October 31, 2016 by Krista

Wooden Halloween Candy Corn Decorations You’ll Want to Eat!

Halloween decorations. It seems like it’s an all or nothing deal. Either we go all out and spook out the whole house or we don’t even so much as put up wreath or change the chalkboard quote. I am definitely in the latter of those two groups. Clearly, right? I’ve got two wooden candy corn decorations and that’s about all the decorating I’ve done for Halloween this year. Halloween is hard for me to decorate for because I know it’s the kick-off to what is always a CRAZY holiday season. I tend to skip Halloween because I’m trying to get ahead of Thanksgiving and Christmas. Halloween ends of being a rushed afterthought.

Enter these candy corn decorations. This project piggybacks off another one that is coming next month and I just happened to have these two extra pieces that I thought would look good as candy corn decorations, so they are last-minute.

WOODEN HALLOWEEN CANDY CORN

DECORATIONS

Materials:

1″x6″ board
Tape measure or ruler
Pencil
Sand paper
Masking tape
White acrylic paint
Orange acrylic paint
Yellow acrylic paint
Paintbrush
Circular saw or other saw

Directions:

1. Use the tape measure or ruler and, on the top edge of the board, measure 2.5 inches from the end of the board. Make a small mark with the pencil.

2. Move the tape measure to the bottom edge of the board, and measure 1.25 inches. Make a mark with the pencil.

3. Use the straight edge of the ruler and line up the bottom mark with the top corner of the board. Draw a line to connect the two marks. Do the same from the bottom mark to the mark at the top.

4. Repeat the measurements for the remaining length of the board. Use the saw to cut along your marks.

5. Use the sand paper to clean up the edges of each of the triangles. A rougher grit will take the edges down more than a finer grit paper.

6. Use your masking tape to tape off the middle section of each triangle so your paint won’t bleed into the other sections. You can measure the sections, but I just free handed and eyeballed it on mine.

7. Paint the top section of each triangle white and allow to dry for 20-45 minutes. Continue to add coats of paint so the wood is adequately covered.

8. Paint the bottom section yellow on each triangle. Allow to dry for at least 20-45 minutes. Repeat and continue to apply thin coats of paint until you have adequately covered the wood.

9. Remove the masking tape when the paint is completely dry. Wait at least 2-4 hours, or overnight if possible so you don’t have any paint bleed or smudging.

10. Paint the middle section orange. You can tape it off if desired, but I just free handed it carefully. Candy corn lines aren’t perfectly straight in reality, so I wanted mine to be unperfect too.

11. Allow the paint to dry overnight so you can set them out to display.

October 11, 2016 by Krista

13 Spooky Fun Halloween Projects {for you and the kids!}

October is zooming by! That’s okay though, there’s still time to get some great Halloween projects in before another one comes and goes.

Want some fun craft projects for you? These Halloween projects are some of my very favorite projects I’ve ever done. Seriously. I’m glad Halloween is at the end of the month so I get to enjoy them for 31 whole days.

Looking for kid activities to do with the kids this month? We’ve got some fun ones (#9 has been a TOTAL hit this year! I had to make another set so my little ones would stop fighting over it!).

And, of course, there’s some fun snacks to help you celebrate this month.

13 HALLOWEEN PROJECTS

HALLOWEEN PROJECTS FOR YOU

#1. DIY Spell Books with 12 Spells. For several years, I had dreamed of creating some spell books. I want to be able to open up the books and to even have spells in them. I got the project done a couple years ago and it is still one of my favorite Halloween decorations.

#2. Life-Size Witch’s Broom. You’ve got the spell books, but what about the broom? This project is practically free and you can find all your supplies while you’re out for a walk. The kids can help with this one too!

#3. No-Sew Witch’s Hat. Finish up your witchy collection with this no-sew DIY hat that you can really wear. It’s a great afternoon project that will really kick up your witchy ways this Halloween.

#4. DIY Potion Bottles. Whether you use these with your spell books or because you have a mad scientist, you’re gonna love these potion bottles. The best part is coming up with what to put in each bottle and what to call it. Don’t worry, there’s a list of suggestions if you get stuck.

#5. Directional Halloween Sign. This was a project I did last year and didn’t get to show off nearly as much as I wanted to. I love the color on this sign and all the fun street names. It’s definitely set up camp in my flower bed for the month.

HALLOWEEN PROJECTS FOR THE KIDS

#6. Slime. This is one of my boys’ favorite activitites and they love it when we creep in up just a bit for Halloween. Add plastic spiders, creepy crawers or have a contest to see who can hold the most slime for the longest.

#7. Monster Mash Munchies Mix Printable Snack Labels. A fun way to give our your Halloween goodies this year. Just print, cut and staple to the top of plastic ziptop bags for a hauntingly good treat.

#8. Halloween Bingo Printable Game. The kids will love this Halloween Bingo game and it’s FREE! Come grab your set and keep the kids entertained while you cook dinner tonight.

#9. Build a Jack-O-Lantern Printable. We love this printable because there are SO many ways to play with it. Play a game of pin the face on the jack-o-lantern, practice numbers, talk about emotions, and see how many different faces you can make. My little especially love this one.

#10. Halloween Countdown Jar Printable. Want to make some memories and maybe a few traditions too. This fun FREE printable countdown jar is super easy to put together. Just print, cut and fold. Put all your October bucket list activities in the jar or use the included ones for fun all month long.

#11. 5 Ways to Get a Great Last Minute Halloween Costume {on a Budget}. Creating costumes with the kids is the way to go! These are some of my favorite go-to ways to create costumes that don’t break the bank, whether it’s last minute or not. Way #1 is especially my favorite, I love that they can wear them for more than one night!

HALLOWEEN PROJECTS YOU CAN EAT

#12. Make Halloween Cookies. Here is a collection of 10 cookies that anyone can make. No amazing crafty, super baker skills needed. These are perfect to do with the kids… or without. They are all pretty quick and easy too!

#13. Halloween Treats That Aren’t Candy. Maybe you’re on sugar overload (or the kids are!) and you just need something that isn’t dripping with sickly sweetness. Try one of these great treats. Fun Halloween eats without the sugar rush? Yes please.

BONUS HALLOWEEN PROJECTS TO EAT:

Thirteen was too perfect a number to stop at, but these nachos are still some of my favorite Halloween food we’ve enjoyed. In fact, they are tradition in our family on Halloween night.

Spiderweb Nachos

Happy Halloween! Now, go do some celebrating!

December 14, 2015 by Krista

Cork Reindeer Ornament

I have been wanting to make this cork reindeer ornament since I made my cork jewelry organizer. Yeah, almost three years ago… But, I made the cork jewelry organizer in February. After Christmas. So, I saved it. And saved it. Annnnnnd saved it. But no more! I have put those extra corks to great use and turned them into some fabulous Christmas ornaments! This would be great for little bit older kids – there was a little too much hot glue for my not-so-careful kiddos. But it was super cathartic for me… so there’s that.

CORK REINDEER ORNAMENT

Materials:
– cork
– googly eyes
– small black or red pom pom
– 2 brown pipe cleaners
– paper clip and wire cutters
– glue gun and glue sticks

Directions:
– Hot glue the eyes in the middle of the cork, close together.
– Hot glue the pom pom on the end of the cork for the nose.

– Shape the pipe cleaners into antlers and hot glue them to the sides of the cork.

– Shove the end of the paper clip into the top of the cork. Leave about an inch of space after the paper clip comes out of the cork. Use the wire cutters to carefully bend the paper clip into a small eye hook. Secure with a bit of hot glue to keep it in place if desired.

– Attach a hook to the paper clip loop and hang it on your tree.

These went together so quickly that I ended up with three of them… so now we have three cork reindeer ornaments. Maybe I’ll slap years and names on the backs of those babies and give them to my boys as gifts. But seriously – so EASY! I would have (should have!) made them with the 8-11 year old girls I used to have Activity Days with a couple years ago. They would have loved these reindeer ornaments!

December 11, 2015 by Krista

Glass Snowman Ornament

This snowman ornament turned out cuter than expected, considering the simple materials. And that it was kind of a last-ditch effort to salvage the ornament I originally made. The original wasn’t as awesome as I’d pictured and I was rather disappointed with it at first. Luckily, attempt #2 turned out much better in the form of this cute snowman ornament. Quick, easy and cute. Just my kind of craft. Ready to make yours?

GLASS SNOWMAN ORNAMENT

MAKING YOUR SNOWMAN ORNAMENT

Materials:
– Glass ornament. I used these glass disc-shaped ornaments I found on Amazon (affiliate link)
– Epsom salt
– School glue
– Hole punch
– Scissors
– Construction paper – orange and black
– Hook or paper clip to hang the ornament

Directions:
– Take the cap off the ornament carefully and set it aside. Pour some glue into the ornament. If you want the salts only on one side like I did it, be careful and only get glue on one side of the ornament. If you want the whole thing to have salts on it, pour the glue in and spread it around the entire ornament.

– Pour Epsom salt into the ornament and shake the ornament until salt covers all the glue. I left a little extra in the glass ornament too. You can leave it or empty it out, your choice.

– Use the hole punch to punch out circles from the black construction paper. If you want larger eyes (like I did) use the scissors to cut larger circles for the eyes also from the black construction paper.

– Use the glue to put the eyes and mouth on the outside of the glass ornament.

– Cut a small triangle from the orange construction paper for the nose. Glue it on with the glue too.

– Let the glue and Epsom salt dry and then carefully put the cap back on the top of the ornament. Attach a hook and hang on the tree.

That’s it. Who knew construction paper would work so well?! I was hoping to use craft foam to give it a little more dimension, but I didn’t have orange… or black. So, I improvised with the paper and it still turned out great. If the snowman pieces fall off I’ll use hot glue to stick them back on. I haven’t had a problem with them yet though. Despite the fact that my baby played Godzilla with the tree yesterday. Even attempted to ascend to the tip top… that boy will be the death of me.

A SNOWMAN ORNAMENT THE KIDS CAN MAKE

This was simple enough that my boys could have helped. They didn’t… because they were sent to bed early. We need to sing “Santa Claus is coming to Town” more often it seems. A more frequent reminder of all that’s at stake seems to be necessary.

Little J was pretty disappointed he didn’t get to make one… he thought they turned out great and wouldn’t stop touching it. His smile is pure joy. It’s my favorite.

All snowmen need a scarf, right? This little guy might get this little accessory in a day or two. And I just know you’re dying to know what was so awful with the first ornament that I had to try again… go ahead. You be the judge.

December 9, 2015 by Krista

15 Craft Stick Ornaments Your Kids Can Make

Our ornament mission continues… however, we’ve hit a little snag. My boys had a rough night yesterday – and by that I mean the whole day was pretty rough – so the ornament craft I was going to show off didn’t get made. So, instead I found 15 awesome craft stick ornaments to make with the kids! These are ornaments that both my boys (ages 6 & 3.5) are capable of making (mostly) on their own. So… are you ready for 15 craft stick ornaments that will rock your Christmas tree?! Let’s do this!

15 CRAFT STICK ORNAMENTS YOUR KIDS WILL LOVE TO MAKE

This cute angel craft stick ornament has me swooning with the sheet music dress she’s all fancied up in. There’s a couple different sizes over on Leaf and Letter Handmade and I love the variety. Angels come in all shapes and sizes too… at least I think so.

These Tin Soldier ornaments are giving me ornament envy. They are darling and I just love them. Growing up, my grandma had a movie that my cousins and I loved to watch with a tin soldier as the hero who rescues the beautiful ballerina in distress. I don’t even know what the movie was, but these Tin Soldier ornaments on Remodelando la Casa remind me of that little part of my childhood.

Because sometimes even Santa needs his buddies! I love this collection of adorable characters on Creative Me Inspired You. Big J is getting to the point where he actually likes to draw and color and will put in a decent little bit of effort – you should see the Star Wars battle he illustrated at church on Sunday. He’d like this especially. My younger two would like to sword fight with the sticks… ah, boys.

Do these trees just make you happy or what?! I love the colors in these cute craft stick ornaments over on Trisha Brink Design. I might even have colored sticks like these in my craft bin I intended to use to teach Little J his colors. Sometimes, craft supply ~~hoarding~~ collecting pays off.

My favorite thing about these adorable trees over on Ginger Snap Crafts? The simplicity. This is the kind of craft that my boys have the skill, patience and attention span to do. I love the school glue option that means they can do it all themselves. And the option I have to use hot glue if the buttons pop off later and need a quick fix.

This cute star craft stick ornaments is something I want to make myself. Sometimes I just need to let a little glitter flow through my veins in my testosterone-overdosed house. I might even break out the glitter for these cute little stars that are over on Happy Hooligans.

These snowmen! Aren’t they just the cutest craft stick ornaments? I love the single stick construction and the simple, already-have-it materials that make this project on A Day of Wonders just so charming. This would be a great project for my kids, as we could break it up rather easily when their attention spans start to wane. I also love that the project coordinates with a book and these could be bookmarks too.

My Little J would love these cute craft stick ornament Santa hats that are over on Buggy and Buddy. He is completely fascinated with Santa Claus this year. And not in the he-brings-me-lots-of-presents way either. He just thinks Santa is one cool dude. And seriously, he is. And I love that these are simple and easy.

I am LOVING this stable ornament. Such a great project to help my boys focus on what really matters during the Christmas season. And still simple enough for my busy, busy wiggle worms. Over on Adventures of a DIY Mom, there’s also a white version. I can’t decide which I like better. And there’s lots of other great nativity ornaments at the bottom of the post too. Make sure you check those out too!

This looks like a fabulous project for my Big J! A little more detailed, but still easy and absolutely cute. I also like that this snowman craft stick ornament over on Cindy DeRosier could be done with any size craft stick for a bit of variation. Mini sticks would make a super cute tree ornament and jumbo sticks would be a fun wall hanging.

My boys would go CRAZY for these Star Wars craft stick ornaments over on Vicky Barone! Absolutely cRaZy! And it would go perfectly on our Star Wars Tree. I have already added these to our “to-make list” and can’t wait to do it with my boys. We might have to come up some of the other characters too. The new movie comes out in nine days and I can’t think of a better way to celebrate.

Photo frames and cute reindeer?! I love these craft stick ornaments! There’s some other cute reindeer ornaments over on Rena Jones too, but these reindeer frames are my favorites. Big J could do this, but it might be a bit above Little J’s abilities. It would be a great mom-son activity to do together. We’d just have to do them one at a time.

I have loved this sled ornament ever since it went live two years ago. While I wasn’t the mastermind behind this adorable little project, I’m so happy that it went up on my site and that Rebekah (who blogs over at Somewhere in the Middle) let While He Was Napping be it’s home. I made these last year with the 8-11 year old girls at church and then we tied them to plates of cookies and delivered them to some of the older people at church. The sleds were a total hit.

I am logging this Reindeer ornament over on Crafts by Courtney away for that entire week of Winter Break before Christmas gets here. It’s going to be one of my slow down activities to help me remind myself that Christmas isn’t about perfection, it’s about memories. And making craft stick ornaments with mom is a much better memory than playing on the tablets or watching movies all day… regardless of my kids’ opinion on that matter.

These snowflakes aren’t exactly traditional ornament-size, but they are definitely impressive. And you could make some that are a little more traditional in sizing (like the little ones in this photo over on Unsophisticook) that you could hang on your tree. I love the more intricate designs of these snowflakes and Big J would enjoy creating these snowflakes with his hands. I think Little J would handle constructing the small snowflakes too.

So there you have it. Fifteen craft stick ornaments you can make with your little ones this Christmas season. Simple, fairly quick and oh so cute. Which craft stick ornaments are you going to try out?