Comfy Visor

With the days warming up we are spending more and more time outside which means we are also spending more time in the sun. We slather on the sunscreen when we go out but nothing beats the protection of shade. I try to keep hats on the kids, so I thought having Scarlett make her own visor would be a fun project to do together.

We picked up a pink foam visor from the craft store for $1 and some self adhesive foam animals for around $3 for about 50 of them. They also carry a wide variety of foam letters, shapes and animals in a bunch of different colors so you can personalize this any way you like. We choose a pack of animals that contained monkeys, frog, cats and dogs which just so happens to be her favorite animals.

I let her select the animal that she wanted to put on, then I pulled the back off to expose the sticky side and let her place it on the visor where she wanted.

She was very meticulous in her choices and layed them all out in front of her to get a good look at her options.

It was a total hit and she loves wearing it. With the stretchy band holding it on and the foam being so light weight, it is really comfortable to wear.

Modeling her new visor while she does a little coloring outside.

Rating:♥♥♥

Cost:$

Watercolor Silhouette

I adapted this project from one that I had seen on a great blog that I read called Prudent Baby . We made a few changes though, instead of using watercolor paints we used watercolor pencils which gave it a bit of a different effect then the way hers turned out. I am really happy with the results and my sister had a fun time doing it with us.

All you need are watercolor pencils, some paper, and an image that you want to use for your silhouette.

Once you have your image selected, cut it out and trace around it onto your paper.

You then color in all the area surrounding your silhouette with what ever colors you like. My sis chose to do one in blues and another in purples. It is best to cover the paper in at least 3 different shades of the color of your choosing and then blend them all together, careful not to get color inside of your silhouette.

Once it is all blended you just have to wait for it to dry and you are done.

"Horse on the go" in blues.

Rating:♥♥♥

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Fathers Day Wrapping Paper

I love personalizing anything I can, so for Fathers day Scarlett helped me "design" wrapping paper for for her daddy's gift.
All you need is butcher paper (or any kind of paper that would fit around the gift you will be wrapping) and crayons (or markers if you dare).

I wrapped our gift 1st so that I knew the artwork would be showing and then let her color as long as she wanted on the paper.

It turned out so colorful and every daddy will love that it was created by his own little ones.

Enjoy celebrating the Dad in your life this weekend.

Rating:♥♥♥

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From winter to summer

With the days and nights heating up we have been turning to onsies as sleepwear because all the PJs that we had were long sleeved and pants. I didn't want to go out and buy all new jammies when we had plenty that fit, so I took the ones we had and shortened the sleeves and made the pants into shorts. Now we are ready for summer!

♥Winter PJs♥

All I did was cut the sleeves and legs off to the length that I wanted them and hemmed them under. It was a great nap time project, I was able to alter 6 pair in an hour.

♥Now summer PJs♥

I also like the fact that I was able to make the shorts a little on the longer side, they tend to make girls shorts too short in my opinion.

♥Relaxing in her "new" PJs before bed♥

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Thumb print art

This is such a fun project to do with kids of any age, just let their imaginations run wild. All you need is paper, a stamp pad, pens or crayons and hands.
One of my fabulous friends came over with her kids and we did this one together. We started out by helping the kids stamp their thumb prints on the paper. It was handy to have a wet paper towel at the table with us too to clean off inky fingers.

Then we let the older kids create their own works of art.

Some even went a little crazy with the ink pads.

They came up with such beautiful ideas, creating flowers and bugs and little people.

It's awesome to see what child's mind can come up with. The pictures would make beautiful cards (perhaps for Fathers Day?) or simply works of art for the fridge.

♥the kids had a blast♥

And for the little ones you can use their little thumb prints and create your own pictures. Get creative!

Rating:♥♥♥

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Pine Cone Bird Feeders

When I was younger I loved making pine cone bird feeders. It is such a simple project but has a fun payoff of attracting and feeding little birds that will come and sing to you.

All you need is smooth peanut butter, birdseed, pine cones, twine, a butter knife and a plate.

It is easiest if you start out by tying your twine around the tops of your pine cones so that you have something to hang them from when you are ready to take them outside.

Then you will take your butter knife and coat your pine cone in a layer of peanut butter, trying to get in the nooks and crannies as good as possible.

As soon as it's good and coated, roll your pine cone in your birdseed, pressing it in so it is covered really well. This is a great time for your little helper to lend a hand, sprinkling seed on and pressing it down. Expect those little hands to make a bit of a mess but don't worry, its nothing a quick vacuuming and a wet towel cant clean up.

They are now ready to be hung for the birds.

We tied ours in a bush we have out front and are looking forward to our 1st chirping visitors.

Rating:♥♥♥

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Magnetic Paper Dolls

I loved playing with paper dolls when I was a girl and have been looking forward to the day I could introduce Scarlett to paper dolls. I had some old Mary Engelbreit magazines and she had a different adorable little doll each month that she would share. I had been cutting them out and saving them for when Scarlett would be a little gentler with things. Then an idea came to me that would let us play with them now, magnetic paper dolls for the fridge. They were super easy to make and I have been having just as much fun with them as she is.

All you need are scissors, magnetic sheets (which you can find at craft stores), something to laminate the fronts of your dolls (I used packing tape), and your paper dolls.

First rough cut your dolls and their outfits out. Then you will want to laminate the fronts of them to give them a little bit of extra protection. I just used regular packing tape but you could also use laminating paper if you have some around.

Then place them on the sticky side of the magnetic sheets. Try to place them so that you are getting the most out of your sheet. Then you just cut them out, staying as close as possible to the outline of the doll. The sheets are very easy to cut but it helps to have a pair of small sharp scissors so you can get in and around some of the smaller details. Once they are cut out you are all set!

They work great on the fridge and their little clothes stick on no problem.

The first thing she said when she saw them was "OOOOOH pretty!!" and they make for a great distraction when I am trying to get things done in the kitchen.

Rating:♥♥♥

Cost:$