Toys In The Dryer turned 3 at the beginning of the month. This got me thinking that there a ton of posts that have been forgotten as new posts have taken their place over the years. It's time to bring back some of my favorite fall treats, activities, and crafts for kids that we have posted over the last 3 years. Fall Leaf Fairies - Make cute fairy pictures from fallen leaves and twigs. These hung in our kitchen for weeks! Candy Corn Pudding Treats - There's nothing special about the flavor per se, it's more so the idea that it looks like candy corn. Acorn Races - Since Lindsi introduced this fun, easy activity to my family three years ago, we've been doing it every fall! Each year gets a little more crazy! Leaf Drawing - I did this all the time as a kid. Now my kids do it! Crock Pot Applesauce - Perfect for all those apples you've picked at the apple orchard! Leaf Animals - Similar to the leaf fairies, my girls had a ton of fun making … [Read more...]
Wax Rocks
My girls love finding rocks everywhere we go. I can't tell you how many "cool" rocks we've collected over the years. The girls, however, are just like me. I think if I weren't a nurse, I would have become a geologist. Because of our love of rocks, we decided to make wax rock gems. These gems are super simple to make and look beautiful in any garden or just sitting as decor in your house. To make them, you'll need: Any amount of rocks you want to make. The smoother the better. Crayons (brand name works best) An oven and baking sheet Oven mitt or something to handle hot rocks News paper or paper plate Start by collecting your rocks then thoroughly wash and dry them. Remember, the smoother, the better. Unfortunately, we don't have many smooth rocks around our yard. Place the rocks on a baking sheet and bake them in the oven until warm. Use an oven mitt or tongs to transfer the hot rocks onto a paper plate or newspaper. Remind your kids that these rocks … [Read more...]
Paint Blot Butterflies
The weather is slowly getting warmer and plants are beginning to bloom. That means we'll have butterflies hanging around before we know it! Tottie and I decided to do a paint blot butterfly craft to make our kitchen look a little more like spring. She had so much fun making these that she made four of them to hang on our patio window. To make your own you'll need: construction paper paint scissors pipe cleaners paint brushes (optional because you can use your fingers) Start by folding the paper in half then cutting it in half a butterfly shape. Paint on only half of the butterfly. Tottie liked to do just polka dots but lines and squiggles would look good too! Once you have half the butterfly painted, fold it back in half and press all over it so that the paint from one side transfers to the other side. When you open it up again you'll have paint blots that match on both sides! Make two small holes in the top of the butterfly body and … [Read more...]
Bubble Painting and a Little Entrepreneur
Yesterday Tottie was bored. It was a beautiful day outside but she was tired of her sidewalk chalk, scooter, and bike. It was time for something new to do. Thank goodness for bubble painting! What is bubble painting you ask? Read on... I got out our large jug of bubble solution, some food coloring, small containers, and some paper. (If you don't have bubble solution, dish soap mixed with a little bit of water makes a good bubble solution.) I poured a small amount of bubble solution into each container then added different food coloring to each container. Tottie then dipped her bubble wand into a container and blew bubbles onto the paper. When they popped, they "painted" the paper! She has so much fun doing it! Just a few notes though...She made a mess dripping colored bubble solution all over the place so make sure when you do it, to do it outside too. Also, beware because the bubbles do pop in your face. All said and done, Tottie made seven paintings. She liked … [Read more...]
Scratch Off Valentines FREE Printable
Last Valentine's season we brought you some unique Valentines such as the Valentine Fortune Teller (which my oldest daughter gave to her friends), Birch Bark Valentines, and Surprise Valentines. This season we'll be bringing you a few more unique Valentines. Today it's scratch off Valentines! These scratch off Valentines are super fun to make and to give! To make them yourself you'll need: The scratch off Valentine template below card stock paper dish soap metallic acrylic paint (silver, pink, or red) clear contact paper paint brush scissors large circle or heart punch 1) Start by clicking on the image above to download it and print it. You'll see a ton of download buttons on the webpage. Click on this download button and this one only!!It is small and below the photo. 2) Cut apart each Valentine. 3) Next make the scratch off paint by mixing two parts of paint with one part dish soap. Don't mix too much or you'll get a bunch of … [Read more...]
Top 13 Posts of 2013
Can you believe another year has gone by?! Last year we did a post titled Our Top 12 Posts of 2012 so this year we thought we would do our top 13 posts of 2013. These are not technically our top viewed posts of the past year (we had a variety of posts from 2011-2013 that got top page views), these are the top viewed posts that we published in 2013. Without further ado, in order of least popular to most popular, our top 13 posts of 2013... 13) Halloween Finger Print Art 12) Easy DIY Giant Slip and Slide 11) Britax Convertible Car Seat Review 10) 21 Post Surgery Activities For Kids 9) Caught You Being Good--FREE Printable 8) Character Applique Shirts for Disney 7) Best Ever Spring Cookies 6) Make Your Own Disney Character Autograph Book 5) Disney Countdown Ring--FREE Printable 4) Christmas Bingo--FREE Printables 3) Brownie Mix 2) Camping Birthday--FREE Printables And our all time … [Read more...]
