Simple Mother's Day Craft For Kids

When it comes to Mother's Day gifts, store bought options are wonderful, but no mom can resist the beautiful handmade treasures lovingly crafted by her children. Check out this adorable DIY Mason jar vase and flowers that children can easily make for their moms.

Start with a clean, empty jar.

Then, use Mod Podge to cover the jar with small squares of tissue paper.

Finish by letting the Mod Podge dry completely.

You can put a battery operated votive in the jar, you can add real flowers, or you can fill the jar with handmade flowers.

I like the idea of making flowers from card stock, adding a picture to the centre of one of the flowers, and using paper straws for stems. The result is simple and adorable!

You could also add a cute tag to your jar vase.

To download the tag I designed: right-click on one of the photos below, save it to your computer, and print it like a regular 4X6 photo.

Cute, right? Happy Mother’s Day to all the lovely, hardworking ladies doing their best every day to make the world a better place. You are awesome!

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

{Halloween Decor} from a Dollar Store Frame

How adorable is this simple Halloween decoration made from: a $2 frame, some leftover scrapbook paper, and a glittery {purple} spider from the dollar store?

Want to make one in four easy steps? 

1)  Remove the glass from a cheap {dollar store} frame.
2)  Cut a piece of scrapbook paper to fit the frame.
3)  Use Mod Podge to attach the paper to the back of the frame.  Let dry, and then add a coat of Mod Podge on top of the paper {to make the decoration more durable}. 
4)  Use hot glue to attach a spider to the middle of the paper. 

Easy, right?  Doesn't it look cute on my hall table?

Are you crafting any cool Halloween decorations this year?  I'd love to hear about them.  I am always looking for new ideas.

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)
 
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{Mod Podge} Pirate Treasure Chest

My boys are always collecting "treasures", so I thought it would be cute to make them their own personalized pirate treasure box.

I started off with this plain wooden box from the Dollar Store.

Then, I painted the box with brown acrylic paint.  {If the boys were doing it themselves, I would definitely opt for "washable" paint instead.}

Finally, I printed out a picture of my favorite pirates, and used Mod Podge to attach it to the top of the box

Cute, right?  And wouldn't this make a great craft activity or loot bag at a pirate-themed birthday party?

♥  Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

Purple Halloween Plaque

I have been looking for some Halloween decor that is not orange and black.  I have seen some fun purple accents, and I thought it might be fun to make a purple sign out of a $2 wooden plaque I found at the dollar store.  I was really pleased with how it turned out, and my boys love the glittery purple spiders.  :-)

Here's how I did it:

You'll need:  a wooden sign from the dollar store, a piece of scrapbook paper, purple foam (for the letters), black paint, and Mod Podge.  (I used glittery spiders from the dollar store for embellishments, but this is optional.)

Step 1:  Lightly sand the plaque to get rid of the rough edges.  Then, paint the edges of the plaque black. 

Step 2:  Trace the top of the plaque onto a piece of decorative paper, cut it out, and glue it in place.  (Don't you love the cute spider web paper I found?)  Cover with a couple of layers of Mod Podge. 

Step 3:  Trace and cut out purple foam letters.  (I printed the word "Boo!" on my computer to use as a template.)  Glue letters in place.

Step 4:  Add embellishments if desired.  I thought some glittery purple spiders would be fun.

That's it... pretty cute for a couple of dollars, right? 

I hope this inspires you to add some "purple" to your Halloween decorations. 

♥ 

Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

Personalized Clipboards

I am always looking for "on the go" projects/activities for the boys.  They love drawing, printing, and scribbling on paper, so I decided to make them some fun, colorful, personalized clipboards.  They are a big hit, and I think they will be great for car rides and trips to the grocery store.

You'll Need:

• colorful paper
• a clipboard (I got mine at the dollar store)
• Modge Podge
• a paintbrush or sponge brush
• a pencil
• scissors
• ribbon/embellishments (optional)

Directions:

Cut the paper out so that it is the same shape and size as the clipboard.  Cut out around the clip.  It is OK to use a couple of different pieces of paper.  Just remember that you want the writing surface to be as smooth as possible.

Cover the surface of the clipboard with Mod Podge and apply paper.  Smooth out as best as you can.  (I used a bone folder, but this isn't necessary.  Many of the bumps will smooth out when the Mod Podge dries.)

Cover the paper with a coat of Mod Podge for a glossy, polished finished.

After it dries, you can repeat the same steps to apply paper to the back of the clipboard.  You can also add embellishments --  I added the boys' initials (with stickers) and used a ribbon to attach a colored pencil, but you can add whatever you want.

I hope your boys and girls enjoy this project as much as mine!  :-)

♥ 
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy) 
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