January 13, 2012

Cloud Dough

I first saw this fun "dough" at the awesome Tinkerlab back in November.  I thought it sounded interesting and it couldn't be more simple to make, but I just never got around to pulling out a container and the ingredients (all two of them!).  Well, earlier this week I decided to let my youngest make a batch while the older two worked on their homework.

It was fun to mix together and has such a neat texture ~ super soft, fluffy, dry, yet moldable.  I can see why it's called Cloud Dough, it really does feel like you'd imagine a cloud to be.



Now wait till you see how easy it is to make.  This is all you need ~ flour and oil!

We used baby oil, but Tinkerlab used canola and it worked fine too.

In a large, shallow container, measure out 8 cups of flour.
  
Then measure one cup of oil.


 Enlist the help of your big brother to mound the flour into a large pile and pour in the oil.


Combine the mixture with your hands until all the oil is mixed in and it holds its shape when squeezed.

That's it!  Time to have fun.

She liked patting it down into shapes.

My son liked building a "wall" using a tablespoon.

We ended up adding just a little bit more oil, maybe tablespoon or so, to help the dough hold its shape just a little bit better without becoming greasy.  You will be able to pick up your molded shapes if you're very careful, but if you squeeze too hard they'll crumble.




Our Cloud Dough was a big hit.   Every day after school this week, the kids have gone downstairs to play with it (which just goes to show that even when you're school aged and there's video games, TV, and countless other "big kid" activities, you're never too old to have fun with the basics).  The texture is fun and it's really not that messy, plus you're likely to have everything you need on hand.

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January 10, 2012

What I've Been Doing (instead of crafting)

Okay, after my little break over the Christmas holidays, I was totally planning on getting back to regular posting here on the blog.  However, looking around my house in the days after New Years, I decided I needed to do some sprucing up and organizing.

If you take a peek at what my daughters' room looked like this past Friday, you can see what I mean...


Yup, I'm keeping it real here.  Notice the curtains that are broken and hanging crooked, the overflowing bookshelves, and the little craft table they brought up from the playroom and plopped in the middle of the room.  (Not shown clearly in the photo is also a dingy, stained carpet and faded, dingy walls).  I last painted this room when my 9 year old was turning one, so it's been a long time.

I'm not quite ready for the big reveal yet (give me another week or so), but we are making good progress. 

I did have a little help with the painting, until the girls started arguing too much over who got which painting tools and who got more wall to paint.

My oldest looks a little grouchy because she got stuck with the paintbrush...

... while my youngest got a turn with the fun, little roller.

 Here's just a little peek at their new room...

Colors chosen entirely by them ~ (pink and green is a preteen's dream!)


Of course, my son was feeling a bit left out, but his room had just been painted a few years ago and still looked fine.  However, his room is really small and he had no room for a desk.  I spotted a good deal on a loft bed on Craigslist, so I surprised him today by picking it up and having it all ready for him when he got off the bus from school.  


Let me tell you, after spending all day moving out his old bed, driving cross town to pick up the new one, bringing it into the house in several pieces, then putting it all together by myself with no directions, I'm so glad my son was truly thrilled to walk into his bedroom after school.  (However, I don't want to see another allen wrench for at least a couple months!)

So, I apologize for not having any new crafty posts or activities, but I am really excited for the new updates I'm bringing to our home.  I'll be sharing my daughters' room reveal soon along with a few neat little things I'm doing in there.  

Right now, I'm enjoying a rare glass of wine and I'm going to try to go to bed early tonight.  (I'd give myself a pat on the back, but right now, I can't lift my arms above my shoulders!! ) 


January 5, 2012

Puzzle Gift Certificate

 One of Santa's gifts to our family this year was season passes to a local amusement park.  Although the passes took up a big chunk of the Christmas budget and will bring fun times all year long, there was really nothing to wrap or anything fun to present on Christmas morning.  Then Santa's elves had the idea for a puzzle.  It was a fun little activity to do in the midst of present opening, and it would work for any gift that is not wrap-able.



As you can see,the "gift certificate" was just printed on a blank puzzle.  

(The elves found these puzzles leftover from my teaching days, but you can often find them really inexpensively in teacher's stores, craft stores, or  HERE on Amazon )

Then the pieces were separated and put in a plastic bag.  

(Oops, somehow I missed grabbing a picture of this ~ but the bag just had a sticker on it that said "#1 SOLVE THIS"  and then there was a little token gift that was wrapped with a sticker that read "#2 OPEN THIS")

The kids truly LOVED putting the puzzle together and trying to figure out the message as the words were gradually revealed.


Of course, they also loved the big candy bar that they unwrapped after solving the puzzle.



I think this puzzle idea would be a great way to present any kind of gift certificate or announce some kind of special treat.  It definitely was a hit here.

Sharing our puzzle at:
Tip Junkie handmade projects

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