Looking for a fun, frugal night in?
Check out this great idea from our friends at Dollar Tree!
Host a Paint Night Party- Dollar Tree has everything you need (except the wine!) to host a sip and paint.
Shop in-store or online- You can order online and have it shipped to the store for free (hooray for saving money on shipping).
Did you know that March is National Craft Month? My daughter told me this morning and now she’s got all sorts of crafts planned for us to do.
If you need some ideas to get your creativity flowing, here are a few:
Michaels offers free online classes on a variety of crafting topics. Check out their offering here.
Dollar Tree has an amazing selection of paints, wooden items, soft crafts, craft kits, iron-ons, beads, you name it- And everything is $1.25/each or less!
AllFreeKidsCrafts Spring Crafts eBook is now available for download here. I found 3 new crafts for the kids to do today- they are going stir crazy because it’s raining here.
I know some of my readers love their wine, and if you are one of them, FaveCrafts has something just for you! Their latest free eBook, 25 Cool Things to Do with Old Wine Bottles is available here.
The week of 3/8-1/13 Craftsy, has a really great coupon to use on supplies or classes! Use MARCH15 to take $15 Off A Purchase of $25 or More!
In addition to the sweet 60% off at Craftsy, they also offer a lot of free classes. Here are just a few that I love:
** This post also contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.
Cross County has some amazing deals right now, and also an awesome giveaway!
The deals can all be seen here.
K-Cup® Tea sale: Lots of Twinings and Bigelow options for just $9.99 a box
Not a Coffee Fan? Check out the tasty Hot Chocolate options on sale!
Enter to win 96 Apple Cider Pods
Win FOUR full-size boxes of Apple Cider K-Cup® coffee pods! Enter to win before 9/30/21.
Most of us Gen X kids remember shrinky dinks. They’re still around. You can buy craft kits at Dollar Tree, Five Below, local craft stores, or on Amazon.
Recently I found LOL Surprise shrink plastic kits at dollar tree and I picked a couple up.
We were also recently given shrinkable plastic by the sheet. And this is great because you can draw your own designs, cut them out, hole punch them, shrink them in the oven, and end up with all sorts of cool stuff.
If you’re not familiar with Shrink Plastic, it is super fun and simple craft with anyone who can color can do. However, it does require adult supervision at some point during the craft, cause you have to use the oven.
To do this craft you will need the following items:
You are looking to make a specific design, you will need to print that image out onto a piece of white paper. And then you will trace it onto the shrinkable plastic using a pencil. Word of advice: most shrinkable plastic shrinks significantly if you start with an image that is the size of a silver dollar, it will come out about the size of a dime.
Also important to note, punch a hole if desired, in the plastic before you shrink it. Once it has shrunk and is hard, it is almost impossible to put a hole in it. Especially without damaging the plastic.
Once your design is traced/drawn onto the plastic, color it with permanent markers. I like these markers.
Once your design is colored, punch a hole in it as desired/needed. Then cut your image/design out of the sheet, trim up any sharp/pokey edges. Use a nail file if needed. You can also file the plastic after it has been baked/shrunk and cooled down.
Most shrinkable plastic sheets will come with the heating/baking directions for the plastic, but it’s usually less than 10 minutes. And you will need to keep an eye on it. That is the step where you do not want small children around.
In the past, I’ve made wine charms, this year I made all kinds of cool stuff, including zipper pulls for the kids’ backpacks, I made keychains, I drew our family’s SCA heraldry/devices. I also made some little charms for a charm bracelet for my daughter.
Next up I will be drawing food and making little toy food for my son’s Playmobil characters to eat. While some of his sets have come with food, he is missing things like french fries, hamburgers, pizza. All things that the Playmobil guys in his adventures want to eat.
About 10 years ago I was gifted a beautiful set of glass dishes from a friend. They were painted with my SCA device/badge (they are blue and white with blue and white Fleur de Lis). I still have them, what I love about them is they look like they were made from stained glass.
I have played around with this medium myself over the past few years, and recently I wanted to decorate the kid’s windows, a mirror, and make some window clings/fake stain glass for some friends.
Before we start this DIY, all of the items that you need to make these projects, as well as some more kid-friendly sun catchers can be found here in my Amazon storefront.
I do earn a small commission when you purchase items through my Amazon links, Think about it as buying me a cup of coffee, or a taco.
Using Gallery Glass is very simple. If you have ever used puffy paint or fabric paint, you can use gallery glass. You can paint on glass, you can paint on mirrors, or any sort of clear glass dish/cup/bowl, or you can make window clings like I will be showing you below.
For the window clings, I start with a high-quality heavy-duty page protector.
Find an image that you wish to make into a window cling. I’ve done Celtic Knot Bears, prehistoric fish, unicorns, mandalas. Whatever speaks to you!
Slip the printout/drawing of what you want to make into the page protector. You’re going to use the faux leading (if you run out of this and can’t find more in town, sometimes in a pinch I will use black fabric/puffy paint). If your image is all straight lines, you can use the peel and stick leading (found here).
You will outline your image with the faux leading, and allow it to dry. Depending on the weather/humidity it can be as little as a few hours, or it can take overnight to dry properly.
Once the leading has dried, select your colors of gallery glass and fill in the leaded “panes“ and allow your creation to dry. I usually let them sit for 24 to 48 hours to dry all the way, and cure a little bit so they’re not tacky. Once that time has elapsed you can make it a permanent window cling by gently peeling your creation off of the page protector and applying it to the window/glass as needed.
If you want something you can move around, then you will remove the paper from the inside of the page protector, and cut the image out of the page protector. And then place the creation on the window. The side with the page protector adhered to it will be facing outwards/not against the glass.
If you were looking for ideas for different art styles or creations for your stained glass/window cling project, check out my Pinterest board here. This is a project that anyone can do. It is a fun project, it is not necessarily good for small children, but I would say anyone probably ages 10 and up can handle it. It does take a lot of patience. And a fairly steady hand. This is why I tend to get Suncatcher painting kits for the little kid to do while I work on these. She can sit and do her “Stainglass“ craft while I do mine. These make great gifts. And they are absolutely beautiful.
The supplies can be a little expensive, but once you have them, a bottle of gallery glass will last you between 5 to 10 projects, depending on what size, and how many other colors you’re using in your project. Some local craft stores sell gallery glass products in their stores, so before you buy them on Amazon, you might try your local craft store.
My next big project is a Pride Flag for my nibling. I’ll be using a piece of clear acrylic (18×24) and the peel and stick leading, since it’s all straight lines.
I am super excited about this Tryazon Event. I have already applied! We’ve been participating in Tryazon events for three+ years. We’ve gotten to try all sorts of fun toys, games, and food. You can learn more about Tryazon here.
Gather your friends together for an earring jewelry-making night with this Tryazon Featured Party opportunity, from Sculpey. Liquid Sculpey is an innovative crafting clay that can be used in oven-safe silicone molds, window clings and so much more! It’s simple to use and perfect for beginners and fun for the experienced crafter. When baked, the liquid polymer clay turns strong, flexible, and lightweight making it perfect for jewelry!
Fall is right around the corner, and that means it’s time for Fall and Halloween crafts!
If you follow me on Instagram, you might have seen my post last week. Many of our local Dollar Tree stores are well stocked with Harvest, Halloween, and Dia de Los Muertos crafting supplies.
I love the paintable skulls, and the large wooden cutouts (I got a pumpkin).
If you are looking for some craft ideas, check out the Dollar Tree Blog. They have some cool ideas, I love their wreath ideas!
I’ll be posting pics when I get my wooden crafts painted. Make sure to check out my Instagram account for lots of crafts and other fun stuff!
Join the Special Needs Resource Foundation of San Diego and San Diego Family for our FREE in-person event on Saturday, July 24 from 9-11am at the San Diego Central Library – 330 Park Blvd, San Diego, 92101.
Three authors, Doreen Cronin, Alex Montoya, and Reginald Brown, will entertain children of all abilities with a book reading and a unique, themed craft. Parents can gather resources from local businesses. One free book per child, while supplies last.
To Register or learn more about this event, click here.
And if you are looking for something fun to do later that day, check out the Free San Diego Youth Carnival at the Jacobs Center.
Yesterday I posted about all the fun toys from Dollar Tree, today we are turning to some fun educational toys.
My kids love doing science experiments, playing, and learning. We’ve got Green Kid Crafts boxes in the past and they are a huge hit.
Green Kid Crafts has recently restocked some of their best-selling kits. I’ll be picking up a few and stashing them in the hall closet to keep us entertained during the “I’M BORED!!!!” moments that will be coming up over the summer.
A broad range of box themes, all STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) focused. Explore Ecosystems like Rainforests, Oceans, and Desert Science. Learn about Endangered Animals, Volcanoes, and Rocket Science. And teach your kids to be environmentalists with Alternative Energy, Save the Oceans, and Climate Change!
One of the things I like about Green Kid Crafts is that you can opt into a subscription where the boxes come each month, or you can purchase specific kits. Here are a few of the kits that I know my kids would LOVE.
Nocturnal Animals Activities Box
And if you have littler kids, there are options for them too! Ultimate STEAM 5-Pack Junior Ages 2-5
With a mission to raise the next generation of environmental leaders, Green Kid Crafts leads by example.
Today is National Beer Day! What better way to celebrate an awesome day than with my favorite beer-related recipes, crafts, and DIY fun?
Hewes Family Fun 