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

How To: Shrink Plastic jewelry

Remember Shrinky Dinks??? They’re not just for summer camp and sleepovers anymore, folks! I desperately needed a pair of Steelers earrings for a game I was about to go to, so I decided I would attempt to make them using the Shrinky Dink film I had recently purchased for funsies! Using permanent markers, a hole punch, and my oven, I created a pair of cute and game-worthy Steelers earrings in less than fifteen minutes!

Here are the instructions:

Materials:

-Permanent markers (I used red, yellow, blue, and black in standard tip and a black, fine point)

-Hole punch

-Shrinky Dink film

-oven

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2. Print out Steelers logo (I simply searched “Google Images” and enlarged it as needed) Note: Make sure the logo you choose is approximately 4-5 times the size of the finished product, as it will shrink significantly.

3. Placing the Steelers logo under the Shrinky Dink film, use permanent markers to trace and fill in the logo onto the film. You will obviously be making two of these to have a complete pair of earrings (unless you’re going for the pirate or Mr. Clean approach, in which case one is plenty!).

4. After the ink has dried on the film, cut out the logos, leaving extra room at the top of the logos as needed where you  wish to make holes

5. Use the hole punch to create a hole at the top of both logos

6. Place your completed logos on a wax paper-lined cookie sheet and bake for about 3 minutes.

7. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and let the pieces cool

8. After pieces are cool, use needle nose pliers to attach an ear hook wire to each logo

Another example of jewelry made using Shrinky Dinks

How can I make Steelers earrings without repping for the Penguins, too?



Some festive Shrinky Dink earrings for Fall



Simple, Inexpensive Earring Holder

Handmade MULTI-earring holder



Between the earrings I buy and the earrings I make, it is safe to say that I have a PLETHORA of earrings in my collection. The trouble I have had is storing them. Jewelry boxes don’t have enough room and force the jewelry to get tangled and earring holders are often more than I wish to spend for the small amount of earrings they hold. As a result, I found myself scouring my local craft stores for some way to fashion something that will stand on its own and hold LOTS of earrings. After almost an hour in the store, I decided on an embroidery ring and a large sheet of plastic, embroidery canvas. I used a glue gun to place glue on the inside of the embroidery ring. I then rolled the canvas into a cylinder and placed the bottom of the cylinder into the embroidery ring, so that the bottom edge of the canvas attached to the glue inside the ring. I then placed a line of glue along the area in which the plastic canvas overlapped itself along the side of the cylinder and VOILA!!! I have not counted how many earrings I could potentially place on my new holder, but I think it is safe to say I now have a reason to make many, many additional pairs.