tiles.

She's a natural and came up with the prettiest color combinations.

"E" manipulating the ink on a clay tile with a small paintbrush.

Also her technique/idea. We didn't read any tutorials or instructions,

we just kind of jumped in head first! : )

We worked on trays with paper towels so we wouldn't stain the table.

These inks permanently stain non-porous surfaces so you have to use them with caution.

Our finished pendants, ready to string as necklaces or ornaments.

So many possibilities, I think you could have fun with

other stamps or letters to make embossed tags.

Happy Creating!

Fondly,

pink and green mama

Just Hanging Around Fun Photo Bookmarks!

2012-01-05T14:42:00.000-05:00

I saw the idea for these adorable bookmarks on Pinterest

and had to make some with my own girls.

The idea seems to have originated from the Creative Family Moments blog

and Valerie's super cute homemade tea tags from the Frugal Family Fun blog.

She made hers with clear contact paper/shelf liner, I used my little laminator.

We made a set of bookmarks for Grandpa's birthday (and one for my own books.)

They're so cute, I think I need to make some for Grandmas and Great Grandmas too!

We started with a photo shoot in the playroom.

I asked both of the girls to pretend they were hanging from a rope

and we got some fun photos.

It was a bit trickier explaining the concept to "C" (age 4)

but we got a shot we could use.

Then, I printed the girls' photos out on our printer

and cut them out carefully.

I laminated the photos with my little laminator.

And once again cut them out but this time I left a bit of a border

to make them sturdier.

Then, we punched a small hole by their hands

and tied on some embroidery floss as a tassel.

Fun and easy bookmarks.

I think these would be great teacher gifts too!

Fondly,

pink and green mama

Homemade Search and Find, Walter Wick Inspired I Spy Book

2012-01-01T22:45:00.001-05:00

Well, Christmas is over and so is New Year's Eve

so in our house that means that it is time for Grandpa's Birthday.

My dad is tricky to shop for and having his birthday a week after Christmas

always makes it extra tricky! Fortunately, he loves homemade gifts

and he loves to do I Spy challenges and books with the girls.

So... we made him his own, homemade "I Spy" book this year!

I'm sorry the photos are so dark, it's been rainy and cloudy here all afternoon.

First, the girls set up some Walter Wick inspired

"I Spy" scenes with their toys in the playroom

and we took photographs.

I printed out 8" x 10" photos of each scene.

Then, "E" wrote out the poems and challenges for each photograph.

We slid the photographs and handwritten challenges into some

clear page protectors and tied the whole thing together with some rainbow yarn.

"C" made him a photo and page with all of her stuffed kitties

but I can't show the page because she wrote her name all over it!

Trust me, it's very pink, very kitty, and very cute.

Can't wait to surprise him tomorrow with his homemade book!

Thank you to everyone who left a comment on the Walter Wick, "I Spy"

book giveaway. I'll be contacting the two winners via email!

Fondly,

pink and green mama,

Can You See What I See? Toyland Express! Book Review and Giveaway

2011-12-30T19:09:00.002-05:00

The girls and I love our collection of Walter Wick "I Spy"

and "Can You See What I See?" books.

"E" frequently reads her I Spy books as a way to wind down at bedtime.

We were thrilled when our friends at Scholastic books and Walter Wick's office contacted

us to review his latest and greatest book,

"Can You See What I See? Toyland Express!"

In Mr. Wick's eigth title in his bestselling search and find series,

we follow the life story of a little toy train from it's beginning in a workshop,

as a gift from a toy store, to a beloved toy and finally to the attic,

only to be rescued at a yard sale and brought to life again in a new home.

There are over 250 hidden objects to find as the train transforms along it's journey.

"E" has always wondered how Mr. Wick makes his book

and really enjoyed watching this behind the scenes video.

You may recall that we've tried to make our own "I Spy" books and photo shoots.

"E" (age 8) and "C" (age 4) really enjoyed this book and some of the

hidden objects really challenged them (as well as their parents)!

"E"s Grandpa D came over for Christmas and enjoyed the challenge of

searching and finding the hidden objects in the book as well.

So much so, that the girls are making him his own,

homemade "I Spy" search and find book for his birthday this weekend.

(Shh... don't tell, it's a surprise!)

and...I have a surprise for you, my lovely readers, as well!

Two (2) of my (continental US) readers from my blog will receive:

* Copy of "Can You See What I See? Toyland Express!"

* 5 Additional book titles from the "Can You See What I See?" series.

~~All you have to do is leave a comment below,~~

~~and make sure I have a way to contact you.~~

Look carefully, my "comments" section is tiny

(and I don't know how to make it bigger)

just think of it as a little Pink and Green Mama blog search and find!

~~Two names will be drawn by random number generator on~~

~~Sunday January 1, 2012 at 9pm EST.~~

This giveaway is now closed. Winners will be contacted via email.

Fondly,

pink and green mama

All opinions expressed are my own, my family and I received a copy of

Walter Wick's book, "Toyland Express" to write this review.

We did not receive any additional financial compensation.

Toilet Paper Tube Craft: Homemade Angry Birds!

2011-12-29T04:00:00.001-05:00

So this year, daddy's favorite gift was his

set of toilet paper tube Angry Birds

that "E" (age 8.5) made for him with cut paper

at Grandma and Grandpa's house a few weeks ago.

She and "C" did a great job keeping it secret

and could not wait for daddy to open his present!

I had not seen them yet either and I was blown away.

Wowzers!! "E" did a fantastic job making these and I think

they look just like the characters from Angry Birds!

Daddy can't wait to bring them into the office to display proudly on his desk.

Here are some close up shots so you can see the details.

She covered cut down toilet paper tubes with colored paper

then cut and glued all of the tiny face details with bits of colored paper and a few

permanent marker details for things like eyebrows.

I think her inspiration for this craft came from "Pinterest"

and she saw the painted TP tube angry bird set

from Amanda over at the Crafts by Amanda blog.

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday and shared some homemade gift love too!

Fondly,

pink and green mama

Christmas Highlights

2011-12-27T09:33:00.000-05:00

I thought I'd spend this rainy, gray morning sharing a few favorite

Christmas weekend highlights from our family to yours.

On Christmas Eve, the girls made birdseed ornaments,

(the ones that have been ALL over Pinterest) with gelatin and corn syrup.

Can you tell what "E" thought of the smell? Hee-hee!

This little Etsy treasure was a gifty from my sweet hubby.

(here's a link if you need your own!)

He gets me. Mama's coffee is very cozy now.

The girls painted a few of these sweet little wooden birdie ornaments

for our tree, here's my little blue bird friend painted by "E." So friendly.

This was "C"s preschool gift to mommy and daddy, of course she wrapped it in pink!

Love the little fingerprint ornaments on the homemade card.

There were lots of fun homemade gifts this year.

Daddy enjoying his first back rub in his homemade back rub shirt from the girls!

"E" made these awesome toilet paper tube angry birds for her daddy,

all by herself - I'll post details later.

I made wooden fire and water stacker puzzles for the girls.

Snuggling my sweeties on Christmas morning in our PJs.

"E" and Daddy assembling Lego Hogwarts.

Afternoon shadows in the playroom window.

Grandma and Grandpa spent the afternoon and evening with us,

so we decided to use my camera's timer to take a classy family portrait.

Wishing you a happy holiday season from our family to yours!

Fondly,

pink and green mama

Easy Kid Craft: Felt Candy Cane Mice

2011-12-21T14:41:00.000-05:00

I remember making these felt candy cane mice once as a little girl

and when I saw them in Family Fun and on Martha Stewart Crafts

I knew they were the perfect Christmastime craft for my girls!

(My mom made even them with her garden club friends for their holiday party this year.)

We made a couple of felt candy cane mice last week

for "C"s preschool teachers as gifts and for a trial run.

Then "E" wanted to make them as gifts for her third grade classmates.

Umm.... okay, 30 more felt candy cane mice coming up!

So, mama got busy cutting out felt mice "parts"

using the template from Martha Stewart crafts here.

After I cut out all the bits and pieces, the girls helped match up

and assemble felt mouse ears.

We used Aleene's tacky glue to glue the felt bits together.

I picked up some mini bottles at JoAnne's and I'll never buy the big ones again.

The tiny bottle is actually very easy to use

and much easier to squeeze than their normal-sized big bottle.

I plan to only buy the tiny bottle for the girls (and myself) from now on!

After the ears were put together we glued on tiny felt noses.

For the eyes we used black scrapbook paper punched out with a hole punch.

I added a "white highlight" with a Bic White Out Pen (office supply aisle at Target).

Then, we threaded the candy canes through the mice and they're ready to go

to school tomorrow for the big third grade class party!

Happy Holiday Crafting!

Fondly,

Pink and Green Mama,

Semi-homemade Teacher and School Friend Holiday Gifts

2011-12-18T22:22:00.000-05:00

"C" had her last day of preschool on Friday.

She is officially on winter break and home with me until 2012!

We were busy girls last week making gifts for her two wonderful teachers.

She's in the "Cardinals" class this year.

When I saw these adorable wooden bird ornaments at JoAnne's craft store

at Halloween time, I knew they would be perfect Christmas gifts

for her classmates and teachers, so I bought a bunch.

"C" painted two of them red for her teachers with watercolors

(with permanent marker for the cheeks, eyes and she added the eyelashes!)

Then, I typed up a little poem and bagged up an ornament for each classmate

to decorate at home. With the preschool class name and year on the back.

We made a little bundle like this for each of her teachers.

They included two (homemade by mama) stiff felt bird ornaments -

a white sparkly dove and a red cardinal.

(The felt birds are a MaryLea and her mom-modified version of this craft from Family Fun.)

They also got one of my felt poinsettia pins.

Remember these from 2009? I made and shipped 30 of them to my MIL's garden club

in Amarillo, TX and another half-dozen to all of my Aunts in Colorado!

The teachers also each got a wooden cardinal ornament painted by "C"

and a felt candy cane mouse (this craft from Martha Stewart).

Now, we just have to finish "E"s school teacher and class gifts,

she has her big holiday party this week before her winter vacation begins.

So these are waiting in the art studio

for us to finish assembling after school tomorrow

for "E"s third grade class.

Can you tell what they are?

I'll give you a hint - not a creature was stirring, not even a candy cane....!

Happy Holiday Crafting!

Fondly,

pink and green mama,

Paper Chain Stair Garlands

2011-12-16T04:00:00.001-05:00

Do you remember how I said that we had a bunch of skinny strips

of scrap-booking paper leftover from our

Homemade (Thrifty) Christmas Card project this year?!

The girls and I (with some help from Grandma too)

had a crafty play date and made Christmas paper chains

to deck the halls (and stairwell).

(And yes...those are stuffed birds and fairy dolls sitting on the stairs.)

We had real pine swags (read: very Martha Stewart)

but they were dropping pine needles left and right

and Elly the Cat wouldn't leave them alone.

This is a much more cat-friendly alternative garland

and the girls had fun making it too!

Fondly,

pink and green mama,

Cholula Hot Sauce Cap Decorating Giveaway

2011-12-14T13:32:00.000-05:00

Look at what appeared under our Christmas tree last night!

These are my little Cholula Hot Sauce friends,

they might look cute and sweet but they're full of flavor and fire!

My friends at Cholula Hot Sauce sent me this fun 4-pack

of hot sauce to celebrate the holiday season.

The pack included all 4 Cholula flavors:

Original, Chili Garlic, Chili Lime, and Chipotle.

Just what I needed to give my holiday cooking and morning eggs a little kick!

They are hosting a giveaway to let you,

my awesome readers (and your kiddos!),

show off your creative talents with a

Cholula Hot Sauce Cap Decorating Contest.

I'll start by show and telling our own four cap designs.

We started with the bottle of Original Flavor hot sauce,

it's plain wooden bead surface reminded me of our pine cone elves,

so we drew a little face with permanent markers,

added a felt hat and a fleece scarf!

Then, we made Rudolph the Red-Nosed Chili Garlic Reindeer:

We painted the wooden cap red with acrylic craft paint.

Then, made a stiff felt reindeer head with permanent marker and googly eyes.

Cut a star shape where his nose should be and slid him over the cap!

Ta-Da!

Then, we made this little Penguin in honor of my MIL who loves all things, Penguin.

We painted the Chipotle flavor bottle's wooden cap with black and white acrylic craft paint.

Glued on a black pom-pom head with a craft foam beak, felt wings, and mini googly eyes.

The Chili Lime flavor's green wooden cap looked like the Grinch.

So that's exactly who we transformed the bottle into...

Painted eyes, permanent marker details, feather tuft for hair, and a fleece scarf.

Now it's your turn to get crafty and show and tell.

They're something good in it for you too....

Details:

A Cholula Cap Decorating Contest where families and individuals

may decorate their Cholula Cap for a chance to win prizes.

Prizes (provided by Cholula):

1 Winner - Sur La Table Tri-Ply Stainless Steel

9-Piece Cookware Set valued at $279.96

12 Winners - $25 Sur La Table Gift Cards.

How To Enter (2 Ways):

1. Submit a picture of your decorated Cholula Cap to

girlichef at girlichef dot com

(please include your name and email address for notification purposes)

With the subject line: "Cholula Cap Contest"

2. Follow @CholulaHotSauce and tweet your photo including

@CholulaHotSauce#cholulacap in the tweet.

Deadline:

All submissions must be received by

Friday, December 23, 2011 at 11:59pm EST

and is open to those with shipping addresses in the United States

(including Alaska & Hawaii) only.

Winners will be chosen by Cholula as simple "favorites".

Skill and creativity are noted by are not the sole basis of judgement

as we encourage all ages to participate.

Check out the Cholula Facebook Page,

where Cholula will be promoting the contest and sharing the submissions.

Happy Decorating!

Fondly,

pink and green mama,

*Disclaimer: This giveaway is sponsored by Cholula Hot Sauce.

I received no compensation (except for a 4 pack of hot sauce)

for partnering with them to host this fun contest.

Re-Cycled Paint Stick Snowman Snow Ruler!

2011-12-13T11:22:00.001-05:00

Here's a fun oldie but goodie, winter time craftivity!

Frosty the paint stick has made an appearance on the blog before

but it's that time of year for him to come out again!

"E" made him when she was 3 and-a-half or 4-years-old and I love him.

Start with a wooden paint stirring stick from the hardware store

(or, if you're like me, from the garage box of misc. house painting stuff)

Let your kids paint it white (acrylic craft paint or house paint works best)

After it's dry, help your child use a ruler to measure

and mark the stick with one inch increments

using a black permanent marker.

Embellish and add "Snow Man" details

at the top with scraps of ribbon, fabric, or fleece for a hat and scarf.

A face can be drawn or painted on.

Or, raid some mini pom poms like we did,

or use googly eyes, dried beans, beads, sequins -- whatever you have around.

Carrot nose can be made out of paper, felt, or craft foam.

This is a fun and easy winter craft

and they make fun gifts for relatives, teachers, and neighbors as well!

Now you have your very own (adorable) way

to measure the snow - just take your snow man outside

after it snows to stick in the snow and see how many inches you got!

(You can spray him with clear sealer if you're worried about his paint running)

Happy Winter Crafting!

Fondly,

Pink and Green Mama

Budget Friendly Semi-Homemade Christmas Cards

2011-12-09T04:00:00.004-05:00

This year we kept it simple and semi-homemade with our Christmas cards.

I used a printing coupon from an online

photo printing site to print a bunch of 4"x6" photos

of the girls from our trip to the beach this summer.

We didn't have a family shot since we went by ourselves to the beach this year!

Next year we'll have to use a timer or ask someone to take a photo for us.

I cut up a bunch of rectangles of scrapbook paper

from a big Christmas themed scrapbook paper pack

picked up (on clearance!) last year from Michael's craft store.

Using glue dots from my friends at Elmer's glue,

I attached the photo of the girls,

then added a pre-printed white office label

with our holiday message/greeting on the back.

We put them in self-sealing envelopes from Walmart

with address labels and holiday stamps.

Note:
We used 12x12 scrapbook paper from one of those big paper pad packs.
I trimmed down each piece to 5"x7" on my paper cutter,
so I got three cards out of every sheet.
(If you don't have a big paper cutter at home is there one nearby
at school or a church you could borrow?)
We saved our scraps to re-use as embellishment on the cards
and to make paper chains and christmas collages!

It was pretty easy and the girls were able to help me with the card assembly.

Now that's off the to-do list,

we can't wait to see all of our friends' smiling faces

on our Christmas card bulletin board in the next few weeks!

Fondly,

pink and green mama,

Dad's Homemade Christmas Gift Surprise! "Back Massage" Shirt

2011-12-06T15:04:00.002-05:00

Shhh....this project is a surprise.

My husband is under strict orders to NOT

read my blog post today!

The girls and I always try to make a gift for Geoff

that is useful as well as creative.

This year, while trolling Pinterest, I came across

an image of a back massage t-shirt and knew it was the perfect

kid-made gift for daddy this Christmas.

You draw a map on the backside of a t-shirt and the kids

drive cars all over daddy's back to give him a "massage"

I predict there will be lots of giggling Christmas morning.

The blog post that the shirt idea originated from,

provided templates but we like to do things our own way.

We raided one of Geoff's white t-shirt style, 100% cotton, undershirts.

Then, we folded up some newspaper and put it inside to keep the ink

from bleeding through to the front of the t-shirt.

We thought about using fabric crayons or markers

but decided to use what was in the house

and it's probably not going to be worn or washed that much anyway!

So, we got out our permanent markers.

I marked off some roads and "E" got to work adding the

yellow dotted lines.

Then, both girls colored houses, a coffee shop,

parking lots, a football stadium (On Wisconsin!),

a play ground and traffic lights.

So many fun details.

They named it "Dad-Ville"

After all of the details were in,

we put it in a gift box with some new Matchbox cars.

The idea is that Geoff will wear the shirt and lay down on the floor

while the girls drive cars all over his back! : )

We had fun working on it and I know their daddy is going to love it.

Happy Homemade Gift Making!

For more homemade gift ideas,

check out my Pink and Green Mama Crafts

Homemade Gifts Kids Can Make from the HeART ebook.

Fondly,

pink and green mama