Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Ornaments

We put together several of these cute little reindeer the other day. They've been a big hit! Camden asked that we make a couple without strings for hanging, so he could play with them. You betcha, kiddo.

A tutorial really isn't even necessary, but here are the basics:

You'll need three "old fashioned" clothes pins. Size doesn't matter, but they should all be the same size. These are about three inches in length.You'll also need a tiny little red puff, a little brown or white puff {for the tail}, two wiggly eyes, some string of ribbon for hanging, and a glue gun.

Begin by gluing two of the clothespins side-to-side to make the body and legs. Next, attach the third clothespin in the opposite direction to make the face and antlers. {if you'd like a ribbon or string hanger, I suggest sandwiching the cut ends in between the body and head pins as you're gluing the pieces together.}

Use glue to attach the nose, eyes, and tail, and you're set! Our ornaments are hanging on our tree, of course. They would also make adorable little gift toppers.

As with my other projects, a word of caution... please use your best judgement with a glue gun and your small chid(ren). Same goes for the tiny puffs and eyes.

{DIY} Twine-Wrapped Christmas Ornaments

These ornaments come together quite easily {are you noticing a trend?? this mama needs simple, but with a big impact in the end!}, and are another perfect addition to our nature-inspired tree. All you need is a roll of twine from the hardware store, some plain glass bulbs {or old, recycled bulbs in funky colors}, and a glue gun.

The pictures below show the process pretty well, I think:

A couple of things worth mentioning:
1. Work in small sections. Lining up the twine can be a bit fiddly at times, and I'm forever amazed at how quickly that glue dries!
2. You might burn your fingers. I apologize. {also, for that reason, this is probably best reserved for adults or big kids.}
3. Notice that I didn't cut the twine until the very end. This way, I was guaranteed not to run out.
5. Stick the end of the twine down very well. This will keep it from looking ragged on the bottom.
4. Try other materials! Yarn? Sure! What else can you think to use?

Woodland-Inspired Christmas Stars

I absolutely love the way these star ornaments turned out. They're a bit whimsical, but still so nature-inspired, and their puffiness makes me smile. They're quite simple to put together, too!

Here are the supplies I used. The moss is from Hobby Lobby, the star is from Michael's, and the twine is from the hardware store.

The monarch butterfly isn't pictured, but is the type found in the floral department--with a wire pick at the back. I removed the wire pick and attached the butterfly with a dab of hot glue.

Begin by wrapping the edge of the paper star with twine. Attach the twine at one star point by gluing it to the side of the star, and then wrapping it up and over the edge. This will hide the tail of the twine and make sure it stays put.

Glue and wrap, glue and wrap, over and over until you've covered the entire edge.

Working with small chunks of moss, apply glue to the edges of the star as pictured above. Press the moss onto the glue, stretching it a bit if you need to cover the entire surface.

Repeat on the other side, so the ornament is finished all the way around. Apply extra moss to fill blank spaces until you're happy with the appearance.

Stop here, if you'd like. Adding the little butterfly is completely optional. 

Woodland-Inspired Monarch Butterfly Christmas Ornament

I'm in the mood for a 'new' Christmas tree this year. For the last few years, we've decorated our tree in a bright, almost over-the-top, playful, toy theme. I love my collection of ornaments, and plan to keep them in our rotation, but a change is in order this year. Enter the woodland-inspired tree.

My goal is to fill the tree with as many handmade ornaments as possible... and my plan is to share each of them with you as a tutorial.  I really love clear, glass ornaments because of their endless possibilities, so I've already scooped up several shapes and sizes for the coming season. If you think you might like to make some of these ornaments along with me, I'd encourage you to watch for sales and begin stocking up now.

This ornament is the first of many. Not only is it ridiculously simple, it would also be very easy to customize!

To make your own, you'll need:
Clear glass ornaments with a removable top
Craft moss in whatever variety you like most
Small butterflies, birds, toadstools, etc. {usually found near the floral department}
Something to "poke" with, like a chopstick or pencil
String or a ribbon for hanging

A tutorial is hardly necessary, but the steps go something like this:
Remove the top from your ornament.
Partially fill the ornament with moss. Break the moss into chunks and use your 'tool' to compact it a bit in the lower half of the ornament.
Add something cute. This monarch butterfly was a bit larger than the opening at the top of the ornament, so I gently curled the wings in on themselves to guide them through the opening, working first with one side, and then the other.
Using your 'tool' again, turn the butterfly so that it looks like it's resting on the moss.
Replace the top of the ornament.
Add a loop of string, thread, twine, etc. to the top for hanging, and you're done!

Homeschool: The Letter A {crafts, preschool, toddler activities, apple, alligator, acorn}

Our first week! I was blown away by so many things this week. The sense of pride I saw in my little man's face was priceless. He was thrilled with each new accomplishment and project, and wanted more, more, more! He has grown by leaps and bounds in just one week of more structured learning time, and I find myself constantly amazed at what he is capable of.

I struggled a bit here and there. It is challenging to keep my "teacher hat" on, and to keep my "mom hat" tucked away. Of course I want to keep Camden on task, but I also want him to enjoy his time "at school." I try to be conscious of the subtle differences because, well, it's important.

Because he's not quite four, my goal for this year has been to keep things light. If he isn't "on" for a couple of days, we step back and do a couple of extra crafts instead. I encourage him to finish what he has started {no throwing in the towel half way through that worksheet!}, but if he isn't taking to an activity, we find a stopping point and save it for another day.

Anyway--those activities I'm sure you're eager to see.

Each week, we will repeat some activities. For example, these letter templates. Camden begins each week by filling in the circles with circular color-coding labels. Dot markers, or bingo markers, would also work. While he's filling in the stickers, we talk about the letter. We practice making the sound(s) the letter makes, and we list a few words that begin with the letter. I found that keeping the chatter light and simple was the best way to keep his attention.

We also tear the appropriate letter page from another workbook I bought at Target, made by Mead. This week, he was really eager to do a few additional worksheets, so I used Pinterest and google to find things I thought he would enjoy.

Letter-specific activities we enjoyed...

A is for Apple Paper Plate Craft

Paint a paper plate red, then glue apple seeds near the center or draw seeds with a marker or crayon. Cut a leaf shape from green construction paper, and a stem from brown paper, and attach with a glue stick.

A is for Apple Mosaic

Draw or print an apple shape. Cut or tear small pieces of paper from red construction paper, and attach with a glue stick. Repeat with green paper. Fill in the stem by repeating the paper process, or use a marker like my little guy did. Cut out the entire shape {renewing the apple shape, if your child's torn paper went over the edges}, and glue to another piece of paper, if desired. Use letter stamps to stamp the word "apple" above the image.

A is for Alligator Letter Craft

Cut a large letter A from green paper. Cut small triangles for the teeth, and small circles for the eyes. Attach the pieces to turn the letter A into an alligator. Stamp the word "alligator" on the picture, if desired.

A is for Acorn Mosaic

Draw or print an acorn shape, and then tear or cut brown paper into small pieces. Attach the pieces using a glue stick. At this point, Camden chose to fill in the white spaces with brown marker. Cut out the entire shape, then glue to another piece of paper.

Homeschool: Preserving Little Bits of Autumn

We've been collecting little bits and pieces lately. When you're three, everything that falls from a tree is to be considered a treasure. And you know... I agree with him!

Some of these things are pretty sturdy, or will stand up to play and creativity. Others... not so much. So I went on a mission to preserve these little treasures, in a sense.

Here is what we came up with. Camden is thrilled! He has enjoyed stacking and sorting the discs, and likes to discuss what made the different imprints, and how those imprints feel. Making them was very simple:

Using an 8 oz. brick of polymer clay, we first broke the large brick into chunks, and then softened the clay a bit by playing with it. Next, we rolled the clay into different sized balls, and used a rolling pin to create smooth disks about 1/4-inch thick. We placed different bits and pieces over the disks, and then carefully pressed the objects into the clay.

To harden the disks, we transferred our creations to a foil-lined baking sheet, and followed the package instructions to bake at 275 degrees for 15 minutes.

These would also make great gifts tags or tree ornaments. Just poke a hole {perhaps with a drinking straw} somewhere in the disk prior to baking, then thread with ribbon or twine.

Homeschool: Halloween Craft; B is for Bats!

How CUTE are these bats?! When I spotted them on Pinterest, via Craftgawker, I knew we would need to make some. The steps are very simple, and the craft was just right for my almost-four-year-old. We painted each bat together, as he did grow a bit impatient with making sure the entire surface was covered.

You'll Need:
An egg carton
Scissors
Black paint
Brushes
Wiggly eyes
Glue
Thread or ribbon for hanging

Ready?? 

A little behind-the-scenes work was necessary to get the egg carton ready to be painted. Egg cartons can be a bit tricky to cut, with all of their ridges and things, so I pulled out the mommy scissors and formed four bats while Camden was busy elsewhere.

A one-dozen egg carton will produce four bats, each using three section from the carton. Cut the lid and closure flaps off of the carton, and then cut down the length of the carton so you're left with two six-section strips. Cut the strips in half, and you've got four pieces.

Round the edges a bit and pretty them up, then cut some notches in the outer sections of each bat. These will be the wings.

Paint! We used black tempera paint because of the easy clean-up factor. Cover the inside and outside of each bat.

After the paint has dried, use a bit of glue to attach wiggly eyes to each bat.

There are several options for hanging your bats. I used a toothpick to poke a small hole in the top of each bat, then threaded them all on to one length of string so they would hang vertically. Stop each bat where you want it on the length of string by tying a knot or attaching a small piece of tape to the thread. {It'll be hidden by the bat.} I love how these bats swirl and twirl a bit because they're hanging on a single piece of string.

You could also glue a piece of Halloween-themed ribbon to the top of each bat, tying the ribbon into a lop for hanging.

Homeschool: P is for Pumpkin Paper Plate Craft for Autumn

This was a simple little craft for Autumn. You could take it a step further and add a jack-o-lantern face for Halloween.

The process hardly needs explaining, but it goes something like this:

1. Paint a paper plate orange and set it aside to dry.
2. Cut a stem {my three-year-old cut his own stem} from construction paper.
3. Twist a brown pipe cleaner around a pencil or marker to create a spring-shape and attach.
4. Add a jack-o-lantern face, if desired, with paint or construction paper.

Pumpkin Spice {Gluten-Free!} Play Dough

My little guy really loves play dough. A new batch was in order after a summer of outdoor play, so I added a few extra ingredients to my regular recipe to come up with this autumn-inspired Pumpkin Spice play dough.

Ingredients:
1 C. Rice Flour
1/2 C. Corn Starch
1/2 C. Salt
1 Tbsp. Cream of Tartar
1 Tbsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 C. Hot Water
1 1/2 Tbsp. Oil {I use grapeseed}
Red and Yellow Food Coloring
Vanilla and Almond Extract

Directions:
Combine dry ingredients in a sauce pan.
Add water and oil, stirring to mix.
Add a dash of both almond and vanilla extract.
Add a couple of drops each of red and yellow food coloring. {the color is, of course, completely optional}
Over medium heat, begin cooking the mixture.
Stir constantly, adding more food coloring if desired. I was trying to achieve a color similar to pumpkin pie filling.
Cook for several minutes until the dough has formed a solid mass in the pan, then turn it out onto the counter to cool a bit.
Knead the cooled dough.
If it seems too sticky, add more cornstarch one tablespoon at a time. If it seems too dry, add a bit more oil.
Store in an air-tight container to use over and over again.

DIY Solution: Bath Toy Storage

In our home, we all use the same bathroom. Storage for tub toys was really becoming an issue. I have tried a few other ideas--mostly products that use suction cup--but nothing ever, well, stuck! 

Enter the hanging fruit basket. I saw a hanging basket similar to this one used for toy storage on Pinterest. It simply fit over the shower curtain bar. That option wasn't popular in our home, as it kept the curtain from closing all the way while the grown-ups are showering, and who wants cool air sneaking in while you're shaving your legs?? Not this girl!

 So I grabbed a plant hook and some heavy-duty wall anchors from the hardware store, and we installed a hook in the unused 'corner' of the shower surround. Perfect! The toys have a home that won't fall off the wall, they drain easily, and everyone is happy.

My little guy really loves that we can simply take the basket off the hook and then hang it from a lower hand rail so he can access all of this toys at one time. That also makes it possible for him to help with clean-up, which I appreciate.

Life: {via Instagram}

I really love Instagram. As my collection of images grows, so do my ideas for projects. I think I'll try my hand at iron-on transfers first, to make some fabric for a sewing project or two. Do you use Instagram? Have you made anything with your collection of images??