Artwork Storage Solutions

Ever wonder what to do with all the artwork your kids bring home from school?  It is easy to become sentimental about it, and before long, it becomes overwhelming.  But don't worry, I am here to help.  :-)

Honestly, a lot of the artwork in this house ends up in the garbage.  (Shhhhh!  Don't tell my boys.)  I do, however, keep the more "special" pieces.... you know the ones... handprints, mother's day cards/drawings, and the ones the boys are "extra" proud of.

Here is a marble painting my 5 year old did in Art class. I framed it and hung it in his room.  He is really proud of his framed masterpiece.

Here are some other great ideas for the avalanche of artwork that kids create:

1. Create a "made by me" gallery of framed artwork.  Switch out the artwork as the kids create new favorites.  (You could use frames or decorated clipboards.)    
2. Get a file box for each child.  Create a file for each years' projects.
3. Scan or photograph the artwork and keep electronic files -- they take up a lot less space.
4. For the artwork that ends up on your fridge, why not make these easy and super cute magnets? 

What are some of your best Artwork Storage Solutions?

♥ 

Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

PS (If you haven't already liked me on Facebook, you can do it here.  Don't miss out on any of the East Coast Mommy fun!  :-)

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) 
PS {Don't miss out on any of the fun... if you haven't already "liked" me on facebook, you can do it here.}

Felt Food - Carrot

Looking for some more cute “pretend” food for your kids to play with? 

As a follow up to yesterday's tutorial on how to make adorable felt eggs out of scraps of felt, here is one on how to make felt carrots.  My boys love having this cute felt food in their play kitchen.

You’ll need:

• Scraps of orange and green felt
• Cotton balls or stuffing
• A needle and thread (orange)
• Scissors
• Paper and pencil to make a template

Directions:

Cut two carrot shapes out of orange felt and one rectangle out of green felt.  (You can make a paper template first.  It makes it a little easier.)

Stitch the green rectangle onto on of the orange pieces.  (See diagram for positioning.)

Use scissors to "fringe" the green triangle.

Place the second orange piece on top and stitch one side.  Add cotton, and finish stitching.

That's it -- even the Easter Bunny would be impressed!

♥ 

Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

Felt Egg Tutorial

Looking for some cute “pretend” food for your kids to play with? How adorable are these felt eggs made out of scraps of felt and leftover plastic Easter eggs? It's an easy project, and a perfect way to recycle dollar store eggs.

You’ll need:

• Scraps of white & yellow felt
• Cotton balls or stuffing
• A needle and thread (yellow & white)
• Scissors
• Paper and pencil (to make a template)

Here's how easy they are to make:

Cut two eggs shapes out of white felt and one yolk shape out of yellow felt.  (You can make a paper template first.  It makes it a little easier.)

Put a little cotton under the yellow “yolk” and stitch it to the top of one of the white pieces of felt.  Then stitch the two pieces of felt together, and you are finished!

You could package these felt eggs in a plastic Easter eggs to make them extra special.  Cute, right?

♥ 

Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

You might also be interested in this post.

Easter Egg Fillers

Looking for some ideas to fill those plastic eggs for your Easter egg hunt?  I came up with a fantastic little list of inexpensive and unique Easter egg fillers. I have also included some fun DIY options!

Happy Hunting!!

• marbles
• packages of fruit snacks
• erasers
• Magic Jelly Beans (click on the link for a free printable envelope)
• cars/dinkies
• hair bows/clips/elastics (buy them or make your own using the tutorials found here)
• finger puppets (buy them or make your own using the tutorial found here)

• dollar store watches (I found some really cute Toy Story ones for $2)
• recycled crayons (DIY with the tutorial you can find here.)

• quarters 
• stickers/tattoos
• chocolate bars/eggs
• balls
• balloons
• gift certificates (e.g. movie money or a "stay up 15 minutes later" voucher)

• silly bands
• pieces of LEGO or LEGO minifigures
• socks 
• goldfish or raisins (great for little ones!)
• playdough
• bubbles
• felt play food (click the link for a full tutorial)

• craft supplies
• Easter cookie decorations (e.g. sprinkles)
• bookmarks
• dollar store trinkets

I would love to hear some of your ideas.  Let me know your favorite ideas for Easter egg fillers.

♥ 

Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

PS (If your little ones loves "Elf on the Shelf", you can download a free Elf on the Shelf Easter card here.)

Tissue Box Easter Bunny Baskets

Doesn't every mom with little ones go through a ton of tissue boxes?  Why not turn your trash into this adorable tissue box bunny basket? It's the perfect Easter craft for kids!

Don't you just LOVE this simple Easter craft?

You’ll need:  tissue box, white paint & a paint brush, black marker or black paint, googly eyes, pompom or cotton ball, a button, pipe cleaner, card stock, and scissors.

Here's what you do:

 

1)  Paint the tissue box white.  Then, use one end of the box to create a face.  Glue on googly eyes and a button nose, and draw or paint a mouth and whiskers.

2)  Glue a pompom onto the opposite end of the box.  This is the bunny’s tail.

3)  To make the basket handle, use a hole punch to make a hole on each side of the box.  Thread a pipe cleaner through the holes and secure the ends by twisting. 

4)  To finish… cut out bunny ear shapes, fold the bottom to make a little tab, and glue onto the box.

That’s it!  Isn't this tissue box Easter basket adorable? The only thing left to do is fill your adorable basket with yummy Easter goodies. Happy Easter!

♥ 

Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

PS (You can find more easy and inexpensive Easter ideas and DIYs here.)

My First Official Blog and Giveaway - CLOSED

After a month of posting content on Facebook, I have decided to try to figure out this "Blog" thing.  As a sleep deprived mother of three, technology has surpassed me, but I am going to do my best.

So... as a thank you for your support... and for bearing with me while I figure this out :-), I thought I would give something away.

Check out Cute as a Button Designs on facebook, and let me know your favorite product/design.  On May 21, 2011, I will randomly select someone (who commented on this post) to win a "Big Style" Headband like this one:

Easy enough????

Also, don't forget to "like" East Coast Mommy on Facebook... and recommend me to your friends.  Thanks so much for your support.  I think this is going to be fun!