"Let Freedom Ring" Patriotic Printable

With Flag Day later on this week and the Fourth of July less than a month away, I'm realizing that I've been completely slacking on the "showing-off-my-Patriotism" front! If you're feeling anything like I have been, have no fear! I've got you covered! This free printable is easy to frame and can be displayed wherever your little USA-loving heart desires! Enjoy, and God Bless America!!!

Click here for printable!

Dental Health Month Activity for Kids

Did you know that February is Dental Health Month? Not that we shouldn't be worried about our pearly whites every month of the year, but I tend to stress it pretty heavily in my classroom throughout this month in particular. Here is a really cute activity I use in different variations each year with my classroom and, now that I have a little one of my own who is old enough to use it, at home, too! Its super simple and lends itself really well to a lesson on plaque and why using a toothbrush thoroughly is the only way to remove it successfully! Aaaand it gives me an excuse to drive everyone bonkers with the "Brush Your Teeth" song I'm sure you know from your childhood. "When ya wake up in the morning, it's a quarter to one and you want to have a little fun, ya brush your teeth, ch ch ch ch ch ch ch ch!" Everybody..."ch ch ch ch ch ch ch ch!" Here's how this activity is created...

Materials:

-white cardstock

-scissors

-pink construction paper (could be any color, but I liked the color of gums!)

-tape

-contact paper

-dry erase marker

-toothbrush

Instructions:

1. Cut 5 teeth out of white cardstock (I just sort of guessed as I cut, because teeth come in all shapes and sizes!)

2. Tape teeth to construction paper

3. Cover teeth and construction paper with contact paper and trim

4. Using a dry erase marker, color in "plaque spots" on each of the teeth in various spots.

5. Children take turns using a toothbrush to "remove the plaque"

A Vis a vis marker could also be used to emphasize the importance of using water when brushing your teeth and rinsing at the end of a good brush.

Happy Dental Health Month, Everyone!!!

Revamped-Letter Signs to Potluck Labels

Ever go to a potluck dinner where you look at one of the gazillion delicious looking casseroles and say to your husband or friend "What do you think is in that?" I can't even imagine how treacherous these types of meals could be to those with food allergies. How helpful would it be if each bit of deliciousness was labeled appropriately?

Have no fear, the crazy craft lady is here...

I recently purchased a few 5x7" wood plaques at my local thrift store for $.50 each and decided to transform them into Potluck-friendly food displays. I simply sanded the sides and front of the plaques, sprayed two coats of chalkboard paint on them and Voila! The options for these little free-standing plaques are endless---price displays at craft fairs, tic-tac-toe or Pictionary boards for on the go games, scoreboards for sporting events...what else can you come up with???

 

Mother's Day Grandma Gift-Scrabble Tile Plaque

You know I loooove me some Scrabble tiles!!! I have used them for coasters, necklaces, frames…you name it, I’ve tiled it! My current Scrabble tile project is in honor of my mommy, an incredible mother and human being. Mom has dedicated her life to children, not only her own, three children, but to the students she has taught for almost 35 years, as well as those she has mentored in organizations such as Girl Scouts (over a decade of being a leader of a rowdy bunch of chatty girls, no less!), PTO, midget football, and Cub Scouts, just to name a few! Now that my siblings and I have children of our own, nothing brings me more joy than to see her work her magic on her grandbabies! She finds ways to bond with each of her grandchildren in different ways and lives for moments when she can see or Facetime with them again. She is the cat’s pajamas, to say the least! I really hope she doesn’t intend to check this blog within the week, as I plan to give this to her for Mother’s Day!

Here’s how I made the plaque:

Materials:

-scrapbook paper (your choice of color and design)

-plaque (I found one at my local thrift store for $1. Whoop!)

-Mod Podge

-paint brush

-Scrabble tiles

-pictures, poems, etc. for embellishment

Instructions:

1.       Cut scrapbook paper to fit the front of the plaque

2.       Coat front of plaque with a coat of Mod Podge using a    

            paint brush.

3.       While plaque is still wet, arrange Scrabble tiles (I highly

            recommend playing around with the tiles on a floor or 

            tabletop to determine your final arrangement)in the way

            you want them.

4.   Add photos onto remaining areas of the plaque. I added        

       pics of each of the grandchildren on the days they were  

       born, pics of my mom with each of the babies, and a little

       poem I made up, on behalf of the kiddos.

5.   Paint a final coat of Mod Podge  over photos and 

       embellishments and allow to dry

Dream Fairies Wooden Plaque

On my most recent trip to Hobby Lobby (an AWESOME craft store that just arrived in Pittsburgh...Woot!), I found the most adorable item. In the wooden items section of the store, I came across a wooden plaque decorated to look like the entrance to a fairy castle and meant to hang in a room (and, in my case, my own future baby girl's nursery) for fairies to enter the room. Does it get cuter than that?



Plaque as sold at Hobby Lobby



Using colors similar to those that will be used in the baby's room, I used acrylic paints to decorate the plaque. I then used scrapbooking letter stickers to create the words "Dream Fairies Enter Here" surrounding the plaque. Finally, I sprayed the entire plaque with acrylic sealant and Wah-lah!!! More pictures to come when the nursery is completed, so STAY TUNED...







Fairy entrance for baby's room



How To: Family Keys Holder

Here is another cute and easy idea for a personalized gift:

Materials:
-unfinished, plaque with hangers
-black, acrylic paint
-silver paint marker
-acrylic sealer

Steps:

1. Cover the hangers with tape to avoid getting paint on them

2. Using a foam, paint brush, paint at least two coats of black, acrylic paint onto the unfinished wood

3. Use the silver paint marker to label each key hook (in my case, I labeled three of the four with the names of the people in my brother's family; Camdyn is only one, so I also added some "keys" for her to use for the next fifteen years! And the other key hook could've been labeled "guest," but I figured I would save a spot for their next child, whenever he or she comes along).

4. Spray two coats of acrylic sealer over the entire plaque and let dry.

Easy peasy, lemon squeezy!!!

Laundry Room Sign

Before moving into our new house, I used my spring break to binge on craft projects. Using the Cricut machine (which I ADORE) I got for Christmas, I cut letters to spell the word “LAUNDRY” and placed them the way I wanted them on a blank sign I purchased at a dollar store years ago and painted white using two coats of acrylic paint. In retrospect, I would NOT have glued the letters onto the sign using scrapbooking tape as I did, because it was a HUGE pain to take the letters off after painting over them. I would suggest using simple Scotch tape rolled up and placed on the backs of each of the letters as “flatly” as possible. Paint over the letters (carefully) and sign completely using 2 coats of another color acrylic paint (I used a mint green) and let dry. Once dry, carefully peel off the letters to reveal the color underneath of the top coats. Using a glue gun, place three clothespins (I painted mine white, but you wouldn’t necessarily need to do the same) along the bottom of the sign to use for un-matched socks or to hold dryer sheets. Spray a clear acrylic lacquer over the entire sign and clothespins and let dry. Using a 24” ribbon, thread each side of the ribbon into the holes in the sign and tie bows on each side for hanging.