Crafts – Page 4 – Rockland NY Mom

A New Talent (or Addiction..)

Posted on August 19, 2015 by RocklandNYMom Posted in Classes, Crafts, Crafts and More Crafts, Reviews, Services, Specialty Items .

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post as I was invited to a class with Underground Finds & Furniture. All opinions expressed are my own.

You may recall that almost a year ago, I started painting (E)’s highchair and gave up sure that I wouldn’t be able to get it right. At that time Mary of Underground Finds & Furniture came to my rescue and painted it for me at a super reasonable rate (click here). Mary not only paints your requests, she looks for interesting pieces to paint for you, sells the paint so that you can do it yourself, but also offers classes. Given our love for great sturdy and classic furniture we became fast friends. So much so that when I went and purchased some furniture for (E)’s bedroom (coming soon), I brought her with me. I intended to have her paint it for me (again convinced that I would fail), but she talked me into something a little different.

She wanted me to do it myself, but she said that she would teach me at one of her classes…. This is a big deal. Tackling an entire bedroom isn’t something that I was prepared for nor did I have the time, or so I thought.

The furniture I found for (E)’s room:

Purchased these three main pieces from a North Rockland Swap Site. These are the three I worked on at Mary’s workshop, the others I added afterwards because I am glutton for punishment ;o)

The nightstand I found that coordinated for FREE on the side of the road.

The bed frame we had sitting in the basement.

A New City Garage Sale purchase.

When we showed up for class Mary was all set for us with plenty of space to work, and every supply that we needed. Mary made sure that we had dusted and cleaned our pieces prior to our starting. Then we discussed our vision. I wanted to paint the furniture white, and then add a touch of pink to the details, all while keeping the style very shabby chic. I had seen Mary do this on a previous piece that I adored.

I was nervous about the workload (naturally) so I brought my mother with me. By the end of the day (yes the day) between my mother, Mary and Myself we were able to get two coats of paint on and some of the pink detailing done. Mary assured me that I was ready to complete the rest on my own. This was the part that I was so very nervous about. Most people complete their projects in the class time allotted so she is able to show them all of the steps involved. While I was there two other painters participated in the class. One completed an adorable gossip chair, and the other a lovely headboard for her daughter. (Usually Mary limits people to pieces that can be done in one class, in my case I was supposed to come back for another class, but our schedules didn’t mesh). Mary assured me that she would be available for any questions and even offered for me to come to her HOUSE and work if I needed to.

When Summer started I was finally able to work on my masterpieces. Although the paint is soft enough to wax straight after drying, I wanted a smoother finish, and some distressing (which Mary has a trick for, I chose to do it the HARD way). I used a fine sandpaper first, followed by a “SUPER-fine) sand paper. Once pleased with the distressing I used the wax that Mary provided to seal it all in. It feels as smooth as glass. I adore it. I had SEVERAL million questions and Mary was super quick to respond, and had ideas and hints for everything. For instance: I needed to find a matching drawer pull for a missing one on the set, she directed me to the right group!

I needed to add a little something to the bedframe to make it coordinate with the rest of the set so Mary suggested I get a wooden applique (you can find them at Home Depot, or Dykes Lumber). I affixed them with Loctite wood glue, painted and distressed. I LOVE THESE DETAILS!!

I worked for what seems like forever on these pieces but am so proud of the outcome. (E) even got in on it and learned how to sand (there is a video on our YouTube channel because OH MY GOSH its cute).

My finished products (you will get to see them in the room when her room is complete and I post).

Dressers

Mirror

Bedframe

Picture Frame (now awesome bow holder)

Special credit must be given to Auntie’s Crafts and More who helped me to create this awesome bow holder, and is also responsible for filling it up!

If you are interested in taking a class with Mary (count me in)! I already have so many ideas for new projects (and yes I will share). She is holding her next class on 9/26 from 12-3pm . You can follow her on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, BLOG, or you can check out her website: http://www.undergroundfindsandfurniture.com/ .

Father’s Day Project 2015

Posted on June 15, 2015 by RocklandNYMom Posted in Crafts, Specialty Items, Thoughts.. .

Disclosure: This is an unsponsored post. All opinions expressed are my own.

I love home made gifts, but sometimes when it comes to making things for dads it becomes difficult to think of something that you can make and he will be able to use. I also like to incorporate hand or foot prints as often as possible as I think it helps to cement their stage and age well. Sometimes when you are creating something for dad its difficult to think of ideas that are sentimental yet “manly”. This year I think I was able to hit the nail on the head.

To get some inspiration I went to AC Moore and walked around. It didn’t take long before I saw a display with paintable mugs and knew that’s what I would do. I know what you are thinking, not so original, but its what we ended up putting on them that I think made it really special.

As you may know (given our previous posts), our family really enjoys super heroes. Especially the Avengers. It is something that we all watch and have fun with together. I wanted to find a way to do that on the mug. I searched and found some inspiration for creating super heroes out of handprints on the internet and my mind was made up. All that was left was to decide which heroes to depict.

For (A) the choice was simple, Captain America. For (E) it was a little more difficult. At her age (almost 2) I couldn’t be painting too many colors (she curls up her hand or pulls away) it had to be quick. All of the options I saw were of wonder woman, and batgirl, neither of whom she knows. Then we had an idea, the Black Widow. She is an avenger, requires only one color and is a family favorite. (E) even named her bitty baby Natasha Romanov.

(A) started by writing “Super _(DAD/POP/GRANDPA)____” on each mug in a different color to match each personality.

Then we added the handprints for the heroes.

Once dry I was able to add on the details and finishing touches.

I then wrote the year on the bottom.

Here are the finished products!!

All Fired Up!!!

Posted on May 18, 2015 by RocklandNYMom Posted in Crafts, We're Having a Party .

Disclosure: The links in this post are to products through my affiliate link. Although I was not compensated for using these items, I would be should you choose to purchase these items through my link. All opinions expressed are my own.

Firefighter Birthday Party – June 2014

As I begin yet another year of marathon Birthday Party Plans, I thought I would re-share last years post, and make some room on the parties page for the new event to go when its done. Enjoy!!

(A) Loves anything fire related as you know from my review of the FASNY Fire Museum (click here). Last year we did a Superhero Birthday (Click Here) and we had to choose a new theme, so we of course went with firefighter training. My brother is a firefighter in Westchester so at least I had someone experienced to help me make up the activities!

*Click on the purple words for links directly to the items you might want to purchase.*

Invitations – I am an invitation fanatic, I couldn’t find any that I loved from my usual sources so I chose a digital download from Etsy. I absolutely love how it came out. I always take these to Staples and have them printed on Business Card Matte Paper. I like the weight of the paper, it’s not too shiny, and it looks nice. I also have them cut it for me (there are things even I won’t spend time doing).

Decorations-This is of course one of my favorite parts!

Paper Goods- (tablecloths, utensils, cups, napkins, plates, star balloons) Dollar Store, Christmas Tree Shops.
Photo Prop– Kids could stick their faces in and take a picture looking like a real fireman.
Tissue Paper Balls– Christmas Tree Shops, Oriental Trading Company, AC Moore, Michaels, or follow the link. They really look like fire on the wall which is awesome!
Fire Engine Balloons
Garland
Trucks with Hydrants- I put some rocks inside of each truck to keep it on the table.
Extinguisher Drink Dispenser– THEY LOVED THIS!!! (A) is still trying to use it on a daily basis.
Hydrant Cupcake Stand
Free Printables– I found this to be super useful. At the end of the day I ended up using the “Happy Birthday” banner, and the water bottle wraps. I had originally printed out the certificates to hand out as well, but really.. I think it’s cute but parents have one more piece of paper to throw out. So I just printed one for (A) and moved on. If you can’t find printables for free, you can purchase on Etsy like I did for the invitations, but I think it’s not necessary.

The table for kids set up.

Games-I made an itinerary (type A personality), for the party which outlines each of the games that I used. Included in the games are the following items:

Obstacle Course- in two lines, kids had to put on the hat, zig zag through cones while their siren (voices) were going off, crawl through the tunnel, knock down the solo cups with the water packs, go back through the tunnel and then run to their next friend who starts again.

Hydrant Blow Up Decorations
Fire Hats– I had these at the house because (A) already had the outfits at home, but they can be purchased online as well.
Cones
2 Pop Up Tunnels
Solo Cups
2 Water Backpacks– these will not go to waste, as (A) and his father (affectionately named RNYD) run around squirting one another frequently.

(A) drives the truck (runs through cones making the siren noise).

(A) crawls through the tunnel.

(A) puts out the solo cup fire with the water pack.

Put out the House Fire- participants use water balloons to wash the shaving cream off of the house. Bonus was that I used the tissue paper fire, which also disintegrated and fell to the ground, which really helped with the visual idea. You need a LOT of balloons, they go fast. ( I let RNYD and a friend of his spray the house with the shaving cream, they really liked that too).

Shaving Cream
Tissue Paper Fire
Water Balloons– buy at dollar store, I won’t even link it here (but when making in advance, be sure to put them in a bucket of water so they don’t pop themselves!)

(A) in the process of throwing a balloon at the house on fire.

Bucket Brigade- kids use solo cups to move water from one area to another. They work as a team to put out the fire in the second bucket. For older kids they could stand in a line and try to do it by passing the water, but these guys just had to run… and it was fun to watch :o)

Solo Cups
Kiddie Pool- I had this in the garage…
Plastic Tubs – I had these in the basement and put them to good use, but you could use one, or any other container you have sitting around the house.

(A) fills his bucket (solo cup) to put out the fire.

Put out the Fires- buckets with tissue paper placed around the perimeter of the yard so kids can run and put them out by spraying them with the silly string.

Silly String –Dollar store, I purchased blue, green and purple, it was very cool.
Buckets/Pails (had a ton lying around the house, but if you don’t then again, they are available at the dollar store, AC Moore, or Michaels for about a dollar each).
Tissue Paper (yellow and red)- these also look great as décor before the kids run around “putting them out”.

(A) squirts the fire (tissue paper) with his extinguisher (silly string).

Pin the splash on the Fire- we didn’t get to this one, but it’s an updated version of pin the… on the…. The intention was to do it as a pair (firemen work together). I made my own fire poster on foam board but there are some versions you can purchase (follow the link).

Ready and waiting, but we ran out of time.

Stop Drop and Roll Freeze Dance- an updated version of freeze dance, when the music (I used superhero music for the whole party) stops, the kids have to get down and stop drop and roll.

Favors-I don’t love goody bags. I hate to admit it but I usually take out the bubbles and the pencil and then throw out the rest. Especially because of little (E) who still puts everything that she can find in her mouth, there is just no need for it. Instead, I opted for some take homes that I thought the kids and parents would love.

Fire Hats– Can be purchased anywhere (amazon link provided), but your local station may be willing to give you some of the ones that they use for fire prevention month in October.

Hydrant Cups– Loved these! I put the names of each attendee on the wheel on the front so that the kids could use them and tell apart all day! (A) is still drinking out of his a week later.

T-Shirts- I run my own soccer school and have a great relationship with a local printer named Artwill Group. When I was trying to think of favors I contacted them to see if printing some shirts was an option. They did one better! They suggested white shirts with an outlined design on them, and having the kids color them in with fabric markers! It was awesome and the kids all have a cool keepsake to take home. In honor of the idea, they are offering an exclusive package to our readers which includes the design, 25 white shirts, and fabric markers just mention you got the idea here :o).

(A) and a friend work on their shirts.

(A)’s completed shirt.

Food-I didn’t go too crazy here, let’s face it, 4 year olds are not connoisseurs and I decided that part wasn’t really where I needed to focus my energy.

Veggies – Peppers (red, yellow and orange), Baby Carrots, Cherry Tomatoes (red, yellow, orange) and dip. Chips (regular potato and tortilla) with mango salsa.
Pizza
Cake (yellow with vanilla frosting), Cupcakes (chocolate and vanilla with chocolate molded fire hats on top), and fruit salad.
Water, Apple Juice and Soda (for the adults)

The party was a huge success and (A) actually thanked me for the best party ever (my heart melted). I was glad to have done it, but am even more glad that I put two weeks between his party and (E)’s first birthday bash, because I need some recuperation time!!!

Pretzel Bunnies

Posted on April 1, 2015 by RocklandNYMom Posted in Crafts, We're Having a Party, Yumm! .

Disclosure: This is an unsponsored post. All opinions expressed are my own.

I am lucky enough to be on Spring Break this week. (A) is not. In fact, I was lucky because our snack day at school was this week. I like that because during our normal routine I don’t have enough time to make something special (which I enjoy). So we wanted to make something nice and also a little healthy.

I decided on home made soft pretzels, which at first glance seems super labor intensive and difficult. They weren’t. Its a little time consuming, but not difficult.

I used this recipe http://m.allrecipes.com/recipe/24272/buttery-soft-pretzels/?page=0

This was great because (A) could help. Having used lots of dough, he knew how to roll them into “snakes” and then twist them into Bunnies.

We cooked them and then as soon as they came out of the oven, we put melted butter on them and stuck in a chocolate covered egg (as a tail). Then sprinkled coarse sea salt on the top.

That’s it super easy, cute and the kids (and adults) loved them!!

Easter Salt Dough Craft!

Posted on March 28, 2015 by RocklandNYMom Posted in Crafts, Thoughts.. .

Disclosure: This is an unsponsored post. All opinions expressed are my own.

Surprise! I love salt dough (chuckle). It’s true, I have used it a million times, and it’s a great cheap medium for preserving those little miracles. Why else? When little (E) puts it in her mouth (and of course she did) I don’t have to freak out because of something being in it. It’s just flour, salt and water…

Last year I made Valentines out of their feet in the shape of a heart. Then for St. Pats I made Clovers out of their hands. This year I made Hand Print Mittens, and now this!

Let’s review how I do it.

1 cup of fine grain salt
2 cups of flour
1 cup of lukewarm water
Cookie Sheets
Stepping stone imprint letters, numbers and shapes
Oven at 250 for about 4 hours.

Our new first step is to brainstorm together the shapes that we could make. We needed something Easter Themed so we had an issue. I had one idea and he had another… so we did both! (A) wanted to make eggs and I wanted to make Bunnies…. Here is how it went.

As always, they mixed the beginning and I finished it up. Once mixed each kiddo was given some to play with, some stamps, and a tool to use.

During their play time I make the shapes.

Then we add foot and/or handprints. For the Bunny we also used the kiddos fingers for the eyes and nose.

Bake in the oven as always 250 for about 4 hours, and prepare for paint.

We painted both shapes white as a base.

The kids got to pick the colors to paint on top and we were off to the races! Here are our finished products!!

Thanks for reading!!! Love it? Pin it!!!

Seasonal Photo Clock

Posted on March 17, 2015 by RocklandNYMom Posted in Crafts, Photo Obsessed, Uncategorized .

Disclosure: This is an unsponsored post. All opinions expressed are my own.

I’ve lived in my house for 8 years now, and it wasn’t until recently that I really started to personalize the space. For a long while I had a collage of photos on the wall over my couch, but I didn’t love it. It made the space feel dark, so I moved it and put up a clock of photos.

I had great difficulty finding picture frames that were 1. affordable, and 2. a good color for my living room. So, off to the local craft stores I went. I purchased and painted my own frames. The feedback from friends and family was very positive so I posted it for you all. People loved it.

Here are the items I used:

Vinyl Lettering
Clock Hands and Motor
Clock Motor Cover Hub
Frames from AC Moore (used coupons)

Painting Frames: It takes 2-3 coats of paint to cover these. Once dry I sand to distress, and then spray a seal on it for a little shine. I purchase these at AC Moore but they are available anywhere.

Then, while decorating for Christmas this year I decided I wanted to jazz things up. Since the frames are held up with those 3M Velcro things its easy for me to remove and replace photos. I took out the 12, 3, 6, and 9 o’clock hours and replaced them with red picture frames that I put the past 4 years Santa Photos in. Shared it with you all and you loved it.

Well, I’ve decided to do the same with the Easter Bunny photos and allowed you all to vote on the color of the frames.

You all were given options.I tallied responses.

Frames were painted and sealed.

Here is the result!!!

Simple Silhouettes

Posted on February 21, 2015 by RocklandNYMom Posted in Crafts, Thoughts.. .

Disclosure: This is an unsponsored post, just a fun, inexpensive craft that also makes a fantastic decoration around the house.

I love using old ideas. One idea that I love and actually seems to be making a resurgence on the decorating circuit are silhouettes. I have recently seen them pop up everywhere. You can order laser cut ones made from wood and painted (beautiful but super costly), you can send an email with a photo to a professional. If you are great with Photoshop you can create one there.

I use an old school method, I have been super happy with so I thought I would share. I have another project coming up that I plan to make for my mother for Mother’s Day that I will share as it gets closer.

I start by attempting to take a profile picture of the kiddos. (A)’s has been up for years since I did it when he was super young. I had made one for (E) too but didn’t like it so I decided to redo it this week.

Once I have it (and it doesn’t have to be good quality a quick cell phone pic will do the trick). I print it out in the size I desire (both of mine are 8×10). I trace the outline of the object I am making a silhouette of with either a marker or in this case I used a red pen.

The picture I am using.

All Traced to cut out.

I then tape the photo to a piece of cardstock in the color I want to use. This paper is available at ANY craft store, I have packages that I keep on hand that have pretty much every color. I use special paper crafting scissors that are small, have a nice pointy top and are super sharp (Amazon affiliate link here).

Here I am attaching the photo to the cardstock I am using.

Here is the profile half done, and the scissors I use for paper crafting.

Once its cut out I use a standard glue stick to adhere the silhouette to a piece of scrapbook paper that I have chosen (12×12 in this case).

All Cut out and ready to attach.

Attached to my chosen background.

I put it in the frame and hang.

Here are the silhouettes of my kiddies hanging in the dining room at home.

Here are the silhouettes I made for the kids room. They share so I have both themes at play (flowers that we grow in our gardens and our chocolate lab).

Cute as a “Button” family Valentine!

Posted on February 9, 2015 by RocklandNYMom Posted in Crafts, Thoughts.. .

Disclosure: This is an unsponsored post. All opinions expressed are my own.

I am not going to lie, I was caught off guard by our snow day. I always have a craft or something prepared. This time I was convinced that we were going to have a delay. My guys are still a little young to be outside all day, especially since today wasn’t nice fluffy snow. So I had to rummage to find something to make with the kiddos. I am actually super pleased and we can check one more item off of our never ending “to do” list.

I prefer to make our Valentines for family than to purchase gifts. Last year everyone got a Valentine’s Day Salt Dough project. This year would have to be a little different. I rummaged around and love what I came up with. Love that I was able to incorporate a few super important teaching areas as well (the teacher in me never sleeps either). Here we go.

We started by brainstorming a word associated with Valentine’s Day. (A) came up with the word “LOVE”. We sounded it out (Mr. Ric would be so proud of us) and then we spoke about how to write the letters. He then wrote it at the top of each paper. Since (A) doesn’t love practicing his writing this is a great way for me to get him to do it.

We of course used a hand print. Which was great because (A) and (E) both pretty much know the deal and how to do this by now. (A) used red and then we used red and white to make pink, I was out so we had to figure it out. (A) knew how to do it so it was all his idea ;o).

I had a bucket of buttons in the office (what? doesn’t everybody?). I pulled them out and some containers as well. (A) brainstormed the favorite color of each of their “Valentine’s”. He then sorted the buttons into the containers. (E) was in on the action too.

Once the prints were dry we drew a heart and glued buttons in the shape.

As they dried we added the year and then put them into 5×7 frames I purchased at a craft store (with a 50% coupon of course).

Yeah those are our creative snacks too, brain food!!

As I thought about it I was impressed at how many teaching points we were able to hit in this small and fun project. We did colors (and mixing), fine motor writing, crafts of course, sorting, pincer grasp, sizes (of buttons), and literacy. Super proud of my kiddies, and of their home made Valentines!

Head Over WHEELS For You Valentine!

Posted on February 9, 2015 by RocklandNYMom Posted in Crafts, Thoughts.., We're Having a Party .

Disclosure: This is an unsponsored post. All opinions expressed are my own.

Valentines day is special. Its a great time for kids and (A)’s school does so many cute things. The one thing I am not a fan of is all the candy. Its a common gripe of mine. As a cookie and candy addict myself (see my review of German Grocery and its amazing treats), I make every effort to teach my kids that sweets are a treat. They are not something that needs to be consumed on a daily basis, or in mass quantities. I try to teach them that it is actually more enjoyable to have one really good cookie than a bag of any old treat. In that same thought I try then to send in Valentines that do not include candy to the class each year. Here is what I came up with this year.

(A) really loves Hot Wheels Cars. So does (E) for that matter. They are small and fun and encourage imagination, and they don’t break the bank. So this year we decided to make Hot Wheels Valentines.

It actually took me a little while to come up with the phrase “Head over WHEELS for you Valentine!” I originally planned to do “Like you Loads!” but couldn’t find enough trucks to follow through.

First I created a template to use as the card. I used publisher and have uploaded it here for you. (A)’s school requires that the kids sign their own names if they can, so we left a space inside the hearts.

Head Over Wheels Valentine

I purchased the 5-packs of cars to use on them. I wanted to be able to attach them without ruining the cars, so we used “cold” hot glue. It doesn’t reach super high temperatures so it won’t melt the car wheels, but will hold for our purposes.

Here’s the class set!!!

That’s it! Hope you enjoy!!

‘Let it Snow’ Day Project!

Posted on January 29, 2015 by RocklandNYMom Posted in Crafts, Specialty Items .

Disclosure: This is an unsponsored post. All opinions are my own.

I love preserving handprints and footprints. I use them for almost everything. Something about how fleeting they are. You blink and they are grown. I feel that way when I look at my little (A). I just had to sign him up for (GULP) kindergarten!!! I also, love salt dough. It’s true, I have used it a million times, and it’s a great cheap medium for preserving those little miracles. Why else? When little (E) puts it in her mouth (and of course she did) I don’t have to freak out because of something being in it. It’s just flour, salt and water…

Last year I made Valentines out of their feet in the shape of a heart. Then for St. Pats I made Clovers out of their hands. This year of course had to be a little different.

Let’s review how I do it.

1 cup of fine grain salt
2 cups of flour
1 cup of lukewarm water
Cookie Sheets
Stepping stone imprint letters, numbers and shapes
Oven at 250 for about 4 hours.

We chose an appropriate shape for this month’s design (I say month because let’s face it, I will probably do this again soon). As we were SUPPOSED to get the storm of the century we decided to do mittens, with their hands inside of them.

I let the kids mix as long as they can. Once they are sufficiently bored with that part I mix it completely.

I then give each of them a piece for them to play with until I need their hand print.

I free hand the design for the ornament. Last year I cut them out with shapes, but I didn’t love the sharp edges.

They are both pros at making impressions with their hands and feet at this point so it is quick and easy. I help (A) push in the numbers for the year, and then make little holes for the ribbon to go through when we are done.

Bake them for roughly 4 hours on 250 (I make mine thick, and want them completely dry).

Once cool, we paint them. You don’t have to, but that’s fun for them, and fun to look at as decorations for me.

I let the kids choose their own colors. It’s nice for them to participate so much now that they are older.

Let them dry and then put around the edges in sharpie the things that they love right now. This was a nice exercise in brainstorming, as (A) came up with things that each of them really liked.

Then surprise a loved one with a little cute present. I always make one for us and one or two to pass on to grandparents, aunts etc. I used to try to make for everyone, but that was SOOO much work. Now we make two extra and the kids get to decide who gets them. Here are the finished products!!

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