Nature Collage

Last week I wrote about taking my boys on a nature walk.  We made our own baskets and collected lots of great stuff, and when we got home, we made a collage.  It was a lot of fun, and the artwork turned out really cute.

Here is what we used:

• Stuff we collected on our nature walk (twigs, leaves, grass, etc...)
• A piece of canvas from the dollar store
• Paint (and a paint brush)
• Glue

First, we painted the canvas, and we let it dry overnight.

Then, we used LOTS of glue to attach all our "little treasures".

Didn't it turn out great?  Now we have a great piece of artwork AND a wonderful reminder of our afternoon wandering through the woods. 

♥ 

Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

Lunch Box Notes

My oldest son is in grade one, and sometimes I think he feels left out of the fun I have at home with my younger two boys. One way I try to brighten his day is by putting little notes in his lunch box. I think it reminds him that we are thinking about him when he is at school.

Note:  My little guy doesn't eat much lunch.  I am not starving him.  I promise.  :-)

Here are 5 of my favorite "lunch box note" ideas:

1) Make your own notes. A fun little "post it" with a note from mom will make your little one's day. It really doesn't have to be fancy... just heartfelt. :-) I made my own on my computer (an easy to print black & white version with the option of adding your own sticker). If you want a copy, you can download it here.

2) Use print-your-own "fill in the blank" notes. I really like these notes from Make and Takes. They are both free to download and are super cute.

3) Use print-your-own "joke" cards. Here is a cute "free" version from Darling Doodles. My son loves these jokes and sharing them with his friends.

4) Send a picture. A picture says a thousand words, and a picture in his lunch will remind your little one about his/her family or a fun time you shared together.

5) Purchase pre-printed notes. These ones from Little Jots are sweet. I love that they come with "hug" and "kiss" stickers.

These are my ideas for lunch box notes, but I would love to know yours. What do you do to make your little one's lunch a special part of his/her day?

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

Halloween Garland

I always like to decorate the window in my kitchen with a holiday themed banner.  It just seems to add a "festive" feeling to the space.  For Halloween, I made a simple photo banner using pictures of the boys (from the last five years) dressed up in their costumes.

All you need is some black construction paper, some Halloween photos, a hole punch, scissors and ribbon.

Here is how to make a photo banner:

1)  Cut some triangles out of black construction paper, attach a picture to each triangle with tape or glue, and punch a hole in each of the top corners of the triangles.

2)  Weave ribbon through the holes (as per the picture below).

3)  Hang your banner, and enjoy.  :-)

It really does add a "festive touch" to a space, and it is a great way to display pictures and remember past Halloween fun.  :-)

♥ 

Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

Nature Walk {Milk Carton Basket}

Today, my boys and I went on a really fun "nature walk" -- so easy, and so wonderful to spend some time outside while the weather was still nice.  We had a great time exploring and collecting things in our homemade buckets.



My handsome boys heading out on our nature walk.

Here's how we made our buckets:

Step 1:  We cleaned out some old milk cartons.

Step 2:  We cut the tops off the milk cartons.

Step 3:  We used a hole punch to make holes in the sides and inserted a pipe cleaner handle.

Didn't they turn out cute???

We had such a great time discovering new things in our neighborhood.  What a great way to spend an afternoon. 

Here are a few pictures of our walk:

Examining some bugs.

 

Showing off the blackberries we picked for lunch.

 

Some of the treasures we found.

 

Doesn't it just make you want to put on your rubber boots and head outside?  :-)

♥ 

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)

FALL WREATH with DIY felt flowers

I have been on a mission to find an inexpensive, nice fall wreath ever since my husband painted our front door a few weeks ago.  (It was more difficult than I thought it would be to find what I wanted.)  Then... I found a plain 18" grapevine wreath for $4.97 at Walmart, I saw a beautiful wreath online, and I was able to make one I LOVE!  Here is my version:

So, are you excited to make one? I guarantee it is easy, and even a beginner crafter can do it.   

Here is how I made mine:

1)  Cut circles out of felt.  I used a CD as a template.  (My version uses 18 yellow flowers and 12 off white flowers -- so you will need 18 yellow circles and 12 white circles.) 

2)  Cut a "spiral" shape out of each felt circle.  

3)  Starting on the outside, wrap the felt until you form a flower.

4)  Secure the end with some hot glue. 

5)  Arrange the flowers on the wreath until you are happy with the how it looks.  Then, secure all the flowers using a hot glue gun.

Didn't it turn out great???  The beautiful fall colours even make me a little less sad that summer is over.

♥ 

Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

Water Jug Pumpkins

Who doesn't love using recycled materials to create an adorable craft? Check out this super-easy Halloween craft I made with my boys -- Glow-in-the-Dark Pumpkins.  This craft was so simple, I plan to make a bunch with my boys to decorate our house on Halloween night.

All you need is:

• an empty water bottle or milk jug (washed out)
• a black Sharpie
• Green paint and paint brush
• Orange glow sticks

 

Here is how easy it is:

1)  Paint the cap green.  I just used regular old kid's craft paint.  

2)  Draw a jack-o-lantern face with a Black Sharpie.  (Note:  You might want to make your face scarier -- my five year old told me mine wasn't scary enough.  :-)

3)  Insert an orange glow stick.  I actually ended up adding a glow stick and two glow necklaces in order to get a really good "glowing" effect.

So easy, right???  Can't you just picture a bunch of these water jug pumpkins lining the path to your door on Halloween night?

♥ 

Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

PS - You can find more easy and inexpensive Halloween ideas here.