Homemade Microwave Puffy Paint

DIY paint that puffs up in the microwave? Sounds like a surefire hit to me! I saw this idea on Mommy Labs awhile ago and filed away for a rainy day. Today just happened to be the perfect combination of rain and bored kiddos, so I whipped up a batch - quick, easy, and SUPER fun!

We started with one cup of flour and mixed in 3 teaspoons of baking powder, 1 teaspoon of salt and enough water to make it the consistency of pancake batter. We divided our mix into four parts and put them into snack size Ziploc baggies along with some food coloring. Part of the fun was squishing it all around to mix up the colors!

Rubber band the baggies like you would if you were icing a cake and snip off the teeniest little bit of the tip.

Paint away! When you're finished, pop the painting into the microwave for 30-45 seconds and watch the paint puff up and grow - such fun! I loved that it was completely dry out of the microwave so we didn't have to worry about any extra messes or accidents as our pile of paintings grew.

We made about ten paintings this morning, and we still have plenty of paint leftover so that Sawyer can have a chance to try it when he gets home from school too. Nothing beats cheap entertainment, especially with some fine motor skills practice and a built-in kitchen science lesson!

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Up, Up & Away!

Portions of this post were originally published in Sacramento Parent Magazine, March 2012.

Okay, I know I promised that I was going to make you wait until March for this project reveal, but hey, it's close enough, right? I {LOVE} this colorful mobile SO much that I just couldn't wait to show it off! 

Materials: 

• 10" Embroidery Hoop (inner ring only) 
• String/Fishing Line
• Colored Paper 
• Scissors
• Glue*
• Balloon and Cloud Templates

If you wish to use a different theme, choose shapes that are symmetrical in order to create a three dimensional effect. Mix it up!

Directions:

• Paint your embroidery hoop and allow to dry.
• Cut six lengths of string approximately 20" long each.
• Cut your shapes out of paper: For each two dimensional object (clouds and raindrops) that will hang on your mobile, cut two identical shapes to serve as the front and back sides. For each three dimensional object (hot air balloons), cut 6 shapes and fold each one in half.
• To assemble two dimensional objects: sandwich a section of string between two matching shapes and glue them together.
• To form three dimensional objects:  Join two shapes together by gluing the right half of one to the left half of another. Make sure that the edges are lined up. Continue gluing the remaining shapes together, and insert a length of string for hanging before gluing your final pair of shapes.
• When all your items have been adhered to your lengths of string, tie the ends around your embroidery hoop and secure with a double knot. Make sure that the items are evenly spaced and balanced around the hoop to ensure that it will hang correctly.
• Use string or ribbon to hang your mobile from the ceiling.

* Note: Rubber cement works well for this project because it does not wrinkle paper, and it allows time to line up the edges of your shapes perfectly. Always use rubber cement in a well-ventilated area.

...and just in case my written directions are clear as mud, here's a quick visual on how to assemble your balloons into 3-dimensional shapes!

Thanks again to Sacramento Parent Magazine for allowing me the opportunity to show off some of my creative fun! It's always such a pleasure working with them! If you have some time, take a few minutes to browse the other articles on their site as well; there's some really great stuff there! ♥

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Hi everyone! I just wanted to pop in and quickly let you all know that I am SO sorry that I haven't been able to respond to all your emails and inquiries lately. I have been battling the worst flu that I have ever had, and today is the first day in almost a week that I've even been able to get out of bed (although I was only able to get out of bed for a couple of hours). I hope *fingers crossed* that I will be on the mend and able to get back to everyone after the weekend. I just wanted to let you know that I'm not ignoring all of your messages, and I'll try to get back to everyone as soon as possible! Thanks for your patience :)

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Sawyer's Secret Valentine

This year Sawyer's kindergarten class is doing a "Secret Valentine" exchange where each child makes a special Valentine for one of their classmates instead of exchanging cards with the whole class (they drew names out of a hat). He was a little bummed because he really wanted to share his Crazy Owl Valentines with everyone, but once I told him we could make a HUGE card filled with all sorts of goodies he was excited again and got right to work.

He worked so hard on this that I just had to share it and show it off. It's an entire sheet of neon pink posterboard covered in stickers, rhinestones, rings, bracelets, pencils, sequins, and even glittery star sunglasses! The inside is filled with shiny gold hearts that he stamped using a tp roll. He is SO excited for Tuesday, and I hope that Katelyn loves her Valentine as much as he loved creating it! 

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Conversation Heart Art

This one is pretty self explanatory, eh?

The short phrases make for great reading practice too. Expect lots of giggles as they decipher such silly messages as "U Go Girl" and "Got Love?"

I gave Sutton complete control of the glue bottle, but in hindsight it might be better to let an adult handle the glue on this project. There was a bit of sugary melted candy and color bleeding where the hearts sat in a puddle of glue waiting to dry. Just be sure to use a thin line of glue, and everything should be perfect!

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Welcome, Mindy Mae's Market!

With all the fantastic craft inspiration on Pinterest these days, it's no wonder that more and more people are feeling crafty! If you're anything like me, I bet you've been struck by a flash of inspiration and immediately run out to the nearest craft or hardware store to buy your supplies only to realize that the item you need comes in a way bigger quantity than you need.

Take my outdoor chalkboards for example. Remember when I told you how to make your own DIY chalkboard paint using a few tablespoons of non-sanded grout? Well, that grout generally comes in a 10 pound box that costs around $12.  For that price I could have just bought some regular chalkboard paint and saved myself the trouble, right (I did get to make a custom color though!)? So, now I have enough grout to make chalkboard paint for the rest of my life. Wouldn't it be fantastic if there was some place that sold only the necessary amount of these hot craft items so that it wouldn't break the bank (and you wouldn't have to worry about where in the world you're going to store 9.95 pounds of non-sanded grout for the next 50 years!)?

 

Well, you don't have to look any further!

Ladies and gentlemen, I am so excited to introduce you all to my newest sponsor, Mindy Mae's Market! This is the place to be to score fantastic deals on all sorts of great crafting supplies, jewelry and home accessories. Mindy Mae's Market offers a deal-a-day, but if the deal doesn't sell out on its initial day you can usually find it listed in their Past Deals section, which is always chock full of fun stuff!

Mindy Mae's Market is run by two totally adorable ladies, Nikki and Courtney, who love to interact and get to know their customers. Here's the insider scoop: their Facebook Page is definitely something you'll want to check out. These ladies are more than generous with their customers, and you can often find them playing games such as "I'll Take It!" and "What Picture is This?" (where they offer items for super low prices to the first person who says, "I'll take it!" or correctly guesses the item, respectively). My most favorite game is definitely "Make Me an Offer" (just ask my Paypal account haha!).  Customers are allowed to build their own bundle of items and offer a price that they'd like to pay - Mindy Mae's Market can then accept, reject or counter the offer until you reach an acceptable price. What a fantastic and fun way to save even more on great quality craft, jewelry and decor items!

Want to see some of the fun stuff that Mindy Mae's Market has offered lately?

These adorable frames were only $8 each or 3/$20! Sadly, they're sold out now, but I hear there are more to come soon!

These lovely earrings are up on an "I'll Take It!" game on Facebook right now...I'm trying to avoid temptation, but I think they're calling my name!

So do yourself a favor and go "like" Mindy Mae's Market on Facebook to get in on the fun, and stop by their shop each Monday - Friday morning at 9 am MST to check out their awesome deals of the day! Oh, and if you're still searching for more inspiration, check out the Mindy Mae's Market blog for all sorts of wonderful ideas using the materials they have for sale - LOVE it!

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First Fingerpainting

Yesterday Simon (16 months) created his very first fingerpainted artwork! I'm calling this one "Sunset Over the Grassy Hills."
 

He was so excited to get to work! He's been sick, so please ignore his messy snotty face. 

 

Pure painting bliss! It was love at first squish, for sure. 

 

Sawyer joined in the fun to "teach Simon how to do it."

 

Look at that little tongue stuck out there - such concentration!

 

Simon loved the experience, so I'm sure we'll be doing this again soon. Maybe next time we'll attempt it at the outdoor easel since the weather has been so nice and warm.

 

I wish I had gotten a final photo of his messy hands (and face because he tried to lick it off his hands - thank goodness for non-toxic art supplies!), but Sawyer managed to squirt a huge amount of blue paint on to his pants, so I was too busy trying to clean up his mess at that point. For the record, we will never again do a painting project while he's still wearing his school uniform!

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