When asked what she wanted for her birthday, my soon to be three year old replied a “purple pony!” A purple stick horse was a must. I used my time at the kids’ gymnastics classes the hand sew the mane.
Category Archives: craftiness
Bunny Poo!
Looking for healthier alternatives to traditional spring candy? Sometimes buying bulk at the heath food store means less junk in the candy while being easier on your budget.
These cute little bags of bunny poo can be made with chocolate or dark chocolate covered dried fruit or nuts. Buy in bulk and divide into smaller bags. Add a cute little label, and your bunny poo is ready to go!
Click here for a free printable version of the Bunny Poo! labels. Just print out the page, cut them out, punch a hole, and attach to your own bag of “bunny poo.”
Make Your Own Lotion Bars
I came across a recipe online to make your own lotion bars. Since I have some people in my life who are constantly getting chapped hands during winter, I thought it was a grand plan. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the necessary ingredients. So, I set out to make a lotion bar with ingredients I actually did have on hand. When I first made these, I used silicone muffin liners to make individual bars. It worked very well and they popped out just like I thought they would.
Then I looked at these lovely little bars of lotion and reality set in. My family would not be gently putting these away, out of reach of little fingers which had already managed to grace the tops of each and every lotion bar. So I melted them all down and instead put the lotion bar into a container with a lid. This is more our speed and it stays protected, to an extent.
Success! My husband was into this as soon as he realized what I had made, and chapped hands of all ages have been nicely moisturized and protected since.
Lotion Bars:
- 1/2 cup cocoa butter
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1/4 cup sweet almond oil
- 1/2 cup beeswax beads
- 1 1/2 tsp. Vit. E oil
melt everything over gentle heat and mix together thoroughly. Pour into your choice of container or form and allow to cool. Enjoy your nourishing lotion bar or give them to someone who needs one.
Pumpkin Pie Play Dough
October, and now November, have been pumpkin filled months for our family. Pumpkin hunting and then pumpkin baking and freezing have filled our home with a delicious aroma. Wanting some afternoon fun for my children, I made up a big batch of pumpkin pie play dough. It’s easy to make and smells divine…so much so that I keep finding myself sniffing it and playing with it. Homemade play dough is much more elastic and accommodating than store bought varieties. Inexpensive to make, you’ll probably find the ingredients around your home. No toxic chemicals and if your child does decide to try eating it, you won’t have to worry about ingredients or dealing with neon green poo later on.
Pumpkin Pie Play Dough
(one batch makes a nice amount for one child – multiply as needed!)
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 cup salt
- 2 T. cream of tartar
- 1 cup water
- 2 T. canola oil (or your choice of oil)
- 1 t. ground cinnamom
- freshly grated nutmeg to your preference
- 1 t. vanilla extract
- food coloring as desired (I used some old Wilton paste copper color)
Mix the flour, salt, cream of tartar, water, and oil over medium heat, stirring to mix. Next add your cinnamon and nutmeg. As your dough begins to solidify add in the vanilla extract and any food coloring.
Remove from heat and let sit long enough that you can use your hands. It doesn’t take long. Knead until it is completely mixed.
That’s it. You now have delicious smelling (but not tasting….it will taste like salt) pumpkin pie play dough. Hand it to your kids and let them play away. Store in an air tight container so that it doesn’t dry out.
Day of the Dead: Sugar Skulls
These are sugar skulls that we made when we attended a Day of the Dead class. My children really enjoyed making these. Earlier this week, when we came across the exact same mold on clearance, they were thrilled, as we can make these at home again next year!
