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!!!

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 :)

  

10 minute Binoculars!!!

    We made these binoculars on a day when I had a lot of house work and we needed to be inside for a while.  they are so easy to make and my son had a blast walking around 'looking for treasure' or 'discovering that squirrel outside the window' :) It's funny how something this simple can really spark their imagination!

Materials:

• Two empty toilet paper rolls (or one paper towel roll cut in half)
• String (long enough to fit very loosely around the child's neck)
• Stickers, markers (anything to decorate) 
• Hot glue gun 

   
This is such an easy, almost self explanatory craft. Allow your little one to decorate the toilet paper tubes and hot glue them together down the middle. Cut two small holes on either side of the tubes for the 'binocular strap.'  Tie the string on either side and you are ready to go exploring! 

Recycled Alligator

My son had so much fun making this little guy. He loves learning about any kind of animal and especially loves painting new things so this was right up his alley. I had all the 'recycled parts' laying around so I was excited when this project came to mind. It's also a great opportunity to teach your kids the importance of recycling. My little guy got a brand new toy from practically nothing and he really enjoys making his alligator CHOMP CHOMP CHOMP!

Materials:

• Half an Egg Carton
• One Toilet Paper Tube (or half a paper towel tube)
• Construction Paper  
• Craft Glue (or hot glue gun)
• Green Paint
• Googlie Eyes

  Start by cutting your egg carton in half long ways to create the alligator's body. Now cut the two egg holders off of the top of the strand and keep them to use for the Alligator's eyes later.  Allow your child to paint the egg carton pieces and the toilet paper tube together.  We took a break to allow the parts to dry and ate lunch. It's hard to assemble when it's wet so I reccommend letting them dry first. You could always let your child color the 'parts' with marker if you are in a time crunch or just don't have the patience to wait :)
   When all the parts are dry, attach the eyes (the two egg holders) to the Alligator body (egg carton) by applying craft glue to the base of the eyes. Hold it in place for about 20 seconds until the glue sets.  Then attach the toilet paper tube to the eyes the same way.  Put two dots of glue on the eye egg holder and apply the googlie eyes wherever you think looks best.
   I created the alligator's legs and teeth from construction paper. Simply cut rough leg shapes out and glue to the underside of the alligator.  Cut a zig zag pattern from white construction paper and glue them to either side of the toilet paper tube, creating the teeth on the snout of the alligator. 
  Check out the alligator canvas on Etsy I made after being inspired by this project! Happy crafting!
   What are you going to do with the other half of your egg carton??? Why, make an Egg Carton Caterpillar of course!

Recycled Train!

This week I took my little guy to a The Train Museum. Ok, it was actually called The Southern Museum of Civil War & Locomotive History, but we call it the Train Museum in our house, for obvious reasons.  "We" are obsessed with trains. My husband found this site when we were looking for new parks to visit and thought Eli would love it. He did. We spend over 3 hours there! They even had a mommy and me class that we attended (free with museum admission) and loved every second of it! The class teacher, Mr. Ken, is a former kindergarten teacher and was absolutely great at keeping the kids attention. Always a plus when you are attending any kind of class like that, especially with a two year old. 
  We learned and sang about the parts of the train, saw what made the train move, climbed on a foam train and we even made a recycled train at the end of the class. I was most impressed with the craft train. You know I love a good craft, but I love a good recycled craft even more :)  We will definitely be attending many more classes at The Train Museum that is for sure! If you are in the Kennesaw, Ga. area I highly recommend you stop by for a visit, especially on a Thursday when they are having the train class!

   Materials:

• Small Cardboard box (Tea Bag boxes are great)
• Toilet paper roll
• Wine cork
• Black construction paper (any color will do if you don't have black)
• Half an egg carton
• Paper plate
• Washable Paint
• Paintbrush
• Crafter's Glue/ Hot Glue
• Scotch tape

   Start by cutting your egg carton in half with a long, serrated knife.  Tape both sides together so your train body will stay intact when you are painting in the end.  Next, cut your box in half using the same large knife. This is obviously a job for a grown up before they kids are involved :)  I like to get all of my 'supplies' together before we sit down so I don't end up with a frustrated little boy.  The last 'prep step' is cutting a triangle out of a paper plate. If you have a small paper plate you can just quarter it and use one of the pieces for your 'cow-catcher' on the front of the train.
  Now that the prep is done you can get your little one involved. Using the crafter's glue, attach the Tea Box to the top of the upside-down egg carton.  I like crafter's glue because it dries faster than Elmer's but is still safe for them to use...with supervision. Hold the box in place for about 15 seconds to let it set. Count out loud and encourage your kids to count with you.  Eli is really into counting now so he digs this part.
   Next, attach the toilet paper roll to the top of the train body, or egg carton. Hold it for about 15 seconds. 
   Attach the quarter piece of paper plate to the front of the train using scotch tape. The teacher called this a 'cow catcher' at the mommy and me train class, but it is actually called a 'cow killer' as one of the other moms so eloquently put it...adding that our kids are to sheltered these days. I just shook my head and quietly agreed as I turned by chair back around :)

  Now attach the wine cork to the center of the toilet paper roll using some more craft glue. Hold it for a bit longer, maybe 25 seconds,  so it can dry and will stay put. 
   The last step to assembling the train is adding the wheels. Cut small circles out of black construction paper, or any color you have on hand, and glue them to the bottom of the train. We used 3 or 4 on either side.
   Let your train dry for a few minutes before you start to paint. Let your child choose a few colors for their train and let them paint it all over. We chose red and blue because Thomas is blue and Norman is red :)  I was so pleased with the end result and so was Eli. He gave this to his Daddy to take to work to show off to his buddies.
   If you are feeling REALLY crafty, check out this recycled train!

 

Scrap Paper Project!

Scrap paper. Should I save it? Toss it? No! Don't throw it away, save it for goodness sake! If you are into crafts with your kid at all, you know what I am talking about. Those little pieces of construction paper left over after you practice cutting, gluing, etc. that really start to get on your nerves. I started doing this little project with my son to utilize all those extra scraps. Just save all your left-overs in a ziploc bag and use then when you have enough for this fun art project. When they are gone...start saving again!

 

Materials:

• Scrap paper (any old kind will do!)
•  Glue Stick
• Washable Markers

   Start by drawing a shape of an animal, letter, number, anything you can think of! I used an octopus because this is what my son requested. We did a car after that.  
   Tare up all your scraps that you have saved in your little ziploc baggie.  Make the pieces small enough so little hands can grab them and glue them on, you also want them to fit throughout the entire shape. You could even tare up longer pieces for legs, arms, etc.  Now let your child glue the little pieces of scrap onto their 'octopus.'  This project is great for hand eye coordination and can really help them with patience.
   Try to encourage them to glue 'inside the lines' and talk to them about why they are putting the pieces where they are. "Are you gluing the eyes? Good Job! Where is that green piece going? Oh cool...the tentacles!" Kids are more likely to get into something if they see that you are enjoying it, too. Enjoy this time when they will sit down and communicate with you because I am told that will not last long :)

  Do they want more?!?! Give it to them! Use your scraps from this project to add buttons to your Recycled Race Car, or add little feet to your Egg Carton Caterpillar! These are just a few of many ideas! Happy crafting, everyone! :)