Turkey Crafts!

  Thanksgiving is so close and most work places (and schools and day-cares) are closed for at least part of the week. If you are looking for some fun projects to do with the kiddos when they are home look no further! 
   We had so much fun at school this week with the 'turkey' theme. If you want more detailed instructions for any of these crafts, click on over to my facebook page!

www.facebook.com/blossomingbuttons

Coffee Filter/Toilet Paper Roll Turkey

Handprint Turkey

 

 Paper Bag Turkey

Turkey Cupcakes

Paper Plate Turkey

Preschool Daily Helpers!

    I love this project because it was cheap, effective and adorable!  I needed a way to keep track of who was line leader, caboose, lunch helper, door holder, etc. in my preschool class so I made this chart to use every morning during circle time.  The kids LOVE it. The best part is that there are not enough 'helpers' for everyone to have a job every day so they have to earn the privilege to be a helper....and you better believe I use that to my advantage!

 

Materials:

• poster sized styrofoam board
• gift card holders
• tongue depressors or popsicle sticks
• heavy duty cardstock
• black sharpie
• glue gun (or heavy duty glue)
• velcro stickers (optional)

    Start by purchasing a poster sized styrofoam board and some gift card holders (I got both of these at the dollar store!).  Decide how many daily helpers you will need each day and how many extras you will need to store the extra names.  Before you are ready to glue, arrange the holders on the poster board until you are happy with the overall look.

    Now, cut the bottom rounded section off of the gift card holder so you have a flat bottom to hold the helper sticks in place.  Glue the bottom 1/2" of the holders shut so the sticks don't slip through.  Then attach the holders to the poster board with some heavy duty glue or a glue gun.  I also added several velcro stickers on the back of the board so I could stick it to the bottom carpeted section of my classroom at school.

   Make the name sticks by writing each child's name on heavy duty cardstock and cutting them to size.  Hot glue them to the top of the popsicle sticks and let them dry for a few minutes.

   Draw pictures and the name of the helpers on cardstock (this helps the kids recognize their job) and cut them to fit on top of each helper pocket.  I also hot glued these into place.

   Now you are ready to start your daily helper routine! It is a great way for kids to feel comfortable in a regular routine and to work toward a goal of being a helper.  Not only does it provoke some great conversation about helping out and earning a reward but it also gives them something to look forward to at circle time everyday.

Astronaut Helmets!

  This is such a great art project if you are having a Space theme or talking about astronauts with your class. My kids loved experimenting with tin foil and we had a center that day that allowed them to manipulate it and discover the shapes they could make out of it. Overall, it is a simple project but it lends itself great to imaginative play. Enjoy, my fellow moon-goers!

 

Materials:

• Paper Plates
• Aluminus foil
• Elmer's Glue
• Black Construction Paper
• USA Stickers (optional)
• Pipe Cleaners
• Hole Puncher
• Scissors

Start by cutting the helmet's visor out with a pair of scissors.  Then allow each child to tear up pieces of tin foil and glue them to the plate itself. Once they are satisfied with the amount of coverage, glue on the USA sticker and the two circle shaped ear pieces to either side.

   Let the helmet dry for at least 45 minutes before using a hole punch to make two holes on either side of the helmet.  String a pipe cleaner through each hole and twist them so they are secure.


 
  Attach the helmet to the child's head by twisting the two pipe cleaners around eachother so the helmet is snug. Now let the imaginative play begin! You can go to the moon or service your spaceship, the opportunities are endless!

Enjoy!
 

Spider Bulletin Board!

I love Halloween and I love decorating. I was so thrilled that I was back to work as a preschool teacher just in time for the fun holidays :) This bulletin board is super easy and it gets the kids involved in decorating the room for Halloween. 

 

Materials:

• Black Butcher Block Paper
• White Construction Paper
• Glue
• Glitter
• Black Sharpie
• Stapler
• White Butcher Block Paper
• Shaving Cream
• Black Paint

   Start by covering the bulletin board with white butcher block paper or sheets of white construction paper if you don't have access to butcher block paper.  Next, starting in a corner, draw several diagonal lines with a black sharpie to create the base of the spider web  then connect them with swoop shaped lines to finish the web.
    To create the small spiders on the web, trace the kids hands back to back on white construction paper. Cut out the kids' hands the day before you are going to paint them. Now that they are cut, let them paint them a mixture of shaving cream, Elmer's glue and black paint. Use one part glue to two parts shaving cream then add in paint to get the black color you desire.   I let my kids paint the hands with q-tips but a paint brush will work, too.
   To make the large spider, start by cutting two large circles out of black paper.  Staple the sides of the spider ever 1/2"or so. Leave the top of the circle un-stapled until you stuff it with scrap paper or anything you can find that is light weight (packing peanuts are great, too).  Once he is stuffed, staple the top shut and do the same process for his head, just a smaller circle.  Now, cut 8 strips of butcher block paper for the legs; 4 long, 4 short (and two for the fangs if you wish).  Roll them up length wise so they are 3 dimensional and set them aside until you are ready to assemble the spider.  
   Use Elmer's glue to create the spots, or any design you wish, on the spider and dust it with glitter. Allow it to dry before you staple it to the bulletin board.  Create the eyes by using white and black circles from the left over paper.
   Staple the large portion of the body to the bulletin board and continue with the staples until you are sure he is securely up there.  Now attach the head and legs the same way, as well as the kids spider hands! 
   My kids were so excited when they came in the next day and this spider was there to greet them. Happy Halloween, everyone!

 

Spooky Halloween Door!

  The school I work at is having a Halloween door decorating contest, so of course, my first thought was to get the kids involved! They loved making these Q-tip skeleton hands and the white painted ghosts. The contest begins soon and whoever gets the most votes will win a class set of books and a pizza party! Wish us luck!!!

 

Materials:

• Yellow & Black Butcher Block Paper (or construction paper)
• Orange, White& Black Construction Paper
• Q-tips
• White Paint
• Green Tissue Paper
• Elmer's Glue 
• Black Paint Pen

    I made the skeleton hands the day before I assembled the door because they require a good amount of Elmer's glue that needs to dry overnight.   Allow the kids to trace their hand on a half sheet of black construction paper, some may need extra help with this, but encourage them to try. Use a pencil on the black construction paper so you can see the outline.
   Then, allow the kids to coat the hand, generously, with Elmer's glue.  Use Q-tips of various sizes  and let the kids assemble the 'bones' on their hand.  Pre-cut several Q-tips ahead of time; I kept some whole and cut some into halves and thirds.  You can account for about 6-7 Q-tips per child.

 To make the ghosts, I just taped large sheets of black butcher block paper to the tables and allowed the kids to use white paint to fill in ghost shapes I drew on the paper. Drawing a ghost shape is easy, it's basically a sheet with waves on the bottom :)
   These turned out great and I let the kids sprinkle some ghost shimmer (glitter) onto the wet paint. They really shine on the door and the kids love them. I added the faces once they dried with a black paint pen. I'll let each child bring one home when we take them down, as well as the skeleton hand that I labeled so each child can bring their own home!

   As for the rest of the door, I googled an image search for a 'haunted house' and drew the shape onto a black piece of construction paper with a regular pencil. I then cut out the windows and doors and taped it to the door and added a yellow moon shape behind it, also in construction paper. The hill was made the same way. 
   The yellow butcher paper covers two thirds of the door and the green tissue paper, crinkled up, covers the bottom third.  The graves were made out of white construction paper, sharpie and a gray crayon. The pumpkins were drawn with sharpie on an orange piece on construction paper and a green piece or curled gift ribbon was taped behind them.
   I added the graves, then the kid's skeleton hands on top of the graves...They took a few pieces of rolled up tape each but they are staying up :)
  I hope you enjoyed my Halloween door!!! I'm so excited to see if we win the pizza party, I might just buy pizza for my kids anyway...they helped and they deserve it!
       Happy Halloween!

Bubble Wrap Turtles

   My kiddos loved making these bubble wrap turtles to go along with our swamp unit. They require a bit of up front cutting, but the kids love assembling the parts and the bubble wrap technique is pretty cool.

Materials:

• White, green, blue and yellow construction paper 
•  Googlie Eyes (two per turtle)
• Glue
• Bubble wrap
• Green paint
• Paintbrush

  Cut the white construction paper into a shell shape, the green construction paper into four legs and one tail and the yellow paper into a the shape of a head.
   Use about a 10"x6" piece of bubble wrap, bubble side up, and let your child paint the bubbles 'turtle' green with a paintbrush. Then, push the white turtle shell into the bubbles and peel it away, leaving it looking like a turtle shell!
   Now, glue the shell to a blue piece of construction paper, as well as the other turtle 'parts.' Finally, let them glue on their goolie eyes. Voila! You have a turtle! I used this as part of the Swap unit in my 3-year old class. My kids really enjoyed learning about turtles so I decided to add this project :)
   I always like to watch several kids do the same project, it's always interesting how different they turn out even when they have the same supplies.  Art is so great for kids and they really enjoy it! Happy Turtle Shell making, everyone!!! :)

DIY Thomas the Train Brick Tunnel

  My son LOVES Thomas the Train right now and any other mom experiencing this stage of childhood is also experiencing the cost. Thomas is adorable.  I have to admit they are pretty durable but they are pricey! We have found several pieces at the thrift store that I was able to clean but whenever we splurge and buy any new piece my stomach turns a little bit. However, we can create many awesome Thomas accessories at home! Check it out!

 Materials:

• Shoebox
• Paint (red, brown and green)
• Large, flat tipped paintbrush
• Trains (of any sort)
• Scissors

   First, I cut the two 'tunnel' holes into either side of the upside down shoe box. You can cut them into any shape, but I made ours rounded becuase it was easier not to have to make a sharp corner turn with the scissors. 
   Now, paint your tunnel however you want to. You could just let your child paint all over with no pattern, or if they're old enough (my almost 3 year old did this) you can show them a new kind of painting technique. We used modified stippling technique. To achieve this, dab the end of a flat paintbrush against the outside of the shoebox over and over.  I showed my little guy that if you dipped the brush in brown then red that it would give it a shadow effect. He got it and our bricks turned out really great!
  Then, he decided we needed trees on the outside of the tunnel. Easy Peasy.  Just use the same stippling technique as you did with the bricks, but with green paint.
  After the tunnel has dried you are ready to play! Just set the tunnel over your Thomas tracks (or any train or truck or car for that matter) and enjoy the hours of entertainment! We have already made an egg carton tunnel and a paper towel roll castle (posts coming soon) all using recycled materials!
                                                              Happy Tunnel Making!!!

Shark Birthday Party!

   I am always thrilled when a customer emails me with pictures of my products used at their fabulous parties. This sweet customer, who I have known for several years now,  put on a shark/water themed party for her now two year old!
    I can still remember seeing pictures when little Gus was born, such a sweet little man and close in age to my little guy, too.   I always get excited when Clare emails me to get working on another custom project.....like her little bundle of joy due this July! Can't wait to whip up some more custom work for little 'E' when she arrives!
  Thank you, Clare, for sharing your little man's awesome day! I loved looking at the pictures!

 

Clare used a custom BB banner to hang behind the snack table....These banners come ready to cut and hang, or printable! You can either hole punch each piece to assemble with a ribbon, or use clothespins like Clare did to hang...looks so cute either way!

Click here to see more custom banners!

 

I love how she used blow ups to go with the water theme, love the palm tree!

 

Together, Clare and I came up with this Shark Invitation....she choose this design from about 5 or 6 proofs I sent to her and I think she chose the right one. So cute!

To see more BB kids invitations, click here!

 

Finally, Clare wanted some sticky labels for her goodie bags. These are address label sized custom labels that matched her invitations and banner. Glad they worked out and looked so adorable!

To see some more labels, click here! 

Remember, anything can be customized!!!

 

Hiding the Clutter!!!

   

This is a trick that I use ALL over our house. A basket can house a number of things and make a cluttered room look instantly pulled together. The only problem I have with a traditional basket is it's color. I love a good accent color and the old looking wood just doesn't do it for me anymore. 

   I used black Krylon spray paint on this basket to revamp my kitchen. Instantly it looks new and polished and keeps all of my bills, grocery lists, batteries, band-aids, match box cars and whatever was on my counter when the doorbell rang, put away.....a quick whish of the wrist and my clutter looks 'organized.' Nobody will ever know about the secret hoarder that lives inside of me when I'm home alone :)  The best part is. This project cost about $2. I bought the basket at Goodwill for $1 and I already had the can of spray paint in the garage but I only used about half a can!

Materials:

• Thrift store basket
• Spray Paint
• Cluttered space 
•  

 Here's the spray paint I always use and LOVE:

•  

Stock the Bar Party!

  

   This will just be a quick post but I wanted to share my new 'Stock the Bar' line from Blossoming Buttons...This invite design has been my most viewed on Etsy so I decided I should make matching cupcake toppers!

  This design comes in both printable and pre-printed and are great for decorating a themed party on a budget! If you are planning an upcoming wedding shower take a look!

DIY Shoots and Tunnels Car Garage

This project really became a favorite in my household.   Not only was this 'shoots and tunnels car garage' (as we call it) fun to make but it has also logged many hours in our household as favorite toy.  It is super easy to make,  completely made of recycled materials, and is a really sturdy toy that has really proven its durability.  Eli, my two year old, is so into cars right now. Really, anything with wheels that moves.  He has had more fun with this homemade contraption than with any other new toy he has acquired.  I feel good knowing that he can still appreciate the simple (and cheap) things in life. :)

Materials:

• Soda 24 pack cardboard box
• 3-5 paper towel/toilet paper rolls
• scotch tape
• scissors
• paint
• Hot glue gun (optional)
• Stickers (optional)

   Start by deciding where you want your 'shoots and tunnels' to end up. Arrange them so the cars will end up in different places once out of the tunnels.  Think outside (or inside) of the box :) I cut two holes in our soda box so one tunnel could go through the box... I really scored some mommy points for this idea.

  Tape or hot glue the shoots and tunnels into place. I put tape around the outside of some of the rolls and some on each opening.

   Once you have all the shoots and tunnels you want, paint the entire thing with any color paint. We just used one color but you could also paint a scene, highway, etc. all over it if you child is a bit older and able to paint 'things.'

   We painted before nap time so it could dry for a few hours, then we added foam transportation themed stickers all over it....done! Our 'shoots and tunnels car garage' as Eli promptly called it was ready for action! 

   Eli still plays with this daily and we made it over a two weeks ago...it has also held up and so far (knock on wood) and I have not had to patch it up anywhere!

  Enjoy this fun, simple project and take the time to explain to your kids the importance of recycling and using our imagination! 
 

Super Fab Art Display Clips

   These super sparkly and fabulous clips are the perfect way to display your kid's artwork! You may get sick of seeing those ugly vacation magnets or just feel like their artwork deserves more attention...I did! 
   As soon as I started using these clips for Eli's art I could tell that he felt special.  He loved that I was using the 'special clips' to display his art. A little bit of recognition can go a long way in proving to them that they are amazing...because they are!

Materials:

• Clothespins
• Two part Epoxy Glue
• Spray Paint
•  Glitter!

   Begin by spray painting your clothespins with a thin layer so they have a some color underneath the glitter. Allow the paint to dry a few minutes before you add one last coat. If you are going for the ombre look, just swipe another lighter shade spray paint on the upper half of the clothespin.  Move the can over the clips quickly to get more of a faded look.

   Once the paint has completely dried you can glue the magnet onto the back of the clothespin. I used a two part epoxy to make sure the magnet didn't come loose after a few uses.
   Now add the glitter :) I used Elmer's Glue for the glitter becuase it isn't really holding alot of weight. Add glue to all or part of the front of the clothespin and sprinkle on the glitter.

   Voila! You have a fabulous new way to display your kids awesome art! You could also attach art to a 'clothesline' display using these sparkly clothespins! Now go let them make some new art that you can hang!

 If you love these super fab clips but just don't have time to make them, check them out in my Etsy shop for only $2.50!

BB in Craft Shows again!

   I'm so excited to say that I have decided to start back into the craft show market. They really are so much fun. I especially love meeting all of the other vendors and getting feedback from fellow artists. It is so encouraging to hear other people say nice things about your work. I know I'm not five, but I still get excited when someone says I am talented :)
   Here are a few pics from my new set up from the Latimer Hall Arts & Crafts Show. This really is a cool show that happens once a month in downtown Woodstock, Ga. If you're in the area, come on by and check us out. The next show is June 15th!

Owl Canvas $45

 Abstract Flower $35

 Moustache Mason Jar $14.95, shot glass $8.

 Super Fab Yellow Sparkle Display Clips $2.50

Super Fab Blue and Green Sparkly Display Clips $2.50

 Purple Hand Painted Side Table $65

 Matted Blossoming Buttons Print $17

 Fill in the Blank Thank You Notes with matching printed envelopes

   So glad to have met all of you other vendors at the show on Sat. and really look forward to seeing you again! Please visit my facebook page for daily updates and new products!
 Or, check out my listings in my Etsy shop!

Here are some of my listings that I featured at the show! Click the links to see more pictures!

*Moustache Shot Glasses
*Moustache Mason Jar Glass
*Super Fab Art Display Clips

Thrifted Toy Storage

  

    I have been buying and painting furniture from the thrift store for as long as I can remember. My favorite piece I got before going off to college, where I knew I would have my own space to design and fill. I bought a vintage school desk and painted it orange and left on the old flowery knobs. I still have this piece of furniture, after many different coats of paint and several knob changes, it sits in my son's room and once served as his changing table. I love to give things a new look.... when you're decorating on a budget (and don't want plastic furniture) this is the perfect way to transform a space. You are also doing a solid for mother earth-you should always consider buying a 'used' or as I like to call is 'seasoned' piece of furniture. Not only are you being green, but you will feel so good once you have completed a great project for your own home, all by yourself :)

Materials: 

• one piece of used or 'seasoned' furniture
• Paper towels and cleaner
• Paint color of choice (I used 1/2 a can for this piece.) 
•  Medium size brush
• New knobs

    First choose your piece of furniture. I knew I needed more storage in my son's playroom.    I was looking for something with a few drawers, that wasn't too tall, he's a climber.  I found this old t.v. cabinet and it was missing the top drawer. Because of this it was marked down to $7. I SAID SEVEN DOLLARS, PEOPLE! Usually, I would expect to pay around $15 or so for a piece this size, still way cheaper than new!  

    I always wipe down the surface of any thrift furniture I buy.  You never know where it has been or who has touched it, so I always recommend washing off your thrift finds before you begin painting, or using it even if you don't paint it.
   Now remove the old knobs. Even if you don't plan on replacing the knobs (some do come with pretty hardware) still remove them so you don't get paint on them.  They could also use a good wash if you plan on using its original hardware. If you like the knobs but not the color, why not paint them, too? They make specific spray paint for metal-go for it!
   Paint the furniture with a good quality paint. I had Behr interior paint left over so I used the rest of that. Don't try to use left over 'craft' paint like acrylic or oil. It will just end up chipping and wearing over a short period of time and then all your hard work will be ruined!
   Let your first coat dry overnight and give it a second coat once you are sure the first is completely dry.

   Replace the knobs after you give it another night to sit and dry. I also found these knobs at Goodwill. I paid $2.94 for a bag of about 30 knobs. What. A. Deal.  I've already used these on several different pieces around the house. You never know what people will get rid of :)

   Lastly, stock pile those drawers and enjoy the new storage and newly found floor space! We use ours as a garage. That's where all of Eli's cars 'live' and he knows where to put them all when it's clean up time! I put two large baskets in the 'empty drawer' and even stored puzzles in bewtween them :) Enjoy your recycled storage, we do!!!!

 

Here are some knobs I love :)