~Tutorial on how to make a play board/activity table for Playmobil or Hot Wheels

DIY How to make a activity board for your child

This was a super fun craft for a rainy day. My little girl's Playmobil collection is getting out of hand. She just had her fourth birthday and her sweet Uncle bought her another big set.  Anyone who is familiar with this brand knows they take up some serious space in the playroom or on the floor. Somehow I am raising a perfectionist and she does not like to disturb her Playmobil creations once they are set up for play.  We were storing them on a small shelf, it was actually supposed to be a shoe shelf. Worked well, but not enough space to set up more than one or two houses at a time. I came up with this idea of creating a board to play on. Anyone who knows me understands that I had to get crafty and make it into a project, and something special for my little girl! Other mats, or tables are great to use as a example, see example here but you can make one yourself for much cheaper! Imagine a Thomas the Train table!

I like to create on a budget, and had most of the materials used in this DIY on hand.  I already had supplies like paint and paintbrushes. So this DIY craft only cost me the price of the board and one sample of paint from Lowe's. 
I purchased a board from Lowe's. It measures 24 inches by 48 inches. I chose something thin, and rather smooth to paint on. Cost $8.50

I also had a little coupon from a recent magazine for one small sample of Valspar paint. It is a color sample size 8 FL oz. Satin, Pine Green. I thought it would work well for the grass.  Normally the sample size costs $3.98 See link here. Valspar color sample If you are lucky you might be able to find some more sample sizes on the clearance rack in the paint section for $1.00 (I found two more!) I have been slowly collecting these small discount samples for over a year now, waiting or see when I might need one for any random craft.  I also used small size craft paint, that can be found at any Hobby Lobby or Michaels store.

Step 1 - Prime your board, or just short cut and paint directly onto the wood. I free handed the outline of what was on the design. I basically drew one road, approxamitly the size of one playmobil car. Then I decided where I was going to add yards, and a ocean or pond. See above pic for detail.

 

Step 2 - Fill in large areas with the main color for that section, grass, roads, or oceans. This way you can add detail over top when it is dry such as curbs, or dirt paths.

Step 3 - I used small amounts of craft paint to add detail. Small flowers, a fire hydrant, some trees and ducks for the pond.  I added waves, curbs to contain the yard areas, and yellow lines in the middle of the roads. This was all free hand work, not hard to do, you can add a family pet or street sign that your child might recognise. Have fun! This will be for play, not show!

Step 4- Varnish if you like, any kind with a clear finish should work well. I chose not to varnish and it has held up well so far. See above picture for the finished product! Turned out so well! My daughter was thrilled!

 

I ended up just placing the board on top of the shelf we already had. It is big enough to support the whole thing. Then go ahead, have fun setting up your village! Try painting one for your son with smaller roads for hot wheel cars, add a garage, stop signs - the sky is the limit!

~Tutorial for "Dr. Seuss" Hop on Pop Banner/Bunting ~

This is a quick and easy tutorial on how to make a banner or bunting for a party. I choose a Dr. Seuss theme for a baby shower I was helping out with, the baby’s room will be in a “Dr. Seuss” theme.  A simple way to decorate a wall area, and give the momma something to take home to possibly use again in a child’s room, or save it for another party.

 

Supplies needed;

 

-Book, (I bought mine second hand at GOODWILL for .50 cents!)

-Ruler, scissors, hole punch

-Yarn or string

 

Step 1~

 

 

 

Gather supplies, and measure out a flag shape onto your paper. I made this easy by folding my page in half and tracing (with a ruler) a simple flag shape.

 

 

Step 2~

 

Using scissors cut along the traced line. I cut through two pages at once.

 

Step 3~

 

Take your flag and punch two holes at the top, spaced approximately 2 inches apart for the string to run through.

 

 

Step4~

 

Gather your flags, and line them up shape wise into a pile. Take your string (yarn) and start to thread it through the holes.  I chose to reverse the order of holes one after the other so they would not overlap.

 

Step 5~

 

You should now have a long line of flags on your banner. Hooray you are done~! Be very careful not to tangle the flags as you are stringing them along. You have a beautiful, colourful, cheap paper banner!  

 

 

 

 

 

~ "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" Headband Tutorial

I have made this sweet little headband before for my daughter and thought I'd share a quick how to blog. It really is very easy, no sewing, simple supplies and a very fast craft for a rain afternoon. I am sure you have a copy of the little book, "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" at home.(Written by: Eric Carle) No? Get it, soon. It is a hard book, that has gone through three children at my house and still makes the nightly read short list.

 

Alright, here we go. Supplies needed for this craft.

-Felt in green, yellow, red, and dark blue.

-Glue gun and glue

-Scissors

-Headband, hard or soft

 

Step 1:

Cut out small circles, (at least as wide as the headband you are using) in green felt. I used two colors of green. No need to be perfect, a simple circle will do. About 10 will do just fine.

Step 2:

Cut out of blue felt, two felt antlers for the antenna. Again, no need to be perfect. Cut two yellow eyes, the same of a oval. Then cut two smaller eyes in green (or blue if you like) and last, cut one smallish size mouth out of blue felt. Cut one red head, larger than the other shapes. Check to make sure you have all parts ready.

 

Step 3:

Cut out of felt (any color) a shape for your backing. This is what your green circles will stick to.  This also gives you a good base for your headband.

 

 

 

Step 4:

Glue your backing onto your headband. Should be sinple in two spots or so to get it to stick.

 

 

 

Step 5:

 

Start at the back end, and glue the green felt circles onto to headband first (to cover the edge) then continue until the headband resembles a caterpiller.

When you get to the end, glue the red felt head on last.

 

 

 

 

 

Step 6:

Glue the antlers on the top so they are a bit higher than the head, see placement above. Continue with the eyes, then the mouth. And there you go! It's done! Does it look like my picture? No? Well guess what, the caterpiller in the book looks pretty close I am sure. Your little princess will love it! Mine does!

 

 

 

 

~Burlap Trend Adds Rustic Charm~

It seems that burlap, (yes the one that they make potato sacks out of!) is making a splash in the decorating and fashion world. Who would have thought that such a simple and plain material could be used to make such interesting items. You can find it for less than $5.00 a yard in any craft store these days, my favorite is Hobby Lobby.
How pretty is this? http://shop.hobbylobby.com/products/blp-burlap-sage-650671/ Sage burlap for $3.99 a yard, the possibilities are endless!

I had a client request a burlap and satin sash for a wedding where she is a bridesmaid. I combined coral satin, singed satin petals, lace and burlap for a one of a kind sash. It turned out amazing and the game was on to see what else I could incorporate it into.

I made this sweet little party favor, or princess crown for a little girl. https://www.etsy.com/listing/126688211/princess-crown-in-burlap-lace-and-flower?ref=shop_home_active
I have the cutest model in the world, and she works for "num nums" aka m&m's so I am a lucky mom to have her!

 

How sweet is that little crown? And it was so simple to make, the burlap tends to fray and unravel, but that just ads to the rustic charm.  I simply cut out a crown shape on the top, added lace, a flower with feathers and a ribbon long enough to tie at the back and volia! A sweet crown for a tea party, in the woods, dress up or for each of the children that come to her birthday party as a party favor to take home!

Check out these amazing pillows here, http://www.etsy.com/listing/103679393/bonne-nuit-french-country-thros-pillows?ref=shop_home_active&ga_search_query=burlap

Created by my friend and ETSY shop owner at MilkandHoneyLuxuries. Beautiful neutral colors, they would blend in with any decor for your bedroom. Check out her shop, she has such darling items, one of a kind finds!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/MilkandHoneyLuxuries

Burlap is making the rounds in county weddings this season. Burlap wedding favors, rustic charm, all add to make it very county chic! Imagine the bride wearing a burlap sash with her favorite cowboy boots under her dress! Charming.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/122328855/wedding-sash-maternity-sash-mother-to-be?ref=shop_home_active

 

 

I think that burlap trend is just going to get bigger, and why not? It's affordable, chic, and shows such sweet county charm!

~Grey and Yellow Wedding Sash~

I love custom orders when the client gives me full creative design! This item was created for a bride who requested a yellow and grey scheme. She is tall and requested something dramatic and wide for her wedding sash.

The sash is double faced satin ribbon in grey, twelve feet long! The flower part to the sash has multiple fabrics, satin, tulle, organza, and cotton. Each petal has been hand cut and singed. Each bloom has a beaded center.  What a beautiful one of a kind heirloom item.

  Plan to wear it on your wedding day, then on your beautiful pregnant belly at your maternity shoot. When your sweet baby is born you can drape it over her back for an amazing one of a kind newborn photo shoot! What a honor to be able to create a design and see the item come to life for this special bride!

See a similar design here https://www.etsy.com/listing/124320002/grey-and-yellow-flower-ribbon-sash-for listed on my ETSY page in my shop called "The Laughing Princess" vintage inspired accessories.

Thank you so much to "Social Crafters Etsy Team" for the mention today on thier Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/#!/SocialCraftersEtsyTeam They featured my beautiful Grey and Yellow sash today! Here is a little bit about them, stop by and "like" thier FB page!

Welcome to the world of Social Crafters! We are a team of Etsy Members dedicated to bringing joy into the lives of others with items from our Etsy Shop. We hope you will join in on the fun, get to know all of us and visit our shops! Where the mission is showcasing the best of Etsy!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/124320002/grey-and-yellow-flower-ribbon-sash-for