Father's Day Mug from Child

Due to the fact that I am probably one of the biggest craft nerds on the planet, it should really come as no surprise that I want to encourage my daughter (and hopefully future children) to participate in as many craft projects as possible. The problem??? Its VERY difficult to find craft projects that are suitable for her toddler attention span AND non-toxic, as she has a pension for eating non-food items! After some brainstorming of potential handmade items I could have her make for Father's Day, I decided upon a mug featuring all of the funny, toddler phrases our little munchkin uses on a regular basis that she could decorate and present to daddy on Sunday. Here are the steps we took to do so...

Materials:

-mug (I purchased mine at my local Dollar Tree)

-Sharpie markers in various colors

-oven

Instructions:

1. Create initial message on mug in black, permanent marker.

2. Heat set the message by placing in the oven for 40 minutes at 275°.

3. Once the mug has completely cooled, have child decorate the mug using various colors of permanent marker (with complete supervision, I might  

    add!). This is also the time when I added quotes to the mug!

4. Heat set the mug a final time for 40 minutes at 275°.

And now for some merciless touting of what an amazing husband and father Jason is and how unbelievable fortunate Claire and I are to have him in our life! We love you soooo much!

Happy Father's Day to all of the incredible fathers out there!!!!!

Dry Erase Activity Placemat



Dry erase activity mat on one side



Placemat on the other



   

 With five nieces and nephews, I am well aware of how a trip to a sit-down restaurant of any sort can easily become a parent's worst nightmare if there is nothing for their child to do. Hence, this project, where I have transformed a placemat into a dry erase activity mat and board. Children can fit their favorite activity book, coloring pages, or the activity menus that some restaurants give out inside of the plastic sleeve and use dry erase markers to complete and then reuse them. And in case none of those items are available to you, it can simply be used as a dry erase doodle mat. Oh, and I didn't even mention the best part of this project...it cost me a total of $5 using products found at my local Dollar Tree!!! Love that place!



Materials:

 

-plastic folder-$1

-placemat-$1

-ribbon-$1

-children's activity book-$1

-dry erase markers-$1

-Exacto knife

-glue gun/sticks

-scissors

-1/4" elastic-2 pieces, cut into one 1-1/2" piece and one 2" piece

-paper clips

Instructions:

1. Open the plastic folder and separate the clear plastic from the folder pockets by using an Exacto knife to cut along the middle seam (Note: Don't fret if the middle seam looks a little sloppy or uneven, as you will cover it up eventually!). Discard middle pockets

2. Lay the plastic sheet on top of the placemat and cut off edges of plastic to make the same size

3. Using paper clips, align and clip the plastic sheet and placemat together.  Fold the pieces of elastic in half and paper clip one to each vertical side of the placemat between the two  layers (use picture for reference).

4. Sew layers together along the edge using a zigzag stitch

5. Using a low-temp hot glue gun, glue a piece of ribbon down the center of the plastic seam (Note: Hold the plastic layer away from the placemat so that the layers do not potentially stick together)




A sample of a completed activity

 


Use an extra napkin to easily erase your work!









Bon Appetit!



Dry erase activity mat on one side

Crayon Holder Roll Up

Colored pencil rollup, courtesy of The Modern Hive blogspot





The inside of the adorable colored pencil rollup



If I had all day to make these, I would TRULY make them all day long. There are lots of tutorials out there for making crayon (or pencil or marker or WHATEVER) rolls using fabric, but I like to skip extra steps as often as necessary, so I decided to use a placemat I bought at the Dollar Tree to avoid additional sewing and pressing. Keep in mind that the user will be seeing both sides of the placemat, so it is important to find a placemat that is patterned (or at least attractive-looking) on both sides. Placing the placemat vertically on a flat surface, fold the bottom edge to approximately 4-5 inches under the top edge(a little less than halfway). Pin the end of an 18” strand of ribbon in between both layers on each side of the placemat. Pin both layers of the placemat together along the edges and sew along the pinned edges, leaving one large pocket. Sew vertical lines about 1 inch apart (if you are making a pencil rollup; crayons will usually need lines 1 ½” apart and markers could be up to 2” apart, depending upon the width). A variation of this project could also leave enough room for a notebook or coloring book in the middle or pockets could vary in width to appropriately fit a variety of school tools (rulers, pens, pencils, note cards, markers, the list goes on and on). In case my instructions have confused you thoroughly, here is a tutorial (with pictures!) of this project to help you along your way!

http://sewing.craftgossip.com/tutorial-pencil-or-crayon-roll-from-a-placemat/2009/12/06/