Create A Cup-and-Ball Bouquet

Wooden cup-and-ball games have always mesmerized me. They’re so simple, yet before you know it, you’ve spent hours trying to toss that little ball at just the right angle so that it lands in the cup. It just goes to show how easy fun can be! In celebration of Spring, I decided to get a little crafty with this classic game – decorating it with beautiful blooms of cut paper.

Who needs April showers when you can make your own May flowers?!

If you don’t have a cup-and-ball at home, or if you have trouble locating one, look no further than here. It’s my favorite go-to for wooden tools and toys!

What You Need

• Cup-and-ball toy
• Paint
• Brush
• Scissors
• Colored crepe paper
• Double-sided tape or glue

How-To

Step 1
Paint your cup-and-ball with one, two, or three colors.

Step 2
Grab your crepe paper and using scissors, cut out your best flower petals. These don’t have to be perfect – every flower is unique! If you want the flowers to look authentic, try to match the petals and the base of your toy as well as possible. This isn’t necessary though – if you want a rainbow bouquet, go for it!

Step 3
Stand your cup-and-ball upside down and use your tape or glue to attach the petals to the bottom of the cup. Let dry.

That’s it! You now have your very own cup-and-ball garden :)

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Having Fun With Fish

I’m not exactly sure why, but I’m in the mood for something fishy today! It could be the after effects of all the April 1^st fish pranks here in France, or perhaps it’s the clear blue skies and the promise of long summer days ahead. One thing I do know is that I’m already counting the days to our family vacation at the beach!

I’ve yet to meet a kid who doesn’t like the ocean or who isn’t fascinated by sea creatures and underwater life. What an amazing, natural playground for young and old alike! Katya Kozlova’s latest paper art is a perfect example of how inspiring the sea world can be, and I am delighted to be able to share a small selection of her work here today.

Crab mask

I have been following this über-talented Russian mum (and family) for years now and she never ceases to amaze me. I don’t think there’s anything she can’t make from cardboard and paper – she’s a magician, a maestro of the paper arts, a maker of bright new worlds. I find her so inspiring!

Starfish headpiece

Based in Moscow, Katya recently collaborated with Baldu Kids to organize a children’s event with a nautical theme. As you can see from these few images, she designed and handcrafted the most wonderfully eye-catching costumes, headpieces, and masks for everyone taking part. What fun!

Jellyfish mask

Katya’s outfits and accessories are bold, striking, and colorful. This isn’t the first time that I’ve been blown away by her creativity (and I’m 100% sure that it won’t be the last) but what I love here is the simplicity and playfulness of each design.

Seahorse headpiece 

From coral to anemones, from sea urchins to jelly fish – Katya’s imagination has no bounds. What’s your favorite? I bet the kids loved wearing the big bright fish with a funny face flap!

Octopus mask

Katya’s crafting is always an inspiration. She makes the most beautiful paper dresses, floral crowns, masks, hats and decorations. Her chess player headpieces are out of this world! I hope you’ll enjoy following her blog and Facebook page in the future (you may want to use an online translator, although pictures speak louder than words). You might even get an idea or two for your little one’s next birthday party… who knows!

Pictured at top: Fish headpiece

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Become A Mailman in Minutes

One of my preschooler’s favorite afterschool activities is to check the mailbox with me. I’m not sure why he loves it so much. Maybe it’s the fact that we have to use a key to open it up? Or maybe it’s the anticipation to see what’s inside? Either way, he just loves the mail! So I thought it would be fun to create a mail carrier’s bag for him to use around our house. Now he can write letters, lick envelopes, stick on stamps, and deliver goodies to all his stuffed animal friends.

Here’s how you can make one of your own!

What You Need

• Duct tape in various colors
• Cutting mat
• Cereal box
• Scissors
• Sharpie
• Craft knife
• Ruler
• Stapler

How-To

Step 1
Trim your cereal box.

Step 2
Cover your cereal box with duct tape. (I started off by covering the bottom with duct tape. Then, I wrapped the sides.)

Step 3
Now it’s time to add your letters and any other decorative items.

To cut out your letters and shapes, pull off a piece of duct tape and stick it to your cutting mat. Use a craft knife to trim the tape and cut out your letters.

Step 4
Now make the strap! First, stretch out two pieces of duct tape and lay them so that one is slightly on top of the other. Repeat this with two other pieces. Now you have two duct tape “sheets.”

Pull off both sheets of duct tape and stick them to each other (sticky sides in). Use a scissor to trim your sheets to the width of your box. This is how you will make the rest of your strap.

Repeat this process to create more duct tape strips, then tape them all together to create a long strap. To add on decorative stripes (mine were white), cut off a piece of duct tape that’s slightly longer than 2x the width of your strap. Wrap it around your strap. Repeat this process in even intervals to create stripes.

Step 5
Once your strap is long enough, staple it to the sides of your mail carrier bag. Use duct tape to hide the staples.

And you’re all set! With just a few everyday items, you have a great little bag to encourage your child’s imaginary play.

Happy making, friends!

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Turn Your Collections into Clutter-Free Wall Art

Wrangle up kids’ collections from around the house and create an interesting art piece that cuts down on the clutter. This dual-purpose DIY art project displays and showcases things kids love to collect, without having said items strewn about on every surface of the house. Give it a try!

What You Need

• Mat board (which can be found at art supply stores)
• Sticky foam mounting squares
• Scissors
• Kid’s collection of items (rocks, sticks, leaves, coins, etc)
• Frame and framing mat
• Brother Label Maker PT-D200

How-To

Step 1
Place your framing mat over the mat board, so you can see how much space you’ll have for your collection. Then, start arranging your collection (in this case, I used rocks and crystals) onto the mat board in a way that you like. I went with a simple grid pattern, but you can always go with something more random/haphazard instead.

Step 2
Next, attach the pieces of your collection to the mat board with foam mounting squares. You can also use hot glue if you can’t find mounting squares.

Step 3
Then, using the Brother label maker, create a label for the name of each item in the collection.

Step 4
Once the label has been printed, press the cut button on the side of the machine to remove it. Then cut the excess blank label section off the other side.

Step 5
Now you can remove the sticky back and attach the label to the corresponding item on the mat board.

Step 6
Once all the labels have been attached, pop the finished artwork into a glassless frame and it’s ready to hang!

Don’t have a kid’s collection of items to use for this project? Create your own in an instant with one of these ideas. Collect sticks from various parks, coins from different countries, leaves or flowers from around the neighborhood, etc.

Photography by Heidi Geldhauser
Craft production assisted by Linda Jednaszewski
Art direction, styling, and concept by Brittni Mehlhoff

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Easy-Sew Easter Bunny Candy Holder

Easter is my absolute favorite when it comes to candy! With pretty pastels blanketing the world, each candy dish you pass looks like its own spring garden! Easter is within throwing distance and whether guests will be hopping in and out of your home, or if it’ll just be you and a few special somebunnies, it’s always wonderful to have something colorful to look at. This Easter Bunny Bonbon Holder will put a smile on everybody’s face. Chocolates, hard candies, jellybeans – fill it with your family’s go-to treats and celebrate this sweet time of year.

What You Need

• Printable template
• Fabrics of different colors (old/recycled if possible)
• Threads (both colored and white)
• Pencil
• Ribbon
• Stuffing
• Needle
• Glue
• Scissors
• Cardboard
• Sewing machine (optional)

How-To

Step 1
Download the pattern, scale to 400% and print. Cut out the template shapes and trace them into your fabrics and cardboard with a pencil, then cut out.

Step 2
Glue the COLLAR and DRESS pieces onto the BODY piece (cardboard piece 1). Glue Fabric Circle A on BOTTOM (cardboard piece 2). Fold BODY and stick it onto the glue area, as indicated above. Then glue the BODY and BOTTOM pieces together. This will serve as a pocket for the candies of your choice.

Use scissors to cut fringes into the BACK piece.

Step 3
Draw eyes and a nose on one of your FACE pieces, then embroider (optional). Fold sleeves in half and sew the sides together. Sew the ears and arms as shown above and fill with stuffing.

Step 4
After sewing the ears and two face pieces together, turn the entire head right-side-out and fill it with stuffing. Do the same with the arms and sleeves, as shown above.

To make your bunny’s ruffle collar, take the RUFFLE piece and make a straight stitch down the middle. Pull thread to make gathers.

Step 5
Now it’s time to assemble your bunny! Make a stitch to attach the arms to the bunny’s body. Glue the fringed BACK piece between the arms on the bunny’s back. Make a bow tie with your ribbon and glue or stitch it onto the bunny’s ears. Sew the ruffle around the bunny’s neck and glue the head on top of the body.

Your Easter Bunny Candy Holder is finished and ready to be filled with sweet treats :)

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Etsy Finds: Red Hand Gang

It’s been Operation Kick-the-Clutter around our house lately. And as any smart cookie would suggest, we wanted to tackle the hardest part first. Naturally, we began in the kids’ rooms. We knew we’d need to recruit the perfect crew for the job. Meet Red Hand Gang: a super squad of everything from hangers and hooks to prints and paper goods that prove there is serious style in simplicity. Hand-painted and made from recycled wood – these guys are the fresh faces of functionality.

Confession time: clothes hangers are the absolute bane of my existence. With a mix of plastics and metals in all different shapes and sizes, it’s enough to make anyone scream. That’s why Red Hand Gang’s collection of cute closet helpers is such a breath of fresh air. I can’t stand the thought of keeping these behind closed doors, so how about staggering them to create the handiest wall art ever?

Like all good company, there are plenty of colorful personalities to go around – each bringing something special and unique to the table. It turns deciding what to hang on them a fun fashion game. And the best part? You can dress them in something new each day!

These cotton candy hairdo hooks would look delicious in a modern nursery. While the colors are soft enough to seamlessly jive with most any other decor, there’s no doubt they’re cutting edge when it comes to the world of room accessories. Just like their clothes hanger cousins, these gals love playing dress up and picking out what to hang on them will be half the fun for your little ones. Can you say, sherbet chic?

Some of my kids’ toys are pretty stinkin’ cute – too cute to stick in a closet or stash away in a toy box somewhere. That’s why these fruit shelves are the perfect… pear (hehe). It’s a great way to display play in a stylish manner and lets everyone enjoy their favorite toys even during down time. Plus, it can make so much as a stacking block look like a piece of contemporary art.

Check out the Red Hand Gang Etsy shop to find more adorable kid room accessories.

What are you waiting for? Gang’s all here!

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Cute Coloring Easter Sticker Printables

These stickers are the perfect last minute Easter treat for your little ones. They’ll love coloring them and sticking them onto eggs, shirts, cards – you name it! My family always has a big family Easter egg hunt every year and this year, as a fun candy alternative, I’m thinking about filling a few eggs with blank printables ready for the lucky finders to color. That way, the fun doesn’t have to end after all the eggs have been found.  Also, how about painting these with water colors? I think that would be beautiful.

What You Need

• Bunny and carrot template
• Printable sticker paper
• Scissors
• Crayons. color pencils, or water colors

How-To

Step 1
First, download and print off the bunny and carrot printables. There are two sizes of both, just to add a little variety and make them more fun.

Step 2
Have your little ones color the pictures. There’s no wrong way! Blue rabbits are totally acceptable.

Step 3
Use scissors to cut out the shapes. When you’re ready to play with your stickers, just peel off the paper backing and enjoy!

Hippity-hoppity-happity playing :)

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